#vaguely comforting but also vaguely terrifying at the same time

[starry-bi-sky]

a half-ghost--? no- no wait, that's a changeling. that's even worse.

so i'd like to preface this by saying this stems from me going entirely off the rails thinking about tales of the passerine-- which is frankly quite on brand for me to think of one au, and then develop it so far left ways that it makes another au entirely.

bUT. Context! Danny's ancestors sometime before they immigrated to America had a fae marry into the family. This had its Side Effects. Naturally. The Fentonnightengale responsible for this charmed a fae thanks to their swagless nature and awkward demeanor, so instead of getting eaten the fae thought it was cute instead. The fae marrying into the family had an affinity for music, but that kinda repressed itself by accident -- blame the salem witch trials.

By the time Danny is born, the fae blood has become so latent that it really doesn't show up anymore other than the Fentons Eccentricity and obsession with the supernatural (a latent desire to return home to the fae realm - aka infinite realms). There's an unnatural charm surrounding the fenton that really only creeps almost every human within a visual radius, and Danny is no exception.

hoWEVEr. the accident that turned danny into a halfa in one timeline did no such thing in this one -- it just reactivated his latent fae blood, and reactivated it with a fervor. Effectively turning Danny from a human into a changeling.

Danny just thinks at first that he's a half-ghost -- only to realize later on from Clockwork that he's not one at all. He's very much fae -- which is a wild discovery for Danny to make. It also means his rogues are quite a bit more intimidated by him. Fae are above ghosts in the Infinite Realm Creature Hierarchy, no matter how powerful they are. A fae can still Steal the name of a ghost, so Danny's rogues are rather skittish/unsure around Danny until they realize he doesn't know he's a changeling -- after that, many of them vow to try and keep it secret amongst themselves.

Danny's 'ghost' form is rather birdlike, and in human form his appearance warps to match his comfortability. When he's alone with his friends he starts taking on unnatural features. -- his blue-green eyes brighten and his pupils elongate, his teeth sharpen, and his ears grow longer and animal-like. His hair softens to be more feathery, his nails sharpen. In general he takes on more 'bird-ish' features. At school, around his parents, and when he's stressed, tense, or scared, he looks completely human -- an instinctual survival mechanism.

As a ghost, he has large, pretty wings that gradient from black to dark purple-blue, with a shimmer across the feathers that resembles the aurora borealis. His limbs elongate, his legs becoming bird-like and his talons grow on both his feet and nails. His ears vaguely resemble a rabbit's, although they don't flop down like one. All his teeth sharpen. Razor sharp chompers, capable of biting through bone. His eyes take on a greenish-hue, but otherwise remain the same color, albeit his sclera becomes blue-ish and his pupils become diamond-shaped and white. Rings of seafoam blue circle around his iris, creating a reflective sheen. He makes chirping, creaking noises, and when he speaks there's a faint overlap that is very enchanting.

Overall he's rather beautiful in a terrifyingly inhuman way, its hard to take your eyes off him. He has a lot of feathers. He's very drawn to singing and music in general, and gets into music sometime after his accident. He likes flutes/ocarinas/woodwinds the most, followed shortly after by strings, and then piano. He also slowly loses the ability to lie -- which is really annoying and also terrifying until he learns how to reword himself and become a better wordsmith.

SInce this stemmed from an older brother dpdc au, its gonna stay an older brother dpdc au alsfh. i'll just get to the dpxdc part in another post since i wanted to get this off my chest first

[thedisablednaturalist]

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

K follow me Astarion just sees tav like loving on children wherever they go and hes like?????

And tavs like ive always wanted my own child but i didn't wabt to ask you with every

This sends poor starion into a crisis does he was children how many

I think I have followed you. Let's see!

So for this one we got a lil time jump, ambiguous and vague setting and timelines with game spoilers present. M/F pairing because that is my go to and pregnancy is mentioned. Vampiric pregnancy also so there is some weirdness there (i made it up no idea if it's dnd accurate). Vague Tav backstory of a wonderful mother and going off to become a cleric.

~

Astarion was well used to your antics by this point. You had a severe lack of instincts linked to self-preservation, which led to a consistent pattern of doing, frankly, stupid shit. Stupid, but kind. Nothing that Astarion hadn't adapted to, after nearly two years of being attached at the hip you became pretty attuned to your lover's personality.

He could even go as far as to say that he had grown to love your annoying predilection for pious morality. Perhaps he loved talking you out of certain virtuous dangers more, but still. He appreciated who you were, he adored who you were. But Astarion was no saint, despite his insistence on attaching himself to one.

Which is exactly why he was far from amused when you signed him up to babysit a couple of brats. All for acquittances he barely cared about.

But you at least had the good grace to look guilty, "I didn't mean to! But she looked so tired and she said their anniversary was coming up and it's not like we got anything for their wedding-"

That was a nice try, one that Astarion wasn't falling for, "We didn't know of their existence when they got married darling. Just because I can't remember their names doesn't mean you can trick me."

"I'm not trying to trick you!" You whined, arms crossed as you pouted. It sure felt like a trick, especially when Astarion knew that you were well-aware how easily he fell for your sulking. Adorable little monster that you were, "It's only three kids and a baby for one night, it won't be that bad! You don't even have to help-"

Astarion rolled his eyes as he sat next to you on the bed, "I didn't say I wouldn't help."

That seemed to do the trick to get the pout off of your face. You perked up immediately, looking at him like you couldn't quite believe it, "Really?"

"Yes, really," Astarion sighed as you tugged you closer. Sure he liked to bitch, but he really would do anything for you. Even extremely annoying things like this, "I'm not going to sit back and feed you to the wolves."

"They're not wolves! The oldest is barely five," You laughed as you let him manhandle you, settling you into his lap, "And I am sorry, I really wasn't thinking. I promise it won't happen again."

Astarion doubted that, not when he was well-versed of your weak spot for children. No matter where you went you couldn't help but fawn over them, not to mention the insane lengths you would go to keep any child safe. It was a complete and utter blind spot, your kindness extending to them all, even the little scam artists and hellions.

It was sweet, if not extremely worrying at first. Astarion had been terrified of you finding out his past. The things that he had been forced to do, the innocents whose lives he had destroyed. But not only did you find out, you were forced to see it. Both of you were, and it had been worse than anything Astarion could have imagined. He had always found a slight comfort knowing that those he captured would at least die quickly, that at the very least they wouldn't suffer the same agonizing fate as he, just an agonizing death. But no, even that small comfort had been a lie. The horror of finding them all down there has yet to be matched. He had never felt more self-loathing, more pure disgust than the moment he had found those children, tortured and pale, all because of him.

How you didn't see him for the wretched thing he was after all that, Astarion wasn't sure. But he was grateful. You were too good for him. A fact that he was devastatingly aware of, but that wasn't going to stop him from keeping you.

He still thinks about it on occasion, despite the fact that he had done all he could to right his wrongs. They all at least had a chance now to have a life worth living, Astarion could only hope that it would be used. Their future was out of his hands now, a small comfort.

But despite his complicated feelings towards children, he was more than capable of handling them for one evening. And in all honesty, he truly didn't have to do much. He was on self-mandated baby duty, because of course you had to help out the infant that would scream bloody murder unless it was being held. Keeping her tucked against him was a move of self-preservation, if he ever wanted to retain his hearing.

Most of the night was spent amused as he watched you entertain a gaggle of toddlers. You were so... creative with the ways you could defuse their antics. It came to you so naturally, nearly like you were a born mother yourself. It wasn't exactly surprising that you were fantastic with children, he had seen it time and time again. Arabella, Mol, Yenna, all of which still wrote you letters, visited occasionally. Staying forever attached, even from a distance.

Now that Astarion thought about it, it was odd that you weren't a mother. Odder still that you hadn't never even brought up the possibility of having children together. You were usually so open with your wants and always encouraging the same from him. Just one more thing he loved about you. But... why hadn't it been mentioned? Astarion had always assumed it was because you didn't truly want any of your own, that you enjoyed their fun innocence while avoiding the more laborious responsibility of raising them.

Though watching you take care of them all, changing diapers and negotiating silly arguments with a soft smile of your face had him rethinking his assumption.

"You're good with them," Astarion said eventually after you had successfully set the older three down for the night, the baby still stubbornly clinging to him, "I don't think there's a child we've met that doesn't adore you."

You laughed quietly, walking over to kiss him softly on the cheek. Your eyes wandered to the sleeping infant in his arms, still holding a piece of his shirt in it's little fist, "You don't seem to be too bad with them either."

"Newborns don't know any better," Astarion dismissed as he tried to put her down in their borrowed crib. Tried and failed, considering how the thing immediately started to whine the second he attempted to pry it's little hand away.

Oh for fuck's sake. Astarion wasn't even going to try and argue. Instead he unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall into the crib with her, seemingly doing the trick of stopping her from waking completely.

When he turned back you were staring at him with soft eyes, looking lovestruck at the simple act of him laying a child down, "Looks like she has pretty good taste to me."

"I don't think your judgment should be trusted," Astarion huffed as he walked over to you, grabbing your hand to drag you to the bedroom. He glanced back at you, his heart nearly skipping a beat from the sweet way you kept looking at him. It had his mind wandering again, those questions still nagging him.

Questions that he didn't have the courage to ask until dead of night, when he had you half asleep against his bare chest, "Have you ever thought of having children?"

He hadn't meant to blurt that out in the middle of the night, but Astarion apparently had a knack for starting important conversations at inconvenient times. Not that you minded.

You just cuddled into him closer, nodding against him with a sigh, "I've always wanted my own children. My own mother, Gods bless her soul, made it all sound so magical. Pregnancy, the early years, puberty, all of it. She loved it all. And I guess it rubbed off on me. It used to be all I could think about, before real life got in the way."

Astarion listened, a little annoyed at himself for not putting the pieces together sooner. You had talked so lovingly about your late parents, how you always wanted to be like your mother. Of course you would want children. How had he not connected the dots?

"But then I went off to the temple," You continued, "I completed my training, went off into the world to do good, blah, blah, blah. You know the story."

"So you grew out of the idea?" Astarion asked.

"Not exactly," You admitted, sounding a little guilty, "But I would never ask that of you love, it's not something you have to worry about."

That-what?

Astarion stared down at you, brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I know that the topic of children is... difficult for you. Considering everything you've been through-"

"I think you mean to say everything I've inflicted on others," Astarion interrupted, unwilling to allow himself grace. Especially when it came to the children of the Gur, "It was much worse for them than me."

You nodded, knowing better than to try and fight him on that particular topic, "I understand, but my point is that I can live without them. You're all I need."

It was comforting to hear, an immediate balm to a brand new set of insecurities that Astarion hadn't been prepared for. But even so... he hated the idea of you sacrificing even more for him. It felt wrong, "But-"

"But nothing," You interrupted softly, setting a quick kiss to his mouth, I'm serious Astarion, you don't need to worry. I'm happy, I love you, and everything is fine."

"I love you too," Astarion murmured, at a loss to say anything else. But the conversation didn't end there.

Astarion couldn't stop thinking about it, even long after the temporary children were sent back home. ou seemed so... sure that he didn't want children, and a week ago he probably would have agreed. But that was back before he knew that he was actively keeping you away from something you wanted. Something you had dreamed about since you were a child. And it felt wrong to be the reason for that, so, so wrong.

He didn't even know if his true feelings on the matter were real. He didn't want children for many of the same reasons he never wanted a partner. The attachment to another was dangerous, he was beyond unequipped to deal with others, let alone care for them, and the entire ideology behind love was ripe for manipulation and heart break. But then he met you and everything changed. Suddenly, caring for another didn't feel like a weakness, it felt like the strongest aspect of his entire self. Taking care of you wasn't an unwanted duty, it was intimacy. Something that he now craved. If all of those steadfast ideals could fall apart simply through meeting you, whose to say he could even trust himself when it came the thoughts around having a child?

Would having one truly be so bad? A little piece of the two of you, alive in the world? And perhaps children were annoying but... Astarion would be lying if he said he didn't have a soft spot for them. He had kept his distance before, but now he was fully confident that he wasn't a danger, no with Cazador burned to nothing bus ash and his own bloodlust well controlled. And it's not as if he was incapable of being a father, worse men than him did it everyday.

It was a confusing place to be, this tightwire of indecisiveness. Confusing enough for him to start a bit of research. He was vaguely aware that it was possible for his kind to breed, but finding out the details was disheartening, to say the least. First he had to parse out the different horror stories of babes eating their way out of their mother's wombs with actual facts, which wasn't exactly pleasant. But the truth was that it was more than possible for the two of you to have child together. It had the potential to either be as noneventful as any pregnancy, with the cavate that the babe coming out looking slightly... dead wouldn't be a permanent state of being. Or it could be as risky as carrying a child could be, with pains and complications galore, even legitimate worries of internal bleeding from the wretched thing prematurely growing claws. Not to mention the occasional, intense blood lust that could occur, an experience that Astarion would prefer you didn't have to go to.

Looking into the reality of the choice didn't help as much as he had assumed it would. If anything it just made the whole situation more real. Even if he wasn't a vampiric spawn, childbirth was risky. Maybe not as risky for you considering how Astarion would move the heavens and hells to get you the best care possible, but still. The thought of you passing, leaving him alone with the child you wanted and would never see, would destroy him. Completely and utterly.

But then again... there was the magical alternative of everything working out just fine. The two of you were both beyond lucky in that regard, considering how you'd overcome mind flayer parasites and fought and won against a near god. It was more than possible that everything would be fine, that you would have a beautiful pregnancy that would end in an even more amazing child. Then two would become three, a family of his very own.

That... didn't sound too bad. Astarion was torn. On one hand, he was almost certain that he was willing to go through with it. Not just because he loved you and wanted you to be happy, though it was the main reason. But also because... he could be a part in making something good. A child that would never suffer the way he did, the way countless others had. One who would be loved, who would have the help they needed for their inevitable unholy hungers. Someone precious for the two of you to fret over, to adore and care for. He... wanted that. Or at least he would if you still did. Now if he could just figure out how to bring it up, maybe something could actually happen.

But luckily enough for him, you did the job for him. He had been pouring over another book dedicated to recording the births of Dhampirs in the area, only to be distracted by you loudly sighing behind him.

"What's wrong love?" Astarion asked, his eyes still scanning the page in front of him.

"Oh I don't know," You sighed, rounding the corner to sit on the edge of his desk, "I just can't help but wonder when you're going to explain why you've suddenly become obsessed with parenting books. And..."

You trailed off, ignoring his surprised expression to read the cover of what was in front of him, "'Vampiric and Mortal Love & The Spawn They Create'. It's not exactly your usual reading material."

Part of Astarion wanted to be surprised that you had already figured him out. He had at least been trying to hide things from you slightly, not that it mattered when you could read him like a book. And he supposed that blatantly reading things like this in front of you would eventually have an effect, even if he tried to obscure the titles.

But that didn't stop him from stuttering through a response, "Well-I, okay. I've just been thinking about options lately. Which you can't really do if you don't understand what they are. Hence the books."

You frowned at him, one leg crossed over the other, "Star, I already told you that you don't need to worry-"

"But I want to worry," Astarion interrupted, deciding that ripping the band-aid off would be the best course of action, "And if there is something I can be doing to make you happier than I should at least consider it."

"I'm not going to force you into this for that," You said softly, reaching out to twine his fingers against yours, "This isn't the kind of thing you do just for someone else."

Astarion was aware of that, there was an important truth to your words. But... "What if it wasn't just for you?"

You paused, your brow furrowed as you stared at him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean what if, and consider this purely hypothetical, what if I wanted one as well. What then?" It was as far from hypothetical as Astarion could get, but by the look on your face it didn't seemed like that needed to be clarified.

You swallowed, looking just shy of hopeful as you played with his hand, "I... well. I guess in that case we would have a lot to talk about."

That wasn't quite the answer he was looking for. He pressed on, "So if in theory, I did want one. Would... you still be interested in having one?"

With me?

He left that part unsaid as he waited for an answer, uncharacteristically nervous as you mulled it over. But you were smiling, bright and wide, giving his hand a little squeeze as you spoke, "I think that would be the only scenario where I would want it. If that's something you wanted."

"I think it is," Astarion answered honestly, done with being coy, "I don't know how, I... I'm not quite sure how I feel about you carrying something that could be dangerous. But... in general yes. I think I want this. I do want this. With you and only you. Whenever your ready."

The next part Astarion did see coming, his arms already open by the time you launched yourself at him. You straddled his lap, kissing every part of his face as you babbled, "We can wait! It doesn't need to be now but-I just-yes! Adoption, childbirth, I don't care. All I need is to have them with you. That's all I want."

"And that I can give," Astarion laughed, delighted at your reaction. He still had concerns, plenty of them in fact, but they were hard to consider when the woman he adored was so ecstatic.

He gripped your chin, chuckling at the whine you let out for him interrupting your onslaught of affection. You didn't have to wait long, not when he directed your mouth against his, kissing you deeply as a new wave of exciting, and slightly nauseating feelings worked through him.

He didn't know exactly what was going to happen in the future. He had no idea if he would be a good father, but he knew that he would try his damndest. He didn't know how the two of you would even procure a child, but he did no one thing.

With you by his side, it would work out. All of it, no matter how hard the road turned out to be. And that was all that mattered.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Padfoot and Prongs

Thanks to @peecyjacksoo for allowing me to write this headcanon

Tw: vague mentions of Walburga hurting Sirius, but not in detail

When the Sorting Hat yelled ‘Gryffindor’ for James Potter, all he experienced was excitement. His father was a Gryffindor, and his father before him, and his father before him. Really, he had wanted to be a Gryffindor since he knew what it was. The pure elation he felt was clear on his features when the Hat screamed.

But when the Hat did the same for Sirius Black, it was horror that appeared on his beautiful face. 

James had been watching him. Even as he and Peter boarded the train, he’d laid eyes on the short, skinny, pale, dark-haired boy who’d been practically dragged along by people who he could only assume were his parents. Quickly, he was shoved in the direction of people James knew to stay away from. People with last names like Lestrange and Goyle and Malfoy and Macnair. 

But the boy had looked sad. Like he didn’t want to be surrounded by those people. His head drooped as he walked, and James looked on with interest as the entire group disappeared on the train.

So when Professor McGonagall called for ‘Sirius Black,’ James wasn’t surprised to find out that the small boy was a Black. But he was surprised at the boy’s sorting. 

Because when Sirius stepped up to the stool, he looked resigned. Bored. Even a little nauseous. But when the Hat yelled ‘Gryffindor!’ and the boy’s face instantly turned from resigned to terrified, James was confused. 

He was, of course, still in the crowd of students waiting to be sorted at the time. So he had a decent view of the whole room’s reaction to Sirius’s fate. Half the Slytherin table looked livid. A few stood in protest, confused and furious. Murmurs sounded around the whole Hall, and James didn’t blame them. Because he had heard of the Black family. Heard about how much they loved all things Dark and believed wholeheartedly that pure blood was superior. So why was Sirius a Gryffindor?

But James had also been raised to love and accept everyone, and was on a bit of a high from his own sorting. So, after being accepted to the Gryffindor Table, he turned immediately to Sirius, who was next to him. “Nice to meet you, Sirius! I’m James. And this here’s Peter,” he said, gesturing to the boy sitting across from him.

Sirius smiled a bit and nodded at both of them, but didn’t say much through dinner. So eventually, James gave up on talking to him, instead making conversation with a taller boy named Remus, who had a cool scar that he didn’t ask about because his mum would yell at him for being rude.

- 

That night when James snuggled into his new four-poster, it took him a moment to hear the crying. Peter was a snorer and Remus had been kind enough to set a roaring fire, which meant that the sniffles slowly reached his ears, just as he was about to doze off.

But when he heard them, he couldn’t ignore them.

“Pete?” he asked softly, before realizing that the snores meant Peter was gone to the world. “Erm…Remus? Sirius?”

No answer. No more sniffles.

Unbothered, James set his feet on the cold floor and pulled back his curtains, listening closely. After a moment, another sniff came from the bed by the window. 

Sirius’s bed, James thought.

“S-Sirius?” he asked, a bit louder, walking closer. He watched the closedcurtains. They twitched before opening slowly. 

“Sorry, mate,” A distressed-looking Sirius muttered, peeking his head out. “Er- caught a cold. I-”

“It’s okay to be homesick,” James offered awkwardly, wanting to help, knowing that Sirius was not, in fact, sick with a cold. ‘Make friends by being a friend,’ his Mum had told him. That’s what he was doing.

But Sirius just scoffed. “Nah, bloody glad to be rid of them,” he shrugged moodily. 

“Then….” James hesitated, shifting from foot to foot. But his curiosity and need to comfort won out. “Why’re you upset?”

Sirius gave a wry smile. “Because right about now, dear Mum and Dad are finding out I’m not in Slytherin. And I know they’ll be…less than pleased.”

As he said it, he seemed to instinctively grab at the back of his hand, where several thin scars lay, twisted into words that James couldn’t read upside-down. Instantly, he put several pieces of information together- the way Sirius stood on the platform. The way he reacted to the sorting. The scars on his hand.

And James knew that many Pureblood families were strict. He’d been told about the ways old families did things, their horrible beliefs. But to see the proof of it there, in terrifyingly clear lines on the back of his new friend’s hand? It made it all so much more realistic. 

“Well, that’s them,” James said firmly, reaching to Sirius’s shoulder and squeezing. “We’re glad you’re here. And if your parents are mad, you can share mine. They’re kind of…overly affectionate sometimes, anyways.”

Sirius gave him a smile, eyes wide and teary.

-

The next morning was known as Mail Day. First years everywhere got letters from their families, congratulating them on their new houses. Personally, James had hardly slept, thinking about the reaction from his parents. His father’s pride. But also…of Sirius. What kind of letter would he get?

Sirius seemed to be of a similar mind, as he dragged his feet on the way to breakfast, looking like he was heading to his execution.

When the owls swarmed down, James quickly opened his letter, beaming with pride as he read his parents’ words of being ‘so proud of you, Jamie!’ He allowed the feeling to wash over him and warm him, pulling the letter close to his chest, missing his mother’s hugs a bit.

He then looked around to see both Peter and Remus with smiles on their faces, Peter opening an accompanying package of sweets that he was passing out around the table.

But it was Sirius who James’s eyes lingered on. Sirius, who was holding an angry red envelope.

A Howler. 

The red reminded James of the marks he’d seen on his new friend’s hand the previous evening and he reacted without thinking. Quickly, even as Sirius popped open the envelope, James vaulted himself on the table and screamed.

He knew he looked ridiculous. He knew he was making a very loud first impression. He knew he would probably get detention every night for the week. But he couldn’t just let Sirius sit there and be humiliated. So he screamed.

As he took breaths, words from the Howler snuck through. ‘Traitor,’ ‘scum,’ ‘disappointment,’ ‘horrible,’ and ‘disgusting’ were the ones James caught. But as he yelled and yelled, his throat going raw, he focused on Sirius. Sirius, whose mouth was open in surprise, but the corners of which were pulled up in amusement.

And when the letter finished and shredded itself in Sirius’s lap, James stopped. Calmly got down from the table and cleared his throat, face bright red. Followed the waiting Professor McGonagall out of the Hall to receive his own punishment.

But he never did regret what he did. Partially because Sirius didn’t deserve that embarrassment. But mostly because that was how he and Sirius became best friends.

[ithinkabouttzu]

hey! i was wondering if u could make an ateez reaction to their s/o being injured during their sport game (preferably hockey but any sport works!)

injuries could include:

concussions, skate cuts your neck, black eye, someone accidentally crashing into you, sprained/broken bone, busted lip, etc

thanks!!!!

(it’d also be interesting if there could be multiple injuries at a time like a black eye and concussion at the same time for example)

Ateez reaction to their s/o getting hurt during their sports game

genre: Angsty but romance

warnings: Blood and injuries (reader is gn)

description: The members of Ateez reaction to you (their s/o) getting hurt while playing their sport.

a/n: I made it pretty vague so it could fit into any sport if that’s alright with you! I also made the injury a bit different for each person. Hope you enjoy

VALENTINE’s DAY SPECIAL 💘💌

Hongjoong: He was at the game when you got hurt. When he sees you go down he gets so concerned, he jumps up from his seat and tries to get over the barrier to where you are. The coaches and everyone is surrounding you so he can’t see what’s going on but he gets so scared. When you get to the hospital he doesn’t leave you side not once, he so worried for the rest of your stay.

Seonghwa: He turns into a concerned mother so quickly. He would be sitting there watching the game with your loved ones when he saw you get hurt. “Does anyone know what happened?” You can hear the worry in his voice, his pulse is so quick and he gets so worried. His heart breaks seeing you in such pain and he wishes he could just take it all away.

Yunho: When he sees the person from the other team hit you so hard, he’s ready to go out there and start fighting the person who did it. He’s the one yelling at the refs to kick that person out of the game for their dangerous cheap shot at you. And Worried is definitely an understatement to him, he prays the whole time that you’ll just get back up and will be okay.

Yeosang: He didn’t see it, he was in the bathroom when it happened, but when he comes back out all he can see is you on the floor, screaming in pain. He runs as close to you as he can, getting past any barrier that he can to you, you had broken your leg and the ambulance was on their way, he stayed with you the whole time and held your hand through it all, he’s so comforting to you the entire time.

San: He’s also ready to fight whoever threw that a punch at you, he’s praying in his head that you get them back (which you do) but you have to sit out for the rest of the game because of the fight. After the game he runs to you and tells you how proud he is of you for sticking up for yourself but his heart drops when he sees the bruise forming on your left eye. “Let’s go get some ice on that, shall we?”

Mingi: His anxiety shoots through the roof when he sees you go down after a wrong turn, hurting your leg in return, he gets as close to the field/ice as he can, just worried that you will be okay. When you make it to the hospital he’s with you every step, and even greets you with flowers and small gifts after your injury, he holds you close and is even super helpful during your recovery and getting back out to play.

Wooyoung: He gets up from his seat immediately and starts yelling at the refs to do something. He really doesn’t play when it comes to you so he really got spooked when you got hurt. “What’s going on, does anyone know what happened?” He’s asking around to see if anyone will give him answers, he’s mad that no one is telling him anything, but he’s also terrified something really bad happened to you.

Jongho: He turns on his mom mode really quickly, trying to see what happened to you. He’s right at the edge of his seat. He’s so worried something really bad happened to you. He gets even more worried when he sees blood rush out of your nose and lip from the bad hit, it almost sends him running out there with you to help, but he holds himself back bc he doesn’t want to embarrass you. He’s just glad it wasn’t anything too bad.

Sorry for such a long wait! If you enjoyed this, making sure to help a writer out by liking or reblogging! Your show of support makes a difference! 💗💗

[bulkhummus]

I have some thoughts about episode 240 and I'd like to share them all with you here.

[Long post under cut]

I've been thinking mainly about the VHS tapes, and the idea of them being this kind of legacy that one has to hold on to, before giving them up and letting them become a memory.

And with that, I'm thinking about the literal physical act of cutting the cord after swiftly announcing who you are. Cutting the cord is an idiom for becoming independent. In broadcasting (TV or otherwise) it's dropping a channel you no longer want to view.

Kevin announcing to the town who he was, and then subsequently cutting out the broadcast in one fell swoop not only declares his independence, but also takes control right back. To cut the cord implies, to me, no longer being defined by that of what one has been defined by for eons.

An ancient radio host.

A man who has wandered the desert for centuries.

Given everything we know about Cecil and Kevin's relationship, and the animosity, and then perhaps vague understanding later on, it is no wonder that Cecil was the one to make the boy confront who he is. So much has happened to Cecil since he last saw Kevin. Angels are real. He's a father. His town has been explained away and brought back to life. Cecil doesn't give him a choice to turn his head away.

Cecil, who so rarely has the opportunity or ability to truly confront who his is, seeing a young boy in front of him asking the same questions, looking in dire need of an explanation, and instead of telling him, Cecil makes him confront it. Cecil's job isn't to explain, it's to observe, report and offer perspective.

So I'm thinking about Cecil as a father, who was once himself a child abandoned by his mother, giving this child, despite who it clearly is, the chance to come into his own, even if its terrifying. And I wouldn't even be bringing this up if it were not for the beginning bit at the episode about Tamika worrying about the knife the boy was holding. Cecil's calm, "Well, is he doing anything with the knife? Has he hurt anyone with the knife?" is so..... parental in a way that Tamika hasn't had the time to really cultivate herself yet.

Carlos seemingly, once again, was aware of something before everybody else and chose to stay silent. Some things some people are meant to discover on their own, and perhaps Carlos knew this, but I also think Carlos was once again afraid. Cecil has had eons to become comfortable with not understanding the truth, where Carlos has only had about two decades (or one, depending on how you want to view it) to become accustomed to it.

The beauty of this episode is that I feel like it is about the anxieties of being a parent. And it did it so beautifully without ever directly saying it. Think about it.

You have Tamika unsure but trusting her instincts, you have Carlos encouraging curiosity despite what it may entail, and Cecil, letting the boy define himself despite his fear.

In a very dramatic, reversed horror story trope, Cecil allowed Kevin to define himself, despite what that's going to entail. He doesn't know if it's going to be anything good, but that's the risk you take as a parent. I'm not saying that Cecil is Kevin's parent here, just to be clear, I'm saying symbolically speaking, sometimes we have to let people make their own choices and be their own people, and sometimes they end up doing bad things or making bad choices and we have to live with that. Sometimes it's not our place to step in. Sometimes we are just an observer, it's not our job to change the story, but to simply let it unfold.

That's the job and the anxiety of being a parent, of a person, of a friend, of a reporter.

The beauty of this episode is that it's a rebirth. And we've been given hints over the last handful of episodes. The murals, the children worshipping, the snake god (Cecil's whole bit about being swallowed by a snake in episode freaking 1) of Carlos un-explaining the town, the car crash on Buellton Avenue, of Lauren even saying (episode 237) "Because to ignore our past is to destroy our future. I hope you don't have anything in your past that you have not atoned for, Kevin." etc. All of these themes have been present.

So, to go back to the tapes and of legacy, and how legacy can be traded off for the relief of memory. These two people, once solely defined as their position at their station, have diverged.

The last time Cecil and Kevin were alone in a studio together (physically, and if memory serves) Cecil was taking back his station from Kevin. In episode 48 Cecil even says, as a one off, "Don't run with knives". Since then, Cecil has had the opportunity to really create roots elsewhere, to set aside a legacy and create memories, all we have heard of Kevin (recently that is) is him being subsumed by Lauren who, might I add, kept making him call her 'Mother'.

And now, here we have Kevin, cutting the cord, cutting out the broadcast, not as a double, not as a replacement, not as his past or his future, but as Kevin.

[candycandy00]

Roses in the Sky - An Original Alien x Reader Story Part 6

In a future where humanity huddles in decaying domed cities controlled by alien invaders, you and your best friend Anna work as make-shift nurses in a tiny clinic run by the young doctor Terrian. The city is ruled by the aliens' violent, half-breed offspring who serve as brutal overseers. You and Anna have always tried to avoid these overseers at all cost, but your life is changed when one of those same terrifying offspring is brought into the clinic, injured and unconscious.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

This is an original Alien (well half alien) x Fem Reader story! I hope everyone who enjoys my fanfiction will give this a shot! Any feedback whatsoever would be loved! I’ve already written this story so it’s not going to delay my fanfics. Just thought I might post chapters of this between fanfics if anyone is interested.

Slow burn, as this is a novel-length story, but there will be smut in later chapters! Also: violence, blood, rape attempts, death of side characters, etc.

Vartan nearly knocked you over as he stumbled inside, holding onto the wall as he made his way through your kitchen and to the living room, where he fell onto the couch.

You closed and locked the door behind him, then hurried over to the couch.

"What are you doing here?"

He looked up at you, and for first time you could see a hint of annoyance on his face. It was both frightening and comical. "They asked me to leave the base. So I came here."

"They threw you out?"

He laid back on the couch, making himself a bit more comfortable, though every move still seemed painful. "Yes, that is basically true."

You were holding your forehead. This was ridiculous. If the neighbors happened to see Vartan on his way in, the whole building would be in a state of panic.

He glanced to the side. "You do not have a television?"

You frowned. "No, I'm not that rich. And besides, I don't even like watching movies. Wait, why did you come to my apartment? For that matter how did you know where I live?"

"I followed you home. And you are the only human I know."

You couldn't help but feel a little bit special upon hearing that. How many girls in the city could say a half-breed knew them well enough to crash at their place? But you tossed the thought out of your mind. "You know Terrian too. He has a really big house."

"But you are the one I followed," he said simply, as if that explained everything.

You sighed. "Alright, you can stay as long as you need to, but please don't go walking around in the hallway or anything. The other people in the building might have heart attacks if they spot you."

Vartan nodded.

"And," you said carefully, "there's one more condition to staying here."

He looked you in the eyes again. "What is it?"

You felt a little scared. You just couldn't get beyond the fact that you were talking to a half-breed. You took a deep breath. "You can't punish anyone while you're staying with me. No matter what."

He raised his eyebrows, and you flinched, as if expecting him to jump up and decapitate you. "And what will you do if I punish anyone?"

You hesitated for a moment, then built up your courage and said "I'll throw you out!"

Vartan stared at you in response, and you could've sworn an extremely faint smile had tugged at his lips for an instant. "Very well," he said, "I will abide by your rules."

You blinked. A half-breed was agreeing to your rules? It was beyond bizarre. You shook your head and walked into the bedroom, where you pulled out an extra blanket and took one of the pillows from your own bed. You brought them to him, and he politely thanked you.

Once he was comfortable again, you waved to him and told him goodnight, going into your room to change into pajamas. You opened your door a crack and peeked into the living room, but it was too dark to make out anything more than a vague shape on the couch.

It was a very restless night, as you had trouble sleeping while knowing that a half-breed was lying in the next room. Your mind was going crazy, telling you that he was different, that he was kind to you and had gotten himself into trouble for your sake, but at the same time reminding you of how callously he had murdered Miranda's parents only a few days before. You couldn't decide whether he was a gentle boy or a barbaric monster.

In the end, you fell asleep just a few hours before sunrise, and so overslept terribly the next morning. What little sleep you got was plagued by nightmares, of your parents screaming, of following a tall, black-clad stranger in the snow. You don’t even remember what snow feels like, but in your dreams it was bitterly cold. 

You climbed out of bed and staggered into the kitchen. Vartan was at the table peeling an orange. His jacket was gone and, to your embarrassment, so were his pants. He wore boxer shorts, plain black cotton. He looked up when you entered the room. "Is it alright that I took an orange?"

You nodded, still a little disoriented. You were wearing a tank top and a pair of knit shorts. It was nothing scandalous, but you felt a little self-conscious so you held your arms over yourself and stepped toward the door.

"There is no need to be embarrassed," he said, biting into the peeled orange, "I have seen you in less."

You remembered your first time meeting him, in the clinic while you were in your underwear, and cringed. You had almost forgotten it. You turned around to face him. "Right, about that, I have another rule. You can't... um... do anything... to me."

He looked highly confused. "Do anything?"

"You know, what you half-breeds do to humans all the time. Um, how did that girl put it yesterday... 'enjoy'?"

Vartan obviously understood now, and you were more than a little embarrassed.

He took another bite of the orange. "I will do nothing to harm you."

You sighed in relief. "Great, I'm glad we cleared that up." You sat down at the table and grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit, biting into it without peeling it. "By the way, I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday. You really saved us, Anna and I."

Vartan nodded without a word.

You watched him for a moment while chewing the apple. "I'm curious though, why did you do it?"

"I already explained. You saved me, I wanted to save you in return."

"But when you spared Miranda, I mean, the little girl a few nights ago, you said your debt had been repaid."

He was looking at the half-eaten orange in his hand. "I am... not on the best of terms with those three."

"Oh. I see. So going up against them wasn't exactly new?"

"Correct," he answered. "I have fought with them many times."

"Why?" you asked, the question slipping out of your mouth before you thought.

"I believe Celeste, the girl you met, harbors feelings for me that one half-breed should not have for another."

Your jaw dropped. "You mean she has a crush on you?!"

"Yes, I believe so. And the others, Aden and Marcel, harbor those feelings for her. As such, they despise me."

You laid the apple on the table, too intrigued to eat. "Wow, so they're jealous of you! But why would she attack you the way she did? Why would she allow them to?"

Vartan looked at you, surprised. "Why would she not?"

"Because she's in love with you, isn't she? You don't hurt people you love!"

"We do not understand the feelings of humans," he said. "If we somehow come to experience them, we do not know how to react to them."

You looked back down. "Oh," you said, then looked at him sharply. "But why don't the half-breeds get together? Why don't they ever date each other or get married or anything?”

Vartan looked positively shocked by your question, his expression even going beyond mere raised eyebrows to include wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "That is forbidden! We can never touch each other in that way!"

You were quite surprised yourself. "Why not?"

Vartan settled back into his usual expression. "I'm not sure. We've been told from the time we were children that we must never, ever mate with fellow half-breeds. Doing so would be punishable by death."

"Wow, that's a really harsh rule. But I guess that explains why you guys fool around with humans so much."

"Yes," he replied, eating his orange again and seeming strangely uncomfortable, "We were told to satisfy our physical desires with humans."

You placed your elbow on the table and leaned over, supporting your head with your arm. "But don't you guys ever want something more? More than just a physical thing? How do you get any pleasure from it when the human obviously doesn't want it?"

Vartan was focused intently on the orange, as if purposely avoiding your eyes. "We were told that humans are hormonal creatures who always desire physical pleasure. We were told that the humans wouldn't mind, that they would be happy to satisfy us, because we are pleasing to their eyes."

You wee positively amazed to be hearing all of this. Finally things were starting to make a little more sense. "But couldn't you figure out that humans didn't want to be used?"

Vartan suddenly stood up from the table. "Do you mind if I use your shower?"

You blinked, caught off-guard. "Oh, sure. There are some towels in the closet in the hall."

He stood up and pushed his chair in, then cleared the table of the small mess he had made with the orange. It really struck you that he was unbelievably polite. You wondered if half-breeds were raised to be that way, or if this was simply a personality trait for him.

You heard him open and then close the closet door, then listened as he walked a little further down the hall and into the bathroom. Then the water came on. You resumed eating while you waited, and he eventually emerged from the hall again, but this time he was without the boxers. You nearly choked on the apple, but stood up and quickly backed away, covering your eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Please put your clothes on!" you cried.

"Why? You have seen me nude before. Why are humans so bothered by such things?"

You slowly removed your hands from your eyes, but looked straight at his face. He looked genuinely curious. "Because things like this should be reserved for couples."

"Why?"

You thought for a moment, trying to come up with the best way to word it. "Well, it should be special, when two people who are in love see each other naked for the first time. Exposing yourself like that is like revealing your deepest secret."

Vartan's puzzled expression made you realize that you had indeed worded it wrong. "Wait, that didn't come out right. I mean, even with people who are not in love, you want to save that 'secret' for when you decide to become intimate."

"So, humans do not allow anyone to see them nude unless they are intimate?"

You rubbed your forehead again. "No, that's not exactly it. I mean, doctors see you naked, but that's for medical reasons. It's different. And when you're a kid and your parents see you naked, like when you're taking a bath. Or if you're spending the night with your best friend and you change clothes in the same bedroom, it's not a big deal. But, when it comes to someone you're attracted to, it makes you shy about it, so you only want to show yourself to them when you trust them to not be judgmental and..."

You trailed off, noticing that Vartan's look of confusion was gone and he was instead staring at you intently. "I see," he said, stepping into the living room. He returned a few seconds later, buttoning his pants. "I suppose I no longer have a secret to reveal."

"What?"

Again that faint smile seemed to flash across his face for the briefest of moments, but it disappeared just as quickly. "You're not going to the clinic today. Are you going anywhere else?"

"Terrian's house. He gave me a new job."

"What kind?"

You raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you really interested or are you making conversation?"

"I am interested."

"He wants Anna and I to be his new maids. I know he just wants to give us a reason to take money from him and come to his house, so we won't feel like we're robbing him, you know? But I hope he doesn't make us wear uniforms again."

"The white outfit you were wearing at the clinic, that was a uniform?" he asked. 

"Yeah. Terrian picks them out. I think he has a costume fetish or something."

"Does he not make you feel uncomfortable?"

You laughed. "We know he's just joking around. Yeah, he likes to see us in cute clothes, but he would never do anything inappropriate. In fact he's ridiculously protective of us."

"Yes, I saw that," Vartan replied. "He was quick to attack me when he thought I was doing you harm."

You laughed again, and in the back of your mind you wondered when you had reached the point that you could laugh with a half-breed. Your eyes drifted to the clock on the kitchen wall. "Oh crap, I'm really running late now. I better get ready."

You hurried to the hall, grabbed some towels, and took a quick shower. You dressed in the bathroom, having no desire to go prancing into your bedroom with nothing but a towel on while Vartan was there. He promised he wouldn't do anything, but you decided it wouldn't be a good idea to tempt a half-breed, despite the circumstances.

You fixed your hair and even dabbled on a little makeup and perfume, things you normally never bothered with. When finished, you looked in the mirror and asked yourself why you were trying so hard to look good. Was it because you wanted Vartan to find you attractive? But you had gone to such lengths to avoid attracting that sort of attention from him.

But what was wrong with it if you liked him?

You took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom. You grabbed your bag from the counter in the kitchen and stepped into a pair of shoes by the door. You glanced into the living room, where Vartan was sitting quietly on the couch.

"Um, I'm leaving now. If you decide to go out, lock the door behind you. There's an extra key on the table by my bed so you can get back in. Remember not to let anyone see you in the building, okay?"

He looked up at you and nodded, then waved as you left.

You arrived several minutes later at Terrian's house. You usually visited in the evenings, after they closed the clinic, so seeing it in the daylight, under the red-tinged sun, made the huge house look a little scary. Now you understood why he often asked you and Anna to come live with him.

You walked up on the porch and rang the door bell. A few minutes later, you heard footsteps and the door suddenly flung open. There stood Anna, positively fuming, in a frilly french maid costume that was obviously bought for Halloween many years ago. You wanted to laugh, but then it occurred to you that you would probably be wearing that horrendous getup too. You grimaced.

"He's gone too far this time!" Anna said loudly, stomping her foot as she talked as if to emphasize every word. "Look at this! I look ridiculous!"

"It's not that bad. I mean, it's kinda cute."

"It's awful!" Anna cried.

You opened your mouth to respond, but heard Terrian's voice ring out from within the house. "Is she here? Send her on up to get her uniform!"

You paled. "Well, at least you won't look awful by yourself." You stepped inside and began climbing up the stairs, dreading what you would see when you reached the top.

Tag List:

@scrumptiouslampwobblercop

[bp-zb1fics]

hi! i read your yujin post and i LOVED IT and it kinda inspired this idea/request

male reader and ricky have been close friends for a long time. reader was always the sociable one who dotes on ricky all the time while ricky was always quiet and more intimidating one. one time reader gets sick and expects to take care of himself but to his surprise ricky comes over to take care of him (maybe because ricky was always in love with male reader?🫢)

you can adjust or even skip this one if you want😅

Tall & Handsome & will take care of you~

pairing: ricky x reader

genre: highschool au (same verse as shy, shy, shy fic), fluff, romantic tropes

tw/tags: long time friends meet again, banter, yunseo cameo, slightly jealous lovelicky, swearing, kisses, dog mafia as protect yujin’s eyes squad, sickness (not serious), hand massages, squishmallow gift, ricky is taller than you for plot purposes

wc: 1905

summary: you’ve known ricky for a long time but he still manages to surprise you.

a/n hi anon! thanks for requesting this, i really had fun with the ricky/reader dynamic and since you loved the yujin request so much, it only made sense for me to set it in the same universe. For those who read shy, shy, shy~ I left a little easter egg that will definitely tie up to the part two of that fic that was requested by another lovely anon so keep an eye out for it!

Check my pinned for more fics~

part 2

As the class vice president, you were tasked to assist Park Gunwook, your class president, in greeting and orienting the new students. When the teacher ushered them in, the first one you saw was a tall, unfairly attractive brunette boy. You and Gunwook exchanged glances. How the fuck could someone be that good-looking? 

The first new student who introduced himself as Kim Gyuvin also looked vaguely terrified of Gunwook who decided to spend the summer bulking up. Discreetly, you rolled your eyes. Sooner or later, he’ll find out that the intimidating impression was a front and Gunwook was nothing but a big baby that whined at you to get out of class president duties he disliked. 

Your attention is directed to the other new student who walks in, blond hair expertly parted, silver necklace and earrings gleaming. He’s also tall, unfairly attractive and worst of all, you knew that face.

“Ricky?” You sputtered out.

You’ve known each other since he was a scrawny kid with a mouth full of braces. While you kept in contact when he had moved overseas, he never mentioned anything about moving back and more importantly, transferring to your school.

The teacher, Gunwook and Gyuvin all freeze as you throw your arms around your long-time friend. 

“Why didn’t you tell me, you little shit?” You hissed into his ear while you tried to squeeze the life out of him with your hug. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”

“He’s an old friend.” You tell the teacher enthusiastically after you’ve released him and let him introduce himself to your dumbfounded companions. “We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

Only now, he’s tall, blond and stupidly handsome, you think. You really need to get yourself together. 

After getting over the shock of that is Ricky, you’re your usual bright, chipper class vice president self, showing him and Gyuvin where they’ll be sitting, what the class schedule is like and including little tips about each class. They draw quite a few stares, most likely for both being over 180 cm and looking like models. 

Still, you get through the day with Gyuvin being less afraid of Gunwook despite the latter’s uncomfortable staring which you’ll need to talk to him about later. Because no Gunwook, even if the new student looks like a damn prince, we don’t stare at him for that long. The class resident joker, Kum Junhyeon, seems to have taken a shine to Gyuvin which is good because he’s making friends but also bad for the chaos you see in your future.

Meanwhile, Ricky seems to be unbothered, settling in almost immediately. He looked so comfortable that you’d almost think he’s been in this class the whole time. You’re still most definitely ambushing him at lunch break. There’s going to be a lot of catching up to do.

__________________________________________

Three absolutely chaotic years later…

“Ricky!” You scold the blond while shoving another snack into Yujin’s hands. “Stop it, you’re scaring him.”

While his glaring dials down, it’s still obviously there and Yujin gulps before thanking you and hurrying back over to where his own class president is being doted on by Junhyeon, Gunwook and Gyuvin. You’ve taken to calling those three the dog mafia, their joint antics always go big but also a little clumsy.

Frowning, you walk over to Ricky who’s finally stopped glaring and swat him weakly.

“You scared away the baby. You know how excited I get whenever those three bring them over.”

Ricky has the audacity to look unfazed, reaching to take one of the snacks you’re holding.

“They were taking my snacks.” He stated simply.

“Excuse me mister, your snacks?”

“Yep.”

You give him a look and he stares back, shameless. Then a ridiculous thought pops into your head and you smack him playfully.

“Awwww, is little Lovelicky jealous?” You coo almost imitating the aegyo voice that Junhyeon likes to do.

“....Nope.” He answers without missing a beat. You pout, smacking him again.

“God, you’re no fun.”

You turn to the dog mafia and pause when you see that they’ve got their hands over Yujin and his friend’s eyes.

“Uh…what are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Gyuvin fires back.

“We’re protecting our children from the horrific sight of our cool ice president and class vice prince flirting.” Junhyeon chimes in, scrambling words as per usual.

You sigh and look at Gunwook for help. He shrugs.

The chaos you see in your future indeed.

__________________________________________

“Ah, excuse me.”

You look up from packing your things. Gunwook’s already stepped out, the latest student officer meeting having wrapped up. 

“Ah, Yunseo-ssi, what can I do for you?” You say, smiling at the other boy. 

Ji Yunseo is the vice president of one of the other classes in your year. He’s also unfailingly nice and never a pain to work with which you can’t say is true for some other officers. Along with Gunwook, he’s always been supportive of the ideas you propose.

“Wahh we’ve been working together for three years, don’t you think it’s about time we speak casually?” He says, playfully thumping your arm.

You stifle a giggle as you finish placing everything in your bag and return his banter. 

“Ah it’s because we’re colleagues, Yunseo-ssi, got to stay professional.”

Yunseo smiles at you, watching as you heave the bag over your shoulder.

“Let me carry that for you,” he offers.

You’re about to decline politely when the bag is lifted off your shoulders.

“I’ve got it.”

You turn just to see Ricky slinging the bag over his own shoulder like it weighs nothing. His expression is the usual impassive, almost holier-than-thou that he does particularly when Junhyeon and Gyuvin get up to their shenanigans.

“Ricky-ah, it’s okay, I can hold it.” You reach for the bag only for him to hold it out of your grasp. Huffing at him, you turn to Yunseo who’s smile seems a little less bright, eyes flicking between you and Ricky.

“What were you saying?” You ask him, still bright and chipper so not to dampen the mood like your best friend has.

“Ah nothing. I’ll see you at the next meeting.” The other boy says almost too politely before walking off.

You frown after him. “Weird.” You comment before turning back to the blond.

“I swear I can carry that by myself.”

“Nope.”

“Come on, give it here. Ya, stop holding it over my head like I can’t reach it.”

“...”

“Ugh, fine. God, you’re impossible.”

__________________________________________

In your defence, you didn’t think that a few late nights (a whole lot, more likely) would end up with you getting sick. Except you do. Get sick.

You wake up with your head pounding something fierce, your nose stuffy and an itchy throat. Picking up your phone, you send a quick text to Gunwook explaining your unfortunate situation. Making a mental note to check the cabinet for cold and flu medicine later, you pull the blanket over your head and pass the fuck out.

When you wake up again, someone’s running their fingers through your hair. Before you can make a guess, you smell his cologne, expensive yet comforting even with your stuffed up nose. With much effort, you slowly open your eyes to see a familiar blond head staring down on you with an oddly soft expression.

“...time is it?” You slur, almost missing the hand in your hair as he lifts it up to check his watch. Apparently you’ve slept almost the whole day away. You attempt to get up only for your body to drop back onto the mattress like a deadweight.

Ricky sighs. Suddenly there are hands propping you up gently. A glass of water and fever reducer tablet is given to you and he watches intently as you take it, snatching the tablet packet and glass out of your hands before you can attempt to reach and place it on the bedside table. 

“I brought your notes.” He said, gesturing to the stack on your desk. “Gunwook made copies of his, I’ll come back tomorrow and until you get better.”

“Wahh, you don’t need to spoil me, Ricky-ah.” You scold half-heartedly. He doesn’t try to dignify you with a response.

“You should get more sleep.” He says instead. And he stays till you fall asleep.

Over the next few days, you find out that Ricky is, in fact, not joking when he said until you get better. He’s at your home after class everyday without fail, bringing copies of Gunwook’s notes and maybe a few extra things that he insists are for the good of your health. While you didn’t know how a giant pink squishmallow would help you get better, you certainly weren’t complaining.

“Damn, even if I know they’ll probably make my headache worse, I kinda miss Gunwookie, Gyuvinie, even Junhyeonie.” You say offhandedly as Ricky massages your hand, claiming some sort of health reason that you didn’t even care to question.

“That’s exactly why I told them not to visit until you’re better.” Ricky comments as he presses his thumb up and down your palm in a motion that was quite soothing actually.

“Don’t lie to me Ricky-ah, you just want to keep me for yourself, no?” You joke.

The silence that follows is suddenly heavy as Ricky continues to keep his eyes on your hand. And then-

“And what if I do?”

Your mind goes blank for a second, watching his face, his expression not changing. He must be joking with you, right?

“Aigooo, does Lovelicky have a crush?” You shoot back weakly. 

His fingers stop massaging your hand. He looks up. To anyone else, his expression would be the same but for you, there were certain tells, the slightest pink at the tips of his ears, the subtle way he swallows, the earnest hopefulness in his eyes when he says-

“Yes….”

“....I’ve always liked you.”

__________________________________________

Yujin is confused.

“So they weren’t dating before?” He asks Gyuvin, the older patting his cheek indulgently as they watch you hand feed Ricky snacks, stealing kisses in between bites.

“Nope. Our lovely vice president was oblivious as always and ice prince over there was too busy scaring away the competition to realise that he hadn't even popped the question.”

“But they’re dating now?” Yujin says right before Ricky catches you in a longer kiss, Gyuvin squawking and covering Yujin’s eyes.

“You really don’t need to keep doing that, hyung.” Yujin retorts once Gyuvin deems you two wholesome again. Nevermind that you’re halfway sitting on Ricky’s lap which the blond looks almost too happy about.

“But you’re A BABY.” Junhyeon chimes in dramatically after losing interest in the conversation between Gunwook and the president of Yujin’s class.

“Might be a good idea to ask your class president out before you end up like them, Yujin-ah.” Gyuvin sagely advises after following the younger’s gaze to said conversation.

Yujin’s nose wrinkles. “Ew hyung, we’re just friends.”

“Well friends can hang out too?” Gyuvin points out. “And- OHMY! GUYS!”

“THE CHILDREN!” Junhyeon screams helpfully.

Ricky looks up from where he’s been blowing a raspberry on your neck in retribution for you poking at his sides and shoots them a withering look. You giggle as he plants one last kiss before getting up to mess with Gyuvin.

It’s been an interesting year so far and you can’t wait to see where the rest of it takes you with Ricky on your side.

[bestworstcase]

speaking of summer i don’t see a lot of people drawing the lines between summer and maria but it gives me much to chew on because. how does a legend just disappear? you never showed your face. most of us came to accept you were probably dead. you shouldn’t want to be like me, i’m nothing but a disappointment

(all this to say i would not be surprised if we see summer wearing a mask like the grimm reaper)

:)

"during his years of travel, he heard the same frightened whispers that spoke of a terrifying sorceress who commanded dark powers in the wilds among the beasts and monsters…" how does a legend just disappear?

no matter where or how he lived, her presence was always felt (he had to destroy salem, ruby says). how could such powerful bloodlines be so rare? (salem, ruby says).

it’s like.

the witch in the woods among beasts and monsters / the warrior in the woods swept away by monsters. how does a legend disappear? (when you finish a story, ozpin writes in the afterward, turn the page and start a new one. or of course you may always read this one again.)

& then summer: the pages are torn and there’s no final chapter.

& then salem: truth will rise/revealed by mirrored eyes.

it’s like—maria wasn’t a legend; the grimm reaper was the legend she created to hide herself, to keep her powers a secret. but!

TOCK: Well, that’s a fancy trick now, innit? ’Fraid it comes with a price, though, love. MARIA: I don’t think you realize who I am. TOCK: Course I do. You’re the Grimm Reaper, and these are the last sixty seconds of your life.

tock hunts down the grimm reaper, by following the light, and then kills her. the grimm reaper was a silver-eyed warrior. shatter the mask, cut out the eyes, and the legend dies. maria lives on to haunt her own story; most came to accept the grimm reaper was probably dead, but maria still lived, and no longer hid her face.

who was maria calavera, really? what was left behind, under that mask?

salem lives, but the woman you hold dear in your memories is gone. this is a circular story…

"i’m nothing but a disappointment." and "it's... comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. i'm just sorry i didn't do more to leave it in better shape."

& summer: "and all the times i swore that it would be okay/now i’m nothing but a liar and you’re thrown into the fray"

"a huntress is supposed to fight to the bitter end, but after i lost my eyes, i only ever looked after myself. […] i was afraid to fight."

& qrow, on what summer would have done if she’d learnt the truth: "pressed on, i think."

& salem: "and so we must… press on."

(waves vaguely also in

summer rose as the mask ruby wears and her ghost in the mirror.)

there’s this motif of like

a mask is a legend. a fairytale is a mask. a hero is not a person, a hero is a story. legends and fairytales scattered in time/maidens and kingdoms wrapped up in a lie—this is the end/here’s where you’ll die—the pages are torn and there’s no final chapter—you were born to hypnotize them all—truth will rise/revealed by mirrored eyes. in this story about taking off masks…

well.

you never showed your face.

everything we know about summer rose suggests that no one ever really knew her; the legend, the silver-eyed warrior, the paragon. the mask. and… then she found salem, and the legend died, the story ended, but the pages are torn and truth will rise revealed by mirrored eyes. you know?

it’s akin to what the narrative does with the maidens in that to become a maiden is a terrible burden and an inescapable duty… unless you’re cinder fall, and then it’s an act of self-liberation, a choice, a way to defy her destiny. right. a silver-eyed warrior is a legend destined to live and die fighting grimm… unless you’re summer rose, who chose to reach out and clasp the hand the grimm held out to her. you were born to hypnotize them all / truth will rise, revealed by mirrored eyes. insofar as she killed summer rose, salem killed the legend; she tore off the mask.

there are perhaps practical reasons for summer to don a mask at beacon, if disguising her identity is important for salem’s plans, so i wouldn’t be surprised if she’s introduced to us in the present wearing like, a beowolf mask to cover her face. but i’d bet on it coming off the instant salem enters the scene, too.

[pianostarinwonderland]

Well that ending for Playful Land was something !

Seeing the differing reactions of the ending among fans has been pretty interesting for me. Some find it to be the perfect ending, others find it a cop-out and a disappointment.

Personally, Playful Land's ending is the most interesting ending I've seen in a Twst event. I've never experienced a lot of mixed feelings for an ending till now.

On one hand, based on the event tl summaries, it did feel like a cop out to me. Fellow did win against the boys. They were going to die. And it was all ended by a call from his boss. It felt anti-climatic the first time I heard about it. Heck, it reminded me of how I felt with Endless Halloween's ending with how it was all just a prank. Admittedly, a lot of these feelings is because we had one book dedicated to 9 people fighting underworld blot monsters and saving the world, and they came out victorious xD with how Twst boys always manage to win in dire situations, it feels so weird that they were losing here.

On the other hand, I'm not mad about it. In fact, I think the "cop out" works for a few reasons.

There was indeed build up to the call, with Fellow calling his clients and boss in Episode 3 of the event. We saw how shitty the relationship is, we already see that Fellow was only in it for the money. If you researched or watched Pinocchio for this event, you would know that Honest John himself wasn't comfortable with Pleasure Island. But he still took up the job simply because it promises money. And Fellow is the same—he took up the amusement park job because there was money promised. And with his employers and clients being rich people? All the more enticing, especially since he isn't from a privileged background. Fellow has to make ends meet one way or another.

The boys were in a losing situation. Our boys may have witnessed many terrifying things like Overblot and Tartarus and came out victorious, but they're not invincible. The park was funded by influential people who have the magic and resources to make it so nobody escapes no matter what they do. They were also taken down one by one, with the SSR trio being turned to puppets by Fellow ripping their ticket, which was out of their control. And I think it may be worth keeping in mind, they're not Azul, Idia, and Malleus. They don't have the powerful magic or the ingenuity that the Glomas trio hold. They have their own strengths that do make them worthy of being the SSRs of the event (Ace's wit, Ortho's robo abilities, Kalim's kindness). But they were at an inherent disadvantage. (And on that note, it suddenly makes sense as to why the event started with the basketball team losing to RSA's—to establish that NRC isn't as strong as people would think).

It makes the situation all the more horrifying in the way that it's real. Aside from Lilia, the boys are still young people who are susceptible to crimes like human trafficking. A lot of victims don't make it out alive. NRC boys were just fortunate that they were able to talk to Fellow and have that his boss had one hell of a temper. Imagine if that boss was more patient. Imagine if they weren't able to get on Fellow's good side. Hell, the ending was hauntingly vague about the rest of the park goers. What happened to them as they blew up the amusement park? And hell, it gives not only the boys but the audience so much room for thought on the what ifs. What if that call didn't come through in time?

On the topic of being real, I also like that they really highlight Fellow being so done with his boss. It reflects a very real scenario of being tired of a toxic workplace, and you know what, rooting for you, Fellow. Get out of there.

It's so interesting how this ending works. Maybe there could have been a better ending. But as it is, it does work.

[spoilmesweetieforficssake]

Age gap Melissa Schemmenti/Reader fic where reader recently moved in with Mel a few months ago but her parents don’t know so when they ask to visit she has to tell them about their relationship and introduce them

First of all, apologies - this ask has been in my inbox for longer than I'd like but between work and trying to answer the elusive question of 'how much sleep do I actually need to feel human?' Hint, the answer remains unknown.

Anyways, this has strayed so far from the plan I had originally sketched out I don't even recognise it but I've poked and prodded and pleaded with it to get it to this stage, so here we are! I hope you enjoy!

~*~ Happy To Be Home (With You)

“I need to talk to you,” you say as stick your head around the breakroom door and catch Melissa’s gaze.  Expecting her to follow, you retreat back into the hallway, missing the way her face falls at your words.

Barb places a gentle hand on her friend’s arm.  “It’ll be okay,” she says quietly.  “Don’t worry.”

Melissa nods.  You and her are in a good place.  Or at least she thought you were.  When she makes in out into the hallway you’re pacing.

You turn to face her, frowning when you see her.  “What is your face doing that for?”

“What?” she snaps defensively.

“That,” you say, gesturing vaguely at her face.  “You look terrified.”

She shrugs, looking suddenly small.  “You said we needed to talk.”

It’s only then that you realise.  “Shit!  Sorry!  I didn’t mean it to sound like that,” you quickly try to reassure her.  “We’re great, you’re beautiful and I love you,” you tell her, watching as her face goes through a whole rollercoaster of emotions before settling on a frown.

“Then what?  Because now you look nervous,” she says.

“I just got off the phone to my parents,” you tell her.  “They want to visit.”

And there it is.  Now she understands your nerves.  “And they usually stay with you?”

“Yeah,” you nod.  “Only now I stay with you.”

She reaches out, taking hold of your fidgeting hands, grounding you.  “So you wanna tell them?”

You smile shyly.  “I never didn’t want to tell them.  It just sort of hit me today when they asked that I hadn’t.”  You feel a blush colour your cheeks.  “I got a bit carried away at the time.”

She smiles back at you, a fond chuckle leaving her lips.  “Yeah, I remember.  You had me lugging stuff over that same day.”

“Well I didn’t want you to change your mind!” you say in your defence.  “And I was excited.”  You squeeze the fingers laced with your own, growing serious again.  “I wanted to speak to you before I spoke to them again,” you tell her.

At her confused expression you sigh.  “I sort of the told them I had to go cover lunch duty and I would call them later.  I wanted to make sure you were comfortable with me telling them.  They know we’re together but this is different.”

Melissa offers you a soft smile.  “When you moved in, my place also became your place.”

“I know,” you smile in reply, unable not to at her words.  “But this isn’t me buying a throw cushion, ‘Lissa.  This is my parents visiting and sharing that space and that’s not something I’m going to say yes to unless it’s something you’re comfortable with.”

Her smile remains soft, touched you think enough to ask.  And while it makes her nervous as hell, she’s not about to say no.  “Of course your parents can visit and stay in the house you live in.”

“That’s not what I asked,” you’re quick to counter.  You know she’ll sacrifice herself on her own sword and not breathe a word about how much it hurts.  “Whatever you say, I’m telling them I moved in, but I’m not going to extend the invitation for them to stay unless you’re okay with it.”

She huffs, irked at you bring able to see through her answering around your question as easily as you are.  “I’m okay with it as long as you’re okay with it.”

Figuring it’s as close to a yes as you’re going to get, you step forward, cupping her face in your hands.  “I love you.”

“Love you too,” she smiles, leaning in to press her lips to your own. 

“How about we call them tonight?” you ask.  “Together?”

She nods, her nerves still bubbling under the surface, but pride winning out.  Regardless of what her answer was, you were telling your parents about your move.  You weren’t hiding the fact you were with her.  No, you were going to tell them no matter what she said.  What they said.  “Together.  Now can we eat?  I’m starving!”

*

“Sorry I had to run earlier,” you say as your parent’s answer your video call.  Choosing not to dive in at the deep end, you let the conversation drift naturally towards the subject of their visit.  There’s the important topic of the cat who visits and your dad’s latest random Gumtree acquisitions to cover first. 

“There’s actually something I have to tell you,” you start when the topic finally comes up.  “When you visit, it won’t be my old apartment.  I moved.”  You watch as they wait, almost as if they know you’re not quite finished your sentence.  “I moved in with Melissa.”

As expected, your dad is the one who is quick to congratulate you, your mother quiet and watchful on the screen.  At least she’s smiling though. 

“We can book somewhere else to stay,” she offers when she finally speaks.

“Nonsense!” comes the reply of a certain red head in the background, making you grin.  You turn around, grabbing her arm and pulling her into view of the screen.  She leans her head on yours, her arms loosely around your shoulders.  “There’s more than enough room here.”

You reach up to squeeze one of the arms looped around you in silent thanks.  Standing behind you, you know she’s trying hard to hide her nerves.  Her posture isn’t as loose as you’re used to, her voice laced with anxiety.  “I can’t wait for you to come and meet Melissa properly,” you smile. 

“We’d love that too,” your mum smiles, your dad nodding along enthusiastically.

“Great!  Well, send dates and we’ll sort things out.”

*

Melissa is quiet that night.  You let it go, knowing it’s been a big day for both of you.  It’s one thing for her to know your parents exist and know of her existence, but tonight was the first time she’s actually been involved in one of your video chats with them, not to mention there are now solid plans in place for her to actually meet them in person.

It’s not until you realise that she’s been sitting starting at the same page of her book for over half an hour that you finally feel you have to say something.  “You okay?”

She’s quick to snap out of her daze, forcing a smile in your direction.  “Course.”

You don’t say anything for a moment, just taking time to really look at her.  A small frown creases her features, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.  “What’s going on in that pretty head of your?”

At your words, she sighs, dropping her gaze.  She fidgets with the book in her hands.  “I know I’ve seen pictures of your parents, but tonight is the longest I’ve really looked at their faces.”  She looks up, taking a deep breath.  “I think I need to ask the question I told you I didn’t want the answer to.”

You nod.  You know exactly the question she doesn’t want to ask.  The same question she told you she never wanted to ask when she had her wobble on your last birthday.  Up until then, she’d always know you were younger than her, but it hadn’t really hit home for her how much younger you were.  She had made you cry then, not quite comprehending what you’d done wrong.  She had been cold and standoffish and not at all like the girlfriend you loved. 

All in all, it had been a terrible birthday.  Up until the point she appeared at your door late that same night, tears in her own brilliant green eyes and an apology on her lips.  She had scared herself at how terrified the thought of losing you made her.  How much it hurt her to make you cry.

“My dad is three years older and my mum is two years younger.”

She takes a moment to take in your answer.  As you watch, you see the internal breakdown happening.  Her eyes widen before she begins to blink almost frantically as her breath comes in short, shallow bursts.

“Hey,” you say, crawling along the couch towards her.  “Don’t shut me out.”

Taking a deep breath, she meets your eyes.  “I’m a cradle snatcher!”

You can’t help it as a burst of laughter leaves your lips.  “No you’re not.  I’m a grown ass woman who can make her own choices.  And I choose you,” you tell her, booping her playfully on the nose.  Removing her book from her hands, you take care to mark her page before putting it on the table.

“What if they don’t like me when they meet me?” she asks in a small voice.  “When they realise what age I am?”

You take her hands in your own, stilling them and bringing her attention back to your face.  “They’re my parents and I love them but they also need to respect my life choices,” you say, your words chosen slowly and deliberately.  “And that I choose you, for life.”

Tears gather in her eyes at your words.

“And if they say anything to upset you while they’re here they’ll be getting driven to the nearest hotel and I’ll speak to them later about it.”

“You wouldn’t,” she says, her voice wobbling.

“I would,” you tell her honestly.  “This, here, with you.  This is my happy place and if they can’t see that…”  You trail off with a shrug.  You hope your parents will like Melissa.  Can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t.  But if by some chance they don’t, that won’t change the fact that you love her. 

She lifts her hands to stroke her fingers over your cheeks, tracing the contours of your face.  Your conviction in your relationship with her never fails to make her heart soar.  “Please don’t throw your parents out while they’re here.”

“They better be on their best behaviour, then,” you smirk, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. 

*

“You know their flight doesn’t land for three hours, right?” you ask as you see Melissa tossing things into her handbag, looking ready to leave.

“Course I do,” she snaps.  “I just don’t wanna be late and make a bad impression.”

You nod.  She’s been getting increasingly snippy with you all morning.  You’ve been as patient as you can, knowing it’s nothing you’ve done, only her nerves. “Okay.  Give me five minutes to get my things together and I’ll be good to go.”

*

Even with a little light traffic and a less than ideal parking, you arrive at the airport with almost two hours to spare.  Still, you don’t say anything.  It’s only when Melissa’s incessant pacing has her barging into someone that you finally have to intervene.  You apologise to the poor guy before dragging her to the nearest coffee shop in the airport and all but force her into a chair.  Dropping your coat and bag in her lap you tell her to sit.

She looks about to protest but snaps her mouth shut when you raise an eyebrow at her.  You rummage through your bag, taking out your purse and telling her you won’t be long.  Heading to join the queue for coffee, you watch as she studiously straightens out your coat before laying it over the back of her chair.  She then turns her attention to your handbag, adjusting the buckles that fasten the leather until everything sits neatly.  She’s trying everything to occupy her attention and distract herself, and your heart breaks a little. 

You hate to see her so nervous, but you know there’s nothing you can say that’s going to make this any easier for her.  You are simply being as patient as you can and trying your best to avoid an unnecessary argument. 

Returning with your coffees and a newspaper, you place the cups on the table before opening the paper to the crossword page and laying it in front of her.  You meanwhile, adopt your usual crossword solving position behind her chair, looping your arms around her neck and leaning your head against hers.  She brings a hand up to squeeze your arm, turning her head to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” you smile back at her.  “I know today is scary, but I love you.  All the more for being here.”  You had offered to come and collect your parents on your own and let her meet them on home turf, so to speak, but she had quickly dismissed the idea, saying she didn’t want them to think she was a coward. 

*

Your phone buzzes where it lays on the table, and a second later your watch does too.  Melissa glances at the screen and tenses.  Your parents’ flight has landed.

“Do you want to go and bring the car round?”

For a moment, she says nothing, does nothing.  Eventually, however, she turns to look at you.  “Why do you keep giving me an out?”

“Because I know how nervous I was the first time I came to family dinner,” you reply.  “And you were better to me than I deserved.” 

She had come to collect you that night only to find you half dressed having a meltdown over what to wear and whether the wine you had picked up was good enough to take.  She had taken in your near panic attack state and swiftly wrapped you in a bone crushing hug until all you could feel and focus on was her. 

Finally when you had been able to breathe she had told you with a soft smile that you could see was more than a little sad that if it was too much too soon there was more than one family dinner.  The invite was an open one.

It was that sad smile that had you pulling yourself together.  You asked her to pick something for you to wear from the contents of your wardrobe that currently littered your bed.  Then while you got dressed you asked her to check the wine you had bought.  The most expensive wine you’d ever purchased. 

She told you the wine could wait and had gently and carefully dressed you in your favourite jeans and a soft knit sweater that is one of her favourites on you.  She brushes out your hair and applies some light make-up before stepping back to take in her work. 

“Beautiful.”

Dinner had gone better than you could ever have anticipated.  You even got Nonna’s seal of approval. 

*

Melissa rolls up the newspaper and tucks it into her bag for the two of you to finish later.  She hates an unfinished crossword.  “Arrivals it is,” she declares with a decisive nod as she hoists her bag onto her shoulder.  If you see the death grip she has on it, you say nothing. 

She’s shifting from foot to foot as the first passengers from your parents flight begin to trickle through.  Telling her to calm down is pointless.  Instead, you lean in and press a kiss to her cheek.  “I love you.”

She offers you a tight smile in return.  You don’t mind when she doesn’t say it back.  She’s here, that tells you all you need to know.  Turning back to the now steady stream of people from the flight, you catch sight of you dad, you mum a step behind rootling around in her handbag.  You’d guess she’s probably looking for her cigarettes. 

“Ready?”

Melissa nods, following a few steps behind you as you approach your parents, first wrapped up in an engulfing hug from your dad, you mum abandoning her search for her cigarettes as she sees you, giving you a hug of her own.  “So good to see you both,” you smile, the familiarity of their presence comforting.

Their presence isn’t as comforting for Melissa, who hangs back until you turn to look for her, extending a hand in her direction.  You watch as she takes a deep breath, forces a smile and joins you.  You immediately wrap an arm around her waist, hoping to help ground her. 

“Mum, dad, this is Melissa,” you grin, gazing at the red head adoringly. 

*

The ride home is predictably filled with your dad’s chatter.  You swear he could talk to anyone, but you know he’s making a special effort with Melissa when he starts to ask about her truck.  A mechanic to trade it’s his go to topic of choice. 

Your mum sits in the back with you, quietly catching up with all that’s happened since she last seen you properly.  She quick to tell you that you’re looking well, though you can’t quite help but feel there’s a ‘but’ she’s leaving unsaid while you have company. 

Back at the house, your mum warms up a little, making the easy dig that when you lived alone the place was never as spotless.  You roll your eyes as you show her and your dad to the guest room, letting them get settled in and as is normal following their morning arrival, head for a lie down after their long flight. 

Coming back to the kitchen, you find Melissa already making a start on lunch.  “You okay?” you ask, wrapping your arms around her waist and nuzzling the back of her neck.

“Yeah,” she answers after a beat, turning in your arms.

“Yeah?” you repeat, your tone making the word a question.

“Yeah,” she says once more, leaning in to press a kiss to your lips.  ��I’m good.”

You lean in, capturing her lips once more, letting the moment linger.  “So, what are we making?”

It’s easy to fall into step with her in the kitchen now.  You’re familiar with her favourite dishes and recipes these days, so much so that you have your own little part in them.  Without either of you having to say a word, it’s a given that while Melissa does this, you chop that.  You move around each other in the small space with ease, contact between you never an accident, but rather an intended caress here, a kiss to a shoulder there as you pass by each other or Melissa keeps an eye on the sauce over your shoulder.

It's easy and familiar and brings the red head back to herself, almost making her forget about the two people currently taking up residence in your guest room.  Even you forget for a while.  That is until you glance up and see you mum hovering in the doorway.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt.  It wouldn’t be too much to ask for a cup of coffee, would it?”

Melissa is quick to jump to it, the arm that was around your waist falling away after a brief squeeze.

“I can get it if you show me where everything is” your mum offers.

“Nonsense,” replies Melissa, waving her off.  “You’re a guest.”

“Her kitchen is her happy place.  Best leave her to it,” you inform your mum, pulling out one of the stools for her to sit at.  You busy yourself fetching the milk and keeping an eye on the cooker, only to be batted away a few minutes later as Melissa takes control of the meal.  You say nothing, knowing she’s clutching her wooden spoon like a lifeline and instead move to set the table. 

You keep an eye on the two of them through the open door, smiling to yourself as you watch your mum takes a sip of her coffee and sigh in contentment.  She tentatively starts to ask about what Melissa is cooking.  It’s safe territory and the red head eagerly replies, and soon, they’re discussing favourite recipes and your girlfriend is happy to give your mum tips.

You’re so caught up watching the exchange that you miss your dad coming in, surprising you with a hug from behind, his arms around your shoulders.  “Coffee?” you ask, heading off to pour a cup from the pot Melissa had brewed, making it just how he likes it. 

“Going well,” he comments as you bring the mug back, nodding to where your mum is now standing next to Melissa at the cooker as the pair of you taking a seat at the table. 

“Seems to be,” you smile, your eyes lingering on the red head.

“Were you worried it wouldn’t?”

You turn to look at your dad, who takes a sip of his coffee as you consider your reply.  “I don’t want to fall out with you guys.”

He nods.  “Duly warned to be on my best behaviour.”

*

Lunch goes well.  Your parents can’t compliment the food highly enough and you can’t help it but find Melissa’s proud little smile adorable.  The only other time you’ve ever seen her so nervous over her cooking was when she first cooked for you. 

“You should head out, see some of the city,” she suggests as you’re clearing up.  “Give me a chance to get dinner going.”

You’re adept enough at reading her to read between the lines.  You should head out with your parents to give her a chance to collect herself.  “Sure you don’t want to come?”

“I want to make something special tonight,” she tells you.  “Something they’ll remember.”

You take the dish out of her hands, drying them on a dish towel before taking them in your own.  “You realise they’re not exactly going to forget lunch in a hurry, right?”

“That was nothing and you know it,” she says.  Her original plan had been to go out to lunch, but her nerves had gotten the better of her and the safety of her kitchen had called.  She needed to be busy, and standing at her stove was the best way she knew how.  “Let me make tonight special.”

You know she’s pulling out all the stops tonight.  The refrigerator is packed with fresh ingredients and you already know she was up early this morning making a start on her prep, leaving you to wake up to a cold and empty bed.  “You know you don’t have to, right?”

“It’s what I do,” she shrugs.  “I cook.”

“You do so much more than cook, Schemmenti,” you say softly, leaning in to press a kiss to her lips.  “You doing okay?”

She nods, leaning her forehead against yours.  “Getting there.”

“Want me to bring anything back?”  You know she’s unlikely to have missed anything in her planning of the meal, but you don’t want her having a panic over a missing ingredient.

“What about stopping off at the liquor store?  Pick up your parents’ poison?”

“Getting them drunk isn’t going to make them like you more.  You know that, right?”

She smirks.  “Yeah, but at least if they’re drinking too it doesn’t look so bad when I do it.”

You laugh, shaking your head.  “They’re hardly going to think you’re an alcoholic for having a few drinks with dinner.”

“What if I’ve already started on the wine by the time you get back?”

*

It’s not the first time your parents have visited you in the city, so they’re happy for a lazy afternoon stroll, taking advantage of the good weather.

“You should just say what you want to say,” you tell your mum as you both walk along.

“You looked at home with her in that kitchen,” finally comes the reply.

You frown.  “I was home. I live there, remember?”

Your mum shakes her head, turning to look at you.  “That’s not what I meant.  You looked happy, content, there.”

Ducking your head, you find yourself blushing.  “I am happy there.  It feels right with her,” you shrug.  You’re waiting for the barb, the cutting comment, but it never comes.  “What?  That’s it, no quips about her age, moving too fast?  You’ve never been shy with my previous girlfriends.”

She nods.  “True, but you’ve always ended up agreeing with me about them.”

You have to concede that one to her.  Before Melissa, you’ve found you have a habit of being more in love with being in a relationship than with the person you’re in it with.  A certain Schemmenti changed that, however.  You’re well aware just how ridiculously smitten you are with her, but you can’t seem to find that a fault.  She’s glorious and ridiculous and sexy and sweet all at once and you love every part of her. 

“I think this time I’m agreeing with you,” your mum adds as you walk.  “She seems lovely.  And you look relaxed, yourself with her.”

*

If lunch was a success, dinner is a triumph. 

To say Melissa has gone all out with the food is an understatement.  There is enough food to feed fourteen, never mind four.  Though if you’re being honest, that suits your dad who you’re sure has eaten enough for a small family on his own. 

Conversation flows without you needing to prompt or guide it, and you find yourself content to lean back in your chair, glass of wine in hand, a smile on your lips.  You feel Melissa’s arm along the back of your chair, fingers playing with your hair, realising that she’s finally relaxed as she puts up with some good natured teasing from your parents. 

You hadn’t been sure what to expect when your parents finally met Melissa in the flesh.  The red head had been so nervous you had devoted your attention to taking care of her rather than really focusing on your own emotions.  All you really knew was that you wanted to show your parents how much you loved the woman currently laughing at one of your dad’s bad jokes. 

You wanted them to see her as you see her.  To understand why for you, it’s her.  Looking at them across the table, you think they just might be.

[sun-stricken]

Headcannoms about friendship between Bickslow and Gray? I like to think after the fighting festival he really tries to make it up to Gray.

Gray: ‘we’re chill. It’s fine.’

Bickslow: ‘my babies will now perform a dance of apology’

Also a scenario I’d like to share!

Lucy: hey, Gray I picked up your mail. Why do you have a letter from a modelling agency?

Gray: oh that. I don’t know they just keep sending me them even though I’ve told them no.

Lucy: you’ve turned them down repeatedly?! *while crying inside*

Gray: yeah? It’s weird ‘cause I didn’t even apply.

Lucy: Lucy kick!

i for some reason hadn’t considered the idea of them having a close friendship, but i am now so here! a gift !

i had so much fun with this

* my personal hc is that Bickslows dolls feel a lot of what he himself feels, and also theyre kinda like birds

* so they too try to make it up to Gray, they bring him little things they find, such as shiny rocks, pins, and other tiny objects they find

* Bickslow just nods in approval from the sidelines when they bring them to Gray

* They were both fairly awkward with each other post festival but after Bickslow gave Gray an honest apology they began to turn over a new leaf

* people find the friendship strange tbh, Gray is known as this vaguely calm and like, super normal guy, and Bickslow is just— not

* theyre surprisingly comfortable with each other

* they dont hang out a lot outside the guild, but thats not to say they dont ever,

* While they dont work the best together and it took a while be able to fight along side on another,

* If the Thunder Legion and Team Natsu have to pair up usually they do bc they’re comfortable with each other and trust can go a long way

* theyre both texting fiends, like its a problem how much they message their friends, so when they found out the other was the same oh my god was it a train wreck

* their conversations can go for hours and if you read through them youd probably have an aneurysm because the topics make no sense and Bix doesn’t even try to spell correctly

* They have gotten close and friendly but that doesnt mean theu ever know what to expect from the other, their opinions and thoughts are so different from each other, if rhey ever have the same idea its like all the stars and planet’s have aligned and world is about to end

* Bickslows hair is naturally black and Gray helped him dye it once and they deadass looked they walk out the smurf set for weeks, Bix’s bathroom looked like they murdered a hundred of them

* Gray has an affinity for collecting hand weapons (swords, spears, bows, etc) while Bickslow likes taking apart and building old bombs (actual explosive grenades, land mines, smoke/flash grenades)

* they bonded over it and talked about it in public and terrified about 20 people rhat were in earshot

* theyre both a big hit with kids

* Bickslow gets added to the long list of people who barge into Gray house unannounced

* a lot of the time they will talk (coughcomplaincough) about two different things in the same convo

* Bickslow: the cops were at my door again last night because of the inactive grenade i threw in the fountain, woke me up and everything

* Gray: ugh, i hate that, Natsu blew up a building again and Erza yelled at the both of us

* Bickslow: thats so rude, do you think i should make another one and send it to them?

* Gray: totally, she knew it wasnt me but i still got scolded

so happy ppl have realized how pretty Gray is, now we’re gonna talk abt it bc im an overachiever

* Hes been scouted by plenty of different modeling agencies over the years, which really boosted his ego but very quickly became annoying as hell bc he never even applied

* He gets a couple a month, and he accepted once just to get them off his back and found it really embarrassing bc he was everywhere

* his friends in and outside the guild bought the magazines he was featured in and teased him mercilessly and he never stepped foot in another agency ever again

* Hes really photogenic but hates gets his photo taken, most of the pictures hes in ‘willingly’ hes glaring at the camera

* he now just blocks the numbers they call him on and throws out the letter they send him, if they stop him on the street he will walk away before the conversation even starts

* when Lucy found out something inside her died a little

* she pestered him about it and said she’ll go with him! he wont even have to take the money for it! she’ll take it! 😁

* she gets shot down every time but that doesnt mean she quit trying

[theonevoice]

Rumination n. 6 - It was all Jim's fault

Well, not all his fault. He walked right into a 6000yo situation of unspoken "do I... would you... could we...", but I think, since he fills the role of comic relief, we are not fully taking into account his impact on the whole ineffable miscommunication mess.

Because he is not just a plot device, he is a character that pushes Aziraphale and Crowley to act in unplanned ways and - most of all - brings some of their worldview biases and traumas out of their dark corners. And I am increasingly convinced that his presence plays a major role in the final breakup, acting as a catalyst for their millennia-long misalignment of hopes and fears.

Sure, he is there to make us smile and Jon Hamm is a joy to watch (I cannot get to his line in ep 1, when Aziraphale tells him that he can see that he's naked, and he goes "Oh! Well, what do you know? Ahahah!" without burst out laughing, even after countless rewatches), but that humor is mainly for us viewers to detect. From Aziraphale's and Crowley's point of view, he doesn't appear as funny as he does to us. For them, he is a source of worry and danger, and I would argue that he is also an incarnation of different desires. And that's the point.

Let's consider for a moment Aziraphale's perspective. He sees his former boss, "most holy archangel" Gabriel, pop up one day at the bookshop, reduced to the mental capacity of a smart dog, vaguely aware that someone was planning to do "something terrible" to him. It is a terrifying spectacle to behold. It's not just the mere danger of having one of the most powerful entities in the universe, possibly still in posess of all his powers, acting like a child. It's the terror of witnessing what Heaven can do to your identity and your mind: imagine Aziraphale - book-lover, diary-writer, Antichrist-locator Aziraphale with the capacity, as per the book, to solve math problems that only people with Nobel prizes could master - trying to process the idea that his former boss doesn't know the alphabet anymore. The idea that he could be reduced to that degree of utter ignorance and unawareness if Heaven decided that their truce is over.

At the same time, what Aziraphale sees is that, once stripped of all the layers of Heaven's legalism, Gabriel is legitimately a great guy. 

We all love Muriel to death, of course, but the more I watch s2 the more I believe that Jim is the most similar "angel" to Aziraphale out of all the ones we see. He is jovial (think at whatever that cheeck squishing thing is that he does during the ball), he is enthusiastic (think at his reaction at his first sip of hot chocolate, and also his genuine "hurray! Let the bookselling commence!"). He is affectionate and open about it ("You're funny, I love you"). He is caring (sure he was struggling to read the room during the demon attack, but still in that moment of danger he has the altruism of thinking to ask if anyone wants hot chocolate, and hot chocolate is the symbol of comfort for him, it's the first thing Aziraphale offers to him to make him feel at ease in the bookshop and the thing that Crowley brings him to soothe his angst after the memory conversation). He is helpful or at least he wants to be (rearranging the books in an order that, if you think about it, follows the criterion of medieval manuscripts illuminators, who usually embellished only the first letter of the first sentence on a page, which makes sense as a frame of reference for an angel whose only experience of books probably goes back to some old Bibles). He is generous and brave (giving himself up without a second thought when he realises that Shax is threatening Aziraphale and all the others because of him). 

As Jim, memory-wiped Gabriel is both Aziraphale's worst fear and his deepest hope: that after all Heaven is the side of good, that all the cruelty and the callousness and the total blindness to the value of life on Earth is just a mishap, that if you scrape off the absurd obsession with World Ending Great Plans you will find underneath a form of good that is pure and gentle. I think Jim, way more than the Metatron and his shitty offer-threat, is the main thing that brings Aziraphale back on the mission of fixing Heaven, "making a difference," not for the greater cosmic good, but to create a safe place for him and Crowley. So they can be safe together.

But something similar happens from Crowley's point of view. He also sees Gabriel as the concrete manifestation of both his worst fear and his deepest desire. The former Supreme Archangel renews the momentarily forgotten awareness of what Heaven and Hell can do to you if you cross them: destroy you either by throwing you into hellfire or holy water, or now by hanging the threat of the Book of Life above your head. Force you to live in a constant state of danger, pressing you against the possibility of your non-existence, making you feel like you have a loaded gun constantly placed against your skull and no magic trick to avoid the bullet.

At the same time, just as Aziraphale, what Crowley sees is that, if you are determined and lucky or maybe just inconsiderate, you can get away from Heaven and live your happy thoughtless life on Earth. Think of how bitter he is when he confronts Jim in ep5, calling him Gabriel and "Oh, yeah yeah, no no no. You're Jim now. Got everything just the way you want it?" I think here Crowley is projecting his desire to be "on the lam having a wonderful time and never be seen again." Sure, everyone is after him and they had to perform a joined miracle to hide him, but let's not forget that Crowley was not doing it to save Gabriel, he was doing it to keep Aziraphale safe. From his point of view, Gabriel did it: he run off, cut ties with Heaven, settled in his little neat new identity, cared and protected, not a thought in his head. And yes, Crowley is painfully aware of how awful it is to have your memory erased - I don't think he would consider it an acceptable price to pay for freedom. But still, Gabriel did what he would like to do. And it does not help that memory-wiped Gabriel presents specifically to Crowley some aspects of his personality in which he can recognize himself. He is curious and asks questions (think of the gravity conversation), and even more important he is ready to dispute the answers that are given to him ("but they don't stay where I put them"). He hears the plan about Nina and Maggie that Aziraphale didn't listen to, and afterwards asks Crowley how it went. He is insightful in his own instinctive way (when he tells Crowley "you're really nice" he's not just saying "you are nice a lot" but also "in reality you are nice", he's seeing through Crowley's rough mannerism even if just seconds before he was angrily shouting at him). He has lost his memory, which by now I think most of us agree it's what also happened to Crowley, at least partially ("I know, looking at where the furniture isn't"). And then, the final nail on the mirror-coffin: Gabriel run away from Heaven for his love. They run off together.

Having Jim right there, in front of his very eyes, I think it's the thing that pushes Crowley back to his old plan of running off together with Aziraphale: he is the living prove that it can be done, further confirmed by his final departure with Beelzebub. Of course, for a brief moment both sides of the metaphisical universe where hunting him down, which is not desirable. But Gabriel was the Supreme Archangel after all, it's only fair that they're looking for him. They are but a former bullied angel and a former already-replaced demon, maybe Heaven and Hell would not mobilised their hosts for them. They could be finally safe together.

So, when you put everything together, I think that what happened at the end of ep6 has more to do with Gabriel and how his presence affected them during the season, than it has to do with the Metatron, or even with the Nina-Maggie foil. It is Jim that pushed a wedge into the thin crack that had always been there, separating what each of them sees as the best way to be safe together.

[jhilsara]

I Can See You

Pt. 1/ Pt. 2/ Pt. 3/ Pt. 4/ Pt. 5/pt. 6/Pt. 7/Pt. 8/Pt. 9/ Pt. 10/

Pt. 11/ Pt.12/Pt.13/Pt. 14/Pt.15/Pt.16/Pt.17/END

Mariana Jimenez-Watson or MJ works in a normal pub living life paycheck to paycheck. Nothing exciting happens to her except the occasional drunk getting thrown out. She's 24 working away and finds a wrench thrown into her very boring life. His name is Hobie and she thinks maybe, a little excitement isn't awful. In fact she might start to crave some change for once.

Small moments of Hobie meeting his world's MJ. AKA I made an MJ variant and I think she's neat.

Chapter 9

Hobie’s attached to MJ in a way that he hasn’t been with anyone else before. It scares and excites him at the same time.

She’s fun and bold but also is maybe the nosiest person he’s ever met.

 He doesn’t know how she seems to continuously find herself tangled in his web of Spider-Man activities. It worries and eats at him, but he knows how stubborn she is.

She keeps pushing and pushing, begging to be let into that world. She didn’t even try to pretend she didn’t know he was Spider-Man.

Instead she had stood there and called him out, almost ripping the mask off his face herself. She just kept popping up. He’s known her for maybe six months and she’s gotten into more trouble than he cares for.

It’s not even that she’s looking for it, she’s like a magnet. She just happens to find him at just the wrong time… or he finds her.

Maybe it’s him that’s getting pulled into her orbit and he brings the storm in with him.

She’s carved out a place in his heart and he doesn’t know how to feel about that. More like, he has a vague idea of his own feelings for her, but that’s a different and terrifying thought.

People like him get others hurt. When people get too close, know too much… they get hurt.

It’s happened before and the literally thought of something happening to her, it’s enough to push him away. It enough to make him shut his brain off and run for a while. 

Maybe it’s better if he’s not in her life… maybe it’s better if he stops it before it can start.

He looks over at his wall of photos and sees the many he’s already collected of them. He takes one of the polaroid’s and pockets it before he can talk himself out of it.

He begins to tap coordinates into his watch. He has to get out of here. He knows he’s being a coward and he can deal with that later.

Every feeling is too big and too tight as it pounds against his chest. The anxiety rising in him isn’t fun and he just wants to shut it off.  

He jumps dimensions, landing in Mumbattan, Pav was usually good to talk to. Easily excitable and was always happy to see Hobie.

He was younger but Hobie had a soft spot for all the younger spider people. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say he was just checking in on him. Give him something to do before he tries to do something stupid.

Something he’d regret.

Too bad Pav was one of the most observant people when it came to matters of the heart.

He knocks on Pav’s window, surprising the young man at his desk. A wide smile crosses his face as he lets Hobie in.

“Hobie, my guy!” He exclaims and the two immediately fall into their routine. It’s nice, comfortable, not something that Hobie has to actively think about.

This is what he wanted. To not think.

He falls comfortably into conversation with Pav and they catch up. Hours pass like that, Hobie joins him on patrol, Pav welcoming another pair of hands to help out his busy Mumbattan.

Hobie returns the next day and it’s a rinse and repeat. Then again, and now, Pav is too smart to just let this pass.

Pav didn’t have any plans that day and the two men were lounging is his room, window open hoping for a breeze on this unbearable hot day.

Hobie’s stretched out on the floor, not used to the heat at all. Old York was hot if it hit anywhere near 30 C, this was a different heat. Hobie’s vest was discarded forever ago on Pav’s bed, the leather too much for him.

Pav is on his bed, trying to catch a breeze from the window. He looks down at Hobie and just rips the band aid off. “You’ve been here for almost three days… Don’t you have, I don’t know, your own universe to save or something?” he presses.

“Ouch,” Hobbie mocks offense, “Come by to hang out with a dear friend and get the could shoulder. That cuts deep.” He deadpans unmoving from the floor.

Pav picks up his vest and throws it at him. In doing so a small polaroid picture falls from the pockets.

“You’re avoiding something and I’ll find out what it is.” He says in an accusing tone.

Hobie just grunts in reply and grabs his vest. He folds it up to use as a faux pillow. “What? Can’t just come to see my friend?” he asks raising a brow.

Pav’s about to respond when he sees the picture, he goes to pick it up, “What’s this?” he asks raising a brow.

“What’s what?” Hobie asks sitting up on his elbows to look over.

Pav’s face is split into the largest grin as he waves the little photo at Hobie, “More like who is this?”

Hobie’s face falters into a frown, “Give it back mate.” He goes to reach for it but Pav jerks away.

“No no no no! Who is this lady? You don’t keep pictures of random girls in your pocket!” Pav says cheekily.

He gasps quickly, “Is she who you’re avoiding?!” he demands.

Hobie groans and flops back down. He covers his face with his hands, “Should have just went to Peter…” he mutters.

Pav’s eyebrows raise, “Wait, wait,” he looks over the picture once more. Really looking at the girl and her maroon hair sticks out like a sore thumb. “Is this MJ? Is this girl your MJ?” He asks excitedly pointing at her.

“Yes, no, don’t know… it doesn’t matter nothing about the canon bullshit even matters anyway.” Hobie mumbles with a frustrated sigh.

“Ouch… that doesn’t sound very confident.” Pav responds handing the picture back to Hobie.

He’s lost his need to take it away from Pav, he just looks down at it. At her.

“So, what are you doing here then? Are you just avoiding her?” Pav pushes looking at him expectantly.

He’s met with silence from Hobie. He’s just mulling over his own thoughts. He feels his chest tighten again with anxiety.

“So, yes? You’re undeniably avoiding her.”

Hobie stands up and grabs his vest, “I need to go talk to Peter.”

“To actually talk to him or to avoid going home?” Pav questions.

“To talk about MJ.” Hobie replies with a heavy sigh.

“Have fun, his is like the blue print, right?” Pav says playing around with his own watch.  

Hobie raises a brow pointing at his watch, “What are you mucking about with that for?”

Pav doesn’t look up just grinning, “Going to call Gwen and Miles duh. This is the latest gossip.”

Hobie rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He sets off to go talk to Peter. He needs advice. Peter for one, has Mary-Jane. Peter also almost fucked it all up.

Hobie doesn’t want to fuck it up.

If you'd like me to make a tag list and add you too it please let me know. <3

[the-lark-ascending69]

I just got an idea for whump Ronance.

What if Robin and Nancy gets captured by Brenner?

Like, they end up becoming his new lab rats. Thry get tortured and abused just like El was.

What do you think?

(Also, what kind of powers do you think they would have respectively?)

Anon I am so sorry i wrote a long asf response to this and then it got deleted and I was so mad I didn't want to do it again but now I feel inspired and motivated to give it another try.

SO. Wonderful concept! I love it! Let me share my thoughts!!

So what I came up with is:

At age 15, they both get lost in the Upside Down. They only vaguely knew about the other's existance from school but when they found each other down there, they became inseparable. This is an AU in which Will never went missing. Anyway they're terrified and starving and exhausted but at least they have each other, and they hold hands almost the entire time because they both desperately need the comfort.

Eventually, they make it out on their own after finding a gate... and it's in the Hawkins Lab. They come out on the other end before the unbelieving eyes of dozens of scientists, who were convinced no one would survive a minute in there without the proper equipment. Yet these trembling, starving young girls covered in grit survived with only the clothes on their back for a week.

Brenner recognizes them immediately - Nancy and Robin, the two girls from the missing person posters circulating through town. Everyone already thinks they're dead. They made fake bodies of them, for Christ' sake, he's not letting this opportunity go, especially after the disappearance of his only remaining test subject, 011.

This will be a new experiment. A different one. They are given different numbers for ir - A01 for Nancy and A02 for Robin. They get that tattooed in their arms. The purpose of the experiment is to study the effects of short-term exposure to the Upside Down on humans of their height, s.ex, age, health status and weight. They call themselves doctors. They give them separate rooms and run a series of tests daily on them. They try to be subtle at first as to not scare them too much - they don't want another 011 - so they call them by their real names for a while. They ask questions about their lives before the Upside Down and reassure them this is meant to test radiation levels - a standard procedure, before they can return them to their parents.

They immediatelly call bullshit. Why can't they talk to their parents now? Why can't they see them through a glass, at least, or a camera, if radiation is what they're worried about? Why won't they tell them what that place was or why it led back to the Lab? Do their families know they're safe? What is going on? They ask so many questions about every procedure ran on them, resisting in more and more extreme ways until the scientists need to tie them down and drug them whenever they want to do anything.

Brenner notices similar brain activity in them to that of his old test subjects, and he suspects the Upside Down might have given them some kind of ability. He keeps them in the rainbow room, hoping each other's company will help them develop their powers, yet for a long time nothing comes. They can't move objects with their mind, or astral project, or open gates. Even despite everything they do to them. Despite every horrible procedure they perform on them. Drugs of all kinds, leaving them delirious and weak for days. Electrocompulsive therapy. Hypnosis. Pain tests. Sensory deprivation. Solitary confinement. Brenner wants to activate their powers in one way or another, desperate after losing subject 011.

(It's terrifying each time. Nancy is invaded by pure rage while Robin is paralyzed by fear. Whenever they take one for a procedure, the other waits impatiently for her return, fully concious of what they're doing to her - or so it seems. Nancy, at least, thinks she knows what they're doing to Robin. She thinks they do the same things they do to her - tie her to a chair, put an IV in her, maybe, or stick a needle into her neck. Brenner will do this while casually telling her she'll only feel a small pinch, before doing such a monstruosity to her that she'll be woken up by seizures at night. It takes Robin some time to tell Nancy the truth).

They seem completely useless for a long time, but that changes the moment they capture a russian agent.

He was a scientist, working from an unknown location beneath Hawkins, trying to get intel from the Lab when he was caught and tortured to extract information from him. Robin wasn't usually allowed to wander the halls alone, but someone left the door unlocked and she was curious, and soon she found herself in front of a closed door, hearing panting and ragged breathing after this man received the beating of his life. He was talking to himself - curses and meanderings about death and whether or not he'd see his family again. Robin, despite having never learned Russian, understood everything, and in a perfect accent she began to talk to him. She didn't know why - she didn't even realize they weren't speaking English. For a moment he thought he was being rescued, and he shared with her a lot of information.

Brenner caught her in the act and severaly punished her. Solitary confinement for one week. She would only see other people when they ran tests on her, and even then they wouldn't speak to her at all. He ended up not living up to his threat when, not two days after the event, he noticed her brain activity going wild. He has fascinated, and he asked her what had happened, if that russian spy gave her something like a drug. "Russian?" she asks, only then understanding what had happened.

They believe her powers are related to xenoglossy, the supernatural ability to know a language without having ever learned it. Something extremely useful in that specific historical context. She'd be an incredible spy, and oh, Brenner can't wait to experiment with this. They kill the spy after she tells them everything he told her.

They begin to give her a special treatment over Nancy - not exactly for the better. Brenner wants to understand this new ability, developed not in the womb like in other subjects but when subject A02 is a teenager, possibly caused by exposure to Upside Down radiation, though that's not confirmed. Maybe it had more to do with their experiments. He thinks he hit a dead end when it's revealed Robin already knew intermediate-to-advanced French, Spanish and Italian from before being captured - she'd be just a regular poltglot in that case, a prodigious one, right, but with nothing of interest for Brenner. But he quickly realizes this is not the case. Robin didn't know a word of Russian before, and he develops a hipothesis he'll spend the following year testing. He tries her ability with different languages, escaling on rarity, complexity and distance from English. From reading a single short text, Robin becomes profient in Finnish - a non-indoeuropean language Brenner doubts she's ever had any contact with. Proficient, but not fluent. It seems like she can very easily extract a language's grammar from a short sample text, applying it to terms she's familiar with, but she can't magically "guess" vocabulary of grammatical rules not present in the material she was given. For example, by reading a text in which all 15-16 grammatical cases of Finnish are present, she will be able to apply them to any noun in nominative case she knows, but she can't do it with nouns she doesn't know, and she can't use grammatical cases not present in the sample text given to her. She also can't guess spelling or pronunciation without both text and audio samples, and she can't speak in accents she hasn't heard (though she can easily switch accents in a way native speakers of the language can't, a skill that is curiously not translated (lol) into her native English). She learns faster with audio than with text, but even faster with a real-time conversation. Brenner brings a colleague who is fluent in Japanese to test her and he's amazed by how quick her progress is. His hipothesis, seemingly now proven, was that hers was an entirely mental skill, not a supernatural one, since she doesn't magically have access to languages she never had any contact with. This would make her ability not real xenoglossy.

A few more fun facts about her "power":

Her pre-existing skill with Spanish, French and Italian didn't improve until she was exposed to these languages again after being captured. She becomes incredibly skilled at solving puzzles and cracking codes. Brenner believes her power developed thanks to her intensive studies in languages through her childhood. Her brain activity is similar to that of non-native speakers of a language during the few first minutes of having contact with a new language, but in less than an hour, it will be the same as with native speakers. She's confused by some reconstructed languages, but not others (Proto-Indoeuropean was easy for her to learn, Proto-Uralic took her some time before learning more finno-ugric languages than just Finnish. If this were happening in the 2000s, when the Dené-Caucasian theory was already formalized, then Proto-Dené-Caucasian would have sounded like absolute gibberish to her).Some of Brenner's colleages hipothesize that her knowledge of living languages help inform her of the grammar and syntax of proto-languages in an extremely accurate way, to the point she subconciously knows when a reconstruction is wrong. This would make her an amazing paleolinguist. Brenner is less interested in the reconstruction of ancient turkic languages in Siberia and more interested her use as a spy and code-breaker - though it wouldn't have hurt him to take a second look at the idea of turkic languages, because that Russian agent, he was from a region of Russia called Tartary, and he spoke another language aside from Russian, the Tartar language, though he never got to speak it in Robin's presence. Brenner and his colleagues, not familiar with the vast diversity of languages on Earth, spend a long time working with an incorrect hypothesis because they couldn't notice Robin speaking Tartar to herself as a distinct language from all the others they were teaching her. A year and a a half passes before someone spent enough time listening to her to notice the difference. It's a discovery that shatters completely Brenner's first hypothesis on the absence of a supernatural element in Robin's ablity, and he's once again fascinated when he discovers it. His new hypothesis: Robin's power grants her access to a person's mind through speaking to them in a strange, confusing way, and he can't wait to destroy her, pick her brain apart and figure out how it works even if he kills her in the process.

In fact, he does. Literally. He does it over and over and over again, and Nancy has to watch it happen time and time again.

Because here's the thing: Robin wasn't the only one to develop powers, and in fact, she wasn't even the first one.

If you've heard of the videogame Life is Strange, anon, then you'll understand Nancy's power here: she can rewind time. Her power is pretty much the same as Max's in LiS - she can rewind time up to a certain point, though it causes a great mental strain, and eventually, she will discover she can time travel to specific points in time through photographs she's present in, as her younger self.

She discovers her powers the first time Robin is killed.

Misbehavior got her punished - solitary confinement after a long testing session. She had an overdose in her cell, and no one noticed in time. Nancy barely remembers what happened then, other than the horror she felt, before the events of the day flashed backwards before her eyes and she was brought back to Robin - warm, alive, breathing - in the rainbow room.

She begged her to do as they said, to behave, to not fight back. Robin is confused but Nancy is in tears and she agrees to do as she says.

This time, when she has an overdose, they treat her on time. She was in a comma for a week, but soon she was back on her feet and back in Nancy's arms.

It keeps happening - over and over again. The time she swallowed her own tongue during a seizure because Nancy didn't hold her right, and she had to try over four times (and watch her choke and die four times) before she got it right. The time she didn't die - but she lost her ability to speak after hours of electroculpulsive therapy, and she had her fake an illness so they would submit her to less aggressive procedures. It happened again when, after a similar trial, she forgot her own parents and thought the scientists were her parents. But she mostly just died. Over, and over, and over again. Mostly from overdose or brain damage during seizures, but one time, she was purposely asphixiated during a test. To this point Nancy still isn't sure what was it that they wanted to test with that. She suspects it was just torture for the sake of torture. To break her, somehow.

Nancy is terrified of long-term effects of all of this on Robin's health. She's scared the damage will cross the point of no return too early, to a point she can't go back to, a point in which she can't stop it. She can hold Robin's head during a seizure but she can't stop the seizures, and the lasting damage they leave.

Robin is aware of Nancy's powers. Nancy didn't even have to prove them to her - she believed her immediately whe she told her, and she trusts her judgment completely. If Nancy tells her it's better to do X, you can bet Robin will be doing X. Robin doesn't tell Nancy about her newfound ability immediately - she doesn't want her to worry about something she can do nothing about. But she does share it with her, after some time. She felt the need to explain to Nancy why the sudden interest on her. Nancy worries about her Robin so much, so so much, because she's just become Brenner's favorite new toy, and he'll do anything and everything to exploit her. She's in much more danger than Nancy is, and Nancy wishes she could take her place, make herself into Brenner's toy, draw attention away from Robin, but they both know the best they can do for their safety is to keep Nancy's invisible power secret. Nancy hates herself for not being able to take Robin's pain for her.

They escape one day. It's a complicated plan including short-distance time travel, manipulating russian spies through a stolen radio, several forms of treason and going out the same way they came in - through the portal. Nancy does her best to keep them safe with her power as they search for the other gate, the one they first crossed three years ago. And then, they're out. They're found unconcious on the side of the road.

They wake up a few days later in the hospital, surrounded by their families. Nancy's brother, Mike, has a new friend - a quiet girl with long brown hair and a 011 tattoed on her wrist, and she knows she needs to speak to her desperately, but she's exhausted, so for the time being, she'll sleep for some time, feeling almost at peace now, knowing Robin is safe and in the good hands of doctors.

[sinfullyrosey]

Eldritch Horror!Reader HC

'Cause I have no self control.

Warnings: Feral Reader, Body Horror, References to Reader acting Animalistic, Teratophilia (Relatively SFW)

EH!Reader was originally quite and unassuming, but slowly got more and more feral as time went along. Hey, if the humans are allowed to go apeshit and overblot, then why can’t they do the same???

Gonna keep their true form as vague as possible as to allow more creative freedom. Bu~ut EH!Reader is able to shapeshift by essentially splitting their flesh open and having their insides become their outsides (think sort of like how the demogorgon’s head works). They’re true form is not fleshy nor does it resemble a humans. They’re much bigger and are barely humanoid.

They can also unhinge their jaw and swallow things whole, have sharp teeth and claws, has inhuman strength, speed and endurance, and can typically brush off major attacked. Their organs also can shift, so damage to them doesn’t appose much of a risk since they can just self-heal in a way.

Most of the beastmen, fae, and merfolk students could sense something was off about them, but were never quite able to put their finger on it. Leona and Ruggie just shrugged it off, more so on Leona’s end. Jack didn’t want to come off as invasive and just chalked it up to them not originating from TWST. The Tweels were curious, especially Floyd, and could subtly pick up their bad aura. Azul would never admit it, but he felt threatened by them upon first meeting and reconsidered making a deal in fear of unforeseen repercussions. Malleus and Lilia knew right off the bat something wasn’t right, but like Jack, chalked it up to them not being from this world. And Sebek, poor baby’s senses couldn’t fully pick up on them not being human due to only being half fae, and kicks himself for not being better at protecting Malleus from possible threats.

As mentioned above, as time goes along and EH!Reader becomes more comfortable around the others, they become more feral and affectionate. Hugging, cuddling, rubbing up against, and creating this deep, low rumble sound akin to a purr (it’s not, but Ace is convinced it is). They can be pretty aggressive with their affection sometimes, pushing down someone and getting on top of them like a demandful cat. *Side eyes Leona*

But EH!Reader’s favorite form of affection is the most terrifying because they just straight up unhinge their jaw and gently naws on the head of their target friend. It’s like a weird form of kiss. They especially love doing this with ADeuce and the other 1st years. Most don’t like it because EH!Reader is like a fucking beartrap and could easily bite their heads off why would anyone like this??? Vil especially hates it because it has ruined his hair and makeup, so now he’s constantly on guard incase the prefect decides to surprise attack him like the menace they are.

Speaking of which, Vil isn’t too fond of EH!Reader, but they sure do like him. Kind of. Pre-overblot, they hated him due to making Epel cry. During overblot, EH!Reader revealed their true form for the first time so they could punch Vil. And post-overblot, they now like him. He smells nice and gives them poisoned apples as treats.

Yes, the eldritch creature can eat poisoned apples. The poison gives it its zest and they like the crunch.

Ace: Hey guys, check this out.

Everyone: ?

Ace, holding an apple in his palm: Y/N, look, treat!

EH!Reader: !!! *Opens maw and tongue immediately shoots out and grabs the apple, then swallows it whole*

Everyone, horrified: wth

Speaking of nawing on things, they want to nom on Azul’s tentacles like a chew toy after seeing his overblot form. Azul’s previous discomfort has now been upgraded to legit fear. He actively avoids the abomination for his own safety.

EH!Reader loves to playwrestle with Floyd since the eel doesn’t hold back and can, surprisingly, hold his own against them. If Jade joins, even better. If Floyd is in his merform, great, at least Floyd lets them nom on his tail. If both twins are in their merform and roughhousing with them, they are one happy little eldritch beast.

Also, nearly lost it the first time they saw Jamil breakdance ‘cause like, it has the same energy as roughhousing, but without the violence, and that’s just so cool? They can’t dance like he can, but will move their body just as aggressively if not more so. Jamil just takes it as a challenge and goes hard.

Screaming matches with the Heartslabyul flamingos. One called them a bitch and they weren’t gonna take that lying down.

EH!Reader is banned from participating in the Bean Fest ‘cause it doesn’t take a genius to realize how much of a bad idea that is. Do not let the literal eldritch creature hunt other students for sport. Just don’t.

Speaking of hunting. Rook. EH!Reader does not like him. He’s invasive, stalks people, and purposefully provokes non-human students for his own personal gain. Does not like being viewed as prey by some annoying mortal and hurled this blond, French bitch across the training field after getting too close to their gaping maw while they were yawning.

To answer the pressing question: Could EH!Reader take on Lilia or even Malleus? The answer: Yes, but only if magic wasn’t involved. Just because they’re an interdimensional eldritch abomination with the strength of a demigod, doesn’t mean they can combat literal magic. Like, the whole reason Malleus is so powerful is due to his magic abilities, so he could easily use some spell to restrain and overpower them if need be.

Not like Malleus would do that anyway because holy Great Seven, they’re his bffl and the two go on night walks and EH!Reader is openly affectionate with this touch-starved dragon. Little creature even grabbed his horns and forcefully pulled him down so they could sniff at them before giving him their special form of “kiss.”

Surprisingly, is mostly well behaved for the professors, specifically Crewel. It took a while for the others to start noticing just how receptive they are towards Crewel’s weird form of appraisal/scolding. Apparently getting called a “Good pup!” and receiving headpats is a quick way to get them to behave.

Disclaimer: Don’t actually treat EH!Reader like an animal or pet. They will bite you. And not in the friendly way.

Fiercely protective of their friends and will not hesitate to maul someone or something that dares to harm them. They even nearly killed an assassin who attempted to kill Kalim when the two of them snuck away from Jamil to hang out. Jamil now occasionally lets EH!Reader watch over Kalim so he can have a break.

Everyone: The ghost bride won’t accept anyone as her groom and she keeps slapping us! What are we to do?!

EH!Reader: I can devour her if ya want.

Everyone: What.

EH!Reader: What.

Whenever they’re in a new environment or meet a new person, they sniff everything. And not just a simple sniff where you take two whiffs and move on, I mean they will go around smelling any and everything for a good while to really take it all in. Partially this is to become familiar with everything and to rule out any dangers, but it’s also because they like the smell of certain things. Like mentioned above, they like how Vil smells, but also enjoys Trey, Cater, ADeuce, Lilia, Sam, Kalim, Idia, Ruggie, and even Grim’s scent as well.

EH!Reader: *Smelling a bookcase*

Ace: Ohh, getting a good sniff in, eh Y/N?

Deuce: They’ve been smelling that bookcase for nearly 30 minutes...

Ace: Eh, they’re just taking it all in.

Think this little creature only smells things? Wrong. EH!Reader also scents things and people using these glands on their face (similar to how cats do). Once they’re comfortable with the person and trust them enough, they’ll rub their face against them in order to scent or “mark” them. Each person has a unique scent to them and EH!Reader does that as a form of identification. Nobody can smell it but them.

NPC Student: Ah, w-what are they doing?

Deuce: Oh, don’t worry, they’re just scenting you.

NPC Student: S-scenting???

Deuce: Yeah, it’s kind of a way for them to identify you, like a marker. Don’t worry, they do it to people they like.

If it were not for the laws of this land, EH!Reader would have slaughtered Crowley by now. 

Actually, it’s probably best never to let them near anyone who’s wronged their friends... *Side eyes Riddle, Jamil, and Leona’s Families*