#she forgets her own strength sometimes trust me

[lizdive]

hello! platonic aventurine, jing yuan, blade, sunday, boothill, dan heng and dr ratio with a teen!reader who is like lynette from genshin?

please do include lynette’s backstory as well :3

love my girlie lynette i remember when i first got her i maxed her out as quick as possible she’s so pretty <33 idk why tumblr wasn’t cooperating with me while i was trying to format this istg,,,, tysm for requesting !! sorry this took some time,, if you’re unsatisfied just tell me and i’ll redo it !! <33

notes 𐙚 gender-neutral reader — "you" used to refer to reader ,, reader is a teenager ,, reader is based off of "lynette" from the game genshin impact ,, platonic relationships ,, mentions of being sold, close to being 'used', creepy old men, and other things relating to lynette’s past ,, yanqing is referenced in jing yuan’s part ,, mention of silver wolf in blade’s part ,, mention of march in dan heng’s part ,, mention of screwllum in dr ratio’s part ,, this is not proofread pls ignore typos especially bcs this is so long i cannot proofread this all rn

⭑ AVENTURINE has worked with many people and therefore has seen it all when it comes to appearances and personalities, but you by far are the most interesting person he’s met.

⭑ He’s tried to interact with you before, and every time you give him a bizarre and odd response he only tries harder. Mostly because he wants to properly hold a conversation with you, but also because he wants to see how odd your replies can get.

⭑ He doesn’t blame you for not trusting him so easily. Many who have joined the IPC have done it out of force and therefore trust nobody. He actually feels a bit proud that you are not naive and stay guarded around the other workers so they don’t take advantage of you. Still, he’ll try his best to befriend you so you aren’t alone.

⭑ Finds your swordsmanship very impressive. Your agility and strength brings you praise from him and sometimes he’ll watch you train. You don’t say anything to him as usual. Whenever you spot him you just stare at him with that poker face of yours and continue as if he isn’t even there.

⭑ When he notices how much tea you drink on a daily basis, he’ll gift you the finest tea on the market as a 'good job' for completing missions successfully. You’ll know it’s from him because of it’s value and because he always leaves little notes on the boxes.

⭑ If you ever invite him to have some tea and sweets with you, trust that he will be there whether it be physically or using a hologram if he’s far away. He’ll prepare tea in his location and make it look like he’s actually present with you physically in the moment.

⭑ The longer AVENTURINE spends time with you, the more he finds himself subconsciously keeping a sweet treat with him at all times in case you’re craving something. If you’re off on a mission he’ll make sure to give you money for your tea and sweet treats alone and will ask you to send him pictures of what you got.

⭑ He’s is very interested in your feline features and traits. When you tell him about your rare case of atavism, he’s very intrigued. He may do his own little experiments like buying you cat toys to see your reaction which is up to interpretation. Also, he’ll bring you fish dishes during your lunch breaks whenever you forget to bring your food!

⭑ Loves watching your performances and would be honored if you asked him to assist you! If you ever want to hold something grand-scale he’ll be more than happy to rent you a full theatre to perform in. Best advertisements for your shows and everything.

⭑ When you open up to him about your past, he can only sit there is surprise and pity. You were so young yet already went through so much before joining the IPC. He can relate to you in some ways as well. He knows what it’s like to be sold off to men who only used instead of cared.

⭑ If you tell him that man may still be alive, he’ll do a bit of research. If he is, then AVENTURINE will have a lovely gambling match with him! No worries, it’s all for fun! Fun for you, at least, when you get to go shopping with all the money the man once had but now lost. Buy yourself some nice outfits and self-care products, you deserve it !!

⭑ If you ever have moments where you feel bad or icky from your past, or have nightmares, he’ll always be there to comfort you. Call him, text him, go up to him and ask for comfort, or if he’s near and notices he’ll come and ask you if you’re okay and if you wanna talk about it. He’s good at distractions. Why not have some snacks with him, It’s time for shopping, there’s this new restaurant that opened that serves purely seafood.

⭑ He’ll do the talking for you. If anyone tries to switch from him to you he’ll either let you give the weirdest response ever or steer them back to him. He also appreciates how you don’t beat around the bush and how frank you are.

⭑ You’re bad with machines and tech? AVENTURINE doesn’t think much of it until you wreck the fifth computer that month.. oh well, he’ll just buy you a new one. He’ll try his best to teach you and help you improve and fix your machinery clumsiness, but he’ll also tease you and joke about it.

"Tea is ready, now it's time for a short rest."

"Alright, just let me finish the last paper in this file and I’ll be right there. I have some new news about [+] from the genius society~"

⭑ The general of the Luofu attending your performances instead of working? More likely than you think! You various tricks and acts are a nice pass-time when he doesn’t feel like completing the mountain of paperwork stacked up on his desk. While you aren’t the most expressive person which may lead to some acts come off as dull, he finds amusement in how your personality contradicts your occupation.

⭑ A bit concerned when he spots you walking around the large ship without any supervision on multiple occasions, but it’s not his place to ask and you don’t look distressed or anything (not that you ever do.) However, he’ll order some cloud knights to keep a close eye on you just in case anyone were to try anything.

⭑ JING YUAN found out about your swordsmanship skills from Yanqing. It was when the young boy had returned from his training, utterly exhausted with his hair looking like had been attacked by a wind storm, that he is told about the teen with the feline features has some impressive swordsmanship.

⭑ That’s when his interest was piqued and he tries to interact with you. After performances he’ll give you some praise and ask how you’re doing. This, of course, makes you a bit nervous as this is the general of the luofu and here he his talking to you like you’re his kid,, so you do what you do best and hit him with one of your outlandish responses that makes him pause.

⭑ JING YUAN laughs thinking you’re pulling off one of your acts, but then you do it again and again and by the end of the interaction you have successfully made the general question if his age was getting to him.

⭑ Still, he will continue to praise you and ask how your day is after every performance, sometimes offering a game of starchess if you’re not too busy. His consistency is what gets you to trust him as he shows no ill-intent, especially after you grow closer to Yanqing behind the scenes as the boy constantly spars with you.

⭑ He doesn’t mind how frank and straightforward you can be. Like Aventurine, he’s worked with many different people and appreciates it. Your pokerface is also something he’ll praise you for as it’s very useful in combat and when playing against him.

⭑ When you open up about your past, JING YUAN can’t help the seed of anger that has been planted in him, and the more you share, the more that anger grows. He knows this world is cruel, but he had secretly hoped that it had been kinder to you. His relief is very evident on his features when you tell him that the man hadn’t been able to do anything relating to your body.

⭑ Will issue an order to a small group of cloud knights to find the man who had dared to put you through such a horrible experience. They won’t be the one to use him as a training target, however. That is for JING YUAN to enjoy. Oh, don’t mind him. Something important came up. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon. You just enjoy your tea and sweets.

⭑ Speaking of tea and sweets, JING YUAN will always be down for tea time with youHe’ll try to clear at least a nice period in the afternoon to dedicate it to tea time with you. It becomes a tea party as Yanqing join you both sometimes. Takes tea time very seriously and will pause whatever he’s doing to attend. Clock strikes tea time? He’s leaving mid-conversation.

⭑ Cat naps!! It’s a big pile of you, him, mimi, and sometimes Yanqing, all curled up together and slumbering peacefully under the warm sun. He’ll use the excuse of keeping an eye on you when you’re napping just so he can nap as well. He indulges your cat instincts / traits a lot (sometimes you think he’s secretly a cat, too.)

⭑ Finds the fact that you’re very clumsy with machines very funny but also surprising. You’re so skilled with your blade and you perform such intricate acts and tricks that take years go master yet you struggle using a vacuum?? It’s a pretty bad case especially because the luofu is very mechanical-machinery reliant, so if anything randomly breaks, JING YUAN will just sigh as he knows it’s most likely you.

⭑ He won’t always be there to do the talking for you, but he’ll do his best. Plus, not many people will chat with you when the general is around. They’d either be too intimidated or just think it’s not in their place. If you ever wish to avoid social interaction, just stick next to him.

"Animals can also express their feelings. If you listen carefully, you can tell what state they are in. For a kitty, 'Meow~' means they are much happier than 'Meow meow meow!', and in that situation, you can pet them as much as you want and they won't run away."

"Hmm… is that so? Well, mimi makes more of a 'Meow… meow meow meow!' noise when I pet her. What emotion does that convey?"

⭑ This man does not interact with anyone, so how you two became close is still a mystery to the other stellaron hunters. Still, it’s clear that you both have some sort of bond that’s inseparable.

⭑ Missions with the both of you is just comfortable silence. The two of you are like the social outcasts of any setting. Well, at least the missions are completed swiftly. Most of the time, the third person of the mission doesn’t even have to do anything in the combat department. You both just slice and dice.

⭑ There is no doing the talking for each other because nobody talks to you both, anyways. People are too intimidated to talk to you both with how doll-esque you seem and how scary he is. You both are social interaction repellents and it can be a bit annoying for some, but people like Silver Wolf love it.

⭑ You both bond over not being the best with technology and machinery. You both never rarely use your phones and therefore are victims of having your phones used by other people. You both really couldn’t care less.

⭑ BLADE will watch your performances whenever he isn’t busy with missions. If you want him to help you, it’ll take a bit of convincing, especially if it involves you being in enclosures like being in a glass box with water or something. During dangerous tricks like those he’s very focused so nothing bad happens. Would prefer if he was the one at risk instead of you,,,

⭑ If you want to spar with him, he’ll be hesitant. Yes, you’re good with your sword, but he’s much much more skilled and he’s worried he’ll accidentally hurt you. He’l mentor you, however. Teaching is fine, but sparring is a big nono.

⭑ Doesn’t really care much for your feline features. BLADE has seen a lot of hybrids in his time so yours are not a shocker. He’ll be considerate of any boundaries and will make sure people don’t touch your ears or tail of course, but he won’t treat you any differently than any other person.

⭑ Will drink tea with you occasionally but he won’t eat the sweet treats. Likes tea himself, so he’ll enjoy your little tea times. He’ll bring back new types of teas you have yet to try during missions. If he’s going back to the planet or if it’s nearby and you liked a specific type, he’ll buy it again in larger portions so you can drink as much as you want.

⭑ Opening up to him is like talking to a wall. He looks stoic as always on the outside but trust that on the inside he has already thought of over 100 ways to make that man’s life a living hell. Like Jing Yuan, he knows the world is cruel. He will simply be crueler. Doesn’t take long for him to find the man who had bought you, and that day Blade’s bounty is soaring with how big the increase is.

⭑ Not the best with comforting others but if you’re having a bad day because of the memories or feel icky or something BLADE will make sure everyone gives you space and lets you have your you time. Will prepare tea and a snack for you, too.

"I used to think that the golden sun and dark shadows of the night could never understand one another. But in you, I see a kind of strange complexity that has needlessly piqued my curiosity..."

"…mmn.."

⭑ Another one that attends your shows! The news of a rising feline-featured performed piqued his interest, and so on opening night for your first show he could be seen seated in the spectator seats up top.

⭑ Really enjoys how your stoic demeanor balances your dramatic acts. While he knows your lack of enthusiasm isn’t the most encouraging for people to return or interact, he appreciates how different it is from the other over the top performers that litter penacony. SUNDAY soon becomes a regular at your shows.

⭑ It was you who came up to him first. You simply wanted to thank him for his consistent attendance and constant support, but he soon swept you int conversation and no matter how many odd and bizarre responses you gave him, he always managed to adjust to keep the conversation going. You cannot win with him.

⭑ These back-stage / after-show conversations soon become almost as frequent as his attendance to your performances. Also, his frequent attendance does not go unnoticed and when news of the head of the oak family being seen during almost every performance goes viral your popularity skyrockets.

⭑ Have you ever thought of security work as a side-occupation? It was when SUNDAY was escorting you to call a taxi that he saw your swordsmanship in action. Your theatre borders some dangerous territory, but memes were usually taken care of. He now knew who dealt with him as he watched you obliterate the ones that appeared. It reassures him knowing that you can take care of yourself.

⭑ Everyone in his residence knows how serious tea time is. Servants are rushing around in the kitchens trying to prepare the perfect sweets and snacks. To prepare the tea just the way you both like it, hot enough for SUNDAY but cool enough for you. The poor servants’ stress levels are always through the roof when it’s tea time preparation, and you are blissfully unaware of it all. By the time you’re in sunday’s office or lounge, everything has already been prepared.

⭑ Just like you are intrigued by SUNDAY’s halovian features, he is intrigued by your feline features. When you both are close enough, he’ll let you preen his wings and you’ll let him groom your ears and tail. He’s much more fussy with you, however. The second he spots a stray strand of fur in his office, he’s demanding your presence so he can get rid of the rest of the loose fur. He’ll get even more fussy before your performances and will always do last-minute checks before you’re out on stage.

⭑ Another one that appreciates your honesty and how you always cut straight to the point. Can always rely on you to tell him what he needs when he needs it. Also, your attention to detail is very useful and sometimes he’ll ask of you to focus on certain people during a show and report back to him.

⭑ The second you begin to open up about your past, SUNDAY is right beside you reassuring you to take it slow especially when you tell him about the man you were sold to. He’s pissed, rightfully so, but during the moment he’s supportive and makes sure to make it very clear that you are not anything negative you say about yourself should you do so.

⭑ SUNDAY is very good at interrogations, and with THEIR ability he’ll know if that wretched scum lies to him. There is no justifying, there is no 'the past is past' — there is no redemption. Once the man admits all he has done, he will be rid of. Vanished off the face of the cosmos. Nobody will know anything about him.

⭑ He’ll help you practice for performances, but he won’t go up on stage with you. He’d rather watch from afar as he doesn’t want to steal the spotlight from you. Your show nights are all about you, and he’ll make sure of it. There will be no disturbances and no casualties.

⭑ Funds all of your performances. Buys you any and all equipment you want and need. Want to expand your theatre? Done and without any charge. SUNDAY is your number one supporter and defender !!

⭑ He doesn’t mind doing the talking for you, but he’ll try and encourage you to talk for yourself. It would do you good to indulge in some small talk and conversation every once in a while! But if you insist you don’t want to and just want to be left alone without conversation, he’ll understand and drop it.

"After the sun goes down, the desires hidden in people's hearts will rise to the surface... I mean— evening shows are spectacular. Should I reserve a ticket for you?"

"Ahaha, yes, please do reserve a ticket."

⭑ Was creeped out the moment he met you. You were so still and expressionless that he thought you were a doll until you suddenly rushed forward and beat ass. If he had a heart it would’ve definitely stopped.

⭑ BOOTHILL couldn’t deny your swordsmanship was praiseworthy, however. Your agility, your sharp cuts, everything about it was impressive for someone your age. He tried to praise you but you gave him that stoic look and blurted out the most random sentence he’s heard and walked away leaving him dazed.

⭑ It doesn’t matter if your shows are expensive or not, BOOTHILL WILL get himself a ticket just to be able to figure out what it is with you. Also, because the idea of your dull expressionless self doing magic tricks had him doubling over in laughter. However, he was surprised at how professional you were with every act and trick.

⭑ Managed to sneak backstage and looked around for you only to find you gone. Was disappointed because he really did want to praise you for your skill— well, now skills. And maybe wanted to know who the hell trained you and how you were so good for a teenager.  Oh well, there was always the next show.

⭑ Or, there was always that same night. Saving you from some creepy men who were trying to do Aeons know what was all it took for you to glue yourself to him and use him as your meat shield. Not that BOOTHILL minded, it was kinda of in his job description and his morals to protect innocent people, especially when they were on the younger side.

⭑ He’s still a bit creeped out by how you’re so.. doll. You follow him around like a reserved duckling. And it’s not just following him around until the end of his stay — no, he literally finds you grabbing onto his jacket as he makes his way to leave to complete another bounty. There’s no getting rid of you and he’s accepted that.

⭑ He’ll definitely tease you about your feline features and behaviors. Calls you a clingy cat and will buy you cat toys as jokes. If you get upset, he’ll quickly apologize and make it up to you by taking you to your favorite seafood restaurant and letting you get whatever you want. If you don’t mind the jokes, then you’ll have a pile of cat toys that grows with each month!

⭑ Didn’t understand why you’d always stand in the corner of his mechanic’s shop when he was getting upgrades or repaired. He though it was just some teenage shyness but then one night he watched you blow up a literal vacuum. Terrified of you messing with his wires while he’s asleep charging. He tried to help, but gave up and backed away when you proceeded to fry your phone because it overheated.

⭑ Finds it absolutely hilarious when you’re interacting with people. Whether it’s your brutal honesty when talking to others or just one of your flabbergasting sentences to get them to leave you alone, it’s all comedic gold to him. Until it’s targeted at him,,, then uhm,,, yeah,,, okay maybe it’s a bit funny but still,,,,,

⭑ BOOTHILL knows he can come off as intimidating, and he’ll use it to his advantage if you don’t want anyone to talk to you. If someone tries to push it, they’ll have a nice revolver in their face and a protective cyborg ready to shoot at any moment should they push it even more.

⭑ When you open up to him about your past, all he can feel is rage — so much so that his internal fans are whirring to cool him down. He immediately asks you if you remember his name, his appearance, anything. He’ll also comfort you if you feel bad or feel like it’s your fault, which it definitely isn’t.

⭑ Oh sorry, he just got a new bounty you can’t go on. It’s just too dangerous! Don’t worry, you stay and spend all his money like some spoiled teen if you want. He’ll be back soon, you just relax and have a little you time!!

⭑ Would love to take part in your performances. He’s cautious if he’s on stage, however, and will probably use a disguise so nobody notices him since he is a wanted man, after all. He doesn’t want to risk your safety because of his status. He has yet to find out you also have a rising bounty on your head because you’ve been spotted numerous times with him.

⭑ BOOTHILL doesn’t mind your little tea time as long as it doesn’t get in the way of important bounties and dangerous missions. Even if it does, he’ll just tell you to maybe change your schedule? He’ll take you to a nice tea shop to make up for it but please focus on the bounty so it can be over with and you’ll be safe,,,

⭑ Really wants to know how you do that teacup card trick,,,

"I'm not accustomed to expressing myself, but I consider myself a good listener. If you have any troubles, tell me. I'll guard your secrets."

"I don’t doubt ya, kid."

⭑ DAN HENG initially did not expect you to trust anyone quickly when you first joined the express. It takes one to know one, but he can tell rather quickly that you were cautious of everyone despite your poker face. He doesn’t talk too much with you, not that he gets the chance as you give your weird replies to everyone who tries to talk to you.

⭑ He doesn’t realize that you inviting him for tea time in your room is a privilege only he has until March complains about your 'favoritism'. He’ll ask you about it and you’ll confirm it. He won’t ask why but it’s nice to know you trust him more than anyone else.

⭑ You both are social outcasts 2.0. He’ll do most of the talking for you both, but if anyone else from the crew is present, especially March, then they’ll do the talking for you both. He’s also the only one to understand your random response and to this day nobody knows how he does it.

⭑ Just like he needs to tend to his vidyadhara traits, you need to tend to your feline ones. Doesn’t mind if you randomly start shedding but will get a bit bothered if you leave your shedded fur around in the archives. If it gets to much he’ll sit you down and comb through your tail and ears’ fur himself. Also, if you’re comfortable with it, please put in some data about your avatism in the archives.

⭑ DAN HENG doesn’t seem all that enthusiastic during your performances, but he does enjoy them. He’ll clap and give some words of encouragement, but he’s not full on beaming. He just doesn’t know how to properly show his support physically so he’ll show it with praise and giving you trinkets and things he thinks you would or could use.

⭑ Also doesn’t mind helping you with acts and performances, and it’s funny how the both of you have this deadpan poker face while doing the most dramatic over the top jaw dropping trick. You both have a bit of a reputation on some planets that you’ve publicly performed during free time on missions,,

⭑ DAN HENG, like Blade, isn’t the best at comforting people — he can barely comfort himself. He’s a bit emotionally awkward. Still, he’ll try his best to comfort you as you open up to him about your past. He’s upset, but never at you. He’ll pat your back comfortingly or let you hug him.

⭑ If there’s ever a mission where he lays eyes on that man should he still be alive, DAN HENG will act on your behalf. He just needs to keep his skills sharp, that’s all. WORLD CLEANSING DRAGON—

⭑ If you have nightmares, you’re always free to sleep next to him in the archives. He knows how bad nightmares can be as someone who has suffered from them, and if you get embarrassed because you think it’s childish due to your age, he’ll pretend to still be asleep when you enter his room late to snuggle next to him.

⭑ Your clumsiness with technology and machinery genuinely concerns him. He’ll try to keep as little tech in your room as possible and will supervise you whenever you do literally anything with objects of the sort so you don’t hurt yourself or anyone around.

⭑ There’s a lot of things DAN HENG doesn’t realize he’s doing unless someone points it out. How he orders dishes that have some fish in them so he can give them to you, how he always makes sure your tea is cool enough for your sensitive tongue, how he know when you’re upset or not just from your ears.

⭑ Doesn’t mind sparring with you, but he’ll go easy on you. If you want him to mentor you, he’ll take it very seriously. He wants to make sure that you’ll be able to defend yourself should anything happen. Yes, he knows your swordsmanship is impressive for your age, but he also knows that impressive does not equal safety every time. He may be a bit strict, but it’s for your wellbeing so please don’t get upset.

"Go to sleep, I still have some loose ends to tie up from work today... I still have to fix the vacuum cleaner I broke.."

"That’s the third one this month.."

⭑ Was a bit surprised when he entered his lecture to find a feline-featured teenager sitting front row staring at him with a dead look. Was a bit creeped out, but whatever. He was fully expecting you to drop out after the first class.

⭑ Was surprised once again when you showed up for the next lecture. And the one after and after and after. Not to mention you were diligent and observant. You noticed a lot of things and after you two grew close, he’s a bit intimidated by how much you know and notice.

⭑ Some of the other students hate you for it bcs you can easily snitch on them if he ever asked you to. They can never say anything about it because you either ignore them or VERITAS steps in and scolds them.

⭑ You’re like a therapy cat for him but not in a weird way. If you let him, VERITAS will study your case of avatism. With how cat-like you behave, he’ll do some tests like scratching your ears and petting you. Would also see your reaction to cat toys. Now, why do I say therapy cat? Because your purring calms him down always. Also you make him feel like a cat dad.

⭑ He’ll get annoyed if you freely shed all around. Will scold you every time and then expect you to groom yourself properly. If you don’t he’ll get all huffy and frustrated as he does it himself but he really doesn’t mind. He just puts up an act.

⭑ You both are a scary duo. Some people think you’ve gotten your frank and brutal tongue from VERITAS, but you were like that since young. Still, many firmly believe you got it from him. You needn’t worry about unecessary conversation — people are too scared either you or him will rip them a new one for even looking at you. (exaggeration)

⭑ And while many are intimidated and scared of you, getting easily offended at your lack of sugarcoated words, VERITAS appreciates how blunt you can be. Will tell other people to be like you and doesn’t care if they get offended LMFAO

⭑ Probably the one on this list that’s the biggest enjoyer of tea time. You’ll be working on your assignments and be’ll be grading others’ assignments while enjoying sweet snacks and tea. Either that, you both sit in comfortable silence, or you’re dropping all the latest gossip you’ve heard and things you’ve noticed about your classmates that he hasn’t.

⭑ Contrary to the popular belief of his students, VERITAS finds himself enjoying your magic tricks and performances. It takes skill to do what you do, and he has to give credit where it’s due. He won’t really help during your acts, but he’ll give his input and ideas on how to improve like a better angle or quicker actions.

⭑ Also, VERITAS would encourage you to better cultivate your swordsmanship! I’d like to think he has connections, so he’ll find you someone if you want a mentor. If not, then that’s fine too. He’ll remind you everyday to go train for at least an hour. He won’t force you if you don’t feel like it, of course. As long as you’re with him, he’ll be able to protect you anyways.

⭑ Also one of the not-so-good comforters on the list when you open up about your past. So instead, he’ll brutally degrade the man you were sold to until you feel better. He’s trying his best, please understand that. He’ll give you an awkward pet to the head to top it all off.

⭑ I feel like VERITAS wouldn’t do anything to the man physically. Instead, he’ll care for your skills and enhance them until you’re known across the cosmos. Be it as a scholar, a sword fighter, a performer, or something else. Because in his eyes, that’s the best revenge.

⭑ Should that man still be alive, he will see that the one he saw as nothing but a toy to use is now one of the brightest stars in the cosmos, known all throughout while he is rotting away like the scum bastard he is.

⭑ Now, VERITAS is very prideful with his favorite and best student and he supports you, but,,,, but what is this,,,,, how are you so horrible with technology and machinery???? Were you born yesterday??

⭑ Like Dan Heng, he’ll supervise you whenever you’re using anything that has tech and/or machinery in it. Almost got a heart attack when he saw you tinkering with something that piqued your interest on Herta’s space station — VERITAS genuinely thought you’d bring the end of the station by blowing it up.

⭑ Would implement things in divergent universe (domain based off of tea time, occurrence, etc.) that relates to you and he wouldn’t even realize it until Screwllum points it out to which he denies.

"Making tea looks simple on the surface, but it is actually quite complex. The quality of the tea leaves, the temperature of the water, the number of times to add water... Only when every variable is properly controlled can tea of the purest taste be brewed. Would you like a cup?"

"You truly are passionate in the art of tea making, hm? But, yes, I would like a cup."

[pinkrangermemes]

EPIC: The Musical

lyrics that absolutely fuck me up, feel free to change pronouns and such as needed

"A mission to kill someone's son, a foe who won't run, unlike anyone you have faced before."

"I'd rather bleed for you."

"This is the will of the gods."

"Don't make me do this."

"The blood on your hands is something you won't lose. All you can choose is whose."

"You're as old as he was when I left for war."

"How could I hurt you?"

"I'm just a man who's trying to go home."

"When does a man become a monster?"

"When does the reason become the blame?"

"Forgive me."

"We should try to find a way no one ends up dead."

"You can relax, my friend."

"Think of all that we have been through. We'll survive what we get into."

"This life is amazing when you greet it with open arms."

"I see in your face there is so much guilt inside your heart."

"Have you forgotten to turn off your heart? This is not you."

"Have you forgotten your purpose? Let me remind you."

"Don't forget that you're a warrior of a very special kind."

"Don't disappoint me."

"What gives you the right to deal a pain so deep?"

"Don't you know that pain you sow is pain you reap?"

"Your life now is in my hand."

"A trade, you see. Take from me like you took from me."

"You shall be the final man to die."

"It's just one life to take."

"When we kill him our journey's over."

"Captain?"

"You've hurt me enough."

"When I kill you, my pain is over."

"Mark my words now. This is not the end."

"Remember them."

"Who hurts you?"

"If nobody hurt you, be silent."

"He's still a threat until he's dead."

"Finish it."

"What good would killing do, when mercy is a skill more of this world could learn to use?"

"The blood we shed, it never dries."

"I am your darkest moment."

"I am the infamous _______!"

"This way, you won't disappoint me."

"This way, you won't waste my time."

"Unlike you, every time someone dies, I'm left to deal with the strain."

"I'll remind you, I saw you as a friend, but now we're done."

"This way, you won't plague my life."

"This way, you'll close the door and have your damn goodbye."

"Since you claim you're so much wiser, why's your life spent all alone?"

"You're alone!"

"This day, you sever your own head."

"This day, you lost it all. Consider this as my goodbye."

"Don't forget how dangerous the gods are."

"How much longer 'til your luck runs out?"

"You rely on wit, and people die on it."

"I still believe in goodness."

"Lead from the heart, and see what starts."

"And what will we do when it tears us apart?"

"You're like the brother I could never do without."

"How much longer 'til your strength takes leave?"

"I can't have you planting seeds of doubt."

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

"Sometimes killing is a must."

"Friends turn into foes and rivalries."

"Never really know who you can trust."

"The end always justifies the means."

"So much has changed, but I'm the same."

"I'm left without a choice and without a doubt."

"Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves."

"You are the worst kind of good 'cause you're not even great."

"You are far too nice."

"Mercy has a price."

"Unlike you, I've got no mercy left to give."

"The line between naivete and hopefulness is almost invisible."

"What have you done?"

"I am your darkest moment, the monster that always draws near."

"Remember me."

"There's only so much left we can endure."

"Think of your past and your mistakes."

"No, I'm not a player. I'm a puppeteer."

"I can hardly sleep now, knowing everything we've done."

"It's a game of wits, but you don't have to play."

"A foe like ____ is not to be messed with."

"You could be hurt or you could beat her."

"I'll help you conquer her."

"Wouldn't you like your outcome preferred?"

"Don't thank me, friend, you very well may die."

"Did you do something to them?"

"I don't know who you are or why you're here, but let me make this one thing clear."

"I've got people to protect, friends I can't neglect, so now there is no turning back."

"Back at home my wife waits for me. She's my everything, my _____."

"Maybe showing one act of kindness leads to kinder souls down the road."

"This land confuses your mind."

"All I hear are screams every time I dare to close my eyes."

"I no longer dream, only nightmares of those who've died."

"Why would you let _____ live when ruthlessness is mercy?"

"I keep thinking of the infant from that night."

"____, when you come home, I'll be waiting."

"Even if you're the last thing I see, I'll be waiting."

"I took too long."

"I'll always love you."

"Your past is always close behind."

"I see a song of past romance."

"I see portrayals of betrayal and a brother's final stand."

"I see a man who gets to make it home alive, but it's no longer you."

"We've suffered and sailed through the toughest of Hells, now you tell us our efforts were nothing?"

"I see a wife with a man who is haunting. A man with a trail of bodies."

"How has everything been turned against us?"

"How did suffering become so endless?"

"Do I need to change?"

"What if I'm the monster?"

"What if I'm the problem that's been hiding all along?"

"If I became the monster, and threw that guilt away, would that make us stronger?"

"So what if I'm the monster lurking deep below?"

"If I gotta drop another infant from a wall in an instant so we all don't die, then I'll become the monster."

"I'll become the monster."

[samdeancass]

Love at First Sight

Pairing: Stiles x McCall!fem!reader

Genre: Fluff

Characters: Scott, Stiles, Y/N

Description: Y/N and Scott are cousins and haven't seen each other for 5 years when you left Beacon Hills. When she arrives back, Scott throws a party for her and introduces her to Stiles, who seems very happy to meet her.

You smiled widely as you pulled up outside Scott's house, excitement building up inside. Scott is your favourite cousin and the one that you're most close to, so you couldn't wait to knock on his front door and surprise him. Being so close to Scott you knew all about the supernatural world and the fact that he was an alpha werewolf, so you knew that there would be no surprises coming your way, or so you thought.

You walked up the path to his house and knocked on the door, leaning on your heels as you waited. Your smile grew and grew as you heard Scott's voice and the jangle of the keys in the lock. He stood there in both shock and happiness when he swung the door open and seen you standing there.

"Y/N? What the hell are you doing here?" Scott opened his arms and engulfed you to his chest, nearly squeezing the life out of you. "Scott...can't...breathe." "Ooo sorry, I tend to forget my strength sometimes." You chuckled and took a look at Scott, closing the door behind you.

He really had changed since the last time you seen him. There was a lot more muscle on his body and he seemed to have grown quite a few inches. "I see the werewolf life is treating you well then." You gestured up and down whilst Scott chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I guess I've changed a lot since you last seen me. How long's it been?" "Five years." Scott's mouth hung open. "No, it can't have been that long. Seriously." You nodded your head and smiled. "Yep, seriously."

You both walked towards the sofa and sat down. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" "Well, my dad has changed jobs again so we needed to move house. It turns out, he's going to be working just outside Beacon Hills! You'll be seeing a whole lot more of me because this time, we're staying!"

A beaming smile spread across Scott's features. "I've just had the perfect idea. Seems you're now back permanently, you're going to need some familiar faces so I'm going to throw you a party. A welcome back party."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "I'm not too sure, Scott. What if they don't like me?" He put his hand on your shoulder and gave you a comforting smile. "Trust me, they are going to love you."

____________

Scott had given you the low down of all the people who are going to be at the party.

"So, Lydia is a banshee. What exactly is that again?" You smoothed down your dress and put on the finished touches to your make-up. "Lydia can sense when someone has died or is near death. Her scream is also very powerful and can throw people back a good few feet."

You nodded your head. "Derek, Liam and Malia are all werewolves?" He nodded. "Malia is a were-coyote. Her mom is a coyote, her dad is a werewolf. Liam is my beta, I turned him accidentally when I was trying to save him. Derek is a strong werewolf, one of the most powerful I've seen."

"Kira is a kitsune? A fire fox?" You put some hairspray in your hair and turned round to Scott. "And she is also my girlfriend." You widened your eyes and smacked him on the shoulder. "Scott McCall, why on earth did you not tell me you have a girlfriend?" His cheeks grew red with embarrassment. "I...I" You laughed and ruffled his hair. "I'm only kidding. But please tell me you know at least one human that isn't me?"

At that, Scott's smile grew wide and cunning. "My best friend, Stiles. He's the smartest person I know but he's also very sarcastic." "It sounds like I'm really going to like him." A soft smile grew on your face before you turned back towards the mirror for one last check.

"C'mon, Y/N. We can't have you being late to your own party." Scott grabbed your hand and led you out the door and down the stairs to meet everyone.

____________

Everyone you had met were extremely nice to you and welcomed you into the pack. Lydia, Kira and Malia were all very happy that they were no longer outnumbered by the boys. Derek was very welcoming to you which Scott said was a complete surprise because he usually just growls at people and walks away.

"And this is Stiles. Stiles, meet Y/N. Y/N meet Stiles." Stiles turned around to greet you when your eyes met. You were completely mesmerised by his chocolate brown eyes and the cute little freckles scattered across his face. Stiles' mouth hang agape as his eyes gazed over your features. Seeing the reaction you both had to each other, Scott smiled to himself and slowly walked away to watch his plan hatch.

"H-hi, I-i'm Stiles." He kept his gaze on you which made you blush. "I'm Y/N, Scott's cousin." You both stood there for a while just staring at each other. "I'm sorry, I don't know how someone as beautiful as you can be related to Scott. I mean, he's a dog."

"Hey! Just because I'm not standing next to you doesn't mean I can't hear what you're saying!" You laughed at the joke, nervously tucking your hair behind your ears. "You are right, though. He is a dog." "Thanks a lot, Stilinski."

"Anytime, pal." He winked at Scott before turning his attention back to you. "So, Scott's told me a little about you and I have to say, I'm very intrigued." You both began to walk together towards the back yard to try and grab some privacy.

"You're intrigued by me? A human? You literally live in a town full of supernatural creatures and you're interested in my life?" You both sat down facing each other on a bench, your arms leaning on the table. "Well, I don't have a normal human life. I'm always dragged into Scott's werewolf drama. I wanna know how the other half live."

You told Stiles all about your life and the different things you had accomplished. Throughout the conversation, Stiles didn't once take his eyes off you; always keeping his attention on you.

You both sat in a comfortable silence just staring at each other until you both slowly leaned over the table and kissed. It was new and exciting and sweet. Excitement and electricity run through your nerves as you kept the connection, Stiles' hand resting against your cheek.

Your hand rested on top of his as you leaned into his warmth, a warm blush spreading across your cheeks. Stiles smiled at you, completely content, until the moment was ruined by wolf whistles and squeals coming from the back door of the house, or more rightly Scott.

"My plan worked! I knew you two would hit it off." Scott smiled confidently at the both of you. You both shook your heads at him. "Can we not have, like, five minutes privacy please?" Lydia pulled Scott back into the house and closed the door but not before giving him a thump for good measure.

"So, where were we?" Stiles leaned over the table again and pressed his lips to yours, this time more passionately. "I think we were getting up to the part where we make out, a lot." Stiles wiggled his eyebrows and pulled you over the table and into his lap causing you to laugh and slap his chest.

From that moment, you guys were inseparable and it was all thanks to Scott who you both knew would never let you forget it.

Teen Wolf Tags:

@bxoken-heartss @hellomyweirdos @redcoatgirl

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi Clan! I haven't been around in a while the autism took me for a few months sorry. Would you do some headcanons for Miles and/or Gwen meeting a Mutant!Spider-Person reader? Like an X-Men type mutant. They never got bit but were instead born with the spider powers (including the webs) and 4 arms. Because they're a mutant they aren't really trusted as a hero by the people of their city (or the cops) but they still try their best because "If I gave up because a few people didn't like me, I wouldn't be very good at my job"

-Forgetful Anon

Gwen Stacy

While visiting Spider Society HQ for the first time, she noticed you sitting at a nearby table, having an arm-wrestling match against Ben Riley.

He insisted you used all four of your arms to "challenge" him....and yet he sulks when he ultimately loses, and you just laugh in victory before patting him on the back.

Once he leaves, you spot this new Spiderwoman and wave her over to your table, insisting on having a match.

It's just your way of breaking the ice for new Spiderpeople. You loved getting to know them and testing their strength. Winning or losing doesn't matter to you.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya." You tease, only to be surprised as Gwen wins with little effort, her smug grin present.

"You went a little "too" easy on me, I think."

"Haha...jeez, I guess so."

And so you both talk for a little while about different things: what she thought of Spider Society, how long she's been Spiderwoman, etc.

When she turns the questions on you, however, you're....a bit hesitant to share.

Unlike most of the Spiderpeople here, you didn't get your powers in the "traditional" sense. No spider has ever bitten you.

Seeing Gwen's curiosity, though, you eventually tell her you're actually a mutant, a human born with the X-gene that made you into a spider hybrid.

You mentioned a league of mutant superheroes in your dimension.....but you ride solo, as most Spiderpeople do, not wanting to be tied down to any specific group (ironic as you're part of Spider Society, but that's besides the point).

She imagines the people there feel pretty safe, though you shake your head. "Nah, some see us as the bigger threat just because we look like this and have all these crazy powers. I've fought aliens and wizards, but...there's some battles that you just can't punch or shoot webs at, y'know?"

Her expression changes to a slightly solemn one, nodding her head in sympathy. "You're fighting for basic respect."

"We just want fair treatment...and it's like we're asking them for the world. All I wanna do is protect my city, but it's hard when half the population hates us and thinks we brought the trouble to them."

"I can't imagine.." She frowns. "If I might ask..what keeps you going? Why bother if nobody even thanks you or sees you as a hero? What's the point?"

"......."

"...sorry, was that too deep-?"

"No, no..you're good, kid." You chuckle, feeling more relaxed. "All my life I've dealt with that stuff, and it still sometimes hurts, but if I gave up just because some people didn't like me, well...I'd be terrible at my job as a Spiderperson."

Gwen's impressed by your words, not expecting to have such a deep conversation about your "origin story" at the first meeting.

But she's glad she could talk to you, needing this distraction from the incident with her dad while she was questioning her own self-worth as Spiderwoman.

You reassure her she can come to you for advice anytime.

Miles Morales (E-1610)

You first met Miles after getting thrown into his dimension thanks to the collider explosion, taking comfort in knowing you're not the most "unusual" spiderperson around.

There's a pig and an anime girl with a psychic link to her spider, for crying out loud.

Anyways, you had faith that he could help you get back to your dimension, never doubting him unlike the other spiderpeople who firmly believed he wasn't ready for this task.

You followed him after he left May's basement to talk one-on-one, sympathizing with his struggles.

"Trust me, kid..I've been in your shoes once. I never felt like a Spiderman in my life..even now."

He stares at you in disbelief. "Really? You? But...you got all your powers at birth! I mean yeah, you weren't bitten, but....but you're already better at this than I am! I bet people really admire you-"

"I've had my fair share of doubters, Miles. All of us have, but I got it...particularly bad in my world. And not just because I'm a "masked vigilante putting myself about the law"."

He's still a bit lost, so you tell him about the unfair treatment of mutantkind in your dimension, speaking of how some people hated you so much...they sought to "cure" your X-genes.

It stings to know that they will shun you instead of seeing you as a hero, though you didn't wanna ramble on for too long and depress Miles further, seeing his frown growing.

"You say all of this, and yet...you think I can help you get back there. Why would you ever wanna go back to a world that hates you just for being yourself? For just trying to do the right thing even if everyone's telling you no?"

"Well..besides dying if I stay in this dimension--" You begin, painfully glitching for a moment as if to prove that point. "--ouch...look, I just can't abandon the people who need me. The ones who do see me as a hero. It's my duty, and...if I gave up trying to be Spiderman just because I get a few stares or snide comments...well then I'm not really Spiderman, am I?"

Miles doesn't know what to say...but he does feel incredibly inspired by your words.

He only wishes the others trusted him like you did.

Patting his shoulder, you remove your mask and smile at him. "Don't their words bring you down, kid. You got potential...they'll realize it soon enough."

[crguang]

I feel like in tired days I just wanna hug hsr women and then sway side to side. Maybe a sigh or two escaping bc of the utter warmth and love you can feel from them. Makes u wanna melt into a small puddle.

-🍏

me core… im literally exhausted all the time no matter how much i sleep and hsr women are sooo comforting in their own ways i’d just be putty in their arms. need black swan especially because she has all the time in the world and knows how to cherish intimate moments like no other so it doesn’t matter how long you’d stay there she wouldn’t get bored, just bask in the warmth she’s feeling and tuck it away in her memory for when she’s away and wants a piece of you ughhh

who are the best huggers do we think… himeko on top! wait its actually a bit hard most of them would be great like natasha raises children and sews teddy bears, a hug from her could cure all my disorders. hime’s canonically super comforting so it’s the two of them at the top but then there’s SWAN who would know just the amount of pressure to put and who’s naturally very easy to trust/talk to as described by people… serval would squeeze you so tight but in a “i love you soooooooo much babe” kind of way so she could also save me. yukong’s a literal mother forget it she might win the top spot bc as a foxian i just know she’s always warm like it would be heaven. and ROBIN? HELLO? this actual sunshineee she’d be happy just hugging for half an hour and she’d rub your back or play with your hair omg im sick

acheron is awkward about it and is the type to weirdly stand still for a minute before she relaxes into the hug but if she’s used to it? omg. im biased bc shes extremely comforting to me but one hug from acheron with her chin over your shoulder or her face in your neck, holding you tight enough that you’re reminded of her immense strength and of how safe u feel with her?…… need that. its the same with jingliu, her and acheron would just be so cute about it. seele would give you 3 to 5 seconds, count them and awkwardly pat your head then immediately slip from your hold. she’s also kinda a “what is this?” “affection” “disgusting. do it again” person to me. bronya’s usually efficient with it like she’ll usually hug you for a few seconds before pulling away but sometimes when you start to pull away bc of how used you are to short hugs she’ll just hold you tighter and shut her eyes for a moment.

jade asks what you’re willing to exchange for a hug and ruins the rest of your life (jk…. but not really😕) she’s somehow superficial about it and its more you hugging her than her hugging you, if that makes sense..? she holds you loosely and chuckles, endeared, but that’s about it. calls you a cutie and tucks your hair back behind your ear when you pull away. topaz will tell you she has exactly 35 seconds to spare so u better make it count and she seems like the type to ruffle your hair or something. (she’s checking her phone behind your back 🤫) firefly is soo down for it she gets all giggly and smiley when you hold her tight and will stay like that for as long as u both can.

best for last…. cant believe im saying this but kafka would be a little like jade except that she not so secretly revels in the attention, it’s hidden behind smugness and confidence but the fact that she lets you hug her for this long speaks for itself. she’s not used to it but she knows how to navigate uncharted waters like a pro (its just a lot of performance) so she never recoils or flinches. like jade, you’re hugging her more than she’s hugging you BUTTT she would play with your hair a little and run her hands down your back until the hug turns rated M😞

i realize u probably dont gaf about all that but my brain started running and i couldnt stop it im sorry hfjfkgjd

[periprose]

pretty please rough navi quaritch smut where he splits reader's legs apart and breeds her?? Reader can be from the RDA and she has to let him breed her as part of the new embryo growth program :) <3

Woo boy anon!! This ask made my head explode in a really good way 😳 thank you

The Old Fashioned Way

Miles Quaritch x Reader

When Parker Selfridge tells you that the RDA needs one of your eggs, since you're a Recom, for new genetic material, you literally can't say no. It's an order that you can't refuse, since they're trying to make new embryos to experiment off of.

Of course, you're placed in a room with Miles Quaritch, your superior, who's unsuccessfully trying to harvest his own reproductive material, same as you. He decides to kill two birds with one stone, and suggest that you do it the old fashioned way.

Word Count: 3.8k

Genre: Smut, pwp, breeding kink, unprotected sex, Quaritch being obsessed, 18+, no use of Y/N

Reader's name is Axe

“No way.” You cross your arms, staring down at Selfridge.

He’s just told you about the new RDA program. Growing Avatars and Recoms is easy and all, you know the process. Na’vi DNA was extracted successfully about twenty-five years ago- and there’s a process of combining human DNA with it to create new bodies.

It’s just that the Na’vi DNA has slowly been losing it’s potency with every sequencing process. You don’t know exactly what that’s all about- just that cloning deteriorates something about how strong the genes are. 

So the scientists and geneticists have decided that they need some kind of replacement, and they need it now. They wanted to track down more Na’vi, but considering how hard everyone’s asses get beat anytime the RDA gets a few klicks near their territory, it was a no go.

They’ve decided on the “natural way.”

As Selfridge has just said.

“ Why… not… just take my genes, Parker?” You bite your lip, and Selfridge shakes his head.

“Don’t make this anymore awkward than it has to be, Axe.” Selfridge stares at his fingernails, which somehow makes him look like even more of a prick. “Your genes are no bueno . You, Zdinarsk, Wainfleet, and Quaritch are the last line of ‘normal’ Recoms, if we can call it that. If we try to extract your genes, and grow a Recom body, it’ll just be a waste of money. It won’t work.”

“Okay.” You inhale sharply, and Selfridge flinches. You forget sometimes in your Recom body that you’re way more intimidating than your old self was. Your dead self. “So what exactly does the ‘natural way’ entail?”

“What are you, a fucking virgin?” Selfridge laughs. Loudly. 

You snarl at him, and he flinches, again, before snickering.

“Jesus, you really are one of them, huh?” Selfridge scoffs. “Try not to fuck the sperm donor too hard when you see him.”

“Selfridge-” You grab his arm as he tries to leave, and with how much smaller Selfridge is, it’s like you’re dangling his body with your sheer strength. “ Motherfucker- tell me for real what’s going on, or I’ll snap your neck.”

“You’ll get shot if you try anything.” Selfridge says, but you can see in his eyes that he’s panicking. “Okay, okay. I’m just fucking with you. They’re just going to extract an egg from your na’vi-ovaries or whatever they’re called. Then the rest, you should know. Embryo production.”

You do know, but you don’t trust him.

It’s not like you have a choice anyways.

/

You were right not to trust him.

Selfridge has to be kidding. You’re sitting in your typical testing room in Bridgehead City. There’s no scientists around, at least not yet. You’ve come in on your day of ovulation, and you’ve been told to wear something comfortable and loose, and to sit around for a bit.

You lean back on the large medical bed, sighing loudly. You’re wearing some regular sweatpants, and a t-shirt that just barely reaches your midriff. Your hair is tied loosely in a low, wavy ponytail. You hope it looks comfortable enough.

You’re assuming an ultrasound, and- the weirdest part- some vaginal probing. You haven’t gotten a chance to play around with your new body yet, at least not like that, and you have no idea what gets you going, or whatever.

You’re sure some lube will be implemented, and then you’ll just lie there and count to ten. You’re just waiting for someone, anyone to come by to do this procedure and get it over with.

The door slides open. You sit up.

Miles Quaritch looks at you, his eyes bright, alert, and his mouth a little agape. His ears stand up for a moment. He’s holding a really old magazine, and a cup- oh no.

You can’t be in this situation with your superior. It’s just so damn awkward.

“Axe?” He shakes his head and just looks flabbergasted as he cackles. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I might as well ask you the same question.” You say flatly, and sigh. “They told me… they were going to do my egg extraction in here?”

“Oh.” Quaritch isn’t exactly a sensitive man, or one with any sort of sensibilities, really, so he just sits on the other medical bed next to yours. After a brief pause, he pulls the curtain, so you’ll at least have a bit of privacy. It’s the most comforting thing he’ll ever do.

“You looking at porn?” You joke, but Quaritch just sighs in response.

“Sooner you shut up, the sooner I’ll be done.” 

You can’t argue with that. It must be weird for him too, to still have to jerk off into a cup so he can be a pseudo sperm-donor for an embryo he’ll never know.

You try not to listen too much to what he’s doing, and you can tell, from how much he’s flipping the pages of some old 2100s era Earth porn- he’s not exactly focused on what he’s supposed to be doing. What the hell was Selfridge and the other scientists thinking? That you were interested in having a voyeur experience?

You know that Bridgehead is really busy, what with all the expansions and all for the new human citizens, so you're guessing this was the only free room. You wonder if Z-Dog and Wainfleet are in the same predicament. Why not at least put you in the same room as Z-Dog, so you have a bit of a girl-to-girl, weird bonding experience? Nothing says best friends like getting your eggs extracted together.

Soon, a little robot of some kind comes by through the door, and gives you what has to be the most embarrassing object. 

A dildo.

Not exactly a dildo, because it's not a toy, but it's a very well crafted, self-lubricating, vibrating egg-extractor. Long, slim, phallic and curved in a way that you know will hit the right spot. You feel yourself flush a little.

The robot tells you to "get yourself ready," with the device, and when you're adequately so, to click a button and let it extend itself into your uterus, where it will harvest the egg for safe keeping. 

You really think this is some kind of practical joke. You would've vastly preferred the cold, clinical nature of a doctor asking you to stay calm as they put you under, and insert something into you. 

But you guess it has to be somewhat pleasurable, so they can get you to do it again at some point if they need to. 

"Those sick bastards." You mutter under your breath, and you hear Quaritch stir a little next to you. 

You decide to just get it over with, and pull down your sweatpants- just down to your knees- and your panties. You lay back against the bed, and fiddle with the device. 

Even when you were on Earth, you usually just messed around with dudes who were on your squad in the Navy. This is kind of new territory for you.

You gently press the tip of the device against yourself, and feel awkward. It just is mechanical, cold, and weird- until it starts vibrating, and emitting some sort of magically warm gel that makes you feel soft, as if your skin is beginning to tingle all over, spreading from in between your thighs, up your stomach, and into your chest. 

That's pretty good. You have to admit that yourself. 

You tentatively push it across your folds, not in just yet, and you feel yourself slicken, wetness pooling around the device- it's a sudden whirlwind of a feeling that has you seeing stars. God, you really have missed this feeling, but it's somehow even more intense in your Na'vi body. 

It begins to vibrate against your clit as you move it up and down in a testing, rudimentary way, and you very softly- just barely, audibly moan.

/

Quaritch's ears stand up, on edge. He's horribly alert of everything you're doing, and there's nothing he can do but listen. 

First, your scent is incredibly strong- intoxicating in a way that makes him sure that this is what Sully felt when he got some local tail. Your arousal has him closing his eyes, and thinking of what he would do if he was just a few feet over- pinning you down and thrusting in. Second, that vibrating sound- he knows what it’s doing, and that makes it all the more tempting to just go over and show you what a real man should feel like.

Still, Quaritch wants to follow the rules just this one time, because he's not used to his Na'vi body, either, and he would rather figure out his whole… situation, down there, before he immediately proceeds into sex. 

But he’s a bastard, too. He always goes headfirst into whatever his instincts tell him to do, and it hasn’t exactly failed him yet. Except when he died, obviously.

He hears you, just very subtly moaning, and his ears perk up as he listens.

Quaritch is too impatient to care. There’s a throbbing in his camo pants now, with no thanks to that shitty old magazine, and he knows- like all men know- what he wants to do to get rid of it.

He lifts the curtain aside, where you’re currently holding that damned toy, as your pants ball up around your knees. You’re half-lying against a pillow, and your baby t-shirt is riding up, just showing off a hint of your breasts. You’re not quite in the throes of passion, not yet, but your mouth is half-open, and your lids are half lidded as you gaze at him, your hand stopping in between your thighs.

Quaritch clenches his jaw. It’s insane how fast his hormones are- pumping through his blood, to where his pants are getting uncomfortably tight. It’s quite a sight, he can’t exactly blame himself for moving forward. 

You, to your credit, don’t draw yourself back. You just stare at him, face turning warm- probably not red, all things considered- and Quaritch just stands in front of you, taking your hand from between your legs.

“This is what they got you using?” He scoffs, pulling at the device, away from your legs. You involuntarily twitch at the movement, and your pussy suddenly feels cold. 

Quaritch tuts at the way you’re shaking a little, how you’re clearly so needy, and he leans in with an eager, almost malicious smile. His body easily towers over your own, and you feel your heart race as he looks down at you- up and down your entire body. 

“Why don’t we do things the old fashioned way?” Quaritch murmurs, a deep rumble in his chest as he does so.

You think you should say no. First of all, you don’t want to get pregnant, and second of all, it seems like Quaritch isn’t exactly being impartial, is he? You know that Earth porn probably did nothing for the guy, but that doesn’t mean you have to be his unwilling participant.

Still, as Quaritch gently nudges his bulge against you, your folds slick against the roughness of the cloth, causing you to inhale unsteadily at the pleasant friction, you realize you’re entirely willing to do this. In fact, all things considered, Quaritch is a hell of a lot more attractive than some of the other Recoms out there.

And it feels more natural than the device, which you were sadly struggling to insert. Lube or not, it was a little too out there for you.

You breathe in, feeling his bulge throb against you. “Okay.”

Quaritch doesn’t take much time to unbuckle his pants and underwear, his dick flopping out as he does. You’re a little amused- it’s proportional to his body, but it’s a lot bigger looking than any of the human dicks you’ve seen. 

It occurs to you that you probably look the same way to him. Tall, lithe body. Impossibly tiny waist. Plump chest and ass. Thick thighs. The proportions are different, but good. 

“Are you laughing at me, soldier?” Quaritch pulls off his tank top, his bare muscles causing your face to warm a little, and he towers over you now. His arms are a lot stronger than yours and he pins you down. 

“What the hell are you gonna do about it, Colonel?” You rile him up a little. Just for fun, since it seems like everything has gone batshit insane today. 

Might as well get some extra anger out of him, so this can count as stress relief, too.

“Well, let’s see.” He uses his hands to spread out your thighs, flattening and pressing them into the mattress, splitting your legs apart. He massages your thighs as he talks. “I guess I’m trying to knock you up. Get you nice and filled up with me.”

It causes a tingle in your lower stomach, watching Quaritch size you up as his hands firmly grasp your thighs. 

He inhales, and- with the practised familiarity of someone who hasn’t done this in a while- pumps his fist over his dick, just to remember the sensation. Quaritch slides his dick against you, causing you to convulse as it snugly fits into your outer folds, the head of his dick meeting where your clit is. There’s a throbbing sensation that seems to flow from him into you- and you swear pre-cum must be leaking from him, or you’ve just gotten a lot more wet.

“Ah- fuck- ” You groan, and Quaritch clearly likes the sound of that, because he slides his dick back and forth a few times. Lubing himself up. 

“You asked for this.” He grins at you, and he pushes your legs really wide this time, lifting them up a little as he enters you. 

Quaritch groans loudly when his dick has fully sheathed itself inside you, and you feel yourself twitching in anticipation, feeling more full than you’ve ever remembered feeling when you were human. He pulls your legs forward roughly, and you feel yourself clench around him as you wrap your legs around his waist.

Quaritch sighs in satisfaction, pressing his forehead against yours. He draws himself back, slowly, his dick slipping out of you sloppily, easily, and then thrusts forward at full speed, immediately filling you, causing you to moan loudly. He begins to thrust, slowly, testing the waters, and with every time he fills you, you feel your walls clench around him, like your body can’t do anything but squeeze him.

Eventually Quaritch works himself to a much more rapid speed- like he has a lot of energy he desperately needs to get out. His skin is slapping against yours as he thrusts, sometimes at an even pace, now a bit more sporadically as he gets lost in the sensation, his taut thighs causing what can only be bruises against your own. He finds that with every thrust, your walls squeeze the head of his dick, causing a delicious throbbing sensation to run through his groin, and he wants to capture that feeling again and again. He finds it insane just how wet and good you feel when he ruts up against you- it’s heightened in a way that makes him never want to let go of you.

His hands make their way towards your waist- your ridiculously tiny waist- and he squeezes, marvels at the way it seems his hands could probably swallow you whole there. He’s alarmed to find out that he wants to kiss you there.

Quaritch tries to distract himself a little. Out of some instinct that he can’t quite place, he leans towards your ear, and nibbles on it with his fang. He didn’t exactly realize how much of an erogenous zone that would be for you- warmth spreads across your jaw and ears and cheeks, and you bite your lip in the absolute cutest way, your ears fluttering up and down, as you moan a little against his jaw. He moves his hands upwards, and pulls up your top, exposing your breasts. He roughly thumbs a nipple, causing you to wriggle around in pleasure, and then decides to latch his mouth onto it, his fangs just teasing and pulling at your nipple until you cry out.

He wants to do this again, and again, until you’re covered in his marks and bruises, all his , so he can claim you as his own woman to breed. Of course, Quaritch isn’t that stupid to actually go through with it- you’re a great soldier in your own right, and you probably don’t want to be owned- he just has this need inside him to absolutely own you in every possible way.

You feel like you’re impossibly hot, your body burning up from your lower regions, all the way to your face, to where Quaritch has bitten you, here and there. You’re feeling a pressure build inside you- and you think Quaritch can feel it too, considering how hard he’s grunting, pushing, and pressing inside you, seeking desperately for that release. 

Your hands make their way around his neck, and you lean in, and kiss him, your parted lips moving against his. You think Quaritch won’t be receptive- he is the coldest person you know- but his tongue swirls into your mouth, spit being swapped between the two of you, and he actually groans into your mouth, it being muffled and all. His hands stroke up and down your thighs, ass, waist, and tits, and he begins to thrust with a little more impact- less sloppy, more intensity- which has you absolutely melting at his touch, wrapping yourself tightly around him.

Some instinct of yours- something that comes with this body, at least- tells you to combine your queue with Quaritch’s, and you do so with shaky hands, your braid swinging over his shoulder, and combining with his as you hold them together. Quaritch doesn’t stop you, but what you feel surprises you.

Of course, there’s an overwhelming sense of lust and sex and arousal and all the things Quaritch is feeling right now, so he can breed you like a strong man would, but there’s also… affection? Attraction, yes, but affection?

You could just be getting confused with everything else that’s in there. But you think it’s there, a feeling of affection for his favourite subordinate, and that’s all you really needed to know. You like him, too. You feel like you’re really seeing him right now.

Quaritch moans against your mouth, and cums inside you, and it’s as if fireworks have gone off inside your brain, his orgasm lighting up yours in the soul bond. You convulse under him, moaning, feeling the waves overtake you as he grips you tightly, the ache of his cock causing you to feel pleasure ebb outwards.  

He slowly pulls out, and watches as cum drips down the sides of your thighs. Quaritch is kind of impressed- he did it, like he said he would- and he lays down next to you, sighing in contentment.

“So. Are we keeping it?” Quaritch teases, and you give him a wayward look.

“ It is not gonna be a baby, dumbass.” You roll your eyes, but something about Quaritch now makes you want to snuggle against him, his scent all warm and familiar, and so you do. You let your face lie flatly against his chest. You feel like it’s the bond- it still feels kind of present between you two.

“Woo, boy, if you don’t know how babies are made, I’m not sure I should have done you like that.” Quaritch laughs, and you sigh.

“Goddamnit.” You shake your head. “Selfridge said that our reproductive material are meant to make the next Recoms. They’re just gonna take the embryo, and use it’s cells to make a blank slate for the next Avatar or Recom or whatever it is. We just… took out the middle man for them.”

Quaritch isn’t too caught off guard by this. He’s used to all the science fuckery that the RDA does, and he decides to just let it go.

“Tell you what, Axe.” He uses your name, for real, as his hand combs through your hair. “Come by my quarters later, and we can do it again and again . However many times until you’ve got a baby in there.”

You still don’t want to be pregnant, and you’re pretty sure the colonel knows that- he’s just got some crazy impregnation fetish or creampie kink going on- but you’re kind of obsessed with him now, and the way that he keeps looking at you.

“I’m cool with that.” You nod, and if Quaritch was an honest man, he would say that he felt completely enamoured with that response.

You snuggle up next to him, not really caring that this is a medical lab, or that you should head back to your quarters. You’re tired, and you fall asleep fairly easily.

/

Quaritch doesn’t fall asleep. He feels crazy energized. You’ve given him a high unlike any other- and he’s in a particularly good mood because he feels… some way that he can’t articulate about you.

After you’re out cold, he puts his pants back on- and good thing he does, because Selfridge comes in without knocking. 

Selfridge looks from you, completely naked, and snoring under some blankets, to Quaritch, who’s suspiciously shirtless and stretching his legs out.

He looks aghast. “I didn’t think you two would really-”

“Really?” Quaritch leans over him. “Seems to me like you did it on purpose. Putting us in the same room and all.” 

Selfridge splutters over Quaritch’s accusation, and simply states that he needs the embryo, exiting after handing another extraction advice to him.

Quaritch jostles you awake. “Axe. You gotta do something and then we got to leave, alright?”

You nod sleepily, and he hands you the extraction advice. You rub your eyes and then realize what you’re holding.

“Turn around?”

Quaritch gives you a “ really? ” sort of look, but you’re serious, so he raises his hands jokingly and complies.

It’s a really quick one minute procedure. The little device crawls up inside you in an almost-undetectable fashion, and then after a moment, it pops back out, with a symbol indicating that it has successfully taken the embryo out, and put it inside it’s storage section. It’s weird- you know you were told to come here when you were ovulating, but it’s like a pregnancy test. It confirms that you and Quaritch kind of made a potential baby… or something that will go on to become genetic material for a blank slate.

You’re too tired to care. You put your clothes back on, and yawn, feeling your eyes fluttering. Quaritch picks you up, bridal style, as you snuggle your face into his chest, wrapping your arms around his neck. He exits the room, sidestepping around different human RDA members, and Recoms and Avatars who are staring the two of you down. Looks of confusion among all of them.

Quaritch doesn’t give a fuck. He steps into an elevator, and it pulls the two of you up towards the higher floors of the skyscraper.

You know this will be gossip for all the other RDA members, but for now you can just sleep, completely satisfied.

[ltash]

Venom

Part 12 "Truly Yours"

Simon Ghost Riley x female OC

Now in each other, solace they find, Enemies to lovers, hearts intertwined. For in the ashes of their bitter strife, Bloomed the sweetest love, giving new life."

"Don't you ever do this again, Simon," she said firmly, taking his hand and leading him towards the bed.

He followed her, feeling the weight of her words. "Anastasia, I'm sorry," he began, but she shook her head, cutting him off.

"Save your apologies," she said, guiding him to sit down. She knelt in front of him, continuing to clean and bandage his wounded hand. "Just promise me you won't hurt yourself like this again."

He looked into her eyes, seeing the depth of her concern. "I promise," he said quietly, feeling a strange mix of relief and vulnerability.

As she finished wrapping his hand, she stood up and gently guided him to lie down on the bed. She sat beside him, her fingers softly tracing the bandages.

"You don't have to face this alone, Simon," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We can face it together."

He nodded, feeling a flicker of hope. "Thank you, Anastasia."

"Why are you like this, Simon?" Anastasia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "This sudden change... I don't know this side of you. I only knew the person who hurt me, who stabbed me and left me to die."

Simon looked at her, pain flickering in his eyes. He took a deep breath, searching for the right words. "Anastasia, I know I've hurt you in ways that can never be forgiven. I was following orders, lost in a darkness that consumed me."

She frowned, not entirely convinced. "But now? Why are you different now?"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Because seeing you like this, vulnerable and real, it made me realize the depth of my mistakes. I see the person I've become, and I don't want to be that man anymore. You've shown me a different side of myself, a side I thought was long buried."

Anastasia studied his face, searching for any sign of deceit. All she saw was a man battling his own demons. "Simon, it's not easy to just forget what happened. The pain, the betrayal..."

"I know," he interrupted, his voice heavy with regret. "And I don't expect you to forgive me easily. But I want to try to make things right. Not just for you, but for myself. I need to change, and you being here, giving me this chance, it means more than you can imagine."

She looked down at her hands, conflicted. "I don't know if I can trust you, Simon. It's not something that happens overnight."

He nodded. "I understand. I just want you to know that I'm here, and I'm trying. For both of us."

Anastasia remained silent for a moment, then finally met his gaze. "I'll give you a chance, Simon. But it's up to you to prove that this change is real."

"I will," he promised, his voice steady. "I'll show you that I can be the man you deserve."

"Have you ever loved someone deeply before?" Anastasia asked, her eyes searching his face for answers.

Simon hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I have. And you? Have you ever loved someone?"

Anastasia shook her head, a sad smile playing on her lips. "I never got the chance. Makarov turned me into a weapon, but I was still a woman. I had a heart."

Simon reached out, gently taking her hand in his. "You're more than just a weapon, Anastasia. You deserve to be loved and to love in return."

She looked down at their joined hands, her heart aching with a mixture of hope and uncertainty. "It's hard to believe that sometimes. I've spent so long being used, manipulated... It's hard to see myself as anything else."

He squeezed her hand, his gaze intense and sincere. "You are more than what he made you. You have strength, resilience, and a heart that's capable of so much more. Don't let him define you."

A tear slipped down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away. "It's not easy to forget the past, Simon. But maybe, with time, I can learn to see myself differently."

"Take all the time you need," he said softly. "I'll be here, every step of the way."

Simon's eyes darkened, memories stirring within him. He hesitated, then nodded, deciding to share the story with Anastasia. "Her name was Sierra," he began, his voice tinged with a mix of pain and nostalgia. "We met when we were both in the Task Force. She was fierce, fearless, and had a heart of gold."

Anastasia listened intently, her own heart aching at the depth of emotion in his voice. "What happened to her?"

"We were on a mission," Simon continued, his gaze distant as he relived the memory. "Things went south. We were ambushed. She... she didn't make it. She died in my arms, and there was nothing I could do to save her."

Anastasia's grip tightened on his hand, offering silent support. "I'm so sorry, Simon."

He looked down, his voice barely above a whisper. "After that, I built walls around myself. I put on the mask, both literally and figuratively. It was easier to be Ghost, to shut out the pain and the memories."

She nodded, understanding now the haunted look in his eyes. "And you think you'll lose me too, don't you?"

Simon met her gaze, the vulnerability in his eyes raw and unguarded. "I'm terrified of it. I've lost so many people, Anastasia. I don't know if I can bear to lose someone else."

She cupped his cheek, her touch gentle. "You're not going to lose me, Simon. We're in this together now. We can help each other heal."

He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. "Thank you, Anastasia. For being here, for understanding."

She offered him a small, reassuring smile. "We both have scars, Simon. But maybe, just maybe, we can help each other find a way to move forward."

"How can I move forward, Anastasia? I have blood on my hands. I kill people and I feel satisfied. I can sleep peacefully now. I don't have nightmares anymore," Simon said, his voice laced with an unsettling calm.

Anastasia reached out, her hand trembling slightly as she placed it on his. "You were a soldier, Simon. It was your job to protect. Don't beat yourself up about it."

He pulled his hand away, shaking his head. "I don't deserve you, Anastasia. I'm not Simon anymore. I am Ghost now. An evil entity."

"You're not evil," she insisted, her voice firm but gentle.

He laughed bitterly. "I lost my love. I lost Soap, who was like a brother to me. It took everything from me."

Anastasia's heart ached for him. She could see the torment in his eyes, the internal struggle he faced every day. She took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to reach him.

"Simon," she began softly, "we all carry our burdens. We all have regrets. But acknowledging them is the first step toward moving forward."

He looked at her, his eyes filled with pain and confusion. "I don't even know who I am anymore. Ghost is all I have left."

"You're more than just Ghost," she said, her voice filled with conviction. "Deep down, you're still Simon. You still have the capacity to care, to love. You showed me that tonight."

"But what if I can't change? What if this darkness is all I am now?" His voice was a mere whisper, filled with fear and uncertainty.

"Then let me help you find the light," Anastasia said, leaning closer. "We don't have to do this alone. We can help each other, support each other. Maybe together, we can start to heal."

Simon searched her eyes, looking for any hint of insincerity, but he found none. Her words, her touch, her presence were like a balm to his wounded soul. He took a deep breath, feeling a glimmer of hope for the first time in a long while. "I don't know if I can do it, but I'll try. For you."

Anastasia smiled, a small but genuine smile that reached her eyes. "That's all I ask, Simon. Just try."

He put his head on her lap, the weight of his sorrow almost tangible. She softly stroked his hair with her fingers, trying to soothe the tumult within him.

"Everything that I ever loved was taken away from me, destroyed," he said, his voice breaking. "My whole family, my mom, my brother and his family. All were taken away. Murdered in cold blood."

Tears fell from his eyes, unbidden and raw. He sniffed, the sound of his sobbing cutting through the quiet room. Anastasia's heart clenched as she listened to his words, feeling his pain as if it were her own.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This strong, stoic man, who had seemed so invulnerable, was breaking apart in her arms. "Ssh! It's okay, babe. It's okay. I am here," she whispered, her voice tender and reassuring. She wiped the tears from his face, her touch gentle and loving.

In that moment, the world outside ceased to exist. She leaned down, peppering his face with kisses, each one a silent promise of comfort and presence. Her heart swelled with love for him, a fierce, protective love she hadn't realized she was capable of.

She couldn't believe that the man who had once been her enemy, who had inflicted so much pain upon her, was now so vulnerable, so human, in her arms. The irony was not lost on her, but neither was the profound connection they shared in this fragile, intimate moment.

He looked at her pretty little face, caressing her cheek with a tenderness that belied his hardened exterior. Slowly, he sat up and scooped her into his arms. She seemed so tiny and delicate compared to his imposing frame, a stark contrast that only made his protective feelings towards her stronger.

He carried her to the bed and gently laid her down beside him. Taking her hand in his, he kissed it softly, his lips lingering on her skin. "I don't remember the last time I confessed my love," he murmured, his voice low and sincere. "It was only her... and now it's you."

Anastasia's heart skipped a beat at his words. The raw honesty in his eyes, the vulnerability he was showing, made her realize just how much he had come to mean to her. She reached up, brushing a lock of hair from his forehead, her touch gentle and reassuring.

"I never thought I would find someone like you," she whispered. "Someone who understands my pain, my past. But here we are, finding solace in each other."

She smiled faintly, her hand gently squeezing his. "Rest now. We'll figure everything out. But first, you need to take care of yourself."

He watched her as she moved to turn off the lights, her silhouette framed by the soft glow from the streetlights outside. As she returned to the bed, he felt an unexpected sense of peace.

Lying there in the darkness, with Anastasia beside him, he allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he could find a way out of the darkness. And for the first time in a long while, he closed his eyes without fear of the nightmares, knowing she was there with him.

He woke up in the morning to the sound of soft clinking and the smell of something delicious wafting from the kitchen. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he realized Anastasia was up before him, making breakfast. Curious and amused, he silently got out of bed and, using his skills of stealth, approached her without making a sound.

Just as she turned around, she let out a squeak of surprise, nearly dropping the spatula she was holding. "Oh my god, Simon! You gave me a heart attack," she exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.

He chuckled softly, brushing his thumb against her pink lips. "You already gave me one with your looks," he teased, his voice low and affectionate.

She blushed, a small smile playing on her lips. "What are you making now, by the way?" he asked, peering over her shoulder to see what she was cooking.

"Pancakes," she replied, turning back to flip one on the griddle. "I thought it would be nice to start the day with something sweet."

He grinned, leaning in to press a kiss to her temple. "Sounds perfect," he murmured. "Let me help."

"Oh no I'll do it. You just help me with the tea." She smiled.

He chuckled softly, enjoying the lighthearted moment. "Alright, I'll leave the pancakes to you," he said, stepping back. "I'll handle the tea."

As he moved to the kettle, he glanced back at her, watching her flip the pancakes with a focused expression. Despite everything, seeing her like this, trying to bring a sense of normalcy to their chaotic lives, brought a rare warmth to his heart.

"Do you want it strong?" he asked, filling the kettle with water.

"Yes, please," she replied, smiling over her shoulder at him. "I need something to wake me up properly."

He nodded, setting the kettle on the stove and preparing the teapot. As he measured out the tea leaves, he couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was part of something meaningful, something worth fighting for.

As the tea brewed, he leaned against the counter, watching her move around the kitchen with surprising ease. "You know," he said, his voice soft, "you're pretty good at this. It almost feels... normal."

She looked at him, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Maybe it can be," she said quietly. "Maybe we can have moments like this, despite everything."

He smiled, a rare, genuine smile that reached his eyes. "Maybe we can," he agreed, turning back to the tea as it finished brewing. He poured two cups and brought them over to the table, just as she finished plating the pancakes.

They sat down together, a sense of calm settling over them. For a moment, they allowed themselves to forget about the world outside and simply enjoy the peace they had found in each other's presence.

Anastasia sat across from Simon, her expression pensive as she divulged her plan. The soft glow of the lamp highlighted the determination in her eyes, contrasting with the dimly lit room around them. Simon, still shirtless from the morning's intimacy, listened intently, his mind churning with memories of past encounters.

"I'm searching for Makarov," Anastasia began, her voice steady but tinged with uncertainty. "I don't know his current location, but Melina might. She's his financier, and she has intricate knowledge about him."

Simon's gaze sharpened as he processed her words, recalling their violent past involving Melina. "I remember her," he murmured, his tone laced with grim recollection. "Soap and I raided her office. It was a bloody mess, but she mentioned Makarov was in Vostok back then."

Anastasia nodded, her fingers idly tracing the rim of her tea cup. "Exactly. If I contact Melina, perhaps I can extract valuable intel without raising suspicion."

Simon's jaw tensed slightly, his thoughts drifting to the dangers ahead. "Be careful," he cautioned softly, his hand reaching out to gently touch hers. "She's not one to trust easily."

Anastasia went to stand by the kitchen counter, sipping her tea as the morning light filtered through the windows. "I need to run some errands. I need groceries first," she said, her voice steady but carrying a hint of concern.

Ghost looked up from his tea, his gaze serious. "I will go with you," he replied, his tone protective.

She hesitated, worry flickering across her face. "You aren't safe out here. If Makarov knows about this, he won't let you live in peace."

Anastasia nodded slowly, her decision made. She finished the last sip of her tea and set the cup down. "Alright, let's go."

"But first I need to get ready."

She uttered the words softly, her voice carrying a hint of determination as she turned away, leaving him standing in the kitchen. Simon watched her retreat, his thoughts swirling with a mixture of concern and admiration for her resilience.

[xreaderbooks]

The Shadows of Our Love |4|

Chapter 4 | In the Shadow of Strength

Pair: Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: language, mentions of death, nightmares, symptoms of trauma, grief

Summary: A month into 6th year, Y/n is on the brink of collapse from her own mind, someone is there to catch her as she falls...

a/n: more of a descriptive and informative chapter w/ a little crumb at the end. comment or message me if you'd like to tagged :)

Playlist

Available on Wattpad and AO3

Chapter 3 - Series Masterlist - Navigation - Chapter 5

If you weren't thinking about all that you have done, the goblins and poachers you've killed, the monsters you've faced, the friends you've lost; you were dreaming of them.

Every night since the final one where you defeated Ranrok, nightmares have plagued your mind.

It started with you jolting awake in the night, with a sweat-soaked bed, you'd forego the rest of your sleep to clean your linens.

You were, after all, staying as a guest at the Weasley home. Magic outside of Hogwarts is strictly forbidden when you are under the age of 17, therefore you had to do it the old-fashioned way. Naturally, you were a rule breaker, however, you wanted to show some modicum of respect considering the family with which you stayed is that of the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.

The startled sweats became increased heart palpitations that left you in bed unable to move an arm, a sort of paralysis had overcome you, your eyes stuck closed. That soon became screams and shouts and tears that would only calm when you saw the light of dawn peak through the curtains.

Unfortunately, you were in a room with several of Matilda Weasley's other nieces and nephews, thank Merlin they could sleep through a tornado, the only one whose sleep habits did not benefit them was Garreth. He was always awake, somehow always having energy despite the lack of sleep, formulating new potions.

His cheery attitude was helpful, it was odd at first, never being close to him in Hogwarts but then becoming so close he would lay in the opposite direction of you, his feet to your head and yours to his so that you would feel that there was another person present.

Until he concocted a calming draught one night out of random, and one became a ritual nightly. For once, a potion he wouldn't mess up. You could've made it yourself but he insisted. 

A month into 6th year at Hogwarts and he never failed to owl you one, or hand you one secretly in class or in the halls.

What you hadn't been able to do was wrangle your magic, the same magic powerful enough to kill anyone- within a 12-foot radius of you with a single blast.

It came at random, sometimes when you were severely overwhelmed. You supposed it had been easier to 'control' last year because you had some sort of mentor, a person you were able to talk to that you trusted to take care of you. That person was now dead, and you have no one.

The keepers were untrustworthy, to say the least, it was understandable what they did to Isidora, but who was to say they wouldn't assume the worst of you?

They were portraits, is what you tried to remind yourself, but they were keepers- keepers of all kinds of secrets, who knew what kind of fail-safes they must have in case they could've predicted a person like Isidora would come around.

You couldn't trust a soul.

Garreth knew of the nightmares, but your powers would scare anyone, hell they scared you.

You resorted to moving the animals from your original vivarium in the room of requirement to the grasslands vivarium in order to release the surges of power that had formed over weeks of keeping up with schoolwork.

Between schoolwork, the social life that you now had thanks to no more adventures, wondering where it all went wrong Sebastian, and taking care of your beast on top of learning to forget your regrets... Your ancient magic had more than enough fuel for you to burst.

And so you did, at least once a week, moving your beasts back and forth between vivariums so as not to hurt them.

You ended up spending more and more time in your room of requirement than you did in your own dorm, the room had created a bedroom for you. A cozy King sized bed with silky green covers and a fluffed comforter, in a 6 corner round room solely for sleeping.

You were able to do all but that, whenever he was around- Deek would wake you from your nightmares and make you a comforting drink for your nerves, and distract you with gossip.

He hears all that goes on in Hogwarts, with teachers, students, anyone. As a house-elf no one acknowledges him and people feel they can speak freely with the elves around and you felt lucky that Deek trusted you enough to fill you in. He was surprisingly quite the busybody.

With that though, you had begged him not to tell Professor Weasley of your nightmares. 

~~~

When October came around Quidditch tryouts were starting up, which Imelda had never failed to mention anytime she was around you, you weren't in the least bit interested.

You had too much going on, flying was useful when getting from point A to B but it wasn't your favorite thing in the world though you were talented, according to her. You would enjoy Quidditch more on the sidelines.

On another note, Sebastian fucking Sallow.

If he wasn't ignoring you in the many classes you had together, the one class where you didn't have anyone else, was the one you were forcibly paired with him. And only in that class will he deign to speak to you with rude remarks and snippy comments, it exhausted you.

A flash flew past your ear and at the closed classroom door, you were Defense against the Dark Arts, at least 30 minutes at the end of class was dedicated to practicing Non-verbals.

"Are you out of your mind?" You almost shrieked at him, "That almost stung me."

"You're out of your mind, maybe if you had been you'd be able to pay attention."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Well if you would keep up then I wouldn't have to."

You hated him, you hated that stupid smirk he held on his face, his contradictory tone, him. Ire burned throughout you and if you truly wanted to end him, he would've been six feet deep, he didn't know the favor you were doing him.

~~~

You needed to let off some steam, the room of requirement wasn't cutting it, you had made a commitment to the Headmaster and Professor Weasley to stay out of trouble this year. It was the only reason why you had kept within the castle walls for so long, it had been too long, and now you were itching for a fight.

You wandered into the forbidden forest on the hunt for poacher camps, Ashwinders, and any sign of a dark wizard that you could take down. It was past dusk, lights out would be soon and you regretted not sneaking out of the room after the Slytherin girl's dormitory check done by the head girl.

One problem at a time, you heard fighting by the old troll lair you cleared out last year looking for bubotubers. It appears the poachers had reinhabited the area, two men patrolled the area, possibly scouting out to see if there were more of whoever they were fighting.

Streaming, loud and painful, pure agony was heard, you crouched with the disillusionment charm covering you, easing your way behind the men and casting Petrificus Totalus on them both without bringing on any unwanted attention.

You did the same with the others around the camp but there were about 10-11 left. You observed as they fought amongst each other, your eyes wild in confusion, six of them wore masks that looked like a human skull. You couldn't make out any distinct features that you could use to identify them. The black cloaks they wore made them look like living Dementors.

They had the five remaining Ashwinders on their knees, wands inches away from them, on the ground.

What in Merlin's name was this?

They only targeted two out of the five, which had you even more perplexed. So caught up in what was going on in front of you, you let your guard down, you didn't sense someone coming up from behind you.

They pulled you up from your crouched location behind a couple of bushes and a tree, the disillusionment charm disappearing. The person, it felt like a man, shoved you onto the ground. You rolled onto your back just in time as he pointed his wand at you.

"Expelliar-"

"Depulso!" You spoke clearly. Your voice definitely alerted the rest of them, and though the Askwinder would usually jump at the chance to attack you on sight, they picked up their wands and fled.

Two of the masked figures, cast the killing curse on two of the Ashwinders they were targeting before.

You were surrounded, 7 against 1. This was not going to end well, you weren't sure yet for who.

Before you could think twice, with intention; you cast the Imperio curse on one of them, ordering them to attack their fellow whatever they called themselves.

"Protego!" You used the shield as blasts from all sides of you came your way, you ducked and rolled coming up behind one, "Petrificus Totalus."

One down six more to go, you blocked the spells and shot back some of your own, "Levioso, Accio, Descendo." You heard a crack in their neck, you sent a few casts before you had them unmoving on the ground.

Part of you thought about using the Killing curse to speed up this process and help you to not die, kill, or be killed and all that- but you couldn't, you wouldn't. Only in dire situations would you use it, and this wasn't one... yet.

You blocked and shielded, not able to get another hit in. Whoever the two you took down must have been the weaker ones of the group because as you fought the remaining four, they moved fluidly as they attacked you with their magic.

Never faltering, they were experienced, that much was obvious- but their magic felt wrong. It felt old almost ancient- like yours but darker. Like every defensive spell cast was a curse.

You felt yourself getting tired, they were strong and you weren't in the shape you were when you did this every other day.

"Diffindo!"

You felt the cuts in your back, you cried out and mistakenly clutched your back, stumbling forward. The others took their chance-

"Accio."

You practically flew to the one who called upon you, "Descendo," You slammed onto the ground.

Tears stung your eyes as that same person kicked you in your stomach and picked you up from the root of your hair, your chest rose and fell in what you didn't want to admit was fear. You tried looking through the small eyes of the mask to tell the color but they tilted your head to the sky.

"She smells like one of them," He spat out the last word in disgust. He brought you closer and sniffed you, "Definitely one of them."

He shoved you back onto the ground, you sneered at him and your head hit a rock on the ground. You grimaced and touched the back of your head, you felt the wetness of what you could only guess was blood.

You only had one thing left to do, you had felt it bubble beneath you helping you fight them off, it gave you the slightest bit of encouragement as you struggled to pick yourself up.

"We should kill her off now!" One of them from your right said.

You were done playing these games, you weakly lifted your wand and the Ancient Magic sang. Your body was working on autopilot, without a word you lifted the woman who said they should kill you and slammed her body to the ground, picking her up and burying her head into the earth repeatedly.

You tilted your head to the man who roughly handled you, and with a flick of your wand, he exploded.

The three that were left, had shouted 'Avada Kedavra' but it didn't reach your magic had blasted them yards away from you and into the woods.

You wanted to collapse right then and there, with the last bit of energy you could muster, you trudged along the path to the nearest floo flame, straight to the Slytherin Common room.

You didn't want to think about how many more people you killed, or that you just exposed your biggest secret to an unknown group of people who even Ashwinders ran from. You didn't care about how dirty you were, or the blood that stained your clothes.

You descended the steps you had to go down to officially be in the Common Room, as you reached the final step, you felt your wand slip out of your hand and clatter to the floor. Soon, your body would join it.

You didn't make it to the couch when you felt your world shut down, you only felt your legs being lifted off the ground, strong arms supporting you from your waist. Your eyes could barely open but you caught a glimpse of chestnut brown hair and that you were being carried bridal style before being laid on the familiar couch.

Whispers were heard, a bottle being brought to your lips, and a part of your brain hoped you weren't getting poisoned. As you drank, you felt your wounds being healed and the ache in your body lift. Wiggenweld Potion. 

You were on your back, your left hand on your stomach and your right hung from the couch, whoever had settled you onto your usual spot brought the hand that was off the couch and pressed their lips onto the back of it. Then settled it along with your left.

~~~

Chapter 5

Taglist:

@vanivivs

[wearelondonhq]

THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES

Happy Meme Day!!! If you want to take part all you have to do is reblog this post. Remember if you reblog to send them out to EVERYONE who also does. Meme lasts from today until the next Sunday (the 28th of July).

❛ My family hasn't come to see me. ❜

❛ You can't trust her! She's a monster! ❜

❛ I don't stand a chance if he doesn't get better. You'll never let him go. ❜

❛ That's like kissing someone who's drunk. Doesn't count. ❜

❝ Remember , we’re madly in love , so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it .❞

❛ I guess there are no rules anymore about what a person can do to another person. ❜

❛ There's gotta be a better way. ❜

❛ With that kinda thinking, you can kill whoever you want. ❜

❛ Sometimes killing isn't personal. Figured if anyone knew that, it was you. ❜

❛ I, of all people, know that it's always personal. ❜

❛ Give me one reason I shouldn't shoot you. ❜

❝  I’m the kind of girl who , when she might actually be of use , would run to stay alive and leave those who couldn’t follow to suffer and die .❞

❝  the kisses have the opposite effect , of make my need greater . i thought i was something of an expert on hunger , but this is an entirely new kind . ❞

❛ He corrupts everyone and everything. He turns the best of us against each other. Stop killing for him. ❜

❝  isn’t it strange that i know you’d risk your life to save mine , but i don’t even know what your favorite color is ? ❞

❝  you are my life .❞

❛ You have a habit of burying people before they're dead. ❜

❛ What about you? You feeling totally safe? ❜

❛ So what are your injuries? ❜

❛ It doesn't matter what you want. It's for [name]. ❜

❛ I watched you die. ❜

❛ I was never the nice one. You were. ❜

❛ Why would I take a beating like that for you? ❜

❛ [name] says that everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. ❜

❛ I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna stay right here. Cause all kinds of trouble. ❜

❛ How can we live like this? How can anybody live like this? ❜

❛ You could live 100 lifetimes and never deserve that boy/girl/person. ❜

❛ I don’t want to be with anyone else in there. Just you. ❜

❛ Look at this. They’re holding hands. I want them dead. ❜

❛ Someday I want to love someone that much. ❜

❛ If you die and I live, I’d have nothing. Nobody else that I care about. ❜

❛ It’s okay. You were just dreaming, you were dreaming. ❜

❛ I’m sorry that this happened to you. And I’m here to help you in any way I can. ❜

❛ Don’t you know how beautiful you look? ❜

❛ We are not star-crossed lovers. ❜

❛ I just don’t wanna be another piece in their game, you know? ❜

❛ I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them that they don’t own me. ❜

❛ If I’m gonna die, I wanna still be me. ❜

❛ I’m not allowed to bet, but if I could I’d bet on you. ❜

❛ It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re alright. ❜

❛ You have to win. ❜

❛ Can you sing? ❜

❛ You’re not gonna risk your life for me. I’m not gonna let you. ❜

❛ Well, I’m sorry it didn’t go the way they planned. You know I’m not very happy with them either. ❜

❛ So what happens when we get back? ❜

❛ I guess we try to forget. ❜

❛ I don’t wanna forget. ❜

❛ The thing with revolutions, they're a tender flame. They need to be nurtured with a little kindling and warmth. ❜

❛ Everyone's either gonna wanna kiss you, kill you, or be you. ❜

❛ You must love her very much to be able to forgive her. ❜

❛ I wasn't gonna leave him behind. I couldn't live with myself. ❜

❛ You love him. I'm not saying in what way. Maybe you don't even know yourself. But anyone paying attention can see it. ❜

❛ Takes ten times longer to put yourself back together than it does to fall apart. ❜

❛ It's the things we love most that destroy us. ❜

❛ It's the worst torture in the world. Waiting, when you know there's nothing you can do. ❜

❛ Whatever strength, courage, madness, keeps us going, you find it, at times like these. You have it. It's what's kept you alive all this time. And it won't fail you now. ❜

❛ You’re okay. You’re safe. It’s okay. You’re here with me. ❜

❛ I did what I had to do to survive. If I didn’t, I’d be dead. ❜

❛ If you wanted to be babied, you should’ve asked [name]. ❜

❛ You are a strangely dislikeable person. But you do have your virtues. ❜

❛ You know how I feel about you. But I can’t think about anyone that way right now. ❜

❛ The only thing that I can think about every day, every waking moment, is how afraid I am. There’s no room for anything else. ❜

❛ Whatever comes, we’ll get through this together. I’m not leaving your side. ❜

❛ I’ve always worked best in the shadows, and that’s where I have to stay. ❜

❛ People said you loved me. ❜

❛ I'm going to kill [name]. Nothing good is safe while he's alive. ❜

❛ This isn't just adolescent, it's insubordination. ❜

❛ I'm plannin' for you to have a long life. ❜

❝  my nightmares are usually about losing you .❞

❛ I'm sorry. I just can't tell what's real and what's made up anymore. ❜

❛ This is a bad spot. We need to move now. ❜

❛ 'Cause when you’re around, I kind of feel like I can deal with anything, you know? ❜

❛ You're still trying to protect me. Real or not real? ❜

❛ That's what you and I do. Keep each other alive. ❜

❛ Stay with me. ❜

❛ I never meant for this to happen. I failed. I… I killed them. ❜

❛ If you end all of this, all those deaths, they mean something. ❜

❛ I have moments when I'm here. And my memories are getting better, but other times it's like I'm sleepwalking. ❜

❝  ____ ? maybe some pants ? ❞

❛ You love me. Real or not real? ❜

❝  At some point , you have to stop running & turn around and face whoever wants you dead .❞

❛ Will you stay with me? ❜

[eerna]

I really like your response to the anon asking about what are the strengths of TFOTA. I think you nailed it regarding how Holly Black hit it out of the park, and I’m curious if you can expand on what you think some of the series missteps were. (TFOTA is an all-time fave for me, but nothing is perfect!)

For me, I think the way she structures her books into different parts does make them drag a little (especially some parts of the middle of The Wicked King). Like sometimes it feels like characters are spinning their wheels a bit while she’s setting everything up for the plot, but I ultimately don’t mind this because her plots are so well executed.

As always, love your breakdowns and critiques so just curious to hear more!

Ayyy thanks, glad you agree! :D

OO yes I heard that as an often critique of her stuff! I do think you're right and the slowness is present, but to me it's not an issue since the characters are fun enough for me never to be bored. I'm the kind of reader who can enjoy the slowest thing imaginable as long as the characters interest me.

Structured like the strengths post, my main issues. 1) The YA writing style of overexplanation. These books are sometimes great at leaving things unsaid, but other times they beat you over the head with the same thing over and over again or go into explanations for stuff you'd think is understood. Example: Jude constantly repeating it is messed up she lives with the guy who killed her parents in book 1. Like. Okay. We know. Trust us we didn't forget it's wrong to kill people and steal their kids. Of course, her constantly thinking about her trauma is part of her character, but it can be expressed in different ways - examples of how this was done well were "I love Madoc, I could love anyone" or "I get scared and I remember the smell of my mother's insides". 2) The repeating stuff from my list of pros... where it doesn't belong. Sometimes characters do or say stuff because HB wants them to do or say them bc she likes to write about it, but it makes NO sense. This was my main issue with TSH - for example, there is absolutely no reason for Oak and Suren's relationship to draw parallels with Jude and Cardan's to the point of repeating phrases, because they are so different that it jerks me right out of the story being told. 3) The editor is asleep on the job. There are quite a few basic editing errors - the amount of times characters smile or grin per page, and the continuity errors. This is the most frustrating aspect because it is so easy to solve!!!!! Just read it once more and click delete!!!! 4) Sometimes HB's "let's go back and elaborate on something from the past to give it a new dimension" works great, and sometimes it makes no sense. Examples: the Ghost betraying Jude because he was forced to, Locke being an Undersea collaborator and a gancanagh. 5) Taryn. She gets her own point because I love her and it's so unsatisfying how she ended up. She spends 2 books girlbossing and being such a sympathetic traitor, then gets pregnant and decides to stop being the worst offscreen and never does another plot relevant thing again. I don't know if HB got tired of her or if she realized everyone hated her and decided to sideline her so people would stop yelling, but MAN is it such a standout bad conclusion among a sea of good ones. 6) JUSTICE FOR OAK GREENBRIAR MY SHORT KING he was always described as tiny and underdeveloped for his age RIGHT up until he became a love interest, when he SUDDENLY started towering over everyone while still overflowing with short king energy. This is a joke to end the list on a happy note but also I would pay for a version of TSH where my monster girl has to lean down to kiss her bf

[sarcastic-pun-master]

wip supercorp royalty fic lol

pt2

There is a searing pain coursing through her entire body. Kara wants to scream, but there is hot, viscous blood coming up her throat. 

She falls to the ground, choking and gasping for air. 

The pain doesn’t subside, but eventually, Kara begins to feel a coldness spread through her. She knows what this is. She closes her eyes. 

***

Kara wakes up in her childhood bedroom. She is fourteen years old.

Again.

***

Alex was just as she remembered. Kara fell into her arms, letting out a breath. She shuddered, almost crying.

“Kara… my dear, sweet Kara,” Alex whispered, kissing the top of her head, “I’m so sorry.”

Kara finally pulled back. Eliza was standing behind Alex, a look of worry on her face. Kara bowed to her. Everyone around stared in shock. Kara was a princess, no, she was the Princess of Krypton. And yet, here she bowed to a Count. 

“Countess Danvers… If you would accept, I would like to become a ward of your estate.”

"I gave up my right to the throne to Kal-El. Until he is of age, my aunt Astra shall be the regent. My only wish is to remain with the Danvers.”

Kara stepped towards Eliza. “My mother always brought me here for a reason. She never told me explicitly, but I’m sure you’ve realized, she trusted you and Alex with my life implicitly. She knew you were good people. I would like to spend the rest of my days with you. If you’ll have me.”

Eliza stepped forward, wrapping Kara in a hug. “Of course we will, dear. Of course we will.”

***

At night, Kara dreamt of green eyes and a cruel grin.

She woke up in a fearful sweat, her heart aching.

I won’t fall for your tricks again, Kara.

You lied to me. Over and over!

I can’t believe I ever loved you. 

Kara clutched her chest, wishing she could stop these memories. But the harder she tried to suppress them, the more they seemed to come back.

She saw her smile, I love you. 

She saw her scream, I will never trust you again. 

Kara cried. She allowed herself this small mercy, to cry her heart out in the darkness of this night. When it was just her, where no one else could see her. She sobbed for hours over her heartbreak that no one could understand. By dawn, Kara had no strength left. She opened the curtain to let in the sun. 

Kara steeled herself with the breeze coming in through the window. No more tears. 

Kara began re-writing her life in her head. She would not cry over the things of the past. She would not be used as a pawn in this life. She would not be so easily manipulated. Never again. She would live her life the way she wanted to, spending her days with Alex and Eliza by her side, away from all matters of the court. 

I will not keep a hold on things of the past. I will not allow it to dictate my actions in this new life. 

Kara told herself this over and over again, every day and every night. To let the past go, to forget it as if it was a bad nightmare. 

But she knew that those green eyes would haunt her forever.

***

Kara hadn’t seen Kal-El in this lifetime since he was a baby. 

He looked the same as he did when he was a prince, although, he didn’t have that same air of arrogance about him. Kara had made the right decision, not ceding her throne to his father. It seemed that without the pressure of Jor-El, Kal-El had grown into his own man.

“Princess.” Kal-El stood tall, but there was a worry in his eyes. “We’ve lost the war against the Luthorians.”

Kara pretended to be shocked. She knew how tenacious and ruthless Lena could be, it truly was no surprise to her that she’d won. Kara was curious as to why Lena had decided to wage a war in this life, when she’d never been tempted to before. Lena had no interest in what Krypton had to offer, aside from their science - which Krypton was happy to share with the Queen who had married their Princess.

Sometimes Kara wondered if that was the only reason Lena had stuck with her for so long.

“That is… unfortunate,” Kara replied to Kal, “But, Your Majesty, did you come all this way simply to inform me about the war?”

“Princess,” Kal grimaced, sighing. “As I’m sure you know, the winning side has a right to demand spoils of war.”

“Of course. What has Queen Luthor demanded?”

“...Kara, before I tell you, I need you to know. There was no other way. I am grateful for everything you did for me. I know I would not have this position if it hadn’t been for your grace. And I tried to protect you as much as I could, but neither I nor the court can see a way around this-"

“Kal-El,” Kara said with authority, disregarding titles for the moment. “What did you give them?”

Kal-El looked at her with remorse.

“You, Kara.”

***

Kara had to take deep breaths as she entered the tent. 

Green eyes. 

Kara knew she was staring, but seeing her again, it seemed to knock the wind out of her. 

“Your Majesty,” Kara finally said, bowing. “It’s an honour to meet you.”

“You say that as if we have never met before,” Lena said, crossing her legs and smirking at Kara. “Don’t you remember our times spent together as children?”

“That was then, Your Majesty, and this is now. We are no longer children. A certain decorum should be expected.”

Lena hummed, leaning back in her chair. “I take it you’re here to accept my proposal, then?”

“Yes. Although… I do have my conditions.”

“Conditions? Princess Kara, I don’t believe you understand the situation we are in.”

“I know that it seems the alternative to me rejecting your proposal is our kingdom having to kneel to you. But I have a proposition. I will marry you, but I want a divorce.”

If that caught Lena off guard, she didn’t let it show. Her jaw clicked as she repeated, “A divorce?”

“Yes. Marry me, and divorce me a year later. In return, I will give you my lands.”

“What use do I have for your lands?”

“Though I renounced my throne, I still retained the lands my mother’s family kept. We have mines rich with gold and libraries full of knowledge no other family in Krypton has access to. I will give it all to you, on the condition that we divorce a year later.”

“Why?” Lena asked. Kara picked at her fingers behind her back. 

“I do not wish to be held as a hostage.”

“Hostage? I have no intention to keep you as a prisoner.”

That confused Kara. “If you are not taking me as collateral to ensure no retaliation from Krypton, then why send a proposal at all?”

Finally, Lena seemed to flinch. She turned her face away from Kara, sighing. Lena didn’t answer her question, instead she called for someone to bring her a pen and paper. 

“I’ll accept your conditions, Princess Kara.”

[moe-broey]

i wanna say, you've made me enjoy the heroes ocs WAY MORE with your stuff!!! triandra and alfonse in particular r reaching blorbo tier for me... what made you like them? did you like the story out of the gate, or was there a specific moment that made it snap into place?

for me, i was rather neutral on it until book 3 hit all the tropes i like (big news: grima fan also likes lif, how suprising), but after that i needed to simmer on a lot of it to see its depth.

also your art is super cute.

I AM. SO DEEPLY HONORED TO HEAR THIS LMFAOOOO that's so fucking funny and cool 😭🥺 (also THANK YOU!!!!! 😊)

I've def been ruminating on this one! Triandra is a lot easier to place an exact timeline on her.

I have extreme Alfonse autism, he IS my primary fixation I think LMFAO 😅 And I think what happened was like. Alfonse autism spreads like mold to characters that are connected to/significant to him -- so, I ended up having (intense!) Sharena autism as well, and THAT spread to Peony of course (less intense, but her connection to Sharena is Huge and can't be overlooked), which spreads to Triandra. Triandra was also significant in the back of my mind, since she would be in the exact same situation as Alfonse when it comes to their sisters potentially being swapped, just on the other side of it. Which I think is SUCH an intriguing premise that hasn't been explored in canon at all.

I think I doubled down on it more when I decided to impulse summon for her bunny alt for Sharena autism reasons and got her -- at this point, I didn't have Triandra's base form (just the Peony duo!). Having her as a stand-alone unit helped me flesh out her vibe/character way more! WHICH ALSO was important cause like. I did completely forget her backstory. I blocked out most of Book 4 actually LMFAOO IT WAS SO UPSETTING FOR ME 😭 And the fairy who left the deepest impression on me was Plumeria, actually.

So! My deep-dive exploration of the fairies has been way more recent! All that, combined with one Book 4 revisit and the dream realm centric TT event that excluded Sharena kind of just. Fueled my spite LMFAOO like okay FINE. I'll reconcile all of this myself if I have to 😤

As for Alfonse... man.

It's hard to say which came first, my affinity for Alfonse or the intrigue of Lif. I almost want to say they happened side by side, parallel to each other. I got into FEH a couple years after it launched, so I was able to go through Books 1, 2, and most of 3 at my own pace. I think my affection for Alfonse WAS solidified in Book 3 though, not even because of Lif.

THIS IS. THE VERY FIRST PHOTO IN MY DEDICATED ALFONSE ALBUM ON MY PHONE LMFAOOOOOOO IT'S NOT EVEN OF ALFONSE........ IT'S HIS BITCH ASS DAD 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I thought this moment was SO insanely funny though like MAN. Real "Sometimes I can still hear his voice...." "Stop telling everyone that I'm dead" moment 😰

Though Gustav does NOT get credit for anything.

This dialogue especially in response to Gustav really did touch me. Like for him to go from trying his damnest to remain detached to standing up to his dad (scary) for someone he only recently met. To believe in the strength of that connection ESPECIALLY in the face of conflict (his own fears, and his bitchass dad) (and also the death curse.) To be THAT important, to have that much faith in me. Damn I guess I have to trust you and let you into my heart. 🧍

And prior to that moment, like... I absolutely had a slow burn with him.

Idk how personal I want to get about it esp cause I've rambled SO much already lmfao... but for me, Alfonse is very much like looking into a distorted mirror. Some things are extremely similar, other things are direct opposites but in a way that reflects the other. He's very much like me. He's something I'm not, and something I can never be. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes he has something I wish I could grasp for myself. There's feelings of affection, recognition, admiration, hostility, envy, desire.

Maybe one thing I'm comfortable sharing is that I have a lot of trouble letting people in. I kind of go about it in the complete opposite way. Everything I know about connecting with others, I've had to go out of my way to learn. None of it came naturally to me. I am very intentional, almost meticulous, in what I do and say. To be likable, to be the best person I can be. I've had to work really hard, and I still have to work hard to not push people away or isolate myself completely.

In short PVP was activated when I got a sense for his character LMFAOO LIKE COME ON MAN. I've done XYZ and A THOUSAND OTHER THINGS. I may not show it but AAAUAGJGHGHGH EVERYTHING IS SO HARD ALL THE TIME BUT I AM FACING MY FEARS EVERY DAY. To be A CHILL and FUN super laid back guy who also helps the best he can whenever he can however he can. And you???? What about you?????? What are YOU doing?!???!?? I'M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU

[nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather]

What's your favorite and least favorite thing about each main character on BTVS and Angel?

I can really only answer this for BTVS. I have seen Angel, but not recently, and it just doesn't resonate with me the way BTVS does. Turns out, when there's no Buffy, I don't care.

Buffy:

I love so much about Buffy Summers that it's hard to pick a true favorite trait. I'm going to go with her intelligence because it's so often overlooked even though, in many ways, she's the smartest character on the show-- and the one who actually uses her brain when everyone around her is being utterly irrational and falling for every trick in the manipulative villain handbook.

My least favorite thing about her, by far, is what a doormat she can be sometimes. It's so frustrating watching her take so much shit from her friends and family and forget her own strength over and over.

Giles:

This is difficult to articulate, but I like that Giles chooses to be one of the good guys despite clearly having the capacity not to be, and how his own moral grayness gives him an understanding of the nuances of human nature that the others lack.

My least favorite thing about Giles is his emotional cowardice and immaturity. He does so many harmful and downright stupid things trying to run from his feelings. He never quite learns to put on his big boy pants and deal with his issues, and his being decades older than the rest of the cast makes it really glaring.

Willow:

I love it when Willow cuts down to the core of a situation and exposes everybody's bullshit. Her rant to Giles and Angel in Reptile Boy, reading Faith for filth in Choices, and shutting Parker down in Beer Bad are some of my favorite moments with her.

My least favorite thing about her is that she's actually incredibly self-centered and entitled a lot of the time. She expects the world to stop for her when she's in pain and when she thinks she's right, she's not interested in what anyone else has to say or silly things like basic human rights and autonomy.

Xander:

His bravery. Despite having no powers and no particular skill set, he ends up accomplishing some pretty impressive things through sheer balls and determination, and it's hard not to respect that. Trust me, I've tried.

My least favorite thing about him is almost everything else about him, but I guess that's kind of cheating. If I had to sum it up into one trait, I think I'd say it's his blatant hypocrisy that bothers me the absolute most. He doesn't even try to live up to the standards he sets for other people.

From here on out, my take on who is and who isn't a main character is going to be pretty arbitrary. For instance, I'm not including Tara, even though I adore her, because I couldn't think of anything bad to say about her and that probably means she wasn't fleshed out enough to be a true main character. If I skip a character you wanted my opinion on, I'm always open to more Buffy asks!

Dawn:

Her loyalty. My girl does not mess around when you mess with the people she cares about, and she doesn't play that 'don't take sides' crap. If you hurt someone she loves, you're going to hear about it. I know, I know, Empty Places, but she was clearly being manipulated there and if you look at her behavior overall, she's absolutely a ride or die and I love it.

Her expectations, especially of Buffy, are extremely unreasonable sometimes and it causes a lot of misery all around. I don't count it against her too much because it's a pretty normal teenager thing, but if there was one thing I could change about her, it would probably be that.

Angel:

His insight. He's very good at channeling his own emotional turmoil and self-loathing into understanding others-- usually Buffy, but not always.

His martyr complex and constant self-sabotage are super annoying. Though I love him, I do totally understand people who can't deal with his Man Pain.

Spike:

Devotion. I have all sorts of problems with him but he does have a capacity for sacrificial love that transcends all else-- including soullessness and demonic influence.

And my least favorite thing about him is really just the flip side of that same trait. He's simultaneously creepily obsessive and eye-rollingly sentimental and dramatic.

Thanks for the ask!

[avrablake]

Find the Phrase

Thanks for the tag @shellyscribbles

The rules: Search your manuscript to find the exact or a similar phrase as the one given to you in the tag.

My Phrase: Are you certain?

Putting this under the cut but first leaving an Open Tag for anyone who wants to do this and also tagging @sleepyowlwrites @kaiusvnoir and @talesofsorrowandofruin

Your Phrase: Forget about me

“You look pale,” Kai handed her a towel and a bottle of water as she leaned back against the weight machine, closing her eyes. “Are you sure you aren’t pushing yourself too hard?”

“I’m fine,” she told him, taking the water gratefully. “I’m just tired.”

“You haven’t been sleeping well,” Kai said with a frown. “The dreams?”

She hesitated before nodding. It wasn’t like she could keep anything from him anyway.

“They’ve been worse lately.”

“Maybe we should talk to Lucan about it…” Kai’s voice trailed off, unsure. It had been his idea to keep the dreams a secret from the others for the time being.

Thea just shook her head. Though she was growing more comfortable around Gram and Lucan, and could admit they were kind to her, she still couldn’t trust them completely. Sometimes she would overhear bits of conversation that didn’t make sense to her. Sometimes she would walk into the kitchen to find Gram and Nix seated in uncomfortable silence, as though they were discussing something they didn’t want her to overhear. Nix would glare at her and storm out, and she wouldn’t see him again for several days. Sometimes she would catch movement out of the corner of her eye, a dark shadow moving too fast, like a wraith haunting the base. Her mistrust of Nix, and her apprehension toward him grew with each brief encounter. So long as Gram and Lucan continued to keep him around, there was no way she could trust them.

Kai sighed, pulling her attention back to their conversation. “At the very least, maybe you should take a break from strength training for a while. Maybe your body wasn’t quite recovered enough.”

Thea looked away from him as frustration pricked her eyes. Kai was making steady progress in his own training. She felt like she wasn’t making any progress at all.

“I have to get stronger,” she muttered.

[theimpossiblescheme]

(Another entry for @bombawife‘s OC week--this time I get to talk about my Platoria kittens, or rather let their friends and mentors talk about them for me!)

To Aphrodite Jinx, the Junkyard’s self-appointed “handy cat” (but please, call them AJ, all their friends do), Bianca was very much her father’s daughter.  Plato’s cheerful eagerness and restless energy shone out of her, and there was some flickering of forgetting her own strength and trying to channel it into something elegant and calm instead.  But while Plato always looked for ways to make himself needed and useful, Bianca looked to make things useful.  She loved junk–all manner of junk, anything that looked interesting on the pile over the old car boot.  Newspapers, old suitcases, strings of holiday lights, electric bits and bobs, teakettles, tennis racquets, glass jars, orphaned container lids… some of it hung in her corner of the den to decorate the wall, but most of it she rushed over to AJ with questions upon questions.  “Why would somebody ever throw this away?” she wondered, knowing neither of them could answer–who knew why humans did anything?  But oh, weren’t they funny and sometimes rather fascinating?  One afternoon, Bianca helped herself to a pair of welding goggles she’d found hanging on the bedstead, and ever since she refused to take them off.  Most of the time they hung around her neck, but every so often AJ would find her wearing them properly, sprawled out on the ground and determinedly tinkering with some new doodad she’d found, and it always made them smile.  Another afternoon, Bianca tied a ribbon around an old sparkplug, and AJ laughed to see it dangling from her neck as she perused a half-torn book.  You couldn’t deny her creativity, even if it had a strange way of manifesting.  One of these days, they really needed to introduce Bianca to their humans’ garage–she’d have a field day there.

To Tumblebrutus, one of the Junkyard’s many new healers, Cygnus was very much his mama’s boy.  Victoria’s quiet empathy echoed in his voice every time he spoke, reassuring every patient in the den that they were in good paws, and he moved with the same balletic precision that came from sitting and watching her practice every morning.  If only he had her confidence, too.  The kid had it in him, Tumble knew.  He saw it every time Cygnus second-guessed himself about where an injury had come from or how to cure a bad cough, looking back like he knew the answer, but was scared he might be wrong after all.  Some days he needed to prod him along, but other days all he could do was stand back and nod as Cygnus’s instincts guided him.  Let the kid trust himself–it was the only way he’d get better.  And fair was fair, everybody learned at their own pace.  Neither of them had Cori’s extreme soothing calm or Tanto’s mastery of herbs (who did, really?), but he listened with round eyes and perked ears to every lesson.  Cygnus always balked a bit at bandaging wounds, but he took great care not to cut off the bloodflow.  Where he excelled, however, was bedside manner.  He was frankly amazing at getting even younger kittens to sit still and tell them how brave they were, and sometimes he’d jokingly glare back at Tumble for saying a broken leg from backflipping off a car was “pretty cool, you gotta admit.”  And at the end of a long day, they’d send their “latest victim (quit calling them that, you’re gonna scare them off!)” home with a treat and an encouraging word.

To Jemima, the London Jellicles’ Keeper of Memory, Anastasia took after… strangely enough, both of them, and yet neither of them.  Oh, certainly, she had the sweet, earnest nature and soulful eyes everyone knew and loved so dearly, and she was every bit as sublime a dancer.  But there was something lurking underneath.  A frailty that didn’t suit such an energetic kitten–not of body, but of soul.  Like a hairline crack in a porcelain vase.  A sadness, too, that also didn’t belong in someone so young.  Every time Nastya sat alone, away from her little circle of friends (and occasional protective circle of older siblings), Jemima could sense it even from far away.  And so much more besides–glimpses of guttering streetlamps and autumn leaves, pangs of hunger, the heaviness of rain in her fur… and beneath even that, flashes of joy.  Of dancing, twirling skirts, the scent of roses and perfume sprayed to cover sweat, paws clasped to her heart as countless other cats cheered.  She never pried or said anything, of course–a cat valued their privacy above all else–but it was rather like hearing a tearful argument from an upstairs window, except with only one voice.  She couldn’t bear to hear Nastya’s struggling as so many things dead and forgotten boiled to the surface of her mind, and when she finally came to ask for help she wasted no time in telling the dear kitten she didn’t have to figure it all out herself.  Jemima would help her, Victoria and Plato would help her, Bianca, Cygnus, everyone who loved her–they would all be there beside her on this path, like always, toward her own happiness.  And it was the proudest hug Jemima had ever given when Nastya threw grateful arms around her neck and held on tight.

[yeniasworld]

All this information and research got my mind on overload—sis, it *hurts.* Got me so confused, had me shook, questioning everybody and *everything.*

When I started my whole *glow-up,* I was bingeing tarot readings like Netflix, fasting for two weeks, and puffin’ on some weed. Not a lot, just enough to knock me out while I was touring Europe with my man in his van—giving road trip, giving photo op realness.

Came back to London, and guess what? The paranoia slid in like an unwanted DM—depression, anxiety, the whole toxic trifecta. By February 2024? *Baby,* I was hearing voices. By Valentine’s Day, the "crossing over" happened—giving full-on *awakening.* Voices whispering, “You gon' die, sis.” My paranoia hit the fan.

December 2023? I was at my aunty’s house, and *honey,* she was saying the most. She knew something was up. She clocked it before I did. Always hinting I had demons, calling me a witch on the low, like, "Sis, you need prayers, you need to go back to Senegal and get right."

She had me in her house playing dua tracks all night long like a remix. Burning sage around me like she was waiting for something to pop off. But, sis, she knew I was spiritual too. I prayed sometimes, and back in 2016, I was on my healing vibe—dabbling in all the religions, diets, and therapies.

By 2019? Vegan, full alkaline. Shoutout to Dr. Sebi. I was on my health grind, dodging all the starchy foods like they were bad hookups. The energy? Immaculate. I was dropping pounds, cleansing my spirit, and feeling like a *mini god.*

But here’s the tea: I ain’t blaming my family, but my whole life felt like something was *off.* Still, my energy? My glow? It was unmatched. Luck stayed blessing me. Even my dad would joke, "You got all the favor, sis."

When I switched up my diet, everything changed. I felt whole, like I was on some *next-level* divine vibes. Everything was crystal clear. I even stopped going to my aunty’s house—her energy, her food, her vibes? Not for me.

Used to be dependent on her for coins and a meal. But when I leveled up my frequency? *Girl,* I was on those long walks, hiking, jogging—dropped the weight naturally. Alone time was my new bestie. Books on spirituality? Check. Deleting socials? Check.

The more distance I put between me and the fam, especially my mom? *Sis,* the energy cleanse was *real.* I felt so connected to myself, smashing my goals, and finally reconnecting with my ancestors like, “Yes, I see y’all.” It was giving pure spirit, aura on 100, guiding me toward abundance in *all* areas.

But let’s not forget those voices. The ones saying I was gonna die? *Sis,* that was my paranoia playing games, boosted by tarot readings and my own fears. I started cutting people off, even ghosting my mom. My trust issues? Through the roof.

But on the real? That night, I heard another voice. It was like God whispering, “You’re gonna be okay, child.” And as time passed, that voice turned into my *higher self*—intuition on full blast, guiding me, keeping me from spiraling even further.

This whole journey? It’s brought me back to *me,* to my inner child, and my purpose. Paranoia was like self-therapy, forcing me to confront my demons. Oversharing on social media? Lowkey healing. Now, when I listen to tarot? I know how to pick what serves me and build that mental strength.

Spirituality might be taboo, but *sis,* it’s real, and I ain’t ashamed.

In the end? God allowed these mental health struggles for a reason. Every challenge, every dark moment—helped me grow, helped me adapt. I mastered myself, tapped into something bigger, something pure that can’t be played or manipulated.

I’m *ready,* protected, and stepping into this era—*my* era—with no hesitation.

#MyTime