#thanks for indulging me with that last ship hon

[inkdrawndreamer]

For the ask game: 1. Hattercrow 2. Scriddler 3. Riddlehat? Is that a thing that exists? Bonus: Ratcroc

Thanks for humoring me with the Ratcroc. Let's do this.

Hattercrow

1. What made you ship it?

My buddy's fics got me interested enough to seek out comics featuring the characters, and the cartoons hooked me the rest of the way. I enjoy the times I've seen them work together in comics and I really wish they were utilized as a team more (if only to see them get in each other's way over and over). I think Jon and Jervis have compatible shticks, they have similar enough interests, and if DC writers would remember that Jervis is an inventor once in a while, there's a lot of cool stuff that could be done with them together.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

I like that they got such similar issues with different executions. They're both book nerds who invent their own weaponry. Neither of them would know a healthy relationship if it bit them in the ass. They mess with people's heads in different ways. It's fun to explore how the similarities between them could cause friction or make them more dangerous as a team.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I like depictions of Jervis where he acts more childlike, but not where he's overly naive. I'm also not big on stuff where he is significantly younger than Jon.

Scriddler

1. Why don’t you ship it?

I think both characters are interesting, I just don't see that kind of chemistry between them. It doesn't do anything for me.

2. What would have made you like it?

I don't know. Maybe seeing more stuff where they actually work together? Or at the very least are shown to have some common interests beyond being supervillains.

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I see people do some really nice art of the two of them, and there are a couple of fics for this pairing that I have really enjoyed. It's just not a pairing I tend to seek out.

Riddlehat

1. Why don’t you ship it?

I'm not sure I've ever seen this pairing outside of a trio with Scarecrow, but I'm not opposed to it. It's just not something I've thought much about.

2. What would have made you like it?

It would be cool to see them work on robotics stuff together. I want to see them talk shop about their inventions, playing video games together, stuff like that. Could be fun.

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

They have some common ground that could be fun to explore. I’d be interested to see what people do with it.

Ratcroc

1. What made you ship it?

They both live in the sewer yet they don’t really interact in anything, which I found strange. Ratcatcher is pretty misanthropic, so I think he’d have a better chance of getting along with someone who is used to being treated like they’re inhuman. Croc also needs more friends and/or sewer roommates. It also continues the trend of Croc being the more chill one in whatever pairing he is in (thinking of June Moon, Mary Dahl, etc).

2. What are your favorite things about the ship? 

I like the idea of them being each other’s exception to how much people suck. I think Croc wants acceptance from people much more than Ratcatcher does, though I think Ratcatcher would jump to his defense more quickly. He’s a pretty angry and vengeful guy, so heaven help whoever messes with either of them. I also think Croc would force him to begrudgingly interact with people more often since Croc has more friends who aren’t rats.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? 

It’s such a rarepair that I think shipping it at all is probably the least popular opinion haha

[capricornus-rex]

Perseverance Over Pride (2 - End)

Requested by: @stellar-trinity​ | Prompt:

Hey Hon! I was wondering if you could do a request? No rush on this one :) I will say this one is a bit personal bc I tend to do this A LOT 😅 Cal comforting the reader after being hard on herself? Maybe the reader was working on Cal’s saber, ends up breaking it more (unintentionally) and once everyone is asleep, she locks herself in her own room and cries? Thanks hon! 🥺💖

Tags: Self-doubting! Reader

Previous | Masterlist

2 of 2

Oh no… No, no… NO! Your mind, anxious and panicked, screamed. You wanted to let the words out but you can’t because it’ll alarm the crew.

You covered your mouth with your entire hand, bottling up all of the emotions that’s thrashing and storming inside your core right now.

“No… That’s impossible! What went wrong?!” you gasped, the weapon shook in your trembling hand.

You set it down on the workbench again. You don’t know what to do first: tear it apart again and redo everything or mentally assess what steps you could’ve possibly mixed up. Though, to save your pride, you didn’t do the latter.

You were back to where you started—taking it apart piece by piece, except with the newly-replaced parts this time. You examined and inspected every single component that you’ve detached from the very structure of the saber and looked for possible errors.

Blinded by confusion, you can’t seem to find what’s wrong. Everything seemed to be in place. You can’t pinpoint what you may have overlooked. You repeated everything you did—and perhaps adjusting a little bit of the parts in each step—and then tested the ignition again.

The result remained the same: a short-lived flicker of the blade.

You couldn’t control yourself when you flung your fist to the workbench, hoping nobody from outside heard that—which they obviously did—you jerked your hand away and rubbed the sore part; all of a sudden, your heart felt heavy, your stomach churned, and your breathing was shaky and rapid.

“What’s the matter with me?”

Trying to relax even felt tedious. The doubt in your conscience was beginning to chew its way into you, but your fought it off along with the words that were gradually forming in your mind—the words that you dread to hear, even if it was just in your imagination.

Nothing.

There was no concentration, no calmness… nothing.

Your mind was in a total disarray.

“This is bad,” you muttered fearfully.

You examined the disassembled lightsaber again, thought long and hard as you stared at it, and then wagered which of the new parts must be replaced to better, functioning ones. The next places that could possibly have some components are the Imperial station near the weathered monument and the ice caves. Asking Greez to take the Mantis to Coruscant is the farthest stretch of an option, so you put that as the last resort—even if the Jedi Temple has the best selection of parts, albeit abandoned.

“It’s highly likely graverobbers have looted the temple though,” you assessed.

Afraid to show your face, and scared to be incapable of answering Cal’s questions about his lightsaber, you couldn’t dare to step out of the room—though you badly need to if you want to get your components. You took a deep breath as if preparing yourself to speed through a row of Auger pulverizers, you rehearsed your general response if ever Cal asks, and coached yourself to keep your eyes on the door.

“Okay, just waltz out. Don’t maintain eye contact, eyes on the door. Just say you’re going out to get more parts, and that’s it. Simple.”

The line became your mantra in the next three minutes. Afterwards, you pulled yourself together and followed your mantra physically to a tee.

“I’m going out again, just need more parts,”

You practically ate your words as you briskly walked past Cal sitting on the couch with Cere in the middle of a hallikset lesson. The two Jedi followed you with their eyes until you disappeared out of the ship. Cal was able to sense something from you, it was faint yet noticeable; he contemplated whether to bring it up to you or wait and see if it would worsen or subside.

You gave the shed on the edge of the landing pad a try, but it turned out to be a disappointment when it was just crates of the same materials as the ones in the derelict hangar; and so off you go to where you needed to be.

You take the shortcut at the turbine facility leading out to the ice slide before the weathered monument. You surprisingly mowed down the dispatched unit of Stormtroopers just on the other side of that blaster door.

“Okay, gotta get to that station fast,” you tell yourself.

You’ve reached your destination: the Imperial command center with a landing platform. You had hoped that with a station this big, you hoped you’d find something worth of all this short trip.

You took every Stormtrooper stationed there singlehandedly by surprise; banking their shots right back at them until all that remains is the black R2 unit strolling across the metal halls.

Now that you’re in the clear, you scoured all of the supply crates that you can find, taking apart the control panels and power terminals for possible substitutes, and even harvesting the parts of a Stormtrooper’s blaster and a Scout Trooper’s staff. By sheer luck, the staff ran on a diatium power cell and prayed that this could be your key to actually fixing the saber.

When you got back, you came in with such a burst that the crew just watched you speed past them. Understandably so, you were too indulged in getting that lightsaber fixed—but they don’t know that you’re protecting your ugly secret of busting it a second time after the Jotaz did.

Cal walked in on you and found you on your second attempt.

“[y/n]?”

You jumped, startled by the softest call of your name.

“You startled me right there!” you gasped, clutching on your chest while sucking in air.

“Oh sorry, I figured you didn’t hear me the first time so I went closer. Sorry…”

“It’s okay,” you tried to hide the saber by blocking his view of it with your back. “Look, it’s not ready yet. I thought I finished it but turns out I had to do it again. I… I’m still fitting the power cells underneath the sleeve of the second saber.”

“Look, I’m more worried about you than the saber itself. Could you please do me a favor and don’t stress out on this? Like I said: don’t rush on this.”

“I’m sorry, I… I suppose I just got a bit worked up. Won’t rest until the job’s done—force of habit.”

He raised his lips to your forehead.

“Well, there’s no need to be worked up, okay?”

You nodded and replied in a hushed tone. He dismissed himself, saying Cere owes him another hour of hallikset lessons, and then walked out of the bedroom, leaving you again with his busted saber and in your solitude.

More hours have passed, at this point in time, your confidence has deteriorated. While the power-related parts—namely the diatium power cell, conductor, power vortex ring, and inert power insulator—were finally replaced with the whole, new ones supplied by your inventory and the ones you’ve picked up, it appeared that they weren’t the answers to your question.

You repeated again, tweaking some of the parts that you assumed could have gone wrong.

The same feeling that you had on the first attempt return—only this time, it was five times worse on the third and fourth tries. You wished that you knew what the problem was.

“No… NO!” you growled, pounding the edge of the worktable out of frustration. The force of your outburst was so strong that you managed to make the thin pipe railings creak.

The crew kept it quiet between one another whenever they would hear one of your outbursts: the grunts, startled cries, and groans of frustration. An hour later, you were still stuck in the loop of trying to figure out the mistake. Cal decided to pull you away from that spiraling mess you’ve gotten into.

“[y/n]…?” he called as he knocked. “Dinner’s ready. Are you coming?”

“N-No, Cal… I… I’m not hungry,” you spoke to him through the sealed door, your voice is muffled but still coherent. “I’m not hungry.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Sorry, Cal. Please, I just want some time alone to finish this,”

“Alright then. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Oh… okay. Thanks, Cal…”

Cal appeared out of the small annex to join the crew at the dinner table. Cere started to get worried when he appeared without you.

“Where’s [y/n]?”

He repeated your reason to everyone as he took his seat. There was awkward air that somehow exuded the empty chair next to Cal—where you usually sit.

Cal left some food for you and personally put them away on his own after dinner. Cere watched him prepare your serving in case you finally decide to come out of the room and eat, as he sealed off the food container, she confronted him gently.

“Cal, is [y/n] okay? She’s been acting… unusual lately. She’s been locked up in your room for hours now and missed dinner. The last time we saw her outside that room is when she came to scavenge for spare parts.”

“Something’s off about her ever since the last time she went out. She didn’t even open the door to talk to me, she just spoke through the door. I didn’t think that she’d put that much pressure on herself to repair my lightsaber… but now I do.”

“Go talk to her. I am absolutely sure she needs it,” Cere clapped him on the shoulder before retreating to the cockpit.

While they were eating, you have already gone through your fifth attempt. You’ve given up in the middle of the sixth try and ended up sitting on the floor, hugging your knees, and just succumb to crying. When Cal got close enough, he could hear you weeping in the room and that further confirmed his presumption about you.

He knocked on the door again, calling your name.

“Come on, I saved you some dinner,” he coaxed. “Greez made your favorite.”

“Please just… go away, Cal…” you replied.

Cal noticed the change of tone in your voice and the sniffles.

“No, I won’t,”

The two of you conversed with a sealed blast door in the middle. You wanted it that way because you didn’t want him to see the teary-eyed mess that you are and his still-busted lightsaber.

“Look, I couldn’t fix your lightsaber; I could have broken it but not on purpose—you should be hating me right now!”

“I don’t hate you,” he coolly said. “I could never hate you.”

There was no response from your end at the door, you buried your face in your knees in shame, letting tears pool on your pant legs in the process. He decided to open the door via the control keypad on his side. When the door whizzed open, he saw you curled up on the floor by the workbench; you didn’t look to him when he got in.

“Oh, [y/n]…” he purred, sitting on the floor and then taking you into his arms.

“I’m sorry, I thought I could do it…!” you sobbed. “I didn’t mean to break it, honest. I really wanted to fix it but I just couldn’t… I thought I could!”

He shushed. He rested his cheek over your head after kissing your forehead. “Please don’t cry. It’s okay. I’m not mad, I promise.”

“I was too afraid to ask help from you…” you hiccupped. “I was afraid you’d think of me as incompetent.”

“Aww, no,” he cooed. “Baby, no—I’d never think of you as something like that! What made you think that?”

“Cal, look at me: I’m a Jedi who can’t fix a lightsaber! I’m the perfect definition of that word. What else would I call myself if I’m incapable of rebuilding the most vital part of a Jedi?”

He cradled your head to his chest and allowed you to let it all out whether through tears or lashing out.

“You know, back in Dathomir—when I was opening the door to the Tomb of Kujet—I got myself into a Force vision,”

You listened, prompting him to continue with soft grunts.

“Master Tapal was standing there in front of me. When he saw that I didn’t fight back, he said something to me,”

“What was that?” you asked, your voice has calmed down and the sobbing hiccups have gotten lesser.

“He told me that persistence reveals the path. And you know what I’ve gotten from that?”

You look up at him to find sincere eyes staring back lovingly at you and a small yet reassuring smile. The word “What?” was a mere blow of air between your lips when you urged him to continue.

“When failure hasn’t deterred you from trying again and again, no matter how many times,” he spoke as he stroked your hair. “You’ll find your answer at the end of the path sooner than you think.”

“But I’m afraid. I’m afraid to fail… like I always have been, secretly.”

“But have you really given up?”

Your eyes wandered blankly into space, pondering on his question as well as your own answer—the true answer. Your eyebrows furrowed as you somberly reflected upon it. In response, you shake your head. You promptly stood up from the floor, Cal followed and stood by your side; you let him watch you work and to his surprise, you’ve picked up a soldering iron you found back in the Imperial command center.

From time to time, he would help out in certain parts of rebuilding it—handing out the parts and components that you need, giving you an extra hand when needing to hold something really still until you’ve perfectly fitted it into place as well as helping with a few of the trickier steps in the procedure.

The last part of fixing it was refitting the blade energy chamber—the narrow tube that bridges the kyber crystal and the emitter—and when you presume everything is finally done, Cal let you do the honors of meditating once more on the lightsaber.

“Go on,” he coaxed. “Relax and concentrate.”

“Okay…”

It may not be yours, indeed, but your connection with Cal—that you have unconsciously overlooked and shut out this whole time—was soothing the whole time up until this very moment. For a moment, that anxiety that was flooding your entire being was gone and all you could think of was thoughts that signify tranquility: the waterfalls, the sunrise at Bogano, the empty abode, and even an image of Cal himself.

Click…

Your heart skipped a beat when you hear that tiniest of sounds. You fought off the hesitation of opening your eyes. In face value, the lightsaber looked normal. You stared blankly at it, not even realizing that your hand was gravitating to it; once again, your fingers clamped around the handle and lifted it up from the workbench placemat. You shoot a look at Cal.

“Together?”

He placed his hand over your hand, his thumb over yours on the switch.

“Together.”

He squeezed on your thumb downwards, subsequently doubling onto the pressure applied on the switch button. A sharp buzz snarled out of the polished hilt. Cal removed his hand from the hilt and stood back, while examining the beam of light that shone in the room. You exchanged glances with him, you swallowed the nervous lump in your throat, and your heart was pounding that you couldn’t catch up with your breathing. Steadily, you waved the weapon around the small space where you stood.

More than ten seconds have passed and the blade of light didn’t die out. Your official sixth attempt finally was a success!

You exhaled laughingly. Finally! You thought. We did it!

You looked over the blade and found Cal smiling with a sense of pride in you. You pressed the switch again and the blade retracted back into the emitter to set it down on the workbench. You hopped toward Cal and—in an uncontrollable urge—threw yourself in his arms.

“We did it!” you beamed, relieved and happy.

“But you did most of the work, I only helped on the sidelines,”

“Don’t be silly. Well… I was silly myself,” you shrugged. “I guess I had too much pride earlier. Thanks, Cal, you’ve helped me a whole lot—more than enough, in fact.”

You yawned and rubbed your eyes, apologizing thereafter.

“It’s okay, sweetie, rest as much as you need. I’ll be here,” Cal planted another kiss on your head as he cradled you like a baby, trapping you in an embrace as your puffy eyes felt heavy. He continued to stroke your hair until you drifted off to sleep. “I’ll always be here. I promise.”

[quinlinkin]

take it from me ( i’d be lost without you ) ↳ Q’s twdg writing challenge

character(s): aasim, ruby ship(s): aasim/ruby ( rusim ) word count: 1151 author’s note: some modern au rusim for the soul! i ended up going a little overboard with this one, just bc i love them sooooo much omg

[   ao3 link   ]

*credits to the wonderful @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale​​​​​​ for creating this challenge! you can view the entire prompt list + further details here. happy writing!!

                                                          ― ☼ ―

                                               day four ; gift.

Aasim checks the time on his phone for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes. 8:57 PM. One minute since the last time he checked, three minutes until the exact time he and Ruby had agreed to meet up. A fun-packed evening at the local fair lays ahead of them, and as Aasim anxiously waits outside the front gates, he’s met with the according sounds of thrilled screams and the wafting smells of fried food.

He wishes he had a car. Then, he could pick Ruby up himself, eliminating the need for them to arrive anywhere separately. And, perhaps most importantly, he could drive her home and kiss her goodnight at the front door, like all the romance films seem to like glorifying.

It isn’t the first time he’s questioned his ability to be a good boyfriend, and he’s sure it won’t be the last. While something like not owning a car may appear trivial in the grand scheme of things, when joined along with all his other self doubts and worries, it can often feel monumental.

He simply has to remind himself, Ruby’s voice echoing in his head; He is enough. And as long as he can continue to make her happy, that’s truly all that matters.

His thought process is interrupted by a familiar sound, that same voice calling through the dimly lit parking lot.

“Aasim!”

Turning his head, a warm smile instantly spreads across his face. As always, the sight of her face alone is all it takes to melt away his insecurities.

“Hey,” he calls back, walking to meet her halfway. Routinely, he leans down to grant her a lingering kiss as they reach each other.

“Sorry m’late,” she murmurs as they pull away, her cheeks rosier than usual. Aasim loves how she always blushes so easily.

“You’re right on time, actually,” he corrects, showing her the screen of his phone where it reads: 8:59 PM.

“Been keepin’ track, huh?” she grins, a knowing look on her face.

Aasim shrugs, his own smile growing somewhat bashful. “No…”

Ruby chuckles, before slipping her hand into his, their fingers intertwining. “Don’t worry, hon. I think it’s real cute that you can’t ever wait t’see me.”

“Well, I definitely can’t argue there,” he agrees easily, giving her hand a gentle tug. “C’mon. I already paid for both our admission tickets.”

Before they begin walking, Ruby leans up on her toes to press a loving kiss to his cheek. “Aw, you didn’t hafta do that…”

“Win me a stuffed animal to make up for it?” Aasim smiles, mostly teasingly.

Ruby laughs. “Deal.”

Apparently, either Ruby took that playful agreement strictly to heart, or she’s simply that good of a shot. Aasim can’t say he’s surprised, watching with awe as she nails the bulls eye every single time with the little plastic dart gun in her hands.

The teddy bear they’re handed as a prize is hilariously oversized.

“Damn…” Aasim breathes as he accepts it from her. He can barely fit his arms around it, nearly knocking his glasses clean off his face as he tries to situate it. “What’s the need of even making it this enormous?”

Ruby giggles as she takes in the sight of the monstrous bear clutched in her boyfriend’s arms. Reaching out, she straightens out the bright red bow wrapped around its neck, and then, fixes Aasim’s glasses for him.

“Wouldn’t be a proper fair if everythin’ wasn’t over the top.”

Aasim snorts. “No kidding.”

“C’mon,” she giggles again, looping her arm around Aasim’s. “The Ferris wheel’s right around the corner.”

Raising his brow, Aasim has to prompt a rather valid question, “And, uh... How exactly are we supposed to take this thing on there with us?”

While Ruby pauses in thought, Aasim looks around. As if right on cue, he spots a dejected child off to their right, empty-handed as she sorrowfully walks away with her father from the very same game they’d just played.

It sparks an idea.

“Hold on a sec,” he tells Ruby, before approaching the little girl.

He swears he’s never seen a child so delighted before, her father exceedingly grateful as he hands them the gigantic teddy bear. When he turns back around, Ruby’s eyes are positively sparkling.

“Not that I didn’t appreciate it or anything, but-”

She cuts him off. “You are the downright, most sweetest guy in the entire world, y’know that?”

He smiles, as humble as ever. “Well… Now we can enjoy the Ferris wheel, at least.”

And that’s right where they head together next. While Aasim isn’t the biggest fan of heights, nor has that much faith in the rickety hunk of metal that repeatedly gets taken apart and re-assembled every year, it’s true that he’d do just about anything for Ruby.

Plus, he can’t deny; the fair is a beautiful sight from this high up. Not to mention, the way Ruby curls into his side as they reach the top truly makes it all worthwhile, her hair tickling underneath his chin as he holds her close.

Though, there’s one thing in particular on his mind. Tucked away into his back pocket lays a special something, an unprompted gift he’s saved his money up for. A token of appreciation, so to speak, just to show how much she means to him. As if he doesn’t tell her as much every single day.

He clears his throat after a moment of pleasant silence. “I, uh- I’ve got something for you.”

Ruby looks up, though stays nestled against him. “Huh? Y’do?”

Shifting in order to retrieve the item in question, he holds it out for her. It’s wrapped in pearly white tissue paper, tied up with some twine to keep it safe and secure. She takes it, and immediately regards him with wide eyes.

“Aasim…”

“It’s nothing that special, just... I wanted to get you something nice. Just because.”

Again- As humble as ever.

She unwraps the little present slowly, carefully peeling back each layer of thin paper. Her eyes widen impossibly further when she lays eyes on what’s inside.

A sleek, gold necklace. It shines spectacularly underneath the bright, flashing lights of the Ferris wheel, illuminating the attached charm of a simple star and crescent moon as she holds it in her palm. Again, she looks at him with a newly stunned expression.

“It… it’s beautiful…” she breathes, emotion heavy in her voice. Aasim can’t resist pressing a delicate kiss to her temple as his arm curls a little more snugly around her shoulders.

She’ll go on to thank him about a hundred times over the remaining course of the evening. Of course, he’ll indulge in the many kisses that goes along with her gratitude, as well as the grand, passionate hug he’d received immediately after they’d gotten off the ride.

“See?” she’d whispered against his chest, clinging to him tightly. “The sweetest guy ever.”

[diningpageantry]

Hey! As a straight person who is part of this fandom, I wanted to ask you, what traps do you think het people generally fall in when consuming media that includes queer people? I'm asking this as I would want to know what to be mindful of:)

hey hon!

let me start this out with this: it’s super important that your first step is that you are aware of your standing in the situation, and i’m glad that there’s a recognition and a respect for that. that’s actually the first step when consuming queer media as someone who isn’t queer; it’s the immediate recognition that it’s a group that you’re not immediately a part of.

the biggest trap is the concept of appreciation vs. fetishization/disregard for activism. educating yourself on LGBTQ+ rights isn’t something you have to be overbearingly a part of, but make sure you’re knowledgeable on basics.

SIDENOTE: if you have a good bit and want to educate yourself on statistics of queer youth, i’d recommend looking over the National School Climate Survey that GLSEN (the organization that I’m a part of) puts together. it’s eyeopening and puts a clear idea onto what issues queer youth specifically face.

ok, back to the subject at hand; i can think of a really clear example of a fandom where people break the appreciation vs disregard:

let’s look back at when marriage equality passed in the UK. of course, a big deal, as it was one of the countries that lead other nations, like the US, to follow in their decisions.

when the news broke, the johnlock (sherlock and john ship from the show BBC sherlock) fandom had a post blow up. it remarked on the occasion, saying something along the lines of “thank god the UK has marriage equality so now sherlock and john can get married!”

the issue: there’s actual, living people in the UK who can get married now. in that statement, there’s a clear disregard for actual queer lives in favor of fictional queer people.

of course, other examples are of yaoi culture in japan, where there’s an interesting episode of Gaycation (a VICELAND series that’s another one i recommend for self-education) that goes into the concept of straight women indulging in gay male pornographic content (whether through audio or reading) and stating that they like it because it’s taboo.

that culture carries on into westernized fandoms as well.

so, here’s a basic test within queer media if you’re straight to see if you’re consuming it properly:

a) are you consuming it only because it feels risque?

b) do you genuinely support LGBTQ+ identities outside of what you see within the media you’re consuming (i.e. actual queer lives)?

(bonus round) c) would you still ‘ship’ these characters if their gender identities were different (for example: if snowbaz was a straight couple or a lesbian couple), or do you only ‘ship’ them because they’re an MLM couple? (this one can be traded out for lesbian/WLW couples as well)

if you answer no to any of them, you might want to re-evaluate your involvement in such media.

like i said, you don’t have to be some activist extraordinaire, you just have to be self-aware.

oh, and this is like. a weird little quirk, but another thing i notice with straight people in queer media is when they produce fan content, sometimes they glorify and/or demonize everyday aspects to queer life. for example, overplaying self-hatred for being queer while not attributing it to societal pressure in the writing, so “i hate myself because i’m gay and i just hate gay” vs “i’m self conscious of my sexuality because other’s expectations of heteronormativity and layers of ingrained homophobia”. most queer i’ve interacted with have at least some form of self awareness, and there’s complexities to queer identity and self acceptance. if all is lost, ask a queer person who you know is comfortable with sharing. in all honesty, i’m probably too open with sharing about my identity and how i interact with it, but definitely do not just ask any old queer person what it’s like to be XYZ because chances are, most of them are tired of answering.

oh. and one last thing (just… just for safe keeping): if you write smut, make sure you know what’s going on. i once stumbled upon a smut where they used vodka for lube, and just… don’t. use your noggin.

[iamartemisday]

Lokane Week- Day Six (AUs)

Day 100

Jane Foster

Yesterday was a fun day with an… eventful end to the evening. So much so that Jane is relieved when the next day comes and she's too exhausted to get up. Loki waits by her vanity, but if he thinks she's indulging him in whatever game he's cooked up, he'll have to get used to disappointment.

"Mmm…" she moans, pulling the covers higher over her neck. "Did you do something to my bed again?"

"Not recently," he says. "Nothing I've wanted to…"

"Then why's it so comfy?" She doesn't even feel the broken spring when she snuggles in.

"I would not know." He watches out the window with a look of distaste. "There are still places on this planet with proper sunlight. I don't know why you'd rather stay here when we could be anywhere else."

"We were here non-stop for weeks," she replies. "Why are you just now getting picky?"

"Call me what you will, but my point stands." He parts the curtains with his mind. It doesn't make the room any brighter. "We could be out enjoying the warmth. Perhaps on a beach or a cruise ship. I believe the weather is agreeable on the west coast today."

"Wow, when did you become the weatherman?"

"The what?"

Of course, he wouldn't know what she meant. His patchwork of knowledge on all things Midgard was gradually filling out, but there was still so much for him to learn. The weather never changed here, even before the time loop. Overcast and chilly Springs were the reality in this part of the world. What kind of weather did they get on Asgard, she wondered.

She would've asked, but as Loki mutters to himself like a child without candy, her mind wanders.

**

Loki Laufeyson is the best weatherman money can buy, or so the network says. To newbie producer Jane Foster, he is the worst sort of thorn in her side. A thorn would be preferable to him actually. At least she can remove a thorn and forget about it once the stinging dies down. She's stucks with this asshole.

"Today, all of Punxsutawney waits for the arrival of the world's most beloved rodent." He sounds like he hasn't slept and doesn't give a damn that he's live. "Fools in their winter coats freeze their arseholes off all so they can pretend that mindless rat knows anything about seasonal change. Why is such nonsense still allowed in the modern age? We stopped bleeding people dry to cure a fever, why keep doing this? IDIOTS!" Loki shouts at the crowd behind him. "All complete idiots. It's a miracle this town hasn't burned to the ground, but I suppose the groundhog can predict that, too."

At the end of his, ahem, report, Loki drops the microphone in the snow and stomps off through a gaggle of teenagers. Jane glances at the cameraman, who shrugs and goes to get some hot cocoa. Jane would've happily joined him, but unfortunately, she was responsible for Loki. Assuming his little tirade didn't cost him his job, keeping him in line was more or less her job.

She finds him at the town diner. It was a nice place with good coffee, but Jane has yet to try anything else. Now might be a good time. Loki doesn't object when she sits with him. He doesn't acknowledge her at all. Like she's turned invisible and just hasn't realized yet. That theory is thrown out when the waitress arrives to take her order.

"An egg white omelette and a decaf coffee with two sugars, please."

"Got it." The waitress writes it down. "And for you, sir?"

"Tomorrow," Loki says. He has bags under his eyes Jane somehow missed earlier.

"Er… okay. I mean, tomorrow's my day off but there will be another waitress!"

Loki pretends to laugh, which is probably the nicest thing he's ever done for anyone. The waitress leaves and Jane stares at him until he's forced to stare back.

"Problem?" she asks. She has a whole list of problems, but better to hear his side of the story first.

"Many," he says. "Though one does rise above the rest."

'Like your career that you just killed?' "Care to elaborate?"

She gets her coffee and the waitress is kind enough to bring a fresh glass of water for Loki.

"On the house," she says, then chuckles. "Just kidding, hon. We don't charge for water."

"Thank you, Diane," Loki says.

The waitress blinks. She looks down at her shirt, but she isn't wearing a nametag. She gives Loki a weird look and quickly departs.

"You have to tell me eventually," Jane says.

"Do I?" Loki runs his finger around the glass, collecting condensation. He rubs the moisture between his fingers. "I've had this conversation with you already. It never goes anywhere."

"What conversation?" She thinks back to the last two days, all the time she's known him in person. They've spoken several times, mostly about travel expenses and where he should stand when giving his report. Nothing memorable about that.

"This," he says, gesturing at the restaurant. "I come in, you follow me, I tell you I've lived this day several hundred times with no end in sight, and then you look at me like I'm insane the way you're doing right now."

Jane breaks her gaze long enough to mold her features from incredulous to blase. She nods at him like a therapist. "Uh huh. So... you're living the same day over again."

"Yes, that was the gist of it."

"Like a time loop."

"If you want to get technical with the terminology."

Jane nods. It's not the worst thing she's ever heard a man say. At least he's not trying to pick her up. She thinks.

"Did you get enough-"

"Sleep last night? Unfortunately yes. My endeavors to remain in bed for the fourteen hours I am usually awake have so far been fruitless."

Jane opens her mouth.

"I have also not partaken in alcohol recently. Nor do I take any medication. The latter wouldn't help me anyway. What I'm going through is very real."

Jane slowly closes her mouth. She knows she should say something, but nothing good is coming to mind.

"Are you high?"

He laughs hysterically. People stare and Jane's cheeks flame up. "Oh, dearest Jane. I can always count on you to liven up my day."

He gets up and moves toward the door. Figures he'd leave her with the check. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk," he says.

That walk ends in him kidnapping Punxsutawney Phil, leading the police on a high-speed chase, and eventually crashing into a ditch where his car explodes. Though he's very much dead at that point and Jane is very much in shock, she has the strangest feeling she'll see him again.

**

"What's so funny?"

Jane doesn't realize she's laughing until Loki snaps her out of her thoughts. She all but bites her tongue in half trying to stop, but it's no use.

"Nothing," she says, "nothing at all."

She rolls over and enjoys her fantasies in silence while Loki continues to pout.

[capricornus-rex]

Hey Hon! I was wondering if you could do a request? No rush on this one :) I will say this one is a bit personal bc I tend to do this A LOT 😅 Cal comforting the reader after being hard on herself? Maybe the reader was working on Cal’s saber, ends up breaking it more (unintentionally) and once everyone is asleep, she locks herself in her own room and cries? Thanks hon! 🥺💖

Hi again Hon~! I’ve had this request of yours sitting in my inbox for long because I was too indulged in completing “A Path I Can’t Follow”!! ;;A;; sorry for the long wait, but I hope it’s worth it with this fic I’ve finally made at your request! 😁 As always, thank you always for sending me your love and support, you sweetpea! 🥰🤗🥺💖

“Perseverance Over Pride”

Tags: Self-doubting! Reader

Next | Masterlist

1 of 2

The roar of the Jotaz can be heard in the entire crash site.

As if one wasn’t already enough, a swarm of Scazz popped out of their burrows and joined in. You and Cal were already busy in dealing with the larger enemy, the least you could do was Force-push the vermin away for the meantime.

“[Y/N], DUCK!”

You ducked and rolled away from his general direction, he sears the Jotaz’s arm that was supposed to be a heavy strike for you—once again, you were saved by Cal’s quicker reflexes. You finished it off by crippling the sack of blubber’s hind leg, the result made the creature stagger and Cal finally drove his lightsaber across its rotund belly.

It gave one last ear-shattering howl before falling dead on the ground. You’re still lying on your back, propping yourself on one wobbly elbow as you stared at the motionless Jotaz, gasping for air as you register the fact that it almost had you if it weren’t for Cal.

A hand appeared in your periphery, you looked up and saw Cal. You clutched his forearm as he did you, then pulled you up back on your feet.

“Thanks,” you gasped.

“Don’t mention it,”

Before Cal would clip his hilt on his belt, you heard the tiniest crackle. Quickly, your eyes were searching for the sound until you saw little sparks emitting from Cal’s saber. You exclaimed which immediately caught his attention, he followed the direction of your eyes and saw that his hilt had been severely damaged.

“Aww crap…” Cal hissed, unclipping it again and cradled it in his hands. His eyes shifted between you and his broken lightsaber. “Could… Could you… fix it this time?”

At a loss for words, you shot him a surprised and puzzled look.

“I… I busted my soldering iron, and I’ve been meaning to get a spare, but I couldn’t find in any of the workbenches we’ve passed by,” he added.

He places the hilt on your hands, you brought it closer to you for examination. You looked around the place and saw that the two of you were in the middle of the crash site by the lake.

“Well, all of the workbenches are obviously far from here. The safest is back at the Mantis. We’re gonna have to go through the ice caves again,”

He groaned jokingly, you playfully cup his cheeks and ran your thumbs across them.

“Oh, come on, you big baby!”

“Your big baby,”

You scoffed coyly and motioned to him to follow you.

With Cal unable to fend for himself, the least he could do was use his Force abilities, but using them still take a toll on him, rendering him fully incapable of combat. You take the lead, taking down anything that stands in the way between the both of you and the elevator.

“Look, the Jedi are here!”

“Take cover!” you cry out, slipping behind the rock walls as the torpedo ejects from the barrel of the launcher.

Thanks to his quick reflexes, Cal easily lifted one of the cargo boxes and threw it to the Stormtrooper reloading the rocket launcher in a panic. The two of you bolted towards the elevator, jumping across the Stormtrooper’s incapacitated body, and then stomped on the pressure plate to make the elevator work.

For the duration of the elevator ride, while catching your breath, you took another good long look at the broken lightsaber. The sparks have ceased to spew from the hilt’s insides, but the ends of the wires are cooked and have crumpled out of shape.

“The Jotaz sure did a number on the old thing,” you weighed the saber on your hand up and down.

“If Master Tapal would see that now, he’d really give me a scolding,”

“Has he ever scolded you before?”

Cal jokingly extended and then curled his fingers on both of his hands, “I don’t exactly have enough digits in my hands to count all the times that he did.”

His joke warranted a chuckle out of you.

“Quite the troublemaker, are you?”

“Eh, can’t avoid it even if I wanted to,” he shrugged and did his trademark stance with his hands on his waist while slightly shifting his weight on one leg.

“I thought you liked bad boys,” he added.

You scoffed as you coyly rolled your eyes to fix them at him, and there he was glancing back at you, you notice his eyes moving up and down—examining your entire person. You looked away, still smiling.

The elevator rumbled a hollow clang sound as it stopped for the doors to open. The way back to the Mantis wasn’t long enough. The shortcut from the ice caves to the landing pad was just a hop, skip, and a jump away. A pair of Scazz hissed and hunched their backs at the sight of you and Cal, but they lasted only ten seconds by your blade.

You finally got to the landing pad and met with the others.

“Back so soon?”

You presented the broken lightsaber in front of Cere as an answer. For good measure, you even tried to switch it on—the emitter flashed the beam for only five seconds before it was totally busted.

“Ah, I see,”

Upon entering the ship, Cal helped himself with a cup of water while you readily strode into the room but Cal snatched you by the hand and stopped you in your tracks.

“Whoa, hey, slow down there! There’s no rush on fixing that,”

“Are you sure?”

“Sweetie, we barely had time to really catch our breaths,”

You rolled your eyes pensively, “Now that you’ve mentioned it—it kinda seems that way.”

“It’s about time we take a breath, don’t you think so?”

You set down the busted lightsaber and Cal slowly reeled you in, letting you sit on his lap, whilst you gingerly combed his silken, ginger hair. He mouthed the words “Come here” in a whisper, sneakily closed in on you for a kiss which you gladly returned. You prodded your tongue into his mouth for good measure, in return, you could feel the smile in the middle of his kiss and feel his tongue dip into your own mouth.

When you pulled, you followed up with a little kiss on his forehead and found him staring back at you with his soulful, puppy eyes.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s just… Have I told you how pretty you are?”

“Well, in the average count of at least twice a day, you’re short on one,” you played along.

The smirk that curled along his lip was tender albeit boyishly mischievous, he brushed away your hair to the back of your ear as he cooed.

“It’s your eyes that’s always been my favorite. You’re just so pretty, really.”

You smiled back, bit your lip at him and playfully patted his shoulder.

“I have to get this thing done if you wanna be on the move again,” you chuckled, then stood up from his lap to take the busted lightsaber from the table, he still had his grasp on you but smoothly slid off as you walked into the room.

Cal knew that you were the type of person who wants some time alone when working on something, he has been sensing the determination swelling in you ever since he asked you to repair it. You began taking it apart in a sequential order from the emitter to the sleeve on both sabers. More of the damage was seen when you’ve removed each part, especially the circuitry that’s nestled just underneath the switch—where the Jotaz had made its mark.

Apart from the destroyed wiring, the Jotaz also managed to sever the parts located within the second saber’s handle and majority of those parts conducted the power of the kyber, hence the short-lived flashing of the blade that you demonstrated to Cere minutes ago—and this only to name a few of the damages that the Jotaz has made on the saber.

“Wow, and I thought Nydaks were the worse ones,” you muttered under your breath. “Turns out they’re just the same, I suppose.”

Keeping your eyes glued on the cross-section of the lightsaber, your hands blindly rummaged on the toolbox for wire cutters and small tongs, then you pawed the storage compartment where the spare lightsaber parts are—to your dismay, there were a few internal parts that were lacking from the box.

This calls for some improvisation, and unfortunately, you’ve got little to work with.

You sigh at the realization that this is going to be a long day.

To save time, you decide that it was best to start with the ones that you can already take care of—such as replacing the wires. Your fingers gently tugged off the cooked and severed wires to replace the fresh ones, your fingers elaborately wrapped the strands together and fitted them through the narrow space between the pair of cycling field energizers.

It has been hours since you started working—two and a half hours at that, thanks to the damage done whether big or small—even so, you still feel like you haven’t done enough. You’ve poured all of your focus on the lightsaber that you didn’t sense Cal coming from behind. He slipped one arm around your waist.

“Hey,” he cooed, greeting you with a kiss on your cheek. “You’re awfully busy.”

“No thanks to that Jotaz, he didn’t exactly made this easy for me. Look!”

“Looks pretty bad,”

“That’s because it is, and I think I’d have to improvise on some of the parts. I just hope there’s spare internal parts in here,”

While he nestled his chin on your shoulder, you took some of the damaged parts and show him, out of the blue you were lecturing him about lightsaber components, what needs to be replaced, what parts are hard to find, and the like.

“Uh-huh…” he hummed, you felt his fingers brush away your hair from your shoulders and he teasingly planted kisses on your neck; goosebumps pelt your arms as the grip on both of your hands weakened.

“Cal,” you clicked your tongue, hinting the sternness in your voice.

He hummed again, his lips climbing their way from your jaw up to your cheeks while his free hand caressed the other side of your neck, his fingernails closely scratching the base of your scalp. By impulse, you slightly shift your neck to give more access for his lips.

“Not while I’m working,” you moaned.

He stopped but buried his face into the flesh of your shoulder. You chuckled suggestively and finally had the strength to pull away and twirled to face him.

“Playtime can wait,”

“That can wait,” he pointed over your shoulder with his eyes.

“Both can wait,” you fiddled with the buckles of his armor as you spoke. “I’d rather have nothing else on my mind by that time.”

“Alright then, princess. But you’ll be there for lunch, right? Greez is cooking something good—or so he says,”

“I will,”

You return to your work as soon as Cal left the room. You made a mental list of the parts that need replacing and continue with what you can at the moment. You contemplate what you can scavenge among the crates in that derelict hangar; if push comes to shove, then the Imperial bases situated in the mountains and even in the ice caves became options.

A couple more hours pass, you could hear Greez’s chatter accompanied with the clattering of plates and utensils—that’s the cue for dinner—and you start putting away the things in one corner.

“Lunch is ready,”

“Yeah, I’m coming,”

Cal scooped you up—you squealed in reaction—away from the workbench and easily marched out of the room with you in tow. The two of you made it to the table and had a helping of Greez’s stew. Of course, it’s not a meal without some conversation.

“So, [y/n],” Cere initiated. “How’s the lightsaber repair coming along?”

“Surprisingly tough,”

“Oh? How so?”

“The Jotaz that Cal fought managed to get its claws into the internal parts,”

“Like what?” Cal joined in before taking a spoonful of food into his mouth.

“The energy channel, you know that very narrow tube where the kyber’s energy goes through until the emitter? I still have to figure out how to fix that with what little we have in the inventory,���

Merrin, as inquisitive as she always is, asked more about the elaborate details in creating a Jedi’s weapon—answers came from the three of you, speaking from their own experiences. The conversation over meals became more animated as memories turned into stories to be shared over the table.

In your mind, you agreed to Cal that this was a good time to lay low for a while and take the time to avert yourself from action. It may or may not be indefinite, but at least you managed to rest your body and mind from all the strenuous action.

Immediately after dinner and helping with the dishes, you went to the derelict hangar and then ransacked the crates stashed there.

“Nerf fur… Mineral ores… Metals: large. No, that’s not it. Metals: parts and pieces, here we go!” you unconsciously read aloud the labels and exclaimed at the last one.

Upon opening the lid, your eyes lit up like a Weequay pirate finding a whole shipment of spices. There’s got to be several variants of metals in this box! You scooped up a handful of parts, take some little pickings that may fit your needs, and then returning them all back into the sea of parts—this cycle continued on for a time until you’ve ticked off majority in your mental list.

“Okay, that’s that,”

You returned to the ship and back into the workbench you went. Finally—and hopefully—having the much-needed parts. Cal paused from practicing on Cere’s hallikset to watch you come in the Mantis, acknowledge him with a smile and then disappeared into the room.

“Wow, she’s really busy with that. I hope she doesn’t stress herself over it,” Cal thought out loud, absentmindedly strumming the instrument.

The collected parts scattered on the workbench placemat and continued with the progress you’ve left behind. You were feeling good about this. Your hands were working at a brisk pace; while the lightsaber gradually returns to its original state, so did your confidence.

The final step was meditating over it—in a true Jedi fashion. Hovering both of your hands over the dormant lightsaber, you channeled your focus and your Force energy to the weapon. Images of the lightsaber, inside and out, flashed behind your eyes; you willed it to respond to your Force, remembering the teachings of Master Yoda from the time you participated in your Gathering.

“Please,” you mouthed, with only the ‘s’ whistling through the thin gap of your teeth.

Click.

You slowly open your eyes and looked at the saber sitting still on the placemat. There was a pang of hesitation when you reached for the weapon.

Is this doubt I feel? It can’t be… Not when I’ve finished it! You thought to yourself when your fingertip were mere centimeters away from touching the hilt.

Your fingers curled around the sleeve, then gently nestled the center of your thumb to the switch’s button. You mentally counted down from three, closed your eyes by the time you counted two, and then took a deep breath after whispering one. The weight of your thumb pressed against the button… and then hum of the blade sung once it was ignited.

It was a small feat, but an achievement nonetheless. You gently swung it around and its purr was silky smooth. You admired the beam, a blinding beacon inside the narrow bedroom… and then it died off voluntarily—along with your celebratory smile, in exchange, your eyes widened.