#so many angsty headcanons surrounding this piece

[an-established-butt-dent]

Wanderer

[diminuel]

Ace confessing he was thinking about using Edward hit me hard in the feels because yeah, that is on one hand funny and on the other angsty:

🔥: Nearly used your name, glad that I didn't now because that's embarrassing.

WB: no no, please feel free to use it, you're my son now, we can tell everyone Rocks was you being a rebelling teenager

🔥: 😦

But on the other hand I can see that revelation about Crocodile considering him at one point as a father/family bringing up guilt. When going with Rocks D. Crocodile, I headcanon that Whitebeard either assumed him dead and felt guilty about it, or that maybe Big Mom took him because she's big about family/that's a bloodline she would be interested in keeping. Either way, years later Crocodile hunts him down and confronts him about how he claims all these people as his children but abandoned him when he was a literal child that grew up with him, and they fight and Crocodile looses a hand due to that tho I think that would be either an accident or because of other circumstances surrounding the situation (I read a story once in which he lost his hand because he tied himself to something so he wouldn't drown but consequently killed the blood flow after leaving the Moby). Ace being on the Moby could maybe lead to him tentatively seeking out Croc again to see if they can finally reconcile or at least find some closure.

And yeah, Marineford is really weird when you get more information later on, like Sengoku is confirmed to have cared for Rosinante so it's weird that he should care that much about parentage with Ace. I think the WG basically forced the Marine's hand and ordered the public execution to eradicate the Roger bloodline and display their might while also hoping to get rid of WB. And they had to announce Ace's parentage because they needed a reason for this kind of spectacle, especially when we see who else just gets thrown into Impel Down, executions in the One Piece world seem kinda rare, either the criminals die before they're caught, they end up in Impel Down, or the WG just Buster Calls everything but executions by the Marines? Can't remember any besides Roger's and Ace's.

There's a lot of potential to give Crocodile a sad/ traumatic backstory when it gets to his loss to Whitebeard. I like pretty much everything! No idea what I'd go for (though in my Rocks D. Crocodile post I suggested that Crocodile reached out once for help but WB denied him - it would still fit in with Croc's potential rage that WB takes on everyone needing help, a home, a family. Everyone but him.)

And a Whitebeard and Crocodile reconciliation via Ace does sound very nice ;w;

Yeah, Marineford was a trap for WB and a display of their might but it seemed like a pretty foolish decision on the Marine's side because so many things could have gone wrong. And since it was broadcast - but only selectively (they conveniently cut out the parts of it that would show the marine's less than savory actions), they clearly wanted to tell a particular narrative. Still. Hmm. *squints at Sengoku*

[ice-cream-writes-stuff]

So basically the reader/mc/whatever is a beta tester that's supposed to be an easter egg? I love those kind of hidden things in games. Though now I feel like with the short appearance at the city of freedom rumors might start that we are some lost/forgotten god of songs. I can't imagine that at least Venti and Aether are going to be looking for the missing songstress.

Oh my gosh you read my mind!! So as a thank you! Here you go! As a thank you for asking! I love it when people ask! It helps me get a more creative flow to help write more!

The Songs That Traveled The World Au Extra! Character lines and fan reactions headcanons!

(Y/N) Fan Reactions:

Once people had seen your cutscene of you performing. It was very well received!The Genshin Impact Fandom has dubbed you as: {The Second Jun Yin} and a whole bunch of other nicknames. Probably due to the fact that your peformance hits hard just like her's. But some fans don't really enjoy the fact your character is compared to her, some even ship you two together.

In some fanfics, ya'll perform together and are seen as rivals to lovers. The same goes for Ventix(Y/N) shippers! People are BEGGING for a duet for the two VAs and canon interaction.

Yet for the npcs and characters in game. They are freaking out over (Y/N)'s existence. Rumors start to spread like wildfire throughout each region. The story goes like this.. A Songstress, or being? That could sing a powerful song that even Lord Barbatos would hear from the hevans above.

How the air had surrounded her like a cage but was freed after her song. Yet... Mysteriously vanished after she collapsed to the ground when a fan had tired to engage conversation. People say she fainted due to the fact that Lord Barbatos had gifted her a vision after her song as thanks. But the poor girl couldn't handle the power...

It still doesn't explain how she vanished off the streets of The City of Freedom.

Venti:

"Oh Traveler! Would you mind listening to this piece? I have been working it for some time, but it... Who's it for? Oh, just a, well a friend you might say. We met her together, don't you remember?"

"I honestly envy his harmonies, I wish I could sing one of his songs... But I'd think my heart might burst, you know? Maybe one day."

Once those voice lines are released as a small gift to fans that found (Y/N). The fans went crazy. People are waiting for the next appearance and see if Mihoyo is generous enough to provide more character interacting voicelines. There's so many fan covers of you two doing duets to fan music made specifically for you two. The fans dubs the two of you, "Song Birds". It's honestly really cute! Even though you only appear for a second, just the look on the bards face in the cutscene made the Venti simps cry in agony seeing their home-boy remembering his truma.

Travelers, Aether/Lumine:

Since the update, people are hopping to find small crumbs or more appearances of (Y/N). She has a story quest, which is to find her and interact. But for some reason, when you do find her, you can't choose options on what to say. You can only listen to the twin you picked or Paimon talk with her with pre-recorded? voicelines and actions coded into the game? There's a bunch of fan comics of the two doing a shy, cat and mouse romances for both twins.

With Aetherx(Y/N) fans, there fans make it have a angsty trope most of the time. Where Aether remembers his times with Lumine and (Y/N) soothing his fears as best she can. The fans make its SOO Angsty, like when Aether finds his sister and has to leave (Y/N). GOD, ITS SO SAD! YET SO GOOD! Modern Au art and fluff art plus fics is the only way fans cannot cry at some of the angsty headcanons.

Luminex(Y/N) fans make there's so cute. There's barely any angst fics or headcanons. Most the time it's just fluff for you two. Headcanons of Lumine and you being parents of Paimon are actually really common. It's so Floof!Luminex(Y/N) content is seen as Canon. Luminex(Y/N) vs Aetherx(Y/N) fans actually are really nice with one another. No wars, only peace! 🤝

Diluc:

Most fans of this ship make Club Singer Aus out of this, or Mafia Au! The fics are surprisingly superb and hard-core! Like this is almost too realistic type of shit. Yet for just normal genshin, it makes the two give off a Prince and Commoner type troupe. Yet more angst ( ' - '). The comics are very sweet, where instead of Diluc listening to her troubles.

She listens to his own with a smile. People take even the tiniest interactions and turn them to full comics and full on dramatic art.

(Okay, that's all I have for now! I'll add more characters soon, but for now here is what I got! I hope you all like it! Please and thank you! Send in as many asks as you like!)

[♧Mondstat♧]

[creepling]

dwayne hoover yelling at reader - headcanon

request: "dwayne with a reader who hangs around him but like one-sided usually she comes near him every morning tell him good morning, praise his clothes or hair, ask him about his day even when she never got a proper answer from him and tries to help him about everything but after he learned he wouldn't fly (pretend he learned in school lesson not roadtrip) and she tries to calm him down but he yells at her about how clingy she is. Then she stops talking to him and he regrets." - (anon)

cw: VERY ANGSTY, major use of swearing.

can be read as gn!

you couldn't get enough of dwayne hoover. everything about him completely enthralled you. his music taste, his clothes; everything about him you couldn't get enough of.

on the other hand, dwayne thought you were the most annoying person in the world.

his aloofness didn't stop your advances.

you noticed he had no friends. he always sat alone in class. he never spoke, and when he did it was through his messy handwriting jotted on a notebook.

you caught on from the teasing from the other kids that he took a vow of silence. a lot of people bothered him about it, doing anything to get a word out of him.

"hey dwayne, gonna say anything today?"

"c'mon man, how much is it gonna take to get you to fucking say something."

no matter how much they pestered, no matter how many scrunched up pieces of paper they launched at him, dwayne kept his head down and not a squeak came out of him.

when they called him a freak, you were always quick to jump in and stand up for him.

when you did though, dwayne would glare at you. which didn't make sense to you. why did he hate you so much when you were protecting him?

once classes would end, you would sprint to the school bus in hopes to sit next to dwayne.

when you were lucky and got a seat next to him, he would roll his eyes and put on his headphones

ready to block out anything you plucked up the courage to say to him.

"i like your outfit today. looks cool."

"hey, you get a haircut? looks good on you."

you were lucky if he even nodded a thanks. most of the time he just ignored you.

you didn't take it personally at first. with the whole vow of silence and all. he only answered when he wanted to. maybe he was just tired from the school day and couldn't be bothered writing out an answer.

yeah, that's what you told yourself.

deep down though, dwayne was gritting his teeth and trying his hardest not to shoots glares at you.

why can't they just leave me alone?

you were there when dwayne broke his vow of silence.

each of the classes were to attend a 'blind awareness' workshop. involving a lecture from a professional talking about blindness and the experiences of blind people. how blindness is different for everyone. at the end of the class, the students were to participate in a colourblind test.

you stared at the diagram and detected it was a dotted, orange A surrounded by green dots. the teacher showed some other diagrams and you detected the majority of the letters and numbers.

dwayne, however, couldn't see a fucking thing.

he began to panic, looking around the room to see if anyone else was as clueless as him. from the look on people's faces, he seemed to be the only one.

he took his notepad and scribbled down words, raising his hand for the teacher to read:

i can't see anything

the entire class was staring at dwayne. your gaze had the most sympathy, but then the reality sinked in. if dwayne was colorblind then that means . . .

"well mr hoover, seems like those dreams of becoming a test pilot are over for you." the teacher said amusingly.

but dwayne was not amused at all.

you watched as his eyes widened. his hands bawled into fists and he scribbled something into his notepad:

what?

the atmosphere grew tense when the teacher admitted; "dwayne, people who are colourblind can't fly planes. that's the rules."

dwayne looked like he was about to scream.

your eyes widened as dwayne punched his desk, his lips quivering as he tried to hold back his yells. the teacher told him to calm down, but it was too late.

dwayne yanked his schoolbag and stormed out the class, the door slamming against the wall as he ran out.

you immediately got off your seat and ran after him.

you eventually caught up, finding dwayne out in the field. you were about to approach him until the loudest scream escaped from him, causing you to flinch and stay in place.

dwayne cursed and yelled, slamming his schoolbag onto the grassy field. you watched as his screams faded into silent sobs, his body curling up and falling to the ground. it was difficult seeing him like this.

once you had the courage to approach him, dwayne noticed you. and he was pissed off. so fucking pissed off.

you're the last person he wants to see right now.

"dwayne i--"

"leave me alone." he cut you off, his words sharp enough to cut right through you.

"i'm so sorry . . ." you muttered, attempting to kneel down and comfort him.

"i said leave me the fuck alone." dwayne pushed you away, jumping back onto his feet.

"dwayne, i'm just trying to help-"

"i don't want your fucking help, okay? i'm so sick of you stalking me and always being around me. you're so annoying. so fucking annoying. i hate you!"

you hadn't felt so much pain all at once in your whole life.

his words felt like a gunshot and you were bleeding out. tears began streaming down your eyes no matter how hard to tried to keep them in.

dwayne was filled with rage that he had no time to regret his words yet. he glared through your soul.

you shook your head. "you don't mean any of that."

dwayne scoffed, but he looked away from you when he replied. "i do mean it."

now it was your time to be angry. your hands began to shake with rage.

"y'know what, dwayne. you're so miserable and it's your fault. you're the reason why you have no friends and are so fucking unhappy! and i tried to look past all that and try to be your friend. and what do i get back? nothing but ungratefulness. i- i'm glad you're colourblind, and i'm glad you can't go to flight school. because you don't fucking deserve it! you deserve to fail at life and be alone! you're a fucking dick!"

your words numbed dwayne's anger, conveying his emotions into melancholy. all he could do was stare at the ground as you insulted him. the sad part wasn't your words, but the truth behind them. he keeps pushing everyone away and that's why he's so miserable. it's his fault, it's my fault.

when you let out your hateful words, you stormed back into the school halls and left dwayne out on the field. you swore to yourself that you were never speaking to him ever again.

dwayne fell back onto the ground, letting his face fall into his hands. the field was filled with silence as all the other students were still in class

all that could be heard was dwayne's muffled sobs.

[its-deputy-caleb]

could you write how lords would react if Ethan killed the ray of sunshine lord you wrote earlier? how they would treat Ethan if they know that he killed their favourite person? will karl still propose him to team up? i really love these headcanons you wrote and i just want more <3333 plant soft lord is the best.

Firstly i want to say a huge ✨THANK YOU ✨ to the 500 followers i have, i seriously wouldn’t be able to do it without y’all and the love and support has been amazing!! Here is the plant lord and there’s already a part one so go and read that first bc these directly relate to it! also this is angsty af but i’ve left it open ended for some more hc’s to come :)) enjoy!

Alcina Dimitrescu

When Alcina learns of your death she is not the only one to mourn you. The whole Dimitrescu family is devastated and heartbroken at the loss of such a beautiful soul like you.

She’s filled with rage that some man-thing could just take away someone so powerful yet so kind. When her screaming finally stops, Bela can be heard crying in her room and at family dinner that night everyone is silent. It’s just not the same without you.

Alcina has a grave made for you, one with a large headstone and surrounding it she laid beautiful flowers from the indoor garden you all made together as a family.

While she grieves for you, Alcina notices how strange it was for moss to grow around the surrounding stones so quickly but grief had clouded her mind to really think or notice too much about it.

She becomes even more protective of her daughters, not wanting to see them suffer the same fate you did. Alcina promises you that she would kill Winters on sight if she ever ran into him again.

Donna Beneviento

Donna has never taken death too well and losing you was no exception. She feels completely empty without you, not even Angie can comfort her sometimes with how much she misses you.

When she saw what Ethan had done to you it felt like apart of herself died with you. Donna spent the next few hours crying into your chest, begging someone to bring you back but she knew it was no use when the flowers and grass you were laying on turned to ash underneath you.

With the help of her dolls she manages to carry you back to the forest where she lays you to rest under a huge willow tree. She places one last kiss to your forehead before she lays down the doll she made for you.

Donna spends a lot of time in the forest after that as a way of staying close to you. Somehow when the trees blow in the wind it feels like you’re hugging her.

In the forest, Donna finds little white flowers appearing all over, the exact ones you used to grow from your palm. She leans down to pick one and tucks it behind her ear as she remembers how you used to give them to her.

Salvatore Moreau

Your death was one of the most painful things Salvatore has ever felt. He can’t even bring himself to feel angry at Ethan when all he feels is numbness from your death.

His heart sinks when he sees the lush and green scenery around the reservoir being to rot and die, the view now resembling what it looked like before your arrival only somehow much more gloomy.

The trees no longer have leaves and are left hollow and dead inside. The grass that you used to spend hours laying on, watching the clouds together is faded and grey. All these things remind Sal just how much he misses you.

Salvatore often sits by your grave which is up on the hill overlooking the reservoir. You said it was one of your favourite places because at sunset the water reflected the pink and orange sky, it was only fitting that your grave be there.

He’ll often talk to you and tell you about his day while he sits there, a coping mechanism if you will. But it usually ends with him bursting into tears as he realises you weren’t there with him.

While he’s lost in his grief and tears, Sal fails to notice how the dead tree which you’re buried next to begins to grow its leaves again, with beautiful pink blossoms growing on the top.

Karl Heisenberg

Karl is fuming, absolutely enraged that Ethan Winters, someone who he was willing to trust and team up with could go and take away someone so pure and precious to him.

It actually pains him to continue his plan to get revenge on Miranda, not only do all his Soldats have your nature-like embellishments but you were someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

There’s so much of you around the factory that his heart breaks just looking at the flowers, the vibes and the moss that are scattered throughout the dark hallways.

He figures the factory, a place that’s so metallic and industrial is no place for you to be laid to rest so he carries you to your home in the forest.

After finding a nice quiet spot near a stream, he brings his large hammer into his hands and disassembles it using his powers. He reworks the cogs and pieces of scrap metal to make a large metal wreath. Karl would’ve been upset at losing his favourite weapon if he hadn’t lost you first, besides he could always make another hammer, you were special.

When he places the wreath down, little vines and flowers grow in between the crevices of the metal. The action makes Karl break down on the spot as he cries, the action bringing up so many memories of the two of you together in his factory which now leave him feeling empty and as lonely as ever.

[shotorozu]

Hi! Well last few weeks was pretty hard for me, and i wish i had a bit of comfort from anyone. I would be so grateful if you could write a bakugou, kirishima and shinsou when their s/o is having a bad time feeling emotionaly numb and needing some pchisical contact and maybe some warm words. Love uuu and have a nice day/night ♥️

hi! sure thing anon 🤍 i’m sorry you feel down :(( i wrote this as soon as i could

their s/o asks for some physical comfort

characters : bakugou katsuki, kirishima eijirou, shinsou hitoshi

fic type : headcanons [fluff, lil angsty]

legend : [Y/N = your name] reader is gender neutral, since anyone can use some comfort 🤍

≿————-　❈　————-≾

bakugou katsuki

in all honesty, he’s not the best with comfort

his words come off harsher than he wants them to

so he usually tries to stray away from saying too many things, you know?

but when you tell him how you’re feeling, he honestly feels bad

like— yeah sure, he can give you a nice talk, since you’re his s/o

but he’s so used to swearing that it just happens?? and he’s worried that’ll make it worse

so, he asks if you want to cuddle

and that’s what you need!

it first starts bakugou subtly changing the surroundings. replacing hard edges with pillows, and fluffing them out

then, with a sudden hug— he pushes you to his chest

his hand resting against the back of your head, as he plays with locks and pieces of hair

it’s unusual- bakugou katsuki being a softie. but not to you

his other hand that’s not against your head, is against the small of your back

he’s just whispering your name at this point, he just loves saying it.

then, he moves you guys to the bed

putting you on his lap, his hand that was on your back is on your waist now

to make sure you’re steady

then, he starts to pepper kisses against your jawline, then to your cheeks

and finally— to your lips, muttering a soft ‘i love you’

honestly, it also comforts him too, so it’s a win-win

kirishima eijirou

the best person to come to for comfort (besides midoriya and mirio)

when you tell him how you feel, it makes him really sad

it kinda reminds him of his middle school days

when he was so numb, losing hope of even going to UA and becoming a hero

so the thing he does first is comfort you, with physical contact

and it’s exactly what you need

you’re facing away from him— back pressed against his chest

his arms wrapped around your torso. he’s distracting you with affirmations

“do you know why i love you so much, Y/N? huh, you already know? well! i’ll tell you again and again.”

midway the talk, he changes positions— so the both of you are laying down on the bed

facing each other

he’s observing your facial expression, and your facial features. absolutely doting on every single detail

“you are so beautiful, you know that? i mean everything, you know! so please come to me if you ever feel down, i hate seeing you this way.”

then, he prints a kiss on your lips, and embraces you

“lets take a short nap, pebble.”

shinsou hitoshi

“i’m sorry that you feel this way, kitten.”

though, he might need some reassuring occasionally— he’s surprisingly good at physical comfort

he’s fairly tall (as a 16 year old) and i’d say he’s pretty warm.

first— he’ll get you anything you need (like any other character) and change the enviroment so it’s comfortable for you.

but he’ll probably go the extra mile for it.

after that, he places you on his lap— since he likes the way you feel on his lap

he’s talking about cats now, and funny experiences he had training with aizawa

“i saw this cute little kitty on the training grounds,” he shows you a picture “i don’t know how it got there to be honest, but aizawa sensei told me not to touch it— but after training, he picked it up and asked me if i wanted to help him with the cat.”

he’s tracing patterns on your back, and he’s observant of your expression, each sudden or subtle change.

remaining eye contact the entire time

“you’re soft.” he says, while rubbing the back of his hand against your cheek (almost like a cat)

if you ever giggle or smile, he’ll smile too :)) it reassures him that he’s doing something right.

then finally, he shifts positions— moving you so you’re laying down against his own body

your legs tangled with his.

“i know you, kitten. and i know how strong you are, you’re sooo strong. be honest with me when it comes to anything, i don’t want to see you this down— okay? so uh.. stay happy, i’ll make sure you’re always happy, kitten. and you can hold a grudge against me if i’m wrong. just.. stay with me”

he says, before kissing you

aw, he’s so soft

you’re drifting off to sleep, and the insomniac he is

he doesn’t sleep (lol) but!! he’s calm, and happy with you. so that’s all that matters.

　　　　　

≿————-　❈　————-≾

likes and reblogs are appreciated, thank you for reading! (cheer up, anon🤍)

i do not own bnha/mha and it’s characters. boku no hero academia/my hero academia belongs to horikoshi kohei. i only own the writing

do not plagiarize my work

[jcmorrigan]

more Blakeworther headcanons!! i want you to go ham with em too!! :D

Go ham, huh? So...I probably went the opposite direction of what you wanted or expected. But I just read “Our Coffin Is a Twin-Sized Bed” (Blakeworth fic, REALLY ANGSTY) and I loved it but it also made me very depressed. Anyway, it put the idea of CHARACTER DEATH in my head, and so I’m like...what if you took Vincent, Victor, and Albert, and you have an AU where each one of them dies, and how would the other two react?

Except I want to have my cake and eat it too. That prompt on its own is a bit...disheartening. So I had to treat myself by saying that each time, the death was actually a fakeout, and whoever “died” turns up just fine later. Which made for extra reunion headcanons!

Get ready for: the one where each one of them “dies” and the other two grieve in their own special way, only for the “dead” to have been fine the whole time

VINCENT

·      They were setting up bombs in a facility owned by Myers, hoping to bring down one of the bigwigs – possibly Monseiur M himself – in the explosion. Albert and Victor finished their rounds, then came back outside to wait for Vincent. Vincent radioed that he was almost finished – and then the whole building went up in smoke.

·      It took Victor and Albert a few minutes to process what had happened. He…he had to have gotten out, right? There’s no way Vincent would die on this mission.

·      But he doesn’t show up.

·      Watching the conflagration, agape and wide-eyed, Victor and Albert reach out to draw each other closer, hoping it just isn’t what it looks like.

·      Eventually, there are sirens, and they have to escape back to the mansion.

·      Albert finds the nearest piece of furniture he can sit on, sinks down, and starts sobbing. It doesn’t help that this is HIS house they’re living in, this is HIS chair Albert’s crying on, and he’s not even here.

·      I’m not actually sure if Victor’s eyes have tear ducts, but he is similarly distraught. He sits down beside Albert, trying to reassure him, “We’ll be okay. He’d want us to keep going. We’ll…we’ll be fine…”

·      His voice cracks. He can’t deal with this. Now he’s holding onto Albert not only for the sake of comforting him but of getting comforted.

·      They rattle around Vincent’s house for the next few days, utterly depressed. Everywhere they go, every corner they turn, they’re reminded of the spaces where he’s not.

·      Albert is caught talking to himself – and berating himself in a bad imitation of Vincent in order to simulate their arguments. Victor can only listen for so long before he’s too emotional and has to leave.

·      “You promised me you wouldn’t do this,” Victor says as he kneads a bedsheet between his fingers.

·      Eventually, the two of them hold a small service. They construct Vincent a grave out back in the yard. Each says a few words –

·      Victor: “I still don’t regret it. Not a day.”

·      Albert: “If you think I wanted to win our rivalry this way…you were wrong. I’d give anything to have you back.”

·      When behind them they suddenly hear “If I’d’ve known you two would get this morose, I wouldn’t have bothered to plant those explosives in the first place.”

·      They turn around, and…he’s here. Vincent’s here, looking quite grumpy.

·      “I thought it would be fairly obvious that I wasn’t dead. You two really went all out on this?”

·      Albert: “You’re not an exact replica with Vincent’s memories, are you? Actually, I have no problem if you’re an exact replica with Vincent’s memories.”

·      Victor and Albert run to him, embrace him tightly. Vincent’s rolling his eyes because these idiots got themselves worked up for nothing – but he’s lying if he says he isn’t really, really touched by how much they missed him. He’ll have to be careful not to make them worry in the future.

 VICTOR

·      Assassins have the mansion surrounded. Victor urges Albert and Vincent to go on ahead without him. He’ll catch up. But first he has to buy them time.

·      Albert and Vincent head to a motel three towns over – only to hear that the mansion was cleared out, then raided by authorities, and after the cyborgs were put down, no living people remained in the house.

·      “No,” Vincent says. “He’s fine. He’s FINE.” And he won’t hear otherwise.

·      Not even after a week.

·      Albert is starting to grieve, but Vincent keeps yelling at him, “STOP! HE ISN’T GONE! YOU’RE BEING AN IDIOT!”

·      Vincent is angrier than Albert has ever seen him in his whole life. The more days go by that Victor hasn’t turned up, the edgier Vincent’s mood gets.

·      Albert has to lock himself in the bathroom if he wants to cry it out.

·      But he also knows enough about psychology that he knows Vincent has to be dying inside. “Vincent, you need to talk about what happened.”

·      “You’re not even a real psychologist. Don’t fucking tell me what to do.”

·      At one point, it gets so bad that Vincent locks Albert out of the motel room and refuses to let him in, no matter how much noise he makes.

·      That’s when the notes start showing up. The door’s definitely locked, but Vincent finds notes around the motel room that definitely weren’t there a moment ago.

·      “I love you. ~AK” “I’m worried about you! ~AK” “Vincent, talk to me. ~AK” “I know many fates worse than death. Do you want to push me that far? ~AK” “Please, Vincent, I need you. ~AK” “Fine. Die alone. ~AK” “I take back my last note. Don’t die alone. I love you. ~AK”

·      So eventually Vincent lets him back in, and Albert suggests, one final time, to have Vincent sit through a legitimate therapy session. No Dream Eaters, no tricks, no shell game. And Vincent agrees.

·      Vincent lies down on the bed. Albert sits on a chair beside him and starts asking questions – about Victor, about the memories they had, about what Victor means to them both.

·      Vincent slowly recalls their entire history – laughing, crying, smiling. And by the end of it, he’s outright sobbing.

·      “How can someone who was such a big part of our lives be gone, Albert?”

·      And in a historical first, Albert actually lies down on the bed to cuddle Vincent, stroke his hair, and tell him “I miss him too. So much. It’s okay. Just cry.”

·      Eventually, they get a message from Winston, saying he has some important information and “cargo” to trade to them if they meet at a rendez-vous point. So they agree. Albert and Vincent head to the alley around midnight to find Winston and…a man in a black hood.

·      He throws back the hood. It’s Victor, whose metal eyes are twinkling. “Miss me?”

·      All of Vincent’s psychological work is undone; he just says “I knew you weren’t dead.” Albert, on the other hand, TACKLES Victor at unprecedented speed and pins him to the street.

·      Once Albert lets him go, Victor goes up to Vincent, and the two of them hold each other’s gaze. They kiss, briefly. That’s all they need to put closure on this.

 ALBERT

·      He doesn’t come home from a walk one night. Instead, a Dream Eater shows up and hands Vincent and Victor a letter.

·      “My beloved Victor and my frustratingly wonderful Vincent, if you are receiving this letter, it means you are not likely to see me again in this lifetime. I have run afoul of enemy forces, and, well, I’ll finally get to see what murder looks like from the other side. I want to thank you for the laughter and tears you both have given me, and for the good times and the bad. I hope you’ll remember me fondly, or at least as a memorable nuisance. With all of my love, goodbye. -Dr. Albert Gerald Krueger”

·      This is a joke, right? Victor’s convinced it’s a joke, and Vincent insists this is exactly the kind of prank Albert would find funny…

·      Until a month passes and he hasn’t come back.

·      Vincent takes a stance: “We never needed him. It was always just you and me from the start, Victor. We can return to our roots. He was always just an extra.”

·      Victor: “I know you don’t want to admit you miss him, but that was heartless, Vincent.”

·      The two of them end up fighting, sleeping on opposite sides of the mansion for days.

·      Victor tries to drink the pain away. (It happens in all three of these scenarios, actually, but this one’s plot-relevant)

·      One night, he wakes up at three and decides he’s not drunk enough. So he shuffles down to the bar and…there’s Vincent? Already drinking?

·      Victor decides to bite; “What’s all this for?”

·      Vincent turns to Victor, and Victor can now see he’s been crying for a while. “I can’t keep this up much longer, Victor. The two of us were happy before he broke in…why can’t I be happy? Why do I still miss him so much? Why can’t I just function?”

·      Ah. Now Victor knows it is definitely about Vincent not wanting to admit he misses Albert or even liked him. Because here’s Vincent just distraught without Albert.

·      Victor sits down by Vincent. Pours himself a drink. “We can’t erase him, but we can dull the memories for a night.”

·      It’s a miracle they don’t die of alcohol poisoning that night. They toast Albert’s memory, and at one point, Victor, a little out of his mind already, just poured a whole bottle of brandy on the floor in his honor.

·      Then, a couple days later, they’re trying to figure out how they’re going to break this to Taylor. They’ve avoided Taylor for so long so they didn’t have to bring this up.

·      There’s a knock on the door. Vincent gets up with trepidation, gun in hand because he’s not sure who it’ll be. Victor follows, ready to throw down.

·      The door swings open…

·      Albert: “I apologize. I didn’t think I’d be gone that long.” And he’s smiling like he’s just a couple hours late, not a whole month and change in which the other two thought he was dead. “What did I miss?”

·      There’s a silence as Victor and Vincent gape. Then Victor breaks into a wide smile; “Alb – “

·      Vincent DECKS ALBERT IN THE FACE.

·      Albert, on the ground, says “I deserved that.”

·      Vincent: “How could you do that to me? How could you tear me apart? How could you make me so empty inside over someone like YOU? How could you make it hurt so badly to love you?”

·      He’s getting rather emotional, a tear or two falling, and Albert realizes that Vincent actually…missed him. And the immense potential for blackmail this will bring.

·      Victor steps forward to help him up off the ground. Pulls Albert into a too-tight hug in the process. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

·      Then they head inside because Albert kinda needs an ice pack for the eye Vincent hit now.

[hoist-the-colours-podcast]

Hi! It is I.... Your friendly neighbourhood anon back again. I just have one more question: IF Muldoon and/or Miranda had survived how do you think Flint and Silver’s relationship would have developed over seasons 3 and 4?

Hello again! Ooooh boy, that’s a question and a half! I’ll be honest, it’s been a minute since I last rewatched S3 and S4, so I might’ve forgotten some significant stuff, but here’s some rambling thoughts under the cut anyway. 

I think Miranda’s the one whose survival would most obviously change the way Flint and Silver’s relationship developed. Without her death (and the subsequent fuck around and find out consequences handed out to Charlestown) Flint wouldn’t have headed down such a dark and destructive solitary path. Flint is clearly a character who always needed a partner to ground him, as he was meant to be the grounding partner for Thomas, and I think that although Miranda struggled to fill that role at times, because of her own rage and desperation as much as Flint’s, it would be so much more difficult for Silver to have found a way to worm in as close as he did if she was still occupying that space. Having said that though, assuming in this version of events Silver still lost his leg then I think that warmth we saw Flint offer him so briefly in 2x10 might have carried further. The lie about the gold would still have been an obstacle - and I wish we could’ve seen some of the stuff that happened between S2 and S3 with Flint, Jack, and Vane hashing all of that out between them - but Miranda was such a force for reason in Flint’s life (with one or two notable exceptions, haha) that I think they could’ve got past it without the pressure of the doldrums and all the consequences of Flint’s mental downward spiral. And this is pretty headcanon-y but personally I’ve always imagined Miranda would’ve quite liked Silver. I think there’d be a healthy amount of ‘I see through your bullshit’ in there too, but after a decade of starving for intelligent conversation I don’t think it would’ve gone unnoticed that Silver was quicker and wittier than most other people on that island. It’s only a shade of Miranda conjured by Flint’s mind that tells him he’s not alone, but I don’t find it hard to imagine the real Miranda pointing out the same thing.  I think so much comes down to what events would’ve surrounded Miranda’s survival and what that would mean for Flint’s headspace and journey, honestly. Whether he would still be on a warpath, still have a mind towards reconciliation, or have reached the point where he’d finally had enough and was ready to retire inland with her. Any path that saw him carry on as a captain would’ve meant having to work with Silver as quartermaster, and there would’ve been plenty of opportunities for Silver to rebuild that tentative thing the lie broke and to foster something closer. It’s difficult to know whether Silver was so different to Gates in terms of the relationship he found with Flint because of something inherent to him and his similarities with Flint or because he was in the ‘right’ time and place to be Flint’s only companion and confidant. It was probably a mix of both. And I think right from the get go there’s a level of kismet implied by the writing, that Silver is Flint’s missing page. There were so many times he could’ve just bailed on Flint but he didn’t, at huge risk to himself, and I don’t buy for a second that it was all for the gold. I think Silver told himself it was all for the gold, and he might even have believed it, but he spent the first two seasons tying himself to Flint and that crew to the point that he chose his brothers almost over his own life 2x10 despite everything he’d said about leaving them all behind without a second glance. And speaking of his brothers, Muldoon! I’m a bit stumped on this one, honestly! I want to say that if he’d lived then his relationship with Silver might’ve developed further (because it sure seemed like they were getting close to one another), and maybe a close connection with one of the men he spoke for would’ve put some additional distance between Silver and Flint. But again I feel like if that was a scenario where Flint was alone and raging then Silver would’ve still had no choice but to find a way to build a partnership with him, for all their sakes. And honestly it’s kind of funny to imagine Silver ultimately juggling three partnerships, with Muldoon, Flint, and Madi (four if you want to count Billy too, five if you count Israel Hands), because my god for a loner he became a Special Person to a lot of people. I think the Muldoon question becomes more interesting towards the end of S4 when Silver’s becoming this iconic, monstrous character in a story he can’t control. There are so few people left who remember where he came from in S1, and Silver’s becoming increasingly disconnected from and elevated over the brothers he cared so much about in S3. If Muldoon was still alive in S4 and he still had Silver’s ear then I wonder whether he could’ve been more of a tether than Madi ended up being (with her idealism making her in some ways a second Don Quixote for Silver’s Sancho to reckon with) and also more of an obstacle to Israel Hands becoming that devil on Silver’s shoulder. But then maybe that’s asking too much of Muldoon!  God, this really is a long and rambling non-answer! I guess ultimately there are so many interwoven moving pieces in this story that it’s impossible to know how it would’ve played out in any of those scenarios, but I think if either or both of them survived it might’ve delayed the relationship we saw between them but not prevented it? As it was, they were forced closer together by circumstance in S3 and S4, but there was still that sense that somehow they were meant to find each other because they were made of the same stuff. Or at least, that’s how I see it. As for the ultimate ending of their partnership...oof, who even knows how additional players would’ve impacted that. What I really need now is a long and angsty time loop fic exploring every permutation of this.

[cheeriosandwine]

Fic Writer Tag

Thanks @infinitevariety for the tag! And @tastymoves too, sorry I forgot to do this before!

How many works do you have on AO3?

19

What’s your total AO3 word count?

48389

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Good Omens and Spider-Man on here

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

We Made a Garden of the Love We Found - 262

The Light Slipping Through - 249

Empty (More) - 199

Milkshake - 199

Yours Is the First Face That I Saw - 172

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! I love getting comments and I try to show my appreciation by responding. Sometimes I'm very slow to get back to people though 😬

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I mostly avoid angst, especially angsty endings, especially especially for Good Omens. I guess the ending to my Doc Ock/Spider-Man fic (Pinned) could be seen as angsty but I purposefully left that story and its ending open to multiple interpretations

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Never done any and I don't know if I ever will. If an idea hits me hard enough I could give it a try

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I've gotten some rude comments but they were mild compared to what I've seen some others get. I just deleted them. I don't have time for people being assholes on stories I'm writing and sharing for free with my limited energy

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Lmao yep, nearly all my fics are smut! I think I tend to write pretty fluffy smut, combined with a lot of kinky stuff. I really love writing aftercare

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No not that I'm aware of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope not yet

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Sway @tastymoves and I wrote You Spin Me Right Round. It was so much fun to collab, I'd love to do it again!

What’s your all time favourite ship?

Ineffable Partners 😌

Actually my favorite interpretation of them is as queerplatonic partners but I rarely write that because it feels more difficult to write the thing I care about most. There's a level of disconnect for me as an aspec person writing romantic+sexual relationships that makes it easier somehow to be able to put words down. Within the context of fic, it feels like I'm playing games with these characters and very few of the fics I write reflect my "true" headcanons (or they do, but only pieces)

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

The one about Aziraphale recovering from trauma from Heaven. That one's a little too real :/ Maybe someday I'll feel able to pick it up again

What are your writing strengths?

Oof here comes the interview questions.

I've been told I wrote hot smut which is incredibly gratifying. I think I'm also good at combining humor and smut. It's too much fun taking something ridiculous and treating it a little too seriously.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't use a lot of description because it often doesn't occur to me to describe surroundings. A lot of the time I forget to describe clothing and then if I need to talk about clothes at some point in the fic, I have to read back through and see if I need to add any other details about how they're dressed earlier on. I think it's because I have a pretty vague/blurry visual imagination and most of the time when I'm reading or writing I'm paying most attention to dialogue + emotions + movement. But I could probably do a better job of giving characters a background/setting to interact with

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I've never done it. If I come across it in other stories I don't usually look up translations, so I appreciate if authors include translations. Sometimes I'm able to make an educated guess at what they're saying based on context and/or how common those words are and if I have a little familiarity with the language to recognize some vocab

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Good Omens!

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Nooo I can't pick a favorite! My fics are all special to me in different ways and I have different memories and emotions attached to each of them. Does the deep nostalgia I feel for one outweigh the laughter another brings me? Do I say that I love one fic more than another because it reflects more of me, or because a friend said some very nice things about that one, or because I think I accomplished what I set out to do with this one?

Seriously don't ask me to pick favorites of almost anything, I'm just Like This, I have very few definitively favorite things in most categories. I do have a favorite food though.

(Also please don't interpret the above as me saying that I think I'm some perfect writer and have no flaws. I try to be deliberate about not openly disparaging my work or being negative about the things I create. I have to fight that impulse all the time and it's very important for my mental health that I make an effort to believe my creative efforts are worthwhile even if they're filled with errors or I didn't convey something the way I'd hoped to in my head. It still matters that I took the time to do it. And I'm not gonna apologize for saying that I love every single fic I've written and they are all significant to me in different ways.)

Tagging

I'm not sure who all has been tagged and done this by now, I know I've seen this game shared around several times but I can't keep track of the way it's spiderwebbed across here. So if you haven't been tagged yet and want to be, consider this me tagging you :)

[mystilotls]

Little Talks

for @give-grian-rights  Bonfire Bunny Funeral but more angsty than funny. 

Also I headcanon that Taurtis’ “To The End” series is Taurtis just living the rural life for a while to take a mental vacation.

TW: Mention of slavery/abuse, shipping (NOT OF IRL CUZ DAT NASTY!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was here.

A place he didn’t ever want to return to. A place with too many painful memories. All of Grian’s pain may be inside of a coffin but that couldn’t help bring these unwanted thoughts. 

He noticed the boxes of matches and gallons of gasoline and thought to himself that burning the body was too honorable for him. He would rather him be chopped up and fed to the dogs, well beggars can’t be choosers. 

It had also been the first time in a while he had heard from Taurtis since EVO. Taurtis would send him letters about a farm that he made and even send pictures of his pet sheep who seems terrified and his holding onto a floating piece of grass. He seemed so happy and Grian assumed that Taurtis didn’t want to see him. 

~~~~~~~~

Taurtis had been wondering why Grian was avoiding him and it was getting to the point that he assumed that Grian did see him as disposable and weak, something Sam would imply. Taurtis shook his head and went to go look for Grian. 

He had made it to their old home. The thoughts of Taurtis being treated as less of a human, being to the point where he sleeps on a dog bed causes Taurtis to feel like the air in his lungs were ripped out and caused him to panic. Wow, even when he is dead, Sam controls Taurtis.

Taurtis eased his breathing and opened the door, only to meet Grian standing there and watching with watery eyes. Taurtis rest his hand on Grian’s shoulder and expected him to flinch or push Taurtis away and scream that he is pathetic. 

He instead got Grian singing, something he would do with Professor Beak as a way to vent

“I don’t like walking around this old and empty house”

“So hold my hand, I’ll walk with you my dear.” Grian gasped to hear Taurtis sing along with him. 

“The stairs creak as you sleep, it’s keeping me awake” Grian looked at their abandoned home which was now in shambles. The thoughts of being locked in the dungeon again was causing him to shake.

“It's the house telling you to close your eyes“ Taurtis gave a sincere but pained smile.

“And some days I can't even dress myself” Teardrops stained the oak planks and it was hard enough to cause Grian to have issues with changing into anything but his sweater. He did love dressing up, but Professor beak would have to ask him “what is his name” until he gets the answers right.

“It's killing me to see you this way“ Taurtis cupped Grian’s cheek and wiped away Grian’s tears with his thumb.

“Cause though the truth may vary. This, ship will carry our-” They harmonized together and Taurtis brought Grian into his signature bear hug while rocking them side to side. 

 “Bodies safe to shore”

~~~~~~~

They sat in the hearse along with the others and had Sam’s rotting corpse tied to the bumper of hearse, while being dragged across the road and the smell of decay and years of not having a shower or a bath.

They had made it to under the bridge and Grian was singing to himself and also to Taurtis.

“There's an old voice in my head, that's holding me back” Grian looked down and years of belittlement, victim blaming, gaslighting and just abuse in general contributed to his low self esteem. 

“Well, tell him, that I miss our little talks” Taurtis gave him a knowing look. That he knows who this voice is. 

“Soon it will all be over, and buried with our past“ Grian looked to the group which were positioning Sam into the makeshift grill. Hoping that this would give all of the people Sam has harmed for his gain, closure.

“We used to play outside when we were young, and full of life and full of love” Taurtis chuckled in a way, remembering that Sam used to be an awkward kid who would wait for Taurtis when he was scared of the stairs. 

“Some days I don't know if I am wrong or right!” Grian gripped his hair and shut his eyes tightly. Taurtis frowned and spun Grian around and held his shoulders.

“Your mind is playing tricks on you, my dear“ Taurtis looked at Grian and hushed him. He had a face of tough love.

“Cause though the truth may vary. This, ship will carry our-” Taurtis made Grian sing along with him and it seemed to calm him down. The smell of cooked rabbit and burnt human flesh surrounding the air wasn’t helping however.

 “Bodies safe to shore”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Hey! Don't listen to a word I say Hey! The screams all sound the same, Hey! And though the truth may vary This ship will carry our-”

“Bodies safe to shore”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two sat in silence as they sat on the swing sets in the park. They gently rocked back and forth and held each others hands as a way of comfort. 

“You're gone, gone, gone away. I watched you disappear. All that's left is a ghost of you” The two harmonized as if they had the same thoughts going on in their heads. It was if they were trying to talk to Sam and tell him that they suffered and they still do because of him.

“Now we're torn, torn, torn apart. There's nothing we can do. Just let me go, we'll meet again soon” They had sung that to each other and tried to move their hands away but the other one held tight, for fear that they would never see each other for a long time.

“Now wait, wait, wait for me, please hang around! I'll see you when I fall asleep” They looked at each other and teared up. They didn’t want to leave each other. When Taurtis got of the swing, Grian practically tackled him in a sorrowful hug.

“Don't listen to a word I say!” they had sang as if they were apologizing to each other for something that happened years ago

“The screams all sound the same” The cries of help had been mute, but now they are louder than ever. 

“Though the truth may vary, This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore” They looked at each other with tears, yet smiles on their faces.

“Don't listen to a word I say Hey The screams all sound the same Hey Though the truth may vary This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Though the truth may vary This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore”

Though the truth may vary This ship will carry our bodies safe to shore”

 One was looking for something in the others eyes and they closed the distance with a hug and a gentle, loving, “goodbye for now” kiss. Ignoring the cheers of the others and Dom screeching “About damn time!”. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[beware-of-you-98]

YES I live for your jemily headcanons okok. I could probably think of endless prompts, but feeling soft for some Paris ones??

🥺🥺 AHH YES I LIVE FOR JJxEMILY IN PARIS!!! I did a mix of both angsty and soft prompts but enjoy!!

The first time they’re both in Paris together is obviously when Emily is hiding from Doyle and “dead”

They both feel way too many [negative] emotions to really enjoy their time together in the “city of love”

They never leave their hotel, and even when they move to a temporary house, they still never leave

Emily is honestly terrified

Logically, she knows, knows Doyle can’t find her—he has no need to because she’s supposedly dead

She knows JJ and Hotch only did this to protect her and that they wouldn’t let anything happen to her

But she clings to the “what if’s”

She feels so fucking guilty

Her mind keeps replaying what she could have done differently

How she could have fought harder against Doyle

How she could have stopped herself from getting distracted

How she could have done anything to prevent so many people she cares about from hurting

JJ beats herself up constantly over the entire situation

She wishes she could go back in time and grow a fucking backbone and stand up to Strauss

She wishes she could have stayed because she would have known something was wrong (she always knows when it comes to Emily)

She wishes she responded faster, wishes she could have gone down that hallway quicker and just maybe none of this would have happened

She feels awful for having to lie to everyone, even if it’s better for them in the end

They both just have so many regrets and guilt on their consciences

Emily wakes up every single night from vivid nightmares, her body trembling and throat raw from her screaming

JJ is there every single time to hold her, to cradle her in her arms and remind Emily that she’s here

Emily always falls asleep in JJ’s arms

They comfort each other, try not to think about the short time they have together

The first time they make love happens in Paris

(They both end up crying and clinging desperately to each other because they genuinely don’t know if they’ll ever see each other again)

It feels like a permanent goodbye

They don’t visit Paris for a long time after Emily comes back

A really long time

In fact, they finally go back for their five year wedding anniversary, nearly fifteen years later

JJ is the one that surprises Emily with a pair of tickets to Paris

It’s weird coming back

Like really, really weird

They both end up back at the same café they parted ways from all those years ago

They both just freeze on the opposite side of the road and stare at it

Eventually, Emily gently tugs JJ over and into the building

They get the same order they had all those years ago: two coffees and a chocolate croissant to split

Both the coffee and the pastry remain on the table untouched as they sit there in silence

It’s awkward because the only memories flooding both their minds are the bad ones

JJ finally speaks and says “What happened here before is in the past. This is now. Let’s make new, happier memories of this place.”

She breaks off a piece of the croissant and holds it to Emily’s lips as an offering

(Emily kisses JJ’s fingers as she accepts the pastry and the blonde’s offer)

Things are a lot better after that

Emily tells JJ funny stories from her childhood when she briefly lived in the city

Both of them are smiling and laughing and genuinely enjoying themselves

Emily has to stop to catch her breath in the middle of one of her stories because, god, JJ is beautiful

(Her eyes are shining in delight, her expression glowing and lips spread into a wide grin)

(The sunlight makes her skin almost appear to be glowing; JJ actually looks like an ethereal being and it makes Emily’s heart clench in the best of ways)

JJ smiles and shyly asks what’s wrong

Emily just beams and leans in and gives her the softest, sweetest kiss

“Nothing. I just love you. A lot.”

They take a walk around the canals, JJ’s head resting on Emily’s shoulder, their hands intertwined and swinging loosely between them

They take a nighttime boat tour (Emily totally only caves because JJ gives her the puppy eyes—but she enjoys the romantic ride with her ride nonetheless)

They go back to their hotel that night and make love for hours and it’s so incredibly different from last time

They cry once but only because they’re both so overwhelmed with happiness and love for each other

Their week is spent traveling all over the city and the surrounding countryside

They go to a few of the best restaurants in the world for dinners

Afterwards, they walk around the city hand in hand, just enjoying each other’s presence

As cliche as it sounds, JJ’s favorite monument is the Eiffel Tower

She and Emily climb it in the early morning hours and watch the sun rise over the city

Emily likes the obscure art museums littered around the city (the Louvre is way too busy and way too overrated in her opinion)

(They do stop by a day before they leave to show Henry and Michael the Mona Lisa over a Skype call [Henry thinks it’s cool because he’s an aspiring little artist; Michael is just happy to see his moms])

They bring back little gifts for their boys and everyone on the team and a whole new set of happy memories of the [reclaimed] city of love

:,) it’s what they deserve!!

[bigskydreaming]

One of the biggest problems with refusing to give much acknowledgment to young Dick Grayson as having been very traumatized rather than just ‘cheered up within a couple of months after coming to the Manor, all on his own, cuz Dick’s just like that, now on with the cute Bruce and young Dick Feels with the occasional light angst of a nightmare’.....

Is fandom is really missing out on a ton of opportunities to actually explore the idea of Good Dad Bruce Wayne that so many people try to instead superimpose on his shittier moments.

Because yeah, there’s a lot of cute headcanons and fics out there about how adorable Dick was as a kid and he and Bruce being so close and Bruce being like the ideal parent and guardian to Dick.....

But like....its easy to be or at least come across as an ideal parent and guardian....when your kid is this happy, plucky, cart-wheeling spirited boy always running around full of light and laughter.

And that’s not who Dick was, when he first came to the Manor!

He was a traumatized eight to ten year old, who’d had his whole world ripped away and replaced entirely with an unfamiliar one he didn’t want.

So many people cite the line about how he didn’t want Bruce to replace his dad and that’s why Bruce waited so long to adopt him....but follow that thread back to its source.

You think grieving, has-every-reason-in-the-world-not-to-trust-strange-adults, tiny little spitfire Dick Grayson was graceful about accepting Bruce’s attempts at comfort at first, when all he wanted was his parents back, when he likely didn’t want hugs from this weird rich guy he didn’t understand, because all he wanted were hugs from his mom and dad?

Everyone’s so quick to point out adult Dick Grayson’s poor coping mechanisms and repression and tendencies to self-isolate and attempt to deal with his various traumas in less than ideal ways.....

You think those behaviors all just popped into existence for the first time on his eighteenth birthday? That he didn’t do similar things with his very early traumas, because those tendencies had already formed or were in the process of forming because of those very traumas?

My point is...

Dick Grayson was not an easy child when he first came to the Manor.

He couldn’t have been. No one could, in his shoes, and anyone who appeared otherwise would just be faking.

And hey, doesn’t that sound an awful lot like Dick Grayson behavior too?

So, the pun-slinging, mischievous, fun-loving sprite that Dick Grayson was as Robin and in his and Bruce’s most heart warming canon stories....

Was either a total cover-up job plastered over all of Dick’s trauma from the very start, meaning none of it ever got addressed or was something he ever moved past to any degree....

Or else, that happy, laughing young Dick Grayson was who he BECAME. After an actual hard, angsty, angry, occasionally self-isolating, irrational and otherwise Dick Grayson-esque road to recovery.

BECAUSE OF BRUCE.

THAT’S what this fandom is missing more than anything, if you ask me. Actual looks at the HARD early times with Dick and Bruce, where this young, inexperienced, totally in over his head Bruce Wayne who’s fast realizing he doesn’t have as much insight into this grieving child as he naively first assumed...

FIGURES IT OUT.

Day by day.

BY DOING THE WORK.

By being there for this kid through all the ups and downs. By refusing to be pushed away and shut out no matter how many times and how many ways Dick tried. By passing every test put before him by the untrusting kid betrayed by the system nominally there to protect him, who needed PROOF that there were still good people out there, still good adults, and that Bruce was one of them, that Dick could trust him, count on him, HE WASN’T GOING TO LEAVE HIM, no matter if Dick tried giving him reason to because he figured it was going to happen anyway and he wanted to get it over with.

Nothing frustrates me more - and you all know a lot frustrates me, lmao - than this implicit INSISTENCE so many people have that a young, traumatized orphan was the magic nightlight that came into Bruce’s life and transformed its drab darkness into a Disney scene as he smiled again for the first time since his parents died, at the sound of laughter....from this...young...traumatized...freshly orphaned and mistreated kid.

I’m sorry.

What?

Like, this is what it all traces back to. This is where the idea that Dick is never traumatized himself, or at least never enough so that it prevents him from doing what he’s really there to do, which is brighten everyone else’s life....

BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE ACT LIKE HE SOMEHOW MANAGED TO DO THAT FOR BRUCE, EVEN IN THE RELATIVE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH OF HIS FAR MORE RECENT TRAUMA.

NO.

That is not how that worked, lmao!

That was never going to be an option for how that worked!

When you think that a recently traumatized orphan is the magic cure-all for the FIFTEEN YEARS PAST trauma of a grown adult....

SOMETHING IS NOT CLICKING THERE.

So much of fandom has it completely backwards, I maintain, and so much of what we complain about and criticize about Dick’s writing in both canon and fanon is all just ripple effects emanating out from that.

Because Dick did not brighten Bruce’s life by just being his bubbly, cheerful, adorable sunshine-y self.

Dick brightened Bruce’s life by giving Bruce a reason to CARE about having brightness in it as much as he was surrounded by darkness.

Because Bruce had spent the last fifteen years neglecting to prioritize including any brightness in his own life, for his own sake, because as far as he and his immutable survivor’s guilt were concerned, he didn’t need it, perhaps didn’t deserve it.

BUT HE REFUSED TO LET THAT BE TRUE FOR THIS KID TOO.

He may not have been willing to fight to keep his own life and outlook bright and cheery all these years, but this kid who’d endured so much tragedy in so short a time, was so lost, was so quickly fading away into scraps of nothing compared to the bright, vibrant, larger than life figure Bruce had only briefly caught a glimpse of that night at the circus BEFORE tragedy struck and the world started piling on the darkness and trying to douse that kid’s light....

Bruce was going to fight like hell to keep that from happening, to keep that child he’d only seen for the briefest of times from turning cold and aloof and bitter.

Because maybe the problem had always been that when it came to himself, he didn’t remember what it had been like before his parents died, what he’d been like. He couldn’t see, couldn’t imagine, what he was supposed to look like when he was happy, what that even was...couldn’t picture it to even have a goal that the always goal-oriented Bruce Wayne could strive towards.

But a happy, bright, beaming Dick Grayson.....

Bruce knew what that looked like. He’d seen it once, the night they first met. HE KNEW WHAT WAS POSSIBLE FOR DICK, what he could be, because he knew and remembered seeing Dick be that before...and there was a clear picture for that, a goal, something that could be aimed for, something to keep aiming for even when it seemed impossible to reach at times.

But it wasn’t impossible. Not for Dick. No matter how hard it got at times, no matter how much Dick pushed him away or tried to drown himself in darkness and shut off all feelings, armor up all his vulnerable parts where the world might sneak in and hurt him.....Bruce wasn’t going to quit because that happier Dick Grayson was out there, was still a possibility. He’d seen it, captured it in his mind, held it up in his memories as proof of purpose whenever he started to doubt himself, or Dick’s ability to recover, or his ability to be the one to help Dick recover...

But if not him, who else was going to do whatever it took to be whatever Dick needed? As far as Bruce could tell, especially in takes where the system already had its shot at doing right by Dick and demonstrated an appalling lack of giving a fuck before Bruce stepped into the ring.....nobody else but Bruce seemed to remember that happier, brighter Dick Grayson. Nobody else seemed as invested in preserving THAT version of him, keeping it alive, fanning the last dying sparks of that bright spirit as long as it took to reignite back into a blazing bonfire that would become a beacon of brightness for Bruce himself, and a whole city and at times even a whole world.

So when you can’t trust anyone else to do a job right, you do it yourself. That’s ALWAYS been Bruce’s philosophy. Hell, its the whole nature of his control freak tendencies.

So that’s what Bruce did. And nobody does stubborn like him, not even Dick Grayson, and eventually, even the angry, bitter, untrusting and totally traumatized version of himself Dick had every possibility of turning into, instead gave way to Bruce’s far more determined refusal to let that happen, and Dick was like, well fuck it, guess I’ll be happy again if you’re gonna be like that about it.

I mean, lol, not really, but you get my point.

Dick didn’t save Bruce.

BRUCE SAVED DICK.

And not by just opening up his home to him. Not by just being someone who nominally, casually, as though that’s all there was to it was just ‘there for him while Dick grieved and recovered’ like it was as simple as that.

There was nothing simple about it. There couldn’t have been. Because there’s nothing simple about that much grief, that much trauma, that much upheaval, that many reasons to give up on the world and refuse to let anyone in or ever really trust anyone again.

Y’know. Like happened for Bruce, over a course of fifteen years, because this stuff is a JOURNEY not an anecdote like ‘well that happened but then they got over it and became superheroes, the end.’

No. Putting a roof over his head and food on his plate and even giving him a mask and a cape, those were just actions. Those were just pieces. Those were just thumbnails of the big picture.

None of those saved Dick. Made him the man, the hero he became.

BRUCE DID THE WORK.

Its that simple, and its also that complex. It was a process. It was a journey. It was a long hard road full of pitfalls and self doubt and second guessing and frustration. It was a million reasons to give up or turn back and only one reason to keep going, but one reason was all he needed. To save this one child. Not just by catching a bad guy or punching a Rogue. But to save him FULLY. His spirit as much as his body.

There’s a saying that goes something like “save one child, you save them all.”

Because the thing is, no matter how much Bruce might want to at times, he couldn’t do that for every single orphan out there. BE THERE, to the extent needed to actually bring Dick back from where his traumas had taken him. 

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t do that for this one, for whatever reason Bruce latched on to him as the one he just couldn’t shake, couldn’t stand to see this way, HAD to do something, anything, everything to stop that. Maybe because Dick did remind him so much of himself in that one crucial moment. Maybe because he felt guilty for not doing more sooner, when he found out what CPS had actually done instead of helping him. Maybe for reasons Bruce himself could never explain, so he just grabbed at any explanation he could think of for why he felt such a bone-deep certainty that this kid, this one specifically, needed him in specific.

Doesn’t matter. But what matters is you can’t save every traumatized child, but you save one kid, you save them all.

Because every single child matters as much as all children, to the right pair of eyes.

And you save one child by proving to them they’re worth saving, proving you want to save them, make them believe it....

That child grows up caring about proving to other children they’re worth saving, proving they want to save them, make them believe it. And on and on it goes.

You raise heroes by being their heroes. You save their world by being their world.

And being a hero, saving the world, that’s HARD FUCKING WORK.

You work and you work and you work at it.

And then you work some more.

And through all the times you feel like giving up, you willfully just refuse to and you KEEP. DOING. THE. WORK.

And if you do it long enough, do it well enough, do it so thoroughly and consistently and fully that in time you forget that its work at all, that its not just a fundamental part of you, a basic fact of your being, a reason you exist and breathe and get up in the morning....

Maybe eventually, hopefully, there comes a morning where you look up and realize somewhere along the way, that kid you saved has become a hero. Maybe he’s saving the world now himself.

And then you get back to work.

THAT. Is how you get Good Dad Bruce Wayne.

And I’m here for all the Good Dad Bruce being that, proving all that to Jason, saving him that way. And the same with Tim, and Cass, and Damian, and Steph, and Duke and Harper and Cullen and Colin and whoever you want to throw in the mix.

Its just.

That has to start with Dick.

It just has to.

Because a happy, cheerful, pun-loving, wise-cracking Robin like Dick Grayson was even after all the tragedy he’d endured so early in his life....

As well as THROUGH all the tragedy he endured as Robin...

That doesn’t just HAPPEN.

Kids aren’t just LIKE that.

You don’t get to expect them to just BE like that, all on their own. To just bounce back to their factory settings after enough time filling their grief quota.

Even a kid like Dick, hell, especially a kid like Dick, needs HELP to get to that point after where they’ve been, what they’ve been through. Needs a REASON to get to that point, a reason to try, to care, to get back up and fly again. Needs guidance, a road map. A guiding light through the darkness, a lighthouse that pierces through the fog.

You don’t get to expect them to just make it there on their own if they just spend enough time stumbling around in the dark, getting even more banged up as they trip and fall and crash into things with no idea what to look out for or a clue they might be headed down an even more dangerous path.

Saving people is hard work. There are no shortcuts. And it never stops.

Bruce Wayne knew that when Dick was younger. He proved it, time and time again.

Dick Grayson the hero IS the proof of that.

You only actually get Bad Dad Bruce Wayne...when he forgets to do the work. Stops doing it, stops trying. Maybe thinks he doesn’t have to do the work anymore, or at least not do as much of it. Thinks maybe he’s done now, its all up to Dick now.

No. Taking a kid in, raising them, making yourself their world until they feel safe and comfortable enough to look beyond you to see what else is out there again....that’s a job you don’t ever get to stop doing, once you willingly start. There is no clocking out. You don’t go home at the end of the day and not expect to see them there, because its their home too and if they feel otherwise or aren’t sure of that, that just means you have more work to do.

So you want to nip Bad Dad Bruce Wayne in the bud?

And not just in terms of Dick, but all or any of his children?

You still have to START with Dick and KEEP BRUCE DOING THE WORK with Dick. Putting in the time, the effort, the care, not taking him for granted, and never letting there reach a point where Bruce thinks Dick’s old enough that Bruce doesn’t need to do that anymore.

Because a Bruce that stops doing the work with Dick is a Bruce that’s going to stop doing the work with all his other kids in due time as well.

Especially since the more you treat Dick Grayson’s early years with Bruce like they were all carefree and trauma proof, just laughter and puns and Saturday morning cartoons....

The more it begs the question....

If Bruce can’t even make it work with a kid that ‘makes it that easy’....how the FUCK do you think he can make it work with all the kids you guys all so much more easily regard as more traumatized, more difficult, harder to reach or get through to?

Like....the more you accept Bruce had to do actual WORK to help Dick heal, the more Jason and all the others benefit by extension....because it makes Bruce that much more intuitive by the time he gets to them, that much more aware of his own actions and choices and impact.

This fandom wants more Good Dad Bruce Wayne content so bad, well guess what, I actually do too.

But if you want Bruce to never forget to keep doing the work, to keep caring, to keep making an effort and making a point to BE there for his kids...

Then as content creators....it doesn’t work if you forget to make Bruce do that  work, make those efforts.

And not just for some of his kids, but ALL of them.

Because if you can justify him not needing to do the work with one of them, you’re only kidding yourself if you think your version of his character could never justify giving up on doing the work for any of the others too.

[dearlazerbunny]

Closer

Pairings: Yusuke Kitagawa x Reader

Genre/Ratings: first kiss, ace!Yusuke

Words: 1400

Summary: You’ve modeled for Yusuke dozens of times, but this ends a little differently than most. 

Oh, did someone say ignore everything you need to be writing and write about my favorite angsty art boy instead??? I thought you’d never ask!!!

“Yusuke. Yukukeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”

Nothing. The boy across from you is ruthlessly invested in the sketchpad resting on his knee, a charcoal pencil fiddling between his fingers. You almost wish you could take a photograph so he could sketch himself instead of you- he’s more of a picture than you’ll ever be, with the look of concentration on his face and the pillowy gray dust streaking his hands. From your position laid across your bed at apparently interesting angles, you have a perfect view of the fading sunlight filtering through the window and the evening settling in the air. You’re warm and a little drowsy from lying down for so long, and Yusuke still isn’t finished.

“Will you at least show me what you’ve got so far?”

Hmmm.

“Your hair would look better in a Mohawk.”

A bit of an eyebrow raise.

“I want to have your babies.”

Well, he’s muttering something under his breath, but nothing coherent.

“The phantom thieves logo is ugly.”

“Hm?” A moment passes before Yusuke’s gaze actually focuses on you- like his mind is still entangled in his art. “Did you say something?”

You bite back a giggle. “Nothing. I know you aren’t supposed to rush art and all, but my butt is getting sore.”

He glances back down at the drawing on his lap. “I don’t yet think I’ve adequately captured the fluidity of the pose-”

“Yusukeeeeee. You say that every time, and every time it looks like a damn masterpiece.”

He rolls his eyes, but there’s a touch of a smile on his lips. “Flattering.”

“It’s why you keep me around.”

“A preposterous notion.” He stands and stretches, shoulders rolling under the collared shirt he insists on wearing even on lazy days. “I’m quite fond of your jawline; it proves a fascinating study.”

“You really know how to woo a girl,” you yawn through your quip, taking the opportunity to shift into a more comfortable position amongst the pillows you’re surrounded by.

“No, you’ll mess up the-!” you cock an eyebrow, daring him to argue about ruining your form or line or whatever he was about to say- he promptly closes his mouth, and you rub in the victory by dramatically ruffling your hair out of whatever carefully draped formation Yusuke had arranged it into hours before.

In an effort to shield himself from viewing the destruction of his masterpiece, Yusuke turns his attention back to his unfinished piece while you wiggle around and snuggle up into a blanket and generally make yourself look silly. It’s always so fascinating to watch his face waver and contort as he takes in his own work- there’s always a pinch along his brow bone, a tilt of the head here and there. For someone who prides himself on keeping his emotions in check, you can consistently read him like a book.

You blink- at some point in your staring, he started staring back at you. It’s his artist’s gaze, something intense and critical but also somehow dreamlike as it imagines what could be with a stroke of pencil on a page. Being its target never gets old. He crosses to where you’re still curled up on the bed and ever so gently reaches out to brush away  a stray piece of hair from where its fallen on your forehead. You freeze. This is- different. This isn’t the deft touch of a sculptor arranging his model. It’s… softer. More tentative. Almost nervous?

“I believe I’ve realized something,” Yusuke murmurs, “and it was rather foolish of me not have seen it previously.” You wait, your heart thumping something fierce. “You are.. intensely beautiful.”

“Well, I don’t think artists aren’t in the habit of drawing ugly things.” You try to jest and give him a smirk as you sit up to meet him, but something frozen has flooded your veins and slowed you down. Compliments aren’t rare, necessarily, but they are when they’re not coming from the artist, but from him.

He shakes his head, bangs falling into his eyes. “No. It’s difficult to explain. I can capture this-” he traces the line of your cheekbone with a gentle finger, as though you’re forged of crystal- “easily enough. But the light in your eyes, and in the curve of your smile… they prove unfairly elusive.”

“Yusuke?” His hand hasn’t left your cheek; you’re almost afraid to breathe for fear of scaring him away. “I don’t really know what to say.”

“I- I don’t-” He lets out a little huff of frustration, clearly irritated at his inability to put his thoughts into words. You stay where you are, watching indecision flicker across his face, waiting for any sort of cue. Little by little, it becomes clear what he’s trying to say but can’t quite voice- it’s in the way you’re reflected in his eyes; how his fingers wander their way down to the nape of your neck and let themselves tangle in your hair.

Ever so gently, you mimic his movement and brush his bangs back into their characteristic swoop, not missing the way his breath hitches as you comb through the strands. “Is this okay?” you murmur, not wanting to push anything too far. He’d told you long ago about his asexuality and lack of interest in anything physical- fine with you, you aren’t interested in him for what he can offer you in the bedroom. But now… “I thought you were ace? Which is fine,” you reassure. “I just need to know where my boundaries are.”

“I am,” he confirms. “But at the moment I feel as though I need to kiss you or either spontaneously combust.”

You breathe out a laugh, both from shock and awe at his sudden honesty. “Okay.” Your fingers move a little more assuredly along his hairline, little parts of him you’ve long admired but never been able to touch. “That’s okay. We can work with that.”

Nothing but a hum of resolution from Yusuke, who continues to let himself meander over your features. The two of you draw ever closer, a small dance of back and forth until you’re close enough to feel him whisper a confession as his eyes flutter closed- “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“That’s okay, too,” you whisper back, letting him take his time as he gently brushes your nose with his own, runs a thumb over your cheek, and leans in for your first kiss.

It’s gentle at first- tentative, experimental. While it’s your first kiss as a couple, you know it’s also his first kiss ever, and it’s sweet knowing he trusts you enough to share the experience with you. You try to send him subtle little signs that say it’s all good, I’m right here. Do what you want to do. He gets bolder as the seconds pass, letting the small bits of passion that characterize everything Yusuke does leak through his wall of uncertainty: his fingers clench in your hair, he leans into the taste of you, lets you hear the catch in his sigh of contentment and small noise of want. You follow his lead and try not to let on just how many fireworks are sparking though you, all the way down to the tips of your toes.

Somewhere along the way the two of you got so entangled that separating only means putting a few inches between your faces. You look at each other in wonder, in amazement, like your entire worldview has shifted into high definition clarity.

And then you both promptly dissolve into giggles, because, yeah. That was... good.

Yusuke looks years younger with a smile on his face and crinkles around his eyes- it’s a rare sight that you cherish each and every time you’re privy to it. Knowing you’re the cause makes it even better. “Okay?” You ask softly, unable to stop yourself from looking at him in this new way- closer, softer, warmer.

“Mmm. Quite.” Being close enough to taste his words is such a sweet feeling. “And you?”

Your nose brushes his in an Eskimo kiss. “Never better. You never fail to amaze me, Inari.”

He graces you with another soft kiss. “However amazing I might be, it only reveals itself because of you.”

“You’re too damn poetic, you know that?”

Another smile, this one even brighter than the last. “And yet,” he gestures to the pair of you, at how you’re happily and contentedly wrapped in his arms- “here you are.”

A/N: Yusuke is gray-ace and you can pry that headcanon out of my cold dead gray-ace hands

[tarotdeckshuffle]

If inspiration hits you, would you be able to write headcanons for Nyx meeting their future child as well? It’s alright if you don’t want to. Thank you for sharing your writing with us all!

Rotfl, I’m so flattered that you all liked my last fic! I had drafted a version of Ardyn’s child when I wrote that last post, but it didn’t feel right. So, I think I’ll redo much of it.

I apologize for how long this took to do! I do enjoy working with these prompts, so let me know if there’s anyone else you want to see!

Be warned all ye who enter: Angsty waters lie ahead…

Taglist: @idiotflowerex, @laststory1013, @sayaoqueen, @jophinabean, @mysme-already

If you like what you read, please consider supporting me on Patreon or buying me a Ko-fi!

Meeting Future Children, Part II

Ardyn

Ardyn’s child loves animals.

As a child, Ardyn himself loved pets.

He was especially fond of his black chocobo.

Shiva has brought him to a small house on the coast.

She wants him to realize that he does have a future.

That this whole world has a future.

He sighs because he doesn’t see why humanity needs a future,

They’ve squandered the present.

But he’ll play along.

He’s transported to a small cottage on a cliff by the sea.

He sees a child, sitting in a small shed by the house.

Curious, Ardyn approaches.

The small child is surrounded by kittens and adult cats.

A small smile crosses Ardyn’s face as he crouches at the doorway to the shed.

“What have we here,” he asks the child. They refuse to look up at him.

“Shh! You’ll wake the babies,” they respond.

Ardyn hushes. “My apologies.”

The child continues to pet the kittens.

“May I join you,” Ardyn asks.

The child nods.

The dark man enters, settling on the dusty floor.

One of the adult cats raises its head at him, then decides to go back to sleep.

“Are they a family?” he asks the child.

“Yeah. They just let me pet them.”

“Do they have names?” Getting this child to talk is like pulling teeth.

“Yeah!” That was it, that was the question the child needed.

They go into detail about every cat and kitten, telling Ardyn all of their names and personalities.

Ardyn can’t help but smile.

Their love for these small creatures and enthusiasm is adorable.

Eventually, one of the adult cats comes over to Ardyn and lays down on his lap.

He’s a bit shocked by all of this, but the purring creature brings great comfort.

“They like you,” the child pipes up.

“Or I’m just warm…” he remarks, ever the cynic.

The child looks down, defeated.

A pang of guilt stabs Ardyn’s heart.

“I didn’t mean to insult your feline companions,” he remarks, trying to ease the tension.

“That’s not it!” The child almost yells. “They’re just cats, but…I like them. And I want to like them. So even if they don’t like me, I don’t care. I want to take care of them.”

A once and future king is defeated by the words of a child.

“Besides, cats need someone! Maybe they claw you, but scratches heal! That’s just who they are! They don’t leave, they don’t yell, they didn’t do anything wrong! Not everybody has to be left…”

Tears fall down the child’s cheeks.

Ardyn is numb.

What has he done?

No, it must be one of Shiva’s tricks!

He gently moves the creature from his lap before jumping to his feet and bounding outside.

“Where are you going?!” The child calls after him.

Frustrated air escapes the man’s lips as he makes his way to the cliff over the ocean.

The sun shines down on his face.

The light…

It doesn’t hurt him!

This truly must be a dream…

But what god would control his very thoughts and not torture him with the light?

Ardyn takes a deep breath of the salty air and his skin is warmed in the setting sun.

Where is he?

When is he?

What has he done?

“DADDY!”

The child is running out of the shed, having freed themselves from the tangle of cats.

That word…that single word strikes through Ardyn’s very soul with more ferocity than any of Bahamut’s blades could ever hope to.

He falls to his knees.

His head falls in defeat, as his arms open wide, embracing the child that falls into them.

“Don’t go, Daddy! I’m sorry! I’ll be good…”

Hot tears stain the dark coat.

Ardyn’s tears fall into the child’s hair.

Petting their head, he shushes them.

“Don’t fret, my darling. Daddy isn’t going anywhere. You have never, nor could you ever, do anything wrong.”

“I love you, Daddy…”

Ardyn smiles at his future.

“I love you, too, beloved.”

Father and child embrace for a long moment as the sun sets.

Eventually, they make their way inside, bringing their feline family with them, for a true feast and a warm bed.

Ardyn learns what a wonderful child he has.

They are caring and funny,

With an adorable laugh.

Everything about them is precious.

They offer to help him cook,

But Ardyn soon learns that they can only cook instant noodles and toaster pastries.

It truly is a disgrace.

So Ardyn makes small meat scraps for the cats,

And stew for himself and the child.

Letting them help with dishes.

After dinner, the entire group snuggles by the fire,

As father and child read a bedtime story.

Right now, everything is warm and quiet.

Shiva arrives as the moon watches overhead.

Ardyn emerges from a bed of kittens and a child’s embrace.

He looks the goddess in the eyes,

“I’m not sure what game you are playing, but you’ve surely defeated me.”

He turns back to admire his sleeping child.

“In what world am I heartless enough to leave them so alone?”

Shiva smiles,

“Many creatures are helpless in comparison to the power of the gods. It is our decision how much we care and love them.”

Ardyn sighes,

“Then I have made my decision.”

Shiva holds out a hand that Ardyn takes.

Her smile illuminated by the moonlight.

Nyx

Nyx is the father to the second adept of Eos.

His child is the second person ever to be able to pull magic straight from the crystal and not be part of the royal line. 

All of this magic is in the hands of a four year old, so you can imagine the consequences.

Nyx sits, taking his last breaths, admiring the sunrise, when Shiva comes to him.

His last reward is to see the world he has sacrificed everything to save.

And the piece he gets to see, is a rooftop in Lestallum.

Next to a water tank, under a dark sky, dances a small child.

Where their feet land, snowflakes bloom.

Nyx smiles at the strange dance. 

“What’re you doing up here alone, little one?” he asks, coming up to the child.

They stop dancing to respond.

“I’m not alone, you’re here too!”

Nyx laughs before noticing something on their hip.

“Looks like you brought protection, too, huh?”

On the child, it looks like a small sword,

But when they unsheath the weapon,

It’s one of Nyx’s kukris!

He’s stunned.

“How’d you get that?”

The child turns it over in their hands.

“It…it was my daddy’s.”

“It was…what?”

“It was my daddy’s. I never got to meet him, but I’m told it was his by Uncle Libertus.”

Nyx has to sit down on the ground due to his shock.

“Mister, are you ok?”

It takes the warrior a moment to catch his breath.

“Yeah…yeah…”

“Your face looks pale, are you cold?” A flame appears in the child’s hands.

If this is the afterlife, it sure is throwing Nyx for a loop!

“How did you do that?!” The Glaive askes, incredulously.

The child closes their hands, extinguishing the flames.

“I…don’t know.”

They’re backing away from Nyx; he’s scared them.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…How about you tell me about yourself.”

The child sits down across from Nyx.

They just chat.

To the Glaive, this child is perfect.

They are just…amazing.

It takes time, but Nyx get’s to his feet.

“How about I show you how to use that kukri?”

The child is so excited.

It turns out, this little kid can warp!

But their accuracy is terrible…

Most of the time, they hold on to Nyx’s back as he warps.

Giggling the whole way.

When they try to do it themselves, they end up at least four feet off of the mark.

And their magic!

They have more control than Nyx could even dream of having!

They can make the elements take the form of shapes!

Flowers bloom in their hands and small animals made of fire dance around them.

They even play a few small pranks on their father:

Shocking him in the ear or making creatures disappear into smoke as he goes to touch them.

In this little body, Nyx’s hopes for Eos are alive.

Father and child dance across the city.

Until Shiva arrives under a starless sky.

She holds her hand out to Nyx.

“Are you going to go, Mister?” The child asks, looking up at him with innocent eyes.

“It looks like it, little one.”

“Am I going to see you again?”

Nyx’s heart breaks.

He gets down on his knee to hug the child.

“Someday, little one. Someday.”

He kisses their forehead, before pulling away to look them in the eyes.

“I have a big mission for you, ok, little Glaive?”

“OK!” The child says with determination.

“Take care of this world for me, ok? It’s a big mission, but this place needs you. Can you do that?”

“I’ll try.” The child thinks for a moment. “Will you help me?”

“I can’t anymore, kiddo. But I’ll always be cheering you on.”

Shiva touches Nyx’s shoulder and he fades away within the child’s arms.

“I love you.” Are the last words Nyx is able to leave his little one with as he returns to the rising sun.

[tough-girl9]

I decided to compile a list of all the Strange Magic fics I want to write in one place...

Afterwards

Post-movie two-shot. After their confession, Bog and Marianne have to decide where to go from here. Featuring Bog and Marianne navigating a very awkward, cute, shy first date, discussing Marianne’s dreams of uniting the kingdoms, and wanting very badly to hold hands but not being sure how to go about it.

Alone

Short one-shot. On one side of the border, a goblin king’s loneliness and hidden hunger to be loved eat away at his heart. On the other side of the border, a fairy princess sobs herself to sleep on what would have been her wedding night. A feel-good little character study type of thing comparing Bog and Marianne before they meet and after.

Beauty and the Beast

One-shot. Bog is in bed with a fever, so Marianne decides to share one of her favorite stories from her childhood with him. ButterflyBog fluff with a fairy version of the Beauty and the Beast tale, and Marianne and Bog bantering about how their own story fits.

Blue Eyes and Purple Wings

Multi-chapter AU. A fairy child and a goblin boy happen to meet on the border of two kingdoms and an unexpected friendship blossoms between light and dark. I know it’s been done before, but it’s too cute an idea not to try my hand at a version of it.

Boggy Woggy

Short one-shot. Marianne knew that the Bog King utterly despises Roland. What she never expected was to one day walk in on her current fiance attempting to strangle her ex. Inspired by a conversation with a friend who wanted to know how Bog would react to someone other than Dawn calling him “Boggy.”

Concerning Children

One-shot. With their wedding in the near future, Bog and Marianne have a serious discussion about what will happen to their kingdoms once they are married and the conversation turns to children. Marianne thinks they are discussing possibilities in case a goblin and a fairy are not able to have a child together. Bog thinks they are discussing the topic for a very different reason. Bog being his usual insecure self that can’t imagine Marianne desiring him, and Marianne reassuring him that that’s definitely not the case.

The Dark Side of the Moon

Multi-chapter fic. Not in the same continuity as most of my post-movie fics. Two kingdoms united, a fairy queen wedded to a goblin king, and dreams come true. But Roland has not yet given up on the throne and puts a new plan in action that could ruin everything. Dark and angsty, involving Roland attempting to have Bog assassinated, stealing the throne, and coercing Marianne into being his queen, Marianne striking a terrible deal with Roland to allow her unborn child and the rightful heir to live, and Sunny and Dawn leading an uprising against Roland.

Dates and Questions

One-shot. About a month into their relationship, Marianne and Bog are out for a date and find the courage to start asking each other some of the questions they’ve been wondering about, to learn a bit more about each other and put some of the myths surrounding their respective cultures to rest. Total fluff and humor with some exploration of fairy and goblin cultures.

Different Is What I Like

One-shot. When Bog finds his eldest daughter in tears, he finds himself giving her the same comfort that he had once given the woman who would become his wife. Bog as a father and teenage Princess Rosalind struggling with her biracial identity.

Double Date

One-shot. About a month after the events of the movie, Dawn and Sunny are planning an outing together, but when Dawn invites Marianne and Bog for a double date, things get a little awkward for a certain elf who is still a bit wary of his future brother-in-law. ButterflyBog, Potionless, and Bog & Sunny bonding.

An Eye For Beauty

Character study type of one-shot. Bog has a knack for seeing beauty in the most diverse and unexpected places, Marianne notices. There seems to be only one place where Bog can only find ugliness.

Fairy Princess, Goblin King

Human AU one-shot? That could possibly turn into more? Bogdan Kingsley is well aware that he has no life. The only thing he really enjoys are his weekly LARP group where he can immerse himself in his fantasy alter-ego of the dreaded goblin king. But when a newcomer joins the group, Bog finds his life turned upside-down.

Fairy Wings and Ferris Wheels

One-shot (or possibly two or three-shot with fairly short chapters) Human AU. Marianne, Dawn, Bog, and Sunny participate in a scavenger hunt challenge at their favorite theme park. Bog and Marianne being aggressively competitive dorks, Dawn and Sunny being cute together and pretending like they don’t know those two animals who are taking bumper car competition waaaay too seriously, and sisterly bonding.

Handsome

Three or Four Shot. Bog is happier than he’s ever been with his beautiful, fiery fairy girlfriend. But a chance reminder of his own hideousness sends him spiraling into worry and doubt over whether he is good enough for Marianne. So he goes to Sugar Plum Fairy for a different sort of potion, but Bog’s plans don’t go quite as he expected. Angst with lots of hurt/comfort fluff.

I Could Have Lost You

One-shot. During a tender moment, Bog becomes deeply distraught. As Marianne seeks to comfort her husband, she learns that he is still haunted by a moment from their past. My take on Bog’s guilt over coming so close to killing Marianne on the night they met.

I Think I Love You

One-shot. Marianne still caught her cheating fiance, but feeling emboldened by her freed self that has emerged, she decides to go to the Dark Forest to prove her dream of peace is possible. She finds the last thing she expected: a friend who understands heartbreak just as well as she does. But then, when everything is perfect, she has to go and mess it all up. I know it’s been done before multiple times, but I want to try my hand at it. Friends to lovers (when everyone but the two of them are well aware of what is transpiring and bets are being placed on who ends up kissing the other one first).

I Wish I Had Boys

Two-shot. In which the Fairy King gets his wish, and makes the effort to get to know his future sons-in-law a little better. Dagda & Sunny and Dadga & Bog bonding time.

Kidnapped!

One-shot. When Bog went to sleep that night, the last thing he expected was to be kidnapped. In which Marianne gives Bog a taste of his own kidnapping medicine and takes advantage of having a sexy goblin king in her power.

A King’s Wrath

One-shot. Marianne makes the mistake of confronting Bog in front of his servants when he’s chewing them out. Bog responds with seeming aggression and anger, damaging Marianne’s trust in him, but afterwards he comes to her privately to apologize and explain to her that goblins rule in a very different way than fairies.

A Lesson in Love

One-shot. Marianne couldn’t love her goblin boyfriend more, except for one thing. Every time he disparages himself or suggests that he is not enough, it is like a dagger in her heart. And so she decides to break her insecure boyfriend of the habit once and for all by giving him a taste of his own medicine.

Lovestruck

Multi-chapter AU. My take on the “what if it was Bog who got a face-full of love potion” scenario, because it’s just too delicious not to explore.

Meat

One-shot. Early in their relationship, Marianne stays for a meal in the Dark Forest with Bog and is confronted by a reality that she knows she should have realized beforehand but still can’t help but be deeply disturbed by, and she realizes she’s going to have to make a decision about whether she can truly accept Bog for who he is and everything that entails. Based on my headcanon that fairies do not eat meat.

Monster

One-shot. Bog overhears a group of fairies gossiping about their princess and her monstrous paramour. When Bog doesn’t show up for their date, Marianne goes looking for her lover.

Nothing Goes As Planned

One-shot. Both Bog and Marianne long to be parents, but they are beginning to think it might not be possible for them. Bittersweet Bog/Marianne bonding and comfort and discussions about alternatives to having biological children.

Oh You Scaly-Backed Cockroach

One-shot. Bog overhears (OK eavesdrops on) Marianne talking to Dawn about him. What he learns about how Marianne sees him is startling to him, but he decides to put this new piece of knowledge to the test, even if it takes him decidedly outside of his comfort zone.

One Fateful Day

Two or Three Shot most likely. Fifteen years ago, Bog almost ruined the life of the girl he loved and he’s lived with the guilt of his deed ever since. Now, he decides he finally needs to do what he should have done all those years ago and finally put the ghosts of That Fateful Day to rest. Bog-centric, but also deals with Marianne’s trust issues. I haven’t run across many fics that really deal with Bog’s guilt and shame for attempting to use the potion or him trying to make amends for what he did, so this is my attempt to explore that.

Only Fools Rush In

Multi-chapter fic. An alternate ending to Strange Magic where the “Tell Him/Her” confessions never took place and Marianne is not quite so sure she’s ready to give her heart to another man, even one like Bog. Basically, my attempt to explore what I felt would have been a more satisfying ending, where Marianne and Bog are not rushed into confessing their feelings and both of them have more time to wrestle with their hang-ups surrounding romance and finally come together on their own terms when they feel ready.

The Prisoner

Multi-chapter AU. When she marries the love of her life and the handsomest fairy in the kingdom, Marianne expects Happily Ever After. When King Roland declares war on the Dark Forest and takes the goblin ruler as a prisoner, Marianne gets something else entirely. On the dark and angsty side.

See You At the Dark Forest

Multi-chapter Human AU. Marianne and Dawn decide to check out the Dark Forest Café, and Dawn becomes quite smitten with the tall, dour owner. Marianne, on the other hand, is decidedly less smitten.

Stormy Evening

One-shot. An unexpected storm keeps Marianne a prisoner in the Dark Castle. She and Bog find plenty of ways to pass the time however. Fluff, make-out sessions, and Marianne and Bog having a conversation about Bog’s Obliviousness to the fact that he totally a goblin stud.

Unclad

Short one-shot. Bog finds himself worrying over whether his state of…undress is embarrassing to Marianne.

Unmarked

Multi-chapter Soulmate mark AU. Marianne has always had a strange dream about a place where light and dark meet, where blue eyes meet hers from the darkness, and a clawed hand with a mark that matches hers reaches out to seize her wrist. But the dream is pushed aside when she meets a dashing blond fairy with a matching mark and knows she’s met her soulmate. But nothing is quite what it seems, on either side of the border. Unabashed cliché, I know, but I don’t think I’ve run across a Strange Magic soulmate mark AU, so why not? In which Roland is his usual terrible, lying self and Marianne meets a goblin king who is mysteriously Unmarked.

Wedding Bells

One-shot (or possibly two-shot). ButterflyBog wedding! As Bog prepares for his wedding with old goblin customs, he shares a tender moment with the person who never gave up on seeing her boy happy beyond his wildest dreams. Bog & Griselda bonding, goblin wedding traditions, and the royal wedding of the century.

Where the Asters Bloom

One-shot. One day, Marianne notices that Bog seems particularly distracted. As it turns out, today is a day with special meaning for Bog and he decides to introduce Marianne to someone very dear to him. Bittersweet fluff with some exploration into Bog’s childhood and fairy and goblin customs surrounding death.

[tnbc-thoughtsandheadcanons]

One of my tnbc headcannons is that Jack's mom is La Muerte from the book of life and his dad was the previous Halloween King. And that he never actually knew who his mother was until he was a grown up (Most of my tnbc headcannons are depressing and I don't know why XD)

Aah, I’ve seen this headcanon around before!

The idea of La Muerte being his mom is so ironic, and I like that aspect. It’s good there are some fanfics and fanart out there depicting this HC. I remember seeing this piece where La Muerte confronted Jack after stealing Christmas and honestly? Never knew how blessed I’d be to see that. I remember reading a fanfic with how Jack embraced his culture as a kid and that, too, blessed me.

But, hey, angsty-headcanons can sometimes be the best! My TNBC OC is Jack’s father, and he hasn’t seen him for so many years while his mother died when he was just a tot. So I’m on the same boat with you - feels all around!

I wish people had more headcanons and theories surrounding Jack’s parents. Some people HC him dying and remaining the way he is in the movie. But, personally, I prefer the HC that he was raised in Halloween Town as an heir to the Pumpkin King throne. Answers a lot of questions a lot better.