#((and the two of them helping each other out of their respective shells; becoming more comfortable!))

[lynxfrost13]

SKYWINGS

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Skywings are the biggest dragon breed due to their great height and additional wingspan. Tall and lanky, these dragons are accustomed to life at high altitudes, with many living in mountainsides and other rock faces. Their wings and claws are built for gripping the rough stone of their homeland. Skywings have an incredibly strong grip that is also very effective when hunting prey.

At the base of the skywing skull is where the main horns grow, with a base growth plate being protected by an upturned part of the skull. From this original plate horn segments will grow off of the base or each other with age. Skywing horns never stop growing until death. Additional facial horns grow in a similar fashion as the skywing matures, with hatchlings displaying bumps where the most prominent horns will come in. With age these dragons tend to grow more elaborate scale patterns and horns, with chin spikes/ridges, eyebrow, and cheek ridges being the most common.

As hatchlings, skywings have no underbelly scales, and the scales they do possess on their backs are incredibly soft and flexible. Hatchlings break out of their well protected shells with an egg tooth that falls off a few days after they break free, and it’s typical for heavier facial ridges to develop where the egg tooth was. Skywing hatchlings cannot produce fire of any sort until they reach a few years of age, around when their scales harden and fill in the underbelly area (roughly 3-4 years).

The fire produced by skywings is the hottest of any dragon breed, which could cause serious damage to any dragon’s body due to the heat. To combat this, skywings evolved to have cooling vents on their necks. Several flexible scale plates can open up along each side as the dragon breathes fire, allowing for excess heat and pressure to escape without harming the dragon. To help cool their mouths, skywings also have two additional sets of “nostrils” that serve the same purpose. Despite the common misconception, skywings cannot smell from these sets of nostrils, and their overall sense of smell is average.

CUSTOMS

Skywings have a huge culture around the upkeep of their horns, since they never stop growing they do need maintenance. What began as simple horn trimming ages ago grew into much more. Skywings style their horns in various different ways, and trends in style pop up here and there. Horn painting and carving is common, but there are a wide variety of modifications that skywings apply to them as well. Jewelry is popular, but draping horn jewelry tends to be avoided since it can be a hassle in the air. Overall jewelry and body decoration is incredibly popular, with skywings using light metals, beads, and fabrics in everyday wear.

Skywing cities are situated in cliff faces or mountainsides. These cities hold huge terraced gardens, ensuring that their citizens have a local spot to gather food. It’s also common for most skywing homes to have their own personal gardens, whether decorative or for additional food. These cities tend to have few walls, they’re not needed due to natural protections such as the altitude and surrounding mountains. The Sky Palace was the only city to be heavily fortified under Queen Scarlet, while the rest remained as they were. The openness of skywing cities has also made the ones along the borders into large trading hubs with lots of intermingling.

Skywings refuse to eat birds of prey out of a deep respect for them, as well as a belief that when a skywing dies, the part of them that remains on earth becomes one of those birds. To honor their memory, skywings hold an annual weeklong celebration in the spring, celebrating the births of new hatchlings (both dragon and avian) where they compete in racing games and the like. Their love of festivities has led to them adopting from mudwing culture, and in recent years they have even begun to adopt their own version of the bard, which is more focused on the storytelling aspect rather than the history.

[itadorey]

𝐒𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆

pairing: gojo satoru x reader summary: becoming a jujutsu sorcerer was never part of your plans, and neither was falling in love with gojo satoru. genre: angst, not-quite-lovers to exes notes/warnings: spoilers for hidden inventory, introspection, mentions of blood, canon-typical violence, arguments, there's some moral dilemmas but like no more than usual, reader throws up bc of news they receive (non graphic, literally just says "emptied your stomach".) wc: ~4.6k song inspo ♫: so young by portugal. the man

You never planned on becoming a jujutsu sorcerer.

Being a jujutsu sorcerer was something your parents had trained you for, but you always seemed to be more enamored by the thought of living a safe, normal life. In fact, the thought of attending the Tokyo Jujutsu High had never crossed your mind until the day your family sat you down and begged you to consider spending the next four years of your life there. You had reluctantly met with the school's administration, and your family was enthusiastic to find out you had been accepted immediately.

You weren’t as excited. 

Truthfully, you shouldn't have been surprised that you were accepted. You had a powerful cursed technique that guaranteed your spot as a Grade 1 sorcerer as soon as you enrolled into Jujutsu Tech, but the thought of going through with the training made your stomach twist uncomfortably.

As soon as you arrived at Jujutsu Tech, you had immediately asked your teacher, Yaga Masamichi, to meet and discuss your standing. It was in the teacher’s lounge that you came clean to him about not wanting to be a part of the class before politely asking them if there was a behind-the-scenes role you could fill, getting nothing but a surprised look in return. He had stayed silent for a few seconds before pouring you a cup of tea and motioning for you to take a seat on one of the couches.

Yaga wasted no time before he began to explain to you why you had been placed accepted in the first place. In addition to your cursed technique, you hailed from a small, yet respectable family of sorcerers. You would be a great asset to your classmates and the jujutsu world as a whole, especially because you seemed to think rationally even in the heat of danger. You couldn't deny that Yaga's words had given you a sense of purpose.

But no matter what they said, you still couldn’t help but long for a sense of normalcy. 

Yaga was able to sense your unchanging feelings and after a few minutes of contemplation, he made a deal with you. If you agreed to stay and hone your skills for at least a year and still decided you wanted to leave after that, he would let you do so with no complaints. After a few minutes of contemplation on your end, you agreed. 

Falling in love with the boy you sat next to had never been part of the plan, but then again, you supposed that your plan had been thrown out the moment you submitted your application to Jujutsu Tech.

Gojo Satoru was an annoyance to many of his classmates, but not to you. No one knew how, but over the course of a few months, the two of you had managed to break down each other’s walls and become closer than anyone expected. In your presence, Gojo seemed to appear more good-natured, his teasing remarks toned down as he slung an arm around your shoulders. In return, he managed to bring you out of your shell, helping you form solid friendships with Geto and Shoko.

Perhaps it was because the two of you truly understood each other; just two students who were thrust into the jujutsu world, forced to become sorcerers due to the power that flowed through your veins. Or maybe it was because your seemingly apathetic nature helped you get along well with the loud boy. Whatever it was, it made Yaga happy. As long as you remained close with Gojo, he knew that the chances of you dropping out or simply disappearing were slim.

Of course, there were still times when you regretted accepting Yaga’s proposal. Too many bad things had happened over the course of a few months for you to truly appreciate the fact that you were training in order to be able to help people. The incident that had caused your apprehension to grow the most had been one where you had been sent on a solo mission, assigned to take care of a grade 1 curse that had been residing in an abandoned apartment building.

The curse had been mislabeled, and you had found yourself fighting for your life against a special grade. In a moment of panic and desperation, your cursed energy had flared up more than usual, causing devastation to both the curse and the neighborhood surrounding you. It was only then that Gojo and Geto had burst in, having been sent by Yaga as back-up just in case. The curse had been disposed of by then, and Geto had barely managed to approach you just in time to catch your unconscious body.

The image of you, limp in Geto's arms, had remained seared in everyone's minds for months.

It was after that incident that the higher-ups had started to take closer note of you, and you found yourself retreating from your friends in an attempt to make yourself seem unimportant. You spent more time with the underclassmen, hiding away with Nanami and Haibara and listening to their stories about their classes and missions. You found Haibara's energy endearing, and it was always entertaining to watch him interact with the more stoic Nanami. It was only when Gojo started showing up outside your bedroom door that you finally returned to classes, his never-ending stream of questions about your cursed technique and abilities annoying you until you could no longer stand to be in the same room as him.

It was hard to ignore the way your eyes lit up at the sight of Gojo, regardless of how annoyed your expression seemed. It was also hard to ignore the way that Gojo would sneak glances at you over his glasses, breathless laughter leaving his lips whenever you pushed him out of your way. Geto and Shoko would always exchange knowing glances when you'd hang out all together, the two of them often going ignored as Gojo poked and prodded at your cheeks in an attempt to get your attention.

Yaga had also taken it upon himself to start assigning you missions once again. What had originally been a team of made up of you and Geto eventually grew to include Gojo, simply because he followed Yaga around and complained about how bored he was without you around. Geto had given you a look you had chosen to ignore when the two of you overheard Gojo say that.

The three of you turned out to be a dream team, especially once you had spent more time training with your cursed technique instead of ignoring it. The cursed energy you had displayed against the special grade curse was something that had always been at your disposal to use, you had just never concerned yourself with learning about it.

Everything seemed to be working out for you once in your life, especially with Gojo by your side to help motivate your growth.

But it all changed when the three of you met Amanai Riko.

At first, the mission had been a piece of cake.

Amanai Riko wasn't difficult to locate, and the people that were after her hadn't been hard to deal with either. It had been an easy mission, especially considering that the three of you were some of the best that the jujutsu world had to offer.

You had grown to quite like Riko, and your time with her in Okinawa had only helped you come to terms with your role as a sorcerer to a greater extent. For once, you felt like you belonged. You had a clearer purpose, and you were determined to succeed in every aspect of your life if it meant getting to keep living such a rewarding life.

And then Fushiguro Toji struck.

All you remember is seeing Riko get killed right in front of your eyes, your distress and panic immediately being pushed down in favor of facing the new threat. You barely processed the conversation between Geto and Toji, only catching bits and pieces but feeling your heart drop and stomach twist when he declared that Gojo Satoru was dead.

After that, everything was a blur. You remember fighting alongside Geto, the two of you in sync as you tried your best to survive. You could remember choking on your fear, the situation much more severe than facing that special grade curse a couple of months ago. You remember closing your eyes for a brief moment, your lips moving as you said a silent goodbye to Shoko, Haibara, Nanami, and Yaga. You remember watching Geto get struck down, leaving you alone to face Fushiguro Toji.

There was a determined glint in his eyes when he stared at you, and you did your best to push down the bile crawling its way up your throat as you studied him. It was a tense fight, and you had managed to land a solid hit on Toji, catching him by surprise. You used that moment to your advantage, but no matter how hard you tried, you were overwhelmed by his physical strength as he flung you out across the courtyard.

It was then, with him towering over you and ready to deal the final blow as you looked up at him in defiance, that Gojo Satoru reappeared.

There was something different about him as he looked at you, his eyes a little more focused than usual as he turned to face Toji. You had only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying, and you had scrambled to Geto's side in an attempt to reassure yourself that everything would be okay. By the time you had regained your composure and looked behind you, Fushiguro Toji was no more and Gojo was ambling towards you.

That was when you truly realized just how much power Gojo Satoru truly held.

His eyes had been wide and bright, hands trembling with leftover adrenaline from his fight as he knelt down beside you to cup your face in his hands. You could feel the warm blood on his fingers streaking your face as he scanned you from head to toe, his face breaking out into a grin when he realized you were relatively unharmed.

"You and I," he had said, leaning forwards to press his forehead against yours. His stare was intense, and you found yourself shutting your eyes in an attempt to avoid it. "We're gonna live forever. I swear it."

His words rang in your head even as he pulled away, a weak groan from Geto drawing Gojo's attention away from you. You were on autopilot from that moment on, repeating the incident in your head up until you were back at Jujutsu Tech being treated by Shoko.

You fell into a slump after that, wanting nothing more than to leave Jujutsu Tech behind until you bumped into Geto one evening. All it took was one glance at him to realize that he understood you better than anyone, and the two of you spent many a late night sitting in the dark with a cup of tea in hand. There was never much talking done during these times, and occasionally you would find yourself sitting close to him, hands intertwined as the two of you sought out some comfort.

Gojo continued to grow at an incredible rate, and no matter how much you wanted to be by his side and support him, you couldn't forget about the day that Riko died.

So while Gojo flourished, you and Geto withered. You rarely showed up to class, sitting alone in the corner when you did. Gojo joined you whenever he wasn't off on a mission, which meant you spent a lot more time without him than you'd like. You also grew paranoid, refusing to go on missions and spending all your free time either training in hand-to-hand combat or laying in bed. The rest of your time was spent with Geto, and you found yourself admitting to him that you had never wanted to become a sorcerer in the first place but had been asked to stay by Yaga.

You had hit him when he had absentmindedly commented that you had also stayed for Gojo.

Whenever Gojo wasn't on a mission, it was almost certain the two of you would be together, your heart aching as he tried his best to be there for you despite your dull demeanor. You would often find sweets hidden in your sweaters and bag, and you would occasionally get to your room to find a basket of your favorite snacks waiting outside your door. He understood that you needed space, but seeing you so lifeless, with dark circles carved underneath your eyes, just made his concern grow even more. The thing that eventually pushed him to finally confront you was Shoko's incessant nagging.

And Geto's betrayal.

The news came as a mild shock to you.

Geto, the person who had quickly become your closest friend and the only person in the world who truly understood you, had become a curse-user.

It was silent for a minute after Yaga told you the news, and within an instant, you found yourself sprinting to the nearest bathroom before emptying the contents of your stomach. You shut your eyes tightly as you leaned your head against the wall, trying to ignore everything that was happening.

First, Haibara had been killed due to a mission going wrong, leaving Nanami as the only first year at Jujutsu Tech. Now, Geto had gone rogue and left without telling anyone. You felt another wave of nausea wash over you and leaned back over the toilet, flinching when you felt a warm hand rubbing your back. You turned your head to see Gojo kneeling next to you.

Sobs overtook you and you let him cradle you against his chest, feeling his fingers weaving through your hair as he held you close. You remember being silent as you eventually unwound yourself from him, walking over to the sink and brushing your teeth before letting him guide you towards his room. He followed you like a shadow, silent but close as he tried to hide his concerned expression. He took a seat on his bed, leaning back on his palms before glancing at you and patting the spot next to him.

You sat down next to him, closing your eyes as he reached for your trembling hand. It was awful how something so gentle could remind you of Geto, and you found yourself pulling your hand to your chest as you tried to control your breathing.

"I never thought this would happen," Gojo muttered quietly, watching you closely as he let his hand rest next to your thigh. You shook your head as you opened your eyes, giving him a distressed look before kicking off your shoes and bringing your legs up.

"I did," you replied hoarsely, sniffling as Gojo gave you a bewildered look.

"What?"

"We had this conversation after everything that happened with... Fushiguro and Riko," you admitted. The names were whispered, and Gojo found himself realizing just how big of an effect the incident had truly had on you and Geto. "He spoke with Yuki as well."

"Tsukumo? The other special grade?" Gojo asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. You nodded in response.

"There was this hypothetical scenario," you began, pausing to collect your thoughts. Gojo couldn't help but notice the way you tensed, and his fingers twitched with the urge to pull you close. "We spoke about how non-sorcerers release cursed energy at a higher rate than everyone else, and how that contributes to the essentially all the problems we have to face as sorcerers. I didn't know where I was going with that theory. Education, maybe, spreading knowledge about cursed energy in an attempt to contain it. But after Geto's conversation with Yuki, he mentioned getting rid of non-sorcerers as the best option in the long run."

You avoided Gojo's gaze, blinking rapidly as you tried to keep your train of thought. You felt Gojo's fingers brush tentatively against yours once more, and you resisted the urge to take his hand in yours.

"The notion was so ridiculous that we never entertained it," you whispered, freezing slightly before continuing. "Or at least, I didn't."

There was a heavy pause as you finally looked up, meeting Gojo's stare with one of your own. He blinked slowly, trying to read all the emotions in your eyes as they flitted past one by one.

"I knew, Gojo," you whispered, your eyes haunted as you reached over to tug at his sleeve. Your actions were frantic, rushed in an attempt to make him try to fully understand you. He gave you a questioning look, and you pressed yourself a bit closer to him as you grabbed a hold of his shoulders. "I knew that Geto wasn't doing well. Hell, neither of us were, but he was coping even worse than I was and I didn't do shit but sit with him and hold his hand and occasionally listen to him vent. I could've done more. I could've stopped him."

"This isn't your fault," Gojo said firmly, reaching up to grab your arms. He pulled them upwards, settling them behind his neck before letting his hands trail down to your waist to pull you closer. You end up half in his lap, face tucked into the crook of his neck as he pressed you into him. He could feel your breath against his neck, and he held you more tightly as he reminded himself that you were still here with him.

"Yes it is," you mumbled, drawing your arms back to your sides. You made no effort to move away from him. "If I wasn't so caught up in my own fucking wallowing, I would've been able to catch it."

Gojo sighed softly before tucking his fingers under your chin, angling your head up to make you look at him. You felt your heart jump up into your throat, and you swallowed harshly as you reminded yourself that this wasn't the time nor the place for you to be getting all moony-eyed over your friend.

"Your feelings are valid too," he said softly, leaning forward to place his forehead against yours. His eyes remain bright and you find yourself reminded of that horrible day and the words he had spoken to you back then: "You and I, we're gonna live forever." You closed your eyes before ducking down to tuck your head against his collarbone, the thumping of his heart calming you down.

"The two of you were dealing with things I can't even begin to imagine," Gojo continues, unaware of the way you tensed up in his arms. His words just helped to remind you of just how much fundamentally better Gojo was at being a jujutsu sorcerer. "I wish you would've come to me."

There was a moment of silence during which you tried to control your racing thoughts. You thought back to Fushiguro Toji, to Haibara, to Riko, to the special grade curse you had fought way back when, and even to the deal you had made about a year ago with Yaga. Life hadn’t been fair, especially not to someone as young as you were. Gojo looked down at you when you finally went limp, and he found himself studying you worriedly before opening his mouth to speak.

"I'm leaving."

Your whisper sounded a lot louder than it was in the silence of your small room. Gojo's hands tightened around you as he processed your words, and you refused to look at him no matter how hard he tried to catch your eye. "What?"

"Look, I never even wanted to be a sorcerer in the first place," you admitted, taking note of Gojo's confused expression out of the corner of your eye. He didn't respond, and you took the opportunity to elaborate further. "I only enrolled because my parents were afraid of letting my cursed technique go to waste, and I only stayed because I struck a deal with Yaga."

"What was the deal?" Gojo asked uncertainly, his heart feeling a lot heavier than it had mere minutes ago.

"That'd I'd train for a year. And that if I still wanted to leave after, I'd be allowed to. No questions asked."

"No," Gojo stated, squaring his jaw as he took a deep breath. "No, no, you can't leave. You have to stay."

There was desperation hidden in his words, his fingers tensing against your skin as he looked at you imploringly.

"No, I don't," you said, your tone equally as firm as his. There was no hesitance or reluctance hidden in your words, and Gojo felt his stomach twist as he choked on his breath. "I don't want to be here anymore. I didn't even want to be here to begin with, Gojo! My life here has been nothing but pain and grief and utter despair and it's only gotten worse! I'm speaking with Yaga first thing tomorrow morning and transferring out."

"You can't," Gojo responded immediately, his words strangled and heavy with desperation. "You can't leave me, or Shoko. There's so much more left to do, are you really going to give up? It's just you and me and—"

"And what?" you snarled, eyes narrowing as you finally met his gaze head on. "We're gonna have a happy life? Grow up, Satoru. Riko's dead, Haibara's dead, Nanami is falling apart, and Geto is gone. There is nothing here for me anymore and honestly, sometimes I wish Fushiguro Toji had just finished it all before you arrived. You think you're the strongest and maybe you are, but you can't save everyone. We can't save everyone, clearly."

You paused briefly, a bitter laugh leaving your lips as you took in Gojo's wide-eyed stare. "The jujutsu world is a joke. And I want no part of it."

"You can't leave," he repeated, taking one last shaky breath.

"Yes. I can."

"You can't leave me," Gojo breathed, his eyes uncharacteristically soft. "I know you're in love with me."

"Well, you're wrong," you said quietly, your words getting caught in your throat as you took a deep, rattling breath. “I didn’t come to Jujutsu Tech to find friends, much less a lover.”

"I'm in love with you too," he declared in a loud voice, leaving no room for skepticism. You could feel your heart pounding in your ears, and you found yourself conflicted as you finally heard the words you had wished to hear since the moment you had met Gojo Satoru.

"Frankly, I don't care," you said after a moment of silence, pushing yourself away from him and crawling out of his lap. You took a couple of steps away from him, looking out your window in an attempt to avoid looking at him.

"You're lying," Gojo said confidently, standing up and getting closer to you. You jerked away from him, gasping when you felt his hand reach out and pull you toward him. He wasted no time before reaching up to cup your face, causing you to breathe in sharply as you screwed your eyes shut, all the fight leaving your body as you leaned into him. "I'm going to be by your side no matter what. It's you and I."

"We're gonna live forever?" you asked softly, receiving a nod from him in return.

"Exactly," he said, grinning widely as he studied your face. There was a moment of hesitation before he looked down, fingers tensing against your face. "Can I kiss you?"

There was silence as you opened your eyes to stare at him, hesitance in your eyes as you studied him for a few seconds before giving him a weak nod. He wasted no time before leaning in, capturing your lips in a soft kiss. It ended with a soft laugh from you, dissipating into sniffles as tears welled up in your eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," Gojo mumbled, wiping your tears away as they fell. "Everything will be fine, I promise. You have me, and Shoko, and Nanami, and we're going to be okay. We'll get through everything together, okay?"

There was another soft nod from you, and Gojo finally let go of your face to intertwine his hand with yours. Within seconds he was pulling you down into his bed alongside him, pulling the covers over the both of you before reaching out to tuck you under his chin. His fingers ran soothingly over your spine, the tension in your body dissipating as your breathing evened out. It was when you were on the verge of passing out that he spoke once more, his voice soft and tender as stroked your hair.

"I'll never leave your side, I swear it."

You closed your eyes.

The early morning sun woke Gojo up, bright rays of light shining directly into his eyes.

He shuffled uncomfortably, realizing that the two of you had fallen asleep in your school uniforms the previous day. He reached out with a groan, eyes shooting open when he realized that he was alone in his bed. He sat up, leaning on his elbows as he glanced around, seeing no sign that you had even been in his room in the first place.

The first pair of shoes he was able to locate were his slippers, and he found himself wandering through the halls of the school as he made his way to your room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Yaga standing outside your door, hand rubbing the bridge of his nose as he turned away.

"Satoru," Yaga greeted, turning to face Gojo when he heard his footsteps. "Good morning. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for—"

His words died down as he looked behind Yaga, being met with an empty room. There was no trace of you having ever been there, and if he hadn't known better, he would've thought that it had always been empty. Gojo swallowed harshly, his throat unnaturally dry as he looked back at Yaga.

"Where is—"

"Gone," Yaga interrupted, shaking his head and scoffing lightly. "They left this morning. I trust you knew about our deal?"

Gojo nodded.

"They said it was time for me to hold up my end of the bargain."

He waved vaguely at your room, stepping aside to give Gojo more space. A loud sigh brought Gojo's attention to Yaga, and he raised an eyebrow as his teacher looked up at the ceiling. "I'm going to go finish their transfer paperwork."

He left Gojo with a nod, hesitating slightly before lowering his head and walking away. It was silent as Gojo walked into your room, eyes taking in the empty walls and naked bed. He perched on the edge of it, his fingers running over the bare mattress as he tried to control his breathing.

"Gojo?"

A quiet call of his name had him looking up to see Shoko, and he found himself holding back tears as she shuffled closer. She was holding out her arm, a white envelope clasped in her hand as she reached out towards him.

"They uh, they left this for you before they, y'know."

Gojo took the envelope from Shoko with trembling hands, his fingers running over the seam of it before he crumpled it in his fist, his emotions getting the best of him as Shoko gave him a concerned look.

You had given Shoko the envelope before leaving. You had seen and said goodbye to Shoko before leaving.

"You know, they really—"

"Don't."

Gojo's voice was hoarse as he interrupted Shoko, and he briefly shut his eyes as he felt them burn with unshed tears.

It was only then, with Shoko giving him a sympathetic stare, that he realized that although he promised to never leave your side, all he had received from you was silence.

reblogs are appreciated <3 ty for reading!!

[mya-valentine]

Headcanon: Dating Alhaitham but Being Best Friends with Cyno

Alhaitham finds Cyno’s humor... grating at times. He’ll shoot you a knowing look whenever Cyno cracks one of his bad puns or tells another “genius invokation” joke. Alhaitham’s too logical and serious to appreciate it, but he loves seeing you laugh, so he puts up with it—begrudgingly.

Despite the teasing, Alhaitham respects Cyno for his unwavering sense of justice and loyalty. Knowing you’re best friends with someone so steadfast makes Alhaitham feel more at ease about the time you spend together, even if he’d never admit it outright.

Alhaitham enjoys the occasional intellectual debate with Cyno, though their discussions usually turn into subtle competitions. Alhaitham is confident in his reasoning, but Cyno’s sharp instincts can sometimes catch him off guard. You’ll often be the one mediating these debates, secretly amused by how competitive they get.

While Alhaitham is not the jealous type, he does have a quiet possessiveness about him. If you spend too much time with Cyno, he’ll subtly remind you of his presence, whether it’s through a touch on the arm, a lingering glance, or a casual invitation to “help” him with something back at home.

Alhaitham appreciates that your friendship with Cyno provides you a different kind of companionship, one that’s more playful and carefree. He recognizes that his own serious nature can be a bit much at times, so he’s glad you have someone like Cyno who can lighten the mood and bring out your fun side.

Alhaitham may not be as outwardly playful as Cyno, but he’ll tease you in his own, intellectual way. He’ll quip about how Cyno’s humor is rubbing off on you or make sarcastic comments about being second to Cyno’s “awful puns.” You’ll catch the amusement in his voice, though—he finds the whole dynamic amusing, even if he won’t admit it.

Cyno loves to tease you about your relationship with Alhaitham, especially when he sees Alhaitham being his usual stoic self. “Has Alhaitham quoted any philosophy texts at you yet today?” Cyno will joke, making you chuckle while Alhaitham quietly glares from a distance.

Despite the teasing, Cyno has a slightly overprotective side when it comes to your relationship with Alhaitham. He’ll occasionally check in to make sure everything is going well, offering advice when needed. He may even jokingly threaten Alhaitham, though both of you know Cyno is just being playful.

Cyno trusts your judgment completely and knows you can handle yourself, especially in a relationship with someone as complex as Alhaitham. He never doubts your ability to keep Alhaitham in check and enjoys hearing your stories about how you manage his quirks.

Cyno often invites you on adventures that involve sparring, chasing down criminals, or even engaging in card game tournaments. He appreciates your playful side, and the two of you can laugh and be carefree together, which is a refreshing break from the more intense energy that sometimes surrounds Alhaitham.

Cyno will sometimes pull you into conversations with Alhaitham when he’s in a particularly over-analytical mood. Cyno jokingly relies on you to "translate" Alhaitham’s logic into something more practical, and you often become the middle ground between them, finding balance in their contrasting personalities.

With the three of you together, there’s constant banter. Alhaitham’s dry wit, Cyno’s humor, and your playful teasing create an amusing dynamic. Alhaitham will often roll his eyes at Cyno’s jokes, while you laugh along, enjoying the way Cyno can pull him out of his serious shell.

While they’re different in so many ways, Cyno and Alhaitham have a deep respect for one another, even if it manifests in subtle or competitive ways. They trust each other with your safety, knowing that between the three of you, no challenge would be too great to face.

When something important arises, like protecting you or completing a mission, Cyno and Alhaitham put their differences aside. They work surprisingly well together, with Alhaitham’s sharp intellect and Cyno’s quick instincts forming an effective combination. You’ll find yourself feeling well-protected when both of them are around.

Both Cyno and Alhaitham have protective instincts, but they show it in different ways. Alhaitham is subtle, always staying close and ensuring you’re never in danger, while Cyno is more vocal, always ready to step in if needed. Together, they form an amusing pair of guards who have your back at all times.

Dating Alhaitham means enjoying deep, quiet moments, intellectual debates, and affection that’s subtle yet profound. Meanwhile, with Cyno as your best friend, you experience lighthearted fun, adventures, and constant laughter. The contrast between the two makes your life dynamic and full of interesting moments, keeping you grounded yet never bored.

The best part about your relationships with both Alhaitham and Cyno is how they balance each other out. When Alhaitham’s seriousness becomes overwhelming, Cyno is there to lighten the mood. When Cyno’s antics get a little too chaotic, Alhaitham provides a grounding presence. You find comfort in both of them, and they both appreciate how you keep their lives more interesting.

.

.

.

Masterlist

[liillyliilly]

All Night Long

iwaizumi hajime x reader words; 1162 synopsis; the whole pen pal thing had been his mom's idea. now? he was glad that he had someone like her to tell everything to.

(So, if you just give me a chance, I can still show you romance)

Iwaizumi doesn’t quite remember when he started sending letters to Y/n. All he remembers is that his mom wanted him to diversify his communication skills, since he had only really ever talked to the boys on his volleyball team.

So, sending letters back and forth with a girl from Tokyo seemed like a rational solution to Mrs. Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi would send one letter one week and then she would send a letter the next one. And that’s how it had been for four years.

At first the letters were strictly professional. Asking about goals, academics, and life plans. Gradually, the shells of both Iwaizumi and Y/N were chipped away at. Divulging details of a bad kiss, or something hilarious a friend did. When she started to cut out classic memes, putting cardstock editions of volleyball player trading cards and writing out various links to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up", Iwaizumi thought he met his almost heavenly match.

While she didn't play volleyball, she treated it like something special, and respected Iwaizumi's love for the sport. He felt proud when she acknowledged how much of a hard-worker he must have been to be ranked so highly in his prefecture with his team.

She also always knew what to write to him to help motivate him. Quotes from famous people never made an appearance, she just had the old soul wisdom to articulate exactly what needed to be said to him.

Iwaizumi does remember when he started to wait right next to the mailbox just so he could read her letter as soon as possible. And he does remember when it starts to take him longer than five hours to write a response. And he definitely remembers when Oikawa starts to tease him about his hobby.

“You actually write to her every week?” Oikawa holds up the basket that Iwaizumi keeps all of her letters in. Carefully they are sectioned off by year and then by month. He has written the date they arrived in the corner of the envelope so he can keep all of them organized. When Oikawa starts to pull out letters, Iwaizumi rips the basket out of his hands and holds it close to his chest.

“No, Shittykawa. It’s every other week.” Iwaizumi sides the basket under his bed before slumping back down into his beanbag.

Oikawa grins before sitting down on a chair opposite to Iwaizumi. “Have you ever thought about asking her for her number?”

“Why would I?”

“Because then you guys can talk, without having to wait two weeks before the other responds.” Oikawa shrugs pulling out his phone to mess around on it, eyes peeking out over his glasses to look at Iwaizumi. “Unless, of course, you're afraid.”

“I am not afraid.” Iwaizumi grabs his clipboard to start writing his response letter, her most recent letter sitting on his side table so he can reference it.

Except, this time, instead of a nice long handwritten letter, it’s a simple series of numbers. And a small phrase. “Text me?” Iwaizumi considers drawing a smiley face, or even just a small shrugging stick figure drawing. But he thinks that what he wrote is enough. He hopes it’s enough for her to contact him.

The walk to drop off the letter in his mailbox is agonizing. He retreats twice before his mom yells at him and tells him he needs to send it today or else the letter schedule will be all messed up. The thought of Y/N having to wait longer than seven days to get his letter suddenly becomes more of a worry than his potential rejection of swapping numbers.

On day one, the day after the mailperson picked up the letter, Iwaizumi's hands were perpetually sweaty.

On day two, Iwaizumi felt a little better, he could forget all about his pen pal and then it would be perfectly fine. Except he could never forget her.

Days three to six were a blur. His phone felt heavier each day, and he even decided to leave it home from school on day six because he kept looking at it for too long. Checking again and again for any new messages.

(I wanna get real close to you)

Iwaizumi almost faints when an unrecognized number sends the phrase, “I know who you are Hajime.” He grips at his heart before easing up when the next message is sent. “Because it's me! Y/n L/n.”

She sends him a lot of Godzilla memes. She talks about her day. She asks him about volleyball. She rants about the people she goes to school with. She is perfect to him.

His palms are sweaty as he wipes them onto his joggers as he stares at Y/n’s contact. The phone icon mocking him for his nervousness. He takes a deep breath. She had told him that she’s used to having her friends call her an obnoxious number of times, but that she likes talking on the phone because she likes hearing people’s voices. Iwaizumi leans back on his desk chair and runs his hands through his hair.

He had drank his mother's throat soothing honey lemon tea for at least a week leading up to his decision to call her. But the nerves about what his voice sounded like still irked him. He had been told that he had a rough voice by his friends. A dorky voice from Oikawa. A lovely voice by his mom. What would she think though? Her opinion was the only one that really mattered anyway.

He stands up and shakes his legs and hands in an effort to get rid of his anxiety. He jumps around in his room for a bit as he tries to get his energy out. Iwaizumi puts his hands on his face and reminds himself, calling people is normal. Totally and completely normal. But his reminder does nothing to ease how his right hand is shaking while it hovers over the call button.

He presses the button and hold his phone to his ear, biting down on his lip.

“Hello?” Y/n’s voice asks. And Iwaizumi’s heart races as it tries to find a way to ingrain her voice upon itself.

“Y/n! Hi, it's me Hajime!” He cringes when he realizes how alike he sounds to Oikawa. Enthusiasm didn’t fit the way he acted, but the way Y/n interacted with him made him want to be as keen as possible.

“Hajime! What’s up?” A large smile overwhelms his face as he rubs the back of his head.

Neither really knows how long they spent on the phone talking. But by the time it was around two in the morning, Y/n was snoring softly over the phone and Iwaizumi was breathing at an even pace with his phone sitting on his pillow close to his ear.

(All night long)

[marymary-diva17]

Realization

Jake x avatar reader x neytiri

Avatar mini-series masterlist

The love that was shared between three souls will never be broken, but what happens when two of the sounds finally see that haven't been there for the other soul. That what had been happening in the last couple years was destroyer the relationship that once held dear, for the other person they love and cherish and if they keep this up they will lose them forever. That had become a big realization to know you will lose someone you have love so deeply, and might not ever have a special bond and relationship with them every again if everything comes crashing down.

y/n " breakfast is everyone" soon the family had come when you called them for breakfast all the children had soon sat down, when Jake had sat near you he saw you and move a away from him. Even neytiri had seen it as well when she tried to touch you it will result in you, moving a bit away from her as well.

Jake " breakfast is delicious honey"

y/n " umm thank you" it seems like the kids were shocked when Jake had called you honey, they were looking at him with shocked expression that got his attention.

neytiri " yes it wonderful ma y/n thank you for making the morning meal for us" The kids looked at neytiri shocked soon as well both Jake and neytiri were very confused, on why their kids were giving them these looks.

y/n " you are both welcome I thought it will be good for me to helpful towards the family" The family soon parted ways as everyone had gone to their own things.

Jake " you noticed it as well did you"

neytiri " it was not that hard to not pay attention to what had happened, even the kids were acting off as well"

Jake " yes maybe we should speak with them and see what the matter" the coupe had nodded their heads and soon went to find their kids, it seems like they were lucky as they came across their three other kids expect lo'ak.

Jake " kids may we speak with you"

neteyam " yes sir"

Jake " we want to know if everything okay with you mom she seems a bit off this morning" the two older children looked at each other as it seems like they, are having a silent fight with each other.

Jake " what going on here"

neteyam " why are you asking this question dad"

Jake " well because we noticed this morning your mother had pulled awya from our affection and you all loved weird when, we called her honey or ma y/n"

kiri " well it becomes dad it been many years since you called mama that"

Jake " no it hasn't"

kiri " yes it has"

neteyam " with all respect sir either one of you have been that close to her for a very long time" neteyam has give his father and mother a serious look he had respect for them, but hr had held more respect towards you.

Jake " what do you mean by that young man"

neteyam " you three were once so close as mates hey I wanted to have the same relationships as you all when I got older, but now looking where you all are I fear becoming like that not loving my mate anymore or being there for them"

Jake " we are there for your mom"

kiri " make that past tense you were there for mom not anymore she always alone, and she still love you two even after all the ways you both been treating her"

neytiri " we were busy we didn't have enough time"

kiri " you always made time for each other and never her it was always you two and never her, that hurt her mom and dad and you can't see that" Jake and neytiri were starting to see the errors of their ways slowly.

kiri " hey tuk why don't you go play and make a sand castle we will join your later"

tuk " okay can we collect some shells I want to make mommy a new necklace her old one is breaking"

neteyam " sure baby"

tuk " yeah I'm going to find the most beauty shells for mommy and lo'ak as well" tuk soon ran off with a bright smile on her face she was now looking for a shell. Once she was out of her shot kiri and neteyam soon looked at their parents.

kiri " you are going to lose mom"

Jake " what do you mean we are going to lose your mom she loves us"

kiri " yes she loves you two but how much will that love stay as you keep on this route of being mean to her"

neytiri " what do you mean leave us"

neteyam " her living the home and making her own she will keep distance from there and be civil"

Jake " she never told us this"

kiri " she doesn't have to say it dad it easy to see it become like that and when it comes to who going with her lo'ak will leave right away"

Jake " no lo'ak wont"

neteyam " it seems like you don't know your wife or son you have failed both of them over and over again"

kiri " if you want to keep this family tougher the both of you need to take responsibility for you actions, and change if you wish to keep her and lo'ak because if they leave I'm going with them" kiri soon turned around and walked away to join her sister.

neteyam " we are not picking sides not if you two don't change you will lose everyone, even grandmother thinks so as well" neteyam soon walked away as well. Jake and neytiri stood there watching the kids soon see you and lo'ak come home and race towards you happy.

neytiri " we are going to lose her my Jake we are going to lose lo'ak ... we are going to lose everyone"

Jake " no we are not going to lose here we need to make up for what we had done, and just maybe we will be given a second chance or reconcile with her but we can't lose her" Jake and neytiri were going to join you and the kids but they need to seek advice from some others, they need to see if they really have failed as mates and parents. later that night they wouldn't be happy about what they had been told, they completely had failed in many ways for their family leaving you to carry all the weight without any help. Now they were going to do anything that was need to make up for their mistakes as they wish not to lose you or the kids as you and the kids were their whole world. they didnt want that whole world coming crumbling down on them.

[msc-ddv-ss]

DDLV Friendship Headcanons : Rapunzel & Quasimodo ---------------------------------------

These two would be the bestest of friends… and there's literally no doubt in my mind that anything can change that…

Although… it would actually take them a while to have their first interaction… Both of them are slightly scared of talking to the other at first, and don’t know how or if they should approach them.

Quasimodo has no idea how to interact with anybody in the Valley (Hell, neither of them do.), but it is especially hard due to all the different faces, and types of people living here. There are some regular people, but there are also Talking Animals, Royalty, God’s, Demi-Gods, Anthropomorphic Talking Animals, and even things that he has never heard of, such as “Robots”... and this leads to him instinctively avoiding certain people in the valley, scared that he sticks out even more now.

Rapunzel is a bit more determined to make friends than Qusimodo, despite her anxieties. But although she doesn’t mean to be… she is actually quite fearful of Quasimodo at first. The way Quasimodo looks reminds her of the way Mother Gothel described people in the outside world, and even though she knows that Gothel was wrong about everything she said, she can’t help but be uneasy.

But after being introduced to each other by The Player… They would just immediately click…

Both of them would instantly apologise to each other after their mischaracterizing of one another, both of them feeling somewhat guilty about it… But the guilt is short lived, as they promptly start to bond in their similarities.

They both relate to each other, as both of them were trapped in a tower for their whole lives, and had to find and learn whatever they could about the outside world from… quite possibly the worst sources…

This leads to a tendency where both of them tend to rant to the other about something that they learnt about recently.

They are now “Learning-Buddies!”

Even though they are still both anxious about social interactions with certain villagers, They both love learning new things from them. This usually causes the two of them to meet up, and trade some of the new things they have learnt. 

But whenever the information they trade is wrong, or contradictory to what another one of the villagers told them, they both work together to find out the facts. (This usually ends with them talking to the Player)

But if they are not talking about their new findings, they tend to show the other everything they learnt to do while growing up in their respective towers.

This leads to the two of them frequently talking about books, art, food, sewing, knitting, handcrafting, puzzles, and even the intricacies of maintaining and cleaning bells.

They probably both started a project with some of the other villagers to make a handcrafted replica of the whole valley, with little figures of the villagers to boot, for the inside of Qusimodo’s House.

Not only helping them become even better friends, but also helping each other become more social, and out of their shells.

Overall:

10 / 10

[starrysnowdrop]

Why Hali/Aymeric?

This is something that I’ve been wanting to write up for a long time now, and I’ve finally been able to get my thoughts down properly. For those who have been around for a while might be used to my ship by now and can see how their chemistry is, but I know I have some newer followers that might be interested in this explanation. Or perhaps you’re just curious even though you’ve been here forever. Either way, I thank you in advance for taking your time to read this! See under the cut below.

Updated: 09/21/2024

So, you might or might not know that Hali is actually not my first WoL OC. Before Hali, I had made an Auri Hingan Samurai woman named Yume Aino, whom I first created back in 2019, shortly after the release of Shadowbringers (Yume’s blog can be found here: @firelightmuse). I didn’t realize it at first, but because of how I had written Yume, as a stoic, no nonsense warrior through and through, but also someone who was dealing with a lot of trauma and trying to find purpose in her life, I soon had a really hard time shipping her with anyone. Over the years I had tried shipping Yume with Cid, G’raha, and I briefly thought of Artoirel, but I now have found her perfect ship with Zenos. Before any of them, however, my first choice of an NPC ship was Aymeric.

Why Aymeric? Well, it took me quite a while to realize that a huge part of me wanting to ship Yume with Aymeric as a first choice was a very personal one. Aymeric was the first character in FFXIV that I completely fell for. Though I enjoyed the characters of Cid, Haurchefant, and G’raha in ARR, it wasn’t until we meet Aymeric in the Pre-HW patches that I had gotten attached to the world and the story through finding a favorite character of my own. Aymeric is so special to me, and that made me try to ship my only WoL at the time with him. But as you can see, that ultimately didn’t work out.

It didn’t work out because Yume and Aymeric didn’t vibe well with each other. There was a severe lack of chemistry between the two. I had realized that Aymeric is much too polite and respectful of decorum to break Yume out of her shell to make a deeper connection than just comrades that respect one another, and I didn’t think Yume was the kind of person that Aymeric would come to love either, as she would likely remind him of the many Ishgardian nobles that he was around all the time, for many reasons which I won’t elaborate on here due to brevity. And as I didn’t have any other OCs at the time, I just continued developing Yume and an NPC ship with Aymeric was discarded. Although I personally was very saddened by that, I thought it was the right decision for both characters.

Yet, I continued having trouble writing any kind of ship with Yume over time. After a few years, as I kept getting frustrated with the ships I was trying to write for her, I got inspired to make another WoL OC that would be different from Yume in every way. She actually would end up being much more of a self insert than I ever expected, but nonetheless I fell in love with the pink haired, happy go lucky Lalafellin woman who would become Hali Aloke, my pride and joy.

As I got Hali through base ARR and into the ARR patches, I didn’t have any intention on trying to ship her Aymeric and to try a WoL x NPC ship with him a second time, as I actually had intentions to ship Hali with Krile later on in her WoL journey.

But everything changed once Hali met Aymeric in 2.4, the lead up to Heavensward. I saw them in the cutscenes together, and as ridiculous of a height difference they had, I still couldn’t help but giggle and squeal whenever they were together. They just were incredibly adorable, and I couldn’t hold myself back. I just had to try to ship Hali with Aymeric.

So I decided to try to write a few prompts with them together and see how their dynamic was. And it was even better than I had expected. Their chemistry was so amazing, and the dialogue between them flowed quite effortlessly. Not only was I highly impressed and kept getting inspired to write more and more, but I got a ton of positive feedback from so many people telling me that they loved Hali and Aymeric together.

And I guess that was that. I have never looked back since. Hali x Aymeric are my everything (well besides Yume x Zenos now of course); my ship makes me so damn happy. Just looking at them makes me smile and want to write and gpose more. I can’t get enough of them. It’s to the point now that I don’t know if I could ever write a ship better than Hali x Aymeric. And you know what? I don’t even want to try at this point.

I still can’t fully comprehend how a pink haired, bubbly, sunshine of a lalafellin woman and a noble, brave, and charismatic Ishgardian knight could be such a beautiful and dynamic couple that would not only bring me endless joy but also keep inspiring me far more than anything else I’ve ever written. It is utterly beyond my comprehension, but somehow it works. And I am forever grateful that I just followed my heart and wrote what I wanted, and not for anyone else’s approval, but my own.

I somehow hope this helps inspire someone out there to not be afraid and just go for the ship they want to write for, despite what the fandom at large says. Trust me, it’s worth it.

[nyx-lyris]

i love the potential of all the hazbin ships, platonic or romantic.

the beauty and the beast feel that radiobelle has. alastor's desire to control her and manipulate her for his own ends eventually being drowned out by his caring and respect for her. realizing he cares about her more than he cares about himself.

the divorced dads who are sticking it out for their daughter feel of radioapple. the idea of them being rivals who develop a mutual respect for each other over time, eventually becoming friends, trading jokes and vehemently denying their friendship to anyone who asks. and, if we're going the romantic route, eventually realizing they feel much more for each other than they ever intended to and being frightened by it, wondering how on earth they got here.

the way royalhalo could be either long-lost sisters with a sort of tinkerbell and periwinkle vibe, or they could be partners in crime, each working tirelessly in their respective domains to prove that the hotel works and constantly cheering each other on.

connected to the above, i love the potential of charlie's angels - specifically the idea of emily falling because she dared to question the order of things and help charlie, and vaggie unexpectedly welcoming her with open arms because she knows what it feels like to be abandoned by those you loved and trusted.

though i feel they fumbled it on the show, the potential of rainbowmoth is incredible. an ex-exorcist having to deal with the guilt of what she's devoted her life to and making up for that by protecting and helping the daughter of lucifer, who is unexpectedly the kindest and most caring girl she's ever met, and doing everything she can to make her dreams a reality. the bodyguard x ward, sunshine x sunshine protector energy these two have.

i love the one-sided, unrequited love of radiostatic. the idea that vox grew up with radio hosts like alastor and dreamed of becoming someone just like them, meeting alastor in his afterlife and growing genuinely fond of him, only to be unintentionally slapped in the face when he realizes alastor doesn't feel the same, and deciding to hate him (because we all know he doesn't really hate alastor, he just makes up for the hole in his heart by acting like he does). or, if we're writing it where they do actually get together in the end, alastor rejecting vox, then having to deal with the conflicting feelings in his head - they're rivals, but he hates the idea of harm coming to vox, or vox focusing his energy on anyone but him. both of them continuously in denial until a heated situation pushes them both over the edge and they finally give in.

then there's radiodust and the strange but lovely respect and bond that could come with it. just the idea of both of them being pranksters to boot, and either starting a prank war in the hotel or working together to pull pranks on everyone else. angel cracks his usual hyper-sexual jokes, but he never pushes it too far with alastor. he greets him every day with "hiya smiles" and alastor hates to admit it, but he's grown fond of it. the idea of alastor making a deal with valentino, or conniving some scheme to release angel from val's deal. the idea of angel, who's probably tired of sex despite his hypersexual behavior, and alastor, who has never been interested in sex, and angel finding a sort of reprieve with alastor.

on the same note, huskerdust. the way their relationship exists on the show is just perfect. the idea of husk, who is immune to angel's flirting, and angel who wants someone who understands what he's going through, someone to relate to - and both of them having a hard time coming out of their shells. both of them trying so hard to maintain the fragile relationship they've created between them (think ineffable husbands). both of them being terrified when they realize they have genuine romantic feelings for each other; husk, who hasn't loved anyone in years and isn't sure he knows how, who used to be in valentino's position, who knows what it's like to have and enjoy having power over others, who is afraid that he'll mess things up if he says anything; and angel whose every relationship has gone to shit, who hasn't experienced a properly healthy relationship and is now afraid to engage with anyone in that way for fear of getting hurt again. and don't even get me started on the idea of overlord!husk x angel and how complex and interesting that dynamic could be.

the idea of radiohusk, especially now that we've seen what their canonical relationship is really like. husk grappling with his hate for alastor, realizing maybe he doesn't really hate him, and that he sees him in the same way that he sees angel - as a faker, someone who hides behind an elaborate mask so no one knows what he's really feeling. alastor refusing to admit that he actually cares about husk as a person, refusing to admit that husk is right, that he's afraid and maybe he needs to face that fear. alastor eventually letting husk go, starting a chain reaction that ends in alastor letting many of his accumulated souls go, and treating others with a bit more respect than he did before.

then, of course, radiohuskerdust - all three of them in the same shit sandwich, coming to terms with their situations and their feelings for each other. all of them with their trust issues and the masks they hold up so the world never knows what they're truly feeling. the three of them grappling with how each relates to the other - alastor, who owns hundreds if not thousands of souls, including husks, and who treats them poorly; angel, whose soul is owned by valentino, who has been abused by his owner for years (and who was likely manipulated into signing the contract under the guise of val actually caring for him); husk, who has been on both ends, giving and receiving, and understands both of them. all of them dealing with the complexity of this, realizing that they have more in common than they think. basically combining the aspects of the previous three ships.

then there's radiorose, the platonically married couple. the idea that they got married for tax benefits and to appease the standards of their time period is absolutely golden. but also, if you wanted to go the romantic route with them - rosie being completely respectful of alastor's boundaries, despite her feelings for him, and alastor realizing she's the only person in his life (other than, perhaps, his mother) who really knows him, the only person he can really talk to without fear of judgment. just the idea of these two being a power couple, whether platonically or romantically.

or, on the more niche end of the spectrum, spidermoth and radiomoth. just the idea (going the romantic route) of vaggie and angel realizing that maybe they aren't as exclusively into girls or guys, respectively, as they thought, and growing on each other more and more. the banter between the two of them, both of them understanding what it means to be betrayed by someone you thought cared about you and had your back, their mutual mistrust of others and their intentions (which could also of course be a point of conflict in their relationship). or the idea of vaggie developing actual feelings for alastor and hating it the entire time, being even more hostile towards him than usual - and alastor finding her hatred of him entertaining, which eventually develops into genuine fondness. alastor teasing her more and more, her reacting even more explosively each time, until finally she can't take it anymore and shuts him up with a kiss. both of them being utterly surprised and refusing to talk about it for weeks. or, on the platonic side, alastor unwittingly proving himself to vaggie as an ally of the hotel and charlie, earning her begrudging respect over time. eventually, his constant teasing of her becomes something she enjoys, and she'll even poke back now and again.

idk just... hazbin ships, ya know?

[asordinaryppl]

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 15: PAINFUL RE:BAKE - Episode 29: Re:Formative Experience

Taichi: “I’m baaack! Nii-chan, Luciano, I brought my friend!”

Juza: “Friend?”

Azami: “Hello.”

Taichi: “This is Angelo! We work at the factory together!”

Banri: “Angelo?”

Juza: “... Hey.”

Banri: “What’s your last name?”

Azami: “Hm? It’s Montare.”

Banri: “... We’re takin’ that job.”

Juza: “You serious?”

Banri: “We ain’t gonna leave Benjamin’s friend like this, are we?”

Taichi: “Something wrong?”

Juza: “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Izumi: Let’s stop here. We’ll continue at 1 after a lunch break.

Taichi: Playin’ Picaresque after so long is so fun~!

Sakyo: Right. It’s kinda like meeting old comrades again.

Omi: I get what you mean.

Juza: Feels like I’m back at MANKAI Company. In lots of ways.

Azami: This is our starting point, after all.

Banri: Looks like we had no reason to worry ‘bout burning out.

Izumi: Right. Everyone’s having fun. Also, ticket sales are going well.

Izumi: Just like with Spring and Summer, Masumi-kun has been helping with promotions.

Izumi: Since there’s been a lot of articles about Taichi-kun and Azami-kun online, he asked the sites involved to include a link to the streaming ticket distributor…

Izumi: Sakyo-san’s guest performance as a voice actor, and Banri-kun and Juza-kun’s performance with Hyakka were also promoted a lot.

Izumi: We’ve had more sales thanks to those promotions.

Sakyo: Usui’s promotional skills have been gradually improvin'.

Izumi: He’s grown to be quite reliable, hasn’t he?

Izumi: (All that’s left is for the performance to be succesful…)

Banri: Everyone’s expectations are higher ‘cause of that, so we gotta give it our all.

Juza: You don’t hafta tell us twice.

Taichi: Now that we’ve broken out of our shells, there’s nothing that could stand in our way!

Omi: Right. We’ll be fine.

Azami: We’ll crush it.

Izumi: (As far as I can tell from the practice sessions we’ve been having, everyone’s got so much more fire in them than they used to.)

Izumi: (They respect each other’s growth, and that’s why their feelings of not wanting to lose to one another are so palpable.)

Banri: By the way, Omi, did ya start re-studying action scenes from the ground up in preparation for the second workshop?

Omi: The first workshop made me realize just how important the basics are, and I can’t say I know them well enough to teach them to anyone just yet.

Azami: The second workshop’s next week, yeah?

Omi: Yeah. Keiku’s coming again too.

Sakyo: Didn’t think he’d start workin’ as a live-in part-timer in Gentiana just like that.

Omi: Zen-san also contacted his parents.

Juza: What a caring guy.

Sakyo: Lots of first gen are like that.

Taichi: Is he gonna join the show’s cast too?

Omi: I think he’s been taking some lessons as a performer when he’s not busy with school or helping out at the store.

Omi: I think it’s because he saw the play, but he said he wants to learn from Banri and Juza.

Banri: Sure hope he won’t start kickin’ with no warning again.

Omi: You don’t have to worry about that. It seems he’s become seriously interested in theater thanks to you two.

-

Omi: We’ll be starting the Second Action Workshop anytime now, so please gather here.

Keiku: …

Towa: Ah, you were here last time too! Do you remember me?

Keiku: Nop.

Towa: I’m Towa! With the To from peach, and the wa from peace!

Keiku: …

Towa: I asked you last time too, but are you an actor?

Keiku: … I was just interested in people that fight it out on stage.

Towa: Ahaha, you mean like sword fights? I’m a fan of MANKAI Company! I like everyone, but Masumi-kun’s my biggest fav!

Towa: I saw the Spring Troupe’s performance live a while ago and got SO moved that I wanted to try acting myself and made my own troupe!

Towa: I haven’t been on stage yet, so I’m not actually an actor, more like an aspiring actor. But that’s why I look up to the Autumn Troupe’s sword fighting so much–

Keiku: Yapper, LOL.

Towa: …

Towa: Haaaave we met before? Not during the first workshop, but before that…

Towa: This doesn’t feel like our first meeting.

Keiku: (... He’s gotta be.)

Towa: Do you know me?

Keiku: Nop.

-

Omi: That concludes our second action workshop. Thank you for attending.

Keiku: …

Banri: You’ve got a knack for this, dude. You’re comin’ to see our performance, yeah?

Keiku: Heard you’ll be fightin’ again, so.

Banri: It ain’t a fight… is what I’d like to say. But I guess you could call it a fight where no one gets hurt.

Banri: I’ll give you a formative experience, and you will come and watch.

Keiku: … A formative experience?

-

Banri: Ohhh, these are kinda nostalgic, but also cooler than last time.

Sakyo: These are costumes Rurikawa could only make because of who he is today.

Taichi: A-chan’s makeup also plays a huge part!

Azami: Duh.

Juza: I’ll surpass my past self with this costume and makeup.

Omi: You all seem pretty fired up.

Sakyo: You got any words for us, Boss?

Banri: … Each of us overcame our own pain and became greater actors than we used to be.

Banri: The day I handed y’all the script, I was a little worried about whether we’d be able to create something that surpasses our impulses and formative experiences from back then.

Banri: But I’m sure now. We can definitely surpass our past selves.

Banri: We’ll recreate even our formative experiences, and turn them into formative experiences for everyone watchin’. That’s the kind of opening day performance we gotta put on.

Banri: —— Autumn Troupe, huddle!

Banri: We’re definitely surpassin’ who we used to be back then!

Juza: Yeah!

Taichi: Yeeaaah!

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

[immoralimmortals]

Takara and the akatsuki

On another date

☆〜（ゝ。∂）

I don't remember writing a first (formal) date, so let's write about some Akatsuki first dates!

(As a note I'm interchangably using the idea of "Reader" and "Takara", Takara being the name given to the reader insert of my fic)

Hidan: it's awkward and difficult for him if he's trying to do a date on purpose. if you're just hanging out with him and don't bring up the word "date", it's great! he'll spit out his drink if you say "wow i really love this date"

Takara would have to teach him how to let loose and relax like he always prefers to, and that anything can be a date so long as two people are just enjoying each other with some romantic intent. He would consider praying a date, or bloodletting, or both! The world is his oyster, and everything becomes a date. Readily throws his arms around Takara from behind and asks her if she's excited about their date when they hadn't planned anything at all. He's just so happy to be involved with someone. It's like a built-in best friend.

Kakuzu: he does not date. He's from a time where a lot of marriages were arranged. Not all of them, obviously, or maybe not even most, but dating was less of a thing. "Courting", more like, is what he'd do. But in the fic the relationship with Takara kind of just...happens? So he didn't do any courting at all. He'd be reading a book and all of a sudden one of his hearts will die from a heart attack because he realizes he's fucked a woman he actually loves without giving her the due respect of traditional courting. He'd apologize and she'd be like "haha what? I mean you can court me now, i guess". And he would say "DOING IT NOW WOULD MAKE IT WORSE"

...and then he'd court her again despite how silly it feels.

Itachi: I feel like he's the kind of guy who would take you on a date without telling you that it's a date. He'd take you out to tea or a fancy dinner, tell you that you look pretty, and that's as far as he'll go. Kind of like Kakuzu in the sense that he is more traditional and courts instead of goes all in. It may take him a while to be explicit about what he feels.

Kisame: 100% would take Takara on the kind of date where it's literally just whatever she wants to do. We're going to town and window shopping? Great! You want to go for a walk? Wonderful. You've signed us up for a pottery class? Okay, I guess! Very blushy the whole time and tries to laugh everything off, hates being serious and mushy-gushy to you in front of other people, but he secretly loves it when you behave that way to him instead.

I'm such a sucker for the whole "Kisame does something romantic with you involving water" trope us fandom members have. Absolutely would grab Takara nice and tight and show her the depths of the lake in such a way she never could on her own. I love the image of him tangling all of himself around her in the water, almost like a protective shell, his hair and yours swishing.

Deidara: This guy knows how to take someone on a fucking *date*, man. Gives Aladdin a run for his money in regards to taking a romantic other into the night sky and exploring the stars. An absolute showoff, fireworks/explosions, so many of his creations, the best views in the world.

In ADDITION i have a personal headcanon that he's trying so hard to be a bad boy. He would totally consider committing crimes with you as going on a date, if only to show off how cool he is.

Sasori: Your best chance with Sasori is to not call it a date. Just ask him if you guys can pose for each other for art. Ask him to help you demonstrate the intimacy of the pocky challenge. Sit next to a still body of water underneath the moon and discuss the nature of beauty and immortality. If you call it a date, it's an immediate turn off. I can only imagine him enjoying it if he is doing it for the explicit purpose of showing Deidara up

Pain: Very formal. Think black tie dinner, exclusive, white tablecloths and expensive wine, room is nearly empty or entirely empty, low-lit or candlelit. He asks Takara about herself, and he sincerely engages and listens. They talk about big things, philosophy. He never once touches a bite of his food.

Konan: Nice and private, but not showy at all. A nice walk, holding hands. She's an easy girl to please, and as such is always asking if you're doing ok, having a good time, if something should be happening or change. Needs assurance that a quiet date is perfectly fine.

Tobi: Absolutely *screams* carnival or festival date. Dressing up, holding sparklers, playing games and being loud. He's his Tobi persona most of the night, excitedly clapping his hands and pointing with the whole length of his arm at whatever catches his eye. At some point he pulls Takara into a dark alley, leans in close, pulls her eyes shut with his fingertips, and kisses her into oblivion, laughter and music faded to the background as he focuses on the sound of her breath.

Zetsu: He would attempt to emulate a date with mixed success, depending on what one expects from the event. I figure plants are involved. He shows you some cool flora deep in hell knows where. The most interesting part is how you get there. He holds you around the torso, tells you to close your eyes, and you feel him sink into the ground...with you doing the same. Absolutely terrifying experience that makes you feel like you're suffocating, but not quite. If you get over that part, it's a pretty nice time. There's a bench for you to both sit together, watching butterflies and birds and bugs amid rustling leaves, like he's taking you on a date to garden except you're really just in the heart of nowhere.

[theheadlessgroom]

"We certainly do," Colin smiled, endeared by Lon's infectious enthusiasm-in a way, it reminded him a bit of Wilhelm when he was little, always trailing after his big brothers with an endless stream of questions, confident that they held the sum of the world's knowledge. "We're February babies, the 22nd, if you wanna be specific. We got our own gifts...but our folks, they encouraged us to share with each other, even when we really didn't want to...!"

"And we used to blow the candles out together," Callahan finished, remembering the little scuffles that would break out over having to share their gifts with one another, always one of them wanting to keep one toy away from the other, leading to a lot of pushing and crying and scolding. At the end of the day, though, they made up and learned to play nice-at least, until the next day, when the cycle would repeat itself!

"Oh, then we've come at just the right time!" Josephine enthused, and June couldn't help but smile a little-if there was anyone in the house that could rival Dorian Gracey and his enthusiasm for throwing big celebrations, it was her mother, who immediately began to relate old stories of June's birthdays when she was the children's age, stories of making butterscotch pie (an old family recipe) for the party and June's many pretty little dresses.

"You wouldn't happen to still have that pretty purple plaid dress you wore when you were little, do you?" she then asked, turning to her daughter, who immediately made a face (much like her son when the topic of a certain kilt came up), saying with a laugh, "I'm not going to put my granddaughter into that nightmare, Mother!"

"Oh, come now, June, it wasn't a nightmare!" Josephine chuckled, adding, "Your father always thought it was adorable, he kept that portrait of you in it on his desk for years! You looked so darling with all those little bows in your hair!"

"Well, I don't know where the dress is, at any rate, but I'm sure Erika will have something very cute to wear in its stead," June smiled, knowing damn well where it was-in the cedar chest in her and Wilhelm's bedroom, and hopefully it'd stay that way...

@beatingheart-bride

"They sure are!" Wilhelm grinned to Emily, clapping his two brothers on the shoulders as he introduced, "I'd like to introduce you all to my big brothers: Colin and Callahan! Col, Cal, that's my wife, June, our son Randall, and his family! His wife Emily, and their children, Lon and Erika!"

"Pleased to meet you!" Colin and Callahan declared in unison, the two of them putting their hands to Emily to shake, while Lon bounced up and down in his seat, having quickly picked up on the fact that the pair was identical, declaring, "You're twins! Like me and Erika!"

"That we are!" Callahan replied brightly, pulling up a couple of chairs to sit beside their brother and grandnephew, while Randall was staring up in wordless wonder at his mother and her parents-parents he'd only ever seen portraits of, and never imagined, even now, that he would meet in the flesh (or ectoplasm, as the case was).

"...and this is my son, Randall," June introduced, the call of his name snapping him out of his stupor, to say nothing of the way Josephine reached out to cup his skeletal face, cooing, "Oh my goodness, what a darling boy! It's wonderful to meet you, dear heart!"

"Uh...uh-huh," Randall blinked, while August swallowed hard, unable to hide the way his chest ached: His daughter had raised a whole family, and he had no idea until now! It was bittersweet, in a way, and he swallowed hard, trying to disguise his true feeling as he looked from his grandson (still being cooed over by Josephine) to his great-granddaughter, who was looking at him with big, wide, shy eyes, as though she were tempted to hide from this new, unfamiliar person. When he gave her a gentle wave, she buried her face in her mother's arm, unsure of what to say or think about all of this.

[praetorqueenreyna]

Concession Strategy, Eris Week Day 1: Brotherhood/Family

Happy Eris Week everybody!! I worked on this fic for @erisweek2023 with the co-runners of the event, @secret-third-thing and @lucienforhighking. They'll be writing the second and third chapters of this fic to complete the story.

Read here on Ao3!!

Eris was tired. In a fit of paranoia, Beron had assigned him to review every missive and contract that had come through the Court in the past few months, claiming it was out of concern that someone in his cabinet was embezzling money from the treasury. To Eris, the excuse was weak. More likely that Beron wanted to watch his eldest son toil away on a menial task. He stubbornly sat at his desk for hours at a time, determined to finish his pointless assignment quickly so he could get back to his actual work.

A servant broke his concentration. She announced that the High Lord required his presence in the throne room immediately. With a sigh, Eris straightened his rumpled clothes and stood up, wincing at the sharp tingles that shot down his legs. He rubbed at his eyes as he made his way to the throne room, his feet taking him down the correct path on instinct. Beron was perched on his throne reading a letter. He looked annoyed, as usual.

“A delegation from Spring is on their way,” he announced without even glancing at his son.

“Hello Father, it’s good to see you too,” Eris drawled. A scathing glare from Beron informed him that his father was not in the mood for joviality. “Why?”

“They want to discuss the incident with the Laurellons.”

Eris bit back a groan. The Laurellon family had lived on the border between Autumn and Spring for as long as anyone could remember. Some centuries ago, a long-forgotten insult had divided the family into two feuding factions, one on either side of the border. Since then, they had ignored every communication from their respective High Lords. Both peace treaties and threats of violence had been returned with crude phrases scribbled all over the parchment. Beron and Tamlin had independently decided to ignore the bickering family. Avoiding them when crossing the border was easy, and they weren’t doing much harm to anyone other than each other.

That is, they hadn’t done much harm up until a week earlier. The Laurellons on the Autumn side had gotten hold of an ancient and dangerous fire spell. They had launched it across the border, where it had immediately set the forest ablaze. The fire had taken days to put out, and had scorched more than five acres of woodland on both sides of the border. Most of the damage had been in Spring, and so Beron hadn’t seen fit to respond in any way. It made Eris want to scream; that his father was so selfish and stupid and incapable of forming alliances with anybody. Of course Tamlin would have to send an envoy on his own accord; Beron would never lift a finger to help someone other than himself.

“When will they be here?” Eris asked just as a trumpet in the foyer announced their guests’ arrival. Apparently, Tamlin was hoping to catch Beron off guard. A smart move, frankly. Eris took his place standing just behind his father’s throne, hands clasped behind his back. He expected to see Andras, or one of the other uncouth soldiers that Tamlin sent to other courts to negotiate in his place. Instead, a familiar red-haired male strolled through the doors of the throne room.

Unexpected longing at seeing Lucien again punched him in the gut. The last time Eris had seen his youngest brother, he had been curled on the ground sobbing into the broken body of his lover. A part of Eris had wanted to comfort him. Another part felt a sick sense of satisfaction. Lucien had always been too soft, too sweet. It endeared him to Eris in a way that none of his other siblings had, but also filled him with rage. He needed to learn, to build that hard shell around himself, to become selfish and petty. It was what all the Vanserra children did. It was what Eris had done. Who was Lucien to defy his fate?

Eris had been sure that his lover’s gruesome death at the hands of their father would be a turning point for Lucien. He’d understand how the world worked, become like the rest of them. But he continued to refuse to play the Vanserra game. He had disappeared that very night, not even bothering to disarm the spells around the castle that would alert them to his absence. Three of his younger brothers had gone after him, intending to take him out. Only one had returned. He revealed that Lucien had gone to Spring, and that he was in Tamlin’s care now. The dark tendrils of anxiety that wove around what remained of his heart loosened ever so slightly. In Spring, a sensitive male like Lucien would be far safer than he would be at home.

The Lucien standing before him now was a far cry from the shattered fae that had left Autumn. He stood tall and proud, one hand casually perched on the sword at his waist. He had let his hair grow longer, and it cascaded across his shoulders and back in a crimson waterfall. He was clad head to toe in green, a symbol of his new allegiance. Eris recalled only just now that Lucien had recently been granted the title of emissary. The news had filtered in to him through his spies in the other courts. Beron had refused to acknowledge the existence of the son that had abandoned him.

A glance towards the throne revealed that Beron’s only reaction was to slightly lift his eyebrows. “Lucien,” he said evenly.

Lucien bowed, bending at the waist at the exact angle that indicated respect for a High Lord, but not deference as one of his subjects. So he had been learning. “High Lord Beron,” he greeted. “I am here on behalf of High Lord Tamlin to discuss how our courts might work together to restore the land damaged by the Laurellons and mitigate any future skirmishes.”

“Interesting that Tamlin didn’t think the situation important enough to come here in person, and chose to send you.” Beron’s lips curled into a grin, adding more insult to his condescension. It was extremely common for High Lords to send emissaries to negotiate for them. He wanted to degrade Lucien, as he had done for his entire life.

Lucien did not take the bait. “Tamlin is at the damaged border, working with the dryads to replenish magic to the trees that were destroyed. He regrets that he could not be here in person, but as his royal emissary he trusts me to handle such minor discussions for him.”

Something like pride swelled in Eris’s chest. Lucien kept his head up, maintaining eye contact with his father. Beron’s smirk had twisted into a grimace at the politely-worded disrespect. “Very well.”

Lucien began speaking, rattling off information about the extent of the damage on the Spring side and estimates of what had been burned on the Autumn side. He only occasionally referenced a small notebook for a particular number. He then began to outline a treaty that Tamlin had drawn up, but Beron cut him off with a lazy wave of his hand.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about. I will of course have to verify those numbers myself before our courts can discuss how to move forward. We will reconvene tomorrow evening. You may stay here during that time in our guest quarters. I trust you know the way.”

Lucien’s jaw tightened as he ground his teeth together. The delaying tactic was a favorite of Beron’s, to put his adversary off and force them to wait on him. Beron was trying to goad Lucien into lashing out.

“Tomorrow, then. Is that all, Lord Beron?”

“That is all.” With that, Beron dismissed his youngest child. He beckoned an advisor over and began talking to him in a low tone, as if nobody else were in the room. Lucien’s eyes flashed, and for a moment Eris was sure that he was going to shoot off one of those smart remarks that frequently got him in trouble. The rage passed, and Lucien simply turned on his heel and walked out.

That evening, Eris wandered across the castle’s grounds. He told himself that he was just enjoying the cool night air. So what if his stroll took him past the fountain that had always been Lucien’s favorite spot? His brother was there, sitting at the edge of the fountain, one knee propped up to support his chin resting on his hands. It was a position that Eris had found him in over and over, for centuries. Looking at him now, it was almost as if the past few months hadn’t happened. Like he had never left.

Lucien shifted slightly when Eris settled on the stone wall next to him. Just enough to keep them from touching. “You’ll have to do better tomorrow,” Eris said. “He’s testing you. Trying to undermine you. And if you fuck this up, you might as well quit, because he’ll never take you seriously as an emissary again.”

For a moment, Lucien was still. Finally he shifted, just enough that he could peer at Eris with one accusing eye. “What are you doing?”

Eris scoffed. “What do you think I’m doing? I’m helping you.”

In one fluid motion, Lucien leapt to his feet. He turned on Eris, snarling. “I don’t need your help. I never did. Why don’t you fuck off and leave me alone?” He stormed off inside, leaving Eris speechless for the first time in his life.

[transblitzo]

wow!! what even is this anymore? au? headcanon? who give a shit im having fun and playing toys. more info + headcanons under the cut

baby striker has a very long tail, too long for his little body. he'll grow into it

an imp and a deadly sin having a child isn't something that's especially safe to publicize, for mammon's sake and espeically maybelle and striker's. if you ask maybelle who the father is, she'll tell you it's a sinner. striker knows the truth, but isn't really able to comprehend it until he's much, much older

mammon doesn't remember or give a shit about maybelle or striker, and they don't get shit in terms of assistance/child support etc. it confuses little striker, knowing that his dad is someone so powerful, but that he doesn't care to help them when they're struggling. they get absolutely zero benefit from having ties to him, and if the ties are realized, their lives get worse, as people falsely assume that getting to striker means getting to mammon.

maybelle's death is unrelated to mammon, but striker does try to contact him upon her death. he doesn't respond, and that's the moment where it shifts for him and he realizes that it's a dog-eat-dog world in hell

he becomes (justifiably, tbh) radical as he gets older, realizing that the power hierarchies that hell is built on are unjust and cruel- finding the concept of soul ownership to be particularly despicable. he wants to burn it all down, but he's only one man.

he reluctantly takes a job under carmilla carmine to distribute her weaponry in wrath when he's old enough, discreetly swiping some stock for himself. carmilla doesn't see him as enough of a problem to consider this worth pursuing, and the two have an amount of mutual respect for each other.

he's a blacksmith also! owns a storefront in a more touristy part of wrath- if you hammer metal in front of some rich bitches from gluttony hard enough, they'll be willing to shell out for it. the cave is his home, though

is neutral when it comes to the conflicts of the main cast to a violent degree. he admires blitz's tenacity, but will not hesitate to attempt to kill him again should he get in his way. being emotionally detached and ruthless is the best way to survive in the killing business, and he's not letting friendships get in the way of what needs to be done

that being said, however, striker is something of a hometown hero. he takes care to look out for his community, defending those who can't defend themselves. he knows what it's like to feel powerless and alone, after all.

striker does not make a habit of telling people who his father is, both because he hates the man, and because the way people try to suck up to him if they know is something he finds disgusting. he's only a father to striker in the sense that he got his mother pregnant, he wants nothing to do with him, and would rather see him die.

[zibiscusloon]

🐍 Sam Lindwyrm 🐍

Owl House OC

( Left to right: s1-early s2, s3 (human realm), epilogue )

Samara “Sam” Lindwyrm is a young witch attending Hexside with possibly the longest standing truancy record in all Hexside history. She’s almost been expelled on multiple occasions as a result of this.

She’s very temperamental and has a naturally sour attitude. Only thing she never counted on was a certain human bumbling into her life and cracking open her shell (while also forcing her to come to class)

— — — — —

-Sam is a witch-gorgon hybrid. Her father was a witch and her mother was half-gorgon. She can shift into a gorgon-like form (she only has two snakes in this form, their names are Salt & Pepper!), her gaze isn’t actually able to turn anyone to stone, but it can temporarily stun her target!

-She was initially enrolled into the Oracle track due to coming from a long family or oracles, but switched to the beast keeping track half way through her enrollment at Hexside. (She much preferred beasts to fortunes)

-She was raised by her grandmother Natalie, as her parents had been arrested and petrified. Her mother Ophia was a wild witch who kept her wild status hidden by tattooing an fake oracle sigil on her arm. She was caught using healing magic by one of her neighbors when healing a young Sam. She was later arrested, her husband Ernest being taken in for housing a wild witch. Sam was four at the time. She despises Belos as a result of this..

-She’s rather rude and spiteful towards her classmates, she mainly does this to cope with her fears of letting others get to close to her, out of fear she’ll have to deal with the pain of losing someone again. However, after being taken in as a member of the Hexsquad, her softer, protective side begins to shine through.

-Met Luz after Bump had sent Luz out to find Sam, as she was of course skipping, (he’d planned to finally hand in her expulsion forms, he just needed her in person). They met in Sam’s typical hiding spot, and through a series of definitely illegal shenanigans involving some poor Coven Scouts, they became friends. After they returned to school, Luz convinced Bump to allow Sam to remain a student. Bump eventually conceded, provided Luz make sure Sam actually shows up to class. (And Sam ended up becoming yet another member of the Hexsquad-)

-Her palisman is a capybara named Kibitzer. He’s as the entire Hexsquad would put it “a lil bastard”, and is also the light of Sam’s life. He’s rather deadpan constantly and is very protective of Sam.

-Met Hunter when her and Luz were doing illegal shit (of course on Eda’s order-), and their relationship started essentially as petty banter. But through a time of Hunter getting dragged around after her, and they actually began to talk, both began to realize that their lives are relatively shitty thanks to the Emperor’s Coven. They both also open up about feeling smothered at their respective homes. And while getting Hunter (with the help of Flapjack and Kibitzer) to open up about his suppressed interests (and gushing about her own), Sam began to realize how much she loved his dorky personality, and set out to try and reach out more to him afterwards.

-The two of them grew even closer during their time in the Human Realm, exploring human customs together, Sam beginning to dabble into researching the realm’s animals and trying out wild witch practices from the Savage Ages, while Hunter dwelled more into who he wanted to be, supporting each other’s endeavors the whole time. The two of them started to officially date after the Owl Fam saved The Boiling Isles.

-She was enraged by Hunter’s “death” during thanks to them. She lunged at Belos’s with all she had, not even calling Kibitzer to her, simply attacking with the largest spell she could conjure. Belos of course escaped, but she did show a side to her that hadn’t been seen until that point. She was completely worn down throughout all of For the Future, having to regain her magic as so much had been drained from that spell.

-Luz, Gus, and Willow are literally only able to get her to come to class if they put any creature in front of her. A dangerous dragon, a trash slug, pixies, ratworms, anything works, the girl goes doe-eyed at creatures. Otherwise she’ll be dragged into Hexside kicking and screaming.

-She’s a cheerleader for the Emerald Entrails! She did it as a favor for Willow. And also to get back at Bump for not allowing her to be cheer for the Banshees. It’s because of her that snakes are not permitted to be used at cheer tryouts..

-Her eyeball earrings she wears from s1-s2 originally belonged to her mom. They’re rather uncomfortable and rather worn from age, but she always wore them as a memento to her mom. Her eventually deciding to stop wearing them happened after learning to let herself move on from her parents’s passing.

-She got her cardinal earrings while in the Human Realm! It’s while the squad was out shopping for new clothes and Kibitzer and Flapjack directed her towards the pair. She felt guilty for a while as she wasn’t wearing her mom’s, but through some talks with Camila, she realized she didn’t need pieces of jewelry to keep her parents memories alive. She may have also gotten the earrings as a not-so-subtle hint to Hunter about her crush (girl ain’t slick-)

-Her blue jay earrings were a gift from Hunter! I love the headcanon that gifting jewelry in the Boiling Isles is the human equivalent to proposals, so that’s what I went for with it. Masha helped him pick them out from a shop in the Human Realm as he wanted to mix the next step of their relationship from both realms (jewelry from the Human Realm, and the practice of the Demon Realm)

-She views Bump, Bat Queen, and Eberwolf as parental figures to her. And despite the strain they initially had in their relationship, post Day of Unity, her and her grandmother worked to mend their relationship, attending family therapy together.

-As an adult she works as a palisman carver with Hunter and the Clawthornes! Since she’s not great at carving, she manages Palisman Adoption Day at all Boiling Isles schools with the Bat Queen!

-She also has a mentorship under Eberwolf, in which both of them worked to help rescue and relocate beasts who had their habitat destroyed by the raising of the Left Arm during Belos’s possession of the Titan.

-Is very close to the Clawthorne family, Eda, Camila, and Raine all welcoming her in as one of their own (she’s always admired Eda as a wild witch) and Luz, Vee, King, and Collector all happy their brother has an awesome girlfriend who can make him happy (and bonus to Luz since she’s already one her best friends!)

-She’s Waffles’s self declared mom now. Hunter still has yet to earn Kibitzer’s complete approval on their relationship, but he’s getting close! (He just wishes the damn capybara would stop bopping him with those tiny paws of fury-)

And this is Kibitzer and Sam in her gorgon form! (With Salt and Pepper!) (gorgon design is outdated though- I just need a new ref-)

[anonymousboxcar]

TTTE AU: Cockade the Actor

Recently, I’ve been playing around with an au!Diesel 10 that fits into a more RWS-type world. Known as D810, or Cockade, he isn’t villainous or bigoted against steam engines. This is in part because he noticed a growing disdain for diesel-hydraulics such as him, thus realizing he wasn’t in too dissimilar of a boat.

Where most of his class didn’t survive, Cockade did. He was a warm, affable engine who endeared himself to many people. He was also something many of his siblings weren’t: a minor celebrity.

Ever since a background appearance in a local commercial, Cockade wanted to be an actor. He pushed to appear in more commercials, instructional tapes, and TV episodes B.R. used to drum up good PR. These amounted to only several seconds of screen time apiece, but he loved it. He loved becoming a character, embodying part of a story. He thought it could help him work toward the silver screen.

And eagle-eyed rail fans recognized him in all his roles. He developed a small following that advocated on his behalf, working to get him — and at his urging, as many of his siblings as possible — preserved.

He never lost his passion for acting, nor his dream of a “big break.” So when the producers of a project called Thomas & The Magic Railroad came knocking, he all but threw himself at them.

His heritage railway loaned him out to the producers, who gave him his character’s — Diesel 10’s — livery and excavator claw. His enthusiasm and flair for dramatics proved infectious on set. He had only one serious hiccup: he tried method acting.

He didn’t mean any harm by it. He only wanted to try out a new technique; he wanted his first ever film performance to be his best and most convincing. But for all his good intentions, acting like his villainous character 24/7 got on everyone’s nerves.

Thomas, playing himself in the film, got fed up. “Do you want to ‘method act’ some bent buffers, too? I can help you with that.”

Cockade stared at him. “What?”

“The script calls for it, doesn’t it?”

“But that’s — oh. Ohhh.”

It was the wake-up call Cockade needed. Embarrassed, he apologized for his behavior and saved his acting for the cameras.

While still somewhat miffed at first, Thomas softened after Cockade helped him through some stage fright without any judgement. Cockade respected Thomas’ tenacity and sense of responsibility in turn. The two had a similar sense of humor, making each other laugh between takes and teasing the others.

He and Thomas also became close to Sarah, a recent custom-built engine cast as Lady. She gave as good as she got with their teasing, while also becoming interested in the technical aspects of film production and writing. Her perspective on something in the script was always fresh and helpful (even if it was critical).

The engines playing Splatter and Dodge — who didn’t have names of their own, and liked their characters’ names enough to adopt them — came out of their shells at everyone’s encouragement. They loved to ad-lib scenes with Cockade, and they contemplated going into improv comedy once their work was done with TATMR.

A good time was had by all. Cockade felt very satisfied with himself and the overall production, delighting in having so many new friends and connections in show business.

And then the film bombed at the box office.

These days, Cockade says it was a valuable lesson: there’s a lot of moving parts to a film production, and nothing can be perfect. You can only do your best with the part you have. What matters is that you had fun and you gained more experience.

It took him some time to absorb this lesson, though. He wondered if he could’ve done something more, if he could’ve helped. He feared this was the end of his career.

“I’ve been working towards this my entire life,” he said late one night. “I had plan, a vision, of my career. This was my chance at the big time. And now that I’ve had a taste of it, it’s all up in smoke.”

Sarah nudged him. “You read the books, yeah? Look at how many times Mr. Number One over there messed up. He’s still doing alright.”

Thomas only rolled his eyes a little. “My foul-ups did me a world of good, actually. I wouldn’t be famous if those stories didn’t get out.”

“Besides, so what if that’s it for your career or whatever?” Splatter asked. “You’ve been at the bottom.”

“S’not so bad down there. You’ll have us, for one,” Dodge said, grinning. “And if you went up that incline before, you can do it again.”

“…I can,” Cockade said after a pause. “Thanks to all of you.”

In the end, lots of people still liked his performance as Diesel 10. At his request, his heritage railway put him back into D10’s livery for “Day Out With Thomas” events. He auditioned and got to act in other, smaller productions. While typecast as a villain for some time, he considered that a small price to keep doing what he loved.

He still visits Sodor every now and then, both as himself and as Diesel 10. Thomas is always happy to see him. They often chat about how Sarah’s doing as a railway consultant in television writing. Other times, they listen together to Splatter & Dodge’s latest improv comedy podcast released online.

Cockade’s big break didn’t go as he imagined it, but that’s alright. He doesn’t need the glitz and glamour of Hollywood anymore to have a fulfilling career. To him, the fulfillment comes from the wonderful people he meets along the way.

“And failure is never forever,” he tells people, smiling. “It’s always an opportunity — if you let it be one.”

[open--till--midnight]

Homecoming

john marston x fem!reader

wc | 1.4k

summary | after moving camp to clemen’s point, john helps you relieve your stress in the best way he knows how

a/n | turns out i really like writing for john, i always like to write smut when starting out w a character, id really like to write more of him. oh and also, john and abigail were never a thing in this, reader and john have been together for a while (also john is good at sex in this lmao, firm believer he's not, but whatever)

****

You looked out over the water at Clemen’s Point, moving camps always caused an incredible amount of stress, so you took this time to watch the sunset and settle for the night. But John would come back from patrolling soon, so you drew from your cigarette once more before snuffing it out on the damp log you were seated on. 

After hearing your lover’s voice from the other end of camp you stood up and smoothed out your clothes, turning around to see John already making his way towards you.

He had such an easy confidence about him, the way he just strut around camp, it was clear he was trying to impress you, but it was amazing how well he pulled it off.

Your man never failed to make you smile, though more often than not he was met with a lopsided grin. Not unlike the one he was greeted with now. 

“Hey gorgeous, how ya holdin’ up?” His hands found their way to your arms, smoothing down your sleeves before snaking his around your waist.

“As good as I can be.” You leaned your body against his, lifting your hands to cup his face. His lips were dry, but you never cared. 

He was being so gentle with you, but you could tell he was acting with an incredible amount of restraint. 

“Come to my tent?” You made sure your lips brushed the shell of his ear when you whispered. It was an efficient strategy, because then you felt him smirk against your cheek and his hands wandered to lightly grab your ass. 

“Gladly.” 

The walk to your tent took twice as long as it should have with the way you two were attached to each other. Tripping over your feet and shuffling along the grass. Once you reached your tent John tied the flaps closed, turned around and looked down at you leaning back on your bedroll already. 

“You’re a goddamn piece of art, woman.”

You simply grinned and lazily started unbuttoning your shirt as he kneeled down in front of you. He seemed dazed as his eyes fixated on you, glancing between your eyes, your lips, and your chest. It was clear that he was trying to remain respectful by looking into your eyes, probably longer than was necessary, you could only laugh as you rid yourself of your shirt.

“Something funny, missy?”

“Absolutely nothing, but I do think that it’s only fair you take something off too.”

“Fair enough.”

John divested himself of his shirt, followed by his boots and belt. He looked painfully hard, an obvious wet spot already darkening the blue of his jeans.

“Continue.” You leaned back on your elbows, chest bared to the man now standing above you. 

“Yes ma’am.”

He seemed to become shy under your intense gaze, avoiding your eyes as he finished ridding himself of his clothing. Even once he was done you continued staring, it was just impossible to turn down the opportunity to tease your poor John Marston.

When you opened your arms to him, he kneeled down in front of you once more, waiting until you surged forward and connected your lips with his. 

You tried your very hardest to keep quiet, but you knew soon it wouldn’t matter. The two of you were terrible at keeping the volume down. If you bit your lip, you could stay silent fairly easily, but John…. that was entirely different. 

He unbuttoned the front of your pants, helping you pull them down along with your underthings. Once you were naked, his hands began wandering your body, stopping and starting as they pleased, but eventually they settled between your legs. He pushed you further apart with his hip, his fingers focusing in on your clit almost immediately. 

With his other hand, John held his weight up beside you while leaning down and kissing up and down your neck expertly. You give him a lot of shit, but when he’s focused in on you, like you’re the only person in the world, he truly shows how skilled and attentive he can be.

“Hey, John.” You lifted his face from your neck and pointed down. 

“Understood.” He grinned before giving you a quick kiss and lowering himself to rest between your legs.

John made sure to pepper your inner thighs with kisses before giving you what you needed, leaving little dots of saliva in his wake. After he felt he had given enough attention there, he moved to lick a stripe up your slit. He chuckled when your hand shot up to cover the soft moan that escaped you, to which you swatted his head. You got your revenge when your fingers quickly tangled themselves in John’s dark hair and he too moaned, the vibrations humming along against your sensitive skin. 

His tongue swirled around you before moving to focus on your clit. The feeling was otherworldly, the cumulating stress of the past week all seemed to fade away as your lover added a finger and worked you open. 

In a matter of minutes, John had you coming undone onto his tongue and fingers. He kept going until you pushed his head away from you. 

“Sorry.” He smiled up at you, chin glistening with your release. Once again you motioned with your fingers, this time beckoning him up. Of course, he obeyed, his grin widening as he made his way up your body. 

This man was obsessed with you, his eyes were glazed over with lust and you could tell he was getting impatient. You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him even closer. He guided himself to your entrance, massaging your hip with his free hand. 

John groaned as he slowly entered you, stopping once he was fully inside. You looked into his eyes, your hands moving from his face to his hair, smoothing out the knots. He melted into your touch, like he always did when you played with his hair. 

He practically whimpered when you pulled a hand away, only for a moment though before you rested it on his ass, urging him to finally move.

Soon soft moans filled your small tent. You were past the point of caring whether or not anyone heard. 

John pressed his face into the crook of your neck after your kisses grew sloppy, and his shaky breaths warmed your skin as he moved in and out of you. He was muttering something you couldn’t quite make out, not that you were sure you would be able to understand him now even if he spoke clearly into your ear.

It was like he was reading your mind the way he moved inside you. He couldn't, but knowing that after all those years he had grown to understand you and your body, that he could gauge your pleasure with absolute precision made your heart swell.

You were so close, but you needed more. Before your own fingers could find your clit, his thumb had already started rubbing tiny circles there, coaxing every murmur out of you until your thighs began to shake.

“J-John.”

He couldn’t find it in him to respond with words, instead he quickened his pace, faster, harder, and utterly perfect. When he picked his face up, he took you in. Scanning your face and gazing into your eyes.

You couldn’t help but fluster, trying to push his face away. He giggled, an actual giggle and kept on staring at you, offering the occasional kiss to your soft cheeks. 

The muscles under your hands were hard at work, a thick sheen slicking the skin there. He was entirely handsome in this state, relaxed and in love, he let it all show when he was alone with you. 

In a matter of minutes, you were coming undone, your core tightened, and you cried out, your teeth finding their way to John’s shoulder in an attempt to muffle yourself. When you bit down, he pulled out and came on your stomach with a strained moan. 

“Oh darlin’, I’m sorry.”

You sat up, pushing John to kneel between your legs. “Silly man.” And you pulled his face in for a kiss, tussling his hair once more before reaching for a rag.

“Wait.” He took the rag from your hand and poured some water from your canteen onto it, wiping you down before offering you your underclothes. And once the both of you were comfortable, you held each other under your furs.

“Thanks, John. I really needed that.”

“Any time, m’lady.” 

John was never much of a talker after you made love. He much preferred to simply lay his head on your chest and wrap his arms around you, listening to your breathing until he sleep took him.