#not sure if they'd have fur all over? probably not but i like to imagine them w a really short velvety fuzz

[layalu]

First one down! if i feel funky i might add a spellbook & carbuncle later, but for now i wanna get the others done first x'D

[neverchecking]

Hi I am 🪷 Aron from couldninetonine

And I have a request for you if it ok.

Can I request yandere platonic sage , sky, time, warrior, four x child zoni reader.

Like the reader is rauru and queen Soni little baby half breed daughter. Half elf and half zoni. And they found her in her little bubble pod that a flower a lotus. And how they fell for her big doe eyes and big ears. And teaching her the ways and have her call them papa's and how they keep her safe. Please and thank you

omg hi! I love cloudninetonine! It is totally okay to request!

I haven't done a lot of platonic yandere, but this seems fun!

Imagine them calling the boys their papa bc her real dad is dead lmao-

・❥・@lovanmari and @wayfayrr I got some DILF Sage for yall

・❥・Sage as a dad. First off-- who in their right mind is trusting him with a kid?

・❥・Nah, I kid, I kid. When he's given a child, one so small and innocent and one that he connects with? It burns something within him.

・❥・He was a child soldier (I think canonically BOTW Link was in the army by age twelve?), and when he sees this small child who's relying on him? He swears they'd have a better life than he ever had.

・❥・He absolutely refuses to let his child anywhere near anything sharp, too hot, too cold, explosive, etc.. If there's any chance at injury, his flower bud isn't going anywhere near it.

・❥・You know that his kid is eating like royalty. Every single day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. And dessert. And you know that dessert is the best damned thing in the world.

・❥・Sage as a dad is probably just as unhinged, but in more protective way? Lynel look in their direction? Here kid, look at this butterfly, Papa will be right back- He's back within three minutes tops and look! He's got the fur for a new blanket for you!

・❥・Cece tries pinching your cheeks? He's glaring down at her, daring her to try.

・❥・Someone tries offering you a treat because your just so adorable? He knows his kid is cute, nice try. Nothing is getting past him. He's a bit of a helicopter parent.

・❥・Not a bit. It's a lot.

・❥・He loves playing with your big ears, ones that you'll grow into, flopping them about even as you get red-cheeked and angry at him.

・❥・He'll make it up to you eventually :)

・❥・He also spoils you absolutely rotten. He has his rules, yes, and expects you to follow them, but his rewards are things like trips to the Zora Domain or a sand seal ride in Gerudo. Never Eldin. Are you kidding that's an active volcano site?!?!

・❥・The sages are one-thousand percent your personal body guards. You don't go anywhere without your dad and at least one sage.

・❥・Sky is absolutely smitten from the start.

・❥・You look at this man and tell me he's not dad shaped. You can't.

・❥・He doesn't even care to learn what a Zonai is. All he knows is there are none here and your all alone and your his now. He doesn't make the rules

・❥・He is also another protective dad, but he's a little more willing to let you experience the world around you. You wanna see those flowers over there? He's following! You wanna go for a dip in the river? Great idea, he's helping you! You can go explore, but never alone.

・❥・He absolutely introduces you to Crimson right away. Crimson is the perfect co-parent guardian. Crimson is always pulling you into her side, ruffling her feathers and grooming you.

・❥・Like you become Sky's kid and Crimson's chick. They are two halves of a whole soul so it makes sense.

・❥・HFHFDOFDHN imagine sleeping on Crimson's back while Sky leads the two of you through a forest or sum ;^;

・❥・Or soaring through the sky with you pointing at every cloud you pass and Sky harnessing you to his chest while Crimson flies much slower than normal.

・❥・Sky can cook basic things, but he definitely spends more time with village moms and elders learning more.

・❥・He for sure carves toys for you out of wood. Like trains or maybe a doll of Crimson.

・❥・You get the fluffiest blankets stuffed with Loftwing feathers

・❥・Groose is such a good uncle-sidebar. Even if Sky isn't...jazzed about letting you out of his sight, he will trust Groose. For an hour.

・❥・Which he is within earshot of for fifty seven minutes.

・❥・He's kind of torn between letting you be with Zelda-- who adores you-- and not. she's the reincarnate of Hylia. What if you get dragging into the wretched reincarnation curse as well?

・❥・He wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy let alone his fletchling.

・❥・Fi for sure has a beacon on you at all times.

・❥・He's more...withdrawn when it comes to first meeting you

・❥・Afterall he's in a war.

・❥・but...so are you. And you are so much younger than he is.

・❥・and what self-respecting parent would let their child wander so far? None that deserve their child.

・❥・So you become his. He doesn't do take backsies.

・❥・When you stutter out that your old, irrelevant, unworthy father was a Zonai, he does take that with some caution.

・❥・But no one even knows what a Zonai is. Ravio has a general idea-- a race blessed by the gods-- but thats as far as he gets.

・❥・That's okay. You were his now and he didn't care what you were. You were perfect just the way you are <3

・❥・Wars as a dad is probably pretty strict. But he lets you out of his sight more than the previous two.

・❥・You get schooled and have friends, but are expected home right away.

・❥・He doesn't like your friends. Not a chance. But because he's such a public figure he needs to give you a semi normal life.

・❥・Which means those dumb friends and parent interventions and schooling and hours away when you could be spending time with him!?

・❥・He probably sneaks you out of school often to go for treats at a bakery or a swim in a river. What are they gonna do, tell the Hero no?!

・❥・Artemis loves you. He trusts her with you while he's dragged away for things he cannot control. She has the power of Sheik on her side and proved her worth to him in battle.

・❥・You definitely have a fairy on you at all times which reports back to him.

・❥・Fours is so fun for one reason and one reason alone.

・❥・the minish.

・❥・They probably are the ones to alert him about your presence, giving their small knowledge of the Zonai race.

・❥・They chirp and chitter at him until he brings you back to the home he shares with his grandpa (Uncle? It's one of the two). The older male was out at the moment leaving Four to figure out what he's going to do with you.

・❥・Obviously he keeps you. No one else can handle such a task! You're so delicate and so rare and the minish already love you.

・❥・So your his. no ifs ands or buts.

・❥・The forge? Off Limits.

・❥・It's too hot with too many sharp pointy things and open flames and its dirty.

・❥・Not for his kid.

・❥・When it comes to cooking, he can do it, but like sky, he's not overly good.

・❥・but! You guys can learn together. Under his strict supervision. Where you sit at the counter. Away from the fires and knives. It's a bonding experience.

・❥・Back to the minish, they love you. They love playing with you and calling your attention away while your dad deals with someone whose watching you a little too closely.

・❥・They leave small trinkets for you all the time! Which four keeps in a box. Because you could choke.

・❥・He's also another one to make your toys! Little metal horses and wooden doll houses.

・❥・If he needs to run out for a few errands or something, he's not leaving you with anyone. Oh no not his kid. No, he's splitting. Two stay with you, three depending on the errand, while the other runs out.

・❥・You aren't allowed the Four sword. Ever.

・❥・He would never wish that upon you. Even if you love the colors and it helps you differentiate between green and red and blue and Violet.

・❥・Thats probably how you learn some of your colors in fact.

・❥・Even as you grow up, you cannot get away with anything. The minish are snitches and it would do you good to learn that. And fast.

[birindale]

I've mentioned the so-called "U-Matic tapes" before, but had tabled finding footage of them bc the next step was going to involve a lot more hacking than I'm capable of. But on my most recent research quest, I got a bootleg DVD which contained an unlisted feature: my personal white whale.

So what is this? Why did I want a copy so bad?

The U-Matic tapes were found in Filmation archives, and we believe this was part of the collaborative process between Mattel and Filmation's development of the characters.

It's easy to look at the Filmation designs and see where the studio's common practices are put into effect. Hordak was changed from gray-skinned to blue so that he would pop out against the backgrounds better. She-Ra's spiraling chest emblem was made symmetrical, because they'd learned that asymmetry and stock footage do not get along during their Superman cartoon.

But this--these designs, this singular tape--this is our missing link. The common ancestor between the first wave toys and the Filmation designs. And yes, I had still images, but not in the original resolution! Not with the clapperboard! This is an entirely unexpected windfall and I'm downright gleeful. Buckle in, folks, I'm breaking it all down:

Castaspella

Ah, Castaspella. She started out with really vibrant colors actually, Justine Dantzer designed her with this whole psychedelic vibe. Her magic wheel was originally super bright, primary colors that imo would have served the toy really well. Instead of 'look at this cool hypno disk' it would be 'look at this cool rainbow hypno disk'. Kids love rainbows! I'm not biased at all!

Obviously the biggest difference aside from her color scheme is the wheel. They did have it in early Filmation passes, but like... it's a giant wheel. I imagine it's kind of a pain to animate.

Double Trouble

Double Trouble, too, had a bit of a color scheme journey. She began with magenta and red, then apparently moved into this violet-and-blue combo, before finally settling on green. And like, the first wave did need more green imo. If they'd stuck with the red for Catra and that lilac for Glimmer they could have had a whole rainbow. And like, gay bias aside, that would be lovely for collectors, or kids that like to arrange stuff by color.

Anyway they kind of stole prototype DT's color scheme for Filmation Glimmer, probably because of the aforementioned 'pop' blue brings against their standard backgrounds. And speaking of...

Glimmer

The guide who lights the way! Filmation pushed her hair much pinker than the toy's (although it's dyed purple in one episode), but otherwise yeah, that's pretty much just Double Trouble's proto-outfit, sans tulle. I should note that the leotards and so on are likely also a 'reduce the number of frames we have to draw' measure. Lou Scheimer had a very, very strict policy that She-Ra's underwear never be showed, which made a number of shots incredibly difficult to animate (the spin-kick towards the camera comes to mind). Honestly it's probably the reason for our She-Ra's shorts. But it's where things like leotards come in handy, because you can animate the action without working around modesty or fabric physics.

Catra

Catra's the biggest downgrade, in my opinion. Like I know, toys marketing being what it is, that they had to push pink. But the red looked so cool! And I know it's difficult to see in the video, but her mask used to have fur like in the prelims. That I think was more of a practical decision, since it's harder to slip a fur-lined mask over rooted hair than a smooth plastic one, but I'd kill to see some test shots with it.

We're not sure what that flocked red Battle Cat mold is--if it's an early Clawdeen/late Tinx, or a shapeshifted Catra. I'm inclined to think the former, both because the play pattern is 'this one toy can be two forms' and because they appear to have added a silver collar in place of Battle Cat's helmet. It seems to have been scrapped for her winged horse Storm, at least for this wave, which is kind of a shame. I think a red velvet Panthor would have had a lot of crossover appeal with the MOTU market (and just been awesome in general).

She-Ra

She-Ra is pretty far along conceptually on both sides of the equation. Naturally, she was the first to be designed--you can see where Mattel was leaning into a tulle and reflective sticker thing and Filmation was like "we reeeeeally want to give her a winged opera-viking-helm thing though". You can see the mask, instead of hard plastic, is like, shiny foil.

Bow

The top of Bow's cape, too--shiny foil. His bow was shaped more like a traditional longbow, and his quiver appears to have been hollow instead of a single cast piece. His outfit is actually the least changed, both in the toy's production and in developing it for Filmation. Like the only things different in the cartoon are that he doesn't have a breastplate covering his heart & abs, and that they gave him a mustache. They tried to do a full beard initially so like. Hey. Could have been hairier!

The figure on the left, under proto-Enchanta, seems to be proto-Kowl. How quickly Justine Dantzer's concept was lost. Koala, plus owl--it's not that complicated!

but Mattel wanted to make a little guy with butterfly wings instead. Explains some of the Filmation concept art, at least.

Angella

Angella was probably changed the most for Filmation. Like they kept the pink and the wing-influenced sigil on her chest (and the actual wings), but they added that blue--almost certainly for contrast--and turned her blonde. Meanwhile the toy just refined the chest design and switched from opaque white to a semi-transparent pink for the wings. 'Cause you know, toy marketing.

Frosta

Frosta, too, was relatively unchanged. Both companies opted for a lighter shade of blueon the hair, and Filmation replaced the reflective elements with white & the sheer with a different shade of blue, but other than that it was pretty much just the same process they applied with Catra's fabrics. Mattel went for texture, Filmation went for an easy-to-animate silhouette.

Other

I've talked about Justine Dantzer's original vision for the Crystal Castle even more than the U-Matics themselves at this point. She loves eagles, she was really excited about the beak elevator thing, it didn't test well & Mattel decided it was too edgy. Thus, the eventual pink situation.

Speaking of eventual pink sitatuations--did somebody say Swift Wind?

That blurry, indistinct horse shape is everyone's favorite equine, in the flesh. Guys, look! He's white! There's a blue ombre on his wings! Suddenly the dichotomy of Toy! and Filmation!Swifties seems less extreme, no?

That bird-thing on the left seems to be a proto-Enchanta, albeit very different from the final product (which was basically just a swan with a mane, not this sick ass dragon-influenced version).

The shields were just round shields, but they may have been placeholders to show off colors/materials, because we know Noreen Porter had refined She-Ra's at least by this point.

The video quality is too poor to say for certain who had a weapon and who had a comb at this point, but Catra's little item there looks significantly pointier than the comb she wound up with. Maybe a comb-ination with a knife? I for one think she should get a blade or two. As a treat. They didn't even give her a sword until wave 3, and that wasn't even her main weapon [side-eyes the Shower Squirter judgmentally]

Man I still can't believe this just turned up. Who would have thought that trying to get cleaner footage of the 1985 Duck Soup commercial could lead to this. Thank you bootleggers you are doing god's work (media preservation). If anybody wants some Rainbow Brite or the live action Japanese Spider-Man or something, I had a pretty great experience with these guys. Only complaint is that their list of included features should be way more specific. I took a gamble on finding some footage anyway & while it didn't turn up I'm far happier with this result. Also if an officially licensed version of any of their titles comes out they take it off the store, which is like, weirdly honorable? But good for them, tbh. Good for them.

[mean-scarlet-deceiver]

Hello! First time asking on tumblr!

I just wanted to ask about your thoughts between Edward and the last remaining furness engines that made it into BR days? Do you think he would be chummy with them cuz of the fact that they’re the last furness engines kicking around in the area, or would their be a divide due to them being “Sharpies”, if the whole feud between the seagulls (Well Seagull, singular) and the sharpies is even still a thing?

Ooh.

At the risk of a spoiler in the Nobby-verse... the Sharpie/Seagull feud becomes a dead letter (or more of a tired old joke) almost immediately after Grouping. Furness territory gets swarmed in short order by "foreign" engines who start taking over some of their assignments, the situation with management is uncertain, and the idiots by and large get their shit together real quick. They still bicker plenty ofc but they also show up for each other against outside threats instead of trying to undermine each other. By the '30s they probably refer to each other as "cousins" instead of "those dirty bastards."

So by nationalisation? Yeah, I think the 7 or so ex-Furness 0-6-0s and Edward would have felt positively about each other—it's nice to know it's not only your little spot of earth that still remembers all that lost culture. Chumminess, though, would have been pretty well precluded by distance. Edward only poked his funnel into Barrow occasionally and irregularly at this point, and the remaining 0-6-0s weren't even at Barrow—they were shedded up at Moor Row. So it's kind of a coin flip as to whether they ever ran into each other at all. If they had, though, I am sure the vibes would be  good. Perhaps bittersweet, but, look, by the early '50s these guys are all survivors. They've been through a lot. I think on the whole they'd appreciate it as a happy coincidence and would go home chuffed to tell their shedmates that they saw old so-and-so that day.

I have thought a good bit about these postwar years up in Moor Row and I like to imagine it was cosy. I mean it was a small, unimportant depot in the middle of nowhere but it was homey. Trainspotters often wrote into journals at the time about seeing some of the last pre-Grouping engines at Moor Row. It not only had the final ex-Furness engines but it also had a contingent of old ex.-Lancaster and Yorkshire 0-6-0s. Ha! I'd bet those two groups were also fierce rivals early in Grouping but by that point, hell. Again, they have all survived a Grouping, a Depression, a World War, and Nationalisation. They're all old and they just like to live a mellow life. All of them were scrapped by the end of the '50s but they'd gotten a pretty full working life. Judging by the notes people wrote into rail magazines at the time, Moor Row took great care of its engines. It was not a bad way to spend your last years and I like to think they were all friends.

And if someone brought in "Old Iron" to read to them? The incredulous laughter and the swapping of stories from four decades ago and the gossip about what an absolute looneybin Sodor was—it would have gone on for hours. ("Why do they have two major crises a year? It's only, what, 150 miles of network all told?... More like 200... aye, what a bleedin' circus... They dress it up for the stories, I reckon... nah, I was right across the bridge from them for 20 years. If anything they sound more sane in these books of theirs...")

So that's my personal headcanon.

That said, for fic writing purposes I have definitely experimented with the drama of, like, FC1 or FC2 trialling one of the last FR 0-6-0s on Sodor. And Edward being delighted to find another survivor! Only to be absolutely blown away when the pleasure is not reciprocated and, like, 52509 or whoever (who, mind you, would have been built after Edward had left the mainland anyway) just being like piss off, Seagull and Edward being gobsmacked. ... this is the year of our Lord nineteen fifty-two?? Surely you cannot be serious.

Obviously, James is the hero everyone needs here. No, I'm serious. That's a separate ask, I'll finish describing that fic idea one day.

[patchesproblem]

tell us more about the immortal cat au

BET ACTUALLY

So to start off with it happens more in the future after Honkai was eradicated / sealed away. More than likely a few years after it after everything calmed down and they weren't on the constant verge of deadly threat every five seconds.

There's actually a first draft and a second draft when it comes to this. The original idea was that they figured out a way to replicate their immortality and just kinda tested it on a cat and kept it, but it was scrapped because I doubt they'd actively be trying to replicate immortality when it's more of a curse than a blessing lmao. It originally was from like Novemebr or December I believe, so it's relatively old.

For now the immortal cat doesn't really have a place of origin. The current ideas are maybe that it was created (think kinda like Theresa?? But also not really because this is a literal animal) or that some freak accident happened. It doesn't really matter because the cat itself is what's more important because it terrorizes everyone and everything in it's path.

Imagine if you took everything that makes Einstein and Tesla menaces to society but put it into a cat that doesn't have to face consequences or societal shame.

The cat can be really sweet yes, but it can also ruin your day. It can and will knock anything it feels like over. It's definetly ruined electronics before.

Tesla and her are besties but they are in a constant war with each other. When Teslas had a bad day it'll curl up with her and comfort her, but on any other day it'll be knocking stuff off of her desk or nightstand and running off with her glasses without a care. She's probably ran off with her tools at some point tbh. Also has probably knocked several screwdrivers underneath things and neither Tesla nor Einstein can reach far enough to get them back. Anti-Entropys funds are having to be put towards buying new equipment because of their pet they refuse to get rid of.

The cat is at war with Einstein too except on a lesser, less destructive scale. Their war is exactly like how Einstein chooses to mess with people. It's clear. It's subtle. It will drive you insane nonetheless. It'll stare at her dead in the eyes flicking its tail having a staring contest. They both know it's about to do something the only question is when and what. Minutes later she's chasing it around their dorm trying to get her sandwich back that it stole.

Basically it kinda mimics each of them. It's also just a cat and cats are just like that tbh (source I have a menace of my own that has destroyed many electronics and has shoved her face in my food when I glanced away.)

Though it's not all chaos. They see her as their kid and actively make sure that it has the best life they can give it. Probably one of the most spoiled cats known to man kind. It sleeps with them and just kinda chills with them most of the time when it's not being a destructive unstoppable force.

It also really enjoys chasing the laser pointers and tries to play with Einsteins hair and probably attacks Teslas pigtails LMAO.

Also does not like men. The cat just stares at them and hisses before running off. It does not care for Joachim in the slightest.

Oh and her names S'more. She's a tortoise shell and Tesla 100% put a bow on her. They take her out with them sometimes and she goes on buisness trips with them.

I think Tesla probably brushes her often too and makes sure that her furs pretty and soft. Don't know why I just think she would. They treat it like it's their child so nothing would surprise me. Probably say stuff like "go harass your mother" or something like that.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

I finished some, so I'll for sure be posting them at some point, but now somehow they keep growing...

I mean, considering the fact that unlike the rest of the Ginko Guild, Volo never seems to actually do or sell anything... But yes, I like ox for Ginter, I think that's a good fit. Oh, ha, I just remembered that in OoP you had Ginter be like, "I probably should have given up trying to get Volo to be where he's supposed to be and do what he's supposed to be doing. :/" so I guess in this Ginter would have even more reason to think Volo's just hopelessly flighty lol.

... I have never once given the fact that Gaeric and Sabi have similar shades of hair any mind, so that blew my mind a little bit. They're even both in the Icelands, whereas the only other person I can think of with light blue hair is Cyllene, who definitely isn't related to either of them. Also, I think it would be hilarious if Gaeric was more subtle about his liason with a fellow warden than Palina and Iscan, to the point where he had a whole entire kid no one knew about. Despite them have a region all to themselves while Gaeric would have to hide it from pretty much the entire Pearl Clan. That does leave rather sad connotations about her mom though, since she'd almost certainly have to be dead for Sabi to take it up so young.

The other kids are just like, you're weird, but so is Ingo and he's alright and also a warden too, so I guess you're probably fine." And then she proves she's awesome at playing hide-and-seek, thus winning them over. That's assuming that the Diamond Clan actually knows or if Adaman and/or the other wardens keep it a secret. If they knew then for sure they'd likely kick up a fuss about the Pearl Clan getting their grubby little heathen hands near her, but that just means that he'd have even more reason to not say anything. Although, with this whole idea of him asking the Pearl Clan to help keep her safe, I do have to wonder if Ingo is part of the reason she has three high level pokemon as a child (and also, I know the clans apparently don't like pokeballs but where the hell is she keeping them if not in balls??? Surely she's not just leaving without them while she does her rounds, right?). That is very much not the norm, unlike in the future where it's at least plausible that a 10 year old could have three level 50 pokemon. Maybe sometimes when she gets bored she goes to the highlands to fight him, or he showed her how to battle/train her pokemon and she just has nothing better to do most of the time other than fighting wild pokemon.

Well, I thought it'd be Irida asking first because I was going on the assumption that Ingo was made warden first. But if she was made warden before he was, then yes, I could definitely see Adaman asking anyway. They're both serious about making the peace work and he's worried about his decision to make a small child not just a warden, but a warden in a frozen wasteland filled with high level pokemon that'd love to eat her. It'd be a risk, since for all he knew asking could offend Irida into fighting again, but you miss one hundred percent of the shots you never take and all that.

Well now I just am imagining an au where he's actually totally fine, but because he's naturally so thin and weird looking some of them go up to Irida after seeing him in the highlands, and are very concerned because is she sure he's eating enough and he must be so cold up there without any fat or insulating fur, does she know if he has enough blankets and tunics in case his rips or needs to double layer? He's alarming to look at and they can't remember if that's what he looked like before or if maybe he had more meat on his bones and lost it. No, but you're right, if nothing else they'd definitely be able to notice concerning behaviors and could from there ask if he was alright. You mentioned before that it's probably something of a faux pas to purposefully scare a prey animal to make them Run, so they must have at least a basic idea of "prey animals really, really don't do well with being this stressed out," and realize he was like that the entire time they were walking with him. Ingo wonders why all the Pearl Clan members he meets ask him if he's okay but figures they're just asking to be polite, although that might just be the part of him that remembers, "hi, how are you doing today?" to be a very common greeting, to which the socially acceptable answer is always, "I'm fine, thank you." Not that he's not fine, of course, because he is. Just like he always is.

:0 looking forward to it!!

qhqqhkjh yeah. ginter's like why do we even still have that guy on the payroll, all he does is wander off without telling anyone, dodge work to look at old shit, and give away merchandise for free. which is literally ALL he does in canon up until the red sky and even then i'm pretty sure the "selling you items by the temple" is a thinly veiled excuse to get front row seats to the action. and yet they keep him around so he must be doing SOMETHING hsgkjsh. i feel like volo can sweet talk someone into a sale really well if he actually puts his mind to it, he just... doesn't bother 99% of the time

YEAH now that i think more about it it's like... idk if i think it's a theory necessarily but it's a really interesting hc. iscan, melli and coin all have blue hair but it's not quite as vibrant in any of their cases as it is with gaeric and sabi. i feel like if it was actually like, true, the other wardens would probably know about it and maybe say something that implied it, but that can also be easily explained by like. it's a thing everyone knows and they all pretend they don't because it would cause Problems and sabi doesn't need that she's five. it IS funny to imagine that gaeric was able to keep a whole relationship with the other icelands warden secret enough that she had a whole child and nobody figured it out whereas irida talked to palina and iscan for like 2 conversations and immediately clocked that there was Something Going On ghskjshjks. i do think the fact that wardens tend to have deeper relationships with each other than their clans would strictly approve of is something of an open secret, but having a child with your counterpart would probably still be sort of crossing a line.

that's true the diamond clan probably doesn't actually have any idea. and ingo being why she has three monster partners... alternately, if gaeric is her dad, i could see him helping her get them as a way to protect herself. (that said i'm also not convinced her pokemon are uh. fully canon. because if they are that is an extremely weird pick just considering how tiny the magmar line's range is if nothing else. when did she have the time to go all the way to firespit to get one of those?? and i would expect her to have some psychic-types, or mons you can actually find in the mirelands or icelands, rather than... those three. like it's also possible that she borrowed them from someone/somewhere just to test you, maybe)

yeah, i could see it going in either order tbh. i mean, i think ingo was definitely made warden before sabi was, but i also don't know how long it would have taken irida to speak to adaman about him. it's possible she waited long enough that sabi was instated and adaman came to her first. if adaman was concerned about irida taking offense, though, i feel like he'd be more likely to go to one of the pearl wardens, as sort of a go-between who's less likely to anger her just by their presence. like gaeric... or ingo... gaeric's closer, obviously, and has been warden longer and thus has more authority to talk to irida with, but he probably would assume ingo is less likely to flat-out refuse him. (which, gaeric wouldn't either if he is her father, but adaman might not know that—or might think gaeric resents sabi since she's diamond)

skjhskjhs irida having to field concerned questions like "no he's fine i promise, yes he just looks like that, yes i know it looks concerning but no he was like that when he got here." yeah though, i don't know how well they'd be acquainted with hare behaviors specifically, but they probably get enough arctic/snowshoe hares that there's a good general sense of how they Should act. one that ingo increasingly does not fit, like, at all... unless you imagine that he is constantly on the verge of a break-and-bolt panic. he keeps denying it, though...

[lit-works]

As I pat my team captain on the back, I notice his expression suddenly turns grim. "What is wrong, Logan?" I ask as the two of us move away from our teammates.

"I smell a fire, Kurt," Wolverine whispers. "A big one "

"The wind is coming in from the west." I note. "There's a U.S. Forest preserve over that way. Do you think it could be a forest fire?"

My friend shakes his head. "No, I smell traces of gasoline fumes, burning rubber, insulation, phosphorous…"

"Phosphorous? You mean like a bomb?"

I look towards the X-Men leader, but Storm is speaking intently with Magneto as he herds the youngsters back inside to attend their studies. I signal Rogue to come over to Wolverine and I.

"What can ah do for you gentlemen?" The young woman asks in her melifluous southern drawl.

"Rogue, I want you to fly over the lake and see if you can spot smoke," Wolverine says.

"All right." She replies, looking at me, puzzled.

I hold her back for a moment, "Just look, Lieb-chen," I say, "Don't get close. The fumes could be dangerous."

"Ah'll be real careful, Shugah." Rogue replies teasingly. She runs a gloved finger up the blue fur along my arm and flashes me one of her dazzling smiles before she starts upwards.

A touch of sadness creeps over me as I watch her fade Into a speck in the sky. Rogue can be a charming flirt, and is quite attractive, but I know it is only her defense against the loneliness that her mutant powers forces upon her. I can't imagine what it would be like to be cursed with her power, to have to avoid touching all human flesh. If she does touch someone, she steals that person's spirit for a time and causes them to lose consciousness. Rogue originally came to the X-Men for help with this precise problem, but so far, no one has been able to discover a way to permanently control the automatic transfer.

"I used to feel sorry for myself," I tell Wolverine. "Because I look so different. But I can not think of any problem worse than Rogue's. At a time in her life when she should be exploring intimacy, she dares not to."

Wolverine shrugs. "She's probably better off than the rest of us."

I eye Wolverine critically. I've seen him heartbroken on many occasions, and yet he hasn't given up on love. I know that beneath his gruff exterior is a man whose soul aches for the true union of body and spirit with another.

"Surely you do not mean that." I whisper quietly.

"Maybe not," He says, watching Rogue land lightly on the balls of her feet like an acrobat, her face flushed with the exhilaration of flying. She is not jaded by this power, even though she uses it constantly.

"The fire's on Obar Island," She announces. "Billowin' clouds o' black stuff. Y'all don't think the sparks could spread the fire over all that water,do ya?"

"Probably not." Wolverine replies.

"Obar Island," I muse. "Isn't there some sort of military base there?"

"Last time I flew over there, about a month ago," Rogue reports. "They were jus' puttin' up some buildin's and postin' it with some real unfriendly signs–all about prosecutin' trespassers and stuff like that."

"Sounds like the army, alright," Wolverine mutters.

Just to be sure, the three of us troop into the school kitchen to use the telephone. I listen as Wolverine reports the fire to the local authorities. He speaks to someone on the other end of the line for a moment, then says, "I see. Okay."

"What did they say?" I ask.

"The situation is under control." Wolverine answers.

"Good."

"Not really," he replies. "'cause they're lyin'."

"How do you know?" Rogue asks.

"I just do."

I've had enough experience with Wolverine's intuition before. He's not often wrong. I'd be willing to bet he is right now, too. "But why would they lie?" I ask.

"Maybe there's some sort of poisonous gas out there, an' they don't want t' panic the populace." Rogue guesses.

"You've got a vivid imagination, Kid." Wolverine states. "But I don't smell any poison. More likely, the army just doesn't wanna breach security on the island. They'd rather let it burn into the water than bring in outsiders."

I shake my head. Wolverine once worked for the military, and he accepts such things matter-of-factly, but I am still appalled by such a destructive, secretive mentality. "Well?" I ask. "Should we consult with our fearless leader on this one?"

"Ah'll go find her," Rogue offers, and she hurries off to fetch Storm.

[artstorieshusbandos]

Tale of Two Tragedies-Theo's route (Ikemen Vampire) **spoilers**

Tragedy #1 Exhibit A

I honestly half expected him to haul off and draw a masterpiece in the tavern notebook. Not because he's a Van Gogh but because there's almost no way someone with his appreciation for art , his eye for it and his hardcore determination wouldn't have managed to at least be drawing on the side for enjoyment.

This scene would have gone down a little differently if I had actually been in MC's place. MC, it seems, doesn't do art. I've been at least scribbling since I was a kid that figured out I could rub the paint off my toys onto the wall. I would not have noticed the notebook on the counter, but ever since we left the private gallery earlier I'd been dying to ask him if he'd ever done any art. I daydreamed about asking while I was waiting for my tickets to replenish Why?

This isn't the voice of someone who doesn't want to do art.

Usually when someone tells me they can't draw I find out one of 3 things. They either don't really want to draw or at least they have other things they'd much rather put their time into which is fair. They actually can draw but have fallen into the trap of undervaluing their own work which may or may not be a result of comparing their work to the work of others. Then there's the third crowd that has the desire to do it, puts in the time but can't get anywhere because they are trying to draw from their left brain.

What am I talking about? I'm sure you may have heard that our brains have two halves and that the left half is connected to logic, mathematics, language, symbolism, ect, and the right brain is associated with imagination, creativity, music, spatial relations, distances, ect. Most of us don't know how that actually relates to someone's ability to draw or paint. The truth is art is something all humans can do to some degree. How good you manage to get is one part the desire to do it, one part putting in the practice and one part how well you can get your left brain to give over control to the right brain.

Vincent and Theo are such wonderful examples of what I'm getting at here with the whole left brain/right brain thing. Vincent is right brain dominant and I know this not because he's a talented artist but because it's a fact that Vincent Van Gogh is left handed. Our dominant hands are opposite our dominant brains. Theo is clearly left brain dominant not only because we can see it in his organizational and business skills we can see how he's talking in the second image where he's trying to draw King. He's thinking about drawing fur and eyes and the components of the dog not the forms. The parts are all named and labeled....this is left brain thinking. Compare it to how he talks when he is observing paintings and pushing the technical aside to just let it speak to him. This is the mode he needs to be in to create but he's trying to attack it with his stronger mode which is his left brain mode. It doesn't matter how much you practice if you are practicing the wrong thing.

The other pitfall he's hit is comparing himself to Vincent. As an artist never ever ever ever compare yourself to anyone but the you from yesterday. There will always be someone "better" than you and "better" will always be subjective. Vincent got a head start being right brained. When his brain reaches for it's stronger side it's going to pull from the correct one automatically.

Maybe at this point you're wondering why I spent so much time analyzing a fictional character in this manner? Honestly it breaks my heart to see him like this and though I know he's fictional I also know there are many many Theo's in this world who have given up because they don't know what's holding them back or that it can be conquered. I wrote this for them.

If this is you and you'd like to see what you're truly capable of do this one really easy exercise. Find a picture of something you'd like to draw. Draw it as best you can. If all you can do is draw a stick then draw that stick. Then take that same image and flip it upside down and draw it again. The reason for doing this is to force the left brain to let the right brain work. The left brain doesn't like to work with anything it can't define and slap a label on. When you flip the image upside down it makes it so the left brain can't properly identify the subject. It has no choice but to shut up and let the right brain work. Compare your two drawings. I was astonished the first time I did this. I no longer have my original upright drawing from the first time I tried this technique but I do have the first drawing I ever did upside down. Here it is.

Granted I had been drawing for years upright already but if you need a point of reference as to where I was in my skill when I started training my left brain to sit down here's another drawing from the same year.

Quite a bit of technical difference.

If this exercise worked for you and you're interested in learning more about how to train your brain for better art this is the book that taught me.

I recommend this book to any artist that hasn't read it. It's been the biggest help I've ever gotten on my journey. I don't know if Amazon is the best place to get a copy or not I didn't price match I just put up the first link I came to so you might want to shop around.

Tragedy #2 Exhibit B

Here is one of the last pieces I completed.

It was done in 2012. That's right.....it's been damn near a decade since I've turned out a completed art piece. It would probably break Theo's heart even more to know that there are people out here like me that have talent and aren't using it while he would love to do it and can't seem to. In fact he'd probably dump my ass if we were actually dating before he found out. I felt guilty before but now it's guilt x 1000. Are any of you out there in the same boat as me? Anyone out there that managed to get out of the rut that might have some tips for me? Maybe I should take some requests? What would you all like to see me draw?

Also if you're interested in seeing more of my stuff my gallery is collecting dust here

Theo has everything he needs to be a great artist. He has the eye for aesthetics, he has the desire and commits himself to everything. In his time psychology is in it's infancy. He doesn't even know yet what he doesn't know. If I was wrong about this and he still couldn't draw after a few training sessions I guess I'd have to start making him paint by number kits. He can pick the subject and the colors I'll map out the design and we'll do it together.

[chokefriends]

Anatomy model Eustass Kid

By @godims0tired ♡ for my fic Life Drawing

Rating: E

Warnings: None

Characters & ships: Eustass Kid / Trafalgar Law

Word count: 2978

Summary: Law practices his anatomical drawing with Kidd as his subject. With his devil fruit abilities he can see right inside him.

Kidd finds this insanely romantic.

~~~

Read on Ao3 or below the cut. I know it's an older fic by now but I havent posted it here before so here!

~~~

Kidd jerked into full awareness as he lay sprawled in his bed. He checked around himself without moving and sensed a second heartbeat in the room, near enough that the dim echoes of its electrical impulses lapped at his skin like waves. Slow and calm. Just watching then; not yet poised to attack…

There were eyes on him.

It took him a moment to remember that the other heartbeat was supposed to be there. He wasn't used to having bedmates stay overnight.

Red eyes slid open and found keen grey ones fixed on him.

“The fuck you staring at.”

“You, idiot.”

The big redheaded sprawl snorted crassly at that and flopped over, returning the stare with sleepy menace.

Law smirked. He was wedged sideways in one of the heavy carved armchairs in Kidd's quarters, loosely wrapped in a sheet and busily scritch scritching in a large book. His gaze flicked from page to Kidd and back.

Kidd prodded him, “See something you want, Trafalgar? Come over here and take it.”

His limbs were still all loose and languid from when they'd fucked a couple hours before, but Kidd could stand to go another round. Especially with the sharp, evaluating looks Law was throwing him right now.

“Come on, c'mere.”

“Later. Go back to sleep, Eustass-ya.” The pen bobbed.

“Don’ wanna. What are you doing still up?”

“Just passing the time until my brain decides to let me fall asleep.” Law's insomniac woes again.

“A good fuck will do that for you. Lemme do the ligature thing and you'll be out like bam .” Kidd offered generously.

“Heheh. Thanks but oxygen deprivation is not the kind of sleep aid I need.”

“Your loss.”

Kidd burrowed into his cluster of satiny pillows with a sigh. For an infamously brutal pirate captain he sure liked his little extravagances. The whole room was draped with horribly clashing bits of luxurious fabrics and furs, and the odd shiny sharp thing. The manic magpie whims of past raids.

“Nah, that's no good,” Law recrossed long legs over the chair’s arm, well cushioned with some spotted pelt. “Go back to where you were a second ago.”

“Are you…? What, taking notes on me? Writing an ode to the sinful curve of my flawless ass?”

“Something like that. I'm adding my own anatomical diagrams to this medical text. It’s my favourite for reference material but the illustrations are scanty and kinda shit -- it's like they've never dissected anyone before.”

“Nice. Add a diagram of these.” Kidd kicked up a leg.

“Hah. I'm nowhere near the section on genital abnormalities, but I'll look you up when I get there. Turn on your side again, I was doing upper body musculature.”

“Ooo. I got lots of that, yeah.” Kidd complied.

The lamplight was flickering low behind Law. Kidd could see him and his book backlit dimly, the small hairs on his leanly muscled shoulders aglow like a nimbus. Tinged subtly blue.

Wait, blue?

“Do you have a Room up?”

“Yeah, so I can scan down and see the actual anatomical stuff.”

“Huh. That's handy. You don't even have to dissect anyone.”

“Yeah but it’s easier to see everything if you physically open someone up. You can isolate the individual structures that way.” Law peeked overtop of the book. “And it's more fun to do it the old-fashioned way, heh…”

Kidd gave a low laugh. Law wasn't even joking, he knew. He imagined waking up one night like this, to find some part of him delicately splayed open and the dark haired doctor sketching away with the same expression. If Law used his devil fruit power he could do it painlessly and bloodlessly, without even waking him. Kidd had seen him sever heads away from bodies completely within that blue sphere, both pieces still functioning as one. He’d never been the subject of that eerie power himself, though.

He didn’t think so, anyway.

Law untangled himself from chair and sheet, and finally came over to join him on the bed. Kidd was gifted briefly with a full view of the lithe figure. His recent handiwork was beginning to show in the mottling that ran up either thigh and the bites framing his chest tattoos.

The long limbs refolded next to him. “Stay there, I wanna do the neck muscles now.”

“Lemme see that first.”

“Don't be grabby,” Law complained, but gave up the book.

“Holy fuck.” Kidd flipped through studies of his back, shoulders, hands. “So that's how I look without skin, huh.”

He had been expecting more… yeah. Skin.

“I did say I was drawing the muscles.”

“And my bones and everything.”

“Yeah. Good skeletal structure too. Several odd calluses where breaks didn't quite set right, though.”

“You can see all of that?”

“Yeah, of course. Like I said, I can scan down to any level. Though it helps if I know already the shape of what I'm looking for.”

Something about the drawings was just so Law. The lines so precise, so sharp, somehow impatient. A little obsessive and overworked on certain details, like the hollow between his collar bones and the knobbly crook of his index finger, broken at least twice. Many practice studies on loose sheets of paper showed that Law had been trying to get these parts just right.

It occurred to Kidd that these weren't just anatomical studies using him as a model -- these were him.

Jotted notes crowded around the practice studies, but Law grabbed the book back before Kidd could read them properly.

“Trafalgar. Does that seriously say I have 8.2 litres of blood in me.”

“Nevermind that. Just an interesting fact. You have a lot of blood.”

Kidd stole another peek as Law held him off. “And that I have a grip strength of 68 kilograms in my right hand?”

“At least. That’s not something I can see; that's from uh, experience.”

Kidd leaned back with his hands laced behind his head to look at Law. “One might misinterpret this as a target profile of some kind.” Because that's exactly what it was -- a detailed map of Kidd’s strongest, and weakest points.

“Whoa, your blood pressure’s spiking.” Law grinned with more teeth than usual and leaned in to hover over him.

“Now you're just showing off,” Kidd complained.

“Does this disturb you?”

That wasn't exactly the feeling that was spreading through him, no. Or not entirely, anyway. Kidd just cracked his neck, stretching it out for Law's benefit, and raised an eyebrow.

“So you wanted some neck action? It's all yours.”

Law seemed to like the sound of that. He angled Kidd’s head away and up with a gentle press of fingers, so the ear and neck were exposed to him.

Kidd watched his shadow flicker on the opposite wall and listened to the pen scratch across paper. The undulating magnetic field of Law’s heart was so close now, washing over him. His own blood thudded in his ears, senses all on high alert from holding himself in this vulnerable position.

He could be fuckin patient. Sometimes. Well… when he had all of Law’s attention focused on him like this, he’d stay still forever. He could feel the sharp eyes on him like a touch. His own eyes started to wander back over…

He jumped a little when Law did touch him, nudging him back into place. And then trailing fingers over the mound behind his ear.

“Sternocleidomastoid,” Law mouthed to himself. “Levator scapulae…” The hand travelled down to his collarbone and rested there lightly, his thumb tracing little circles.

It was so calm. And strange. Rare for the reserved doctor to be so casually intimate. Even while they were fucking, touch was more like a struggle, hands straining against and into each other. Kidd was rough without even trying, but it was Law who seemed to flinch from any contact not resembling combat. Or medical care. Such structured things. He’d objected -- vehemently -- to being “pawed at” and “pet like a lap dog” often enough. As though anything less than bruising force would hurt more.

He was so guarded. It made Kidd greedy.

“You're hard, you know,” Law breathed onto his neck.

“Yeah I'm aware.”

“Heh.”

Tattooed fingers ran along Kidd’s side, over the tight bands hugging the ribs (“Serratus anterior…”), and pinpricks rose in their wake. Kidd found himself arching up against the hand desperately.

“Ah, fuck, Trafalgar…”

“Mhm,” Law responded, distracted. Or pretending to be. He followed a particular cord of muscle down Kidd’s powerful thigh with his thumb. “Sartorius. Gracilis.”

“Dick.”

“No that's not a muscle, Eustass-ya.”

“Oh for the love of GOD.”

Law made a sound that was probably a muffled laugh. “Hold still. I'm doing anatomical studies.”

“Oh is that what we're doing.”

“Obviously.”

“Where's the book.”

“It's…” Law looked around for a minute. “On the floor.”

Kidd covered his face with his hands and just laughed. Law sighed dramatically.

“Well. Guess I gotta start from the top again.”

 

---

Law could be a pushy bastard when he topped. But he kept up the slow, focused treatment this time and it was driving Kidd fucking insane.

“I'm gonna flip this the fuck around and pound you inside out if it takes any longer.” Kidd growled from under his arm, slung across his face.

This was as close as he could get to actually asking for it. Here he was laid out, so open and ready, core clenching and unclenching. Needing to be fucked, to have hands on him, in him, whatever. All of it.

“Nah you're not.” Law countered smugly.

“F-uck,” was all Kidd could come up with when a third finger twisted into his slicked up hole. His body tensed and spasmed before yielding itself open.

By the time Law was actually fucking him, Kidd had nearly popped a fucking vein.

Law pushed in slowly, slowly. Until they were pressed together as tight as they could go, breath hot on each other's faces.

“Shit, Tr--ahh…”

“Eustass-ya…”

He was done with all the slow shit. Kidd was a shifting mass of need under him and honestly, he was even more worked up. He dragged almost all the way out only to grind back in hard, and the tight body jolted.

“Aw fuck, yeah…”

Law braced his weight on his arms, pressing Kidd’s hips into the bed. He watched the muscles bunch beneath him with each impact, Kidd straining to meet him. Watched through skin so pale it was translucent, glowing and rippling.

Kidd still wasn't entirely sure what to make of that gaze. All hunger and splitting seams, open lips and ragged breath.

He quirked up one corner of a mocking mouth.

“The fuck’re you-- ah --staring at?”

Law didn't answer for a moment. Under Kidd's skin it was like… layers of red ribbons, wrapping him up. The ribbons all pulling and straining against each other when Kidd moved (when Law moved in him), like something inside was trying to burst out. Under them, ribs curving -- jealous fingers. Wetly clinging membranes. Then under that…

“Your heart. It's…”

Their bodies collided, beaded with sweat. Harder. More. Law could see, hear Kidd's heart beating faster as he picked up his pace. God, he could feel it in his palms. In his dick. Beating so strong it echoed in his ears, drowning out his own.

“Fucking perfect. It's perfect.”

Kidd laughed breathlessly. His heart. What the hell. “...You wanna get your hands on that too?”

Law did.

He wanted to grip it, feel it flutter, make it burst …

… What if I could? he thought. He slowed, thinking, and spread a hand over Kidd’s breastbone. Not just to incapacitate through dismemberment, but to cut a piece from the whole, one vital piece…

Kidd watched the pensive eyes flicker and gave him a swift jab of encouragement with his heel.

“You'll just have to get hold of it the old fashioned way. Hahahaaa…”

“Hah.” Law shook himself from his distracted state. He picked up a pace that was slower than before, though not less jarring. “Like… I should court you or like I should cut you open?”

“Whichever ...ah ... But you should fuckin get me off first.” Kidd guided the tattooed hand down from his chest to his dripping cock, and Law obliged, finally.

They fucked with foreheads pressed together and grips slipping on sweat slick skin. Kidd thought of Law digging his hands right into his chest and came in jerking starts like it was being beaten out of him, legs clamped tight around him. Skin thrumming with the echoes of hands and heartbeat.

 

---

Kidd flipped through the last few drawings with some undefinable flutter in his gut.

“That's some shit you won't see in any other textbook.”

“Mhm.” Law allowed himself to press against Kidd just slightly as they lay sprawled out, sweat drying in the cool air. He was in a fuckin good mood, kinda dazed.

“I do look damn good without skin, I'll say that much.”

“Heh. And with. You can see the suprasternal notch really clearly even under the skin, it's nice. I fuckin love all of that. That area.”

Kidd choked a little but Law didn't seem to realize what he'd said. And that's not even what he meant anyway, Kidd told himself.

But the whole thing kinda was the same as a confession, at least as far as Law went. The drawings, as vaguely threatening as they were, betrayed an intimate preoccupation with Kidd's finer points. Maybe even admiration. Definitely possessiveness. Need.

“I wanna do you too.”

Law grinned, “Already?”

“Not that, idiot. Draw you.”

“I didn’t know you could draw.”

“Well, draft. I can draft things -- just basic. For engineering stuff on the ship, mostly.”

“Oh, nice!” Law bounced up to get fresh paper from the floor by the chair. “How does one usually draft stuff? Don’t you need a triangle thing? Compasses, etcetera?”

“Maybe. I’ll just make an outline for now.”

Law seemed right into this whole idea. “Draw me like one of your machines, Eustass-ya.” He draped himself dramatically across the bed and Kidd shoved him with a grin.

“How do you want me, though.”

Kidd appreciated that question for a moment.

“Doesn’t matter,” he shrugged. “I don’t know how to draw from life -- like perspective or anything. So it’s gonna be pretty diagrammatic. I just need a few details and some numbers.”

“Like specifications? How to build a Trafalgar?”

“Yeah, so I can make another if this one breaks.”

That made him laugh.

“Okay lie out flat and lemme measure you.”

“With what measuring tools?”

“I'll just eyeball it,” Kidd insisted.

This turned out to mean that he was going to get his hands all over him, which Law supposed was fair. He tensed and shied but stayed mostly still, letting Kidd explore his dimensions and proportions. Pages filled up with ratios and vectors of movement. Things got off track again around when Kidd was testing the rotation arc of his arms and quickly became vicious rutting. Light, skimming hands could become crushing ones so quickly.

Anyway, turned out that Law could get off while his arms were being hyperextended behind his back. Pretty effectively, in fact.

After, when they were laid out next to each other once again, and Law’s breaths were finally lengthening into sleep, Kidd dared to try another light touch. Without their thin pretense of functionality this time -- just want. He smoothed a hand over all the tattoos he'd taken such careful note of earlier. A large heart on his chest with a grinning skull similar to his Jolly Roger. Hearts on his shoulders. Kidd’s fingerprints blooming dark purple on his upper arms.

Sixty-eight kilograms of pressure and Law hadn't made a sound, but a feather touch over the marks and a quiet ah pushed past his lips.

“Whose emblem is that tattoo?”

Law mumbled with his eyes closed, “Someone who died. Long time ago.”

“Someone…” Kidd repeated to himself, but didn't probe. “You going to get any more?”

“Nah.” His breath stuttered slightly when Kidd trailed knuckles down his jaw. “I just like… your marks…”

He fell asleep with Kidd's lips against the shell of his ear.

 

---

A roll of broadsheet tied with string arrived by carrier gull when Law was back on his sub some days later. He stole away to his cluttered quarters and spread the roll out on the bed.

Inside the broadsheet was a large-format technical drawing.

There were three flat outlines of Law: front, back, side. All heavily marked out in blunt pencil, all surrounded by arcs and lines, dotted and solid, indicating measurements and angles of motion. The insides of the outlines were empty except for perfectly to scale renderings of his tattoos.

[roselen-mylady]

In Another Life

Bucky Barnes x reader ° part thirteen

Summary: Waiting 88 years to find your soulmate? It was cruel. But it was a cruel fate Bucky would have to face whether he accepted it or not. Bucky was a tortured man all his life and he wasn't even granted the solace of having his soulmate at his side. All he had was the promise of one in another life. They were separated by two different times.

But the pain in their lives were connected.

Y/n had been alone ever since she could remember. All she could depend on was the soulmate that was destined to be at her side. Yet when the snap occured she lost him.

And Bucky never got to meet her.

When Y/n awoke that morning there was nothing. No terrifying nightmare leaving her in a cold sweat. No hot tears streaking her cheeks as her guilt seeped free of her subconscious. There was only a vague tiredness that came with just waking up and as she slowly gained awareness, she'd realized what had awoken her. 

Bucky's arm had latched around her waist in his sleep, the vibranium piece chilling her warmed flesh. She'd been mostly used to the feeling but some nights, especially colder ones where he left his arms atop the covers before drawing them back to her, she found the sensation shocking but pleasant. If anything it was a reminder of him and his frozen past she was thawing more and more each day. 

Her fingers overlapped his own, entangling their hands together as she shifted herself to face him. His eyes moved under their lids, some dream that would soon be forgotten playing in his head as he slept. It was peaceful watching the way his chest rose and fell or the way his lips slightly parted with each breath. Admiring the way his lashes barely brushed his cheeks as he stirred, imagining the sea of blue that was hidden from her. 

He was beautiful. A kind of beautiful that wasn't shared with the world but a beautiful that was obvious to those around him. A beauty that started in his heart and seeped to each of his features. A beautiful person. 

"You okay?" His voice was gruff with sleep and his eyes barely peeked open enough to see her. The question was followed by a long yawn he tried rather pathetically to stop along with the small jerk as he moved closer into her side. 

She nodded, smiling lovingly as her hand came to his face, running her palm along his cheek. "I'm fine, go back to sleep." She lulled, her hand trailing up to his short strands and lightly brushing her nails against his scalp. 

He leaned into her touch for a moment before sleep took him once more. Sleep had always been something touch and go with them. But tonight it was granted and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was a small mercy for whatever they had to face in the future. 

But she refused to allow her thoughts to keep her up. 

And as she drifted off to sleep once more she promised herself that the only thing she'd let wake her up in the middle of the night would be the cold limb of her love.  

••• 

When Y/n awoke again, her head was on Bucky's chest. His breaths were steady but faster than usual sleep would allow so she knew he was awake, probably exploring the new tech she'd put on his phone, fascinated by the advances of 2024. 

Moving her hand across his bare chest, she could feel the shape of the muscle there, firm with years of use. Pulling her hand closer toward herself, she could feel the raised scar tissue where they'd attached his arm. She traced the skin there, his arm coming to rub her back as he eased her out of her sleepy daze. 

Morning Bucky was a sight to behold. It was like his past hadn't quite caught up with him yet and she could only imagine it was the same for herself. It was like they were still dreaming and this particular morning she wanted to do everything in her power to stay there with him. But Bucky was unaware of such plans. 

"You have a meeting in an hour." His words rumbled through his chest and Y/n sighed, half heartedly glaring at him from her lazy position across his torso. 

"You're really killing the mood." She hummed, burying herself further into his chest as his metal thumb brushed along her shoulder. There was a soft thud on the bedside table and Y/n guessed he'd set down his phone before moving his other arm to hold her as he chuckled. 

"What mood?" He questioned. Y/n didn't even have to look up at him, already picturing his amused but Loving smile.  

"The 'sunlight pouring in through the window while laying in the arms of the man you love' mood. In this scenario, they don't usually remind each other of nonsensical things such as meetings." She explained, earning another laugh from him. 

"Well, I'll keep that in mind for next time." He promised. A mock gasp slipped from her lips and she dramatically propped herself up, looking at him with playful eyes. 

"Next time? After killing the mood like this? Who do you think you are?" She couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips as his eyes mimicked her own teasing manner. 

"The man that you love." He answered rather matter of factly. Her cheeks burned at his words but she was too prideful to let him win, even in banter. 

So in a cunning and mischievous turn of events, she leaned forward, capturing his lips in a lingering kiss. Their lips moved slow, in no rush for anything but themselves as his hands came to grip her waist. There was a type of passion behind the kiss. It was like a fire but not the type that was fast and destructive. It wasn't wild and certainly showed no sign of going out anytime soon. 

It was the type of fire that started slow but once it was started, it burned throughout the night. The kind that kept warm and persistent despite strong winds. A slow burn. A burn Y/n hoped would never go out. 

"You're playing dirty." Bucky breathed as she pulled away, his lips still parted as if expecting her lips to return to his own once more. 

"I thought you liked that." She retorted making him shake his head. 

"As much as I'd like to lay here with you all day, we both have places to be." He changed the subject quickly. Y/n smiled knowing she'd won but nodded in agreement. Like Bucky had so kindly reminded her, she had a meeting with Pepper about budget and as much as she hated it, she needed to attend. 

Reluctantly she climbed off of him, allowing him to get up with a long stretch. His sweatpants had sunk a little, just hanging on his hip bones as he walked and while she would gladly watch him walk the rest of his way to the closet, his phone buzzed beside her making her turn her gaze away. 

"Sam's texting you." Y/n called after sparing a glance at the notification reading 'Bird Brain'. It was a weak insult but Bucky was pretty proud of it so the name seemed to stick despite Sam's protests. 

"Can you answer him, please?" Bucky replied, the quiet shifting of hangers following as he searched for something to wear. 

She stretched, detangling herself from the covers before reaching over and grabbing his phone. He didn't have a password which Y/n had advised him against but he didn't seem to listen. Her tech was secure though so she wasn't too worried. Powering it on, she smiled softly at the picture of them he had set as his screen.

"He says he wants you to meet him for coffee. Is that code for something? Is that a mission?" She called, a little excited with the idea of a mission. He'd never allowed her to go with them before, something about not being hired by the government or some nonsense she didn't feel like listening to. 

"I think Sam's just got a bit of a caffeine addiction." Bucky chuckled, tugging on his jeans and coming to sit on the bed as he slipped on his socks and shoes. 

She frowned playfully, a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to try the new addition to her suit, an advancement she fondly called, 'Hellraiser'. 

"I can drop you off at the Tower before I go meet him. That is, if you actually get dressed." Bucky smiled, nudging her leg as he stood back up. He was a morning person and for that she had to condemn him but he had his moments, such as always waking her in time for work. 

"I'm gonna shower real quick. Don't leave without me, I wanted to show you what Peter and I have been working on." She explained, climbing up from the bed and rushing off to the bathroom. 

Bucky watched her go, smiling at his stolen clothing on her body as he stood and grabbed his phone. He made his way down stairs to the kitchen, swiping through the news app as he did. He tried his best to ignore the news like Y/n told him but sometimes he gave in, sparing a glance at what the media had to say about him. 

But before he could read any of the articles, a small white puff of fur pounced in front of him, nearly making him fall down the stairs in an effort to avoid it. 

"Alpine!" He cried, a little annoyed but mostly worried for the safety of their kitten. She was a little ball of pure marshmallow and while she seemed too adorable to be the menace she was, Bucky saw through her act, narrowing his eyes on her. 

"You're gonna get stepped on one of these days." He frowned, trying in vain to not let her curious, blue gaze melt his heart. 

However he eventually gave in and with a sigh he leaned down, plucking her from the ground and letting her sit in the crook of his arm, her little paws hanging over his shoulder. With his only obstacle now secure in his arm, he slipped his phone into his pocket and continued to the kitchen. 

The sun had just begun to rise, flooding the space in an orange glow. It was peaceful, a peace Bucky had grown used to in the six months Y/n and him had been together. He knew that was only a short period of time but after all the time they'd been without each other, it almost seemed like they were moving too slow. He would've married her the moment he met her if he could but he knew he didn't have to for her to be his. They needed each other and he was sure there wasn't a thing on Earth that could tear them apart. 

The smell of coffee wafted through the air and Bucky smiled, setting Alpine down on the counter and grabbing her bowl. She meowed impatiently, the tiny little sound making him chuckle as he poured some of her food into the bowl. "Oh, I know. Life is so hard having to wait for one of us to feed you every morning." He spoke to her sarcastically. She ignored him, burying her face in her bowl as his hand came to pet her back, running along the soft fur rhythmically.

Soon the coffee machine beeped, a freshly brewed pot of coffee steaming and ready to go. But before Bucky could reach over and pour the cups he'd set out, Y/n slid in next to him, pouring them for him. 

"I thought you were going to be late." Bucky remarked, sparing a glance at the clock as he tugged her into his chest playfully. She giggled, shaking her head as she leaned into his touch, brushing an arm past him to pet Alphine.  

"Me? Late? Doesn't sound like me." She replied, pecking his lips hastily before pulling away. Her hair was still wet and her make-up was fresh along with her perfume. He felt a little shabby next to her, his hair still ruffled with sleep and his shirt wrinkled. 

The suit she wore was her favorite, charcoal and pinstripe, reminding him almost of the mock gangsters of his time from the movies. Her pants were fitting around her waist and loosened toward her legs, making her appear taller, more powerful. It was flattering on her but that wasn't what attracted his attention. 

Instead it was her chest. She wore a matching vest along with a similar blazer folded over her arm, ready to wear. The vest came down in a deep V and there were no sleeves, exposing much of her skin and most of her scars. 

The purple marks spanned out from her heart like lightning and while he believed it to be graceful and unique, she often didn't share his opinion. He admired them nonetheless. It reminded him of her strength. Her courage. Reminded him why he loved her. 

"Uh huh, so that time we were two hours late to our own gala...that wasn't you?" He countered. Y/n sipped her cup, humming as she quickly swallowed to further argue her case. 

"Nope. Now come on, you're gonna make us late." She teased, slipping on her blazer and grabbing her cup. He followed her actions, sparing one more scratch to Alpine's head before pacing after her down to the first floor. 

"These damned heels." She groaned, pausing momentarily to adjust them as they made their way to the door. He chuckled at her predicament, plucking the keys from the hook as she walked out onto the street. 

"Why are you wearing them if they're such torture devices?" Bucky raised his brow at her, grabbing his coat and stepping out onto the street with her. It was a quiet morning and people were just barely beginning to stir out of their homes, heading off to work or dropping off kids at school. 

"They were a gift from Wanda and they're gorgeous. Leave me alone so I can suffer in peace as I wear them in." Bucky chuckled at her reply, slipping into the driver's seat and placing his coffee in the cup holder as she did the same. 

The drive to the Tower was short on good days. And as they drove Bucky realized that it happened to be one of those days. The drive was long enough for conversation but spared the stressful traffic that usually came with morning commutes. 

"Hey, I was gonna drop by and pick up Peter from school today." Y/n mentioned, putting on her earpiece as they drove. 

Bucky nodded absently, his focus half on the truck beside them that didn't seem to know how to drive. "Ok. Does he need a ride or something? I could stop by on the way home." He offered, knowing Y/n would have to cancel a meeting or two to get him. Y/n shook her head, waving a dismissive hand. 

"Nah, he said he wanted an appearance from Iron Star. He wanted to impress a girl or something." She explained, seeming a bit distracted as something played through her earpiece.

"Ah." Bucky replied, remembering vaguely of his advice to the boy. Of course he'd meant approach her through his alter ego but Bucky supposed having Iron Star show up at his school would definitely attract the attention of the feminist girl he was head over heels for. 

"I told him that MJ would admire his personality and intelligence rather than his connections but he didn't seem to think so." Y/n continued, sending a glance toward her soulmate. 

He chuckled, knowing he'd been caught. "Can you blame him? He's a 17 year old boy who thinks the best part of him is Spider-Man. He's young and still figuring himself out. He's still figuring out women." 

"Figuring out women?" Y/n raised a brow at this. Bucky gave her a look.

"Well, doll, when I was Peter's age I wasn't exactly the smooth talker you know today." He teased. She shook her head with a laugh, muting whatever she was listening to.  

"Is that so?" 

"God honest truth." Bucky replied, smiling as her hand slipped into his free one. 

"So what exactly changed?" Y/n asked, loving the stories he'd tell her. It was like listening to a very young looking grandfather and as weird as it sounded, she often enjoyed it. 

"Well, you, actually. When I was young I never sought after girls cause I knew I'd have you. But when I got my countdown…" He trailed off, both knowing the rest. Y/n knew he was still sore but he was a lot better then he had been. At least that's what Steve had told her. 

"Maybe we should stop for breakfast." Y/n suggested, trying to take his mind off of the thing that had haunted him most his life. 

However Bucky shook his head at this, giving her a soft smile. "No, I don't want to make you late. Shouldn't keep Pepper waiting." He explained, squeezing her hand lovingly. Y/n smiled at him, knowing he was right. 

If only they had stopped. 

When they arrived at the Tower it was 7 a.m. and the place was beginning to flood with people. As he pulled up on the street in front of the building, a man he recognized as one of Y/n's employees walked toward them, offering to park for him. 

Bucky thought nothing of it, as the younger man had done it for them every day. Instead he climbed out, handing the man the keys and walking around to open Y/n's door. She smiled at him, placing her hand in his as she stepped out onto the street. 

Once in the building, Y/n was greeted by the secretary along with a few other employees who usually saw her in the mornings. It was normal and Bucky even got a few 'hellos' of his own. 

They made their way to the elevator, a private one that led straight to the top floor. It was a penthouse of sorts with three floors separate from the rest of the building and while Pepper explained that they could move into this space, Y/n decided to instead turn it into a lounge for employees. Something about their job being just as hard as hers. 

She kept the top floor for her office along with a meeting room for her discussions with Pepper. But the rest of the penthouse space was for employees. Bucky was glad she'd arranged it like so. He quite liked their home in Brooklyn. 

Y/n tapped her earpiece lightly as they headed up, her gaze distant and her body tense. A holographic headset had appeared around her and Bucky caught a glimpse of what she'd been looking at last, what had distressed her so.  

Omega. 

Yet before he could say anything, she swiped it all away, bringing up blueprints for what she'd been working on with Peter. 

"So what happens when too much electricity builds up in one place?" She questioned him suddenly as the elevator dinged, stepping out with him at her side. 

"It overloads?" He replied, unsure. 

"Yes, exactly." She pointed a finger at him, smiling excitedly as she turned back to the hologram. Swiping away the top blueprint she was able to bring up a chart, enlarging it for them both. "Now the energy in the stones is similar to electricity and this is how much energy from each of the stones is in my heart." Y/n started, beginning up the stairs as he studied it. 

Each of the stones were on the chart, most with small percentages, which would've put him at ease if he hadn't seen which stones had the greater percentage. 

The Power Stone was the greatest. By her calculations there was enough in her to level New York. And if that wasn't concerning enough, the second biggest energy source in her was the Soul Stone, the one stone they didn't truly understand. 

"Why are you showing me this?" He asked, his voice low and troubled. Rather than answer him, Y/n simply pulled up another image, one that made them both stop halfway up the staircase. "Is that-?" 

"Yeah. It is." A joyful smile graced her lips as he stared at her in disbelief. They nearly fell down the stairs as Bucky crashed into her, hugging her like it was the first time. They let out an airy laugh as relief washed through them both. She would be okay. And Bucky was grateful. 

"What are we doing here? We should go to Bruce and have the procedure done now." Bucky demanded, grabbing her hand and beginning to make his way down the stairs. 

"Whoa there, hotch." Y/n chuckled, not moving from her step. Bucky looked back at her stunned. "It's still a prototype, genius. That's part of the reason I'm going to get Peter today." 

Bucky frowned a little but understood her explanation. He was just so worried. And she knew that. "Buck, look at me." She told him, pulling him closer to her, meeting eye to eye as he stood a few steps below her. Her tender hands came to hold his face, looking at him sternly as her thumbs brushed his cheek. 

"I know how important this is, trust me, I do. But I'll survive one more day. I need to do this right or else the energy may react badly. Okay?" She spoke softly, her eyes searching his for acceptance. 

Eventually he gave in, ducking his head further into her palms, kissing one gently. "Alright." He sighed softly, looking back up at her. "Tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow." Y/n confirmed, leaning in carefully and pressing the tenderest of kisses to his lips. He kissed her back but she pulled away too soon upon catching sight of Corey arriving on the floor. Her assistant caught sight of them, making her way over as the two parted. 

"Ms. L/n, I have those files you asked for." She told her, handing Y/n a stack of papers. Y/n nodded, smiling gratefully at Corey. 

"Thank you." Y/n looked at her watch before sending a quick glance to the conference room. "Any word from Pepper? I was sure she'd be here before me." Y/n wondered, watching as Corey checked the tablet in her arms. 

"Ms. Potts is running a bit late. She's asked me to tell you to prep without her." Corey replied. Y/n sighed, a little worried about how the meeting would go with the advisors without Pepper's help but she figured it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She was the owner of the company after all. 

"Alright, thank you." Y/n smiled, turning and beginning to make her way up the steps once more. Corey nodded, heading the other direction as Bucky followed Y/n. But then suddenly Y/n stopped, turning back to Corey. 

"And Corey?" 

The assistant stopped, facing Y/n with her eyebrows pulling into a look of confusion. Y/n paused a moment, calculating her words carefully. 

"Good morning." She settled on, giving up on the words she'd wanted to say. 

Corey's look of confusion morphed into a shocked one and a hint of a forced smile began to emerge on her face. It was like she hadn't been expecting to smile and for that she seemed more annoyed than cheerful. 

"Good morning, ma'am." 

And with that she left, heading off to attend to other matters within the Tower that needed her attention. Y/n watched her leave, her eyes trained on the woman's every move. 

A feeling she didn't want to acknowledge settled in her gut but she ignored it, instead sharing a look with Bucky and making it the rest of the way to her office. 

"Did something happen with you and Corey?" Bucky asked suddenly. Y/n chewed her lip knowing nothing got past her soulmate. It was a troublesome feature but definitely had it's advantages. 

"Nothing important." She sighed, not daring to face him. He read her too easily. "Don't you have to meet up with Sam?" Bucky scoffed at her question, moving to follow her to her desk. 

"He'll be fine without me for a little while." Bucky ignored her nonsensical worries, taking hold of her hand once it was freed of the papers she'd set down. "Hey, what's the matter?" 

Y/n reluctantly looked up at him, unconsciously leaning into him as he stood before her. "What's going on? Is it Omega?" He asked tenderly, not wanting to upset her. She frowned, opening her mouth to reply. 

But something behind him caught her gaze and all the air vanished from her lungs. Then suddenly all the bad feelings she'd been getting that morning made sense. "Get down!" She screamed a moment too late. 

Before Bucky could even process what she'd said, heat enclosed them, flooding through the room. Flames rampaged around them but Y/n could hardly notice as they were sent flying back toward the window. 

All she could see was Bucky as the impact struck him. And only one thought ran through her head. 

Omega. 

•••

Just moments ago, CEO of R.E.S.T.O.R.E., Y/n L/n and her rumored soulmate, James Buchanan Barnes became the latest victims in the recent chain of bombings linked to the notorious Omega, a believed terrorist. The exact number of casualties in this horrific event is unclear but it is believed that Ms. L/n and Mr. Barnes have been confirmed dead. 

•••six months before•••

"Are you sure she's ready for that? I know well enough to trust Stark's plans but she's still young. Are you sure you want to put that kind of responsibility on her?" Fury asked, staring at the lake. The woman they spoke of was strong and definitely too intelligent for her own good. But was she ready for the world to depend on her? Was she ready to rebuild it from the ground up? 

"We don't have a choice. And honestly I don't think I'd choose anyone else. I trust Tony and I trust her. She'll figure it out, she just needs our help." Pepper replied, sending a glance back to her daughter who sat on the porch with Happy. 

"This isn't about trust. This is about capability. Trust me, I know how much she's grown over the last decade but that doesn't mean she's ready. The world isn't exactly gonna accept her help with open arms. If anything, she'll become a target for the backlash." Fury sighed, this eye patch squeaking in protest as he furrowed his brows. 

Pepper frowned, knowing he was right. The world was cruel and despite all they'd done for the world, their mistakes were all that the world seemed to see. And unfortunately as the world began anew, Y/n would be the main figure for that anger. 

"Then she'll need our help more than ever." 

Part fourteen

Taglist

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[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

A/N

This is Death Note meets Black Panther. So if you like the idea of Erik as Light Yagami, you're in the right place.

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged.

My fics have no READ MORE option because I do them all from mobile. :/ so sorry about the forever scrolls. 😫 Good thing is I'm keeping chapters to about 1500 words.

1. BEGINNINGS

Dear Journal,

I've written of much in my lifetime and now I continue this in my afterlife. But, Journal? How can I accurately describe this VAST realm where the ghost of my former self now exists? That is all I am.

I'll start with the sky for it has demanded my attention. The contrast of the deep purple and rich blue against blindingly white flashes of light make the starry sky of this ancestral plane the most majestic to behold, even greater than that of a Wakandan sunrise, and for that I am grateful. Under this realm’s sky which is so undefiled, so splendid, so divine that no mortal can look upon or stand under it without first forfeiting their very lives and human shells.. we souls of the past run free in our transcendent forms.

But are we truly free within this elaborate repetition?

When we are not running, we write. I'm sure you're beginning to understand. As ancestors, our words bind the earth realm to our own. We are accountable for recording the events in the earth as well as names.

“N'Jobu. Are you going to run?” Chika paces below on the ground, his jet black fur shining blue under the dramatic sky. Life in the ancestral plane is akin to a vivid dream that never seems to come to a point or an end. “What are you pondering so intently? Give that journal a rest, you are free, N'Jobu. You are meant to run on.. forever,” he spoke, each word echoing in my ear, a cement block sealing my monotonous fate. Is that all there is? Running?

“..I’ll remain here.”

Another omen. The curse of eternal disappointment. Chika runs, striding through the soft green grass, toward eternity. He won’t be back for a millennium and it will still be too soon in the scale of forever.

As I perch atop my branch inscribing these entries, I watch the living trapped in the sinking wheel which is humanity.

I see Wakanda entering a new era. I see impending war waged by the unjust. My claw moves on it's own, inking the names of the innocent and the young. They come everyday before their time. I cannot hold back my–is it sympathy? No, sympathy is invalidation. I’ve been removed from mortality for entirely too long to care. The thing I feel–is intrigue.

-N'Jobu

Sinking wheel aside, the human world has its interesting moments. The human mind is an interesting machine. Humans with the capacity to choose their destiny on a small scale will often cling to life for the sole purpose of defiling it. Tooth and nail, they fight to defy and delay the inevitable, still meeting the same fate they struggled against. Humans pursue the end of a certain evil only to be overcome by the specific evil they’ve created.

Humans as a whole? Predictably ordinary and violent. However, the most interesting things pertain to the actions of individuals. Individuals are the wild cards.

That's what I'd like to explore.

---------------------------------------------

Erik slid his phone from his pocket, sliding it in his line of vision as he walked briskly down the city sidewalk toward the block where his office building stood tall. Yahoo news had a few ridiculous articles, pointless in the nature. He considered putting in his earbuds to listen to his playlist until he reached his building. Or maybe he'd pick a research to dive into absorbing it for no other purpose than regurgitating it to the easily impressed. His business partner would be impressed for sure. Decisions, decisions. Clicking quickly through the internet, he stumbled on a title.

17-year-old Isaiah Mark Lewis was unarmed when he was shot after fighting with two officers who first used a stun gun on him.

Disgusting. Another senseless death at the hands of the morally corrupt, the third he'd heard of in two weeks. He hit the back button searching for something different, something lighter.

Marzeus Scott, an unarmed 35-year-old killed by police in Blytheville, Arkansas.

He exited his browser, pocketing his phone and looking ahead to the silver sky and concrete jungle which enveloped him. Black man with a bald fade and suit up ahead, 2:00. Black woman with a long skirt and blazer behind him, 6:00. He couldn't help but see clear targets on their backs as well as his own. It was an unspoken phenomenon, this fear of blackness that became the black soul's burden to carry. Like ants, black people were expected to work pointless 9-5's for CEOs that cared more for dogs and money than human life. Everyday there was the dark aura of the capitalistic, racist shoe hovering above, playing god.

His calf-skin Armani loafers hit the ground at a steady pace and the Harlequin Jacquard wool blazer he wore moved with him like a thick second skin. A police car rolled along with the traffic to his left as he kept his eyes forward.

2:00. Black man sitting on the ground. Elderly. Homeless. It was only a matter of time before he'd be chased away by some pompous authority. Erik took out a few bills folding them into his palm to quickly pass to the old man.

"I can't take this," he rasped. "I can't-- I-- Thank you so much. Thank you." He grabbed Erik's hand which held the $300 and shook it, not letting go. "Thank you so much," he repeated before Erik pulled his hand back.

Great. Now he had to wait at the crosswalk because he'd missed the break in traffic.

He checked his watch impatiently, a rose gold Patek Philippe Nautilus gifted to him by his team at 2K Security, Inc. Having fattened their pockets over the years, he was their hero. And now he was on his way back to his office for a virtual meeting with Samsung.

"Good morning, Mr. Stevens," Gloria, the receptionist perked on his arrival to the ground floor lobby. Nodding in greeting, he could feel her eyes scrolling over him but like every time before, he ignored this--stepping into one of the four large elevators which took him up smoothly to the very top where his spacious office resided.

Large floor to ceiling windows lit the white painted room naturally and his computer awaited, ON but sleep. He could practically see the seconds ticking quickly by, but luckily he was just in time for the meeting with Sandeep.

"Password and login, okay.. 2kMeetings.com. Input access code," he mumbled punching keys all to see the brown skin man with a pompadour of thick straight jet black hair staring back at him. He started the recording.

"Can I say this the best web conferencing software I've used thus far? And I've used a lot," Sandeep commented seemingly impressed. Erik wasn't surprised having been named in Forbes, but he smiled nonetheless giving humble thanks. This software was his own creation. The company overall was his baby. He nurtured it like one would nurture an actual child.

The meeting began and as it progressed, Erik had new projects to undergo, features that Samsung wanted to incorporate into their products and even into their own security and data systems. They began to talk user privacy, security VPNs, and MDMs. Soon after, it was time to disconnect and implement some of the changes discussed.

Hours later, Erik had not ceased in his work. He would not stop until he absolutely had to, it was a thing about him. When it came to his baby he was totally engrossed.

"Baby," Erik spoke into the phone catching it on the second ring when he saw the name Mika flash on the screen with a picture she'd taken and set as the icon herself. "Oh, uh--Dinner? I don't know, I've got a lotta shit to do today." He started typing a code and nearly forgot to continue his call. "Uh--Mika," he paused to type another line. "I may be late tonight."

Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Something had fallen through the sky.

"Hm? Oh. What happened?--Nah, I ain't hear about that story, but I just read about two more today. They're just out here killing niggas left and right." He stood looking through one of the tall clean windows to see what had dropped from the sky. No one on the ground seemed to notice. Was he buggin? "Hm? They what? His hands were up and they shot him? With cameras recording?" He listened to his girl's angry report. She was right, they'd probably get off regardless of the evidence. She would know, she was a cop. Well, a detective.

He headed back to the elevator, cellphone in hand while his girl gave him the entire story, venting her frustration simultaneously. When he stepped onto the sidewalk outside of the building, there was no disturbance. No one seemed to be glued to the area for any particular reason. He looked in every direction including up finding a black leather bound journal on the concrete with its spine in the air. If he hadn't seen it fall from the sky, he'd have assumed some random passerby dropped it and he'd have ignored it. Picking it up, he shook and dusted it, turning it this way and that. "No. No protest." Mika was bent on being front line, but it was dangerous. She could get hurt. "You're not going," he asserted. "I understand, but I want you to be safe, okay? Hm?--Aight. I'll see you tonight. Love you," he said hanging up and pocketing the phone, both hands now gripping the worn journal. Whose was it?

The deafening whir of a siren broke through the city noise before a police car appeared from around the corner up ahead. The stories of the three recently murdered men swirled in Erik's head. With the police's extreme prejudices, the results were never favorable for those who looked like him regardless of what they wore, did, or their level of innocence and involvement. He could only imagine the violence that would come from the driver when he made it to his location. Would there be another bad report?

There he was again--anticipating the drop of the sadistic shoe overhead. An ant's mentality. As an ant, this world he was chained to was nothing but disappointment.

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[august-writing]

@hero-of-dork

Okay time to meta read. I'll do this scene:

I also don't know if this is gonna be true meta reading oof sorry if it's annoying oh man this is long oof...

Aithus squinting ahead at his comrade crouched further away from him in the long grass. He was a dismal sight with his drenched hat dripping streams of water.

Aithus is being just babey, has no idea what he's doing. Edmund is regretting this. He is so unhappy. Imagine a wet cat in the rain. Like the long fur type. That's him. But he's trying to pay attention and do this thing, cuz this kid is gonna die if he doesn't .

His comrade, Edmund, frowned at him and shook his head. He lowered his voice as he replied,

Aithus was a bit too loud, so Ed gave him a look lol.

"There's a watergate off in that direction, I believe," he threw Aithus a critical glance before continuing on. "we might be able to fit through, probably not the most comfy."

He isn't actually planning with him, he's just talking outloud. And has like, so little faith in Aithus's skills xD

"Oh, sure. Or we just move it out of the way. No big deal." Edmund wiped a stream of water coming down his hat off.

Slips into professional mode here, and his hat is paying a high price :(

"Move it?"

Edmund gave him a knowing smile as he rose from his position. He began making his way towards the gate as Aithus tagged along behind. 

Aithus being baby again, and Edmund realizing he doesn't know how to do this xD professional Ed activated.

Who knew a bard could be this quiet. 

I honestly just loved this line. It was funny, captured Aithus's thoughts. Edmund is a loud person, he sings a lot, talks a lot. You wouldn't expect him to be good at this.

After what felt like ages of tense lookout there was a gentle tug on his cloak and he turned to see Edmund gesturing silently to the gate.

Oho, Aithus the lookout just got snuck up on by the bard. Hmm I wonder what this means :)

Aithus did his best to catch up with him, but he quickly found that wading through water wasn't the easiest task to accomplish silently.

Once more he be inexperienced babey.

"We'll follow this waterway till we hit something we think might be our exit. Since neither of us have been in here, and don't know where we're going we're going to have to wing it." His quiet voice dimly echoed off the stone wall of the alcove. "Stay close around me, okay?" Edmund looked down at Aithus, his face firm and calm. "You don't know what you're doing so you might get lost."

Aithus nodded. 

I find this scene extremely fun because Edmund is in charge, he's making the plans and leading it. Aithus doesn't realize this. He's going along with it all and following his directions, but he thinks of it like "the bard is following along". But nope, Ed is totally in charge here and is keeping an eye out for this little kid who can't do any of this xD

Edmund turned back to the opening of the gate and smacked the draping cloth of his hat back over his shoulder. He muttered something to himself about "should have left it behind" before ducking through the gate. 

Too late to go back and put his hat somewhere so he's fussy about having to lug his fancy hat around during a heist

He held out his hand in anticipation, and Aithus handed over the blade. Using the tip he gently lifted it up before carefully placing it down again. Flipping the blade into a backhanded hold Edmund crossed his arms gazing thoughtfully down at the water.

Oho this bard sure is comfortable with this knife hmm. im sorry I'm teasing you guys, but im just :)))

"What's the problem, what are you thinking about?" Aithus glanced nervously from the lid to the darkly lit face of his companion.

"Nothing…" Edmund dismissively assured the lad with a shake of his hand. "Well," he turned to look at him, squinting in the gloom, "can you pick a lock?" 

Aithus like a worried kid trying to be in charge is nosy. He can tell something is up that Ed isn't sharing and he's uncomfortable. Ed just doubting his young friend again :( trying to problem solve

Edmund threw him helpful comments and grunts of disgust when his blade scraped wrong against the metal and jarred his senses. 

Aithus doesn't know what he's doing...and Ed is tired and wet and cold and wishes he could just do it instead of being tortured like this :(

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Edmund's voice cut louder than it had through their whole mission. He shifted his weight and Aithus bobbed along with him from his perch. "Give it a good solid push with your shoulder; but gently."

Ed is now done with this ear pain smh. Also giving confusing directions like the weirdo he is

He heard Edmund mutter to him to take his time and be cautious. The bard was right, if he made too loud of a racket getting this open they'd have the whole guard running on them.

Aithus just babey like :0 oh he's right wow. Has no idea smh

"Okay, you take to the left there and follow that light. You can probably find the records there and get the information that we need." Edmund bent down and whispered to Aithus, adding emphasis with his gestures. 

"Wait, you're going with me." Aithus interrupted with a judgmental squint.

Aithus suddenly realizing that he was supposed to be in charge and not Ed xD

Aithus grimaced and darted a worried glance about. "No, no, bad idea."

"Don't worry, you got this. You're a sneaky little lad."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

And now we have Aithus who has no faith in the bard and thinks he'll get lost, and Ed who thinks the boy is scared :(

Edmund's eyebrows went up. "Oh, well okay then. I suppose I'll just follow you?"

"Isn't that your job?" He said bluntly and unamused, an eyebrow raised at him. 

ED YOU GOT ROASTED. That's what you get for acting like an idiot u-u

Edmund took a breath in.

Irritated with this kid ugh :/

Aithus frowned up at him. "Alright, just, be quiet." 

Edmund gave him a half smile and shrugged before slipping into the shadows, leaving Aithus behind standing there startled.

Aithus sounds like some soft of half convinced parent and,,, that's totally accurate xD And Ed is just showing off smh

Okay I'm done. Sorry this was so long and rambly and like???? Wasn't very oof idk hope it was fun at least!

[zoocross0vers]

Draco Tyrannus: Hi there:) This is kind of a stupid idea, but what if Judy and Nick somehow, some way watched movies from our world, and I was wondering about your honest opinion of how they'd react to the following: Frozen, Bambi, The Lion King, Aristocats, Dinosaur, and The Jungle Book?

Hi Draco! :)

Sorry for the late reply, but here goes!

*For Frozen...I think it might go something like this:

Nick and Judy pop in the Frozen Blu-Ray. A few seconds in…

Nick: Yikes! That is disturbing! What kind of mammals are these?! They have like...no fur!!!

Judy covering her eyes in horror.

Judy: And why is that little reindeer naked and walking on all fours?! Aren’t any of those grown hairless mammals concerned?!!!

Nick (noticeably disturbed): Maybe he’s gone savage?

Judy: But he’s acting so calm…

A moment of awkward silence between them as they stare at the screen with unreadable expressions on their faces.…

Nick: At least the song’s catchy.

Judy: Yeah.

Lol! xD

*Bambi:

When it comes to Bambi, I think they might see it kind of like some sort of prehistoric documentary type of film. You know, kind of like how some animal documentaries follow a baby animal from infancy into adulthood, that sort of thing. Though they’d probably be very confused wondering what the heck could possibly be shooting the animals, taking into consideration that we never see the humans. 

When it came to the twitterpated scene (particularly Thumper’s part), I think it might have played out something like this:

Thumper’s gf fluffs her tail and and curves out her body for Thumper, while Nick (holding a soda in his paw) just stares, a little too focused on the coquettish and veeery naked bunny on screen. Judy notices.

Judy: NICK!!

Nick squeezes his soda in shock, popping it all over himself.

Nick (caught off guard): What?! What? Wha--?

He notices Judy’s very angry and jealous scowl.

Nick: Uh...hehe. Sorry? For a second there I thought we were watching a naughty movie.

Judy scoffs, crossing her arms and facing away from him. Nick meanwhile looks her over -- his eyes tracing her up and down with a mischievous smirk.

Nick: Say Carrots, how about we go upstairs?

Judy turns to him.

Judy: Huh, why? Weren’t you really invested in the movie?

Nick: I was but…(He takes her face into his paws and bumps his nose to hers) I think there’s one particular bunny I’d much rather watch strut her stuff in au naturale.

Nick shakes his eyebrows suggestively, while Judy blushes intensely!

;)

*The Lion King:

I don’t have a scene in mind for this one, I just think they’d view it as a nudist’s rendition of Hamlet, lol! So I just imagine that they’d both be really invested in the drama of it all, but way in the back of their heads (particularly Judy) probably wouldn’t be able to help but keep thinking: “Why are they naked?”

LOL! xD

*The Aristocats:

I admit, I’m not too sure about this one. I’ve never fully seen the Aristocats movie. But besides the obvious, “why are they naked?” question hovering in their heads, I would imagine that Judy would think the kittens are preciously adorable while Nick would totally relate to O’Malley. They’d probably be also wondering what kind of feline species the cats are and again what kind of hairless mammal species humans are, since there’s no such thing as domestic house cats or humans in Zootopia.

*Dinosaur:

I don’t think there’d be much of a difference to how they view it compared to how we view it. Assuming that Dinosaurs existed in their world too but eventually went extinct as they did in real life, anyway. If this were the case, they’d probably be really wondering what the lemurs are though. Unless if primates also exited at a point but went extinct too O.O

If dinosaurs and primates never existed in their world though, then I think it’d be safe to think that they’d probably be like:

Nick & Judy: WHAT?! WHAT?!!!

Nick: What the heck are those things?! They have no fur! And are scaly like fishes, but are out of water!

Judy: And the ones that do have fur look so strange! O_o

Awkward silence....

Nick: The story’s good though.

Judy: Yeah. Aladar’s a sweetheart.

They think about it some more…

Judy: Maybe they’re mythical creatures that exist in other universes?

Nick: Probably.

Lol! I don’t know, that’s all I got for now. xD

*The Jungle Book:

Maybe they see this one as some sort of film about hairy mammals and hairless mammals coming to an understanding with each other. And as a lesson for hairless mammals to appreciate the hairy ones and not hunt them as inferiors? They’d probably understand where Shere Khan is coming from, but they probably wouldn’t agree with his more extreme methods on how to deal with humans. Nick and Judy know all about understanding others and rejecting prejudice after all ;)

Though the only part of the movie that they’d probably scoff at would be:

(In the movie)

Bagheera: Baloo. You can’t adopt Mowgli as your son.

Baloo: Why not?

Bagheera: H-How can I put it? Baloo, birds of a feather should flock together. You wouldn’t marry a panther would you?

Nick & Judy: (scoff simultaneously while they cuddle together on the couch)

Nick: Such backwards thinking they had back then.

Judy: I’ll say.

Nick: Next thing you’ll know he’ll be saying that a fox can’t marry a bunny.

Judy shows off her ring.

Judy: Oh and how wrong he’d be, wouldn’t he slick?

Nick: No doubt about it my hunny bunny (he lovingly kisses her forehead).

x3

That’s all I got for now. Sorry I couldn’t think of something for all of them, but this was fun! Hope you enjoyed the ones I did have a scene for! :D