#[ wanting to protect him to the point of suffocation etc etc

[where-does-the-heart-lie]

Is it so hard to ask that sabo follow his dream he had when he was a kid? IS IT??????

Also, his boat was commissioned from Franky! And he did a great job :)

Design talk:

Im gonna start with just sharing his canon designs

Colors:

Something i want to call attention to is the blue and black in his design.

When he was young, Sabo wore his heart on his sleeve. He had a dream for himself and was taking steps to complete it. Likewise, that blue on his coat is on full display its bright and vibrant and saturated. But also theres that dark blue, almost black, thats underneath it thats being hidden by that coat, the pants, and his tattered cravat. Likewise again, Sabo is hiding his darker side. He has secrets he doesn’t want his brothers to know of and he lets his aspirations and relationships he has with them outshine his past.

In his present design, that blue that was representative of his dreams, is now the one being hidden. Its covered by a complete black coat, a representative of the darkness in his life that now is drives him. This color switch up is symbolic for how he’s put off his dreams and kept it locked up (belt), while choosing instead to pursue a life of darkness for the greater good.

Also, these pictures of young sabo and young adult sabo, you can visually see how less saturated it is. The blue is duller of the coat/undershirt and even more-so with the pants. You can see how he’s much less vibrant than how he was.

In my Post-Story idea, what happens leading up to it is that Sabo succeeds in taking down the world government and after he’s sure the world can move on without him, he goes sailing alone as a pirate to write a book about the world, like he’s always wanted to do. Also, Luffy returns his straw hat to shanks.

So in my design, sabo wears a vibrant blue coat again. He’s living his dream and has nothing holding him back from doing it. The black is still used, and its not being covered, but its on his pants and his gloves. He still has that darkness, but he doesn’t use it as protection or as something to hide, rather as something he moves forwards and progresses with. He will never forget what pain and hardship he went through and he’s not trying to. However, whats underneath all the layers is not darkness or dreams, and its not necessarily being hidden either, its light. Not BRIGHT, but light. Mellow and calm. The settled true nature of a healed man.

I took more colors from his child design than i did with his young adult (YA) one, too. I wanted to show how he’s reconnecting with his younger self by bringing them through to his Post-Story look!

Also, since his journal is his dream, it is blue, as well.

———

Items of Clothing:

In both of his canon designs, there is a sense of properness. A top hat, cravat, tailcoat, etc etc.. Its all properness. But more than that, its the idea of responsibility.

Whether he acts responsible or not isn’t what matters in his case, instead its that he wants to look responsible. He wants this because a) he was a little kid who wanted to grow up too fast and be taken seriously, and b) because he has an incredible amount of responsibility being the second in command of the revolutionary army.

To further prove that, I would like to point out his silly little cravat. I love his cravat. But how the hell is that practical for his line of work? Sabo is concerned with being practical, hence his baggy/movable pants and leather gloves. Additionally, just the waist/trench coat, belt, top hat combo would suffice for a proper looking person, but it’s taken excessively with the cravat. The cravat is purely for appearances.

Further symbolism with his cravat, i think, is that this appearance is visually choking him. Its wrapped tightly around his neck when he was a child and when he was most under control of a much higher power. However, when he’s a YA, it’s a lot looser. He’s got some agency, but he’s still being suffocated by responsibilities.

On with my design.

I took away his cravat. Im sorry but it is SYMBOLIC!!!!!!! He is not worried anymore with appearances, he is Free.

I took away his top hat but not his goggles, too. I think that after Luffy gives back the straw hat, Sabo forgoes his hat as well. In solidarity, maybe. If you think about it, the top hat isnt what makes his hat so special, its the goggles. So i got rid of the hat and kept The Goggs. Although it is sad that they are no longer Hatted, as that is one of the beautiful appeals of ASL, they are no longer ASL.

I wanted to keep aspects of his YA design, since even though it is very perforative, its still a style that he’s stuck with since childhood, so he’s gotta like it in some capacity. I just tried to make everything look a lot looser/open on him.

Lastly, i gave him a bit of a beard cuz i think he deserves it.

———

Alright! If you got this far, thanks so much for reading my insane ramblings!!!! I fr feel like this rn 👇

Visually, sabo’s design is not too complex, at least not when you look at him next to Ace, but theres a lot of depth to it. I didnt even think of half of these notes before i started typing this up, its just the more time i look at it, the more i noticed!

[harmonysanreads]

i feel like yan!phainon wouldn't want to restrain you physically like tie you up or keep you locked up in a room and etc i think he'd have some form of self-conscience that he's a hero and that doing the above will make himself seem otherwise so he like protects darling at all costs and ends up being overprotective (like the last post you made) because he doesn't want to resort to physically restricting behavior? unless you make things difficult for him but that's just how i think of him for now whjebdjwhebewf praying hoyo cooks with him

I was quite certain about this as well but after recent news of Flame Reaver, a different thought is bugging me if I am to be honest.

Frankly speaking, for an unknown duration of time, Phainon was a man who had nothing left ; his home, the people he once held dear, even his true name had to be left behind. Only vengeance, hatred, a desire for revenge or, perhaps a promise he'd made kept him living an excuse of an existence. You could say that is still the case now, on a deeper level at least. But Phainon would like to not dwell on the negatives all the time. He has a valiant objective, a name that instigates respect among the people, friends that he can fight alongside with, status and wealth.

However, is he sure that those are things he... wants? In a temperate mood, he might say yes. But in all honesty, he isn't sure. In a particularly low-point in his life, he might outright say no, as well. But there is something else, someone else that makes his heart ache at the thought of letting go and leaving behind — you. You're not someone that was pushed to him to carry like all his duties, even if you are, he'd rather take a meteor to his face than give you such label.

Saving Amphoreus through the Flame-Chase? Getting vengeance in Aedes Elysiae's name? Nothing comes close to what he feels when the possibilities are replaced with your name. This is the one mission he'd put all his certainty to. If he is destined to be a hero, he'd much rather be your hero — or, try to. In the beginning it was relatively easy and it was rather difficult to complain about his ‘antics’ when they could be rationalized with some thinking. Not that many people would be bothered to think either, whatever keeps their prophesized Deliverer happy they guess.

Things truly start to become complicated when a shadow from a distant time gets involved in the picture — for you, that is. You see, despite how suffocating Phainon would get in the past, it was well-known to everyone that you held the reigns in the end. It was always ridiculously easy to get Phainon to bend to your will as well, as despite everything, he is a simple man deep down. So, when one day you find your usual tactics completely fail against him, faced with a determination to keep you hidden like he'd die the most gruesome death without making it a reality — no one knew what to do.

Phainon apologizes to you without sparing a breath throughout the ordeal, groveling for a sin he knows he won't receive mercy for. But that is okay, he's always said that he'd take it with a smile even if you sneered at him with a death-sentence. As long as you're safe from that other him, he's willing to go to whatever low is necessary.

[iamzer0]

𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙁𝙚𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙣

Yandere platonic Feitan

You and feitan weren’t blood related, but you had grown up together as siblings.

Before he met the troupe he had met you, you were in a small wedge between some fallen rubble and the ground.

It wasn’t comfortable but it was safe.

You didn’t speak Feitans language but understood it.

You and him survived together, sharing the warmth and little food y’all had.

You and him stumbled across the troupe, at the time they were just a group of friends.

Y’all had integrated into the small group, it was a strange life but y’all were safe for the most part.

You loved Feitan with all your heart he was the only family you ever had.

But you absolutely hated how possessive he could get.

You always had to stay by him and only him, were he went you followed unless it was dangerous then you had to stay back.

You wanted to fight, to show your worth but he would never let you.

His presence around you become increasingly suffocating as y’all grew.

You never really talked much, you never needed too. You made simple gestures with your hands to communicate.

Like your own made up sign language.

Two hands clasped together pointed down meant you were bothered or upset. Two hands pointed up meant you were ok or at peace.

It had for the most part been a normal day.

Feitan and you had went out to retrieve an item that was sought after on the black market for its rarity.

As you and Feitan walked down the street you looked around at the various people, places, items etc.

You never strayed once but Feitan saw you looking around and took hold of your wrist forcing you to stay shoulder to shoulder with him.

Once again you were reminded of his possessive tendencies.

You absolutely hated it, you couldn’t do anything with him firmly planted to your side.

As he retrieves the artifact, you were standing on the side like always. You were thinking about how unfair it was, why did he get do all these cool jobs and you do jackshit.

He treated you like an incapable toddler, even though you had only been a couple yrs younger.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by Feitan grabbing your wrist leading you, this signaled he was done and y’all are leaving.

You pulled back your wrist.

He turned back to look at you, you quickly signed with your makeshift sign language.

The gist of what you were saying was ‘why don’t you left me do anything’ you were quick and angry with your signing.

“Let’s go” he said in a cold tone.

You tried to protest but you were pulled by your wrist, hard.

You tried pulling away, but he simply tightened his grip.

Y’all had arrived at the hideout, he passed off the item too Machi.

The second he let go of you, you walked of stomping the entire way.

“What’s up with them?” Shalnark asked Feitan,

Feitan didn’t answer, simply speed walking to were you were.

He couldn’t understand your anger, you had no reason to be angry. At least that’s what he thought.

Most of the troupe was gathered in the main area, that’s were you had walked too.

You were currently leaning against one of the rocks, when Feitan walked in.

He walked up to you, but you didn’t not want to face him you got up and turned away attempting to walk off.

He grabbed your shoulder, you shook him off.

But he suddenly grabbed you turning you to face him.

As this was unfolding the troupe grew quiet, watching y’all.

You quickly signed something, they had no idea what you were signing, but by your quick hands and angry look they could tell it wasn’t good.

He responded in a language they didn’t know, his response roughly translated to ‘you aren’t ready, your too young’

You signed back quicker and angrier, ‘I am ready! You never let me do anything’ you were angry, and determined to make him listen.

He responded again in his native tongue, ‘i protect you, I make sure you are safe, isn’t that enough’

You go back and forth, until he puts down his foot saying again in his native language, ‘you will listen to what I say, you. Are. Not. Ready.’ He said roughly.

For the first time in a long time, you spoke. Blurting out “I HATE YOU” you yell, voice raspy from not speaking all these years.

The entire room is silent, Feitan eyes wide.

You have never spoken this way, ever. It was a shock them all, especially Feitan.

Tears weld in your eyes, not from sadness from anger.

At that moment you hated everyone especially Feitan.

You walked away, hurriedly.

Feitan was standing there frozen in shock.

You had fallen asleep against the wall of your shared room, I bet you can take a wild guess on who you share it with.

Feitan walked in careful to not alert you that he was there.

In one swift motion he bent down, and shoved a needle in your neck, you woke for a brief second due to the pain, then quickly fell back a sleep.

He quickly in one motion stood up, you in his arms bringing you to his bed.

He had chained you to the bed post, making sure you couldn’t slip out by any means.

He sat by you, staring at you.

He was lost in thought, you were his family.

You couldn’t hate him, it wasn’t possible. You were just moody that was the only explanation.

He knew deep down that you would leave the first chance you got and he couldn’t take that risk.

You would understand eventually, he knew you would.

Im sorry this took so long I’m traveling to see family rn so I’ve been busy. I am working on a story but it’s taking me longer than I thought. Anyway imma stay on that grind trust. Love u all so much bye bye(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))♡

[frostedheartwriter]

hi my friend!!! welcome to the crk writing community! i have a request if that is ok! May i request a hurt/comfort PLATONIC dark choco x innocent sister!reader? Basically, reader was just a little girl when choco was banished from the dark cacao kingdom... since then, she has always been alone and scared, especially with the famine in the DC kingdom and her father being distant because he was so focused on rebuilding the wall to the licorice sea. She has no idea about choco turning evil and did not know he attacked his father with the sword When choco returns (during chapter 13 + 14 of crk), she witnesses all that happened (choco trying to take the soul jam, cacao going beserk, etc) and shes just traumatized. At the end of chapter 14, she finally reunites with choco and he comforts her (IM SORRY IF THIS IS SO SPECIFIC IT IS TOTALLY FINE IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS!!)

(It's okay! Feel free to request more! Also, reader can be any gender but they will usually be depicted as female because that's easier for me to write. And thanks for welcoming me!)

Dark Choco Cookie x Little Sister Reader (Platonic)

--------------------------------------

You had been oblivious to many things. Your father, Dark Cacao Cookie, didn't think you could protect yourself in battle, which led to him keeping you within the castle to keep you safe... After banishing your older brother, Dark Choco Cookie, your father fell into a state of depression... But you never fully knew why your brother was banished. You couldn't cry out of pure sadness, but you did cry from sadness, confusion, and anger. It just wasn't fair...

You hated Affogato Cookie with every last fiber of your being. You hated his voice, his heart, and most of all? You hated his actions and lies... You cried in your room after Caramel Arrow Cookie was banished. For she was only friend and the only other one to see past Affogato Cookie's lies. Or so you thought. You didn't realize that Dark Cacao Cookie, aka your father, hadn't exactly banished her. All he really did was send her out, knowing that she would provide help to other cookies should your father's kingdom possibly fall...

You mostly stayed within your room, waiting for something or someone to come and be your friend... You were growing more and more lonely. And at this point? You were willing to try and befriend many monsters, just to make the loneliness less suffocating...

To make sure you were still at least a little healthy, you took the job of answering the doors at the gate... You also made it your job to comfort other cookies and sneak food to those in need... Soon enough, Gingerbrave and his friends, had arrived. You welcomed them with open arms, especially when you heard that they had a message for your father from Pure Vanilla Cookie! You were thrilled to hear that your uncle, aka your dad's friend, was still alive!

But soon, you noticed that Affogato Cookie had teamed up with a different group of cookies... The Cookies of Darkness... You didn't like them one bit. But something felt familiar about one of them... Could it be? No, it can't be... He was banished long ago...

But then, after watching your father get pushed off the wall, you recognized him, but he was vastly different from the Cookie you remember...

At first, you ran away from him, not wanting to believe your eyes... This couldn't be your big brother, it just couldn't... But eventually, Gingerbrave and his friends convinced you to try and talk to your big brother. You searched the kingdom for him, but couldn't find him anywhere.

That was, until you came across him and your father fighting with their metal swords... You were scared, not wanting to lose your big brother nor your father...

"S-Stop... Please..."

You pleaded softly as your father and big brother had taken a moment to catch their breaths... But suddenly, Pomegranate Cookie had used a spell to turn your father into what seemed to be both a shadow and a horrifying monster...

"FATHER, NO!"

You cried out in worry as you watched your father transform... Gingerbrave and his friends had stepped in and protected you and many others. While this happened, you looked at your big brother, who was looking at his father in horror, shock, and regret...

"B-Big brother...?"

You uttered with tears in your eyes, catching his attention. He looked at you with pain and conflict behind his eyes... After your father had returned to normal, Pomegranate Cookie had tried to take your father's Soul Jam, but Dark Choco Cookie stopped her... You then watched him put down his sword, freeing him from what you assumed to be Dark Enchantress Cookie's control...

Your brother then, instead of walking away immediately, he gently picked you up and rubbed your back as he walked to your room... He ignored Pomegranate Cookie's words about him being a traitor as he held you close...

"Big brother... I-I missed you..."

You uttered with soft sobs as your big brother sat on your bed, rubbing your back...

"I missed you as well, dear sister... And I am so sorry for what I've done..."

He spoke gently as he watched you start to become sleepy within his arms... He then gently layed you in your bed, tucking you in as he both held your hand and rubbed your back...

As you fell asleep, you whispered something that made your big brother's heart swell with both pain and love...

"I forgive you big brother... I love you..."

Those words... Dark Choco Cookie hugged you as you fell asleep. You were barely able to hug him back before falling asleep completely... Dark Choco Cookie stayed there for a good while before gently laying you back down and tucking you back in before leaving. But not without stopping to glance back and give you a gentle smile first...

"Sweet dreams, my dear sister... I promise I will be there for you whenever I can... May your nightmares be vanquished and your heart remain ever pure..."

He spoke before walking away from the kingdom... After a few days, you had been seeking out your big brother whenever you needed a shoulder to cry on. With the help of Caramel Arrow Cookie of course. And every single time, your brother would hold you close, allowing you to sob and let your emotions out... He always looked forward to your visits, even if it was just so you could cry. It was his chance to make up for all the time he had been away from you despite not being fully ready to return to your father's kingdom yet.

Nightmares? Emotional and mental meltdowns? Sickness? It didn't matter. He was always there to comfort you, even sneaking into the kingdom whenever you were unable to leave due to a sickness. He made sure he was there for you whenever your father and Caramel Arrow Cookie couldn't. And that had always put your heart at ease...

(Sorry if this wasn't what was expected! I just rolled with it immediately after finishing chapter 14. Hope you enjoyed the story!)

[nymph-ette111]

AUTHOR'S NOTE; TUMBLR IS BEING MEAN AND WOULDN'T LET ME RESPOND TO THIS ASK BUT katsusuz my love 🫶 a notification from you always makes my day. Writing this made my ever growing obsession with x-virus even worse.

WARNINGS; MENTIONS OF MENTAL DISORDERS/TRAUMA

- I've mentioned it in my last post but I like to think that Cody isn't the greatest with social awareness.

- If you two ever argue it's because he doesn't understand your point of view or any underlying emotions you have in a situation, or at least he doesn't consider it beforehand.

- Despite that, he's a very loving partner... As loving a person with ASPD could get. Sure, he may lack empathy towards others, or not experience emotions at the same wavelength as a neurotypical person but the affection is there, just shown in it's own different way.

- While we're on that topic, Cody's mental disorders are listed as such: complex post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

- He rarely sleeps—night terrors are a common occurrence. Most of your nights—the ones where he's home—are spent sitting on the couch with Cody, even if you're on the verge of falling asleep. He appreciates you sacrificing your beauty sleep because he couldn't get his. He didn't like it at first and has definitely made a fuss about how bad it is for your health but you were stubborn enough for him to stop trying to convince you.

- Protective but not in a controlling, suffocating way. You still very much have your freedom but he won't hesitate to step in if someone is getting too close for comfort, or a person's gaze is lingering inappropriately. Not the type to be aggressive or verbal about it, only if it's absolutely necessary. Prefers standing over your shoulder like a guard dog instead. Or a hand firmly clasped onto your waist.

- He does his own makeup. Could be a cute bonding moment for the two of you—sitting on the edge of the bathroom sink with Cody standing between your legs, his hands gently rubbing circles on your thighs as you focus on perfecting his eyeliner <3

- Or doing his nail polish. He prefers black but isn't opposed to the idea of trying different colors. If you're having fun then so is he.

- I feel like his love language would be acts of service—prefers showing his love for you through making your life easier whether it be doing your chores, or cooking you breakfast... etc. Reserves the words of affirmation for more intimate moments—more so late at night. Physical touch flusters him but he doesn't hate it, just needs some time to get used to it.

- He's very passionate about what he does. If you show any sign of interest in his latest projects he'd happily ramble about viruses and microbes and how they work—the symptoms and results... etc. His virus favorite is the bacteriophage.

- I've briefly mentioned it earlier but Cody doesn't stay much at night which is why he makes the most of his time with you in the morning—he's most active at night, his studies and work are all scheduled late because he prefers going unnoticed. And by work I mean both paying jobs and the whole experimenting stuff.

- He's been through a lot. Has definitely cried in your arms before. Not the most emotional but sometimes he lingers on the bad thoughts longer than he should. I just want to kiss him so bad </3

- He likes keeping his hair long but sometimes it needs a little trim, why go out and pay money for a cut when he has his beautiful partner who's willing to do it for him? Same with bleaching his hair.

- Give him a cup of coffee and some honey cookies and he'll love you forever.

- Cody has a hard time processing his emotions. It somewhat affects the relationship because he is often feeling confused about things. You're the first person he's ever loved, everything is still so foreign for him.

- Not really related to the dating stuff BUT HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN'S ARMS???? my Lord I need to be put in a headlock by this man ashksjsjs

[lincolndjarin]

Best Kept Secret

chapter eight : solar markets (RE-UPLOAD)

ao3 link ✿ series masterlist ✩ main masterlist ✧

pairing : bodyguard!Din Djarin x afab!princess!reader

rating : 18+ mdni

word count : 5.3k

summary : the mandalorian takes reader on a day trip

warnings, etc. : language, reader thinks about sex like a little bit

A/N : i had to change accounts so this is a re-upload of my ongoing fic bks!!

It’s nice to wake up excited again. 

You wish you could say that it happened more often but hopefully it will from now on. It’s going to be your first time leaving the castle grounds since you got here. You’ve spent the last four weeks cooped up and you couldn’t be more thrilled to finally get to see something new. 

As much as you love the library it can be suffocating to spend every single day between those four walls. 

So you summon Elaine and Lysa as quickly as possible, grinning as you stand in the mirror until you notice the faint blooms of purple on your waist. 

Shit. 

You have to rush to find undergarments that will cover them and you’re barely pulling them over your hips as the door swings open. 

“Good morning ma’am.” Elaine smiles at you as she grabs a brush, going to stand behind you to comb out the knots in your hair. She snaps her fingers sharply and points to the closet signaling for Lysa to fetch you a gown. 

“Good morning Elaine.” You give her a smile, “Good morning Lysa!” You say slightly louder as you watch in the mirror as she brings out a flowy lilac gown. “I’m going out today girls.” You turn to smile at both of them. 

“Is that so ma’am? Where are you going?” Elaine speaks as she pulls the dress over your head and begins lacing up the corset. 

“The Mandalorian is accompanying me to the markets in the city today.” You try to hold back a bit of the enthusiasm in your voice. 

“Mhmm. That sounds wonderful ma’am.” Her head turns. “Go get her a cloak, and then go find Leodall to give her some credits.”  

“Of course.” In a rush Lysa threw a light gray cloak onto the bed and darted out of the room. Elaine dressed you in near silence after that, softly humming a song to herself every once in a while as you let her straighten the cloak over your shoulders. 

It gives you time to think.

Are things going to be different now? It would be hard to go back to how things were at this point, but you don’t want to have to act like strangers again. You’ve agreed to keep having sex at the very least which is a huge relief, but you also want to make sure that you can still talk to him. Just act normal. Act like nothing is different. 

She’s quick with your makeup, doing some simple little accents around your eyes and letting your hair fall around your face in a way she typically doesn’t. 

“Even though you haven’t made many public appearances it will be best to keep your face mostly hidden my lady.” She adjusts the hood slightly over your hair to shield the top of your head. You nod slowly.

“Is there a bag I can take?” Is all you have to say in response, you aren’t particularly worried about any threats in the city. After all, you have Mando. Who, now that you’re thinking about it, you have never seen in action. Sure he’s big and imposing but it’s still troubling to think that he might be all talk. He does love to talk. You’ll be fine. He wouldn’t take you into the city if he couldn’t protect you. 

Probably. 

Elaine throws a white satchel over your shoulders and takes a step back to admire her work before nodding. 

“If you’re ready I’m sure he’s waiting for you.” She gives you a grin before leaving. You take a good look at yourself in the mirror, Elaine really does work wonders. You honestly aren’t sure how she does it, it’s not like you’re unattractive by any means but you don’t think you were this alluring back on Hoth. 

Is it okay to hope that he notices? That doesn’t break any rules right? 

You don’t have long to wonder because Leodall is bursting into the room holding a small leather coin purse. Holding it out to you. 

“I wish you had given me more warning princess… this was what I was able to put together on such short notice.” He’s seemingly trying to catch his breath still as you take the purse and open it, your eyes going wide. You were royalty back on Hoth but clearly not this royal. There’s more credits than you could possibly know what to do with inside. 

“A-are you sure?” You manage to stammer out, you’re nervous just holding them. 

“I mean if you’d like I can see if I can make it down to the vaults but it will take me much longer to get more, how much do-” You cut him off.

“Nevermind Leo. Thank you.” You give him a reassuring smile as you put the credits in your bag and dismiss him with a nod. You slip on a pair of riding boots before exiting the room yourself. 

He looks different. 

Scarier. 

You clearly hadn’t been getting the full Mandalorian before because now there’s somehow more attachments. Ammunition. He’s shinier if that was somehow possible, like he polished his armor for this outing and he’s got a brown canvas bag thrown over his shoulder. 

He looks like a proper killer. 

Why does that send a rush of heat between your legs?

“Good morning, princess.” He gives you a curt nod.

So far so good. 

“Good morning Mando. You look… nice.” You tilt your head slightly, getting a real eyeful of him before meeting his visor. 

Okay this is a little more difficult than you thought it was going to be.

Of course it’s harder than you thought it’d be to have a conversation with someone you’ve had impulse hate sex with. 

You just want things to be normal. Just friends. You can do this, this is what you wanted so you need to make it work, you will make it work. 

“Are you ready?” 

“Always.” He turns on his heel to start making his way down the hall and you swiftly follow. 

“Will we be walking there?” You can’t stop smiling at the prospect of finally actually seeing other people. 

“It’s a bit far for that. We’ll take a speeder.”

“Like a bike?” You can’t hide the excitement in your voice, as he lets out a low chuckle. 

“No princess. I don’t think it would be proper for me to take you into the city on a speeder bike. We’ll be taking a landspeeder.” You try to hide your disappointment as he leads you through the twisting halls until you finally reach the familiar front gates. You’d only ever gone in through them when you arrived all those weeks ago. When you went to the garden you had taken back exits. Mando is already talking to a droid near the gate and you can’t catch what he’s saying but he comes back with two silver bands, holding one out to you. “Palace rules, if you’re leaving the grounds you’ve gotta wear it.” He easily clips his on as you fumble with the clasp on yours.

“What are they for?” You can’t help but bite your lip as you try to get the damn thing on before finally he takes your wrist and does it for you.

“Trackers.” He says it like he doesn’t like the taste of the word in his mouth but you choose to ignore it as he walks through the gate, scanning the bracelet as he does so, you follow his lead and then you’re outside. A light blue landspeeder is waiting for the two of you and you take his hand as he helps you get into the back seat before pulling himself up next to you. The driver nervously turns to stare at him but says nothing as he turns back around. “Solar Markets.” Is all Mando has to say in that stern, bounty hunter tone before you’re flying. 

✩

It’s annoyingly beautiful. 

You’d convinced yourself that Naboo was a place you had been condemned to but it’s stunning. It’s greener than you’d realized and you swear you hear Mando laugh at the awestruck look on your face. 

He looks comfortable like this, leaning back, his arms spread out across the back of the seat. You must look like an over eager child the way your eyes keep darting around. You almost want to ask if you can keep riding around for a bit when the speeder stops. 

Almost.

But the markets are much more enticing. 

Alive and buzzing with people, there’s probably more people just on this street than there were in your entire colony back home. Mando helps you out of the speeder by lifting you up by your waist and once you’re on the ground you pull your hood back up. He leans down to whisper to you.

“No one is going to recognize you, it’s okay.” Is he smiling? It sounds like he’s smiling. You let the hood fall and run your fingers through your hair to try and brush the wind out of it. He holds his arm out and you briskly take it, clutching yourself close to him as he starts walking. It’s almost like a small path through the crowds clears whenever you walk and you immediately regret letting your hood down until you realize it’s not for you.

They’re scared of him.

People get quiet when you walk near them, they whisper, eyes start darting around frantically. 

“I didn’t realize you had a reputation…” You mumble, leaning closer to him.

“Not me princess, my people in general. Don’t worry about it, it just means no one is going to mess with you.” He lets out a chuckle as he slows his pace. 

“What are they saying about you?” You look warily around the crowds, holding on to Mando’s arm a little tighter.

He fidgets with something on his gauntlet and is silent for a few minutes as you walk before he fidgets with it again.

“Just your usual Mandaloian panic, mostly people worried about you.”

“Me?” You can’t help it when your voice goes up a pitch. It makes him chuckle softly. 

“Some people are worried you're my prisoner.” 

“Why would people think that?” You can’t help but look up at him in confusion.

“Usually we travel alone, or with other Mandalorians. Or people don’t see us at all, some people are just concerned that I’m holding you captive.” Why does he sound like he’s enjoying that fact?

“Well that’s annoying.” You scoff.

“So, what are we shopping for today?” He tilts the helmet down to look at you as you take in the dozens upon dozens of stands. It’s entirely possible that they will have quite literally anything you could ask for. 

“I didn’t actually have anything in mind… can we just look around?” 

“Of course.” Okay, he’s definitely smiling. 

The two of you arm in arm walk through the first street of stalls. Nothing in particular catches your eye, it mostly seems like antiques and other such things, it must take well over an hour though and as he turns you down the next street you're hit with a wave of different smells as you start your trek through what you figure is the food stands. Your stomach lets out a small grumble since you skipped breakfast for this.

“Are you hungry? Can you eat if no one is looking?” You say softly, turning towards him. 

“Someone is always looking. I’ll eat when we get back.” 

 You can’t help but frown. It passes quickly though as you get an idea. You keep your eyes peeled for a specific stand. 

“You called this the Solar Markets earlier?” You say absentmindedly, still looking around.

“Yes. During the day they are called the Solar Markets, at night they do a quick turn around and then open the Lunar Markets.” He’s speaking so softly you can barely hear him and you wonder if he does it on purpose to keep up appearances of a stoic silent killer. 

“Will we be able to stay for the Lunar Markets?” You turn to him hopefully and you hear the beginning of a laugh before the modulator cuts off. He takes a second before you hear the filter crackling back to life. 

“No princess. I will have to find a way to sneak you out after hours to show you the Lunar Markets.” His voice is tinged with amusement. 

“Why? Are they dangerous?” You instinctively squeeze his arm tighter. 

“Not at all, we’re just going to have to make sure you don’t have a tracker on when we go, I’m sure I’d get in a lot of trouble if anyone found out you went, we’ll have to keep your hood up for that trip.” There’s a teasing tone to his voice that you don’t get. 

“Are you going to tell me why or am I going to have to guess?” 

“I think it will be better if it’s a surprise.” He whispers as he pats your arm gently. You’re about to interrogate him further but you see what you’re looking for and drop his arm, jogging up ahead to a stand, handing over what is definitely too many credits as you tell the Gungan running the stand to keep the change, Mando is right behind you when you turn around, you’ve got a big smile on your face.

“Don’t run off like that. Just because nobody knows you doesn’t mean you aren’t precious cargo.” His voice is stern but you don’t let it bother you as you hold up your purchase. 

“Look what I got us.” You're beaming ear to ear. “It’s pear and some kind of spikey melon I didn’t recognize.” You hold the smoothie up towards his helmet and he tilts his head ever so slightly. 

“Okay…?” He says it slowly like he’s being careful not to hurt your feelings. 

“It has a straw! So you don’t have to take your helmet off.” You say it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world as you take a sip. It’s thick, and sweeter than you were expecting but it goes down smooth and you can’t stop smiling as you hold it out towards him.

“That’s very kind of you princess… but it might affect the presence I’m trying to put out if I’m walking around with a straw under my helmet.” He sounds serious as he says it which makes you lose the smile as you think again for a moment. 

“Okay. I need to tell you something.” You take his hand and pull him just behind the stall, out of sight of most of the people.

“You’re confusing me princess.” He laughs softly. “What do you want to tell me?” He puts his hands on his hips and you hold a finger out to make a “come closer” motion.  

“I have to whisper it.” He sighs as he leans down so his face is next to yours and your mouth is where his ear would be. “Release the airlock on your helmet.” You whisper it and he starts to pull back but you put your hands on his shoulders. “Please. Just for a second.” He lets out another exasperated sigh but after a moment you hear a hiss of air and you bite back a giggle as you bring the drink up between the two of you and shove the straw under the edge of his helmet, you use your body to shield him from anyone passing by. If anyone looked it would look like you were just whispering a secret to him. There’s a moment where you’re worried you’ve gone too far but then you hear a quiet slurping noise and you know you’ve won. After a moment he pulls back and you can see through the clear cup that he’s downed a solid quarter of it. The air hissed as he resealed his helmet. 

“Happy?” He has a mock tone of defeat as you grin.

“Extremely.” You take his arm again and lead him back into the crowd as you sip at the drink lazily while you walk. “Did you like it?” You don’t bother concealing the satisfaction in your voice. 

“It was a little sweet for me… but yes.” 

“I knew you would. I’m always right.” 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Do you come here at night to buy food or do you just get stuff from the castle?” As you speak you walk over to a pastry stand and drop a pile of credits into the young woman's hand as you take a few small cakes and cookies and put them into your bag, waving off the change again. 

“I usually just eat ration packets back at my cabin.” 

Full stop.

“Why aren’t you getting food from the kitchens?” You take a step in front of him, staring up into his visor with your arms crossed. You’d had ration packets plenty of times back on Hoth when they were unable to get cargo ships in. They were filling but honestly you’d found them gross most of the time. You didn’t like the idea of him relying solely on those when he had so many other options available to him.

“I never thought to do so. I’ve always just eaten rations packs.” He sounds almost bored with the conversation as you glare up at him. You want to scold him but you know he won’t listen so instead you make a mental note to pick up a few things while you’re here. You take his arm and start walking again. “Do you need anything else from this street or do you want to go to the next one?” He whispers it like he’s unsure if you’re mad at him. 

“I’m done here, we can go to the next one.” You keep it light, not wanting anything to ruin this day as he brings you down the next street. This is easily the biggest, most crowded area. It seems like the majority of the vendors set up shop here and you’re having trouble focusing on any single stand as you start your slow trek. A particularly sharp burst of color catches your eye as you approach the stand. The Toydarian manning the shop seems nervous about Mando but you ignore it as you start searching through the plastic flowers. 

“We have the gardens at home, why the hell do you need fake flowers?” His eyes are looking around the shelves as he speaks and you find the plastic lilies you were looking for. 

“I had these growing up. I just want some for my room.” You can’t help but smile at the idea of having a piece of home back in your chambers, as you hand the shopkeep the credits you catch Mando also handing him some as he shoves something into his bag. You don’t ask because once you leave another stand has already caught your eye. 

“Oh no. You’re not getting that.” He’s groaning as you run up to the droid selling vibroblades. 

“Come on, they’re all so small I won’t be able to do much damage with one anyway.” You’re peeking through the display case at the knives, settling on a simple dainty one, it’s entirely silver, handle and blade. The droid retrieves it the moment you point it out and you hand him the credits as you put it into the sheath provided before shoving it into your bag. 

“Why do you even need that? You have me to protect you.” He puts a hand on his hip but you just take his arm and push him to keep him walking. 

“Just for emergencies. Don’t worry about it.” He sighs as you keep walking. 

“What emergency? You have a state of the art locking system on your door and a state of the art bodyguard.” He sounds almost offended and you burst into laughter. 

“Please don’t tell me you’re jealous of a knife.” You can hear a little huff of air coming from the modulator. 

“No.” There’s that bounty hunter voice. 

“Oh come on, don’t be jealous, I promise I like you more than the blade.” You poke his pauldron as you tease him. 

“I’m not jealous.” He scoffs out. 

“Just making sure.”

✩

You spend the rest of the day in the third street of the market. It’s massive, you don’t even get a chance to see every stand. You aren’t even sure you’ve seen half of them. Around midday you take out one of the little cakes you’d bought and eat it, offering him half but of course he declines. You buy a lovely crystal vase for your faux flowers, a few other little snacks you find and several bowls with sealable lids. You’re sure that purchase has Mando raising an eyebrow but he doesn’t say anything. 

You’re exhausted by the time the sun is lowering in the sky but you don’t want this day to end. You can tell he’s about to call it as you see a stand that catches your eye and you drag him along to it, you can feel a slight resistance as he realizes where you’re dragging him but it’s too late because you’re already talking to the woman folding fabrics at the entrance. 

“Do you by any chance have other wares I could peruse in the back?” You give her a smile as she looks warily between you and the Mandalorian before nodding and taking your hand. He starts to follow but you put a hand against his chestplate. 

“You’re not going anywhere without me.” His tone has gotten all stiff and bounty hunter serious as he gently takes your wrist and removes your hand. 

“I’m trying on clothes. You need to wait outside.” 

It’s way too tense for such a simple request. You can feel the shopkeep trembling behind you but you don’t drop the glare you’ve got trained on his visor. You don’t know how long you stand like that. Scowling at each other. Definitely too long but eventually he sighs and takes a step back. 

“Ten minutes. If you don’t come out, I’m going in.” He points a warning finger at you but plants his feet and you know he’ll stay put as you give him a big grin before following the woman into the back. 

It’s exactly what you thought it would be. 

A lot of the stuff was classier out front but you knew there would most likely be skimpier options where the public couldn’t see them. You started looking through the shelves of lace and silk. You’re only doing so for a moment before the woman is clearing her throat. 

“Are you okay, miss?” Her voice is small and timid as she looks over her shoulder anxiously. You raise an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Yes…? Why do you ask?” You look away from the woman as you find a shelf exclusively containing green fabrics. Jackpot. 

“It’s just, I don’t mean to intrude but- but I’ve never seen a…” She leans in to whisper. “A Mandalorian traveling with someone before. I just want to make sure you aren’t being held against your will. Such a pretty young woman, accompanying such a dangerous man.” 

Oh.

Well you should have seen that coming. You give her a reassuring smile. You want to be offended on his behalf but maybe you just didn’t truly grasp how afraid people were of him.

“I’m perfectly safe ma’am, he’s my friend.” She nods slowly, seemingly satisfied with your answer as you hold up a particularly revealing piece. A satiny green two piece set. They could probably pass as pajamas if the bottoms weren’t practically just panties. You put it over your arm as you look for something a little more racy. “Is this everything?” You turn to look at her again.

“No miss, but we don’t bring out what I think you’re looking for until after sundown.”

Oh. That’s why you weren’t staying for the Lunar Market.  

“Ah, okay. I’ll be sure to come back for that at some point. Thank you so much for being so accommodating” You hand her half of your remaining credits and her jaw is practically on the floor as you make a swift exit, shoving the clothes into your bag. Finding Mando just outside. He’s in nearly the same position except now he has a small bag in his hands. You pay it no mind as you go to take his arm. 

But you miss it completely as someone grabs your other arm pulling you in the opposite direction. 

“I haven’t seen you around here before, are you new in town?” It’s a human man with long black hair, he’s got welding goggles strapped to his head. You try as gently as possible to shove him off. 

“No, I’ve lived here for some time now, and I should be getting back to my friend…” You’re about to point to Mando hoping that would scare him off but the man is putting a hand around your waist and starts walking you down the street. 

“Oh come on sweet thing, why don’t we just walk for a little bit, maybe you can show me what you bought from that stand.” You can hear his hot breath against your neck as he leans closer and you’re about to reach for the blade in your bag but you don’t get too because he’s already on the ground. 

You don’t have anytime to realize what’s going on until it’s already happening.

“ Give me a reason to do it. ” Mando’s already on top of him, blaster pressed to the bottom of the man's jaw. His voice sends a chill down your spine, if you thought that the stern tone he used on most strangers was his bounty hunter voice you were horribly wrong. This was his bounty hunter voice. When the man didn’t respond you watched as the barrel of the blaster pushed a hair deeper into the man's skin. 

You should probably unpack at some point why you find this so attractive. 

Maker, would it be inappropriate to ask him to recreate this later in your chambers? 

You don’t register what the man mumbles as Mando reholsters his blaster. Standing up and facing you. You do happen to catch the next words the man mutters as he gets to his feet, unlucky for him Mando catches the words as well. 

“Have a good night with your whore, jackass.” 

The crack of the punch is so loud, you’re absolutely certain that Mando broke his jaw. The man drops to the ground in an instant and your Beskar companion simply shakes his hand out once before offering you his arm again. You take it as you try to avoid looking at the crumpled body of the man. 

Stars, you don’t know if you’ve ever been this attracted to someone. 

As a friend. Obviously. 

“You get everything you need?” He says as he starts backtracking you down the market street. He’s alarmingly casual. 

“Yes. I’m ready to go now.” You give him a nervous smile as you walk, trying to  enjoy the sun setting on everything. 

It’s hard not to talk about it.

But it’s probably for the best all things considered, if you start reliving that memory, who knows how long you’ll be able to resist dragging the Mandalorian into an alley and getting on your knees. 

On your way out you tell him you want to stop and grab some things for dinner, if he notices you buying more food than you could possibly eat he doesn’t mention it. He doesn’t even say anything when you make him carry it. It’s a quick ride back to the castle and you can feel the exhaustion taking its toll as he walks you up to your chambers. Leo is waiting for you in the hall to take your tracker bands, Mando mumbles something about losing his but you pay him no mind as you hand Leo yours, telling him to inform the girls that you won’t need them, they can have the night off, and with that he departs. Mando helps you into your room and helps you set your things onto the bed. 

“Did you have a good day?” He’s gentle again. Nothing like his tone when you were in public. It makes you smile, like he saves it just for you. 

“I did. Thank you, for everything.” 

“So you aren’t stressed?” He doesn’t look up, he’s setting a few of the bowls you’d bought out on the bed. 

“No not at all, why? If you’re worried about the guy, don’t be I didn’t even have a second to process what was happening…” Your voice trails off as you realize why he was asking.

You idiot. 

This is Purely Stress Relief.

Your rule.

You want to take it back immediately but he’s already standing up straighter, and you know you’ve already missed your chance. 

“Do you need anything else or should I leave?” He says it with the same tone of disappointment that you currently feel. 

Damn it. 

You stupid, stupid woman, less than an hour ago you were gonna jump his bones in the street and now that you’ve got him alone you just blew your chance to… well, blow him .

Whatever. It’s for the best. It would be weird to have a really great day out together and then come home and have sex anyway. That’s something a couple would do. And that’s not what this arrangement is. But you can’t let him leave without executing your master plan. 

You start opening the food containers and scoop half of everything into the bowls, sealing all of them before rummaging through your bag for one of the little cakes, setting it on top of the three sealed bowls, stacking them. 

“Here.” You hold it all out to him and he just stands there for a moment. 

“You don’t have to-” The voice that comes out of the filter almost sounds small. 

“I know I don’t have to. Now take it, I’m ordering you to go home and eat actual food.” You shove it into his arms and he starts carefully tucking it into his bag.

“You don’t have the authority to order me to do anyth-”

“Shut up. For once, about that.” You give him a stern look and you both stand awkwardly across from each other. You aren’t really sure what he’s waiting for but finally he reaches into his satchel and hands you the small bag he had been holding earlier. 

“I bought this for you earlier while you were trying on clothes. It made me think of you.” He doesn’t even give you a second to say thank you before he’s out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. You stand there dumbfounded for a moment before you open the bag, looking down at the contents.

You reach in and hold the necklace in front of your face so you can get a good look. 

It’s a simple leather cord but what really catches your eye is the tiny charm. It’s a little silver outline of a flower hanging from the band. A little flower. 

Sarad’ika.

You’re glad he didn’t linger to watch you open it because you have to hold back tears.

Even though he didn’t stay you can’t help but smile as you started nodding off. Closing the food containers before grabbing a few things, retreating to the closet. You lay down in your nest of blankets, setting your book down next to you as you stare down at the charm in the palm of your hand. You don’t think you ever had a day this fun even back on Hoth. No one had ever put this much thought into a gift for you. No one had ever defended you like that before either, he had even drunk what you offered him… Your fingers played with the small silver charm as you carefully tucked the necklace between the pages of The Smitten Paladin. 

It was probably the most lovely day you’d ever had. 

A specific scrawled line of text catches your eyes as they dart to the rules scrawled against the back inside cover and you slam the book shut, shoving it into your pillowcase for safekeeping. 

No Romance. 

Fuck.

I am no longer doing taglists so follow @lincolndjarinnotifs and turn on notifications to be notified when new chapters are posted !!

[achaotichuman]

ACOTAR Rant

This rant was motivated by an anon @arson-09 got. The person who claimed they were gonna go and make fanfiction about Nesta/Tomas or Elain/Tomas since we are 'apologizing for abusers now'

First of all, everyone knows you aren't gonna write any such fanfiction about Nesta and Tomas, because you wouldn't dare take off the anon, because then you would be exposed as a horrible fuckin person. Simple as that.

Now onto the point I want to make a whole.

There is room for nuance with characters. Especially in fantasy, and clinging to the author or the MCs view of characters for how other characters 'should' be viewed is a very childish way of looking at media.

It shows you lack any kind of media literacy. You need things spelled out word for word for you in order to form an opinion. But guess what? An author can be biased and media can be more complex than what the perspective of the MC shows.

What there is not room for, is nuance when it comes to characters that actually arent 'characters' per say. They are writing tools used to push a person story forward.

So in the case of Tomas vs Tamlin, the difference is one is an objectively bad person, who, unprompted, assaulted Nesta for no reason other than personal gain. He is a writing device.

Then Tamlin, who hurt Feyre, not out of spite, malice, hatred or personal gain, but out of fear for her actual safety.

Tomas sexually assaulted Nesta for no reason.

Tamlin locked Feyre in his house because she was trying to follow him into a highly dangerous situation when she was untrained to do so.

Tamlin suffocated her, not from some highly creative, manipulative plan, but because he wanted her safe. He watched her die for him, and never ever wanted it to happen again.

Tomas just assaulted Nesta. Thats it. He made an evil act that affected her for the rest of the series.

Tamlin tried to protect her on every single occasion. Feyre's safety was at the forefront of his mind in every single one of his actions.

It doesn't take having more than half a brain to understand these very simple concepts. Tomas is a tool used to push Nesta's story forward. Tamlin is a fleshed out, complex character. That is the difference between them.

I could go on and on about the differences in motivations, how what Tamlin did was as a whole for the betterment of his Court and Prythian as a whole. What he did helped win them the war etc etc.

The reason I won't in this rant is simply because then I'd sound like a broken record, because I've gone over these topics time and time again. Other people have gone over these topics time and time again. It doesn't take that much to understand them.

Rant over, Im done with these bullies online. Y'all are either over the age of forty and projecting yourselves onto Elain, or under the age of fifteen and haven't learned the values of being a nice person yet. At least thats the way you act.

[witchofawoman]

LATE NIGHTS ⋆｡°✩

7. Poisonous ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

featuring : jj maybank x kook!reader

summary :It's truly just chaos after what happened, Rafe's words affected you more than you think. And you just couldn't admit it but you were done with it, everything and everyone...

words count : 1.6k

warnings : drug and alcohol usage, angst, violence, addiction, cheating, etc.

a/n : This is the 7th and the last part before the end of the serie :(( Enjoy <3

You couldn’t let anyone see what state you were in. The second you got into your car and started the engine, you pressed the gas harder than you should have. Speed was all you had—it was an escape, a distraction, anything but stillness. You didn’t want to go home. You couldn’t. The walls would close in on you, suffocate you, force you to sit with the thoughts clawing at your skull. But you had promised yourself: no more hurting. No more slipping back into that darkness.

The air was thick, suffocating, your mind a constant reel of memories you wished you could erase. The weight of everything you’d done, everything you’d lost, sat heavy in your chest. You knew your engine wouldn’t last—the warning light had been flickering for days—but you didn’t care. You kept driving until it sputtered and died, right as you rolled into a gas station. But filling the tank wasn’t an option. You didn’t want to be here. You didn’t want to be anywhere.

As tempting as it was to let go, to lose control completely, you couldn’t—not tonight. Even through the crushing exhaustion, the unbearable ache, something in the back of your mind whispered that there was still more. More places you hadn’t seen, more moments you hadn’t lived. The thought was distant, fragile, but it was enough to keep you moving.

You shoved the car door open and started running.

The wind howled in your ears, your legs burned, your lungs felt like they were on fire—but you didn’t stop. You ran like something was chasing you, like if you stopped, everything would come crashing down at once. The Cut was ahead, the cliff’s edge looming under the moonlight, and you didn’t slow down.

Then a hand caught your wrist.

“Y/N, don’t do this.”

His voice was sharp, firm—an order rather than a plea. His grip was iron, fingers digging into your skin, like letting go wasn’t an option.

Of course, he wouldn’t let you go. Not because he cared. No, Rafe Cameron had an image to uphold. He had a reputation to protect. If you jumped, everyone would talk. They’d whisper about what he did to you, about how he must have been the reason. And that? That was something he couldn’t have.

“Back off, Rafe,” you spat, wrenching your arm, but he wouldn’t let go. “Stay out of my fucking business. Don’t you get it?”

Your breath was ragged, your chest heaving, but you refused to let the tears fall. You had promised yourself. You wouldn’t break. Not in front of him or anyone else.

“You’re not going anywhere, love,” he growled, voice tight with frustration.

Your whole body tensed. That word—it tasted like poison coming from him.

“No,” you snapped, shaking your head. “You don’t get to call me that. You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get anything from me.”

Your voice cracked, but you pushed forward. “If you’re only here to stop me, it’s not because you care. It’s because you don’t want people pointing fingers at you.”

Rafe’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue.

“If you ever truly cared about me, it wouldn’t be now that you’re trying to save me.”

For a second, just a second, something flickered in his eyes. Something almost human. But you didn’t care. You yanked your arm free and took a step back, closer to the edge.

“Go fuck yourself, Rafe.”

Then you turned and ran, straight toward the drop. You jumped—not to die, but to feel something. And you did. The air rushed past you, the wind whipping through your hair, your heart pounding. When your body hit the water, it was shockingly cold, but it didn’t hurt. It was peaceful. The world was silent, nothing pulling at you, no voices in your head. Just quiet.

Then came the screams.

“She’s here! Guys, help me get her out before she dies!”

Before you could process what was happening, arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you to the surface.

You woke up on a dock. The night sky stretched above you, and your body ached from the impact. As expected, it wasn’t Rafe who had saved you. You never truly believed he would, but maybe—just maybe—you had hoped. Instead, it was Kiara. She was kneeling over you, her face a mix of relief and exasperation.

Your head rested on JJ’s lap, his expression a strange mix of fear and frustration.

“She’s alive! God, Y/N, I thought you were smarter than this,” Kiara laughed, shaking her head.

You groaned, lifting your head slightly, trying to see what was happening. JJ helped you sit up, steadying you as you leaned back on the stern. John B was driving the boat toward shore, Pope talking animatedly to him while laughing. Your head rested against JJ’s shoulder, Kiara lecturing you like a concerned older sister.

“You seriously scared the shit out of us,” JJ muttered.

You just started laughing. It was absurd, all of it.

“Hey, there’s nothing funny about jumping off a cliff,” Kiara scolded. “It’s really dangerous, you know.”

“Yeah, you could’ve…” JJ trailed off, his voice suddenly softer.

“What? Died?” You said it like it was nothing. “Guys, honestly, I’m fine.”

“No, Y/N. You’re not,” JJ said, his tone serious. “We all know you were on something. You could’ve drowned.”

“So what? Everyone has to die one day,” you replied, this time without a hint of humor.

The rest of the ride was silent. No one knew what to say. When the boat reached the shore, you didn’t wait for them—you just walked in the opposite direction, ready to be alone again.

“You’re not going home, Y/N,” JJ called after you. “I mean, look at you. You’re not in your right mind. Stay with us.”

You stopped, turning back slightly, raising an eyebrow. JJ looked at you with something close to hope. And for some reason, you couldn’t say no.

So you followed them to the Chateau.

For the first time, you really looked at the house. It was small, but charming. A place that felt real, like a home. And maybe, just maybe, that was what you needed.

Everyone sat on the porch, JJ next to you, his arm draped over your back. You weren’t used to this kind of gentle treatment. It was unfamiliar, almost unsettling. But there was warmth in it too.

They didn’t bombard you with questions. No interrogation, no demands for explanations. They just let you be. And somehow, that was more comforting than anything else.

Night crept in, one by one, they drifted off to sleep. But you and JJ remained on the couch, caught in a quiet silence neither of you wanted to break. Your head rested against his chest, his fingers tracing lazy circles on your back.

It was calm. Gentle. Safe.

But sleep didn’t come for you. And when the first rays of sunlight peeked through the horizon, you knew something had changed. Maybe, just maybe, you weren’t as lost as you thought. Even though you knew that deep down, you couldn’t stay here like this. It was too good for you, ‘I don’t deserve this and he deserves better’ you thought

You tried to slip out of the couch as quietly as possible, careful not to disturb JJ as he slept. You knew the weight of your presence in his life, and as much as you wanted to leave without waking him, you couldn’t shake the guilt that followed you like a shadow. When you reached the door, a voice stopped you cold—soft, almost pleading.

"Please, Y/N, don't go."

The words hit you harder than you expected. Why was he asking you to stay? Why would he care? His voice trembled with something you couldn't quite name, and you could feel his presence behind you, as if he were pulling you back into his orbit.

You froze, confusion clouding your mind. His eyes found yours, and he saw the questions swirling in them. Without missing a beat, he spoke again, his tone softer but no less intense.

"Listen, I’m tired of seeing you run every time I get close. When we hook up, when we talk, when we just spend time together—what are you running from, Y/N?"

His words were like daggers, cutting through the walls you’d so carefully built. They made you feel raw, exposed in a way you hadn't been in a long time. You didn’t have an answer. Not one that made sense to him, anyway. Your heart raced as the silence stretched on, your breath catching in your throat.

"Y/N, stop avoiding my questions, please."

His voice cracked just enough for you to hear the weight of his frustration. But it wasn’t just frustration—it was desperation, too. And it made your heart ache in a way that felt too overwhelming to bear.

"JJ," you whispered, your voice breaking as you finally turned to face him. "I want to answer you. I really do. But I don’t have anything to say. I don’t even know how to say it. And I’m sorry... but I just... I have to go."

You could feel the tears threatening to spill as you looked at him—those eyes full of emotions you couldn’t begin to understand. The vulnerability in his gaze was too much. It was easier to leave, to run, than to face what lay between you both.

"I’m sorry," you murmured again, your voice barely a whisper, before you turned away. You couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in his eyes, so you kept your head down, not daring to look back. The door creaked softly as you left, each step heavier than the last, the ache in your chest growing with every second.

You didn’t want to leave him. But at that moment, leaving felt like the only thing you could do.

a/n : I really feel sad about ending this, but guess everything has to end one day. Nostalgia is going to it, even though it was short it was great thanks to all the people who were ther <3

Taglist : @immyowndefender @imsiriuslyreal @yvesoull1 @yesshewrites1

[hetafice]

allies taking care of a sick/injured partner :

𖤐 ִֶָ 𓂃 🧷

request: How many characters will you write for at once? I’d love to see the Main 8 taking care of their partner as they’re bedridden (sick, injured, etc). If I have to limit it to a certain # of characters, just lmk for the future and you can pick whoever you’ve got the most ideas for for this? 

a/n: i think the limit will be capped at 4-5. for the sake of cohesion i chose to write for each of the allies. enjoy!

America

He will absolutely baby you. To the point where it could easily become overwhelming. 

In general, he suffers from the too-much gene in combination with his savior complex. Any injury on your end just exacerbates it.

I think he would also feel guilty on some level that he let you get injured in the first place, even if it was not his fault. So to overcompensate, he will refuse to let you do anything even remotely strenuous.

It starts off genuinely helpful. If you’re having a hard time moving around he’ll gladly help you sit up or move around. The issues arise once you start healing up a bit more. Rather than let you return to taking care of yourself, he’ll drag out the process for as long as possible.  

It does not matter if you’ve been okay for weeks and can function normally, he’ll still insist on completing menial tasks for you. He might also try and prohibit you from doing anything he perceives as dangerous. If you put up a big enough fight he’ll let you do it, but only in his presence. 

 If you don’t mind being babied, great--he’ll gladly keep it up. If you don’t want to constantly be hovered over, and voice that to him, expect some pouting from his end.

Russia

Like Alfred, he is similarly overbearing but will relent if asked to do so. 

Outwardly, Ivan is not a super emotional guy. However, if his partner was sick to the point of being bedridden, some of his emotions might start slipping through the cracks.

He’s protective and nurturing by nature, but past circumstances have forcefully muted that part of his personality. Your being sick would absolutely kickstart those instincts again. He would perfectly fill the role of a caretaker, cooking, cleaning, and nursing you back to health to the best of his ability,

He would be extra attentive in the mornings before he had to go to work. He’d check up on you, help you take your medication, and would try to boost your strength by cooking a healthy breakfast.

The constant checkups could get suffocating, but he genuinely only wants you to recover as fast as possible. And in his mind, that means being around you constantly to monitor your condition, or to provide whatever aid necessary.

Your being really sick serves as a way for him to realize how much he truly treasures you.

China

He is constantly badgering you about preserving your health, so when he first notices you aren’t feeling well he is far from pleased. When you tell him exactly what’s wrong he’s even more upset.

He’s a fixer, and he immediately jumps at the opportunity to find some remedy whether you want him to or not. The second he hears a sniffle from you, he’s already handing you mugs of strange concoctions and loading your meals with as many nutrient-rich vegetables as possible.

He’ll whip out holistic medicines that no one has heard of in centuries (and honestly, they might just work lol)

After the first time you get sick, he would also start trying to give you organic and highly medicinal foods, but as a preventative measure.

In parts of China, some people recommend drinking hot water in response to any small ailment. To Yao, it's a cure for everything, and from the first time you wake up in a cold sweat to the last, you’ll be handed glasses of barely drinkable water. Good luck with that. Honestly, who knows? Maybe drinking half a liter of hot water will stop whatever sickness you have from developing further -- or at the very least, distract you from your symptoms?

England 

He is the type to say “I told you so” and pretend to not care, while still actively taking care of you.

He’ll chastise you for getting sick, maybe even going as far as to threaten to not take care of you should it happen again, but when it inevitably does he starts taking care of you without a second thought.

He’ll make sure you are comfortable, and have taken your meds on time, and will even prep tea for you if need be.

This scolding while simultaneously nursing you back to health is nothing new. You start sniffling or coughing, and he tells you that you should know better and not count on him to take care of him. Then only a few hours later when you’re sitting down somewhere trying to work on something you’ll see him checking up on you from the hallway from the corner of your eye.

He will by no means dote on you, but he makes sure to lend a helping hand whenever possible. 

France

You’ll be left primarily to your own devices with this one.

Francis understands that you’re injured, and finds it very unfortunate, but unless you are seriously hurt you are going to be fending for yourself.

He won’t leave you completely out to dry though. Should you need something he’ll do his best to get it--but most of the menial practical tasks that come with taking care of someone unwell will be left to either you or a medical professional to manage.

His role is mainly to keep you comfortable and entertained. This is where he feels more confident taking the reins.

He’ll employ a variety of methods to make sure you’re relaxed. He’ll sporadically bring you glasses of red wine, help you with your skincare routine, offer massages, etc.

When it comes to leisure, rest, and relaxation he’s got it down pat.

Out of all of them, he would be the most likely to delegate a medical professional to come and take care of you in his stead. It’s not that he does not care, or feels inadequate; it’s just that someone trained in matters of rehabilitation would probably be more suited to the job--and what kind of partner would he be if he did not offer you the best of the best?

[wroteclassicaly]

All these people in the gator and fargo tag complaining of people thirsting over gator, calling him a nazi and how dare people find the humanity in him but praising joe for his great job like he didnt find the humanity in this character and played him to be someone you feel for. 🤡

Then being pro munch like he doesnt have problematic traditional values either

Honestly so tired of these people virtue signaling and having no nuance or media literacy for the sake of internet points, its exhausting and they just look annoying and stupid

Okay, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to answer this, because I’m trying to stay out of things. But I’ve gotten several messages like this, and I’m writing for Gator, so I feel like I owe my take on him, which had a major influence on my choice to continue.

TW below the cut, discussing Gator and his issues:

I live in a Midwestern, republican town. Everyone here owns flags like Gator’s, has blue lives matter flags, etc. If you’re raised into that life and it’s all your family knows/the people around you know - you will likely adapt to that way of thinking as well. I was fortunate enough to be able to break away from how the people around me thought and felt, forming my own opinions and expressing my disgust for the blue lives matter crap and the flag, etc. My parents are heavily republican (carry all that side’s beliefs) and so is my brother.

It’s an incredibly suffocating and confusing environment to grow up in, especially if you have no way to safely think and form your own opinions. Again, I’m grateful I could break away and think for myself!!!!

Now, discussing Gator. I just want to say that it never said he was a Nazi! Roy was. Gator was misogynistic and racist.

I’m going to compare Gator to a character called Mickey Milkovich (now this will probably upset people, due to Mickey’s character being a gay man), but I’m mostly comparing fathers/environments. Mickey and Gator were raised by two dangerous and horrific men, who beat and brain washed their sons into one way of thinking - theirs. Products of their environment, (Mickey used slurs, had flags like Gator, weapons, drugs, and even had nazi items on his wall) and what is called ‘learned racism’. They have no safe way to think for themselves, no other people around to show them love or kindness, help lead them towards a different way. Mickey found that with Ian and was able to develop and fully nurture the kindness/goodness that was in him, and he had over ten seasons to grow!

Gator only had Nadine and 10 episodes. When she left he began to let his warped devotion to the only person he had a blood connection with - flood him, outweigh his own personal goodness. Dot said it herself when she said his need to be like Roy outweighed the goodness inside. He was a product of the father and the environment. He didn’t have his own way of thinking, not really, he clung to what was beat and brainwashed into him, trying to find love and approval from his abuser/only blood relative/only person he was around (very common).

Am I excusing that? Absolutely not! Gator was not entirely a good person, and he knew that as well! He made choices he knew were wrong, to impress and gain affection from a sociopathic, demonic man. Gator was responsible for what he did, so this is not me trying to excuse or argue that!!

The only way for him to become free of who he was molded to be (he has no clue who he is, just a weak prototype of what he tried to be, hardly anything that is his own), was for him to become blind in order to see, and start serving his time. They left his ending open, which is a great way for those of us who choose to write for him - to explore his mental freedom and further nurture the soft/good side of him!

We don’t know how Gator would act or think (he was immediately apologetic to Dot and didn’t hesitate to give Roy up when he saw he wasn’t loved or cared for, so he didn’t need to protect his father), now that he is away from the environment and the man that molded him into the character he was on the show.

Gator was still a child trapped in a man’s body in some aspects; his temper tantrums, his knee jerk reactions, his hot headed plans without thought, his bedroom items (the toy cars, the sneakers, etc), his blinding anger towards Dot for leaving him behind (not even faulting her, because baby girl needed to get out and I’m glad she did). The show also alluded to the fact that he might have been addicted to some kind of substance he was stealing, as well.

Feelings on Munch are that he’s got just as much issues, lol. And we hardly knew much on him, tbh? What he did in the past, other than what he said.

Anyways, that’s my take on Gator.

We all have the right to feel how we feel!! Hate or love Gator, see his humanity or not. Some of the things his character represented effect a whole lot of people, so they have a right to be upset! There’s a lot of different factors and feelings involved!! I only look sideways at you if you thought his torture and eyes getting burnt/cut was what he deserved, because that’s just gross!

But at the end of the day, none of us who do love Gator/write for him — condone Gator’s actions! Seeing the layers and humanity in a character Joe put his all into, is perfectly normal/okay!

Sometimes there’s areas in between, and it’s not just either/or.

But I will say that not everyone who feels this way is just doing it for internet points! A lot of people have valid points/feelings about the dislike of Gator, to which I will not/have no business arguing, you know? There’s also other people that make callout posts for clout and false superiority, without even recognizing what Gator actually did and they just pull stuff outta their ass, lol.

If you don’t like Gator fans or writers, then just scroll!! It’s easy, I promise! No one is hurting anyone or being malicious!! ❤️

[rollinouttahere-writes]

SRTVW for Wyper please

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

Wyper doesn't feel even little bit bad about it. He believes that he is the best option for you, so you should be happy about this. He's a fierce, strong Shandia Warrior. You'll always be safe (from others) with his protection. He has absolutely no intention of ever letting you go. The way he sees it, you need him. It doesn't matter how strong you are, he sees you as weak and helpless. Letting you go would practically be a death sentence, especially if Enel is still around.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

No specific event brought this on, it's mostly just his personality at play here. This man couldn't flirt if his life depended on it. You didn't even know that he so much as tolerated you before he approached you one day and declared you were a couple now. And what are you going to do about it? Tell Wyper no? He'll just ignore it or tell you to shut up. He sees you as his, and that's the end of it. As far as he's concerned, he owns you, and there's nothing wrong with that. He thinks that this is a normal approach to a relationship. If you want something or someone, you fight for it and take it.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

Most of the time, he'll ignore it. He regards your outbursts as little more than childish temper tantrums, so he'll simply walk away until you settle down. If he's directly to blame for your tears, he might try and comfort you, but only if he feels like he went too far. It's awkward when he tries because this isn't something he really ever does. At first, he just tells you to knock it off, but in a kind of soft tone. If that doesn't work, he'll sit next to you with his side pressed against yours until you calm down. He might even put a hand on your shoulder if he feels really bad.

Isolating yourself annoys him. He doesn't like your outbursts either, but at least those give him something. Giving him the cold shoulder hurts infinitely more than anything you could ever scream at him. His solution is to forcibly drag you away to do something together. His go to is to cruise around on a waver while he holds onto you from behind. This is the closest thing you'll ever get to a date from him.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

When Enel is still in power, he's very busy trying to fight him and anyone else that is unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. He's away a lot, so you'll be left back at the village. This still isn't ideal since the other Shandians will be keeping an eye on you on behalf of Wyper, but it's your best shot at giving him the slip, even if only temporarily.

After Enel's defeat, he's around a lot more and becomes suffocating. Sure, they've made peace with the other Skypieans, but he doesn't completely trust them. Especially not around you. He'll make passive aggressive comments about how "they love taking things that don't belong to them" while pulling you closer. Escape at this point is going to be borderline impossible.

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

Yes, he would. His temper is something to be feared, and his tendency to shoot first and ask questions never can come out around you. He would never shoot you with his bazooka or use a reject dial on you, but he's very strong and doesn't need a weapon to harm you. It won't be a common occurrence, but if he's already in a shitty mood from losing a fight when you try to make a run for it or fight with him, he'll lash out before he can even process what he's doing. As soon as his fist connects with you, he snaps out of it and realizes what he's done. He'll immediately drag you to the village doctor and then avoid you for the rest of the day. He swears he'll never do it again, but that's not a guarantee. He doesn't calm down enough to get a grip on his temper until after Enel is gone.

[doumadono]

EMERGENCY REQUEST ( ALSO TW FOR SA MENTION I BEG YOU TO NOT READ THIS POST IF NOT IN A GOOD PLACE OF MIND AND THIS HAS HAPPENED TO YOU! )

So I'm drunk right now, to be honest. So sorry if this comes out a bit weird.

I'm realizing my family is full of r***ist apologists, they had said my first real BF couldn't be blamed for ruining my life as he has a kid, despite him serially abusing me for a year straight from ages 15-16.

Then my other ex, my second long term relationship : He was 34-35 and I was 22. So, yeah, he knew of my trauma and exploited it. Forced me to do sexual actions I was NOT okay with, and threatened me with those.

I'm realizing I was groomed and I wouldn't mind ( would really love ) if I could get a Hitoshi x AFAB reader ( they them pronouns ) who is kind of.. traumatized... before their "intimate" acts. He reassures Them that it is okay, and no matter what he still loves them.

( Points if the act doesn't continue, points if they end up tearing up and he wipes their tears, kisses their cheek and comforts them. Asking them if they truly want to continue, making them feel safe, valued and loved, etc etc )

A/N: I'm truly sorry to hear that you've had to go through such difficult experiences with your family and past relationships. It's disheartening to encounter people who don't recognize the gravity of abuse or trauma. Your experiences should never be diminished or brushed aside. Your feelings and your healing process are valid, and you deserve understanding and empathy

EMERGENCY REQS MASTERLIST

In the dimly lit room, Hitoshi Shinso could sense the palpable tension in the air as he gazed into the eyes of his partner. The shadows of their past haunted them, their trauma casting long, dark shadows across their soul. They, a person of determination, a survivor of their own battles, had never let their past dictate their future. But now, as they lay at the precipice of intimacy, those old wounds resurfaced with a vengeance.

As they began to undress, they couldn't help but feel a suffocating weight on their chest. Every touch, every intimate gesture, seemed to trigger the memories they had tried so hard to bury.

Hitoshi noticed the subtle change in their demeanor, how their breathing became shallow and their hands trembled. He placed his hands on their shoulders, his touch gentle and reassuring, and softly spoke, "Hey, I want you to know something, something I need you to truly understand. Your past doesn't define you. I'm here with you in this moment, and I love you for who you are right now. You can talk to me."

They shifted nervously, averting their gaze, and it was evident that the memories that had once tormented them were still fresh in their mind. "I know you do," they whispered, their voice quivering. "But sometimes… I can't help but feel like I'm not good enough, like I'm too broken." They covered themselves with a blanket, hiding their nakedness and the contours of their breasts from his glance.

Hitoshi cupped their face, gently guiding them to meet his eyes. "You're not broken. You're a work of art, and every scar on your soul is a brushstroke in your masterpiece. I love you for all that you are, even the parts that you may consider broken. Please, understand that."

Their eyes welled up with tears, the emotional floodgates threatening to burst open. Hitoshi wiped away a tear that had escaped, his thumb grazing their cheek ever so gently. He leaned in and planted a tender kiss on their forehead, a symbol of his unwavering love and support. "It's okay to be vulnerable, to be afraid. I have those moments every now and then. We don't have to continue if you're not ready. Your feelings are valid, and I'm here to make sure you feel safe, valued, and loved. I'll willingly wait."

They sniffled, gripping his shirt tightly as though it were an anchor in a stormy sea. "I want to," they whispered, their voice fragile. "But it's just… hard."

Hitoshi's arms wrapped around them in a protective embrace, and he held them close, his heart aching for their pain. "We can take it slow, at your pace. We can stop at any moment. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not judging you. Your trust means everything to me."

The room was heavy with emotion, but it was a different kind of heaviness now, one born of shared vulnerability and trust. Shinso continued to hold them, allowing them to find their strength. He knew that healing took time, and he was willing to wait as long as it took.

"I love you," he whispered, his words a soothing balm for their wounded heart. "You are so incredibly strong, and I'm honored to be a part of your life." Shinso held them close to his chest, and his steady heartbeat slowly soothed the storm of emtions raging within them.

Their tears flowed freely now, and they looked up at him with a mixture of gratitude and affection. "I love you too, Shinso," they murmured, their voice filled with emotion. "Can we… Can we try some other time? I don't think I'm mentally ready just yet…"

"That's all that matters. Let's take this one step at a time."

They nodded, their trust in him deepening with each passing moment. The darkness of their past may have cast its long shadow, but in the embrace of Shinso's love, they found the strength to face it and, together, emerge into the light of a new beginning.

[hamliet]

What are your thoughts on Fire Walk with Me?

It's a movie that is an incredible piece of art and was way, way ahead of its time. I was shocked when I first saw that it received extremely negative reviews at its premiere. (Quentin Tarantino's quote in particular irritates me.)

I'm so glad that people came around and started reassessing it long before Lynch's death (and also long before relevant cultural turning points like MeToo), because it deserves to be considered one of the best films of its decade, and I'm glad it actually is and that Lynch could see its vindication.

The film is a hard watch, I'll give critics that, but that's because it's supposed to be. It really immerses the viewer into Laura Palmer's suffering, her confusion because she doesn't understand how all this is happening to her, she doesn't understand where her agency begins and ends and if she ever had any, and it all stems from the fact that the person who was supposed to love and protect her the most is the person who has been abusing her for his own selfish gain.

It's a great use of the film medium for storytelling, and also of surrealism. I'm not a huge fan of surrealism just because it's not my taste, but in this case it really, really fits the storyline. Things that shouldn't be, are. And her world is suffocating her, and there's no way out. She's disoriented. Denial is her best bet, so she tries it through so many different paths--drugs, taking back her sexuality, romance, etc. Nothing works. In the end the horror is still there for her, and for the viewer too.

About Tarantino's quote, I bring it up not to hate on the guy but to say that it's pretty much missing the entire point of the film so badly it's like a parody of comprehension.

I’m not ragging on other people, but after I saw Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me at Cannes, David Lynch has disappeared so far up his own ass that I have no desire to see another David Lynch movie until I hear something different. And you know, I loved him. I loved him.

The idea that FWWM is remotely self-indulgent is actually so... I think it's the opposite of the reality. You can wish it was self-indulgent, but that would make you the exact point of the film--the idea that sometimes someone's suffering is so agonizing that no one actually wants to understand it. But don't they deserve to have a voice, too? Isn't that what the whole series was about?

The movie gives Laura a voice. While Twin Peaks the series is about trying to understand Laura and solve her grisly murder, the movie actually takes Laura and shows us that she, too, doesn't understand herself. She's just as lost as the viewer. She's scared. Laura was failed by everyone in the town, and the movie doesn't try to whitewash her or make her likable. It is brutally honest about how a lot of victims feel and how they process trauma. If it makes audiences uncomfortable, it should.

[luckbealincoln]

Best Kept Secret

chapter eight : solar markets

THIS SERIES HAS BEEN MOVED AND RE-UPLOADED TO ANOTHER ACCOUNT. WHICH CAN BE FOUND HERE. THIS POST STILL EXISTS AS AN ARCHIVE BUT THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER ACTIVE!!

pairing : bodyguard!Din Djarin x afab!princess!reader

rating : 18+ mdni

word count : 5.3k

summary : the mandalorian takes reader on a day trip

warnings, etc. : language, reader thinks about sex like a little bit

It’s nice to wake up excited again. 

You wish you could say that it happened more often but hopefully it will from now on. It’s going to be your first time leaving the castle grounds since you got here. You’ve spent the last four weeks cooped up and you couldn’t be more thrilled to finally get to see something new. 

As much as you love the library it can be suffocating to spend every single day between those four walls. 

So you summon Elaine and Lysa as quickly as possible, grinning as you stand in the mirror until you notice the faint blooms of purple on your waist. 

Shit. 

You have to rush to find undergarments that will cover them and you’re barely pulling them over your hips as the door swings open. 

“Good morning ma’am.” Elaine smiles at you as she grabs a brush, going to stand behind you to comb out the knots in your hair. She snaps her fingers sharply and points to the closet signaling for Lysa to fetch you a gown. 

“Good morning Elaine.” You give her a smile, “Good morning Lysa!” You say slightly louder as you watch in the mirror as she brings out a flowy lilac gown. “I’m going out today girls.” You turn to smile at both of them. 

“Is that so ma’am? Where are you going?” Elaine speaks as she pulls the dress over your head and begins lacing up the corset. 

“The Mandalorian is accompanying me to the markets in the city today.” You try to hold back a bit of the enthusiasm in your voice. 

“Mhmm. That sounds wonderful ma’am.” Her head turns. “Go get her a cloak, and then go find Leodall to give her some credits.”  

“Of course.” In a rush Lysa threw a light gray cloak onto the bed and darted out of the room. Elaine dressed you in near silence after that, softly humming a song to herself every once in a while as you let her straighten the cloak over your shoulders. 

It gives you time to think.

Are things going to be different now? It would be hard to go back to how things were at this point, but you don’t want to have to act like strangers again. You’ve agreed to keep having sex at the very least which is a huge relief, but you also want to make sure that you can still talk to him. Just act normal. Act like nothing is different. 

She’s quick with your makeup, doing some simple little accents around your eyes and letting your hair fall around your face in a way she typically doesn’t. 

“Even though you haven’t made many public appearances it will be best to keep your face mostly hidden my lady.” She adjusts the hood slightly over your hair to shield the top of your head. You nod slowly.

“Is there a bag I can take?” Is all you have to say in response, you aren’t particularly worried about any threats in the city. After all, you have Mando. Who, now that you’re thinking about it, you have never seen in action. Sure he’s big and imposing but it’s still troubling to think that he might be all talk. He does love to talk. You’ll be fine. He wouldn’t take you into the city if he couldn’t protect you. 

Probably. 

Elaine throws a white satchel over your shoulders and takes a step back to admire her work before nodding. 

“If you’re ready I’m sure he’s waiting for you.” She gives you a grin before leaving. You take a good look at yourself in the mirror, Elaine really does work wonders. You honestly aren’t sure how she does it, it’s not like you’re unattractive by any means but you don’t think you were this alluring back on Hoth. 

Is it okay to hope that he notices? That doesn’t break any rules right? 

You don’t have long to wonder because Leodall is bursting into the room holding a small leather coin purse. Holding it out to you. 

“I wish you had given me more warning princess… this was what I was able to put together on such short notice.” He’s seemingly trying to catch his breath still as you take the purse and open it, your eyes going wide. You were royalty back on Hoth but clearly not this royal. There’s more credits than you could possibly know what to do with inside. 

“A-are you sure?” You manage to stammer out, you’re nervous just holding them. 

“I mean if you’d like I can see if I can make it down to the vaults but it will take me much longer to get more, how much do-” You cut him off.

“Nevermind Leo. Thank you.” You give him a reassuring smile as you put the credits in your bag and dismiss him with a nod. You slip on a pair of riding boots before exiting the room yourself. 

He looks different. 

Scarier. 

You clearly hadn’t been getting the full Mandalorian before because now there’s somehow more attachments. Ammunition. He’s shinier if that was somehow possible, like he polished his armor for this outing and he’s got a brown canvas bag thrown over his shoulder. 

He looks like a proper killer. 

Why does that send a rush of heat between your legs?

“Good morning, princess.” He gives you a curt nod.

So far so good. 

“Good morning Mando. You look… nice.” You tilt your head slightly, getting a real eyeful of him before meeting his visor. 

Okay this is a little more difficult than you thought it was going to be.

Of course it’s harder than you thought it’d be to have a conversation with someone you’ve had impulse hate sex with. 

You just want things to be normal. Just friends. You can do this, this is what you wanted so you need to make it work, you will make it work. 

“Are you ready?” 

“Always.” He turns on his heel to start making his way down the hall and you swiftly follow. 

“Will we be walking there?” You can’t stop smiling at the prospect of finally actually seeing other people. 

“It’s a bit far for that. We’ll take a speeder.”

“Like a bike?” You can’t hide the excitement in your voice, as he lets out a low chuckle. 

“No princess. I don’t think it would be proper for me to take you into the city on a speeder bike. We’ll be taking a landspeeder.” You try to hide your disappointment as he leads you through the twisting halls until you finally reach the familiar front gates. You’d only ever gone in through them when you arrived all those weeks ago. When you went to the garden you had taken back exits. Mando is already talking to a droid near the gate and you can’t catch what he’s saying but he comes back with two silver bands, holding one out to you. “Palace rules, if you’re leaving the grounds you’ve gotta wear it.” He easily clips his on as you fumble with the clasp on yours.

“What are they for?” You can’t help but bite your lip as you try to get the damn thing on before finally he takes your wrist and does it for you.

“Trackers.” He says it like he doesn’t like the taste of the word in his mouth but you choose to ignore it as he walks through the gate, scanning the bracelet as he does so, you follow his lead and then you’re outside. A light blue landspeeder is waiting for the two of you and you take his hand as he helps you get into the back seat before pulling himself up next to you. The driver nervously turns to stare at him but says nothing as he turns back around. “Solar Markets.” Is all Mando has to say in that stern, bounty hunter tone before you’re flying. 

✩

It’s annoyingly beautiful. 

You’d convinced yourself that Naboo was a place you had been condemned to but it’s stunning. It’s greener than you’d realized and you swear you hear Mando laugh at the awestruck look on your face. 

He looks comfortable like this, leaning back, his arms spread out across the back of the seat. You must look like an over eager child the way your eyes keep darting around. You almost want to ask if you can keep riding around for a bit when the speeder stops. 

Almost.

But the markets are much more enticing. 

Alive and buzzing with people, there’s probably more people just on this street than there were in your entire colony back home. Mando helps you out of the speeder by lifting you up by your waist and once you’re on the ground you pull your hood back up. He leans down to whisper to you.

“No one is going to recognize you, it’s okay.” Is he smiling? It sounds like he’s smiling. You let the hood fall and run your fingers through your hair to try and brush the wind out of it. He holds his arm out and you briskly take it, clutching yourself close to him as he starts walking. It’s almost like a small path through the crowds clears whenever you walk and you immediately regret letting your hood down until you realize it’s not for you.

They’re scared of him.

People get quiet when you walk near them, they whisper, eyes start darting around frantically. 

“I didn’t realize you had a reputation…” You mumble, leaning closer to him.

“Not me princess, my people in general. Don’t worry about it, it just means no one is going to mess with you.” He lets out a chuckle as he slows his pace. 

“What are they saying about you?” You look warily around the crowds, holding on to Mando’s arm a little tighter.

He fidgets with something on his gauntlet and is silent for a few minutes as you walk before he fidgets with it again.

“Just your usual Mandaloian panic, mostly people worried about you.”

“Me?” You can’t help it when your voice goes up a pitch. It makes him chuckle softly. 

“Some people are worried you're my prisoner.” 

“Why would people think that?” You can’t help but look up at him in confusion.

“Usually we travel alone, or with other Mandalorians. Or people don’t see us at all, some people are just concerned that I’m holding you captive.” Why does he sound like he’s enjoying that fact?

“Well that’s annoying.” You scoff.

“So, what are we shopping for today?” He tilts the helmet down to look at you as you take in the dozens upon dozens of stands. It’s entirely possible that they will have quite literally anything you could ask for. 

“I didn’t actually have anything in mind… can we just look around?” 

“Of course.” Okay, he’s definitely smiling. 

The two of you arm in arm walk through the first street of stalls. Nothing in particular catches your eye, it mostly seems like antiques and other such things, it must take well over an hour though and as he turns you down the next street you're hit with a wave of different smells as you start your trek through what you figure is the food stands. Your stomach lets out a small grumble since you skipped breakfast for this.

“Are you hungry? Can you eat if no one is looking?” You say softly, turning towards him. 

“Someone is always looking. I’ll eat when we get back.” 

 You can’t help but frown. It passes quickly though as you get an idea. You keep your eyes peeled for a specific stand. 

“You called this the Solar Markets earlier?” You say absentmindedly, still looking around.

“Yes. During the day they are called the Solar Markets, at night they do a quick turn around and then open the Lunar Markets.” He’s speaking so softly you can barely hear him and you wonder if he does it on purpose to keep up appearances of a stoic silent killer. 

“Will we be able to stay for the Lunar Markets?” You turn to him hopefully and you hear the beginning of a laugh before the modulator cuts off. He takes a second before you hear the filter crackling back to life. 

“No princess. I will have to find a way to sneak you out after hours to show you the Lunar Markets.” His voice is tinged with amusement. 

“Why? Are they dangerous?” You instinctively squeeze his arm tighter. 

“Not at all, we’re just going to have to make sure you don’t have a tracker on when we go, I’m sure I’d get in a lot of trouble if anyone found out you went, we’ll have to keep your hood up for that trip.” There’s a teasing tone to his voice that you don’t get. 

“Are you going to tell me why or am I going to have to guess?” 

“I think it will be better if it’s a surprise.” He whispers as he pats your arm gently. You’re about to interrogate him further but you see what you’re looking for and drop his arm, jogging up ahead to a stand, handing over what is definitely too many credits as you tell the Gungan running the stand to keep the change, Mando is right behind you when you turn around, you’ve got a big smile on your face.

“Don’t run off like that. Just because nobody knows you doesn’t mean you aren’t precious cargo.” His voice is stern but you don’t let it bother you as you hold up your purchase. 

“Look what I got us.” You're beaming ear to ear. “It’s pear and some kind of spikey melon I didn’t recognize.” You hold the smoothie up towards his helmet and he tilts his head ever so slightly. 

“Okay…?” He says it slowly like he’s being careful not to hurt your feelings. 

“It has a straw! So you don’t have to take your helmet off.” You say it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world as you take a sip. It’s thick, and sweeter than you were expecting but it goes down smooth and you can’t stop smiling as you hold it out towards him.

“That’s very kind of you princess… but it might affect the presence I’m trying to put out if I’m walking around with a straw under my helmet.” He sounds serious as he says it which makes you lose the smile as you think again for a moment. 

“Okay. I need to tell you something.” You take his hand and pull him just behind the stall, out of sight of most of the people.

“You’re confusing me princess.” He laughs softly. “What do you want to tell me?” He puts his hands on his hips and you hold a finger out to make a “come closer” motion.  

“I have to whisper it.” He sighs as he leans down so his face is next to yours and your mouth is where his ear would be. “Release the airlock on your helmet.” You whisper it and he starts to pull back but you put your hands on his shoulders. “Please. Just for a second.” He lets out another exasperated sigh but after a moment you hear a hiss of air and you bite back a giggle as you bring the drink up between the two of you and shove the straw under the edge of his helmet, you use your body to shield him from anyone passing by. If anyone looked it would look like you were just whispering a secret to him. There’s a moment where you’re worried you’ve gone too far but then you hear a quiet slurping noise and you know you’ve won. After a moment he pulls back and you can see through the clear cup that he’s downed a solid quarter of it. The air hissed as he resealed his helmet. 

“Happy?” He has a mock tone of defeat as you grin.

“Extremely.” You take his arm again and lead him back into the crowd as you sip at the drink lazily while you walk. “Did you like it?” You don’t bother concealing the satisfaction in your voice. 

“It was a little sweet for me… but yes.” 

“I knew you would. I’m always right.” 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Do you come here at night to buy food or do you just get stuff from the castle?” As you speak you walk over to a pastry stand and drop a pile of credits into the young woman's hand as you take a few small cakes and cookies and put them into your bag, waving off the change again. 

“I usually just eat ration packets back at my cabin.” 

Full stop.

“Why aren’t you getting food from the kitchens?” You take a step in front of him, staring up into his visor with your arms crossed. You’d had ration packets plenty of times back on Hoth when they were unable to get cargo ships in. They were filling but honestly you’d found them gross most of the time. You didn’t like the idea of him relying solely on those when he had so many other options available to him.

“I never thought to do so. I’ve always just eaten rations packs.” He sounds almost bored with the conversation as you glare up at him. You want to scold him but you know he won’t listen so instead you make a mental note to pick up a few things while you’re here. You take his arm and start walking again. “Do you need anything else from this street or do you want to go to the next one?” He whispers it like he’s unsure if you’re mad at him. 

“I’m done here, we can go to the next one.” You keep it light, not wanting anything to ruin this day as he brings you down the next street. This is easily the biggest, most crowded area. It seems like the majority of the vendors set up shop here and you’re having trouble focusing on any single stand as you start your slow trek. A particularly sharp burst of color catches your eye as you approach the stand. The Toydarian manning the shop seems nervous about Mando but you ignore it as you start searching through the plastic flowers. 

“We have the gardens at home, why the hell do you need fake flowers?” His eyes are looking around the shelves as he speaks and you find the plastic lilies you were looking for. 

“I had these growing up. I just want some for my room.” You can’t help but smile at the idea of having a piece of home back in your chambers, as you hand the shopkeep the credits you catch Mando also handing him some as he shoves something into his bag. You don’t ask because once you leave another stand has already caught your eye. 

“Oh no. You’re not getting that.” He’s groaning as you run up to the droid selling vibroblades. 

“Come on, they’re all so small I won’t be able to do much damage with one anyway.” You’re peeking through the display case at the knives, settling on a simple dainty one, it’s entirely silver, handle and blade. The droid retrieves it the moment you point it out and you hand him the credits as you put it into the sheath provided before shoving it into your bag. 

“Why do you even need that? You have me to protect you.” He puts a hand on his hip but you just take his arm and push him to keep him walking. 

“Just for emergencies. Don’t worry about it.” He sighs as you keep walking. 

“What emergency? You have a state of the art locking system on your door and a state of the art bodyguard.” He sounds almost offended and you burst into laughter. 

“Please don’t tell me you’re jealous of a knife.” You can hear a little huff of air coming from the modulator. 

“No.” There’s that bounty hunter voice. 

“Oh come on, don’t be jealous, I promise I like you more than the blade.” You poke his pauldron as you tease him. 

“I’m not jealous.” He scoffs out. 

“Just making sure.”

✩

You spend the rest of the day in the third street of the market. It’s massive, you don’t even get a chance to see every stand. You aren’t even sure you’ve seen half of them. Around midday you take out one of the little cakes you’d bought and eat it, offering him half but of course he declines. You buy a lovely crystal vase for your faux flowers, a few other little snacks you find and several bowls with sealable lids. You’re sure that purchase has Mando raising an eyebrow but he doesn’t say anything. 

You’re exhausted by the time the sun is lowering in the sky but you don’t want this day to end. You can tell he’s about to call it as you see a stand that catches your eye and you drag him along to it, you can feel a slight resistance as he realizes where you’re dragging him but it’s too late because you’re already talking to the woman folding fabrics at the entrance. 

“Do you by any chance have other wares I could peruse in the back?” You give her a smile as she looks warily between you and the Mandalorian before nodding and taking your hand. He starts to follow but you put a hand against his chestplate. 

“You’re not going anywhere without me.” His tone has gotten all stiff and bounty hunter serious as he gently takes your wrist and removes your hand. 

“I’m trying on clothes. You need to wait outside.” 

It’s way too tense for such a simple request. You can feel the shopkeep trembling behind you but you don’t drop the glare you’ve got trained on his visor. You don’t know how long you stand like that. Scowling at each other. Definitely too long but eventually he sighs and takes a step back. 

“Ten minutes. If you don’t come out, I’m going in.” He points a warning finger at you but plants his feet and you know he’ll stay put as you give him a big grin before following the woman into the back. 

It’s exactly what you thought it would be. 

A lot of the stuff was classier out front but you knew there would most likely be skimpier options where the public couldn’t see them. You started looking through the shelves of lace and silk. You’re only doing so for a moment before the woman is clearing her throat. 

“Are you okay, miss?” Her voice is small and timid as she looks over her shoulder anxiously. You raise an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Yes…? Why do you ask?” You look away from the woman as you find a shelf exclusively containing green fabrics. Jackpot. 

“It’s just, I don’t mean to intrude but- but I’ve never seen a…” She leans in to whisper. “A Mandalorian traveling with someone before. I just want to make sure you aren’t being held against your will. Such a pretty young woman, accompanying such a dangerous man.” 

Oh.

Well you should have seen that coming. You give her a reassuring smile. You want to be offended on his behalf but maybe you just didn’t truly grasp how afraid people were of him.

“I’m perfectly safe ma’am, he’s my friend.” She nods slowly, seemingly satisfied with your answer as you hold up a particularly revealing piece. A satiny green two piece set. They could probably pass as pajamas if the bottoms weren’t practically just panties. You put it over your arm as you look for something a little more racy. “Is this everything?” You turn to look at her again.

“No miss, but we don’t bring out what I think you’re looking for until after sundown.”

Oh. That’s why you weren’t staying for the Lunar Market.  

“Ah, okay. I’ll be sure to come back for that at some point. Thank you so much for being so accommodating” You hand her half of your remaining credits and her jaw is practically on the floor as you make a swift exit, shoving the clothes into your bag. Finding Mando just outside. He’s in nearly the same position except now he has a small bag in his hands. You pay it no mind as you go to take his arm. 

But you miss it completely as someone grabs your other arm pulling you in the opposite direction. 

“I haven’t seen you around here before, are you new in town?” It’s a human man with long black hair, he’s got welding goggles strapped to his head. You try as gently as possible to shove him off. 

“No, I’ve lived here for some time now, and I should be getting back to my friend…” You’re about to point to Mando hoping that would scare him off but the man is putting a hand around your waist and starts walking you down the street. 

“Oh come on sweet thing, why don’t we just walk for a little bit, maybe you can show me what you bought from that stand.” You can hear his hot breath against your neck as he leans closer and you’re about to reach for the blade in your bag but you don’t get too because he’s already on the ground. 

You don’t have anytime to realize what’s going on until it’s already happening.

“ Give me a reason to do it. ” Mando’s already on top of him, blaster pressed to the bottom of the man's jaw. His voice sends a chill down your spine, if you thought that the stern tone he used on most strangers was his bounty hunter voice you were horribly wrong. This was his bounty hunter voice. When the man didn’t respond you watched as the barrel of the blaster pushed a hair deeper into the man's skin. 

You should probably unpack at some point why you find this so attractive. 

Maker, would it be inappropriate to ask him to recreate this later in your chambers? 

You don’t register what the man mumbles as Mando reholsters his blaster. Standing up and facing you. You do happen to catch the next words the man mutters as he gets to his feet, unlucky for him Mando catches the words as well. 

“Have a good night with your whore, jackass.” 

The crack of the punch is so loud, you’re absolutely certain that Mando broke his jaw. The man drops to the ground in an instant and your Beskar companion simply shakes his hand out once before offering you his arm again. You take it as you try to avoid looking at the crumpled body of the man. 

Stars, you don’t know if you’ve ever been this attracted to someone. 

As a friend. Obviously. 

“You get everything you need?” He says as he starts backtracking you down the market street. He’s alarmingly casual. 

“Yes. I’m ready to go now.” You give him a nervous smile as you walk, trying to  enjoy the sun setting on everything. 

It’s hard not to talk about it.

But it’s probably for the best all things considered, if you start reliving that memory, who knows how long you’ll be able to resist dragging the Mandalorian into an alley and getting on your knees. 

On your way out you tell him you want to stop and grab some things for dinner, if he notices you buying more food than you could possibly eat he doesn’t mention it. He doesn’t even say anything when you make him carry it. It’s a quick ride back to the castle and you can feel the exhaustion taking its toll as he walks you up to your chambers. Leo is waiting for you in the hall to take your tracker bands, Mando mumbles something about losing his but you pay him no mind as you hand Leo yours, telling him to inform the girls that you won’t need them, they can have the night off, and with that he departs. Mando helps you into your room and helps you set your things onto the bed. 

“Did you have a good day?” He’s gentle again. Nothing like his tone when you were in public. It makes you smile, like he saves it just for you. 

“I did. Thank you, for everything.” 

“So you aren’t stressed?” He doesn’t look up, he’s setting a few of the bowls you’d bought out on the bed. 

“No not at all, why? If you’re worried about the guy, don’t be I didn’t even have a second to process what was happening…” Your voice trails off as you realize why he was asking.

You idiot. 

This is Purely Stress Relief.

Your rule.

You want to take it back immediately but he’s already standing up straighter, and you know you’ve already missed your chance. 

“Do you need anything else or should I leave?” He says it with the same tone of disappointment that you currently feel. 

Damn it. 

You stupid, stupid woman, less than an hour ago you were gonna jump his bones in the street and now that you’ve got him alone you just blew your chance to… well, blow him .

Whatever. It’s for the best. It would be weird to have a really great day out together and then come home and have sex anyway. That’s something a couple would do. And that’s not what this arrangement is. But you can’t let him leave without executing your master plan. 

You start opening the food containers and scoop half of everything into the bowls, sealing all of them before rummaging through your bag for one of the little cakes, setting it on top of the three sealed bowls, stacking them. 

“Here.” You hold it all out to him and he just stands there for a moment. 

“You don’t have to-” The voice that comes out of the filter almost sounds small. 

“I know I don’t have to. Now take it, I’m ordering you to go home and eat actual food.” You shove it into his arms and he starts carefully tucking it into his bag.

“You don’t have the authority to order me to do anyth-”

“Shut up. For once, about that.” You give him a stern look and you both stand awkwardly across from each other. You aren’t really sure what he’s waiting for but finally he reaches into his satchel and hands you the small bag he had been holding earlier. 

“I bought this for you earlier while you were trying on clothes. It made me think of you.” He doesn’t even give you a second to say thank you before he’s out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. You stand there dumbfounded for a moment before you open the bag, looking down at the contents.

You reach in and hold the necklace in front of your face so you can get a good look. 

It’s a simple leather cord but what really catches your eye is the tiny charm. It’s a little silver outline of a flower hanging from the band. A little flower. 

Sarad’ika.

You’re glad he didn’t linger to watch you open it because you have to hold back tears.

Even though he didn’t stay you can’t help but smile as you started nodding off. Closing the food containers before grabbing a few things, retreating to the closet. You lay down in your nest of blankets, setting your book down next to you as you stare down at the charm in the palm of your hand. You don’t think you ever had a day this fun even back on Hoth. No one had ever put this much thought into a gift for you. No one had ever defended you like that before either, he had even drunk what you offered him… Your fingers played with the small silver charm as you carefully tucked the necklace between the pages of The Smitten Paladin. 

It was probably the most lovely day you’d ever had. 

A specific scrawled line of text catches your eyes as they dart to the rules scrawled against the back inside cover and you slam the book shut, shoving it into your pillowcase for safekeeping. 

No Romance. 

Fuck.

[eldritch-nightmare]

saw that ur rq's are open and i LOVE your blog so:3 may i request ticci toby w a reader who looks up to him like a big brother?? platonic ofc !!! maybe they like . even copy some stuff he does (general gestures he might make, his vocabulary, hell maybe even his choice of weapon, etc) bonus points if you manage to add angst!!! have a nice day and make sure to drink water !!!

a/n: aw, i'm glad you like the blog!! you make sure to drink water too <3 i was gonna have a short little angst drabble at the end but i couldn't really figure out how to word it and i didn't wanna force it so i just turned the idea into those little kinda sorta angsty headcanons near the end.

toby w a reader who looks up to him like a big brother

warnings: platonic obvi, gn reader, overprotective behavior, mentions of injuries, brief mentions of injuries, death, and murder.

Honestly, he probably thinks you're weird as hell when you start following him around like a lost puppy.

Toby doesn't let people close to him, so he definitely tries shooing you away for a good few months before he ultimately realizes you're not gonna leave him alone.

He's not 100% sure how he feels about you viewing him as an older brother figure. I mean, obviously he's fine with it considering Sally views him as one as well but... Sally's dead. You're still alive and kicking.

He takes to the role immediately though, even if he doesn't realize it.

Whenever he's out completing missions, he always brings something back for you be it a snack or a book or some random trinket he thinks you might like.

He'd definitely have to sit you down and tell you not to copy his gestures and whatnot because while he understands that you don't mean any harm by doing it, it does make him feel uncomfortable, especially if you're copying his tics. That's a no-go. Don't do that.

His vocabulary is actually pretty safe. He doesn't swear much, only when he's under immense stress or if he's really angry, so you won't hear him saying fuck anytime soon. Unless you're around one of the others.

Which, speaking of, he does not want you hanging around certain creepypastas. He definitely has a long, comprehensive list on who you can and can't hang out with.

Eyeless Jack, Sally, Cody, Liu, and Natalie are safe. Spend time with them all you want. Nina, BEN, and Helen are on thin ice, but if you like them then go ahead. Stay the hell away from Jeff, Laughing Jack, and Candy Pop, specifically. They are all terrible influences and he immediately goes into Protective Big Brother Mode whenever they're around.

It goes into further detail than that, but just to give you the gist of it.

If it isn't obvious by now, Toby is going to be extremely protective. Like... to the point where you may even consider it to be overbearing.

He's also going to default and worry over every wound you may have, even if it isn't anything major. He isn't trying to be suffocating or anything like that, he just can't stand the thought of you getting hurt.

Real fucking hesitant to let you near any weapons. If you show any type of interest in wanting to do what he does, he will shut you down immediately. It's not happening.

And if you already do what he does, then, well... he's still not going to be okay with it. He'll watch you like a hawk if you're carrying any weapon.

He's definitely going to feel as if he can't be vulnerable when you're around. You see him as this cool guy, and he kinda feels like he needs to keep that image for you so he doesn't disappoint you. The whole 'older sibling can't be vulnerable' mentality is burned into him at this point.

And if you ever get like... severely injured? Oh boy, you can bet your ass Toby will personally hunt down the person who hurt you if they aren't already dead.

It'll take Toby hours, maybe even days to calm down depending on how long it takes you to wake up. Slender will literally have to force him to eat because Toby will simply refuse to leave your bedside.

I don't think Toby would show it to you often, but he does view you as a younger sibling to him now. It's probably something he doesn't even want to admit because he's scared that if he does, you'll be torn away from him just like Lyra was.

All he knows is that he can't watch another sibling die in front of him. He simply cannot. So just bear with his suffocating protectiveness and don't put yourself in any unnecessary danger.

He certainly isn't the perfect role model for you, but he'll try his best to be the big brother that you deserve to have.

[dreaming4peace]

Sea Shell

Character(s): Yan! Azul Ashengrotto

Content Warning(s): Dark content, Possessiveness, Yandere, OOC

______________________________________________________

You had given him a glowing sea shell that you thought he would like when you were in middle school. That was probably the first mistake you had ever made. You could still recall how bright his smile was when he received the item, a step towards restoring his self-confidence, you had assumed happily. Azul was your friend and you wanted him to be happy, as childish as that sounded. It was an extra sea shell afterall, something you had thought nothing about.

It was clear that your friend does not share the same uncaring feeling about the item. Instead, the item was kept and protected from any other prying hands, that might, to him, steal it. You had brushed it off, certain that once he finds other interesting objects, he would think of it as nothing more than an accessory.

Throughout the years, Azul still had not forgotten the shell. It had shrunk to a small size by the time the two of you were in college and your friend had proceeded to make it into a ring that he will only wear when it was only him and you together. 

Now, the shell glows ominously as Azul approached you. “Why can’t you understand? You are just making this ten times harder than it is supposed to be!” Your friend shouted, causing you to freeze. What does he mean? You darted your eyes around your bedroom nervously, not knowing what he meant. 

“Azul, look I know things may be stressful now but you don’t have to-!” You were cut off by his intense glare. “Shut it. Were you playing with me throughout the years? Were you pretending to be my friend just because it is fun?” You did not know what to respond with but you still shook your head nonetheless. 

“Hah, you think I am just some useless octopus-mer who can’t swim right? An ink-squirting crybaby who cannot do anything right at all...” Tears were streaming down his cheeks but he still mustered a small smile. “Of course not. Can you hear yourself right now-?” You tried to snap the male in front of you back to his senses but it seems to be doing the exact opposite.

At this point, he was just a few inches away from you, as you were backed onto your desk. “That’s fine though. I cannot blame you for thinking like that...” He trails off before gazing into your eyes, allowing you to see the raw, dark emotion he is feeling. 

Before you could react, he embraces you into a hug. However, it was anything but warm and comfortable. Instead it was tight and suffocating, much like the man. “However you had charmed me a long time ago, and it would certainly hurt to stop now.” You feel your stomach drop with his next words.

“I had long accepted that I will never be who you want but taking is much easier isn’t it?”

____________________________________

Notes: Just pretend this is an AU where it is not that easy to overblot since I am pretty sure Azul would have overblotted like halfway through the story. Have not proofread this so apologies if the story may have awkward expressions etc.