#she literally saved his life and i wonder if she ever realised

[yassentheassassin]

Miguel gifting Xina a gumball machine as a thank you, and a goodbye considering how suicidal he was at the time, is constantly on my mind

[din-miller]

A Clones Reflection

Pairing: Hunter x f!reader

Word count: 1.8k

Summary: Hunter is self conscious about his weight gain as life on Pabu treats him well. Spoiled with sweets and meatier food than he’s use too, his body has gone soft around the edges.

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, weight gain, this is the softest smut I’ve probably ever written, insecure hunter, set on Pabu, married couple, hand job, I just want hunter’s back pressed against my chest as I jerk him off okay?

A/N: I wrote one for wrecker but it’s safe for work. I’ll link it here

It started with Omega — actually it started with Wrecker and his never ending sweet tooth and pockets seemingly full of sweets every time he visits — but it’s Omega who got Hunter hooked on meiloorun melon flavoured sweets.

From there it became a nighttime snack, a variety of berry flavours filling up the pantry. You don’t mind; you’re always able to keep their diet a healthy balance to keep their arteries clogging, home cooked meals every night.

It’s Phee oddly enough who noticed the barely there loose skin around Hunter’s waist. You’ll admit you were confused as to why she was looking hard enough at your husband’s body to notice what you hadn’t yourself and why she thought it was appropriate to point it out. Phee had laughed off the way you bristled at her comment and said that Tech’s been filling out himself too, adding: It’s a good sign, don’t worry. It means that they’re healthy. After years of ration bars they deserve to be pampered a little bit.

She was right. Not only have Hunter and Tech filled out more, so had the others. Minus Crosshair. The sniper was ever so slim still. He could gain ten pounds and it wouldn’t be noticeable.

You never brought this discovery up to Hunter. At the time it didn’t seem important. He was getting softer and your love for him wasn’t growing any less, quite the opposite in fact. While you still have dreams about the man who literally swept you off your feet when you first met, saving you from an embarrassing fall, your breath catches in your throat when he’s standing in front of you shirtless, waist a little meatier than before.

One day you walk in on Hunter staring at himself in the mirror, only clad in briefs, a scowl on his face, fingers pinching at the loose skin on his hip, that you realise that maybe you should’ve brought it up. Let him know that he’s still insanely attractive, that you constantly want to jump his bones. Maybe then he wouldn’t be standing here, eyes dark and unforgiving as he wrongly judges his body.

“Babe?” You call out, frowning when he doesn’t respond. Doesn’t even acknowledge your presence, “Hunter? I’m home, and I got us dinner.” You hold up the bag containing said food but he still doesn’t answer.

You let out a sigh, wondering how long has he been standing like this? Hating what he sees, hating what you love. You drop the food down on the bedroom dresser, by all means you should take it to the kitchen and keep it warm, but that’s not as important. Not what you’re focusing on.

You notice Hunter’s ear twitch, finally noticing you’re in the room but his eyes never leave the mirror. His posture stiffens when you move closer, his eyes darting down to his waist, frozen as he stood inches from his reflection.

Your brow pinches in growing concern, “Talk to me, riduur, let me help.”

Hunter shook his head, “Nothings wrong. I’m fine.”

You don’t believe him but you're not sure on how to press the issue, “I got us dinner.”

“Thank you, mesh’la.” Hunter gives you a quick smile, but doesn't make any attempt at moving away from the mirror.

Your frown deepens and you move to stand behind him, his body blocking himself from seeing you but you’re not concerned about that. You pull his naked back flush against your chest, pressing open mouth kisses to his shoulder blade. The muscles under your lips flex, and you give another kiss there before pulling back, “You smell nice.”

“Had a shower. Omega wanted to go swimming before staying the night at the Hazards.”

“I’m surprised she’s still allowed over after showing Lyana how to use her bow,” You joke, arms wrapping around Hunter’s front and knotting together underneath his pecs, your tone turns serious, “Any chance you'll let me in on why you're standing here basically naked and glaring at yourself?”

Hunter’s eyes narrowed in on the way his stomach jiggled at the movement and he nervously chews the inside of his lip. It takes him a few beats before taking a deep breath and quietly asks, “Are you attracted to me? Like physically?…sexually?”

You suppress a sigh, not wanting him to take it the wrong way, and you bring one hand to settle over his stomach, letting your thumb rub small reassuring circles around his navel. There are a thousand different words you could use to describe your husband's body and none of them are negative, and even if you spoke them all you’re not sure Hunter would truly understand how gorgeous he is to you. No, he’s more the type to use touch instead of words. He’d worship your body with his lips, kissing each imperfection you believe you have. That’s how you’ll approach this. You’ll show as much as you’ll tell.

“I’m a leader, I’m supposed to be strong,” Hunter goes on before you can speak, gesturing to his body, “Not…. not flabby.”

“A leader isn’t about having washboard abs, Hunter. Which by the way, you still have,” You trail your fingers deftly over his abs, his muscles flexing under your fingertips, “You’re body is changing, that's not a bad thing, my love. You spent so long surviving on ration packs and now you’re eating healthy.”

Your fingers trail down to the band of his briefs, silently asking permission. He gives you it without hesitation but his nose does scrunch up, brow drawing together, “I can’t see you.”

You press a kiss to his shoulder, smiling softly into the flesh of it as you say, “It’s not about me.”

“I’d still prefer to see you.”

“Next time.” You promise and he nods almost absentmindedly.

You hook your fingers under the waistband and pull them down over his ass, watching in the mirror as his cock springs free; hard, wet, and needy. Your mouth waters at the sight. Tossing away the briefs you pull him in closer, his cock twitching as you ravish his neck. Kissing and sucking, leaving wet trails and slowly forming bruises in his wake.

"I'm going to slide my hand down lower and jerk you off as I tell you how kriffing hot you are. How incredibly good it feels when we're cuddling, the softness of your body pressed against me. The way your skin moulds against mine as you fuck me into the matress. How just staring at your body alone makes my pussy wet."

"Kriff.” Hunter gasps, desperate for your touch.

You chuckle against his neck, licking at the goosebumps that formed at the puff of your warm breath. You slowly, teasingly, bring one hand down lower but not low enough to touch his throbbing erection, earning a needy whine from him.

“Sometimes when I can’t sleep and your out with your brothers I play with myself, fuck my pussy with my fingers as I imagine your body drapped over mine.”

“Mesh’la, please, I need you to touch me.” Hunter begs through a moan, cock leaking pre-cum down his length.

You hum at the sight, your own sex throbbing against your panites but you paid no attention to it.

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You'd understand how desperate I am to kiss you, to touch you. This weight, this newfound softness has me instantly wet. And not in some kinky way but because it's you. It's you Hunter, that's what I'm attracted to, in every form.”

You finally move your hand to lightly trace the length of his cock earning a loud moan from the man. You wrap your fingers around the thick girth of it and squeeze the base. His mouth parts at the sensation. You let out your own gasp of pleasure when Hunter falls forward ever so slightly, hands reaching out to grab the sides of the mirror to steady himself and his upper back brushes against your hardened nipples, the material of your shirt catching them in the right way.

Now in this new position you can see Hunter’s reflection in the mirror, your smaller frame just peeking over his shoulder but it’s enough for him to moan at the lust that has filled your eyes, swallowing your pupils.

“Hunter,” You breathe, gently grabbing at his waist, cupping the extra weight in your palm that’s not working his cock, “I want you to keep your eyes on the mirror, I want you to see the way you fall apart under my touch. How kriffing sexy you look.”

He gives a half nod, hips buckling when you begin to pick up the pace, praises whispered in his ear. It's a little dry, no lube to help guide his cock through your fist, but there’s enough pre-cum spilling from his cock that Hunter’s not telling you to stop.

His eyes leave your lust and loving gaze to settle on his own body. You know he’s taking in how wrecked he looks. How bright the red marks you’ve left across his neck and shoulder are, his cock twitching with each stroke, head all red and shiny. There's pre-cum everywhere now. On his thighs, stomach, all over your hand and even a surprising amount on the mirror.

Hunter can't see much of his stomach, your arm wrapped around it to hold him firmly against your body, balancing him as he gets lost in the pleasure you bring him. He's begging for you to go faster and you obey, working his cock with swift and practised movements, knowing exactly what he needs.

But it’s not enough and Hunter’s eyes watch in fascination as he starts fucking into your fist. His entire body is on fire and it's all too much. He barely manages out a warning before his whole body spasms, hot ropes of white cum painting the mirror and your hand.

Hunter curses, hips helplessly jerking forward, cock weeping as another string of cum shoots out and drips onto the bedroom floor.

“In case there's a chance you didn't clue in,” You kiss his neck softly, helping him straighten up as his legs shake underneath him, “I'm continuously turned on by you.”

Hunter gives a breathy laugh, twisting in your hold to kiss you, his fingers lazily falling to your pants. You tisk and gently smack his hand away. He growls, not happy with the action. You press your lips to his, shushing him, “This is about you, my love.”

He huffs, a rumbling of his stomach following and he blushes, “You said something about food?”

You smack his ass, eyes rolling as you tell him, “Go clean up, love. I’ll get the food ready.”

He makes his way to the washroom, you grab the food and call out before leaving the room: “And bring the lube down for dessert.”

There’s a crashing sound from within the bathroom, a curse and you have a feeling he’ll be bringing down the meiloorun melon flavour lube you bought for shit and giggles last week.

[clownery-and-fuckery]

I just. The theme of guilt. In Hunter. And Wrecker. And Crosshair. These three specifically.

Hunter is the one who calls the final shot. Makes the final decision. It's his word.

He had to make them leave Crosshair on Kamino. He had to make them work for Cid on dangerous mission after dangerous mission. He had to make Tech leave him behind. He had to choose not to trust Crosshair. He had to choose to let them sit in watertight chambers they didn't know would work. He had to make them leave Crosshair again. Hunter picks and chooses everything. He has to make the calls. He has to pull through. He has to prioritise.

He helped Tech get on top the rail cart.

Do you ever wonder how many times these decisions play through his head? The amount of sleepless nights, tossing and turning, thinking over and over about what he could have changed? Could have fixed? He could have saved Crosshair from the beginning, he could have avoided Cid. He could have found Phee and Pabu another way, he could have stayed with Rex. Things didn't need to happen the way they did.

Tech didn't have to die. Crosshair didn't have to be stuck with Hemlock.

These are the things Hunter mulls over, countless nights, days, hours, spent thinking of what could he have done different? He'll never be able to go back. He'll never be able to change.

He barely got to teach Omega anything. She, full of life, full of joy and wonder, lost to monsters Hunter was supposed to protect her from. And in the end, Omega was lost trying to protect him.

Him, who could hardly keep his brothers from falling other the edge. Literally and figuratively.

Hunter's lost everything. And he can only blame himself.

And Wrecker, sweet Wrecker. Wrecker who fought through the chips control for days. Who struggled and choked back every little instinct until it was physically impossible. Who, while holding his brother in a death grip, fought with everything he had not to kill him. It would have been so simple for him. Wrecker thinks about just how simple far too much for his liking.

Wrecker thinks about how easily he went through them. How easy it was to knock them down and beat them. Wrecker could have ended the entire squad, and no one would've ever known. Wrecker didn't even need his second hand. He thinks about that constantly.

He thinks about how hard everyone else seems to have it. How stressed Hunter is, how angry Echo became, how Tech always put himself into trouble. How Omega had begun to notice the troubles of the galaxy, and the struggle she would always have. Wrecker couldn't protect them, not from that. He tried, truly he did.

Everything from physically to mentally. Watching their backs to comforting them. Shouldering weight when he could, anything to ease the stress, to quell the pain. His strength stretched thin wasn't enough. Crosshair never came back. Echo left to fight without him. Hunter let them leave Pabu. Tech fell.

Wreckers fear had always stemmed from falling. He never imagined he'd fail to catch any of his brothers. He couldn't do anything but watch, shouldered to the side again. His strength wasn't enough again. Wrecker doesn't know what he is if not his strength.

It kills him, not knowing. Being so useless when he's meant to be in his element.

I guarantee he regrets not listening more. Not paying enough attention. Not realising just how much he'd miss it. The silence gives him time to simmer. Wrecker misses the days he didn't know that would happen.

Oh, Crosshair. I have not forgotten him.

Crosshair has watched himself hurt his brothers for maybe months. He's watched himself hunt his brothers like they were animals. All he wanted was for them to be together again. He had no idea the price was so large.

He can't separate himself from the chip. He can't separate himself from the clone that shot his brother in the arm. From the clone that almost incinerated his brothers with an ion engine. With the clone that, despite wanting to be whole, couldn't bring himself to bend his own twisted morality for them. His brothers. Who he had convinced himself he'd done all this for. He spilt this blood for them.

Why couldn't he care for them normally? Crosshair questions that every day.

Why could he care more for a reg than his own brothers? They left because he didn't want to go with them. His loyalty drove them away. And it was that loyalty that drew them back in. Drew his brother to his death. Drew Omega to the last place Crosshair wanted her to be.

He tried to make up for it, and now everything's worse than before. To Crosshair, he's once again brought about an end to their lives. He's tainted, ripped apart another part of them.

Crosshair is the reason they had to run. They could have pretended. Crosshair wouldn't have given them up. Ever. Yet his selfishness, his own personal vendettas pushed them away. Crosshair hasn't even thought to blame the system they tried to save him from.

Now, he's living with the consequences of his attempts at saving their lives. They'll never know how hard he fought for them, all they'll ever know is what happened because of it. What happened because of brotherly devotion.

Crosshair won't be able to fathom that Tech was a result of shared adoration. He'll only see it as another failure on his part. As everything he's ever done has been.

I just- guilt and the bad batch. The way its woven into their souls. It hurts me so much.

[vaya-writes]

Serving the Serpent - 9

Briar owes Lord Isen her life. She works off her debt by serving in his castle. Dealing with the rapidly changing circumstances of her life, she’s not used to anyone paying her much attention. It’s hard when Isen seems set on interacting with her. 

Cis female human with selective mutism x male naga (slow burn, co-workers to lovers, power imbalances, eventual smut). 4700 words. Content warnings for this chapter include discussion of Briar’s cult-like upbringing, sleep deprivation, and Briar experiencing significant anxiety. Divider from firefly-graphics.

Thank you for your patience everyone <3 It's been a month and a half, whoops. I present the only one bed trope. Enjoy.

Previous - Masterlist

The phrase ‘when it rains, it pours’ is not always accurate in the Ophidian Lowlands. Usually, the sky hangs low and overcast, drizzling on and off throughout autumn.  Perhaps the saying is a holdover from when the Pilgrims lived on the continent. Perhaps it was never meant to be used literally, and only ever used to refer to misfortunes of other kinds. Regardless of the phrase’s origins, it proves especially true the morning lord Isen is supposed to start his tour.  

Briar finds him amidst a tangle of blankets, unresponsive. She’s not surprised. The serpent is cold blooded, and the temperature can’t be doing him any favours. Opening the curtains doesn’t do much to rouse him, and neither does stoking the fire.  

Briar approaches the bed, staring down at the pale scales that peek out from the blankets, wondering if she should wake the lord. She’s never had to do so before, as he’s never had to be up quite so early. 

She coughs softly, but Isen doesn’t respond. Neither does he move when she shakes the bed. She waits a moment before trying again. And then a third time. Her anxiety grows when she realises she’ll have to take more drastic measures.  

She’s just doing her job. She won’t get in trouble. She won’t. 

Isen lets out a hiss when she pulls the blankets from the bed. He curls up tighter and attempts to sink beneath his pillows. Briar starts removing them, one cushion at a time until Isen lies bare on the bed. Still, he does not wake. 

Briar lets out a loud sigh – practically a groan with the way exasperation colours her voice. They have things to do and places to be, and they’re going to be late. 

She flinches when Isen sits up, quite suddenly.  

He squints at her, bleary, hair mussed. “D’you say somthin, Leg?” 

She’s taken aback by his slurred speech. Enough so that she doesn’t even have room to worry at the question. Instead, she raises her brow. ‘Did you?’ 

He rubs his face. Lets out a groan.  

And lays back down. 

Briar watches him with widened eyes. She no longer has any compunctions about shaking him awake. 

Isen is saved from Briar’s ire when Arol blows into the room, completely abluster. 

“You do this every year Kovit!”  

Briar jumps back as the lizard grabs Isen’s tail and pulls; heaving until Isen’s bottom half is hanging off the bed.  

“The weather broke, I’ve been rearranging things since sunrise, we are already behind. And you’re not even out of bed!” 

Isen lets out another groggy noise before sitting up. “Sss fine Arol. The tide doesn’t change ‘til midmorning.” 

“The tide doesn’t- are you not listening? It’s been raining all night. We’re not taking the Ophidia, we have to go on foot!” 

Isen takes a moment. “What?” 

“You heard me.” 

He sighs. Rubs his face again. “Okay, okay. What time is it?” 

“Time to leave. The sun has been up for nearly an hour.” 

“Okay. I’m moving.” He slides off the bed, moving sluggishly towards the wardrobe. 

Arol turns tail and is about to leave when Briar taps him on the arm. She doesn’t want to deal with his mood, but would prefer that to being left in the dark. 

“What?”  

She stills at his tone. Stares him dead on, and waits for him to deflate a little.  

To his credit, Arol seems to understand her expression. “You’re right, sorry. I’m just feeling quite frazzled.” 

She shrugs, and waves off the statement. Then she shakes her head. ‘What is happening?’ 

Arol eyes her hands with a wince. “I’m sorry, I haven’t learnt Sign yet. Isen, can you translate?” 

Isen leans out from his wardrobe as Briar repeats herself. “She’s asking what happened.” 

“Of course, you’re new around here.” Arol’s posture loosens. “Most of the time we travel the lowlands via barge. This trip would only take a day or two if we could do that. But it stormed all last night, and now the river isn’t safe to sail.”  

Briar nods her understanding. She tries signing something simple to him. ‘What’s wrong with that?’ (Why, you, bad) 

He gets the gist of it. “It will take a whole day to travel to the Sisters on foot. Even if we can sail tomorrow, that’s a whole day we’re adding to our itinerary. I’ve had organise additional supplies, reschedule our appointments... It’s not a big problem. I’m just feeling foul. Sorry for yelling, you shouldn’t have to witness that.” 

Briar waves him off again. ‘It’s fine.’ 

He nods. “Thanks, Legs. I’ll meet you both downstairs. Breakfast will be on the trail.” 

Briar’s nose crinkles. It seems Isen’s nickname is sticking. 

Arol is gone by the time Isen emerges from his wardrobe, dressed and looking marginally more awake. He lets out another yawn, before giving Briar an almost contemplative frown. 

She raises her brow, accompanying him as he follows after his representative. ‘What?’ 

“I think I dreamt that you said something to me, right before I woke, but I can’t remember what.” 

Briar immediately knows what he’s talking about. He had woken right after she’d groaned at him. She can’t help but stare at her feet as they walk, an unsourced feeling of anxiety curling in her gut. The idea of vocalising-  

She doesn’t even want to think about it. Every time it had come up since she was a child, she’d been met with nothing but distaste. Exasperation. Blame. Even the kindest of the pilgrims had alienated her. Made her feel like she was deficit of something. She doesn’t want to hear it from Isen too.  

It’s irrational. She knows he wouldn’t hurt her intentionally. Wouldn’t pressure her to speak if she made it clear that she didn’t want to. But everyone who’d ever found out that she could speak – or at least that she should be able to, that her vocal cords were not, in fact, damaged, did nothing but hurt her. Intentional or not. Even Stella, from time to time. It was exhausting. 

She realises that Isen is silent. He’d been awaiting her reaction to his confession. Had possibly taken her silence the wrong way. 

She can’t say why she does it. But the exhaustion is back, and part of her wants to confide in somebody. To share, and lighten the burden, just a little. To say ‘I am tired, and I hate this’. And she doesn’t think Isen will make a big deal out of it. 

So she does it again.  

She sighs, letting out an unpleasant, almost wheezing groan while she does, replicating the noise that had woken her boss.  

Isen whips his head in her direction. He looks bewildered. Amused. “Is that what woke me up? I didn’t dream it?” 

Briar shrugs, looking back at her feet again as they descend the stairs. 

He’s silent for a moment, and she dreads the questions that might come. 

But he only huffs. “I must have really annoyed you. Sorry Legs.” 

She looks up, surprised. 

“It’s the temperature. I wish I could tell you I’d be better, but it’s only going to get worse.” He runs a hand through his hair. Adds offhandedly, “I’d probably sleep through the whole of winter if it weren’t for my- well-” he looks embarrassed. “I guess you’ll see.” 

No longer wracked with tension, Briar levels Isen with a mystified stare.  

He waves her off. “Don’t worry about it. Sorry for making your job harder this morning.” 

--- 

Briar does not enjoy travelling. 

The path near Riversreach is manageable. It’s supplemented with wooden planks laid over the worst of the mud, keeping the muck from swallowing the ground. But by midmorning they’re trudging through the sludge– all of Briar’s concentration going towards sidestepping puddles and navigating mired pits that menace her boots with their depth. 

She’d been aware that there are no major roads through the Lowlands, but seeing really is believing. If she were here alone, she’d become quickly lost amidst the wetlands. Now and then she spots markings on the trees – bits of rope and ribbon tied to the branches to make the way more visible. But most of her focus is on her feet as she scrabbles to keep hold of her luggage.  

Pack animals wouldn’t be able to traverse the lowlands with any effectiveness, so everyone carries their own things. Even Isen drapes a bag over one shoulder, his partison over the other. He looks particularly miserable. 

There are places where he can dodge the worst of the mud, but most of the journey he has no choice but to slosh through it. Briar understands now, why he’d elected to forgo a sarong today. Anything on his lower half would be spattered and ruined by the mud. Still, he wears a coat. It surprises Briar, who’d never seen him cover his chest. He really must handle the cold poorly.  

Shivering in the drizzle, she can’t help but sympathise with him. 

By the time they arrive at their first stop, Briar is regretting her choice to join Isen on this trip. She knows she should take in the sights; examine the first settlement of the Lowlands with keen interest. But her skin is splotchy from insect bites, her feet are wet and blistered, and her hair is frizzing something fierce in front of her eyes.  

Arol takes one look at her and snorts. “You look as miserable as our lord.” 

She acknowledges him with a grimace. 

The sun is setting when they make their way into the raised and stilted village. It’d be a relief to climb out of the mud if it hadn’t followed her, clinging to her legs with what feels like malicious intent.  

A stocky lizard greets them, chest bare despite the rapidly cooling air. He’s an older male, his colours faded somewhat, and scars dotting his hands and arms. “Welcome to the Lower Sister, lord Isen. I hope the road didn’t give you too much trouble?”  

Isen doesn’t bother with pleasantries. Or even smiling. 

The lizard chuckles. “The spare room has been prepared for you, sir. The boathouse has also been cleared for your use.” 

Isen inclines his head to the lizard. “Thanks, Varan. Arol will handle things for a bit.” 

Briar isn’t quite sure what to do when Isen wanders off, trailing around the scaffolded path; the stilts barely wobbling under his bulk and weight. Arol seems to have the luggage under control, and is chatting familiarly with the greeter. 

Suddenly worried she’d be left behind in the skeletal village of planks and ladders, Briar follows after Isen, towards a lowset building.  

She stops at the door he’d disappeared through, and gives it a tentative knock. 

No response. 

She tries again. 

After a moment there’s a muffled groan. “Yes?” 

Briar cracks the door open, suddenly apprehensive about bothering the lord. She wishes she knew the protocol for such situations. 

The first thing she sees is Isen’s pack, discarded nearby. Then his jacket, in a heap on the floor.  

Before she understands the implications of the shed layers, her eyes come to rest on his back. 

It takes her a moment to work out what she’s seeing. That the building is open on one end, to accommodate the river. That Isen is in the water, leaning against a pier of some sort. 

Then her eyes widen, and she becomes painfully aware of her intrusion. She might be used to seeing Isen’s top bare, but knowing that he’s in the process of bathing has the sight hitting differently. 

She lets out a humiliating squeak of a noise, before turning hastily away. It is, however, too late to retreat. 

Isen sounds tired, but not mad. “Did you need something?”  

Briar closes her eyes. She can feel her whole face flush with embarrassment. ‘No. Sorry. I was just following you.’ 

“Right.” He’s still tired. But she can hear the amusement in his tone. “My apologies, I should have let you know where I was going." 

‘It’s okay. I’ll wait outside.’ 

“You can stay, if you wanted. I’m sure you’d like to wash the mud off too.” 

The suggestion winds her. She fumbles with a response, blinking at her feet several times before shaking her head. ‘I’ll wait until you’re done.’ 

She shuts the door firmly behind her, even as Isen’s wry laughter follows her outside.  

--- 

None of the villages in the Ophidian Lowlands are large enough to need an inn. There's simply not enough travel to the region to warrant accommodation. The closest thing the Lower Twin has is a spare room in the Elder’s house.  

It’s a stark place, furnished with a single bed and wardrobe, and dimly lit by the light of the doorway. Varan, The Lower Sister’s leader, had freshened the room up with clean bedsheets and some dried flowers in a vase. 

Briar eyes the single bed, warily. 

‘Where is Arol staying?’ 

“With a friend. They don’t have enough room for,” Isen gestures to his tail, “me, though. So, I stay with Varan.” 

‘And where am I staying?’ 

“Here. The bed is large enough for two, if you wanted to share.” Isen frowns. “Next time we’ll bring you a hammock. Most Lowlanders use them. Sleeping off the ground keeps the water out.” 

Briar’s not sure what her face is doing, but Isen takes one look at her, and backtracks. “We could also track down Arol. See if his friend has room for another. If not, I imagine somebody has a spare hammock somewhere...” 

Briar’s stomach knots with anxiety. Torn between imposing on a stranger and a lizard she barely knows, or potentially sharing a bed with Isen. The Serpent; reviled by the Pilgrims. And more pertinently, an unwed male. She really wishes she’d stayed at Riversreach.  

She bites her lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, and pulls herself together. ‘No. I don’t want to stay with a stranger.’ She steps into the bedroom. Gives the bed a wide berth as she lowers herself to the ground. ‘I’ll sleep on the floor.’ 

Isen frowns. “It’ll be uncomfortable.” 

She shrugs. ‘I’ve slept on the floor my whole life. I will be fine.’ She’s not entirely honest. Technically she’s slept in a ditch lined with hay and fur. It’s moderately better than sleeping on a hard surface.  

“Seriously, Legs. We’re close to the water. It will be much colder in the small hours. There’s no shame in sharing. If you’re worried about modesty, I can keep my hands to myself.”  

He’s not wrong about the cold. Just sitting on the floor gives her an idea of how uncomfortable the night will be. Perhaps she shouldn’t brush him off so quickly. Not that she’s in a hurry to share with him. But it might be worth considering the option more carefully. Looking past the scandal of the notion. 

She’s never slept with a man before. Never even slept close to one. In New Haven it had been forbidden for her to be even near a man who wasn’t family. Women had been watched closely, to ensure they weren’t cavorting with strangers, or breaking the rules of modesty. 

The people in Riversreach are freer with their touch. Briar didn’t know what to make of it at first. Had thought of the other servants as rude or indecent before realising that the Ophidians lived by entirely different rules. Seeing everyone else share light touches – bumped shoulders, brushed arms – is one of the main reasons she’s hadn’t been quite so put off when Isen had displayed these tendencies. 

But sharing a bed?  

She’s mortified that Isen would even suggest such a thing. Bed sharing is for family. For spouses. Not whatever she and Isen were. Servant and lord. Employer and employee. 

She shakes her head, firm, and begins to make herself comfortable. Her coat and boots are set out to dry and she uses her pack as a pillow. It’s only got clothes in it, so it works well enough.  

Isen lets out an exaggerated sigh. He sets his own clothes out to dry before closing the door and engulfing the room in darkness. “The offer remains if you change your mind.” 

She scoffs at the suggestion, but without the light there’s no obligation to sign a reply.  

Still, listening to Isen climb into bed fills her with envy. She’d manage well enough, but that doesn’t stop her from wishing for a blanket. Wishing she had the nerve to even ask for one. And though she staunchly tries to ignore the thought, it keeps resurfacing throughout the night. She keeps wondering how warm it would be, sharing the bed with Isen. And how long she could wait until he withdrew his offer to share. 

--- 

Wisps of conversation drift past Briar, barely registering, as she glares down at her drink. Her tongue wants to recoil out of her mouth, but she still sips at it, knowing that the coffee has something of an energising effect on people.  

Isen had been right, of course. Not that she’d admit it. She’d slept fitfully last night, waking every hour or so. Her back had ached upon rising. Some movement helps her body loosen, but does nothing to banish the bags under her eyes, or the cloudiness to her thoughts. 

The coffee doesn’t help. It just makes her jumpier. More likely to flinch when somebody bumps into her, and sets her heart pounding at the slightest of exertions. She concentrates so hard on staying present and focused that she barely has any awareness to spare towards Isen and their companions.  

Still, she takes in her surroundings with muted interest. Between the light of the sun and the guided tour Varan gives them, she’s able to paint a clearer picture of life in the Sisters.  

Built above the silt and reeds, the Lower Sister is a fishing village. They have the most established dock in the Lowlands, and receive what little trade makes it to the region. Most interestingly to Briar, the wooden buildings aren’t permanent; able to be taken apart and carried to higher ground in the case of severe flooding. In this part of the marsh, wood is scarce, and is treated as such. 

They cross the river at midday. The currents have settled enough for Varan to pole them over on a flat raft. Then they hike. 

The Upper Sister is located atop the steep cliff that cradles the far side of the Ophidia. A trail has been hewn into the cliff face, but the climb is still arduous. Briar is panting by the time they reach the top. Then her breath is stolen entirely by the view. 

She’d been too focused on the climb to note the height they’d gained, but with the trail finally below her, she’s able to take in her surroundings. 

The entirety of the sister village stretches beneath them. She’s struck by just how small the settlement really is. The marsh extends behind it, gradually transitioning into a thicker swamp, and eventually climbing up into the highlands, emerging as the forest. 

Varan catches her staring, and gives her a smile. “It’s really something, isn’t it?” 

She nods. 

Briar tries not to let her mind wander as much during their tour of the Upper Sister. Many of the buildings are sturdy and permanent, made from brick, with some even incorporating the surrounding outcrops of stone. The Upper is reserved for buildings that can’t be dismantled or easily relocated. There are workshops of several kinds – a forge, a kiln – and even a handful of shop fronts. 

Isen listens politely as Varan regales him with the finer details, pausing occasionally to ask a question. The focus of the tour is mostly on the plans in place during the thaw, and discussion of storage, rations, and evacuation procedures. 

Briar is happy for him to take the lead in conversation. Thankfully he doesn’t seem intent on forcing her interactions. Appears to read her detached mood. At least until lunch time. 

They’re treated to some kind of crayfish. The dish could rival the meals served at Riversreach – seasoned masterfully, and cooked to perfection. She and Isen have been served greenery with their food, while Arol and Varan eat only meat. Briar takes her time, picking carefully at the crustacean.  

Isen makes several comments in her direction, and she doesn’t process that he’s even speaking to her until he leans into view and signs her name.  

She blinks. ‘Yes?’ 

‘Are you okay?’ 

She’d been staring into space after finishing her food. It hadn’t taken long – she'd been ravenous after the day’s exercise. 

She forces a smile. ‘Fine. Why?’ 

Isen frowns. ‘You haven’t been talking. Listening.’ 

She flushes, caught out. ‘I didn’t want to interrupt.’ 

Isen stares her down, brows raised in exasperation. 

She looks away, chastened. ‘I’m a little tired. Yesterday was a long hike.’ (Walk. Travel) 

“Uhuh,” he says, deadpan, and bringing to Briar’s attention that the prior conversation had been entirely silent.   

Arol and Varan tactfully ignore the interaction. 

It’s close to sunset when they finish in the Upper Sister. Briar is feeling spent and overwhelmed by the time they make it down the cliff. Her muscles are jellied from exertion, and her mind is foggy from fatigue. So tired, she is, that when stepping down from the pier to the barge, she doesn’t brace for the wobble of the raft. 

Briar yelps as she loses her footing, certain she’s about to fall face first onto the wood, or worse – into the water. 

Someone grips her upper arm. Pulls her back firmly enough to steady her. 

“I’ve got you.” 

Briar takes a second to recompose herself. Still, she’s quite shaken when she looks up at Isen. 

He’s standing far too close – practically flush with Briar’s back – but for once she doesn’t care. 

‘Thank you,’ her fingers tremble as she signs. 

The corners of his mouth twitch upwards. “You’re welcome.” 

She doesn’t speak much on the way back. Not that she’d spoken, or rather, communicated, much before. But now the weight of embarrassment stiffens her body. She can’t lie about her state anymore, not when there’d been so blatant a display of her ineptitude. 

Her brooding must be noticeable, because Isen sighs over dinner. Reaches out to ruffle her hair.  

The action snaps her out of her miserable stupor. 

“Don’t fret so much. Missing your landing is hardly the worst thing to happen on that barge.” 

Arol snorts from his side of the table. “Pryden has fallen off at least twice.” 

Briar gapes at Arol. Struck with the image of graceful, arrogant Pryden, with his dagger sharp quips and lingering eyes. Falling off a barge. 

“You boys never could handle your drink,” Varan murmurs with a smile. 

Isen’s face crinkles. “We can handle them fine. Just not that swill you brew down here.” 

Arol stays late, reminiscing with Varan about some of their drunken escapades from older days. But when the sun sets and the fire burns low, Isen stretches and gives Briar a meaningful look. 

“I think it’s time we turn in.” 

Somehow Briar had been too tired to remember the bed situation. It comes back to her now.  

They both say their goodnights before shuffling into the room and closing the door behind them. Then there’s silence. 

Briar stares at the ground, trying to hide her nerves. She flinches when Isen’s arm shoots out, barring her path. 

“You’re sleeping in the bed tonight.” 

She recoils. ‘What? But I’m-’ 

“You are not fine. You look dreadful. You’re taking the bed, and that’s an order.” 

Panic begins to fill Briar at his commanding tone. To her humiliation, her eyes start to blur with tears. She hasn’t cried in months- and she has no intention of crying now. She turns her face away. Dashes the moisture. Holds herself stiff until the emotion passes.  

Isen softens. “Legs. I’ll take the floor tonight. Okay? I’m not going to touch you without your permission. I won’t even look at you if you like. But I cannot have my aid stumbling around like the undead. You will sleep in the bed tonight.” 

She doesn’t know what to say. How to refute him. The dim lighting gives an intimate air to their stare down, and it’s not long before Briar loses her nerve and drops her gaze. 

‘Is this... allowed?’ 

He tilts his head. “Is what allowed?” 

She gestures to the bed. 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” 

Briar has to think on that question. The situation feels so wrong to her. How does Isen not notice it? How does he remain so unaffected? 

‘You’re more important than I.’ 

Isen blinks. He hadn’t expected an answer quite like that. 

“I... suppose. In title, yes. But we’re both people. Why should lineage entitle one person to the bed and the other to the floor?” 

Briar doesn’t know. She’d never thought to question these things before.  

Isen seems to be processing her discomfort, considering it closely.  

“The Pilgrims practice Conservatism, right?” 

Briar blinks at the sudden turn in conversation. It’s a relief to focus on something other than the space between them, and the bed looming before her. But she hadn’t expected to be discussing religion. 

‘Not quite. We migrated away from the mainland because the elders disagreed with several of its practices.’ (Migrated; travel, move. Practice; think, act, do.)  

“Which ones?” 

‘They believed Conservatism wasn’t modest enough. That the Patriarchs were too liberal. That changes within the church would lead to the loosening of values.’ She doesn’t care for the details, but can recite them, nonetheless.  

Isen winces. He’s heard the rhetoric before. “Did you and Stella practice it?” 

Briar nods. ‘It was called New Conservatism. And yes. Everyone did. Anyone who spoke out was...’ her hands slow and still. It takes her a moment to refocus. ‘Everyone did.’ 

There’s another silence. This one more thoughtful. Considering. Before Isen slithers a few inches closer. “I think that you are experiencing a bit of culture shock. It’s not unusual to those who move from home to live in foreign parts.” 

Briar shakes her head, disbelieving. ‘These aren’t foreign parts.’ 

“No? Are you not experiencing a sudden language barrier? Surrounded by completely different styles of living?” 

She shakes her head again, still in denial. She doesn’t like the way the conversation is turning. Doesn’t like how Isen is bringing it back to her. Personalising things again. 

“New clothes, new job, different companions, different rules... I’m quite certain, Legs. But it’s okay.” 

Briar sits heavily on the bed, taken off guard. ‘It’s not. It’s- I’m fine. There’s no problem. I can do this.’ 

He lowers himself before her. The naga equivalent of a crouch. “I know you can. I just want you to know that it’s okay to have doubts. To have questions. I went through something quite similar when I moved here.” 

Her hands are pressed to her face. She peeks through her fingers. 

Isen reads the question in her eyes and smiles. “It’s true. I was a mess. Completely embarrassed myself with my lack of knowledge. Can you imagine a lord who doesn’t know the number of settlements in his own lands? I had to hire Arol just to teach me about the area.” He leans back, offering another soft smile. “But that’s a story for another time.” 

She senses his focus honing back on her. Braces herself for more scrutiny. More uncomfortable conversation. But he only sits at the foot of the bed. 

“Rest. We have another big day tomorrow.” 

They have another stare down, but her heart is no longer in it. Seated so close to him, she can’t stand to meet his gaze too long. Finally, she narrows her eyes at him, before staring pointedly at the ground. 

He grins, raising his hands in surrender and slipping from the bed. “Of course.” 

Only when he’s curled up at the foot of the bed, jacket draped insufficiently across his coils, does Briar relax. She slips her boots off, and lowers herself to the mattress. Gets comfortable beneath the blanket.  

Her nose crinkles. The pillow smells like Isen. 

“Goodnight,” Isen murmurs. 

Briar hums a wordless reply, and falls swiftly into sleep. 

[hilarioushilarity]

ROADTRIP AU

"Okay," says Simon, ever the practical one. "But where are we going?"

They're somewhere outside Linköping, parked at petrol station that's deserted save for the disinterested kid behind the counter who barely gives them a second glance when they pile through the door, giggling. Perhaps they look like any other group of teens, letting loose after another year of school. Perhaps, Wille thinks to himself, they look normal. The thought is euphoric.

There's a nudge to his side. "What're you smiling about?" asks Felice. He can hear Simon and Sara bickering about whether they should stay the night in Linköping or try to make it to Norrköping.

"C'mon -" that's Simon. "It's going to take another hour to get there and I'm starving."

There's a disparaging noise. "It's literally forty minutes, you'll live."

"Forty minutes!"

From his side, there's a soft laugh. "I see," says Felice. Wille tears his gaze away from Simon's smile to see Felice's knowing look.

"Sorry," he says, wincing. "I just, um."

"Say no more." Felice's smile is mischievous. "Any thoughts on how long the honeymoon period'll last?" Wille feels his cheeks go warm. "Right. It'll last forever, obviously."

"It's not going to last forever -" Wille protests, although she's probably not wrong, not if Wille gets his way on this.

"Just a very, very long time," Felice finishes for him, at the same time Simon laughs, loud and joyous, in a way Wille realises he hasn't heard Simon laugh in a long time.

Distracted, he says, "Yeah, that," before he can stop himself. "Stop laughing," he grouses, when Felice immediately starts snickering. "Okay, okay, you're probably right."

Simon tucks himself into the space beside him. "What's Felice right about?"

"Everything," Wille sighs, as Felice snickers harder. "I think I just need to start accepting that."

"Damn straight you do," Felice informs him before wandering off to see what Sara is up to, leaving Wille behind with Simon under his arm, warm, comforting.

"So," he says. A part of him still can't believe that he's here, standing in a random petrol station in the middle of nowhere, the love of his life beside him. Hardly anywhere he's been to has been anything less than utterly premeditated within an inch of its life and completely devoid of any warmth. "What'd you and Sara decide on?"

"Oh. Well, we settled on a compromise."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, we're having lunch here and then we're going to Norrköping for the night." Simon pauses, before pulling back to look at Wille. "Wait. What do you want to do, though? You and Felice. Sorry, we should've asked you guys first."

Wille shakes his head. "Anything's fine."

"Anything?"

"I mean, ideally we'd eat something edible at some point and sleep somewhere that's not in the car, but yeah." He watches Simon blink, visibly baffled, and feels compelled to add, "I'm not the Crown Prince anymore. I can do whatever I want now."

"Yeah, but -" Simon trails off.

"But what?"

There's a pause, then Simon squares his shoulders, the way he always does when he's summoning the courage to say something he doesn't want to say. "I just don't want you to feel like you're slumming it."

"I won't. I promise. Even if we sleep in a tent," he adds. "Actually, maybe especially if we sleep in a tent. Because the last time we did was -" Wille winces at the flood of shame. "Sorry. I never actually apologised for that. I never actually - oh god, I never apologised for so many things these past few months, have I? I'm sorry, Simon. For everything."

He looks up, still wincing, to see Simon biting his lip. "Sorry," he says again, for good measure. He wonders if he sounds like a broken record, although in fairness, he does have a lot to be apologetic about.

One of Simon's hands slips into Wille's. "Hey," says Simon. "It's okay. I forgive you." There's a squeeze to Wille's fingers when he opens his mouth. "I promise, Wille. It's okay. I mean, we should talk about it more at some point, but just know that I forgave you a long time ago."

The thing about Simon, Wille's discovered, is that he has a seemingly bottomless well of forgiveness and patience in his heart, one that Wille himself has been a beneficiary of since the day they've met. Now, he feels a surge of protectiveness, an urge to never let that heart be hurt again.

"Okay," he says, rather than giving voice to any of those thoughts which would earn him a fond sigh. He resolves to lock it into his own heart instead, hopes that it'll guide him for the rest of his life - which, even more hopefully, will be the rest of their lives.

Simon gently squeezes his hand again. "Okay?"

Wille nods, wrapping his free hand around Simon's, cradling those precious fingers between his palms. "Yeah. Let's talk about it more, but thank you. For forgiving me."

Simon's smile is the sun breaking through the clouds. "Let's go have lunch, now. I'm hungry."

"I know," Wille tells him, letting himself be tugged to the counter, where Felice and Sara are busy checking out what looks like a small mountain of snacks. "I heard. D'you think they heard your stomach grumbling all the way back at Hillerska?"

Simon's mouth drops open in outrage. "You take that back, my stomach does not grumble that loudly."

"Oh yeah it does."

"It does not -"

"Maybe I should call up Nils and see if he heard it -"

Wille gets tackled around the midriff. "You really should eat more," he says, mock-thoughtful, as they stagger about the store in a tangle of limbs. "It's like being attacked by a kitten."

"I am going to fucking -"

"Boys," says Felice from where she's tapping her card against the machine. "Can you keep it in your pants for two seconds?"

"Felice!" Wille yelps, feeling his cheeks go flaming red. Simon doesn't look like he's faring much better. Sara bites his lip, visibly holding back laughter.

"Hey," says the kid at the counter, looking engaged for the first time since they walked into the store. "You guys look familiar."

"Um," says Wille. They all exchange glances. "Do we?"

"Yeah. Aren't you like that guy from TV, the Crown Prince?"

"Oh, well, in that case, definitely no," Felice says. "No Crown Princes in this store."

"Nope," Simon agrees.

"Nada," says Sara.

"Oh, okay," says the kid. He shrugs, not looking too torn up. "Well, have a good day I guess."

"You too," they chorus. They manage to file out the store and back into the car, before Simon cracks, snorting, and promptly setting the rest of them off.

"Oh my god," says Sara. "Oh my god."

"D'you think he's going to post about it?"

"Who cares," says Wille, feeling incandescent. "Let him."

"Fucking amen," says Felice. "Alright. Where are we going for lunch?"

Simon and Sara share a look. "Okay, so I know you're not the Crown Prince and you don't represent Sweden anymore," begins Simon.

Oh no. "Where are we going?"

"IKEA," says Simon, and goes down laughing when Wille tackles him.

[saintsenara]

*rolls up in sexy nurse costume* i have those crack ships you ordered, doctor! extra strength unhinged.

firenze/narcissa malfoy

augusta longbottom/piers polkiss

colin creevey/the bloody baron

oh, you thought you ate with these, anon, but they're hardly unhinged at all.

firenze/narcissa malfoy

i wonder what returning to the forest would be like for narcissa in the years after the end of the war? it's the site of probably the most pivotal decision she will ever have made in her life - one which saves her son, but kills her sister; one which sees her family lose its status, humiliated by the ministry clearing house after the battle and dependent on the goodwill of harry potter to stay out of prison, but which still enables them to survive as a trio.

i seem to write, whenever i'm asked about narcissa, that she's clearly someone whose life is dictated by conformity to conventions - especially ones relating both to her gender and to her social class. with the end of the war, the mask behind which she has lived for decades is no longer available to her, and a woman who is clearly quite fragmentary is going to find herself trying to piece back together a person who hasn't been seen in public since narcissa realised she'd have to make up for bellatrix and andromeda's defiance by being a porcelain-perfect wife and mother.

and returning to the forest is going to stir up the same feelings in firenze. he was driven out for also making a knife-edge decision of huge consequence - agreeing to abandon the usual centaur policy of indifference to human affairs and working for dumbledore as the war ramps up - and which also results in a victory which is tenuous: he's absolutely right to recognise that there's a time for being hands-off and the government in being in the control of a genocidal terrorist kingpin isn't one of them; but, in being right, he ends up an outcast from his community, living as a second-class citizen in a society in which even the good guys think of non-humans as less worthy than themselves.

so you've got your forest-based meet-cute. you've got your central couple striving to come to terms with who they really are. you've got two people whose lives have been dictated by conformity to a set of social standards who no longer have the safety of those standards available to them. you've got a woman whose whole family are named after stars and a man [who is also a horse] who knows how to read the skies.

tell me you don't ship it.

augusta longbottom/piers polkiss

i've seen harold and maude.

colin creevey/the bloody baron

if you were adjusting to life as a ghost, having been brutally killed in a battle you shouldn't even have been fighting in, who would you want to show you around as you learn the ropes?

a forever-fourteen-year-old girl who literally doesn't stop whining

the world's most pompous partially-beheaded man [also fond of whining]

a mysterious and rude young woman who won't stop going on about how hot the man whose forces killed you was when he was sixteen

a drunken monk who represents the least interesting house and who's probably really into "looking on the bright side" and "manifesting", even though he's dead

or

5. an intriguingly blood-stained [always sexy!] anglo-norman nobleman who would help you tackle the big questions about regret and remorse and who could keep peeves away from you.

we all know what decision we'd make.

[starpirateee]

That little nerd in my head

Oh yeah. Max/Pete. I'm really going ahead and doing this, and I'm really gonna take it seriously. We're calling it: The sexuality crisis of Max Jägerman!

Read on AO3

--

"You nerds throw one hell of-"

"Max! Don't!"

Max was busy throwing praise around. That's all it was. He genuinely loved what the spooky nerds had done for him, it had given him an incredible rush, and frankly, he really wasn't expecting it. They'd said it was supposed to be a prank or something, but he'd actually had fun, and an actual fright to go with it!

Well, his praises would've been sung to a higher extent if Pete hadn't stopped him mid sentence, looking like he was about to dash up the stairs after him. 

"What?"

"Don't step back!" Pete's gaze was fixed, wide eyed. He was worried about something, and Max forced himself to pause for a moment to wonder just what the hell was going on. If this was another trick, he'd-

Pete motioned for him to move over a bit. Then he picked a loose corner of brick from off the wall, and tossed it towards the stairs. It hit the one Max was about to step on, and went crashing through, taking the floorboard with it. Max stared. That could've been him. He would've...

He glanced down the hole. It was so dark that he couldn't even see the bottom. They all heard the brick hit the floor way later than it should've, and Max openly winced. "Jesus Christ, this place is falling apart!" He breathed, slowly backing off the stairs.

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Pete insisted, confident that he'd at least proved his point. God forbid if Max had actually taken that step... He really didn't want to think about what could've happened if that was the case. No matter what scenarios he could come up with, almost all of them ended in Max's death, one way or another. It sounded dramatic, but logically, that was going to be the course the night would've taken.

His thoughts were interrupted by someone throwing an arm over his shoulder. When he looked, he found Max hanging off him, looking a strange mix of relieved and flustered. That old coat definitely felt far heavier now... 

"You saved my life, man..."

"I mean, we all knew this place was unstable, anyone could've-"

"You really saved my life." It didn't take long to figure that Max hadn't actually torn his gaze from the stairs that could've killed him only moments ago. His grip around Pete's shoulders tightened- was this a hug? Jesus Christ, was he being hugged by Max Jägerman?

He glanced over. That was exactly what was happening. And he wasn't at much of an angle to do anything about it. Deciding that maybe it would be better to do something than just stand there, he lifted a hand towards Max's forearm awkwardly, aware that everyone else was staring. They felt the same way about this as he did, then? This was strange to them too?

Within a moment, Max seemed to realise what he was doing. Pete watched his eyes widen, and he stepped back, trying to act like that hadn't just happened. 

But he couldn't exactly hide it. The other four were literally staring right at him, and he couldn't deny that he'd wanted to do that... 

Had he wanted to do that?

Well, Pete had just saved his life! And he was part of the coolest night ever... 

But, after everything? After all the times he'd taunted and beat the hell out of him for whatever he could? After the endless number of times he'd seen Pete openly turn around and run the other way down the corridor when he so much as approached? After bruises and scrapes that just kept getting worse with age?

What the hell was he thinking?

He grabbed a beer from the pack. Pretty much nobody around would actually dare and say anything against him, so there went the chance of the rumour spreading. Steph would be likely to, if she fancied it. Her friends were huge gossips, and if she told them, then they would tell the team, and it wouldn't be long at all before his entire reputation was crumbled over one boy.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, where was I? Oh yeah..." He cracked the beer open and took a long swig, mainly to calm the absolute rampage that was the onslaught of thoughts ruling his mind. "Maybe I was wrong about you guys..." Instead of letting himself get excited as he had the last time, he took a seat on the bottom step. It creaked under his weight, and that made him more nervous than he'd care to admit, but nothing actually happened. "You're not so bad, and you sure know how to make a guy's heart race..."

"You know this was supposed to be a huge prank, right?" Richie asked, trying to get over what he'd seen. He wasn't there when Steph admitted it, and judging by the radio hanging off his jacket, he clearly wasn't listening either. 

"Yeah, but you guys put together this whole thing, I'm guessing with the creepy music and everything?"

"That was Ruth," Steph gestured as she leaned back against the wall. Ruth, halfway through pulling off her skeleton costume, smiled slightly and looked up.

"How'd you do that?"

"We put a speaker on the wall... There," Ruth pointed up. Max looked beyond the drape that he thought had been there the whole time, but now realised looked way too fresh for that. Did they buy sheets just to set this place up? Behind the sheet was a little speaker, probably one of those ones people put on the walls of showers. 

An impressed look crossed his face. "Huh. There anything you didn't think of?"

"What would've happened if you took that step back-" Pete said, a little bit too quickly. 

Max shook his head. Right now, he didn't want to think about that. His heart was still racing, and he could barely comprehend that he could've been dead. That actually could've happened tonight. Instead of thinking about it, he grabbed another beer and tossed it to Pete, who caught it without thinking. "Lighten up, Spankoffski. Nobody died."

For a moment, Pete stared at the beer. Then deciding he had nothing to lose, he shrugged and pulled at the tab to get it open. "Right. Yeah. Sorry..."

Eventually, the shock of what could've happened was lost on all of them. Max hadn't brought enough booze, given that he thought this was a party, and one person never brought enough for everyone. But, Grace wasn't interested in the slightest, and Richie refused on the grounds that beer didn't taste great. The six of them sat there in a loose gathering for ages, and Max even convinced Ruth to play music from her speaker again. It kind of did feel like a small party after that.

The alcohol, the conversation and the music were enough of a distraction to drown out the loudest of Max's thoughts, but he still couldn't stop thinking about what he'd done, and why he didn't even deserve to get that close to Pete.

Besides, he wasn't gay. That wasn't even something he'd thought about when Kyle dragged him and Jason out to an action movie, and the main guy got his shirt wet to the point where they could see his abs through the fabric. Come to think of it, that was kinda hot. He did see why the girls liked it so much... But there was a difference between that and actually thinking that guy was attractive, right? 

Even after the six of them parted, Max was doubting that. Maybe it was actually hot. Had he ever stopped to think about that? Did he want to think about that? In that context?

He didn't sleep well that night. He kept bringing himself back to the last few years, and the way Pete had reacted to his impulse decision. He hadn't tried to shrug him off... Actually, he'd made something of an attempt to return it, right? Or at least acknowledge it...

C'mon, Jägerman, you can think of something that's not that nerd. The big game, that's in two weeks. It's a chance to beat those goddamn Chemists for the fifth year in a row. You've been training hard this season! And your boys have played well, there was no doubt that they'd absolutely trounce those bastards from Clivesdale... Goddamn Clivesdale, they always thought they were so high and mighty.

Richie was going to be there too. He'd put in for that mascot position. He filled it quite well, didn't he? Did he invite his lot to the game? Maybe he could make an exception this once... Richie did seem to want them there. Would any of them say yes, if they were invited? Would-

Max groaned, throwing the pillow over his face. Even thinking about the game made him think about Pete...Was nothing sacred?

His alarm woke him up the next morning. He hadn't even realised he'd fallen asleep, but the pillow was now on the floor, and he was laying flat against his bare mattress. Funnily enough, he could remember worse nights. But, his head kinda hurt, a dull ache that he presumed was a hangover until he realised he only had one beer the night before. And one thing he wasn't was a lightweight. He was better than one beer, for god's sake.

He got up, and immediately headed towards the bathroom to snap himself out of it with a good splash of cold water. He ran the tap, and threw the icy water over his face. Taking a bracing breath, he took a look at himself in the mirror and sighed, shaking his head. He was a lot of things. Gay was not one of them. Gay for Peter goddamn Spankoffski was definitely not one of them. 

No matter how much he faltered when he saw him smile. No matter what he thought when he caught the tail end of one of his rambles to his friends.

No matter, as he discovered that day, what he saw in the gym class changing room.

He'd managed to avoid Pete all day. It was basically luck that none of their classes coincided until third period gym, so avoiding him had been remarkably easy. If he was honest, if he wasn't thinking about it so much, it would've been much easier. But, he was taking off his trainers after a nightmare with one of the double knots, and idly caught Pete and Richie talking away in the corner of the room. The conversation was lost on him, but at some point, Pete pulled off his shirt, and Max genuinely froze for a fraction of a second.

Holy shit.

Holy shit.

Max, snap the hell out of it! He's gonna notice you staring!

The lace came loose in his hand, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Something else to focus on. Thank god.

Pete wasn't exactly ripped, but what he had was impressive. Max thought about him in the place of the action hero. He hoped that nobody had noticed the way his eyes widened. And, once he was dressed, he swore he'd never left the changing room faster in his life. One of his shoes was still untied, and at some point, he swore he'd put his jacket on inside out in the haste. 

What was he doing? What was he thinking? 

The strangest part was that he didn't find himself hating it. Oh god, no. No, he didn't hate it at all, and hadn't hated it all night either. If Pete had known the reason he'd stayed awake all night... If he knew that he was the source of this crisis that Max seemed to be having... What would he say? 

He was into Steph. God, he was so stupid. Pete was into Steph. And it was just supposed to be like that! Pete was straight, he was straight. There was nothing to worry about, then! Both of them were straight. It always had been like that, and it always will be! Those thoughts would blow right over! It probably happened to everyone!

--

It did not happen to everyone. 

Max was preparing for the big game. There were three days until it happened. Two weeks since the gathering at Waylon Hall. And Max had looked up the term "bisexual" four times on four different occasions since then.

There were people like him, which really surprised him. Really sporty blokes who thought they couldn't be gay because they were too into football, and everyone said gay men didn't do sports... He saw one man who stuck in his mind for a while, a Welsh rugby player who'd come out as gay and still let himself enjoy what he loved. Could he really have it both ways? Gareth Thomas seemed to have managed, and he was famous too! 

After thinking about it more carefully than he'd thought about anything, he decided he was going to act on his thoughts, and he was going to do it in the most secretive way possible.

He managed to collar Pete when he was alone during one of the passing periods. He caught up to him, calling his name down the corridor, and when Pete realised it was him, he stopped, clearly unable to decide whether or not to pick up the pace. 

But, Max approached, and Pete realised that he almost looked apprehensive. His eyebrows creased, and he tried to scrutinise until he realised he just looked like he was judging him. "Max?"

Max leaned against the lockers by his side, as casually as a guy with a hundred mile an hour thought stream could manage. "Where you off to?"

"Uh... History?"

"What're you doing on... Say, Saturday?" This was far too casual for the kind of guy that he was. He watched Pete freeze up, and cursed his impulse for not making this a little smoother. But, it wasn't like he was going to ask anyone else to do this for him. First of all, he was either gonna make it work or screw it up for himself, and second of all, he didn't need anyone else to know that he wanted Pete to go to the game.

"Isn't that the night of the game?" 

"Sure."

"Then... Aren't you doing something?" Pete couldn't remember being this confused about anything. He'd noticed Max had been acting strange since the Waylon Place, but for the life of him, he couldn't place why. It was like he was trying to avoid him, instead of it being the other way around. God only knew what the hell was going on there. He definitely wasn't going to ask, that much was for sure. He braced himself, though he didn't quite know for what. "And, why'd you wanna know anyway?"

Max pushed his hair back. Maybe getting around this was gonna take a little longer than he thought, but that was his fault for coming on so strong. As ever. He took a breath. Better to just get it out quickly. "I want you to be there. How about it?"

"At the game?"

"At the game!"

"But, Max-"

"I know what I said. But I don't care, okay? I'm saying this now, take it or leave it."

Pete scrubbed his hands over his face, letting the sleeves of his jumper ride up. Max saw the way he had grown flustered immediately, and cursed himself out for thinking it was even slightly cute. 

He'd just been asked to the game. 

Not just that, but he'd just been asked to the game by the star quarterback. The guy who'd banned people like him from even setting foot near the pitch on game night. Max Jägerman wanted him to be there. For what reason, he didn't know... He'd never even been to a football game before! He didn't have the first idea what would be happening, or what he'd even be looking at.

Max held a silent hope that Pete would say yes. For some reason, he thought that would alleviate a few of his thoughts, actually seeing him standing on the bleachers in person. Even if he didn't pay attention to the entire thing, wouldn't it be worth it to just see him there?

Or would that just make everything worse?

Before he had the chance to take it back, Pete really started to think it over. He clutched the strap of his backpack, glanced behind him, and then shrugged. If this was his one opportunity to break the norms and do something nobody was expecting, then he may as well go for it, right? "Yeah, sure. I'll take it."

Max's eyes widened, both delighted and shocked. Before he could tarnish his own image too badly, he started to walk away slowly. "Anyone asks, anyone at all, and Richie invited you, kay?"

Pete nodded quickly and turned to make his way back down the corridor. Neither realised that the other had walked away blushing.

[goatcheesecak3]

Gavin's Diary

Gavin Ellis x F!Reader

Fic type: angst

Warnings: police violence, gun violence, coma, organised crime

Summary: Gavin reflects on the mistakes he's made in his diary, as he wonders what the future might hold for him and y/n

Y/N got fucked up. And it’s my fault. I roped Ray into some bullshit, even though she warned me not to. Ray is okay now, thank god, somehow he managed to go ten full days without spilling his guts – metaphorically and literally. He says he forgives me, but I still feel awful. That’s why I told that cop, I told him everything, and I begged him to give Ray immunity. I didn’t care if I went down for it, I just wanted to get him out of the mess I made. Well, turns out that was just another thing I fucked up, because it got the love of my life hurt.

I stood on the rooftop with Detective Paris, and told him the whole plan. I told him the part I played and I even gave him Pat’s name, and he told me I would be okay. I believed him. Why the fuck did I believe a cop? Staring down into the motel car park, I pointed out the car of the man who’d been sent there to kill me.

“you won’t have to worry about him anymore” were the last words I heard before my balance was thrown off, a firm slap to my back sent me lunging forwards. My life flashed before my eyes, before I realised I had stopped falling. Desperate, clamouring hands had gripped onto any part of me that they could, and pulled me back over the ledge and onto the roof once more. The screams, those awful screams could very well have been the last thing I heard from y/n, as she held my body, which was now limp with fear, kicking and shouting at the cop to get away. She had followed me there. Smart as ever, of course y/n had known that what she had always referred to as a “Gav plan” would fall through. She was always looking out for me. As if saving my life wasn’t enough, she was willing to sacrifice her own for me, shielding my body with her own as gunshots rang out.

All this commotion was enough to get the attention of the other cops in the building, as they dashed upstairs to find Detective Paris pointing a gun at y/n and me. None of the bullets had hit me, I was, somehow, entirely unscathed. I couldn’t say the same for y/n. She lay motionless, one bullet in her thigh, another in her back. Being as incredible as she always was, y/n had a tape recorder in her pocket, it had documented the entire altercation – all while she was creeping up on me and the cop, right until the paramedics later found it on her person. By some miracle, none of the bullets or blood had gotten to it. Needless to say, Detective Paris has been arrested.

The lawyer who had been assigned to Ray’s case has decided to take y/n and I on as clients too, she’s a nice lady, and I can tell she’s invested in the wellbeing of everyone involved. So far, it’s looking good for me on the legal front, there’s physical proof that I cooperated, and that I was assaulted by an officer. It’s looking like all my charges will be dropped if I agree to keep my mouth shut about what happened. I can’t say the same for y/n, though. Legally, obviously she’s fine, but she’s been in a medically induced coma for a week now and I can’t put into words how scared I am for her.

I’ve visited her every day for the last week, just sitting by her side, holding her hand and reading her poetry. I’m not sure if she can hear me, but I hope that if she can it’s brought her some type of comfort. It’s funny, I never really got the poems and books she enjoyed before, but now they’re the only things that comfort me. There’s this one poem by a guy called Thomas Hardy, it’s about his cat dying. Y/n always loved that one, and now I think I do too, I don’t know, I guess it reminds me of her or something.

I suppose that brings me to the present. The hospital called about an hour ago, an said y/n’s finally awake and in a stable condition. I’m writing this from the hospital waiting room, knowing that these may well be the last few moments I can kid myself that y/n and I are still together, I doubt she wants anything to do with me anymore after everything I’ve put her through. Still, y/n being alive and healthy whilst hating me is better than her dying because she loved someone as fucked up as I am.

I think the nurse is calling me now, wish me luck.

A/N i've got an idea for a part 2 to this, so let me know if anyone wants it!

[cleabellanov]

Swifties!! You know coney island (feat. The National) right?

Well, hear me out.

Spoilers for Loki season 2 ahead!!!

For short, it's so Lokius (or just Loki's fate) after the end of season 2 it hurts.

And for long...

"Break my soul into two looking for you/ But you're right here".

Loki is looking over his friends...especially over Mobius, since we heard his voice echo at the end of time and making Loki manage a heartbreaking smile of acceptance. They're both looking for each other, because they're now separated, but they're RIGHT HERE at the same time.

"If I can't relate to you anymore, then who am I related to?"

The clear discrepance of Mobius's life at the TVA is given by him meeting Loki. After he leaves, there's no point for M to stay there anymore. So he leaves, because who is he related to now?

"And if this is the long haul how did we get here so soon"

OUUUCH! The long haul=a journey that takes a lot of time and effort. Isn't that what happened in S2E6, with Loki trying again and again to fix the Loom and save everyone? Oh yes it is! But it still seemed too soon when he had to leave, and to protect everyone with the cost of remaining alone.

"I'm sitting on a bench in Coney Island, wondering 'where did my baby go' "

Mobius, at the end of the season, standing alone, letting time pass. He wasn't exactly on a bench in Coney Island, but I swear that's what he was wondering.

Sorry for not making you my centerfold

So, in the song, this apology is meant for something that is already over, a cause-effect situation.

But in my perspective, it can also be a resolution. Because Loki DID make the people she cared about the centerfold. And not only them, but those people, those lives HWR didn't care about. Now, they're the top page of the story Loki chose to rewrite and the burden he chose to bear. Until that moment, it didn't work out, no matter how hard he tried. But then the realisation hits in, after the conversation with Mobius in the time theatre. And the hardest, impossible choice is made.

Over and over

Lost again with no surprises

Dissapointments close your eyes

And it gets colder and colder

As the sun goes down"

The repetition both "over" and "colder" in the chorus feel like a call back to the finale's events. How, over and over, for centuries and only he knows how many tries, Loki tries to rewrite the story. To save his friends, yes, but also the existence of the Multiverse.

And that didn't work. Now, that the sun doesn't shine (BUT IT WILL. IT HAS TO.) it gets colder and colder. It's very important to note that the sun did shine on Mobius and Sylvie...but Loki wasn't there.

"Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there?"

First, some synonyms, for better understanding (evermore will be evermore)

rogue=a dishonest person, a villain; coaxed= persuaded into doing something

This is the exact opposite of where we see Loki now. He's a hero. He's THE hero!! But the beautiful thing about this is how he evolved, how their character has one of, if not even the biggest, arcs in the MCU. The part I want to point out in this lyric is the first one, the question: Do you miss? Does she, without ever wanting to change anything, miss that rogue, the self that got her here? The one in Ragnarok, who was finally working things out with Thor? And the "left" too! Because he's here now, but there's...no one left next to him.

OK HERE IS MY FAVOURITE ONE

"Cause we were like the mall before the internet it was the one place to be

THE MISCHIEF, the gift-wrapped suburban dreams"

The mall before the internet? Like this disconnected place where you lose the notion of time? Like the TVA, with Loki and Mobius together, working on that TemPad, for example. It is the one place to be for them, and when together, they both try to protect it.

The mischieffff. Loki's betrayal, choosing to leave with Sylvie when Mobius trusted him in this mission. Him being the literal God of Mischief. The "Come on, you're the God of Mischief" from Mobius in s2e2. And this is not even the only mischief regarding them, it's the whole TVA in season 1 and how all of its workers were being lied to.

The gift wrap as an imaginery for them traveling through timelines to find Sylvie, then Ravonna and Miss Minutes. When this is sweet at first (or sticky as cracker jack hehe) but it turns out to be more. To be difficult. And overall, the whole theme of the song remisces their story and its beautiful, irregular flow.

"Were you waiting at our old spot/ In the tree line, by the gold clock/ Did I leave you hanging every single day?"

Our old spot.

In the tree line, by the gold clock.

What a charming way to hear Loki's choice to stay, and the place that happened, be described. Also, the timelines look like a tree. The gold clock, also representative for the tva.

PLUS Loki's throne at the end of time is literally the tree of life (Yggradsil).

"And when I walked up to the podium I think that I forgot to say your name"

Because before Loki left, and walked up to the "podium" down to the loom, he didn't say goodbye. We got that in season 1. Not now.

"When the sun goes down / The sight that flashed before me was your face"

The sun going down is at a present time. It's still there, but it will be gone soon.

Yet the flash is in the past : it was. For the God of Stories, time is infinite, but that one "let time pass" from Mobius is SO important it got to Loki and made them smile. HE FUCKING SMILED. (alright maybe smile is not the word but if I choose to make myself believe that for my own comfort then so be it)

Alright, that's kinda it. I'll never listen to this song the same way <3

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine getting annoyed when Korra puts herself in danger because you're in love with her

As a strong bender around Korra’s age Tenzin thought you’d be a perfect companion for her and so he sent you to the water tribe compound before him to meet Korra. Ever since that first encounter you wondered if Tenzin was psychic as well as a master Airbender. You instantly connected with Korra and became fast friends. Your feelings quickly grew to more and you realised you were in love with the avatar long before she moved to Republic City. She was strong and sweet but also cocky and dramatic which you loved. The only downside was her lack of self-regard. Korra could be reckless and every time you saw her come back with physicals injuriess or emotional wounds it hurt you too. You tried telling her to be more careful but she never listened. She threw herself into the fight against Amon and then Tarlock too when he brought in his non-bender curfews. You watched in horror as she almost got into a fistfight with the northern water tribe representative in the middle of the street. You agreed what he was doing was wrong and were very upset Asami, Mako and Bolin had been arrested but you thought Korra’s behaviour was just out of hand. You finally managed to get her back to your apartment without being arrested but Korra didn’t seem happy about that. She started ranting about Tarlock and you finally snapped.

"Korra you can't just jump into dangerous situations like that avatar or not!" you cried. "Why can’t I?" Korra asked "i’m literally the most protected person in the world, i have the avatar state to save me". "So you just put your life at risk at every opportunity?". "Our friends were in danger you really expected me to sit back and let it happen?" Korra shot back. "There was nothing you could do but you risked your life on a fool's errand that had little chance of success". "Maybe but I had to do something. It doesn’t matter if I get hurt in the long run as long as Amon is stopped" Korra nodded adamantly. "That’s not true!" you yelled "Korra If you get hurt we all get hurt too. You being in pain isn’t something we just ignore. If you saved me at the expense of yourself I wouldn’t be happy I'd be just as bad". "Why?" Korra cried and you sighed "because I love you, you idiot!". Silence followed and Korra blinked "you...what?". You sighed "I'm in love with you Korra and have been for months...you're pretty oblivious". "I...I guess I am" Korra nodded "but why?". You paused "why what?". "Why do you love me? How...". You sighed "I mean I guess that's a hard question and at the same time an easy one. Ever since I met you I've been mesmerised. I've never known a person be such a paradox. You're the strongest most confident person i’ve ever known and at the same time you're so gentle and naive. You're so intelligent and then other times you just jump into things blindly. You can be closed off but are also so loving and caring to everyone. You have the literal world on your shoulders but then little things like watching pro-bending excite you. You can be so hot and attractive and then also be so adorable I'd punish anyone for hurting you. You're just one in a million and not because you're the avatar but because there’s no one like you, Korra. That's why I love you". Korra stared at you "you really feel all that about me?". You nodded "so I guess the only question is...have I just made a fool of myself? How do you feel about me?". Korra looked down and you felt your heart skip. "I...I feel a bit differently" Korra admitted. You winced but nodded "that's okay...". "I don’t think you're a paradox I just think you're amazing". You looked up daring to believe this was what you hoped it was. "You've always been there for me and I feel like I've known you years not months. You’re one of the few people who I know only has purely good intentions for me and I like the person I am around you. You were my first proper friend and I think...there’s nobody else I'd want to become something more with than you". "You would?" you grinned and Korra smiled "yeah so...can I kiss you or are you still angry at me for risking my life?". You smiled "I'm still angry but a kiss might actually solve that". Korra smiled "well I'm happy to try as many times as you need" and she leant into you. 

A while later you gasped for breath pulling away but Korra didn’t seem to want to let this moment go. She kept her strong arms around you and peppered your neck with kisses. "Shouldn’t we go bail Asami and the others out of prison?" you asked. Korra looked up at you mischief in her eyes "we could...or we could let Tenzin so it. I alerted him to the situation so he’s probably almost there now...so it might be pointless for us to go too". "Korra are you really ditching your friends to make out with me?". Korra blushed "well I'd probably just aggravate the situation, if anyone can get them out its Tenzin. So I think I'm exactly where I need to be" she grinned that crooked grin that made you weak. "You know I'd be inclined to agree" you nodded and gripped her tunic tightly taking her back towards you.

[bonesandthebees]

[“It’s better to be the betrayer than the betrayed,” Wilbur mused.] I totally skipped over this line, but that’s forshadowing if I’ve ever seen it. Rip Niki. She deserves better (in general). It also, tells us everything we need to know about Wilbur’s mindset and his level of loyalty. He’d rather be the person who betrays than the betrayed. I wonder if that will influence his choices later on. Tbf, he already kind feels like he’s constantly betraying people’s trust by having to lie.

Also, given the general political games (including the bandits) and everything you’ve said about Tomys innocence and how well have to see if it stays that way (especially think of the darker version of Stars), I think this is going to end up as a corruption story. They are already pawns in Phil’s game after all. But we’ll see.

Speaking of future development, let’s look at the consequences of these actions. (I can’t write that sentence normally anymore, thanks Lovejoy.) Obviously, we’re going to get brotherly bonding. Tomys already looks up to Wilbur, but now Wilbur has not only saved his life with the whole “play dead” thing. He also took direct action to protect him twice, both times by putting himself at a greater risk (and one of them with a broken leg).

I wonder if Tomys figured out if they were there for him, if he was the target. He might have heard the shouting, but he could assume it’s about the son of the Consul, not some random duke’s son. Or he might not have heard it at all. He could figure it out because Wilbur is trying to protect him, or he could think that’s just the kind of person Wilbur is.

Either way, he needs to be told that he’s a possible heir now, if he doesn’t figure it out himself. He deserves to know why people tried to kill him. And he’s probably getting so many extra guards now that they know that someone is trying to kill him. (Actually, did Tomys hear the contract part too? would he connect those dots? Would he realise it’s about him? Or is he too young for that? We know he’s not dumb though.)

I’m also interested to see Jack’s reaction. Because he wasn’t there to protect Tomys. That’s literally his job as personal guard. But if he’d been there, he would have been dead. I wonder how closely he’ll now want to sick or if he feels guilty even though Tomys chose to leave him. (I wonder if Tomys is glad that he did.)

(1/?)

-🌲

oh yeah that line will come back at some point :)

I mean how can tommy stay so inherently good when his world is this? it's betrayals and mind games and lies and death and it's not a place where goodness survives.

oh yeah when wilbur told him to play dead and saved his life there was basically the little "Tommy will remember this" with the butterfly in the corner of wilbur's vision lmao

I mean. the bandit straight up ran her fingers through tommy's hair and said "we were after the blonde one it looks like he's dead we're good let's go" like. he knows full well they were after him at this point. he's not that dumb I promise.

now it's the matter of tommy figuring out why they were after him. he really does deserve to know the truth...

we'll have to wait to find out what jack manifold thinks of all this since he's still sleeping in at castle pandora since it's his day off lol

[justcallmesolll]

My silly little top tens

yeen rambles #10

stealing this idea from the wonderful @whitestorm4prez bc originality is dead!!!!!!!!!!

anyways ive only read the first arc but most of the major shit was spoiled for me on the internet.

#10 Thrushpelt. i love him!! he's such a nice guy. i feel really bad for him for his one-sided love of Bluestar. she missed out frfr. but even when Bluestar makes it super clear she doesnt like him, does he hold a grudge? no. does he resent her? no. what does he do? become her friend instead. amazing man.

#9 Darkstripe. i think he's both the most hilarious and fucking balling my eyes out sad villain ever at the same time. dude just got fucked over most of his life. i mean i find him sily because every time he tries something, it fails horribly. but at the same time, he's got fucking no-one. he's alone. no friends, nothing. the one guy he trusted with his life turns out to not even care about him at all. i mean seeing him scramble to revive what little there is left of tigerstars plan, seeing everyone leave him, him realising that nobody was truly on his side. his last moments preaching for a dead man who never cared for him. his life being over like that. he never did anything meaningful, and he died like that. im gonna write more abt this a some point but yea!!

#8 Tallstar. his character arc is one of the most heartwarming things ever. yes, he was a shitty leader, but do ya know what? he grew as a person. he changed and made himself better. i also think him and Jake r cute and i LOVE the headcannon that he thought fireheart was jake coming to save him and his clan.

#7 Bluestar. RIGHT OK. i know i say i hate her but by god how can i not like her at the same time???? i mean all her life was just horrible shit. and she stuck through it. i know she was a real bitch coming towards the end of her life, but she stayed, stone faced and understanding to most cats around her. tigerclaw was just the straw that broke the camel's back. but most of her life she was so awesome.

#6 Cloudtail. i think hes such a silly guy!!! he's a big hot-headed atheist!!! silly guy. him and brightheart are so cute together. and yea thats it literally hes just silly thats why i like him

#5 Longtail. I LOVE HIM SM OMGGG the fan service he gets is so good. but the most important thing is his character arc. from being a bully, but all round loyal cat, to desprately trying to prove his loyalty to firestar by any means possible. longtail thinks that firestar sees him as disloyal, but firestar proves him wrong, asking him to come on the journey with him the relationship between them is so nice to see.

#4 Greystripe. what a guy. hes amazing. he puts up with firheart way more than he should have to. i mean fire is a straight up dick to him alot of the time and he sticks with him like a loyal friend. i love him hehehe

#3 Ashfur. if u cant tell already, i like villains. i like Ashfur alot actually. cant help feeling bad for him. mans had a rough time. grew up without a mother, was practically ignored by his mentor, when he finally found someone who gave him a little attention who does undeniably treat him like her mate, she just turns around and goes "yeah no lol i was just w u to make brambleclaw jealous lmao." he was plunked right on his head and left alone with no-one to care about him. the only person who slightly cared about him was his sister, and she was too caught up in her own shit to help. its the sticky feeling you have knowing that if he were just cared for right, he could have turned out just fine. instead, he was neglected and left to become what he did.

#2 Hawkfrost. i love the fan service hawk gets honestly. im a huge fan of the artwork he gets. hes cool. i like the idea of him feeling the need to prove himself to his father. but yea hes just cool thats why i like him tbh.

#1 to absolutely no-ones surprise, my #1 fave warriors character, is SOL. hes so silly. but no fr, hes the funniest fucking villain ever. he sucks ass at being a fucking warrior and he comes accross the clans and is just like "yea yk what im gonna fuck with em." he literally gaslight gatekeep girlbosses all 4 of the clans and he actually gets away with it. i also just like his whole asthetic, and THE FUCKING FAN SERICE HE GETS???? HOLY SHIT ITS SO COOL. i swear you cant make Sol fanart look bad bc hes just so fuckin cool. silly little guy!!

[vvivacious101]

The Perfect Storm

Katniss & Peeta in The Hunger Games                                 

I believe there is a line in Mockingjay in which Katniss realises that her actions might have been the spark for the revolution but nothing she could have done after would have ever contained the wildfire that spark had grown into. Of course, it benefitted Snow to have Katniss on his side instead of the rebels but this entire idea of Katniss somehow being able to discourage people from revolting was ludicrous in itself. So, the idea that is central to this series is that spark. That’s what gets the ball rolling.

The thing about that particular spark is that it was definitely not only down to Katniss there are a whole host of events that created that storm that led to her action and had any piece not fallen the way it did, there would have been nothing to speak of but I guess that’s what makes the spark so unique, it was an event that was highly improbable yet it was unfolding before your very eyes.

There are a lot of people that led to that pivotal scene with the nightlock berries, there is Cinna, Haymitch, Rue, Thresh, Katniss and Peeta and everyone had to do something different than had been done before to get the result they did. But, I feel one of the most pivotal things, the domino that had to fall before anything could even begin was the relationship between Katniss and Peeta.

Peeta could easily have been just another boy and I sometimes wonder why Suzanne Collins didn’t go that route but frankly, now I realise how essential Peeta is to the story. There is literally no story without him, it’s his actions more than anyone else’s that truly influence Katniss.

When Katniss and Peeta are chosen as tributes from District 12, Katniss literally wishes it had been anyone but Peeta because she feels indebted to him and she already dreads having to kill him. This is crucial because, unlike other debts that can be ignored, Katniss literally believes the boy with the bread not only saved her life and that of her family. He literally gave her the very hope she needed to survive. And unlike other debts that can potentially be repaid Katniss remarks that the first debt is always the hardest to repay (because it was the time someone took a chance on you when they had no reason to).

So, there is this underlying current between these two and without even realising it Cinna and Haymitch kind of amp that current up. So, there is something crucial about the District 12 tributes catching the eye of everyone and that was totally down to Cinna’s genius but I feel the more potent act of rebellion at that parade is the fact that he tells them to hold hands. And, Katniss herself later remarks that it’s almost cruel to showcase them as a team when they will have to kill each other later as she notes the indifference the other tributes from the same district show each other during the parade.

Then Haymitch probably inspired by this hand holding tells both Katniss and Peeta to stick to each other during training with Cinna and Portia further compounding this by dressing them in identical costumes and Katniss is once again peeved at the twining act but all these situations kind of amp up and play into the scenarios that come up later.

I am absolutely sure that it’s actually Haymitch’s idea for Peeta to confess about his love for Katniss but I feel that there must be so many factors playing into this decision. There is the hand-holding (even if it was Cinna’s idea, everyone saw it), there is the fact that Katniss kisses Peeta on the cheek after the parade and then there is the fact that Katniss has definitely been paying more attention to Peeta than even she realises. All this compounded with the idea that Katniss has a real chance to win but is unlikely to wow people in the interviews (and in turn secure sponsors) probably cements the idea in Haymitch’s mind. And it works! Between the costumes, having the highest score in the individual assessment and Peeta’s confession, Katniss is unforgettable and has a real chance to win, especially with sponsors on her side.

When the 74th Hunger Games begin, Peeta and Katniss are separated but not before Peeta warns her not to go fight at the cornucopia. I feel like this is essential because it seems Peeta’s plan is all about joining the Careers to somehow keep them away from Katniss and since Katniss is wholly unaware of this plan and highly unlikely to survive the bloodbath of the cornucopia without an alliance with the Careers, it’s best to ward her away. And from the looks of it Peeta himself has a hard time getting in with the Careers (because in the books, he is badly bruised (as in having taken punches to the face) and limping when Katniss sees him next) and the only reason they seem to do so is because they think he can lead them to Katniss.

Now, Katniss is a threat, she has an 11 and seems to be a likely victor so she needs to go down, her 11 also means that the Careers are unlikely to ally with her because she is too likely to win, the only people the Careers (Marvel, Glimmer, Cato, Clove and the girl from 4) ally with are Peeta and the boy from third, both of whom are perceived as unlikely victors and therefore not a threat.

This is actually pivotal. Before Katniss ever does anything Peeta is already playing the Games in a manner they are not intended to be played in. In Catching Fire, she herself says that since she is playing these games to save Peeta she has in essence already subverted the actual intentions of the game and Peeta was doing that way before. In fact, I wonder why it was Katniss and not Peeta who was seen as the brave revolutionary maybe because it was all too easy to dismiss him as a boy in love.

When the whole event with the Tracker Jacker nest goes down Peeta literally saves Katniss' life by going against Cato for her. At this point in the story, Peeta already has bruising from his fight at the Cornucopia, has Tracker Jacker stings and now has a fatal wound to the leg from Cato. This is unfortunately nowhere near the amount of injuries he will sustain and in fact, his injuries are crucial and play a big part in making the spark what it was. Katniss meanwhile does something crucial she befriends Rue.

Now, unlike the Careers this alliance is not calculated. In fact, it’s pretty clear Katniss’ alliance with Rue benefits Rue a great deal more than it benefits Katniss but here is something that makes Katniss such a great character. She never does anything to make you feel she thinks of Rue as a burden instead she seems to think of her as an asset, someone who helped her escape the Careers by pointing out the tracker jacker nest and then helped heal her tracker jacker stings. This is critical because this alliance is healing, it probably helped cement the revolution in its own way. Everyone could see the inequality in the alliance and be awed by how far Katniss was willing to go for Rue.

When Rue is killed Katniss kills the boy who kills her, Marvel. This is important because, unlike the thing with the Tracker Jackers where it can be argued her intent was to escape rather than kill. Marvel is the first person she kills with intent. She not only avenges Rue’s death she sings to her before she dies and then gives her a proper send-off. This scene is powerful so much so that the District gift intended for Rue is sent to Katniss. This is amazing even Katniss remarks on it and there is also the fact that Thresh was very much alive at this point so they could have easily diverted the gift to him but they don’t. In that moment, Katniss has done something truly inspiring she has shown the districts a way to unite, and she has shown everyone that the districts can come together to beat the Capitol.

The Hunger Games not only serve to exhibit the power the Capitol exercises over the districts but also as a way to keep the districts forever divided because these victors are only victors because they killed someone you know and with every victory tour you get to see the victor and remember the children that are dead because this victor from another district is not. It’s divide and conquer at its simplest but Katniss’ actions are truly revolutionary. There is no reason for her to care about Rue but she does, there is definitely no reason to honour Rue as much as she does, but she does… forever cementing her actions as something that can be emulated. I feel Rue’s death is very very crucial to realising Katniss as the Mockingjay because District 11 now cares about Katniss, in fact in a strange little way her victory is now their victory.

After Rue comes the rule change. It’s clear this rule change is like the feast it’s intended to inject excitement in a game that may very well go stale as the tributes are down to single digits and interestingly, it might not even be an issue because there are only two districts with both tributes remaining and it might just so happen that no two tributes from the same district make it to the end making the rule change a non-issue or make the ending even more sensational (more on that later). But, in another way, it is also capitalising on the romance Peeta has single-handedly convinced the Capitol of. The rule change forces Katniss to Peeta but it’s clear her motivation for doing so is coming more from a place of loyalty to her district. She feels she wouldn’t be able to stand tall in District 12 if at this point she doesn’t partner with Peeta, so she does.

I don’t really want to get into Katniss’ feelings for Peeta because she really goes to extreme lengths to save him and there is a valid argument for her already feeling something romantic towards him, maybe even loving him but it’s clear that if those feelings are influencing her she herself is unaware about them and they are not her chief motivation.

When she finds Peeta he is badly injured and frankly on his deathbed. He clearly knows he isn’t going to survive and Katniss needs something for him to live for so she very clumsily kisses him. This kiss is only to motivate Peeta but it has an unexpected side effect that quickly becomes clear to Katniss. She soon realises that the Capitol is eating up the star-crossed lovers’ routine and Haymitch is selling it for all it’s worth to the sponsors so the more she is in love with Peeta the more likely he is to survive. It’s so completely Katniss to pretend to love someone just so she can save him, like she makes such a noble decision though it’s highly unclear what everyone else makes out of it. It’s clear from the subsequent books that everyone from the districts believes it’s an act but I’m unclear why. She might just be a bad actor but her actions should still speak for themselves. She is still going above and beyond or maybe this judgement is based more off of Katniss’ action with the berries (more on that later and yes, I am keeping track of these).

It’s probably prudent to mention that while Katniss' motivations might not be clear to spectators, her motivations to save Peeta are heavily influenced by the fact that he has now saved her life twice. Or maybe it is clear to the onlookers considering that the last time he saved her life was in the Hunger Games.

Pretending to be in love with Peeta, gets Katniss a whole horde of food (with plates and cutlery to boot) and a sleeping syrup that enables her to attend the feast behind Peeta’s back.

Despite Katniss’ ministrations it’s clear Peeta is still close to death and that’s when the feast is announced. A feast that contains items that are vital for the survival of the remaining tributes. At this point, there are six tributes left in the game. But, Peeta doesn’t want Katniss to go to the feast because she is likely to get killed and he doesn’t want her to endanger her life for his which would be a complete contradiction to what he’s been trying to do all along and it’s at this point that she gets the sleeping syrup. She tricks Peeta into ingesting it and makes her way to the Feast.

At the feast, she gets cornered by Clove who runs her mouth about Rue where Thresh can hear her. This turns out to be a fatal mistake. Thresh kills Clove and, realising that Katniss tried to save Rue, decides to repay her for Rue’s life by sparing her this once. This is another moment in which the tributes in the arena rise above the games. There is no need for Thresh to repay Katniss for Rue but he does maybe because he realises the brutality of having a twelve-year-old girl die for sport or maybe because he realises Katniss allied with Rue when he himself didn’t. That probably also shames him, because when Katniss could see the value in Rue why didn’t he?

So, Katniss saves Peeta and now it’s time to finish this.

With only Cato alive they head to the cornucopia only to be set upon by a group of mutts. In this fight, it’s quite clear that Katniss is running for her life and Peeta is only an afterthought. During this fight, Peeta’s leg will be badly injured, so badly injured that it will require amputation. Once Cato is finally dead after being torn to pieces by the mutts, Katniss and Peeta wait for victory only to learn that there can in fact only be one victor. This is actually a sensational idea because if Katniss and Peeta were anyone else it would probably mean that they would either turn on each other at this point or in the case of the lovers, have to be confronted with the idea of having to kill the other and wouldn’t it be something to see love so sullied but unfortunately Peeta’s love cannot be sullied (even as I type this I realise this was actually proven wrong and isn’t that something…)

Peeta at this moment moves to throw away his knife which Katniss takes as a sign of aggression and turns to point her bow and arrow at him only to be later horrified at her actions. Peeta tells her she should kill him but she refuses to, so Peeta removes the bandage slowing him down from bleeding to death. Peeta is so badly injured that Katniss need not do anything, he will bleed to death and she will be the victor but she refuses to do so.

At this point, during the final battle at the cornucopia it’s apparent that Katniss' actions towards Peeta vary differently from Peeta’s actions towards her, Peeta’s actions are more clearly dictated by love even at the cost of his own survival while Katniss' actions are more clearheaded and not shadowed by love atleast in this very moment. [A good contrast would be when she constantly puts Peeta’s life ahead of hers in the games in the next book. A moment that comes to mind is when Katniss runs to put herself between Peeta and the monkey even when she knows she will not get there in time, she still does it.]

This is when Peeta tells her that the Games must have their victor that she truly decides to go against the very notion of the Hunger Games when she convinces Peeta to a double suicide. Katniss could very well let Peeta bleed out but instead, she is going to make sure that when he goes she goes too, so that there is no victor to rub into the faces of the districts, so she can showcase how hollow the infernal hope of ever escaping the hard life in the districts is, forever motivating the districts to rally against the Capitol after all if a 16-year-old girl can do it why can’t they. So, she takes those berries in her hand and is ready to swallow them. This is another crucial detail. They both put the berries in their mouths before they are declared victors. Peeta and Katniss are actually willing to die and that is something. Because even when Katniss is pretty sure they will not let them both die she is fully willing to pull this off. I agree with Snow that at this point it would have been easier to just kill Katniss instead of letting them both win. It definitely would mean a little less immediate trouble but there is actually no guarantee that it would have worked entirely because the spark had already been lit.

I wrote this entire essay just to showcase how poignant Katniss' actions were but also to highlight how everything works to put her in that position how there are more things at play and how Peeta’s love for her is crucial in making it so. Peeta is unfortunately so obviously in love that it’s clear he has no motivations besides keeping Katniss alive but in its own way, his love is extraordinary, infinitely self-sacrificing, wholly unconditional and no less a beacon in its own right. There is clearly more to the Mockingjay than just Katniss.

It’s clear Katniss realises Peeta really likes her even as she pulls the ruse over his eyes but I feel it’s the necessity of putting her feelings on display that actually alienates her from her feelings for Peeta, because let’s not forget the movie of the 74th Huger Games they show Katniss and Peeta doesn’t end with the berries it ends with Katniss separated from Peeta banging on a door, screaming his name.

[imadethisaccountforaheadcannon]

I find it a bit of a sick joke that TSAMS oldmoon has a list of good deeds in his name yet he gets to be the "cold" one

1st deed took it upon himself to risk his own life to get outta sun's head was only know he could have died separating himself via random comment by creator

Took all the blame for the pain he never wanted to do like a boss

Would rather secretly do harmful experiments to him self to deal with his own killcode in secret then even considering doing it on anyone else

Old Moons life existed as a bunch of no win scenarios yet he stile found the closest to winning as he can get

Moon instantly was kind to lunar even through for all rights he had every right not to be

Showed regret whenever he did anything bad to sun even through sun repeatable pushed his boundaries and ignored his warnings without any hint of remorse

Has previously put his his health and safety on the line when he realised he accidentally made eclipse

Freely shares most his inventions and technology with extremely little credit or bragging when he could have been like fazbear and set up a paywall

Tried multiple times to talk to sun about his issues actually legitly helped everyone else out with there issues would have been a much better therapist and person then Earth ever would be

Just cause he earned his shit earth just got the things she did cause she's a Mary Sue

All this while literally only having just over a year of real living,some people argue that point to save newmoon when newmoon got the life that oldmoon deserved

I stopped watching the show cause I got so sick of how moon was treated and on some subconscious level I reckon he was sick of being good when all he did was be told that he is bad

Then there's every member of his family that align more with sun and outsiders like Monty and puppet did allways getting an abundance of credit

After all this no wonder he's insane and sun thinks its his choice if the oldmoon comes back or not ha

I haven't even watched the show and I can pretty much see that everyone's going to eventually going to run outta good places to pass to

[lesbian-in-leather]

Asoue and wwdits

Into the woods if you feel up to it

Thanks for the ask, darling!!

Just answered for asoue here

What We Do In the Shadows

OTP: oh it's gotta be Nadja/Lilith. What can I say; I'm a sucker for lesbians, Lucy Punch, and bitter exes. They really have it all <3

Favourite canon pairing: Nadja/Laszlo of course. Though in recent series they haven't really been getting any screen time so my love for them has been dying somewhat. I hope they get some good scenes in the last season!

Worst pairing ever: Nadja and Colin. Why did they do that. Why did they do that. Why did they do that. Why did they-

Guilty pleasure pairing: I WAS HALFWAY THROUGH WRITING AN 'OH I DON'T REALLY HAVE ONE' PASSAGE WHEN I REALISED I DO. I FUCKING DO AND NO ONE WILL KNOW WHAT I'M ON ABOUT BUT HERE GOES ANYWAY!! Okay so you know in that one episode when Nadja was on the council and they had a fancy banquet and Nandor was in his depression nap and everyone thought he was dead?? Well one of the sexy vampire ladies that turned up was Carmilla (famous vampire from the vampiric novel, Carmilla) and I ABSOLUTELY wanted her and Nadja to get together. There it is, that's the guilty-pleasure ship, yet another one-episode character but somehow worse than Lilith because Carmilla only had like three lines

A pairing you want to see more: Nadja/The Guide!! The Guide is throwing herself at my girl and she is absolutely clueless. Icon <3

That pairing everyone likes but you’re like “lol no”: Nadja/Jenna. Really not into it, she gave me a VERY strong maternal vibe and I am. Not a fan of shipping them. Again, you do you, but like. Not for me

Favourite non-romantic pair: Nadja & Guillermo! I wish we'd given more focus to their dynamic earlier in the show, they' 've always had the potential to be really great bitchy friends, but we DID get her going absolutely fucking feral to save his life, risking hers in the process, so... it's a win <3

Into the Woods

I have basically never thought about shipping these characters so this is going to be fun

OTP: Baker's Wife and Cinderella. Straight up, I think it would be really fun and also the whole "when you know you can't have what you want what's the profit in wishing?" vs "how can you know what you want til you get what you want and you see if you like it?" I'm just saying, their little late night heart-to-hearts could have turned into something fruity

Favourite canon pairing: Cinderella's Prince/Baker's Wife is literally just funny. Like girlie what was even going through your head there

Worst pairing ever: Rapunzel/Rapunzel's Prince. I'm sorry, she was locked in a tower for her entire life, then abandoned by her mother for the horrible crime of making a friend (and fucking him, but still, that was your fault too buddy-boy), and he has the audacity to complain that she cries too much?? She wandered alone in the desert with newborn twins thinking that you were DEAD. It's been less than a year! My girl had TRAUMA and she deserved better

Guilty pleasure pairing: the Witch and the Stepmother. Do they ever interact? No. Do I think it'd be super funny to pair up the only villainous women just because? Absolutely. They can start an "I was a bad mother but also I love my children with my whole heart" club and make each other worse

A pairing you want to see more: Florinda and Lucinda with Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, respectively. First of all I think it's funny that it would fulfil the whole 'good marriage' thing, but also I just think the stepsisters get a really rough deal and someone needs to get those princesses out of there before the aspiring Henry VIII's get on to their second wives

That pairing everyone likes but you’re like “lol no”: Baker/Baker's Wife. I'm sorry, there is no good option here. She cheated, he undervalued her at every turn, yells in her face because she just wants to help, and then has this ~wonderful realisation~ that "wow, maybe I should work with my wife!" before going straight back to his "you stay here and do nothing Because I Said So" mindset in act two. Mans has anger issues and I don't like it. Also, again, she cheated. There is no good angle to this relationship

Favourite non-romantic pair: Cinderella and the Baker. They really said "well, that was an awful lot of trauma none of us asked for. Guess we're sticking together and raising a family of two orphans and your infant son that you had with your wife (who's now dead) who cheated with my husband (who's telling people I'm dead)". Like that's so fuckin iconic.

Wait but ALSO the Witch and Rapunzel??? That's a fucking fascinating dynamic right there, like the Witch does love her! She absolutely unequivocally does! But also she doesn't know how to love her, and it is SO endlessly interesting to me and always will be

Send me a fandom and I'll answer these questions!

[discoscoob]

mermaid au were Chrissy is a mermaid and Eddie is a wanted pirate captain (the rest of the hellfire club members are his crew) chrissy would always follow their boat and whenever eddie gets caught on land chrissy would grab the guards legs and drag them underwater. (and also mermaid el exists and she's pretty much chrissy's younger sister and she's very playful like a baby seal)

Okay yes! I’m invested!

Listen, hear me out, Chrissy saved Eddie when they were both younger! This is like the AU’s version of the middle school talent show. Eddie had ran away from home at like 14-15 and smuggled himself onto a pirates ship and when they found him they made him walk the plank. Despite his desire to be a pirate and eventually becoming one, Eddie isn’t a very strong swimmer so he’s drowning almost instantly and Chrissy, who happens to be swimming by at the time, saves him and pulls him ashore. This was probably her first time seeing a human up close because obviously she was always told to stay away from them but she snuck away with the intention of finding some humans, she didn’t expect to end up saving one’s life. So she’s instantly festinated. Since Eddie is literally unconscious, Chrissy is wondering why her parents warned her so much about humans because this was is the most harmless defenceless thing she’s ever seen, he couldn’t even swim.

That’s how she ended up following him, as they grew up, she watched him become a captain and saved him multiple times from the guards that would arrest him, without him even knowing. He just thought he was very lucky.

When they finally interact, Chrissy’s the one who does the “you know, this isn’t the first time we’ve met.” and Eddie looks confused because he’s pretty sure he would remember meeting a mermaid. She tells him she saved him from drowning when he was younger, of course Eddie remembers the incident but he never figured out how he made it to shore alive. Chrissy tells him she’s been following and looking out for him ever since. All those guards that “slipped” off the dock just as they were arresting him, he wasn’t lucky, he had a mermaid who was always looking out for him.

Chrissy’s little sister El, perhaps she’s kidnapped by an evil pirate Captain Brenner and Chrissy has been helping Eddie his whole life, he decides it’s time to return the favour. Together they go on an adventure to track down Brenner and rescue El.

Once El is rescued and safely back with her sister, their parents insist even more that they must stay away from the humans and just as Chrissy and Eddie got close they’re torn apart. Chrissy and El try to explain to their parents that it was a human who helped rescue her but it’s no use.

This next time Eddie gets arrested, Chrissy isn’t there to save him and he ends up locked up and he’s facing execution.

Chrissy visits Vecna, a magical mermaid that has been banished from the colony because he would curse mermaids to become human. She asks Vecna to turn her into a human because she wants to be with Eddie.

Once she’s human Chrissy swims to the nearest port, where one of Eddie’s crew spots her. Firstly he wraps her in his coat because she needs some clothes and when he takes her to the ship she’s looking around for Eddie but realises he isn’t there. The crew explain to her that he is in prison, due to be executed. Chrissy leads Eddie’s crew on a mission to rescue him and the whole time they call her Captain Chrissy.

They manage to break Eddie out of prison and he’s shocked that Chrissy has legs, she’s also dressed in his clothes and wearing his captain hat, which she places back on his head after kissing him.

The two return to sea together with Eddie’s crew and enjoy a pirates life together. Chrissy teaches Eddie how to swim. El finds Chrissy and she can’t believe she actually turned human but she’s supportive of her and glad that her sister is happy.

I’m so sorry, I made this so much longer than I expected I would. I got carried away.