#I have so many hc’s from relics

[mehiwilldoitlater]

Hear me out ..yandere Macaque hcs …seriously love the way you write him ; maybe this reader lost her destiny one or maybe Macaque found reader first before the other monkeys did 👀 love to see what you come up with please 💗 if your not doing requests no worries you can ignore this :)

(Me: People here love this dude...

Destined One: I've noticed that...)

1) When he first met you, he knew what you were and why you were sent there. Of course he knew, because he met so many before you. The only difference was that you were fresh out of the change, unaware of everything that was around and so utterly alone.

It was just so good to be true; the new Bián huá was completely at his mercy, and of course he was ready to take advantage of that.

You were just so adorable, alone, and so afraid, ready to be eaten by the First Yaoguai lucky enough to catch you. And he was, of course, your sworn protector, a monkey that wanted nothing but help you! You just needed to do something for him, helping him find some magical staff that would help you send you back!

He had May lie—just a little.

He just needed to find the relics, take back his full power, get rid of you, and then boom, he was ready to be free...but you changed everything.

The more time he had stayed by your side, the more he became attached. He started to care; he started to crave your attention and your kindness, and soon he carved for more.

He started to make a few changes to his plan, like finding a way to let you live forever, to let him love you like you deserved, to be yours like he wanted you to be his. 

If it wasn't for that damn destined one...

Not only had he been searching for you, following that connection you two were supposed to have, but he needed to tell you the truth!

He was able to get the both of you away from that other one, but now he wasn't your beloved friend; now he was on the list that had played all this time.

"YOU TRICKED ME! ALL THIS TIME IT WAS JUST A LIE?!"

"Darling, please...calm down. Let me explain." You smacked away his hand. Your eyes are full of rage and tears.

"DON'T YOU DARLING ME! You said you wanted to help me! You were just playing all along!"

You started to walk away, trying to get more distance from him and yourself...only to feel then his sharp claws clutching your head and crashing you on the ground.

"I am helping you... by doing what I must."

2) He'll take you to your new home...with the right adjustment.

Oh, you can run free as much as you like! Just be careful not to fall from the cliff that surrounded the small mountain that you were on! The air there is amazing, and no one can brother you there! The only bridge that could have helped you cross the precipice has been cut off!

You can't go anywhere, and he's aware of that.

He'll give you time and space; he's not that delusional to believe that you won't scream and try to do some crazy stunt when he's around. He'll bring food! He'll make sure you're okay until he'll be sure that you won't act crazy with him!

But you really needed to give him that cold shoulder after all that time?

You'll ignore him for days. No matter what he does, you just kept your mouth shut and your attention on a wall...

You really know how to push his buttons, uh?

"Came on... I know you can't stay silent forever."

"..."

"Listen, I know this is not your plan of life, but believe me! It's still something! You were complaining about how full and boring your life was before, right? Now you're-"

"Trap ... It was boring, but I was free... and i REALLY don't want to be here with you now."

He gritted his teeth, feeling so many emotions in his chest. Before storming out the door of the house, he takes one time to look at you.

"All right! Let's see how much you'll miss me in a week!"

In fact, for a week, food didn't come at all.

3) He loved your stubbornness and your strength, but now it was just so annoying. Why can't you just give up?!

Stop resisting! Isn't it painful to just suffer?! If you just loved him like he wanted your tò do, then it would be so easy! But nooo, you have to play hard to get it, right?!

And let's not mention the so many escape attempts that you had made! How many times did he have to catch you?! How many times did he have to prove to you how dangerous the world was?! How many times he had to brind you the next monkey head before you understood that no one is omg to save you?!

You kept on biting and scratching his hand while he was dragging you back to the house. It wasn't painful at all. It was just boring... It hurt his heart, on the other hand.

"I don't want to! Stop! LET me go!"

He had enough. 

He pushed you on the ground, his foot stomping over your arm. Just near the shoulder.

"What are you?"

"I guess that I was too soft on you." You started to feel pressure on your arm; the pain started to grow second by second. "I need to be harder from now on."

You started to scream, scratching his foot, and punched him, but he didn't bulge a little. He kept on pushing and pushing until

CRACK.

You felt the sound of your bones cracking between the flashes of your arm. Before you could scream in pain, he was already down, his hand on your mouth, and his razor teeth near your ear.

"Does it hurt? Don't worry, I'll make it go away."

The same teeth that were caressing your ear were now deep in your flesh.

A missed arm was a good reminder of what he could do.

4) Were you finally accepting him? 

Where have you finally given up?

He didn't want to hurt you, but you were so difficult.

He'll heal you; he'll take care of you like he had promised. Your arm can't come back; it's better this way, but he'll be there, as he had promised.

He'll kiss every scratch and every wound that he has inflicted. He'll make sure you're loved and cherished by him.

"I love you," he whispers, kissing your neck and savoring your scent. "I need more than you think. I'll never let you go..."

Never such sweet words were so full of poison.

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@rovobeam

[itssuppertim3]

Random Paladin Danse HC's That Make Me Smile

not that any of my minions know this, but i’m back into fallout and Paladin Danse’ ass is grass which only means one thing

fuckin

HEADCANONS

let the brain rot commence.

——————————

He obviously loves that education, and is always, ALWAYS, searching for an excuse to learn more about dead America. And who better to learn from than a relic of the past? You! On the other hand, my Sole was never a vault dweller, so she knows next to nothing about those broken gizmos other than what scrap they'll produce. So in one scenario you have big bulk man exhausting you with curiosity, and in another he's literally brimming with information to teach you. Both work well in my opinion.

Literal big brother energy. That kind of changes if or when you admit to him that his ass is literally bigger than a star, but throughout your time serving with him it's very clear that he works well with a sibling-like relationship. You may see him as an older brother, or maybe you just hate him. I dunno man. But all-in-all, he's always the first one there. Always at your side ready to defend you from whatever your postapocalyptic world launches at you. He's almost as loyal as Dogmeat. Almost.

This man stands CLOSE. Sometimes he doesn't even realize it; he just feels at ease being near you (especially if you don't use power armor). He's real caught on that savior mentality. Somehow he's only convinced that you're safe if he's just feet from where you're standing. And don't get me started on firefights. This big booty military man will jump in front of you with no shits to give. You even land a couple shots on him by accident, but that's alright. He doesn't really feel it. He really should prioritize his own safety sometimes.

He never drinks if he can help it, but that's only because alcohol makes him giggly. He'll relax with a couple beers, but anything past that is dangerous for him. He simply doesn't like the embarrassment of completely switching personalities in front of his subordinates. Even you, believe it or not. He likes things "clean, by the book," blah blah. So many people are convinced that he lacks personality, but truthfully he just prefers to act tough. It makes him feel 10 ft tall.

He sleeps with a body pillow. 100% I will live by that statement. Think about it: he practically lives within a wall of steel and cushioned padding. He's more touch deprived than a goldfish. He probably can't recall the last time he genuinely felt a person, which isn't something he dislikes. There's moments when even a pat on the shoulder is too overwhelming for him. He wishes he enjoyed having that closeness with someone. There're many occasions where he longs for your arms to be encased around him or vice versa. He wants to love, but he doesn't exactly know how. So instead of touching you, he spams you with uplifting compliments and hugs his pillow in Dansey bliss.

He complains about rain and bodies of water enough to convince everyone he hates it, but what's interesting is when he's in your company. Walking around like a transformer all the time, he's always prepared for stormy weather. You however... ehhh. He doesn't like it when you get drenched (😫) so he'll immediately scan the surrounding area for shelter. If there is none, and depending on the direction of the wind, he'll situate himself to where you get wet (😫) to a minimum. He's like your personal hunky umbrella. Every once in a while, you grow confused over the fuss. You may enjoy rain, or at least tolerate it, but he still wouldn't give a damn. "It would be irresponsible of me, as your mentor, to allow you to catch a cold under these conditions." In other words, he's a big worrywart over your wellbeing. And he's more used to patching up battle wounds. A sickly fever? Not so much.

You'd think he would be better at knowing your whereabouts, but he definitely isn't. With his suit having so many blind spots and you being so low to the ground, he's constantly losing track of you; hence why he chooses to walk behind you. When you stop in Diamond City, you like to prank him a bit by slipping away and making him go in big brother panic mode. You've tried it in Goodneighbor once or twice, but it never works there. Once you're behind those walls, his eyes never leave you. Not once. He scolds you more harshly when you play games in that town.

He loves to feel useful, even with something mundane like reaching something up high for you or even hoisting you up through a broken ceiling or over a wall. He additionally likes to show off strength. He smashes through walls and doors like cardboard, and crushes just about anything under his gauntlets with ease. On the other hand, he loves it when you feel useful as well. Sure, he can count back dozens of times when he could've dislodged a safe door or tore the wires from a terminal to deactivate turrets, but instead he chose to step back and admire your handiwork. And when you succeed, he always boosts you with praise.

The only hack he uses to style his hair is mud, sweat, and grease. And it still looks flawless every damn time.

There's no way in hell he walks around with all that cake and authority and NOT have an aggressive fanbase on the Prydwen. That just ain't so. There's a whole line of women in their baldheaded glory begging for him to notice them, and the hilarious part is he never does. Heroic actions and deeds in honor of the Brotherhood are what yanks his immediate attention. He's also trained enough soldiers to tell the difference between talent, potential, and kissing up. He hates those sorts most of all.

Keep in mind what I said about his awkwardness with physical touch, because when he's actually starting out in a relationship, it is so over for him. At first he almost wishes you'd remain friends just so you wouldn't give him heart murmurs every 5 fucking minutes. He also grows more protective over you than ever before, but that isn't surprising. Give him a few weeks to settle into this new territory and he'll gradually adapt. You do your best to go at his pace, so instead of downright kissing him you peck him sweetly on the cheek. The more you do it the more he realizes just how much he adores it. Even now he still has a hard time expressing his feelings, so you have to study close for any cues he may give you. Somehow if you're just not skilled at reading him, he'll eventually get persistent enough to lean towards your level and sit jagged and redfaced for a while until you deliver.

It's funny to watch him try and squeeze into an elevator. He'll go the extra mile to search for an intact flight of stairs just so he won't look like a Jack in the Box. Watching him squeeze back out is even sillier. He has to position his shoulders and knees just right so that his pauldrons or helm won't get caught in the narrow doorframe. It mostly works, though only because of all the trial and error he's had to endure.

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

alright folks it's 3am which means i have very pressing matters to attend to like sleeping

[mcmuerteflurry]

Lobo/muerte/death handlers HC-GN victim reader- muerte speech

!CW: suggestive and possible NSFW and google translate!

Whistling will be one of the most common sounds you’ll hear in a daily basis

You have to either be the most interesting being in existence or a Cupid must’ve used their most powerful arrow and ran out along the way

Perhaps one of, if not, the most dangerous in the Shrek universe

Would commonly call the victim conejito (bunny in Spanish) in a mocking tone

Running only motivates him to chase

An example you tried escaping him

“He will cling on to you like a demon in love with a religious woman”

Possibly going to any religious professional or spiritual professional such as a shaman or a fortune teller would all have their thoughts and astral minds clouded on your situation

It is merely impossible to escape the images of muerte wether it’s paintings, cards, cups or even posters the victim will see him everywhere

No tailsman or any religious or protective relics can save you from the personification of fear and death

The victim should get use to being in a continuous state of fear

The first time the victim hears those answers they’re at the state of confusion or laughter either way it doesn’t end right

Victim’s first time hearing the whistle placed them in the state of panic attacks or even anxiety attacks for their words are true

“Do not indulge with him for his appearance is most appealing”

“Mi amor engulf yourself in my aura for there would be eternal safety” he would announce with open arms that he has completely not recited for hours before introducing himself

“Do not feed to the delusion of his for it will consume you”

“I am indeed your one true love”

Mirrors are the reader’s worst enemy because muerte can watch them via the mirrors (like how some Jinns and demons can watch through the mirrors)

Tú pensamiento pobre conejito

Think someone can help nope! Not even witchcraft or a guillotine would get that wolf’s tongue out of your ass for as long as you cease to exist

Would destroy any form of communication with others because he believes “he knows better, he’s been on this planet since the beginning of time and knows every scenario by the”

He would hold the victim in his arms as a “protection” mechanism to make the victim feel safe in his delusions

“Mi amor, mi conejito I know what’s best for you, you don’t even have to repay me like those friends of yours just stay in my arms is all I’m asking for”

Any time you deny his assistance he would always find a way to get you to lean to him

Would purposely cause casualties to make sure you’re entirely dependent on them

“Mi conejito… I always knew they didn’t care for you only I care for you in the highest of levels because I am the only true love for you”

His sickles tallies the amount of family he has killed and is craving for many more to envelope their victim into isolation

I HC that he can interact with animals like how in some demonology books some demons can interact with someone via animals or revive and give messages

He says as the animal souls gave him the signal that your friend’s and family soul has reached the river to the ferrymen

Animal souls become a common visitor wether it is a message with gifts or regular message

You haven’t touched your drink you okay mate

The victim is either avoiding some pubs or finding hidden ones

The victim attempted to stand up and walk away but was soon stopped by a pair of arms gripping the side of their waist

Muerte’s breathe brushes against the victim’s ears

“mi conejita donde pensaste que podías correr” (my bunny did you think you could run)

Muerte would coo nothing less than sweet things whilst their hand explore the victim’s body

The victim’s breathe hitch as they try to stabilise themselves causing the bartender to question them in concern

“No one can see us so why don’t we continue this somewhere”

I don’t want to do this to you but you need to learn

If the victim managed to run that’s a miracle but disguised as a curse (Some NSFW)

Scenario A

The victim’s back has been slammed to the wall of an alleyway late at night during a festival

The victim’s hands above their head and Muerte’ touches teasing the victim under their cloak

The area getting steamy with huffing and yelps

Scenario B

The victim cannot find a proper disguise thus steals the poncho/cloak to hide in the crowd

The victim finally arrived to the back of a building to rest their breathing with their palms on the walls to avoid showing their face

“mi conejo, no puedes esconderte de mí, estoy tan en tu mente como en el área en la que resides” My rabbit, you can't hide from me, I'm as much in your mind as I am in the area in which you reside.

Was the last thing the victim heard before a leg was lifted and muffled moans escaped

“You look adorable in my poncho/cloak we should continue doing this for our ‘little sessions’ hm?”

Conclusion

“All I want from you is to act obedient and submissive under my rule is that too much to ask” he complains

He would throw the victim onto his back and walk back to an area where you cannot run nor hide

[darkdemeter]

Child Reader hcs! If S/O was playable, I could imagine her being like some low HP and ATK but speedy rogue-like person due to Strife training her with a knife and stealing items from enemies. She could also be used to crawl small places and be lifted up by War or Strife to reach high spots. And she could even have her own little bag of collecting souls that she uses not for herself but to gain some discounts on amount of Souls the Horsemen would need on upgrades. Such a sweet cinnamon roll! 🥰

CHARACTER CINNAMON GUIDE HER WAY HOME ─ THE GAME HEADCANONS

◤✘DARKSIDERS REQUESTS | CATALOGUE (Platonic!) Strife and War x Female Child!Reader

NOTES ↳ ANON ANON ANOOOOOON! YESSSSSS! OMG I LOVE THIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS! This is a concept I'm absolutely obsessed with -- that being the reader is a playable character in the Darksiders franchise. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks like this and I finally get to put these ideas into a post! I went a bit crazy with the hcs amount that I had to stop myself.... there is so many ideas I have with this concept alone...

────────────────────────

✘ Nicknamed Cinn/Cinnamon.

✘ Your size is used to your advantage. Being so small, you are able to sneak past enemies (unless their level is higher than yours or they're a boss).

✘ If you have enough skill points put into your stealth, you can also utilise your "Deft Mittens" ability - this ability will morph into "Deft Hands" and then "The Phantom Hand" the higher your level is and the more valuable loot you'll be able to pickpocket from higher level enemies.

✘ You're also quick and have a short but 2 charge evasion sprint ability much like Strife. A very rogue-like build that utilises stealth and the element of surprise. You're armed with a single dagger that can eventually be upgraded to dual wielding through Strife's training.

✘ When War and Strife near a small crawl space, they will beckon you over to have you travel through and reach whatever objective you must accomplish.

✘ If you find a spot you can fit through but it's higher up and out of reach, you can call over either War or Strife to lift you up, your character delivering the voice line, "Uppie!" and you'll be hoisted up.

✘ you have the cutest voice lines... hands down. FACTS.

✘ If your health gets down to 1 point, there is a chance that either War or Strife will use an ability called "Guardian Wings" that flies them to your immediate aid to either block an attack combo or to grant you a healing potion if they have any.

✘ If you lose all your health or are inflicted with a powerful debuff that compells you to be stunned or paralysed while very low on health, this can potentially trigger Chaos and Anarchy for several seconds. If the enemy is downed within a certain time frame, then you will be resurrected without needing to start from your last save point. If not, then you "pass out" and need to load from your last save.

✘ A cute little mid-combat cutscene will occur if you have a healing potion and give it to Strife or War. Yes, you will want to stack up on potions just to see it because it's so cute.

✘ Uhmmmm especially in the genesis type cutscenes -- you are the cutest ray of sunshine. Anything and everything you do is the fucking cutest thing.

✘ You have a very shallow health pool and a weaker attack rate compared to your Horsemen counterparts. This means you will need to be very careful about your strategy going into fights. The more you rest at camp and train your abilities, the stronger you will become.

✘ Eating food at camp grants you buffs.

✘ Tool tip! remember to always search for treasure. Relics found in these chests can be traded into Vulgrim for health upgrades.

✘ If you go to Dis, she can also upgrade your gear and potentially grant you buff if you complete little return quests for her.

✘ Being human has its advantages. You have a passive "tinker" ability that's very weak to begin with but can be upgraded further on with your levelling and your story. This ability allows you to craft useful tools and gadgets.

✘ Dialogue options with Strife and War when you're out and about on your adventures are worth the many playthroughs! You get choices (much like DS2) where you can ask them questions about your surroundings, battle advice and special banters can be triggered in certain places and areas and if you do the hidden misc questlines.

✘ SPOILER HC! You can use the snow sphere given to you by Samael to use as a light source in dark areas. Go to Samael to upgrade this sphere and it can grant you a clairvoyant ability that can either lead you to higher level loot or if you're stuck, show you onto your current objective's path.

✘ You have a little satchel/drawstring bag that has a default number of 5 inventory slots. These can be upgraded at higher levels by Dis OR you can partake in small misc quests by Strife who will teach you the passive ability to increase your inventory space.

✘ You can also collect souls into your little bag that can give discounts for Strife's and War's upgrades on their armor and their abilities.

✘ War can also teach you a few abilities the higher your level is and if you put skill points into your strength but by default, you're role is a close ranged rogue type.

✘ You can choose whichever Horsemen you want to ride with and this gives you control over the movement. There are chase sequences where you can only evade oncoming attacks, but you can learn horseback combat that will allow you to either throw your dagger or cast a spell/ranged gadget.

✘ You can pet and feed Ruin and Mayham. Cause if the developers didn't allow you to do that, then that's just cruel.

✘ When travelling through swampy areas or anywhere that is too dangerous for you to traverse by yourself, you can engage War or Strife and they will carry you across.

[recreationalfanfics]

Yandere! Adventurer x Fem! Reader HCs

I do not condone this behavior in real life. If you or someone close to you has a partner who displays any of these unhealthy behaviors, please contact the Domestic Abuse Hotline: 800-799-7233. If you wish to message, text "START" to 88788. If you believe your messages or calls are being monitored, then use contact: 800.799.SAFE (7233)

- OKAY, SO THIS IDEA CAME TO ME DURING A CREATIVE WRITING CLASS SINCE WE'RE WATCHING INDIANNA JONES BUT IMAGINE SOMEONE LIKE THAT BEING A YANDERE?? LIKE, SOMEONE KINDA BASED OFF OF HIM.

- Yandere Adventurer is someone who knows how to do very thorough research on anyone and any artifact in the world. Someone whose learned various different methods to subtly knock someone out, someone who has found even the most magical relics and prevented the wrong people from getting their hands on it.

- Yandere Adventurer is highly notorious in the rings of archeologists and historians but not in a good way. All of them sticking their nose up at him because of his "juvenile methods" and because he's so "young and impulsive". He knows they're just a bunch of uptight old men but it really gets him pressed when they talk shit behind his back after he went through all the trouble to bring them back a LONG LOST ARTIFACT.

- Yandere Adventurer who isn't really appreciated by anyone, all of them thinking he's just so arrogant upstart whose allowed to galavant all over the world whenever he wishes. Effortlessly fighting off armed men, beasts, and other threats. As if he hadn't sustained nearly serious injuries, as if he wasn't fighting for his life. But he won't tell them about that, they didn't deserve to know that. They could talk all they wanted too for all he cares.

- Yandere Adventurer who nearly thinks about giving up. No one respects him, no one appreciates the thing he does for the sake of preserving the past, and no one can get passed the glamour of his lifestyle to see he faces actual danger everyday. That is, until, he met you.

Maybe you're a museum curator, maybe you're a new historian who started working at the same university as him, or maybe you're just a big fan. Either way, you both meet at a grand opening to display his most recent adventure and you just had been working ALL night to try and talk to him but you were too shy, favoring to just look at the giant bone display of an undiscovered dinosaur species and feeling small. What on earth were you thinking? You couldn't possibly have anything interesting to say to a person like him, you were ridiculous for thinking you could approach him.

- Yandere Adventurer who has a strained smile as the owner of the museum, aka the person who simply owns the building, takes great pride on having such a ground breaking discovery in his museum and not even crediting the Adventurer who STOOD RIGHT NEXT TO HIM. However, he was too tired by the uncomfy suit to say anything so he just rolls his eyes and downs his glass of wine before looking over at the dinosaur display. His eyes landing on you immediately.

- Yandere Adventurer who does have a bit of a reputation of being a flirt, charming women no matter where he went. Hopefully talking to a pretty thing like you would get his mind off of his exaughstion and near burn out. So he just walks next to you, you didn't even notice until he spoke up.

"Quite the specimen, ain't he? Won't believe how many black market dealers were after this thing."

"O-Oh, it's you!"

- Yandere Adventurer who smiles softly as you try to stammer and introduce yourself. You tell him how you absolutely loved his work and his dedication and how you were a big fan. His heart leaps in his chest in a way no other woman has done before but he brushes it aside. Of course you know who he is, everyone knows who he is, he's just lucky that you're not one of those people who act like they can do his job.

"Sure is, darlin'." He says suavely before kissing your hand. You're very clearly flustered as your eyes can no longer make eye contact with his and you give him a shy smile.

Fuck, you're cute.

"And may I get to know yer name, ma'am?" He asked politely, his hand still still holding yours.

"(Y/n). (Y/n) (L/n)." You say timidly.

- Yandere Adventurer who spends the entire night regaling you with his stories. His hand somehow made its way to your waist and you stare at him with such adoration in your eyes with each exciting detail. Not to mention when he mentioned any parts of him getting hurt on these adventures, you'd show some kind of concern for him.

"Ah, it happened a while ago. M'all better now~" He snickered. Your brows furrowed, concerned, as you tell him: "But it must've been so scary to deal with by yourself. Don't get me wrong, it was very brave of you, but I also can't help but feel concerned.

- Yandere Adventurer who starts to think that maybe he won't stop adventuring yet when you exchange numbers after talking and it soon gets late. He offers to walk you to your car and as he watches you leave, he feels like you took a part of him with you. Of course, he wasn't one who thought too much about love at first sight. It didn't exist. His past lovers are a testament to that but even when driving home, you're still on his man. After he showers off the gross smell of rich old people, your smile still plagues his mind and the last thing he thinks about is your face as he goes to sleep.

- Yandere Adventurer who sees that you've been transferred to a position or job that is coincidentally right near him. If he didn't know any better, he'd say it was fate, but he knew such a thing didn't exist. He isn't complaining though, he loves about around you. Despite not having a super cool job like his, you always seem ready to brighten up his day. Making a habit to chat with him in the morning and, once you figured out how he liked it, bringing him coffee since you knew he had a tendency to pull all nighters to find leads on a new relic.

- Yandere Adventure who grows closer to you. Both of ranting about the men who are as old as the fossils in the archive, snickering to each other like little kids when one of them scolds you two for not being more formal with each other, and just opening up with conversation. You actually make him look forward to working. Usually most of the day, he'd be praying and hoping someone needed his assistance finding something or another hitman attack that'd send him around the world, but now his eyes eagerly flick to the door. Waiting for when you walked in to start your shift.

- Yandere Adventurer who goes on another adventure, not as long as his other ones, but during the entire time he can't stop thinking about you. Man, he can imagine how excited you'd get over the architecture. How you'd be so enchanted by the various different foods and eat yourself silly. How you would be infodumping random information about the region, the people, the culture, the clothing- anything. Honestly...maybe he should bring you back a souvenir or something. It's hard choosing one since he can't really find anything that would fit you. Like yeah maybe you'd find the bobble head cute but he wants to get you something a bit...more. Like, I don't know, maybe a necklace worn by a royal princess that was in an old jewlery box he discovered along with a lot of other hidden treasure.

- Yandere Adventurer who comes back, eager to show you his gift when he goes back to the University the next day, only to see that you were waiting for him at the airport. His heart stops when you make eye contact. Why were you here? More importantly, why did he feel so goddamn happy that you were? At least until your face contorts into one of annoyance and he knows he's in trouble.

"I understand what you do but I thought we were friends!" You scold, "Do you know how worried sick I was when you didn't show up for four days!? Then one of those uptight archivists told me you were halfway around the world!? Without giving me a heads up or saying: "bye!?"

Ah, thats right. He left without saying bye...

"Aw, shucks, m'sorry, darlin'" He frowned, his southern drawl becoming sad and dejected. You were gonna continue to pout until he gave you a sheepish smile, "I guess I just never had anyone care enough about me to give 'em a heads up."

Your angry expressions turns into a shocked one and soon, you can't find it in yourself to be angry anymore.

"O-Oh, then...I guess I understand. I'm sorry...But don't you dare ever do that again, okay!?"

"S'a deal, (Y/n)...Oh, by the way, I got ya something!

- Yandere Adventurer who never asked to keep any portion of the relics he brought back but he made an exception for you and it was so worth it to see your face. The way it lit up as he put the necklace around you and you checked yourself in the mirror, fawning over it. When he says you can keep it, you grow timid. After all, should you really keep it? It is a historical artifact! But he insists. Telling you that: "Pretty ladies should have pretty things." like the flirty friend he is.

- Yandere Adventurer who is no longer easily tricked by femme fatales or women who flirted with him because they just weren't you. He used to love the thrill but it was nothing compared to the feeling of his hand touching yours when you both went to grab a history book or when you had eaten so much at his house that you fell asleep on his couch and he got admire your cute little face and make you breakfast.

- Yandere Adventurer who begins to write letters and send messages and call you during his trip sometimes and who doesn't hesitaite to answer when you call him. He could literally be in South America jumping across snapping crocodiles to get across the river when he hears his phone ring.

"(Y/n)!! Huh? Aw, don't worry you didn't catch me at a bad time!"

*Croc nearly bites his leg off*

- Yandere Adventure when he's excited to come home, his newest prize now in his hands. He's exuaghsted and tired but is so excited when he hears from a hotel staff that someone had sent him a letter. He doesn't snatch it fast enough as he runs into his hotel room and rip it open, his smile bright but soon fading as he reads the letter. Don't get him wrong, he loves hearing from you and he was happy to know you were getting a promotion. However, he wasn't happy when he read a certain part of your letter.

"The university hired someone to help me whenever you're gone so you don't have to worry about dumping the workload on me anymore. I actually think you guys would get along really well together, he's just as much of a fan of you as I am and he's so excited to meet you when you come back!"

- Yandere Adventurer who has to reread the letter to make sure he read it right. Beg his pardon but HE!? WHEN DID THE UNIVERSITY SUDDENLY NEED SOMEONE TO HELP YOU? THEY BARELY CARED WHEN HE TOOK OFF FOR A FEW MONTHS AS LONG AS HE GOT MUSEUMS TO FUND THEM. WHERE WAS THIS WORKLOAD AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY WASN'T HE NOTIFIED!? Until he looked at his notifications on his phone, which didn't get the best wifi or data in the heart of a lost forest and saw that he was, in fact, notified about the new guy. Ah...

- Yandere Adventurer who packs his stuff then and there, he's going home as soon as possible. When someone is concerned and tells him he should rest, he assured them that he's fine. Absolutely fine! Everything is fine! In fact, he's fine enough to go home, back to where you are! Fine enough to excite you with his newest gift, which he'll make sure to give in front of the new guy so they know EXACTLY whose the more impressive man, and fine enough to strangle the mystery bastard who snuck in while he was gone!

- Yandere Adventurer who shows up at his usual early time at work to get things prepared and situated. However when he walks in, he sees a stranger organizing the papers and archives and his mouth just grows into a frown. So this was the new guy? Bet he couldn't even stop multiple Japanese Triad members armed with katannas. The new guy lights up when he sees him and immediately gets excited and maybe Adventurer would've been flattered, if it didn't feel like that prick was mocking him. Talking nonsense about how he made sure everything was organized everything while he was away and how you were a good guide. OF COURSE YOU WERE, you were good at a lot of things.

- Yandere Adventurer who finds himself acting like his Aunt Darlene whenever she got jealous, putting on a fake venomous smile and using that southern charm to cover up her passive-agressiveness. The new guy either is ignoring it or too star struck by Adventurer to care, which really annoys him. His hatred only grows when you finally come in at your normal time, two coffees in your hand.

"YOU'RE BACK!" You cheered.

Adventurer's smile grew, more genuine and softer. You hand one of the coffees over to the new guy and then go to hug him.

"I'm so glad you're here! You're so early, though! If I had known you were coming back today, I would've gotten you one too!"

Adventurer hugs you, a bit tighter than usual but you don't notice. The new guy, however, notices the way that the Adventurer is giving him such a brutal death glare.

"Ain't nuthin' to worry about, sweetheart."

- Yandere Adventurer who hates seeing you both have inside jokes. Who hates the way you treat the intruder so gently when he can't do his job right. Who hates it that whenever he tries to give his gift to you, the new guy immediately can recognize the ancient carvings on the gift and starts info dumping about its history, your eyes now looking at him with intruige while Adventurer just briefly scrunches his nose. He already knew that stuff, he was going to tell you about it, so why did that disgusting worm steal his thunder!?

- Yandere Adventurer who starts comparing himself to this guy. This guy can't ever measure up to Adventurer. Not when he's fought warriors that came back from the dead, escaped ancient death mazes hidden inside temples, been hunted down by various crime syndicates, so why...why is he so jealous of this guy? This awkward, ordinary guy. Was it because of you? Well, he knew he liked you a bit more than a friend and he knew that you had a thing for him...but what if you wanted someone who wasn't always half way across the world? Someone who wouldn't worry you about being in life threatening danger.

- As far Adventurer sees it, he has three options:

1. Be straight up and tell you about his feelings and then work out your relationship from there because he's willing to compromise.

2. Invite you with him on his next adventure while somehow keeping you safe. who knows, you guys might have to share a tent

3. Get rid of the new guy.

- Yandere Adventurer who decides to try and text you to meet up but you apologized since you had to help the new guy reorganize everything because he messed up. Adventurer them shoots a text saying he'll come over and help and grabs his keys, a dark glint in his eyes.

- Nevermind, he only had two options because he was getting rid of that man one way or another.

[candy8448]

Idea:

The amber relics from sksw are the secret tears (really shoulda called it that because of the name of the game and secret stone sounds so stupid)

Not a theory exactly but just a cool idea with zero evidence to back it up

So to explain this, i kinda gotta get my hc on the timeline out of the way:

So the tineline is normal to how we've seen it before totk, at some point before the first calamity 10,000 years ago, the timelines re merged, and in this event destroyed the kingdom of hyrule, way more destroyed than even the downfall tineline to the point where there is almost no evidence it existed (maybe it was the fault of the downfall timelime or the flooded adult timeline, maybe its because none of the hyrules match so they just could not work) many forevers later, the zonai, perhaps a rememnant of the remaining skyloftians to stayed in the sky who just evolved differently due to their different environments, maybe a different race entirely, concealed by perhaps a new or the original cloud barrier come down and restore hyrule, rary and sonia not being aware that there was a kingdom before it. The events of totk past happen and it continues to the botw events.

So my theory, the amber relics (and maybe dusk relics) were somehow made into the secret stones.

No evidence backing this up, just fun idea. They are similar looking things and precious and rare. They also have a hole where the magic rune things on the secret stones are.

Maybe they are a combination of the two, and why there are only about 7 now because no one can return to the silent realm to get more. Maybe they just merged over time until there are only 7, maybe a combination of both.

But the length of the tineline is an awful lot of time for it to adapt and change is it not?

Amber relics already come in two different colours, maybe they changed into more?

Secret stones enhance ones existing power, amber relics are used to upgrade items and make the scattershot shoot multiple even if its just upgraded from amber and dusk relic and some jelly blob. Ignore that im not thinking about any other item, as i said this is a no logic, neat little idea

Some time while raru and sonia were building the new kingdom of hyrule they found these changed amber relics somewhere in the depths. The dusk relic in the amber relic had almost kinda lead it to the depths where it could stay in the dusk maybe. When they were exploring the depths and also made it their home, they discovered the 7 of these precious remaining stones and sensed a great power from them, and kept them, finding out what they do

Its just sometging that i was thinking about when we first saw them in the trailers

(Also notice how the star fragments look so much like gratitude crystals and they fall out of the sky??? Remaining skyloft residents??????)

Note: this has been in my drafts forever, since a while after totk came out. I just forgot about it

[bots-and-cons]

Can I request some hc's about bot!reader who's friends with the predacon trio (predaking, skylynx, darksteel) platonic or romantic is up to you

I honestly don't have a good grasp on the personalities of Skylynx and Darksteel, so these are mostly focused on Predaking. I watched the movie in like 2019 and have not watched it since. Honestly I considered making this like a romantic polycule thing, but I felt like it was a bit too much for me, so I just went with platonic, and this is like the very start of the friendship

•You met Predaking, Darksteel and Skylynx when you returned to Cybertron after the war

•They were really isolated from everyone else, but Predaking especially preferred it that way

•Darksteel and Skylynx were much more interested in the other cybertronians, because they had never really met anyone they didn’t have to fight or didn’t actively dislike

•You’re a historian, so your familiar with the predacons that way, but not with any of the new generation personally

•You went to look for them for research purposes, and ended up making friends with the trio

•Predaking is not very enthusiastic about your questions when you appear, and his answers are very limited

•Darksteel and Skylynx on the other hand, will tell you what they know, which isn’t very much, but they ask just as many questions in return

•The questions are pretty different from yours in theme, but you answer happily

•Predaking isn’t particularly happy when you visit them the first couple of times, but you start growing on him

•While you’re taking an interest in what he is, you’re also interested in who he is, and he appreciates that

•Sure, maybe you ask wayyyy to many questions, but it’s nothing weird or inappropriate

•They’re all much bigger than you, which was pretty intimidating at first, since all of them were also pretty aggressive or at least irritated

•You were scared for a while, sure, but you never let it show, and they grew to respect you more quickly because of that

•If you had been running and screaming in fear, it would not have led to friendship and mutual respect

•You’re of course older than all of them since they’re all very newly made, but that doesn’t really earn you any points or admiration or anything

•Predaking acts like an ancient relic already, and Skylynx and Darksteel can be like bickering younglings sometimes

•They can be a bit of a headache sometimes, but they became good friends to you, which also includes them being protective of you

•They don’t exactly consider you weak, but you are small compared to them, so they think you need protecting sometimes

•It’s very rare for others to mess with you or pick a fight with you, especially when any of the trio are around

[herofics]

Heyy just saw your post on how many angsty themed requests you get and I hope your doing well, and please don't push yourself too hard and take care of your mental well-being!!

I also have a JJK request, so I was thinking of a platonic Sukuna x fem! teen reader (if you're not comfortable with fem then they/them is fine) and I was thinking of following kind of a fem! teen reader looking up to Sukuna but Sukuna obv being a terrible example. Also could the time period be like already future like with yuuji and jujutsu tech. Like the reader being a student in yuuji's class. Like honestly, idk if this makes any sense and I'm not sure if this is too vague.

Thank you in advancee

A/N: I decided to do teacher!Sukuna, even though that’s not really what you asked for, but I felt it was the easiest way to do this. He’s still pretty unhinged but not really as murderous as he is in canon. Sukuna is semi young in this, not the ancient relic he actually is, so something like 35 maybe? I went with HCs, since that allows me to put many different situations in the same post. I was kinda considering changing this into its own post and not the answer to this ask, but ehhh decided not to. I ended up really liking the whole teacher!Sukuna thing so I’m probably going to write some scenarios for this too… eventually

•Sukuna isn’t actually interested in being a teacher, but it was a sort of punishment by the higher-ups for one of his numerous “excessive force” incidents when catching a curse user

•So he was put on a sort of probationary period at Jujutsu High, to be a teacher for a year

•So that’s how he met you, Yuji, Megumi and Nobara, and by god you four are a pain in his ass

•Yuji being the most annoying in his opinion, there’s just something about this kid that rubs him the wrong way

•Yuji and Sukuna have a bit of a rocky relationship, Sukuna is actively trying to make Yuji’s life as miserable as he possibly can while still being at least remotely teacher-ish

•Opposite to that, Sukuna doesn’t even really see you, you’re not incredibly skilled, nor do you have an amazing cursed technique like him, Megumi or Gojo

•You’re pretty average as a sorcerer, not weak but not really strong either, Sukuna on the other hand is a special grade

•He doesn’t want any of you brats to die on his watch, not really because he cares but because he’s tired of hearing the higher-ups crap about his recklessness and negligence of students

•Sukuna very much believes in the survival of the fittest, weaklings are no good for being jujutsu sorcerers

•You were assigned to observe Sukuna on one of his missions that was supposed to be an easy one for him

•It was, but one of the cursed spirits somehow slipped past him and tried to attack you

•Sukuna grabbed you by the back of your jacket and just pulled you out of his way, as he slashed the cursed spirit to nice little cubes

•He didn’t even realize he was still holding you under his arm, before you were like “Mmm excuse me?”

•It took him a second to realize where the voice was coming from, but when he did, he let go of you, which caused you to fall on your ass on the ground

•”Ow!” you exclaimed as you hit the ground

•You got up and stretched a little, before following Sukuna, who was already leaving

•”Thank you sensei” you said to him as you caught up with him

•”Don’t thank me brat. You should’ve been able to handle that on your own, or at least you should’ve been able to dodge” he said with an irritated eye roll

•You were already disappointed in yourself for the fraction of a second freezing that had occurred, so you knew he was right about the whole dodging bit

•”You honestly think I should’ve been able to handle a grade one cursed spirit on my own? I’m a grade three sorcerer”

•”Then stop whining about it and get stronger, I probably won’t be there to save your ass next time, so if you end up dead, that’s going to be your own fault”

•That was kind of a wake up moment for you and while you had looked up to Sukuna for a while now, it was like he was even cooler now

•You started working harder and you asked to go on more missions with Sukuna, which he wasn’t excited about, he doesn’t have time to babysit you

•Sometimes you got to go with him, but it was always made very clear to you that he didn’t have time to keep an eye on you

•He always did though, and he saved your ass on multiple occasions, complaining about it every single time

•He just doesn’t want to get another lecture from those old farts at the headquarters for letting a student die

•It’s not like Sukuna hates you students, (except maybe Yuji) but he really doesn’t have the patience for this whole teaching bullshit

•Sukuna is absolutely not the kind of person you want to be, but you do admire his skills and his strength, so you put up with his asshole personality in hopes he will actually teach you something one day

[asarigg]

Hi! I'm so sorry for replying to you so late, I feel like I had so many things to keep track of recently 😣

Oh yeah, his love for traditional aesthetic certainly came from both of his parents. I feel like his father had a traditional house and way of carrying himself bc he was conservative and never really thought about any of it, while his mother actually enjoyed and valued the aesthetics of traditional crafts and materials, she was probably pretty knowledgable about making her own too; It wouldn't suprise me if Koujaku picked up his aesthetic sense and appreciation for beauty from her tbh. I feel like she'd teach him a lot too- I've been looking into the flower-shaped knots on his design for some time now, but it's frustrating how little there is about the details in English 😮‍💨 the closest thing I can find is a mizuhiki plum flower knot, but even then that's not exactly right... I feel like I saw it in so many other games or movies and such, it's so annoying that I can't place it better 😮‍💨 however they're called, I think that his mom taught him how to make them 🥺

I never thought about his scrap scene being a representation of his family home! Or rather, I guess I never saw it that way, that this is directly potraying how he saw the building itself; I think I saw it more as a metaphore of his mind, of how deep within him his trauma is hidden, and how he doesn't want anyone to know. That's so clever! 🤩 I think that the dragon was supposed to represent Ryuho, right? Since he has a dragon motif. Just another way how he permanently imprinted himself on Koujaku's mind, that his symbol is woven into the very walls 😔 I honestly kinda hc that Ryuho isn't even this dude's real name lol, I think it's an artistic pseudonym he chose bc it gives him a dragon theme 😭

Oh yeah, speaking of Koujaku being from the countryside! When I was listening to the CD drama, I've noticed that Koujaku said something about how he used to come to the inn he and Aoba were staying at with his mom... That's so cute... Like you know that these were some of the best memories of his childhood, he got to run around the building, play outside, catch bugs, and just enjoy being a kid without the opressive atmosphere of the mansion, and his mom was there too, and she was having fun... 😭 And I also bet he really wanted Aoba to be there with him so that they could play together and have fun, and who would've expected that they'll be back there together after roughly 20 years and everything they both went through 😭 I think that he likes Midorijima, the city has its own charm, but I do think he misses the mountains sometimes and wishes he could just go there whenever 😔

I have a headcanon that his mother named him Koujaku bc she used to watch sparrows in a local park back when she was pregnant with him, and they always manage to cheer her up and take away her worries about the future for a little bit 🥺 and now Koujaku is really fond of them too, he wishes they were easier to spot in Midorijima, but they aren't nearly as common as they were where he comes from 😔 Aoba absentmindedly buys any kind of sparrow-themed bauble he finds in the store as gifts for Koujaku, and he always treats them like they're relics, and not plastic junk that Aoba brings home 😭 and Aoba keeps it a secret, but he has a pen at his desk at Hum-Drum with a little sparrow figurine on the top, just to feel like Koujaku's with him 🥺

Haha, I haven't gotten to the moment where I'd be imagining them as old men yet 😂 but yeah, I can see them moving to the mainland and living in a cozy, traditional house with maples all around 🥺 I feel like they'd both be okay with moving out of Midorijima in the future at some point, just to be closer to nature and retire 🥺

For real it's so bad to search for useful info cuz you get a hundred promoted pages wanting to sell you something only to find little to no information about what you're asking. I found a knot called kiku that seems pretty much what's on Koujaku's neck with the 6 loops. It seems like the tassels would originally decorate helmets of samurai as a good luck charm or something. Likely a variation of a buddhist knot, the endless knot I think it's called, as a representation of Buddha's infinite wisdom.

Fun fact and kind of spoiler but I have a comic where I make him go back to his mother's hometown. Might sound cute but it's full of angst idk when I'll ever work on it because I have art crisis every week 🤓☝ But fr I think he deserves a peaceful life surrounded by nature that brings him good memories

The sparrow pen is so cute 😭😭

Everytime a video of the daily life in the countryside in Japan appears on my feed my brains gets bombed with "kouao kouao kouao kouao" istg this brainrot

[zaniwee]

I never have talked abt my affoclair hc's here more in-depth tbh 😭😭 mostly because I used to more often on twt and stuff, but uhm

affoclair hc's and rambles and more hc's yayy!!

both affogato and eclair are transmasc lesbians and go by he/she/they (this is mostly my personal projection)

I like to think of the many ways they've first met but I usually follow the concept I've established in my fic, where Eclair is invited to the Cacao Kingdom as a guest to analyze the area for archival purposes for her museum along with accepting relics, and Affogato is initially assigned to give a brief tour of the kingdom, and it all spirals from there (I'd suggest reading my fic The Magnitude of One's Heart for a more in-depth depiction of these two meeting)

when I first started shipping them, I sort of paired them off on the idea of Affogato being someone who enjoys being indulgent or the idea of indulgence in general and how I think it'd be interesting for him to enjoy and even support Eclair's indulgence when it came to history and collecting relics, and as such I like to think she softens up the more they listen to Eclair's rambles on about history. Sure, history might not be something that Affogato's an expert in, but there's something about the way Eclair talks about it in which you can tell how passionate he is about it, how much she cares about something that Affogato might not even initially take interest to. I think it's this idea of caring that Affogato secretly yearns for in a way, but is mostly never willing to show it until she's softened out of her shell by eclair.

I also enjoy exploring how the two could seem to mask themselves in front of others. Granted, they're for different reasons, but I think because of such similar experiences, they end up confiding in one another in a way that doesn't feel conditional. You have Affogato, of course, who is cunning and can have anyone wrapped around her finger, likely having to get in people's good graces to get where they were, but I think when you take these things away, there is a sense of cowardice in him and sort of a vulnerability (trying not to bully my favs challenge failed). He definitely shows more of that cowardice at ch. 14 and also schemes in a way that makes him indirectly responsible. I do also like exploring Affogato having trouble not knowing who he truly is as a person. Having to act a specific way and keep your guard up at all times probably messes with your sense of identity, after all.

Then, you have Eclair, who's obviously less like that 😭😭 I mostly base her off a mix of the Korean dub and the English dub, where he usually carries himself as prim, proper, and precise along with sounding calm, but you take that away and she's someone who is very VERY passionate and theatrical and loud, something that they have to tone down in order to work in a career she WANTS to work in. She's very aware of who she truly is as a person and at times cannot stand this act he plays. Overall, for both of them, it's having to work their way up to where they are now by acting as people that they're not.

There's also so many ways to explore how Eclair would react finding out about Affogato being a villain, where on one hand she'd have to decide whether or not she can continue loving the other from this discovery, and on the other hand, the historian aspect of Eclair would have to come to terms with being morbidly curious on the matter. Of course, there's many more ways to look into this, I've seen people go the angst route or have eclair accept him regardless, but I don't wanna reveal too much of my potential ideas bc I'd be spoiling future plans for my fic 👍👍 I'll just say if they do reconcile, it's gonna be a lot of work

okay that's enough rambles for right now, now onto...

more small and silly hc's!!!

Sometimes, Affogato shares medicinal information to Eclair, be it herbs, ointments, etc. for archival purposes.

Eclair has 6 pet pigeons, 5 of which are named after the 5 dragons (pitaya, lotus, ananas, lychee, longan) and 1 called ceylon named after tea knight.

Affogato likes to put makeup on Eclair, and the two sometimes paint each other's nails.

Eclair has more of a preference for savory foods, Affogato loves sweets (more so canon).

Affogato gossips to Eclair's pigeons when Eclair isn't home.

The longer the two stay with each other, the more things they try that used to be uncharacteristic of them, to be loved is to be changed or however the saying goes (ex. Affogato cooking and experimenting with making sweets to give to Eclair, Eclair cooking more hearty meals and trying to take things slow in his busy life, etc.)

Cooking, I'd say becomes sort of a love language? for the two?? honestly wasn't expecting that, that kinda just happened.

Oh yeah they'd definitely have like 50 corny nicknames for each other.

To me they are the double-income, no-kids, lesbian aunts who show up to unleash the gift reckoning on Christmas (/ref).

When people misdirect gems to Eclair under the impression that she's an appraiser, instead of refusing the gems like he used to, he now spoils Affogato with them.

They go shopping and go out on dates a lot and dress in very fancy smanshy clothes at times.

Eclair would very likely be fairly wealthy but spends like 99.9% of her cash on the museum so it's ice soup every week until affogato lives with her.

Surprisingly, Affogato really loves Eclair's infodumping. Initially, he was intrigued by the other's passion for history, but slowly over time it just became something interesting to learn as well. Not to mention, it made Eclair delighted when the other would respond in a way that showed he was actively listening to him talking.

Affogato totally becomes friends with Latte because of Eclair.

Affogato has definitely raided Eclair's closet on multiple occasions. At some point, Eclair's sleeping robe became his.

Affogato and Eclair are neurodivergent idk what to tell you.

I personally see the two as like late 30's-early 40's??? idk if that translates to my art as much though I'm working on it‼️🏋️‍♂️🏋️‍♂️🔥🔥🔥

Andddd that is all I have for now YAYAYAYAYY!! This isn't as organized as I want it to be but it's just been me rambling so 😭😭 hope this doesn't sound confusing

[kittyartcorner]

I've seen sooo many people make lil reffs of their takes on the bishops so I felt like tossing my two cents in! I have many thoughts about her below if you wish to hear 'em.

Heads up I have still NOT beaten the relic dlc so this info may not line up with canon lore but I do not give a hoot anyway!

*This goes for any Bishop, I HC the upper parts of their limbs are 'stained' with ichor due to centuries of using their godly powers. Think of it like using a frying pan for decades and burnt marks being left behind yeah? Also despite the sharp appearance her hands are surprisingly soft. Bumpy but soft.

*This idea came early on but she's missing a tooth! Where? Idk. Maybe from a nasty tussle she had when she was younger (pre-ban). Probably with Narinder anyway. Also she tends to drool when she gets really excited (which is rare). And will kill anyone who points that out. *Due to her throat injury she has massive issues with her voice. She can speak. But not above an indoor voice. Nor can she continuously speak for long. Needing breaks. Yelling will fuck her up and laughter causes her to cough out blood. She quietly misses being able to croak and sing. *Because of that ^ she gestures a lot with her arms and body. Typically using violence to get her point across, rather then scolding. Also she is stubborn and refuses to learn ASL. Thinking that would make her 'submit to weakness'. *Like everyone else here I view her as a lesbian. Moreee specifically I see her personally as a butch. She likes to be refer to as lord over lady. Sir over ma'am. Etc. Heket herself wouldn't describe herself with any of these modern labels. Because the old faith just dont care/know about 'em. *She is tied of being the shortest bishop alongside Leshy. And here is the order of which sibling she is closest with: Shamura, Kallamar, Leshy, and Narinder. Despite this order she really loves and cherishes all of her family (Narinder too but she wont ever admit that). Those two always had some indescribable tension as kids. Only got worse after the betrayal. Also why yes I did noticed months ago that her body type is basically King K rool's and I am okay with that.

[snekverse]

i have arrived to ask you about your rewrite ro’meave brothers! what are some of your headcanons for them?

wahhh my boys!! I'm so normal about them!! I'm gonna do my best to give you cohesive ideas, but my hc style is super loosey goosey so lmk if I need to elaborate on anything <3

Garroth:

Was enrolled in the Academy at 18 under the guise that it would make him a smarter, more savage leader. This only worked because Garte prioritizes power and strength over genuine leadership.

Of his siblings, he is the only one who doesn't practice magic

He looks arguably more like his mother, however he is incredibly insecure and upset by the few features inherited from his father. He's terrified those features will connect him to Garte's cruelty

He was 20 and still in the Academy when Vylad was murdered, and he ran away within a few days after his brother's funeral

He acts as a rookie guard in Phoenix Drop for many years before the then head guard appointed him as his "heir" and charge, something he was none too pleased about. The idea of being responsible for that many lives made his stomach turn, but his superior refused to back down from his position

O'khasis is a deeply religious city state, and it's royal family reflects that ideology. Garroth is burdened with heavy religious trauma, and the reveal of Nova (Aphmau) actually being Avon (Irene) really screws with his head and creates many complicated feelings

Garroth had no idea what kind of monster Zane had become in his absence, but even after learning the truth he couldn't help but mourn for his brother after his untimely demise

He tends to view young men under his care as brother figures, namely Zenix and Dante. He was devastated both after Zenix's betrayal and meeting Dante after the 15yr timeskip, and he muses from time to time that he's simply destined to lose his brothers

Zane:

Widely renowned as the youngest High Priest of the Church of Avon to date, having been appointed at only 27

He is directly responsible for the death of only one person: Vylad. He's all but gaslit himself into believing that it wasn't his fault

Immediately following the death of his brother, Zane discovered the Divine Relics and ultimately dedicated his life to the research and collection of them. By the time of his stay in Phoenix Drop, he's collected the relics of Kulzak, Enki, Kebek, and a fragment of Shad's. He knows of the whereabouts of Menphia's relic, Avon's relic, and after "reuniting" with Garroth, Esmund's relic.

Is Leona's biological father via the pendant he gifted to Kiki, and he's well aware that she exists. His role in her creation was entirely unintentional, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

As the High Priest of the Church of Avon, he was tattooed with markings similar to her's. Nova also shares these markings (because she IS Avon), and when the two meet he initially believes her to be an incredibly devout worshipper.

Fully aware that he's become a greater monster than his father ever was, and though he refuses to acknowledge it, there's a part of his subconscious that becomes sick at the very sight of his own face. As such, he's rarely seen without a full-face veil, something he's able to excuse using the Faith of Avon practice of wearing mourning veils following the death of a loved one.

Vylad:

A very talented magics user, something he honed exclusively by watching Zane practice his own craft when they were children. He tries not to rely on it too much anymore, but the skill is still there.

Even though he bears almost no resemblance to his mother, Zianna remains the only person who knows the identity of his father. As such, Vylad is accidentally and unknowingly responsible for his own father's death

Of the Shadow Knights we (Nova) meet, he was the second ever to be reborn, succeeded only by Zenix. That's why he retains all of his memories, as Gene didn't begin the process of brainwashing knights until many years after his own rebirth.

Despite being terrified of facing his family after being reborn, he can't seem to keep himself away. He's drawn to each of them in a way he can't explain, and he feels inexplicably compelled to help out from the sidelines (not dissimilarly to his behavior in life)

It took many years and ye old therapy with Hyria to let go of the hate, anger, and bitter sting of betrayal he felt after his murder and rebirth. He can control himself much better now, but when he was still a young knight just the thought of it was enough to push him over the edge, forcing him ever closer to becoming a Husk

Vylad, like Garroth struggles with religious trauma and discomfort surrounding religion, however during his time spent in the Nether he frequently prayed to Avon, just to have someone to talk to even if they weren't listening. (this one is HEAVILY inspired by if not blatantly stolen from this wonderful comic made by @vyladromeave, go check them out!! I love it so much and I can't stop thinkin about it <3 if this bothers you at all lmk and I'll get rid of this bit no biggie)

In line with the previous hc, he had a pretty strong hunch from the moment she spawned from the staff the Nova was Avon, and even after properly meeting her he wondered if she ever heard any of his prayers and pleas. He's still not sure which answer he'd prefer.

[adorablebanite]

Just an excerpt from Awaiting Further Instruction in hopes to get me in the mindset to finish my last two chapters because I've been struggling a lot diving back in after taking a hiatus after Gortweek!

A scene were Gortash and the other Chosen discuss dominating the Elder Brain (And of course Lilla is there too!) No porn or anything! Unless you count Gortash and Balthazar dueling one another by masturbating in front of each other non-sexually xD

I'm a LITTLE proud of my Balthazar in this fic...I don't usually have that much confidence about it (It's feigned, make-it-till-you-make-it confidence because life is short), but I have this HC that he uses his skeletons to talk shit to people in front of their faces, and uses them to blab his intrusive thoughts (more so in other scenes besides this, but still I thought it was funny).

----

Supper with the Chosen this time around was a lavish feast in comparison to their previous, less accommodating visit to Moonrise. While Ketheric clearly attempted to add some additional decorum, Gortash’s attendants had supplied and prepared a grand spread. 

As usual, Ketheric sat at the end of the table in the lord’s seat, while Destri and Gortash sat next to one another. Lilla was seated opposite to them, next to Balthazar - who quite terrified her, despite her attempt to mask her apprehension. The bloated necromancer had malicious, beady eyes, and his flesh was carved with intricate runes and sigils, not excluding his very face. His entire visage was a testament to the profane loyalty that necromancy demanded from its students - and Balthazar had clearly been studying for a very, very long time. 

His speech was flanged with at least more than one voice, as if multiple lives resided in his throat; all speaking in tandem from his thin, spiteful lips. Lilla found him to be brazenly smug, and wholly repulsive in many ways - not at all helped by the deeply unsettling and sweet stench of decay he emitted. Lilla pushed her food around her plate as her appetite completely eluded her, thanks to her proximity to Balthazar’s brackish character, as well as his unsavoury aroma. 

“What a joy it is to see us all united once again, feasting with due deference,” Balthazar hummed, touching his fleshy fingertips together with a priggish grin, “May our appetites be blessed with palpable productivity this night,” he eyed Gortash expectantly, “Perhaps our revered guests will do us the honour of exhibiting the legendary Crown of Karsus?” He narrowed his gaze, as his stare bored into the tyrant directly across the table, “We have been so very eager to see the proof of your labour.”

“Very well,” Gortash answered stoically, clutching a glossy black box with the golden image of Bane embossed on the lid; it had patiently been awaiting its reveal between himself and Destri’s dinner plates. He tipped it open, and pulled out the Crown, holding it delicately with his fingertips. The energy that pulsated from the relic was not easy to dismiss - even from across the table, it called to each and every one of them with unmistakable temptation.

“Sssssuch craftmansssship…” a skeleton hovering behind Balthazar hissed.

“Let ussss touch…” another one pleaded.

“Let us tasssssste…” a third demanded.

“Hush now!” Balthazar raised a swollen hand to silence his minions. From what Lilla knew about necromancy - which wasn’t a lot - was the skeletons should be using Balthazar’s very voice to speak, so she found it quite strange that he addressed them as if their speech was exclusively autonomous.

“It doesn’t look like much,” Ketheric uttered, leaning in for a better look, “Are you quite sure this is the artefact of legend our lords seek?”

Gortash held back a scowl, trying not to take the question as a slight, “It’s the very same, my dear General,” he crooned, twisting the crown around in his hands to admire the three glowing gems, “this little bauble was what caused all that chaos, so many centuries ago, and will henceforth usher us to victory…”

This was enough to appease Ketheric, who sat back in his chair with a thoughtful expression, “Very well…And I surmise you’ve concocted a grand scheme on how we intend to utilise the Illithid Elder below Moonrise?”

Grinning knowingly, Gortash nodded, “I have indeed, General…” He pushed his seat back with a squeal of wood on stone. He then stood up, and readied himself for another monologue, dripping with his signature self-satisfaction - but not without his own brand of intellectual glee.

“My friends, what do we know about the Illithids?” he asked, starting to pace around the long dining table, scraping the back of Destri’s chair with his clawed gauntlet. Lilla shot her arm up in the air, as if she were a student, desperate to appease her scholar…though she ripped it back to her chest in embarrassment, realising it was a rhetorical question Gortash intended on answering himself. 

Destri gave her a warm smile at her enthusiasm, and Lilla felt her tail wrap gently around her ankle in comfort. 

“We know they are a formidable species,” Gortash continued, “We know they are always united in a very singular goal - The Grand Design.” He was walking slowly around the table, behind Lilla and Balthazar now, with his hands clasped behind his back, “It is within our interest - and those of our lords - that we snatch the very means to induce our very own Grand Design, in the image of the Dead Three…” 

“Is there a point to this, My Lord ?” Balthazar sighed with disinterest, “Or will you be monologuing all night until the roast rots, and maggots gorge themselves?” Lilla clenched her jaw, stifling a gag at the necromancer’s foul imagery.

Gortash had circled around to his own chair, clutching the back of it with his golden grip, while holding his disdain for the necromancer behind a cool expression, “I guarantee, my good man, that those attending tonight who were chosen by the Dead Three will benefit from what I am building up to. Those that find the discussion beyond their comprehension, are very welcome to excuse themselves.”

Balthazar bristled at Gortash’s slight, and looked to Ketheric for some modicum of reinforcement, but Myrkul’s chosen only gazed straight forward at Gortash, nodding at him to continue, “Go on, Lord Gortash, we wish to hear your recommendation.”

Straightening up, Gortash began to pace again, completely dismissing Balthazar’s furious glare.

“Lilla,” Gortash addressed his secretary from across the table - she jolted upright with surprise at being focused by the prestigious company (barring Balthazar), “Tell me, my dear,” he continued, “If we were to say, utilise an Illithid function to potentially curb an unexpecting population to our cause, what vehicle would best be suited to aid such a venture?”

Lilla wracked her brain, desperate to get the answer correct in front of the Chosen. She bit her lip, and furrowed her brow, flipping through her knowledge of the vast arsenal of functions Illithids use at their disposal to usher in their Grand Design. She scratched her neck, hoping her answer would suffice. 

“I suppose thralls would need to be harvested for such a task…and to do so, the foetal spawn of the Illithids - their tadpoles - would need to be used as such… but they are designed to turn their host into mind flayers within a tenday…”

Gortash nodded at her proudly, pointing at her in agreement with a golden claw, “Indeed…It would only be a short amount of time before a host infected with an Illithid tadpole would surely succumb to ceremorphosis…but should we, the Chosen, have full control to delay said transformation - and instead redirect the function of the tadpole to control an infected host’s mind, over an extended period of time - perhaps even perpetually …well…” he cocked his head with brilliant fervour “We would have an entire army of willing servants at our beck and call, desiring nothing else but to carry out our commands as we see fit… And none except us would be the wiser…”

The awed silence Gortash was waiting for finally fell across the table; save Lilla’s cute, quiet clapping of course. 

“That is…Brilliant…” Balthazar admitted, his intense intrigue noticeable, “We could ultimately infect the entire population of the Sword Coast to carry out our bidding.”

Gortash held up a hesitant hand, “Well, let us be pragmatic,” he said, pulling his chair out to sit back down at the table, “Indeed the prospect of infecting every last soul in the realm is a tempting one, but it may need not come to that. We only need a percentage of the population - select bodies in specific stations to obey our will. If done correctly, the rest of Faerûn will follow without us expending too many resources. Those that are not infected can be divided up equally between our masters, to provide them the souls and sustenance needed to strengthen their power.”

Balthazar responded with a huff, but said nothing else; recognising Gortash’s logic was sound. 

“And what of my role in this plot?” Ketheric asked with a hint of incredulity in his tone, “How should I be conducting myself from a distance, here at Moonrise?”

“Why that which you are best known for, General,” Gortash gestured at him graciously, “Once Balthazar and I figure out how to utilise the tadpoles for the aforementioned function, you will set upon building an army the likes in which Faerûn has never seen…”

Balthazar leaned forward, sending Gortash a doubtful glare, “What happened to the population being ‘none-the-wiser?’” he grumbled, “Surely a grand army coalescing in these accursed lands will eventually draw attention…Are we to be stealthy about this, or not?”

“Both,” Destri interjected, before Gortash could reply, “My temple has already been laying the groundwork by stirring fear and doubt among the citizenry, and leadership in Baldur’s Gate - priming it for political upheaval. I believe, what the tyrant is trying to imply, is that while we intend on ruling from the shadows, the army will be the smokescreen we can comfortably hide behind…”

Gortash gave Destri a gracious nod, “Indeed, My Lady! Your quick wit is equal only to your innate bloodthirst.”

It was meant as a compliment to her, but paired as a slight towards Balthazar’s sluggish grasp on the plan… though it wasn’t clear if the necromancer was being intentionally obtuse, simply to irritate Gortash. 

It was apparent that the clockwork in Ketheric’s mind was ticking methodically as he began to construct the plan himself. He scratched his wiry grey beard, and sat up straight with intrigue, “A string of brutal murders in the city, preceding the gathering of vast army that threatens the very foundations of Baldur’s Gate…While our ‘politician,” he gestured to Gortash, “sweeps in to uplift the frightened people, and restore order…” 

“Perpetual order,” Gortash chimed in happily, resting his elbows on the table and intertwining his clawed fingers, “The city will practically be handed to me- us , on a silver platter, as they will be begging for a solution from the terror beyond - and within - the walls of the Gate.”

Ketheric nodded thoughtfully, nearly grinning at the brilliance of the plan, “Very well,” he said, leaning back with satisfaction, “Tomorrow we delve back into the underdark to dominate the Illithid Elder. Once done, I must ask a personal favour of you all…”

Gortash, Destri and Lilla stared at Ketheric in silence, but it was Balthazar who spoke for the general, “Myrkul has promised his chosen a divine gift, and we require the help of the other chosen, as well as your faithful, to assist us in achieving this.”

Holding back a disdainful scowl, Gortash cleared his throat at the fresh distraction, “Surely it can wait?” His brow furrowed under his dark hair, “At that point we’ll have only just dominated the Elder brain…What is so important we should postpone our divine plans?”

“Isobel Thorm…”  Lilla blurted out unintentionally, eyes widening at her own mindless remark.

“Quite right,” Balthazar replied, offering her a grotesque smile, “We have Myrkul’s blessing for her true resurrection, and I have amassed the trappings required for the ritual. We need only your assistance to aid us through the cursed shadowscape to the Thorm family mausoleum. There, we will bring Isobel back to her full grace and acclaimed beauty.”

Something sinister flickered behind the necromancer's malignant eyes, and everyone but Ketheric seemed to take note. The general himself was looking up to the chandelier above, nodding passively as his mind wandered to the impending resurrection of his long lost daughter. 

[raayllum]

So I was thinking about your many (wonderful) metas and thoughts about how far Callum is willing to go for the people he loves. And I was thinking about the Pip-Harrow soul switch theory. If true, and if the boys find their dad again there’s probably not a way to ethically un-bird him. Could you see Callum doing some shady things to get Harrow a human body again, or because his dad’s life isn’t in immediate danger he wouldn’t be as quick to cross those kinds of lines, like use Dark Magic. Thanks!

Aw thank you! There's a few caveats here:

1) I've touched on it briefly before, but I don't think Harrow was part of Callum's inner circle (although I could see Sarai) in canon. Due to a variety of well meaning factors, while Harrow and Callum loved each other deeply, they were never that emotionally close, each expressing that "Ah, this isn't easy" when being more emotionally open with one another about their love for each other / relationship. This distance is part of the reason why I think Callum (predominantly pre-series) clung to Ezran as much as he did. Even if he didn't always feel like Harrow's 'real' son, he was always Ezran's brother, and subsequently when faced with the choice twice to potentially connect with and save Harrow, Callum's first priority is always Ezran's safety (running after and leaving him in the hay in 1x03; knowing Ez is at threat from the assassins regardless of the egg's existence). So while Callum would still want to save Harrow if there was a tangible way, he might be more 'collected' about how to go about it... unless Ezran would take those steps and speed it up if Callum didn't, and then Callum would, but through a lens of "I'm getting Harrow back but mostly protecting my brother", I think anyway.

Some of this might also be an extension of like... if Harrow does come back in a partial or whole capacity, Callum gets his father back, and that cannot be overstated, but 1) Callum's arc hasn't heavily involved Harrow, overtly, since roughly S2 and 2) Harrow is more ultimately important and present in Ezran's arc season by season, since Ez's arc revolves around a job he just wouldn't have if their father was still alive. This is not to say that Harrow is more emotionally/personally important to Ezran than he is to Callum, but that Harrow's existence or non-existence is more likely to more heavily affect Ezran's arc and priorities than his brother's just by proxy of their plotlines.

(This is also drawing on the fact that, canonically, Rayla leaving affected Callum further and changed his personality more than the actual death of his father, as far as we can tell - think Callum's behaviour in S1 vs S3, and S3 vs S4. Like batshit, but true).

I would also not be opposed to Callum being driven to bring Harrow back (yet another problem he's inherited from Viren and that damn relic staff) and it'd be a very interesting parallel between him and Viren on that level, but I don't know if I think (with the info we have at this time) Callum being super duper driven about it is in character. This is for one big reason which I'm gonna expand on a bit more later:

2) Now this is more pure speculation, and less relevant (i.e. if Harrow is in Pip, that's hardly an actual death) but I do think it's adjacent, and ties back into older thoughts where I was never a big fan of the hc of Callum taking, un-corrupting, and wielding Sarai's spear: Callum knows how to, and is willing, to let the dead lie.

Callum is always confident that Viren is dead, unlike Soren (in TTM) and unlike Rayla (for all of the timeskip). When Callum learns that his father was dead, he admits, "I think maybe I did know. Deep down. I knew. I just hoped, if I didn't think about it, maybe it wouldn't be true." He's even able to table his initial waves of personal grief to ensure 1) he's not cruel to Rayla by shutting down the discussion ahead of time and 2) prioritizing his brother, only making his way back to Rayla when he's ready to make up with her. He routinely encourages and goes into things to help Rayla move on in TTM in a healthier manner, rather than wanting to dredge the dead back up with Viren, etc.

What I mean by this is that one of the things that differentiates Callum from Claudia to me the most (and is mostly based on vibes, I'll admit) is that I don't think Callum would ever be a necromancer. I think he'd fight for you (if you're one of his two pillars) to his last breath, but once they're gone, they're gone, and he'd let them be. Meanwhile Claudia very much... does Not do that.

Is there a dark magic spell that could let him resurrect his father, and has he conceivably come across it? Maybe. Has he looked for one? I doubt it.

TLDR; I think Callum would be more tempered about bringing Harrow back in a soul-switching spell, and if he was more extreme, it would in a vein of wanting to protect Ezran from making those more dangerous choices.

[soft-girl-musings]

20 Fanfic Questions

ty for the tag @virtie333, sorry for the delay!

How many works do you have on AO3?

7, so far!

2. What's your total AO3 words count?

17,707 (that number makes me unreasonably happy)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently: Moon Knight (2022) previously: The Arcana (dating sim, pre-Dorian butchering), The Hobbit franchise (I'd like to continue this one tbh!!) potentially: the Lokiverse (mans has been in too much), Spiderverse

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

An Unexpected Proposition (Kili x Fem!Reader - 43 kudos) Strawberry Cordial (Muriel x Apprentice OC - 37 kudos) Last Night (Jake Lockley x Fem!Reader - 26 kudos) Perks of Being a Wallflower (Jake Lockley x Plus Sized Fem!Reader - 17 kudos) Unfamiliar Territory (Muriel x Apprentice OC - 15 kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

ABSOLUTELY, it makes me happy to do so. I love telling writers how I feel about their works (all good things i promise). and i love when folks take the leap and share their feedback.

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

oh golly, technically Frankincense & Myrrh (The Arcana, Muriel x Apprentice OC). bc it's 1) unfinished and 2) will deal with a lot of the post-resurrection trauma Tamar (my Apprentice) will go through. it'll still be fluffy and more comfort than hurt if i ever get back into it, but man i really miss seeing her go through it.

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

i'd have to say Perks of Being a Wallflower! no angst, just insecurity leading up to the ending lol

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'm not popular enough to attract the haters

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind?

i don't <3

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

i feel like the closest thing to a crossover i'd attempt is something in the mcu, since every major event affects everything else in some way

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

great heavens i hope not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nah

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

not in the strictest sense of the word. but in the future, i plan on crediting the folks i share hcs and thots with, they've had a huge hand in shaping the world of my stories.

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

the only thing that comes to mind is Matt Murdock x Claire Temple but i 1) have not finished Daredevil and 2) fully respect her for distancing herself from that disaster boy

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

Frankincense & Myrrh - the Arcana fandom was spiraling when i entered in 2020, and while i love all the research and outlining i did for that story, it would take a lot for me to dive back into the game/lore to flesh out that story. Tamar Ufam you will always be famous to me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i'd have to say dialogue and my attempts to make the stakes believable

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

(actually writing lol) in all seriousness, taking the time to string together the little story pearls i come up with. i burn myself out sometimes and end up not writing anything.

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

i enjoy seeing it! what i don't like is people going "lol no hate on my google translate spanish/whatever language" (mostly when the language is poorly applied) bc we not only have the technology/better websites to use, but real people online willing to assist with translating/contextualizing. if you're going to do it, give it its due diligence. fingers crossed i can follow my own directive on that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Cats the Musical. I don't want to talk about it.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

published: tie between Last Night and Perks of Being A Wallflower. the first 2 fics i've published for my new fave Jake, and i see a lot of myself in Reader. these two will always be near and dear to my heart. unpublished: Relic to Relic (Loki x Fem!OC), outlining that story got me through my junior year of high school. while i'd need to rework some aspects of my OC's arc/abilities, i wouldn't mind writing for these two again.

tagging @cchickki @hon3yboy @mrs-lockley if you'd like to brag on yourselves!!

[ninjahiccups]

The Songbird of Asgard

Chapter 6: Fond

AO3 link OC Insert version Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Word Count: 6.5k Warnings: None, other than it becoming clear that I hc Heimdall as demi okay byyyeeee

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blurb: Your next task is to accompany Heimdall to Svartalfheim to have the dwarves repair the relic recovered on your most recent search. You end up working, Heimdall ends up with an internal struggle until it hits him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Double posting because this ended up too long again. I'm actually not happy with how these next two chapters came out, buuuuuuutt it's been too long, so I'm moving on lol

Heimdall's legs carried him up the familiar hill, to the place he spent far too much time at now.

You weren't singing yet, your lyre was the only music coming from your spot. You caught sight of him and smiled warmly. He could feel how relieved you were that he chose to stop by after your last conversation, worried that you may have overstepped. Which you did, but Heimdall didn't feel the need to complain. 

You closed the notebook in your lap, taking your eyes away from him for just a moment. When they rose once more, you found Heimdall sitting next to you, instead of in his usual seat across the fire pit. You did your best to contain your surprise from him, and to ignore the spark of warmth his proximity brought. It was strange to you; so far Heimdall had avoided you for days after you said or did something that challenged his way of thinking. This was the only time he ever moved on without delay. A part of you hoped that maybe, just maybe, you were starting to ease the stubborn distrust and distaste that kept him at arm's length from everyone. Now if only you could curb that arrogance of his, but that was a completely different hurdle.

"Finished a bit late today, did you?" You asked, switching to a tune he liked. He never said which songs he liked, but you had learned which ones eased his stress after so many visits.

Heimdall scoffed, resting his elbows on his knees. "You can thank Baldur for that. The imbecile hurled himself off the wall to win a bet and I had to scrape his ragged 'corpse' off the ground."

You chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like him." He had a reputation for doing reckless and insane things for the smallest reasons. It was sad, watching him do terrible things to himself just for the off chance that he would feel something. Whenever you breached the topic with him he shut down and refused to address it. He clearly didn't want to share his thoughts on the matter.

Your companion said nothing as the lyre strings filled the air with calming notes, lulling you both into your own little reverie that no one else could disturb. 

Heimdall was doing it again. He was accepting your company.

He didn't care, he decided.

Yes, that was his decision. He didn't sleep for a second the night before, after he dropped you off at home, pondering exactly what he was doing. Finding a "friend," devoting time to them for absolutely no reason other than he felt like it. It was so absurd, yet he kept doing it over and over again, and each time he did it became less absurd. He was coming around to the idea of…just spending time with you. 

Was that so bad?

His duties still came first, and that was something he would never forget. That idea was ultimately what convinced him that he should have no quarrel with his wanton choice to indulge himself in your presence. He was the watchman, first and foremost. His purpose was to serve Odin by protecting the realm that rose above all others. Even so, he had some time to himself, and what was the difference between spending it alone and spending it with someone who kept him on his toes? In the end, this was the most productive and enjoyable way to use his free moments.

He could do whatever he wanted, so long as his work came first.

His mind wandered, this time to his earlier emotions rather than his thoughts. A rare act for him. 

After you left him alone he paced around atop Gulltoppr for at least a couple hours. Regardless of how much he chastised himself for slipping, for letting himself fall prey to useless relationships that served him no purpose, he was still left with a lingering satisfaction. It was something he hadn't experienced before, at least not because of another person. He had similar feelings when he was reading, looking over Asgard’s plains from the wall, returning home after a day of hard and meaningful work. It wasn't quite the same, though. It was more potent, but just as comforting. 

What was that? 

"What are you doing?"

Heimdall's question was left unanswered. He returned to the present and glanced at you, keeping his eyes forward. "Does it look like I'm doing anything?"

"No, but you certainly are. The pensive look on your face tells me that." It was merely a fact, said with no taunting or mischief. You really had gotten to know him, hadn't you? Somehow he didn't mind.

"Just thinking," he replied.

"Thinking?" Your hand flies to your mouth in mock surprise. "That can't be, you never do that!" You had to hold in an impish cackle when he sat up straight just to send you his nastiest sneer. 

Heimdall boasted, "If I recall correctly there have been plenty of occasions where I've done more thinking than you."

"Not really, you just let the foresight think for you, and that's not the same."

His teeth clenched in annoyance. Odin had said similar things before, so he couldn't in good conscience refute that. "Do you have to be this insufferable?"

A giggle. "I'm just wondering if you might have learned something last night, hmm?"

He wasn't willing to admit that he did. Something that would be invaluable if it weren't so risky. At the sinking feeling in his stomach he found that he just would rather not tell you that your efforts were in vain. "Yes. That you’re the worst," he settled on.

"Oh, come on. You mean you weren't thinking that you should try that more often? To…see beyond your foresight?"

Again, a glare. This one incredulous.

"Okay, yeah. That was a terrible line, but my point still stands."

Heimdall rolled his eyes. You were still so adamant that his foresight was a hindrance. "My foresight sees plenty."

He felt the shift. Subtle, and hidden from the surface, but he picked up on it. Disappointment. You may have presented the subject as a jest but you were really hoping he saw value in "turning off" his foresight when it was overwhelming. "Aaaaaand you missed the point. Even though it was right there." Your hand gestured to the empty fire pit in front of you, plopping back into your lap sluggishly.

Before he could help it he felt the discomfort creeping into his chest. Gods, why did he react so strongly? It was so much that he dropped the confidence just long enough to be sincere for a moment. "I'll use it again if I need it," he replied softly. He hated how weak it sounded, but the flood of appreciation and the loss of your discontent overpowered it quickly.

You smiled, much more at ease. "Good. I'm glad it helped."

Said with care. Genuine, selfless concern for another, even after they hardly showed gratitude for it. It was still mind boggling how foreign it was. Not in a negative way, for once in his life. While that thought was in his mind he felt something else from you. Fondness. For him.

It made him speak without forethought. "Thank you."

Heimdall almost jumped at the choking stutter you spat out, looking like the wind had nearly blown you off the bench. "Excuse me?!"

Heimdall rolled his eyes and sighed, giving no indication that he was just as thrown off. "You can never again call me dramatic after that reaction."

You held back laughter while you babbled back, "I-I have never heard you say that before! I can't even tell if you're serious!"

"I never lie, you know that." Again, said without a thought behind it. Damn his impulsive tongue.

You looked down, smiling brightly to yourself. This was it, you thought. This was what it was all for. These little instances where there was no need for him to look at every detail with such a critical and condescending eye. All it took was kindness that he could never find. It almost felt like an honor to have torn down his barriers enough to make it so. "Wow, Heimdall. Now I'm really starting to think you like me."

He couldn't help but snicker. As foolish as the statement was, it made something stir in him. The same thing he'd been battling since last night.

It was something he'd had enough of for the time being. "So, you're trying to hide things from me now?" He questioned while pointing to your notebook, changing the subject before he could get lost in his head again.

You pursed your lips at the book. "No, I'm just not sure about this song."

"The piece you were playing? I haven't heard that one yet. Was it something you heard and you're not sure if you're good enough to recreate it?

"No, smartass. It's one I wrote."

Heimdall's brows raised. "Another?"

"Yes, I've written a bunch. This one is…" you trailed off, not sure how to describe it. "I don't know, it's just different."

He couldn't help the curiosity after that. "Then put it up to the ultimate test. Let me hear it. If I don't like it then you know it's terrible." Said like a haughty lord who was reluctantly listening to the gripes of peasants.

You scoffed at him. Nonetheless you complied, adjusting your grip on the lyre and bringing out the melody.

You were right, this one was different. Not as serene and quiet, but more mysterious. Something that would fit nicely with getting confused by one's own mind and wondering where their head was going. Even so, it was still a relaxing piece, just more…hypnotizing.

Your voice joined in. The lyrics were the jumbled mess of nonsense they usually were, but still added that extra level of beauty that no other had matched. He refused to say as much, but your knack for making every song you played into something magical was quite impressive, even to him.

The short excerpt stopped. "I don't know, it's not what I usually do. What do you think?"

Heimdall chuckled, so light that you almost missed it. The songs you always played never got old, and now you would have even more at your disposal? He was suddenly giddy, so pleased that you would keep him on the edge of his seat in the most calming way possible. You were truly a gifted musician. "Turning out to be quite the songbird, aren't you?" he mused. 

You saw the smile he wore, how soft it was paired with the admiration in his sparkling eyes. It left you incapable of maintaining eye contact. Your music helped him relax, that much you knew. It was seeing proof of just how much he enjoyed it that made you want to pick the lyre back up and sing again, just for him. You desperately needed to see this pleased grin more often. Your eyes returned to his as you muttered, "I like that a lot more than 'stray.'"

He agreed. A much more suitable title for you.

Bird's wings and a squawk sounded, breaking the content isolation. Huginn landed on the bench across the fire pit.

Heimdall shoved the moment aside. Duty called, and it was well established how much more important that was. "Back to work, then."

You stood with him, a bit disappointed that he moved on so quickly, but you couldn't blame him. Neither of you could keep Odin waiting. Holding your lyre and notebook up to the raven, you requested, "Huginn, do you mind helping me drop these off at home before I report to All-Father?"

The bird stared at you for a moment, almost like it was insulted that you asked. It cawed again in half-hearted agreement.

"I'll meet you there," you said to Heimdall.

"You certainly will."

He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to confirm it. Or say anything at all.

Heimdall waited in Odin's study until you made your entrance, stepping up to his desk while Huginn landed on his usual perch. Odin was still looking down at the papers on his desk, ignoring all others for a few more moments. You took a second to glance at Heimdall and gave him a smile, one that he returned eagerly.

An exasperated squawk rang through the study loud enough for Odin to acknowledge the raven. "What, Huginn?" He sighed, sounding every bit like an exhausted parent. Once the bird spoke again the All-Father looked between the two younger gods awaiting his orders, seeming suspicious. He then waved a dismissive hand at his pet. "Later." He didn’t elaborate on exactly what the bird was trying to say, moving on from its offended chirps without a second thought. 

"No spelunking or combat today, you two." He retrieved the cracked orb you found in Niflheim from a bookshelf behind him. "I've been experimenting with this piece here and it can definitely be fixed. All it'll take is some materials and bifrost." The old god opened one of the drawers in his desk, pulling out a pebble of silver metal and holding it out to you.

You took it, brow furrowed with bemusement. "It seems like ordinary metal. How is this going to repair it?"

"It's ordinary metal for now. But thanks to my investigating…" A wrinkled finger pressed down onto the ore in your palm, blue and pink light of bifrost seeping out from the point of contact. Both you and Heimdall could feel the magic being transferred from Odin and into the metal, remaining once his hand withdrew. For a moment you practically held a physical manifestation of bifrost between your fingers until the energy escaped and dissipated before your eyes.

"I discovered that certain ores can contain and blend with bifrost if handled correctly. It all depends on the metal, which I'm certain our friends in Svartalfheim will be able to figure out right away. You'll be going there, asking them for the appropriate material, and using bifrost to seal them together." He nodded to Heimdall, "Which you'll be doing as soon as they get what you need. I'd rather you take care of it there than take several trips back to Asgard until we find something that works."

Heimdall bowed with no hesitation. "An excellent plan, All-Father." 

You, however, returned the metal to Odin's desk with a frown. "With all due respect, All-Father, why do you need me to go? It sounds like Heimdall can take care of this himself."

For whatever reason Heimdall felt a mixture of pride at your recognition of his abilities and dejected that you were risking not going with him.

"A couple reasons. Main thing is insurance. If at any point you feel the binding magic within this sphere become unstable, stop the process immediately and return to me. And…" he glanced at Heimdall. "You're popular around here. The dwarves should be happy to help if you take the lead." An insinuation that Heimdall was feared in Svartalfheim. Based on the rebellion Sif had mentioned once, that made sense.

Odin wrapped the core of the artifact in cloth and handed it to you. "No dallying, we're too close to bringing this tool back from destruction to start now." 

Huginn enclosed you in the vortex of ravens. With Odin gone, you wasted no time. "Can I expect you to behave yourself while I do all the talking?"

Heimdall rolled his eyes. "Can I expect you to pay attention and not get swept up in the mundane sight of Nidavellir?"

A shrug. "Looks like we'll both be let down." You had learned how to handle Heimdall quite well. This may have been the first time you'd get to look around a new realm even if he was with you for it.

When the ravens parted, Huginn flew off to a high branch. Where exactly, you didn’t bother to follow. Your sight remained on the mountain in front of you, intricate patterns and scenes carefully carved into the surface. Paths leading to outcrops littered the mountainside, all skillfully crafted by the dwarves. Even with the bustling industry the tropical nature of the realm still made itself known, framing the mountain and every hut, workbench, and shop with lush green trees. It was such a far cry from the dust bowls and closely chaperoned gardens of Alfheim, or the flat greenery of Gladsheim that you had grown so accustomed to. The smell of burning coal burned your nose and the clunking of heavy machinery brought life to the air. The warm sunlight filtered through the winding leaves above the round square that you were dropped in the middle of, turning the light into a welcoming yellow-green. You spun around as you took in the sights. Everything was so new, even if a lot of it was artificial. 

Heimdall watched you with amusement as he strode towards the largest workstation at the edge of the square. "Don't get too distracted, now. We have work to do."

You were not dissuaded by him. "Oh, come on. This is probably the most pleasing sight we've gotten since we started looking for this relic."

A fair point, he said to himself while a dwarf in a white shirt and stained apron scurried to him. "L-Lord Heimdall! We've been expecting you," he greeted nervously, his brown cap almost sliding off his head when he bowed too quickly.

Your fascination with the environment had to be cut short. Heimdall had been there for a meager minute and he was already about to push his metaphorical weight around. You returned to his side just as Heimdall, while brushing stray ash from his tunic, drawled, "I am aware. Yet I don't see anything that we need. What is your excuse—"

You leaned down a bit to look at the dwarf that was only about two-thirds your height. "All-Father may not have been specific enough for you to supply us right away. Let me apologize for that by explaining what we need," you interrupted with an air of professionalism. The dwarf was blatantly confused by it, his eyes flicking between you and Heimdall like he only had seconds to memorize your appearances before you vanished. You weren't sure if he was more surprised that you had the bravery to interrupt Heimdall or that Heimdall let you interrupt him.  

The dwarf adjusted the thin monocle framing the bridge of his wide nose as if he needed to get a better look at you. "And you are, my lady?"

You gave him your name, then continued, "I promise I'm much more personable than my associate here." Your smile was sincere, though Heimdall was irked at the milquetoast insult directed at him. "And what is your name?"

"Oh…I am Halvar, the overseer of this establishment where we sort, distribute, and store the assets that All-Father requests." Despite the condescending sneer Heimdall was giving the dwarf, Halvar relaxed at the gentle sound of your voice. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. What was it that you needed?"

You held out the blue sphere for Halvar to examine, keeping close enough to yourself to communicate that he did not have permission to handle it. "We are looking for an ore that can mend this relic without compromising its abilities. It needs to be capable of holding bifrost, which Heimdall will use to combine them."

Halvar stroked his chin in thought. "I see…that is quite an exotic order. Receptive to magic, soft enough to be malleable, has a low melting point…I have some ideas, but we may need to run some tests to narrow down our options."

Heimdall growled back, "You're the overseer, yet you do not even know which of your stock would work? Are you sure you're qualified for this?"

The dwarf shuddered at the implication that Odin would hear about his shortcomings. "N-no! I mean, I know enough about the ores we have, it-it's just—"

"Ignore him," You intervened again before looking over at Heimdall and muttering, "Heimdall, shut up." The god scoffed at you while you reassured Halvar that you had faith in his knowledge. Among the fear that made a home in Halvar's mind, Heimdall could feel a miniscule hint of shock. 

Halvar, much calmer with your comfort, said, "Well, we have plenty to see inside the storeroom. If you follow me I can escort you."

"If you wouldn't mind."

"Why, of course!" Halvar replied a bit too enthusiastically. "I'm happy to be of service, m'lady."

Heimdall almost sighed, seeing the same eagerness to follow your every whim that the servants in Asgard had, solely because you chose to spare them of the treatment befitting their status. As pathetic as ever. 

Halvar lead you towards the ginormous circular door into the mountain down the path from the square, moving fast enough that he wouldn't hear Heimdall lean over to you and whisper, "A few soft words and he's like a loyal dog," with an unimpressed glare boring into the dwarf's back.

"Oh really? It's almost like being nice to people makes them like you, huh? Maybe you should try it." He only replied with a mocking exclamation of shock, making you chuckle. The dwarven workers around you stared, wondering why the cruel Heimdall they feared so much had seemed to be fine with the sass.

You were stopped in front of the door that was well over ten times taller than Thor. Halvar signaled his crew to open the gate, the anxiety returning when he turned to Heimdall and said, "It will take just a moment to open."

He was right to hesitate. The statement was enough for Heimdall to complain about, which was unsurprising to you. "You knew we were coming. Why would you not have it open already? All you're doing is wasting our time."

Halvar had an explanation — the wildlife could get antsy in the area and it was not ideal to have them exploring around Odin's preferred merchandise — but you gave him no chance. "Honestly, Heimdall, I don't get why you're so upset about a door."

"It isn't the door, obviously!" He lectured. The dwarves nearby noticed the lack of anger and insults. "It's the principle of the matter."

You sarcastically parroted, "'It's the principle,' he says."

"Yes, the principle! All-Father gave them ample warning of our arrival and it is not a surprise that we wouldn't find what we need in one of the dilapidated, second-rate shops outside of Nidavellir. Saving the trouble of waiting would have been respectful of our time."

You weren't really listening to his rant, knowing his impatience was not justifiable. "It seems to me that your 'principles' are stupid."

Heimdall sighed in annoyance, not bothering to change your mind. When he looked away he caught a few dwarves staring at you in dismay. He shot them a warning glare, silently commanding them not to eavesdrop. They practically tripped over each other trying to leave his line of sight.

The gates finally opened and the rumbling cogs and bolts were silenced. Halvar waved you inside the torchlit tunnel into the mountain. It opened into a huge room with a hole dug out of the roof to let the sunlight into. The branching paths were so numerous that it was overwhelming, leaving you wondering how anyone could keep track of where everything went. Some tunnels held tracks for metal carts that were connected to the plentiful mines within the mountain, others went to rooms that held crates and barrels, tools and safety gear, and spare parts for maintenance. The view from the entrance was so vast that you couldn't see the other end, the darkness of the cave swallowing up anything that wasn't directly under the skylight. Your eyes ventured up to see stairs and ladders going into higher rooms, several stories of them. It was a wonder that the dwarves working there didn't get lost in all the caverns they had to traverse while manning the storeroom.

"This is incredible!" You exclaimed, twirling around to find every detail and tuck it away in your memory. "How is something this massive made in the first place?"

Halvar continued through the dark portion of the entrance and toward the sunlight, grinning at your enthusiasm. "Ah, that's quite a story, my lady. My forefathers were the founders of these caves, drawn here by the rich—"

"How interesting," Heimdall droned, reminding Halvar that this was not a tour.

Halvar shrunk away from him. "Oh, yes, of course, my lord."

You shot Heimdall an irritated glower, moving to lightly slap his shoulder. He dodged it, of course. "Pretend he isn't even here, Halvar. We don't need him yet."

Heimdall showed how appalling the statement was with his expression, prompting you to smirk while you followed Halvar towards the sunlight. From his right he could feel the confusion of other dwarves, locating the source. An entire group of them had stopped to gape at him, all wondering the same thing.

How did you get away with that?

Heimdal asked himself that, snarling at the dwarves to remind them that he did not suffer fools lightly. Worse yet was that he was more angry at them for doubting his prowess than he was at you for giving them a reason to. He wasn't mad at you at all, actually, despite the annoyance being your fault. Maybe if you were still in Asgard, alone and far from others, he wouldn't care. But this was business, and your friendship was nothing compared to his duty to Odin. Bringing whatever antics you used to kill time was not to be tolerated.

He ignored the feeling of other dwarves questioning him while he stalked over to you. He stopped short, the sight stunning him.

The skylight. You were beneath it now, having followed Halvar while he recounted the founding of the storeroom. The warm colored light landed gracefully on your hair, illuminating the strands and gracing them with a golden halo. Your eyes, ever brilliant, shined even brighter with the light illuminating your curious gaze. The smile you wore was full of life and joy, the manifestation of the gentle and kind soul underneath. He could have sworn you were glowing in this setting. 

You really are a beautiful woman.

Wait.

Heimdall shook his head and grit his teeth. No distractions, not while he was in the process of completing a very important task for the All-Father.

Halvar finished his tale and directed the two gods down a specific tunnel, with you gleefully following him. Heimdall caught up to you, intent on voicing his disdain for your casual behavior at such an inappropriate time. As soon as he was next to you and your eyes landed on him, all the frustration melted, and he couldn't control himself before he smirked at you lightheartedly. "Need I remind you that we are here on business?"

"Heimdall," you pleaded, slightly exasperated, "this may be the only time we don't have to traipse through snow or fight off ogres while we work. Don't you want to have at least a little fun?"

"Your 'fun' isn't welcome right now." He regretted the harsh tone as soon as he saw the hurt pass through you. "I much prefer keeping it elsewhere," he added quickly.

You paused, contemplating that statement, then nodded. "Alright, if you insist." You sounded too smug to him. Underneath that joking facade, he read something else. You were flattered, it seemed. Like you didn't mind that your friendly habits remained between you two.

He didn't feel the need to discourage it.

Heimdall intended to be stern and domineering, determined to criticize you whenever you were too friendly. It was just his thoughts that were a problem. They were so intrusive then, words and ideas popping into his head before he could regulate them. All of them had to do with you. Every single one.

He'd grown quiet as Halvar presented different metals to you and let you test magic on them, keeping his distance at times. He just looked at you, and it was when something made his gaze loiter for too long that the rogue thoughts would occur. When you were standing before a mine cart full of stones that glowed blue, he watched you, in awe of how the light danced across your features. Later on Halvar brought them to a forge to melt a piece of ore that you considered a worthy candidate. The heat rushed out of the furnace he opened, the hot air blowing back your tresses and making them flutter in the breeze. He watched every strand flit across your face. After that metal was deemed inappropriate for your purpose, Halvar guided you to a crate of a rare resource, freshly mined and still covered in soot. Heimdall tracked your fingers poking at the metals, staining your fingers with black dust. You wiped them off on your waist, and Heimdall's eyes were trapped in that spot, admiring your frame and the curve of your back until you walked away. 

He watched you go until Huginn cawed at him. The insolent bird had been staying closer than usual.

No matter how much he forced himself to focus and stay alert he kept drifting back to you, telling himself how gorgeous you were in the torchlight, or how sweet your voice was, or noticing how soft your skin looked, or how enticing your laughter was…

You had found a potential ore to use, one that passed all other tests and shouldn't interfere with the complex binding spell the relic created. All you needed was for Heimdall to see how it reacted to bifrost. "Heimdall," you called without taking your eyes away from the ore. "Can you test this out for me?"

Heimdall was too lost in thought, examining the gorgeous proportions of your profile.

"Heimdall?"

The second attempt shook him out of his mind. Your amused smirk was the first thing he registered. "Not even paying attention, are we?"

He didn't answer. He didn't want to, still wondering why he was so distracted.

The ore passed the bifrost test, and you deemed it would react well to the existing magic. He took the lump of ore in his hand, a rainbow glow emanating through his fingers. When he opened his hand the once black stone was a mass of swirling blues and pinks. Halvar was excited by the new idea, despite the fact that he knew Odin wouldn't give them any time to explore it. The dwarf bounced off to the forge to melt the ore and mend the crack in the relic.

"You've been quiet," you said once you were ignored by any surrounding dwarves. "Something on your mind?"

Heimdall shrugged, pretending that he didn't have the slightest clue what you were talking about. "I can't say any of this has managed to keep me entertained."

"Oh really? You seemed much more interested earlier, when you were whining."

"I do not whine."

"It sounded like whining to me."

Heimdall taunted back, "You have no right considering how much you whined when I wouldn't let you pet Gulltoppr after I dropped you off last night."

You harrumphed, "That's different. You were just being a jerk."

Heimdall laughed in triumph. The sound brought a wave of confusion through the bystanders. Every single dwarf within earshot was aghast that Heimdall showed not an ounce of viciousness or annoyance, and even looked content. He promptly reminded them who he was with a single scowl that sent them running.

Once again his mind went on a tangent fueled by you. His eyes went to your ear, where the gold cuff decorated the cartilage. He remembered the first time he saw it. He liked it, and considered taking it if he was given permission to kill you. This time he didn't consider having it for himself, or think about how it matched his picky taste in trinkets. All he could think was how nice it looked on you, how it brought out the highlighted strands among the hair around it.

His thoughts were interrupted by the gradual build up of anxiety coming from you, evident by your fingers fidgeting with your sleeves. "Is there any particular reason you're staring at me?"

"I'm not." Technically true, he was looking at your jewelry specifically, not your person.

You sighed. "I've mentioned this before, Heimdall. Your eyes glow. It's hard to miss."

Heimdall replied by rolling his eyes, using that to indicate that his denial stood strong. The nervous tension in you remained. 

"Are you angry with me?" Said in a whisper so that no one but him would hear.

Heimdall almost scoffed. "Have I ever had a problem with voicing my anger in the past?"

A shrug. "No…but you don't always have such an intense look on your face, which makes me think you're upset."

He had no idea how to explain himself while hiding the fact that he didn't really have a reason.

"If it's because I'm being too chummy in public, I can stop."

Stop? Stop doing the things you always did? Go back to that quiet, meek form of yourself that held back the flame he found so amusing? The idea itself felt like blasphemy. "Don't," he choked out, biting his cheek afterward. He still couldn't figure out how you managed to loosen his tongue.

A glimmer of hope peeked through the fear in you. "You aren't mad then?"

It was then it clicked. You weren't scared that he was angry. You were afraid that he was ashamed of your friendship. It made sense. He'd made it abundantly clear to everyone in the realms that the only part of him they'd see would only be his fiercest front, and no less. No one should forget his deadly skills, his lack of hesitation when it came to expressing his power. That was exactly why he chose to remain professional with you when he was called to action. Hearing that it made you think he was ashamed, though…He didn't like it. There were so many people he was ashamed of associating with. Thor, his sons, the mortal inhabitants in Gladsheim, the idiotic einherjar that were just barely smart enough to take orders, dwarves that he intimidated on Odin's behalf…but not you. You were the last person he would be ashamed of. The only person he could do more than tolerate, the reason this entire trip to Svartalfheim hadn't been a complete drag that drove him to the brink of unreasonable violence. If you thought he was ashamed, then there would only be one place — your little hideaway in Asgard — where you would continue to be yourself and show that fiery temperament of yours. 

The iron will to remain professional he had forged began to bend and crumple. "I'm not upset," he said after a few moments, struggling to sound as neutral as possible.

Even the indifferent sounding confirmation was enough, banishing the fear that you had crossed a line and broken his trust. "Really? Hmm…you definitely would have been if this was happening months ago."

The mischief he heard convinced him that abandoning his decision was worth it. There you were: the one that made things so much more lively. Why did he want to push you away again? Really, it was much more worthwhile to punish anyone who was foolish enough to think he was any less of a god when your friendship showed. Why punish himself for it?

His duties still came first, of course. But the opinions of anyone that wasn't Odin? Well, he never cared in the first place, and why would he start now?

He covered his rapid withdrawal with a confident smirk. "Well, we are still forced to tolerate each other. I've chosen to spare you my wrath for the time being."

You felt your stomach flip, knowing his words were more cryptic than they seemed. "To my understanding, you just said that you really have started to like me."

"The stupid language thing again," he mumbled under his breath. "You're wrong, actually, I despise you entirely."

You laughed, the wonderful sound like little bells. "Don't worry, I despise you too." Implying that you were speaking his "language," obviously. He chuckled at how ridiculous it sounded coming from you.

The conversation would sensibly end there, but Heimdall felt the urge to say a few more things — things he fought the urge to say. He wanted to emphasize that his declared hatred for you was sarcasm despite that you clearly knew it. He just hated the idea of you thinking there was even an ounce of truth to it, that his hatred for you hadn't long since passed and been replaced by…this. Whatever this was.

You snickered again, making him realize he had started gawking at you again, this time in plain view. "That reminds me. If you aren't angry, then what is it?"

He didn't know. He couldn't consider it either. The forge Halvar was working on grew brighter with rising flames. Their light highlighted your eyes and accentuated the forms of your face, all while warming your skin and adding color to the hair he was more and more tempted to reach out and touch.

All he could do was look at you. In that moment you were so, so breathtaking. It was the first time he'd ever been so entranced by someone. 

You're beautiful. He wanted to say. He fought it. So what? When did appearances ever matter? Why did he feel the need to say something so foolish and worthless?

Something inside him had the answer: it wasn't your appearance that made you beautiful.

He lost the battle. His mouth opened. The phrase was working its way through his tongue.

A hardy guffaw broke the scene. Halvar returned with the orb, hooting and hollering about his handiwork. "Lookie here! It's like it was never broken in the first place!" He held it out for you to see, much more inclined to show you rather than Heimdall. There was no exaggeration in his declaration, however. The sphere was as good as new, and there was no sign it was any less functional than before. If anything it felt more stable now that the magic was properly contained.

"That's amazing!" You cheered, asking how he managed such a feat on an object as delicate as that artifact.

Heimdall tuned out. There was one persistent thought in his mind, and it was taking all of his strength to drown it.

He established that he liked you the night before, and he accepted as much. Now it was starting to sink in.

He didn't like you. He was fond of you. Very fond of you. 

Huginn's black eyes never left him.