#EKKO'S MOVING TREEHOUSE

[letters-to-rosie]

another fic idea: the timebomb Howl's Moving Castle AU

Ekko's Moving Treehouse!

blatantly inspired by @redrum-alice's FANTASTIC artwork and developed in collaboration with @lullabyes22-blog, because I've been fawning over the art since it was posted and I just knew there had to be a way this could work because it was so cute and the potential just jumped off the page for me

(you've probably seen it but go look at it if you haven't it's so good)

me and Lullabyes have both read the book and seen the movie, so we combined a lot of ideas from both versions, and this is the result so far:

so Silco is the Witch of the Waste lol

Jinx's curse turns her eyes pink (and they stay that way, like Sophie's hair turning white!)

our girl is on a journey of ✨self-discovery✨ and to find her family. Silco does not understand why and just wants her to come home for dinner lol

instead of happening upon Ekko, Jinx goes looking for him because she heard there's a wizard wandering around who helps people

Ekko's castle is a treehouse, and the roots walk!

Jinx: "What a stupid way to treat a tree!" DX (a book line lol)

Jinx keeps arguing with the curse and it weirds Ekko out but she's just arguing with Silco lol

Ekko is a big grump because he gave his heart away to protect it after so much loss 😭

Jinx does not clean his house. she just redecorates. she draws on everything, including the Wall of the Fallen, and Ekko is thisssss close to strangling her at all times but he's promised to help

Jinx: "Ya gotta inject some levity into this narrative!" /casually breaks 4th wall

Silco's henchpeople keep showing up and Ekko fights them off but they're just trying to get Jinx to come back for dinner

Silco: "Discover? What are you discovering? Gold? Dinner's getting cold!"

at some point Jinx will have to cut up Ekko's clothes mwahaha

Ekko has the Slime Meltdown™ because Jinx breaks his hoverboard and he needs to be airborne and free or else there's no point in living

Heimerdinger is Madame Sullivan/Suliman, Ekko's old magic teacher who tells Jinx she's a witch like in the book 🪄

he even has the intro that makes him appear all spooky at first before his furball nature is revealed

maybe instead of giving life to things she animates machines???

they have a cute breakfast scene in Ekko's treehouse where Jinx eats real fruit the first time

Vi leaves a flare lit for Jinx all this time, and Ekko helps her find it

we didn't discuss this, but I think it would be interesting if Vi was Turnip Head, trying to communicate through Jinx throughout the story and maybe pushing her into situations that she doesn't really want (which has to do with how we're imagining the ending; Vander could also be Warwick instead and serve the same purpose???? wait I'm cooking here)

I also want Ajuna to be Michael/Markl lol

the end of the story sees Jinx decide to be true to herself; even though she knows that Silco and Vi both love her, she's gotta do her own thing

despite being super annoying lol she helps Ekko live in the moment and get his heart back, and they fall for each other and it's mushy as hell okay

"She's like very decorative lichen growing on his tree and he can't get rid of her, so by the story's end she's just become part of the natural treescape."

and at the end they keep traveling in the treehouse to see the world and help people and so Jinx can come into her witch powers

probably would be easy to insert all the war themes

Jinx coming into her own and being cute, Ekko learning to love again after this woman just barges into his life, family themes, romance, what more could we want???

[divinegrey]

BOOMERANG / vi x f!reader

POP ROCKS & PUNCHES, part 5

masterlist here

good morning everyone! i hope you all have a good day/evening and don't forget to take care of yourselves :)

prompt: you recount the story of what happened in the undercity after vi had disappeared and your entire life turned upside down. things happen, then they don't.

words: 2607

warnings: mentions of severe violence and blood/gore, near character death, abuse and mental trauma

“Show us again, Rocky!”

You laugh. “Okay, okay, one more time, but that’s all.”

To the group of kids assembled in front of you, you make a show of your gauntlet, the smooth designs and all, before snapping your wrist and extending the shield. The kids start giggling and screaming all over again, and you throw the shield into the air. It arcs over their heads before coming back to your wrist.

“Can I hold it?!” A young boy, no older than two or three years old, looks up at you with so much awe that you find it hard to say no.

With a smile, you remove the shield from your gauntlet and allow him to hold it. The little boy does his best, but the shield is two-thirds his size and much heavier than it looks. It goes to the floor with a thump, and you barely hold back a snicker.

You put your hands on your hips, watching them all come together to lift it up over their heads.

“There you go! Now you’ve got it!” You say, clapping your hands when they start moving like a little phalanx around the place with the shield.

Despite all the bad in the world of the Undercity, the corruption rooted in the Lanes, the sanctuary is a haven. Ekko did a good job with this place. You’re unbelievably proud of him. The sun feels good on your skin and despite having almost gotten shot again by Jinx

“Hey, Rocky!”

Speaking of Ekko…

You turn around, expecting to answer a question he has, but your face drops when you see Vi standing next to him. You can’t tell if she looks relieved or pissed off to see you. Either way, you brace yourself for a conversation coming your way. You hold your arm out for your shield, activating the electromagnetic waves and summoning the weapon back to your arm, much to the displeasure of the kids.

“Awwww!” they exclaim.

“C’mon, everybody, scatter off,” Ekko says, corralling them away and sending you a look that says please fix things. You holster the shield back onto the gauntlet and give him a barely perceptible nod.

Vi comes closer to you, a small frown on her expression. “Didn’t know you could throw that thing.”

“I did like throwing frisbees when I was younger,” you say, retracting the shield. “I call it the Sentinel Shield.”

“Fancy,” Vi says.

“We should— we should talk. Let’s go,” you say. You don’t check to see if Vi follows, because you know she is. Her footsteps are loud and despite whatever emotional distance entangles itself between you, the physical distance remains small. That’s always how it has been, since the time you met.

You take her up to one of the upper levels of the treehouse. You rest your arms on the railing and look out below, to the people milling about. Vi comes close, her arm almost touching your own. She rubs her hands over her knuckles and you notice she’s still wearing the brass knuckles you gave her when all of this began.

“Ekko told me that you helped him make this place,” Vi says, gesturing to the sanctuary.

“I did. Five years ago, after we finally had enough of wallowing in our misery and felt angry enough to do something about it,” you start, tapping your fingers on the wooden railing. “We called ourselves the Firelights because of all the times we would see them when we were younger. They were a symbol of hope then, they’re the same now.”

“But you left.”

“Someone needed to be the man on the inside to get information,” you say. “Ekko targets Shimmer shipments because I find them. I traded technology for information. I’ve always been fine on my own; look at what Ekko did with this place without me.”

Vi doesn’t look where you spread your arm to show off the sanctuary. Vi looks at you, but as soon as you notice, she turns away. The scar on her eyebrow seems so much more prominent when she’s so deep in thought. It hadn’t been there when you were younger; she got it in prison, and the thought alone makes your chest ache.

“Powder recognized you, why did she attack you?” Vi’s voice turns hostile and you take an inhale. Still hasn’t gotten a handle on her anger. She gets that from Vander. “Did you do something to her?”

“Pull the stick out of your ass, Vi,” you reply harshly, meeting her aggression with your own. Your hand squeaks on the wood of the railing from gripping it so tightly. “Do you think I didn’t try and get back to Jinx when I discovered she was alive? Do you really think that?”

The faint look of surprise from the rough tone of your voice catches her off guard, her grey eyes averting to anywhere else. She looks like a kicked dog, but frankly, she kinda deserves it after nearly going off on you.

“You tried?” Vi asks quietly.

“I did, a few years ago,” you reply, removing any and all edge to your words as you start explaining. “Three, I think. I’d been watching her do everything Silco asked her to do and it broke my heart knowing that I was there but I couldn’t do anything about it. So… I tried using my influence as Pop Rocks to make a deal with Silco. I gave him some ammunition and weapons and before we shook hands, I asked if I could see Jinx.”

“You made a deal with Silco?” There’s an edge to Vi’s voice when she straightens up.

“I made one deal with him. One.” You shake your head. “I was desperate. I wanted— I needed to see Jinx for myself, to make sure it was her.”

“What happened?”

“He allowed it.” You scoff, rubbing your hand on your jaw. “He summoned her and when she laid eyes on me, I couldn’t tell if she wanted to kill me or she wanted to hug me.”

You see blue eyes in the back of your mind, and the crushing feeling of failure sweeps over you again. Your head bows down and out of the way so Vi can’t see that you’re starting to cry.

“When she needed somebody the most, Vi, I wasn't there for her,” you say, the heel of your boot bouncing on the ground. It’s all you can do to stave off the impending breakdown because you tried and you failed. “I knew she was alive long before that and I did nothing. I didn’t try. I waited until Silco had gotten under her skin and by then it was too late.”

Vi puts her hand on your arm.

“Silco told her to shoot me,” you finish. Vi’s gasp is audible. You turn to face her completely, pulling up your shirt to show her exactly where Jinx’s bullet went into your skin. Just above your hip bone on your left side. “She almost didn’t. I said, ‘don’t do it, Powder,’ and she shot me.”

Vi’s voice shakes when she mutters, “Oh, god, Rocky…”

She presses her palm over the scar— you feel the faintest sensation on the raised, roughed up skin, but most of it comes in the form of a feeling that threatens to swallow your heart up whole. Vi looks so concerned, like the way she did when she would look for you in the middle of an alleyway fight she got herself and the rest of the gang embroiled in by accident.

“The thing is, Vi, I don’t think she wanted to. She looked like she was in pain the entire time,” you say, recalling the way Jinx was almost in tears with the muzzle of her gun smoking and the smell of blood pungent in the air. In a moment of boldness, you put your hand over hers. “I don’t think she wants to be Powder anymore. She’s Jinx, and there’s nothing we can do about that.”

Vi shakes her head, refusing in the face of the truth. “I can’t— I can’t accept that Rocky, Powder still has to be in there somewhere.”

“I nearly bled out to death in a random alleyway,” you say, interlacing your fingers with hers and holding them tightly. “I thought I was about to die, and all I could think about was how sorry I was because I failed you. I promised you that I would keep an eye on her when you went to go save Vander, but I fucking failed and all of this happened.”

You pull away, raising your hands to wipe away the tears. The memories come rushing back into your head all at once; the look on Vi’s face when she asked you to stay behind to keep Powder safe, putting the flare you made for her in Powder’s hands… Vi trusted you to keep Powder out of danger.

And that was the one thing you couldn't fucking do.

“All of this is my fault, Vi. Mylo and Claggor died because of me. Maybe, just maybe, if I had taken the time to show Jinx how to properly do things, how to make things, none of this would’ve happened,” you continue, completely unaware of Vi coming closer. “We would still have Powder, we would still have everyone on that mural here— I would’ve had you.”

Vi’s hands squeeze your shoulders. You can’t bring yourself to look at her, no matter how much you want to.

“Do you blame yourself for all of that?” Vi whispers— she’s so close to you, nearly chest to chest. You nod. What comes out of her mouth next— your real name, one you haven’t heard in years, uttered so softly, is enough to bring you to full tears. Vi closes you into a hug, her arms securing around your shoulders and her hand on the back of your head.

Vi was the only person allowed to say that name. Not Vander. Certainly not Mylo or Claggor. Ekko doesn’t even know it, neither does Jinx. Yet, here Vi is, saying it to you now. You finally put your arms around her, putting your face into the fabric of her jacket.

“I’m so sorry,” you say.

Vi shakes her head, running her fingers over your hair. “It wasn’t your fault, I promise you, it wasn’t your fault, Rocky. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.” She pulls away and puts your face in her hands. “All that matters now is that we’re back together, okay? We’re going to figure this out.”

She hugs you again, rocking you back and forth.

“You’re too important for me to be mad at,” Vi says. “God, you know me better than anyone else, even after all this time, Rocky.”

Muffled into her jacket, you say, “You need to stop punching everything you see.”

“Have you ever met me?” There’s a beat of silence. Then, “Thank you. For trying.”

You pull your head back and stare into Vi’s eyes. There’s a thankfulness within those steel-colored irises you’ve only ever seen a handful of times before. It reminds you of the days when you’d be side by side, ripping into those little packets of candy and getting a sugar rush that would last you both hours.

“She’s our little sister,” you say. “We’ll get her back. Somehow.”

Vi looks down at your lips— you swear she does, at least— before flicking back up. “What are we?”

“We’re—” You stop yourself short, mostly because you don’t want to speak before you say an answer that might be incorrect. Vi exhibits a large amount of patience for someone like her, giving you the time you need to actually formulate a coherent response. You say, “We’ve never been like that, we’re not siblings. Jinx is my little sister in every shape or form but you… you’re so much more than that to me.”

Vi looks at you for a few seconds too long to be considered strictly platonic. But those lines of your friendship have always been blurred. She slept on the top bunk of her bed, but it wasn’t uncommon to find you up there too when nights got rough and nightmares were bad. You were kids then. You’re adults now and even though six years have passed… sometimes it feels like none at all.

You find yourself leaning in when Vi does. Her breath is warm on your lips, the strong bridge of her nose touches yours, and—

“Guys— oh, shit, I’m so sorry!”

You pull away when you hear the voice of Ekko behind you. When you turn around, his eyes are wide and there’s a hand over his mouth. Vi is glaring at him, but you just squeeze her wrist and give her a look that says calm down. You’ll have time to talk about it later. You hope, anyway.

“Uh,” Ekko clears his throat. His complexion is darker on his cheeks and he looks beyond flustered. You feel just as embarrassed but you hide it better, holding Vi’s hand behind your back. “The Enforcer girl is getting rowdy. Keeps asking for Vi.”

“Sounds like your cue,” you say, taking a step back from Vi. You think if you stay any closer to her your heart might explode out of your goddamn chest from how hard it’s beating right now. It’d almost happened and if Ekko hadn’t shown up out of nowhere—

“Alright, alright, I suppose we should fill Cupcake in on the whole situation, make a plan, somethin’ like that.” Vi is rambling. You find it adorable, but you don’t discredit the heat on your own face.

“I’ll just—” Ekko makes a motion behind him to the stairs. “Wait for you to finish your conversation.”

Right. Conversation. Because almost kissing your best friend is totally a conversation.

Ekko disappears faster than you can say Piltover. You watch him go and think to yourself that he really hasn’t changed that much. Bolts at the first sign of awkwardness. Did the same thing when he was a kid.

You turn back to Vi.

“So…” Vi trails off, biting on her lower lip.

“Look, Vi, it’s pretty obvious that there’s something more going on between us right now than just friendship,” you say, swallowing the lump in your throat when you see Vi nod in agreement. “Just… there are other things that we need to do before we can think about that, yeah?”

Vi steps forward and grabs the back of your head, bringing her lips to your forehead for a long, sweet kiss that leaves you practically melting. You inhale the rough smell of her before pulling back.

“I meant what I said, you know,” you say. “We’ve always been something more. You can’t get rid of me now, so don’t even try. I’ll just come back like a boomerang.”

“Wouldn’t even dream of it, Rocky,” Vi mutters into your hair.

“Now go on. I’ll be there in a few,” you continue, squeezing Vi’s arm before going back to the railing. “Need to catch my breath.”

You really should’ve expected Vi to slap your ass when you lean over the railing, but it still comes to you as a surprise. You almost throw your shield at her, but you just laugh at the grin on her face.

You’ll have time to figure things out later. The focus is getting Jinx back. You pray it isn’t too late. You won’t let Vi down again; you can’t afford to.

Jinx will come back.

Whatever it takes, you think to yourself. You take a deep inhale, then head back down the tree.

~~~~~

A/N: ooooooooo the ladies are almost kissing!!!!

[letters-to-rosie]

okay one more thing for the Howl's Moving Castle AU

i cannot believe I forgot this but

Ekko? Time travel? "Find me in the future"??? "I'VE BEEN LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU"???????