#what do i call this so i can tag... hrm...

[cookiedough77]

redesigns of these sillies but its only because i want to draw them in specific outfits/a certain way because i want to

i might even change it up with their civilian selves idk i wanted to share and i wanted to

[c-u-c-koo-4-40k]

Do I Know You? - Part 1

Summary: Khopesh and his whole Claw are called away on a mission where communication to the outside is forbidden until its conclusion, leaving Lullaby to continue life without him for about a week. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but will something wicked wander in, in his absence?

Previous Chapter: HERE!

Next Chapter: Under Construction IT'S HERE

First in the series: HERE!

Tags: @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @kit-williams @sleepyfan-blog @egrets-not-regrets (All of whom contribute characters to these fics and others! 🧡)

@felinisnoctis @passionofthesith @beckyninja @legionsofthehungry

@bispecsual @moodymisty

“It will only be for a few days, my love.” Khopesh reassures as he packs a bag with supplies and snacks. “Then I will be back here, in your arms, safe in our nest.”

“I Know Sweetness,�� You reply with a small laugh, and pass him some hydration rations. “You don't have to justify a trip to me. If Anrir is insisting it must be important.”

In this case important means a mission from on high that needs the Nightlord's ‘special touch’. Details are scant as the policy around mission information is strict. But what is certain is that Anrir, Karlsor, Ghosk, Claude and Khopesh will be out of town for the next week or so. 

“I Know you know…” Khopesh huffs. “I just…with Everything that's happened, that Is still happening…I just-!” He makes frustrated gestures, and an odd sound between and groan and a growl comes out as he does. 

It's not aimed at you, but you have an idea what he's experiencing. You place a hand on your Nightlord's arm in comfort. The touch seems to soothe him enough to get his words out. 

“I loathe the idea of you being alone.” He sighs, wrapping his large pale arms around you, and pulling you close. “I loathe the idea of not being able to help you. I want you to Never stray from my sight.” You rest your head on his chest, and wrap your arms around Khopesh's body in turn. “But…I know that isn't feasible…but at least I can normally keep in contact with you.” He huffs, pressing his face gently into your hair, and taking in your scent. 

“So you're worried about having to go dark while you handle whatever this mission is…that makes sense.” You reply, and pull back slightly so you can look in his eyes. “I won't be alone though. I have my parents, your parents and the other Astartes here and at the base. They're just a vox away.” You reassure him, scratching his back gently. 

“I know…” 

You smile wryly. “You're still gonna be worried though.”

You feel his smile against your hair. “Yep.”

“Could we set up some kind of regular check in time?” You ask. “Like at night we could get on call?”

“Hrm…I wish.” Khopesh grumbles. “But during operations like these we aren't allowed personal contacts. It's an information leak hazard. Never know who might be listening in.”

Unbeknownst to you, Khopesh has started the process of getting you something that would help both of you feel at ease. Something that would ensure he would always know if you were okay. But commissions take time, and the contact Zaarius had given him was a consummate perfectionist. 

And surprisingly timid for a Noise Marine, but he did good work and the wait would be worth it. 

He just wishes it could have been done Before this mission popped up. 

You nod. “I guess that's true.” You sigh, leaning on Khopesh for a little bit longer; just to soak in his warmth. “Wanna have a quick go before you leave?” You offer, smiling cheekily. To which Khopesh purrs and pulls you closer. 

“I would be amenable to that.” He breathes, leaning into a sensual kiss. He trails his hand down so he can grasp onto your leg and bring it around his hip-

“Not while we're right outside please!” Claude's voice breaks in on your moment and you stumble apart in embarrassment. 

Well you do. Khopesh growls under his breath while keeping his grip on you. “Really Claude!?” He hisses. 

“Sorry! But Anrir isn't keen on waiting.” The Ravenguard calls out. 

“So get your stupid horny ass in Gear and get out here!” Ah, and there's Karlsor. Your face feels like you just stuck it in a sauna. 

Khopesh growls, before setting you down and grabbing his bag. You follow him out the door and try not to be embarrassed when greeting Claude and Karlsor. 

“Hello Boys, ready to go?” You ask, giving Claude and Karlsor quick hugs. 

The short haired Ravenguard nods. “Yes, we will be departing soon.”

Khopesh, in spite of his prior annoyance, smiles and grabs Claude in a half hug. “This will also be Claude's first mission with the Claw! Does me proud to see you spreading your little birdie wings!” Khopesh cheers, ruffling Claude's hair. 

Claude laughs. “I'm honored to be included Brother! But you should know better than to underestimate me!” The Primaris swiftly ducks and gets behind Khopesh, managing to catch the elder Nightlord in a bear hug. 

“EyEyEY! You get back here!” Khopesh and Claude start playfully scuffling only for Karlsor to snarl. 

“NOT the Time!” 

“Oh Sorry!” Claude apologizes, standing at attention. 

“Feh. Killjoy.” Khopesh grumbles, but he picks up his bag. 

“Yeah well this Killjoy is keeping us from getting our assess chewed by Anrir. So MOVE it.” He growls. “See you round Kiddo.” He huffs, turning to leave. 

The tone is a Little aggressive, but you get it. You wouldn't want to get on Anrir's bad side either. Claude gives a sheepish smile, and follows. 

“Don't mind him, Lullaby.” Khopesh reassures. “He's just grouchy because he's getting pulled away from his Sunshine for this and he wants this done ASAP.”

“I heard that fuck face. Move it or I'm gonna drag you by your hair!” Karlsor calls. 

Khopesh lets out a loud huff, but begins to turn to go. 

“Wait-” He looks at you curiously as you pull him close one more time. “One more for luck.” You say, and press one more quick but loving kiss on his lips. 

“RrrrrrRRRRRR!” Khopesh's purrs skyrocket, and he turns with a bounce in his step to follow after Claude and Karlsor. 

The three of them walk off and your Khopesh waves as he goes. You return the gesture, and though it may be stereotypical to say, you actually Do miss him already. 

Well…at least you have some other tasks to help you through the day. 

…

(Training day - Loyalist Base)

“Push harder!” Esen commands as you press against his hands as hard as you can. 

“I-im! Try-Ing!” You grunt, feeling the strain in both your muscles and of channeling your power through your legs to increase your strength. Captain Esen holds his arms slightly bent, with your hands pressing against his, but not interlaced. Your task is simple; try to move them back. 

After telling Anrir…Everything that you'd learned facing the Silver Space Marine and the day after…

“Fascinating….absolutely fascinating!.” He scribbled notes down madly and seemed to be swapping between Gothic, your language and another one you occasionally heard Khopesh speak. 

“Yeah, you should've seen the silver menace's face. And I could literally Feel how angry he was.” You mention nervously. “Thinking back on it…I think he realized I was the one affecting his powers-”

SNAP! The pencil in Anrir's hand breaks, and his back straightens sharply. 

“Uh…”

“...I see!” He smiles, collecting himself quickly. “Ah yes that's right. Young Ramiel informed me as well…” He hums, but his tone is strained. “I believe we will need to make some…adjustments to your training schedule.”

Psychic combat training, specifically how to defend and escape from an Astarte. With your abilities increasing, you'd need a method to directly deal with threats, rather than just slowly draining their energy. And of course Anrir would not let his absence excuse you from your duties. 

Which brings you to now, trying first to judge how much your power increases your strength, and whether it could give you an edge against an Astarte. 

No such luck so far, as you haven't even managed to make Esen's hands budge. And you were trying! Forcing power through your muscles as they flexed. 

“If the path ahead is not working…perhaps a different approach would be appropriate?” Batu surmises, on the side, stroking his beard. 

“Well that sounds Peachy but ya'll said I'm not allowed to use Zaps this time!” You huff. 

Esen chuckles. “I thought you were the one who espoused not being a ‘one trick pony’.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah yeah let me think for a sec…” You stop your exertion for a moment. 

You can't use a zap to make Esen retract his hands, and navigating your power into your legs is only helping a little. But perhaps…you're holding back without realizing. 

You take a deep breath, and like Olly advised you, you visualize. Rather than just taking your power and moving it to your legs, you imagine your mycelium wrapping and fusing into your legs. Not just laying along your muscle fibers, but intertwining with them; Becoming One with them. 

The power flows, and the increase surprises you for a moment. Then you think, ‘why stop at my legs?’. Using your imagination you visualize your mycelium growing and coiling and intertwining with the tendons and muscles all over your body. From your legs, to your back, up to your arms. You push.

“By Chogoris!” Esen laughs as he feels Actual strain in resisting your push! “I think you've got it. Dolgoon! Are you seeing this?”

Dolgoon nods with his warp sight, and a small smile. “Indeed. I do see it.”

“Come on Horsemen! You just need One More Push!” Ganbold encourages. 

One more push? Okay! You visualize a pulse of energy traveling through your flexing legs and mycelium and into the floor-

SMACK!

Your entire body rockets forward as if you'd jumped, and you go face first into Esen's chest. Luckily he's in civilian workout clothes and not his power armor. It still hurts a bit though. 

“Ow~?” You're bewildered as the White Scars look on curiously. Okay…that literally felt like something moved under your feet…or Through them rather.

“Stand aside.” Batu states, bringing out the Apothecary voice and begins a quick exam of your face. Esen steps back without argument. 

You're fine, but…that was a trip. “Did I just…jump?” You ask. 

Dolgoon interjects. “Not quite. You sent a wave of energy into the floor. That's what caused your body to move suddenly.” He explains, dimming his warp sight and giving himself a break. “May I advise that next time, you send the pulse through your shoulders to your arms in sequence with your pushing.”

“...But wouldn't that cause a zap?” You ask. 

Dolgoon shrugs. “Possibly, but that was the best push you've had so far.”

“Fair enough…” You acquiesce. 

Ding Ding Ding!

“Oop! That's the workout timer.” Ganbold claps. “Time for your Calisthenics! I'm thinking a set of Burpees will help get you reset!”

You let an incredulous huff. “You enjoy this Waaaay too much.” You mutter. 

Esen smiles and claps you on the shoulder. “Get used to it Horsemen. Ganbold makes sure our whole squad keeps to our training. That includes you now.”

You feel a little lost for words, in a good way though. “Aw That's…sweet of you to say…thank you”

“You probably won't be thanking me after these drills! Now move it, Horsemen!” Ganbold boasts. 

“Sir yes Sir!”

And so for the hour and a half the cycle continues. Ganbold focusing on your physical work, and even doing the exercises alongside you. Dolgoon tracking your psychic progress, and helping improve/being helped by your ability to soothe warp pain. Batu makes sure everyone is hydrated and healthy, often interrupting Ganbold when he goes a little too far in showing off. And Esen, true to his Captain rank, oversees and encourages you and the others throughout. 

With their pointers, you actually learn how to do a proper push that forces Esen's hands back a bit. Plus you have the ’jump’ to work on in the future.

“Alright everyone,” He eventually announces when your training time is up. “That's enough for today. Time for us to finish up.” 

Finish up in this case meaning stretches. You have nostalgic memories of warm ups and cool downs from your days in martial arts classes. This one was very similar. 

All of you stand in a line in front of a wall of mirrors, and slowly you go through different stances. You focus on your breathing, there's no need to be flashy, only to exist and reset. 

In the back of your mind, this makes you think of Tai Chi, though some of the movements seem different. Regardless, the Purpose is the same, and it works wonders to center you. 

Breathe in…breathe out…

Breathe in…breathe out…

And while you breathe and think you take in the Stark difference between yourself and the White Scars in the mirror. Even Ganbold, the shortest towers above you, and their physiques are ones you couldn't ever hope to achieve. And yet…it's not as great a difference as there once was. 

Your posture, your muscles, even how you breathe and carry yourself; it's closer to them than it was when you started. You'd done normal workouts Before Anrir's training regime, but with his focus and oversight…you could definitely see the improvement. Becoming the best and strongest You. And you smile at that. 

Once your routine is well and truly done, it's time to feed the muscles you just worked. And it seems the White Scars have the same idea. 

“Well, I'm starving. Care to join us for a meal, Horsemen?” Ganbold offers. 

“Oh actually I normally eat after training with Kho..pesh…oh right.” You sag a little as you realize. 

Oh right, your boo's not here. You feel a little bit of that ‘missing him’ feeling come back. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Batu asks. 

You quickly pull yourself together. “Ah Yeah…Khopesh is away right now, Claw Business…I forgot.” You shrug sheepishly. “But hey! I'd definitely be up for lunch with y'all!”

Dolgoon nods. “I find myself in the mood for Fire Drake noodles.”

Ganbold grins. “That! Sounds amazing! What'd'ya say Captain?”

Batu hmms. “Well the Cafeteria food is free, And has more…balanced options for a post training meal.”

“Bah! We can get balanced food later. Come on Bati, live a little!” Ganbold chortles. 

Batu huffs. “I'm ensuring we Live more than just a Little…but the Fire Drake does have quite good cuisine.”

You feel an itch, and you speak on it. “I can help cover the cost.” You offer.

The White Scars seem a bit surprised, but Ganbold claps his hands together and rubs them, smiling. “Well I'd say that settles it! Fire Drake's it is!”

“Forgive me Ganbold, but you seem to forget who the captain is here.” Esen pipes up, but rather than stumble over apologies, Ganbold just raises an eyebrow. 

“Okay, Captain Sir! May we go to Fire Drake Noodle House for a Meal Sir!?” He jumps to attention and delivers the question in a military yell. 

Esen can't help but laugh, even slapping his knee and causing his thin braid of black hair to sway. “Alright alright at ease! Yes, we can go.”

“Fuck Yeah, noodles.” Dolgoon says in his usual reserved monotone, if you'd been drinking anything you'd have spit it out it catches you so off guard and you start laughing too. 

…

“So what I'm saying is; If I was a human baseline woman on Chogoris I think I'd fetch a nice dowry.” Ganbold chats as he eats his plate of fire cracker shrimp. 

The rest of you sit around the table. The discussion had started with you inquiring about their home. Which naturally led to the White Scars telling you about the taigas and grasslands of Chogoris. How the fields and rolling oceans of grass seemed to go for eternity. How nomadic tribes hunted on horseback, and with the use of falcons. 

“In the cold months, when snow fell over our settlements, some of my finest memories are using a slope of wooden boards cobbled together to race down the steppes.” Esen explained. “I once went so fast I slid Right between the legs of my father's hunting horse. While he was on it.” 

“No way!” You reply. 

“Very Way. The horse threw him and I got scolded front to back.” Esen continued. “But, the White Scars took notice of me. They offered to let me join them with the promise I could use my fearlessness and my skills to protect our home and bring it prosperity.”

“Do you miss it?” You ask. 

Esen nods and the conversation turns a little more solemn. “I do. But I understood what I was getting into by becoming what I am. I was able to see my tribe a few times during my campaigns. And indeed they did prosper as the Imperium promised. So I hope that they are still prospering even now.”

Ganbold smiled wryly. “My tribe lived on the mountains, and given how…excitable I tended to be. I think they were almost Glad when I joined up.” 

You raised an eyebrow. “What, you cause one too many avalanches while doing push ups for their liking?”

“How did you guess?”

You sit there, stunned for a moment until you realize he's not being serious…you think. Then you both laugh. 

Dolgoon chimed in next. “I was set to be married to the daughter of my father's long time friend. I did not dislike her but…I felt no love for her either.” He explained. “I felt it unfair to both of us that our families were pushing us. So, I defied my family and went with the White Scars who came to recruit from us.”

Batu speaks next. “You passed up on the chance to be married?” 

Dolgoon shrugs. “It felt like the right decision.”

Batu nodded. “I suppose I understand. The White Scars found me orphaned after bandits raided my family's camp.” He explains, eating from his plate. “I don't remember much, but because I grew up without a family name or tribe to belong to, I did not have the ability to present a dowry for a marriage.”

And thus that statement led to you getting a crash course in Chogorin marriage customs. 

“When a man or woman wishes to take a spouse, the family must visit the spouse's home and present offerings. If the offerings are accepted, then the marriage can go forward.”

“Batu…” Esen seems to hesitate speaking up. 

Batu smiles wryly. “I appreciated your offer then, and I still do.” Batu turns to you. “My brothers assured me many Many times, that they would accompany me to the home of any man or woman I wished to marry, as long as they were willing.” He takes another sip of his water. “But my duties to my Legion and my…upbringing caused me to lack those kinds of connections.”

“So you haven't had the chance to find ‘the one’.” You clarify. 

Batu nods. “Pretty much. I'm not ungrateful for my life, except when these fools injure themselves stupidly and I have to patch them up. I suppose…I just wish I'd had the Option to know that world.”

The mood goes a little down after that, but in a sympathetic way. Until Ganbold makes the dowry comment and they all start ribbing him. 

“I've got Good hips and a Strong back! Plus fantastic hair. Even without enhancement I am a Catch.” He's not wrong, his hair Is very silky and meticulously braided with silver beads. Even his small beard that falls from his mustache and chin is braided with a bead. 

“Okay this might be awkward but now I Have to know. If I was Chogorin and you were my family-” You pause and correct yourself. “My birth family. What kind of Dowry would you accept for me?”

Ganbold smiles. “I'd give your hand for a plate of this firecracker shrimp-OW!” 

Dolgoon elbows him. “He is joking. I would accept nothing less than a fine hunting horse and a silver cup for your hand. Even if it was someone you already liked, I would insist they understand your value, and show it accordingly.” He says seriously. 

“With your animal husbandry skill, horseback skill and general frame and personality you could net a herd of horses And some fine silks easily.” Batu surmises. 

Esen smiled. “I would accept no dowry. With your skill and tenacity, You would be making the offers, which I would accompany you to with pride.”

You feel a familial warmth in your chest. “That…that is really sweet of ya'll to say. I hope if I was in a similar position…I'd do the same for ya'll.”

“Well duh you would! You're family now.” Ganbold huffs. 

You smile cheek to cheek. “Yeah… I guess I am.” You reply. “But if it was your dowry I'd trade you for this Udon.” You jest, pointing to your spicy noodles. 

Ganbold gasps in mock horror. “Oh come on! I'm worth at Least two portions of Udon.”

“Not with your shrimp breath you’re not!” You fire back. 

“Gasp! How dare you!” 

“Oh shrove it down your shrimp hole.” 

“...”

Then you both break into raucous laughter. And the others join in as well. From there the meal and pleasant conversation continues, and you're Just about to suggest dessert when..  

VRRRR! VRRRR!

Hello, this is the Stone Flame Astarte Clinic, this is a Reminder for your Donation Appointment, at 4 PM. Please call xxx - xxx - xxxx to Reschedule. TEXT YES, to confirm appointment. TEXT NO, to reschedule. 

“Shit.” You huff and quickly text back YES. Then you hop up from the table. 

“Something wrong?” Esen asks. 

“Yeah something's come up back at base and they need me there ASAP.” You reply, you don't have time nor clearance to explain to them in a crowded restaurant. “I'll tell you about it later.” You assure, digging out your wallet to leave your portion of the bill. You're glad you didn't have to wait for a take out, having inhaled all the food on your plate. 

Batu protests for a moment. “You don't have to-”

You smile. “I said I would, besides…wouldn't be right to make people I consider family foot my bill.”

Dolgoon smiles. “Very well. Take care of yourself…Horsemen.”

You smile and nod, then bid the White Scars farewell. While the whole Legion focused on speed, it does surprise you to see how much they enjoyed just…relaxing over a meal. They deserve to enjoy themselves at their own pace. And you pace your way to the clinic. 

Now are you actually late or forgot an appointment? No, and that is not you being prideful. This is a system set up by none other than Anrir and Zariel. And as you hurry your way in, you approach Hura. 

He's standing at the front counter Exactly as he normally does during these times. 

“It's time for me to make another donation right?” You ask him, and Only him. 

Hura nods seriously. “Indeed, follow me.”

You do just that, back and back and back…to the same familiar, Secluded place where you'd first used your abilities intentionally. 

You're able to take the sight in front of you without flinching now. It's an Astarte, specifically a Black Legionnaire in the throws of a rejected intense bond. 

“Let me go! LET ME GO! HE'S MINE! NO ONE ELSE'S!” He snarls madly. “I won't! I won't ACCEPT THIS! I WON'T!!!” 

“What's the story with this one?” You ask Hura, who is preparing to enter the room with you as he's done many times before. 

“An intense bond rejection, but more…insidious I'm afraid.” Hura supplies. “He's been stalking his bonded for Months, and when it seemed the baseline had gotten a partner, he went ballistic. Broke in while the mortal was out to set up a ritual to…consume the mortal's heart so their souls would be forever intertwined.”

“THEY TOLD ME HE'D BE MINE! THE VOICES OF MY PATRONS DECREED IT! DAMN YOU! LET ME GO! YOU WRETCHED GREEN SNOT SUCKING NURGLE BASTARD!”

Hura goes on, completely unfazed. “Luckily the neighbor's World Eater heard him, and subdued him before the mortal returned home. In order to assess his punishment we must see if his…proclivities persist after the bond is removed.”

“If he keeps acting all non-consensual cannibal, you're gonna have to ice him?” You posit. It troubles you a Bit that consensual vs non-consensual cannibalism is a concept for you now but…well you can only exist so long around Astartes before the subject pops up. 

Hura chuckles. “Precisely.”

“Alright, let me at em.” You say rolling up your sleeves. This one is a psycher… Dark Apostle…you think the term is. He chuckles darkly as you approach. 

“Sweeeet little human,” He breathes. “Just like MY bonded. When I get out of here, I will find him and I will bind our flesh as ONE as it SHOULD have been! Maybe I'll find you for dessert, tender fles-”

“Ssshut Up.” You chastise and place a finger right between his eyes. “By the time this is over you won't even remember my face. Let's just hope you also get over that cannibalism issue too.”

“Ah…AH, ARGHHAGH! WHAT IS THIS!?” He cries, as his intense bond and the strangling of his soul is lessened. 

“You, coming to your senses.” You reply, the bond dwindles away, leaving the Black Legionnaire Dark Apostle to flop back in exhaustion. “Sso…quiet…” He breathes, then passes out. 

You brush your hands back and forth like you were wiping dust from them. “Alright, looks like my work here is done.” Laid out as he is now, asleep and clearly drained of whatever power was keeping his madness going you can't help but feel a Little sympathetic. “He mentioned voices…can Astartes have schizophrenia?”

“Just as anyone else can…” Hura replies, as he administers the amnestic. “I also noted the circles under his eyes and general exhaustion. Seems the intense bond had been strangling his ability to sleep as well as his soul.”

“Shit…” You bite your lip. Most of your sympathy goes to the poor traumatized baseline who'll have to live with coming home to a break in, at minimum. 

But well…part of you wishes you could've somehow caught this one before this Black Legionnaire ruined his chance for a bonded, or even his Life here. 

Well…maybe there's a chance he could still have that. IF he acts right when he comes to. IF he doesn't, he'll be culled accordingly. You hope it doesn't come to that…but only time will tell. 

And right now, time is telling you that it has been a long day. You finish your paperwork quickly, and bid Hura farewell before driving home. You could have stayed in Khopesh's base room but…you didn't want the possible hassle of walking through the Nightlord Dorm without the Claw around. 

Even after the productive and social day you'd had, you lay in the bed of your nest, and it does feel so strangely empty. You're not unfamiliar with someone being gone from your living space. Mom or Dad taking a trip to visit family or handle work related stuff that you weren't able to attend. There's the feeling of the gap, but…wow the difference a partner makes. 

“Guess that feeling never quite goes away.” You mumble, turning over and pulling your rabbit plush close to you. 

You'll live, and in a week your Sweetness will be back. Until the next mission he needs to take, or hell if You have to travel then he'd be the one left at home. But that is part of life. And thinking about that brings back the memories of your pleasant meal with the White Scars. And being able to help at the clinic as you have many times before. 

“A pretty good life.” You muse, staring up at the ceiling. You're considering adding some glow in the dark stars, those would look cute and whimsical. You feel yourself drifting off to sleep. 

…

-Crrzt - “Hail -brztzt-, Come in -brztzt-, do you have visual on the target?”

Brztzt - “Affirmative,”

“Is the target alone?”

“Affirmative, the resident has just left.”

“Good, ready to engage?”

“Negative -bzzrtz- wait a day or so to engage. -Crzztzt- Then we move in.”

“Good, and remember. Failure is Not an Option.”

“Affirmative.”

…

[moonfurthetemmie]

Are we late to the wip ask stuff if no what about the ‘beantown’ one ?

You absolutely are not late for the WIP ask stuff

Quick overall summary of what the Beantown AU is first, and I do need to inform you that a good chunk of these are just rambling and not whole fics, even if they’re not finished

TL;DR: there was a huge war between a lot of different MVs, with DS Dream (also nicknamed Radiant here) and Obsidian & Jet (mostly obsidian) heading the two warring sides. This is overall a fight of positivity vs negativity, so Radiant has a lot of (gasp) radiants and positive spirits on his side, and Obsidian had a lot of corrupts and negative spirits. but really this is just background lore.

The war ended with Obsidian and Radiant killing each other. Which of course killed Nightmare (‘Moon’ still) as well.

An unspecified amount of time later, three boys are born in the IBVS universe. It’s in IBVS solely for the shenanigans that come with it.

The three are Ryan, Marcus, and Sid. couldn’t find a name that started with o that wasn’t for old men or crusty little dogs

Ryan and Marcus are twins, this time around. They end up befriending Sid in… Kindergarten, I think? He’s not doing so great but at least Marcus and Ryan’s parents are nice. They try to help Sid out, too.

Around middle school, though, the three of them start getting memories of their past lives.

Present-day Beantown is also present-day IBVS, meaning they’re all in high school. Since the three had many years to become their own people before they started getting their old memories, they’re quite different from their previous incarnations while still obviously being some version of them. Sid is especially different, and he is having the worst time. But Ryan and Marcus understand and do their best to be there for him and it’s all very sweet

There’s a handful of other characters that could get reincarnated, but it’s just those three in the main timeline.

Now

Cracks knuckles

Rules: In a new post, list the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I think only one of these is actually for the main timeline and isn’t some spin-off that I half-heartedly started. Much like Sunfall, my little dudes spin too fast for me to catch and write something about

Thunder Storms

Josh goes to Cheerleading tryouts

Ryan

Soda Pops

Memories

JOSH (notes; not technically fic)

Ethan (notes; not technically fic)

Jake (Alternative Beantown AU) (notes; not technically fic)

Alternative Beantown timeline that implies shit got real fucked (notes; not technically fic)

Random trivia I guess (notes; not technically fic)

there’s also one called “emotions can you don’t” with no text whatsoever which was definitely supposed to be a fic. what about? idk

ummm lemme see. Ik silver and Dream got tagged… most of the other writers i follow I’ve never actually interacted with…and then there’s a bunch of art friends but idk if they do fics…hrm

@raccoon-in-a-dumpster @reallymagicaltree I know you two write. get tagged, fools (affectionate) (you don’t have to do it tho if you don’t want to ofc)

anyone else who wants to jump in is encouraged to

[tenderhooked]

tagged by the brilliant @jamiesfootball and the stunning @lady-of-the-spirit and the gorgeous @abubblingcandle! thank you all for the tag MWAH <3

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

11

2. what's your total AO3 word count?

120,102

3. what fandoms do you write for?

ted lasso (quick everybody act surprised), daredevil (i WILL get back to that fic i prommy), thor & loki, and uh. i haven't posted anything yet but somehow succession got me to care very deeply about billionaires so. watch this space............

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

It's the Great Father's Day, Ted Lasso (ted lasso)

It's the Great Valentine's in May, Colin Hughes (ted lasso)

hear you calling from some lost and distant shore (thor & loki)

and do not recognize us as we pass (ted lasso)

It's the Great Moving Away, Sam Obisanya (ted lasso)

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I DO. I KNOW THIS SOUNDS LIKE A LIE AND THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS. i have been woefully bad at catching up with responding to comments........... however i will fix this once school gets out.

6. what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

hmmm. despite the fact that my fics tend to be Incredibly Angsty, they almost all end with deep and abiding sappiness. i suppose at the moment the sun is only a God if you learn to starve has the angstiest ending, although that's mostly just because it only has the one singular chapter atm.

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

probably It's the Great Father's Day, Ted Lasso! i love that ending very very much.

8. do you get hate on fics?

thankfully not yet!! pls be nice to me im This Tiny (i am not short at all) (be nice to me anyways)

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

i have not! maybe one day, possibly, but i'm very [blushing] about writing that right now lmfao.

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

i haven't written any crossovers before! i tend more towards AUs (as we can attest)

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

as far as i'm aware, nope!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

no but if anyone ever wants to, i'm so incredibly down for that

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

no! BUT! i would LOVE to! come to my dms and let's brainstorm.

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

all of my favorite characters/therapy. tbh.

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

i will finish every WIP i've posted a chapter of because i will. this is my Brave Face Mantra. in terms of ones i want to finish in my head.... the ted lasso s3 fix it will hopefully eventually happen but not for A While.

16. what are your writing strengths?

hrm. hrngh. i hate complimenting myself. people have told me i have a good grasp of character voices and also prose? so? [throws that at you and runs away]

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i am THEE absolute worst at describing settings/environments. i'm not a visual reader at all which translates into not being a visual writer and it's just. urgh. HELP.

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

hell yea! most of the characters i've written for so far have been mostly english-speaking, but for characters who are bilingual (dani, sam, richard) i try to include phrases in their native language they would use. if i were to ever write a lot of dialogue in another language, i'd probably give an in-narrative translation, or just stick 'em in the end notes.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

when i was 12 and infinity war came out i was so distraught that i wrote like 10 fix it fics and none of them will ever see the light of day.

20. favourite fic you've ever written?

and do not recognize us as we pass & find a new place to be from! yes i cheated and chose two.

tagging! not sure who has and who hasn't done it yet so! @altschmerzes @jamietarttsnorthernattitude @iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid @thirteenemeraldcats @nativestarwrites @orbitalpirate + absolutely anybody else who would like to participate and use me as their tagger! MWAH <3

[kawaii-kozume]

So 95% of my brain power in the last week has been just Dungeon Meshi....Anyways, do you know the song Jericho by Sleep Token? Yes, yes, now come with me on a journey as to why that song specifically fits Mithrun(and anyone you ship him with) too well.

(Obviously DunMeshi manga spoilers under the tag :3)

The first line that just stands out obviously is the "Until I wake I dine on old encounters", which just calls to what happened when he was a Dungeon Lord. The demon in his dungeon eating all his desires, leaving him with just the desire for revenge, reading this line is Mithrun just surviving on that encounter alone, the "until I wake" is either until he dies or until something else can fix/make any of his other desires come back.

"You taste like new flesh" - There would be no way I could make this post without commenting on this line because, well in the theme of consuming beings to either neutralize their individual traits or by sharing a meal as a show of love, I see this line as like, Mithrun getting a "taste" of a desire, or a spark of interest in something other than killing that demon. Combined with the line "Say my name again" just creates more of that desire possibly coming back.

Okay, this next one is gonna be like, a long piece of the song but: "There's something in the way you lay, enough to make the dead switch graves" again that something is calling to him from his connections with others in his current life. (I'm specifically envisioning a lover that's been a consistent thing. He's not actually interested in the person until a couple night occur and he realizes he's gained some form of connection/something about the person is causing him to react.)

"My hands are not worthy" I see this one as like, hrm, kinda this coming back to the realization of everything he's done and either pulling away, causing the interest/desires to die down or leaning into it just to chase that feeling.

[speakeasyyy]

Psst psst @sp-ace-twinkk I did it

1. Are you named after anyone?

I'm named after a fox from a book, actually! Pax by Sara Pennypacker. (Also, technically after the Latin word for peace, but I like foxes a lot.)

2. When was the last time you cried?

I actually don't remember! I don't cry very often, but when I do I usually forget about it within an hour.

3. Do you have kids?

I do not have kids and I don't plan on having kids. I like working with kids though! I'll be a father by proxy by working as a camp counselor or at a daycare or something.

4. What sports do you play/have you played?

I don't have time for sports anymore, but I used to do show riding! I was also into tennis for a couple of summers. Horseback was a lot bigger for me, though. I miss that sport a lot.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Not really? I will sometimes, but I usually don't because I don't personally like sarcasm, it makes me feel a bit stupid. It's okay in some cases, though.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Their behavior for sure. Attitude is a big thing for me and when I first talk to people, I pick up on their vibes so fast. The way a person treats me is really important to me so I almost always take note of that first.

7. What's your eye color?

Hrm. I've gotten a lot of different answers from other people about this, but they're greyish-green with yellow around the pupil. They reflect a lot of the light around them, too, so depending on what I wear or the environment I'm in, they'll look more or less green.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I love happy ending movies a lot! Some of my favorite movies have happy endings, though, like Fantastic Mr Fox or Rushmore (kind of). I also love scary movies, but most of the movies that I like the most are happy.

9. Any talents?

I think you could call art a talent? Although I feel like that's more of a skill. I can sing alright, I think that's a talent that can be turned into a skill, though.

10. Where were you born?

I was born in Virginia. I haven't moved out of the state and I'm really happy about that. It's beautiful here. Lots of mountains.

11. What are your hobbies?

Art of several mediums! Mainly sketching, prismacolor, and acrylic paint. I also like playing ukulele and I'm trying to learn guitar. I do a lot of thrifting or visiting antique/vintage stores too. Big fan of old items and clothes.

12. Do you have any pets?

I have four pets right now! A Jack Russel - Australian Heeler mix named Buffalo Bill, a black cat named Hissy Maria, an orange tabby named Trotsky Golden Boy, and a grey/black tabby name Genny! They're all very dear to me!

13. How tall are you?

I'm 5'3. I wish I was taller. :(

14. Favorite subject in school?

My favorite required subject class is English!! I love learning about language and getting better at using it and sounding smart. I LOVE ENGLISH!!!! SO MUCH!

15. What is your dream job?

I want to become a talk therapist, but also would be so psyched if I could be a camp counselor. There's a lot of camps I would love to work as a counselor for, so maybe someday I'll apply for those. I want to make kids happy! That or working in archives for a history museum.

I HAVE NO ONE TO TAG SORRY, I JUST WANTED TO AMSWER THESE

[thebuttsmcgee]

The genuine relief and accomplished feeling of sending a kinda detailed ask to someone and they start their answer with "thank you for giving me a reason to finally talk about this" and they go into a passionate answer is just. Subliiiiiime.

[altairs-little-world]

I've been seeing a lot of sibling scenarios so I would like to request one myself🐢🐢. I would like to request the sakuma bros with a younger sis reader that doesn't know how to take care of herself and is always blur about things. Tq🐢🐢🐢🐢(I like this emoji)

Sakuma brothers with Younger Sister!Reader - Random Scenario

Characters: Ritsu Sakuma, Rei Sakuma

Genres: Fluff, Gen

Smaller “tags”: Platonic/familial relationships, f!reader, reader is in producer course, reader is 2-3 years younger than Ritsu, you’ll see Ritsu more than Rei, Canon universe

TW: (Rose) Thorns, passing mention of scars

Word Count: 939

A/N: Sakuma Bros IKZZZ! Thank you for the request, 🐢 anon! (I assume I can call you that? Since you like the lil' turtles?) Little Sakuma sister sounds adorable! There wasn’t any info about what kind of scenario to write though, so I wrote a completely random and long story here.

Although I do appreciate the freedom to write whatever, it may not be to your liking! That’s why you have to provide details about what kind of scenario to write, not just the personality of the reader-insert character! Because there’s no designated start and end or general flow of scenario given, this became quite long(?) - I have too much to write when I’m thrown a blank paper- the brainrot is real, and my brain actually hurts from thinking /head in hands/

RITSU SAKUMA, REI SAKUMA ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

The near overwhelming scent of flowers assaults your senses as you bumble your way into the school garden, beelining for that familiar little terrace that most probably held the person you were looking for. Loh and behold, there he was, knocked out on the bench with an arm dangling off the edge. 

“Nii-chan!” The shade of the terrace was welcoming, even if the sunlight was slipping away in yellow and orange hues at this hour. Just like your brothers, you certainly didn’t do well in the sun. Unlike your brothers, at least you attended your classes! Ah, wait! Rei had graduated already, he certainly wouldn’t need to show up to class. 

“Mmrgh…? Ah, it’s you…” The male blinks groggily, rolling over to rest his head on his folded arms and smile. “What are you doing here? Skipping class? No good, no good, a little one like you shouldn’t follow my ways…” He ends in a yawn, burying his face further into his arms while you scamper up to the edge of the bench, sitting on the cold floor in front of him. 

“Classes ended already! Then Anzu-senpai came and talked to us for a loooong time, but I didn’t skip that either!” You huffed indignantly, looking up as Ritsu heaved himself up from the bench. He walks to your side, extending his hand out to your politely confused face. “Hrm?” 

“Don’t sit on the floor, it’s cold.” 

“Oh!” Your brother pulls you up when your rough hand grabs his, making you stumble to your feet. “Whoops!” 

“Why are you here, anyway?” 

“Looking for Nii-chan! To go home!” 

“Still don’t remember the way back?” 

“No~pe!” Ritsu could only sigh and shake his head at the bright grin on your face, letting go of you and scratching through his messy hair with his other hand. At least that innocent smile of yours stayed throughout, especially the year when the oldest Sakuma child had run off overseas, leaving the middle child to care for you and himself alone. The earlier part of that year had been the worst, with Ritsu having to figure out how on earth Rei managed to keep you out of trouble so well when he was around. 

Probably by keeping a very close eye on you and stopping you before you did anything risky. 

Which was probably what he should do right now, with you spotting something that piqued your curiosity, skipping around him to get closer to what your gaze was fixed on. His eyes widen when he glimpses something dangerously sharp near your lightly scarred hand. 

“What’re these?” 

“Don’t touch that!” 

A frantic pale hand grabs yours and pulls it back, almost harshly, away from the scarlet blooms in front of your eyes. A similar shade of red looks down at you, accompanied by another long, exasperated sigh. 

“You’ll get hurt if you touch them, so… Just don’t.” 

“But they’re so pretty…” You lamented, turning away to stare at the flowers longingly, and Ritsu’s heart softens. He gathers your hands in his, clasping them tightly so you wouldn’t reach out for the thorned beauties again.

“Nii-chan will buy you better ones, alright? Ones that won’t hurt you. Then you can do whatever you want with them,” He suggests, doubled as a simple promise. His fangs show when you face him and nod happily, smiles adorning both your faces. “Come along then, let’s go home before Anija comes and picks us up.” 

Your big brother drags you along with him - gently, he wouldn’t want to hurt you - away from the rose bushes lining the gardens of Yumenosaki and towards the gates. The air was much cooler at this time of the day, golden rays flailing across the sky as the sun makes its last attempts to show off its dazzling light. Not that you or your brother cared, except that such scenes heralded the nights which fueled those of the same blood with overflowing energy. 

A call of yours and Ritsu’s name draws your attention, a small warning before both of you were promptly tackled and wrapped in the strong arms of your oldest brother. 

“My precious little ones~” Rei sings happily, satisfied that Ritsu had once again been unable to escape his hugs - this time, due to Ritsu’s hand wrapping around yours, he couldn’t pull away in time to avoid the oldest. 

“Get off me, you bug!” The younger male growls and struggles against the older, but despite being considered “freakishly strong” by several of his peers, his strength paled in comparison to Rei. You, on the other hand, happily accepted the hug with a joyful mumble of “Anija!” into Rei’s shoulder, much to his delight. 

“Aww, you two are just so cute!” He pulls back and ruffles your hair, having been smacked away by Ritsu’s quick hand before he could even reach the other’s head. 

“Stop messing up her hair!” Ritsu huffs and forces Rei’s hand off your head, earning dramatic sobs from the older. 

“Oioioi, if you won’t let me coddle you then at least let me coddle our little producer here. Isn’t that right?” Rei nods at you and you nod back, grabbing his hand that had been smacked away and holding it much like how your other brother was holding your hand. He practically melts into goo at the action, shuffling to your side and crouching to rub his cheek on your shoulder affectionately while Ritsu makes a sound of disgust, pulling you away from Rei. 

“Let’s just go home already.” 

“Mhm!” 

“No objections from this old man~ Lead the way, little ones.” 

“Hm? Why are you buying spray roses? Oh, is it for me, your most beloved ‘Anija’? My my, how touched I am~” 

“Shut up and die, bug.”

[tobiasdrake]

I do think Masaru would be Courage. He's definitely got Goggles Kid vibes.

Knowledge would go to Nagisa, easy.

I do like the idea of Komaru being Friendship. She has both her relationship with Toko and she was apparently able to make peace with the Warriors by DR3? Plus, Komaru having the same Crest as Junko makes sense for plot reasons....

I kind of want to give Hope to Monaca. As leader of the Warriors of Hope, she is paradoxically driven by the hope of creating a new Junko. This is something Monaca herself calls out in DR3. The whole Hope/Despair thing ultimately confuses the shit out of her because how can she be Junko 2.0 when everything she does is motivated by a hope of achieving a goal?

Jataro gets the Crest of Purity. He has some awful beliefs instilled in him by his abusive mom, but he expresses them openly and earnestly. He definitely fits the heart-on-the-sleeve nature of a Purity-bearer.

Toko, I think, would expect the Crest of Love. She has a Crest coming for her this time around and she alone has past experience with Tags and Crests, so she'd know what the options are and would be 100% anticipating the Crest of Love.

She would get Reliability instead. Her infatuation with Byakuya isn't love, it's a one-sided obsession utterly oblivious to his feelings. But over the course of UDG, she comes to care about and be a support pillar for her kouhai Komaru, a role reflected in the Crest she initially didn't want and was offended to receive.

(You could also give Komaru Reliability and Toko Friendship. The dynamic with their friendship and the kids works that way too. But I really like Komaru mirroring Junko's Crest.)

That just leaves Kotoko. Absolutely not giving her Crest of Love; That would be extremely inappropriate. But that just leaves Light and Kindness, neither of which feel like they really fit. Hrm....

Of the Danganronpa casts, which 8 characters do you think would best fit the Adventure Crests?

Ooh, that is a fascinating question to think about. I can't do an episode of Digimon today because I'm back at work after two days off so I not only have a lot of backlog to attend to but also end-of-week reporting to shoot out.

But this is a fun idea for an exercise to keep my brain moving through the day.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Courage: Mondo Owada. Mondo's issues with masculinity map well onto the Courage template. He's brave and impulsive to a reckless degree, driven by a desire to prove himself. His life has been defined by the virtues embodied in the Crest of Courage, both for better and for worse as his reckless bravery ultimately got his brother killed.

Mondo's story ends in a betrayal of his virtue. In the equivalent of Dark Evolution consuming his Digimon and driving it to kill him. But even this supreme act of cowardice occurs because he is shamed by the courage that Chihiro demonstrates. The virtue that Mondo has strived to uphold.

Friendship: Junko Enoshima. That one's going to take some explaining, but weird as it is to think, Junko's entire gambit as the Mastermind is a dark inversion of the virtue of Friendship. She knows each and every one of these people intimately, and she cares. She has to care for their deaths to bring her the despair she seeks.

The entire Killing Game is a form of self-harm, as despair-obsessed Junko inflicts emotional scars on both her friends and peers, and on herself. It's just like when she stabbed Yasuke; It only works, it only gives her the emotional response she desires, because she cares so much and knows so much about each and every one of these people.

Junko herself has the Crest of Friendship. Which she has corrupted in pursuit of despair.

Love: Sakura Ogami. Sakura is driven by love. Though seen only as a powerful and dangerous ogre by others, it's love that motivates her every action. It's love for Kenshiro that leads her to work for Junko. It's love for the rest of her peers that leads her to betray Junko.

Even her death, her final act in this world, was done out of love. Her final moments spent with a candy in her mouth; A present from a beloved friend. Sakura has a bottomless capacity for love.

Purity/Sincerity: Hifumi Yamada. A Purity-bearer is someone who is emotionally honest and sincere in their presentation. They wear their heart on their sleeve; What you see is what you get. They are, in every moment and every interaction, their truest unfiltered self. For better or worse, they shower everyone they meet in unrelenting emotional honesty.

Hifumi is often difficult to be around. His obsession with his favorite magical girl gets uncomfortable at times. But it cannot be said that he has any sort of filter or that he's concealing any part of himself. Hifumi puts his true self out there in every waking moment, even when you kinda don't want him to. He's not ashamed of himself and he's not going to pretend to be anything he's not. As such, Hifumi embodies the Crest of Purity more than anyone.

Knowledge: Kyoko Kirigiri. I mean. Obviously. Obviously the Ultimate Detective has the Crest of Knowledge. Kyoko is driven to find answers. So much so that she let Makoto die (or almost die until Alter Ego saved him) so that her investigation could continue. There is nothing that motivates Kyoko more than her own curiosity and need to find the answer.

Sincerity/Reliability: Kiyotaka Ishimaru. It can be confusing that there's two Crests named Sincerity in different versions. But they refer to different kinds of Sincerity. The Reliability Crest is exactly what it sounds like. It's the team mom. The most trustworthy person among us. Someone who is dependable and responsible for everyone's wellbeing, who steps up to make sure we're all cleaning our rooms and eating right and making good choices. Or at least tries to.

Up until trauma cracks him in half, that's Taka in a nutshell. A hard-working and diligent believer in effort over talent, Taka futilely tries to be the glue holding this group together and create a sustainable community within Junko's wicked game. He fails miserably, but it's still an effort worthy of the Crest of Reliability.

Hope: Makoto Naegi. He's literally the Ultimate Hope; Who else would this be?

Light: Sayaka Maizono. The Crest of Light is always a hard one because it's more of a spiritual thing than physical. The Light-bearer experiences reality in a unique way. They represent the force of life itself and are attuned to spiritual affairs beyond the mortal realm.

For me, that could only fit superstar pop idol and inexplicable mind-reader Sayaka Maizono.

Kindness: Chihiro Fujisaki. While not appearing in 01, the Crest of Kindness was added in 02 so I think it counts. Obviously there is no one more suited to Kindness than Chihiro, who would sooner give blood to a mosquito than smash it.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

Courage: Akane Owari. Akane is Courage incarnate. Every bit as heroic, impulsive, and reckless as any Goggles Boy. Ready to fight at a moment's notice but disinterested in putting real effort into personal growth. She once threw hands with Monokuma hard enough to get one of her teammates killed; If that's not Crest of Courage material then I don't know what is!

Friendship: Gundham Tanaka. For all his bluster, Gundham cares a great deal for other people. Though he's uncomfortable with human contact, he's devoted his life to building relationships with others, even if they are primarily animal in nature.

Indeed, Gundham himself is no island, no single man standing alone, at any given time. He is accompanied always by his Four Dark Devas of Destruction, working together as a team of five to accomplish any goal. Gundham understands the value of teamwork and companionship like no one else alive.

Love: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu. Though he tries to be the big bad gangster tough guy, the force driving Fuyuhiko has always been love. Love for his Ultimate Little Sister Natsumi and love for his dearest friend Peko, who he all but begged to deprogram from his family's conditioning.

Even before the Tragedy, Fuyuhiko had killed for love. In the Killing Game, he very nearly died for love.

Purity/Sincerity: Hiyoko Saionji. Again, she can be absolutely unbearable but for better or worse, she always puts forward her truest self. What you see is what you get with this foul-mouthed little bully who hurts animals and people for fun.

Knowledge: Sonia Nevermind. As the Ultimate Princess, Sonia is driven to learn much so that she can become a fair and just sovereign. The only reason she's even here is because she came to Japan to learn about the culture, and she also demonstrates a ravenous if amoral curiosity about macabre topics such as serial murderers.

Sincerity/Reliability: Nekomaru Nidai. As a coach, Nekomaru's dedicated to spending the very last years of his life to building people up. What time he has left in this world is his gift to the athletes training under him, and he will take a bullet for them in an instant. He is a responsible authority figure who selflessly and tirelessly works to build up everyone else, and for that reason he deserves the Crest of Reliability.

Hope: Nagito Komaeda. Again, this one's fairly obvious. He's a dark reflection of Makoto and Junko who embodies hope but in a twisted sort of way. Technically Izuru Kamukura gets called Ultimate Hope but that's just, like, the school administration's opinion, man. It's Nagito who has a complex relationship with the very concept of hope and so, I think, the Crest of Hope would go to him. Please use it wisely. (He won't.)

Light: Chiaki Nanami, of course. The digital human who serves in secret as one of the admins running the program, directly connected to the Neo World equivalent of Homeostasis.

Kindness: Mikan Tsumiki. This is another obvious one, I think. Of course the Ultimate Nurse gets the Crest of Kindness. Mikan struggles with her assigned virtue; she has some resentment in her, she's been abused so much she can't recognize positive reinforcement, and she enjoys the power trip of being in charge of others.

There is certainly a risk of a Darkness Evolution from Mikan. But I think those struggles only reinforce that importance and centrality of Kindness to her existence.

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

Courage: Tenko Chabashira. Tenko's a full-blown magical girl superhero. She's the Champion of Women, trawling city streets looking for rapists and abusers she can throw hands with.

In the Killing Game, she ticks all the boxes. Impulsive? Check. Reckless? Check. Heroic? Check. Does things without thinking to both the benefit and detriment of those around her? Check check check!

Friendship: Kaito Momota. Kaito well and truly believes that friendship and bonds of togetherness are how we're going to get through this alive. He's a serial adopter of isolated people, dragging anyone who doesn't have a friend into his own social group where he pushes them to become the best version of themselves.

In fact, his greatest flaw is having too much faith in people, blinding him to the darkness inside of them.

Love: Maki Harukawa. Furious though she would be to receive this Crest, Maki's capacity for love influences much of her story. Child caregiver for her orphanage, she became an assassin so that someone she loved wouldn't have to.

As the Killing Game progresses, Maki's capacity for love finds her again. Love is what drives some of her biggest and most influential actions.

Purity/Sincerity: Miu Motherfuckin' Iruma, shit-for-tits! If this were the Crest of Innocence, it'd be Gonta for sure. But this is about unfettered self-expression, and Gonta has to remind himself to conduct himself gentlemanly. He has fetters.

Miu, however, does not. Every last stray impulse or thought that hits her brain comes straight out of her mouth, even when it definitely shouldn't. She is honest and sincere self-expression incarnate, like no other.

Knowledge: Shuichi Saihara. Like Kyoko, this one's a no-brainer. Though he's reluctant to commit to the role, the Ultimate Detective is here to uncover the truth. His relationship with curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge defines his story throughout V3.

Sincerity/Reliability: Kirumi Tojo. Do I even need to explain why? The Ultimate Maid is the ultimate caregiver for all of these children. She is the pillar that makes living here sustainable, even comfortable. And she does it all without a single complaint. Caring for others is what she lives for.

Hope: Kaede Akamatsu. Though she isn't with us long, Kaede carries hope in her heart so strongly that it ultimately kills her. There is no greater gesture of hope in the entirety of V3 than Kaede's desperate gamble to try and corner the Mastermind. She risked it all on the belief that she could end everything right then and there.

She was wrong. But her effort earns her the Crest of Hope.

Light: Angie Yonaga. Cult leader and possibly oracle, Angie's life is downright haunted by her spirituality. She is already (allegedly) the vessel of Atua; She's the perfect choice for the vessel of Homeostasis.

Kindness: Gonta Gokuhara. This is the Crest that belongs to Gonta. Gonta is a gentle giant who loves all things big and small, but especially small. Though he can be scary at times, he means you no harm. He just wants you to meet his bugs. He loves bugs and he wants you to love bugs too.

Ultimate Team

So, of the three sets, who best embodies the virtue of their Crest? Let's assemble the team.

Courage: Akane Owari. Mondo ultimately falls short of his values. Tenko does a better job of it, but she's also terrified of pain and cracks easily under pushback, which holds her back from being a true icon of Courage.

But Akane gives zero fucks. She is, in every moment, the person that Mondo and Tenko aspire to be. Bold and headstrong to a fault, Akane Owari is officially the Goggles Boy of this team.

Friendship: Kaito Momota. Junko is hahaha no. Her subversion of the Crest's values pretty much disqualify her. Gundham and Kaito are close. However, while Gundham has a wealth of animal friends, he struggles with direct human-to-human interpersonal contact which costs him.

Kaito, meanwhile, is able to embrace the values of Friendship with open arms. An incorrigible friend-maker and support system for every introvert he kidnapped into his orbit, Kaito is a friend to all and a pillar that can always be leaned on for support, through thick and thin.

Love: This was a close one. Sakura, Fuyuhiko, and Maki all have their strengths, and they all perform incredible feats of love. Honestly, they all deserve the Crest equally. I agonized over this choice. But if I have to have to pick one, then I'm going to go with Maki. Because it's funnier that way.

Purity/Sincerity: Miu Iruma, queen of the overshare. Hifumi and Hiyoko are in-your-face with their personalities and proclivities too, but I feel like Miu goes above and beyond in the field of shameless, unapologetic self-expression.

Knowledge: Kyoko Kirigiri. Though Shuichi's story revolves heavily around deconstructing the pursuit of knowledge, he is by design a pale and unwilling imitation of Kyoko. Sonia's boundless curiosity puts her closer to Kyoko, but there's simply no competing with the Ultimate Detective in the field of pursuing knowledge.

Sincerity/Reliability: Nekomaru Nidai. Ultimately, Taka and Kirumi both crack under pressure, but Nekomaru holds true to his values to the bitter end. This is a man who would give everything for his athletes, and he puts his money where his mouth is twice over.

Hope: Makoto Naegi. Ultimate Hope. Contrary to the way later entries treat him, Makoto did not singlehandedly defeat Junko by shooting lightning from his eyes and disintegrating her. But he was the inspiration at the eleventh hour that burned away despair and made her defeat possible.

A triumph the series has never managed to truly recapture, despite two separate attempts.

Light: Chiaki Nanami. As the conduit to a digital god, it's hard to find someone more appropriate than a humanoid AI. You might think that should disqualify her from being a Chosen Child but I support AI personhood and also something something DR3 retcon says there technically was a real Chiaki so AI Chiaki can just use her Partner and Digivice. Nyeh!

Kindness: Oh fuck me, this one's pretty evenly split too. Chihiro, Mikan, and Gonta all deserve this slot on the team. I can't decide between them. So... I'm going to choose....

Hm, we have three DR2 and three DRV3 to two DR1 in this group. Alright, I'll give this to Chihiro so the numbers can be even. I didn't plan on it being even. But this would make them even and that's pretty neat.

Alright, there we have it. Three teams of Chosen Children and one Avengers-style Ultimate Chosen Children team. Holy shit, that was a hell of a thing. ^_^

[thessalian]

I was tagged by @bioticmindtrick - *waves happily*

1. Are you named after anyone?

Nope. I came by my name in the dumbest possible way. My mother wanted Dawn or Joy or Crystal; my father was set on Nadine. My mother hated Nadine and just kept throwing names at him. He said no to everything but the name on my birth certificate today, which got “Maybe”. So my name is effectively a placeholder because they couldn’t come up with anything better.

2. When was the last time you cried?

Couldn’t give you an exact date but probably while I was watching something sad.

3. Do you have kids?

Nope

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

I’m not sure about a lot, but in very brief bursts, and usually when writing. Generally just the whole thing where I say something like, “Oh, wonderful” when something goes wrong.

(#5 is missing btw)

6. What's your eye color?

Blue

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

Honestly depends on my mood, but both is good. I like the scary things but it’s always good to see a triumph at the end.

8. Any special talents?

I’ll have to go by what others say. The list goes, writing, cooking, gardening, perfumery, DMing, and what my friends and I call Google-fu (I have a knack for using just the right search terms to find whatever information I need / crave at any given time)

9. Where were you born?

Montreal, QC, Canada

10. What are your hobbies?

Oh lord. Um. D&D, video games, reading, writing, candy making, perfumery / soap making, gardening, resin casting. Also I have an Amazon list titled “potential hobbies” which includes a “teach yourself to pick locks” kit and an electric keyboard. I like hobbies.

11. Have you any pets?

Not at the moment, no. When things are a little more settled, I’m thinking rats.

12. What sports do you play/have played?  

Was never much into sports, except for watching the hockey.

13. How tall are you?

5′4″-ish? I think?

14. Favorite subject in school?

English and Theatre

15. Dream job?

Eeeeeeh ... mixing scents and soaps for someplace like Lush, probably. I was thinking “professional DM” but that would run the risk of taking the fun out of it.

Hrm. Who’m I going to tag in this? I don’t think I can get fifteen, so ... @raceofhearts, @mayaminamoto, @depizan, @iapetusneume and @curiouscatcrafts

[jamespotterthefirst]

Mi Viejito (Ethan x f!MC)

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Lilac Allende) Words: 1K Warning: None Summary: Father’s Day more than twenty years later. 

Author’s Note: “Mi Viejito” means “Old Man” (affectionate). Thank you to the two anons who requested this!

Also, no editing. Oops. We die like men. 

Twenty five years are not enough to dull the impact of startling blue eyes meeting hers across a room. For a moment, she feels like that fresh-faced intern she used to be, meeting her medical idol for the first time. Except now, Ethan Ramsey has the elegance of time on his side, carved into every fine line on his handsome face. His hair, once dark brown, is a storm of silver now, making the blue of his eyes even more of a shock.

A pleasant sort of shock that makes her body thrum with warmth.

Ethan removes his spectacles and gives her a tired but breathtaking smile. Lilac returns it, moving to settle into her husband's embrace.

“Happy Father's Day, mi viejito,” she murmurs into a kiss. After his hum of thanks, they melt into the kiss, enjoying the rare few moments of blissful companionship.

“Where are the girls?” he asks after a while, as though reading her mind.

“Andy should be here any moment to drop them off.”

“Ah, the calm before the storm,” he muses with exaggerated dread. It doesn't fool anyone, least of all Lilac. Anyone who glances at Ethan Ramsey with his children for more than two seconds knows just how much he adores them. “What about Lori and Jonah?”

“Jonah hasn't texted me back and Lori is on her date.”

“Hrm.”

Lilac laughs. “Hunter's a nice kid. He's taking her on a boat ride at the Common.”

Ethan is not impressed.

“It's a cute date for two seventeen year-olds,” Lilac reasons with little success.

“Pitiful.”

“You took me on one of those when we were engaged.”

“I meant his name. What kind of name is Hunter?”

She laughs at that and places a kiss on his cheek, succeeding in softening his expression by a fraction. “You're just upset your little girl is all grown up.”

Ethan's expression is as impassive as ever but Lilac can see the brief flash of sadness in his eyes. She places a comforting hand at his cheek, sweeping the ridge of his cheekbone with her thumb.

“She'll be back in time for dinner. And I'm sure Jonah will text me back later. He's been swamped with school work these past few days.”

Ethan nods but is unable to elaborate an answer because the sound of approaching voices grows louder outside the door.

The youngest Ramseys arrive then, three times more boisterous than any teenagers their age. Though, to the surprise of exactly no one, the person in the little group arguing the loudest is Jasmine. Andy rolls her eyes, unable to contain a smile at the charming young girl trying to talk her way out of whatever trouble she's gotten into.

“Seriously, it's okay. Our dad owns the hospital.”

“He manages it,” her twin, Violet, corrects.

“Same thing,” Jasmine returns dismissively. “He as good as owns it if the place falls apart without him.”

“That,” Ethan intervenes, placing a kiss of greeting atop each of their heads, “would be your mother. She does the brunt of the work around here.”

Jasmine scoffs. “And yet the man gets all the credit.”

“Typical,” Violet adds.

Ethan and Lilac both laugh proudly. After Andy takes her leave for the day, the girls hug their father.

“Happy Father's day!” They chorus.

“We brought you coffee from that place you and mom are obsessed with.”

They thrust a to-go cup in his hand.

“We remembered,” Jasmine says importantly. “Not like Tweedle dee and Tweedle Ugly.”

“Jazzie,” her mother scolds. “Don't call your brother and sister that.”

“Ingrates,” Violet adds, agreeing with her sister. “Write them out of your will, Dad.”

Ethan is fully laughing now, a sound that is rare and wonderful, easily drawn out of him by his family. The little crevices on his face grow deeper with his mirth and it tugs at Lilac's heartstrings.

“If we're divvying up Dad's stuff then I call Minnie,” Jasmine proclaims.

“You can have that cat now,” Ethan returns intently. “I don't want anything to do with that thing.”

“I call Jenner the Second,” Violet calls out before her sister can.

They dissolve into an impassioned argument about who loves the dog more. Luckily for all of them, they are interrupted by the sound of more approaching footsteps, followed by even more arguing voices.

“... doesn't have his license yet.”

“What good is a license if he doesn't even have a car.”

“You don't need a car in the city. You can get around in the train.”

“Then why did you text me begging for a ride here?”

“You're such a jerk, J.”

The eldest of their children appear in the office, ceasing all bickering when their eyes fall on the father. Dolores, beautiful and bright faced from the sun, the freckles on her cheeks more vivid as she smiles. Jonah, tall, collected, and handsome—reassembling his father more than any of his siblings. Lilac watches fondly as they hug Ethan and wish him a happy father's day. After the brief surprise of their sudden appearance wears off, she can see her husband's eyes shining with emotion.

“We're taking you to lunch,” Lori informs him. “Jonah got us reservations at your favorite place downtown.”

“Nice, that place has the best chocolate cake,” Jasmine says excitedly.

“We said we're taking dad, not you freeloaders,” Jonah returns jokingly, ruffling his younger sister's hair.

“It’s father’s day! We deserve to be celebrated, too!”

“How do you figure that, squirt?”

“Who taught you how to throw a ball, Jonah Naveen Ramsey?” Jasmine demands indignantly.

“Who gave you pointers on how to impress that girl down the street you used to have a crush on?” Violet adds.

“Who Googled 'how to drive a stick shift car' when you borrowed Dad's car without asking him?”

“You what?” Ethan asks, turning to look at his son.

“Who—”

“Alright, alright! You can come with,” Jonah cuts in. “You two are insufferable, I swear.”

“That's no way to speak to your fathers,” Jasmine chastises.

The siblings continue their banter, taking turns predicting what their father will order. The one who knows his order exactly, Lilac observes, is Dolores, though she has no chance to boast to her siblings. Ethan’s pager goes off and he groans when he reads the message.

“There’s a problem with the paperwork in the Sawyer case,” he tells Lilac. With a mournful twist of his mouth, he looks at his children. “I’m sorry but I have to go handle this. Lunch won’t--”

“I’ll stay to take care of it,” Lilac interrupts.

Ethan studies her expression. “Are you sure, love? It’s an awfully complicated case.”

“I’m sure,” she assures him with a nod. “Go enjoy lunch with them.”

Ethan gives her a look so laden with gratitude and affection, her heart skips a beat.

“Geez, you were right, Dad,” Jasmine says. “Mom really does run this place.”

“Or she just prefers dealing with grumpy patients over hearing your awful jokes, Jazzy,” Dolores comments, side bumping her sister affectionately.

“Mom is a pro at dealing with grumpy, though,” Jonah tells them sagely. “She’s dealt with Dad all these years.”

Ethan laughs at that. “You kids won’t cut your old man a break on father’s day?”

“Nope,” Violet returns cheerfully. “Roasting you is our way of telling you we love you.”

______________________________

Author’s Note: Happy Fathers Day to everyone who celebrates! Thank you so much for reading this!

For reference, Jonah is around 20, Dolores (aka “Lori”) 17 going on 18, and the twins are 14

A few notes:

Though I am super behind on replies to my previous fics, please know I am so thankful to everyone who interacted! Love you guys so much!

I haven’t been able to work on Ch 2 of the OPH3 re-write, but I hope to do so soon. I think I’ve decided to take it easy with that series and see where it takes me!

Same thing with the Pictagram series! Thank you to everyone for your patience!

If you tagged me in your content while I was away, I apologize for the delay. I have it all saved up, ready to enjoy this upcoming week!

Tagging in a reblog!

[spidernerdsblog]

Heyyyyyy👋

I hope you don’t mind me requesting a peter parker where the reader is in a coma and some girls are hitting on him and asking if he is taken and he said like “yes, I’am just waiting for my princess to wake up” something like that. If you’re comfortable with it ofc.🙂 or just the reader asking him what would he say to the girls who’s hitting on him🥰 thank you in advance💕

Hey! Your ask kinda low-key made me sad but honestly I love it thank you for requesting. Hope you like this. Took a little inspiration from the amazing spiderman 2 where Gwen dies but here the reader goes into a comatose state instead.

Song inspo - Sunflower by post malone

Pairing : Peter Parker x Reader

Warnings : none

You're a Sunflower

It's been three months now as Peter stands in front of his university leaving his high school life behind and stepping into his college life; though this is not exactly how he imagined it would be he had imagined to walk through these gates with you hand in hand by his side. But as fate would have it you now lay in a bed succumbed into an eternal sleep. 

The memory was still fresh in his mind of how Harry clad in his green goblin suit kidnapped you to get his revenge on him though Peter was able to subdue him not before Harry threw you down the building. You reached out your hand to Peter with fear in your eyes for help and even after Peter's desperate attempt to save you by shooting his webs, he couldn’t web you up in time as your body hit the ground with an impact that your humanly body couldn't withstand all he remembers was you looking at him smiling softly before closing your eyes for eternity. 

You were rushed to the hospital and admitted in the critical care unit. Your parents came running after they heard about your accident, Peter couldn’t look in their eyes because it was he for whom their daughter is battling with death. Peter cried and prayed for you the whole night. With a heavy heart the doctors informed that the impact of your fall had directly affected your brain sending you into a coma and they have no idea when or ever are you going to recover from that state. Peter thought it was all a lie, he didn't want to believe that he may have lost you forever. At his request and with your parents' consent Tony shifted you to the Avengers compound so your treatment could be done under better hands and you recover quickly but neither Bruce could provide him with a satisfactory answer of when are you going to come out of your comatose state. The only thing now he could do was wait, wait for you to one day open your eyes and pull him back in your arms, his safe haven, even if he has to wait all his life he will wait. 

He had never wanted you to get involved in his dangerous life and that is why he revealed to you his secret identity to let you know that you both can’t be together. But you had laughed it off and playfully said to him "Haha, I laugh at the face of danger!"

🌻

After his classes were done for the day Peter walks back home stopping by the flower shop to buy flowers for you. It was a part of his daily routine now everyday after college he would bring you sunflowers. They were your favourite flowers because you once said to him they symbolize ‘‘a person who has loved with sincerity and purity never forgets, on the contrary, truly loves until the end’’

And you were his sunflower. You were a ray of sunshine in his life and he always thought that your love was too much for him which he would never be able to reciprocate you back, he was lucky enough to be a part of your life because he doesn’t deserve you. He blames himself for your condition. You were a bubbly person who loved the outdoors, the bustle on the streets, visiting new places and meeting new people. And he wanted to be part of every little adventure in your life but alas he robbed you of your life.

Reaching the compound he goes to visit you in your room. He replaces the dry sunflowers in the vase with the fresh ones he bought for you and sits beside you. You looked so calm and peaceful. It pains him immensely seeing you lying motionless wired to an HRM, the rhythmic beeping of the machine a proof that your heart still beats and all hopes are not lost, not yet. 

He misses your carefree laugh, misses your sweet honey laced voice, your warm smile that could brighten up anyone’s day. He craves for your touch; he wants to feel your soft delicate hands again as you caress his wounds after every time he comes back wounded fighting the bad guys. 

Everyday it's a struggle for him to leave you like this. He wants you to call him back by his name like you used to do every night before he left for patrolling not wanting him to go and risk his life out there.

🌻

It was fresher’s night Peter had already decided to give it a miss and spend time with you but Ned and Flash had forcefully made him tag along which he reluctantly did. The party was at full swing, music booming and drinks flowing. Drunk boys and girls hitting upon each other. Peter was standing at an isolated corner drinking a coke by now a bunch of girls had tried to make a move on him which he had managed to decline politely. He was never the man to indulge in infidelity, he loved you dearly and no one can take your place in his life. You even once had jokingly asked what he would do if you vanish from his life would he move on and he had just placed his hand on your mouth warily asking you to never ever say such a thing again or even think of leaving him.

After sometime one of his classmates Felicia waltzed her way up to him.

‘‘Hey Parker why are you standing here all alone?’’

‘‘No I’m fine-’’ by the time he would stop her she was already dragging him to the dancefloor. She pulled him closer, her back pressed against his chest as she took his hands and placed them on her waist. Peter felt awkward as he gently swayed with her. Soon she began grinding against making Peter feel uncomfortable. He thought whatever was happening wasn’t right he pushed her away from him as she turned around looking at him in shock and confusion.

‘‘I’m sorry I-I can’t’’ He stuttered nervously and rushed out of the room to the ground for some fresh air as he felt suffocated. Seeing the scene Emma Frost, another classmate of his followed him. Though he backed off Peter was still feeling guilty he felt he kind of cheated on you as you lay unconscious, tears pricked his eyes.

‘‘What’s your deal man?’’ Emma asks him from behind startling him.

‘‘Uh.. what?’’ He asks, quickly wiping his tears with his hands.

‘‘I just saw you leaving Felicia on the dance floor. Who does that?! Every guy in the college wants to be with her’’ she snickers

‘‘I’m not every guy. Moreover, I’m not interested’’ he says blandly.

‘‘Are you taken?’’ she looked at him skeptical and his silence gave away the answer.

‘‘Damn! She’s indeed a lucky girl’’ she exclaims ‘‘to have such a loyal boyfriend like you these days is very rare. Can I see one picture of your special one?’’ she asks excitedly to which Peter obliged with a smile as he took out his phone from his back pocket and showed her a picture of yours looking all radiant and happy in a sunflower field just like the flowers which he had clicked when you both went on a small trip.

‘‘Here she is’’

‘‘She is beautiful’’ Emma approves with a smile ‘‘So where is she? Another college or at a totally different country?’’ Peter’s expression fell as sadness took over his features; he took a long sigh before he answered her question.

"She’s at the brink of life and death and I'm just waiting for my princess to wake up"

Feeback and suggestions are always welcome.

..................................................................................

Part 2

Requests are open.

Taglist : @peaches-parker @osterfieldshollandgirl @starcoadrienette2 @spideyth @allthisfortommy @thenoddingbunny-blog @larrystylinson-sus @bloodyscarlet @itstaskeen @dummiesshort @tutuabby28 @dramaholic18 @thehumanistsdiary @majo240820 @heyafellows @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @justafangirlduh @moniffazictress11   @goodgirlgonetom   @lyzalovealk @parkerpeterparker2004 @ladykxxx08 @joselyn001

[agheaven]

hi, i redownloaded tumblr just to come before you (the master) and humbly request help. i am being haunted by a recipe that was in American girl magazine in the 2000s sometime called the pancake shake. i think it was in the reader recipe section but i don’t know for sure. i beg for your help

Hrm....that description alone isn't ringing a bell. I did scan a bunch of recipes from AG magazine back in the day, which you can find tagged under the recipe tag, but I didn't see anything that fit the 'pancake shake' description.

That said, my attempts to scan the AG Magazine recipes back in the day was incomplete, so it's possible I missed that recipe entirely. I am currently trying to scan all the issues I have, and I'm in the middle of cleaning up & uploading my November/December issues. You may want to skim the issues I have currently uploaded on the Internet Archive to see if you can locate the recipe anywhere in the Sep/Oct or the Nov/Dec issues so far. If I do happen to spot the recipe while scanning future issues, I'll be sure to update this post to let you know!

If anyone reading this happens to know what apeachpunch is referring to and has scans/pics to share, please let me know!

[tarithenurse]

Nightingale - 47

Fandom: Naruto Pairing: Hatake Kakashi &/x Fem!OC Contents: One big mix of smut, fluff, angst, unrealistic handling of PTSD, past trauma, feels, and much more...like lack of proofing, probably. Can’t remember. A/N: Blame @maladaptive-ninja-returns​ for any pain and frustration (of any kind) this chapter might cause. ASK or REBLOG for tag! HUUUGE thanks to all who are reblogging already <3

Ch. 47

“Are you sure, you want to do this?”

“…yes.”

“That didn’t sound convincing.”

“Would you just shut up and let me go?”

“...now that’s more like it.”

Kakashi can barely see the eye roll under the shaggy hair and wide-rimmed hat, but he knows it’s there. He knows all of her is under there. Somewhere. There’s a beard in the way too, and a several worn layers of baggy clothes in neutral colours that do absolutely nothing to call for attention.

The thing about disguises worn in public is not as much to look different as it is to not be worth looking at – plain and boring without any details that can be remembered later so that if any civilian does try to describe what they saw, it’ll be too generic to be useful.

“Asuma keeps saying this kid is good,” Uguïsu straightens her back for one last time before stepping out of the borrowed office, “let’s see how good,” as she speaks the last bit, her voice warps into that of an old man reminiscent of the Hokage though without being a perfect echo, “now lead the way, boy.”

Hrm…maybe she’s enjoying this too much. Still, Kakashi obliges and leads what appears to be an old man out of the front door of their home and towards downtown Konoha.

It’s busier than usual. Although summer always brings a plethora of travellers and farmers to town (which in turn attracts merchants busy to strike a deal or in search of added muscle for the trip back), the upcoming events seem to have contributed the most to the swarming people. Knowing of his girlfriend’s predicament, the jōnin finds it hard to part ways with her and carry on alone. She’s resourceful and talented, he admonishes himself, but still worries if perhaps it was a mistake to have let Asuma ask her for help. Either way, it’s too late to go back now and he must attend to his own tasks if Team 7 is going to take the exams.

…

The fish sizzles decadently on the pan, yellow butter popping as herbs and spring onions change colour from the mat tones to more vibrant and inviting. The rice is already done and shaped (holding the heat under overturned bowls), and the soup is only waiting to be served.

Come on.

As if on cue, the door slides open and a figure steps in mid-metamorphosis: a short, scruffy beard is clutched together with thin gloves; blue strand spill out from under the hat and wig that are slipping askew.

“That was fun,” Uguïsu beams and shuts the door, “and it smells delicious here!”

Headbutting the hat further towards her back, Kakashi kisses her with a smile. “Good to hear. I’m told it went well?”

There’s a sigh from within the layers of clothes that the woman is discarding, “why do you make it sound like a question when you probably already know all the details?”

“Because I’d much rather hear you talk about it, sweetie.”

“Hrm.” Despite the distrustful grunt, it’s a happy face that greet him once she’s back to her normal appearance. “Not before I get something of whatever smells so delicious.”

Kakashi had fairly quickly figured out that his blue nightingale wasn’t a cook – not that she’s bad, but she simply doesn’t have a great interest in it – and had grasped the opportunity to take the so-called task upon himself in exchange for her delightful praises. He liked cooking for some one other than himself; enjoyed knowing that in this way, at least, he could take care of her.

…

“I’m glad they did well,” Uguïsu sighs as she adjust her pillow.

Together, the couple had cleaned after dinner, exchanging stories and gossip from the day interspersed with comfortable silences, and they are now getting ready to get a night’s good rest.

First in bed, the woman waits (im)patiently for the white-haired man and even goes as far as to make grabby hands the moment he returns from brushing his teeth.

“Silly-head,” he whispers through the kisses against her cheek before pulling the mask back in place.

“Says you.”

And he does indeed feel silly when scooting closer. Taking up the usual place by his left side, Uguïsu’s head comes to rest above his heart, her leg casually draped over his, and the left hand idly toying with the string of his pyjama pants. Wrapping his own arm around her, Kakashi feels bare skin wherever his fingertips wander.

Time has passed since the night in the cave, time where Uguïsu timidly has begun to explore each of their bodies out of her own free will. Sometimes, she has let Kakashi’s hands or tongue bring her to the peak of delight and each time, he has marvelled at her as she writhed in silent ecstasy. Those occasions have been far in between.

“Sweetheart…” his voice is weak at the revelation, “are you...do you want me to…?”

The big eyes almost look innocent. “Don’t you think it would be nice to be able to feel each other?”

Yes, I do! With the voice now completely gone, all he can do is nod which his girlfriend takes as a sign that she may begin working the clothes off him although the process is hampered by increasingly needy kisses.

Skin to skin, Kakashi revels in the intimacy his blue nightingale grants him and he can feel the smile that grants his tongue further access; can sense how their bodies shift as if they could melt together. All of his senses are taken over by cotton and sweet, sweet hunger for more as their hands roam in search of purchase.

“Considering how great a day you’ve had,” he hums against the woman’s neck, “a reward could be appropriate?”

Hearing no coherent words, he takes the tug of his hair and the happy mewl as a sign of agreement and follows between her legs as Uguïsu rolls onto her back.

Only a single lamp next to the bed illuminates the room, but for Kakashi's keen eyes, he can easily see the anticipation glistening between the folds, making his mouth water and cock throb...but he takes his time highlighting his favourite paths along her body and limbs with goosebumps before finally and ever so lightly flicking the clit with the tip of his tongue before committing fully to the goal.

He loves this part. What originally had been hesitation for the sake of helping Uguïsu feel safe in spite of her trauma has evolved into a gleeful delight in slowly teasing the woman by winding her up, balancing her on the edge of an orgasm again and again until she’s writhing and begging him.

Hushed moans and whimpers fill the room in waves in accordance to the jōnin's ministrations, and he is considering letting her reach the goal this time (the fourth) when Uguïsu’s fingers tug at his hair insistently until he has crawled close enough to find her mouth.

“Please...’Kashi...” she gasps, “m-more.”

She’s pulling him by the shoulders now and has wrapped her legs around his hips, nudging him gently with the heels until his cock head brushes against the slobbering mess of her pussy.

It would be a lie to claim that the baser instinct aren’t urging him to slide in without a question asked. But he can’t. Apprehension and concern keep him frozen as he scrutinizes the face beneath him for any sign of insecurity.

“Sweetheart...” he swallows hard, steeling himself against his girlfriends attempts to move his body, “please look at me.” Lashes flutter. Her nose wriggles adorably in an attempt, maybe, to help her focus. “I do not want to push you,” Kakashi intonates carefully.

Uguïsu is still out of breath and her chest is heaving, brushing her breasts again him. “You’re not.”

He gives in to the kiss, allowing her to relieve some of the tension of the moment and almost getting lost in the languid desperation before pulling back again. “I love you.” Another deep, but gentler kiss. “I’ll do anything you want.” This time he pulls away from her lips to catch her gaze. “But I need to know you’re sure.”

And there it is: the evasive eyes as she bites into her bottom lip and almost almost distracts him. However, next second Uguïsu fixes her full attention on him again. Then she twists, reaching under the matres to retrieve something in a flat foil-wrapper. She’s prepared for this step.

“I’m sure, ‘Kashi.” Her voice is strong even if it’s still a bit frazzled from the sounds of pleasure he had been drawing from her moments ago. “I want...it. Please, help me know that...that it can feel as good as my body is telling me when I’m with you...and d-don’t let...don’t let him keep that part...”

Going against every single law of nature, Kakashi's heart both breaks and swells, leaving a throbbing crater behind in his chest that overflows with admiration and fear.

Fear. Until this woman appeared from the shadows, fear had only existed in his life in the memories of his childhood – distant and unchangeable, and safe due to its static nature. But in less than a year, Uguïsu has managed to shake his understanding of...well, of everything. She has made him irrationally afraid; brought him a love so tender, he feels like drowning (without wanting to fight it); and has helped him come to an understanding he didn’t know he was lacking.

His hands tremble as he rolls on the condom before wrapping his arms around her. “If you change your mind”, his words are swallowed in the kiss, “you just stop, ‘kay?”

Already, Uguïsu is nudging for his hips to move but halts long enough to cup his face and promise him.

Her last word transcends into a squeak as Kakashi rolls them over, planting the woman he adores on top to ensure that she is the one to control the pace...and guarantee that she can retreat without hesitation if needed. A flash memory from a cave shielding them from a thunderstorm rears in the back of his mind but is immediately banish as she rolls her hips, dragging heat along the underside of his cock and making his eyes roll back.

“Oh?” He can hear her smile and fights to bring her face into focus.

Strong fingers are wringing the sheets beneath him in an attempt to prevent them from thrusting up. It’s a good thing too: extending the motion, her clit rubs the crown of his cock again, sending a new wave of fire through every muscle of him only to be countered by a weightless anticipation when Uguïsu lingers with the cock head by the entrance to her core.

And now she’s the one to tease him until he can’t hold back the stuttering of his hips and she lifts just a bit to position herself better above him and...

...and...? Kakashi looks up to see furrowed brows. “If you don’t -”

“I do,” she interrupts decisively before relapsing to worrying on the lip for a second. “It’s just...how...? I mean...it’s big a-and...I don’t know...if...” she trails off.

Reaching up to kiss her, the white-haired man can’t help but smile. “Take it slow. A bit at a time before pulling back a bit.” A last kiss before he lies down. “Do what feels right to you.”

Oh holy fucking shit! He manages to strangle the words with a groan as Uguïsu sinks down, enveloping the head before stopping with a gasp.

She looks so beautiful. He could compliment her in a million other ways but it’s carnal thoughts that win as Kakashi sees her back arch and breasts heave from the quivering moan that escapes. Her hair is spilling around the shoulders (well, entire upper body) as a silken veil, granting her an ethereal quality together with the sheen of sweat that shines golden in the lamp light.

For a moment she smiles down at him, hands reach for his, and only when their fingers are intertwined does she move again. Slowly up. Just as slowly down. Her mouth hangs open to allow small whimpers escape – sounds that grow when she reaches a certain spot that Kakashi has acquainted his fingers with before and never fails to have her eyes rolling. This time he can’t see that, as he face is scrunching up with concentration and the overwhelming sensation. And emotions. With a final sigh, she sinks down fully on his cock.

That’s when he sees it. The realization crashes like an ice-cold boulder into his guts and he doesn’t stop himself from sitting up to wrap her in his arms.

Tears are streaking Uguïsu’s face, adding salty water to the kisses he peppers her with while he frantically promises her they can stop, that she’s okay, that he never should have said yes, and much more...or he would have if she hadn’t stopped him.

“Happy tears, ‘Kashi, happy tears.” And she is indeed smiling so bright that her eyes almost disappear.

In awe, the more-than-confused man allows her to push him back, place his hands on her thighs, and guide her slow, bouncing motion into a rhythm that chases worries away.

Not yet not yet notyetnotyetnotohfuckinghellnotyet!

It becomes a mantra, played on loop in his brain as his body screams to chase release. His hips are nearly vibrating, lighting fizzling at the edge of his vision while he tries to contain the flood. And when the scalding heat tightens in rapid spasms, the gorgeous woman spilling a broken moan in spite of the rigid body? Let Orochimaru be gone forever, Kakashi manages to think and it grounds him enough to avoid toppling over the edge with his love.

Uguïsu is gasping for breath on her way back to the present, slumping onto the jōnin and enveloping him in her scent of cotton and fresh sweat. “I...had no...no idea...wow!” A moment passes where he strokes her back and kisses the top of her head, then she looks at him, “wait...did you...?”

“This is about you, love,” he smiles, but give me a few bounces and I could.

“And I thank you for that.” He knows she does. “And I want to feel that I can give myself over and that it’ll be good. Together with you,” Uguïsu concludes.

The meaning is clear: being in control is fine and safe but she wants to defeat the lingering fears in the ultimate trust exercise.

He should argue – Kakashi is already mentally preparing every argument – but is prevented from it when the woman rolls them 180 degrees and the movement makes her core squeeze him deliciously. The tightness. The motion. It diverts all of his blood to his groin and makes the hips roll so he’s pushing deeper than ever before and his mind blanks out for a split second until a whimper brings the horrible realization crashing down.

“Fuck!” His eyes snap open and the word slips out again, although with a different intonation, at the sight of Uguïsu’s blissed out facial expression.

Blinking, she looks up at him and he can see the exact instant she hatches a plan because a smirk blooms, twisting those pretty lips. “Please show me...teach me how delicious it is,” she purrs before short-circuiting his brain once more with “sensei.”

Slow drags through Uguïsu's heat fills the room with subtle squelching from where his cock is swallowed, their gasping breaths and moans (sometimes a hiss from Kakashi when nails dig into his back and drag red lines). He really does try to restrain himself...but it’s lost the moment the woman begins to chase a new high, meeting each thrust of her own volition and punctuating them with whimpers pulled from her chest.

Her chest...her breasts. Catching a nipple in the mouth, he barely registers the dark pattern right above it – and if he had, the only thought right night would be along the lines of: you’ve lost, snake – because the effect is astonishing. Arching, undulating, the wetness sucking his cock as deep as it can, Uguïsu cums beneath him and the white-haired man can’t hold back his own orgasm any longer but snaps his hips one last time as their lips meet.

It takes time before either of them can talk (let alone move) again, but that’s alright because words aren’t necessary any longer.

[ryqoshay]

Putting on Hairs

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: 877 Rating: G, probably, mild T at best AU: Werewolf (possibly others?)

----------

Author’s Note: It’s AU August, which is something in which I’ve not often participated, but adore the idea. Recently, @lonelypond tagged me to choose a prompt, which resulted in this lovely work. At least I assume it’s lovely based on the author’s prior work; I haven’t had a chance to read it, but intend to do so later today.

Anyway, the list has been simmering in the back of my mind for a few days. And I had a silly idea for a Cryptid Theater prompt as I walked to the kitchen for some water after waking up wa~y to early this morning. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I got back up and wrote this. And here is the sleep deprived, decaffeinated result.

Notes edited with credit to @daily-nicotine

----------

“I can’t believe you would do this to me!” Nico fumed as she paced around the dressing room.

“Whatever do you mean, Nicocchi?” Nozomi inquired innocently.

“Don’t play coy with me!” Nico paused to point. “You recommended this… this circus to me!”

“I did.” Nozomi confirmed. “As your agent, I thought this role would suit my client perfectly.”

“You mean you saw an opportunity to make fun of me.” Nico growled back.

Nozomi donned a hurt expression. “You don’t like the production?”

“It’s a joke!” Nico declared. “The whole thing is one big joke! I mean of course it is. A show about werewolves titled ‘Putting on Hairs’?! What else could it possibly be but a horrible, B-rate comedy? Or tragedy more like.”

“I thought the title was amusing.” Nozomi admitted.

“Ughn!” Nico threw up her hands and started pacing again. “This was supposed to be my breakout role! But instead, I’m stuck quipping about knees bending the wrong way during transformation! I mean that’s not even true!”

“You would know.”

“Of course, I would know! That’s my point!” Nico shook her head. “You would think nobody in this whole production has ever met an actual werewolf. Or anything else for that matter. I mean of course real vampires don’t sparkle. Gods, I hate Hollywood.”

“Well, you’re not exactly admitting everything to everyone yourself, now are you.” Nozomi pointed out.

“That’s not the point.”

“Oh?”

“I can’t work like this.”

“Mm?”

“This whole thing is a mockery of who I am.” Nico groused. “And don’t even get me started on that spoiled brat of a costar.”

“I thought she was nice.”

“Nice?! Did we meet the same person?”

“She’s also quite talented.”

“Well yeah, she’d have to be to get into a school like Waseda. Unless her mommy and daddy just bought her way into that place.”

“Money may have secured her enrollment,” Nozomi conceded “and her family’s influence certainly made connections for obtaining roles like this. But I’ve done my research, her skills are her own.”

“Well maybe she should just take my role and I can get out of this whole ordeal.”

“I’d say give it a chance. Give her a chance.” Nozomi pulled something out of her shirt. “I have a feeling good things are coming.”

“You and your cards.” Nico rolled her eyes. “Put that away. And button up. Geez.” As she was about to make another round, her gaze found one of the outfits that was to be fitted for her. “Oh, and have you seen this mess?” She paused to hold up the garment. “Where did they find this? It looks like a kindergartener’s first arts and crafts project.” She tugged at a tuft of fur. “Seriously, Teen Wolf had better material for crying out loud.”

Heating up again, Nico stomped the first few steps in her circle. For her part, Nozomi watched in calm amusement, waiting for what she knew would eventually occur.

Sure enough, the strap of Nico’s top slipped off as her shoulders narrowed. Then her skirt began to slide. However, the actress was too lost in her tantrum to notice. Of course, having done this very routine dozens of times before, Nico subconsciously stepped out of everything as if it was part of her plan. Within moments, the young woman had shrunk down entirely and what was left prancing was a pretty little Pomeranian.

Nozomi held back a chortle as the fluffball yapped away, still not having noticed her transformation.

A knock sounded at the door.

That startled Nico into realizing her state and she scampered behind a chair to hide.

“Come in Maki-chan.” Nozomi called.

“How… did you know it was me?” A young redhead asked, slowly opening the door.

Nozomi merely smiled in return.

Maki raised an eyebrow but didn’t press the issue. “Anyway, I thought I heard… barking?”

Now Nozomi laughed. “Maki-chan has good ears. Do you like dogs?”

Maki tilted her head with confusion. “I don’t dislike them.” She responded. “But I was hoping to ask Yazawa-san something about our roles? Is she here?”

“As if you don’t already know.” Nozomi smirked.

“What do you…”

“You can come out, Nicocchi.” Nozomi called. “Maki-chan’s here to talk.”

“What are you…”

Nozomi moved around the chair, stooped and scooped up the dog from behind it. Nico immediately began to growl and nipped at the arms holding her.

“Here you go.” Nozomi held out the fuzzy football toward Maki.

“Eh?” Maki balked.

Nozomi sighed. “I know you’re both actresses, good ones at that, but you can stop pretending you didn’t already sense each other.”

Nico stopped squirming and let herself be handed off to a still somewhat reluctant Maki.

“But, you’re… not like me…” Maki leaned in a little toward Nozomi “or her.” She indicated Nico.

“Nope. I’m not.” Nozomi nodded.

“Then how…?”

“I have my ways.”

“Hrm…”

“Anyway, I’ll let you two have your chat.” Nozomi slipped past Maki but paused in the doorway. “Oh, Nicocchi won’t be able to change back until she calms down a bit. Perhaps try sitting with her in your lap and petting her?”

“Buweehh?” Maki almost dropped Nico.

Nozomi giggled and was gone, leaving behind a flummoxed Maki to figure out how to talk with her apparent cryptid costar.

----------

Author’s Note Continued: So there we have it. It may feel like an introduction to something bigger, but for the time being, I’m calling this one and done. Maybe someday I’ll come back and expand on this with cheesy tropes and Hollywood mockery, but I have far too much of a backlog of ideas that I want to write for my current ongoing projects.

Also, the idea for Pomeranian Nico is shamelessly stolen from... someone I follow on Tumblr.* I’m about to pass out in my chair, so I’ll have to search for that later, but preemptive thanks to the individual who posted about that months ago.

And finally, no, I did not decide what type of cryptid or monster or whatever Maki is. Maybe she’s another werewolf. Maybe she’s a vampire. I dunno, and honestly, it’s not important for the sake of this little bit. Whatever she is, I hope Nozomi made it clear that she and Nico can sense that neither are normal humans, so she’s not spilling their secrets here; they already know. And Nozomi herself is... Nozomi; probably a witch or some other spiritual/magical/whatever human type.

Edit: *lonelypond located the original post for Pomeranian Nico, or woofnic as she is adorably tagged. Thank you lonelypond for the link and thank you daily-nicotine for the wonderful art and inspiration.

[stargazer-balladeer]

Christmas Greetings from Them 2 [Genshin Impact]

Characters Included: Jean, Kaeya Alberich, Keqing, Klee, La Signora, Lisa & Lumine.

Jean

With Diluc

“You’re still working at this late of an hour?”

“! Master Diluc! What a surprise-“

“I told you to not call me that. Before you ask how I come in here, I knocked several times but didn’t receive an answer. So I decided to let myself in.”

“Ah.. I must’ve doze off. No matter, what can I help you with?”

“It’s not me that needs help actually. I’m here for you.”

“.. me? Care to elaborate, sir Diluc?”

“I’ve been informed that you’ve been working non-stop this past few days. Tell me, is this your way of getting your mind off of [Y/N]?”

“! O-Of course not! It just happens that there’s been lots of duties to be done all at once-!”

“-and all of it is a coincidence? The sudden attack of a peaceful Hilichurl in the east side of Mondstadt, Margaret’s stray cat gone missing, Taxes, Patrolling the city more often than usual, is there a need for me to go on?”

“...”

“You look tired than usual. Tell me, how many hours have you been sleeping lately?”

“... 2-3 hours.”

“*sigh* I knew it.”

“But your wrong! It’s not because of [Y/N] at all! It’s just a coincidence that there’s a lot of duties to be fulfilled when they left-!”

“Look. Do you honestly think [Y/N] would appreciate it if they find their girlfriend passed out, almost half-dead because she isn’t taking care of herself properly?”

“...”

“*sigh* I didn’t come here to lecture you. I came here to invite you to a party that the Dawn Winery is hosting.”

“A party? What for?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t realize what day it is today?”

“...”

“It’s already December 24. It’s almost Christmas Eve actually.”

“Oh..”

“That’s all. I better take my leave.”

“I’ll show up later. I’ll just.. finish some paperworks.”

“.. get some rest, Jean. You got everyone worried for you.”

“.. *sigh*”

“Stars up above the sky, ones that’s shining brilliantly like the moon, so many and so small, won’t you grant this tired woman a wish? Perhaps, a letter for my beloved? How are you faring, [Y/N]? It seems like I’ve been neglecting myself with my many duties again. If you can see me right now, I know you’ll be disappointed in me. Perhaps, master Diluc is right, maybe I was trying to find excuses. Trying to get my mind off the loneliness I feel whenever you’re not around. It’s once again the season of Christmas, and yet, you aren’t here with me. This is suppose to be a festive of love and happiness, yet all I feel is nothing. I’ll try to have some fun in master Diluc’s party tonight, but I make no promises that I’ll not force a fake smile. I miss you dearly, [Y/N]. Come back and warm me up again. Smile again for me and take my worries away. Merry Christmas, wherever you are. Forever yours, Jean.”

Kaeya Alberich

With Amber

“Sir Kaeya! Sir Kaeya!”

“...”

“Sir Kaeya! It’s about the report for Acting Grandmaster Jean-!”

“Oh? Then why didn’t you say so sooner?”

“I was trying to but you keep ignoring me-!”

“What is needed in the report? Don’t waste my time.”

“Ah.. well.. all she wanted was that you bring in your report tomorrow morning because she needs it immediately-“

“Oh. Is that it? Then consider it done. Farewell, have a nice evening, Amber.”

“H-Hey! Wait!”

“*sigh* what is it now?”

“Why’re you so cold to me? Did I do something to anger you?”

“I can reassure you that it isn’t that. You’re just.. too energetic for my taste.”

“Too energetic? What’s that suppose to mean?”

“That. You’re always curious. Always willing to help someone. You must’ve had a great life when you were a kid..”

“.. well, I would be lying if I say I didn’t.”

“See? You’re practically a normal girl. And that’s boring.”

“I-! That’s just rude, sir Kaeya!”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know that that was rude.”

“Hmph.. say, sir Kaeya. Do you know of the legend of the Wishing Stars?”

“That was a smooth shift of conversation, I would give you that. But to answer your question, doesn’t everyone know of it?”

“I guess.. so are you going to make a wish?”

“If I was going to make a wish, why would I tell you that?”

“I’m just curious. *pouts*”

“Well, there’s a infamous saying that goes, ‘curiosity kills the cat’.”

“You know what? I’m just gonna go and patrol now. Have a nice evening, sir Kaeya!”

“Annddd off she goes. *sigh* what a waste of time..”

“Hm.. o wishing stars, hear my wish. Do you mind if you can deliver this makeshift letter to my beloved? Hello darling, how are you doing? Hope you’re still alive. You better didn’t leave me by dying. Afterall, you’re the only thing that’s keeping me sane. After all that I’ve lost, you wouldn’t go disappearing too, right? Anyways, I’m getting too sentimental there. Hope you haven’t found another man to pleasure you while you’re out and about. If I ever find out that you’re cheating, there’ll be consequence.. Hahaha.. of course I know that you wouldn’t do that. I trust you that you wouldn’t do that to me. Though I do admit I miss the embarrassed, red face you always have whenever I tease you. I also miss your sharp tongue, always managing to keep me at my wit’s end by bantering with me. I would love to do all those moments again. Merriest of Christmas, [Y/N]. Bon voyage~”

Keqing

With Beidou

“... oh, miss Beidou. What a surprise to see you here.”

“... who are you again?”

“Keqing.”

“Oh.. Keqing. That girl who helped protecting Liyue from danger, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“Aren’t you a workaholic though? What’re you doing here?”

“I was forced to relax.”

“Ah. Shouldn’t that be a good thing?”

“Not to me. There’s so many things that needs to be done on time-!”

“Ah.. I understand now.”

“But what’re you doing here, miss Beidou? Not to be rude or anything.”

“Hm.. I don’t really now. Sudden urge, I guess.”

“Oh.. would you like to accompany me then? Since you’re here already. It’ll be a waste if you don’t enjoy the scenery.”

“I thought you wouldn’t ask. Sure.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“So.. how’s life for ya?”

“Alright. It’s been getting chaotic though, ever since the incident.”

“Ah.. right. Well, I’m not really surprised. Liyue Harbor was almost destroyed afterall.”

“I suppose. Say, miss Beidou.”

“Hm?”

“Do you know of the legend of the Wishing Stars?”

“Ah, I heard it from one of the crew. But what’s got you interested in it?”

“Well.. it just sounds fascinating.”

“Fascinating? First time I heard someone say that to a legend.”

“Think about it. How does it work? Why did people start talking about it in the first place? If this legend exists till this day, then it must’ve worked before, right? Won’t it work now?”

“Ah, I’ve found myself a curious one.”

“Hehe.. sorry. I guess I rambled a bit there.”

“Not at all. All of us have a interests in different things. Yours just happen to be the legend.”

“Yes.. I believe that too..”

“Why not give it a try then?”

“What?”

“Since you’re interested in it, why not try it? No harm in trying, right?”

“Hrm.. I suppose not but.. isn’t that.. albeit childish..?”

“Childish? Bah! Nonsense. Nothing is childish, especially on things you’re passionate about.”

“.. thank you, miss Beidou.”

“My pleasure. Afterall, we gals stick together, right?”

“Right!”

“Go on then. No one’s here to judge you.”

“O shining, wishing stars. Would you hear me and my wish? Please send this wish to my beloved. How have you been, my beloved? Has life been easy on you? I’m glad that you’re finally searching for your calling but I didn’t think of the setbacks it has. Selfish I may seem, I’m starting to regret sending you off on your way. It’s been almost a torture without you here by my side. I can still feel the pressure of the people behind my back. I wish you were here with your reassuring words. I would love to hear your voice, and possibly your singing as well. Even if you’re embarrassed by it, I still think it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve heard. Please return immediately, my beloved. Let’s celebrate the last few days before New Year. Merry Christmas, my beloved. May more years come and meet us. Let us face the upcoming challenges head-on.”

Klee

With Albedo

“Klee? What are you doing still up at this hour? It’s way past your bedtime.”

“Oh.. mr Albedo.”

“? What’s gotten you so sad, Klee? Tell me so that I know who I should beat up.”

“It’s nothing like that. I just.. miss [Y/N].”

“Ah, your playmate. Don’t worry, Klee, I’m sure that they miss you too.”

“Hrm..”

“.. do you really miss them?”

“*nods*”

“*sigh* well, I cannot exactly bring them to you..”

“Oh..”

“Hm.. how about making a wish to the stars?”

“Make a wish? To the stars?”

“Have you heard of the legend of the Wishing Stars?”

“Ah! Grandmaster Jean told me about that! If we wish from the bottom of our hearts, then the stars will hear it!”

“*chuckles* I guess that’s one way to sum it up. How about we make a wish?”

“But what would I wish for, mr Albedo?”

“How about you wish for your friend’s safety?”

“Eh? I thought you can only wish for yourself? You can wish for other people as well?”

“There’s a million ways to wish, Klee. One way is for yourself, the other is for someone else, and the rest is something else entirely. So, c’mon, let’s wish from our hearts.”

“Hmm.. okay! Klee would do it! For [Y/N]!”

“*chuckle* yes, for [Y/N].”

“Shining wishing star, can you hear my wish pretty please? This is for my friend, [Y/N]. I wish them the best! I hope they find what their looking for and they return safely! So that we can still play hide and seek, and dolls, oh! And tag! I recently made a game that I’m sure that both of us will enjoy very much! Though, for now, Klee would stay patient and wait for [Y/N]. Just like Grandmaster Jean, sir Kaeya and everyone said. I just need to be patient. But, I don’t know how long I can be patient for.. oh! I also recently gotten some new toys from everyone! I want to share them with [Y/N]! Hehe. Happy Christmas, [Y/N]! Oh! And happy Christmas, wishing stars! I’m gonna continue to hope that [Y/N] will return so that we can play again!”

La Signora

With Scaramouche

“...”

“.. well, isn’t this a surprise.”

“Tsk. What’re you doing here?”

“Now now.. is that a way to greet a fellow Harbinger?”

“I’m going now.”

“Hold on. Why don’t we chat? It’s been a while since I’ve last seen you and I’m getting lonely with no one to talk to here.”

“Why not talk to yourself? Why drag me to your ‘chat’?”

“Do you think you have a choice?”

“..tsk.”

“Good. Now, come, join me outside.”

“Why go outside when its freezing as hell out there?”

“Did I stutter?”

“To the outside it is.”

**

“I still wonder why you decided to drag me out of here when we could’ve had our ‘chat’ indoors.”

“If we had our chat indoors, then we won’t have a view of the stars.”

“Stars? Since when were you interested in astrology?”

“I’m still not interested in astrology. The legend behind them though is what interest me.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“Have you heard of the legend of the Wishing Stars?”

“Who hasn’t? Everyone’s been talking about it that it makes me sick.”

“It would be wonderful if it was true though..”

“Ha? You do know it’s nothing more than a legend right?”

“Well, it does have the ‘legend’ part in its name.”

“Oh, so you are aware of it. Now, c’mon, let’s head inside before we get frostbite out here-“

“Just because it’s a legend doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in them.”

“... are you serious?”

“Hmhmm.”

“I still don’t get why I’m here in the first place.”

“Call it a moral support.”

“How is this moral support-??”

“Quiet. I must say my wish now.”

“*sigh* does it look like I have a choice-?”

“Shining Wishing Stars. Even if I am a Fatui Harbinger, would you still grant me a wish? I would like to wish from you the safety of my beloved. Let no harm befall for them because of my status as the 8th Harbinger in the rankings. I truly wish I could spend this Christmas season with them but duty calls. I wonder how they are right now. Are they happy? Or are they miserable? I really want to go home to them and spend the rest of my life with them. But alas, the Tsaritsa goes first.. as usual. I miss pressing my body against theirs while cuddling with them. I miss the affections they shower me with constantly.. maybe I’ve taken that for granted, now that I’m seeking it constantly. I should probably stop now, I’m already rambling.. Merry Christmas, [Y/N]. I promise we’ll be together soon. Just continue to wait for me, my love.”

Lisa

With Razor

“Hm? Oh my, Razor. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Happy.. Christmas, miss Lisa.”

“*chuckles* Happy Christmas too, Razor.”

“.. are you okay?”

“Oh? Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be anything but okay?”

“You look.. sad. Are you.. missing someone?”

“Ohh you’re good~! Why yes, perhaps I do miss someone..”

“Where are they now? Why they not with you?”

“I’m afraid their on a adventure of their own. As much as I want to accompany them on it, I’m afraid that I can’t. I can’t abandon my position as a librarian afterall.”

“Oh.. I see.”

“Now, why don’t I tell you a legend? It’s quite fitting for the seasonal festivity right now.”

“A.. legend? Similar to me?”

“Yes! It’s the legend of the Wishing Stars. Have you heard of it?”

“Red.. bunny girl mention about it.”

“.. oh, you mean Klee. I suppose that either Albedo or Jean must’ve told her about it. Though I’m quite surprised you were able to understand it given her unique wording.”

“You just wish.. from the heart.. and the stars.. will make it true. That’s what red bunny girl said.”

“Hmm.. I supposed that’s one way to word it. You just basically wish for something and, if you really mean it, it will be granted by the stars above. Though there’s no evidence that its actually true.”

“So.. it’s fake?”

“Not at all. If its truly a fake one, then people would soon forget about it and it’ll be lost in history. But the fact that it was able to reach to our time means it must’ve been atleast real to make it this far.”

“Oh.. then why don’t miss Lisa make a wish?”

“.. me? Making a wish?”

“The legend.. is for everyone right? So, why don’t miss Lisa make one?”

“.. I suppose that is correct.”

“So? Is miss Lisa making a wish?”

“Hmm.. I think you’ve convinced me enough. Fine, I’ll make a wish of my own.”

“Hehe.”

“Wishing stars, hear my wish. I wish the best for everyone around me. I hope that Jean wouldn’t continue to overwork herself and actually learn to take some rest. For Kaeya to stop leaving and letting the other Knights of Favonius behind to do whatever he’s doing. For Razor to continue being my cute student and find a place for himself in this world. I also hope to see my darling once more. It’s quite lonely without them, not being able to see them is quite a nightmare actually. It’s worse than having a book overdue- Wherever they are now, I hope their okay and safe from harm. I better not see any scratches on them, but if there is scars, I would just kiss them and love them~ they are a part of them afterall. I wouldn’t change it for the world~ Merry Christmas, everyone. May tomorrow shine even brighter than today.”

Lumine

With Aether 👀

“Now that we’re together again, dear sister. Shouldn’t you atleast be happy? Why the frown?”

“It’s just that.. we’ll be leaving soon.”

“Yeah.. you know that we aren’t welcome in this world.”

“I know-! But.. what will happen to everyone- what will happen to [Y/N]?”

“... and this is why I told you to not get attached to anyone.”

“.. I can’t help it brother. I love them with all of my heart. Leaving them so suddenly, without a goodbye will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

“So, if you’ll say goodbye to [Y/N], that’s okay for you?”

“...”

“You want to stay, don’t you?”

“I learned to love this world, brother. I can’t just get up and leave so suddenly. I’ve met so many wonderful people while searching for you. Meeting [Y/N] was honestly the best thing that could happen to me, besides finding you of course.”

“.. I don’t want you to suffer in this world, dear sister. We don’t belong anywhere. That’s why we travel from world to world.”

“How about we settle in this world instead? Besides the goddess who put us here, we’re at peace-! For the longest time, ever since I can remember, we’ve been running and running. We’re never truly at peace!”

“If we stay here, then this world will be in-danger.”

“!”

“Do you want this world to suffer because of our selfishness?”

“I-..”

“I’ve also come to love this world, sister. But danger always follows us wherever we are. If we stay here, then this world would be in danger because of us.”

“... hey brother.. do you know of the legend of the Wishing Stars?”

“.. the others were talking about it. It’s about wishing something from your heart and then the stars will grant it, right?”

“Hmhmm.. that’s the summary.”

“Are you gonna make a wish?”

“Yes. If we’re truly going to leave this world behind, then I’ll just leave behind a wish.”

“.. alright.”

“Shining stars, won’t you grant my wish? I won’t be here for long, and I’m honestly scared of what’ll happen from now on. Especially to everyone here in Teyvat, to [Y/N]. Please protect them when I can no longer. When I’m no longer here to protect them, please don’t bring them any harm. I wish the best for them. Please don’t let their smile vanish. Don’t let them lose their light, their happiness and their love. Even if it pains me, I wish them the happiness if ever they find someone else to love. Please don’t let them forget about me. Atleast keep me in their heart. And in return, they shall remain in mine. Happy Holidays, my love. Though many seasons will pass, I know you’ll remain strong throughout it all. You are afterall my love.”