#I mean kinda I wouldn't say those were the strongest bonds

[elf-hollow]

"how'd the guy with no friends win?" scar asks, directly after fighting with and (arguably) killing pearl. pearl, the person who also won a season where she was famously at odds with just about everyone

[motheatenscarf]

Parsing some Stormblood thoughts. It was more frustrating than rewarding, but the things I liked I did have a lot of fun with.

I will say, "Fun" is the strongest word I can use there, nothing particularly grabbed or moved me, but there are some elements with potential.

Largely wasted potential that I don't think will get followed up on, but I've got 2 full more expansions to go through and the rest of the post-Stormblood patch content before I'm done, so who knows.

The Fun! Bonding with Alisaie and Lyse as we explored the eastern continents stuff, that was a hoot, and I love those two characters in particular. Gosetsu and Hien had some potential to be fun characters, but they kinda dropped the ball. Gosetsu is alive at least, apparently, which made his "death" seem kinda cheap, but it already felt cheap and the drama unearned, so whatever, I'll take it, I like Gosetsu and I want to see more of him. Not sure how I feel about Yotsuyu being alive, but if Fordola got to live and may in time redeem herself, then fuck it, why not give Yotsuyu another shot? Pun not intended.

Yotsuyu and Fordola had the potential to be really compelling characters, even if they're meant to be reprehensible traitors, their motives were at least believable and they were highly driven and emotionally invested in things. That's literally all I ask for. Maybe we can see more from Gosetsu too, his drunken breakdown and him sitting vigil over the corpse of the steppe warrior were the two best moments with him and I'd love to see more of that depth and an exploration of what it means to be an OLD samurai. If he can have a mandatory team-building retreat with Yotsuyu on their sad little island, I'll buy into that, that has potential.

I think the most fun thing here was Zenos going COMPLETELY INSANE. I wish the Ascians were that unhinged, they would at least be fun. He's a monster and it's disgusting that he manipulates entire countries just for his own personal satisfaction, but like, I mean... the Garleans and Ascians were ALREADY doing that, just for gross rape and conquest reasons or Evil Darkness Must End The World reasons. Zenos operating on DBZ fighting anime logic is at least unique and memorable and funny in a setting like this. I'll take it, it's something.

I was glad to see my fears about Estinien maybe getting possessed by the eyes of Nidhogg again were misplaced, but also it was a little anticlimactic to be hinting at his return this entire time only for him to show up at the end, destroy the eyes without anyone knowing, and then not get to talk to him. My friend is doing dragoon quests, and I guess he shows up in the 60-70 stuff there, but... I'm not playing a dragoon, I'm playing Dark Knight and Reaper, so... no Estinien for me. Aymeric even mentions if you click on him that they have reports of people seeing "unmistakable dragoon armor" and goes "He wouldn't... would he?" So, like, I guess I don't take it personally, he's not here to see ANYONE, but it's anticlimactic and a bummer. Him breaking the ceruleum pipeline to cripple the Garlean forces was rad, we owe him a lot, maybe he could show up and we could say THANKS? No? Fine :T

I also really, REALLY wish they had focused more on Ala Mhigo's liberation rather than Doma's. It rang a bit hollow to see all these NPCs singing the Ala Mhigan anthem at the end after Zenos was killed. I REALLY like Raubahn and Lyse, those are two strong characters from Ala Mhigo whose pain and drive in freeing their home I fully buy into, I want to see them succeed . But the entire part about building up Ala Mhigo and instilling hope into its people was shunted to off-screen terriroty. So, seeing Raubahn give his son his old sword to free their homeland is sweet, and Lyse taking over as leader when Conrad dies, and decrying Fordola as a traitor are all potentially powerful moments, but they just... fell so flat for me? I think especially given how much time Lyse spent in Doma with the WoL helping them there, you never get the impression that she's learned enough about Ala Mhigo's suffering and plight to earn the right to inherit leadership of the resistance. It's such a shame because I really like Lyse and I think they COULD have built her up to accept a leadership position, but it felt... hollow.

I'm especially disappointed because again, I really like Lyse, and now she's leaving the Scions to stay and focus on leading the Resistance to help forge an actually stable new system of rulership, which. Yay, that's smart, that's good, if they're gonna have her take over as the leader, at least they'll have her focused on it. But it sucks because they keep doing this to my favorite character from an expansion now. Aymeric managed to survive only to get relegated to faction leader, and while we do get to see him as part of the Alliance (he's even here to help liberate Ala Mhigo!), I also like, miss him and want to run around with HIM instead of most of the Scions. Because most of the Scions are boring wastes of space who feel nothing and react to nothing and don't care about anything beyond "No! Don't KILL people! That's WRONG!" And like, congrats, babe, you're as complicated and interesting as a teletubby, but without weird and insane lore that leaves me staring into my fridge in horror at 12am.

Anyway, I guess I agree in theory with the philosophy that it's better to want MORE of a character than for them to wear out their welcome, and I grant you that the most compelling things about Aymeric and Lyse are their devotion to their people, but MAN. It sucks. Especially because again, besides the twins and Lyse, the Scions did nothing for me.

Y'shtola has potential if they can make her be as snarky and acerbic as her mentor, we love a catty bitch (haha. get it?). She's had a couple of snarky moments that I loved, I want more of them. Y'shtola can be a rock of stability, that's fine, just don't make her a rock of emotional stiffness or availability, that's boring.

Thancred is largely tiresome when they try to make him seem "cool" but he's fun and enjoyable when he's the butt of a joke. He's an archetype that largely exhausts me, and frankly got so bogged down in...WEIRD vibes with whatever they were doing with Minfilia, that I don't know what can be done to save him at this point. They don't seem to know what to do with him, more than any of the rest of the Scions, and it shows, and boy does he suffer for it.

Urianger is barely a character at all, and after 200+ hours of story, I don't have much hope he'll ever have wants or any kind of drive beyond facilitating the plot, but he can be our autistic cryptid. It's fine. I know they said he was Moenbryda's childhood friend, but I'm pretty sure he sprang into being whole cloth out of some mushrooms or mold that was growing out of an ancient tome in a forgotten corner of some vast library. He's not a believable person.

And Krile is... here, I guess. Sometimes her comments feel unearned because I don't know anything about her, so her just showing up to give Alphie shit feels kinda mean because like... it's one thing when friends give each other shit, but I don't know her like that, and it feels like Estinien picking on Alphinaud all over again. She also keeps insisting on like, "Oh, Alphy and trying to impress girls," and "Oh, Thancred, clearly in love with Minfilia," and like. This is Final Fantasy, m'am, nobody can ever in-canon acknowledge they like anyone, why are you the personification of enforcing heteronormativity, this game's one saving grace is that sure, maybe no one's gay, but no one's straight either lol.

Ugh. Whatever. Onward and forward. We'll see where this goes.

[nicocastillo]

·✥·

As Aysun explained further, he settled back giving her space. The sounds of the party filtered into his awareness, but there was some quiet here, just between the two of them. He could feel the weight in her words, the heartbreak that came with not only leaving people behind, but being pushed out. How it must have felt, to look at her life and not recognize anything in it, not even herself.

He let out a long breath, and just let her story settle into his mind before he said anything. "I can't imagine how devastating that must have been, must still be, to have your whole world shift all at once like that," he said honestly. "The change is never easy, but I think you got the lion's share of challenges." He offered her a rueful smile. "But you're here. You're here, and even if you don't know who you are, or what to believe now, I think it's worth holding on to that fact, because it's no small thing that you're standing here, talking about it. It shows incredible bravery and strength on your part, Aysun." He met her eyes, meaning every word. He had to chuckle a little, with grim humor, shaking his head. "Yeah, it's really not fair at all, it totally sucks. But the pack does help, not just on a physical level but a social one, to not have to go through it alone. So—well, I'll give you a brief rundown now. When someone joins, they gain a psychic connection, called a pack bond,” he explained. “They can communicate with the rest of the pack when they're shifted, or half-shifted. The Alpha—" he gave a gesture towards himself, with a slight cringe, "Looks out for the pack as a whole, and my Second JC does, too. But all the members share that responsibility, we have each other's backs. Technically anyone can take over if they don't like the current leadership, but they can also have it taken from them—so that's why it's often the biggest and strongest who end up leading. Not a perfect system in my opinion, but fairer than some, I guess. What else…" He scanned his memory for only the most vital pieces of information for her. "We've got the Den, a safe space in the woods that only we know about, and designated trails to run on during the full moons. And if you were ever to get in trouble with the town or the law, I'd be the one who steps in on your behalf, with the Council.” He shrugged. “That's kinda the basic package, in a nutshell. Joining is easy enough, but leaving is... hard, emotionally," he added. "I left, for about a decade. Everything in the pack is kinda... built around a pretty fierce social contract, and losing those ties, well... I don't need to tell you, I guess," he finished, with a softer tone. "In my experience no group or leader has all the answers, and I wouldn't trust those that say they do. But I'll always give help to a wolf in need." He scratched at his beard, feeling a little sheepish and self-conscious after saying so many words. "As an Alpha, or just as a friend—if you want."

His grin was infectious, and despite her unease, Aysun found herself offering a little smile in response, her shoulders relaxing just a little bit more. The smile didn't last too long though, not when she became the topic of conversation once more. Slowly her lips turned downward, her gaze following as she stared into her cup for a moment. "The only thing we were taught about werewolves was that...we should never become one," she started slowly, not meeting his eyes, "and the only thing we knew about the existence of other Supernaturals was that we should avoid them at all costs." Aysun lapsed into a moment of silence, contemplating how much she was willing to share. But the alcohol was starting to loosen her tongue, and Nico hadn't triggered any red flags just yet. "I come from a very long line of born wolves," she stated after taking a long sip of her drink, "but in the aftermath of the wars, after my line was nearly wiped out completely...my ancestors decided that being a wolf wasn't worth the risk to our lives. They started living off the grid, deep in the woods, surrounded only by our own family and limiting any contact with the outside world to avoid triggering the wolf. It became a taboo to even talk about it, and if someone did accidently trigger their wolf...then they were banished...By the time I was born, the family had already been living this way for generations. It's all any of us know..."

Clearing her throat, Aysun took another long drink from her cup, the burn at the back of her throat getting easier to tolerate the more she sipped. At his words she couldn't help a little rueful laugh, shrugging a slender shoulder. "...I don't think I know who I am anymore. Actually, these days I've been wondering if I ever did. It feels like I spent most of my life being told who I was, and I...liked that. Because it was easy, I guess. My belief system was decided for me, it made sense at the time, and now...I don't know what to believe anymore..."

The punches really kept coming as Nico mentioned the change would always hurt, and Aysun couldn't help the brief grimace that crossed her features. "That doesn't sound very fair that it has to hurt all the time," she said, almost petulantly as she met his eyes. But if he was saying it could hurt less? That she could learn to deal with it better...? "I...think I'd have to hear about what being in the Pack entails first,' she started cautiously, pausing to chew at her lip, "but the truth is...I don't think I can do this alone...I've been trying my best but...I can't say I've made any progress..."

[duckugou]

the blood on our hands

bakugou x gn!reader

aged up!

cw: a n g s t as hell. comfort. cursing, mentions of drinking, smoking, etc. alluding to depression and anxiety. dealing with trauma of missions and losing people. a ton of mentions of blood

this is a heavy topic in the hero universe i imagine- and generally in the mental health world of it all.

lyrics are from purple flowers by ande estrella which hold a very important meaning that has nothing to do with this- they just worked with the story. But fr go listen to it bc its so good.

come to my asks to be a part of my taglist! just let me know what kinds of fics/ what fandom/ what characters/ etc you want to be tagged in! Requests are open!!

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

reality is heavy and loud

Spacing out was more than being distracted to Y/n. Being a young hero meant stressful situations, overbearing management, tight spaces, stuffy meetings, and so much... blood. It takes a toll on a young person. Of course they wanted to be a hero- wouldn't chose anything else. They grin and bear this shit for a reason- to save and help people.

But god, who saves the heros?

but white has the privilege of washing machines to wash out the stains from their comfortable jeans

Some nights, after wrap-up meetings, everything was a bit too heavy. The usual group of friends and young heroes would choose someone's house to go to in order to destress.

For some, that was smoking. For some, it was drinking, video games, napping, venting, sitting outside alone yet with company. And for some it was merely listening to everyone else.

Not having to make a decision. Not having to be responsible. That's what y/n picked every time.

Bakugou would always notice them alone in the corner of the room. They were the one to come up with destress gatherings after hard missions. Bakugou knew it was so they wouldn't be alone with their thoughts. That's why he would always step in at times like as get them to talk, so those thoughts dont stay trapped in their head.

"Hey." Bakugou muttered, sitting on the floor next to y/n in Denkis apartment.

"Hey."

"You good, dude?" Bakugou asked with genuine concern.

He was always a bit nicer to Y/n. Nobody knew why, yet everyone knew why. They both were fragile and chose to hide it during the day, being strong around others to not raise red flags.

"I'm okay...just. That one was bad. I almost lost that kid. Like she almost fucking- died in my arms." Y/n choked out.

"Hey hey hey, its okay. You got her to the ambulance in time. You did that shit. You always do. You're the best in the game at comforting little twerps." Bakugou attempted to comfort them- somewhat succeeding and holding their head against his chest.

One time, Y/n mentioned that they held kids against their chest during rescues to calm their heartbeat. "If you listen to a calmer heartbeat, you're more likely to try to match it and slow your own down." Of course you wouldn't think Y/n would be able to have a calm heartbeat during a rescue, but they are very talented at controlling their nerves. Part of being a hero.

wiping the blood off their hands to their thighs, wearing the blood of the people who've died

Y/n subconsciously calmed down a bit, Bakugou's ability to remember every word that drips off of Y/n's lips paying off.

"I know. I just can't stop...thinking about everyone I've- we've lost. Its so unfair."

"I know. Hey, you have- uh. Lets go to the bathroom." Bakugou noticed a smudge of blood on Y/n's face and a bit on their hands. Cleaning up was the last thing on their mind earlier on.

"Ok."

Taking each other's hands, they walked into the bathroom. Bakugou sat Y/n on the counter, turning on the sink and grabbing a cloth.

"O-oh god. Thats fucking blood. I thought I washed my h-hands." Y/n began panicking, causing Bakugou to put their hands under the water with soap, washing it all off for them.

Tears mixed with the water from the sink and Bakugou stayed silent. Wiping their face, Bakugou looked into Y/n's eyes. These two have just always known.

They know what people can hide. What secret messages the body language of a person can hold. And he let them grip onto the back of his shirt as he held them in his arms, Y/n not being able to cry anymore and just breathing in his scent from his shoulder.

but dont let the purple flowers fool you

"Listen. We're going to get through this one. I know its hard on you- all of the families involved. But you- we saved them. We're all here for each other right? I'm here for you." Bakugou pulls Y/n back a little to look into their eyes. "You are the strongest one here. I know it fucking hurts. I know it is so...scary-" He sniffles a little, letting his own emotions take over. Something only he did when they were alone together. "- but we're heroes. And human. We are allowed to feel pain and sadness and disappointment- but we're heroes for a reason, right? We can handle this shit."

"I know we can. We always have. Just... promise you'll never leave me?"

"Youre so stupid. I've been more careful lately." He scoffs, wiping tears from his face. He of course knew that Y/n was referring to a few weeks ago when Bakugou got too caught up in the mission and was almost crushed by debris. He was pulled away in time by a fellow hero but it still opened his eyes, as well as Y/n, to how fragile they are, even if they are the heroes.

"I know Kats, but please. You're my rock in here. You're my person." Y/n says looking into his eyes.

"And you're my person. I can't leave you behind. You wouldn't know what to do without me here." Bakugou chuckles, earning a shove from Y/n.

"Katsuki." Y/n starts, holding his hands in their own.

"Yeah." He sighs.

"I don't speak lightly of feelings, you know that right?"

"Of course I know that. You don't talk much about those to anyone-"

"Except you." They interrupt Bakugou, reminding him of the importance of their unspoken bond and making his heart race.

"Yeah."

"Then you'll know how hard it is for me to say this. But- Katsuki I think I love you. I know we aren't super affectionate outside of being alone but- I've never felt what I feel with you before. I understand if you don't feel the same way and if this was all just because you felt bad but I needed to tell you that because you're really important and this is very import-"

Bakugou, in the most cliche turn of events, cuts Y/n off with a kiss to shut them up.

Pulling away, Bakugou rests his forehead on Y/n's .

"I love you too. I thought that was obvious when I never stopped you from saying my first name, idiot." He chuckles lightly.

"I kinda figured you at least liked me-"

"I'm going to keep you safe forever. That means physically and emotionally. No more hiding any feelings from me just because there are people around. Pull me aside. Hold me if you need or want to- I dont care if the whole world sees that. But just- fuck Y/n. I know you feel fragile. I know what it's like to be scared and hide it. I'm your diary now, ok? Always."

"Thank you...Katsuki. Fuck. You're everything I've ever needed. Plus youre kinda cute too I suppose." Y/n giggles.

"Oi fuck off." Bakugou kisses them again, relieved that he can finally be himself with Y/n, that he has them finally.

"I'm your diary too them, okay? I mean it. Anything, any time, say the word." Y/n says lightly, squeezing Bakugou's hand.

"Fuck. I love you."

"I love you too. I love how that sounds coming from you by the way."

"Me the fuck too-" Bakugou was interrupted by a loud yelling-

"I GOTTA PISSSSSS" followed by banging on the door.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T DRINK SO FAST THEN LIGHT WEIGHT!" Bakugou responds, recognizing the voice of Denki.

"DONT MAKE FUN OF MEEEE I'LL LAUGH AND PEE MYSELF" Denki whined.

"Let's go, angel." Bakugou whispers into Y/n's hair, kissing them on the head and helping them off of the counter.

[make-me-imagine]

Hello love ♡

First of all, I want to congratulate you on your 5500 follower milestone! That's incredible♡! I love your writings, Mera, and I think that your ship celebration is a wonderful idea!

Could I please request a male matchup for Marvel, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings/Hobbit? With the additional "What you did for your first date" and "Ways they show you they love you without words" headcanons for all three of them? I'm female, she/her.

To begin with, I'm full of contradictions, utterly boring, very insecure and highly complicated. I would say my strongest personality traits are my kindness, calmness and sympathy. It's almost impossible to scare or upset me, because I always see the good in a person and recognize where anger, frustration and despair come from. There's no cruelty in me at all. I'm open and impartial towards everything and everyone, without any judgment or prejudice. I also have a calming/grounding effect on other people and animals, which is great because I honestly love all sorts of animals (I'm also a vegetarian because I refuse to intentionally hurt any animal). I have a faszination for chaos and rebellion, but am quite submessive/timid and a clean-/control freak myself. I'm always well-meaning and there to help others. I despise people who enjoy the suffering of others, just because they have the 'power' to. I'm very open-minded and I think that every opinion matters and that whatever someone has to say is important, at least to them and therefore for me. I will never ignore someone's sorrows and suffering and I try my hardest to help and comfort as best I can. But, even though I see the good in everything, I'm very insecure myself and have little love and understanding for myself. I have a very bad self-esteem and not a particularly positive self-perception, which mostly defines my actions. It makes me believe that I'm a burden to others and that I annoy them. I feel like I'm not "worthy" of love/there's nothing lovable about me, that there are too many problems in contrast to the little good things. Nevertheless, I would never change myself for anything or anyone, I'm who I'm. For me, dealing and interacting with people is really difficult, because I'm so clumsy and nervous around them and easily feel like I'm making a fool out of myself. Another reason is that I fear to be rejected and thrown aside when someone sees how boring, problematic and annoying I actually am. You would be surprised how timid and reserved I'm; I'm sure you wouldn't notice me in a room full of people if it wouldn't be for my different appearance (I'm always wearing only black, have dyed my hair a little and two ear piercings). I almost never like the "typical" heroes and righteous characters. And somehow I have such a undergoing disdain for any figure in the police and law department. Because I'm easily sad and not a funny/joking person, I like and enjoy people who aren't too serious themselves. And I'm the most loyal person you'll ever find, once you earn my trust, I'll always be on and by your side, no matter what. I've always felt like I don't belong anywhere, like I'm the only cat in a room full of dogs. That's probably why I have a soft spot for the weirdos, outcasts, loners and "crazy" ones. Though, in my opinion, the definition of normal, crazy and real are very subjective. My whole life I've felt kinda judged, misunderstood and unwanted. People often falsely think that my unassuming nature is naivity and take my social-insecurity for aloofness and coldness. I'm also quite opinionated and aware of what I want, how I feel and who I am. I'm often questioning my surroundings, the traditions and rules and I have no problem challenging others, even authority. I'm a perfectionist, which often leads me to overthinking and that can be equally good and bad. I'm absolutely clueless in romance and totally oblivious to flirting because I'm 100% inexperienced in this stuff, but I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic.

-Luna 1/2

Hey Luna, I hope you like what I came up with. You provided a bit more information than was necessary lmao, I forgot the word limit for asks was extended. BUT, it was enough to give me a good feel for who to ship you with, so I hope you like them!

All ships are under the cut: 

Marvel: 

I ship you with Clint.

Clint was my immediate thought when reading your information. He is very loyal and kind-hearted and I think would be most drawn to those who are kind, loyal, and have strong morals. He would try his best to show you how great you are through your insecurities, he loves you for who you are and sees no flaws in you. He would be very good at showing his care and love for everything you are. He does not need words to know how you feel as he is very good at seeing through you and knowing what you feel without them.

What you did for your first date: 

You would have a fun yet casual day out date.

First you would go on a walk through a nearby park, talking and joking about everything and nothing. 

Then you would go to a musical instrument museum.

He loves music too, so this would be great for both of you.

You got to see the evolution of music and instruments and listened to various kinds of music.

You spent hours in the museum together.

To finish the date of you went to a restaurant, you chose the place to go too since he knew you were vegetarian and he wanted you to share your favorite place and meals with him. 

Ways they show you they love you without words: 

He loves physical touch as well, so he would often express himself through various physical actions. 

Placing a kiss to the back of your hand, or head. 

Hugging you close to him randomly. 

Wrapping you up in his arms on the couch when watching movies as he randomly kisses the side of your head or face. 

Best Friend: 

I think your best friend would be Steve. He is a very kind and compassionate person and would be very brotherly to you. he would never force you out of your comfort zone and would often check in on you. He can sometimes be a bit serious, but it never pushy towards you. He is very caring and helps you to accept yourself and things around you. 

-

Harry Potter: 

I ship you with Harry. 

Harry is a very encouraging and accepting person and I think he would see the best in you and would never stop showing and proving to you that you are worthy of love and compassion. He would find you to be beautiful and never sees the flaws that you try to convince yourself that you have. I think he would be one of the best people to show you that you matter and are beautiful. 

What you did for your first date:

You first met at Hogwarts, and since there was not much choice in dates he chose something simple that he knew you would enjoy. 

You left during dinner and took an evening stroll around the grounds.

You stayed out past curfew and sat on a nearby hill watching the stars together.

When you began to get sleepy you snuck back in and he walked you back to your room.  

Ways they show you they love you without words:

He brings you your favorite snacks and drinks randomly. 

Randomly drapes his cloak or jacket over your shoulders when you are cold. 

Will take your hand in his and rubs his fingers softly over your skin. 

Hugs you from behind randomly. 

Will play your favorite music throughout the house when he knows that you are stressed or sad. 

Best Friend:

Hermione. She is very good at making you feel better about the world and yourself. She is always open to going on long walks and listening to you rant about anything or just to talk when needed. She is good at giving advice and never lets you feel inferior to anyone. 

-

Lotr: 

I ship you with Aragorn. 

Out of everyone, I think Aragorn would be the best suited for you. He is kind, and patient and sees the best in everyone. He would see the best in you and is very good at showing it to you too. He will always make you feel wanted and needed. He does not let anyone take you for granted and will always stand up for you. He loves that you love music and will sing for you when you are stressed or having trouble falling asleep. 

What you did for your first date:

Aragorn being Aragorn, woud take you on a horse ride to a beautiful forest.

You would go exploring and walking through the meadows.

He would share his knowledge of various plants with you and pick you flowers along the way, making you a small bouquet. 

Once it got late, you two sat on the top of a hill and watched the sunset, waiting for the stars to come out before making your way back. 

Ways they show you they love you without words:

Surprising you with flowers randomly. 

Holding your hand as you walk through town on a quiet evening. 

Bringing you various plants and taking care of them for you.

Planting you a garden with all of your favorite plants and flowers. 

Hand-making you a special pendant to wear or hang somewhere in your home. 

Best Friend:

Out of everyone, I think you would form a bond with Eowyn. She is caring and quiet, and is very easy to get along with She is very good at making people aware of their worth and of feeling wanted. She would never make you angry or disappoint you. I think you two would become so close that you consider each other family. 

xx