#she is a gremlin who has a lot to learn but I'm excited for her to grow

[potohseviltwin]

Rosalina through the years! She started as a random pink-haired character that I had a very vague story idea for. Then I decided to make her the main character for the Misadventure May challenge 2019. After finishing MM, I developped more ideas and lore around her, gave her a family etc. and then Roots slowly came into existence. TBH it took a while until she grew on me as an OC (I was mainly attached to just her overal design with the pink hair and all), but with a flashed out personality and backstory I'm just so glad she's in my life uwu

[imthepunchlord]

What would be the perfect "Miraculous team" for you?

At this point, the characters that do stand out most to me as major players that could be on a plausible team are: Marinette, Adrien, Felix, Alya, Nino, Kagami, and Zoe.

Honorable mentions/maybes: Ali, Aurore, Chloe, Lila, Juleka, Ivan, and Kim.

Marinette is a must. I do really enjoy writing her, and making my desired tweaks, and it is kinda a shame a lot of recent writing with her is in salt response to canon treatment. It's a big part of the reason I'm on an ML writing break. But she's a must. Most likely with kwami swaps as I am kinda done with her as Ladybug and working off Tikki. Tikki I think could better serve elsewhere and Marinette could be refreshing working off a different personality.

Adrien by default is kinda a must, though his biggest help is that he has a lot of options in what can be done with him. Could go along canon as starting off as a goofball hero that will get serious (though still keep his sense of humor), and be at a crossroads of working with his father or going against him. He could also work with Gabriel at the start, either openly or secretly, and through friendship finds himself as a crossroad. Could also do him joining later, initially exploring him as a civilian, maybe he runs the Ladyblog and wants to unmask heroes and he's extra excited cause his father is actually supportive and invested in his interest. There's some good options for him.

Felix is a must, partly from bias, but he does have a good established arc from starting as an antagonistic loner to turning to a true hero. And the stiff, skeptic, passive aggressive personality he can have could be a good counter to other personalities. And if you want to work off cnaon, he can go absolute gremlin.

Alya is another must. Frustrating as she is, she's a character I see a lot of potential for. Like, a lot of the "lessons" Marinette is expected to learn would better apply to her. And like Adrien, she'd be a great character if she was allowed to learn and improve. And I see a lot of potential in exploring her as a hero at the start, cause you got Alya wanting to start out for glory and attention, kinda treats it as a game initially, and she's on the side of reckless with secrecy, and I just see a lot of good potential for her as a major lead to follow at the start. Learning that heroing isn't all fun and glory, sometimes it's hard, and with reveals, there are pros to it, but there are also cons. She could really add to the secrecy vs reveal debate.

Nino is kinda here by default, but the boy needs something. Ideally something to let him stand on his own, especially outside Alya and Adrien. And one of the best ways to do that is explore him as a Miraculous hero at the start. And he wants to be a film director, so, maybe his focus arc could relate to leadership, learning to develop those skills, awareness of his team and what they can do, and how to best direct them. I will say, of this list, I could also roll with Nino as the supportive civilian friend who grounds one of the leads as he is a character who doesn't have a lot going on.

Kagami, despite all her issues as a character, is a character that caught my attention in Riptose. And while she got a lot of odd choices and polarizing characterization, taking the scattered pieces I can see a potential character being crafted. You got potential in her as the blunt ice queen who's overly dedicated and a little too serious, she wants to make friends but she's socially awkward and can come off as mean, she wants to make her mom proud but she also feels stifled. And by her official skills, she's one of the few characters that could actually vigilante and help the heroes without a Miraculous, or try to compete with them as her mom is tasking her with the chance to fight superhumans and prove herself.

Zoe is in a weird boat as she came in so late and I stopped watching ML so I didn't click with her all that well, but seeing more of her as Kitty and the apparent partner for Alya, it did prompt me to think and consider her more and brainstorm ideas. There's definitely something to work off of with her wanting to please Chloe and pretending to follow her along, but that's not who Zoe is and she can have an arc of figuring herself out, dealing with the tension and mistrust that her relation with Chloe brings, and letting herself flourish. Adjustments though would have to be made for her to come in sooner or be at Paris at the start, either as Chloe's younger sister or maybe twin, or her cousin, or we rip off the bandaid of the vague Bourgeois union, say they're divorced, and Audrey remarried and Zoe is Chloe's stepsister and she's up in Paris so they can "bond". I will say, with her coming in so late, she's also a character I can just exclude.

For honorable mentions where I can see potential or fun or I wish they had more attention:

Ali has a lot of the same appeals as Adrien, is shown to be very sweet, and I am bummed so little was done with him. He's not present enough to warrant being on the main team, but I like him enough that I should try and write more with him.

Chloe I can acknowledge has potential as a character, and that chance of a redemption arc is there, and she can be loads of fun to write. But I also feel irritated with her as she was a waste of time. I get they were halfheartedly going for "will she be good or will she be evil", but it was such a butcher job and you could tell the team was split, and instead of compromising, they just put in both potential to be good and her clearly not going to get better. And I'm just stuck in that irritating spot where I can SEE the potential but she may ultimately better serve as a villain/antagonist.

And this is where Aurore comes in, having all the perks of Chloe being haughty and proud, but none of the downsides. She was a lot of fun to write in Leave for Mendeleiev, and honestly, when I started ML with Stormy Weather, I actually thought she was a major character since she had the initial focus point. Color me surprise when she ultimately became a background character. And then disappeared for a while.

Lila is in a similar boat to Chloe, and honestly between them on who should get a redemption, it's pretty even them for me as they're both terrible. But we didn't NEED two mean girls to go against Marinette. Now, if they were a rival/foil to another character, and Marinette just worked mostly off one of them, then having two mean girls could've worked better. Either way, Lila redemption would have to be around Volpina, cause Chameleon and onward is a trainwreck and there's no way to pick up the pieces of that. And for a chracter who lies a lot, can be petty and spiteful, she has promise to be a lot of fun, and to bring a lot of chaos.

Between the two Couffaine siblings, Juleka is the one I see a lot of potential for writing wise, as she does have that established struggle of trying to find her voice. And by her livelihood, you could play off the comedy of her being chaotic but chill, and ready to take things to the extremes (like kidnapping). And there's the friendship potential that canon tapped into with her and Marinette's shared interest in fashion (I actually think that if the show was more realistic on friend pairs, Marinette would've been in a trio with Juleka and Rose).

Kim is on this list because he cracks me up. Peak himbo but surprisingly wise. That is if we can ignore how he got ruined in s5.

Lastly, Ivan. He was actually the first classmate I really paid attention to, and I saw a promising story to work off with him. Watching Origins, you see most of the class is intimidated by him, so I thought he could have an arc of changing people's perspective, instead of him being feared he's seen as a protector. Which kinda got speedran in the background, but I guess we can't have a plus size character as the focal point. But I'd like to do him as a major lead sometime.

[thatunusualwriter]

𝙲𝚘𝙳 𝙶𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚡 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚗! 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 1

"𝕀'𝕧𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕥 𝔸𝕝𝕝 𝕄𝕪 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝔾𝕚𝕧𝕖"

Character pairing: (CoD) Simon "Ghost" Riley x Short!Chubby!Reader (is gendered as a "she/her" throughout the story, and has subtly pointed out details about her appearance.)

Summary: After a long time Y/N's best bud, Johnny MacTavish, returns home but fails to inform her some folks will be tagging along, so her anxious ass has to deal with that and one of Johnny's friends isn't exactly a people-person as she'll come to learn. 

Warnings: Vulgar language, talking about mortician profession, sadism, dark humor, slow burn, Reader has social anxiety, subtle description of DID for Simon. 

A Free-form fic! Not exactly connected to the game's story. First time ever writing this kind of stuff, pls be kind. :D

Enjoy! Tell me if you want part 2 where things could be more spicy, who knows.

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Tonight is the night, alright!

The hype vibrated from head to toe in her body, it has been like that for a week and Y/N had not bothered to contain it either. Her best bud, an old friend, finally could pay a visit — for how long, she had no idea. And thank God Johnny had called a week ahead. Y/N's introverted, anxiety-strung heart and brain could prepare for socializing.

The pep talks added little to no encouragement while she prepared to look just as comfy as acceptable between people with her signature dress code. But as long as one of any of her friends are around she didn't have to be that self-conscious with how she looked, she supposed, being told many times by each of them that she was loved for being who she is. And she silently took their words to her affection-overflown-heart.

Y/N, being the minimalist that she is, used very subtle make-up just to cover the pimples, mascara, and nude eyeshadow to bring out her eyes and put on her favorite outfit that shouldn't magnetize too much attention but it's her personality that could beam with broadness of confidence when around people she loves and it's what always made her stand out in the crowd. Little did she know about that.

She kept wondering if Johnny changed a lot, that Irish lass donkey she knew might not be the same after what he must have gone through in the military, yet deep down she knows it might be the case but she'll still love her friend no matter what. And knew she would be a shitty friend if she wouldn't even consider embracing the new him. 

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"Alright, okay. I'm good. All good, all set..." Y/N whipped a fleeting look at her reflection, leaning against a bathroom sink with tense shoulders.

"We are still friends and I will act like there wasn't almost a 10-year separation, like back in the old days," she ordered at herself, sighing and dabbing with the pad of her finger at the uneven makeup foundation she came across under the soft light with a grunt of annoyance.

Then she stopped her finger-patting altogether and stared into her own eyes in a moment of silence. "10. Years."

"Holy fucking saint Maria—" Y/N snorted in disbelief with her blurting, self-commenting since there was no one else she could talk to currently.

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It was fifteen minutes before 9 pm, a time they agreed on to meet, Y/N fancies going a bit earlier just to be safe, you never know what could happen on the way to your destination. She saw a few stray cats on the way and some came close for a pat, some just threw an irked glare but she found those kitties cute anyways. It made her all giddy, excited to share this moment with her friend once settling down. While being more of a dog person, Johnny not even once said her cat obsession ramblings bothered him, listened, and nodded sympathetically.

The bar she was invited to was one of those she could call her kindergarten. When being a little gremlin, Y/N's parents liked to go there for socializing with their friends and some conveniently had children too so she always was under a watchful eye, the owner knew her very well and enjoyed it when she stopped by.

But the contrast of her being around people versus her extroverted family, as she grew she became rather a loner for needed peace and only visited when being tugged along by friend/s, very few understood her. Especially with the profession she chose.

Thomas, the bar owner, respected that, he's one of those laid-back uncles for every fun. But he does very much miss the rowdiness of the tiny beastie Y/N used to be, only keeps it to himself.

"Aaaalrighty! Almost there." Y/N smiled, cheering in her thoughts with excitement, eyes squinting at the first window of the building from across the street.

Doesn't look like a busy day inside. It's Thursday, too.

Y/N marched inside silently, when noticing not much of people were around, especially unfamiliar faces, she immediately beamed when setting her eyes on a man behind the bar's counter which she approached with a grin.

"Tomb,"

Thomas looked up, droopy eyes under bushy brows gave a spark of joy as he mustered a little smile.

"Beastie,"

Ah, sweet, sweet nicknames.

"You doing good?" Y/N leaned against the countertop's wooden edge with her palms and the back of her hands squished against her chest.

"Same old, same old. You decided to leave yer cave on your own?" Thomas pulled out a beer seidel from a sink and began to scrub it, preparing it ahead. 

With a coy smile tugging at the corners of her lips, she waltzed to the other side of the counter, following one gruff voice from around the corner where the booth room. "Nope. I'm not that bat-shit crazy. But I am seeing an old bro."

Thomas smirked under his mustache, head bobbing a curt nod. "Have fun, kiddo."

With a nod, Y/N slipped into the wide room. Speak of the Scottish devil and he shall appear.

Johnny MacTavish, a burly man stood in front of one booth, talking to someone who maybe stopped him when he was passing by them. Y/N thought she would never see the man give in to her ideas when it came to haircuts, he has a mohawk, a short one but still, it was a fucking mohawk. And Johnny wore it so fucking well while at the same time looking dopey as always, she used to tell him it's the shape of his face.

Now, not to throw herself under the bus so early but he grew — maybe a few inches, a foot? — since she last saw him. And she obviously notices the difference when her metabolism stopped a long time ago to reach that sweet 4'12, life just isn't fair.

Y/N was taken aback, he still had his friendly odor about him but now there was... also maturity. He obviously went through some shit. And she hesitated. How should she approach him? "Fuck! Didn't plan ahead!"

Johnny unconsciously chose for her, he turned with his lean torso and crossed hands, looked at her fiddling with a strap of her shoulder bag on the spot, then turned fully and marched at her with open arms made of broad muscle earned by hard work.

His blue orbs held hers welcomingly, his laugh is hearty. "Y/N!!"

That's all the consent she needed to be sprinting towards his hug and managed to wrap her short arms around his torso while he laid around her upper back, over her shoulders.

"Heya, John!" Y/N grinned against his shoulder happily. "Johhny-booooyye!" she sang with affection.

Johnny snorted, enjoying himself in the softest warmth he hadn't felt for 10 years. When he let go, he checked Y/N from her toes to her face and an impish grin pulled up on his lips. "Lass, ya seem to be shrinking than growing."

His statement earned him a punch just below his ribs, it was gentle but he held that spot as if he'd been stabbed and it made Y/N laugh while calling him childish and a donkey.

"Ooh, you big baby, if I made it hurt bad ya wouldn't even be standing by now!" Y/N boasted with a sadistic smirk that always siblings secretly shoot at one another to make the fun more thrilling with the silent threat.

Both knew it was meant to be took lightly, it's just joking around, but a couple in a booth they stood next to shifted uncomfortably and Y/N took pity on them and nudged Johnny to go to his table, his arm lifted to rest over her shoulder and she took it as a side-hug so she snuggled closer of course.

They passed by two empty booths. Two. And they are walking towards that one he stood by just a moment ago.

Oh no... 

The inkling perked up her senses with the alarms already going off and the uneasiness arose when they headed closer and she saw a man or... two?

Shit— don't tell me.. No, no no...!

It's four people.

Four. fucking. strangers. that started at Y/N in curious silence. They looked at her like she has been expected. Great. Because she didn't expect them. 

MacFucking betrayal!!

"Who's this MacTavish?" someone asked.

Y/N's anxiety spiked and if she could she'd be the living embodiment of steam, vaporing away thanks to the sudden overheating and she began to sweat. Her little hand's fingers in the middle of her traitorous' friend's back twitched and cramped in a cupping shape, ready to claw, Johnny felt that slight poke and — tried to — gave his best comforting, tiny squeeze on her shoulder. It was good enough grounding to keep her from sprinting away.

All the beaming confidence she had carried from moments ago disappeared with a snap of fingers. Sudden anger began to bubble inside her ribcage so she took long, soft breaths and concentrated on those while looking around. 

Her eyes swiped over the figures so quickly she couldn't register even the tiniest detail on each individual and looked at the table in front of her instead.

These people are military soldiers, so of course they could see her stress-strained body language and shy fumbling with her digits. Johnny wanted to apologize that his team joining was a quickly made decision he didn't see coming and forgot to call her when his captain wanted quick info about his friend before he could leave the table and then there she was. 

"Guys, this lass is Y/N L/N. My good ol' friend, and don't let this cute face fool ya, it's just a camouflage." Johnny tried to encourage everyone from keeping silent, especially his old friend.

"Nooooo, no, no, nooo, I don't wanna meet new people! I'm not mentally prepared for that!! God!! Johnny!! No—" 

A man, at the seat's edge, shifted and turned to properly face her and his extended hand appeared in her tunneled view. Y/N hastily met the gaze of the one the arm belonged to, out of politeness. Her left arm for no reason whatsoever wanted to reach back for his hand but she quickly and clumsily switched it with her right one and shook his hand properly. 

And here this old man worried she could be a threat.

... Little did he know... 

"John Price, a pleasure to meet ya in person, miss." The old man chuckled, his short beard and mustache showing it clear as day that he didn't mock her, wrinkles formed around his tired eyes as he smiled with amusement and it somehow eased Y/N's nerves so she meekly smiled back.

Now that she had a better look at him, and an excuse for her to look, she noted he was not that intimidating. Strict-looking, yes. She almost saw her father. By her impression, he looks like a hard-working person with a lot on his shoulders, a burden not meant for sharing.

"I'm Soap's captain, and this is the rest of my crew." John turned towards his said people and began to motion to them one by one as if fearing they wouldn't introduce themselves politely enough. This could have been the case for some of them. But when he said "my crew", Y/N knew that he was a proud papa, and it radiated off of him. 

Something else John said grabbed her full attention and she frowned ever-so-slightly as she thought it over.

"... "Soap"?" Y/N parroted, her confusion discreetly traveling up to her friend.

Johnny pursed his thin lips back before clearing his throat, not meeting her gaze. "That's what they call me. At work," he added the last part quickly.

Y/N's expression suddenly matched Johnny's when she turned her head back to look at the table, but the tugging upwards corners of her lips gave her away as well as her sucking in a breath.

"Dun't."

Scrunching her eyes shut, she allowed a soft, throaty snicker or two to escape past her sealed lips. Turning her head away and covering her mouth with the back of her hand to shield her face, she managed to giggly chant out: "Sorry, sorry... Sorry." she wasn't really sorry.

Then, Y/N whipped her head to face him, an impish grin on her face. "Do they call you like that because of that...?" she subtly hinted and didn't notice how those people around the table leaned in to hear.

"Classified, ya gremlin." Johnny growled, but not menacingly, not at his old friend at last, his coworkers got a nasty glare and everyone laughed. 

Y/N from the rush looked at those five people, who might be men, every individual had a specific aura about them. Every one of them was different, looked different, laughed differently, and didn't give off that vibe of a bad person. Only you'd think that an odd bunch like them wouldn't get along with the screaming contrasts between them.

When she caught herself looking up and down from the shortest to the tallest guy there she flushed and glanced away before someone would notice, but had an inkling at last one of them had noticed.

She had no idea how she got sat down next to this guy named Rudolfo Parra, he introduced himself right away and they shook hands, Johnny sat at the edge of the booth's seat, blocking her way out. No matter how much she tried to scoot not to be squished against both men with her and their size was a bit difficult, her anxiety had it easier when a certain man with a mouth, mask with a skeleton's jaw print, and hoodie for shadows to coat over his face sat right in front of her across the table, hence the reason for his piercing stare.

He was tall, taller than the others, and, by the looks of it, broad too and he made Y/N feel so small that she was beginning to think his cold stare began to tell her she was not welcome at their table. And, hell, if she wouldn't have her soul so small inside her she would've asked him to look away or ask what's his problem. But there was no desire for her vocals to start working now, her tongue as if swallowed, she didn't know what to say. Maybe she leaves the boys to take the lead this time in her life. So she just avoided his gaze altogether since she doesn't have to, yet. 

Y/N's attention focused on the next introducing man.

"Alejandro Vargas," the man smiled and she returned it genuinely back, almost smiling from ear to ear and reaching to shake his hand as well. "And, apologies if this is rude to ask, but could you tell us how did you and Soap meet?"

Y/N's shoulders eased and she comfortably leaned back against the seat's leather head rolls. "Ahhh, it's a boring story," she began, not expecting the hundred percent of attention she got by that and it made her shoulders shrink a bit on reflex. "He needed a roommate and I needed a place to stay at. Really nothing juicy."

Johnny erupted in hearty laughter next to her, starting to feel the nostalgia. "It was relatively okay at the start until we started butting heads—"

Y/N had toned her friend out when thoughts with inner voices pulled her in for an urgent chat in her brain. The masked guy was silent and either stared or kept looking at his glass of whiskey, it unnerved her that the introductions seemed to end with Alejandro, and wondered if the mysterious guy felt just as awkward as her. It's obvious that no one will take pity on them and introduces the guy for his sake, he could be more anxious about strangers than she is, it's a theory. Y/N amid Johnny's storytelling took the leash of confidence and after a moment of hesitance made her move, reaching her little hand out across the table between the glasses with alcohol towards that man as elegantly as she could, she has been enough of a klutz for one day.

Her friendly smile was genuine, and soft, and reached her eyes. That's what the masked guy saw when his cautious, dark orbs of hazelnut traveled from his drink to her hand, and then her face. And when she noticed the tiredness she felt a little concerned, if he is alright or looked like this 24/7?

He began to be unsure how to react towards this stranger that his comrade, military brother, described as the "nicest soul that ever walked on Earth.". He was wary and was quite obviously showing it, but she returned it with politeness he couldn't tell if it was for Johnny's sake or just because she wanted to know him.

"Uhm, hi, uh...?" Y/N finally found her voice and tried to keep it low so it wouldn't grab much attention on those two now, fortunately, the other men let them be.

But it seemed the world around just ceased to be, it was just her and him and although coldness had radiated off of him she tried her best to stand tall and face it with her warmth. They don't have to be friends, but it is not like there has to be some bad blood between them either.

When she thought, after the long silence, that the guy won't answer her, Y/N was about to take her stretched arm back until his big and gloved hand grabbed onto hers. It was comical to see, he was twice as big in comparison and it looked like her hand could be swallowed into the black cotton gloves with a print of skeleton digits. 

It was startling, and she nearly yelped at the sudden contact. Instead, Y/N found calmness in staring at their hands in awe, and although it seemed he forced himself to this touch, he kept being expressionless. But the heat of her palm was soothing, although he has gloves his skin underneath was still cold which he didn't think much of until now.

"Ghost." his voice was raspy, rumbly from within his chest, and an accent had a light lick to it. It was the first time she heard him talk and made sure to secure this into her memory treasure chest at the back of her head. 

But she voiced her thought on something completely different when they let go of their hand-hold.

"Damn boy, you got paws!" Y/N blurted out, still staring at his said, gloved hand.

Once everyone around her went quiet she flushed from ears to shoulders and offered an awkward grin as soon as everyone began to laugh, even Ghost looked amused with the way his eyes with smudged black liner around them crinkled. Might as well go with the flow as well, so she laughed at herself too if Ghost wasn't offended.

"Why paws?!" Rudolfo asked, hollering in laughter as he supported his whole self against Alejandro's shoulder who was laughing just as much.

Y/N tried to mask her embarrassment with a pout, crossing her arms over her bosom defensively. "Look— Hey, I just passed by stray cats in the Sherwood, okay! 'M still thinking about them!"

Johnny's giggling calmed and his palm rested on her crown before he began to rub, messing up her hair. "Y/N, ya know ya shouldn't be walking in that street." 

"You're not my dad, Soapbar!" Y/N retorted with a huff and everyone was hollering in their seat, and she joined with soft snorting, feeling a little proud at her creativity with words. Her hands grasped at his wrist the hand that bullied her. She growled as they played around before he put her in a headlock as an excuse to hug it out without squeezing, just like they always used to. 

Y/N glanced at others and found Ghost looking at Johnny with this odd expression that wasn't there before, like a new face. Are they close friends? But the thought of these two dating seemed as more of a plausible thing behind this expression, and it thrilled her, actually, that Johnny got himself, someone. But there was this stinging pain... Jealousy? Worry that she might not be that much important to her Irish buddy? People always did come and went in her life, which Johnny knew. He wouldn't abandon her like others, right? He was the brother she never had.

Ghost and John gently hit their glasses against each other, the captain drowned his drink in one go and then left for the bar counter. Alejandro and Rudolfo talked to each other in their native language but everyone who doesn't understand a word can pretty much guess they're shamelessly flirting. Y/N snuggled up against Johnny, sighing contently while she squeezed him the best she can in an embrace she had returned and it made Johnny smile against her hair which he nuzzled his nose against, it made Ghost wonder if Johnny truly sees Y/N as his sister and nothing else.

Then again, affection has always been foreign to him. To them.

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"Why did he call you Beastie?"

"Why do they call you Ghost?"

In all honesty, Y/N is still shocked he spoke to her in the first place. Although his curiosity about her made her somewhat happy, since she's curious herself it's only fair he could answer any of her questions as well and she made sure to hint at that broadly, and Ghost understood loud and clear.

Johnny had abandoned them long ago and went who knows where when he didn't bother to take his drink with him, nor did he go to the toilets. John has been seated at the bar counter ever since, both he and Thomas watched the sports on the small tv and seemed to have a good time. Rudolfo and Alejandro did go to the bathroom and Y/N had an inkling that it was not because one of them needed to vomit. It was just Ghost and her, and she was quite alright with the expectation of silence to be between them. 

When noticing he fell silent for a little longer than Y/N would've liked she tried to coax him further into talking, stopping the chat now would be awkward.

"Don't get me wrong, ghosts are cool, but I'm really curious about the reason behind your nickname— Also, why can't I know your real name?"

Taking it as a good sign for not being ignored and still having Ghost's full attention she tried not to shower him with every one of her questions on her tongue, she had yet to learn the limits of this man of how much further she can take things personally without asking a subject she herself wouldn't want to answer. Being neutral is hard, but smiling isn't, so she hoped she looks very inviting for him to talk with her. 

Now Ghost's pointed silence got her all antsy, her leg began to jump with rhythmic bumping of her heel against the tiled floor. His brows twitched ever-so-slightly and Y/N noticed, she realized that he was uncomfortable and it was a boundary she shouldn't cross.

Fuck! Is he irritated with her now? Maybe she should just shut up...

"A-ah, it's classified, like Johnny's, right? Okay, I don't mind." Y/N answered her question and chuckled, rubbing at the nape of her neck, her leg had no intention to stop bouncing.

He leaned forward on one elbow against the rattling table, and the sharpness of his eyes melted back to that tiredness Y/N noticed earlier this evening. "Well, since I don't have the blue-collar on me now," something about that throaty grumbliness that sounded just a tad bit softer made shivers run down her spine. "It's Simon. Simon Riley. I just didn't wanna tell ya earlier."

Y/N blinked, confused, her head tilted to the side a bit and one brow quirked up. "Why?"

Simon heard the gentleness in her voice, but she didn't sound that much meek, her wide eyes of curiosity spoke volumes themselves. He frowned slightly and searched in the depths of her orbs a little longer before finally answering her as emotionlessly as possible: "I didn't know if I could trust you."

And he still didn't hundred percent, it's 50/50. It's not like he needs to be your friend even if Johnny would love it if that happened, nor will he open up to her, but sitting here in awkward silence is something he doesn't want on his day off.

Y/N responded with a hum, looking at him knowingly and her eyes softened while she straightened her head not to strain her neck any further. "Understandable." she gave him a kind smile, to which he responded with a gruff hum of sorts.

Simon placed his big paw on her bouncing knee and stopped it without even trying to restrain her leg, her muscles froze at the contact and she stammered incoherent words in surprise, apologizing. What for? She had no clue. But she always does this automatically.

Y/N grasped onto her glass, filled with soda and ice cubes, her digits pinched her straw before twirling it. When he let go of her knee she could still feel the pressure of his grasp present on that spot.

God damn, why must big hands be so attractive?!

Clearing her throat, she glanced back at Simon who took a sip of his bourbon when she wasn't looking, now he just adjusted his mask over his chin. Had he pulled it up from below?

"Thomas calls me that, well, since ever I was a toddler runnin' around here. I wasn't a bad kid, I just couldn't stay still. Literally ran off whenever someone turned their back for a second." Y/N smiled fondly at those rebellious memories and Simon listened intently, leaning comfortably on his elbows. "I was just assertive when things... took a turn in the kid group here. Pretty much got myself a tag of an outsider, but it's better than to pretend I am who I ain't."

Their gazes locked and she felt a sudden heaviness in the mood which she didn't like, so she cracked up a cocky smirk.

"Literally had to break some teeth so the brats wouldn't mess with me."

Simon's brown eyes darkened and he snickered lowly, amused, and leaned back with crossed arms over his wide chest.

"So a small, innocent woman has a kill count on 'her own?" he was grinning under his mask, liking this unexpected turn of her showing her viciousness that still could be there. And something told him she still had it in her. It was intriguing.

Y/N grinned playfully, something of a thrill sparked at the small of her back. "What, the only military are allowed to have skeletons in their closet? If we won't count you, Bones." she chuckled, finally feeling at ease. "Too bad, I got some in the freezer as well."

His dark-brown eyebrows rose up before they furrowed down, when Y/N noticed his confusion she cleared her throat from the sudden awkwardness.

"Sorry— I thought Soap had told you of my job... I'm a mortician."

"Oh..." in all honesty, how can he answer?

"Yeah, hah ah," she stuttered. "Sorry if it's... weird."

Simon shrugged his broad shoulder, it's not like he should be one to judge in the first place. "A job's a job."

Y/N smiled softly up at him, humming softly in return. But she was lost, how should they continue their discussion about anything really? Now it feels too odd—

"So I'm "Bones" now, huh?"

Being lost in thoughts, she was startled and blinked at him but he enjoyed watching her small, plump frame trying to shrink under the table while her face looked like a tomato. "Well— U-umh uh... I didn't mean—"

Simon exhaled longly. "Quit it. You got nothing to apologize for, Beastie."

Twirling with her digits on her lap, she looked up at him over the edge of her lashes, her blushing has yet to go away. But by the fucking-whoever-is-up-there, this is so embarrassing!! Making nicknames are for her best friends or family, not strangers you are just getting along with. Maybe she got too excited, she should lay low, for her, he doesn't look like the type that like things rowdy in their life unless given no choice.

The fact that he used her nickname made her naive, big heart feel things. As much as she fears new people she loves having friends, new friends.

"Y-you.... don't mind then?" Y/N asked hesitantly but couldn't look up from her glass. 

"I expected to be called Paws or something." Simon rumbled out, entertained by her asserting hiss to try to mask her embarrassment, and it irked her that he made fun of her.

"Guess you aren't that creative with names."

Y/N abruptly stood up, a little balled fist rose into the space between them and she still was a head shorter than him sitting. She swears he's smirking under that mask.

"SHUT IT YA DAMN BRIT!!"

Literally couldn't come up with a better insult. 

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

hi!!! so i have been following your YouTube channel since (checks calender) 2018 so it's been a while, and I'm a huge fan, just a lil shy (you're so cool holy shit, your writing is mind blowing, aaaaaa), so ANYWAY the point of this ask is, body back sounds awesome, might i request some more vibes perhaps 👀👀👀

Omg hi!!!! I could cry to learn someone’s been watching my videos for so long 😭 thank you for all your support!! ❤️ when people think I’m cool it makes me v excited because I’m really just a little gremlin IRL! Happy you like my writing & appreciate all the engagement!

Of COURSE I can send more vibes for BB! First, here's just an excerpt because I'm about to go ham under the cut lol:

The pool he floats in belongs to a young couple. The man works real estate according to the signs Harrison’s seen of his face peppered around the neighbourhood. He’s wondered if that’s ever humiliating, to constantly see pixelated versions of yourself everywhere. But that doesn’t matter. His wife walks dogs in her free time, which means always. Last week, Harrison watched her jog with a vizsla, and just yesterday she spent the morning on their gable-roofed veranda brushing a wispy Alaskan malamute. That was the same veranda Harrison passed on his way to their yard’s fence. Perhaps they wanted someone to do what he did: hook his boot into the crisp rung of their gate, then swing right over. Why else would it have been so easy?

More in-depth BB rambles under here!

CW: drug addiction, mental illness, violence & suicide.

This project is taking over me right now, which might be a way of my brain procrastinating finishing Seventh Virtue (LOL), but I’ve learned to just lean into the hyperfixation so we’re here now!

I really felt drawn to write BB because of this extremely complex thing Harrison goes through in Moth Work that unbeknownst to 17-year-old Rachel who wrote it, she reaaaaaallllly relates to now at 21. I've been unable to stop thinking about this since re-reading MW, because I somehow profoundly represented this experience at 17 that I'm now undergoing at 21.

Harrison is supporting someone who needs a LOT of help (at this point in MW, Lonan’s been an addict for about 3 years, is chronically depressed, is in a constant disocciated state, has attempted suicide twice in less than a year). He feels responsible for this because he loves this person very much--he WANTS to help Lonan. But I don't think he realizes how much effort this will entail and that he himself doesn't have the sole power to "fix" anything. But he’s so young—how long can he handle this before he himself breaks?

The answer is: not long! One could say Harrison’s fatal flaw in MW is not wanting to change. He doesn’t WANT to leave Lonan behind because he doesn't WANT to lose him, he doesn’t WANT a relationship with his mom, Suzanna. At the same time, his life is at this tenuous impasse: things CANNOT sustainably continue in the state they're in, but he's terrified of them changing. And by the end of the book, both of those things happen—it’s his arc. The loose end is the prior point: he's terrified of change, but now the change has happened.

What I want to do in BB is take that loose end and light it on fire. I want to show what happens when that change happens. It's NECESSARY change, but in this moment, feels like the worst decision possible. BB is about the in-between space of being in a destructive relationship & eventually putting yourself first. For Harrison, the experience is extremely messy. He craves intimacy badly but has no idea how to love anyone but Lonan. He craves independence but is also scared of it: how do you start your own life when the last few years have been focused on someone else's?

In Moth Work, he creates the beginnings of a relationship with a man named Jeremiah (to be clear: H&L aren’t dating in MW, they never canonically actually date unlike how I make it sound LOL, only in the Seventh Virtue AU are they a couple!). Jeremiah is a really interesting character in Harrison's life because he represents something "normal." Here's when Harrison meets him in MW:

The motel is named after a dead woman—The Greta Arquette. Harrison discovers this while absently thumbing through a brochure at the empty front desk. The lobby is decorated with vintage clocks and floral wallpaper and it makes sense—the woman it’s dedicated to died at 92. He’s on page six when a young man with an earring and a hair pick appears behind the desk.

Harrison shuts the brochure and slots it back into the display. “Can I get a room?” he asks, already fumbling for his wallet.

“Long ride?”

The clerk—Jeremiah, according to his nametag—smiles. His skin glows amber under the lanterns hung from the ceiling, and his hair looks too good for 2AM. The collar of his uniform pastes underneath his sweater, and it’s almost charming, this unnoticed mistake.

Wait up for my video later today (3PM EST!!) where I literally in-depth analyze a couple scenes with Jeremiah (since I talk more about this there), but essentially, Harrison gets a small taste of what it might be like to be a "typical" 21-year-old here. It entails dancing with people you think are cute, enjoying each other's company without doing anything at all, going to breakfast, etc... All things he and Lonan have never done.

In BB, I want to show the breakdown of this "normal" relationship as Harrison more and more self-destructs to self-preserve. He literally cannot handle this change he's incited--who is he at all without Lonan? He doesn't know, and he can't handle that he doesn't know, so he "goes bad." There's brief mentions of this turn in Feeding Habits where Harrison addresses he was a bit of a disaster when he and his mother lived in Las Vegas, which is why his main goal in FH is to "restart" in NYC (and it's why he also gets destructive again in NYC when his second reboot fails).

I always knew elements of what happened to Harrison in Las Vegas, but didn't know the extent. In FH, the only element we're certain of is when he runs into the same woman Lonan runs into in ch. 6 of Moth Work. He essentially ends up being beat up badly, which for him (mostly his mother, Suz) is the last straw and what makes them pack up to NY.

It was only later, when he stumbled, bloody knuckled, through their front door, stepping over partygoers and martini glasses, that he understood. He hadn’t come to the party thinking about Lonan but managed to attract the same people. He hadn’t drunk the magenta liquid thinking about him but managed to exit the house stumbling, as Lonan did, his knees knotted like a newborn lamb's. There was something inconceivably indissoluble about them—their bond mirror-like, one making a decision, and the other mimicking it with vigour somewhere else, unknowingly inseparable.

But I've been wanting to write what happened BEFORE this, in the time between, which is what BODY BACK is going to be! Here's an excerpt from FH (ft. Jeremiah) that takes place during this timeline:

They saw each other in brief, neon stints. Drinking in his one-bedroom, after Jeremiah’s shifts at The Greta Arquette—a dingy motel—clattering, limb by limb, under his Styrofoam disco ball and calling it dance. They knew each other so little but so well. Where each groove of skin and bone on the other’s body was, what limbs could notch so perfectly together, like nubs of old soap fused together.

The vibes are going to be pretty much the above! Mirror balls, pop music, drugs in misty rooms, eat the rich, etc.

I've been excited to write this story because it shows a side of Harrison I only barely understood when I wrote Feeding Habits. It's actually why Feeding Habits was IMPOSSIBLE for me to write, because I was still seeing Harrison in "caretaker" mode when he actually was rejecting that fully. I wasn't used to seeing him make bad decisions. For all accounts, Harrison is a terrible person in FH. He takes advantage of his mother's kindness, he disappears to scare her, he's self-medicating, he's inviting Reeve to his place under the guise of catching up with an old friend when he actually doesn't care at all about her and only wants to see a glimpse of Lonan's face, he's stealing from the vulnerable, and doesn't want to stop any of it. FH is really Harrison's destruction arc, and BB is going to explore HOW that happened--what triggered those events?

I'd always seen Lonan as the "issue" in their relationship. This was natural in a lot of ways since Lonan started out as a literal villain (lol), but also mostly because I emotionally related to him most back when I was writing him. ALLL my negative emotions and struggles went right to him. It's why Lonan was my favourite character all throughout my teenage years. What I didn't expect is that at the age they're at in this book (21), I'd suddenly understand Harrison on a very, very different level. This is also another reason I want to write this like NOW because I'm 21 and in a similar (albeit wayyyy less dramatic) era. Is this sort of going to be autofiction, maybe!

I think in MW, Harrison doesn't feel much like an "adult" yet. in BODY BACK, he KNOWS he's an adult, and goes a little too hard knowing he can do whatever the hell he wants. If Harrison can do what he wants, it means he can reclaim himself even if it means destruction along the way. What's he willing to do to get his body back?

That's a q to ponder!

It's going to be lots of fun! LOL

[quillium]

please share yr hsr thoughts im so curious omg 😭 if you want a prompt: who are some of fav charas and why??

SPOILERS BELOW - Don't read if you plan to play hsr and don't want spoilers!

MY DARLING. I loved hsr from the moment I opened it and am so insanely happy with it. The lore, the gameplay, the characters--everything is just SO chef's kiss and beautiful. I don't want to say it's better than Genshin bc they def fill different niches and I adore Genshin with all my heart, however, hsr WAS created after Genshin and the creators clearly took feedback and what worked vs didn't work in Genshin and made hsr better in those aspects and I'm SO impressed and in love with the game. Ten bajillion words of rant below the cut hbgjweogisdkl

Something to note is that for the beginning I was insanely into the lore, so during the start when we had Kafka I went around checking everything I could--hearing her thoughts on things was SO interesting and I got very attached to her, especially since they were later contrasted by Herta's commentary (ex. idr who exactly, I think it was Aiden, who Kafka says "I don't recognize this guy" vs Herta who later talks about who Aiden is, his extremely significant contributions to society). When she tells us about our beautiful future and is like "this is the future Elios has foreseen for you--do you like it?" I was So Excited and So Attached. Getting mommy issues from a video game character-- [gets shot and dies]

Character-building wise, I really adore the decision to limit us in finding character backstory, ascending characters, getting relics, etc. using the Trailblazer level--I think that was a very intelligent decision esp bc I know the reason a lot of people got bored with Genshin was they overleveled and it became too easy. Limiting things by Equilibrium level so you have to fit the story a certain was was incredibly clever to prevent power creep.

Let's be real, we are all gremlins, and this is a gremlin game! That rando meeting we call at the Space Station? Stealing people's mail? Goofing off with the rating gun? We all know the trash meme. The game devs clearly love the world and characters they built, and give us so much room to learn about and love the game as well, which I really appreciate so much.

Something to note: Tale of the Winterlands, a book series from Jarilo-VI, which we find a copy of in the trash and with the writer (with the missing author), is noted to be banned before the story-quest and we cannot find the other copies. It's only after we finish the story-quest that the banned books are sold and can be found. I feel like there are so many little details and bits of love in the story and world that are just so, so easy to fall in love with.

All the characters are so pretty. In fact, I wasn't gonna play but my older sister was playing and I saw Stelle and I was like. Okay time to play. LMAO

I love our characters! There's not a single character I dislike! I especially love this time that there's no exactly "end goal", it's literally all about the journey and not the destination! But also, we're not alone! There's so much love I have for the found family trope and this is hitting ALL my buttons.

[keyframemarcy]

Mass Effect Character Ranking Round 2

I have returned from the mines, once again tempted by the siren song of sorting.

Just finished Mass Effect 2, here's what I thought of the crew:

Mordin - This may be suprising, especially to me when I started the game. Learning that he created the Genophage I was ready to blow this guy out the airlock when he didn't show any remorse. But to the writing's credit, he has the best loyalty mission in the game. Overall the writing left me feeling pretty hollow in this game, but getting to repeatedly challenge him on his choices and whether there really was no other way to stop the Krogans was one of the rare times I was glued to my seat. He's a nuanced character, and more than anyone else I'm excited to see where the next game takes him.

Thane - After Kaidan unceremoniously dumped me (dude) I was left in need of a new bae. Lo and behold, hot lizard man. He hit me right in the tragic backstory feels, and there's something very fitting for me matching him with femshep. They just have similar energy. I also loved talking to him about the literal disconnect between his body and mind. That's the weird alien shit I'm here for in sci-fi. Also that VOICE.

Tali - Still best girl. I like her growth in this game post-pilgrimage. She feels all grown up while still being adorably dorky. Her loyalty mission was also really good, I'm excited to see what happens with the Quarians in the next game.

Legion - A late addition, but SUPER intriguing. I didn't really expect the Geth to be much more than random enemies to fight on missions, so I'm glad they're here as this cool hive mind. Again, invested to see where they go in Mass Effect 3. Which in a game that bored me a lot of the time is high praise.

Samara - All the stuff with the Justicars is interesting, and her backstory was pretty cool. Please stop giving all your female characters one body type.

Miranda - Boring at first, but I like helping her reconnect with her sister and her telling the Illusive man to fuck off at the end. Why is she dressed like that.

Garrus - The fandom is going to flay me alive for putting him this low again, but I just can't get behind his continued cop personality. His loyalty mission is a classic noir-type story which was cool, but although I was able to convince him revenge isn't the answer, I already did that in the first game and I'm worried that I'm in for round 3. Voice is still hot.

Kasumi - Just a little gremlin. Considering no one else dresses like her in the franchise, I can only conclude she's a freak which is very endearing.

Jack - I want to like her, but every line of dialogue SCREAMS "I was written by a 30 something man who's never talked to a woman in his life." Why is she dressed like that!

Grunt - Wasn't very grabbed by him as a character. The best part of his loyalty mission was seeing Wrex again. I mostly just miss Wrex.

Jacob - Everyone told me he was boring and that I'd never want to bring him on missions. They were right.

Zaeed - Why are you here?

[escape-from-arcadia]

Ladies, gents, and everybody in- and un-between, let's make some noise for your favorite little punk rocker: Maggie Hartt!

This is Maggie Hartt.

She's 21 years old, demigirl (she/they). Oddly enough, Maggie is actually a nickname from a nickname for her chosen name (Madeline -> Maddie -> Maggie), but she's cool with any of the above names. She'll usually just introduce herself as Hartt.

Maggie is a little chaos gremlin. Upbeat and sociable, they're big on jokes and making people laugh. No one takes them seriously, which they're not as big on, but they figure that if they can at least get people happy and excited, that counts for something, right? That means they have a purpose- a meaning- a role to play? Right? They're more intelligent than people give them credit for.

They're in their own band (Heart x Beat!) where they're the drummer and composer. Their mom was also in her own band and their dad was a music teacher, so they grew up learning all sort of instruments, but they're a big fan of the drums and guitar. Drums give them a place to steady their beat and focus their energy. They also like it when they know people trust them to take them seriously and rely on them for keeping rhythm. To be honest, they just like the guitar because it give them an excuse to look cool.

Maggie 100% human, but both Douxie + Zoe+ Archie and the Wizard Council have had an eye on her for the sheer amount of feral wild witch energy she radiates. Then ADP learns that the magic energy she's got is from spending too much time with her girlfriend who's the actual witch :) My OC Selene (she/her) is her girlfriend. Maggie did once also date Zoe, but they decided they'd be better off friends; it was actually by dating Zoe that Maggie met Selene.

My personal hc to explain the next bit: Magic is not necessarily in blood; all people have an inherent ability to perform magic. Prolonged exposure increases the person's potential to perform magic. There are other factors that go into being able to perform magic and how well you use it (emotion, book studies/training, experience, experimentation, but that's my hc. And so, Mags has tried to perform magic before while dating Zoe, but things didn't end up really well. But Selene has seen a future where Maggie was involved in something magical so she and Zoe have been slowly trying to get them to focus their energy into magic. This meme actually is footage of Selene taking Maggie to see Zoe for their weekly lessons.

Appearance-wise, I wanted to give her a lot of angles and patterns in contrast to Selene, who is flowy and minimalistic for the most part. The bright colored hair was picked to contrast Zoe and Douxie's (and they'll jokingly insist it's 100% natural). They're the only one of my TOA OCs who has grown been in Arcadia their entire life. Out of some relatively normal character designs, I wanted them to embrace the fantastical and chaos that Arcadia is home to.

I don't think I can write anything for them at the moment because I'm going to be drowning in work until May, but I can draw some fun art with them interacting with TOA characters. I could write some flash fic or drabbles from time to time, but wooo!! Maggie!!

Organized short information template under the cut.

Basic Info

Full Name: Madeline Hartt

Nickname: Maggie, Maddie, Mags, Magpie, Carrotsticks

Age: 21

Gender/Pronouns: Demigirl (She/They)

Nationality: American

Profession: Drummer and composer for rock band, Heart x Beat!

Appearance (I experimented with this section and wrote it from the perspective of Zoe.)

A familiar face with bright green hair, streaked with orange and tied up in messy pigtails, walked though the shop door. Correction: they tumbled through the shop door, more whirlwind than person. Her amber eyes glinted with mischief as she bobbed towards the counter, bouncing her head to the music blaring over the speakers. Each step they took seemed to take them off the ground, as if they were a little weightless, unable to be controlled by the laws of physics.

She was only a little taller than me, dressed in a long-sleeved striped shirt, a cropped and sleeveless jean jacket layered on top, despite the heat outside. Their ripped black jeans jangled with the variety of key chains and charms tied around the belt loops. Their grin was so wide, it would more be actually described as 'a showing of teeth.' "'Sup Zo!"

-

Personality

Maggie is a little chaos gremlin. They're honest and have a tendency to just say things as they come to mind. She's incredibly upbeat, energetic, and sociable. They live to make people smile and be happy by telling jokes (and pulling pranks). Very few people take her seriously, thinking that it's impossible for Maggie to be calm and serious, but she's more intelligent than people give her credit for. They work hard to reach their goals, especially when they know people are counting on them or that their actions can help others. They have a funky need to feel needed and like they're making a contribution, a side-effect of people not taking them seriously (and often cruelly telling them that).

Likes: Video games, bright lights and colors, music, visiting the aquarium

Dislikes: The countryside, walking home alone at night, not being taken seriously

Strengths: Tiny but strong, strong affinity for magic, honest, sociable

Weaknesses: Reckless, maybe a little bit too feral, need to feel depended on, self-esteem issues.

-

Family: Addison (mother), Markus (father), Sam (sister)

Friends: Selene Acies, Zoe Ashildr, Hisirdoux Casperan, Claire Nuñez, Toby Domzalski, Krel Tarron, Cayden Tran, Raizri, Zelos

-

Misc

Other info:

Maggie is a lesbian.

She tends to tap her fingers or feet

When they're anxious, they bite their nails

She's the only one of my OCs to have been born and raised in Arcadia Oaks

Their nails are painted in alternating green, orange, and black

She's big on knocking on surfaces around her (walls, countertops, railings)

They graduated with a BA in Sound Design and BFA in Music Performance from Arcadia University (I made that place up. I made that up just now).

She'd 100% be a gnome bard in a DND campaign.

The more I think about it, the more I realize they're probably neurodivergent.

Their Story: Living life to its fullest, embracing chaos, giving yourself credit where credit is due, and learning to love yourself.

-

How They Fit in the TOA-Verse

Usually I'd include the character's backstory, but since she's so new, I don't have one fully constructed for Maggie yet. But I do have some ideas as to how they fit into my gang of TOA OCs

There's an entire plot going on with my TOA OCs where they go through their own journey that is concurrent with the events of TOA, so to show Maggie's role, I'll give this quick run-through of all of my OCs:

Cayden Tran (they/them): A cryptid investigator who has a small rivalry with Eli (at least that's what Eli thinks). They're the one who meets all of the other characters and unite them together, acting a bit like Arcadia Oaks' secret keeper.

Alaraizrilados/Raizri (she/her): A troll who has lived a very sheltered life but yearns to explore (very 'Little Mermaid-). She explores Arcadia a lot a night to gather ingredients for her business of making magical herbal medicines for trolls. But things go awry one night when she finds a mysterious plant, and whoops now this troll looks like a human and needs to find a way to turn back into a troll before people mistake her for a changeling, even though she's been nothing but nice her entire life. :) She's the healer/therapist of the group.

Zelos (He/They/It): A Blank-bot turned assassin, who was originally took orders from a bounty hunter group out to capture the Tarrons. His ship crash landed and his wires got a little fried. Now they're trying to find purpose without taking orders and become their own person, discovering their identity while debating on whether or not they should capture the Tarrons. It's the most trained fighter of the group and the most left-brain leaning on, despite not having a brain...

Selene Acies (she/her): A divination and cosmic witch born in the late Victorian-era. She's met Zoe when she was a kid and met her and Douxie again in the 1920s. She's obsessed with the stars and gets random prophecies. Some are helpful, other are not, but all are true. She does get one about the end of the world and how to stop it! That's neat! :D Selene is the most trained in magic (though not really for combat) and is the future-seer of the group.

Maggie Hartt (she/they): A normal human who shouldn't have any business being involved in magical matters, but gets roped in after dating Zoe and then Selene. They bring wildcard energy to the group and tries to make everyone feel less sad (because honestly Maggie is the least fucked up after Raizri out of all of my OCs, which is saying something).

If you read this far, props to you. Have a cookie. Thanks for listening to me ramble about an OC I made at 2am. Also, yes, I did not proof read this post before posting.

[bugdotpng]

4, 9, 19, 20, 25 for the end of the year meme?

4. Movie of the year?

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, hands down. i'm not a big movie person honestly but i'm so glad i went and saw this w/ some friends. left a blubbering mess. i can definitely tell it's one of those movies i'll be watching over and over again ;w; also watched the fear street trilogy on netflix w/ my friend and really enjoyed those!!

9. Best month for you this year?

probably february! i had a pretty sturdy head on my shoulders and was feeling generally inspired (artistically, mentally, etc.) and stable having experienced the fleeting confidence that came with a diagnosis that i (at the time) thought was really fitting. it didn't last long but it was nice to feel confident for a while that i knew how to approach stuff moving forward. this year generally sucked but i wasn't so horribly burnt out for the beginning of it, so that was nice :'^)

19. What’re you excited about for next year?

having a game plan! i got diagnosed with ADHD in the later part of this year AND i addressed some of my career-related burnout issues with my boss (due to being severely overworked and underpaid, etc.) and visible changes are ACTUALLY being made. i feel like even though this year was objectively fucking awful, i spent a lot of time performing the very arduous task of laying a good foundation for not only next year, but the rest of my life lmao i was able to prioritize stuff and draw some hard boundaries with myself toward the end of the year and i hope to stick to them next year

20. What’s something you learned this year?

i think my answer for 19 suffices here, but in a more literal sense, i learned a lot of neat coding stuff for work! i'm MUCH better than where i was at the beginning of the year and i'm picking up stuff really quick ;w;

25. Did you create any characters (in games, art, or writing) this year? Describe one

MANY lmao, i got to make a little rock gremlin kid named ferris for our alolan pkmn ttrpg campaign (which we haven't played much of but i love ferris a BUNCH)

i also sat down and made like three new characters for my lesbian space catgirls story :^) ideally in a perfect world i would actually make this a little dating sim but for now it's just a word doc lmao. but in my head?? basically a dating sim with cute little tasks and dialogue options to win the favor of the romance-able characters.

i'm particularly fond of merrit, who is an anti-social basement-wizard merchant very passionate about her wares. her role is to just sell shit but you can also romance her by asking her to info-dump about her favorite featured items. she initially comes off as a kinda cold and aloof mysterious cool kid, but after you earn her trust you can see she's a huge fuckin dweeb. i cherish her deeply ghdlfjsk no snart that i wanna share yet tho i'm currently just rotating her in my head :^) she wears a cape with a hood and has SO many pockets

[hikari-writes]

『Boku No Hero Academia』

Angst + Fluff Headcanon

↬ Bakugou saying something mean to his crackhead energy S/O

Request: Bakugo having a s/o with crackhead energy and then he says something mean and the next day she's all quiet and calm even though she's still sad and bakugo tries to apologize to her 😔👉👈

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki

Warning: Lots of cursing (what's new rite?), bakugou being an emotionally constipated gremlin, a tad bit of angst with a fluff ending

Genre: A tad bit of angst but with fluff ending

Words: 1.2k

NONOI PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR I HAVE SINNED---- Lmao i mean,,, I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LATE!! 🥺🥺 GDI ILY THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING I LOVE THIS REQUEST MUAH also I'm really not good at writing hcs rip,,, I think it still counts since I put it in bullet (arrow) points?? But it feels like a whole ass oneshot so forgive me,,, 😭

➳ Katsuki is getting sick of you, every passing moment.

➳ Your voice may not be as loud as Present Mic, but it's enough for him to hear it from his place.

➳ And it annoys him.

➳ How you look every time you tell a joke to your friends. How your beautiful voice rings in his ears like a melody every time you laugh.

➳ How he would snort a bit when he heard your jokes. How he would think of you as cute when you are so excited over the smallest thing.

➳ All of it annoys him to no end. All he wants to do is to shut your pretty little lips up with his own.

➳ And today just seems to be the perfect day to do so.

➳ Except without using the desired method.

➳ You had innocently approached him just like usual, trying to strike up a conversation with the hot headed boy. 

➳ You kept on talking and asking him so many casual things, while occasionally sliding in a joke or two.

➳ "Why are you so silent today, gremlin boy?"

➳ You asked while gently patting his back.

➳ And that was the last straw. You touching him had triggered something inside of him that he doesn't want to.

➳ But Bakugou Katsuki isn't your local homie. He's an emotionally constipated guy with anger issues.

➳ So obviously he expressed what he was feeling in the wrong way.

➳ "Would you shut the fuck up already?! I'm sick of listening to your damn voice everyday! They're so damn loud and my ears could burst if I hear them one more fucking time!"

➳ The whole classroom went silent at his outburst. You, of all people, was shocked at his loud voice telling you off. You suddenly felt like a little kid who was getting scolded by your parents for the things you didn't do. 

➳ After he realized what he had said, he jerked his head towards you, his eyes were showing so much regret. But you were too occupied with your own feelings to realize that.

➳ "A-ah...I'm..sorry, Bakugou….san. I didn't mean to annoy you...I-I'm sorry."

➳ You bowed your head to him before making your way to your seat. Katsuki kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to find the right word to say, but the shock of you calling him with an honorific made him forget about all the vocabulary he had learned from the past 16 years he's alive.

➳ In the end, the day passed by like usual. Katsuki never got the chance to speak to you. Well, even if he tried to create one, you kept avoiding him so it's not exactly working out.

➳ The next day came and as if fate is trolling with the both of you, Aizawa had assigned the both of you together for a project, along with some of your friends.

➳ You were unusually quiet the whole time, and only chimed in when ABSOLUTELY necessary. Even then, you would make sure that your voice is as low as possible. Sometimes it's even too low to the point Kirishima asked you to repeat what you had said 5 times. 

➳ You usually would goof around a lot when working in a group, especially with Kaminari, and slide in a joke at every possible timing. But that didn't happen today. Not after what Katsuki had told you anyways.

➳ The atmosphere of your group was so tense that Mina kept shifting in her seat, showing how uncomfortable she was with the awkwardness. 

➳ Katsuki noticed how at some point, your face brightened as if you just found something interesting and you opened your mouth, probably to talk about it or make some dumb jokes to lighten the mood but not even a second later, your eyes met his and your mouth slammed shut. He noticed you biting your lips as if to prevent yourself from saying anything. 

➳ By the end of the discussion, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be free from the tense atmosphere. 

➳ Eijiro talked to Katsuki about you. He knew that the explosive boy has a crush on you so he didn't understand why he would say something so mean yesterday. 

➳ "It's none of your fucking business, shitty hair."

➳ Eijiro would just sigh and tell him, whether it's his business or not, you deserve an apology. 

➳ Katsuki hated to admit it, but Eijiro's right. You do deserve an apology. In the first place, he was in the wrong for lashing out at you like that just because he was embarrassed. 

➳ So he did. He texted to ask you to wait for him after school in the classroom. 

➳ You were a bit reluctant to do so. Plus, Shouto and Ochaco don't recommend you doing it too after what he just said to you. 

➳ But you kiiiinda feel like giving him a chance after Eijiro convinced you that Katsuki truly is going to apologize. 

➳ You waited for him in the end. The classroom is completely empty now that everyone has gone back to the dorm.

➳ You don't exactly know why you had to wait for him in the classroom when you two were literally in the same class a few minutes ago, but you kept your mind positive.

➳ Maybe he was just trying to calm his nerves before apologizing or something. 

➳ Not too long after that, he finally showed up. He looked a bit out of breath, as if he was running to get there. You immediately tensed up as you saw him stomping his way to you. 

➳ “Uh...L/N, I’m...fuck, I’m sorry for saying whatever I said yesterday.”

➳ It took you a moment to process what he just said. I mean, you’re having a hard time trying to decide whether his apology is sincere or not since he’s putting it like that. 

➳ “O-oh….it’s okay, I..don’t really mind. As you said, I’m really annoying so I’m the one who should apologize here---”

➳ “Fuck! You’re not annoying, goddamnit!”

➳ His outburst yet again shocked you and you were trembling a bit in your seat. I mean, having to face someone who curses a lot in such an intimidating manner IS a scary experience after all.

➳ “You don’t have to cover it up, you know? I really am annoying so--”

➳ He glared at you to shut your mouth before continuing.

➳ “I don’t mean anything bad by what I said. I just meant that it’s annoying how your voice sounds like a soothing melody to my ears! And how beautiful your smile is and how your touch make my heart goes fucking wild. Those are what annoyed me!”

➳ At this point, he’s already blushing so hard you thought he could burst. Well, you could say the same for yourself though. The unexpected confession left you feeling some things for the gremlin boy.

➳ “I’ve said what I want so I’m going back! Don’t you fucking dare to tell anyone about this or else I’ll murder you!”

➳ With that, he left the classroom and you alone. You probably need to talk about him more on this matter next time since the feelings are mutual though. 

➳ And Katsuki didn’t need to worry about you spreading out what he said to others since that job has already been handled by Mina, Denki and Hanta.

[7beaviolet]

God I hope this is not a stupid question but I love you and your dog and I've been wanting to get my own dog for almost 20 years now but some ppl are like it's the biggest responsibility ever your life has to change etc and some say it's chill? Like I'm 24 and live alone and have lots of free time and I know I would take care of my dog like my child and I know it's for life. I just wanted to know your experience, do you find it really hard and challenging?

Not a stupid question! I’ve always had dogs, my mom would keep strays she would happen upon and we usually had a pack of them running around. I was basically a lil Mowgli as a child and chose to spend most my time outside with our gang of mongrels. I even thought I too was a dog and convinced my parents to let me sleep outside in a tent when I was four. My current dog Putin was a stray I found limping outside my last home. His nails were very long and he was skinny and defensive. I tried to find if he had an owner and no one claimed him and he became my baby. All my dogs have either been strays, from the pound, or given to us by owners who cannot take care of them. Some had be abused by previous owners and other had health issues which require special help. I’ve had mutts, an Afghan hound..you name the breed I’ve probably had it. My dog Putin the chihuahua is probably the most high maintenance dog I’ve ever had but we are so bonded that I love it. He is like a little baby and wants to constantly be held and follows me around like a baby duckling. Chihuahuas are known for having a favorite person they imprint on. He follows my lead and is receptive to who I feel is safe. We have an unsppoken otherworldly attachment. He is scared of water so I get into the bath or shower and hold him so he feel secure. He has separation anxiety and can’t be left alone, so I either take him with me when I leave for short trips a lot or have my brother or someone close to me, that Putin trusts take care of him when I have to go out of town. He is very expressive and emotional. He can sense when I am upset and gets excited when I am excited. He is so special, sometimes I feel like he is a little pokemon. We jokingly say he is a gremlin too sometimes. He has helped my life so much and I often wonder what I even did before I had him. Putin provides me with so much bliss and euphoria. He is truly my little angel. He is majorly protective of me and if I am sleeping and someone walks into my room he goes into attack mode haha. Almost everyone who meets him thinks he is very special and unique. He is the bravest and most clever dog I’ve ever had. He brings me endless laugher and comfort, I wish everyone had a dog like him. 

Here are my personal rules for having a dog:

-Adopt from a shelter or take in a stray (Fostering  a dog for a bit is a good way to get used to having a dog if you’ve not got much experience and can lead to adoption but isn’t initially a permanent responsibility and can ease the transition and give you time to decide if it’s right for you)

-NEVER hit, abuse or neglect your dog. Do not deny your dog any essential need and only ever show your dog nurturing and kind behavior. Don’t put your dog into a shock collar or spiked training collar and please do not get your dogs ears or tail clipped for cosmetic reasons. Having a dogs nails trimmed is good though and should be done so they don’t get ingrown nails which can affect their gait and potentially cause serious pain. 

-Take your dog outside often but also do not leave your dog chained up outside alone all the time either. Have adventures with your pup and treat him/her as if it is just a regular part of the family. Basically don’t ever do anything to a dog you wouldn’t do to a helpless little child.

-Every dog is different just like people are. They have their own personalities, likes and dislikes. You can only learn this by tending to and connecting with your dog. 

-Make sure you get your dog properly vaccinated and groomed if needed. Find a regular vet who can help if theres any health issues. An annual or even bi-annual full physical is important. Vet insurance is a good idea because emergencies happen and paying a smaller monthly fee is better than being hit with a huge vet bill all at once if something bad happens.

-NEVER ever ever ever ever abandon a dog! If you ever are faced with not being capable of taking care of your pet don’t under any circumstance leave it or drop it somewhere random. Please don’t take it to the pound either, that is probably one of the most gut wrenchingly tragic things to do to a pet which trusted you, loved you and relied on you. If worst comes to worst and you have to get rid of a dog, take it to a NO KILL shelter where it will not be faced with being put down...or find an adoptive home. Do you research though on the new possible owners and be certain that they are loving and will not hurt or mistreat them. 

-Understand that nothing a dog does is done because it is “bad.” If a dog bites it is because it is frightened. If a dog soils the carpet or has an accident inside, it is because it either hasn’t been properly taught to be potty trained or wasn’t taken outside (which is the owners fault.) Dogs are incapable of being vindictive, mean, or rude. Dogs only do what their instincts are telling them to do and it’s natural for them, getting mad at a dog is a silly thing. If you dog is having behavioral issues it may be a good idea to take them to a training class. Many pet stores offer them, although I’ve never taken any of my dogs to training I hear they are often successful. Dogs look to their owners as part of their pack and put their entire trust into you and it’s your duty to ensure they feel secure, safe, and loved. 

-Be devoted. Having a dog in your life means they are your priority and their well being is fully in your hands. They need you and you can’t avoid your new job of taking care of them.

-Research the different breeds of dogs. Each is known for different characteristics, temperaments, and needs. They all require different things and should be encouraged to flourish in the situations they were made for. For instance if you live in an apartment, a smaller dog is ideal because to them an apartment is pretty big, but they also need lots of time to go outside and explore. If you live in a cold place, choose a dog that was built for enduring cold weather, and if you live somewhere that gets hot it’s best to choose one that has short hair and won’t overheat. If you’re super active get a dog that can go on hikes with you or likes getting dirty and play. If you’re more of a homebody get a little lap dog that will want to cuddle you and cozy up while you lounge around.

-Always keep your dog on a leash when you go for walks, because they might run away and get hit by a car, get lost, get into a fight with another dog, or bite someone. Don’t let your dog go out where it is unattended ever. Small dogs can get picked up by large birds sometimes even!

-Provide lots of water in multiple rooms (in case it ever accidentally gets stuck in a room without water, its a good idea to have a few bowls around your home.) Feed them everyday as required, give them lots of toys and play with them as much as possible. 

-Every single night I give Putin a massage. I pet him all the time but he loves to be massaged. It’s calms him down and relaxes him to have him back, shoulders, legs, and head rubbed. He sleeps curled up with me every night and we are bonded because he knows I won’t even hurt him or abandon him. 

-Talk to your dog and sing it songs and include them into anything you do that they can also take part in.

Having a dog is such a special relationship. Although we cannot speak to our dogs, they are so empathetic and intuitive. They remember if they’ve been hurt and are so pure. It is a responsibility but the work it takes to have a dog is rewarded 50 fold when you feel the love and joy they can give to you. I would rather hangout with dogs over most humans. It seems like you’ve put thought into this and showing your concerns tells me you’d be a caring, attentive, and appreciative owner. There are days when it’s 8am and I am deep in sleep and Putin will start barking at my head because he is hungry or needs to go potty, and even though I feel groggy and wish I could stay asleep I know he relies on me and I absolutely owe it to him to help him with his needs. Imagine you couldn’t feed yourself or use the bathroom without assistance? Never get upset at your dog, even if it eats your favorite shoes. When stuff like that happens just learn that maybe you should keep your shoes away from the dog. If a dog annoys you or upsets you just go take a break and breathe and calm down, never lash out at the dog. Learn constructive healthy ways of handling unsavory behavior. Give your dog your whole heart and treat it exceptionally. It all depends on you going into it with a calm, patient, and sweet approach. People that complain about their dogs just need to identify with the dogs perspective and get into it’s head to see it from their view. Dogs are too good for us truly. All pets of any species are wonderful and beautiful.

Please keep me in the loop about this! I would love to help you find a good match and tell you about different breeds and ways of going about this search. Then if you do end up adopting a dog I’d love to see pictures. I love talking about animals and want all of them to have amazing lives. Thanks for coming to me for advice it means a lot because animals are my favorite topic xx