#plus i attempted some perspective???? idk

[mochamoth]

Some silly hcs for my silly little rarepair from a random AOSTH episode!! (Scratch x Henrietta hcs!)

(.. I wanted to write a fic but didn't know what to write about exactly plot wise 🥲 anyways this is probably gonna be cringey so you have been warned! And long! Probably long!!)

So these would all take place after they met up again. Scratch wouldn't be with Robotnik probably by this point and is probably recovering from y'know, actual abuse.

The two sorta meet up and Scratch apologizes for the whole amnesia thing (finally giving him a chance to explain) and Henrietta forgives him. So it goes from there (can ya tell idk what to make the story exactly, aa 😭).

Also I do hc Scratch as a trans lesbian. So um y ea. I use he/she for him usually.

Anyways, the two preen eachother like.. Well birds!

Scratch attempts to help Henrietta out on her farm, but he kinda sucks at a lot of the tasks. He's good with the chickens, though.

Also obviously motorcycle/bike rides! I like to think Henrietta has multiple, cuz I find the fact she's both a motorcyclist and a farm girl charming. She likes to speed through random fields near the farm for funsies.

The two probably move out on their own. Not far from Henrietta's parents (obviously) but like, to their own cottage (haha cottagecore).

Scratch is very awkward when it comes to showing affection. Henrietta will be all OVER her, and she won't know what to do because she's simply not used to it. Scratch does try though! She gives random kisses here and there and occasionally cuddles up with Henrietta first. It's not that Scratch doesn't like affection, she adores it. Scratch just doesn't know what to do cuz she's used to abuse and isolation. (Ofc except Grounder, yay siblings!)

The two do eachothers makeup because cute!

Self indulgent as HELL but both are autistic.

And share special interests.

And will rant about them to eachother for hours and hours.

Scratch and Henrietta both wake up at sunrise. As much as Scratch finds it funny to annoy poor Grounder by crowing at the night owl (or uh.. Mole) to wake up, it's a nice change of pace to live with a fellow morning bird. He still crows though!

Scratch will fight anyone who tries to harm Henrietta. Henrietta insists unless one of them is in immediate danger that the fighting isn't necessary, but Scratch sometimes forgets about that.

Pet namess I mean this is already canon. Henrietta has her cute little pet names for Scratch like dear, darling, sweetie, and ect. Scratch isn't very good at coming up with pet names, but she started to mimic her's which Henrietta finds cute.

They share a nest bed. Because I find Scratch's nest bed in the show downright amazing and incredible.

Henrietta gains comfort weight and is chubby, CRY ABOUT IT!!

Henrietta kinda helps Scratch learn about the world from a non-villain perspective. Scratch is still a little "evil" ofc, I'm bias I adore silly little evil guys (team Skull my beloveds). But not legit taking over the world, endangering lives, and abusive evil! Anyways, Henrietta kinda helps Scratch acclimate into a more peaceful life.

Scratch is secretly a bit insecure about how she looks, but Henrietta helps him love herself a little more.

Henrietta helps put Scratch together if he ever breaks. She's no robotics engineer, but she does know how to fix vehicles. So she has a bit of knowledge plus guides and studies on robots.

I'll probably come up with more later, but that's all for now! Sorry if there's any bad grammar or typos, I am so so tired cuz been busy on remodeling my entire room 😭!

[sallowapologist]

Jealous Boy

(yes, inspired by the unreleased Lana song)

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x trans!Reader (ftm) 

Word Count: 3.6k+

Genre: Angst, Fluff, & Smut (the holy trinity).  

TW’s: Minor TW for brief mentions of a guy being a bit of a creep towards you, nothing major though. 

Notes: I took it personally that there was a lack of transmasc mc fics out there, so that’s how this came about. I impulsively wrote this at you don’t even want to KNOW what hour- but I am finally done and ready to post it. Idk why I always decide to write and publish fics in one sitting. 

Goes without saying, but this is set in their seventh year when they’re both of age. The beginning of the fic also only really makes sense from the perspective of you being in Slytherin, but to be honest it doesn’t make any difference beyond the introduction- so other houses are encouraged to read too. 

The reader’s POV is that of the MC of the game. 

I'll also be crossposting this to my ao3 account (swarmofbears) if you guys wanted to show it some love over there- i’ll definitely be writing more seb fics soon. Enjoy!

Brief Description: A celebratory party for the Slytherin quidditch team goes sour for you when Sebastian lets his emotions get the better of him. 

He seeks you out, wanting to give an apology- but he ends up giving you so much more... 

ao3 version here:

•─────⋅☾⋅─────•

Slytherin had just won the first match of the year. 

After much pestering from students and faculty, Professor Black had finally allowed quidditch to return to the school curriculum. The season had opened with a tense match between Slytherin and Gryffindor, the ultimate rivals. 

Sebastian had been stressing about it, often being his grumbly self whenever practice hadn’t gone to plan. It’d come as a surprise when he told you he was trying out for the team at the start of the year, but in line with all that happened in your fifth year, you figured he could use a distraction. 

Plus, you certainly weren’t complaining about seeing him in his quidditch uniform in the slightest. 

Subsequent to the victory, you and your fellow housemates paraded back to the Slytherin dorm to celebrate. Hasty banners were strewn across the hall and soft music was thumping in the background of the excited chatter.  

You hadn’t really had a chance to congratulate Sebastian yet, him being swept up by the crowd sort of made it impossible to catch a moment with him. No matter, you assumed you’d find him at some point in the evening. 

Eyes wandering the common room, you searched for either Ominis or Sebastian so you could make your way over to one of them. However, you suddenly feel a hand on your shoulder. Spinning around on your heels, you expect to find one of your friends in front of you, but you’re met with an unfamiliar boy clad in the same green robes as Sebastian. He must be on the quidditch team too. 

“Miles Grimaldi,” the boy says with a lopsided smirk as he wets his lips with his tongue, hand staying put on your shoulder. 

You attempt to shrug off the hand with a wary smile, tentatively replying with your full name to fill the uncomfortable silence. 

Obviously not getting the hint, the boy- or “Miles” as you now knew- leans forward until his lips are almost touching the shell of your ear. You flinch back, but he only leans closer as he whispers, “I saw you in the stands at the match...how’d you like to have some alone time with one of your star players?”. 

You flush red at this, not because you’re flattered by any means, but the close proximity and suggestive tone was all too much. An unsure noise slips out your mouth, your voice cracking as you franticly glance left and right, looking for someone to help you out. 

That’s when you meet eyes with Sebastian from across the common room. Your eyes widen, attempting to signal for help. He must be too far away to pick up on your desperation, because all you’re met with is a look of...well you honestly have no idea how else to describe it but as pure...venom? That can’t be right. Surely he could see how fucking uncomfortable you were right now. 

Sebastian shoots a glare in your direction, before downing the drink in his hand and stalking off into the crowd.  

God he was a fucking idiot. 

Realizing you’d have to deal with this sleezeball yourself, you flick your head back towards Miles. 

“I’m sorry I-” You begin, before a familiar voice cuts you off. 

“I think he’s aright, thank you.” 

Thank Merlin. It was Ominis. 

Miles turns around, seemingly ready to start a fight with whoever just interrupted him. However, the moment he realises who’s stood behind him, he nods his head- muttering out what could be an apology before disappearing into the crowd. 

“Ominis- Thank Merlin you arrived, that guy was-” 

“A total sleeze? Perks of being blind I guess, nobody seems to want to pick a fight with you.” 

You chuckle at his comment, Ominis always had a way of making you laugh- whether it was intentional or not. 

“Yeah, well, I‘m glad someone came to my rescue. Sebastian didn’t seem so keen,” you wryly comment. 

Ominis frowns at this, sensing your dejected tone. 

“How strange...Well, would you like to sit down together? I’m finding this crowd a bit of a challenge to navigate.” 

There it was again, that dry sense of humor that always drew a chuckle out of you. You nod your head yes, before remembering that he can’t see you. 

“Of course, here- I'll lead you.” 

Ominis nods his head in thanks, taking your hand as you lead him to the luckily unoccupied couch, sitting on opposite ends. 

As you open your mouth to ask Ominis what he’d gotten up to during the match (seeing as he couldn’t exactly watch it), your voice dies in your throat as something catches your eye. 

A couple meters from you, you see Sebastian. He’s leaning against one of the stone walls of the room, arm resting above the head of some Slytherin girl. You don’t know her name, and you’re pretty certain neither did Sebastian- but apparently it didn’t matter. He’s leaning towards her, a smirk etched on his face as she giggles and shyly tucks a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.  

Your heart drops. A thick feeling builds in your throat as you feel a wetness building in your waterline- you barely register Ominis calling your name as he notices your uncharacteristic silence. You attempt to steady your breathing, but you just can’t draw your eyes away. 

As if he can sense your eyes burning into the side of his face, Sebastian looks directly at you with a look of...triumph. It’s that same look he gets whenever he beats you at a duel during one of the countless sparring matches the two of you have held in the undercroft between classes, only now, it felt more personal. More evil. 

Suddenly, it seems as if he notices your watery eyes, and it must click for him- because without another word to the girl between his arms, he pushes himself off the wall and begins rapidly making his way across the room towards you. You barely acknowledge how his face has fallen into an expression of desperation, getting up and practically sprinting out of the common room. You think you hear his voice calling your name, but it doesn’t matter anymore. 

You only barely feel bad for leaving Ominis like that, but it was too much. It was all too much. You can feel sobs begging to fall from your quivering lips, and you decide that you want to be anywhere but the dorm room you shared with the boy you had fallen so deeply for. 

An idea springs to mind. The room of requirement. 

Objective in mind, you quickly make your way through the winding halls of the school, desperately trying to hold on for a little longer. You could let it all out once you were safe and alone. Not here.  

- 

Finally finding yourself in front of the room’s entryway, you shove open the door, immediately allowing the emotion that had been building escape you. Harsh sobs wrack your body as you fall to the ground with your back pressed to the door, uncontrollable and overwhelming. Stupid, stupid, stupid. How could you have thought he liked you back? Nobody ever liked you back. You weren’t like the others.  

Nobody wanted a freak like you. 

Choking out dry tears, you lift your head shakily from your knees pressed to your forehead, scanning the familiar room. You get up gingerly, deciding to make your way to your bedroom here. You just needed to cry it out in bed. 

Once you make it to your room, you immediately begin just that, letting it all out as you sit leaning against the headboard of your bed. You barely hear the click of the door. 

“Y/N?” a soft voice whispers. 

Shit, you forgot you’d shown Sebastian this room one day when he’d complained about the first years who wouldn’t stop chatting in the library while he tried to study. He must’ve followed you here. 

Refusing to even acknowledge the boy stood a few feet from you, you speak into your knees. 

“What do you want?” you croak out. 

“I-” 

You don’t let him finish his sentence, suddenly overwhelmed with rage as pure hatred courses through your veins. You flick your head up, shooting a gaze filled with malice his way. You don’t notice the way his eyes widen and his eyebrows pique in in shock, Adam's apple bobbing as he nervously swallows his words. 

“Actually- no. I don’t want to hear it Sebastian. Just fucking leave,” you spit out. 

“Y/N- please just let me-” 

“Fuck off Sebastian!” 

He goes dead silent, taking a step back. Utter fear is etched across his face, he’s never seen you this mad before. Not since that night. His bottom jaw quivers as his eyes glass over, staring at you, awaiting your next move. 

You can’t help but feel a tug at your heart. After all, this was the boy you’d been pining over for years. You let out a frustrated groan, resting your head back against the headboard.

 

“Fuck Sebastian...why did you have to go and be an idiot.” 

For once, it seems as if he’s at a loss for words. The easygoing grin that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face missing. 

“I mean you just- I thought we- never mind,” you sigh. 

Your eyes are shut, so you don’t notice he’s made his way towards you until you feel a weight on the mattress at the opposite side of the bed. 

“...I’m sorry,” he whispers. 

You open your eyes, finding yourself met with a slumped Sebatian. Insecurity is written all over his face, and he’s fiddling with his hands, avoiding all eye contact with you. You stay silent, hoping he gets the hint that you’re waiting for an explanation. 

He inhales deeply, “I don’t know why I did it.” 

“Honestly Sebastian, it’s fine- it's not even like we’re-”  “No, it’s not fine.” 

You’re silent, uncertain of this new territory. You hadn’t seen Sebastian this vulnerable since that night in the tombs, where you’d held him to your chest for what felt like hours as he sobbed into your chest. 

“I just...I felt this- this feeling when I saw that guy hitting on you.” 

“Wh- Miles? Seb, I didn’t want him to-” 

“Which is totally wrong of me- you're your own person. I shouldn’t feel this way just because some guy was making you blush-” he mumbles out. 

“Seb-” 

“Which I think upset me so much because I wish I knew how t-” 

“Sebastian!” you suddenly shout, grabbing his forearm. His head flicks to you, once again overcome with shock at your sudden shift of tone. 

“Listen to me.” you order, making intense eye contact with him. You’d find the way his gaze falls into those familiar puppy eyes endearing if you weren’t currently battling the stubborn boy for a chance to speak your mind. He gulps, a slight red tinging his cheeks and the tips of his ears. 

“That guy- Miles- He came onto me. I had to get Ominis to get the guy off my back, I was trying to get you to help me but you-” 

“Oh my god...” he whispers to seemingly nobody, cutting you off. 

“...What?” 

“You were asking for help,” he states bluntly. 

“Yes?” you scoff, “Did you not see the way I looked at you?” 

“I thought-” 

“You thought wrong.” 

It’s suddenly eerily silent, neither of you knowing what to say next. Your brain is running wild with questions, completely lost with where this was going. 

“I get it know,” he speaks into the silence. 

“Get what?” you reply, squinting at him in confusion. 

“I get what that feeling was...” 

You feel anger bubbling to the surface yet again with just how cryptic the boy was being. 

“Sebastian if you don’t fucking tell me what you’re on about, I’ll-” 

“I was jealous,” he states with no emotion behind his voice, but the way his anxious eyes meet your own is enough to let you know it was a cover. 

“...What?” 

He quickly averts his gaze. 

“I thought he was making you blush,” he mumbles. 

“What? I mean no- he wasn’t- but why would it even matter if-” 

“Because I think I’m in love with you.”  

The sudden confession shuts you up, any words you had dying in your throat as your jaw hangs slack. It’s as if Sebastian’s just as surprised as you at the words that escaped him, eyes wide in terror as he gets up to flee the room immediately. 

“Sebastian, wait-” you stutter out, reaching towards him, catching the sleeve of his robe between your fingertips. 

He refuses to look at you, grimacing to himself. 

“Just forget it-” 

You’re not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the heat of the moment. Maybe it’s the overwhelming rush of pure adoration you’d suppressed for the boy for so long. Maybe it’s the way your heart is threatening to burst out of your ribcage. 

You’re not sure what makes you do it, but you do it anyway.  

You tug on Sebastian’s sleeve, with such a force that he falls towards you, on you. Before either of you can register this new position, you leaning back on your forearms as he has his arms braced either side of your frame with a knee wedged between your thighs, you reach out and pull his tie towards you- crashing your lips together. 

It takes a second for him to realize what’s happening, before he begins to kiss you back in earnest. He readjusts himself, now properly leaning over your frame, right hand travelling up your neck to cradle your cheek. It begins innocent enough, years of yearning for one another being silently translated between the two of you, but then it gets filthy. 

Lust sets the two of you alight, and suddenly Sebastian is just everywhere. His right hand is travelling all over your body, his knee pressing up against your crotch, eliciting a soft groan out of you.  

The sound causes Sebastian to pull away for a moment, the caring boy you know briefly reappearing, before a deep hunger sets in his eyes. He leans forward, slipping a warm hand under your shirt. 

“Fuck...I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he mumbles against your lips. 

Your brain is struggling to keep up with all that’s going on, so you forget to reply with words and instinctively grind down on his knee pressed between your thighs instead, a desperate moan escaping you. 

As you prepare to roll your hips once again, Sebastian pulls away, and you let out what you would vehemently argue was not a whine at the loss. 

“Wait- Y/N, are you sure about this? I don’t want to force-” 

“Oh my god- you’re insufferable,” you groan, once again pulling his tie back towards you as you slip your tongue in his mouth, the welcome intrusion coaxing addictive groans out of him. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckles lightly when you pull away momentarily to catch your breath. 

You smile at him, and for a second the two of you just stare at each other with what could only be described as pure love. 

This lovesick haze is what distracts you, causing you to not notice the hand creeping towards the hem of your shirt, a soft tug pulling you out of your trance. 

Sebastian raises an eyebrow at you, silently asking for your permission to take off your shirt.  

He gently pulls it over your head after unbuttoning the first few buttons, and then he leans back and just stares at you. 

You feel vulnerable, not having shown your bare skin to anyone since you’d had the surgery. You anxiously bite your lip as you watch his right hand tentatively move towards your chest. 

His soft fingertips gently trace along the scar beneath your nipple, following it. 

“Beautiful,” he whispers. 

Your heart flutters, suddenly overwhelmed with relief. He seems to notice the way you finally breathe again, meeting your eyes with a familiar lopsided grin, leaning forward once again to capture your lips in a gentle kiss. You know what he’s trying to say, that he’s trying to tell you that he wouldn’t want you any other way. 

After a moment, the heat between the two of you returns, and you’re pressing into him with newfound vigor as he pulls your bottom lip between his teeth. He’s now moving his mouth down your neck, softly nipping at the skin under your jaw- occasionally sucking to leave purple marks in his wake. 

You chuckle at this, suspecting that the “jealousy” from earlier may be driving his actions. 

Before you can throw a snarky remark his way, you feel his knee pressing back against your crotch, the pressure through your pants and underwear providing the perfect amount of friction for you to begin rolling your hips, chasing that euphoric feeling. Broken moans spill from you, urging Sebastian to continue his actions. 

He pulls his knee away yet again, but before you can complain, the feeling of his fingertips pressing under the waistband of your boxers shuts you up. 

“...This okay?” he asks, head tilted to the side. 

“Mhm,” you hum, stomach doing flips at the edge to his voice. 

At the confirmation, he swiftly unbuttons your pants, slipping them off whilst your eyes are stuck to his face. His hand rests on your lower abdomen, teasing you for what’s to come as he leans back in to kiss you slowly and deeply. 

Frustrated by his antics, you impulsively take your right hand and place it on his own. He pulls back and looks at you with an inquisitive gaze, before he realizes what you’re doing. 

You slowly guide his hand, slipping it under your boxers towards where you wanted him. Where you needed him. 

His mouth is dry, in awe at the way you’re looking up at him through your lashes, silently asking him to touch you. 

So he does. 

He feels the slickness between your thighs, softly tracing circles around where he knows you want him. Sliding his middle finger between your folds, he dips his finger inside you, finally granting you the relief you had practically been ready to beg for. 

He’s entranced by your face, obsessed with the way your bottom lip is caught between your teeth, chest rising and falling rapidly. 

He suddenly dives back towards you, swallowing the whine you make as he begins to move inside you. He slips a second finger in, relishing the way he’s tearing you apart around his fingers. Your warm walls coax him in, and he’s happy to stay. 

He tugs on your bottom lip with his teeth, before hovering his face above yours, uttering praises. 

You can barely process anything other than the feeling of his slender fingers reaching inside you, the deftness of his movements destroying you as he begins to circle your clit. 

“I’m close,” you stutter out, only encouraging Sebastian to increase the speed of his movements. 

“You’re so pretty,” 

“My pretty boy,” 

“All for me,” 

He’s mumbling praises again, the possessiveness tinging his compliments making you react in ways you probably shouldn’t, arching your back to press yourself closer to him as you whimper. You feel his kiss-swollen lips against the shell of your ear. 

“Cum for me, love.” 

It hits you suddenly, a string of curses escaping you before he swallows them up yet again with a passionate kiss.

 

When you come down from your high, you’re panting- overwhelmed by the whole ordeal. Sebastian retracts his fingers from you, a slick sheen coating them. He maintains direct eye contact with you, bringing his fingers to his lips and he sucks them dry. 

A whine escapes your lips at the sight, and he merely grins at you before finally speaking. 

“Maybe next time.” 

You burst into laughter at this. It really isn’t all that funny- but you suspect the ridiculousness of the situation has finally caught up to you. Perhaps you simply just have no idea how to process what just happened. 

The two of you fall into a fit of giggles, Sebastian coming to lay next to you. You both turn onto your sides, facing each other. 

“So do you forgive me?” he inquires with a cheeky grin. 

“Oh shut up-” you groan lightheartedly, grabbing the pillow underneath your head to hit him. 

He bursts into another fit of giggles, and you join him. Once the giddiness dies down, the two of you are left staring into eachother’s eyes, once again filled with pure adoration. 

“I mean it though. I really am sorry.” 

“Seb...It’s okay. We obviously just needed to...” you glance down at your boxers, still slick with your arousal, “...talk.” 

“Yeah. Talk. For sure,” he deadpans, causing you to lightly shove his chest, once again causing the two of you to burst into a fit of laughter. 

“I like you, by the way. If that wasn’t clear,” you shyly admit once it dies down. 

“God I’d sure hope so-” he chuckles, immediately breaking the tension. 

After a comfortable silence, he reaches a hand towards your waist, pulling you in towards him. 

“Hi,” he whispers, uncharacteristically nervous. 

“Hey,” you whisper back, placing a soft kiss on his jaw before tucking your head into his chest. 

The two of you don’t need to say much more, you could discuss the specifics tomorrow. But for now? All either of you wanted was to fall asleep in each other's arms. 

- 

Ominis remained on that couch you left him on, praying to whatever higher power there was out there that those two pining idiots had finally sorted their shit out. 

Little did he know. 

•─────⋅☾⋅─────•

[blue-rasberry-soda]

Below the readmore is a fuck ton of Larry Headcannons because I am Unwell about this man.

Larry was originally from Sinnoh. Sinnoh is based on the Japanese Island of Hokkaido, and with the way the Treasure Eatery is designed, and the pose Larry takes in his photo, he comes across as Japanese. Plus, Sinnoh specifically has Starly as the regional bird.

Starly was actually his very first Pokémon. He attempted a Pokémon Journey as a kid, but after a little while he just wanted to go back home. Still, the battle experience was good for him, and he really cared for his Starly as a pet.

He moved to Paldea go the Academy for either high school or college, wanting to ensure he got a good job in the future. The Academy seems to host all ages, and it's rather huge, so I think it could serve as a collage campus as well, but idk.

Occasionally he'd fight with his Staravia as a hobby and to make a bit of money whenever things got tight, picking up Dunsparce and Komala as well. Still, he ends up pretty good at it.

While he's there, he meets a younger Geeta who challenges him to battle. He does well enough to impress her, and they don't quite become friends, but Geeta trusts him and sees him as a particularly hard worker. Maybe they're acquaintances in the same friend group.

Eventually this leads to assigning him to the Medali Gym, and then becoming an Elite Four member.

The Medali Gym is in the Treasure Eatery because the first time he ate there, the food really reminded him of home, so he became a regular. He was put on the spot by Geeta to come up with where he wanted his gym, what he wanted it to look like, and what the gym challenge should be. Himself and the cook get along okay, and he told her about how stressed he was about it because he's not creative or intresting in the slightest, and she suggested just hosting him in-house, and he agreed.

Him and Rika get along fine, she thinks he's fun to mess with but he doesn't mind it so badly.

He tries to be nice to Poppy, but he's still a very boring person, so she likes him okay but prefers the other two.

He very silently does not like Hassel because he's loud and frequently interrupts Larry, but Larry would never cause workplace drama so he just... treats him like he would anyone else. With how famous the Elite Four are, any noticeable degree of dislike could garner some serious attention, which he doesn't want. Hassel thinks Larry is nice but introverted, a testament to just how anti-drama Larry is.

His relationship with Geeta has slowly shifted from mutual trust and neutrality to her still feeling the same about him, but him developing a grudge against her but refusing to speak up about anything that's bothering him. She's his boss and the top champion, and he wouldn't be caught dead actually saying anything to someone that powerful.

One time, while Iono was doing a series of inviting other gym leaders to her livestreams, she was very certain she would be unable to get Larry in front of the camera, and repeatedly told her chat that she'd try, but make no promises. But she appealed to his intrest in food, so they sat down and had a meal for the stream, talking a bit about his perspective on Pokemon training.

But, for some reason that not even Iono understands, her chat went fucking crazy. Like, Jerma-Chat levels of insane. Larry vows to never let her film him again, but she becomes absolutely determined to get him back on someday because of just how popular that stream got.

While at some Gym Trainer conference or party or something, Larry was off to the side of the group not talking to anyone. Like, at the watercooler, coffee machine, or snack bar for as long as he could pretend to be busy. Grusha joined him there because he got overwhelmed too and needed to sit down and be quiet for a minute. The both of them shared a look and a toast to mutual suffering, and neither of them bothered each other. From then on, they've been quite friendly, and whenever trainers gather, they stick together and try to find somewhere quiet to sit.

For his relationships with the other trainers, it's just the quieter they are, the better he likes them. He doesn't have a lot of energy left after work, so whoever he is with has to learn to chill, or otherwise be quietly disliked and avoided. As for when he likes people, he'll pay for their food sometimes, and just chill out with them and have conversation, a lot of the times complaining about work.

[hannigramislife]

thanks for your pov! some of those things he didn't do, but I understand why you hold him at fault for them. I think it's interesting that you think he has no love or affection for anyone and always cares about his goals. wouldn't it have been smarter & more cunning & ruthless to just let nhs run the nie into the ground instead of helping them? and to kill qin su earlier, even when rusong was little or before he was born? plus, why be so kind to lan xichen, for most of their lives? and why not kill da-ge in nightless city and blame it on wrh, instead of letting nmj free and then having to dodge his attempts to kill jgy over the xue yang incident? these are some things that make it hard for me to say he does everything out of pure ruthlessness.

All that makes a lot of sense!

Again, my takes are very new, as I just finished the second book literally yesterday. And from all that I read, nothing was pointing in that direction, for me. If the narrative voice is to be believed, Jin Guangyao's actions were all very calculated. Again, if I had the opportunity right now, I could cite them from the book (thank you for this discussion, I am liking the trading of povs!)

I could be wrong! I haven't sat down to think about all of it yet!

When watching the show, I actually found him much more empathetic and believed he actually cared a lot. It was only as I read the book that I was like "Wow, from this perspective, he literally discarded everyone like they were nothing."

Also, I don't get why I'm being told by people that I'm "classist" for saying he wasn't a good person, and that Nie Mingjue deserved to die? Have I completely misinterpreted everything that happened? Countless times, the book mentioned how highly Nie Mingjue thought of Jin Guangyao.

When it comes to your question, it is my personal belief (again, I could be wrong, this all fomes from me finsihing the second book) that Jin Guangyao didn't do things differently, simply because they weren't convenient at the time.

He went undercover in order to gain enough acclaim to be recognized by the Jin Clan, but killing Nie Mingjue at the time was too risky, and what would he gain from that? However, he killed his own father, and Jin Zixuan, and cursed his cousin, so once Nie Mingjue became a problem, how hard would it be for him to get rid of the sect leader? Nie Mingjue became a problem, as I saw it, once he kept pestering JGY about Xue Yang: and we all knownwhat JGY had Xue Yang around for.

Lan Xichen always took his side, so why wouldn't Jin Guangyao be kind to him? The book also said that he went to Lan Xichen with his troubles, but referred to his action as "...trying to sow discord between them (LXC and NMJ)" so idk what to think.

If he is to be believed, Jin Guagyao said "at the beginning, his heart was true" when talking to Qin Su after she found out, but he also said "You must know, A-Song always had to die," so if he was willing to kill his own son, how likely was it that Qin Su would be any different?

As for helping Nie Huaisang with the clan, I have yet to form an opinion about that. Too many things could be considered in that particular equation.

[lake-cosay]

jesse & lake songs

nobody asked but here's my list of jesslake songs, minus the ones i found from the fandom which i can make a separate list of if y'all want. i'm here to validate myself lol so these are all the ones i came up with on my own (some of em are specific to just lake or just jesse and some of them make absolutely no sense to anyone else but yknow)

lake songs

Renegade by Styx

the whole song is about being on the run from the cops and in fear for your life do i really need to say much more. plus its a banger. it's one of those songs i would definitely make an animatic for if i had the patience

My Silver Lining by First Aid Kit

first aid kit has been my comfort band, if you will, for years, and i've known this song for years, but recently i actually listened to the lyrics properly (auditory processing issues who) and was like holy shit this screams lake. it's about being stuck someplace you hate and wanting to break out. i was gonna point out some of the lyrics that really stick out to me but it's just. the WHOLE song. but if i had to pick my favorite for this context, it'd be the chorus:

"i hear a voice calling / calling out for me / these shackles i've made in an attempt to be free / be it for reason, be it for love / i won't take the easy road."

(and like. there's always a chance i'm massively mis interpretting the lyrics so,,, idk lol)

jesse songs

Empty Page by The Crane Wives

yknow how at some point basically everyone in our fandom realizes "omg the b2 title 'cracked reflection' applies to jesse too because he copies the people around him!!!" it's that but in a banger song

it's also a little depressing but let jesse be sad sometimes ppl he needs catharsis too

jesse & lake songs

Rebel Heart by First Aid Kit

this one is in this section cause it fits for both of them. like it could see the lyrics being from either of their perspectives. it's also another one where its basically just the WHOLE song that i feel fits but here's some highlights:

"you told me once i had a rebel heart / i don't know if that's true / but i believe you saw something in me that lives inside you too"

"i know you truly saw me / even if just for a while / maybe that's why it hurts now / to leave it all behind"

"i don't know what it is that makes me run / that makes me wanna shatter everything that i've done / why do i keep dreaming of you? / why do i keep dreaming of you? / is it all because of my rebel heart?"

this is another one i can picture an animatic for. curse you adhd

Wait for Me from Hadestown

(i personally like either the concept album version or the nytw/live version best for them)

listen. i'm never gonna be over the parallels between jesse and lake's story and orpheus and eurydice's (in hadestown specifically, lol). obviously the chorus is the part that really fits, but it just reminds me so much of the mall car, the wasteland, and so on, of all the shit that both jesse and lake go through to get back to each other and to get home. dont touch me im emotional again

Vanilla Twilight by Owl City

"please i just want u to hold me again" the song. also it's just nostalgic for me cause owl city my beloved. reminds me of AUs where jesse can't get back on the train and is just stuck missing lake, not knowing what to do and just generally Being Depressed Now

"the silence isn't so bad / till i look at my hands and feel sad / 'cause the spaces between my fingers are right where yours fit perfectly"

"drenched in vanilla twilight / i'll sit on the front porch all night / waist deep in thought because when i think of you, i don't feel so alone"

Ribs by Lorde

this one is mostly just vibes. as far as the lyrics the most i can understand is "growing up sucks." i found the song through a connverse animatic and the connverse fandom got me into infinity train so i guess my brain connected them? but the vibes are so good.

"you're the only friend i need / sharing beds like little kids"

Little Soldiers by The Crane Wives

i almost forgot this one cause i forgot to put it on my playlist cause i hear it all the time on cd in my car. my GOD this is the most jesslake song out there i swear to god. i don't even know how to articulate it more than that. please just go listen to it

the "i swear that i loved you/i swear that you loved me" parts get to me man. holy shit.

[sometimesrufus]

Somewhere or maybe it was a theory or a possible headcanon but it was told that when Rufus becames president, not only was he going to make actual (good or bad?) changes in an attempt to fix the damages his father did to the world and to Midgar, but he was also planning on getting rid of Heidregger, Hojo, and Scarlette when the time comes since they as well as their corrupt and immoral attitudes remind him of the president way too much and would definitely be seen as untrustworthy in a long run. ( it wouldn't be surprising if the remake actually makes them all plan to kill Rufus to attain the role of president for themselves...) Though he would keep Reeves since he actually does his job right and is a kind person overall. Just wanted to know your thoughts on this.

Hello Anon!

Yes, it's actually canon that Rufus tries to fix what his father broke!

The novels, Advent Children, and Dirge of Cerberus all support this to varying degrees. Now, this is Shinra, mind. The Turks do shady stuff. Rufus does shady stuff. But they really aren't the villains of the story. Thematically, they fall into the anti-hero category. They largely have the same goals as the heroes, just shadier means of accomplishing them (I say with a big grain of salt because Avalanche was literally a terrorist group blowing shit up and ruining peoples' lives. Remake retconned this a little by actually making it Shinra Electric Power's fault that the explosions were as bad as they were but that was not the case in the OG).

As far as I am aware, or can remember, he never had official plans to remove any of the board of directors from power. He legit backed Scarlett's plan with the Sister Ray. But the first insight we get into Rufus's thoughts is in On The Way To A Smile, and by the time we're in his perspective, he's in the belly of Shinra after barely escaping the blast from WEAPON. He's pretty seriously injured, and ends up being a refugee in Kalm like most others at that point. The Shinra building is destroyed, the city is in chaos, and METEOR is immanent. The board of directors are all dead as far as anyone knows. The Turks go to help evacuate the city. (Reno makes a comment about Tseng trying to clear his conscience by saving people for a change). The only death of a director that Rufus was probably even coherent for is Palmer's.

I personally don't believe he liked most of the directors, but I think getting rid of them was pretty low on his list of priorities since, you know, Sephiroth. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if some of them hatched a plot against Rufus, but I also don't think it would serve the narrative at all? It would distract from the overall plot and if we only have two games left, I kind of struggle to see them pulling off such a tangent well. Plus, they all seem pretty loyal to his father and everyone knew Rufus was going to replace him one day. In Before Crisis Rufus literally allies with Avalanche to usurp him and when he gets caught his dad's reaction is basically like, "Dumb child, just be patient and you'll get my job. Now go to timeout." He's not even mad! And goes to some lengths to conceal Rufus's treason.

As far as Reeve goes, there's really very little material to support Rufus's feelings about him one way or another (though I do like the theory that he's working with Reeve to keep tabs on Cloud's party via Cait Sith). The most we get is in Dirge of Cerberus, where it's heavily implied that Rufus is funding the WRO, which is headed by Reeve. Money seems like a pretty good vote of confidence in a Shinra book. But also Rufus knows he can't be a public figure anymore. His reputation is trashed (the translation of the books says the people call him Doofus Shinra now, Idk what the actual Japanese says), most think he's dead, and the Company is a very divisive topic at best with most people looking at it rather unfavorably at this point. He knows he can only pull strings from the shadows now to maintain any influence.

Speaking of influence and redemption... when geostigma becomes prominent, Rufus is the one who implements an operation that creates medication for people. They give it out at no cost while pursuing the greater goal of identifying the last remaining piece of Jenova and destroying it (which they do with the help of Cloud et al. in Advent Children).

TL:DR (because I could go on about all the little ways Rufus and the Turks try to amend for Shinra's past harm for some time), I will quote Rufus from On The Way To A Smile (with a little context from Reno):

"'Healen Lodge'? Is that what they're calling it? said Reno, peering at the design. "What kind of name is that?" "One that gets the point across—that we're going to save the world."

[captain-angler]

The deeper I go in here the more abstract the characters get, at some point I feel like if I go in too deep I'm just gonna find a grey rhombus with the subtitle "Licorice cookie 💀"

(But besides that I love your stuff! Never change... or do? Idk)

Assuming you’re talking about older art from 2021-2020, that’s back when I started experimenting with thicker lineart and more exaggerated shapes so that’s probably why, plus that was when I started to draw more human like characters and didn’t have much of a hold on anatomy yet (for reasons I’m not going to explain here.)

I guess overtime I’ve been attempting to find a balance for better consistency 🧐 It is interesting to hear from the perspective of others

[legolasghosty]

📓 :3

Hiiiii!!!!

Okay, this one is basically me listening to music and then tying blurbos to it for no apparent reason. This addition to my musical blurbo-verse is Wonder by Shawn Mendes plus Boggie.

Basically, Bobby moves to Los Feliz in his junior year of high school. He isn't happy about the move and gives up pretty fast on making friends at school, since everyone already has their groups and stuff. Maybe some arguing with his parents is going on cause like, he didn't ask for his life to be uprooted in the middle of the school year, they have no right to tell him he has to do stuff now.

He then gets paired up with Reggie for a school project or something (gosh, I really like using school projects as a way to introduce characters, don't I) and they sorta start talking. And like, Reggie has a bit of a crush, and wants to get to know Bobby better. But from Bobby's perspective, this guy is really cool and sweet and already has all the friends he needs. So any attempt to spend extra time with Bobby must just be cause Reggie feels sorry for him or whatever.

Cue some slightly angsty lunchroom bits of Bobby watching Reggie hang with Luke and Alex(+ other friends? Idk, not sure who else is around in this case) and wondering what it would be like to be someone that Reggie loved.

Lots of pining from both sides, they probably get together in the end cause I'm a sucker for happy endings. This has lurked in my brain since... Like the first time I heard the song all the way through, so there's that.... Lol, hope you liked it!

[kyoyaphilia]

The TokRev Plot Sucks- A Rant

!!! CAUTION: MANGA SPOILERS INCLUDED

- These are just my opinions! Feel free to argue with them I don't mind listening to other perspectives. I just needed to say all this lmao.

Okay! So TokRev is a pretty popular series, I myself have watched it and read the manga and am keeping up with it often- but I'll be honest, I really hate the series.

Initially, it was fun but the storyline was never something that really made you go- oh hell yeah this is great. In fact I find myself often thinking about how stupid it is.

Much of the plot is pretty pointless and the story just goes in random ways to suit a specific plan ig?

I think the only reason people do enjoy it at all is the same as for me, the characters are really interesting/hot/daddy/imsosorrylmao.

Now let me explain what points in the plot actually bother me:

1 • The Main Plot

So the story begins with Takemitchy traveling back in time to save his ex-gf from dying.

While it's understandable that you would go save someone once so dear to you if you had the chance..... BRO- CHANGING THE PAST HAS CONSEQUENCES, ARE YOU REALLY GONNA GO THROUGH THAT FOR YOUR DEAD EX WHO YOU BROKE UP WITH LIKE 10 YEARS AGO? I get you're miserable and broke and all... But the amount of drive he had for this goal which feels really pointless just bothers me.

2 • The Plot Armour

Do I even need to explain this? The amount of plot armour in this story is SO annoyingly obvious ㅠㅠ

To begin- we have the MC Takemitchy who is this weak ass lil boy who gets his ass kicked all the time but apparently has never been to the hospital or gotten killed despite the amount of blood he loses and critical hits he takes ....what?

Then we have the much ignored case of Shinichiro- who died after being hit in the head with a metal pipe by a child. On the other hand, Draken the Great is still up and running even after being hit in the head with a bat, was it? During the attempt on his life by Valhalla and Peh Yan. So somehow, Draken survived and still got up to fight later, but Shinichiro died instantly? Shinichiro was weak, but no kind of strength helps you survive a fatal hit in the head. Especially for a half bald guy like Draken Vs fluffy haired Shinichiro (yes that matters). It's just so confusing.

And the character with the strongest plot armour, The Invincible Mikey. Somehow, despite almost always being a whole foot shorter and 3× lankier than his opponents, bro manages to beat their ass with ease and even if he gets hit it just doesn't affect him...? Wierd, huh.

Other than that plot armour protects like, half of Toman and all of Takemitchy's friends.

3 • Dark Impulses???

I cannot be the only one utterly confused over the dark Impulses thing.

What the heck are they? Why is it such a big deal? Was the time leaping not enough of a fantasy element for the story?

I think we can agree that dark Impulses is a sugar coated way to say "mentally ill and a borderline serial killer"

4 • Takemitchy and his friends

So, these so-called delinquents, constantly get their ass beaten but- for some reason can't protect themselves. Also, MC Takemitchy makes it his goal to be Toman's top member despite how weak he is.

The obvious solution to him and his friends' problems... Learn to fight, you dimwits? Wanna be Toman's top member, be strong enough for the title. Wanna be free from being absolutely destroyed by everyone you fight... Learn to fight, hit the gym, idk- something?

Literally don't understand why they don't do this pls.

5 • Senju

This is a little unpopular but, I hate Senju. She had SO much potential as a character but it was absolutely crushed.

She was considered one of the three deities but still couldn't beat her brother- Sanzu? And is revealed do be low-key weak cuz she was strengthened by her team's support- but a few chapters later we're talking about her being OP as heck and hiding her true strength? For what reason?

Plus, she feels like a filler character cuz she's so poorly written. Instead of making her strong and admirable she was made to just act so, when she really isn't the shit. It's very disappointing cuz I really thought her character could be so much better if it was just slightly tweaked.

6 • The Plot Was Dragged after Kisaki's Death

I think his death should have ended the story, it was the initial main goal and he really carried the plot. The story easily could have ended in a satisfying way at this point but of course Mikey needs therapy so he'll take the plot to hell until he gets it?

Would have been a great and relieving ending at this point.

7 • Kisaki's Boring Backstory

.. so, love huh?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME BRO. OF ALL THE POSSIBLE REASONS TO DO ALL THAT??

WASN'T HE LIKE, A CHILD??? WHY ARE YOU SUCH A SIMP? Pls his backstory was just, not giving what it was supposed to give.

So those are my main reasons for disliking Tokyo Revengers' storyline. No hate to Ken Wakui, I'm sorry if this offends anyone! The show is still fun to watch, just not for the plot. As I said before, most of the characters are really interesting and make the series worth watching/reading.

Also- imma predict the ending real quick cuz I think that Takemitchy and the second time leaper (that's probably Hanma) or some other important character are gonna activate the final time leap farrrr back and that's gonna fix everything completely and like half- if not all of the dead characters, will come back and everything will be great.

But I feel there's a 50/50 chance this ends in some tragedy, like everyone dies and Mikey survives, or quite the opposite where Mikey dies but everyone else survives and is happy.

Idk bro, we'll see.

Until next time!

[arcsin27]

https://64.media.tumblr.com/576c7b6f2899350f0b12cf28f723eb8d/66a2bf1b5b7f6451-2d/s640x960/862edbd24a7ac298acaf739128e729ae31a6728d.pnj I watched some Snoopy clips on Twitter, it's a cheaply veiled PSA for gov't propaganda: Hey kids you want to be a Scientist, they're cool... Snoopy pretends to fly. Point is even if you never watched Snoopy indoctrinate you:

We're all ingrained with the idea this life is the only one we must live for. But if we pay attention we rarely make it to our 100th attempt at any one thing because our soul gets bored with creation [created things], we need our CREATOR to fill us that is fulfillment.

Tim Keller said the problem with modern people is we feel we deserve a good life, meaning we don't deserve bad things. As a result, rather than accept what is, & try to learn what each event is teaching us about ourselves. We instead try to find a way to force reality to fit our desires or perspective. [Tim Keller: Power for Facing Trouble]

In 1973 Karl Menninger wrote book noting how society replaced morals with medical model: For most of our problems, we use a medical model.

For example: People who are terribly bitter, they will not forgive. But what do they say: They’re hurting, never admit they’re bitter. Hurting—that’s a medical term for a moral problem. You do NOT have a medical problem; you’ve got a moral problem!

Research findings show 90% of Americans believe they show the kind of love in life, that if everybody showed, would make Society all right. Yet Psychologists say no one is ever healed because we are constantly being damaged by others.

Even Brain Surgeons have noted the brain surprisingly does not feel pain & Dr. Wilder Penfield said no matter what he did, he could never cut-out enough of a person's brain to remove their personality. [Michael Egnor: Evidence Against Materialism]

Saying this shows there is something untouchable beyond the physical realm, the thing David Attenborough says is why he remains agnostic because he's seen blind termites incapable of detecting his presence & so he wonders if we have the same lack of sense perception to detect GOD. The Bible says we know GOD exists, & every time we fail in life is one step closer to meeting our MAKER voluntarily or literally.

[YouTube: Off the Kirb Ministries | Sir David Attenborough - Did You Catch It Too?]

Have you ever invited JESUS into your mess?

Nooo idea where this one came from lmfao

Ngl I’m interpreting a lot of this as “you should thank god for your friend getting murdered” or for my mom lowkey abusing me or something. Since when is it a good thing for sinners to act against you and your loved ones? “It was all gods plan” what kind of cruel fuck orders the murder of a teenager to make some other teenagers stronger. Plus what about free will lmfao

Also why does everyone take the Bible so seriously? It’s a book, idk if we have much proof that it’s all factual. I mean, it does say the world will end during a lunar eclipse. How do you know that bruh. Just because the novel Carmilla exists and is framed like a true story doesn’t mean vampires are real…

And I did invite Jesus into my mess as a kid. I was anxious, terrified, and extremely hateful. My peers have been helping me learn to live for myself and not carry so much malice in my heart because some ghost in the sky thinks I should hate everyone around me

[molluskzone]

READY 4 SUMMER FUN...

mainly wanted to draw her in weather appropriate clothing for summer because a lot of her wardrobe is like. long pants dark colors etc. and of course she would be rocking this outfit all day every day

i had to use the deform tool to fix the perspective so if anything looks off that is why

with bg idk if i like the color choice

plus a version without deforming sorry blake im not good at drawing you i also fucked up the right arm as i always do (her right our left) ughhh i just needed to place ONE line a little further in more... sigh...

attempted fix of some things bugging me LOL

[thespoonisvictory]

Idk if we're still talking about lore or if everyone's moved on but I have thoughts. I think that people spend alot of time talking about the festival and the first destruction of lmanburg in terms of wether technos actions were justified and that honestly theres a lot of nuance to those that could be argued either way. But the moment for me when c!technoblade becomes completely unjustifiable is the destruction of new l'manburg.

I watched that entire arc from both his, tommy and tubbos perspectives and I still truly do not see how that can be viewed as justified. New l'manburg attempted to execute him as an act of revenge which is obviously morally wrong on their part wether their reasons are understandable or not. But the fact that techno survives and immediately seeks out revenge on them is frankly baffling. He actively succeeded in executing tubbo and was comfortable accepting tubbos forgiveness for one. But for another the only reason L'manburg is attempting to execute him is in pursuit of their own revenge. Why is revenge fine when technoblade does it but not anyone else? I cant tell if the character is intentionally hypocritical or hot.

Plus the whole thing with c!Tommy's 'betrayal' has never made any sense if you've watched techno and his povs bc tommy never agrees to destroy L'manburg and techno misleads him about what the plan is. Like either cc!techno is being hyper secretive about his plans for his character and he actually knows all this or hes just never watched back that portion of the series. Bc nothing he does in that arc has anything that actually justifies his actions beyond his distaste for government which he doesn't even focus on during doomsday bc hes yelling at tommy about their friendship. Its possible that when they initially planned the plot it was intended for tommy to betray techno but that's just not what came through in the improv. And either they need to officially retcon some stuff or face up to the fact that the stories gone in a different direction.

^^^ I have nothing to add here except that I agree

[juriyuna]

Juri for the ask thing!

HER..........

Why I like them: Jeez, where do I start? She's probably my favorite Arc 2 girl. Y'know when people talk about how they have an absolute terror of a dog that they still love to bits anyway, even if it chews on everything, barks all the time, yanks on the leash, and constantly gets into trouble? That's how I feel about Juri, haha. I love her for how much of a badly-behaved mutt she is. Her personality isn't always the best, and she's not very bright, but she has a good heart and loves her friends and family.

I really like how they subverted the "angry fire-themed character" trope for her (more on that below). It's also cute how easily excited she is, and how invested she gets in cheesy romance and shonen manga. :') Plus her design and voice are both great.

... and maybe it sounds funny to say this, but she's surprisingly relatable??? She experiences emotions at 0 or 100 with little in-between, gets agitated and stressed having to sit in class, struggles with studying because the words on the page Just Will Not Stick, forgets important assignments, and apparently shows up late to things often enough that Ao teases her about it. idk if Juri's "sickness" (unspecified canon mental illness) is supposed to be ADHD, but F4 nailed it anyway. RIP juri i know it sucks

Why I don't: ... I can't think of anything! Even the shitty stuff she's done was interesting from a story standpoint.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): There are a few others I love (CR and her MSS), but I'm gonna go with this:

because holy shit, just-- everything about this scene. Internal screaming over the CG aside, I think it's one of the best dives into Juri's character in the game. Yuna finds Juri about to attempt suicide, tackles her down to stop her, and Juri still tries to laugh it off as a misunderstanding despite how obvious it was.

Eventually, after some prying ("Do you really think our relationship is one where you can pull the wool over my eyes, Juri…?"), she concedes that... yeah, she was trying to kill herself, and says:

Juri: "…To be honest, havin' me out of the picture would be a huge plus for Futatsugi right now. [...] I've always been a troublemaker, and I can't control my power when it builds up."

Juri: "When our fight with Kamihama is done, I knew I'd wanna try to kill you again. You're tryin' to hold everything together, and I'm just getting in the way."

Sure, she acts all "too cool to care", but deep down, she hates herself more than anything. She feels like all she's good for is causing trouble and hurting everyone around her. The reason she lashes out so often is because violence is the only way she knows how to vent the stress and energy from her "sickness". She can't even see a future for herself because her "sickness" causes her so many problems. It doesn't sound like she had any real friends growing up- she even says in her Kagome interview that hanging out with PB has changed her outlook on life. But now that she has close friends for the first time, she's scared of dragging them all down with her "sickness". She thinks that the only way everyone's gonna get to live in peace is if she's gone, and struggles to process the idea that she could ever change.

Gonna awkwardly soapbox for a minute here, but... I've been there. I've gone "between my anxiety and ADHD mood swings, I'm never gonna be able to function in society, so what's the point in going on?" more times than I can count. Nothing feels as hopeless as being stuck with a shitty brain. You ever get mad at yourself for getting mad too easily, then get stuck in a neverending feedback loop of rage? The writers really captured that feeling here.

It's painful from a pure storytelling/character perspective, as well as from a #relatable perspective. I almost never cry over games, but man if this didn't try to get me close. Juri needs a hug. ;;

Favorite season/movie: She's only in Arc 2, so, uh, that.

Favorite line: Again, she has a lot of good ones! But this time I'll pick her Awaken 3 quote:

"Yeah, I killed a bunch of people. Selfish? Maybe. Point is, they're part of the reason I keep the flames burning, and it's why I can't afford to lose. That's why I call myself Juri the Great. Sure, it's a bluff, but it keeps me strong 'til the bitter end."

Between this and "I'm gonna make this city a place where magical girls never have to fight to the death again" at the end of CR, I'm (´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`) JURI!!! knowing that she cares so much... that she puffs her chest up and drives herself to keep winning so that all the lives she had to take won't be in vain.....

Favorite outfit: I've always liked her magical girl outfit! Before I got into Arc 2, I thought the wings and tail were part of her outfit, but learning that they're part of a little dragon-shaped backpack made them even better. It's fun; it suits her.

OTP: [rrips my fuckign shirt off] JURIYUNA!!! AAAAAAAAH I love everything about them...... it is incredibly compelling to see how their relationship grows and changes- for better or worse- through the course of CR, their MSSes, and the main story. They simultaneously bring out both the best and worst in each other, but still come back to each other over and over.

It's... endearing, in a way, how much Juri relies on Yuna. Probably not exactly healthy, but man. The way half of Juri's life revolves around Yuna, to the point where she literally breaks down crying when Yuna says "I'm not fighting you while you're injured" in CR... The fact that she straight-up says she "belongs" to Yuna... When her teacher gave her some ice cream to share with her friends, and she immediately started smiling to herself thinking about bringing Yuna a surprise present..... That Juri's doppel quote is "Encouraging unfettered atrocity is love"....... Absolutely perfect disaster couple. ;_;

Brotp: Juri+Ranka! Every scene between them is a delight, honestly. They have such a fun dynamic together. Before they even knew each other's names, Juri jumped in to fight arguably the most ruthless magical girl in Futatsugi (possibly along with the other Monzenbashi lackeys) because the Bat made Ranka cry. They've been ride or die from the start, haha.

Also-- that scene in CR where Juri is sulking alone after losing a fight, trying to tell Ranka that she should give up on her too, and Ranka tells her she's not leaving... Actually, the scene where Ranka talks Juri down from a suicide mission is cute too. They butt heads a lot because they're both bad-tempered, but they're so good for each other.

Headcanon: A small, kinda silly headcanon I have is that her dad is/was involved with the yakuza. When she was a kid, when her dad had to be away from home for a bit, one or two of the other gang members would come over to look after her. She never thought anything about the fact that her babysitters were always shady-looking dudes covered in wild tattoos because she was like, 5. But now she's got a bunch of badass honorary uncles, which she thinks is pretty damn cool. (yuna finds out and is like "ah. that certainly explains a lot.")

Unpopular opinion: idk how unpopular this is as I live in a hole away from most of the fandom, but: While she was a villain for the first 7 chapters, she reads as more "traumatized kid with untreated mental illness" than straight-up a bad person. She wants to change (although she doesn't know how/if she can), which makes her absolutely redeemable in my eyes. (The first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have a problem, after all!)

A wish: Please... let her learn that things are gonna get better... let her see that she's not a lost cause... ;_;

An oh-god-please-don't-ever-happen: If she dies (even if it's to save Ao), I'm gonna be... I don't know. It'd leave a really bad taste in my mouth after she said "I'm never gonna have a future because of my sickness; nobody's ever gonna be happy as long as I'm around". Killing her off would feel antithetical to PMMM/magireco's message of "even when everything feels bleak, there's still hope".

It doesn't seem super likely, since 1) it'd end up feeling like a rehash of Sakuya and Yuna in ch.7, and 2) Juri dying would probably push Ao even further off the deep end, but the possibility is still there.

5 words to best describe them: My Baby Needs Advanced Therapy

My nickname for them: Just "Juri"; I don't generally have fun nicknames for characters, aha.

[goddessofroyalty]

I'm curious aboyt Jayce and Vik in the Zaun Family Au. Does their divorce arc ever happen and they split. Is there shared custody of the kid or nah? Does Viktor become the Machine Herald and Jayce the defender. Does it not even happen and they live a chill family life?

I actually don't know.

Because the political landscape of this verse is just different enough that it makes things a bit different. The gap and resentment between the two parts of the city isn't as intense (it's still there but it is closing). Also Jayce is a bit less able to be manipulated by the Council or to make uninformed somewhat biased decisions because he does spend a lot more time in Zaun himself (and also is kept a bit more humble by that fact / Viktor's family generally).

And the power in the relationship doesn't lean so aggressively strongly in Jayce's favour. Silco was one of the first investors in Hextech so from a business perspective (also generally Viktor's family has greater political/social power) Jayce can't as easily push Viktor off it without there being ramifications. Also the fact that while Shimmer is still probably somewhat stigmatised by the Council/Piltover at large, Jayce is aware of what it can do from a medicinal standpoint so is not going to freak if it’s revealed Viktor’s using it (he might have even encouraged Viktor to try it to see if it would help). 

Of course Viktor still has his health issues (that the Machine Herald creation is partially driven by) and Jayce is still Piltover's golden boy that has been bullied into being their leader (plus the external threats that were possibly somewhat a cause of him becoming the Defender). So I think they definitively still end up with some traits of those things but not all the way into the personas. 

IDK maybe they don’t get a full divorce but get a “need some time apart” period until they work things out. Viktor going back home and working on other projects that aren’t Hextech because Hextech makes him think of Jayce and be sad. With very awkward attempt at shared custody where it feels like every time Jayce goes to pick up or drop off his kid someone else from Viktor’s family is also there (because they are because they don’t want Jayce to be able to corner Viktor until Viktor is ready to talk to him about it all again). 

[volleychumps]

hcs for kageyama , ushjima , akaashi and iwaizumi with an s/o who's a really popular libero on their own volleyball team? 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

Tehe I’m writing this from a female perspective- so popular libero on their school’s girls volleyball team~ This has been in the drafts for awhile so thank you for your patience<33!!!!!!

And these get longer w/ every boy idk why 

Kageyama, Ushijima, Akaashi, and Iwaizumi w/ a Fem! Popular Libero S/O 

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

Kageyama 

- This awkward baby was shook to the core when you accepted his confession, mainly because you were known to deliver kind rejections after claiming about your devotion to volleyball 

- Plus you were really pretty and popular around school, and he’s probs the type to confess just so you can reject him just so he can move on 

- Until you said yes like wHAT I didn’t think I’d get this far

- 100% feels bad when practice time overlaps his own, but still does his best to fucking run mildly speed-walk to the girl’s gym after practice just so he can claim he was “on a light jog” to happen to run into you 

- “Light jog? You sound like a hyena.” “...Do you want to go home together or not?” 

- Comes to all your games when he can, which is often considering the girls either play before or after the boys depending on what school they’re at 

- Tanaka and Noya defintely call him a simp when he blushes every time you send a wink his way from on the court, blowing kisses and such just to mess with him 

- Finds out about your fanclub of boys the hard way- and blue-eyed baby becomes hella jealous when you offer a sweet wave in thanks for the support 

- like what are you doing look at him and him only 

- His deadly glare is enough to frighten your fanclub into sitting like they’re in church lmfao 

- Feels pride swell in his chest for every point you’re able to salvage for your team, and can’t help but think he’s the luckiest guy in school when you help your team deliver a solid win

- “Wipe that smile off- it’s creepy.” “Tsukishima, I swear-” 

- Overall, awkward setter boy is extremely proud yet not super showy about how much he appreciates both you and your talent, and it shows when you go to give him a high-five after the match-

- and he hugs you instead super quickly, mumbling into your shoulder before running off for his match 

- “Tobio-?” “It’s not fair. You’re so perfect you have a damn fanclub.” “...I just played a whole ass game and that’s what you want to say to me?” 

Ushijima 

- Intimidating love met you through walking into the gym off-practice time to see you practicing by your lonesome, working on your digs before his voice makes you jump 

- “This is the boy’s gym.” “Sorry! I heard you were uh, off today and I wanted to get away from-” 

- Raises a brow when you yelp at the familiar call of “Y/N-chan~? Where are you?” 

- literally wtf Wakatoshi just wanted to spike some balls on his off-day, but instead he’s facing a group of six to seven boys in search of you, bored expression on his face as he leans against the door of the entrance

- “Ushijima-san! Have you seen Y/N?” “...No.” as he glances at your obvious gestures of said word, sighing in relief when they leave 

- “Are they gone?” “I assume so.” 

- blinks once as you bow in thanks before gathering your things, asking you what you were doing before you awkwardly clear your throat 

- “I can find another place to practice-” “No. Stay.” 

- You find yourself agreeing after gaping at the offer, and eventually surprised when he offers to help you practice 

- “W-Won’t your spike like, kill me?” “Only if you let it.” “...Did the Ushijima just make a joke?” 

- Surprised at how well he lets his guard down around you, and can’t explain the feeling in his chest when you leave him your number to meet up to practice “only if he wants to”

- Definitely finds himself calling you up on your next off-day, and starts to notice you more and more when the girls play before the guys do, the stark difference in color of jerseys making you stand out to the spiker 

- BIG impressed with your performance, and clears his throat when you approach him afterwards giddily, grinning widely as you flex your win

- “All that practice paid off, no?” “...I like you.” 

- Remains indifferent as both you and his team all silent at the same time, and you attempt to laugh it off as a joke before you realize he’s not laughing 

- “...Wait, really?” “Would it be troublesome if I meant it?” “N-No...!” 

- Doesn’t spare a glance to your crying fanclub before leaning down to your height, staring at you dead-on as you turn into a blushing mess when he brushes some hair out of your face before nodding once

- “Good. Then I’ll be taking you out after I win this match.” 

- And you can bet your ass he won his match, feelings for you hot on his heels while a similar heat bloomed in your cheeks as your team teased you from the stands 

Akaashi

- He had heard of you before, but he certainly wasn’t expecting to meet you in the library, huddled behind an unpopular selection of books upon a bookcase as soon as he rounds the corner, a book on volleball techniques clenched in your hold

- Simply stares when your eyes widen at his form, laughing a tad sheepishly while whispering- 

- “This isn’t what it looks like.” “...Well, I sure hope it’s not.” 

- Goes to simply grab his book and go before a shout rings throughout the room 

- “Y/N-chan!” “sH this is a library!!” 

- Sweatdrops when you tug your shirt higher to shield your face, ducking your head down low as your “Rejects of the Beautiful Y/N” fanclub drop their voices to a whisper, but seem to be getting closer 

- Next thing you know, the tall stranger is standing in front of you, shielding you from anyone looking into the aisle as you simply blink in surprise, watching as he shrugs his jacket off before dropping it into your lap

- Hums as he reads his book, mumbling a low, “It has a hood.” 

- Steps to the side when you awkwardly shove his jacket on, slipping the hood over your head before rushing past him, nodding your head thanks with a light blush on your cheeks as his scent surrounds you 

- “Where can I come return this?” “The Volleyball Club after school.” 

- So when you make your awkward entry at the instructed time, you blanch when all of the Fukurodani boys seem to still, watching their setter jog up to you and accept his jacket back from you before chaos emerges 

- “wHAT AKAASHI’S THE ONE TO DATE Y/N-” “Why are you yelling.” 

- Feels the tickle of a smile on his lips as you become flustered, explaining that wasn’t the case before you run away, blush on your features after thanking him again with a bow of your head

- Tightens his grip on the ball in his hand as he watches you jog off, ignoring the barrage of questions from his teammates as the tickle of a smile becomes a full one, hidden behind the setter’s hand at how you lived up to the rumors: 

- cute and sweet indeed. 

- So imagine your surprise when he pops up at your next game, looking at you with a mild expression when you see him in the stands before he sees the pink hue light up your cheeks

- Already has his jacket off when you meet him after your win, and you shuffle nervously in place as the setter slips the material around your shoulders, ignoring your doe-eyed expression at what was happening

- “You don’t have to return it this time.” “Akaashi Keiji...right?” 

- “Hm. Seems like we both know of each other.” As he zips it up, and confirms his feelings for you when you don’t push him away, practically feeling the racing of your heart as the setter silently claims you as his own in front of everyone 

- “Shall I take you out to celebrate your win?” “...Out as in like a date?” 

- smirks a little at your bewildered expression before leaning back, mild expression making you feel like his eyes were boring into you as pretty setter boy shoves a hand in his jacket pocket, tugging you a little closer

- “It’s no library, but I think we can make do.” 

Iwaizumi

- The first time he saw you, it was to watch you play, his fist tightened in the collar of a leaning Oikawa’s shirt over the bar, who was rambling on and on about how perfect you were 

- Hardly focused on girls, especially since it seemed like every girl at Seijoh was interested in Oikawa- but as soon as you looked into the stands and locked eyes with him on accident, you both shared a blush at the fact that you had caught the spiker staring

- Can’t explain the thump in his chest when you offer a bright smile from your position on the sidelines before jogging back out onto the court

- “Nope, Iwa-chan, I called dibs.” “You have dibs on every fucking girl in the school.” 

- Gets taken off guard at his possessiveness over you 

- Notices you a lot more, especially being flirted with as you awkwardly laugh it off while trying to step away in the halls of Aoba Joshai, and it takes a lot of Iwa’s willpower to simply stroll on by in his usual I-only-care-about-volleyball nature 

- Until on a certain day, this one bastard got too handsy, and as soon as you let out a surprised squeal when said bastard tugs you into his chest by the waist- 

- Iwa has him up against the wall two seconds flat, dark eyes spinning dangerously as a part of him wondered what it was about you to make him act like this 

- “Beat it. Don’t touch women like that.” 

- He got that respect-women juice

- “Y-You were the one in the stands...” as you put a hand over your mouth at the tumbling of words as a smirk tugs at the ends of Iwa’s lips as he feels pride at the blush on your features

- so you remembered him. 

- “What is this- the fourth confession this week?” “You’ve been counting?” 

- sweatdrops at his mess up as you erupt into a fit of giggles that had his heart thumping a bit more than usual 

- “No. This is a public hallway.” “Mhm. Sure. Mr. I-pin-guys-against-the-walls-in-said-public-hallways.” 

- Rolls his eyes at your playful smile, but remains grateful when you seem to relax around him, and your next joke takes him off-guard-

- “What, do you wanna make it five?” 

- Finds himself leaning into you, a hand resting on the wall by your side as he eyes you seriously, watching you gulp as a satisfactory grin tugs at his lips

- “What if I said yes?” “I’d say...I don’t even know your name...Iwaizumi?” as you read off his nametag, Iwa leans in a little closer in the empty hallway, watching as you clench your fists and look away in embarrassment 

- “It would make all the others leave you alone.” “Hm. Tempting.” 

- Smirks when you find stability in your voice, a small smile making its’ way onto your face at how natural it felt with the boy you locked eyes with merely once

- “Then, Iwaizumi, would you like to be number five?” 

- “Number one would work better, but eh- five works too.” as he leans a little closer, breath mixing with yours at the proximity as you squeak, shutting your eyes tight as Iwa grins at your cuteness

- “Hm. Not yet, princess. Let’s take it one step at a time.” 

- So that’s how the ace grabbed your hand and tugged you along, heart swelled with you wishing he had closed the distance

- “Where are we going?” “Practice. Let’s see how well you can dig up my spikes, Ms. Popularity.” 

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

General Works: @takemetovalhalla @savemesteeb @kasandrafaye @dreebbles

[commonwealthoccurences]

Companions React: Holding hands with Sole for the first time.

Request: "Hey I took a look at your other two stories and they're really good :D I can't wait to see more from you. ☺️ Could you do how the companions react to holding hands with sole for the first time? And could you make it extra fluffy for x6-88, preston, and hancock please? ❤️"

CW: Food mentions. Idk why so many of these involved food.

Cait:

“Hey! Watch it, will ya’?” Cait shouted indignantly at a passing trader as their Brahmin nearly knocked her over.

Sole reached out and pulled her back swiftly, her hand gripped tightly in theirs to help her keep balance. “Careful. They don’t tend to share the road around here. Important people, traders.” They joked, threading their fingers through hers.

“Important my arse.” Cait glared menacingly after the trader before redirecting their attention. “And what do ya think you’re doin’?” She lifted their joined hands, however she didn’t let go.

“Oh, sorry! I just wanted to make sure you didn’t lose your balance.”

Sole began to loosen their grip, but Cait tightened her grip in return. “Well don’t go gettin’ cold feet on me now. You started this.” 

Sole very politely ignored the slight flush on her cheeks as she began to pull them towards the food stands. “You’re buyin’ in exchange for my lovely company.”

Curie:

While it could be quite cute, Curie’s habit of wandering off in the name of scientific discovery had resulted in far too many moments of Sole having to stop what they were doing and go search for her and whatever had caught her attention in the moment as soon as they realized she was gone. Luckily, this time, Curie exclaimed, “Oh, mon dieu!”

This caught Sole’s attention and they quickly grasped her hand to keep her from wandering off. “Let’s go let Daisy know we’ve done what she’s asked and then we can go check out the water purification system, okay?”

“Oh! Of course.” Curie smiled warmly, interlocking their fingers properly. “Lead the way!”

After a beat, as they made their way to Daisy’s shop together, Curie spoke again, her tone softer and a shy smile on her face. “I quite like this system of keeping track of each other, I think.”

“I do, too. Do you want to stop by Diamond City for Power Noodles after asking about the water purification system?”

“Yes, please! I’d like to ask the vendor about the components to his operation.”

Danse:

Sole groaned, facedown on their bed on the Prydwen. “Let’s get a move on, Soldier. Elder Maxson himself requested you transfer shifts to the first patrol.”

“It’s four in the morning, Paladin. I appreciate Elder Maxson’s faith but I reserve my right to complain when he’s not around.”

Danse frowned from where he was standing in the doorway. “You should consider this an honor.”

“I do, Danse. Of course I do. But four in the morning?” Sole attempted to roll over and stand up, but instead got their legs tangled in the blanket and fell to the floor.

He sighed, staring down at them in mild disappointment. “Would you like assistance getting up?”

“Yes please.” 

Danse crossed the room and leaned down, grasping Sole’s outstretched arms and staring sternly at their pouting face. He pulled them up carefully, steadying them when they stumbled as they untangled themself from their blanket. “You slept in your uniform.” He stated plainly.

“I had to wake up at four as it is. I’m doing what I can. Adapt, right? I’m following your advice, Paladin. Now let’s go get breakfast, please, I’m starving.”

The pair made it halfway down the hall before Danse realized that Sole had never released their grip on his hand. His face flushed beet red as they led the way to the dining hall, the pathways empty. They seemed to be the only ones awake. “Soldier-” He coughed awkwardly. “-your hand?”

Sole slowed down and glanced at him. “Do you mind?”

He paused. “Proceed.” He said in a low tone, avoiding eye contact.

Deacon:

Deacon was quiet. Deacon was never quiet, unless they were in the middle of a fight, and even then usually he was making witty comments in between gunshots. He and Sole were trekking across the Commonwealth, headed to Sanctuary to rest after running to hell and back for the Railroad. “Alright, Deacon. What gives?” Sole stopped and turned to him.

“What do you mean?” 

“You’re quiet. You’re never quiet.”

“I’ll have you know I make a great brooding, mysterious stranger.” Deacon gave them an indignant look.

“Yeah, when you’re undercover maybe. But not with me. So what’s up?”

Deacon sighed and gave in, surprising Sole. Usually, no matter how long they pushed, he remained steeled in his self-confidence and energetic personality. “Just a long day, Boss. Don’t worry about it.” He started walking, letting them know the conversation was over with.

Sole pressed their lips together briefly before jogging to catch up with him and grabbing his hand, swinging it dramatically between the two. Deacon laughed quietly and allowed them to continue their antics. “You know, if you wanted to hold my hand you could’ve just asked, Boss.”

Cheerfully, Sole bumped their shoulder against his. “Where’s the fun in that? Plus, I got you to laugh, didn’t I?”

Deacon groaned. “My facade, it’s shattered!” He cried dramatically as he pretended to stumble. Sole threw their head back and laughed, and Deacon hid his grin.

“This is a very serious issue, Boss, I can’t believe your lack of professionalism.”

“Oh, of course, I’m so very sorry Deacon. Let me know what we can do to solve this issue and I’ll let go of your hand. To keep up professionalism.”

Deacon never got back to them on that, and kept his fingers threaded through theirs the entire way back to Sanctuary.

Gage:

“Look, I’m all for your gung ho attitude of dealing with things, but we’re outnumbered by those things. As much as it hurts to say, we shouldn’t run in guns ablaze.” Gage muttered under his breath.

He and Sole were crouched against a wall in the Nuka World Bottling Plant, up to their waists in diluted soda that had definitely been there way too long. A good handful of Mirelurks had nested just around the corner; Sole could hear them clicking their pinchers together. “You’re right.” Sole sighed. “We need a plan to get back to the exit.”

Gage was still surprised every time the Overboss took his advice seriously. “We’re cornered here, Boss. Unless you have some Stealth Boys on you-”

“Do you trust me?” Sole interjected.

“Christ, I guess so. What’re you thinkin’?”

“When I count to three we run.”

“What? That’s your fuckin’ plan?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“I swear to God, if you get us killed.” Gage muttered. “Alright, fine.”

Sole counted under their breath, just loud enough for Gage to hear, as they attempted to avoid the echo that the large tunnels would cause. As soon as they reached three, both they and Gage took off in a sprint, fighting against the soda-water that threatened to slow them down. Things were going great until Gage’s foot caught against something under the water and sent him face first into the river.

As soon as he hit the water he was back up again, Sole yanking him as hard as possible up and forward at their breakneck pace. “I’ve got you!” They shouted over the angry screeches from the Mirelurks that had just caught sight of them.

Sole grappled at his hand until they found purchase and kept charging forward. They sent a shot towards an approaching Mirelurk and the bullet lodged firmly in the Mirelurk’s body. This bought them enough time to get a few feet ahead and after a brief struggle with the sticky door mechanism, the pair launched themself past the frame and slammed the door behind them.

Chests heaving, they leaned against the metal door, eyes squinted to ward off the blazing sun that glared down at them. “I fuckin’ hate this place.” Gage spat saliva and soda down onto the cracked pavement in front of them.

Sole merely laughed. Gage turned to them in astonishment, wondering just how batshit the new Overboss really was, but said nothing, his hand still gripped in theirs. Their eyes were closed as their shoulders shook, their chest heaving as they tried to catch their breath. “I do too, to be honest. Hated it ever since that stupid maze.”

Gage paused and let out a small chuckle himself. He shook off their hand as casually as he could, but turned and reached to light a cigarette to hide the way his mouth quirked up in the corner. He dug through the bag attached to his hip before cursing loudly. “My shit’s soaked!”

Sole only laughed louder.

Hancock:

“Y’know, sometimes I wonder if I’m doing the right thing. Running Goodneighbor.” Hancock’s voice came out gravelly.

He and Sole had found a rooftop to settle on after travelling for the day. They had found a couple of lounge chairs and dragged them up the flights of stairs, and told Hancock to sit while they unpacked enough food for dinner. Luckily, they had traded for a few Radstag steaks, which they had started grilling over a makeshift fire. Hancock’s statement caught their attention enough for them to stop what they were doing. “What do you mean?” They asked.

Hancock wasn’t sure if he was too high for his own good, but he swore their voice was softer when they spoke to him, compared to the assertiveness they used for everyone else. He leaned back in his chair and surveyed them. The fire flickered, a bright, warm contrast to the setting sun behind them. “Dunno. I just worry that I’m gettin’ a little top stern with everyone. Goodneighbor isn’t meant to be another Diamond City.”

They thought for a moment, their eyebrows creased. Hancock couldn’t help the way he smiled as he watched them turn the steaks over contemplatively. “Do you want my opinion?”

“Always, sweetheart.”

Sole suppressed their own smile. “I think a good leader would listen to his people and their opinions. A great leader goes out and gains perspective to truly understand what they go through and where they’re coming from. You do both, so I think that makes you a fantastic leader.” They stood from where they were crouching next to the fire and moved to sit next to him.

The sun crept lower on the horizon. They reached over and took his hand to get his attention, not knowing it was hard for Hancock to focus on anything other than them. “I mean it, Hancock. Really. Not many people these days pay as much attention as you do. The fact that you decided to take a step back to make sure you were doing right by your people proves that.”

“Careful, now, you’ll make me blush with all that flattery.”

They laughed quietly but didn’t respond. As the evening quieted further, the birds no longer chirped but settled into their nests and the sun nearly set, they began to swipe their thumb back and forth over the back of Hancock’s hand. Carefully, they raised their entwined hands and pressed their lips to his knuckles. “You trying to flatter me more?” Hancock kept his tone cautiously flirtatious.

Sure, he flirted with them some. Okay, a lot. But never had he thought they would take him seriously, much less respond in kind. Not that he was complaining. “Is it working?” They asked quietly, their lips brushing against his rough skin as they spoke, looking up at him through their lashes. Jesus Christ, they were gonna be the death of him.

“Dunno yet. Why don’t you keep trying and I’ll get back to you on that.”

Hancock wasn’t sure whether it was the Jet or the grin that spread across their face that made him so lightheaded.

MacCready:

“Relax, Mac. We’re just a couple of Settlers.” Sole said quietly, their tone soothing.

They had insisted on doing a bit of recon on the Gunners once they had gotten intel that they were coming to Diamond City for supplies. Mac was positive they were going to be called out at any moment. After all, the Gunners had probably put word out to all of their factions that he was on their watchlist.

Sole had given him completely different clothes, mussed up his hair, and provided a bandana to hide most of his face in order for him to blend in. Lucky for them, there had been a nasty dust storm just yesterday and they weren’t the only ones hiding their faces. They had seated themselves at Power Noodles and begun watching for the Gunners.

As soon as they arrived Mac tensed. He wasn’t one for acting, that was Deacon’s job from what he’d heard, and knowing that people who were out for his blood were so close had him on edge. A few minutes passed as a pair of Gunners made their way to the counter and ordered before sitting and chatting. Sole kept their eyes on MacCready, but it was obvious to him their attention was directed to the conversation taking place behind them.

It was clear to them MacCready wasn’t gonna last much longer, and they didn’t blame him. They’d heard stories about the Gunners and what they were willing to do to get their way. His body language was becoming more and more obvious the longer they sat there before Sole snapped their attention back to him and nodded. It was time to go, they got what they wanted. They slid off their stool casually and slid their hand into Mac’s to get his attention.

He flushed under his bandana but followed suit, hopping off his stool and allowing them to lead him towards the back of the stands. Their hands were distractingly soft and as the distance between them and the Gunners grew he felt himself relax a bit more. They stopped him once they had reached the stands and no one was in sight.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” His voice was quiet and Sole squeezed his hand sympathetically.

MacCready felt himself blush again and squeezed their hand back before letting go. “Uh- I. Thanks. For that.” He looked away from them and scratched the back of his neck.

“Anytime, Mac.”

‘Do you mean that?’ He almost asked, biting his tongue to stop himself. It was just to blend in and get him away from the Gunners. Right?

Nick:

It was nearly midnight and Nick, not needing sleep, was still filling out paperwork. Sole had insisted they were going to stay up with him to help, but they were obviously nodding off to his left. He sighed and set down his pencil, turning towards them. “You know you can go rest.” He had repeated this about ten times already that night.

Sole’s voice was groggy when they replied, “No, I said I would help.”

Nick stood from his chair and gathered a few files. He knew the only way they would go to bed is if he dragged them there himself and implied that he was done working for the night. “Look, you can head to bed, I’m going to put these where they belong and then go read.”

Sole cracked one of their eyes open and then shook their head. They pressed their fingertips to their eyes before blinking rapidly and picking up their pencil, beginning to reread what they had written so far. Nick held out his hand over their paper, directly in their line of sight. “Go to bed, Sole. You can barely stay awake.”

Grumbling to themself, Sole took his hand and allowed him to help them up. He led their stumbling figure to their bed, which he had gotten specifically for nights like this. He kept their hand in his to help them balance as they reached down and tugged their shoes off, then plopped down on the edge of the bed and looked up at him. Their voice was quiet when they asked, “Stay? I-” They stopped themselves from explaining.

It had been a brutal week and they’d had a few close calls. It dawned on him. Of course they didn’t want to sleep; they didn’t want to be alone. Nick nodded and didn’t let go of their hand as they laid back and he settled into the armchair beside their bed. Their breaths evened out swiftly and he settled the stack of files in his lap, returning to fill out the files with his available hand.

Piper:

“Knock knock!” Sole called into the Publick Occurrences building as they stepped in.

Nat leapt up from where she and Piper were sitting on the couch and barreled into Sole, flinging her arms around their waist. “Hey Nat.” They laughed, hugging her tightly.

“Hey Sole, what brings you to our part of the Commonwealth? Picking up some goods from Myrna?” Piper got up from the couch, moving to greet her friend.

“You didn’t tell her?” They asked Nat.

Nat shook her head sheepishly. “Ask me what?” Piper’s tone grew suspicious.

“I was gonna take her for lunch and told her to ask you if it was alright.” 

Piper raised an eyebrow at Nat. “I forgot.” She muttered, gaze directed at the floor.

“Tell you what. Let’s all go, I’ll buy. It gives you a chance to take a break from editing, Piper.” 

Piper found it hard to say no in face of Sole’s easygoing grin. She nodded her assent and slipped her shoes on, watching as Sole helped Piper into her coat, fondness overtaking her stern expression. “Are we ready?” They asked cheerfully.

“Looks like it. Nat, hold Sole’s hand for safety, okay? There’s been a lot of new traders coming in and we don’t need you getting lost.”

“What about you?” Sole asked jokingly. “I’d better hold onto you, too, I’d hate to lose you.”

Piper stammered, suddenly finding interest in the dirt on her boots. “Oh. Uh- yeah. I mean- yeah, that’s fine. Sure.”

Sole’s grin grew as they headed out. As soon as the door was locked behind them, they took Piper’s hand and the trio made their way across Diamond City for their meal. Piper never really got her ability to form sentences back while her hand was in Sole’s. Safely.

Preston:

“Where are we headed, General?” Preston asked, striding to stand next to them.

Sole had put out word that they wanted to see Preston for ‘something extremely important’ earlier that morning and had requested he find her later in the evening in the garden. The garden was a great source of pride for Sole, as they had built the thriving area quite literally from the ground up. They stood near the fence, rinsing tatos under the faucet, and glanced up when Preston spoke. “Good to see you, Preston. Let me finish this up and then we can head inside.” 

Truth be told, he was nervous. Sole was usually quite direct with why they wanted to see him, but it seemed they had remained intentionally vague. He was sure they were headed somewhere, possibly to help out another settlement, but that didn’t explain why they weren’t communicating their motives like they usually did.

He shifted uncertainly as they finished rinsing the tatos, piled them in their basket, and moved towards the garden gate. Preston jumped to action and pulled it open for them, anxious to do something. He followed them quietly as they moved to the connected house and pulled open the door. They gestured him inside before they led him to the kitchen and set the basket down. He began to wonder what to do with himself when they asked, “Have you had pasta before. Not Power Noodles, but pasta?”

“Um… what?” Preston stared at them in confusion. “No, I can’t say I have.”

“Come here, I’ll teach you how to make it.”

“Of course, but I have to ask General, why did you want to see me?”

Sole smiled. “You deserve a night off. You’ve been working hard lately- it didn’t escape my notice -and I figured you wouldn’t take a break if I didn’t give you something else to do. So I’ll teach you how to make pasta. We just harvested razorgrain today, so there’s plenty.”

So Preston stepped into their kitchen, a little more certain of himself with that weight off his shoulders, and listened intently as they gave him instructions. They ground the razorgrain into a fine powder with Sole’s makeshift mortar and pestle, split a Mirelurk egg in half, and added it to the flour. As they continued their pasta-making-mission, Skeeter Davis’ voice rang out quietly from the nearby radio, and Preston found himself more at ease than he had been in a while.

The evening moved swiftly into night as the pair sat on Sole’s couch, trading stories over their home cooked meal. Passing settlers turned as Sole’s laughter rang out through the air every now and then, Preston’s following soon after each time. The conversation lasted long into the night before the pair grew quiet and simply listened to the crackling fire that kept the evening chill at bay.

Sole reached out carefully and interlocked their fingers with Preston’s, catching his attention as he glanced from their hands to their face, eyes wide. “Is this okay?” They asked quietly.

Preston nodded and squeezed their hand, an infectious smile crossing his face, to which Sole began smiling as well. Sole began telling another story of their adventures as Preston sunk back into the couch. He’d felt a little selfish thinking it, but he understood why people enjoyed taking breaks.

X6-88:

“I hate it. Six, this is awful.” Sole gripped the rail that lined the glass walkway at the very top of the Institute, staring down in horror.

“The pathways were built to Institute standards. They are perfectly sound.” X6 replied patiently, having gone through this before.

“It’s glass! I don’t trust it. There’s a reason I’ve never come up here! The lower walkways are bad enough.”

X6 stifled his impatience before reaching out and prying their hands off the railing. “Six!” They cried, grasping onto his hand desperately.

He pulled them closer to him, putting his arm around their shoulders with their hand still firmly attached to his, and began guiding them towards the elevator at the end of the pathway. Externally, as usual, he had set his face in a stern expression. However, he found himself suppressing a sense of smug satisfaction at the turn of events.

Once they reached the elevator, he forced himself to begin unwinding himself from Sole. As soon as he began loosening his grip and lifting his arm, Sole grabbed back onto him. “Not yet.” They stared down, just as tense, as the elevator began descending slowly. X6 didn’t protest, and settled his arm back onto their shoulders, their hand gripped firmly in his.