#she just has a sort of soothing energy about her

[ninjaaa-go]

after watching ep 9 of healer girl, i very much want a hug from ria

[pjoxreader]

PJO Cuddle Headcanons

Leo Valdez

-This man needs his snuggles, he works hard and needs a break. -He often gets so absorbed in his work that he could forget things like eating…

-He isn’t good at picking up subtle hints, you have to go over and sit down in his lap cuddling up into him.

-He goes bright red, sure he’s a flirt but he’d never thought he would make it this far. His hands would wrap right around your waist as he feels the stress melt away “Hello there~”

-Bring him snacks or just talk about your day, he’ll enjoy hearing you talk about anything and everything honestly as long as you two were together.

- He’ll have a clock made to keep track of time so he can make sure he’s able to take a break to snuggle with you.

Frank Zhang

- He likes to cuddle when you two are falling asleep. 

-He just gets so flustered anytime you two cuddle up in public that he can’t really relax and enjoy the moment. 

-Of course you do it sometimes anyway, just to see him get all flustered.

-His favorite position is to be the big spoon as he holds you close to his chest. It makes him feel like he’s able to protect you, even when asleep.

-Sleepy morning snuggles are also a bonus. He'll play with your hair and smile, lovingly watching your sleeping face.

-He wakes up early to ensure the two of you have a little extra time for snuggling. 

Percy Jackson

-He loves to cuddle you from behind, he’ll wrap his arms around your waist and nuzzle into your shoulder.

-He’s so stressed sometimes that he doesn’t even want to talk about it, he just wants to be there with you.

-If he had an overwhelming day he’ll just come up right behind you, no matter what you’re doing and cuddle right into your shoulder.

-People had to get used to it seeing as he’d come over even if you were mid conversation. 

-Honestly you love it too, it’s just so calming to know that he’s right there with you.

- You know he’ll open up when he’s ready, but sometimes he just has to sort out his thoughts and feelings. 

Annabeth Chase

-Annabeth isn’t really one for ‘snuggling’ she finds it gets too hot and uncomfortable, not only that her mind can’t really stop and take a break.

-So she’ll lean against you while working on her laptop, just shoulder to shoulder while you read a book.

-The silence is peaceful, it’s a silent way of letting each other know that you’re there and that you care.

-You’d both have a coffee while you work on whatever you need too, only chatting if you needed help with something. 

-You two don’t need any words at that moment, just enjoying the peaceful silence and each other's presence.

-She’d never admit it, but she loves those moments the most. 

Hazel Levesque

-She loves to hug and just stay like that for a while, enjoying each other's presence and warmth.

-It’ll start as an excited hug, the two of you laughing like kids and then it’ll melt into a comfortable hold. 

-It’s a subtle competition between the two of you on who would let go first. 

-Most often she’s the one who wins as she can be stubborn when she puts her mind to it.

-It’s just a nice moment between the two of you enjoying the calm of each other's arms, for once in your lives feeling safe…

-As a demi-god that’s something rare and beautiful and you both know it. 

Jason Grace

- Just hold him to your chest somewhere private. 

-He works so hard that he often forgets to take a break for himself. He’s so focused on the expectations people have for him that he forgets to take care of himself.

-But when he’s in your arms listening to your heartbeat he soothes for once, not thinking about what he still had left to do.

-No matter how long you two have been dating he’ll thank you for taking the time to help him take a moment.

-Rub gentle circles onto his back and he may even fall asleep right there, like a giant weighted blanket.

-Even just that small break with you gets his energy back, it’s like you help recharge him. 

Piper Mclean

-She’ll sit in your lap while she’s working on something.

-You often find yourself helping braid her hair, well trying to practice. She tried to teach you but it isn’t exactly easy.

-It’s a peaceful domestic moment that she wouldn’t change for the world, even if her braid does come out pretty messy.

-She’ll still wear it though no matter how bad it is, she wants to show off your hard work!

-It’s embarrassingly obvious who did her hair that day but you can’t help but enjoy it.

-She likes it and that’s enough for you… 

~Masterlist & Rules~

Like my writing? Please consider sending me a Ko-fi! ☕

[jxsterr]

back at it again but this time i’m worked up thinking about zelink and sleeping as a way to deal with all of the trauma of immediate post calamity.

because, realistically, they are both going to be beyond exhausted. that fight took everything they had within them and more—link had been preparing for it for months on end without so much as a proper night’s rest, and zelda had been slaving away for the better part of a century using every ounce of energy within her to keep this beast at bay. so it’s pretty reasonable that the first thing the pair of them are going to yearn for is a bed and some damn good sleep now that blood moons won’t be knocking on the window every few days.

but just hear me out. for the first couple of days going on weeks link’s only priority is making sure zelda is okay. he cooks for her, makes sure she’s drunk enough water, and keeps the bedsheets clean and comfortable for her to collapse into them whenever she wants. she’s essentially bedbound for the first week, only ever able to really sit up to eat for a bit before the waves of exhaustion call for her to come crashing back down against her pillow—whether or not she wants to. she’s in no fit state to do anything, bless her, and he recognises that. he’s exhausted beyond reason himself but someone has to be the one sat beside her bed, ready to soothe the night terrors that inevitably creep their way into her unsuspecting mind. he doesn’t really care either. the woman who has haunted everything he’s come across in this world, whose presence has touched almost every memory he can conjure up, whose spirit he just can’t seem to shake because he knows there’s something there, a reason as to why he can’t help but heed her call no matter what he does, has just returned to him. the only surviving remnant of his past, the only face he so desperately wanted to see smile again for reasons he couldn’t dig up—of course nursing her back to health is his first priority.

but she worries about him too, about her knight turned friend who just won’t stop doing things for her despite the fact that she can see the very consequences of his fatigue etched deep into his skin. she wants so desperately for him to stop for a moment and sit with her and let her do something in amongst it all. he’s so much lighter than he used to be before he died but by hylia herself has he not shed the skin of a warrior. he laughs more, talks with a little less restraint, and pulls out all sorts of ridiculous things he’s accrued across his travels for her to marvel at while sat up in bed—all for shadows to have set so deeply under his eyes and his face to have lost a little bit of that roundness she’d grown so fond of. she can see how much he needs to sleep too, to rejuvenate again even though he would simply argue that all he’s done is sleep. she sees it when she peers over the loft banister and finds him, face against arms, asleep at the kitchen table, or when she wakes up and realises he’s fallen asleep sat on the floor with his head against the mattress again and all she can do is feel guilt that she has his bed and not him.

so one day she has enough. she waits until she’s settled into bed with him on a stool at her side, book in hand, otherwise he’ll fall asleep himself, and she plucks it unceremoniously from his hands and discards it on the bedside table. she waits until he looks at her thoroughly bewildered for her to finally muster up the courage to say, “i need you to sleep, link. i see how exhausted you are, i see how much you push yourself. i feel awful for being the only one in this bed, so please, do me a favour, and sleep beside me,” and stares at him with enough conviction to move mountains that her own eventually concedes and climbs in next to her.

it’s nothing more than two bodies sleeping next to one another for the first few days, but it’s enough that it makes a visible impact on the pair of them. zelda sleeps better, more soundly, with a considerable dip in the number of night terrors, while link himself finally just sleeps for the first time in what feels like years. it does them wonders. so much so, in fact, they sleep away the first two days entirely. link wakes up, groggy, and turns over with the intention of getting out of bed because goddess knows what time it is and she probably needs something to eat—but a sleep-ridden hand moves quick enough to land on his shoulder with something mumbled about ‘don’t leave’ and it’s so sincere and desperate that he gives in and turns back over, only for said hand to only still once it nestles itself against the palm of his hand. he’s too drowsy to even think much of it so he just curls his hand around hers in return until that signature hum of hers rings out to signify that her wants have been quelled.

it continues like that, small increases in physical affection, until it’s the norm to absolutely entangle themselves in one another. until zelda is able to do more around the house but potters down the loft stairs in search of him to tug gently at his arm and tell him that she’s tired—a silent ask to come to bed with her even if it’s the middle of the day—and he obliges every time. it’s nice, being this useless to the world, enough where they can gather as much of themselves as they need to by merely sleeping the days away. until their mornings are signified by the raise of the moon and the slow bleed of pinks and oranges into the sky signalling their retreat to bed.

every nap goes the same, too. zelda scoots herself into the inner side of the bed and lays with arms outstretched, waiting for her knight to come clambering in between them so she may wrap them tightly around his warm body and pull him close until his face is nestled deeply into her chest, protecting him the way she’s always wanted to. she may not be able to wield a sword, but she can protect his open heart for as long as her hand weaves through his locks until she feels his body go slack against her. she likes her corner, he likes the safety of her arms, it works perfectly.

impa doesn’t appreciate just how long it’s taken them to realise they’ve been sleeping away the days for over a month now, and thus are visiting late, but it’s hard to object when her princess is sparkling and link looks more like himself than he ever has.

[miyaur]

love language hcs w any of the hsr charas😞🤞

their love language ft. blade, jing yuan, kafka, silver wolf, seele, bronya rand, dan heng

a/n: so... so... so... i'm gonna take a break from writing the wedding sex hcs bit, and give you guys this, and boy will this be long as fuck. anyway love u guys mwa mwa, happy 1.2k followers!!

blade likes it when you spend time with him, especially when those little moments where its just the both of you cuddling in silence. where no one else can find the both of you. just admiring each other in his warm embrace, where you were snuggled so tightly into his chest. or whether it'd be those moments, where he knows you're cheering from afar, waiting for him to come back from a mission he was set out on, where you were safe, and waiting for him to come back, waiting to be in his arms again. he loves words of affirmation, or acts of service. he'll give off the same love language that you give, so basically mirrors it back to you.

jing yuan on the other hand, he loves it when praise slips past your soft lips, praise that compliments him. he's more than willing to give you gifts, and words that soothe your mood. just as long as his words can make you go oh so red in the face, and his gifts enough to do the same, he'll be okay. just loves it whenever he flirts with you, you can't help but become a tomato, even if you both are together. oh! but don't get me wrong! he becomes the tomato if you end up flirting back! thinks it's hot when you decide to talk back to him, with just as flirty words. loves it whenever you return his energy, or receive it!!

kafka loves it when you do stuff for her! like if you ever wanna plan anything on valentines', or when its your guys' anniversary, just planning a nice little outing with her, with her favorite kinds of flowers, and no matter what you tell me, she likes waterlilies + peonies! i don't care that they probably got different kinds of flowers in their universe, she'd love waterlilies. and as long as you treat her right, she'll give you gifts of all kinds, and maybe mixed in with a passion for physical touch! likes to feel your skin on hers, especially when you cuddle! feels safe either in your embrace, or you in hers.

silver wolf is fond of quality time! and gift giving, except as the receiving end.. loves it when you both get to finally spend time, playing multiplayer games all morning, and going out in the evening. take her out somewhere nice, not something too fancy, but something cozy, and quiet, somewhere you both can really just breathe for a second. likes to spend time with you all the same, let her know she's loved with words that can let her relax for once! kind of scared of your affection at first, but learns to love it, and give it back in the end.

seele is very loving when it comes to quality time. the more you get to know her, the more affectionate she becomes. and just melts when you cuddle her, or any sort of physical touch, and that's just if you both are close enough. likes dates that are just done at home, just simple picnics out in wherever is okay for her. just spend time with her, she's so busy and stressed out about whatever, just needs affection, and kisses to let it all just fade away. please just kiss it better for her, that's literally it. will be just as cuddly, and affectionate as you are through physical touch + words of affirmation. will tell you how much you've helped your mood, her strong words, and loving arms.

bronya rand is shy about it, but loves it when you spend time with her, and relax her with your soothing words. letting her know whatever choice she makes for belobog, its what's right, and for whatever decisions she should make, her heart should be able to help her choose. and whatever she chooses, it's whatever would be the best. and while at it, whenever she has a break, please, take her out to somewhere nice. just wants to relax too. really needs a breather from all her work. she'll be just as affectionate and return your love with gifts and her time. and having her time is great. being hers was already enough for you though! support her through everything and she'll fall in love all over again!

dan heng is head over heels for anything you give, and anything you do. loves all your gifts so much, his room is basically a trophy room for everything you've given to him. and loves it whenever you do acts of service for him. just melts thinking about it. acts of service or quality time?? he's your man! loves spending time with you, just taking you out anywhere he can, and whenever. just wants to spend time with you, and make sure you're just in his arms, in silence, or talking about something, he just wants to admire your pretty face.

im so tired pls lord

taglist: @edit-me-prettyplease @reveihehe @red-kh @h4wkz @rinn31 @ablondehoe @chaik1 @pianopuppygirl @venniin @himeru-soulmate @yanqingisim @yanfeimainsstuff @sayonara3939 @stygianoir @arnixx @cheriepomu @kiiyoooo

[7-wonders]

The Nightmare

Morpheus/Dream of the Endless x reader

Summary: Your daughter has a nightmare, and Morpheus is the one to soothe her.

Word Count: 1.2k

A/N: Just a short little something to get back into writing after my unexpected break. This is in the same universe as "Fatherhood," where you're a single parent with a daughter named Caroline. I just love unexpected parental relationships, okay? (no this certainly doesn't say anything about me and any childhood trauma I have)

It’s been a long day by the time you’ve finally gotten Caroline to go to sleep, and you fall back onto your couch with a heavy sigh. You love your daughter, truly–she’s the light of your life. But good god, why do children not have an off switch? Why do they have to be “go-go-go” from the moment they wake up until they literally pass out from exhaustion?

“Long day?” Morpheus asks, having appeared from thin air. 

It’s so familiar now that you don’t even flinch when he occupies space that, moments ago, was empty. You can hear the teasing in his voice, but you barely even have the energy to open your eyes and look at him.

“You have no idea.”

Morpheus joins you on the couch, and you lean your head against him with a sigh. He smiles down at you softly, brushing a couple of stray locks of hair behind your ear. “Might I help you relax after your long day, then?”

“That would be greatly appreciated,” you say with a smile.

Instead of actually doing any sort of relaxing, you somehow end up making out with your primordial, all-powerful boyfriend on the couch like you’re a couple of teenagers. Par for the course, you have to admit; though Morpheus may not seem it, he’s extremely affectionate, and you’re more than willing to accommodate him.

When crying starts up in earnest from Caroline’s room, you frown against Morpheus’s lips. She’s historically been a good sleeper, sleeping through the night since she was a baby. To hear her crying concerns you, though most things regarding your child concern you. It just comes with the territory of being a parent. Still, you try to ignore it and continue kissing, hoping that she’s just restless in her sleep.

You’re already up and heading to her bedroom by the time she calls out for you, Morpheus completely forgotten.

The light from the hallway illuminates her tear-streaked, flushed face when you open up her bedroom door. She has the blankets pulled up all the way around her, with only her face peeking out of the opening. 

“Baby,” you coo, sitting down on the bed and letting her crawl into your lap and bury her face in your neck. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a nightmare,” she whimpers.

“Oh, that must have been so scary,” you commiserate, feeling her nod against you. 

“I looked and I looked and I looked, but I couldn’t find you!” she cries out, devolving into sobs that shake her entire body. You hush her and rock her, reassuring her that you’re right here and that you aren’t going anywhere.

“It’s okay though, you know that nightmares aren’t–”

You stop yourself before you say what you’ve always said to comfort her, which is that nightmares aren’t real. If there’s one thing you’ve learned since you began to see Morpheus romantically, it’s that dreams and nightmares are very much real. How are you supposed to help your daughter now when your normal placation is a lie?

You panic, your eyes searching the air as you try to think of something to say. They land on Morpheus, who stands silhouetted in the doorframe. He enters the bedroom, which you hadn’t expected. Even more unexpected, he kneels down next to you and places a hand on Caroline’s back.

“Dweam,” Caroline says when she realizes he’s here, in the little kid way that always makes your heart ache.

“I heard that you had a nightmare,” Morpheus says in lieu of a greeting.

“A scary one,” she insists, not that either of you needed any convincing.

“Sometimes they are, yes. Though, a very reliable source has informed me that they are far more scared of you than you are of them.”

Caroline looks up at Morpheus with wide eyes. “Really?”

“Oh yes. Especially when you growl at them.” 

Caroline giggles against him, and you stifle your own laugh in your hand. “You’re silly.”

“It is true. Show me your best growl?” 

She scrunches up her face, bears her teeth, and roars like a little bear. Morpheus nods seriously, while you hide your face in his shoulder so that you can laugh in peace.

“Very frightening.”

One of the many things that you love about Morpheus is that he doesn’t treat your daughter like a child. No, she’s a person, only small, with thoughts and emotions that deserve to be taken seriously.

“Would you like to hear a story?” Morpheus asks when it’s apparent that any sign of tears is long gone.

Caroline perks up and nods. She loves Morpheus’s stories; he’s not called the Prince of Stories for no reason. If you’re being honest, you love his stories too.

Only at her say so does Morpheus maneuver his long legs to fit onto Caroline’s toddler bed, with you shifting effortlessly to the floor to allow the two their space. Caroline snuggles into Morpheus’s embrace, and her thumb goes to her mouth as she looks up at him. After he thinks for a moment, likely flipping through his mental arsenal, he decides on a tale of a little nightmare that didn’t know what her purpose was. 

By the time he reaches the climax–the little nightmare was actually a little dream, whose purpose was to comfort children having nightmares–Caroline is snoring softly against him, and she has been for a few minutes. You’re a little in awe of just how easily Morpheus got her calmed down and back asleep, with no magic other than his voice. You wish you had your phone with you, so you could capture this memory forever.

He disentangles himself from Caroline, taking extra care not to jostle her any more than absolutely necessary. You pull the covers back up over her, kissing her little forehead as you do so. Morpheus smoothes a gentle hand through her tangled curls—you pretend not to notice, instead waiting for him at the bedroom door.

When you’ve successfully shut the door without waking her up, you look up at Morpheus. “Thank you.”

His strong brow furrows in confusion. “For what?”

“Getting Caroline back to sleep. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense. She was disturbed by one of my own creations; it was the least I could do.” 

You almost laugh at just how much of a non-issue this was for him. In his mind, it makes perfect sense that he would obviously comfort his lover’s daughter. For you, though, it means the world, and you tell him as much.

He shifts uncomfortably under your praise, and you’re practically waiting to see him blush. Alas, not this time. “She is your daughter,” is all that he says in response.

When he tries to kiss you again, you yawn. “Sorry,” you apologize. “I actually am tired.”

“Shall I see you off to my realm as well?” Morpheus asks smoothly, kissing at your jaw instead.

“Hmm, as long as I’ll see you there?”

“That can certainly be arranged.”

You know how much Morpheus’s realm means to him; it quite literally is him. It’s not lost on you, what it means for him to so easily shift things around just so that he can spend as much time with you as possible. 

You’ll never take for granted just how much he loves you and, much to your surprise and delight, your daughter.

[welcome-back-to-hoimycraf]

Gem let out a low groan as she stretched her arms over her head, wincing at the distinct POP of her back shifting back into place. She’d had a long day in her shop- some tourists passing through looking to try some local cuisine had sapped most of her energy for customer service work. Why they hadn’t decided to stop by Impulse’s soup stall instead of her dreary fish market, she had no idea. She was thankful for the business, at least. 

The fishmonger made sure to flip the sign in the window from Open to Closed before she clicked the lights off and made her way out the door. She only had to jingle with her keys for a moment before she heard the familiar click of the lock, turning to head off. She was already dreaming of a warm meal and a relaxing bath to soothe her aching muscles as she headed back. She’s gonna be sleeping hard tonight. 

The walk home was as it usually was, and thankfully not very far either. Both the lighthouse and the fish market were passed down through the family, as well as the house, so it would only make sense they would all be in about a ten minute walk from each other. 

As she listened to the rhythmic tapping of her boots against the docks, her mind wandered to a certain man across the river. She could see the dim light of his lantern flickering in the distance, and she wondered how long he’d been up. She could swear she’d seen it lit in the middle of the night yesterday. Had he been up since then? Maybe she should check up on him. She made up her mind, changing course to head down the beach and through the underwater tunnel between her and Scar’s. 

Grian was in the same spot as he had been for about a week now. He’d even thrown together a small fishing dock, which she gladly allowed. Who’d turn down more areas for boat traffic? She noted the barrels filled to the brim with fish and other trinkets pulled from the water behind him, as well as a couple piles of random items he probably put there to sort through. All in all, the area looked like a mess. Gem hoped he’d get around to cleaning up soon. 

Grian was still in his usual spot on the edge of the dock, already having his rod cast out. Or… rods? From where she was, Gem could see two lines stretched out into the water. Was he using two fishing rods? 

“Why do you have two?” She questioned the man as she stepped onto the wooden platform behind him.

He doesn’t flinch, even though he should have had no idea she was there. “Can you see- you see it?” He asked in disbelief as he turned his head to face her. His face was painted with the same confusion she was sure hers displayed as well. 

At this angle, she could clearly see that, no, he wasn’t using two rods- his line had split. “Why do you have two?” She reiterated, shouting. Gem continued, too shocked to lower her volume. “With one rod- that should be impossible!”

“You see it too? Okay, it’s not just me,” Grian chuckled as if nothing was wrong, turning back to the water. “Almost thought I was going mad!” He barked out, sounding more like an inside joke between him and himself.

Gem ignored his words, rambling on, “They’re both bobbing, they’re- they’re both catching fish?” She yelled in disbelief as she watched him reel in two fish at a time. He frowned at his catch, unhooking the wriggling creatures and placing them in the rapidly-filling barrel beside him. “You gotta take a break,” she urged, genuine concern dripping from her voice as she crouched next to him, resting a hand on his shoulder. This has to be some kind of unhealthy obsession.

“No- I’m never- I’m never leaving,” he stuttered out (most likely from the sleep deprivation, she would guess) as he grinned smugly. 

“How are you even using them?” She interrogated, eyeing the lines’ unsynchronized bobbing.

Grian hummed, as if he’d never considered it. “I’m not quite sure I understand it, either, but I don’t wanna question it,” he giggled highly, which didn’t quell Gem’s concerns.

Footsteps coming up next to them interrupted the two. Gem glanced in their direction to see Etho on their way over. She assumed they’d stopped by her house, deciding to look around after not finding her at home. 

“Do you see this, Etho?” She asked as she watched them approach, checking for confirmation that both her and Grian weren’t crazy.

“Why does he have two?” They point at the rod, head tilting like a dog.

“I’m so good at fishing,” is Grian’s only answer.

“Oh, I gotta know how you did this,” they laughed, their voice filled with speculation at the sight in front of them. Gem’s almost certain they think this is some kind of ruse. 

“I don’t know how I did this!” Grian shouted defensively. “I dozed off and when I came back to, the line was like this!”

Gem and Etho look at each other. They raise an eyebrow and Gem only shrugs, no answer to be given. “Well, we’re not leaving until we figure this out,” she announces, stepping over and pulling a fishing rod from one of the piles where Grian had at least attempted to sort his loot. 

“Same here,” Etho chuckles, joining her in grabbing their own. 

Surprisingly, Grian doesn’t protest as they join him. Gem wonders if it’s sleep deprivation again. 

After a bit of silence, Etho pipes up. “So, what kind of good stuff have you gotten?” They hum, eyeing the small piles Grian had built up over time. 

“Go check it out,” the fisherman waves them over to the heaps. Etho takes the offer immediately, standing up to go pry through his barrels, ever the nosy bastard. 

“Ooh, nice,” they soon comment, pulling out a stunning seashell dotted with different shades of green- a turban? She can’t be sure, given her vague memories of the different types of shells. Etho holds it up to the light, spinning it to see its full array of colors.

“Take it,” Grian offers.

“I’m sure Joel would like it,” Gem grins slyly as she watches the tips of Etho’s ears redden, giving away their blush, even under their mask.

“I’m not obsessed,” they retorted, giving away the fact they’re definitely obsessed. “I’ll see if he wants it.” They pocket the shell in their thick green coat, and Gem can practically hear them thinking overly hard about what the new resident of the Mountains would like. 

Etho returns to rummaging around. “Gem, you’ve got one thing going for you and Grian took it,” they tease, twisting in a way that looks uncomfortable in order to snicker at the lighthouse keeper’s offended expression.

She scoffs. “Truly,” she snorts at their jab. 

As they continue to fish, mostly in silence, people start to crowd around. Etho’d fished up three lily pads at this point, and had started making a quaint path of them across the river- something Gem’s quick to comment on, being as they were skeptical at first. She’s quickly told to stop talking. Even Impulse stopped by to chat, and had gotten sucked in as well.

A familiar boat sailing into sight catches Gem’s attention, distracting her from her bobber and ending up missing a fish. Cleo soon stops in front of the group’s area to stare at them quizzically. 

“Ah, another one joins!” Grian grins, waving her over. They don't move.

“What are you doing?” She asks, taking in the sight of four people out fishing as the sun sets over the horizon.

“What does it look like we’re doing?” Grian laughs.

Cleo snickers, rolling their eyes fondly before gearing up to drive away. Gem starts to wave them off before Grian interrupts. 

“Nope! Get back here!” The man calls out.

Cleo stops once more and locks eyes with Grian. 

“Look down,” he says, rather ominously in Gem’s opinion.

They do as they’re told, looking down at the water that’s started to ripple below them. Right in front of their boat, a fishing rod emerges from the depths, almost as if offering itself to them. She looks back up to Grian, a question in her eyes. Gem follows their lead. 

“The sea’s asked you to join us,” he only grins wider.

Cleo pauses for only a moment before shrugging, climbing down the ladder to grab their newly-acquired rod and join the group. They seem to be much less concerned about Grian’s weird ocean-related knowledge than Gem is currently. 

Nothing else strange really happens, Gem notes. Grian continues to catch cod, even throwing them in a furnace to cook at some point, filling the air with the familiar scent of seafood. Etho announces their catch of another lily pad to expand their ever-growing path, which Gem promptly makes fun of them for. 

“I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I don’t want to stop,” Impulse voices, and Gem notes the hidden confusion laced into his voice. She had to admit, it was a bit addicting. Something deep in her mind urged her to keep going, keep searching. For what, she had no idea. It made her slightly uneasy, if she were to be honest. But another tug on her rod, and she pulled a beautiful shell out of the water, drowning out her thoughts. What was she thinking about again?

Gem was suddenly pulled from her questioning thoughts by the group’s synchronized sound of wonder. She looked over to see what the commotion was about, finding Impulse holding up his rod, a book attached to its hook. The pages are dripping wet and look weathered by the sea. It’s splattered in a strange ooze and its cover seems to glimmer in the dimming sunlight. 

Before he can move to retrieve his treasure, Grian is quick to snatch the novel from its place, turning away from everyone to wrench it open and flick through the pages. Gem and Impulse lock gazes, Impulse giving her a confused look which she returns. 

A snapping sound shocks everyone from their silence. Grian’s slammed the book shut with little care to its contents. He looks furious. 

“Grian?” She inquired cautiously, lowering her rod and moving a hand out to clasp his shoulder. The man jerks out of the way. 

“Impulse, you are not welcome here,” he hisses lowly, sending a chill down Gem’s spine. She didn’t think the man was capable of sounding so dangerous. 

Impulse perks up in shock. “What?-”

“Get out!” Grian snaps as he shoves the book forcefully into Impulse’s chest, causing everyone to take a step back. 

The air is frantic as everyone makes moves to leave. In the blink of an eye, the area had been put back to its original state. As everyone else rushes off, Gem ends up lingering near the dock. She can hear Grian grumbling something under his breath about “getting it whether they like it or not”. She's not sure what that means. She doesn’t dare question it. 

Gem approaches Impulse as he walks off, stopping him far out of Grian’s earshot. “What did you get?”

Her friend shrugs, unease in his eyes. “I don't know! It doesn’t mean anything to me- take a look!” 

He hands the book over to her, which she takes uneasily. It drips onto her hands. It’s a lot heavier than she expected it to be. She examines the cover- it has no title, no author, no nothing. Not even a summary on the back. It looks beautiful from where it isn’t splotched with black, boasting a thick leather cover and gold bindings. She cracks the first page open. 

The pages seem unharmed, with no ink even smudged. She investigates what she assumes to be an author’s note closer, noting that it’s written in a language she doesn’t recognize. It’s not anything she would find around here- or even similar to any alphabet she’d seen before. She quickly returns the book to Impulse, shaking her head in confusion. She doesn’t want to be touching it anymore.

>Previous< | >Next<

[sweetteaanddragons]

Stepford Smiles and Time Travel Wiles

Another fic I never got around to crossposting!

Featuring time travelling. Unfortunately, for most of the characters, they don't know that.

The door had scarcely closed when Feanaro rounded on Maitimo, eyes blazing. “You see?” he demanded.

Maitimo, for his part, was too busy blinking at the door his mother had just departed through to answer for a moment. “I see,” he agreed when he had gathered his wits. “Or I glimpse, at least. Atar, what happened?”

His father had abandoned his chair at the dining table to pace furiously in front of the windows. “She returned two days ago,” he said, gesturing toward the hall. “She has been like this ever since. About everything.”

”Everything?”

“If I declare Nolofinwe treacherous, she decries him and his mother. If I say the Valar are untrustworthy, she rants on the foolishness of giving ear to Melkor. If I speak of making swords - “ There Feanaro paused. “There we disagree,” he conceded. “She has been scolding me for not practicing with mine enough. She demanded one of her own and has been devoted to it since; she wonders that I do not do the same.”

When he had first learned she had left his father, Maitimo had felt as if the world was opening beneath his feet.

Somehow, this was not the relief he would have expected.

“Perhaps she changed her mind,” he said tentatively.

“I admired a song of Lauriel’s, and she praised it to high heaven,” his father said harshly.

Ah. His mother would never be rude enough to publicly express an outright distaste for any work made by a protege of Makalaure’s, but Maitimo was not the public, and he could be trusted to know what to keep from his brothers.

His mother could, of course, change her mind on multiple things at once.

But.

The energy that had propelled his father left him in a rush, and he crumpled against the wall, running a hand over his face. “I know she still wrote to you,” he said wearily. It was the first time he had acknowledged this. “Did anything she write . . . ?”

“We didn’t write of politics,” Maitimo said carefully. “Her art, mainly. Tyelpe’s latest projects. That sort of thing.”

His brothers’ projects as well, though that was a more careful line to dance; some of them would not be happy to know news of them had been passed on.

He had written of his father’s work, what little of it wasn’t political. She had never commented on it.

“But she was well?” his father demanded. “The separation didn’t - didn’t burden her fea?”

“It pained her, of course,” Maitimo said, even more carefully than before. “But I had no thought it would drive her to Lorien. It is not as if the bond was broken.”

“No,” his father agreed, abandoning the wall to slump into the closest chair - the one across from Maitimo, instead of his usual place at the head of the table. “No.” He frowned at where one of Grandmother’s tapestries hung on the wall, staring at it as if it held all the secrets of Amil’s heart woven within. “It is not like her,” he said plaintively.

It wasn’t, Maitimo agreed fervently, even if it was only in the privacy of his mind. When his father had half invited, half demanded his presence at supper tonight and said it was about Amil, he had expected anything but this.

“She may have just wished to reconcile,” he suggested soothingly.

Too soothingly; his father looked up sharply, biting words all but visibly forming on his lips before he swallowed them back and waved dismissively. “I should not have involved you in this,” he said instead. “It is not your burden to carry.”

His mother had expressed similar sentiments to him before in one of her letters. Maitimo heartily wished she had not; it had preceded a significant restriction in the information she passed on, and he could not fix what he did not know about.

“If something is wrong with Amil, it is all of our concern,” he said, retreating from ‘soothing’ to ‘rationality.’ “Or if something is right, it is all of our joy. I’m very glad you invited me to supper tonight; even with this . . . puzzle . . . it was good to see her again.”

This reassured his father as his other statement had not. “She wanted to see you,” his father said. “Desperately.”

This was not a surprising revelation. His mother had flung herself at him as soon as he entered the doorway and had not let go of his arm throughout supper. He thought she would be here still if Lauriel had not stopped by with word that Makalaure had safely returned from Alqualonde and was back at his own house in the city. Amil had not been content to wait for his and Aranel’s inevitable morning visit and had immediately gone to welcome them back.

His other brothers, he suspected, would receive a similar treatment when they returned from the various tasks their father had sent them on. He would have to see if he could send word to them first; he trusted Makalaure’s reception of this turn of events, but some of the others might need a few gentle nudges not to let their feelings about Amil’s departure get in the way of her return.

“If she is feeling so agreeable, have you tried asking her about this change of heart?” he tried.

His father shrugged defeatedly. “She said she had thought about what the next few years of her life would look like, and that she had decided that she couldn’t afford to waste time on the ice.”

Maitimo knew poets sometimes compared difficult relationships to ice. He had never considered his parent’s relationship in those terms, even over the last few years; he had tended to lean more towards ‘volcanic.’

“I wrote to Mahtan,” his father added abruptly. “She must have said something to him and Liriel before her departure; if it gave them reason for concern, surely . . . “

“Of course,” Maitimo agreed and made a mental note to write himself. His grandfather had retreated from Atar as tensions rose, but he wrote to his grandchildren as often as ever.

Or perhaps he should write to his grandmother instead; that way if Mahtan chose not to reply to his father’s letter there would be less of an obvious contrast.

There was reason for concern, as much as he hated to admit it, whether or not his grandparents had caught it. Amil had been almost as manic as Atar in one of his moods tonight, her usual quiet passion transformed into something too loud, too bright, too fierce.

Like magnesium burning so, so bright for just a moment, and then -

No. She was in Tirion again; that was good. She was back, and she was talking to Atar again, and Maitimo could set to work smoothing the way for everything to fall back into familiar shapes.

“I’ll talk to Makalaure in the morning,” he told his father. “He might have picked up on something. We’ll work this out; you’ll see.”

Things were one step closer to being as they should be; he wouldn’t let them fall apart again now.

Notes:

Meanwhile, Nerdanel’s perspective: Do I agree with Feanaro? No. But did arguing with him work last time? Also no. So if I am going to save my idiot family, I am going to have to go with them, and I am not risking getting left behind when they take off, so . . . time to let my husband pretend he married Farande. Feanaro, not so quietly sulking: I don’t want to be married to Farande. Nerdanel, oblivious: This is going great!

[aita-blorbos]

Am I the Asshole for Sucking People Dry?

Perhaps I should not rely on public opinion to soothe my bruised ego, but I have, quite frankly, had it up to here with the baseless accusations and slanders leveled against my respectable name, and thus I demand clarification from an objective crowd once and for all.

I (M, stopped counting at 14) happen to have inherited the legendary and historically meaningful title of the "Dark Sorcerer" from the spirit of the previous Dark Sorcerer at a young age. Of course, a title such as this bear responsibilities and expectations, namely the dedication of my life to the amassing of as grand an amount of magical power as ever possible to further the prestige and status of the title. The traditional way to accomplish this is to absorb magic energy from outside sources, an ability that is generally inherited alongside the "Dark Sorcerer" title. Now, for the most part I have always preferred to rely on helpless targets for my purposes: magical artifacts, natural nexi of environmental power, lingering magic of the deceased... But, occasionally, I have indeed, ahem, taken passing sorcerers back to my abode for a, let's say, "extraction". Not all (or most) of them willingly, of course, but it all had its purpose. The majority of them were children and young teenagers anyway. What good could they have possibly done with such impressive power on them? If you ask me, I have done them a favor for relieving them of the responsibility of such grand strength. If they do not resist it barely even hurts!

Now, one or two of them may have perished in the extraction process, but am I really supposed to take responsibility for that, when they were appropriately warned to just calmly wait in their cells? They all were aware of the dangers it entails when they began practicing the craft of sorcery, I am sure.

In any case, my collection of power progressed quite well. Until one of my vict-- I mean, targets escaped.

Let's call her "A" (F, 16+). She was a young sorceress with power she clearly was not capable of using appropriately, so I decided to swiftly relieve her of that burden. She did not agree with my assessment, humiliated me in a duel in front of the entirety of my hired staff and left, leaving my underground abode a mess. Now, as she won our battle fair and square, I would not take issue with her just having gone on her merry way until the next time I attempt to take her for my own... If that had been all she had done!

Instead, ever since our initial encounter, she has insisted on making a fool of me and spreading entirely untrue and baseless rumors about me among everyone she comes across! Branding me as a "creeper" or "skeezy" and shamefully misinterpreting my words in any way possible, just to make fun of me! Treating my every attempt to challenge her to a serious, respectable battle for her power as a joke, no, a game even! As a result, there is an entire township now where the magic-using population know me only as a weirdo and a joke and has absolutely no respect of my prowess as the "Dark Sorcerer"! I suspect A is doing this all in a sort of attempt at revenge, to make me feel as if I need to change my ways and "settle down". She has indeed insinuated things of that sort in the past. But all I am doing is living by the ancient tradition of the title passed on to me! How can she not understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with ravaging the weak if it is to maintain the ancient order of sorcery itself?

You all agree, don't you? She is being ridiculous, isn't she! I am just acting the way I am supposed to act! And I am NOT a skeezy creeper!!

I require validation!!!

[foggyfanfic]

Camilo Analysis

Bruh, who even is Camilo? He is arguably the Madrigal we get the least real characterization for, other than Teenage Boy, which is a very broad category of person. So as per usual, it helps me to get my thoughts in order if I write this stuff down.

First, Mirabel introduces Camilo through song and we right of way see him shapeshift into a young mother so he can sooth her baby while she takes a nap. That's actually a really great way to imply several things about his character (oh my god guys, this movie is so well written).

Thoughtful enough to offer a new mom a chance to rest

Comfortable caring for infants (probs helped care for Antonio?)

More patient than I would have thought, because taking care of a baby while the mother rests is not a quick and easy favor

Sort of implies that he likes kids

Then Mirabel sings he "won't stop until he makes you smile today" while he turns into multiple people and doing goofy stuff. Everybody already knows he's an entertainer at heart but I gotta add it to the list anyways.

5. Likes making people laugh

6. Plays around with his gift a lot

Moving on to Antonio's party, he's the guy greeting all the villagers by name, and he changes his energy to match each person.

7. Knows a lot of the villagers

8. Charming and personable

9. Respects his elders (kisses the old woman on the cheek)

He jokes around with Antonio, probably in an attempt to soothe his nerves, and teases his Pa. This reinforces points one, four, five and six. If this was a different list, I would talk about what it means that Camilo is clearly comfortable teasing his father, despite the seemingly stern reaction Félix has, but I digress.

He stands with Julieta while Antonio and Mirabel walk to the door, giving birth to a lot headcanons about them being especially close, and I'm going to roll with it.

10. Of his siblings, he's closest to Julieta.

Then he's very excited for Antonio as he discovers his room, it's actually the happiest we see him in the movie (other than perhaps when he's dancing in We Don't Talk About Bruno). So:

11. Supportive? Or maybe just enjoys seeing other people happy?

Plot happens, fast forward to breakfast when he pretends to be Dolores so he can get double the food. Then teases Isabela about Mariano, something he does a lot in the movie.

12. Likes food.

13. In his Little Shit era

Fast forward some more, all the way to We Don't Talk About Bruno. He absolutely kills it, and clearly enjoys the whole production. If you're like me and you headcanon that the musical numbers happen in universe then we can conclude:

13.5. Fucking loves living in a musical

And if you headcanon they don't:

14. Enjoys telling stories.

15. Probably hasn't thought through the consequences of telling everybody his Tío is a seven foot tall boogy man that feasts on screams. Which is very normal for a fifteen year old boy.

Teases Isabela about Mariano again. More plot happens. Time For Dinner. Dolores gossips to him as soon as she can, then he immediately gossips to his Pá. When Félix accidentally spits his drink onto Mariano, Camilo has to hold in a laugh. It's possible he doesn't really like Mariano, he keeps making jokes about the guy, at the very least he doesn't take him seriously. I wonder if he's the sort of guy that prefers to hang out with women?

16. Close to his sister.

17. Close to his father.

18. Shapeshifts reflexively/accidentally.

More plot. We see him try to soothe his mother.

19. Takes care of his Má. Pepa is literally unable to hide her emotions, so it would make sense that, through no real fault of her own, the kids slowly learn to take care of her as they grow up. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and all. On the flip side, the fact that sun beams come out whenever they get home from school or learn a new skill probs means the kids can never doubt that Pepa loves them. Plus, she likely has the easiest time transitioning from a parent-child relationship to a parent-adult offspring relationship of all the adults. So Camilo might be growing closer to his Má as he gets closer to adulthood.

The longer the plot goes on the less we see him. He's clearly frustrated with his gift glitching on him, but that doesn't really tell me much. It's a situation that would frustrate anyone and they don't show us how he handles those negative emotions. They also don't show us how he handles hearing the end of Mirabel's and Abuela's argument. Rude. They do show us him leaping to the candle's aid while the house crashes down around him so clearly:

20. Sees the Miracle as more important than his own safety.

The house falls, the candle goes out, in the background we hear him first remark on his gift being gone, then wonder how this will effect his little brother. We already know he enjoys using his gift, I can theorize he's made Being a Shapeshifter an important part of his identity, but all we have that's concrete is:

21: He doesn't just enjoy his gift, it is important to him.

22. Empathetic.

Mirabel runs off, resolution happens, Mirabel comes back. He is the one who cuts through the reunion to point out their house is gone, and even gets a little exasperated when he catches a bit of flack from Félix.

23. Not an optimist. Might be a pessimist, but most likely just not particularly sentimental.

For the rest of the scene he exists in a state of confusion. The hits start coming and they don't stop coming. Apparently Tío Bruno is just suddenly back now? And it kind of seems like half the family isn't surprised or asking any questions?! There's not a lot of conclusions I can draw from him being shocked and confused that Bruno just sort of appeared out of nowhere, I think most people would be. And unlike the parents or the older cousins, he doesn't have enough memories from when Bruno was around to be swept up in the joy of seeing him again. His reaction is relatable and endearing, but not very revealing.

The last character moment we get is when he tries to twirl the shovel around all fancy, almost drops it, then checks to make sure Mirabel wasn't watching. It reinforces things already mentioned, like him being showy, and wanting to entertain those around him, but also:

24. Wants to be seen as cool. Another very normal trait for a teenage boy.

It is interesting that the first person he looks at is Mirabel, I can't help but wonder if that would have been the case at the beginning of the movie. There's room for interpretation there, but regardless, by the end of the movie:

25. Respects Mirabel's opinion.

[creativitysparks4everxoxo]

It's been a minute since I made one of these long boi posts, so here goes:

Things I want to see in the next Steven Caple Jr/Knightverse Transformers G.I. Joe crossover movie:

Decepticons!!! Oh how I've missed them! I want to see some new badass Decepticons make an appearance and be scary af and cause drama for the Autobots, and what I assume will be their new allies, the Joes.

GENTLE TOUCHES BETWEEN NOAH AND MIRAGE! I don't give a FUCK if they're both dudes or whatever! GIVE US SOME GENTLE TOUCHES, GODDAMMIT! Remember the cute little finger grasping thing that Charlie did after she calmed Bee down when he went into his kill mode? Give us something like that where Noah wraps his tiny fingers around Mirage's HUGE digits.

Give us some hugs! I want to see Noah and Mirage hug affectionately, not minding the size difference at all. Either a full body hug or a face hug works, or both. Both is good.

Can we please have Noah boop Mirage's nose as a joke or for funsies? 🥺 I would love to see how Mirage would react to that touch.

Noah placing his tiny hand on Mirage's faceplate! Gahh! If Charlie can do it, so can Noah! 😤 Could happen in a reassuring/comforting scene.

Hand holding or grabbing. Like Noah grab's one of Mirage's digits with his tiny hand or Mirage holds Noah's tiny hand in his massive servo. Just hand touching in general please! 🥺

More teasing and flirting from Mirage. Since the PCS basically hinted that Miroah is a done deal, I would like to see how Mirage would up his game. Like what if he increased his teasing and flirting with Noah and says something even more outrageous than, "You've been inside me!"? What if him and Noah are having a casual convo (ideally in front of a small audience, like other Autobots for dramatic effect and added wow factor) and in response Mirage says something like, "That's not what you said last night, babe. 😉" Imagine Noah's reaction and the audience's reaction. 🤣🤣 Though, considering how hard the studio had to fight to keep the inside me joke in, that particular line may be "too spicy" for Hasbro. But something more mild or along those lines would be greatly appreciated.

MIRAGE'S KILL MODE!!!! I WANT TO SEE MIRAGE GO INTO BERSERKER MODE because someone had the audacity to harm or attempt to harm Noah!!!! Battle mask on and weapon charged! I want to see him absolutely enraged and start shooting up the place. But in a controlled rage like Bee had where he aimed at vehicles instead of people. Maybe Mirage could aim at Decepticons or some other enemy. Point is, I want to see Mirage use his battle mask and go to town blasting! And then I want to see Noah gently calm him down and give him a gentle touch or say something soothing to help calm him down.

Give us this Mirage right here! Battle mask on, weapon charged and ready to fight everybody!

Or instead it could be Mirage just naturally protecting Noah from an enemy that triggers his kill mode. But this could be Noah's first time seeing Mirage like that, so we could still get that delicate, gentle moment between those 2 once Mirage calms down.

CHARLIE AND BUMBLEBEE REUNION!!!! I had a dream recently about Charlie playing a sort of game of tag that was an extension of the ending scene in Bumblebee, when Bee scans his new alt mode and Charlie is amazed by it and then Bee drives off. In my dream Charlie is running in front of Bee laughing while he drives very slowly behind her to chase her. I have no idea where that dream came from since Miroah has been living rent free in my brain for months, but it makes me want a Charlie/Bee reunion extra bad now!

More Mirage and Arcee sibling energy! I think we were absolutely ROBBED of Mirage and Arcee moments in ROTB, so I want more in the next movie! Big sister Arcee scolding or teasing Middle child Mirage about something. It would be glorious! 🤩

Mirage introducing Noah to new Autobots and being all proud like. Like, "Yup! That's my human! He's mine." or whatever the robot equivalent would be. I don't know why, but every time I read a Miroah fic that has Mirage refer to Noah as his human, my heart swells a little. It's just so cute. It's giving cat owner energy for some reason. 🤣

A Mirage and Noah mission scene where they're officially partners. All the jokes, all the teasing, all the flirting, just all the general Miroah shenanigans. But now they are officially on an Autobot/G.I. Joe mission together.

I want Breanna Diaz to meet Mirage! I need to know if she will pull out a chancleta and try to strike Mirage with it. 🤣 'Cause you know the Diaz family loves to resort to violence whenever they first see Mirage. Noah with the metal pipe and Kris with the baseball bat. I need to know what Breanna's weapon of choice is. 🤣 But also, I want to see her warm up to Mirage and him being all charming and kind towards her.

I would love to see some Mirage and Bee shenanigans. The 2 Autobots with human companions need a scene together! Maybe even give us some Mirage and Bee sibling energy. And maybe even a double team up with Mirage and Noah as partners and Bee and Charlie as partners.

A Mirage pamper scene or flashback or mention of how Noah pampered him up real good to make him look all shiny and brand new. A perfect chance to slip in some flirting from Mirage praising Noah for a job well done. 😏

MORE ARCEE SCREENTIME!!!! GODDAMMIT!!! WE WERE SO FUCKING ROBBED! ARCEE IS A QUEEN AND DESERVES MORE SCREENTIME!!!!

MORE ELENA!!!! Elena is also a queen and I want her in the next movie coming in with that artifacts knowledge and general warm-hearted and caring Elena energy that we all know and love! 🥺

This might be a stretch, but what about Arcee becoming fond of a human and she ends up getting her own human companion? It could be Elena or another female character. That would be so cool!

The main reason why I made this post is because A LOT of the stuff I wanted to see in Transformers EarthSpark S1C actually happened (I still need to make a post about that) and it makes me feel like if I keep making these long boi posts, I can continue to manifest my own desires and head canons. *cue maniacal laughter* No, but for real, can we please get a Noah/Mirage centric animated series?? It would be wonderful! 🙏🏾

Okay, that's all for now. If I can think of anything else, I will definitely edit this post. Thanks for reading! ~

[kittenwalker]

mystery boy (tate langdon) x (fem!reader)

It has been almost a year since you moved into the murder house. Knowing about all the horror and bad energy that has been occupying this house only made you more intrigued, wanting to stay here forever. Also meeting most of the ghosts living here, except for one. A blonde boy that you have seen lurking around the house but never really talked to. You were very interested in him even though Moira has warned you not to go close to him.

The grey clouds hovering over you, inferring that it was going to pour so you ran back home without another thought. You had a shit day in school, just one step into the school you already got involved in a fight due to you smoking under school grounds. So you just decided to skip school that day.

Taking a step into your house, you saw Moira and when she glanced up at you she gasped shaking her head as your face was covered in blood. She pats the sit beside her and walked to get the first aid kit.

She patted a wet towel over your wounds making you wince, Moira asked you what happened and you explained the whole story. Moira was like a true mother to you, you loved talking to her and she definitely was your favourite ghost. You felt your eyes watering as you were telling the story, you’ve never realized how lonely you were in school. You quickly muttered thanks to Moira before rushing up to your bedroom.

Smacking the door shut, you jumped onto your bed and reached over to your nightstand to get your iPod. You were swiping over the whole table but you couldn’t find it. You rummaged through your drawers and your whole room, but that led you nowhere. Annoyance was starting to rise, your iPod was everything it helped to soothe you down whenever you had a bad day. Your back slid down and you started to cry. About everything honestly, how you had no one or your parents always arguing and now losing your prize possession.

“ Hm you listen to nirvana? “ a strange voice questioned

Jumping at the sudden noise, you looked up to see the same mysterious boy holding your iPod. Running towards him, you snatched it out of his grip.

“ Don’t go around touching other people's things “

“ And your crying because of that? “

“ No, life just sucks and it’s all just starting to pour out now “ you confessed

“ Yea I understand, this place is a hell hole “ he empathized with you while flopping down onto your bed.

You oddly feel warmed just by that sentence and felt like you can spill out all the things that have been clogged up inside of you. Following blondie, you sat on the bed beside him.

“ Not going well for you either? “ you muttered while laying your head against the headboard.

“ Never was “ he admitted glancing up at you.

The pair continued going on and on about each other’s problems. You felt like you were having a free therapy session, except that this is actually helping you. A heavy weight was lifted off your chest, you two were relating to each other left and right. Making you feel a sort of relief to know that someone knew how you felt.

“ Well it was nice talking to you y/n but I've got to go do ghost things now” 

“ Wait but I didn’t get your- “ you got cut off by him vanishing into thin air

“ Name “ you mumbled to yourself

“ The name's Tate “ you felt a warm presence behind you, whispering into your ear. You turned to find him but before you knew it he was gone again.

[red-elric]

theyre foils theyre foils theyre playing the same type of role theyre holding similar positions among their friends and the narrative their backgrounds and outlooks have fundamental parallels but their dispositions are fully antithetical to one another. this is about vriska and karkat btw.

its about doing their best to play a role in alternian society. its vriska desperately looking up to and imitating mindfang and killing other kids to avoid being eaten by her own lusus, its karkat training to become a threshecutioner and glueing his lips to )(IC's boots despite knowing he'll be killed without a thought when his mutation is discovered. its how both of them felt that pressure to kill and grandstand and become a LEADER but while vriska had the strength to actually follow through with it karkat had the strength to choose not to. its how if either one of them hadnt been there no one on their team would have made it through sgrub. its how every single person hurt by vriska turns to karkat instead afterwards (karkat telling aradiabot hed dedicate a whole team to bringing her back to life if he could in openbound. tavros texting karkat for help when he was paralyzed. sollux being one of karkats best friends at the beginning of hivebent, and seeming to have cut a lot of ties with the rest of the flarp crew. kanaya putting her energy into taking care of karkat after vriska broke her heart. terezi falling into some sort of romance with karkat after cutting ties with vriska. eridan asking karkat for advice over and over again after being dumped by vriska, and actually getting it too.)

its the way they so badly want to BE each other. karkat wants to be feared and respected, vriska wants to be loved unconditionally. vriska, who can see everyone shes ever cared about giving up on her and gravitating towards karkat, but still treats him with as much respect (or more!) as anyone else. she never tries to kill him, she never truly undermines his position among the team, she just faces him head on and treats him like an actual person, even when she takes over leadership post retcon. karkat, who has heard time and time again how much vriska sucks, who fully understands how much she has hurt so many of his friends, who isnt afraid to say to her face his opinion of her, but still gives her the benefit of the doubt to anyone asking. when she's kicked off the blue team and asks him if she can join the red team, he still lets her, and he's always willing to give her a second chance, especially if terezi's backing that choice. its how they want to be seen the way the other is seen, and they offer that respect/clemency to the other, and neither of them really knows how to hold it

its about terezi. isnt everything? its about loving her to the point of obsession, and how terezi feels like she has to choose between them, she cant or wont choose them both. its the flip of a coin, vriska, then karkat, then vriska again, and theyre the same coin really but they cant both be face up at the same time. its about how they both desperately need her attention, her salvation, her protection, her judgement, and they cant both get it, and they know it. its a little about john, too, about being his two guides through sburb, and honestly about how they both had a crush on him.

its about how when vriska died the team fell apart, crushed by inaction. its about how when karkat started to feel irrelevant (because he lost that moment of soothing gamzee and ending the cycle of violence on the meteor. vriska neutralized him instead, and karkat lost his importance) the team stopped feeling like a collection of real people, with strong connections to one another. its the delicate balance between the thief of light, the one who takes all of the narrative relevance she can get and will tear everything apart to make sure its all about her; and the knight of blood, the one who unites the shared feelings and connections of everyone together and heals and protects what has been hurt by her. they complement each other, and they need to stay balanced so that she doesnt burn out too quickly and leave him with nothing to protect, so that he isnt overwhelmed by her light leaving her unfettered.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 2/6/2024

some weeks it's really hard to come up with a snappy little bon mot to put here

listening

Barbarella, by a fuck of a lot of people. yes i DID watch this movie this week! this is the single catchiest theme song i have ever heard. i cannot link the actual opening credits scene bc tumblr will censor that shit SO fast. spotify

-

reading

Rebecca Roanhorse's Tread of Angels novella. this is an urban magic old west religious fantasy novella. VERY sangfielle friendsatthetable vibes, there's an old west mining town centered around the body of the demon Abbadon, which is being mined for its powerful properties. demons and angels have sort of interbred throughout the human population. there is some deeply nerdy catholic bullshit and i say that as someone who was in catholic school for fifteen years. actually let's just take Roanhorse's explanation

the setting and premise are not where the novella bites off way more than it can chew. the main character, a cardsharp, has a chanteuse sister being held accused of a murder and she's got 48hrs to prove her innocence. the time limit and general structure is good, and it uses its side characters wisely, there's just a fuck of a lot of them.

in general, this novella does not have the emotional room to make its emotional beats really count. for example, there was a second breakup with an ex after a night of passion that mostly just left me confused. more broadly, the main character has an oldest sister's selfsacrificing nature that has twisted into utter ruthlessness with regards to her sister, and i'm both impressed Roanhorse managed to convey that in so few pages and annoyed bc i really wanted to see more of that in way more detail. due to the nature of it being a novella, the series of escalating decisions she takes feel very jagged in their escalation. i hope that makes sense.

it's got really interesting ideas! i want to know more about the ideas! i wish this was a full book instead of a novella, so the ending hits a little better instead of a Well That Just Happened way. from this interview it seems Roanhorse also wanted it to be a full book, but it was sort of a "i need something short and sweet so i don't go insane while adapting my other book for TV" (which is very exciting!!!)

-

watching

really a bizarre set of films. extremely unemployed energy in this watchlist this week. largely composed of "what's on my letterboxed watchlist and also available for free on tubi, with brief forays into hulu"

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013, dir. Chow). loved the overall visual design of the antagonists and the monsters, did not overall love this movie. it is a solid martial arts showcase and the first twenty minutes with freshwater JAWS are the most tightly plotted. it kind of flounders (lol) after that. can't find a gif i like.

INU-OH (2021, dir. Yuasa) genuinely healed my heart a little i think. queer (complimentary, not queer in the western massachusetts housing coop way) feudal anime glam rock opera. i am sooooooo picky about bad dads in movies as a driving force but this really soothed my daddy issues. stuck the landing on both storytelling and visuals.

Barbarella (1968, dir. Vadim) WOW Jane Fonda was hot. this was both sillier and less porny than i was led to believe (if we ignore the softcore porn opening credits). however horny this movie was it was not brave enough to have some girl-on-girl action with barbarella and the evil empress, even though the evil empress never seems to actually learn her name and just calls her “pretty” or “pretty-pretty”. shoutout to the one fic on ao3 that rectifies this situation. certainly a piece of scifi history, i wish modern scifi was as brave with its theatrical set dressing, i think one viewing is good enough for me bc i cannot stop thinking about how all the women on set might have been treated.

john philip law popped up and i said out loud to my cat “hey i know him from cowboys”

Flower Drum Song (1961, dir. Koster) got conned into watching this by the hotvintagemen poll bc i wanted to see what james shigeta’s deal was, and if he did have a sort of ratpack sensibility as the propaganda described. he does! however this movie is unrelentingly awful. it is so so so slow. all of its comedy is racism-based. it feels like a three and a half hour two-VHS set instead of two hours. i like to think i have a stronger stomach for older media and am able to consider things as products of their times but this is my upper limit i think. one brief fleeting moment of cool production with this triple mirror effect

Dirty Dancing (1987, dir. Ardolino). we were trying to find something to watch on either peacock or hbo max, and when i said "oh i've never seen that" out loud my my best friend said "that's insane we're watching it". i did not hate this movie, but i feel like i missed some critical window of development in which i would have had to see this movie to really love it. i had sort of an abnormal high school experience and i am a smidge too old to relate to bildungsroman any more. but it was cute! it was fine! i think patrick swayze’s jawline could cut glass. this film was made after Roe v Wade (1973) and i feel like the backstreet abortion b-plot has done this interesting 180 from sort of a historical novelty to a real threat and terror again. fun!

that’s it for the watching section i promise

-

playing

im doing the thing where i play a game for ten minutes, put it down, and then pick it back up again, which is probably not terrific for the health of my elderly switch. but whatever. what have i been up to in breath of the wild?

not a ton of progress map-wise, but did make it up to zora’s domain.

i was planning on the camel being the first divine beast, to get that over with bc i had such a devil of a time in my last playthrough, but the thing about the desert is it’s really far away.

dicked around the dueling peaks stables for a while without managing to defeat that guardian and unlock that shrine. so it goes. i think i really need an actual guardian shield from one of the minor tests of strength shrines instead of a normie shield. this line and sidequest made me laugh— it wasn’t terribly hard to find this little cache but it was a tricky bit of gliding.

didn’t realize the horses don’t have that much vertical threat perception, just like real horses. this little band walked right under me and i failed to glide down and land perfectly on someone’s back, which did freak them all out.

i think my new favorite place in a game is this little grove clinging to the side of the dueling peaks. it felt very peaceful and cozy. nothing can get me up there and there’s more than enough room to make a little campfire and cook dinner and not roll off the mountain in a sleeping bag the middle of the night.

also fully kitted out my house bc i had a very successful mining expedition along dueling peaks. EXTREMELY forgiving and generous secondary opening area imo, thanks game

-

making

i started this glitch sampler pattern by tumblr's own mathysphere (not @'d bc this is a fuck of a long post) at the beginning of the pandemic, june 2020, while thinking "eh let's give this friends at the table counterweight thing a shot" got most of the way through both counterweight and this piece, put it down bc i was so annoyed with all the confetti stitches (random one-off stitches of colors that aren't anywhere near other stitches of the same color. i think i resorted to fraychek at several points in the rover square) and then put it down so long i had to throw it out during the great moth debacle, bc it was partly eaten.

here's what it will look like finished, and a link to buy the pattern

i think this time around i am a much better technical stitcher (the first crack at this i didn't know the loop method of starting, or pin stitches, or really any alternate endings except running the tail under the last few stitches). i usually stitch with three strands bc i like the look, but i think the loop method with three strands is overly fiddly. i have not picked up cross stitch since mmmm 2021, but any mistakes or unevenness in this will simply contribute to the glitch effect. i'm going to go back and backstitch the four "frames" and key portions of the sampler to highlight portions of the glitches (eg the yellow and blue centers of the spiral galaxy, the interior of the eclipse, perhaps add an antenna to the rover).

still not my tidiest back, but hey. it's going to sit in a frame and not have any sort of friction or extra force applied to it ever

i am really looking forward to framing this in a deep shadowbox, i have an idea about how to mat it with little melty cutouts for the drips at the bottom.

[bluegekk0]

How's Ogrim doing in the AU? How does he interact with the rest of the family? Also how did PK react to seeing him again? Did he hold any sort of resentment to the King?

He is doing well! He moved to Dirtmouth and left his duty as a knight behind, and opened a small diner in the town, since he's always had a great interest in cooking. I recommend reading this post which has all of the AU character descriptions in more detail! (Don't pay much attention to the designs, though, as I'm in the progress of redesigning most of the characters and/or giving them updated looks)

FPK naturally felt very guilty when he saw Ogrim again, he disappeared without a word and hearing that Ogrim was convinced he would come back just made him feel horrible. But before his hibernation, they were good friends, Ogrim was the knight he was the closest with, so in the end they were just happy to reunite. They grieved the other knights who didn't make it, especially Isma since Ogrim was very close with her and FPK had always had tremendous respect for her. These days, they maintain their friendship, and FPK is a very common customer at Ogrim's diner, it's a very common spot for his dates with Grimm - while Ogrim insists they eat there without paying, FPK returns the favor by gathering ingredients for Ogrim's cookings while he's out hunting, and Grimm offers to bring home rare ingredients from other lands as he travels.

Ogrim is also very popular with their kids, especially Lewk who is very interested in his cooking. Ogrim sometimes looks after him, Milo and Asta, and always spoils them with little sweet snacks he made. Holly also enjoys visiting him when they have some free time, and helping him clean after the customers. They like feeling useful so they love being helpful whenever they have a chance, and Ogrim really appreciates it. Not to mention, he's glad to see them become part of a community, he definitely shares some guilt about the vessel thing, especially since he was one of the few who knows about it. So seeing Holly, the vessel he trained, finally find a happy life and a loving family definitely warms his heart. Hornet is a bit distant towards everyone, which includes Ogrim, but she likes to gather ingredients for him, and he really appreciates her help. Since she likes to do her own cooking, she's always welcome to ask him for advice or even some of his cooking secrets.

As I mentioned before, Grimm often buys rare ingredients for him whenever he's traveling, and in general they have a very positive relationship. Any friend of FPK is going to be a friend of Grimm, but Ogrim has such a positive energy to him that they would've ended up friends regardless. Grimm admires his cooking, especially those wonderful fruit dishes he prepares for him, so he often pays visits to his diner, and insists on leaving him a good tip to show his appreciation. Not to mention, Ogrim's diner is an excellent place for dates with FPK, it's nice, cozy and has an atmosphere that really soothes FPK's nerves, so it's no surprise that they're his most loyal customers.

Zote also likes the food there, Ogrim knows some really good vegetarian dishes, though Zote often complains regardless, as you'd expect. He's very determined to learn every single secret of Ogrim's cooking, just to have the satisfaction of knowing something others don't. Though so far, his mission has been unsuccessful.

So in short, Ogrim's definitely enjoying the peaceful post-infection life, he's always been loyal to FPK, not just as a knight but as a friend, so having an opportunity to remain close to him and watch him find happiness is the best outcome he could ask for.

[dreamsofminnie]

“Opposing Troubles”

{Alhaitham x Y/n} Part 1

^[Credit: Twitter&Tumblr @/birdsofpassage]

Alhaitham x Y/n {Part 1} <You're Here!

Kaveh x S/n {Part 2} <Link

Summary-> Y/n and S/n are sisters who are very much attached to the hip dispite slightly rare petty arguments. A bad argument forms between Y/n amd S/n and they go to their lover to complain. Alhaitham and Kaveh however can’t let this go on for too long. Your bond was super strong with each other despite some small differences. They don't want to see that sibling bond disintegrate.

Notes-> I got in an argument with my sister and this idea popped up; and since my sister has a personality like Alhaitham and me with a Personality like Kaveh; with us liking the opposite, this is really creative idea.

Word count-> 1,560

🌵

Stomping through the streets your heart is still racing, out of breath from storming outside your house. The murky feeling deep in the pits of your stomach felt awful. You felt yourself treading through the depths of the ocean where the water was thick and heavy on your feet. Dreaded thoughts flooded your head bringing bouts of pain every second. Your muddled vision couldn’t clear up no matter how hard you tried. Your eyes were just too puffy.

You successfully managed to find the right door, however, so congratulations on that, one happy thing about this awful day.

The gentle knocks on the door and small pitiful calls draw the front door to widen with the expected person of your search. You look up quite bashfully afraid what he might think of your state.

“Kaveh isn’t home right? Can I stay here? With you kicking him out for a few days at least.” Alhaitham surely wasn’t a fool for not noticing your puffy eyes, downcast expression and the slight dance of your fingers against your clothes in a rattling of your nerves.

He was quick to rummage in his pocket and take out that one item of desire for the architect. Kaveh’s golden key with the lion carving. “He can stay at S/n’s house. And you can stay at mine. Equal exchange.” You gave Alhaitham the lightest of smiles as you followed him in.

Once reaching the couch you immediately cling to Alhaitham, you knew he already deduced your haggard state. He sat normally, sitting to his left you lurched your left arm across his torso hugging his waist, your other arm around his neck, one leg in between his; entirely facing him while acting as a koala clinging to their tree for support. He didn’t mind it one bit and kept an arm around your torso to keep you close.

“Did you have an argument. With S/n? Why else would you deliberately ask to kick out Kaveh when he would automatically turn to your house and stay with S/n.” The tone of voice was not a question, more of a statement he correctly concluded.

You nodded as you buried your head into his chest emotions starting to well up again. “I can only faintly remember what we were talking about. I- I just got so mad I lashed out on her. She didn’t get me; she didn’t understand what she was doing to me. And I can't- it’s not- ..it hurts. And I’m so bad with my words..” The tears this time around prickled so harshly that your sobs felt choked.

Alhaitham’s hand around your torso drew parallelograms into your side as some sort of soothing mechanism. He never likes to see you so distraught like this, you were so much more pretty when you happily bounced off walls with energy and that bright glow he loves.

And S/n was a bringer of that light. Y/n was the most comfortable around her sister, naturally. Their shared interests and sometimes similar views made each other glow that much more brighter. They stuck to each other so well that others would even get jealous of their sibling relationship. They are definite opposites but find a way to balance well against each other. This however would be the worst they have ever fought. Silent treatment was the result after small petty fights. This was much more hurtful for both.

“That’s why I’m with you. To help you with your words and guide you. Look up at me Y/n.” Your shaky exhale found relief in cooler air away from his body heat. Alhaitham’s digits ran over your cheeks softly as you leaned into his fond touch. “How do you feel about your sister?”

“She’s a total butt. Annoying to deal with.” Your brows furrow and your face puffed in irritation. Cute; Alhaitham couldn’t voice out in the seriousness of this conversation. “Then how would you feel if she left you?”

You jolted in his hold, eyes now run out of tears has widened in horror. “I..would be so upset. Intentional or not. She can’t just leave…” The trigger in your thoughts now running wild in imaginations of S/n leaving you behind made your blood cold. The bubbling of that came fresh new tears and you really hated this overwhelming emotion.

“Civil conversations about serious matters need to be regarded Y/n. With S/n that is. To better understand each other you need to express yourself. And not through emotion-filled tears.” At the end of that sentence he rubbed circles into your cheeks, secretly indulging in how soft your skin feels against his fingers.

The rubbing of his hands was a bit too forceful that it slurred your words. “But i caant, its too hard to form words with mouth. Esspecially when it's face to face. It’s too uncomfortable and my mind blanks. My fight or flight, except it's my hide or flight.” You swat his hands from the rubbing and adjust them to rest against your face instead.

“I know.” His deadpan expression brings you back to the time you tried to confess but stumbled over your words, so he ended up confessing since you were activating your hide or flight and in the midst of running away. You still ran away in embarrassment in the end.

You awkwardly laugh at that memory avoiding eye contact. “On another note, you cry often even when you are just happy and your heart is overwhelmingly full. I will just get a jar to fill up on your tears at this point and start liking when you cry.” Alhaitham’s face was devoid of emotion; you couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.

“Please don’t..” You whine at the subtle joke choosing to not take that sentence seriously. Alhaitham chuckles and strokes your head, shifting your body closer.

“Don’t worry about the meeting with S/n. Just focus on what speech you're going to prepare to say to her. Media Naranja.”

Media Naranja (Spanish for "my better half," literally "half an orange")

“Did you just call me an orange half.” You glare at Alhaitham with a half frown half smile knowing the exact meaning he wasted to say. He raises a brow, “Do you not look like one now? Your eyes have gotten much puffier and red.” He was internally glad you have started to calm down and were able to joke around now. You blow air into his face and stick your tongue out as he blinks back.

“But.. thank you for making me feel better Haitham. Mmh I lovvee youu. And now i’m so exhausted from all these deep feelings. Tuck me in bedd pleasee.” You stick your head near his neck fondly and wrap both your arms around his neck wanting to be carried into his room to rest.

“No. You need to shower. You’ve been outside all day. Don’t get your germs in my bed.” However, he moved your body around so he could carry you over to his room. “So meann.” Once he placed you down on your feet, you grabbed your spare clothes from his dresser and headed to the bathroom.

Alhaitham waited for the door to snap shut and the shower to turn on before he gets up towards the front door. Just his luck, he spots a fussy blonde mumbling angrily while walking away from their shared house. “Kaveh.” Upon hearing that monotone voice his head snaps towards the house ready to snap at the man for kicking him out once again.

The seriousness in Alhaitham’s voice and face stops the blonde from chewing out his roommate. Just this once.

🌵

Feeling refreshed you stumble out of the bathroom, your exhaustion has faded only a bit, your eyes were the most tired of all. You step into Alhaitham’s room and yawned wanting to crawl into bed and cuddle with him already.

“Took you long enough. Come. I’m already drained from treating your therapy session today.” Alhaitham sat up against the headboard with a book in his lap eyes focused on you even before you walked fully in.

“Hehe, yes my Liebling” You practically jump onto the bed automatically covering yourself with the blanket and clinging onto Alhaitham.

Liebling ("darling" in German)

He pressed a kiss to your forehead as he bookmarks the page and places it on the nightstand, sinking down the headboard to lie down next to you.

“You’ll have a long day tomorrow. And I will be there for you. Don’t be so nervous and so scared. You won’t ever have to be, with me by your side. Your soft snores was his response as he had waited till your exhaustion enveloped you to admire you.

“I love how you're so empathetic and carefree. It’s your best quality so no need to be so insecure over that.”

“You’re admirable to keep going forward with the pain of your past.”

“I loathe seeing you too intimidated to reveal your true feelings to others.”

“Your feelings are just as much important as the other person. Please understand this.”

Another kiss to your temple and he has you in his firm hold succumbing to a peaceful slumber. A gentle smile graced your lips, either from Alhaitham’s love admission or the sweet dreams you had when he voiced his fondness of you.

—————————————

[sorry-moots]

Inversion of Genesis But I Changed It

i humbly toss my crumbs unto thee pigeons characters featured: scaramouche, childe/tartaglia, dottore cws: dottore is mildly creepy but when isn't he tbh wc: 1,102

prev | masterlist | next

Chapter Three

The past few months working with Lord Scaramouche have actually been really nice.

He doesn’t yell like you thought he would. He’s only threatened to kill you once and he sounded sort of half-hearted? There’s never blood on his clothes or a predatory grin on his face. He doesn’t stand uncomfortably close to you to “monitor your progress”.

You like your new routine. Every morning at eight o’ clock, you come in and sort through the dozens of letters on your own. At nine o’ clock, Scaramouche comes in and the two of you put together his agenda for the next several days.

At first, you’d read through pages and pages of formal requests only for him to toss them in the trash less than five seconds after you passed them to him. Now, you call out a name and wait for his signal to discard the documents.

Sure, he scowls at every other question you ask but once he answers them, he goes about his business like normal. In the silence, the shuffling of papers and the crackling of the fire would often create a soothing ambiance as you both worked diligently.

Today, though, that routine is broken.

The guards outside could be heard speaking, which is odd in itself. In a moment, a knock followed the brief conversation.

“Go see who it is,” the Harbinger instructs without looking up from the stack of papers on his desk.

You’ve barely cracked the door open when Tartaglia forces his way in.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!” His energy is incredible for the hour. “I have come to personally deliver an invitation to a dinner party for the Fatui Harbingers to none other than the sixth Fatui Harbinger, Lord Scaramouche! The event will take place next weekend at 6pm in the Zapolyarny Palace dining room.”

Scaramouche perked up. “A dinner party? [Y/n] check my schedule.”

As you look for the date on your calendar, Childe asks Scaramouche if you’ll be his plus one.

The latter sneers. “Ha, what use would I have for a plus one? [Y/n], get this airhead out of here.”

You place a marker on the date on your calendar and walk over to Childe. “His lordship would appreciate your immediate departure. May I escort you out?”

“Why, yes, of course,” he chuckles. “You know, [Y/n], you can always be my plus one if ol’ Scarapoo won’t take you,” he finishes with a wink.

It’s hard not to laugh as Scaramouche berates Childe. Your superior looks to be ten seconds from chasing him out the door, but the redhead persists in pestering him. Though he would likely never admit it, you’re almost certain Lord Scaramouche is friends with his rambunctious colleague.

*****

“Don't look at anyone, don't talk to anyone, don't even bow your head at anyone,” Lord Scaramouche commanded. “You're just here to make a note of any important information.”

“Does that include you, sir?” you quipped back with a grin.

“Obviously not, you toad.”

Today is the day of the dinner. You're still in your uniform from earlier but you’ve styled your hair differently and shined your shoes. Even the notepad and pencil you brought were chosen to match your clothes, black with red accents.

Being the poverty-fearing wage slave you are, you heed your boss’s warning and do your best to avoid calling attention to yourself. No one really pays attention to you until you are greeted with a raucous shout.

“Hey, [Y/n]!” Childe yelled, waving excitedly. “What happened to being my plus one?”

You nearly responded but remembered that you weren’t supposed to speak. Instead, you turned and looked to Scaramouche for instruction.

“She’s here on official business,” he explained rather cordially before saying under his breath, “so don’t talk to her.”

Childe pouted before a mischievous grin made its way onto his face. “That’s okay, [Y/n], I’m sure Mouchie could use the fun.”

Once he left to mingle with the other harbingers, everyone went back to their own conversations and Scaramouche went to grab a drink. Apparently, they had his favorite sake.

Just as you were beginning to think you would be left in peace, you heard a deep, velvet voice behind you.

“So, this is why you ran off, [Y/n]?” Dottore prompted coyly. It was difficult to keep yourself from recoiling. “It’s been quite lonely in the laboratory… After all, I’ve only myself to talk to. Or rather, my selves.”

This time, you stayed quiet out of fear, not obedience.

“Oh, how silly of me,” he hummed in amusement. “My dear friend, Lord Scaramouche, forbade you to talk.

“Well, then.” He stepped in front of you and crouched to look at your face; you turned away from him. “I’ll do the talking.”

Just when you begin to feel tears pricking your eyes and your throat tightening, Scaramouche returns with his drink. He nods his head respectfully. “Was there something you needed to discuss with me, Dottore?”

The man smiled that smug smile of his. “No, no, not at all, Scaramouche. I was just telling our darling [Y/n] how exhausting it’s been working in the laboratory since she left.”

“I’ve found the new arrangement to be quite agreeable, even considering my own shortage in staff. If I recall correctly, I have one of the smallest forces under my command,” he remarked with all the uncertainty of a professional gambler. “Much smaller than yours, isn't that right, Dottore?”

The Doctor's face became a cloud of darkness and thunder, ominous as the end times. Within seconds, the faux cheeriness beneath his mask is extinguished and then revived. “You’ve seen right through me, Balladeer,” he chuckled. “I suppose it's the loss of [Y/n]’s company that has caused me the most bereavement.”

“That's tragic, Dottore, really,” Scaramouche said in a voice that almost sounded sympathetic. “I, too, have grown rather fond of her, so I can't imagine what losing her would do to me. I’ll just have to safeguard her from the other harbingers,” he continued to mock. “No hard feelings, right, Doctor?”

“Of course not, Balladeer,” the harbinger gritted through his teeth. “I can hardly fault you for something I would have done myself, had I thought it necessary.”

At this, Scaramouche beamed and jokingly told the other harbinger to back off. The Doctor finally leaves and you breathe a sigh of relief.

You open your mouth to speak, but Scaramouche beats you to it.

“Don’t thank me. That guy pisses me off.”

He starts moving in the direction of another harbinger and, as you follow him, you can’t help but smile and thank the Archons he’s your superior.

prev | masterlist | next