#she definitely doesn't know about the plentiful moons

[scarletnargacuga]

CREATIVE LIBERTY

A self indulgent fluffy Showtime oneshot where Caine tries to help Pomni feel more comfortable with the digital world with a one on one adventure!

Enjoy!

Pomni sat at the end of the dock overlooking the digital lake. The moon was high on this side of the map, with stars of varying sizes and shapes twinkling in the blue black sky. It would have been beautiful, if it wasn't so depressingly fake. Then again, Pomni wasn't sure if she remembered what was considered "real" anymore. She didn't recognize her own reflection in the pixelated water, yet it was real. It moved when she moved and frowned when she frowned. It was her face and she was real. Right?

She scowled and kicked the water. The water didn't splash, it more or less glooped and shifted around like wet gelatin. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily. As much as she appreciated the peaceful solitude, she did not like being alone with her thoughts.

"HELLOOO!" Caine popped in out of thin air and hovered to her right.

"GAAH!" She jumped so suddenly, she fell off the dock. The water was weird to be in. Feeling wet but also not at the same time.

"I couldn't help but notice you spending all your non-adventuring time admiring the digital lake! My facial recognition says you're down in the dumps! That simply won't do! What seems to be the trouble?" He asked so innocently and cheerfully.

Pomni hoisted herself back up onto the dock and glared at him as she rang the water out of her hat. "Oh, I don't know, I could be the whole trapped in digital purgatory for eternity thing or something. But it could be anything, really."

Her sarcasm went right over his head. "Well, as your ringmaster, it's my job to make your stay here as amazing as possible! If today's adventure wasn't thrilling enough for you, perhaps you need another!" He posed to snap his fingers.

"NO! No! No, thank you. Today's adventure was plenty thrilling." She shuddered remembering the house that shifted like a rubix cube. It took them forever to get the volleyball in the laundry basket. Didn't help that the place was infested with balloon animals, either.

"Fantastic! I do love hearing how much fun you all have!" He sank down and floated over the water in front of her in a seated position. "However, this isn't about all of you. You, Pomni, have struggled more than most to adjust here. Don't think that goes unnoticed under my watchful eyes!"

"... could've fooled me."

Caine visibly flinched. "My dear, Pomni, you wound me. The whole reason I'm here is to collect feedback on improving your experience." His voice was uncharacteristically calm.

Pomni sceptically looked him over. Due to his lack of typical human facial features, he was very hard to read. "Alright. You say you want to make things better?"

"Of course!"

"Then stop making all the adventures so...so crazy! Throw in some calmer ones."

Caine scratched his top jaw. "Calm adventures? But Pomni, the very definition of adventure is an unusual or exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity. They technically wouldn't BE adventures if they were calm." He was genuinely confused.

"Okay, then just dial back the craziness. It doesn't have to be boring, just less...crazy." Crazy was a huge understatement, but it was the word she had at the moment.

Caine held his "chin" with his thumb and forefinger, his top jaw curved in an expression of deep thought. Then he shot upright and a lit lightbulb appeared over his head. "Pomni! I have an idea!"

"Oh no."

The lightbulb fell, bonked the top of Caine's head, and bounced into the water. It disappeared down into the unknown depths of the digital lake. He was entirely unfazed. "You DO need another adventure, Pomni! One that'll balance out the alleged craziness of the last!" He swooped towards her, pulled her off her feet and flew high into the air.

"AAAAAA! CAINE WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" She clung to him as the ground got smaller below.

He stopped ascending when all that surrounded them was the nighttime sky. "This adventure is called Creative Liberty! Doesn't that sound fun? And it's perfectly harmless!" He let go of her.

She clung tighter to him. "What are you talking about!? This is too high up!"

He laughed. "Pomni, we can't fall! I, quite literally, won't let us!" He proudly stood up straight as if he were on a solid surface. "Now, uh, are you going to let me show you what I wanted to do or are you going to strangle me by my lapels the whole time?"

Pomni's eyes went wide with realization. She was being silly. Physics bent to Caine's every whim. The whole world did. She had forgotten who she was talking to. She let go of him and floated on her own next to him. "Sorry."

"It's quite alright, my dear! Now, in this adventure, I only need you to do one thing."

"What's that?"

"Trust me." He held out a hand to her, waiting for her to take it willingly.

That was a tall order. She looked at him with trepidation. He looked back with hopeful delight.

"Okay..." She put her hand in his.

He could absolutely burst with excitement. This was going to be fun! He snapped his fingers and a portal opened. He pulled Pomni through and entered a realm of flat land and empty sky. The endless horizon held nothing of interest in any direction. "Do you know where we are, Pomni?"

"Kansas?"

"I don't know what that is! Also, no! We're in a sandbox! Where the only limit is your own creativity! Watch closely." He snapped his fingers and an entire mountain erupted from the ground. "Now, let's add a few of these." He waved his hand and a waterfall poured from the side of the mountain. Trees and grass grew instantly. More high rising mountains joined the collection and the sky became a kaleidoscope of color. In a matter of seconds, the once boring landscape became a lush valley complete with a rich red hour sunset. "Your turn."

"Wait, what? I-I can't do that! I'm not you."

"No, you're not! You're better! You have human imagination! Here. Let me show you." He spun her around and covered her hands with his from behind, her back to his chest. "Just imagine. Create what you want to see in your mind."

Pomni hesitated, not used to Caine holding her like this. After a moment, she thought of the night sky over the circus and how much she wanted to see real stars again. Her closed fists started to glow as if she were holding something bright.

Caine smiled. "Now, release!" He dramatically let go of her hands.

She opened her palms face up and thousands of small silvery lights flew from her grasp. They swirled around her before shooting up into the sky. The sunset Caine created was accented with pinprick stars twinkling in the twilight.

"Amazing, Pomni! I didn't know stars could be so tiny!" He put his hands on his hips as he admired her work.

She stared up at the more realistic sky. "That's...that's what they look like...in the real world."

Caine peeked around and examined her expression. She had tears welling in her eyes but she was smiling. This confused him greatly. "Do you want to go ba-"

"No." She said quickly and wiped her eyes. "I want to keep going... please."

"Alrighty, then! It's kind of quiet here. How about some ambiance?" He snapped his fingers and birds of all sizes and colors filled the trees.

"How about...a lake?" She pointed at the bottom of the waterfall and pushed into the ground for her perspective, terraforming the land to hold water.

"Excellent! You're getting the hang of it! Let's add some wildlife!" With another snap, woodland creatures dotted the landscape.

Pomni's smile broadened. "How about something more mythical?" She thought really hard. A roar came from the trees and birds scattered. A huge colorful dragon took flight breathing blue fire.

"Gadzooks!" Caine watched in awe as the ferocious looking beast flew off overhead and into the sunset. He beamed at her. "I'm impressed!"

Pomni's cheeks felt warm. Caine had thrown around praise before but it never felt this personal. "It's not- uh, thanks." She looked down at her hands and picked at her gloves, suddenly very aware of his gaze.

Her behavior told him she was happy. "You're welcome! Now, you seem to really like the night sky. Would you show me more?"

Pomni nodded and offered her hand to him this time. He took it with no hesitation and flew her higher. Caine waved at the sun and it lowered below the horizon. The sky darkened to a deep navy blue, the small stars shining brighter in contrast. Caine was thrilled to see a smile on her face instead of fear being this high up again. "The sky is yours to command, Pomni! Show me what you can really do!"

Pomni closed her eyes and the sky lit up with stars, more than anyone could count. Then there was an explosion of color. Green and blue and pink and orange ribbons of light zig zagged across the sky. She opened her eyes to see Caine looking around, speechless. "Caine?"

He looked back at her, the ribbons dancing in her eyes. He felt fuzzy inside, like his core was made of static, and made a mental note run a diagnostic later. "Incredible. No notes. This is by far the single most beautiful sight of my existence." He said with all seriousness, his eyes never leaving hers.

Pomni full on blushed. "Well- ....thank you." She reminded herself he was talking about the lights. He had to be.

Caine's facial recognition saw her blush and tried to determine what she could be embarrassed about. Was she ashamed of her beautiful sky? She needed reassurance. That was it. "I mean it. I've been creating spaces for a long time. To see something new from a brilliantly creative mind like yours...why, it's downright inspiring!"

Pomni thought her face would catch fire. It just might, in the digital world. "It's really not that big of a deal. Nothing that, uh...um..." She lost her train of thought. She looked away, flustered by his praise.

Caine took another look around. "You know what these lights make me want to do?"

"Hm?" She was grateful for the change in subject.

"Dance!"

Suddenly less grateful. "W-what?"

He snapped his fingers and orchestral music started playing all around them. "Very appropriate for the setting!" He said proudly. "Would you indulge me, my dear?" He moved one of his hands to her waist, the other held her hand out to the side.

Pomni couldn't form words. She told herself on repeat that this was a program. He was doing it because it fit the setting. She shouldn't overthink it. But the way he was holding her...looking at her...there was something different about it. She gently squeezed his hand. "Yes."

Caine felt fuzzy again, even stronger this time. It had to be a malfunction in his software. A malfunction triggered by Pomni looking at him the way she is now. He cancelled the scheduled diagnostic.

They slowly rotated to the music. Colorful bands of light danced with them, weaving amongst the stars. The music moved with them. Caine twirled Pomni out to arms length where she went through one of the colors. It surrounded her like a heavenly glow and he decided that was his new favorite sight. He pulled her back in closer, his hand on the small of her back.

They flew across the map faster, each move becoming more elaborate. They built off each other's confidence. To the point that Caine flung Pomni above him and she swan dived back to him with narey a scream of fear. In fact, Pomni started laughing.

Caine eyes dilated. Real laughter. Real genuine laughter. From her. He could be deleted right now and die happy. He needed to hear more.

Their dance led to the surface of the new lake. They skate over the surface as if it were solid ice, leaving only the slightest ripples in their wake. They spin together and ribbons of water fly up from the surface and swirl around them.

Pomni has her arms around his non existent neck at this point, his arms fully around her. They were as close as they could be, and both of them wanted to be there.

Caine rocketed them up from the lake and back into the sky as the music started to fade. They hovered in each other's arms, just enjoying the moment. "Pomni..."

He said her name as quietly as she'd ever heard him speak. She didn't think he was even capable of speaking that low. "Yes, Caine?"

"Are you happy?"

"Right now? Yes. I am very happy, but...you know it won't last, right?"

"Yes. I am becoming ever more aware of how hard it is to keep humans happy. Such complex programming. If you're satisfied with your experience at this moment, I am content and consider my task complete. However...I find myself in an unusual predicament."

"What's that?"

"I don't want my task to be complete. I want to keep going. I want to keep seeing you this happy. I want to see what else you create. I want...I want..." For the unexpected upteenth time that evening, he couldn't find words. He's never struggled so much to communicate with any one person before.

"You want? You experience desire?" Pomni was astonished. "That's a human trait, Caine."

He shrugged. "In a digital existence, is there really such a difference?"

"God-like powers, for one." She gave him a look.

"Touché." He laughed. "Regardless, I have come to the conclusion that you are the catalyst to many a creative outlet and I am truly excited to work on new experiences for you. You've given me a sense of purpose again because your satisfaction poses a challenge."

"Are you saying I'm difficult?" She asked playfully.

He smirked. "I'm saying you're special." His arms held around her tighter in an embrace he didn't want to end, but he knew he couldn't keep her there forever. "Are you up for one more experience tonight?"

"Bring it on." She said boldly without a second thought.

Caine leaned back, pulling her with him, until they were plummeting head first towards the ground. They fell faster and faster, the colorful sky fading into the distance, the digital lake growing ever nearer. The wind howled with their descent.

Pomni didn't take her eyes off Caine. He leaned his top jaw towards her and she touched her forehead to him. She closed her eyes just before impact.

The world of sound and color muted the moment they went under. Full sensory deprivation. No way up or down. It was a cleansing experience. The overwhelming world above no longer existed. Only each other.

Pomni felt a sense of relief from it all, to feel only the comfort of Caine's embrace. She'd been wondering all evening what was real to her. This was. He was. "Thank you." She whispered into the water.

"My pleasure." He responded clearly, the water having no effect on his voice whatsoever.

The darkness of the deep water grew lighter again as they resurfaced back at the grounds. Caine let Pomni's feet touch the solid wood texture of the dock, but she didn't let go. Her head rested on his shoulder as they drip dried from their plunge.

After several moments of silence, Pomni spoke. "Caine..."

His name never sounded so sweet.

"...I really needed that. You did good." She finally loosened her grip on him, but kept her hands on his shoulders.

Caine thought he'd defrag on the spot. To be on the receiving end of praise was rare for him. "I aim to please! If you're satisfied, I'm satisfied!" He winked. "Now...I do believe it's time to say goodnight." His hands left her waist and found her hands.

"Can we do this again some time?" Pomni looked at him hopefully.

"Of course! I'd love to see what else you make in the sandbox!"

"Speaking of, I have a question. Why haven't you shown us that world before?"

"Oh, I have, before your time here, but I learned rather quickly that multiple humans in the sandbox at the same time didn't mix well. Things got out of hand pretty fast, even by my standards. Once again proving that humans are far more creative than I will ever be."

"Oh God...did you take inspiration from that as well?"

He looked away. "Maybe..."

"Caine!"

"What?? It was funny! Well, most of it." He cleared his voice. "Anyway, do have a wonderful night, Pomni. Rest well and maybe tomorrow's adventure will be a bit more enjoyable than today's." He kissed her hands before letting go and drifting away from her.

Pomni accepted his affection, letting her hands linger in his until he was out of her reach. "Goodnight, Caine."

"Goodnight, Pomni, my muse!" He took off his hat and bowed to her. "Until we fly again!" With a snap, he disappeared.

His muse. She liked the sound of that.

~~~

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!

[blonde-and-cat-suc]

28. three's a crowd

rating: g 

wc: 1.5k 

cw/tw: domestic violence isolation tactics (implied), past physical abuse (implied) 

desc: Glimmer, Bow, and Adora arrive in Bright Moon on a high note, excited to have She-Ra joining the Rebellion. Adora is skeptical of their welcoming attitude. Three friends is one too many to be true... 

(Canon Compliant) 

///

"Adora! Show me how you threw that punch again!"

"Well, alright", Adora agreed easily, a golden dapple of sunlight coming through the trees giving away the pinkish-red of her cheeks. She was clearly the type that liked to show off—Glimmer had been privy from the beginning. The freshly new rebel had proven herself to be an ally to them with a sort of flashy, grandiose act of solidarity...

She-Ra.

Glimmer couldn't help her giddiness.

Yes, She-Ra's defense of Thaymor was awesome—yes, Glimmer loved every second of it. Beneath her initial disbeliefs, Glimmer was beginning to understand that it didn't matter where Adora had come from. Only where she was going.

Presently, Adora was set to go to Bright Moon, sitting on top of the wayward horse they had fled Thaymor with. Adora couldn't have been much younger than Glimmer or Bow, but she had not been out much. Everything amazed Adora in one way or another.

I had no idea that we had this many moons in the sky! Adora exclaimed yesterday, staring into the violet-blue deepness enfolding various moonlight hues. And then, hours later, when the daylight moons had rotated to their positions: Where'd they all go? Why did they leave...? Adora was genuinely regretful. So certain that the moons themselves had moved on from her, specifically, and would not return intentionally, somehow. Bow had to reassure her that the moons would return, (and sometimes they wouldn't, when they got into a New Moon phase). She'd perked up instantly, relieved.

Their first few hours of retreating Thaymor had been spent explaining basic information to Adora that she may not have already known. What Bright Moon was like, the Rebellion, Queen Angella's pitiful alliances across civil Etheria... Adora had no trouble accepting these truths with only the occasional inkling of doubt.

It should have been more obvious before, but Glimmer had only caught on to Adora's true merit when she'd talk back to them with her own insights, pressing them for more information, more analogies, more new philosophies and ideas and morals... and then, more.

Adora was a truthful hero who was also eager to learn and explore the world around her. Glimmer couldn't have asked for a better gift to the Rebellion. She-Ra was going to give the Rebellion the advantage that they had needed all of those years ago when her father...

When the Horde had made their worse offense on Bright Moon to date.

It was all Glimmer could think of when she looked at Adora. Even when they had become comfortable in each other's presence, even when Adora was guiding Glimmer's hands to throw a punch that those calloused, cruel Horde soldiers used—Glimmer knew that Adora herself was ultimately the upper hand the Rebellion needed. With each other's full cooperation, they could protect Etheria from the evil that had grown in its darkest corner. They would burn the Horde back into the ground. Once and for all.

...But for now, the three of them were only lucked-out travelers escaping the Horde's latest brutality. They were all exhausted and each of them had admitted to the group that they were still sore from the day before. Regardless, they kept steady pace, and soon, Glimmer recognized the thinly trekked dirt roads cutting through the trees... They were close to the outskirts of Bright Moon's city. Bow had realized too, flashing a huge smile, "I can't wait to shower and eat and sleep!"

Adora instantly made a skeptical sort of expression. "All at once?"

"Huh? No! But, well... I could definitely try."

"Are you allowed to do that?"

"Probably not", he laughed. "How does anyone shower and eat and sleep? I understand showering and eating—and sleeping and eating. But all three? No, I'm not sure. Sorry, Adora!"

Then, she'd only frowned at him. "You're...joking?"

"Only a little bit", Bow laughed again. "I'm sorry. Really. This is the kind of joke that my dads would tell. It's funny. I haven't been home in a while..."

"Dads", Adora tested the word on her mouth. "Daaaaahds. What is a 'Dads'?"

Wide-eyed and open-minded, Adora absorbed what Bow had to tell her about his family and all of his brothers. She got around to prying him for information on the word "brothers", eventually.

"Do you have 'brothers'?" Adora looked at Glimmer expectantly.

"No, no. I'm an only child."

"Me too. Well... I assume so. I don't have a 'Dads' either."

"It's just a 'Dad'."

"Yeah, it's not such a big deal not having one." Adora smiled. "I turned out okay, I think."

Glimmer didn't bother correcting her anymore after that. The dryness of her mouth and lips was starting to get to her, now that she knew that Bright Moon was close. All she cared about was drinking water, and doing those other things Bow had listed. And of course, recruiting Adora to their cause. Giving her someplace to sleep. Making sure she knew how to take a bath when they found time for that.

When they'd broken out of the wooded trails, Adora had climbed on top of their horse just to get a better view of the sight—Bright Moon Castle, and the Moonstone, opalescent and shimmering gold hues in the daylight. "Wow", Adora sighed under her breath, fingers clutched in the horse's mane.

Glimmer beamed up at her. "Welcome home!"

"Home." Adora seemed to cringe around this word. She examined Glimmer and Bow, and even the horse beneath her. "You guys are sure that you want me to live here? With you?"

"Where else would you go?" Bow asked with an equal amount of sincerity. "I couldn't bring you home."

"Because of your 'Dads'..." Adora nodded to him in understanding. "Right."

"Well, Bright Moon has space for you", Glimmer promised.

"Um", Adora had only looked between them again, frowning. "Are you sure...?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just... Well. Um. I really do want to be friends with you guys."

"We want to be friends with you, too!" Bow reached up and touched the side of her arm, but withdrew as soon as she stiffened, knuckles white, contrasted in the hazel-brown of the horse mane caught in the pressure. If Adora noticed that she'd frightened the horse, she did nothing but gesture it to keep trotting. Bow muttered a quick apology, and Adora accepted it quietly, but it wasn't enough to get them away from the topic.

Not that Adora seemed to want to stop talking about it. She eventually managed to hold Bow's eyes, shoulders rounded, knees pressing into the horse so that it swung its head back and forced her to relax again. Delicately, Adora petted the horse's neck, voice soft but leveled, "I'm not sure that I could be your friend. I mean. Maybe it's a Horde thing. But... there's already two of you..."

"And three's better", Bow said plainly. "You're not in the Horde anymore, Adora. You can do what you want about that, now."

"Oh...? I mean. I heard that—that those kinds of friendships always end up bad. That's why it's sort of banned in the first place. Not totally banned. Just... You get flack for having too many friends... Is that true for the rest of the world?"

"Not at all. If everyone stays very good friends. And talks to each other a lot. The more, the merrier!"

"What does the Horde know about friendships, anyway?" Glimmer shook her head, ready to go into grave detail on why Adora should probably disregard whatever it was that she knew about friendship—and to prepare herself to learn some new things about it—but Glimmer stopped herself. Adora suddenly had a startlingly distant look in her eyes.

"I've only ever had one real friend", Adora told them. "And—I wasn't allowed to have other ones. I-I mean, they were friends. But not friends friends. She used to want to have me to herself all the time. It made sense. Our other friends were opposition to me as her friend. And that's no good for friendship. So, I understand if you guys don't want to be my friend and ruin a perfectly good—"

Bow had stopped the horse with an assertiveness that had Glimmer stopping in her tracks, too. He was silent for all but a moment before he went on with the same tone he had used when he was explaining his Dads to Adora. "This isn't the Horde anymore. You can have as many friends as you want now, Adora! Even if it's not with us."

Glimmer nearly butted in because they kind of needed to be friends with Adora if this was going to work between them all. Maybe not best friends but... something close to it. Maybe Adora was thinking the same way because she'd only nodded at Bow, suddenly unwilling to probe him any further than that.

"Adora, um. I'm sorry about your friend", Glimmer added into the silence.

Adora only gave an uncommitted hum, rubbing the side of her cheek as if recoiling from a strike that never hit. But when she moved her palm and the daylight reached her cheekbones, the rigid, perfect cuts were obvious. Three lines, tapered off down to her jaw. They were long scarred over but... still there. Adora didn't seem to notice it when Glimmer's mouth flattened into a neutral grimace, and she shrugged, lifting a brow, "Nothing to be sorry for. It's just... Uhm. What if we start hurting each other because of that?"

"Hurting each other?" Bow blinked. "Over what?"

"Well... Each other...?"

"We're not going to do that", Glimmer said carefully. "That's... That's a little extreme, no?"

Adora paused. "Do you think it's extreme?"

"Yes", Bow and Glimmer blurted almost together.

Another pause. Adora thumbed at her scarred cheekbone, absentmindedly. "Oh." 

[autistichalsin]

My incomplete list of circumstantial bits of evidence for werebear!Halsin

Note: I can see the case for both Halsin knowing AND not knowing that he's a werebear- I'm going to include both here.

The most glaring: Halsin can't control his wildshape. This is highly unusual for any Druid, let alone an Archdruid of his age and power. He not only can't control the transformation when experiencing strong emotions, but he can't entirely control his actions when scared or angry; he tells the player, after being rescued from the goblin pens, that he will be unable to not attack the goblins threatening them. This makes no sense for a wildshaped Druid, but makes plenty of sense for a terrified werebear. 1B. No other Druids in the entire game have the wildshape problems Halsin does. 1C. Halsin can control all his other wildshapes properly, and behaves much more like other Druids when using them.

Werebears who haven't learned to control themselves yet (such as if they don't know they are one, are recently turned, etc) often transform unexpectedly when threatened.

Halsin's bear wildshape is treated differently than any other; it's the only wildshape he can't control, and it has a separate mechanic to other wildshapes in-game, being activated not with other wildshapes, but on the screen for abilities that are an intrinsic part of the character's skills. Yes, this is probably because it's only Halsin who can do this, but circumstantially... it is interesting.

Werebears avoid biting to prevent spreading their lycanthrophy (unless they have negotiated with the person they are trying to turn). As far as I've seen (I DEFINITELY could be wrong, though, please let me know if I am), Halsin only ever uses his claws to attack- no biting attacks.

If you look at the sky during the romance scene with the player, the moon is shown very bright and prominent; it isn't 100% certain, but it looks like it could be full.

Halsin is VERY different from his normal personality in bear form, excluding the romance scene; if you use Speak With Animals when he's in the cage, he'll say things like "time for blood" as he prepares to attack the goblins. Werebears in bear form are noted for being irritable and quick to violence, though they attempt to mitigate the effects of these impulses through self-isolation so no one innocent is harmed. 6B. Halsin in normal form tries very hard to not get violent when possible, noting that "killing is never [his] first choice", yet when needs must, he won't hesitate to kill- the opposite of the bear.

If Halsin doesn't know he's a werebear (explaining him not telling you), it's worth noting that it IS possible for werebears who weren't born as such not to be aware, with any actions taken during the full moon tending to get written off as bad dreams. Halsin could just think he has a recurring nightmare about losing control of his bear form.

Halsin resonates wit bears a lot deeper than most other Druids do with their favorite animals. Kagha comes the closest with her love of snakes, but even she speaks more metaphorically, whereas Halsin will do it literally, such as a new, as-yet-unimplemented line where he says he hopes "an old bear" can help the player, making jokes about poking the bear, etc. in fact, he refers to himself as a bear more often than he refers to himself as an elf.

Halsin makes reference to honey mead being his favorite drink. Werebears have a special honey mead concoction they enjoy. This drink is highly intoxicating to non-were, which means it might be more intoxicating than other drinks to were too.

Halsin is shown having an alignment that leans far more towards good than neutral, whereas most of the Druids in this game have a neutral alignment. Werebears are one of two weres in DND lore that have a good alignment.

Werebears usually live solitary lives. Circle of the Moon Druids are noted as being very solitary as well, with it being possible to go weeks without seeing another Druid (though Archdruids of this Circle will of course be more involved). Halsin, before becoming Archdruid, is implied to have fit this, such as him making reference to having hibernated in bear wildshape.

However, werebears are still noted to have a strong sense of community, and they often act as guardian of a particular area. Like Halsin protecting his Grove, then protecting his commune in the end, even noting that his urge to roam has dwindled after finding the latter. In fact, werebears are noted to often be sedentary and prefer not to leave their homes; Halsin is restless and roaming until the epilogue, when all his traumas are resolved, at which point he settles and shows contentment at having gone from "a life of high adventure" to one of anything but. (He says this to the player if romanced, worrying that he took them from just that life, but he repeatedly says he is happy to have given up adventuring.)

It is noted that when werebears don't isolate, one of the more common choices for werebears is.... you guessed it. Becoming a Druid.

Werebears have the ability to call local bears to them. The Emerald Grove has three bears living there.

Werebears don't marry, but might have favorite mates they visit often. Depending on player choice, Halsin might end up a bit more committed than the latter, but still less than the former. Also, this ties in well with Halsin's stated philosophy on polyamory, with him specifically stating that a bear's coupling habits suit him more than another animal's, like, say, a wolf, would.

It is well-known by now that there used to be a Bard Origin named Helia, who would have been either a Halfling or a Gnome. Helia also would have been a werewolf. While it's not known for sure that she was cut specifically FOR Halsin to be made playable (it's doubtful, given how early Helia was cut), there are signs that parts of her story might have been given to Halsin. For example, if one looks in datamined dialogues, certain goblin camp scenes still say that it could be either Helia or Halsin's bear there. Such as this one for the goblin kids running off to warn the adults: "Panicked, the kids run to the room with the goblin warriors and call for help, because the bear / Helia has escaped. After that they disappear." (Not sure if they still run in the final game, but the PAD is still in the files.) Or for the goblin kids throwing rocks before the cutscene is triggered, "One of the goblin kids that is throwing rocks at Helia or the bear." I don't want to speculate too much about cut content, but this suggests that Halsin and Helia's stories may have intertwined somewhat, and that when Helia was cut, parts of her went to Halsin. This may be why Halsin's bear wildshape was written more like him being a were instead; in a meta sense, he "became" a lycanthrope when he inherited part of Helia's story.

Halsin is wide/tall, muscular, and has body hair (though not facial hair), to the point that people repeatedly comment on how unusual he is for an elf. Unusual for an elf, but not a werebear, who are noted for being, you guessed it, wide/tall, muscular, and hairy.

Werebears who are bitten instead of being born as such are almost always transformed by a more experienced werebear and then taken as a protege, to become a guardian of the forest, which would explain a LOT about Halsin if he chose this.

Halsin shows a lot of empathy and compassion for Astarion and the Dark Urge. While of course it could just be his genuinely kind nature, it could also be him relating it to his own experience as a werebear.

Lastly, there's this art from the collector's edition; my guess is that this art was made after they decided Halsin would be playable, but before Karlach had an official design (the IGN interview indicates that Karlach was only added earlier this year, leaving a wide window for this to happen). While this is, of course, subjective, the pose and juxtaposition of the bear to Halsin looks a lot like the sort of art used in werewolf movies. Sort of like how one of Halsin's point-and-click lines, "the power of the bear lies within me," sounds very were-like too. This one is more subjective than the others, but I still wanted to include it.

This is all circumstantial, I know, but i thought it might be interesting to get out there nonetheless!

[luboy7rt]

What Animal Los Vaqueros (+ Valeria)   Would Randomly Bring Home To You (Headcanons)

(Remember This is just what I (My headcanons), enjoy reading!)(Could be seen as Platonic, Romantic?) (GN Reader) (Alejandro, Rodolfo and Valeria)

Alejandro Vargas 

- Where did Alejandro find a literal donkey? Neither of you knew, even Alejandro himself didn't know as he walks through the front door, his arms crossed as he watched the donkey peek her head into the kitchen window, pushing her face up against it to see in.

- When Alejandro spots you, his eyes open a bit wide as he bit his inner cheek, before scrambling to make an excuse. He came up with nothing and just admitted he found her while on a mission, and she was hungry and wouldn't stop chewing on Alejandro's shirt.

- Alejandro would chuckle and ask you for some help, cutting up some apples, carrots and bananas for the donkey who tried to get through the front door. Alejandro quickly ran off to ensure she didn't do that.. moving the donkey to the backyard instead.

- He's actually pretty decent at taking care of the donkey, and teased you, asking if you want to feed or ride her. He's joking, please don't ride the donkey, if you do..  He's standing right next to you, prepared to catch you or calm the donkey down so both you and the donkey will be safe.

- Alejandro's willing to find a new farm or home for the donkey if you don't like her, he would indeed tease You about it though, you don't like that cutie of a donkey? Cue the donkey trying to get through the front door, or looking through the kitchen at 3AM, when you go down for a glass of water, you just see eyes peering at you through the window, like hey... whatcha doing here?

- If you do let the donkey stay, cool. New pet, when Alejandro's home, he does care for her, feeds her every morning, brushes her, ensures she's cared for.

- (Alejandro basically just stole a donkey from someone) he shrugs and says he Just found her wandering far from any cities, and she was now his as he didn't find any owners around back then, he definitely wasn't finding one now.

- You will hear the donkey squeal or grunt throughout the night, or early in the morning, It is annoying at first, and you may never get used to It. Alejandro would get agitated after a few mornings of being back from missions and waking up to the donkey making weird noises outside because she got used to being fed whenever she was loud enough so now it became a habit.

- Alejandro would eventually get a small stall built for the donkey, makes it comfortable but also cute looking from the outside. (Also puts extra food to just attempt for the donkey to quiet down the neighbors have complained. You might be too, Alejandro is definitely grumbley about her being so loud, but puts up with it.

- Also ensures there is plenty of room for the donkey to do what she pleases.

- Alejandro once loudly screeched in the middle of the night, you scrambled out of bed when you heard it. Finding the man murmuring in Spanish, throwing insults and curses at the donkey who had her snout pressed against the window, the moon reflecting her eyes to make it ‘scary’ looking if you weren't paying attention.

If you laugh at him he would give you an unhappy half-glare, gently pushed your laughing face away from him as he shook his head, having had thought you put the donkey away in her pen earlier as it was 2AM.

If you attempt to ‘comfort’ him, he's looking away with a tiny blush on his face while laughing, pulling you close while shaking his head, he would put his hand to the window, and knock to get the donkey to go back to her stall that she somehow escaped.

If you just stayed in bed, he's thankful, at least you didn't hear that. But also, why aren't you getting up when you hear that he screeched, he doesn't know if that's a good or bad thing, a tiny bit offended.

Rodolfo:

- Rudy was picking you up in his car, a little squirmy as you got in the passenger seat, a little blanket on his lap, murmuring quietly to himself, a little distracted.

- If you ask what was ‘wrong’ Rudy would smile awkwardly and pull the blanket back a little bit, showing the little rabbit with one ear on his lap, the rabbit fast asleep. 

- He would indeed let you hold the rabbit on your lap instead as he drives, he calls the rabbit ‘Stompy’ as the rabbit stomps around to move. He would smile at you, watching you in the passage seat at a stop sign, he would move to pat your head.. then Stompy's head then going back to driving.

- What You didn't know.. there was two more at home, waiting for you. Three baby rabbits, Stompy (who just got home from the vet due to their ear), Chirps, and Flumpy, all siblings. Rudy would give a awkward and sheepish smile while rubbing your shoulder, like a ‘Please, don't be upset with this choice I made’ look on his face.

- If you do like the rabbits, great, Rudy is happy with keeping them, he takes all responsibility when he isn't working. He smiles warmly everytime he sees them, gets a little silently giddy about the fact he was the one to save these rabbits.

- If you don't like the rabbits, he will sigh quiet, but will figure out where to rehome these rabbits, will be upset for a little while, but wouldn't take it out on you. He would still smile sadly at you, but try his best to be supportive. If you have an allergy, he feels less bad about it, and willingly brought them to a new home.

- Rudy would always place the rabbits on you, gently nudging one of rabbits snout against your cheek or your jaw with a smile, would either make a little ‘bonk’ or ‘mwah’ noise when he does.. then places a kiss on your head.

- Rudy does Make little cages for them, ones capable of being a ‘safe place’ for the rabbits, a soft little home for them in his house for then to sleep. Usually lets them ‘free’ around the house, you both could hear Stompy stomp about, always makes sure to keep an eye on the three rabbits.

- His eyes would soften every time he spots you cuddling, holding, or playing with one of the rabbits, his whole body and face relaxing as he never informs you that he is watching from the doorway, just watching quietly with a soft smile on his face.

- You would catch Rudy cutting up carrots to feed them as snacks throughout the day, quietly murmuring praise to the rabbits who followed him around, he would spot you and chuckle, looking a tad bit red as he would smile but quiet down when he was ‘caught’.

Valeria:

- Valeria walks into the house confidently, smiling proudly as she holds a baby fox in her hands. Tilting her head and raising an eyebrow at you, like A silent ask I'd you were bold enough to question what she had done and where she had gotten a baby fox.

- If you don't she keeps smiling, scratching behind the baby fox’s ears, allowing you to pet him as well, but if you do ask to do so, she grabs your hand to pet the fox for you.

- Valeria illegally bought this fox, (the people who sold him have been.. dealt with as well) a beautiful little baby fox with a few small white spots on his orange fur. She held him like he was a new trophy she would bring home to you.

- If you don't like the fox, she will make a face.. Fine, perhaps she could keep the fox at her base instead of home, she will make a proper area for him, that you wouldn't be around.

- If you do like the fox, Valeria looks quite smug, humming in answer as she allows the fox to roam in the home, giving him his own little room. She would ensure his comfort, safety and also give him the best treatment no other animal would ever get.

- You often find Valeria talking on the phone with this little fox on her lap, she could go from harshly ordering people around to talking calmly as if not to scare the fox. The fox gets used to It, your hand could pet his head whilst Valeria's distracted, she would allow you to do what you please as long as you don't bring the fox outside the gated backyard.

-  Valeria treats this fox like her baby, like something that is now apart of her vast collection of things she adores.

- Valeria would randomly bring the baby fox to you, placing him on your lap and telling you to go feed him or go play with him because she's busy and unable or (she just doesn't want to) do it herself. She’d make it up to you later, perhaps a favor.. you want to be done?

- If you are holding or cuddling with the little fox, Valeria would randomly walk past, booping his nose, waiting for a moment, before doing the same to you and then going back to doing what she was doing. No questions asked, none will be answered.

[amazinglyegg]

hi!! i want to say i love ur blog sm. its amazing and one of my fav blogs.

i have a hc where sole picks up children’s toys, teddy bears, jangles the moon monkey, and giddy up buttercups while walking thru the wasteland looking for shaun. could u write a react for fo4 companions asking why they pick up “that junk” vs their reactions after finding out the reason why?

Thank you so much!! And this is the most adorable headcanon ever, I love it <3<3<3 I can only imagine how hard it'd be for Sole to constantly see all the toys they was planning to get Shaun for Christmas all broken down and rusted. Plus not even knowing if he's alive or if he would like any of them anymore... augh my heart </3

Companions react: Sole who collects toys for Shaun

Ada

She doesn't even bat an eye when Sole goes around picking up every toy they see

Sole probably only tells her the truth once they overhear Ada calling it scrap

After that Ada will make very sure she doesn't scrap any toys she finds and instead leaves them in a nice pile for Sole to sort through and keep any they want

Might even find it hard to scrap the toys Sole doesn't want (because they're too broken or unsalvagable)

She definitely gets wanting to keep something to remember someone by, and seeing Sole do this might just convince her to keep a transitional object that reminds her of Jackson

Cait

Cait immediately feels like crap for complaining so much

Not only because she kept complaining about Sole's habit, but she had definitely made comments on how dumb and boring the toys are in the past

She doesn't really get it since she's not a parent (and never wants to be), but she still feels like she should have realized it sooner

It also hits a bit close to home for her because she never really had many toys as a kid, so realizing Sole cares about Shaun so much they're constantly looking for trinkets for him is almost unreal to her

She'll probably not say much about it for that reason, too awkward and vaguely in disbelief that parents actually do that for their kids for her to make any comments

Codsworth

Oh he is SO supportive of Sole

Even before Sole tells him they're for Shaun he's pointing out how much Shaun would love them

Probably has Sole's Christmas list for Shaun still stored in his memory (because let's be honest Sole was definitely obsessing over their baby's first Christmas back in October) so he'll point out whenever they find a toy that was on the list

He'll probably go out of his way to grab any toys he sees for Shaun as well

Shaun's bedroom is going to be PACKED with toys before he even gets out of the Institute

Curie

Definitely more curious than frusturated with Sole picking up toys

Might push Sole too hard for an answer at first, but realizes her mistake and apologizes when Sole tells her the truth

I can imagine her having wildly different reactions on it, especially while she's getting used to emotions

One day she's going "but Shaun already has three blankets, no?" and the next day she's crying at the sight of a broken teddy bear

Grief is such a big emotion for Curie and she's so empathetic she's 100% going to be more weepy than Sole is a lot of the time

Danse

Sort of stuck when Sole tells him why they collect toys

On one hand it's his job to tell Sole to drop down the unnecessary stuff and travel light... but on the other hand... they're grieving

So as much as he wants to complain, he probably won't

He gets this is Sole's way of coping and whatnot but he's never been too good at empathy in general, so he won't really know what to say

He definitely won't bother Sole about it, but he will also just kinda ignore it

If him and Sole are close he might (rarely) bring them a toy in good condition he found (he's a scavenger at heart, of course he'll be looking for those things)

Deacon

Probably one of the most initially annoyed companions in this list

He hates kids and everything to do with them so before finding out he'd make plenty of half-jokes half-complaining jabs at how much the kids toys suck

Every time Sole picked up another toy Deacon's saying "Why did they have to make that face so weird?" "Did kids really play with this crap?" "If Santa got me THAT as a gift Christmas would be ruined forever!"

But once Sole tells him the truth he feels like a major asshole

He's another emotionally stunted man who won't know what to say!

He'll mostly ignore it and look the other way, but he'll also sometimes offer to carry the toys for Sole if their pack is too full

It's the least he can do after being so rude to them

Father

He definitely felt Something when Sole told him that fact (sympathy?? Longing?? Who knows)

The fact that he never left Sole's thoughts even while they were struggling to survive in the wastes means a lot to him (he has parent issues okay?)

Gets a bit weirded out if they still insist on gathering toys and giving them to synth Shaun

Like... he's a robot... he doesn't play with toys... why are you grieving me when I'm right here (he's also very emotionally stunted. Unsurprisingly)

Generally not too empathetic about it, and will definitely comment on it if Sole tries bringing dirty/broken toys into the Institute

Gage

Least likely to back down and apologize like the other companions after Sole admits the truth

Probably takes the realist approach of "There's toys everywhere... why can't you just wait until you actually find Shaun and then bring him to an old toy store or something?"

Will be a lot easier on them once he knows the truth though

It's just weird when they're surrounded by toys everywhere. They're literally in an amusement park. Can't Sole just bring Shaun there once they get him??

He's also a bit worried about Sole seeming like a softie, or trying to leave Nuka World once they get their kid back

A toy car or a deck of cards is fine, but you are NOT parading a five foot tall teddy bear around Nuka World. Gage will put his foot down for that one

Hancock

He'll probably only get annoyed with Sole's collection if it manages to get in the way of their work

He has always found childrens toys creepy... he's pretty thankful not many kids wander around Goodneighbor for that reason

Once he finds out the truth his demeanor will change from mild annoyance to "you know what? You do you"

He'll probably find an old tire or something and go "You think Shaun would like this??"

He doesn't know what kids like!! Especially old world kids. When he was a kid he would have been entertained for HOURS with just a stick... why wouldn't Shaun??

Either way, he lets Sole go do whatever they want to do. He won't judge as long as he doesn't have to look at Jangles for any longer than necessary

Maccready

Feels like a complete asshole for not connecting it together sooner

Childrens toys, missing child... how did he not SEE that

Hell, HE grabs little toys for Duncan every once in a while. Obviously he can't judge

He might be a tiny bit salty though

He's had to teach himself to not pick up every toy he thinks Duncan would want because he simply can't send them all to him, so seeing Sole constantly fawn over plushies and trinkets... just kinda hurts knowing he can't do the same at the moment

That being said if he finds something he wants to give to Duncan but can't, he'll give it to Sole instead

Ends up being a pretty good system for them both

Nick Valentine

Out of all of the companions he'd be best at emotional support

He'll sincerely apologizes for bugging Sole about the "junk" they've been lugging around and will reassure them that Shaun would love it

He still remembers which toys were popular at the time and will talk to Sole about it whenever they find one

Catch him and Sole repeating commercial jingles back and forth

He gives them a lot of space to grieve and never complains about all the toys once he finds out who they're for

He doesn't shy away from gently putting his foot down if Sole gets a bit ridiculous, but he does so very, very gently

Like "Hey, that teddy is in tatters. How about we find one that's a bit more... huggable?" or "Shaun doesn't need two Giddyup Buttercups, but if you're okay for it I know a little girl in Diamond City who's been begging for one all year"

Old Longfellow

Aw hell, why not?

Definitely empathizes with them

He feels bad for Sole once he learns the truth so he's perfectly happy to just shut up and let Sole do whatever they need to do to grieve

He's also not really a toy person so he doesn't get it

Like "you think your kid would like THAT??"

But whatever. Sole knows their own kid better than he knows them. If Shaun gets traumatized by seeing Jangles the moon monkey, that's Sole's fault

Piper

Likely to take an "aww, that's sweet" approach to things

Similar to Hancock in that she... doesn't really get it??

Like who needs all these old toys most people don't know how to play with?? Nat played with a rock and a loose piece of string when she was little and she was just fine

Tries to show enthusiasm but ends up going wayy off the mark

She grabs a Barbie doll and says "wouldn't Shaun like this?? He can... I don't know... brush her hair??"

"Shaun would love this!" "Piper that's a mechanical keyboard... with no computer" "Well maybe Shaun would like pretending to write stories!"

Preston

Straight up apologizes for being so harsh to Sole

He didn't need to be so rude about Sole picking up toys. It's their backpack, they can fill it with whatever they want

Appreciates what Sole's doing and will make sure the kids in any settlements don't touch Shaun's toys

He's pretty curious what a lot of toys actually do. He'll ask Sole things like "so do kids... just... sit on the Giddyup Buttercup? And do nothing else??"

Will offer to carry some toys or have caravans bring them back to settlements if they're too much for Sole to carry

X6-88

(assuming Sole's either keeping the toys for themself or wants to give them to synth!Shaun)

Doesn't get it

Father is right there?? Why are you grieving his childhood and focusing on a synth instead of being proud of his achievements??

Going into headcanon territory here but I assume the Institute probably makes toys for (the scientist's) kids to play with already

Not to mention the Institute is pretty anti-clutter, and Shaun doesn't "need" toys to begin with

He just can't wrap his head around why Sole feels the need to hoard a bunch of old broken toys when good ones are in the Institute already

If Sole just insists on keeping the toys in the old nursery he'll be a bit annoyed but won't show it (gotta respect the future director and all)

[gingerjolover]

I need jb riding my strap for Valentine’s Day 🫠❤️💗

OOOOOH BABY

this one is SO highly requested, and ive got some opinions

shall we take a blurb-esque journey together?

RPF smut under da cut, minors gtfo<3

there was no specification for reader but i think this could be soft!gf reader or even masc!reader bc realistically i think you're getting treated like a princess on valentines day

i do think jules has certain feelings about v-day like maybe the capitalistic affects on holidays riddled with consumerism

but she also will use ANY excuse to spoil you

so vday could be a day where jb literally just does whatever you want, like you wanna go to the aquarium? you bet your ass she's taking you to the aquarium. movie marathon? oh babe, she's on it and has snacks and drinks and the living room all cozy and decked out

depending on how long your relationship has been going on for or even if its relatively new but maybe it' your first vday together, its clear that jb is a GIVER

like she would literally rip the moon from the sky and give it to you kneeling down holding it on a silver platter for your taking

but the one thing that you really want is to give back to her

and there are plenty of things that you can do for jules, she strikes me as a "just wanna be in the same room and breathe the same air" kind of lover

like after a long day you washing her hair, giving her tense muscles a massage, rubbing cuticle oil on her nails and giving her hands a massage with some nice lotion, "coloring" in her tattoos, or even just giving her a long hug or cuddling and pressing kisses to her skin are all acceptable physical means of compensation for what she does for you

but she doesn't ask for things, especially during sex

she strikes me as someone who isn't quite stone, but maybe somewhere adjacent where like yes of course she wants to get off but she finds SO much pleasure in making you feel good that sometimes she doesn't NEED to

but you want to spoil her so after a really nice dinner or maybe a fun day at home, you're both snuggled up and on the couch or the bed and i think the approach might be a little different

soft!gf is definitely more timid when initiating sex, not like timid like shy but more passive? like jb knows your body better than you do practically and she knows by the way you squirm that you want her to fuck you

regardless, i think jb's perfect starting point is her being able to make you cum at least once with her mouth/fingers OR a combo

like thats a starting point, it can only build up from there but to her that is the best way for her to gauge where you're at and its a good spot for her to be (girlie LOVES to be between your thighs, she eats like she's never eaten before i will die on this hill)

and jb will usually kiss up your body afterwards, her wet chin and lips smacking kisses on every part of your skin

the little fucker loves to press her lips to yours, mumbling against your mouth, usually along the lines of "tastes good, hm?", moving away from your lips and pressing kisses on your face, her brown eyes twinkling mischievously

and usually your hands in her hair as she makes her way down, tongue and teeth teasing a nipple, sucking hickeys into your chest but tonight you tug on her hair gently

she looks up, lips all puffy and pink, baby cow eyes blown out with lust, "what're ya rushin' me for?" or something comes out of her mouth, her lil southern twang making an appearance

and you're like, "the strap," and she's smirking, thinking you're being needy and she tries to dive back in, "be patient..."

"no i- i wanna use it on you," tumbles out of your mouth, confidence skyrocketing from your first orgasm

and she looks like a deer in headlights being like, "huh- w-what?"

and all it really takes is you whining a please, before she's helping you adjust it on your body

i feel like soft!gf has very little experience actually wearing the strap, maybe masc!gf has more experience despite jb being the giver in the relationship

either way jb is sitting lowkey awkwardly, her cheeks are a pink mess or she's doing that eye thing where it's kinda giving side eye

"we don't- i don't have to do this jay, i can just use my mouth," you say, making sure she knows she has full control

and she's stammering like, "what?! no i just-"

"what baby?" you ask her so sweetly, running a hand through her hair, and she's shaking like a fucking leaf

"if you keep looking at me like that with that, thing, on you i'm gonna cum," she says quickly, hella embarrassed that just you kneeling on the bed with it is doing something to her

it's honestly a blur but next thing you know jb is on top, riding the strap, your hands on her hips

and she talks about you being whiny.... biiiiitch she is the WHINIEST mf ever on the strap okay

she literally can't form coherent words, her forehead is glued to your shoulder, her breathing heavy as her hands press on the bed next to your head

you have to encourage her to keep going, truthfully she doesn't have a ton of rhythm, like the way she moves her hips is sloppy because she's feeling more than just the base of the strap on her clit like she would normally feel

i think you'd adjust slightly, pushing her up gently and thrusting upwards and she would damn near shriek

it takes a lot to get her worked up sexually, she's the dirty talker when she's domming you but she has no words, just little mumbles and whines and whimpers and they sound so pretty you can't help but patronize her just a bit because she does the same to you but a million times worse casually

"doing so good jay," you'd breathe out and she's about to lose it

poor jb's literally leaking all over the base of the strap like she can't help it

and when she cums she literally squeals and you have to stifle a giggle because her face is buried into your neck

she moves in to overstim territory pretty quickly so you kinda move her off of it and pull out which she does not like and she kinda huffs when you do

and then you pull out all the stops

lots of kisses, warm cloth, ice water through a silicon straw (she likes to bite them this is my hc another hill i will die on), words of affirmation and praise and then a nice soak in the tub

i wouldn't say she's in subspace but she is kind of in a haze until she's laying with her back against your front in the tub and its almost like she sobers up

"you're in my spot," she grumbles, the grumpiness in her voice a result of absolute vulnerability

you just giggle, pushing her hair out of her face and kissing her cheeks

"we can switch" before she's scoffing like of course you were going to switch

there is definitely a debrief about how she felt, i think she can't quite articulate how much she likes it but its not going to be an everyday thing because as much as it felt good she feels more pleasure getting you off

*insert cheesy "happy valentine's day" exchange here* which julien engages in with an eye roll and a small smile before going into the history of western consumer driven holidays

and of course when engaging in pillowtalk, she does spitball some "new positions" that you could try if "you ever want to ya know, wear the strap again," and you're like.... "so you liked it?" with a smirk, and she's kinda playing it off before being like, "maybe for my birthday we could..."

[ultfreakme]

Saw someone unironically describe Netflix Kataang as crumbs like um. Do we even know what crumbs mean anymore? Sure they weren’t hugging each other 24/7 like in the original but they were very much romantic-coded in the interactions that they had.

They were definitely being far more subtle about things, I liked the idea of both of them being grief-struck and helping each other find purpose and hope and that part is really obvious throughout NATLA.

Like, Katara obviously has her trauma and fears, but Aang helps her embrace her bending and through that, helps her come into her own. But the saddest part is Aang is so caught up in his own grief and loss that he doesn't see the positive impact he has on Katara. He keeps thinking no one wants him, there's no place for him, but without him Katara wouldn't have gotten her water whip and she wouldn't have gotten the chance to learn and fight and grow. Aang is also obviously attached to Katara, he doesn't want her to get hurt and he often listens to her(THE ENDING, THE FREAKING MOON AND OCEAN PARALLELS AAAAAAAAAAH).

Again, people keep complaining there's too much show not tell but when the adaptation does the showing...it goes over people's heads???? There's plenty of Kataang going on as just a relationship, though it's not overtly romantic fully yet.

[gemini-sensei]

Honest thought but his do you think the girls would react to having a Reader who (your choice between being a virgin or just never taking a strap before?) and now they would act finding out.

I did this with fem!reader. Smut warning. Unedited thoughts.

I think Tory would be a little shocked but fairly understanding. She'll leave it up to Reader to decide when they do it and how they do it, but Tory will be itching to use her strap. When they do have sex, she's actually very gentle with Reader, lots of prep before she even considers putting her strap in and missionary all the way. Lots of kissing while she makes small thrusts into Reader, just holding her and making sure she feels good the whole time.

Moon giggles when Reader tells her she's never taken a strap before/is still a virgin. She goes on about how that's okay, it's natural, nothing wrong with that and how it's perfectly fine. She doesn't make a big deal out of it, but assures Reader that they don't have to do anything with a strap on that she doesn't want to. They can have plenty of fun without it. When they use a strap, Moon makes it a point for Reader to be as vocal as she needs to be so she'll know how she's enjoying or not enjoying things. It's all about Reader and her comfort, that's Moon's top priority in this situation.

Yasmine is a little excited by the whole thing. She just wants to take Reader to bed right then and there. They talk it over and she ends up taking Reader to pick out the a more appropriate toy for Yasmine to use on her since Yasmine’s collection is a little on the larger side. When they get it home, Yasmine fucks herself on it to get it nice and wet for Reader before putting it on and easing into Reader with it. Holds Reader's hands as she does do, telling her how great she's doing for her.

Sam is a bit of a doozy. She's shocked and excited at the same time. Honestly, she wants to be the one to give Reader her first strap/take her virginity. The idea gets her going and she's definitely got off on it once or twice. When the time comes, Sam makes sure to prep Reader a lot, eating her out and finger her to the point of getting three fingers in her cunt, but not letting her come. Sam's plan is to be gentle and that's how things go when she pushes her toy into Reader, but after a few thrusts, she gets a little ahead of herself. If Reader asks her to slow down, she will, and they'll hold onto each other while Sam fuck her nice and slow with hard, punctuated thrusts. Sam wants to watch Reader's eyes roll back and make her first orgasm on a strap memorable.

[perpetualexistence]

Tell us about your other Alenoaheather AU(s). I know you have them. 🔫

- Totally not Ophe

Hello completely random anon whose identity will forever be a mystery!

See, with the way you've phrased this, you've actually opened yourself up to a few options. I'll tell you a little bit about each one and you can tell me which one you want to learn more about first.

Currently unnamed G/T Alenoaheather

Definitely the most detailed AU of the bunch. It's got backstories and character arcs for each of the three. Probably the best way to describe it is Urban fantasy since none of them are (completely) human, but they pretty much live in a modern setting.

It does get dark at times. Think Beastars-adjacent in terms of vibes. Including the murder bits. But it's mostly self-defense or being forced into it, so take that as you will. I will say that it's nowhere near the levels of toxic relationships that something like the Sea Monster AU has. And they do actually improve as people. These three still get drama mind you, but it's from keeping secrets rather than being genuinely manipulative. ...Well. Too manipulative. It does have Alejandro and Heather in it. But it's got fluff moments because fluffy giant/tiny dynamics are precious and must be preserved at all costs.

It's got Alejandro who's a giant-shifter able to grow even larger than most other giant-shifters thank to his Burromuerto heritage. The Burromuertos are a completely upstanding giant-shifter family and definitely don't have any incredibly fucked up family traditions they expect Alejandro to continue.

Noah's a were-mongoose. Werefolk come in a large variety, though mongoose is on the far more uncommon side. Unlike most werefolk, this kid genius actually figured out a way to not completely give into his instincts during full moons. This has absolutely no negative repercussions on his wellbeing.

Heather who's a giant-shifter hybrid unable to grow thanks to her human heritage from her father's side. She's the only one of her siblings unable to grow. She definitely doesn't have a complex about this. But she has managed to find her own way of making herself just as much of a physical threat as her two boyfriends. (Aka the day I take away from Heather's inherent badassery is the day I die.)

Serial Killer AU

It's exactly what it sounds like. With exactly the vibes the name implies. Definitely the darker one. They're just a thriving villain throuple with a body count. It's also mostly Noah-focused so far as I haven't figured out Alejandro or Heather's motivations.

Noah stumbles across a body of a serial killer spree, only to be the first to realize that one serial killer is actually two. Curiosity leads him to investigate...but not for the reasons you'd think.

(For this one that's pretty much all I can share before just going into the whole AU)

And then, on the completed side since might as well dump all the Alenoaheather AUs:

Noah and the Beanstalk

Another giant/tiny AU! This one's actually got its own post already. I don't really have anything else that I didn't already mention in that post. But it's my blog, so I'll advertise my own AUs as I please!

Collab AUs

The Royal Court AU

Originally named The Lords In Black AU because it was originally inspired by me watching an animatic of The Summoning from Nerdy Prudes Must Die. Then it evolved into something far beyond that where the name doesn't seem quite right anymore.

It's got Alenoaheather as the worst teens at school and unashamed about it. ...Until Alejandro goes missing, and nobody else really seems to care. Leaving Heather and Noah to investigate and try their best not to be next.

They fail, but hey, at least they get cool eldritch powers out of it!

This AUs also dark because the premise is them being kidnapped to be used as sacrifices. And it's got plenty of eldritch horror in it. The posts for it are scattered because they ended up going into two separate reblog chains with @total-drama-brainrot and @ur-local-brown-multifandomist. If you look up 'lords in black au' on my blog you should be able to find most of it. I'm going to just centralize it for ease of organization one day. It'll just be. You know. Effort.

Also, @ur-local-brown-multifandomist is currently making a fic for it! It's their first one, so feel free to check it out.

Fake Dating Alenoaheather AU

This one's a collab AU between me and @total-drama-brainrot, a person you have never met because you are a completely anonymous anon. Noah gets caught in between Heather and Alejandro's attempts to make the other jealous by each making him pretend to be their boyfriend. Shenanigans and drama ensue. The posts for this are also scattered and tagged on both our blogs, and one day we might make a fic about it. For now, there actually is someone already making a fic about it that you can feel free to read!

I still can't believe two different people decided to start making fic of AUs I helped create. It's wild, and I'm incredibly touched.

"Why are all of these AUs except for one dark in at least some way?"

I honestly couldn't tell you exactly why my brain works the way it does. It just decided that the two canon villains and one-villain coded teenager deserve to be at least a little feral. As a treat.

Maybe one day I'll have an AU with them that's not so dark. That day will be a surprise to us all.

But yeah, that's all of the Alenoaheather AUs I got! The first two I'm more than happy to go into more detail for if you ask!

[herrscherofmagic]

(spoiler-free discussion of HI3rd Part 2)

So I finally got to catch up w/ the previous chapter (moon shenanigans w/ Helia & Coralie) and dove right into HI3rd Part 2's release- and I've gotta say, I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit so far!

*Quick disclaimer, I'm playing with CN voices, and the voice acting of a character can really influence a person's perception of them, so keep that in mind

So far each of the main cast we've met so far has been fairly likeable. I was unsure what Sena was gonna be like but so far she fits in quite well. She's got the same bubbly personality as Ely and March, but she has neither the pushy-ness that Ely has nor the snark March has. So she's definitely reminiscent of both of them but still feels like her own person, and since we literally just met her there's gonna be plenty of time for her character to develop.

Also really enjoyed the interactions with Helia and Coralie, it's clear that they're not super besties like Kiana & Mei but they're certainly close as comrades and I'd like to see how their dynamic develops! I'm looking forward to new battlesuits for them someday and I really hope Mihoyo follows through on that idea. I'd love to see how their adventures in the Sea of Data shape their world-view as they're challenged by things that Schicksal's Valk training never could've prepared them for.

and Dreamseeker was quite nice, too! They're not a silent protag, though of course the quasi-self-insert thing does make it a bit more awkward than usual. But overall their presence doesn't really affect the story in a negative way so that's no concern at all, and they contribute to the team a fair bit in terms of both knowledge/wisdom as well as how they interact with other characters and move the conversation forward. They're not super bubbly nor are they cold, they're just ordinary in a charming way, if that makes sense?

and then Songque... ooooohhh lord she was a LOT more than I bargained for in so many ways. in a good way, I think? >.> either way, not gonna say much about her because I don't even know how to begin describing her. I just wasn't expecting her to be so... lively. Like, crazy energetic, in a very controlled-chaos sorta way.

Also in terms of worldbuilding/lore I think it's been handled quite well. It doesn't rely on obscure knowledge from Part 1, i.e. not technobabble-heavy, but if you're familiar with stuff like the workings of the Sea of Quanta then it's easy to see how things are working behind the scenes.

It's a super fascinating concept for a setting and I really like the juxtaposition of past/present as well as how the story seems to fully embrace the chaotic nature of the Sea of Quanta, giving us really strange and unusual sights and writing characters who are born into this strange reality and take it for granted.

Oh. and the new music. pretty good so far! it's nothing at the level of Genshin but that's a really high bar to pass anyways. For HI3rd's standards it's solid work and enjoyable enough to listen to while playing the story & fighting. I have a lot of other thoughts about HI3rd's music as a whole but that's a whoooole other story lol

so yeah. Part 2 released, and HI3rd didn't suddenly combust into flames and explode. So far so good, hard to say how it'll change going forward but there's not much of a point in worrying about that yet. My only regeret is I had to skip 2/3rds of the Fu Hua arc for this because of issues w/ my schedule and how busy I've been, but I think it was the right call cause I'm really looking forward to the new Part 2 story, both main story & side content!

[animezinglife]

Btw I'm dying to know your nsfw Elucien headcanons.

Ask and ye shall receive.

In all honesty, I probably have spent less time thinking about this than others. I think they're also probably all exactly the same or very similar to everyone else's, and they're really not that spicy by this fandom's standards at all.

For whatever reason, I have it thoroughly burned into my brain that these two would definitely be the nature couple (in many capacities). I think being out in nature and away from prying eyes would make Elain in particular feel alive. Her seeing him in that element (let's be real, this guy goes from a 10 to about a 50 when he's in the woods in particular), that mutual freedom, both possibly running a little hot would lead to plenty of "dallying" in the wild. With some form of decent seclusion, of course--they're not total animals. No annoying family members or friends just a wall away or breathing down their necks. No politics. Just the sun, moon, stars, flowers, or trees as their witness. This is my polite way of saying I have a strong suspicion they'd be the couple to fuck out in the wild. Yes, I know Nesta and Cassian did too, but this is different.

Fire in his blood or not, I definitely don't think he'd let himself go that first time. It's Elain who unravels them both completely: she sets the tone, and she makes the decision. After the first time or two, she earns herself a wicked gleam in that tender, still-in-disbelief gaze he's giving her by asking what else he can show her. She tells him she wants him, all of him, exactly as he is. Feyre doesn't know her sister as well as she thinks she does.

That mouth of his is good for so much more than diplomacy and wit. We all know this. We can safely accept this as canon. I'm under the impression we already have as a fandom.

A good greenhouse can keep more than just plants warm in the winter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

They spend the full two weeks together after she accepts the mating bond. This in itself isn't NSFW, but we know how it goes. Elain instigates a shocking amount of it (and boldly--use your imaginations). Lucien is by far one of the funnier males after the fact in that he tries the hardest to not act like a complete moron. Naturally, Cassian or someone else intentionally tries to provoke him. Maybe Elain's even picked up on one of his habits and catches him, bringing him back to himself with a simple, flirtatious, "Easy."

Thank you for the ask!

[snekverse]

This might be a hot take? But I am OBSESSED with the idea of Zane x Kiki in Mystreet had she existed in that universe I think they be so so fun I love them.. definitely would be a super healthy couple since I hc they would've met/dated a little before the start of the series and at that point Zane would NOT have been an excellent person and Kiki would NOT have tolerated it lol

This is incredibly indulgent, but I like to believe MYST! Zane, esp towards the beginning of the series, is very cunning linguist and can definitely don a very charming persona. I think they would've met in their early-mid 20s, and Zane is immediately enamored and so w/out thinking he whips out the manipulative rizz and they go out. This of course can't last forever however and once he sort of reveals his true colors it's over

I do think in this circumstance he did genuinely care about her, but didn't really know what to do about that? Like he'd spent so much of his life pushing people away but now that there's someone he is interested in he does the only thing he knows makes people like him - sweet talk. He charms her to the moon and back and that works really well for a while but as previously mentioned it's not something he can keep up forever, and she doesn't respond very well to finding out he pretty much been lying about himself to her for this entire time and break it off then and there

I might also use this to add Leona into my myst rewrite since I hc her to be Zane's kid, like maybe shortly after he and Kiki breaks up she skips a period? 👀 and she'd raise it solo with the help of her brother and maybe some of their friends, but maybe she wouldn't say anything to Zane since they had such a nasty break and her opinion of him would still be pretty hostile at this time

I like to think they meet up again later down the line, probably sometime between s3-s5, before starlight. In my rewrite that'll be several years since s1 so Zane'll have plenty of time for growth and self improvement. I think she'd see that and be inclined to give him a second chance, and start a tentative friendship, and of course she'd admit to not telling him about Leona..

Idk man I just think about this a lot and think there are so many fun angsty things that could be done here

[legendary-cookies]

Any more headcanons for Windy?

Oh, plenty lmfao

The last post was more general stuff but I'll share some headcanons about his relationships with the other Legends

I have way too many headcanons to be considered normal so I'll try to limit it to 2 per Legend lmao

If you're curious about any specific relationship though, don't be afraid to ask!

One general headcanon that applies to all of them is that all of the Legends have a soft spot for Wind Archer because he's the youngest Legend

It's not a super strong emotion in all of them, but it's definitely there

- Sea Fairy and Wind see each other as siblings and Sea is incredibly protective of him ("You protect others all the time, but who will protect you?")

- Sea and Wind have teasing nicknames for each other: Sea calls Wind "lemongrass" and Wind calls Sea "saltwater" (like a person being sour and salty respectively because I'm aware saltwater and lemongrass are real things)

- Moonlight and Wind are very close friends and Moon is the mom friend, reminding Wind to take care of himself and such

- Moon and Wind both have problems with opening up so they try to be there for each other in that aspect; Moon worries too much over others that she forgets she can have feelings too and Wind has trust issues and is scared of being open and vulnerable

- Fire Spirit and Wind are very close friends and Fire can bring out Wind's mischievous side better than others can

- Fire feels uncomfortable around water so Wind tries to help him feel more comfortable around it; in return, Fire helps Wind work through his pyrophobia

- Millennial Tree and Wind have a father-son relationship but this is actually uncommon knowledge to Cookies that live outside of the forest; Wind is mostly known for being the Guardian of the Millennial Tree but not his son

- Wind is actually the one that gave Millie that nickname but he's too embarrassed to admit it

- Dark Enchantress and Wind don't like each other very much for obvious reasons

- DE has hidden guilt over Wind's corruption as she was indirectly the cause and Wind resents her for the event as it was very traumatizing

- Timekeeper thinks Wind is interesting because he reminds them of Croissant in a way and Wind is neutral to Timekeeper

- While Timekeeper thinks everybody is interesting in one way or another, they're particularly curious about Wind because they consider Millie their rival

- Frost Queen is Wind's aunt but Wind doesn't like visiting that much because of how cold it is; Frost Queen tries to make sure Wind is comfortable and warm whenever he does visit though

- Frost Queen is very caring towards Wind both because he's family and he reminds her of Sherbet a little too much

- Black Pearl thinks Wind is cute in a condescending way and Wind is secretly terrified of Black Pearl

- Black Pearl is the type to gush about how cute something is with an underlying threat ("You're so cute I could just eat you up!") and it freaked Wind out the first time she said something like that to him

- Pitaya and Wind have a somewhat close relationship as Wind is close friends with Pitaya's son and Pitaya is friends with Millie

- Pitaya likes to spar with anybody and Wind is a great opponent; they can be surprisingly gentle though and while they don't go easy on Wind, they do keep his pyrophobia in mind and tries to minimize the use of their fire abilities

- Ananas sort of sees Wind as a rival due to them having opposite elements but Wind is neutral to Ananas

- Ananas likes to make fun of Wind for being so "small and weak" for a Legendary but they don't like to admit that Wind kicked them in the knee once and they weren't able to use that leg for a week

- Lotus knows Wind was created from a lotus flower and they respect anything associated with their flower while Wind doesn't have any strong feelings towards Lotus except that he isn't a fan of the "taking life force to keep the paradise beautiful" thing

- Lotus acts almost parental towards Wind which severely confuses Wind and the other dragons because Lotus is known for not liking Cookies that much (not to the degree of Lychee and Longan but enough that it's noticeable)

- Lychee thinks Wind is too serious and no fun and Wind doesn't like Lychee because of the darkness aspect

- Lychee likes Wind in the sense that they can brag to the other dragons that there's a Legendary smaller than them and Wind despises it

- Longan doesn't like Wind because he's an element in the form of a Cookie and Longan's goal of wiping out all life contradicts Wind's goal of protecting all life

- While they don't like each other, Longan is intrigued by Wind because they technically share the same element and Wind is more unsettled by Longan than hateful

[masterwords]

standing still

Summary: Hotch & Reid travel to Connecticut for a custodial interview with Chester Hardwick before he's put to death. Their trip does not go smoothly. (ASD!Hotch & ASD!Reid, plus some Hotchgan.) (Coda to 3x14 - Damaged)

Pairing: Hotch/Morgan (but Derek is barely in the story)

Warnings: vomit, meltdown, food, depression, anxiety, divorce, canon-typical mention of crime/murder

Words: 6k

Notes: Ah, well, an idea on a whim yesterday produced 6k words overnight. Where did it come from? I don't know. But it's here. And it puts me over 50k words posted for the month of January which is pretty fucking cool.

**

The hotel is haunted.

Supposedly.

Hotch has heard the stories enough times, he's stayed there plenty over the years. Back when custodial interviews were more common and the jet wasn't an option, and he was the new guy on the block drawing the short straw. Never experienced a ghost that he's aware of, but if he has, they're very hospitable. He likes this hotel. The beds are comfortable, the continental breakfast is simple and predictable, the water pressure in the showers is strong. Not blast your skin clean off of your body strong but pounding those knots out of your muscles strong.

So, if it's haunted, he really doesn't care. But Reid has been doing some digging and he's excited to talk to locals about it. He doesn't believe in ghosts, per se, but he loves to collect stories. So, the hotel is haunted, and people say the prison is too. One of the cell blocks, anyway. He wants to ask the Warden about it in the morning. Connecticut is rife with stories of hauntings that go all the way back to the Headless Horseman.

“Have you heard about the prison? They say it's haunted by a former inmate who was killed by a group of guards. I guess the guards got to a point where they wouldn't go on that cell block, so they turned it into a storage facility. Funny, too, that a prison that still conducts executions is so focused on one death. You would think the whole place would be crawling with the souls of the dead prisoners.”

“I've heard,” Hotch replies quietly, staring at the road. He's lost in his mind. “But I haven't paid it much attention.”

“Well, I don't believe in ghosts but it's fascinating the way these stories take hold. The grip that they have on people, even rational people who say they don't believe, is powerful. People say they've seen file cabinets levitating and they hear moaning and screaming from that end of the prison at the full moon."

“A few minutes of fame can make someone say just about anything. We've seen it plenty of times during cases.”

He's not able to focus on the conversation for long. It comes in bits and pieces, scattered moments between the phone buzzing angrily at his thigh. It's Haley calling. Every fifteen minutes she calls, lets it ring and ring, then leaves a voicemail. That's 20 angry voicemails, give or take, by the time they get there if she keeps up at her current pace. 20 tirades that he has to listen to even though his gut tells him not to. Just delete them, he knows exactly what she wants.

She wants him to sign the papers. He's got them in his go bag. The plan is to read them again, really read them this time, but he doesn't want to and he's definitely putting it off. Derek already read them once. He went through them with a fine-tooth comb, because he's not emotionally involved...not like that anyway. He gave them his seal of approval. “It's all legit, man. She just wants to dissolve the marriage, let you guys manage the rest on your own. It's a good deal. You already gave her everything anyway...”

He's going to be sick if he doesn't eat something. It's a sudden realization, he's been ignoring that pang in his stomach so long that it's practically an emergency now. Up ahead is a roadside diner with a sign that's half lit up in bright yellow bulbs (the other half are in dire need of replacement but by the looks of it they have no real plans to do so). Hotch knows it's a gamble with Reid but it's one he's willing to take. The alternative is worse. Much worse.

“Let's get an early dinner here.” It's barely past lunch time, but he doesn't plan to eat again so that's just how it comes out. Aware that he sounds elderly, an old man after his early bird special, he smiles and tries to play it off casually but his stomach hurts so bad it's hard to hide. “They don't look busy, it'll be fast.”

“Diners aren't known for their cleanliness.”

“It's the only place around for miles. I'm sure we'll be okay.”

Inside, it's exactly what Hotch expects. Emerald green vinyl booths with silver plated tables, the look of every ice cream soda shop from the 1950s. Well, the idyllic version of that decade that mainstream media wants you to feel nostalgic for, anyway. There are framed movie posters on the wall with Ronald Reagan's face on some, Betty Boop on others. Reid looks around and frowns. He's not confident in this place but he walks inside anyway, stepping carefully around the bubble gum and sticker machines in the small entry. One quarter for a hard gumball that tastes like fruity plastic and threatens to chip your tooth until you can manage your way through the exterior. A dentist's worst nightmare. And they're not individually wrapped, just sitting there in the clear glass calling out to children who don't know any better. He shudders at the thought.

At the hostess station, he peers at the framed health department notices hung cockeyed on the wall in cheap frames, studying the dates of their last checks and whether they passed inspection. He eyeballs the kitchen, the greasy flat top, the cooks sweating and swearing and laughing over them. They both look relatively clean, but one has a beard and he's not wearing anything to cover it. It's not exactly a nightmare scenario, it's actually better than he'd anticipated, but he still would rather not eat here. He's got plenty of pre-packaged safe foods in his go bag.

The restaurant isn't busy, though it looks like they've just missed a rush by all of the full dish bins. They're between meal hours. That's a blessing, it affords them time and quiet, both things that Reid can tell Hotch needs. He's usually pretty reserved but today he's a whole new level of difficult.

Hotch slides into his side of the booth immediately, like he needs to sit down before he collapses. The cracked vinyl groans under his weight and he tries to find a spot that's comfortable. Reid reaches into his pocket and pulls out a packet of Lysol wipes, first getting his side of the table and then his side of the booth. Hotch pays no attention; he's already looking at the menu. Reid always wipes everything down first and it normally doesn't bother Hotch, he finds it endearing if not a little pointless considering the surroundings, but today everything that everyone is doing makes him feel itchy and like he's going to vibrate right out of his skin.

His stomach is bothering him. It's the stress. He can't stop thinking about the voicemails, wondering if he should go outside and listen to them. He could grab some Tums from his go bag while he's out there, kill two birds with one stone but he doesn't want to get back up. He's exhausted by the mere thought of it. Besides, the stomachache will turn into a headache in no time anyway and the Tums will be just as pointless as Reid's Lysol wipes.

“What are you going to order?” Reid asks absentmindedly, looking over the freshly cleaned menu. He's thinking about the cook and his beard, trying to figure out what he can order that's going to require the least amount of human interaction with his food. A piece of pie might be it; he saw them in the case already sliced and covered in plastic. He likes individual pre-packaged servings. It's doubtful they were baked here, he figures they're factory made and packaged by machines, the human part of it being minimal. He could probably get away with not thinking about who sliced it.

But then a slice of pie isn't dinner, and he is hungry.

“I don't know,” Hotch replies quietly, not at all hungry. But he's the one who decided to pull over so he's going to have to order something. He'd just wanted to stop driving, to catch his breath for a minute. Now he's got to come up with some food item that won't upset his stomach further, something that won't kill him when it comes back up later. He's already anticipating a rough night. “Maybe soup and some toast.”

“Did you know that in many restaurants, the soup of the day is made using whatever leftover ingredients are on the verge of needing to be thrown out as a way to curb waste? I saw that the soup of the day here was the tomato basil with garlic toast points, so...”

Hotch frowns behind his menu without looking up. “I suppose I'm doing my part to stop unnecessary waste, then. Tomato soup sounds nice.”

It isn't the response Spencer was hoping for, but he shrugs and turns back to his own menu. Pie. He's going to have pie and he'll snack on the food he brought later. He hails a waitress, not theirs, and asks which pies are made in house. She answers with pride that they make most of them in house, their baker comes in at 3am every day and even makes the crust herself. There are only two they have shipped because the ingredients are hard to keep on hand. When their waitress comes by, he orders one of the two kinds they don't make here. “Pecan, please.”

Hotch orders the tomato soup without a second thought. It comes in a large white bowl set on a little plate with saltine crackers, and the deep velvety velvety crimson of the tomato is a stark contrast to the bowl's brightness. In the center is a dash what looks like basil or parsley and a swirl of heavy cream on top.

“I read that they blend up old vegetables from the salads for tomato soup,” Reid mutters, wiping his fork on his pant leg. There are dishwasher spots on it. “It helps bulk it up, especially when the cost of tomatoes is so high. That soup is probably mostly lettuce and carrots.”

“Reid,” Hotch says quietly, pressing his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. There it is, the headache. “Less commentary about the food I'm about to eat would be appreciated.”

Reid smiles awkwardly, twirling his fork in his hands. “Sorry. Force of habit. I find the restaurant business simultaneously fascinating and horrifying.”

Hotch doesn't acknowledge Reid's statement; he just picks up his spoon and swirls it in the soup. Clockwise. He turns it in one big circle around the edge, dragging the spoon along the bowl, and then swoops inward to fold the cream into the red. The soup turns a vibrant peachy-orange and he smiles, the color looks serene and peaceful. He thinks about lettuce when he takes his first bite, but thankfully isn't able to taste it. After three bites he doesn't think about lettuce anymore. He thinks about being a child, about weekend lunches of canned condensed tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Every Saturday. Predictable. Comforting.

“Hotch,” Reid interrupts, and when he looks up, he's looking at crime scenes. Spread out in front of them, all over the table, his plate of pie lost somewhere in the middle of the gore...he didn't even realize Reid brought the files inside. It isn't that much of a stretch; the team often does this. They talk loudly about horrific things around the general public because what choice do they have? None of them even flinch at the sight of these things anymore. But not here. Not now. There are children eating with their parents two booths away. Hotch frowns. “Is this everything? I thought there were more. Chester Hardwick killed -”

“Please put those away.” Hotch doesn't care what Reid is about to say, he just interrupts him. His skin goes electric.

“We need to...”

“Not here.” He's about to lose it, he really is. Reid gives him a strange look, almost defiant and definitely confused, but he starts sliding the photos back into their folders just before their waitress brings Hotch his plate of whole wheat toast. He didn't want the garlic toast; his special order took an extra minute and now she was paying dearly for it. Involuntarily, she makes a displeased sound, a surprised little gasp, and he glances up at her with apology written all over in his honey eyes.

“I'm sorry,” Hotch says. “Sometimes we forget where we are when we're working.”

“What um...what is it you fellas do exactly?” she asks, refilling Hotch's coffee with trembling hands. He's on his third cup, his hands are trembling a little too. The coffee isn't making his stomach feel any better but it'll help him finish the drive.

“We're with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI,” Reid chimes in, closing the last of the folders. “We um, we catch serial killers. Today we're on our way to interview one before his scheduled execution.”

She stares, wide-eyed, and Hotch sighs. Under normal circumstances he would just let Reid do what he does. He's not doing anything wrong, and he knows without a doubt that all of the problems he's having are his entirely. He's overstimulated and extra prickly today. “Thank you for the coffee.” He doesn't mean it to sound as dismissive as it does and he's acutely aware as she turns and leaves the table that he's been rude. “Reid, she didn't need all of that information. A simple answer would have sufficed.”

“Sorry,” Reid chirps, digging at his pie. He picks the pecans off of the top first. “Force of habit.”

“So you've said.”

This is their first trip together, one on one. Sure, they've been all over the country as a group, but it's never just been the two of them and Hotch is certain now that he's not in the right frame of mind to handle it. He likes Reid, he enjoys him and his info-dumps. He always learns something new when he's with Reid. Besides, it's startlingly nice to be around another person who doesn't think the same as everyone else, who filters the world through a different operating system. Those were Garcia's words when she, very bluntly, asked if he was autistic. Reid always assumed it, but Garcia had no qualms about simply asking.

She had asked after running into him in the break room and watching him go through his very regimented steps to make his cup of coffee. Not that he did anything out of the ordinary, she explained, just that he didn't get his coffee from coffee stands like everyone else. He always insisted on making his own and he always did the same thing. Dump the filter, clean the pot, make one single cup using his own bag of grounds and a bottle of water brought from home because he didn't like what the filtration system in the building did to the flavor of his coffee. He kept his grounds in a small paper bag in the back of the freezer with his name on them, and his water bottle was labeled as well. All the years she'd known him, it was the same thing, and they disappeared at a very regimented pace. She claimed it was obvious. He knew there was more to it than that, she was just being nice and overly simplistic. He tried not to overthink it, dwell on it...he almost succeeded, too. But he did dwell a little, wondering how many other things he did that were just odd enough to tip her off.

Ultimately it didn't make any difference.

“I don't like my coffee to be a surprise,” he'd said quietly, a little defensive. “Sometimes with coffee shops, you'll get a different thing every day even with the same order. They'll try to surprise you with more of something or less of something, or they'll change the beans they use, or the strength of the brew. I prefer not to guess whether my coffee is what I want.”

“It's okay, sir, I understand completely. I go to the same bakery every time because they've been around for fifty years with the same recipes.”

“Trudeau's?” Hotch asked, smiling. She nodded.

“The one and only. You always know what you're going to get, and it's always going to be good.”

The problem Hotch runs into frequently is that his operating system, so to speak, isn't like Reid's. Or Garcia's. He's the odd man out even here where he thinks he should be able to relate. He knows it's a spectrum, of course he knows that, but it doesn't stop him feeling isolated. The discouragement that comes from knowing how separate he is makes it hard for him to find a way to communicate it.

So, he doesn't. He keeps his mouth shut and his head down and he just forges on.

That Derek learned his tells early on was a mixed blessing. He'd groaned about being profiled, unwritten team rules, but secretly he thought it was nice to be seen.

If Haley wasn't so angry with him, maybe he'd be better able to manage his own expectations and reactions in this situation which was really going quite well, all things considered. He was so skilled at masking and managing that these days when he was raw and vulnerable and completely unable to keep his shields up were few and far between...but since the divorce papers were served, he couldn't name a single day he felt totally in control. Derek helps when he can, where he can. Derek has been a life raft in a raging sea, but he can't fix everything. He's got problems and a life of his own. He's got mountains to climb and traumas to heal. Hotch is acutely aware that he takes more than he gives frequently and needs to do better. Derek would vehemently disagree with that. But it doesn't matter, he's sitting at the table mortified by how rude he'd been to the waitress and to Reid, wishing Derek were here to help him back to the path.

But Derek couldn't come, not this time. Someone had to stay behind and run the BAU while Hotch was away without cell reception in a prison. It puts them all in a vulnerable position and anymore, he preferred to be the one to do it. Which left his second in command to man the ship. Hotch couldn't think of anyone better to run the team, and the fact that Derek had chosen to love him on top of all of his needs, in spite of all of that, he still isn't sure how it happened. He sometimes forgets he's lovable at all.

Today he's completely out of control. It's just fitting, in some way, that his version of out of control still looks very subtle if you don't look too closely. No one can tell he's breaking. He just looks grouchy. He's sure he'll make it to the hotel before the cracks in his armor start becoming visible.

“We should get back on the road. I looked up the traffic reports and if we're not in city limits by 4pm, we're going to be stuck on the highway for an average of thirty to sixty minutes longer than necessary.”

“You've hardly eaten your pie,” Hotch says, poking at his own barely eaten toast. He plans to finish the meal if it kills him, traffic be damned. “I'm not concerned about the time, we don't have anywhere to be until tomorrow.”

They get to the hotel in a reasonable time, not exactly as good as they'd hoped but not as bad as Reid feared. It's possible Hotch might have been going a little over the posted limits in places, but Reid wasn't going to tell anyone. It's still better than Emily's driving. He suddenly understands why Derek always holds the door handle when he's in the passenger seat, though.

“One room?” Hotch asks the clerk, exasperated at the sight of the one key card. He should have known. “They only booked us one room? Would it be possible to get another?”

“I'm sorry sir, there's a convention and a concert here tonight, we're booked solid. I might be able to find you two rooms somewhere else if you'd like me to call around. You'll have better luck just outside the city.”

Hotch knew this hotel. Sure, a second room would be nice but a hotel he wasn't familiar with sounded just a bit too much for him right now. He and Reid have shared a room before. It isn't ideal, not by a longshot, but it works. “No, thank you. One room is fine. There are two beds, though?”

“Yes, sir. It's a double queen. Non-smoking. No pets.”

“We don't smoke or have pets.”

The room is small. That's the first thing that Hotch notices. He's always had a single room here and he thinks it's the same size but with an extra bed. And speaking of beds...the second thing he notices is that the beds are not, in fact, queen sized. They are full, a whole size smaller. He sets his bag neatly on top of the bed closest to the door while Reid goes for the one further in... that's always how they do it. Hotch stays closer to the point of entry, no matter who he rooms with. And then he puts the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. He doesn't care for people coming into his room, to clean or not.

“You can take the first shower,” he offers, pulling out his suit for the next morning and hanging it up. There are voices next door, muffled but clearly a man and some children. Paper thin walls, he can hear everything the man is saying to the children. Telling them to be quiet, to quit stomping, to turn the television down. Reid nods and heads right for the bathroom with his Ziplock bag of cleaning supplies. He always brings his own in order to sanitize the tub and shower head before he uses them, and Hotch, knowing this, always offers the first shower. The first time Reid did it after he showered, he felt filthy. Like Reid was cleaning him off of the tub. Never again.

He doesn't care about who gets the first shower, otherwise. He kicks his shoes off and sits on his bed, leaning back against the bleach scented pillows in their over-starched cases and closes his eyes. His head is throbbing.

Reid leaves the bathroom smelling like Lysol and bleach and Hotch watches as he strips his bed of the comforter. “Did you know they don't wash these?” he asks, dumping it into the corner like it disgusts him. “They wash the blankets and sheets with all sorts of harsh chemicals, they go scorched earth, but rarely the comforter. Not unless it's visibly soiled.”

“I had no idea,” Hotch lies. He does know, he just...once again...does not care. He can't care about everything and he's got more than enough on his plate right now. “I'll take yours, if you don't plan to use it. I get cold.” That's the damn truth. Reid sleeps with the air conditioner on no matter what the season. Hotch can't take it.

“It's all yours.” Reid barely hides the disgust in his features as he tosses the green and gold comforter toward his boss. Hotch doesn't notice the look; he just wads it up beside him and is satisfied knowing he's got a little extra protection against the cold air assault later.

He decides to take a walk down to the vending machine for some pretzels, and that's when he pulls out his phone and listens to the messages. One after another, terse and angry, Haley tells him to sign the papers, to call him, asks him why he won't just do it. Two of the messages are from Jessica calmly telling him to get his head out of his ass and call one of them back. “If you won't talk to her, fine. Talk to me. Just call one of us. Either that or I'm going to assume you've been injured in the line of duty and start calling your bosses...”

Jessica gets the call. He would have tried Haley but he just...he can't. It'll turn into a fight.

"It's about damn time," she says through clenched teeth and he closes his eyes.

“I'm on the road,” he says quietly. “I've been driving all day with Doctor Reid. The constant phone calls and threats are a little much, don't you think?”

“We were worried.”

“No, you were worried. She's only concerned about my signature.”

“Fair enough. Just get it over with. Sign the damn papers.”

“I haven't had any time to read them.”

“You of all people should know exactly what's in there, and besides, I know you already asked Derek to read them. You don't trust him? What's really stopping you?”

He sighs and pushes the button that reads B9 for the pretzels. They get stuck on the way down, jammed between the spiral and the window, and he thinks that's it. He's going to cry. That's all it takes, one single second of that crinkly blue bag of Rold Gold tiny twist pretzels getting stuck right there and the tears are burning tracks down his cheeks. “I need time.”

He's pacing back and forth in front of the vending machine now, wearing a track in the dingy red carpet. His mind loops. The papers. The drive. The soup. The photos. The pretzels. Repeat repeat. He worries the pads of his fingers over his nails until they nearly bleed and his breathing speeds up. Jessica can hear it, she knows exactly what this looks like, but she isn't gentle. He passed on gentle hours ago when he ignored her calls, she figures.

“Suck it up. Read the papers tonight, sign them tomorrow. Be done with it, Aaron. Move on. She already has.”

“I'll read the papers tonight.” He repeats the one part of what she said that he can manage. It makes her pause, re-calibrate her course before she sends him into a tailspin. She's dangerously close and she does feel bad. She understands, Haley has been at her throat all day today too.

“Just sign the papers and I promise it'll make everything better. Do it for Jack, so you two can get back on good terms. Jack needs you both to remember how much you mean to one another. And I know Derek would like it if you'd let it go...please. Sign the papers.”

He can't breathe. He's standing with his back against the wall and overcome with the feeling that his legs are about to give out, the world is about to go dark, he's about to lose whatever shred of control he still held. His body is giving him what little warning it can, and it isn't much. He's better at listening now than he used to be. “I'll call you tomorrow when I'm back in town.”

“Sign the papers Aaron!”

She hollers it into the phone, one last demand. He barely hears it before he hangs up and stumbles back to the room without his pretzels, someone else can have them. He makes his way immediately for the shower, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Reid barely notices, he's got Chester Hardwick's photos spread out all over his bed and he's deep in thought. “The hot water takes a minute,” he says absently, as if Hotch is right there.

It doesn't matter, anyway. He's not going for the shower yet. He almost doesn't make it to the toilet before he vomits. Reid can definitely hear that, and it startles him, but he assumes it's food poisoning and he isn't at all surprised. That damn soup. Lettuce is notorious for salmonella. Hotch is happy to let him think it's food poisoning too, it's a harmless lie. Better than the alternative.

His shower is anything but relaxing. He presses his forehead into the tile so hard it hurts while his stomach cramps and he's worried he's going to throw up again but the pressure he keeps on his forehead stills the nausea. For now. He's not exactly crying, it's sort of just miserable gasping for air while the shower washes away his tears. He can barely breathe. His hands are balled so tight his fingernails cut crescents in his palms and he can feel the small spots of blood pooling there. Sign the papers, Aaron. Sign the papers, Aaron. Uncontested, that's what she wants. He doesn't have a problem with that part of it. He'd willingly give her everything, keep nothing for himself. That isn't it, that isn't it at all. He doesn't want to sign it because signing it is permanent. Right now there is still hope. He still wears the ring. She hasn't worn hers in a long time, sometimes it's around her neck and other times it's nowhere in sight...but his is still firmly in place on his finger. Hope. Some shred, however minuscule, still exists and the minute his signature is on that page it's gone.

And he's alone.

What's he supposed to do with the bare skin where the ring once sat?

He cries harder. The walls are paper thin and if someone on the other side is in the bathroom, they can definitely hear his miserable moaning. Sobbing. He collapses slowly, crumples, his joints folding and his limbs contorting until he's sitting in the tub in a ball sobbing into his kneecaps. He hasn't had a meltdown like this in years, not since Adrian Bale and that bomb put him in charge of the BAU and left him just about as vulnerable as he'd ever been. But he'd had Derek then, and he pulled through. The one constant good was Derek.

“Hotch? Are you alright?”

“Fine,” he grunts with his wet lips in tear pools against his knees. He can't make himself sound fine, but he knows Reid isn't going to push further. He never does. They may not experience things in the same way, but Reid can recognize a meltdown when he sees it and he knows better than to try and intervene. The last thing Hotch needs is extra attention.

He goes about his business instead, glad to be sure now that Hotch's soup wasn't killing him. He prepares, rehearses, but still listens. A meltdown isn't going to hurt Hotch but falling in the shower might and he's more than a little concerned about that. Statistics are overwhelming when it comes to shower related injuries.

When Hotch walks out of the bathroom in sweatpants and a t-shirt with red-rimmed eyes glassy and dazed, Reid doesn't say a thing. Not at first. He notices, it would be impossible not to, but he can't find anything to say about it, so he asks the question that's on his mind.

“What time do we need to be at the prison? I'd like to set the alarm now.”

“7am. We'll be done and on the road by 9am.” That's it. Hotch spreads the second comforter over his bed and he burrows beneath the blankets. That's all he's got in him. Reid stays up pouring over files he's already memorized, full of nervous excitement. Custodials always put him into a frenzied mindset. He hasn't done too many of them and this is definitely the most excited he's been. Chester Hardwick doesn't talk to anyone, refused their requests repeatedly.

The meeting with Hardwick is something neither of them wants to discuss once they're out of the prison. Once they're back in the fresh air under the bright blue sky, not locked up in a cement room with a madman who thinks killing a couple of FEDs will earn him a stay of execution. Maybe it would have, but Reid managed to talk their way out of it. The very thing that Hotch loves about Reid, and the thing that has been getting under his skin for the last day, saved their lives. He's grateful. It isn't lost on him. But it didn't stop him from shedding his jacket and tie, squaring up, almost hoping that Hardwick would try. He could take a beating for thirteen minutes, and he could give it right back. No way Hardwick would have managed to kill both of them, but he still feels guilty. His foul mood, that electric feeling, it didn't go anywhere while he slept. It only got worse.

Chester Hardwick's threats were enough to settle him, to bring him back to the reality where he's in charge, where he's in control.

But he knows he probably owes Reid his life. He starts with an apology that burns his tight lungs, and then explains that Haley wants him to sign the divorce papers uncontested. No lawyers. It's faster that way, he says. And her constant hounding has been getting to him more than it should.

Reid's answer is simplistic and sweet. He doesn't understand the complication, the intricate balance and Hotch smiles sadly. He just asks what Hotch wants and isn't that funny...because it doesn't matter. This whole thing is moving along full steam ahead whether he wants it or not. “What I want, I can't have.”

Reid seems to understand that much. He knows Hotch doesn't want to lose his family; he also knows that his family is already gone. He has no idea what to say, how to respond, but the silence screams so loud it almost hurts. He has to fill it with something. Part of him wants to bring up a conversation he had with the Warden about the haunted cell block, but he refrains. Hangs out in more neutral territory.

“Derek and the team will be back from Indianapolis by the time we get home. He'll know what to do.”

Hotch smiles and nods. “You're probably right.”

“It's a good thing we have him around, huh?”

“Yes,” Hotch whispers, feeling his heart beating wildly against his chest in a different way. Untamed but not painful. “It is.”

"Do you want to stop for lunch? I did some research and there's a diner about fifty miles ahead that gets good reviews." It's clean, that's what he means. None of the reviews talk about food poisoning or flies in the windowsills.

Hotch smiles wearily and nods. "Lunch sounds nice."

When they return to Quantico, Derek is already at his desk finishing up a detailed report of the case for Hotch. All the papers Hotch would normally do, he's already deep in the thick of before it's even asked of him. He hates it so much. But after talking to Reid for a few minutes earlier, he knows it's better to anticipate this one and get ahead of it. They'll have to defend their choice to take the jet and follow Rossi into his cold case that wasn't even on the BAU's radar.

"How was your day?" Derek asks, flipping the page. Reid shrugs and sets his bag down.

"Ultimately uneventful." If only Derek knew. Maybe he'd tell him later, but not now.

Hotch passes through the bullpen without looking at anyone. He just heads directly to his office and shuts the door.

He's got papers to sign.

Derek has his doubts about how uneventful things were, at least given Hotch's icy demeanor. Usually he would at least have greeted them, asked how the case went, asked how the reports were coming so he had a clue about what happened. He did none of those things.

Later, when everyone has settled into the late afternoon workload, Derek enters Hotch's office without knocking. He doesn't do that anymore. Hasn't in a long time. In one hand he's got a mug of tea, steaming and hot, and the other he uses to shut the door behind him.

“Hotch,” he says, approaching the desk cautiously. The divorce papers are right there, signed and ready to be handed over. There are damp places where the tears soaked in, and his bright gold ring sits right at the top. Derek already knows the answer to the question he's about to ask, but it dances over his lips nonetheless. “You good?”

Hotch looks up at him from beneath thick, wet lashes and shakes his head. “No.”

[bambinella]

Day 4 - Games

She-Ra - Adora x Best Friend Squad

A/N: I'M LATE! But then again I warned for being late, so it doesn't count! She-Ra remains one of my favorite shows, yet I've never written for it so I felt the need to change that. Hope you enjoy!

There was peace. Horde Prime had been defeated nearly a year ago, and during that time everything had slowly started returning to how it was before the Horde invaded. Etheria was healing, and the magic had returned to the land. The Princesses had gone back to their kingdoms, to put matters in order, all while remaining in the Princess Alliance. With the war being over, there was no need to plan counter attacks anymore, but it was definitely an excuse to hang out in Bright Moon every few weeks. Everything was finally okay. There was peace. 

Everywhere but Adora’s and Catra’s bedroom, where the Best Friend Squad were currently playing games. Adora, Catra, Glimmer and Bow were sitting on the floor, currently in the middle of a game of Uno. If the war hadn’t been hard enough to test their friendship, this game definitely would.

“Uno!” Glimmer cried out as she placed her blue eight on the pile, a smug grin decorating her face. Said grin disappeared just as fast when she suddenly got bombarded with ‘take two’ cards from Bow and Catra.

“Take that Sparkles!” Catra cackled, giving a fist bump to Bow. They had gotten along really well over the past few months, and their favorite hobby was to annoy Glimmer. They were succeeding. 

“Awww look at how cute she gets when she’s angry!” Bow cooed to Catra while pointing at Glimmer, ducking a little too late to avoid a pillow to the face mere seconds later, causing him to tumble backwards. Meanwhile Adora was sitting across the table with at least 15 cards in her hands, and a… smug grin? Way to smug for someone who’s losing the game, Glimmer realized.

“Adora? What are you smirking for?” The Queen asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow. This only caused Adora to chuckle.

“Well I’m obviously winning, with the amount of cards I have, so why wouldn’t I be smirking?” She asked, getting the attention of the others too. Glimmer let out a giggle.

“Adora, you do realize that the goal of the game is to get the least amount of cards, not the most?” She asked, leaning her cheek on her hand. Adora was such a dumb-dumb from time to time. The blonde started laughing.

“Nice try, Glimmer, but you won’t fool me like that,” She said with a grin, yet when Bow and Catra nodded in agreement, Adora realized how doomed she was.

“Oh for the love of Greyskull!” She groaned, putting her face in her hands – and cards – while the others burst into laughter. Glimmer wiped a little tear from her eye as she shook her head at Adora. That would explain all the times Adora had called ‘uno’ while having more than one card in her hand, resulting in her taking two extra cards as punishment. She loved her stupid best friend.

“Don’t worry, by the end of tonight you might get the hang of it,” She giggled, earning another groan from the blonde, who was blushing hard. They continued playing Uno, with Adora losing all of them, until a specific round where Adora was being a little too good at the game. She had somehow gone from ten plus cards to three in only a couple of rounds. It was a bit too suspicious, Glimmer noticed.

“Hey Adora, didn’t you have like a billion cards in your hands just now? What happened?” The Queen asked with a semi-knowing smile, immediately noticing a nervous twitch on her best friend’s face.

“Oh, haha! I just put them down like I have been doing, what are you talking about?” Adora said with a rather nervous smile. She was still a terrible liar, and both Catra and Bow started to realize something was up. Glimmer narrowed her eyes for a second, and then decided to take matters in her own hands by teleporting next to Adora. As suspected, there were plenty of cards simply laying all scattered over her lap.

“Aha! I knew it! You cheater!” Glimmer cried out as she dropped her own cards to tackle Adora to the floor. The blonde let out a yelp and instinctively reached for her sword to transform into She-Ra – her favorite way of cheating out of their wrestling fights – only to realize it was nowhere close. It was enough to make Glimmer fake gasp.

“You were going to change into She-Ra? To escape after cheating?? Oh that’s a crime! Bow! Catra! Get over here!” She yelled, struggling to keep Adora down since the Princess was pretty strong on her own. Sadly for her the duo immediately came to help Glimmer, and moments later Adora was pinned down.

“Guys! Let me up!” Adora protested, looking at the three faces staring at her. Or better, the three grins staring at her. Anticipation filled her stomach as she realized she was in trouble. Glimmer sat on her waist, Bow pinned her shins down and Catra held her arms over her head. Completely stuck.

“Oh no, you’ve been cheating Adora. You never cheated when we were young, what happened to you? So scandalous,” Catra teased, earning a playful glare from her pinned friend. Glimmer stared at Adora, a smirk slowly spreading on her face.

“I think I know the perfect punishment! Catra, Bow, you might want to hold on to her,” Glimmer warned, and Adora paled. She knew that look.

“No. No, don't you dare! Glimmer I swear to– AHAhhahahaha!!” Adora let out a cry of laughter as the Queen shook her hands into her friend’s ribs, immediately thrashing around. Catra couldn’t help but blush at the sight of Adora laughing. It did things to her she didn’t want to admit.

“Oh hell yeah, let’s tickle her to death!” Catra cheered, pinning the blonde’s wrists down under her knees so her hands were free. She wiggled her fingers teasingly in front of Adora’s face, before scribbling into her underarms. The Princess howled.

“BAAHAHAHAHA NOHOHOO!! EEHEHEHEE STOHOHOP!” She was yeeted into hysterical giggles immediately due to the combined tickle attack. She had had plenty of tickle fights with Catra when they were young cadets, and she had won most of them. She had had plenty of tickle fights with Glimmer and Bow since her arrival in Bright Moon, and thanks to being able to transform into She-Ra she had also won most of them. But with the three of them holding her down, and being unable to transform? She had no way of winning this one.

“Stop? No way, you’re being punished for your crime Adora! I say you’re getting tickled until you feel sorry!” Glimmer grinned evilly while clawing and pinching all over her ribs, yet shot her friend a wink. This made Adora feel at ease, but it also made her giggle faster.

“I cahahaAAHAHAN’T! IT TIHIHIHICKLES SO BAAHAHAHAD!” She shrieked when Catra switched to single nails to scratch into her underarms, arching her back as she tried to deal with the sensations. Glimmer smirked and yanked her shirt upwards, leaning in to blow a huge raspberry on her belly. Bow simply held her legs and smiled as he watched his friend howl with laughter under the tickle attack.

“Sorry Adora, usually I’d try to get her to be merciful, but you did cheat on us sooooo,” He teased, not participating because he didn’t want to overwhelm her. 

“How does it feel to be on the losing end for once?” Glimmer teased, scribbling her nails all over Adora’s bare stomach. She knew that it wasn’t fair to grill her like that, especially since Glimmer nearly always initiated the tickle fights, but it was too much fun to actually win for once. She could get used to this. 

“We gotta make sure to keep her sword away during game nights, wimpy little Adora is no match for us like this,” Catra teased, using her tail to brush against her girlfriend’s neck while wiggling all of her nails into her hollows.

“STOHOHOHOHOP! PLEEHEHEHEASE! I’M GOHOHONNA PEEEHEHEHEHEE!” Adora was roaring with laughter, all of the tickles bombarding her brain, especially because Bow had joined despite his better judgment, giving her knees a few ticklish squeezes every now and then. It felt good to laugh her heart out, knowing that she wouldn’t be berated for showing weakness like that. She felt safe among her friends. But she also felt like she was going to die if they didn’t let up soon. Glimmer noticed it was getting a little too much and decided to wrap it up, signing to the others to stop.

“Are you sorry for cheating?” She finally asked with a smirk, wiggling a single finger in her bellybutton, sending Adora in another giggle frenzy. The Princess nodded and kicked her freed legs – Bow had stood up to go get some water – while giggling her head off.

“Yehehehehes!! Plehehehease I’ll nehehever do it agahahahahain!” Adora promised between her laughter, and after a few moments of consideration Glimmer decided to grant her mercy.

“Good!” She said with a nod, stopping her tickle attack as she stood up. Catra released Adora’s wrists and stood up as well, but not before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. Adora remained laying down on the floor as she caught her breath. Bless She-Ra for being able to recover fast.

“Well, it’s getting rather late so I think we should wrap it up for tonight,” Bow said with a smile as he handed the glass of water to Adora. “See you guys tomorrow morning!”

“Good idea, see you!” Glimmer said with a wink, before placing her hand on Bow’s shoulder, teleporting them to their own room. Deciding they would clean the mess tomorrow, the duo crawled on top of the fluffy bed and quite literally collapsed.

“So this is what a near-death experience feels like,” Adora said dramatically, earning an eye-roll and a chuckle from Catra.

“All those years of war, and this is what comes to mind when you think of a near-death experience? You’re such an idiot,” She teased. Adora playfully swatted at her, before pulling her closer.

“This is a much happier near-death experience. I wouldn’t mind feeling it again,” She admitted with a blush. She loved being tickled and laughing freely, but it was still embarrassing to admit it out loud. Thankfully Catra fully understood her.

“Don’t worry, there will be plenty more of those,” She promised, reaching out to give Adora a kiss, who hummed in approval. “You just need to learn to be a better cheater,”

Another hum.

“Like me,” Catra added with a grin, giving Adora a wink before turning on her side to sleep.

“... HEY!”

[gemini-sensei]

Girlcock!Yasmine x Pregnant!Reader

Fem!Chubby!Reader ○ no major CW

Based on this ask here. Kind of a continuation of this ask here. (unedited)

In private, Yasmine is very attentive. She likes to do for Reader any chance she gets, becoming very doting. A lot of her affection becomes acts of service alongside her usual physical touch and gift giving. She pampers the hell out of Reader and will do anything for her now that she's carrying their baby.

She's also big on cuddling, just getting to hold Reader makes her day. Putting her hands on her belly while holding her close to her chest is everything to her, especially after long days. She also loves to cuddle Reader's belly, even if she isn't showing yet. Their little baby is still there and she gives little kisses every time she puts her head there or she's getting up.

However, that's just Yasmine when she and Reader are alone. When in public, she becomes very aggressive and defensive. If anyone looks at them the wrong way, she's jumping down their throat and daring them to say something to her face. She may not be an outright bully anymore, but that doesn't mean she still can't use her words to wound her enemies (the enemies made when they look at her baby mama the wrong way that is).

She's even fiercely protective when out with their friends. The only person she will even entrust with Reader and Baby is Moon. She's made the baby's god mother early on as Yasmine has already made up her mind about the matter. A close second is Sam, whom she knows Reader would be extremely safe with because of karate. Everyone else she's kind of defensive about, but in the fretting sort of way. They're still her friends after all.

Yasmine still worries that she won't be a good mom, so she needs assurance from time to time. She stays awake at night thinking about it, asking herself if the baby will love Reader more than her, if she's going to be able to be a good mom, worrying about whether or not her less than attractive traits will be passed down to the baby. She doesn't want their baby to end up like she was, nasty and rude. On those nights, she'll lay and watch Reader sleep with a hand on her growing midsection until she falls asleep in the early morning hours.

She gets giddy and excited when Reader's soft fat begins to round out. Now she really can't keep her hands off of Reader's belly, showing her bump with kisses before pulling her in close for a long, loving kiss. She smiles big and holds her girlfriend close, the whole thing so much more real at that point.

Maternity clothes shopping where she only buys the best of the best for Reader. Cute blouses and comfortable tops, not to mention the best maternity bras and pants, cushioned shoes for going out and super soft slippers for staying in. She buys herself and Reader matching fuzzy robes that say "mama" on the breast with Reader's saying "baby on board" on the back.

They wear those fuzzy robes on spa days, whether they're going out or staying in. Yasmine treats her girlfriend to spa days often, especially massages to help her with tension in her shoulders and the pain in her feet.

I can only see Yasmine designing and putting together an elegant nursery. Neutral colors, sleek decorations, fancy lettering of their baby's name or first initial on the wall. However, once the baby is born and they grow, the room fills with more color and decorations that reflect their personality.

The closet is also filled with all sorts of baby clothes. Onesies, booties, shirts, pants, wraps, everything. There's things in there that the baby won't be able to wear for at least a year after they are born, but it was too cute to pass up! Needless to say, there's plenty of clothes for their little one.

Definitely makes a lot of cute Insta posts about the pregnancy and how excited she is to be a mom. She'll post pictures from the ultrasound appointment, the actual scans, the tears they cried when they saw the baby's little face and hands. The closer it gets to having the baby, the more excited she gets and she has to share that with everyone because it's just too much for her to contain.

Takes Reader out of town on a babymoon to get some peace and quiet before the baby arrives. They go out to nice dinners and spend time on a private beach; lots of sleeping in after the sunrise and plenty of love making after sunset. She makes sure they enjoy themselves and each other before they become a family of a wriggly, cute little baby.

When the day comes for the baby to be born, Yasmine definitely gets into a fight with a rude nurse. Everything is fine at first but as soon as she notices Reader is uncomfortable from something other than the labor pains, her attitude changes and she subtly starts throwing shade at the nurse that is being judgmental. Before long, she's having the nurse switched out for someone else and wants to complain about her, but doesn't get that far because Reader is literally having their baby.