#so damn vigilant since </3

[melelinoe]

nbh and just a random thought that got my blood boiling all of a sudden but uh i think dedicating your online presence to posting how much you hate something is such an exhausting mindset, of course criticizing and nitpicking work and identifying the negative aspects to a media you like is a crucial part of media consumption but if you make it a huge huge huge point of your online personality blog/acc/etc etc to be bitter, is that not an indication for you to genuinely take a break and move onto something else you actually like....... shrugs

[uzurakis]

hi again!! (ik I just sent in a request I just had another one LMFAOOO) im back bc I got another request/idea!! jjk men (..yuta n Megumi 🙏 n whoever else u want :3) who got into a nasty argument (could be from ur argument post but it doesn’t have to be connected to that post!!) and then gets really injured on a mission right after the argument! it’s up to you if reader + jjk men end up making up, or it could end on a angsty route of them anxiously waiting for reader to wake up while trying to think to ways to apologize with regret; doesn’t rlly matter!! do what you want 😛😛

HEY, WAKE UP . . PLEASE?

featuring: fushiguro megumi. gojo satoru. yuuta okkotsu.

n. first, i apologize this one took a very long time because i wanted to carefully hit the right spots and nail the each character. second, i only make 3 characters this time ‘cause each one of them is long enough to read. third, i wanna make you guys suffer <3 enjoy !!

FUSHIGURO MEGUMI

megumi’s fingers trembled as he reached out to touch your hand, the memory of his harsh words replaying in his mind. “why didn’t i see it coming?” he muttered to himself, voice hardly above a whisper. the guilt was suffocating, the feeling that he had failed you as a partner, both in life and on the field, gnawing at him relentlessly.

he hadn’t slept since you were brought in, eyes red and heavy, his emerald pupils weren’t evident anymore with the dark circles underneath a testament to his vigil. every beep of the monitors felt like a countdown, each passing second a reminder of how fragile everything was. he kept running through what he could have done differently, how he could have prevented this from happening.

“i’m sorry,” he whispered, voice cracking with emotion, repeating the words tremendously. “i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry—“

“i’m so sorry. i never meant for this to happen. i never wanted to hurt you.”

his mind was filled with images of your smile, your laughter, and the way your eyes would light up when you were happy. he wanted nothing more than to see you open your eyes, to hear your voice, to have the chance to make things right.

the silence in the room was oppressive, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the machines. megumi’s thoughts were a chaotic jumble of fear and determination. he knew he had to find a way to apologize, to show you that he cared more than he had ever managed to express. but how could he make up for the pain he had caused? how could he prove to you that he was truly sorry?

he squeezed your hand gently, as if the simple touch could convey all the words he struggled to find. “please wake up,” he pleaded softly. “i need to tell you how much you mean to me. i need to show you that i can do better. that i will do better. please, just wake up.”

as the hours dragged on, megumi’s resolve only strengthened. he would make things right, no matter what it took. the door to your room opened, but megumi didn’t look up. his focus was entirely on you, silently willing you to open your eyes. he wouldn’t leave your side until you did. he couldn’t. the weight of his regret was too heavy, his love for you too deep.

“please,” he whispered again, each syllable filled with desperation. “come back to me.”

GOJO SATORU

“you’re always so damn reckless!” gojo had shouted, his voice echoing in the small office.

“maybe if you weren’t so arrogant all the time, you’d understand why!” you had snapped back, feeling the sting of his words cut deep.

now, the same guy sat by your hospital bed, his usually confident demeanor shattered. his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, blood seeping from where his nails dug into his palms. the sight of you lying there, pale and unmoving, tore at his heart. he cursed himself repeatedly, the words tumbling out in a desperate, angry whisper.

“fuck, fuck, fuck!” he muttered, voice breaking. “why the hell did this have to happen? why couldn’t i fucking save you?”

he stared at your face, willing you to wake up, to give him some sign that you were still there with him. the argument replayed in his mind, each harsh word a dagger in his chest. he wanted to take it all back, to tell you how much he loved you and needed you.

“shit,” he hissed, slamming his fist into the armrest of the chair. “i’m supposed to be the strongest, but what the hell does that mean if i can’t even protect you?”

a hollow aching threatened to eat away at his chest, a gnawing remorse. tears blurred his vision as he looked at you, voice a broken whisper. “wake up. i want to apologize. i want you to know how sorry i am.”

the room was silent except for the steady beep of the heart monitor. gojo’s thoughts were a chaotic swirl of guilt, also his helplessness. he had faced countless curses and enemies without flinching, but this, seeing you like this, was unbearable.

he cursed again, the words raw and filled with pain. “damn it, why didn’t i stop you? why didn’t i fucking do something?”

his mind raced, trying to think of ways to make it right, to fix what had been broken. but all he could do was wait and hope. he reached out, gently taking your hand in his, his grip trembling.

“i’m so sorry,” he whispered, voice cracking. “i love you. please, just wake up. i don’t know what i’ll do if you don’t.”

YUUTA OKKOTSU

yuta, who was normally expressive, was pale and drawn as he sat beside your bed. his voice was crushed by the weight of his remorse, and he was unable to speak. he was completely broken by the sight of you there, so still and vulnerable, in ways he never imagined. his fingers barely touched yours as he extended a shaking hand, fearing that the slightest touch could break you.

memories of the argument replayed in his mind, each moment seared into his consciousness. your angry words echoed in his ears, mingling with his own harsh retorts. he remembered the flash of hurt in your eyes, the way your voice had cracked when you told him you were done talking. he had let you walk away, his anger blinding him to the danger you were about to face.

tears welled up in yuta’s eyes, but he couldn’t let them fall. he had to be strong for you, even though you couldn’t sense a thing. the guilt gnawed at him, a relentless beast that whispered of his failures. he had promised to protect you, to be there for you, and yet here you were, injured and unresponsive, because he had let his anger get the better of him.

“it’s all my fault,” he grumbled, voice barely audible in the sterile room. “i should have stopped you. i should have been there.”

he stared at your face, willing you to wake up, to open your eyes and tell him it was okay. but you remained still, your breathing steady but shallow. yuta’s mind was a storm of regret and self-recrimination. he blamed himself for everything, convinced that his failure to resolve things before you left had led to this. if only he had followed you, things might have been different.

“wake up, please,” he begged, voice breaking. “you can’t do this to me..”

he felt a sob rising in his throat, but he swallowed it down, determined not to break in front of you. he had to be strong, even if it felt like he was falling apart inside. the thought of losing you was unbearable, a gap that threatened to swallow him whole.

“why did i let you go?” he murmured, his fingers tightening around yours. “why didn’t i fight for us?”

the minutes stretched into hours, each one an eternity as yuta sat by your side, his heart heavy with guilt and fear. he couldn’t imagine a life without you, couldn’t bear the thought that he might have lost you because of his own stubbornness.

“i’m sorry,” he whispered again, voice choked with emotion. he stayed there, silent and unmoving, the weight of his regret a constant presence. all he could do was wait and hope, praying that you would wake up and give him the chance to apologize, to tell you how much you meant to him. until then, he would sit by your side, holding on to the hope that you would come back to him.

“i love you. please, just give me a chance to make things right.”

@uzurakis

[i-yap]

Hi there! LOVE your thoughts on Jason like truly i <3 clingy Jason!!!!! What do you think a relationship would be like between Jason and a corporate baddie? Like she's serious, career-driven, and almost viciously ambitious, but for him? a total softie!! Like they just melt for each other despite the fact that they both put up a tough exterior to others!!

Omg i love that , here are my headcanons -

Jason todd x corporate baddie!y/n

I think the time schedules would be a mess. She works 9-5 and he 'works' 9pm-5am. But since she is a really career driven woman, I can see her sort of completing her extra or personal work/ international calls etc from the time that jason is vigilanting and therefore cutting her shift from like 9-3 or something similar. Since she gets all her work done, no one can say a word and honestly no one would dare to either way. Relstionship is about compromise and I think jason will cut down his vigilante time to get home to his stressed worker bee.

Jason prolly cant sleep without her so while she is at her job, he is working out or doing his other stuff. They catch up on sleep after her shift . This means afternoon cuddles !!( Ofc I am firm believer that jason should with time leave crime fighting and become an English professor )

I also love how most of her coworkers thinks she is prolly dating a Submissive type of guy or like a really serious professional dude cause she is so scary and strict . But then Jason- 6 feet something, huge asf, leather jacket, tattoos(maybe) and motorcycle dude walks in bringing her lunchbox( that looks so tiny in his hand). Yea now they're even more scared.

And I think everyone from jason's side also assumed that he'd either get a super cute-sy girl that will "fix him" or another vigilante girl that'll " make him worse". But he walks in with this poised, smart hardworking no nonsense woman and everyone's like DAMN

Damian loves you probably. He doesn't get how todd wooed you, like he thinks todd is a doofus. For once you are a normal (non crime fighting) girl that his brother is dating who is this career driven and also treats his brother properly. He loves talking business with you ( there was this scene where he figures out who is stealing money by looking at the finances at wayne enterprises) . and for once someone doesn't take him for a kid and actually wants to listen to pointers that he has. Tim prolly also loves talking to you about business cause he is a CEO too same thing for bruce.

Power couple fr.

but once you too get home...yea no one recognizes you.

Jason loves the fact that you show your soft side only to him. He has never been someones first choice in anything and this makes him feel so much more loved and cherished. and vice versa applies to you

he loves taking care of you after your long ass workday, helping you just be vulnerable and drop the whole tough act and be human. you do the same for him once he comes back at night. Just taking care of each other the way you guys need.

And you can bet jason knows how to be your biggest supporter. big raise? promotion? or just a good presentation?? He is genuinely excited for you.

Will give you back rubs when you've been sitting on the desk the whole day

will cook you brunch/snacks for when you come back and you will cook him breakfast/dinner for when he does .

it will take some compromise and adjustments but its all worth it and no price at all for loveeee.

[writeroutoftime]

pawns in your game (part 2/2)

part one

pairing: cassian x reader

summary: upon waking up, cassian and the rest of the inner circle are relieved, but it seems there are still some wounds that need healing.

warnings: none, but some conversations that need to happen in ACOTAR canon lol

words: 1.6k

a/n: thank you for all the support and love for part one! sorry for the wait on the second (and final) part, I just had so much trouble! the conversation between you, cass, rhys, and feyre was written like 3 different times lol. anyway, now that it is finished, please enjoy and I'd love to hear what you think! have a fabulous day! '

(also, if you have any other requests for our acotar men, please send them my way!)

oOoOo

Two days passed since Rhys and Cass had their conversation. Neither male spoken to the other since, and word had spread through the rest of the Inner Court over what had occurred. Cass, however, couldn't find it himself to care as he continued to keep vigil over your bedside, only sleeping when he could no longer force his eyes open through the weight that threatened to drag them down.

Suddenly, body feeling as though it weighed a thousand tons, you opened your eyes, groaning at the soft sunlight that streamed into the room. The sheets beneath you felt scratchier than normal beneath your body, and it took a moment to realize you were in the med wing.

You felt a heavy weight in your left hand, and carefully, you shifted your gaze to see Cassian gripped it tightly. His back and wings were hunched over as he slept in what seemed to be the most uncomfortable position imaginable. Although you were hesitant to wake him, you needed water and to know what had happened, so you shook your hand to wake your mate up.

In response, Cass shot straight up, his siphons pulsed a warning red as if he thought you and he were in some kind of danger. But once his mind and body had more than a moment to react his hazel eyes found yours and widened to the size of saucers.

"You're up!" he shouted, tears lining his eyes. Without thinking, Cass leaned forward and engulfed your body in his, and you didn't miss the way his body shook slightly in relief.

"I'm here, I'm okay." you whispered, running your fingers through his tangled hair. "H-how long have I been out?" you whispered, voice scratchy and rough.

"Nearly a week." Cass explained, pulling away and hurrying to grab a glass of water from the bedside table. "Here, drink."

The cool relief of water slipped down your throat, and you already felt better. Sore, you tried to stretch your body out to the best of your ability while trying to recall everything that occurred after leaving the Spring Court manor. "What happened?"

Cass barely held back a growl at the thought. "While you and Rhysand were in the Spring Court, there was an armed guard looking to shoot him with an arrow. But you, being the selfless female you are," Cass chided. "jumped in front of him and were shot with an especially strong dose of poison."

Silence rested between you both, and you could feel the waves of grief that poured down from Cassian's side of the bond. You could only imagine what he must have felt like the past week. If the roles had been reversed, you would have been a mess, tearing apart anything and anyone that got in the way of your wrath.

"I-I think I remember jumping in front of Rhys. He killed the Spring Court solider right away and didn't know what to do. Somehow, he managed to winnow us both back here, and that's all I remember." you admitted.

"That damn bargain." Cass said, growling this time. "We could do the same thing, and then how fucked would the Night Court be."

There was an anger that pulsed from Cass which went deeper than just being worried about his mate. Slowly, you shifted from your spot and moved to sit up against your pillows. "Cass," you began slowly. "what else happened while I was asleep?"

Cassian did not look the least bit guilty as he looked you straight in the eyes. "I told Rhysand off. I told him how I felt about his precious bargain that allows him and Feyre to stay protected while the rest of us suffer the consequences."

An odd feeling washed over you at Cassian's words. On one hand, you can't believe that Cass spoke those words to his brother - to his High Lord. On the other hand, you always felt a small pang of pride that Cassian stood his ground, and yours by extension. But you knew neither of those feelings fixed the larger issue at hand.

"Cass," you started, before he interrupted you.

"I'm not sorry for what I said. It's something we've all been thinking since before Nyx's birth, but, apparently, I was the only one who had the balls to actually say something.

Your teeth caught against your lips, trying, and failing, to hold back a laugh at your mate's words. "I did not protect Rhys because of his and Feyre's bargain, nor because of my oath to him as High Lord." you began carefully. "I did it because he is my friend, and I know he would do the same for me." you confessed.

Cassian was disgruntled at the suggestion. Opening his mouth, most likely to spew more insults against Rhys, you beat him to the punch.

"But," you continued. "I also feel as though sometimes it is overbearing to have to be even more responsible for Rhys and Feyre's survival, especially now that Nyx is involved. I think we need to talk to them." you admitted, motioning for Cassian to rest against you so you could lean your head against his solid shoulder.

The two of you laid there for quite some time before there was a tentative knock at the door. Your High Lord and Lady stuck their heads in, trying to read Cassian's mood. However, Feyre's eyes widened when she noticed your eyes open, and body propped up in bed. A wide smile overtook her face, and she abandoned her mate to rush to your side. 

"You're awake!" she cried, grasping her free hand in yours and squeezing tightly.

Rhys continued to stand by the door, wary of Cass' razor-sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through to his soul. Only the tiniest bit of his guilt alleviated seeing you up after so long. "How are you feeling?" 

"Still sore, but doing alright." you admitted, shrugging your shoulders as though you had merely scrapped a knee.

There was an awkward silence that descended upon the room, and none of you knew how to fix it. Cass pulled you even closer to his side and threaded his hand in yours. Meanwhile, Feyre and Rhys shared a private conversation, silently debating who should be the first to broach the elephant in the room.

"I think we need to talk." you finally began. 

At the same time, Rhys blurted out. "I'm so sorry that this happened, y/n." 

You both stared at one another, really taking the other in. Rhys noted the bandage wrapped around the shoulder where the arrow had met its target. He noticed the way your eyes would flinch in pain whenever you pulled at your muscles wrong and the look of fatigue that overtook your features. From your perspective, it was impossible to miss the dark shadows under Rhys' eyes and the guilt that remained present in his eyes and across his face. 

"I don't blame you for what happened. I hope you know that, Rhysand." you said, squeezing your mate's hand, as you stared straight into Rhys' violet eyes. 

"But I should have been paying more attention to our surroundings. After everything that's happened with Spring, I don't know why I wasn't already expecting something like this to occur. That arrow was meant for me, y/n, and you saved my life." he said, eyes flickering to Feyre for a brief moment, his meaning clear. Rhys cleared his throat, trying not to sound as choked up. "I don't believe it's been said, and you deserve so much more than this, but thank you." 

The words were simple, yet heartfelt all the same. You didn't need to be a daemati to know that Rhys meant every word he spoke. Feyre nodded her head in agreement, sending a message of thanks and gratitude your way. Your heart warmed at the gesture, but a look towards Cassian told you he still was unimpressed. 

"You are my friend, no thanks necessary. Though it is appreciated nonetheless." you smiled. "But," you continued, letting the word hang in the air. "I know little of what happened before I woke up, and it feels like we need to talk about that too." 

The male holding your hand at least had the decency to shift uncomfortably at the thought. Though, he still did not start up any conversation, instead, feeling justified in the words he said to defend his mate - the love of his life. 

Feyre must have been filled in on the details of Rys' and Cass' conversation because a haunted look morphed across her features. "We never meant for our bargain to become a burden on our family." she whispered, staring down at her tattooed hands.  

Cass scoffed at the statement, and you smacked your hand against his chest and narrowed your eyes in his direction. "What?" he protested. "I thought we wanted to have an honest conversation here?" 

"Cass is right." Rhys spoke. "I don't think we every really had a discussion about what this bargain means for us as a family. So," he paused, glancing at Feyre who nodded. "we want to hear how you feel about everything that has gone down." 

"I think it was a fucking stupid idea." Cass spoke up, not caring how it sounded. 

"Harsh, but fair, I suppose." Rhys said with a stilted laugh, trying to ease the tension. 

"I think what Cass is trying to say," you began. "is that, of course, we know what our oath to you as our High Lord and Lady means. But, when you told us about the other bargain, it felt as though the weight of the world fell on our shoulders." 

Feyre reached out to grasp Rhys' hand for support. "Cassian is right, it was stupid on our part. We weren't even thinking when we made that vow." 

"What would you have done, Cassian?" Rhys added, trying to appeal to his brother.

A part of your heart ached at Feyre's words. Turning your head, you gave Cassian a soft gaze and sent a wave of love and adoration down the bond. He and you both knew there wasn't anything the other wouldn't do for you. It could have just as easily been you and he with the death bargain hanging over your shoulders. 

"Love may not always make sense, but that doesn't make it stupid. It's not like Cass and I wouldn't have done the same thing in a moment of high emotions." you admitted. "Though, our deaths don't necessarily lead to the Night Court being thrown into chaos." 

Rhys and Feyre both looked ashamed at the statement. "That is a conversation Rhys and I have had many times. And something we've been planning to share with you all. Soon." she promised, nodding solemnly.

You and Cass both nodded at the sentiment. It was a relief to know all this worrying had not been one-sided all these months. However, Feyre's words did not - nor could not - suddenly fix everything. There was still an acknowledgement of their actions that had yet to be addressed. An acknowledgement of the fear you and the rest of the Inner Circle had felt since and all the sacrifices which had been made.

"Feyre and I see the effort you and Cass have put into keeping us safe, I hope you know that." Rhys offered. "I can't say for certain what will continue to come of this situation, but Feyre and I promise to keep looking for a solution and to make sure you, and the rest of our family, feel heard. I'm sorry it's taken until tragedy struck for us to have this talk." he finished, baring the guilt and fear that had been marring his soul for the past week to you and his brother.

Cass looked his brother in the eyes, holding the stare for a few moments. Your breath stopped as you braced yourself for another blow out, but through your squinted eyes you noticed the way the tension had dissipated from Cass' body ever so slightly.

"It doesn't fix everything," Cass started, and all three of you in the room tensed, waiting for another raging display of anger. "but it's a start." he relented.

The two Illyrians locked eyes, and Cass tightened his grip on you as he and Rhys had a silent conversation. The two knew there would be much more talking and healing that needed to happen first, but eventually you were sure things would turn out all right.

After all, it was a start.

oOoOo

a/n: there it is, part 2! like I said, I was really nervous about posting this, and I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations!

tagging: @captainsophiestark, @eerievixen, @kylaisra, @tele86, @starsinyourseyes, @lisanna2000, @highladyivy

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Oh f#ck I am kinda relived , thank you so much(I was scared that I sended something stupid)😌

If so, It was the Part 3 of Searing Pain btw. (I just can't stop loving how well you captured characters's emotions there.)

Searing Pain: Part 3

Yandere Ace and Luffy x Reader

3.8k words

Part 1 / Part 2

Recovery from any injury was never easy, but for someone suffering your given injuries, it was grueling. 

Pain had been expected. Between the broken ribs, absent lung, and the patched up hole in your chest, it was a given that you were going to be in agony for a while. Regardless of that, you were doing your best to remain active. It’s only been a few days since you woke up, but you’ve been able to get up and walk around. With help. Luffy’s help, specifically. 

Ever since Chopper encouraged you to get up and be active to aid in your recovery and lessen the chance of blood clots, Luffy put it upon himself to be your personal helper. If you were being completely honest, you had been hesitant to accept his help initially. Not because you didn’t trust him, of course you did, but you questioned how capable he was of being gentle enough to not hurt you more.

All of your concerns had proven themselves to be incorrect. Luffy has been ridiculously careful with you. It’s like seeing a whole new side of him. You need to get up? Don’t worry, Luffy will help you stand. Need to sit back down? He’ll help with that, too. Need literally anything? He’ll get it for you. Usually without even leaving your side thanks to his devil fruit powers.

As flattering as it is that he cares about you enough to be helping you this much, it was odd to see him being this serious. While he was still showing his typical goofy attitude in some respects, there was always this air of vigilance that accompanied his every action. He would study your face every time you moved and would fling himself to your side if you so much as made a noise on the rare occasion that he had stepped away.

It’s not like there weren’t other people that could help you. The rest of your crewmates were all capable of and eager to assist you in any way you need, but Luffy wouldn’t give them the opportunity. He can help you walk and eat, and he keeps an eye on you while you sleep, so it’s fine. He’s got it covered! He even tried to help you go to the bathroom, and it had been an uphill battle to convince him that you could at least do that part on your own.

That effort had all been in vain. Just because you managed to get him to wait outside didn’t mean that he wouldn’t damn near break the door down when he saw fit. Which he did when you hissed in pain while trying to stand up after finishing your business. Your pants had still been down, much to your mortification, but at least he hadn’t commented on that part.

Outside of that embarrassing ordeal, you did appreciate his help. Walking on your own was still an impossibility, Chopper had made that clear by stressing how devastating a fall could be for you right now. Franky had thrown together a walker for you, but it wasn’t needed. Luffy had taken that role upon himself. A good thing, too, given that the walker vanished not long after it was built.

Luffy was shockingly patient with how slow your pace was. He’s standing next to you with one arm reaching around you and holding your hip to keep you balanced, while the other hand is holding your own and supporting the bulk of your weight. His steps matched yours and his eyes were boring into you, looking for any hint of discomfort on your face. Beyond the usual amount, at least.

“Hey! I can see Ace’s boat!” Usopp called out from the crow’s nest. “And it looks like there’s two people on board, one of them has to be the doctor!”

Both you and Luffy looked to where Usopp was pointing. Sure enough, there was a small boat on the horizon. It was much too far for you to be able to make it out personally, but you trusted Usopp’s eyesight to be accurate.

Luffy’s hands flexed, and he kept looking back and forth between you and Ace’s approaching figure. You gave his hand a squeeze, “You should go over and wait for him, I’m sure you’re excited to see Ace again.”

“You want to see him again, too. We can wait together.” Without giving you a chance to respond, he began gently guiding you to turn.

“You should go by yourself. I need to sit down again. Now, preferably.” Fatigue was hitting you hard. A side effect that you had not been as prepared for. After even just a little bit of activity you would find yourself feeling winded and needing to lie down. You’re pretty sure you’ve been taking more naps than Zoro lately.

At your stating of needing to rest, Luffy’s eyes shot wide with panic. He whipped his head around frantically before spotting an empty chair across the deck. Using the hand that wasn’t holding yours, he stretched his arm over to grab it. Wooden legs dragged over the floorboards as it was yanked this way. The second it was in place, Luffy wasted no time helping you to sit. It was a slow process, but he never once rushed you through it.

With you now seated, Luffy hesitated briefly before finally going to the side of the ship that Ace was approaching.

Cautiously, you slumped against the back of the chair. You hadn’t been walking for long but it felt like you’d just returned from a lengthy journey. Chopper assured you that this was a normal symptom for your condition. Without one of your lungs, you were getting half as much oxygen as your body was used to. Fatigue was to be expected until your body could adjust to the major change.

A nap sounded great right about now, but if Ace had brought that doctor with him then he would most likely want to speak with you and not wait a couple of hours for you to come to again. 

Your hand drifted up to your head and pulled the hat off of it. The brim of the straw hat scratched against your fingers as they ghosted over it. Luffy still hasn’t taken it back since he left it with you when you were still unconscious. Seeing him without his hat for so long was odd to say the least. Granted, it’s not like he was far from it at any given moment since he was attached at your hip, but it was a surprising gesture on his part regardless.

Even though you couldn’t see Ace’s boat from your seated position, you could definitely still hear it coming. Striker was not a particularly stealthy ship. The roar of the engine was growing louder and louder by the second, it wouldn’t be long before he was here. Him, and the doctor.

The doctor most likely being Marco the Phoenix. You don’t know him personally, but you’ve seen bounty posters and heard tell of his feats. From the sound of it, he was as much a fierce fighter as he was a skilled doctor. You could only hope that he was a miracle worker with the severity of your injury. Not that you wouldn’t be appreciative of any help he gave you. It’s just that… Your life as a pirate is strongly hinged on him being able to fix your lung situation. 

Just as the rumble of Striker’s engine was starting to become grating, it stopped. 

A few of your other crewmates rushed over to where the boat was being docked to greet the duo. Chopper was notably excited to be able to talk to another doctor, especially one held in such high regard.

While you were eager to find out what Marco could do for you, you were also nervous about the possibility that what he could do for you wouldn’t be enough. You willed yourself to look away and put Luffy’s hat back on your head.

The sound of two people clambering up the side of the ship followed by the chattering of your crew tempted you into glancing over. 

Ace stood out to you immediately. Everyone had assured you that he had gotten away from the battle unscathed, but being able to see with your own eyes that he was safe truly took the worries off your mind. You made eye contact with him, and he grinned broadly while slipping past the small crowd that had gathered.

“It’s good to see you awake.” Ace came to a stop right next to you. His smile faltered as his hands hovered over you, visibly unsure of where to place them. Deciding that your torso was too high risk, he settled for holding one of your hands in both of his. “Sorry I didn’t stick around to see you wake up, but I wanted to get Marco over here as soon as possible.” His eyes flickered down to the visible bandages underneath your shirt, “So… How are you feeling?”

Like the fragmented remains of a landmine.

“I’ve… been better, but it’s not so bad. Everyone has been taking great care of me. Especially Luffy.” This was probably a better response than the one in your mind. There was no use in making him feel sorry for you when it seemed he already was.

At the mention of his brother’s name, Ace’s smile returned, “I’m not surprised. He promised to stay by your side until you were better, and he’s serious about his promises.” He leaned forward and flicked the brim of Luffy’s hat, “I am a little surprised he’s still letting you wear this, though.”

“That makes two of us,” you readjusted the hat to keep it from falling off. You contemplated asking about the promise Ace just mentioned. This was the first you were hearing of it. That would definitely explain his dedication to you. Who had prompted that discussion. Did Ace make Luffy promise or did Luffy come up with the idea on his own?

“You must be (Y/N).”

The question you had was going to have to wait. You look over to the source of the voice and see Marco for the first time. His posture is relaxed as he looks down at you, likely expecting an answer.

“Yeah, that’s me. You must be Marco,” you returned his smile and held out your hand to shake his.

“That would be correct,” he gently clasps your hand and gives it a brief shake before flipping it over and pressing two fingers against the pulse point on your wrist. He mutters ‘a little high’ before shifting his attention back to you, “Would you like to have our appointment now or do you need to rest?”

You could absolutely use some sleep, or even just a longer opportunity to sit down, but you wanted to get this done as soon as possible. You can’t wait any longer to find out if he can find a way to repair your lung. Or lack thereof. 

“I’m okay, let’s do this now.” It dawned on you that he may be tired after being on Striker for who knows how long, “If you’re okay with that, that is. I don’t mind waiting if you want some rest after traveling all the way here.”

“I’m perfectly fine.” He nudges Ace out of the way and holds out his arms to you, “Here, let me help you up.”

Before you can accept his help, Luffy crashes into him, “I can do that!”

Marco, much to your surprise, barely budges from the human battering ram. He looks over his shoulder at Luffy with a raised brow, appearing more so amused than anything else, “I appreciate your offer, but I would like to use this as a chance to see how their recovery is coming along.”

“Then just watch me help them, you don’t need to do it.” Luffy, never one to be deterred easily, stands his ground.

Ace clamped a hand onto Luffy’s shoulder and pulled him back, “It’ll be for the best to let Marco do this. Don’t worry so much, they’re in good hands with him. How about you stay here with me and we can catch up?”

Luffy scowled, “(Y/N) isn’t better yet, I’m going with them.”

The disagreement was only escalating, so you cut in, “I’ll be okay, Luffy. Why don’t you relax for a bit?” You pull his hat from your head and hold it out to him, “Do you want this back?” Maybe he’s getting anxious about being away from his prized possession?

The offer seems to be borderline offensive to Luffy. He snatches the hat out of your hand only to firmly place it back on your head in a way that it completely covers your eyes. “No, you keep it.” 

By the time you push the brim of the hat up enough to be able to see again, Luffy and Ace are walking away, though the former looks to be dragging his feet. You cringe internally and hope that you didn’t genuinely upset him.

“Your captain is awfully protective of you,” Marco notes.

He can say that again. You nod, “He’s been like this since I got hurt.”

“Well, now that he isn’t here, let’s see what I can do about that injury of yours.” Marco’s hands find yours and he waits for you to make the first move to stand.

You’re eager to get this over with, so you only take a couple of seconds to brace yourself before beginning the arduous task of getting onto your feet. The instant you sit up, your chest suffers a stab of pain as muscles tug on the wound and you wince.

“Take your time.”

You nodded but kept pushing forward. Now that you were upright, you planted your feet on the ground as best as you could and slowly lifted your body off the chair. All the while your hands were gripping onto Marco’s like he was your lifeline, which he may very well be at this point. Every movement and twitch of your shoulders pulled on your chest wound and you had to bite back the urge to scream. Something you’ve learned to do very well over the course of the last few days.

Marco studied you intensely, taking in every little reaction you had. Once you were finally on your feet, he paused and allowed you to catch your breath. A task easier said than done. “I-I’m sorry, just give me a minute. Please.”

“There’s no rush, don’t force yourself on my behalf. You’re doing very well,” he assured you.

This really did not feel like “doing very well”, but who were you to argue with him? This would typically be the point where you lean forward and rest some of your weight onto Luffy, but you didn’t know Marco well enough to be able to assume that he would be okay with you doing that.

Your breathing was about as good as it was going to get, “Okay. I’m okay. Let’s go.”

Luckily for you, the infirmary wasn’t far from where you were previously seated. Once you were properly up on your feet, walking wasn’t too hard on you. It was just the act of getting there and your rapidly decreasing stamina that got in the way. 

Unluckily for you, you needed to be laid down once you got to the infirmary. It was even worse than sitting up since it required much more movement in your torso. Marco did everything he could to ease you back onto it, but you were still on the verge of tears by the time you were fully settled onto the bed. Luffy’s hat was placed on the bedside table for the time being.

Marco stepped away from the bed and rummaged around Chopper’s desk, pulling out some papers. He didn’t spend long reading over them before dropping it onto the desk and grabbing a stethoscope. He returned to the bed and sat down next to you.

The chestpiece was lightly pressed against where your remaining lung was and he asked you to breathe in and out a couple of times. You did just that. Every breath ached, but you’ve gotten used to it the last few days. The chestpiece was moved to the other side of your chest and you were asked to repeat the action again. You aren’t entirely sure what he’s expecting to hear over there, but again, what would you know?

It would seem he found whatever he was looking for and the stethoscope was discarded. His hands hovered over your ribcage, “I’m going to check your ribs, please let me know where it hurts at.”

You nodded and his hands began tracing over each rib. It didn’t take long for you to flinch and say, “Right there.” The process was repeated on every affected rib. All of them hurt and you said as much. Fortunately, Marco was extremely careful so it wasn’t anywhere near as painful as it could have been.

“I need to look at the wound now, so I have to unbutton your shirt. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s okay.” Whatever he was going to see from undoing your shirt was nothing compared to the Luffy-bathroom-incident. You would live.

Marco made quick work of the buttons, then came the bandages. Rather than sitting you up again to unravel them, he pulled out a pair of scissors and cut through them instead. An act of mercy in your humble opinion. 

You trained your eyes on the ceiling, not at all wanting to see the wound. “Am I going to need to roll over so you can see the exit wound on my back?” You really hope he doesn’t.

There’s a brief bout of silence as he examines the now exposed hole in your chest. A choking level of stress builds in your chest at the mere idea of how uncomfortable and painful rolling over will be.

“No, that won’t be necessary. Seeing this is enough for me to work with.” Marco leaned back, “So, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

Your heart fell into your stomach at the knowledge of there being bad news. He hadn’t told you anything yet and you already wanted to scream and cry. “Give me the good news first,” you needed at least a little bit of time to mentally prepare yourself for the bad.

 “The good news is that I can heal your broken ribs and the wound today. It’ll take some time and we’ll have to break up the sessions so as to not shock your system, but I’m confident that we can have this healed up nicely by the end of the day.” He offered you a smile, but you could see that even he wasn’t happy about what he was going to say next.

“And the bad news?” You wanted to rip the bandaid off and have it be behind you.

“There is nothing I can do about your lung. My ability to heal others is much more limited than my ability to heal myself, recreating your absent lung is beyond my capabilities. I’m sorry.”

His words hung in the air heavily, and you were trying desperately to not start crying. The efforts were all in vain, and you quickly found that you couldn’t keep it in. Frustrated tears bullied their way out of your eyes and poured down your face as the gravity of your situation hit you hard.

This was it. This was the end of your time with the Straw Hat pirates. Your body was permanently changed in a horrible way that you would never recover from.

“I know that this wasn’t what you wanted to hear, but not everything is bad. With some breathing exercises and practice you’ll be able to lead a normal life.” Marco tried to comfort you, but his words were falling on deaf ears.

“Wh-What am I supposed to do now? I can’t be a pirate anymore if I can barely breathe right! I-I’m just going to be dead weight!” You gasped for breath as all of your bottled up fears burst out of you. Your chest burned and throbbed from the activity, begging for you to stop but you couldn’t.

“No one is saying that you can’t. Who knows, maybe you’ll make a miraculous recovery and surprise yourself,” Marco attempted to ease your worries.

“What are the odds of that?” You asked bitterly.

Marco didn’t answer immediately. It seemed like he didn’t have one. Instead, he placed his hands over your chest wound and wisps of blue fire spread across the area. The flames were warm, not hot. An uncomfortable sensation filled your chest and muscle fibers were forced to regrow faster than they should be able to. You chose to close your eyes and try to ignore it.

After a few minutes of this, the fire dispersed and Marco pulled away. You glance down and see that the hole is very much still there, though noticeably more shallow. Marco stood from the bed and searched for some new bandages to cover what was still exposed. 

“You know,” he started, “if you would be interested, perhaps I could make more progress with you if I had more time.”

“What do you mean?” Was he planning on staying here for a longer time?

He returned with a roll of bandages and motioned for you to get ready to sit up. You did so begrudgingly, but were surprised to find the experience not as painful as it previously was. It still hurt, but at a much more manageable level.

“I can’t stay here very long, but if you were to come back with us to the Moby Dick, I may be able to make more progress with your recovery. I can’t guarantee that I’ll ever find a perfect fix for your condition, but if you don’t think you’ll be able to stay with your crew as you are now, then what would be the harm in relocating for a while?” Marco efficiently begins wrapping the bandages around where the injury is.

The proposition leaves you speechless. Could you… Could you do that? Would it truly be okay for you to leave your crew behind for another one, even if it was just temporarily? What would Luffy think? He didn’t even want to let you have this appointment by yourself, how would he react to you actually leaving? 

Sensing your hesitation, Marco continues, “We won’t leave until tomorrow, you have time to mull over this decision.” The bandages are pulled tight and tied in a knot. “I know that Ace would be happy to have you there, I can send him in to talk to you if you would like.”

“No, that’s okay. I’m exhausted and would like to sleep for a while if that’s alright.” At this point, you don’t know if it’s your lack of stamina or stress that is wearing you out. What you do know is that you need some time alone to unpack all of this.

As well as to make a decision. 

[freelancearsonist]

el chico del apartamento 512

➔ Frankie Morales x gn!Reader - 1.6k

➔ There's a rumor going around your building about the resident of apartment 512, and you're eager to investigate.

➔ Rated PG-13 for allusions to sex but otherwise just some plain old fluff and fun. post movie canon wife and kid erasure sorry, takes place in colombia, both reader and frankie speak spanish and everything is translated.

➔ this is my entry for the Selena Drabble Challenge hosted by mi esposa @fhatbhabie <3 sorry i've been sitting on this forever hehe but i hope you enjoy

Frankie barely manages to pull himself out of the slump he’s in for the first year or so after the absolute disaster in the Andes.

He misses his family, misses his friends, misses his crew–his brothers. He tries to convince himself that it’s for the best, that it’s only a matter of time before those assholes who were in cahoots with Lorea come after him–that the people he loves will be safer and happier if he’s not around them when it happens. And most of the time he can block all that sadness and pain out by throwing his whole mind and body into the earnest construction job he picks up in this new town within this new country. But it catches up to him late at night in dreams and quiet whispers of intrusive thoughts; that he’s a coward for abandoning the ones that needed him most, that he could’ve done more to make that damned mission less of a disaster. That he could’ve come out of it rich and happy if he wasn’t such a fuck-up.

He wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, an ache so deep in his chest that it feels like he’s been shot. He clutches at his sternum and tries to catch his breath but he can’t. His body wracks with sobs and he knows he’ll never be okay again.

But somehow, he ends up okay anyway. Somehow, he falls back to sleep just to repeat the cycle the next day.

There’s a rumor going around amongst your neighbors that apartment 512 is haunted.

People hear things–weird things. Screaming, crying, banging–and always at the dead of night. And everyone swears up and down that they’ve never seen the guy who supposedly lives there. The people who say they have seen him get more dramatic with their descriptions every time–toweringly tall, shoulders that could stand up to a wrecking ball, hauntingly sad eyes and gaunt face. It’s like he’s a thing of legend–a story they tell their kids to make sure they behave. “Don’t run in the halls or the guy from apartment 512 will get you.”

You figure he’s probably just some guy who works long hours and likes to watch horror movies to unwind or something–not a monster or a ghost, just misunderstood. You haven’t seen the guy yourself, but you kinda like him anyway. The building’s certainly been a lot quieter since he moved in… well, everywhere except his own apartment, at least. 

You find yourself keeping a more vigilant eye out, alert to any face in the building that doesn’t look familiar. It seems kinda silly to want to see someone you don’t know, but you’re a little nosy and a little more than curious. If there’s some truth to the rumors that have been going around by the people who claim to have seen him, you want to find out for yourself.

It’s a completely ordinary night when you notice an unfamiliar face in the mailroom, and you have to do a double take. This stranger is handsome–tall and dark with shaggy brown hair and an even shaggier patch of stubble across his jaw.

He’s just standing there, staring blankly at a row of mailboxes, looking so… foreboding. You approach slowly, cautiously; part of you thinks you should just walk away and let this man do whatever he’s doing. But there’s a large, louder part of you that approaches with curiosity. There’s just something about him that draws you in, that makes you put on your best smile and ask, “Señor? Necesitas ayuda?” (Do you need help, sir?)

He blinks slowly, heavily, and then dark brown eyes flicker towards you.

“Oh!” He clears his throat and it’s like he’s coming back from an out of body experience–the color returns to his face, his eyes lose that glassy sheen, and his posture loosens a bit. He looks friendly now, sheepish even. He wrings his big hands and shifts on his feet, as if he’s been caught at a vulnerable moment. “Lo siento, estaba en la nube.” (Sorry, I was spacing out.)

“Está bien,” you tell him with your most disarming smile. “Andas buscando algo?” (It’s okay. / Are you looking for something?)

“No, solo estoy recopilando mi correo,” he rumbles before flashing you the most charming smile you’ve ever seen in your life. (No, I’m just getting my mail.)

He fishes through his pockets and finds a small silver key–and then he inserts it into the box labeled “512”.

“Tú vives en el apartamento 512?” There’s a strange air of reverence in your voice despite trying to hide it. This is the guy everyone’s been talking about, and he doesn’t seem nearly as monstrous as everyone tried to make him sound. (You live in apartment 512?)

“Uhhh… sí?” He chuckles and looks over to you, and you can see the way his brow furrows at the look of shocked surprise on your face.

You realize you’re actually gaping open-mouthed at the poor guy, and you snap your mouth closed as soon as you see the little crease between his brows deepen. Not soon enough for it to go unnoticed, though–the corner of his mouth flickers up in a pseudo-smirk, and god he’s handsome.

“No hemos tenido la oportunidad de conocernos aún.” You look up at him and give your best, winning smile as you give him your name. There’s a strange, fluttery feeling in your stomach as his dark eyes meet yours–have you mentioned how handsome he is? (We haven’t had the chance to meet yet.)

“Mucho gusto,” he says with a smile. “Soy Frankie. Supongo que vives en el edificio también?” (Nice to meet you. / I’m Frankie. I’m guessing you live in the building too?)

“Oh, sí,” you say with a slight laugh. “No soy ningún tipo de acosador, vivo en el apartamento 526.” (Oh, yes. / I promise I’m not some kind of creep, I live in apartment 526.)

And then you catch his eyes dragging along your form, not even the least bit subtle, and you try your best to be nonchalant about the way you have to lean against the wall to avoid melting into a puddle on the mailroom floor; especially when you see those full lips of his curve into a smile, and you know he’s liking what he’s seeing.

“Nah, no creo que seas un acosador,” he hums–and there’s that damned smirk again. If you don’t get out of here you’re going to start drooling. (I don’t think you’re a creep.)

He grabs two letters from his mailbox, examines the envelopes, and then unceremoniously dumps them both into the trashcan in the corner with a mumbled, “Malditas estafas por correo.” (Damn junk mail.)

“Eso es lo único que recibo ahora también,” you tell him sympathetically. (That’s all I get anymore too.)

He brushes past you slightly as he moves to the door, and you get a whiff of distinctly woody cologne that makes your heart pick up a beat. You try to act normal and go to open your own mailbox, but he stops in the narrow doorway and leans against the jam to look at you.

“Te volveremos a ver aquí?” (Will I see you around again?)

You think the rumors about him were right, at least a little bit. He’s towering and imposing–he fills the entire doorway with ease. He’s firm and broad and sturdy and big. Maybe he would be intimidating to someone else, but all you can think about is climbing him like a tree.

“Sí. Puedes verme cuando tú quieras.” (You can see me whenever you want to.)

His eyes flicker indecisively for a moment, and then he draws his bottom lip between his teeth. “Qué tal viernes por la noche?” (What about Friday night?)

You try not to focus on how you want him to bite into you like that as you tell him, “Sí, eso sería perfecto.” (Yes, that would be perfect.)

“Perfecto. Te veré luego.” And then he flashes you that damned adorable boyish smile again before he retreats from the mailroom. You think he’s going to be trouble for you. (Perfect. I’ll see you then.)

The monthly building meeting is Saturday morning, and you’re glad to see Frankie’s decided to join in finally. Everyone throws curious looks his way as he walks through the room towards where you’re seated, but no one is curious or brave enough to ask who he is.

“Buenos días, querida,” he murmurs, discreetly ghosting a kiss against your cheek as he drops into the seat beside yours. There’s a hint of amusement in his eyes as they trail over your outfit: the same one you wore to dinner last night, the same one you picked up off his bedroom floor this morning and shoved on hastily to get to this meeting in time. (Good morning, dear.)

Before you get a chance to respond, your neighbor from across the hall plunks down in the seat on your other side.

“Escuchaste ese ruido anoche?” She asks, sounding more amused than annoyed. (Did you hear that noise last night?)

“Qué ruido?” You ask with a raised brow. (What noise?)

She smirks with satisfaction, like she knows something you don’t. And then she looks pointedly between you and Frankie. “Suena como si nuestro fantasma en el apartamento 512 hubiera conseguido un socio para él.” (It sounds like our ghost in apartment 512 got himself a partner.)

You nearly choke on your own tongue, but Frankie just chuckles raspily and wraps an arm around your shoulders. He learned all about the rumors from you last night over dinner, and he thinks they’re hilarious. Besides, they’ll die out soon enough anyway–he’s never slept quite as peacefully as he did last night in your arms–if he doesn’t feed them a little bit. And if feeding the rumors means keeping you moaning and groaning the way he did last night, he can’t say he minds it one bit.

➔ beta: @shakespeareanwannabe; dividers: @saradika-graphics

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[teyvattery]

genshin men when you openly flirt with them<3 / with an aggressive flirt gender neutral reader (pt.1)

To note: modern au, college au, separate scenarios | fluff, humor

warnings: cheesy pick up lines(more on Kazuha's) + a one-liner is nsfw if u squint(Xiao's) + use of the word 'daddy' jokingly (Childe's) + the prompt's already out of the window as I got carried away writing each character's scenario 💀💀 + reader's an aggressive flirt to everyone but gets folded by albedo👍👍

Xiao

Absolutely repulsed.

It was your first time meeting and you didn't hesitate to use one of those cheesy pick-up lines on him.

"...damn, did you fall from heaven?"

"..."

"'Cause you're as pretty as an angel,"

He ends up giving you a stony face which amused you to no end. Little did you know, he was still processing what you said and would only probably figure out the meaning behind your words hours later—which will of course sour his mood to no end.

Everytime you see each other on campus, you'd be smiling so hard for no reason. Just seeing your toothy grin sends chills up his spine, especially when you go after him right after.

You were so shameless. You're not that close for you to joke around with him like that. But even so, he doesn't push you away.

"Were you waiting for me?"

He could almost see you smirking as he heard your voice from behind.

"..." He was just passing by your classroom, meeting you was a complete coincidence.

But of course you wouldn't let that go. "You didn't have to wait for me, you know that right? You're so sweet,"

He thought staying silent and unresponsive every time you teased him will eventually make you want to go away, but it looks like it backfired.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

You were surprised at his sudden response. Normally you wouldn't get a single peep out of him. But even so, you restrained your excitement and feigned to be in deep thought before nodding.

"You."

"I'm the one asking you." Xiao was at his wit's end.

"And what did I say?" You laugh, gave him a quick pinch on the arm, and ran off.

He stood rooted in his spot, eyebrows frowned in confusion. Xiao watched as your figure disappeared right after you turned to a corner.

Until it dawned on him.

He almost passed out in anger.

The audacity! He's never going to let you make a fool out of him ever again!!

It'll be real hard to spot Xiao in the next few weeks even if you tried—he was so vigilant in his tracks you'd think he'd already transferred out... That was until you spotted him eating lunch under a tree. Lonesome as ever, you couldn't help but keep him company.

"Missed me enough to finally show yourself?"

You could visibly see him freeze and drop a chip in surprise. His back was suddenly straighter as he turned his head to meet your eyes.

"...can you leave?" He'd say in a dismissive tone, but you only laugh.

"Alright." Looking at his aggrieved face, you fought the urge to pinch both his cheeks.

"But just so you know, I missed you." It was true. It's been a whole month since you last saw him.

And maybe it was because of the way you said it. Somehow, he felt that what you told him was genuine.

You got ready to leave after giving him a small smile, but as you turned around, someone pulled on your hoodie tight—tight enough to make you pause.

"...Xiao?"

"I bought too many."

He said, not looking at you but looking at the paper bag beside him that was full of snacks.

"Then...I can eat them for you?" You ask him as you swiftly sat beside the man.

"You're so shameless." He shakes his head, and you almost thought you were hallucinating when you saw the small smile on his lips.

Childe

He'd be so into it!

"What's a fine gentleman like yourself doing in a place like this?"

"Looking for someone as equally fine like yourself," He'd be smirking as he leans on a countertop.

"..." Zhongli who invited you both to his housewarming party.

Ajax could never get enough of your dynamic! Finally, someone who can keep up with his fast-paced humor(yes, he's flirting ironically)!

It wouldn't be a surprise if the two of you have gotten closer ever since.

"You look so good in that baby," he says, as you give him a few poses wearing the new shirt you got. The wifi connection was extremely fast so video calls with him were the same as hanging out with him, you can chill while he's basically on a vacation on the other side of the world.

"Do I really?" You say in an overly coquettish voice, he had to go out of the camera's view to sneak in a laugh. You yourself almost broke character.

"You...pfft...you do.." He closed his eyes for a second and breathed in, clearing his mind.

"What're you doing daddy? Don't tell me...pfft...Y-You.. haha.."

"I what, baby?" He snorted.

"Y-You can't...resist my sexy aura..my sexy sexy charms..."

"Of...of course... I can't wait 'till I get my hands on my p-precious darling baby... W-Wearing their green Shrek shirt..."

You two were fighting for your lives not to laugh, both your faces looked like you were holding in a shit.

Suddenly a loud bang was heard on his end, making you two jump up slightly. Ajax whipped his head to see both his little brothers enter his room.

"See! I told you they're talking again!"

"Brother?"

They were fast, immediately crowding Ajax's laptop and seeing you on the videocall.

"Hi there," you smiled at the kids, but you'd be lying if you said you weren't a little nervous. This was the first time you'd be meeting Ajax's family, and it was in a way you didn't expect.

"I'm Teucer!"

"I'm Anthon, hello."

"I'm Y/n," you wave enthusiastically.

"We know," Anthon nods, and your brow quirked up in surprise.

"You know me?"

But your question was ultimately ignored.

"Your shirt looks odd." Teucer immediately went in for the kill and your face burned in embarrassment.

"Does it?" You try to play it cool, but at this point Ajax was already howling in laughter.

"What's so funny?" Teucer looked confused.

Anthon on the other hand, smiled wide.

"Y/n you made brother laugh!"

You crossed your arms and feigned haughtiness.

"That's right, what can't I do,"

"I hope you and brother will stay together for a long time."

"..?" Well that came out of nowhere.

"Brother told us all about you. You're nice, and you're cute, and you're cool."

You open your eyes so wide it almost bulged out.

"And you make brother happy. He said that before too,"

"..."

Ajax has stopped laughing by now.

You two awkwardly blinked at each other.

"By the way, I got a cool toy from brother..."Teucer was about to go on and ramble about the new toy but was scooped into his older brother's arm—both him and Anthon on either side.

"Now, now, me and Y/n have something to talk about."

"But I wanna talk to them!" "Me too,"

"Please? It'll only take a short while, but it's super top secret so we can't share it with you guys,"

"But why???"

And then you were left there, still awkward with yourself as you looked at the corner of Ajax's room. After a minute, he finally came back on screen.

"Sorry about that,"

"That's fine,"

And then silence.

It was real uncomfortable since you two were never awkward with each other before. You clear your throat loudly at the same time as he did.

"..."

"..."

"Maybe we should stop being so sus around each other."

"Maybe we should," Ajax looked away, the redness of the apples of his cheeks spreading throughout his neck and ears.

Kazuha

You'd assume that the way to his heart were flowery words.

"There was a thump,"

"??" Kazuha whipped his head behind him to look for the source of the voice.

"The sound of the moment we fell."

Finally seeing the person who was reciting the poem, Kazuha visibly relaxed.

"The sound that says,"

He smiles at the sight of you. "Y/n."

"We can never go back to the moment before." You continued.

Naturally, Kazuha gave his appreciation for the arts through applause.

"That was wonderful,"

"Thank you." You give a slight bow as you welcomed yourself in, and then sat beside him on the floor.

It was silent for a while, and it was Kazuha who first made conversation.

"How did you know I was here?"

"..." You scratched your arm, embarrassment taking over.

But even without answering, it seems like he already knew why. He chuckles lightly.

"You should head back."

"But I don't want to, I want to stay with you."

"...then I won't force you to."

"..."

Looking around, once you close the door...it was indeed pretty dark in here. The only light source came from the cracks of the deteriorating school window.

"I wonder why this classroom closed." You found yourself blurting out.

"They said this one was haunted."

You immediately whip your head to Kazuha's direction.

"You're joking. "

"Not in the slightest."

Faced with the ever-so-honest-looking Kazuha, you could only pursue your lips into a thin line.

"Are you afraid of ghosts?" He asks in a light tone.

"Why, not at all."

He looked like he didn't believe you at all. "And if I told you a story?"

You shook your head, cleared your throat, and instead began your quest to shake his heart.

"If you wanted to break me,

I'd tear easily as paper."

"..." Kazuha was at a loss.

"My will has vanished,

With it reason."

You had your eyes closed for dramatic effect, and you slowly opened them, meeting his pair of doe ones.

"This traitorous heart

Has fallen without a fight

I have no armour but

The love you flourished in me."

Silence.

"...I take it that you don't want me to tell you a ghost story." Kazuha finally spoke.

"Yeah, I don't." You stared blankly in front of you, at the lamp that was covered with a long white cloth.

"Today's poems were very well-thought, by the way."

"Hmm??" You leaned toward him in enthusiasm. "How about the other poems I've recited before that?"

Kazuha casually leans back a bit, putting space between the two of you.

"Of course, they're equally as good. Did you make them?"

As much as you wanted to take credit, you wanted to come off as a clean and upright person.

"Not at all." You denied, "They are penned by excellent poets such as yourself."

His lips curved up in a charming manner. "Then who made the last poem you recited?"

"....uh." Your eyes looked everywhere but him.

He wasn't forcing you to remember but you still felt pressured. "Shakespeare?" You managed to blurt out."

"Did you memorize the first few poems that came out when you googled, "Romantic poems" ?"

"..." And right at that moment, you were caught. You automatically collapsed in despair.

"Hahaha,"

"?" You look up from your kowtowing position, and saw him heartily laughing. The clear sound of that made your heart itch a little.

"Then, shall I make a haiku about you?"

"I..." You almost short-circuited. No way, he's really gonna make a haiku about you??

"I do not deserve the honor," you kowtow once again.

"It's not a big deal." He looked ahead of him, and looked like he was lost in thought for awhile.

"Your mouth is moving.

Up and down, emitting noise.

It's of interest."

"..........thanks?" Why do you feel like you've been made fun of?

Kazuha then turns to smile at you. "You're welcome."

"Why are you here, of all places?" You suddenly ask him after a while.

But as if he was already expecting the question, he answered placidly.

"In truth, this is a comfort place of mine." As he explains, a look undescribable to you was once again present on his pretty face. "It's quiet. Once I look out of the cracks on the window, I am greeted with the lush greenery of the campus' garden...even a tree branch has managed to bulldoze its way into the wall."

"But isn't sneaking in here illegal. Why don't you just go out to the garden if you like nature so much? It's less suffocating and dark there."

"People come and go in the garden. I can't be bothered to be disturbed in my relaxation."

"..." And it does feel like he's telling you to get out of his comfort space.

"I am very sorry."

"Don't be." He reached out from his pocket, and produced milk candies. "Here."

"..." You just accepted them. It's not like you're gonna eat everything.

"What do you see in me?"

"Wha-Uh-....huh?" You almost choked on air at his sudden words.

He.... He knows? But how??

"Wha-at?" You look at him with eyes as huge as saucers, and he almost laughed out loud again.

"It's just been a wonder of mine for a while. Because... I'm just a simple person. I have nothing to my name, and I regret to say I have no great ambition. I don't even know why I'm still in university. Hah."

"..."

"That is why I wanted to know why you're pursuing me. I, who isn't worth pursuing."

"If I told you, you're not going to believe it."

"Hmm. Maybe I would."

"You would?" Your voice lowered to a whisper.

Kazuha shifted so that he would be closer, fully extinguishing the personal space he once enforced. "Tell me."

"Well,

It's because I fell in love with your soul."

His long lashes trembled.

It was so cheesy.

But as cheesy as it was, it still made two of his ears visibly red.

"Love is a strong word." He says stiffly.

"And it is as strong as the feelings I have for you."

"Hmm." He looks away from the piercing gaze of your eyes.

Now his ears were not the only part that was red on him. Even his cheeks started to burn visibly.

"So, do you mind my advances?" You ask carefully.

"...if you really want to, then I suppose I don't mind." Kazuha gave you a smile different from all the other smiles he had given you.

It was a very good feeling.

Albedo

You'd never think that he had it in him to be quite honest.

"Hey there cutie,"

"..."

Yet another person who uses the word cutie. Wasn't Lisa enough.

"What're you up to?"

"If I tell you, would you really listen?"

"For you I would," You smile at him, which only made him discreetly roll his eyes.

"Yeah? Okay then. I'm working on an abstract algebra problem,"

It's not even the topic he's currently learning. He just wanted to intimidate you and make you leave.

...

What?

At first you were at a loss, but you didn't scurry away and instead stayed with him for the next three hours in the library. In the end, you actually were able to solve a few problems yourself. It didn't seem like you planned on leaving at all.

You two were only put to a rest when the librarian informed the both of you of its closing time.

Coming out of the library, you made a big stretch, then sighed.

"I didn't expect to learn a lot today." You turn to him with a light smile.

"And I didn't expect you to keep up." He was a bit regretful that he judged you too early. But was it his fault you approached him so...slime-ily??

"Well, it's because you're a good teacher..." You look at him in the eye, before your own pair curved upwards. "...Sir,"

He was honestly speechless.

"See you whenever," you wave at him before heading home.

It was a weird encounter. One that he didn't expect he'll have again sooner.

"Hi!! I didn't know we're in the same two classes,"

"?" He had to do a double take once he got a good look at your face.

"Ah, the person from the library."

"Good, I thought for a second there you've forgotten all about me,"

It literally just happened yesterday.

"Seems like fate doesn't it?" You chuckle and nudged him playfully.

"Fate, huh." He was still baffled at how he didn't find your face familiar. Not to mention the school year would already be ending in ninety days.

"By the way, are you free later?"

He stopped in his tracks and looks at you, who was matching his pace of walking. "Why?"

"Nothing, just wanted to ask you out on a d—"

"I have other important matters to attend to."

"Damn! I'm joking," you hold on to his arm to prevent him from speedwalking away from you.

"Actually, we're partners for the end of term project, didn't you hear..."

"..." How would he know. He was thinking of other things while in class earlier.

"Are you serious?" Your face fell. He blinked back at you slowly. And while you think it was pretty enticing—the way his long lashes quivered—you bit your inner cheek and dragged his ass to the nearest coffee shop to discuss the details.

Three weeks in and you were sure you two would be taking home the best score they could give to a project. With Albedo mapping out all loose ends and you executing the rest correctly, you'd say you two make a pretty productive team—and you surely don't stop yourself from letting him know!

"Another day's work done by the Albe(Y/n/n) duo," you huff as you shut down your laptop. You turn to him and give him a smile.

"Don't you think I deserve some sort of reward?"

"Reward?"

"I did almost everything today. You just proofread the report,"

"Everything you did was under my close guidance."

You chose to ignore his last words and cheekily, you point at his voluminous blonde hair.

"Let me play with it."

"Do you really think I'd agree with that?" he genuinely wants to know the answer. What did he do to make you believe in such delusions.

"Then give me a kiss for goodluck,"

"That's even worse," He packed up his own things before standing up from his chair.

"I'm going home,"

"Already??" You pout. He looks at you with eyes devoid of emotion.

"....okay, you can go."

Inwardly, Albedo was thankful that you could notice whenever his social battery ran out everytime.

And so you accompany him to the parking lot where he chained his motorbike to.

The walk to the public parking lot was silent, probably because you didn't want to annoy the guy since he's already drained from the work and your antics throughout the day.

"See you tomorrow." He says, before putting on his slick black helmet and mounting his bike.

"Wait!" You say loudly, startling him.

"..."

"Sorry... Haha," you scratch your head in embarrassment. Not wanting to make him wait any further, you quickly got on to the point.

"What if we meet up on the library tomorrow morning."

"??? We could talk in class," you know, like you two do when you sit beside each other.

"But there's something I want to tell you,"

"...okay." He almost said you can say it right here right now, but he was currently too tired to handle a deep conversation. From his quick analysis of your body language, he thought it was something that you two will take hours to process.

"Also, from a scale of 1 to 10 how attractive do you find me to be,"

"...........Are you serious right now?" Albedo was once again dumbfounded... For the nth time today.

"Quick, how attractive do you find me to be?"

"...." Seeing your determined face, he could only sigh and give in. "What do you mean by that?"

"However you interpreted it."

"... I don't think I get what you mean."

This blockhead. Did you really need to break it down and make it digestible for this man's brain. He's smart, sure, but in situations such as this...

"So you don't want to answer?" You grumble at him. "Then fine, let's switch the question. On a scale of 1 to 10 do you find me interesting"

You stayed deathly quiet on a cold cloudless night, in an empty parking lot with only the two of you looking at each other intensely.

You could almost feel your heart beating out of your ribcage.

"Ten."

That was the last thing he said before you hear the roar of his motorbike, and you were left alone with your gushy mushy feelings, mouth wide open.

That's it!! You're telling him!

The next day you arrived an hour earlier before the set meet-up time in the library. You just couldn't wait anymore, you almost puked in excitement.

To your surprise, he was already there. Even earlier than you too!

He was reading a book, sitting quietly on your usual spot in the library.

"Hey there cutie." You said in the slimiest fashion you could ever muster as you approached him.

You were expecting to hear a witty remark from him, but he was instead smiling.

"..." You almost dropped dead. Why the hell would he flash you a smile?

"You...who are you..."

Seeing your reaction, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"I was just reminded of something."

"..?"

He sighs, before standing up.

"What do you want to talk about? Here in the library, of all places..."

Oof. Too soon. You haven't even recovered from the previous shock he caused.

"Okay. So." You breathed in a lungful to muster up courage.

"So.."

"So..?" Albedo had his eyebrows slightly raised, and you noticed that the small smile he had on was still there.

"...hey, you're in an awfully very good mood today mister." You frown at him.

"Don't get distracted?"

"Whose fault do you think is it," you sigh, before continuing on with the agenda. "So um, yesterday, last night... You said I was a ten,"

"Hmmm?"

"W-When I asked you how interesting am I..." You looked away from his awfully intimidating staredown.

"I see. I remember that."

"I was just wondering if, I could ask you another question."

"Okay."

"Using the scale."

"Go ahead."

"UHM, so." You cleared your throat. "On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to keep in contact with me after graduation."

"..."

For some reason, he looked surprised. But he was quick to conceal it(even though you already noticed).

"Five."

Your heart sank. "FIVE ??" that couldn't be possible? Just last night he said ten!(to a completely different question)

"Mmhm. Five."

"But why ?"

"Well of course. It's only possible to keep in contact with someone who also wants to keep in contact."

"..." You blink at him.

And he didn't look away. Just indulged in your staring and stared straight back.

"So you mean..?"

"On a scale of 1 to 10," Albedo pronounces each word clearly, "How likely are you to keep in contact with me after graduation?"

"...Five," you breathed out.

"I said five, you said five. Then that makes it?"

"A ten."

"Very good." He reached out and did the unexpected; he pinches your cheek.

"Hey—!!"

"That's for all the times you pinched my side," he smirks.

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #342: Konstantinos XI

today on Grailfinders we’ve got an actual leader of one of Traum’s many realms, it’s Konstantinos XI. I love that one, can’t wait for Rhapsodies of Vana’diel to come out. all jokes aside, Constantine is a Crown Paladin to give his all for his empire, and a Clockwork Sorcerer to use his imperial bloodline to protect it as best he can.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

next up: the rule of cool, part two! …l

Ancestry & Background

our boy Connie is a Human, but a special human that can defend stuff better than most humans, so he’s got a Mark of the Sentinel on him. that means he gets +2 Constitution and +1 Wisdom, as well as a Sentinel’s Intuition for a bonus d4 on all insight and perception checks. you can also cast a Guardian’s Shield once a day for free, which is literally just the shield spell, and you have an extended spell list which we’ve included in the character sheet- the spells we’d find useful are in bold. finally, you’re a Vigilant Guardian, letting you swap places with someone who is being attacked next to you, taking the damage in their stead, once a day.

you’re also a Noble, so you get proficiency in History and Persuasion.

Ability Scores

first up, you gotta have Constitution- it helps you not die. I mean you definitely do die, but I promise you it’ll take a while, and hurt the whole time. second is Charisma. again, you’re going to die, but god damn if you don’t look cool doing it. third is Strength bc you still have to wield big swords when you don’t have help. that means your Wisdom is a little lower than I’d like what with your religiocity, and that means your Dexterity is neutral. you wear armor all the time, so I have nothing to go off of here. that means we’re dumping Intelligence. I’m sure Constantine is pretty smart, but we need something to be weak.

Class Levels

1. Paladin 1: starting at level one, paladins get proficiency in Wisdom and Charisma saves, as well as Athletics checks to outlast errybody, and religion, to crusade as a hobby. you also get a divine sense to detect otherworldly enemies. you could always do this, it just never came up irl.

also you can Lay on Hands to touch people and heal them a lil bit. this is even less in-character, but hey, extra survivability.

2. Paladin 2: second level paladins get a Fighting Style, like Great Weapon Fighting. if you’re using a two-handed melee weapon, you can re-roll damage dice that land on 1 or 2 the first time. you could also argue for dueling if you want, but paladins will definitely get more use out of the former. and that’s because you can dump extra dice into your attacks with a Divine Smite, spending a spell slot to add radiant damage to your sword. what spell slots, you ask? well…

you can cast Spells now! you cast and prepare them using your Charisma, and that means you can swap them around each day, so don’t worry too much about specifics! that being said, I’d recommend picking up Bless to improve everyone’s saving throws! if you wanna help with attacks more, you can grant yourself divine favor, for a lil bonus damage with every hit for a minute.

3. Paladin 3: at third level you dedicate yourself to the Crown, which sounds noble, but since you’re the ruler you’re dedicating your life to yourself, which is pretty average tbh. still, you can use Channel Divinity once a short rest in one of two ways- you can issue a Champion Challenge to force nearby creatures to stay nearby until you get ko’d or bored, or you can Turn the Tide and give a couple bloodied allies some HP back. it’s not a lot of HP though so I expect the former will be used more. (though the latter could be used to revive a ton of people in one go.) if there’s only one person you’re worried about, you could use your freebie spell Compelled Duel instead to force them to fight you as long as you only fight them. it’s always prepared now bc you’re a crown paladin, as is Command if you want to act like an emperor sometime.

you also have Divine Health so you don’t get sick anymore unless the plot demands it.

4. Paladin 4: at level four, you get your first Ability Score Improvement! that improves your ability scores, like Strength and Constitution, rounding both of those up for more powerful swordery and less powerful death scenes. yeah you can make those look cool, but like, you can only do it once.

5. Paladin 5: fifth level paladins get an Extra Attack each attack action, so now you can combo a bit. you also get second level spells, including your freebies Warding Bond and Zone of Truth. we don’t really need the latter, but the former gives us a way to eat damage for another ally, further cementing our place as a tanky boi.

if you’re looking for other spells, Find Steed makes you. y’know, a rider? and Magic Weapon gives you a little crit boost by adding +1 to all your attack and damage rolls. also you can use aid to heal without “healing” since Constantine doesn’t have any healing in his kit. it’s not “in” character, but it’s not “out” of character either.

6. Paladin 6: at sixth level you exude an Aura of Protection, adding your charisma bonus to everyone’s saves, as long as they’re within 10’ of you. you could argue this is a “wall” of sorts, but one wall a city does not make, so let’s keep building.

7. Paladin 7: seventh level paladins become even more annoying to fight if they’re pledged to a crown, since they specifically can use Divine Allegiance as a reaction to take the damage intended for someone next to you. this is why we grabbed all that constitution earlier.

8. Sorcerer 1: but why take damage at all when you can just build more walls? admittedly we don’t get any of those right away, but as a Clockwork sorcerer we do get access to some nice Spells that also use your Charisma. (tho the spell slot rules get a little weird at this point so check your phb for how many you’ve got!) Green-Flame Blade is basically a paladin smite but spread to two people, while Sword Burst goes even further and hits everyone around you. you also get Light because what self-respecting servant doesn’t glow in the dark on command, and you also get Thunderclap for a lightweight siege weapon. in the same vein, you can use first level spells like Catapult to throw literal siege weapons around. if they’re less than 5 lbs, anyway. (it’s mostly just summoned dudes throwing bombs anyways, so it tracks.) though you can up the weight limit by upcasting it. you can also get one half of dropping boiling oil on people with the Grease spell.

you also get Alarm and Protection from Evil & Good for free, though the bigger boon for this build is your ability to Restore Balance as a reaction, negating any kind of advantage or disadvantage affecting one kind of d20 roll, up to proficiency times a day.

9. Sorcerer 2: second level sorcerers get a Font of Magic, which basically gives them an extra spell slot right now. I will say you get your level in sorcery points each day, but that doesn’t mean much beyond the one spell right now.

you can also mess up attacks more thanks to grabbing Silvery Barbs! now you can basically force someone to roll at disadvantage even if you use restore balance, and if this causes the attacker to fail, you can give an ally advantage on their next attack!

10. Sorcerer 3: third level sorcerers can use Metamagic, spending sorcery points to alter their spells. if you’re chucking catapult materiel in melee range, you probably want to pick up Careful spells to ensure any allies caught in the crossfire can make their saves. or you can make your spells have the range of real catapults with the Distant spell metamagic, doubling its range.

speaking of siege weapons, you can make a battering ram now with Knock, letting you force open any door in your way, so long as you’re cool with a big freakin’ noise. you also get the freebies Aid and Lesser Restoration. we already talked about aid, but that means you can free up another prep slot from your paladin spell lists.

11. Sorcerer 4: use this ASI to round up your Strength for more powerful attacks. you can also Message Chaldea if you’re in trouble, or use Shatter for a bigger catapult.

12. Sorcerer 5: fifth level sorcerers get Magical Guidance, so if you fail a skill check you can spend a sorcery point to reroll it. that’s what I call some imperial privilege! you also get a better bomb for your buds thanks to Fireball, plus the freebes Dispel Magic and Protection from Energy.

13. Sorcerer 6: sixth level clockwork souls can become a Bastion of Law, spending sorcery points to build a wall of magic around yourself or an ally, letting them reduce incoming damage by between 1-5d8 damage. the creature with the shield can choose when to use it, and it doesn’t even cost their reaction! you can use this as much as you want, through you can only have one bastion up at a time.

that being said, you can still protect yourself… sometimes… with Blink. admittedly this is a big stretch, but having a fifty-fifty chance to move to the ethereal plane combos great with your champion’s challenge, giving you the classic combo of taunt and invincibility. why force six guys to fight you and stick around for them to do it?

14. Sorcerer 7: seventh level sorcerers get fourth level spells! we’re picking up Stoneskin for even more damage reduction, natch, but your freebies are actually pretty nice this time. Summon Construct is one of the only summons we can get, but at least you have a soldier to hold your greatsword now. you also get Freedom of Movement which prevents you from being tied up or paralyzed. Konstantinos doesn’t actually get any debuff resistance in-game, but it could come in handy.

15. Paladin 8: eighth level paladins get another ASI, so bump up that Charisma for stronger spells and auras.

16. Paladin 9: ninth level paladins get third level spells, including your freebies Aura of Vitality and Spirit Guardians. I can’t condone the former bc again, Constantine doesn’t get healing, but I guess you can use the latter to make some guards for the very short-term.

I’d still suggest picking some spells of your own, like Crusader’s Mantle to give every roman around you a damage bonus (though you don’t have to be so picky), and Magic Circle for another, albeit situational, way to gain a defensive advantage. I imagine you’ll have plenty of arguments with King Hassan, so having a spot to stand in where he can’t instantly kill you would be helpful.

17. Paladin 10: tenth level paladins exude an Aura of Courage, preventing you and anyone within 10’ of you from being frightened. convincing people to fight until they die is usually hard. this makes it easier.

18. Paladin 11: at our last level of paladin you get an Improved Divine Smite, making every attack you land a little more holy. and by that, I mean they all do a touch of radiant damage to throw even more dice into the mix. everybody loves more dice.

19. Sorcerer 8: we’re not done with the build yet! easing back into sorcerer, we get one last ASI to turn you into an Inspiring Leader. you might not be able to heal that much, but temporary HP is still on the table, so long as you have ten minutes to spare for a rousing speech. this adds just over 20 temporary HP to up to six allies so everyone can stay in the fight a bit longer.

that being said there aren’t any more fourth level spells I want so… Tongues? I mean you’re christian, it tracks. you can talk to anyone and they can talk back, plus it’ll make Inspiring leader even better since it widens your options for health recipients.

20. Sorcerer 9: the real reason we were in sorcerer so long is because Constantine is a construction worker. his noble phantasm can make a wall, and while they’re a bit vague as to whether this is a literal wall or a figurative one, I tried to cover both, since you get Wall of Force for free and pick up Wall of Stone as a choice. the former is nigh-invincible, and nigh-invisible, preventing all damage and creatures from passing through for up to a minute, even spreading into the ethereal plane. if the wall goes up where someone’s standing, they’re forced harmlessly to one side or the other.

the latter can cover more space at the cost of being less durable, and creatures can escape being trapped by it with a saving throw. that being said, it can be used to make bridges, and will even become a real object in the world if you hold concentration the full ten minutes.

you also get Greater Restoration but that’s not why we’re here. s'free tho, so that's something!

Pros & Cons

Pros:

shockingly, the defensively oriented servant is good on defense, with powered-up saves, ways to prevent advantage on incoming attacks, and even the ability to build literal walls between you and whatever wants you dead. special shout-out to the Champion Challenge/Blink combo, letting you lock down the movement of several enemies and then just not be there for them to hit. thank goodness the former only cares about physical distance, not which dimension you’re in.

while you’re great at building up walls, you’re also good at letting people in and helping the party. with careful blasts to protect any squishy party members caught in your bombthrowing, infectious auras of positivity helping everyone stay alive, and your inspirational speeches adding plenty of health to your party’s total, you’re just as good at keeping the party going as you are keeping yourself alive.

while again the focus was on building walls, you’re also great at tearing them down, thanks to your literal and figurative burst damage. like all paladins you can pump up your damage with smites, but you also have spells like shatter and knock to break through the enemies’ defenses to boot.

Cons:

your first Con is literally your constitution! even with that stat as high as it is, being half-sorcerer brings your health total down to just “pretty good” for a frontline fighter- plus, focusing so hard on that meant both your attacks and your spells aren’t that powerful either. even with smites, your damage output might be a bit lackluster.

you’re also a bit picky when it comes to spells, since I didn’t want to grab anything with real healing available. paladins aren’t healing powerhouses like clerics, but ignoring healing altogether means that every fight you’re in is on a timer from the word go.

speaking of spells, you need those for smites and your best defensive options, so you’re burning the candle at both ends there. then again you also need them for sorcery points to get skill bonuses, so I guess it’s burning at… troth ends? whatever, you’re gonna run out of magic faster than you’d like.

[ghoul-foolery]

Dirty Windows | 6 | Female!SoSu x Hancock

A Soulmate AU

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[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] - [ 7 ]

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When Nora woke up her body ached. After yelling at Codsworth, and the man, she had cried herself into a fitful sleep in her son’s nursery. There was a relentless pounding in her head, her eyes felt puffy. She was hungry, she was thirsty, and she had to go to the bathroom. And yet she stayed in her crumpled heap, tucked in the corner of the room. Crying that hard for that long had been deeply therapeutic. Nora should have known better than to run away from properly mourning; she was lucky it found her when she was someplace safe. Despite the ache in her limbs, and the vicious pulsing in her skull, she felt a little lighter. A little more willing to face the day.

Unfurling herself from the fetal position came with the popping of joints, and the stretch of tired muscle. There was an immediate want to jump right back into the search for Shaun, but she reminded herself that she needed to take things slow. If she managed to find her son, how would she be able to take care of him if she couldn’t even sufficiently take care of herself? Slow, Nora told herself. Steady.

Leaving her meager belongings tucked in the nursery, Nora ventured from the room and out to the hallway. It was dark, but her Pip-Boy provided sufficient light. With quiet steps she navigated out of the house. Codsworth was gone, and Nora felt guilty. The Mister Handy unit had remained vigilant, and stayed with the house for (an alleged) two centuries. Nora should have treated him better. She definitely shouldn’t have yelled.

She went around back to take care of business, not wanting to use the broken toilet inside, and stink up the place. On her way back inside, she slowed enough to glance around her backyard. Like everything else, it was decimated. Despite the destruction, she was pretty sure that she could make out the spot where the dog house had been. A small, rueful smile surfaced. Nora stepped out for just a couple of hours, and Nate let the damn dog jump the fence and run off. Hopefully the ol’ mutt had a nice adventure before everything went to Hell. Slowly, taking a very carefree stride, Nora lingered out of the yard and around the house. It had been a handful of days since she stepped out of the Vault, and Nora already had a very firm no-going-out-at-night rule, but as she wandered to the road outside of her house the familiarity hit her so hard that she couldn’t bring herself to worry about the potential danger.

Nate and Nora had lived in their suburban neighborhood for nearly three years. It was a lovely place, and most of the populace was quite friendly. Nora knew everyone on the block by name. She knew their kids, and their kids knew her. In the short time they had spent in the area, Nate and Nora Morrison’s home had been the go-to house on Halloween. Nate made it a point to hide in the yard to scare unsuspecting trick-or-treaters – and when they did start suspecting, he upped his game substantially. Meanwhile, Nora would be passing out the big-sized candies with Codsworth making special guest appearances. Nate had been so excited for Halloween this year… that year.

Standing in the middle of the street, Nora looked down the length of road as it curled around the block. During the 4th of July the entire road was packed. The neighborhood got together and held a potluck. The smell of burgers, hot dogs, and barbeque mixed with the smell of fireworks. On Christmas it would be lit up with tasteful lighting arrangements, and the kids would sing carols. The little neighborhood had been so lively, so friendly and inviting. Now it was a corpse; a skeleton. There was no life here. This place was nothing but a shadow of what it once was, and Nora hated it. She hated this place – this Commonwealth. It was decrepit and it was ruthless, and she truly had no clue how she was going to survive. Food and water seemed to be scarce, and she had yet to come across another human that didn’t want to shoot her on sight.

“Are you feeling any better, Miss Nora?”

Nora visibly flinched, her head cranking towards Codsworth’s voice so fast that it hurt. She silently cursed herself for not bringing her gun with her.

“Hi, Codsworth,” she murmured as the Mister Handy unit drifted to her side. “I’m sorry for yelling earlier.”

“It’s quite alright. I recognized your more common signs of stress before you went into Master Shaun’s room.” The AI’s voice was strangely placating.

At the mention of her son’s name, Nora dropped her gaze to her feet. Shaun. Her little boy was the reason why she would fight; she would fight and she would survive. Somehow. She would do it for him, and she would do it for Nate.

“Miss Nora? May I suggest taking a moment to have a bite to eat? You haven’t eaten a thing since you’ve been home.”

Nora shook her head, curving her arm around her empty stomach. “I don’t have any food, Codsworth. I’ve tried finding some, but-“

Codsworth’s voice lifted back to its friendly exuberance, “Madam, I asked if you wanted me to make you something once you had returned home! Come inside, I will fix you something immediately.”

She followed Codsworth back inside, and decided to pretend that it was just another night at the house. Nate was working late, Shaun was down for the night, and as she feasted on ancient snack cakes and warmed up beans, Nora pretended that the pictures on the shelves depicted more than the fading shadows of the loved ones that she had lost.

[armored-angel4798]

Part 1

CW FOR CANNON COMPLIANT CHARACTER DEATH

Steve and Eddie had been dating since after the mall fire. Steve wasn’t allowed to sleep that night because of the concussion, and his refusal for a hospital, but he was soo damn tired. He needed something, anything to keep him awake. So, of course, he went to the trailer park. It was late. He knew it was but he just needed some fucking help. He knocked on the door for Munson’s trailer, hoping he would be awake to answer. It took a minute but a groggy Munson did open the door wiping the sleep out of his eyes and glaring.

“What the fuck do you want at fucking 3 in the morning?”

Eddie hadn’t yet noticed who was at his door, or the state of them. He was just pissed.

“I need something that will keep me awake, please. Robin is driving me crazy about how I need to stay awake because I might be concussed but I am so fucking tired, man. I need help.” Steve knew he was crying because the tears were stinging the cuts in his cheeks. He couldn’t bring himself to care about how this looked to Munson. He was just tired.

“Woah, Harrington? What the fuck happened?”

“Mall fire. Are you gonna sell to me?”

“Christ, yeah, yeah, come in. You can’t drive on this shit. You need to stay here.”

Eddie had no intention of selling to Steve tonight. He had a few sugar pills that he could give him, make him think he was drugged. Eddie intended to sit vigil by Steve all night to keep him awake. He led Steve to his room and sat him on the edge of the bed. Gave him the sugar pill and told him to hold tight while he went to the bathroom for a damp cloth.

“I’m just gonna clean up your face, okay, Stevie?”

Steve hummed his agreement and Eddie pressed the cloth gently to his face. He took time to make sure the cuts weren’t going to get infected and applied some anti bacterial cream to them.

“It wasn’t just a mall fire.” Steve said. “There were Russians, I had to protect the kids and Robin.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” Eddie whispered. He could tell Steve was struggling to keep his thoughts straight.

“Hop’s gone.” Steve sobbed, “but the kids, the kids are okay, and Robin is okay.”

Eddie just kept cleaning his face while Steve rambled. After that night Steve kept showing up on Eddie’s doorstep looking for something to stay awake. He deliriously told him about his nightmares and few times while Eddie talked to him until 4 most mornings. Something in Steve had changed, Eddie couldn’t put his finger on it. He kept getting more and more enamored with Steve and Steve didn’t even care about the “drugs” anymore he just wanted to see Eddie. This lasted about a month, the late nights, before Steve asked him if he could kiss him.

“Yknow, Eds, I always thought you were beautiful.”

“Really, me, Stevie? You sure?” Eddie teased.

“I’m serious, Eddie, you’re literally the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, and you’re so kind. I think…. I….. can I kiss you.”

He was so close to Eddie’s face he had to go crosseyed to see him.

“Okay” Eddie whispered.

Steve pressed his lips to Eddie’s and it was the most amazing kiss Steve had ever had. It was just a simple press of lips, no tongue, no expectations. Just Steve’s feelings for Eddie and Eddie’s feelings for Steve. After that they were boyfriends, in secret. Not because Steve wanted to hide him away but because they were afraid of how Eddie would be treated. When Vecna happened, though, Steve is sure Robin clocked it right away. As soon as Dustin and Max burst into family video talking about Eddie being missing. Steve was panicked, the kids didn’t notice but Robin did. Robin who knew him better than probably anyone besides Eddie could see it. Her eyes widened at him but they didn’t get a chance to talk about it before they were loading into the car to find him. He needed to find him. When they noticed the boat house, Steve sprinted to open the door yelling for Eddie. When the door flew open Eddie was stumbling out of the boat he had hidden in and landed right in Steve’s arms.

“I didn’t do it, Steve, I promise. I didn’t do it.” Eddie sobbed into his chest.

“Shhh…. Shhh, Eds, I know you didn’t.”

“I’m so scared, Steve. It was horrifying.”

“I know, I know. It’s okay, baby. I’m here.”

The kids and Robin were completely forgotten in favor of his lover in distress. His sobs were breaking Steve’s heart as they sank to the floor.

“Uh… Steve?” Dustin questioned once Eddie had calmed down.

Eddie took in a sharp breath and squeezed Steve’s side again as he noticed their audience.

“Oh, Dustin. Hi.” Eddie said with a little wave toward the kid.

“Hi! Hi! What the hell, guys? What the absolute fuck!”

“Language, Henderson.” Steve scolded, “and back off if you’re gonna start some shit. He’s hurting enough.”

“I’m not… I’m sorry, Eddie. Are… are you okay?”

“I will be” he looked directly into Steve’s eyes as he said it. Digging his fingers into his sides again.

Eddie told his story and Steve told their story because Dustin is a little shit who refuses to not understand something, and they moved on with their monster hunting. A day later they found themselves in the upside down ready to split into teams and fight Vecna.

“Don’t try to be cute and play hero.”

“Hey, Steve?”

“Yeah?”

“I… I love you.”

“I love you too.” Steve responded, blushing.

When he made it back, Eddie was gone and Dustin was screaming, Steve’s heart shattered.

Part 2

[plagued-melodies]

Genshin men finding out their s/o is a former god + sort of general dating headcanons

Xiao ⋄ Dainsleif ⋄ Venti ⋄ Zhongli ⋄ Scaramouche ⋄ Childe ⋄ Kazuha ⋄ Itto

A/N - nothing but pure fluff (and a dash of angst but shhh that's a surprise tool for later), first time writing something in this format, and just wanted to experiment a bit. The reader is G/N for each character ^^ SUPER long post btw sorry. If you want any other Genshin men or even women please let me know ^^. I tried keeping to gender-neutral pronouns and descriptions but if I messed up lmk!

Content warnings: Cursing and a bit of angst but nothing too bad and talks about marriage with Zhongli, Childe, and Venti

Xiao - The Vigilant Yaksha

It took a long time for you two to enter an official romantic relationship.

Not a fan of pet names but sometimes calls you his Lotus Flower <3

not only because Xiao was scared of hurting you, an otherwise beacon of light in his karmic fog, but because he believed that falling for a mortal would be nothing less than foolish.

That didn't stop Xiao's aching heart each time you came around keeping a close watchful eye on you though. Something about you just drew himself to you, almost as though some divine presence had urged him forward.

At least that was his excuse. Yeah no, don't listen to his protests, he's just head over heels and can't admit it without turning a bright shade of red.

so when you finally got past his tough-guy exterior and came face to face with a sincere, kind, and caring interior that could only look at you with such adoring eyes, you practically melted in each other's hold.

Xiao never took your relationship for granted, he believed that one day you'd succumb to your own mortality and that he should embrace and cherish every moment possible while he still has the chance.

so imagine his surprise and utter shock when he finds out you won't die?? Like this man was not prepared for this conversation, let alone being told you're a fricking god????

Xiao can't say he's not happy in some form. You'll have all the time in the world till erosion do you part. Not to say he isn't curious though, seeing as he has no recollection of your presence or mention during the archon war.

In short, you just didn't care. You had your own people to consider and didn't want to be tied to Celestia, however, with your people having long been gone (through natural circumstances) for many years, you took to traveling the nations.

Not much else changes really, with both of you being immortal Xiao is a bit more willing to be physically affectionate, knowing his karmic debt won't interfere much with your own physical well-being and he's become a lot more in need of things like hugs, hand-holding, and even small kisses when he feels anxious.

"I know you can take care of yourself but I still worry about you. You may be divine but you still have a physical body to care for... I can't always stand back while you throw yourself into danger you know..."

Dainsleif - Twilight Sword

Dainsleif has been alive for many, many years. Having long since accepted his cursed fate.

He's also not a fan of pet names but indulges in it when you're alone. He calls you sunbeam <3 He's often reminded of how you constantly remind him of the sun he once saw for the first time 500 years ago, only this time it's an ever-present breath of fresh air.

Similarly to Xiao, it will take a long time for him to accept that he's allowed to love and be loved. He believe that keeping to himself and fighting the abyss order alone was best.

But Celestia Damn it, you somehow squirmed into his life and he'd be damned if he let you squirm out as quickly. This man LOVES you okay? Like he'd fight an entire group of feral abyss heralds to make sure you're safe <3

The guilt of keeping this massive secret from Dain began to eat away at you as time went on as you are perfectly aware of his distrust in the Archons and just gods in general. How on earth were you supposed to tell him?! You didn't want to make him distrust you or see you as a threat, anything but that, please!

You.were.panicking

Of course, with Dain being the attentive lover he is and someone who's able to catch on to the subtlest of difference and totally not you becoming visibly anxious these changes in your demeanor don't go unnoticed and he urges you to open up to him.

I mean, it's only fair, right? You come strolling into his life and break down his barriers and make him feel things, so it'd only be right for you to confide in him with your worries - if you wanted to I mean that's your choice and he understands that. It'd be nice though.

With a heavy heart, and a nervous knot making its way into the pit of your stomach, you come clean to the poor knight.

Dainsleif is... surprised to say the least.

Out of everything to be told, being told your lover is a god was not one of them. Far from it actually.

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He doesn't have an adverse reaction, he's just... wow how to even describe this feeling. He isn't disgusted or immediately put off by this fact. in fact, he's probably the more elated one between the two of you at that moment.

Dainsleif long since accepted that one day, after you're long gone, he'd be happy with the memories you gave him and that he would make his priority while you were here.

Not that this no longer made you a priority, but this made something in Dain snap like the rope holding himself together over a coursing river had suddenly torn.

He's been alone for so long, spent many nights with you next to him pondering whether or not he could handle your death. He's practically sobbing in relief when it hits him. He's not alone. He's finally not alone and the love of his life, of his eternity, will be there.

Dainsleif doesn't mind and even uses your divinity as an excuse to dote on you and do things for you that you are perfectly capable of doing at times.

Can't reach something? Don't fret he's on it. Carrying something that's a bit too heavy? What on earth were you thinking?! he's right there for a reason here let him get that for you, no longer your issue!

Dain only does this to tease you or make you flustered though, he only distrusted the main gods, Rex Lapis, Barbatos, etc. Those who would've been tied to Celestia more or less.

He loves you so so much <3

"Sunbeam, waking up next to you every day will never be a sight I grow tired of. I promise to try and be worthy enough for your grace..."

Venti - Anemo archon and Singer of Skyward Sonnets

Venti took a liking to you almost immediately, and boy did he fall hard for you quickly.

Calls you windblume (i know super original) <3

Literally, just you smiling at him as you tenderly helped him clean up from his drunken state and he was already planning your guys' future wedding.

I like to think Venti lives in the moment and doesn't fret much.

Yes, he's experienced great loss before and understands he is immortal, but he doesn't think he should allow that to impede his present and wants to live his life to the fullest.

And by fullest I mean drinking, singing, and trying to romance you bard style.

It works. somehow.

Don't ask him, Venti doesn't even know.

But Venti loves you nonetheless. Of course, he writes songs and ballads about you all the time. Everyone in Mondstadt, or just anyone who'll listen knows about how much he loves you and how lucky he is that you're his lover! HIS lover oh my Celestia he's getting all flustered thinking about it.

So telling him you were (technically) a former god wasn't something you were particularly nervous about.

I mean you still were a god, just weren't all too keen on being worshipped as such. And you were sure Venti felt the same way.

You were sure he'd be happy, and that it wouldn't really change things seeing as he was a god himself. You were right..... and wrong.

Venti was happy and static, yes, but it changed everything for him. Wondering how in Teyvat he never heard of you before and how it's just preposterous he didn't meet you sooner.

Most of his ballads now describe you as 'heavenly' and how you're "a gift sent from fate to be with him and to be together for all of eternity"

(inspired by someone else's headcanon) Venti would 100% try to change the books to at least include you and him falling in love, or at least make sure the wind spread the message <3

"Hey Windblume, have you heard my latest ballad on the untold story of how Barbatos fell in love with a serene god? No? Would you like to I was sure to make it as accurate as possible~ Ehehe"

Zhongli - Geo archon and God of Contracts

He's also suffered great loss in his life and is similar to Venti in terms of moving on. He resigned from his title of Geo Archon because he knew erosion would come for him too and he simply wanted to live.

So when this absolute blessing of an individual that is you waltz into his life as gracefully as ever (you accidentally spilled soup onto him while walking in the plaza with a to-go order

Though I wouldn't say planning your wedding fall for you, he's definitely imagining how you'd look as his lawfully wedded spouse in the far future.

Zhongli does often wonder at night if what he's doing is best, but then he sees the way your sleeping figure rests beside him and all his doubts are quelled right then.

He uses pet names gingerly, so nonchalantly and it kills you every time because he says them as easily as your name.

He loves using the name Chili for you since the soup you spilled on him had lots of chilis in it

Zhongli is a lot more slow-paced than Venti but a lot faster than Dain or Xiao (not that being slow or fast is bad tho <3). He's a true gentleman and wants nothing but the best for you!

Doesn't know that you know that he's a god himself, wants to wait a bit to tell you.

When he does tell you, that's when you decide to tell him. I mean, makes sense right? Kill two birds with one stone. Which was easier said than done.

When he told you he was an absolute stuttering mess at a loss for words on how to tell you. What if you left him? What if you wanted someone who would grow old with you? What if you felt inadequate?

Zhongli didn't mean to ramble he truly didn't, but the moment he opened his mouth he just couldn't stop but his words are cut short by a quick peck on his lips and the soft look in your eyes. You finally let him in on your own secret, just as nervous as he was but just as happy.

He's relieved, not as openly ecstatic as some others but he can feel a great burden lifted off his shoulders and it shows.

He's still in the mindset of "live in the present, thrive for the future" mindset but he at least has the knowledge that you'll be with him for it all.

Similar to Venti and Dain, Zhongli often uses your divinity to absolutely coddle you in private. During moments of pure domestic intimacy while you two sway to a slow song in your shared home.

"Good evening my dear, would you care to tell me of your day around the harbor over a glass of wine? I would want nothing more than to hear your voice fill my ears"

Scaramouche Kunikuzushi - The Balladeer

You've known him for a while, in passing. You weren't a part of the Fatui but instead were more or less someone the Tsaritsa would allow to come around (much to the confusion of the others)

Scaramouche was cruel, hostile, and only ever tolerated you. Knowing that your relationship with the Tsaritsa eld him back.

However, you slowly crept into his mind like a leech, and what went from disdain for you to being an absolute puppy in your presence.

Scara can't explain it, you just had this calming effect on him that he just fell to his knees for you (he was drunk and tired after a Fatui event, you were simply there to make sure he didn't get himself hurt but he refuses to acknowledge that and just lovingly says you bewitched him somehow <3)

must say that despite his tough exterior, when you unravel him he's unraveled for you and for you only. He's a lot softer and calmer around you and makes an effort to not hurt you, physically or emotionally.

melts at you calling him Kuni or just any nickname really, he can't muster up the courage to call you any nicknames

He's especially soft when he gains the gnosis and is now on the run. Not that he wanted you to follow him but you insisted.

After a while, he told you of his origins and his disdain for the archons as well, though you weren't as nervous about telling him of your godhood.

When you do, however, he doesn't believe you, it takes a lot of convincing but you finally get it through to him and it all starts making more sense.

Scaramouche is not particularly one way or the other, he is silently ecstatic you're immortal with him but wouldn't make a big deal of it, except when he's going out of his way to fluster you which is a lot harder since if you were ever in a relationship with this man you'd probably be a lot harder to fluster.

Isn't the best when it comes to words but will proudly show you how much he loves you and will state that only someone like you would be worthy of him when in reality he's constantly on edge about if you want someone worthier than him because boy does he have some abandonment issues.

Does go out of his way to make sure you're comfortable and will try to find any information on your impact as a god, no matter your protests about it being in the past.

"Well of course you'd love me, the divine are more likely worthy of the divine! Wait- no that doesn't mean I wouldn't love you if you weren't! I was just stating how it made more sense you- erghh I hate how much I love you at times..." (he secretly loves your teasing though don't worry)

Ajax Tartaglia - Codename: Childe and Foul Legacy

He's smitten for you, an absolute flirt, a real rapscallion of a player with your heart.... well more accurately you're the real rapscallion because you play him like a fiddle and he loves it

Does not matter if he knows you're a god or not, the moment you're in a relationship with him, he will absolutely worship you in every sense and spoil you like you're back to your glory days once more.

Because of his delusion and job he may have a shorter life span, this often puts a tear into your relationship for a bit, much to his confusion.

Tartaglia daydreams out loud to you CONSTANTLY. Often talking about your future and how he hopes to be wedded to you and have a small family, he adores you.

LOVES LOVES LOVES nicknames, will call you anything and everything!

His siblings love you just as much and he loves watching you play with them. Because you two live together their able to come around a lot more often even if he indulges himself like a workaholic and does not worry for his siblings' safety.

You know Tartaglia won't react badly, but it still makes you nervous about how he may react. You're worried that he'd want someone mortal and not someone eternal, someone who he knew would outlive him unnaturally as opposed to his profession.

You put on a suave act and confidently come clean minus the fact you're shaking like a leaf on the brink of tears and he melts.

uses every opportunity to use it to fluster you, he doesn't mind really he loves it because let's be real, he's a complete softie for his badass partner <3

Will now worship even worse, calling you every name in the book of how you were revered and will continue to use his position as Harbinger to get more info on you because Celestia damn it you deserve it.

You both equally worship one another, constantly complimenting and spoiling one another in lavish ways and daydreaming with one another.

He'd been hesitant about making you a sparring partner before because he was afraid of scaring you off or hurting you but now he's practically on his knees begging for you to fight him.

you don't use your divine powers often to fight but the first time Childe sees you do so he's awestruck and hyped up begging to have you use that against him in your next sparring match because it's so unfair that some scoundrels get to experience it but he doesn't, your lover, your future husband no less T^T how could you?

"Come on, please?! I promise I won't get hurt I just want to experience it once just once! Why do they get to and I don't? No, I don't care that they're now just corpses I know you wouldn't hurt me <3"

Kaedehara Kazuha - The Wondering Samurai

You're soft for him, and the fact he has such a soothing voice and calming aura doesn't quell that either.

It didn't take too long for you two to become close and practically a couple already.

Kazuha writing poem after poem about his 'very close friend' really started getting on Beidou's (loving) nerve because holy shit he would not shut up about you.

"Y/N this" and 'Y/N that" and "Y/N is a divine presence in my world" Beidou is ready to sew her ears shut (don't listen to her, she's just as bad about Ninnguang)

He also uses LOTS of nicknames, but like... you can't tell if they're nicknames because he'll use his poetic language to absolutely fluster you into a state of "are you describing me or-???"

I don't think he's not aware, probably something about the wind speaking to him about how, long after you're together, you are of divine origin.

bro really tries to come out to you about how you're a god, er well about how he knows you're a god instead of the other way around. Will literally use any example to let you know that he knows.

"My the weather here is quite beautiful despite the thundering storms earlier, what an odd occurrence my dear, its almost as if the divine themselves are present" 👁👁

Yeah Kazu, weird right...

When you do tell him, he doesn't change all that much. he makes some corny (but loving) poems about how he just knew you were an angel from the very moment he met you.

He understands that idea of mortality better than everyone else, and he often worries that you may begin to overthink your own immortality.

Loves that you treasure every moment with him just as he does with you <3

"Oh? Do you wish to tell me something of great importance? What are you nervous about? There's no need to fret. Ah well, I'm not sure what you can tell that the wind itself hasn't done so already. Still, I appreciate that you trust me enough to include me as much as you have."

Arataki Itto - The One and Oni

Let's be real here I dont think he'd really care.

Not in a way that's like dismissive or that he's not interested in you or your former life as a god.

No, it's more or less he just doesn't see you as someone to treat differently because of who you once were

You and Shinobu are super close too. She and Itto, although not related, act very much like siblings and when you first joined the gang it was Shinobu who helped you get acquainted and fit in with the group.

Being someone who didn't have much close family growing up (be it that you and your siblings are distant or you're an only child with distant or no parents), it was definitely a jarring experience to suddenly have such a close group like the gang.

While the members of the gang themselves acted like a family, you found that. even before you revealed your former identity, you were treated... differently.

The gang treated you super kindly and you still felt like you were a part of their family. It was actually Itto and Shinobu who began to act strange. Mostly Itto with him looking at you as though he's trying to compare you based on a memory of something else alone.

Turns out you weren't entirely underground with your former..... escapades as much as you thought

Turns out scholars and researchers are VERY much aware that this former god is still around since a recent spike in divine affairs had started discussions around mortal-acting gods. Oh if only they knew of a certain Liyue consultant~ *sigh*

You didn't realize this and still hold a mortal form very similar looking to your previous form, not that you would have changed it by much. That shit takes too much time honestly.

One of these scholars had begun to ask around the city and gang noticing the resemblance between some traveling merchant and some god?

Shinobu immediately began to connect the dots not too long after you joined and Itto, being her honorary brother and who was practically whipped for you the moment you joined, was included in her speculations.

The confrontation was awkward, to say the least.

Shinobu was trying to be more smooth about it while Itto was being blunt

They honestly don't think of you as anything more or less than what they know you as, Teyvat no longer relies so heavily on gods that aren't Archons and is moving past a time of the gods. Especially over a god who had no desire to be revered by mortals.

Itto comes up with the strangest nicknames.

Motherfucker once called you a Sea Ganoderma (lovingly)

you don't mind. You know he means well.

He likes to refer to you as his "One and Oni darling" and spends every moment he can to make sure you know how much he loves you.

overall soft vibes and you wouldn't trade it for the world.

If you want a part two, please request some characters or even prompts you guys have! Will make a post detailing what I will write for and what I will not write for :)

[direwombat]

a wip wednesday? on my birthday? it's more likely than you think 🎉

tagged by @adelaidedrubman and @g0dspeeed to share some wip (tysm~! <3)

enjoy the first little bit of katc chapter 6/interlude ii

Hope County, MT. September 13, 2018. St. Francis Veterans Center, Whitetail Mountains. 10:35pm.

Toiling away by the light of a single desk lamp, Jacob Seed sits hunched over his desk, going over the day’s reports. Throughout the course of the evening, his reading glasses have slipped down the bridge of his nose and now perch at its tip. His neck and shoulders ache, but the night isn’t over yet.

Years of meticulous planning and intense preparation have gotten them this far, but all that time, they were operating in the shadows. They were outcasts by choice, keeping to themselves and biding their time until given the order to strike. Joseph had taken care to amass an army, just as Jacob, John, and Faith kept them well trained, motivated, and dumb. But now that the Reaping has begun, now that they’ve declared war, they need to act fast

Victory is never a guarantee, and the longer the fight goes on, the more likely it is that the Resistance will start gaining ground. The element of surprise is gone; now, he and his soldiers are digging in for the long fight. 

This is his final stand against the world who wronged him. His swan song. His way of ensuring a better future for his brothers and sister to make up for the way he failed once before. 

He will not fail again. He can’t. 

Just as Noah survived the flood, so too will they survive the fires of war. 

And when his family is safe -- when they’re underground, hibernating in the safety of their bunkers, he can finally rest. He’ll watch the world burn, and when the smoke fills his lungs and his body gives out from exhaustion, he’ll lay his head down and close his eyes one last time. 

His work will be done. He’ll have served his purpose.

But until then, he must remain vigilant and on guard. He is their sword and shield. He has a purpose, and he can’t allow himself a moment’s weakness until that purpose is fulfilled. 

He sits up and groans as his spine realigns and a series of violent pops sound loudly in the silence of his office. With a heavy sigh, he lets the report he’d been reading float back down onto his desk. His hand reaches for the mug that rests off to the side and lifts it to his lips. The coffee inside has gone from tepid to cold since he last took a sip. His face scrunches involuntarily, the acrid bitterness too much, even for him. 

Rising from his desk, he takes a moment to stretch before moving over to the coffee maker resting on one of his filing cabinets for a refill. What’s left in the carafe is still warm, and he stops pouring only when the surface tension threatens to break. Carefully lifting the mug once again, he takes a sip. It burns his tongue and he breathes a small sigh of relief. That’s better. 

His attention turns to the bulletin board on the nearby wall and regards it with a critical eye. He’d been adding pins and grainy photographs to it as he’s been getting reports in. Overall, the Reaping has been going according to plan -- at least according to his Chosen. He holds an iron grip over the Whitetails, and according to the faxes he’s received from the Valley and Henbane, the infantry has done well to overpower the average citizen of the county.

His men are all in position and the outposts are secure. Roadblocks are in place at all entrances and exits to the Whitetails and there are regular boat patrols along the shores. Radio jammers are blocking all non-Project frequencies, cutting off enemy communication. Jess Black has been captured and is being held at the lumber mill, and Deputy Pratt is set to be shipped to the Grand View for conditioning at dawn. 

And with the rogue Deputy currently in John’s custody, he can focus his attention on neutralizing the one threat that’s his own damn fault. 

Eli Palmer knows too much.

Jacob should have known it was a mistake to trust him. Bringing in outsiders is always dangerous, but he’d been so sure he could convince Eli to join the cause. He was a former soldier and current prepper. He saw the state of the world; knew it was only a matter of time before it came to an end. It’s how he’d convinced the man to help build the bunkers in the first place. He never said anything to confirm or deny, but he’d allowed Eli to think that the bunkers were meant for everyone in the county. Or, at least he did up until a few weeks ago when he’d asked him to join the project; fight as one of his Chosen. 

After all Jacob had done to give Eli purpose -- especially after his wife took the kid and ran -- all he got in return was betrayal. The other man had all but spit in his face before sneaking away in the dead of night not just with the blueprints for the Armory, but his siblings’ bunkers as well. He’s been hiding somewhere in the Whitetails ever since, and if Jacob’s intel is to be believed, then it sounds like Eli’s trying to piece together his own army to fight back. 

The very man who helped build their arks -- their salvation -- could just as easily destroy them. Jacob needs to stop that before it happens. He needs to nip that little problem in the bud before Eli gathers enough bodies to launch a counter-attack. 

Eli Palmer needs to die.  

tagging: @wrathfulrook, @harmonyowl, @ivymarquis, @jillvalentinesday, @cassietrn, @poetikat, @confidentandgood, @strafethesesinners, @afarcry5fromstraight, @miyabilicious, @simplegenius042, @inafieldofdaisies, @josephslittledeputy, @aceghosts, @madparadoxum, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @voidika, @strangefable (taglist opt in/out)

[ninjakittycomics]

Nick and Hancock headcannon

In this unusual turn of events, Nick is Watson to Hancock's Holmes.

"That utter jerk! How dare he play with chemicals so dangerous. He could have fried! He has no idea how precious he is, to this town and to me!"

Back when Nick first moved into Diamond city, he had nowhere to go. Perhaps it was a lark to piss off his brother, or it was Hancock's huge heart, but he took Nicky in and got him set up in town.

Hancock's not anti synth if they're on the level. It's the sneaking and the body snatching that he disproves of.

Fast forward a couple of years and Hancock's scheming no good brother gets to be mayor. Cram for brains ran on a "ghouls bad" ticket, and sadly... He won because of 3 votes.

Well, Hancock decided to teach him a lesson and took a chem that was guaranteed to either ghoulify you or make you the crispiest bacon this side of the Commonwealth. Wildest ride he ever took, he said.

Worst nights of Nick's synthetic life.

Nick sat vigil since he doesn't need sleep. It was really touch and go. Especially with sped up ghoulification. They had no idea if it would slow down, halt... anything.

Nick kept saying to Hancock's unconscious form, "If you survive this, I'm making you detox for a whole damn year."

About a week or two later, Hancock came out of it. Stable, a bit rough.. but feeling stronger. And a little embarrassed/honored that his Nicky was there.

His stunt did not have the desired effect though. About a week after Hancock came to, that mayor wearing his brother's face, kicked every last ghoul out. Including him.

This time, Nicky was going to help with the setting up and resettling.

He had scouted on one of his investigations, an old semi fortified ruins near the highway. Very few ways to get in, because of the way the ruins intersected.

He had chased the suspect near there, but then the darn fool ran up the road and into the super mutant nest...

Fortunately, they dont seem to bother ghouls for some unknown reason. So this location would be perfect for the citizens of Diamond city who were being run off.

Hancock made sure there was a rudimentary ballot system, so people still had a say in their leadership. While that was getting underway, he and Nick scouted for some mercs and a security system that would work while they established.

Spotted a broken legged assaultron who had named herself Kleo, and who was, well, chatty, when they met. Which is a first considering all the other bots out there.

They fixed her up, while she went on and on about wanting to be a shopkeeper. So they set her up with her shop(first stocked with loot from the idiots who opposed them on the way back to town) right in that new front gate.

While all that was going on, Nicky's boy Hancock got himself elected.

He was so damn proud.

Hancock took some time to think about what he wanted to say. He was sure he'd never be his brother.

This town was always going to welcome the people. Of the people, for the people.

Nick now makes it an important stop, every time he's on any kind of search in the area. The town is thriving, the music is great... And yeah, he won't complain too hard about some of the questionable characters, because that means he's always got an excuse to come check on him.

As for Hancock, after seeing Nicky come as close to crying as he possibly could, he swore to Nick he'd never take anything experimental again. Stick to the old trusty mind expanders.

Nick grumbled at this, because he doesn't want Hancock to destroy his beautiful mind, but relented in the end. At least he was mostly safe.

Side side side note. They're unofficially married. I mean, Magnolia officiated, and Whitechapel Charlie witnessed, but they keep it on the dl, to keep would be targeters at bay. (commonwealth has it's complications afterall)

[eemamminy-art]

Author Interview

Tagged by @allaganexarch!! 😊

Long post with many questions below the cut

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

Somehow... I have 50?? Wild to me, but I suppose I have had the account for 10 years so maybe that's not so strange.

2. what's your total AO3 word count?

142,785. I don't know if that's a lot or not, I tend to just write short oneshots because it's all I have patience for lol

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Anything that catches my interest really haha most of my fics at this point are FFXIV but.. so is most of my art, it's kind of had me in a chokehold for the last 6 years

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

(all of the following are explicit btw, be careful if clicking the links. Just mind warnings and tags thanks :3)

Licking Wounds - FFXIV (Estinien/Aymeric) - 247 kudos I want to chock this up to just the fact that I wrote it in 2018 when there was next to nothing in the ship tag lol. After I wrote it I started writing a lot lot lot more (in longform rp mostly and then moved onto fic) and I feel like everything else I've written afterward is so much better!! It kind of irks me when people have said it's their favorite estimeric fic of mine, because it is far and away my least favorite thing I've written for the ship.

Say my name - FFXIV (Estinien/Aymeric) - 204 kudos This was honestly like my attempt 2 at the story I wanted to convey in Licking Wounds, but it's 10000% better please read this one instead 😂 Both this one and the previous one are meant to be the inception of their relationship immediately following the Through Fire and Blood canon short story.

Sleepless Night - FFXIV (Estinien/Aymeric) - 185 kudos I sort of revisited the idea in this one later too (Chipped Porcelain), but I'm still not 100% satisfied with it so I may return to this idea in a third fic one day. I do like it for the fact that it's not set during Heavensward, which was a first for me at the time! I love stormblood and as little of a role as Aymeric and Estinien have in it, I really really liked the tiny mentions of them and wanted to expand on it. They have so few scenes in 4.0 and 5.0 that it leaves a lot of room open for exploration of their relationship at that time!!

Long distance - FFXIV (Estinien/Aymeric) - 151 kudos I don't think on a technical/creative level I enjoy this fic much since I wrote it really quickly without much editing, but I love it in the sense that it was one of the first things I wrote while coming out of this notion that post-HW Estinien and Aymeric are exes/do not like each other/have beef/etc. That's a popular fanon for them based on how they interact in 5.X and 6.0 especially but I can't stand it and it frankly makes me really sad! It clicked for me that they could just have a long distance relationship and that suddenly opened up my eyes to all the potential stories they could have outside of the context of pre-canon or 3.X.

Vigil - FFXIV (Estinien/Aymeric) - 130 kudos This one was kind of a sequel to Licking Wounds actually, or at least I made reference to it in there! Kind of me facing my old writing that I didn't like very much. I feel a little embarrassed rereading this one because it's really shmoopy but that's kind of my style when I create anything so I should probably just embrace that!

5. do you respond to comments?

I try but I feel so weird about it!! 😭 I probably should at least say "thank you" but it feels like not enough when someone sends me some long thoughtful comment, so then I end up letting them sit and be like.. damn I should reply to this... I really appreciate every comment I get, it's just that I am not very confident in my writing and struggle to accept praise for it I think.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

No one ever said it would be this hard, I think is probably the angstiest one! I love angst but I love it in the sense that it amplifies the relief of having a happy ending follow it. This fic though I wrote during a really bad time in my life, and after I had felt kind of betrayed by a video game character who had been giving me some comfort back then 😂 I had lost my parents in 2013 and 2014 and found a great outlet for my grief in Fallout 4, particularly with Shaun and with Piper, and it felt like a gut punch that despite romancing her Piper was NOT on board with reuniting our little family lol. In hindsight uh no kidding she wasn't, but at the time I was like wow how could she do this to me!! 😭 So I wrote this little tiny ficlet on a fucking napkin on my break at work on Christmas Eve that year, since I was already sad anyway I thought, let's just wallow in this shall we? And then I transcribed it after I got home later.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I usually write happy endings so it's hard to decide. I think Benevolence probably stands out the most to me though, because it's a happy ending for Zenos which is something I crave every hour, every day, every week, since I played Endwalker 😂

8. do you get hate on fics?

Not to my face, though I've come across some subtweets about my lesbian au stuff quite a few times. I did get a weird anon hate on ao3 the other day though that sounded like a high schooler wrote it 😂 I just turned off anon comments though because I don't need people wasting my time to tell me they didn't like something I wrote

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

On occasion.. <:') it's always really romantic though, I love stuff that really focuses on emotional bonds and senses and just the intimacy of it all. I do find that people tend to like my works better when I dip into more raunchy stuff, but it's really rare that I have any desire to write smut like that.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

So... okay idk if this counts, but my ex-gf and my ex-bestfriend and I had this LJ community where it was like a multi-universe rp but the rp was like, these random characters all writing on the same forum and being insufferable to one another 😂 it was so stupid but it was a lot of fun at the time!

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, but I've had my art stolen quite a lot of times.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Or at least, it's been asked of me! I don't know if they did it in the end or not. I think it was for some of my estimeric fics? I was asked on twitter if it would be okay to translate it into chinese, since there is evidently a decent community for the ship with chinese fans!!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not exactly, though my partner gives me a lot of ideas for things to write or draw, and I've been helping my friend brainstorm a lot for a series they are working on!

14. what's your all-time favourite ship?

As if I could pick just one!! 😩 Well I think in recent years it's been obvious I adore Estinien/Aymeric, Fordola/Lyse, and Zenos/WoL (specifically meteor but other wols are also good sometimes, depends on the wol though). They all make me really happy.. I do a little finger touch and have a little giggle when I see them.. 🥺

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I think if I were to finish it, I would go back and redo it entirely, but I had a wip that I'd just barely started about Aymeric meeting Thordan face to face for the first time. I don't really want to go into much detail beyond that, but I really loved the concept and have wanted to go back and work on it for years, but I think I built it up too much in my head about how perfect I wanted it to be. But maybe someday!!!!

16. what are your writing strengths?

Characterization and specifically internal monolog/descriptions from character POV.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Dialog, especially when it comes to the fantasy ye olde english type of dialog, too much repetition and too much simple language. Run on sentences, like uh all of this post lmao.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think it would be cool!! I speak like the most simplest amount of a second language so I don't think I'd be able to do it for a long time unless I had a lot of help, but I like the concept of it! I wanted for a long time to draw a short original lesbian comic and put out versions in both english and polish, but at this point the idea I had for it is a little too simple and my inspiration for it is a little too dim, but maybe one day I will attempt it!

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Probably either Inuyasha or Ranma 1/2, when I was like.. 12 or something 😂 If we're counting just what's on my ao3 though, my first fics were for Deus Ex (set somewhere between human revolution and the first game) though I have since orphaned them because I'm no longer comfortable with them.

20. favourite fic you've written?

I don't think I can narrow it down to just one!!

A port in a storm is without a doubt my favorite character study of Estinien pre-canon. It's in my lesbian au so it's not exactly how he would be, he's perhaps even more averse to other people in this universe, but it's I think a great example of his kind of frightened cat with their hackles raised demeanor. Plus it portrays really well the dynamic I love between Estinien and Aymeric, and also butch and femme identities.

Bewitched is another favorite, because it's another sort of character study but this time for Zenos. I really really liked the idea of Garleans being culturally conditioned to fear magic due to their inability to use it, and I liked exploring that in this fic, of making the warrior of light be terrifying and thus exceptional and noteworthy to Zenos, just for the fact that he's a healer.

Just Listen is probably the longest fic I've written both in terms of actual length and in terms of time I spent actively writing it. It was my way of working out my unhappiness with how the relationship between Aymeric and Estinien changed in canon while still trying to keep it relatively canon-compliant! It also was my way of showing just how complicated and messy they are, but unlike other fics I've read about the same sort of topic, I opted for love to triumph over all. If FFXIV has taught me anything, it's that even the worst and most hopeless of times and lowest of lows in relationships can still find happiness in the end with enough love and determination. 💛💛💛

Thanks for reading all this rambling if you did!!! I don't usually like to talk about or even acknowledge my fic so this was a good exercise in doing that. :3

Tagging: @4th-make-quail @notapaladin @salmonking @lesbxdyke @mariyekos @grahatini @randomsquirrel @sherribon @ladyramora and anyone who saw this and thought "hey, this looks like a lot of fun!" :3

[the-blazing-light]

tell us 1, 2, 8 and 9 for Arengar!

Thank you for the ask! <3

Why did they choose their profession? Arengar was trained in martial combat as well as any Blood Legion warrior would, being prepared to be a front-line soldier, leading his warband into a charge, however since a young age he also displayed an affinity for fire magic, his father's shaman legacy, that he had been able to train and incorporate into his fighting style. A combination of martial prowess enhanced by searing flame turned to be an incredibly effective strategy, and he less chose to be a guardian and rather just happened to fall into his profession.

Did they have a teacher? If so, who were they and were they a good instructor? Arengar actually got very lucky with his primus, as where most would see his affinity for fire magic as a threat, his primus, an elementalist himself, saw Arengar's potential and helped him develop his magic abilities further. Way later on though, after joining the Vigil, Arengar got into a habit of sparring and training with Almorra, the older guardian helping him hone his abilities and giving him a little more insight on guardian magic, rather than relying solely on incinerating everything in his path. Do they focus more on healing and protecting their allies or incinerating their enemies before they can do harm? This would be a continuation of a previous point, all that to say that yeah. Arengar is very aggressive in combat, preferring to solve conflict with brute force. Despite being a guardian and even training with Almorra, he never had an affinity for protective or healing magic, but he did learn to incorporate protection into his fighting style, all to keep up aggression. Parries, counters, a well-timed magical aegis to deflect an incoming attack and retaliate with searing flame. He's fast, he's relentless and he's damn powerful, with the combination of brute strength and incredibly potent fire magic, Arengar is a force to be reckoned with. "Best defence is a good offence" is basically Arengar's motto. Unga Bunga his way to victory

How much do they rely on their magic in combat? Could they still be effective if they were stripped of their guardian powers? Arengar relies on his magic a lot in combat to enhance his attacks with fire and control the battlefield, but he's far from defenceless if stripped of his magic. He's still a well-trained Blood soldier with years of experience in combat, along with generally just being a massive, powerful charr, hard to take down by default. He knows how to fight even without magic, but with magic in hand he becomes an unstoppable force

[ineedtherapist]

Dayum, It's been AGES and tbh I never thought I will ever came back but here I am alive and well (sadly).

Haven't write in ages tho so I'm starting off with my fav and slowly gonna work back up, gaining momentum and shi.

Hope y'all enjoy my two cents hhshsha

-al <3

Post Phantom Blood Robert

Robert general HCS Prt 1

Generally speaking, he's amazing. Like real type of amazing that people seldom realise since he's the side character and got outshine;

used by the plot to hype the main character.

The only different is that instead of Jonathan, bro got subscribed to a thick ass plot armor (unlike certain blonde 💀🙏🏻)

Robert who literally lived in Ogre Street.

Who make a living there, survived his childhood there which if anyone say it was an easy feat then ig we all are a certain high tech CEO thay bought a social media platform and banned artist compared to this young lad.

Ain't no way that's a small feat.

But then how did Robert did it?

That place was littered with scumbags and people doing cracks,it was criminals R&R with black market operating 24/7 like a damn 7-11.

And you're telling me, this hunk of a man managed to grow up somewhat save until he reached his adulthood?

"He's build a tank!"

My homies. To be able to even grow that damn big at that time where the police is as loose as the law whilst plague and poverty come hand-in-hand; and people's corpse piled up at the side of the street like a garbage heap is a work miracle itself.

Robert is smart. He's lucky and he got the looks and the charms needed to survive in that hellhole.

He didn't even come close to those who rule the Ogre Street but he's a convenient dog for those who did.

Know that place like the back of his hand. The people, the layout. Things that died and things that stay alive. Keep an eye out all the time and vigilant.

When, what, where, how. Those are the questions he always kept himself updated on. He know it and act upon it, waiting for the right time.

Robert act like a dog on a leash when in reality he's a stray one, pretending for the sake of survival.

An instinct one adapt in the harsh world where the strong devour the weak. Survival of the fittest.

Maybe he's a fallen noble, maybe he was already there the moment he opened his eyes but one thing remain the same for this man : he's alone. always is.

Has no one to rely on, to asked or question what was happening around him.

An orphan most definitely.

" Survive. Survive. Survive."

Like a broken tape, those words are repeated, buried deep inside his soul, become a part of him as he grew older.

Robert who's a smooth talker. A lady killer. An amazing conman yet never lied outside of necessities.

Robert whose mouth are as foul as it can be, even Dio seem like a saint compared to him.

And what makes the man so charming? The reason why one such as myself is deeply infatuated with him?

Robert was kind.

Despite living and growing up in a literal satan's den, he had always been kind.

Naturally, in order to survive, the line of his moralities start to blurred as the days passed and yet he didn't forget who he was.

Robert tried his best to survive and didn't yield to the others and then;

He met Jonathan

and that kind soul finally meet a reason to leave that place.

Before, he had nobody, no one to give his heart to. His loyalty. No reason to leave that place. A stray dog without an owner.

and then he met him.

Jonathan Joestar.

His saviour, his owner. The one whom he swore to be by his side no matter what happened.

Everything start to makes sense. Everything start to feel right. And his soul had never been more at peace more than anytime other than being by his side.

part 2...?