#oblivious flint

[the-clay-quarters]

this feels like I'm entering my guys into the comunal dating sim lmao

I could ramble about so many bits of this but right off the bat:

the star signs are fairly arbitrary / not actually related to horoscopes

no clue what the auras are supposed to be, so those are just associated colours

if you can't read the text, the songs are: "Someone New" by Hozier, "Stella" by Cereus Bright, and "First Time" by Hozier. two Hozier songs was an accident but it works

flowers are: green dahlias, generic white flowers, and forget-me-nots

original template here

also, specific song lyrics ⬇️ (mostly the bridges/choruses, + the first verse of First Time)

Pembroke: Someone New - Hozier

Silverstein: Stella - Cereus Bright

Vincent: First Time - Hozier

[olivers-cocoapuffs]

I want a fic where Oliver starts dating Marcus to get intel on the Slytherin’s Quidditch team but Marcus realises (cause he’s a Slytherin ofc he does) and goes along with it to do the same to Oliver but then they fall in love

[diancite]

i think anytime any number of sinnoh characters go out to eat or something it ends up like this. just. cynthia talking for far too long and lucian staring like an idiot.

[lem-argentum]

i’m thinking of pairing edgar with my ff.vi insert as a joke if i end up actually liking him you have to hit me with hammers ok.

[wh0reforcoriolanussnow]

hii can i request a snow x reader in which reader is married to another men and snow attend a party and try to win reader’s heart/seduce to marry her to fullfill both destinies in gaining power and rule panem together

Birthright || Young!Coriolanus Snow x Capitol!reader

A/n: thank you for the request anon! please send through more requests of coriolanus snow cause im running out of ideas.

Warnings: swearing, smoking, slightly dark!reader and snow?

Wc: 2,089

Divider by @firefly-graphics

You felt his hand slither around the curve of your waist, coming to a rest on the side of your hip. A smile makes it your lip as he peppers kisses along your bare shoulder and the side of your neck.

"Happy anniversary again, darling wife," Your husband, Flint, whispers against your skin. "Happy anniversary, husband," Your hand reaches to the side of his face where he leans against your touch, a light sigh leaving his lips.

"Must we throw this celebration? I'd rather celebrate this special day with you alone, in our room, preferably with no clothes on," He smirks as you breathe out of your nose and turn your body towards him. "I wish nothing more than to do that but this party needs to go through. For the sake of us," You whisper the last bit as he understands what you meant.

You take ahold of his hands and guide them down your body to let them rest on your ass as he squeezes your flesh, letting out a low groan. "Let's get this over and done with then," His tone was flat as he starts walking towards the door, his hand still on your ass as you move it higher up.

Putting on a smile, the doors open revealing the lavishly expensive styled room. Flint spent a lot of money for this celebration to be perfect. It had to be perfect for you. It was not everyday you would be celebrating your one year anniversary.

Your dress hugged your figure perfectly, accentuating the curves of your body. There was a slit on the side of your leg and a deep cut at the front showing cleavage. You were always known to be best dressed in the capitol, and your looks were not forsaken; Flint knew he was the luckiest man in Panem all because he married you.

As you stayed by your husband's side throughout the celebration, chatting to Flint’s fair-weathered friends and discussing the latest gossips with their wives, you were oblivious to a particular somebody's stares from across the room.

Coriolanus Snow swirled the goblet of posca in his hand before taking a sip, his eyes glued on you from where he was standing. The conversation around him drowning out as he watches. Watches the way your husband would pull you closer to him every single time a man would get anywhere remotely close to you, even if he was just walking pass.

Coriolanus knew Flint was a fraud. His businesses were crumbling only after a year, though he kept up a façade, for the sake of his reputation and image. He was a corrupt man who was too greedy and couldn’t deal with the consequences of his impulsive decisions with a stiff upper lip.

Snow wondered how much he had to borrow from the bank to organise such a party like this. He wondered if you even knew that Flint was in serious debt. Someone like you shouldn't be put in such a position. Your reputation possibly crumbling just because of a young idiot like Flint who you were forced to marry for political reasons.

Coming from the wealthiest family in Panem who owns a number of successful business around the Capitol and has large assets in banking, it would only make sense that you married a man with nearly equal wealth, like Flint. His family had assets in transportation and the travel industry, with assets of hotels littered all around the districts.

Born filthy rich and being raised in that environment, you only settled for nothing less than what you were already brought up with. You were the most sought after and eligible wife in the Capitol. You were raised from the age of 10 on how to be the perfect wife, and you were just that at only the age of 21.

Coryo places his goblet down on a tray carried by an Avox and weaved his way closer to you. He knew he couldn't just approach you just like that so openly, especially with Flint close by. Flint didn't even know that Snow was keeping tabs on his crumbling business and knew his dirty secrets.

And he had no idea that Coriolanus has been after you since, well, the day he laid eyes on you. You weren't a stupid person, quite the opposite. Intelligent, obedient, disciplined, stunning, rich, perfect, what else could the future president of Panem possibly want?

Snow always thought that you deserved more than to be with a guy like Flint. Your husband didn't deserve you at all, no, but someone like Coriolanus Snow did. You screamed authority in the marriage, and you would be perfect for First Lady. He always fantasised about you in that position, you walking around the presidential mansion, your children running around. The both of you standing infront of all of Panem, together, untied.

And he intends to make his fantasies come true. And so there he stood, only a few feet away from you, your eyes fixated on the goblet in your hand, a smile on your face when Flint kisses you cheek, though the smile doesn’t reach your eyes.

And as quickly as it appeared on your face, the smile disappears. “Snow!” A voice calls out making you look up and make eye contact with him. Coriolanus narrows his eyes at you before turning his attention to whoever called out to him.

“Festus,” He flatly says, tone bored as he tucks his hands deep in his deep red jacket. The second Festus opened his mouth to talk, Coriolanus caught glimpse of your leaving figure, his eyes watching you as you look over your shoulder. The two of you maintaining eye contact as you silently tell him to follow you. “Hey- Where are you going” Coryo pushes past Festus’ protests, making a beeline to the door you just walked out of.

You were slightly bewildered when you saw Coriolanus standing just a few feet away from you. His return to the capitol hadn’t reached your ears, and there he was, in his full glory. You had to admit though, what he pulled off in the 10th hunger games with Lucy Gray, bold move.

“Why, Coriolanus Snow,” The clicking of your heels came to a halt as you turn around. Coryo quietly shuts the bathroom door behind him, locking it, as you raise an eyebrow at him and fold your arms over your chest.

“Y/n,” He nods his head at you, a smile on his face. “Any reason you wanted my attention?” With a slight tilt of your head, he chuckles, removing his hands from his pockets and locking them infront of him.

“Nice celebration your husband has thrown for you,” Coriolanus nods his head at you as you try and refrain from scoffing out loud. “How much did he take from the bank this time-“ “What do you want from us?” You cut him off sharply, getting agitated by the second.

He opens his mouth, but you beat him to it. “What do you know about my Husband, Mr. Snow.” You sigh, walking over to the bathroom bench whilst pulling a joint and a lighter from the cups of your dress. Coriolanus eyes widen the slightest when he sees you lighting the blunt.

You raise an eyebrow at him, inhaling the toxic smoke before exhaling, “What? Never seen a woman smoke before? Want a hit, Snow?” You chuckle, leaning your head back against the mirror, your hand with the blunt reached out towards him.

You don’t know why you exposed yourself in front of Coriolanus when only Flint and the servants at home knew you would smoke from time to time. For some twisted, odd reason, he brought comfort to you.

Coriolanus could feel his eye twitching at the sight. He had never seen a woman, of your kind, smoking. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t turn him on even the slightest. The way your pretty lips wrapped around the joint brought his mind to filthy places.

His eyes go over your body, head to toe, his eyes lingering on your exposed leg with the slit. You catch him staring as Coriolanus clears his throat.

“I know your circumstances,” He finally speaks, “Oh?” Coriolanus wets his bottom lip, “His businesses are falling, and he’s about to be bankrupt. Soon, you’ll lose everything to your name.” You stare at the man. How he knows about this boggled your mind. Coriolanus Snow was many things, but you didn’t quite take him for someone who spent his time keeping an eye on someone like your Husband.

“I know,” You say, close to whisper as you flick the ash from the end of the joint into the sink. Coryo was stunned to say the least. He was practically sure that you had no idea about it, though it would make sense that you would since he was your husband.

But you didn’t seem fazed one bit. Flint’s businesses have been plummeting for well over 6 months now, and yet you would always appear at every event dressed in extravagant, expensive clothing. You walked around as if nothing was happening, fake it ‘till you make it I guess.

But in truth, you were far from being okay in the inside. “Do you know how fucking embarrassing it is to ask for money from my own family because my Husband can’t afford to take care of my needs?” You furrow your eyebrows as you inspect the joint in between your fingers.

Coryo moves close to you, his body leaned up against the wall. “Who would’ve thought, If I knew Flint would end up bankrupt and be a horrible businessman, I would’ve knocked abit more sense into my parents.” You chuckle as Coryo joins.

“So, what was the point of wanting to see me?” You look up at him. “You don’t deserve to live like this, knowing soon you’ll lose everything to your name. The Capitol won’t be very kind to you Y/n, or your parents.” He points out. And you knew that he was right. A Y/l/n, stripped from wealth and privilege. That would go down in the history books.

“Do you know why I came back?” Coriolanus meets your eyes as you shook your head, “I didn’t even know you came back until today,” You admit as one corner of his mouth upturns.

“Let’s just say, I have a very bright future ahead of me,” He chuckles, his gaze on the floor as you listen. “And I need someone by my side, I can’t be the only one to bask in wealth and authority,” His gaze lands on you as you stare out in front of you, occasionally bringing the joint to your lips.

“Someone by your side? Like who?” You played dumb when you knew damn well Coriolanus meant you. Why wouldn’t he. “Don’t act dumb on me know Y/n,” He smirks, “You were born to be in the public eye, live in lavish houses, wear only the finest clothes and jewelry, power. It’s basically your birthright, am I wrong?”

Coriolanus moves to stand in between your legs as you look up at him through your lashes. His eyes lingered on your chest as he had a perfect view of them, the way they were practically pooling out of your top. You take one final hit before stubbing out the joint, and sit up to close the distance between the two of you.

His offer was enticing. The lords have answered your prayers. “You’re not wrong, but there’s just one tiny little problem.” You bite your lip lightly, wondering if you should even point it out because Coriolanus would already know. “My husband. Something that tragic would have to happen to leave me, single. If I divorced him later on, I’m afraid it would be too late,” You flicker your eyes to Coriolanus who wore a small smirk on his lips.

“Very tragic, my dear,” He lifts your chin up before dropping his head and capturing your lips with his into a deep kiss. When knews came that your Husband had mysteriously died, you immediately went to see Coriolanus. When he looks at you from his chair as you stand infront of him, a victories smile is etched onto his face, “Snow lands on top,” He voices out, his hand reaching out to you.

You gladly take his hand and sit on his lap, “Snow lands on top,” You echo, smiling against his lips before kissing him.

[yeyinde]

Dude your brain is so big, the concept of a druid/spring deity reader just casually kidnapping their baby daddy is so 😩 finger licking good

I’m such a sucker for dark reader

Also you’re right, Soap? Unbothered. Man is living his best life in this scenario, he wants you to use him ong

i sometimes like to strike my two brain cells together, like flint and pyrite, to spark some creativity from within this ol' noggin.

and same!! i really love oblivious, innocent reader. my corruption kink is astronomical, tbh. but sometimes i just crave a dangerous, deadly MC. they're so rare to find, and so hard to really nail down but i have this dreamy secret garden-esque vision of a soft, nymphlike reader standing by the edge of water with one of them just staring through the thicket, wolfish, and absolutely blind to the fact that the forest only moves when you do. that the "hunger" in your gaze isn't just marbled red with concupiscence, but rather a primordial ache in the pit of your belly. a gnawing, desperate to emptiness you're itching to fill. utterly famished for a taste.

(but they end up being too good in bed to eat)

and Soap hears "i was supposed to eat you, like a preying mantis or some sort of spider, perhaps a black widow or a jumping spider. you know, like sexual cannibalism to feed our young" and instead of running like anyone else would, he just takes it, puts it in his back pocket, and then you wake up the next morning to a bunch of bodies in your domain. he's practically force feeding you all the people he doesn't like from the village at this point. unbothered king. hungry? have the bishop. too full? no, no, no, birdy. you got to eat. his little babes need to grow big and strong, don't they? a menace. and now you're stuck with him.

[captainsophiestark]

The One and Only Exception

Percy Weasley x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Harry Potter

Day 13 Prompt: "Come with me, hurry."

Summary: When Y/N and Percy end up in a small closet together hiding from angry Slytherins, certain feelings may finally come to light.

Word Count: 1,628

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"This is why you're my best friend."

I grinned as Oliver Wood, my regular partner in crime, whispered from next to me in the secret passage where we crouched. Normally, we were partners in Quidditch-based crime, coming up with the most amazing plays to destroy our opponents on the field. We'd been doing it since first year, even before anyone had been willing to listen to us and our Quidditch opinions.

Now, however, we were partners in crime in something that fit our Beater pair more than either of us. But with a match against Slytherin on the horizon and them playing ridiculous, cheaty mind games, I'd convinced Oliver to join me in doing the same.

We were going to get back at them by getting in their heads, the same way they'd been spending time trying to get in ours. And as soon as Marcus Flint came around the corner, ideally with a few other members of his team, our hovering bubbles of water and flour would drop down on them from the ceiling and our revenge would begin.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait much longer. As we'd expected, Flint came into the hallway with his Beaters trailing him. Oliver and I waited for the perfect moment, then with a wave of our wands, dropped the balloons and flour smack onto their heads.

They froze in their tracks, horror on their faces, before they looked around wildly and angrily. Oliver and I shared a maniacal grin, then took off running in opposite directions as planned as Flint roared.

"WHO DID THAT?"

Oliver disappeared up the secret corridor as I popped into the hallway with the Slytherins, drawing their attention before disappearing around the corner of a castle hallway. Ideally neither of us would get caught, but Oliver was the Quidditch captain, so we needed to make sure he didn't get blamed for this lest the whole team be punished. Hence my part.

I could hear the footsteps of the Slytherins pounding against the cobblestones behind me, but I just cackled and picked up the pace, racing ahead. I flew around another corner, intending to put on a little more speed, but stopped dead in my tracks thanks to an unexpected obstacle. Percy Weasley, Oliver's roommate and one of my friends since first year, was walking down the hallway, completely oblivious of me and the angry Slytherins on my trail.

"Whoa! Y/N, what are you-"

"No time! Come with me, hurry!" I cried, grabbing Percy's arm and dragging him along after me. He immediately slowed me down, and if we kept going at this pace, Flint and his friends would catch us for sure.

Time for plan B.

I readied my wand and leveled it at the nearest door off the corridor, blasting it open before ducking inside, dragging Percy with me. I quickly shut the door behind us, relocking it with magic and then freezing to avoid making noise that would give us away.

"Really, Y/N, what on earth-"

"Percy, sh!" I said, raising my finger to my lips and staring him down with wide eyes. He didn't look completely pleased, but he listened, settling in to stare at me with his arms crossed while I watched the door.

I thought that would be that, but then Percy grabbed my arm to turn my attention back to him, one eyebrow raised almost into his hairline in demanding question. I sighed, then leaned in to whisper in his ear.

In the back of my mind, I realized just how closely together that put us, chest to chest in this tiny dark storage closet. I tried my best to force that train of thought to be quiet, especially since I was sure Percy didn't feel the same as I did.

"The Slytherins have been messing with our Quidditch team worse than usual," I whispered. "So, I'm helping my best friend by getting them back. We set a trap with water balloons and flour in the hallway, dumped it right on Flint's head, and got the Beaters too. After I triggered the prank, I took off and they chased. I ran into you, dragged us both in here so we wouldn't get caught, and now we're waiting for them to pass."

I leaned back at bit to gauge Percy's reaction, and for just a second, I thought I saw a faint blush on his cheeks through the dark. Then, I noticed his deep frown.

"What were you thinking!" he hissed, at least remembering to keep his voice down this time. "You know I'm the Head Boy, don't you? I have to get you in trouble for this!"

"Or..." I started, giving Percy a little smile as an idea came to me. He raised his eyebrows, still looking a little outraged, so I continued. "Percy, did you actually see me do anything wrong?"

"...Well, no. But I just heard you confess to dropping water balloons on the Slytherins-"

"Percy. I just saved you from an angry Marcus Flint, who absolutely had it coming, by the way. For once in your life just be chill."

He stared at me, stress written on every single line of his face, then finally sighed, his shoulders falling as he closed his eyes.

"Okay."

"Wait, really?"

He looked at me again, clearly incredibly tired of my nonsense. Maybe he was just trying to fake me out...

"Really, Y/N. I... you made a decent enough argument that I suppose, just this once..." he cleared his throat and rubbed at the back of his neck, and this time I definitely caught him blushing. "I suppose I can let it go."

"I freaking love you," I laughed, flinging my arms around him and pulling him in tight for a hug. He froze like a statue, then slowly, wrapped his arms around my waist. As he did, I realized what I'd just said, and I felt heat rising to my own face, too.

We stayed like that for a few beats, part of me not wanting to pull away and deal with the tension now blanketing this closet. After a moment, though, I did, slowly. Percy didn't drop his arms from around my waist, and I left mine around his neck as we made eye contact, all the humor and lightness gone.

"Percy..." I breathed. I glanced down at his lips before I could stop myself, and when I quickly looked back up after realizing what I'd done, I found Percy's gaze had wandered to my lips, too.

I smiled to myself, then leaned in and kissed him without letting myself think twice about it. I'd had a crush on Percy since fifth year, and Oliver had spent all of that time telling me to stop being a chicken and just ask him out. Now, two years later, I was finally managing to do just that.

Percy kissed me back as soon as he'd realized what was happening, and I smiled into the kiss. After a moment we pulled away, and I met Percy's eyes, wide with shock but a small smile on his face. I was practically glowing.

"You just kissed me," he said, like he still couldn't quite believe it. I nodded.

"I sure did. And I'm gonna do it again."

Percy huffed a quiet, happy laugh, then met me half way as I leaned back in towards him. Marcus Flint and the angry Slytherins were completely forgotten as I ran one hand through Percy's hair at the base of his neck, and he wrapped his arms even tighter around me.

"Hey, I think it's finally safe for you-"

Percy and I jumped apart and whirled around as the door flew open, revealing Oliver. I guess he'd come to find me once the danger of the Slytherins had passed, unfortunately for me. Oliver, Percy, and I stared at each other with wide eyes for a few moments, and then Oliver's face broke into a grin.

"FINALLY! I've had to spend years hearing you talk about Percy nonstop, only to go to bed and hear Percy talking about you until I hit him with a pillow!"

Percy and I exchanged a glance. I couldn't believe that all this time, he'd been just as hung up on me as I'd been on him.

"Alright, I don't need to see the lovey-dovey stuff even though I'm happy for you," Oliver said, putting his hand back on the door and taking a step back into the hallway. "Y/N, don't be late for practice. I expect to see you on the field in twenty minutes."

With that, he slammed the door again, leaving Percy and I alone in the small, dark space.

"You... you've talked to Oliver about me?" asked Percy, hesitant hope in his voice. I smiled.

"Of course. He's my best friend, and I've had a crush on you for years."

Percy beamed. "So have I."

"Well, I'm glad we finally got that cleared up then," I said, taking Percy's hand in the dark. It was amazing neither of us were literally glowing with happiness. "So... maybe we could do something this weekend? A date, or something?"

"I'd love that," he replied. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend, so perhaps some tea?"

"That sounds perfect." I leaned in to kiss him again, a short peck on the lips, then I pulled back and flung the closet door open. "I need to go or I'm going to be late to practice, and then Oliver will kill me, but... I'll see you in the Common Room tonight?"

"I'll see you tonight," he said with a little nod. I beamed back at him, then blew him one last kiss before taking off down the hallway again, headed for the Quidditch pitch outside, still floating on air. My prank on Flint had worked out even better than I'd hoped it would.

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Harry Potter Taglist: @valkyriepirate

[elisedonut]

a percy/marcus/oliver fic where percy thinks he's the "weak link" or the "ugly disappointing one" in the relationship because even tho he loves his job he's been bullied for it his whole life and he feels insignificant next to two quidditch players and its hard to be in a relationship where there's lots of media focus and his family sort of casually put him and his relationship down all the time, acting like he's either delusional or marcus and oliver only want him for a threesome partner in bed

but his partners are actually slightly in awe of him because he's scarily competent doing his job and they think he's super hot but when he's in work mode he's also super oblivious so it's basically a fic about marcus and oliver mooning over him and he's being oblivious and it ends with them all fucking in his office and.... i got carried away LOL

Oh yeah I could see that for sure

I feel like depending on the week its either him or Flint being convinced the other two are too good for them and having self esteem issues

Oliver can too for the spice but Its not a trait i give him often personally

I can for sure see Percy's family making it worse by accident

[why-do-i-like-the-bad-guys]

A point no one ever touches on about Flint:

The fact that he was raised by his grandfather.

Now, maybe it was common back then, but from personal experience; losing your parents at such a young age makes a huge impact on a person.

People argue that “Flint” was created because of the loss of Thomas Hamilton. But I’d like to think it was when he lost his parents. The only difference being, Miranda and Thomas allowed him to come out of the shadows, out of hiding. He had that rage inside him before he lost Thomas, his boss in the Navy said so himself after he beat up a guy in the bar. He had a darkness in him that not even he understood the depths of.

I can definitely relate to that statement and mindset, I think as a kid instead of acting out on his aggression; Flint used books and stories to try and escape his reality, so he wouldn’t be alone with his own thoughts. I do the same with TV shows and stories I write.

But then he found Thomas and Miranda and he didn’t need the books to crawl into, he was accepted by them, welcomed. And as someone who was adopted themselves, it’s extremely hard and sometimes it feels impossible to believe that someone could love you as you are or for who you are. Not only that, I think he found family within them, something sometimes hard for someone who loses their parents.

Flint tried to fit in by becoming an officer, upholding the standards of the law and whatnot, to be like everyone else. But deep inside, I think he felt very out of place and alone. He saw the world as it was, the cruelty within the people, and he ended up showing that to Thomas who was quite oblivious to it. But Flint knew the world was cruel at an early age.

They come from different backgrounds, but together they get to see the world through each other’s eyes, and that is a world that they can see being happy in.

Now, I know a lot of people like to think it’s purely queer rage that drove Flint, but I like to think it was something much deeper than that. Yes, he loved Thomas, inside and out, but I think Thomas was the first person who he didn’t have to pretend with. He was the first person who made him feel as if he wasn’t alone: that he was worthy of being loved. Then he was taken away and James became Flint and took Miranda away with him out of England.

Her ghost even says that first to him, she was a mother, and that’s why he was so ruined over her. He lost his mother again. I think it just shows that his reasons are a lot deeper than just being ostracized for being queer in that time. I think his rage goes beyond that, it goes all the way to his core of who he believes he is because of the loss of his parents. He came up from nothing, his grandfather wasn’t well off, he didn’t have a mother figure, that can be extremely damaging to a child growing up.

And sure, he had his grandfather, but growing up without parents also makes it extremely hard to figure out who you are. And it doesn’t specifically say how he lost his parents, but personally I like to believe that he lost his mother in childbirth, maybe his father died before he was born. It does mention that his father was a carpenter’s mate (worked on a ship) and that James himself had no schooling growing up. Which means, he learned everything himself because his grandfather was a fisherman and probably wasn’t well educated either. So he came from literally nothing and made something of himself, yet I don’t think he was content. I think he kept climbing the ranks, hoping it would give him a sense of meaning or purpose within his life, give him the peace he wanted, fill the hole within that losing his parents left.

An additional to that would be that James McGraw was a personality he put on, much like he did with Flint.

I also think he saw Gates as a father figure, a mentor, someone he trusted and respected more than any one else. So I think when Gates betrayed him, it broke something inside of him and he felt alone again.

He also says that England took his home; and I don’t think he meant the physical place, I think he meant Thomas. But I also think he meant his final security within himself. With Thomas and Miranda he found family, he found love and trust.

When Miranda was murdered it was the absolute last straw for him. It was like his mother dying all over again; except this time she was murdered, and now no one was safe from his vengeance. And people might think he went overboard, but think about it: someone insinuated that she was a slut and he almost beat the man to death. I think it was well within his rage now he burned the entire place down after she was murdered. Hell, those people got off easy.

He also talks about where the name Flint came from. A man that was never seen again. I think he chose it because in his mind, identity was something you could change, something you could toss away when done with. But closer to the end, he realized, he was Flint, Flint was him, and there was no throwing it away and starting over.

He tells Silver that he shouldn’t be afraid that he (Silver) will be his end because I think he already realizes that he’s already his own end. That there is no other way other than to die, in order to get rid of Flint. I think he knew at some point, that Silver would have to kill him and he was oky with it, but as long as the war was won or Silver carried on with the efforts of the war, so Flint would no longer be needed. Or Flint would just off himself when the time came. It was like passing on the torch, only Silver blew it out in front of him.

And for the offing himself part, we all know he would do it because at the end of the first season he tried to drown himself, he gave up hope. So he does have it in him to do that. (Not so fun fact: adoptees are 4x more likely to attempt suicide)

And I think it’s another reason Flint allowed himself to trust Silver in the first place. On some level, he knew that Silver understood what it was to have no solid identity, to have a background that made something inside of you missing. Silver had no problems shifting his position on the ship in order to stay relevant, which is why they made such good partners, because they understood one another in a way that Gates never could. But the thing with Silver was that he couldn’t see the ultimate bigger picture like Flint could, he didn’t have the loss Flint had, the sacrifices that Flint made, all he saw in the end was the destruction, not the new beginning coming out of the ashes.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[christian-oc-tournament]

Propaganda for Naphtali! Or should I say, Prometheus Naphtali Flint!

I'm gonna be honest, you guys. I think this silly monster man is my favourite out of all my characters.

For one thing, he's "ugly". No, really. He says so himself. And he wears the term like a brand new suit. He has hair like spider's legs, a GREEN beard, and fangs, and he lives it up. (Which is kind of hilarious too, because even I don't know how he got some of those things.)

(My initial concept art for the fellow XD)

He's also an absolute bouncing-ball of energy, which is super fun to write. Always enthusiastic about everything! Tugging along his dearest friends (whom he is also very enthusiastic about) on any fine lark! And, when he gets in a particularly good mood, he runs just about everywhere.

Furthermore, he is... I guess you might say something of an overdramatic optimist. He's overdramatic, but in the most cheerful way. Any small thing can be made utterly grand in his mind.

That, combined with the states of A) Being An Absolute Gentleman and B) Being An Absolute Softie, also make him a huge romantic... especially towards the housekeeper, Melisande.

(One of my favourite scenes in the book! All she did was take his hand for one minute. So naturally, his response was to jump up on the table and sweep off his hat to her.)

True, he's not always the most observant. He may know he's "ugly", but he has no idea that his fangs and his ghost house and the big gaping HOLE in his chest are in any way scary. Plus, he sometimes gets so caught up in the excitement of his own ideas that he has no idea that anyone else is talking.

In fact, there's quite a number of things he's utterly oblivious to in the House of Othrys.

Still, he does what he does out of a most courteous spirit, even if he doesn't quite realize it's not the most helpful. He is the Master of Othrys, after all, and that means he must be a generous host!

So it is that he welcomes his (semi-unwilling) guests gladly into his ghostly home; which is where our story begins...

(I love him so much, guys)

.

[daisychainsandbowties]

thinking a normal amount about a treasure planet au. Beatrice on her solar kiteboard, doing the daredevil flip sequence framed against the setting sun and then getting hauled kicking and screaming back to her parents’ house in manacles with a defiant expression on her perpetually dirt-smudged face.

climbing out the window at the first opportunity to go down to the dockside inn, making nebulous plans to steal her kiteboard back but ending up down at the edge of the dock staring past her boots and into the mists. gripping tight to the wood beneath her as she looks up at the sky and dreams of anywhere but here, of stealing a skiff to get off this planet. a reluctant twinge at the thought of going alone.

Bea with all her star maps and her intricate knowledge of spaceships and their solar sails and how to navigate out there where the artigrav net is all that stands between you and floating through nothing, forever.

startling when she hears the familiar sound of someone booking it down the pier on wooden crutches. night has already started to speckle the sky above, and as she listens to the thunk of the crutches on the pier, Bea thinks of the complicated metallic lattice she has on her desk at home, partly disassembled because she’s still trying to work out parts of the engineering. Ava’s birthday is in a month.

she has to stay that long, and then she’ll leave. she will.

turning to watch as Ava races towards her with soup stains on her shirt and messy hair jammed flat beneath a ‘pirate’ hat she bought off of a traveling salesman last year. the tricorn wobbles precariously on her head as she moves. Beatrice just waits, a slight smile on her face.

there are bruises high on each of her arms, from the pincer-like grip of the police bots, manhandling her away from her kiteboard to snap manacles around each wrist.

she rubs at the skin there, but ignores the bruises.

when Ava arrives, a little out of breath, Beatrice holds up a hand so she can help herself down onto the pier. there’s no water beneath them, only a few hundred meters of empty air and curling mist.

Ava keeps one hand on Bea’s and the other on her shoulder, letting the crutches clatter down between them as she sits.

“Mom says you got arrested again,” Ava says cheerfully. “She says they’re threatening to send you to prison.”

Beatrice shrugs, “I wouldn’t mind it, so long as my parents did not visit.”

Ava’s fingers are covered in bright red band-aids, from chopping vegetables all day with her poor hand dexterity. Beatrice watches the colours blur as Ava punches her in the arm, right on the bruises. “Liar, I know you’d miss me.”

her arm throbs painfully, but Beatrice’s expression is carefully neutral as she responds. 

“I might.”

she stays with Ava that night, both of them reading her old book with its floating images of ships and canons and pirates leaping from vessel to vessel. Captain Flint, materialising out of empty space to steal away gems and gold, “the loot of a thousand worlds.” Ava traces the projected lines of the solar sails with her fingers as they flicker into being. 

Beatrice has repaired the book over and over, making the colours brighter and sharper. the tiny shapes of pirates all made up of light. Ava has the book open on Bea’s chest as she lies next to her, legs all entangled in the sheets they’ve kicked off because the night is so warm.

she seems oblivious to how Beatrice’s breath hitches at almost every touch.

they’re almost asleep when they hear the explosion, a ship crashing into the cliff-side, tumbling over and over before they hear the pop and hiss of heated metal. a bloom of smoke outside the window.

Beatrice gives Ava a piggyback ride down the stairs just before Ava’s ‘mom’, Suzanne, emerges with her pulse-rifle primed, hair loose around her shoulders.

they stumble into the yard and discover a pirate, a robot, still bleeding from a wound in his abdomen, crawling from the wreck of his ship. Beatrice heaves a shard of twisted metal away from him and finds the surface slippery with blood.

behind her, Ava sways a little, shivers in the cold air, but she’s still standing when Beatrice turns back to her.

the dying pirate tells them almost nothing useful. he’s half-mad, cluching at Beatrice’s shirt until the seams tear at the collar, then turning to Ava. he fetches out a lockbox from his ship, blood spilling onto the ground at the movement. unlocks it and takes odd sphere from inside.

it drops into Ava’s palm as he rasps, “Whatever you do, don’t let them find it.”

then he wheezes, shudders, stills.

they stare at him, Ava’s free hand finding Bea’s, holding tight.

“Is he… dead?” Ava’s voice in the silence and the dark.

“I think so.”

then, in a burst of light and sound, in a shockwave of displaced air, a ship plummets down out of the clouds, pulling up an instant from the ground.

this second ship looms down out of the sky, pirates dropping from it and suddenly Suzanne is screaming at them to “GET INSIDE” from an upstairs window as she takes potshots at the misshapen shapes swarming down lines of hempen rope.

the air lights up with orange and yellow as explosions ripple down towards the crashed ship, towards the inn. Bea flings one of Ava’s arms around her neck and sprints for the door, Ava holding the sphere (or map?) tightly against her chest.

she sets Ava down gently onto one of the bar stools, runs back to barricade the door. her face is flushed, streaked somehow with engine grease and robot blood, which is black and slightly acidic. 

they exchange a wide-eyed look, too much meaning in it to parse as explosions rock the floor. Ava has both hands clutched around the sphere. 

they both almost scream as Suzanne runs down the stairs in a blur of dressing gown and gun. she has Ava’s crutches in one hand and her rifle in the other. she kisses Ava quickly on the forehead, “Thank the tides you’re safe.” leaves her with the crutches and then goes to fetch an ancient-looking blaster pistol out from behind the bar, presses it into Beatrice’s hands. “You know how to use this?”

“No!”

“Aim it away from your own face.”

and then there are pirates all around the house, glass breaking and fire crackling. Beatrice takes up the rear, pistol pointed at the front door as it bulges under the pressure of pirates flinging their bulk into it again and again. 

they climb out of a window, Suzanne producing a kitchen knife and jamming it into the neck of a pirate loitering uncertainly outside the bolted shutters. there, covered by a tarp, is Suzanne’s old motorcycle with a sidecar attached. lantern-bugs scatter out from under it as Suzanne throws the old tarp away, gestures for Beatrice and Ava to climb in as she covers them with her rifle.

there’s a roar from somewhere in the dark and Suzanne fires a shot, hops onto the motorcycle and revs the engine. then they’re moving, pirates parting before them like the ocean neither of them have ever seen, the vast bodies of water that don’t even exist on this planet.

they seek refuge with Jillian, an archaeologist who frequents the old inn, claiming that she can’t make her coffee taste of anything but soap. she examines the orb, reluctantly passed into her hands by Ava, her and Bea wrapped in an old blanket, sitting by the fire in Jillian’s immense study.

Jillian fiddles with it for an age before sighing, looking almost angry with herself.

“I can’t… seem to make this work.”  

Ava holds out her hand, silent. “let me try,” and Beatrice makes a face at Jillian when she hesitates.

the pirate gave the sphere to Ava; it’s hers. 

it seems much larger in Ava’s small grip. she looks down at it for a while before her fingers start to move, slow but gathering momentum as she presses the little grooves and switches and indents on the sphere. 

until it lights up, showing a map of the known universe, and parts of it that are unknown.

“Is that-” Beatrice feels her words drop away, like the ground beneath the pier where she has passed so many hours sitting with Ava’s hand in hers.

Ava turns to Beatrice, eyes bright as a pair of stars, “It’s treasure planet.”

[rinzler-smoocher]

I really do love the idea of Rinz being confused & angry at Flint, but also extraordinarily in love with him in a way that DOES NOT COMPUTE & even though he wants to kill the user DEAD he instead winds up making out with him more often than not.

Like, way to go, Tr.n! His last line of defense was making himself unable to hurt Flint & staying so madly in love with the user that it is ROYALLY fucking up Rinz's whole existence to a point of no return.

Plus like. Tr.n never got to actually act on romantic impulses with Flint & kept everything so on the DL that the user & program both were oblivious to how the other felt...

So now Rinz has all of Tr.n's desires with no limiting factors and the predator drive to tear the user limb from limb, but only winds up making Rinz starved for the user in a different way...

It's.

A mess lmaoooo

...

But Flint is nottttt complaining 😏😏😏

[tinyinvadr]

New chapter yay!!!

Psychoborrower

Chapter 3

I almost had a heart attack when I made the jump into Raz’s pocket before he left. I got a bit too used to Sasha’s complete obliviousness to my existence that I forgot that most people tend to notice when something small jumps on them.

“Huh? What was that?”

I held my breath as he shook his jacket off. I wasn’t too worried about falling out, but I was definitely concerned this motion would make me throw up. That would easily give me away. And it’s gross.

He gave up pretty quickly once he realized there wasn’t a bug or animal on him, and went off like nothing happened.

Either way, this was probably the stupidest thing I’d ever done. Really. Thanks for guilt tripping me into making up with this kid, Sasha.

On the way there, I overheard his conversations with the other campers, and he came to the conclusion that one of the kids’ brains had been stolen.

Personally, I thought he was just paranoid. The kid in question was Dogen. He’s just like that.

When we got to Milla’s class, he asked Lili about it. It turns out, Raz had a vision in the tumbler about a creepy doctor that perfectly matched up with a nightmare she had been having.

That… was a lot more than paranoia.

Lili ended up leaving class early, but told Raz to meet her later by the lake so they could talk about the situation further.

I tried not to let myself get too worked up about it. After all, none of this concerned me. But at the same time… if Dogen’s brain really was missing, that could mean trouble.

The kid was extremely powerful. Too powerful. To the point where he couldn’t control his own abilities. Head-exploding abilities. And the only thing keeping them at bay was a crumby tinfoil hat. If that brain fell into the wrong hands…

No. Everything was fine. Raz and Lili were just having shared nightmares. That’s… probably normal.

Milla was hesitant to let Raz into her mind, and wasn’t thrilled when she learned Sasha was training him. She has the tendency to be very protective. It took me forever to convince her to train me. Which is kind of strange, because between her, Sasha, and the Coach, her mind is the safest. There are a few Censors here and there, but there aren’t any platforms that you can really fall off of. The course is designed for levitation training, and it accommodates for that very purpose perfectly.

After some convincing, she let us in. Raz wasn’t as shocked by my presence, but he did seem annoyed. As for Milla, she was overjoyed.

“Flint! It’s so good to see you again, darling! And it’s so nice to see you’ve made a friend!”

Raz and I kind of just avoided eye contact for a minute, and Milla stopped dancing on the TV monitor when she took note of the uncomfortable silence.

“Oh, I see… Well, not to worry! A party is the best place to work out your problems, so I’m sure whatever’s going on between you two will sort itself out! Now then, Razputin, I’ve given you your Levitation learner’s permit. Finish the course, and you’ll get your merit badge! Start whenever you’re ready!”

I’d already done the course before, so I just hopped on my Thought Bubble and rolled on ahead.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Raz called after me.

“Sasha said I had to attend class with you. He didn’t say we had to stick together the entire time.”

“But he also said we have to try and get along. If we’re gonna become Psychonauts together-”

“Whoa, together? Where’d you get that from? It would take a miracle for them to let either one of us in, but there’s no way they’d accept both of us. And frankly, I’d question their judgement if they picked you over me, newbie.”

It didn’t take long for him to catch up to me. It was infuriating how quickly he took to every single thing he learned. He was a natural, and I hated it.

“What makes you so sure they won’t take us both? I mean, even if it’s not at the same time, eventually-”

I bumped my Thought Bubble into his, sending him rolling backwards. I was so sick of him. Natural talent. Misguided optimism. He really thought we could be teammates. Maybe in a perfect world that wasn’t pitted against me and actively sought out people like him. Maybe in a world where the game wasn’t rigged in his favor. But no. He was gonna get everything he wanted, and I’d be left with nothing, stuck at this stupid baby camp that I was only a year away from aging out of.

He rebounded from the bump and caught up to me again as I desperately kept trying to lose him.

“I just don’t get what your problem with me is. What did I ever do?”

I kept going, trying to ignore him. Then, he surprised me once again, bouncing right in front of me and bumping me back. It was with a lot less force, but enough to stop me.

“Hey, look. I can tell you’re going through something right now. And… I am too. To tell you the truth, I’m starting to doubt I’ll get there in time. My Dad’s gonna be here tomorrow. He’ll take me back to the circus where I’ll never be allowed to use my powers again. But even if it seems hard, that doesn’t mean we can’t still try, right?”

I sighed, rolling ahead and motioning for him to follow me. We made our way to the first dance platform, where the other campers and several mental dancers were enjoying the party. I sat myself down in one of the lounge seats and pointed to the space next to me until Raz got the hint.

Neither of us spoke for a minute. We just sat there, observing the party. At one point, a mental waitress brought us drinks. I started drinking mine right away while Raz looked at me like I had just committed a crime.

“Um… are these-?”

“Nonalcoholic. Milla would never think of giving a kid the real stuff.”

Even after I told him, he still looked at the glass in his hand like it was full of poison, until he eventually decided it was fine and took a sip.

“It’s good.”

We continued to sit and take in the atmosphere of the party. I knew I had to say something, but I didn’t know where to begin, or how much to reveal. So, I started the simplest way I could.

“I ran away from home too, you know.”

Raz seemed surprised.

“But… you’ve been coming here for years. Didn’t the counselors try to contact your parents?”

I chuckled. “My folks aren’t exactly easy to get in contact with, so they’ve been begrudgingly letting me live here ever since. It’s not like they can do much about it, since no one ever sees me.”

“Why do you do that? The invisibility thing, I mean. And how are you able to hold it for that long? Milka’s invisible pretty much all the time but I still see her between recharges.”

Right. There was another kid at camp that did the whole invisibility thing. Well, she was actually invisible. I just lied about it so no one would realize the real reason they haven’t seen me in the physical world. Ironically, it’s my weakest psychic power.

“I value my privacy. And just because I agreed to talk to you doesn’t mean I have to reveal all my secrets. But it looks like things are pretty hopeless for us right now, so I don’t see much of a point picking a fight with you anymore.”

“It’s not hopeless! There’s something weird going on around camp. Have you seen Dogen lately?”

I nodded. “Yeah. But are you sure his brain is missing?”

“There’s nothing between his ears! I could see right through his head!”

Oh wow, that’s… horrifying, actually.

“I saw a vision in the Brain Tumbler of Dogen with this creepy dentist who said he was gonna take his brain out. I couldn’t get all the way up to the tower without levitation, so that’s why I’m taking this course.”

At that, I got up from my seat and got back on my Thought Bubble.

“In that case, we should get moving. No time to sit around and chat. If this is as serious as you say it is, you need that merit badge ASAP. Follow me, I’ll show you the fastest way through.”

I could see the way his eyes lit up when he realized I was finally gonna help him with training. I hated to admit it, but it did feel nice knowing that this kid looked up to me, even after I was such a jerk to him. It felt like maybe all my training meant something after all.

We made our way up to the next part of the course, where you use your Thought Bubble to roll over dangerous elements. It was really the only major hazard in Mills’s mind, and as long as you levitated like you were supposed to, no harm would come to you.

At least, nothing happened to me. Raz, it turns out, was a special case. He could easily roll over fire, electricity, even radioactive waste. But when he tried to roll over the pool of water, something strange happened. His bubble suddenly popped, and he started flailing around as if something was trying to pull him down.

I grabbed onto him right away and pulled him up so he could get back on his bubble.

“What was that? Water is like, the least lethal obstacle. Why did that one throw you off?”

He looked back at the pool warily as if he could see something in it.

“My family has this problem with water. Psychics cursed all of us to die if we go into any deep body of water. I guess not even my own powers are enough to combat that.”

Wow… With every new thing I learned about psychics, I kept falling into the same trap of thinking I knew everything.

“I didn’t know psychics could curse people.”

“I don’t think it’s common. But… just once was enough to make my Dad hate all psychics. That’s why I ran away. It’s just so frustrating… I never asked for these powers. They’re not going away, and I don’t want them to, either. They’re a part of who I am, but that doesn’t make me evil! And I’m pretty sure he’s also a psychic, so why is he being so hard on me? I just… I’m sorry for dumping all this on you.”

I’d heard this all before in my own mind. Being forced to suppress a major part of yourself in order to please everyone around you… I could understand that from more than one perspective. Against my better judgement, I felt genuinely sorry for the kid.

My parents always told me not to think of humans as being like us. They didn’t deserve our pity because they could never understand how easy they have it compared to us. There was no point in thinking of them as complex people because they would never see us that way. Instead, they were nothing but living obstacles to be avoided.

But Raz knew what it was like to be treated like an outcast, even by his own family. Maybe it wasn’t the same. Maybe he still had it better than I did. Maybe this was all a side effect of me astral projecting as a human for too long. But I didn’t see him as a threat anymore. I saw him for what he was: a lost, scared kid just trying to find himself.

I saw… me.

“Hey, Raz… it’s okay. I get it. And if you ever need to talk, I’m here, okay?”

He nodded, giving a slight smile.

“Thanks, Flint.”

We rolled on ahead to the racetrack, where we won the race, and more importantly, kicked Bobby Zilch’s ass. From there we floated up towards the end of the course, blew up a few Censors, and finally made it to the end, where we were greeted by Milla.

“So glad you could make it! Now the party can really start! Let’s get you that merit badge, darling!”

We didn’t have much time to stick around and party, so Milla let us take our leave after Raz got his badge.

When we were back in our bodies and Raz started to head back to Sasha’s lab, I was lost in thought. For once, it wasn’t in a paranoid way. I was content. Even though I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the full truth, it felt like we were still supporting each other in the physical world. Sure, he had no idea I was in his pocket, but that didn’t matter. I was there as a hidden source of moral support, and he was unknowingly carrying me and sheltering me from danger.

It was sort of like the dynamic I’d come to have with Sasha and Milla, but it was nice to have someone around who was closer to my age. This was the closest I could have to a real friend.

In short, Raz was far from the worst thing to happen at camp. No, that was yet to come…

[carewyncromwell]

Day 2 (Second Wizarding War) for @hphm-ship-week

"There is no life I know To compare with pure imagination: Living there, you'll be free If you truly wish to be --

Somewhere out there, If love can see us through, Then we'll be together... Somewhere out there, Out where dreams come true..."

~"Neverland Medley" by Kenny Loggins

x~x~x~x

The Second Wizarding War was a scary time. Many people throughout Wizarding Britain went into hiding, while still others were forced to cower in place, trying desperately to hold onto some stability for themselves and their loved ones in the midst of Voldemort and the Death Eaters' reign of terror.

One of those people in hiding was the Montrose Magpies' Captain and Star Chaser, Orion Amari, and his infant daughter, Eos.

Orion had become a single father on the eve of all-out War, when his girlfriend and Eos's mother Delilah Flint left them in favor of the safety of her pureblood family's home. Because Orion was an orphan with no concrete knowledge of his ancestry, he was inevitably going to be a target, and since he refused to put up little Eos for adoption, he ultimately had to find his own way into hiding with Eos on his own. Fortunately Orion must've had some kind of guardian angel watching over him, because even when he was caught by the Muggle-Born Registration Commission and he and Eos were dragged to the Ministry, he was smuggled out by several resistance members -- including a red-haired young woman he hadn't seen in person in six years...

Orion and Eos spent the remainder of their time in hiding at the home of an elderly Squib named Arabella Figg. It wasn't exactly a comfortable arrangement. The house was rather stuffy with ugly mustard-colored carpet and flower-patterned furniture; everything smelled strongly of cabbage thanks to the many anti-arthritis tonics brewed in the kitchen; and Orion and Eos had to share a small room with Eos sleeping in a padded dresser drawer in place of a crib. But fortunately Mrs. Figg had a collection of cat/kneazle hybrids living with her, all of which immediately took to Orion and would sit on his lap for hours, if he let them. They also seemed to sense that Eos was a "human kitten" in need of protection -- the oldest of them, a black-and-gray one named Tibbles, would often let Eos sit next to him on the floor and grab lightly at clumps of his fur while she watched Mrs. Figg's television.

On Boxing Day 1998, Eos had been sitting with Tibbles on the floor in front of the television, absently watching a car crash on the evening news, when Orion picked up the remote and switched the channel.

"Something a bit more peaceful, perhaps, little Mooncalf," he said, giving his daughter's head a light pat.

He flipped the channel, moving past a boxing match and a family sitcom, before landing on what looked like a fairy, hovering over a crying baby.

Orion couldn't help but pause. The baby crying on the television interested Tibbles -- the cat's ears perked up and his pupils became slits as he listened. Eos was rather oblivious: she'd started chewing on the binky in her mouth.

"Tink..." a man spoke in voice-over. "You came and you saved me. You brought me to Neverland. You taught me to fly..."

Orion slowly eased himself down onto the sofa, watching as the fairy on the television led the baby away through the sky.

The thing on television, it turned out, was an American film called Hook, a retelling of the story of Peter Pan, from the perspective of an adult Peter going back to Neverland to save his children from his old nemesis Captain Hook. Orion watched the movie with more interest even than Eos did, his black eyes softening as Peter moved to give the sleeping Moira a kiss and even more so when he saw the older Tink, with her red hair cut rather like that young woman he hadn't seen since Hogwarts, but who saved them from the Death Eater-controlled Ministry.

"I can see why you have trouble finding a happy thought...so many sad memories, Peter..."

"…Do you…not have a family, Orion?"

That girl who would become that woman's eyes had also been so sad, realizing this. As if she'd taken Orion's whole life into her own chest and felt the loneliness collected over eleven whole years all at once, in that one moment. As if for however much sadness she herself might've known, the thought of not having a family was so horrible to her, she could hardly fathom it...

"What's this that's playing?" asked Mrs. Figg as she came into the room with a tea service. After watching a bit, she smiled. "Oh, that's Robin Williams, isn't it? I remember him -- he was on that one episode of Happy Days, playing the alien. He's a funny Muggle..."

Orion nodded without really paying much mind. He was too focused on the television, and on the happy family scene of Peter holding his baby son Jack for the first time.

For a moment, he was back in that Healers' ward, holding Eos for the first time. Cradling a little bundle of sunshine he was terrified of holding wrong, but who somehow made him feel braver and stronger than he knew anyone could feel.

"I know why I came back -- I know why I grew up. ...I wanted to be a father..."

With a smile, Orion brought a hand up to wipe the moisture from his eyes before he leaned forward, scooping up Eos so he could bring her into his lap. He watched the rest of Hook with his infant daughter in his lap, a smile on his face and -- at least one more time, when all of the Lost Boys, Peter's children, and especially Tinker Bell spoke of their belief in Peter -- some more traces of tears.

"…Maybe you can’t believe in yourself yet…but I hope you know just how many people do believe in you."

Something about Tink in this movie really reminded Orion of her.

By the time the movie was finally over, Eos had fallen asleep in her father's lap. Orion picked up the remote and turned off the television, before scooping Eos up into his arms and heading to their room to lay her down for a nap in her comfy little dresser drawer bed.

Upon his return, Mrs. Figg poured Orion a cup of tea and the two talked a bit more seriously.

"I've not received much word at all from the outside," Mrs. Figg admitted somberly. "Save for some notes hidden in my usual package of baked goods...I really do hope I'll have the chance to thank Miss Flume for her kindness..."

"She sustains us with good food as well as news, and for that, we must be grateful," Orion agreed.

He glanced at the window. The blinds were just about always drawn these days -- Orion suspected Mrs. Figg was afraid her Muggle neighbors would catch wind of her and Eos staying there.

Mrs. Figg sipped her tea. "Yes...Miss Flume said that it has been difficult for her to obtain news about Hogwarts, but fortunately it sounds like her contact at the Ministry is still intact."

Orion perked up, interested. "At the Ministry? Do you mean Carewyn Cromwell?"

"Cromwell?" said Mrs. Figg, startled. "No, no — I believe it’s a Potterwatch correspondent, though I forget which one..."

"Ah, yes. Of course."

Orion wished he didn't feel quite so disappointed. He feigned nonchalance as he took another sip of his tea.

"I've heard of the name Carewyn Cromwell, though,” Mrs. Figg said thoughtfully. "I think Professor Dumbledore mentioned she was a lawyer at the Ministry..."

Orion nodded. "Carewyn Cromwell was meant to be an advocate. Since we first met, her thought has always been to support and help others…whether to replace an injured player on the pitch or to break curses plaguing a school."

Even if Carewyn would've undoubtedly been happier living a calmer, more peaceful life, she'd always placed others' needs first. Much like that red-haired fairy who loved the boy she'd rescued so much that she was willing to say goodbye to him forever, if it meant he and his family would be happy…

"Sounds like you greatly esteem her," Mrs. Figg said with a raised eyebrow.

Orion looked away to obscure his smile. "It'd be hard not to."

Tufty the cat "made biscuits" on Orion’s thigh as she settled into his lap. Orion gave the yellow Kneazle cat a light scratch under the chin.

"Arabella," Orion said after a long moment, "would it be possible for you to send a message back with Miss Flume, when she sends along her next package?"

Mrs. Figg blinked. "Well, I — I suppose." Her lips turned up knowingly. "…Do you wish to give her something to send along for Miss Cromwell?"

"There's nothing in particular I want to send," Orion said noncommittally. "I merely was contemplating the feasibility of the matter."

Mrs. Figg looked a bit skeptical as she rested down her empty cup down on her saucer.

"Yes, well, if you…change your mind on that, I daresay Miss Flume's contact would send something along, if you wanted. Goodness knows we all have felt a bit disconnected from the ones we love as of late…"

She got up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen with the remnants of her tea service, leaving Orion alone to finish his tea. Putting down his own cup, he glanced at the blind-covered window again, his hand absently ruffling the fur beside the purring Tufty’s ears.

It would be silly to reach out to Carewyn just because he was thinking of her, Orion told himself. He didn’t really know what he’d want to say, really — "I saw this character in this Muggle movie tonight and she made me think of you" seemed like a rather trite sentiment under the circumstances. If all it took was sending Carewyn an owl, then he would've thought nothing of it, but it was risky enough for Miss Flume and her contacts to send any messages at all, let alone for non-emergencies.

Still Orion couldn’t fully put the thought away as he sat alone in the living room, petting Tufty the Kneazle cat and sipping his tea.

x~x~x~x

That next week Talbott Winger dropped off a croissant wrapped in a napkin and a coffee on his friend Carewyn’s desk at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Inside the napkin was scrawled a doodle that resembled the Reparifarge wand movement.

When Carewyn closed her office door and unTransfigured the napkin, she was left with a small piece of yellow, flower-printed note paper with two short lines of messy, loopy handwriting on it.

I believe in you. Orion

Carewyn read it twice, and then a third time. Finally she took a heavy breath, and her red lips spread into a strained, emotional smile as she gently folded the note and tucked it away safely in her purse.

After a whole week of having to sit in on Umbridge's sham trials and not being able to stop them, knowing that there were people out there, even in hiding, who still had faith in her was a comfort Carewyn could hardly put into words.

[more-better-words]

What's this? A kinda spicy thing? It's been a while!

A missing scene/addition to For the Duration - takes place after chapter 12

Trip returned to Endeavour from Vulcan thoughtful and sore. At least it was the good kind of sore, the kind that when his shoulders protested when he picked up his bag or when his abs ached when he bent over, he could remind himself he felt this way because he'd gotten to have a truly staggering amount of sex with the woman he loved more than anything in the galaxy.

And not the usual kind, either. This had been a special occasion.

He checked in briefly with Chen, but the real talk could wait until he was back on the clock. So he went back to his quarters to take a shower and unpack. He stiffly pulled off his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. Bruises still encircled his wrists.

T'Pol had him pinned on the bed, her hands gripping his wrists. "My mate," she whispered, tears welling in her fever bright eyes. "Mine." The whisper became a growl, deep in her chest, and the sound sparked on something inside him, like flint on steel.

"Yes," he groaned. "God, T'Pol, yes." He was hers, he surrendered, she could do with him as she pleased, it was all he wanted, and he gazed up at her with desperate eyes, knowing that she knew.

She released his wrists, dragging her hands down his arms, over his shoulders, cupping his face between them. Her thumb brushed over his lips; he took it in his teeth, and she growled again.

He wouldn't be rolling up his sleeves in company for a few more days.

There were more finger marks on his shoulders and his biceps. Those weren't too out of the ordinary, actually, and he chuckled. It wasn't like rough sex had ever even really been his thing, necessarily, and honestly, sex with T'Pol wasn't rough - not in the traditional human understanding, anyway. It was just that she was physically strong, and sometimes, she couldn't help but leave marks.

In a way, he thought, those bruises and welts were a sign of her trust, that she felt safe enough to be vulnerable with him, to let herself go. She didn't feel like she had to hold herself back - she could just enjoy. She could just have fun. And she felt that safety with him. That was a hell of a thing. It was an honor, really.

And quite frankly, it was incredibly, ludicrously, brain-meltingly hot to know that he could get her to come like that. What were a few bruises in comparison to getting to see (getting to FEEL) her orgasm? She never seemed to believe him when he told her that. Maybe she would now.

Just above his hip bone, there was a blue-black bruise. He prodded at it, ever so gently.

She grabbed him, her hands at his waist, pulling him on top of her. But she wasn't paying any heed to where the edge of the couch was, and they rolled into the floor, oblivious of their destination. What mattered was he was still on top when they landed; his only thought was to that he needed be inside her again. He had to be - the alternative was unthinkable, unbearable. The only thing that could hurt them right now was distance between their bodies, even if they were only millimeters apart.

"More," she panted hoarsely. He nodded hard.

"More."

Because pon farr had been… Well, calling it 'intense' would be selling it short. It had been delirious, wild, uninhibited, and…free. He didn't know if it was the bleedover of their bond or if he'd just really gotten into the spirit of things, but he definitely hadn't bothered with higher thought in the middle of it all. His brain had taken a time out, and his body had belonged to her. They had belonged to each other, actually, in the most fundamental way possible. And it had been better than he could have possibly imagined.

He finished undressing, and as he turned for the shower, the sight of circular marks on the backs of his thighs, dark purple and red, caught the periphery of his vision. Where had those…?

"Harder," she gasped, the word both a demand and a plea. Her legs were tight around him, her heels digging into him as her hips bucked desperately, her breath ragged and hot in his ear -

Oh. Right.

He stood under the water, letting the heat loosen his sore muscles. He washed his hair and scrubbed down, but he'd have to be careful about his back, because -

Sweat stung the scratches on his back, but he didn't care. That faint discomfort was light years away; he was right on the edge, he was so close, he was crying out her name -

T'Pol had dressed those scratches before he left, looking at once proud and abashed. "You really left your mark this time," he'd said lightly, and her lips had twitched with good-humored embarrassment. "You always leave your mark," he'd added gently.

"As do you," she'd replied, taking his hand, kissing the inside of his bruised wrist. "Even if it is not visible."

He got out of the shower, toweling off his sore body before putting his wedding ring back on. He looked at it for a moment, turning it on his finger with his thumb. "My mate," he murmured to himself. Yeah, they left their mark on each other. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

[rlyehtaxidermist]

cultist simulator touhouposting

the sages are an Obliviate splinter group, and Gensokyo is a mini-Noon of their own design. Yukari and Julian Coseley have mad beef and their hate mail contains deep secrets of Knock-lore (Yukari picked a fight with him specifically because of how she remembered her and Renko finding so many occult secrets in his other hate mail and she didn't want to be left out)

the oni are probably an equivalent to the Antaeans - I doubt they're descended from Antaeus himself, but they have enough cthonic associations to be rooted in another child of the Flint and the Wheel. Kasen is the most self-righteous about it and has definitely written self-righteous screeds about the Lithomachy

Mokou and Kaguya aren't an Edge dyad but the Lionsmith and the Colonel are respectively Watching Respectfully. The Hourai Elixir is probably tied to the Meniscate - Eirin might even be a Meniscate Name - and Mokou took after the Forge alignment while Kaguya leans more into Winter

Utsuho is technically a Name of the Forge but has no idea what this means