#I need to think about how to fix this design and maybe get some sleep

[unicyclehippo]

One word prompt for hawkeye/bishova: tense

(Also yay! Excited for you to try to write for them! Love ur writing and also hawkeye 🫶)

ok just a short one while i have my coffee. in the same vague story as regret & stumble

//

so far, kate’s talked for the whole drive.

it’s not something she’s particularly proud of, okay? it’s just a fact. she does start to think she would make an incredible politician purely on her filibuster flair but the thought passes, a little because she can’t think of anything worse than politics, a little because she starts feeling guilty that her present filibustering isn’t some grand speech in defence of civil liberties but a desperate attempt to fill the car with noise so clint won’t ask her questions.

‘—and that’s obviously where everything started to go wrong, because apparently the bell wasn’t fixed in the tower properly and the arrow doesn’t weight that much—what am i saying, you know how much arrows weigh, and this was just a flute14, they’re like, what three-eighty?’

‘three eighty-five.’

kate turned in the seat to stare at him, mouth agape. she hadn’t seen him turn his hearing aid off but she had just figured, after three hours of this, that he’d managed to tune her out. she didn’t think he was really listening.

oh well. in for an arrow, in for a quiver full.

‘right! so i didn’t think it would bring a tower down. obviously. but it turns out that the weight of the arrow is nothing and it’s actually the force you gotta calculate, which, i should obviously have realised but yknow what they say about hindsight and shooting arrows at bell towers. i guess the bell wasn’t built to be rung because when i used the snapshut head—‘

‘snapshut?’

‘yeah. they have a claw on the front so when you hit something, it clicks the trigger and closes the claw around it.’

clint tilts his head. ‘huh.’

‘anyway, the arrow pulled the rope and the rope pulled the bell and the bell pulled the beam and the beam pulled the top of the tower and everything kinda…collapsed from there.’

if she had to pick when things started going wrong this year, that was probably it. or was it just the latest in a long string of things going wrong? there was an unhappy thought.

‘did you design the snapshut head?’

kate beamed at clint. she was so happy he was her partner—he knew she needed to talk. talk about taking one for the team.

‘no, i saw last years olympics champ using something similar. well, i guess i designed my snapshuts—design feels like a really sophisticated term,’ she confessed. ‘i just kept trying stuff until it worked.’

clint glanced sidelong at her. ‘yeah,’ he said. ‘that’s what designing is.’

‘oh. then yeah.’

he huffed a little laugh and turned his attention back to the road.

it was really pretty. they were still in pennsylvania and the highway ran straight and clear ahead of them. on either side, dense forests crowded in grey and green and on a distant ridge, she could make out rows of looming hemlocks like a fence of arrows.

maybe not arrows, she supposed. just because something was triangular didn’t mean it looked like an arrow.

she leaned her head against the window. it shuddered and jumped under her skull from the tiny bumps in the road and made her teeth buzz.

clint reached carefully back and grabbed his sweater, holding it out to her.

‘what’s this for?’

‘fold it up, use it as a pillow.’ he said it all stern, an order, like it wasn’t the sweetest thing in the world. ‘you’ll get a concussion if your head bangs around like that.’

‘another concussion,’ she pointed out cheerfully. ‘oh. you didn’t know that? i mean, i’m fine.’

‘mhm.’ clint glowered at the road.

kate folded up the soft sweater and tucked it between her head and the window. then, between one blink and the next, she fell asleep.

//

lucky barked when clint took him out to pee at the next gas station. kate jerked awake with a kick and a snort.

‘shh,’ clint soothed, patting her shoulder. ‘go back to sleep.’

//

‘you should have woken me up!’ kate insisted for the sixth time. ‘i can’t believe you bought chips, of all things. i mean, salt? what were you thinking? it’s gonna dry us out, parch the lips, we’re gonna be gasping for liquids, clint!’

‘will it stop you from talking?’

‘in the worst case scenario, yes.’ she narrowed her eyes at him and asked, darkly, ‘why?’

he scratched at the stubble on his chin, but not fast enough to hide his smile. ‘just wondering. there’s something blue in the icebox, by the way.’

‘blue?’

kate twisted to check what drinks he bought. it looks like the worlds most off-brand gatorade and she gets why he just said blue. it’s not only the name but also the most prominent and upsetting feature.

‘it’s so blue…’

‘i know.’

‘this can’t be healthy.’

‘can’t be.’

‘…want half?’

clint rolled down his window and poured the dregs of his coffee into the highway gutter, passing the styrofoam cup over.

//

‘so. you had drinks with yelena?’

kate dug very nonchalantly into the bag of chips. she pulled out a folded chip between her pointer and middle finger.

‘did you ever get told it was bad luck to touch a folded chip with your thumb?’

‘…no.’

‘weird.’ she shoved it in her mouth and chewed obnoxiously loud. maybe he’d take it as a hint.

he didn’t.

‘some protege you turn out to be,’ he teased (she hoped). ‘you couldn’t have waited a week? she only tried to kill me yesterday.’

‘she wasn’t trying very hard,’ kate pointed out. ‘if she wanted either of us dead, we would be dead. like, you saw her fighting, right?’

‘yep.’

‘i’m not bad at fighting, clint! i have won—‘ she totted them up quickly. ‘seventeen trophies! important trophies! i got my black belt at fifteen. and she’s like, wow. so much better.’

clint nodded. his face stayed smooth but kate, half turned in her seat to lean against the window, had a perfect view of his hands curling tight around the steering wheel.

‘yep.’

‘was—‘ kate stopped. shoved another chip in her mouth.

clint’s lips turned up very slightly. ‘you can ask.’

‘are you sure?’

‘yeah.’

‘okay.’

kate thought carefully about how to phrase it. the black widow—the black widow—was a sore subject for clint. hawkeye. for obvious reasons. and with each hour that passed in this rust bucket truck that smelled now of gasoline and potato chips and dog, everything got a little bit more strange. she had known instantly who clint was when he stripped the mask from her face—the hawkeye! her hero! the world’s hero!—and then the week passed like a kidney stone and now he was hawkeye and also nathaniel’s dad and a husband and this guy. who was strange in his own right. like, who went into a gas station and bought the weirdest stuff on purpose? and kate was sitting in his passenger seat, their bows were packed together in the back seat, he had walked her dog. it was a lot. and she didn’t want to fuck it up.

‘was natasha like that?’ she asked quietly, words half vanishing under the putter of the engine so if he wanted to, he could pretend he hadn’t heard.

‘she was better.’ when kate scoffed, he grinned that tight lopsided grin, like he’d half forgotten how to smile. ‘i’m serious. she was the best. once, that meant she was the worst of the worst. and then…’

‘the shot you didn’t take.’

‘yeah.’

‘and she came to your side.’

‘not at first.’ clint opened his mouth. kate threw a chip in and cheered when he caught it between his teeth. ‘it was messy,’ he said through the crunch. ‘she killed some more people, injured more, broke into some facilities.’

‘what?’

‘she was a bad guy, kate.’ clint’s smile faded a touch. ‘yelena is too. just ‘cause she’s out doesn’t mean she’s changed.’

hot words raced up her throat into her mouth like bile; kate bit them back, surprised and a little weirded out by her own intensity. you don’t understand! she wanted to say, which was dumb as hell because of all the people in the world, the black widow’s best friend knew.

kate lowered her eyes to the dashboard. she thought of bell towers and scoldings and her mother’s gentle hand on her chin, looking at her the same way she had at eight years old.

‘i’ll be careful,’ she told him softly.

‘okay.’

//

clint had been a trooper through the trip, kate could and would readily admit that. she was the worst road trip buddy in the world. school trips relegated to being the teachers buddy could attest to that.

the last hour, kate folded her lips tight and her hands in her lap, only reaching out to stroke lucky’s head until he glared sleepily at her out of his one eye and turned away.

‘you’re being pretty quiet.’

‘are you sure i should come?’ kate blurted.

clint laughed. ‘bit late for that, isn’t it?’

‘no? i mean, the nearest airport is, what, two hours drive? or i could rent a car and drive back. it’s really pretty here, it’d be a nice drive, i wouldn’t mind at all. because christmas is a family thing and i know your kids were really wanting you back—‘

‘you’re coming.’

‘okay.’

clint threw her a few worried looks as the minutes ticked away.

‘she invited you. my wife. they want to meet you.’

‘me?’

‘no,’ he drawled, ‘the other girl archer who saved my life.’

he admitted it! kate very coolly grinned and pumped her fist in a secret little cheer.

‘okay,’ she said again.

she thought it sounded very happy that time, she thought she was very happy that time, but then clint had to sling a question her way—unfair—and she wasn’t so sure.

‘do you want to be there?’ he scratched at his head, above his deafened ear. ‘i didn’t really ask, i guess. did you want to stay in the city?’

kate leaned against the soft sweater and turned her eyes to the highway. the grass plain and the rolling hills that curtained the barton farm from the rest of ohio and the world.

‘nah,’ she said, tone light. ‘are you kidding? and miss out on christmas with the real hawkeye?’

given that she had raised her misgivings like, twelve seconds ago, she deserved his very intense and disbelieving side-eye. but it was sweet that he didn’t press.

//

cooper, she learned, was like his dad in that he kept most of his thoughts inside his head. he was less like his dad because when kate started rambling, he actually seemed to enjoy it and laughed at all her jokes. he probably got that from his mom, who was the most incredible host. warm and gracious and welcoming from the get go.

nathaniel—nate—was cheeky and bright and goofy and totally enamoured with lucky. he was at that age where he constantly had sticky hands and something on his face and when he laughed more than anything else.

lila was an odd combination of her parents. she looked a lot like her mom, and older than her years in the way kate remembered from high school, wanting to seem older than she was. she was so obviously sharp, clever and pointed and had a ton of questions for kate that started off kind and got way more… harsh wasn’t the right word. protective, maybe. of her dad and his time he had promised them. of herself, when it came to this stranger who had stolen their dad for a long precious week.

‘so, you’re like, his apprentice now or something?’ lila asked when her parents were busy in the kitchen kissing hello and, kate assumed, telling her some of the more important things that had happened.

‘um. something like that.’

‘that’s cool. you’re an archer like him?’

‘yeah, yep.’

‘and you nearly got both of you killed?’

‘lila.’

‘i’m just asking.’

‘not in front of nate,’ laura murmured, with a sweet smile. ‘and maybe not at all, yeah hun?’ she tugged at her daughter’s ponytail lightly, teasing.

‘i don’t mind,’ kate lied brightly, sitting tall and tense on the sofa with the girl. ‘it’s totally fair to ask.’

‘see! she doesn’t mind.’

kate had to look away when laura sent her daughter The Look; her ribs ached, clenching so tight around her chest, and it was weirdly hard to breathe for a second.

‘—ate? kate?’

a soft hand touched her shoulder. kate jumped up from the sofa, jostling laura and her own hot cocoa.

‘hey, sweetie, are you—‘

‘which way to the little girl’s room, sorry? it was a helluva long drive,’ she laughed, and chattered as lila stood at another parental look and guided her through a warren of doors and halls to the guest toilet.

‘sorry for badgering you,’ she said quietly, sharply, but not begrudgingly. ‘i’m just glad he’s home.’

and safe, she didn’t say.

kate smiled down at the girl. ‘i get it,’ and rolled her eyes when lila huffed and strode away. wild. she was usually so good with people, and especially kids. she had it on good authority that she was still just an older kid a lot of the time.

tucking away in the washroom, kate sat and let herself breathe. it smelled of lavender soap and some leafy plant on the windowsill. everything was clean and kitschy and so not home that kate had to curl up tight around her bruised and battered body and press her face into her coat, smell the singed sleeve and remember that yeah, she had fought kingpin and a thousand tracksuit goons yesterday and—and everything else that happened too.

her pocket shivered. more accurately, the phone in her pocket shook with an incoming text.

(yelena), the ID said. kate had changed it pretty fast. not that she was likely to forget.

no message to say you are there safe? how rude.

kate laughed softly.

we got here safe. no thanks to clint

should she have said that? yelena wasn’t on the warpath anymore but would she get it was a joke?

he bought this weird blue drink, she started, and kept talking until clint called her for dinner.

[cheolaholic]

ring of love; csc (06)

summary; agreeing to join vernon spectate an underground boxing match wasn't how you'd expect to spend your friday night. you also didn't expect to see seungcheol, someone you've lost contact with for years, become a part of the ring.

modern! au • boxer! au • hhu focused • multiple kinds of tropes • fluff, angst, smut

chapter warnings: brief mentions of crimes (drugs, robbery, abduction), brief mentions of sex and hormones

a/n;; i have risen from the dead, everyone. I know it's been a while since I last updated (4 months 💀) But, please enjoy this chapter and hope that I do not disappear for another few more months until the next update lmao. Also posting this update while I'm on my lunchbreak lmao

You didn’t think that figuring out a place to meetup with Seungcheol would be difficult, but alas, it was. The places Seungcheol had initially suggested were either too far or the price range of their menus could amount to at least a month’s worth of your rent. Maybe it was the years of not seeing him that you had forgotten his parents had their own businesses, which obviously, means money is never an issue for Seungcheol.

After telling him you had to commute to some of the places or either needing to Uber or have Vernon pick you up, Seungcheol found a decently priced cafe near your place with a cosy looking interior design. Having finally settled down on a place to meetup, you now began to stress about an outfit.

You tore through your entire wardrobe before finally panic-calling Aki who agreed to help, on the condition that you tell her everything that will go down at the meetup. You agreed and after hours of outfit try-ons, you settled on a brown oversized sweater, a black pleated skirt, paired together with doc martens loafers.

“Are you sure this looks okay…?” your voice full of uncertainty as you stared at your reflection. Aki, who was on video call on your phone that’s propped up on your dresser, rolls her eyes at your question. “Babes, you’re literally so pretty right now that you could be someone’s gay or bi-awakening. Don’t worry, okay? I'm sure he’s equally nervous of finally seeing you again after what? Almost half a decade?”

“That's a dramatic way to say almost 5 years, but okay.”

“Just be your normal self, ___. Even if he’s changed appearance or physique wise, I'm sure he’s still the same ol’ Seungcheol from more than a decade ago. Well, at least for you, it’s more than a decade.”

“That is true… thanks for helping me out, Aki.”

“Anything for my bestie. Now, go and see your prince charming!”

“Can you and my parents stop calling him my prince charming?” you whined, only for Aki to shoo you through your phone.

“Tell me the deets afterwards! I want all the nitty-gritty - don’t you dare leave anything out!”

Seungcheol got to the cafe an hour earlier than the agreed meeting time. He tried to get some sleep but the adrenaline of being able to see you again kept him up. Sitting at the booth and occasionally glancing at the door, he would try to come up with things to talk about. Of course, he knew he had to explain why he dropped off the face of the earth for years without contacting you. But, he still needed to think of other ways to fix the rift between you both.

“Seungcheol…?”

When he hears his name being called, he lifts up his head and it was as if time had stopped. There you were, shyly standing in front of him as you fiddled with the hem of your skirt. A few seconds after he realised he was staring, Seungcheol snapped back into reality. “Have a seat, __.” Ushering to the seat across him, flashing you that gummy smile that still sent your heart running for miles.

You did as told and after placing both your orders to the waitress who came over, Seungcheol nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “So… I didn’t know you were friends with Vernon…” he began, “Let alone a best friend since, y’know, Aki.”

“Yeah, I didn't really have a choice when he came up to me with that awful tie-dye during orientation. I was so glad when he got rid of it with how much my eyes were hurting.”

“That's Vernon for you,” he chuckles, “When he said he invited a friend, I was expecting maybe a classmate since Mingyu did the same with him.”

As you fidget, Seungcheol takes notice and leans his elbows on the table, reaching out a hand. “Hey, no need to be scared, okay? I know it’s been years and you’re most likely overthinking things right now, but I'm still me.”

“Where did you go…?” you asked in a shaky voice, “You just… ghosted me and later on, I found out you’ve been in Seoul for a while. Why… why didn’t you try to reach out?”

Withdrawing his hand and thrumming his fingers against the surface of the table, Seungcheol was silent for a moment before explaining himself. “That weekend when I headed to Seoul to check out Pledis, they had told my parents I qualified for one of their pre-u programmes. But, the slots in Korea were full, and if I did want to join the programme, I had to join their partnering unis abroad. They had Carat University in Japan and An Ode University in Melbourne.”

You quietly listened to Seungcheol as he continued.

While he wouldn’t mind waiting for an empty slot to be available in Pledis but, his parents had encouraged him to enrol into An Ode as they had an apartment in Melbourne. In the event he didn’t want to stay on his own, they’d be more than willing to pay for his dormitory. “They said the enrolment opportunities for pre-u programmes like these are rare… And, since I was given the opportunity, they encouraged me to take the chance.”

“… And you did…”

“I missed you like crazy, _. But, I couldn't get your calls or texts, not even reply nor call you back because I had to wait two weeks to be able to get a new phone and sim card. When I finally did get them, you had changed your number…”

Your face went red with embarrassment at the memory. A few days after your return from Jeju, your parents had brought you to go shop for a new phone and you’ve decided to change your number in the process. Since Seungcheol had dropped off the face of the earth at the time, you thought it wouldn’t matter anyway if you had changed your number since what were the chances of him calling you?

Turns out you were wrong.

“When I finished the programme, I stayed in Melbourne for a year and a half for their business course before transferring back to Korea to finish it in Pledis.”

“That was… that was at least two and a half years ago. Seungcheol, are you… are you telling me within those two years you never bothered to even look for me?”

“I did! I went back to Daegu to look for you, but your parents had told me you went to Pledis! I tried finding you all over the place, but for some reason you were never in my line of sight!”

“Wait, wait,” holding up your hand in disbelief to stop him from talking, “you went to see my parents? They never told me anything!”

“I begged them not to tell you!” he defended, “I wanted it to be a surprise! I wasn’t expecting our first meeting after years to be you witnessing me boxing!”

“How did you get into it in the first place though?” you asked, the waitress arriving with a tray of drinks and some cakes, “I heard you’ve been underground boxing for a year now.” Taking a sip from his drink, Seungcheol stared out the window, watching random cars and pedestrians pass by.

“I’ve been underground boxing for two years, actually, when I was back in Melbourne.” he answered. “A senior saw me during one of my Taekwondo matches during pre-u and invited me to try boxing. A few months later, he introduced me to this trainer who was looking to coach someone for a boxing match and everything just kinda fell into place.”

As a blanket of silence fell over the table, you muttered out a small “I missed you…”. Seungcheol gives you a smile, reaching out his hands to hold yours as he brings them to his lips, placing a kiss on your knuckles – an action that causes you to blush. “Well, I’m here now. I’ll make it up to you, alright?”

“I expect good food.”

And he replies with a sentence that has the butterflies you thought had died start fluttering again.

“Anything for you, pup.”

“...No…”

“Yes.”

“No… You’re lying…‘

“___, I swear on my life, I am not lying.”

“Ew, Cheol, that’s gross!” You whined, pushing at his shoulder with a disgusted expression, “I don’t need to hear about your sex life – much less a three way you had!”

Seungcheol laughs at your reaction, “Hey, if you think mine’s gross, you sure hear Mingyu’s. Who knew models were so… hormonal.”

“Lalala, I’m not listening!”

After your catch-up lunch at the cafe, you brought Seungcheol to the park near your apartment. The area enroute… was sketchy, to say the least, and that was putting it lightly. If you were to remove the sugarcoating, it looks as though you could get mugged or abducted if you lady luck was having a bad day and decided to take it out on you.

“No offence, pup –”

“Non taken.”

“But, at least three blocks of your housing area looks like they’re being used for drug operations. I know you can fight for yourself – I mean, I taught you how to defend yourself when we grew up together. But, have you ever thought about… y’know, moving to a safer area?” 

You had thought about moving out, but with the current rent prices being equivalent to a monthly mortgage payment, the dingy area is the best you got.

“I mean… It can’t be that bad, right…?”

“___, look at the place… I know you value your independence but, surely there are studios or apartments for rent that are safer and more… well lit, y’know?” Seungcheol notices how you began to pick at your nails, a habit he’s noticed when you both grew up and a sign that you were either anxious, nervous or both.

“Budget restraints?”

“Yeah… This is the best I got, Cheollie… Anywhere close to campus is expensive, and a decent apartment is… well… if I had a mortgage, I could pay that off, y’know…? I have a part-time job – I work as a barista at one of the cafes near campus. It pays decently, kind of higher than the usual amount part-timers get per hour but, let’s say I move out and rent an apartment near campus – I wouldn’t be left with much money after paying for rent and the utility bills…”

“Ever thought of getting roommates?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, Mr Choi, I am not a people’s person. Ask Hansol, it took me a year to actually open up to him, even after he’s been introducing me as his best friend for months.”

“Your parents should have property in Seoul, right? Why don’t you stay there instead?”

“Because I’m an only child, Seungcheol. My parents will pay the bills even if I was willing to fork up my own cash!”

Adding on the fact that you had no transport of your own, the dingy little apartment area really did seem like the best option for you – at least, for Seungcheol he was still… iffy (rightfully so, he wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you).

“Any public transport nearby?”

“There’s a bus stop that’s a 5 minute walk away from my place.”

“Okay…”

What you forgot to mention however, was the lack of reliable or functioning light source of said bus stop to your apartment’s lobby. But, surely, it wasn’t a detail worth mentioning to Seungcheol, you thought to yourself.

“Y’know, I thought your crush on Seungcheol would actually die down within those 5 years of no-contact.” Aki confessed as you typed on your laptop, phone propped up against one of your pen organisers. “I mean, it kind of did? But, instead of you being over over him, it’s more like… it’s more like your feelings weren't as obvious as back then.”

“Was it that obvious though?” you asked, turning your head to look at her as she shrugged her shoulders, “Not gonna lie, you’re pretty good at hiding it. I only noticed it after spending more time with you and noticing the subtle signs. If anyone was observant enough, they’d notice. But, to those that just look over the surface, not really.”

“...Do you think Cheol noticed…?”

“___, I might offend you and almost all the male species out there with this statement but, boys are dumb.” Aki moves her position from her desk to her bed, lying down on her stomach. “You both have been friends since you were kids so he should be picking up the signs. If he doesn’t then he’s either dumb or playing dumb.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of you before you asked, “Do you think he knows I like him and he’s just playing me?”

“You and I both know Seungcheol isn’t like that,” Aki began, “Your well-being is a priority to him – you’re a priority to him. Maybe he’s never thought about it, y’know? You both grew up together, maybe the lines were blurred to him.”

“But… what if he is, and he’s just really good at hiding it?” you asked again, the anxiety and nervousness eating you up as you thought about Seungcheol taking advantage of your feelings.

“___, darling, you and I both know Seungcheol always puts his loved ones above him – he makes them a priority. And, he’s always put you first, even up to the point he dropped off the face of the earth!”

Aki could still see the uncertainty on your face, which by all means, you had every right to feel that way. After all, Seungcheol had gone no-contact for 5 years and a person can change a lot within those 5 years. Who’s to say he actually is just a bastard who would step on people’s heads just to get what he wants. “Why don’t you start spending more time with him? Like the good ol’ times!” Aki suggested.

“Rekindle the friendship, y’know? Sure, you both had a catch up session today, but you and I both know that isn’t enough. 5 years worth of catching up – and not to mention, I need to kick his ass.”

You let out a small laugh, “You’ll need to fly over to do that, Aki.”

“Hey, don’t tempt me, ___.” Aki playfully warns, narrowing her eyes at you and pointing a finger at the screen, “I have the money to do so, and I will.”

“God, Aki…”

"Hey, Seungcheol isn't the only one that would do anything for you and has the money to do so."

[0212] cheollie: hey, ik it's pretty late rn [0213] cheollie: but, i just wanted to text you this before i forget [0213] cheollie: thanks for agreeing to meet up with me today and hear me out about my whole disappearance and lost all contact [0213] cheollie: and i'm really, really, really glad that you still see me as that boy you grew up with all those years ago [0214] cheollie: and i really had a great time catching up with you today [0214] cheollie: and i'll always be here for you if you ever need me, ok?

Seungcheol stared at the text he's about to send out.

i'm always going to be right by your side no matter what

After silently debating with himself, he deleted the draft and set his phone on his nightstand, laying in his bed as he stared at the ceiling of his dark bedroom - contemplating as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

taglist (unable to tag a few ㅠㅠ)

@yoonclip @1004luvangel @catjunhui @mystikha @spk93 @tinkerbell460 @yoozuku @dnylwooo @christinewithluv @limbomoon @plutoxxxworld @i-give-up-1234 @m1ngyuc0re @yunloyal @leclercloverbot @bettybeako @billboard-singer @ocyeanicc @krupyadoorrahe @seobinnieshi @xcynthiaaa @k411z @disneyprincesshuri @sunnyapp @khxsh @staygenezy @loufi8iepuff @ursweetener @noisypapergalaxy @wonwootakemyheart @sugainpinksweater @leah-rose03 @thisisnotthelastofus @yearnoclock @kwonhoeshi @ohmygodwhyareallusernamestaken @ru-lin @deobiforever @belladaises @cheoliekkuma @duskunt1ldawn @hyneyedfiz @marshmallowshouse @ak6ko @chwevernonlover @jejuboo-s @tsukinluv @atinytinaa @gyros-cum-sock @soupbinlily @jungwoos-luvr @ener-energy @watermelon-sugars-things @cyberpunkhwx @ddaengpotate @nightwingsrobbinhoods @chaerrylov3r @joshuaahong @wonussmile @uliceeeeeeee @wonwoo24 @shinetogether17 @simplejihoon @luvkpopp @minhui896

[sealofarchives]

Hello, could you create a headcanon for ROTTMNT about what it would be like to date Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie (separately) and what the pros and cons of a relationship with them would be?

Headcanon: GN!Reader dating the Rise!Turtles (Separate) (Requested prompt with established relationship)

A/N: This was really fun to work on and ended up surprising myself with how this turned out!!!

Donnie

Pros:

Since you take the time to listen to whatever he says, he'll do the same for you.

Even before you started dating him, he took some notes on what you liked and disliked. (He used to have a tablet for that said purpose but eventually, retooled as a backup photo album storage between the two of you)

- I personally think he's not one for the usual icebreaker conversations with stuff like "how's your day and etc"

So most conversations start with some tangent on his mind or about your favorite things then eventually discussing daily stuff that happened within the day.

Even though he struggles trying to cheer people up, but he's not gonna ignore your well-being when you happened to have a bad day.

- Like he makes sure you had something to eat or drink. And if talking about the problem makes it worse, already noted and tries to pull you towards light stress free activities. (Letting you borrow one of his headphones to listen to your music, sort and try out a box of fidget toys, or setting up a small space in the lair as the designated chill zone)

While there might be some technical mishaps, he always has good intentions trying to fix your phone or other electronic devices you have trouble with.

Cons:

Imo I feel like during the first few weeks in the relationship, he'll be awkward towards pda. (don't constantly pester him about it)

- He'll eventually come to it maybe near the end of the first month of dating. (With his personal quota of handholding and hugs that last a few seconds)

Until realizing your needs are just as important to maintain that special relationship.

- However, If some creep doesn't get the message you're already taken, its one of the rare times he'll force himself into initiating pda for your own safety.

Easily gets jealous and refuses to admit it with some snarky remark.

When he refuses to take breaks, you probably have to step in so he doesn't accidentally hurt himself or gets sick.

- When you do so, it often ends with him passing out on you.

(And tiny bit of scolding from his brothers [namely Raph and Dr Delicate Touch] after Donnie recovered from overworking himself on a large scale project)

Can be very passive aggressive and it could lead to some unpleasant arguments towards something very trivial.

- He's definitely the most stubborn out of his brothers and probably won't hear you out until your feelings get hurt.

It might take him a few days to think up of a proper apology. And during those days, he slowly regrets yelling at you along with letting his anger get the best of him.

Leo

Pros:

He won't admit it but, your level of honesty around him really puts him at ease whenever he's lost in thought about something.

- The leader can name a least few things about his brothers' special talents but during a few nights where he can't sleep, because of a nightmare from a past enemy. (either Shredder or the Krang)

He didn't have the energy for one of his usual portals but, really wanted give you a hug for saying such kind words through a phone call.

He'll instantly back off if he accidentally made a joke that offended you.

- The last thing he wants is to upset you. So he really tries working some type of compromise between the two of you, so it doesn't happen again.

He has a strong memory sometimes, like remembering the little details. It will usually happen when you least expect it.

- Casually bringing up a past event from one of the photos saved on your phone. Often being one of the early hang out sessions, before you started dating him. He'll lightly tease you about it but, mostly grateful that you took a chance to build up that relationship with him.

If you happened to have a case of bad luck, he's very determined to end that streak's rein of terror by his own hands.

- And if you can't visit the lair, he'll let you borrow his lucky rock as a good luck charm.

Cons:

He still has a bit of that competitive energy in him and can be a sore loser when he doesn't win.

- It could take him a while to realize that the playful showboating upseted you and to why you're refusing to give him any attention.

This also adds on to that he's not the best at genuine apologies.

- Like the first sorry has no feeling to it until the guilt weighes down on him.

I don't think he could last a few days with you giving him the cold shoulder + silent treatment (Imo, he has the type of desperate embarrassment that would be hard to watch)

Sometimes his "surprise planning" ends up in a panic since he waits until the last minute to get you something.

- Given how some of his strategies usually works towards his advantage. (Often not telling the others about it and another similar manner along those lines)

His ego can 100% break the relationship.

- Like there's only certain amount of patience you can handle with his nonsense and his brothers will absolutely not stand for that kind of behavior. The moment he realizes he was in the wrong, he scrambles trying to avoid a potential break up.

Raph

Pros:

Almost has the same level of patience as Mikey's. (Also a result of being the oldest brother and dealing with some of Splinter's shenanigans)

Will often ask if you need help with the heavy lifting. (Even towards small stuff like when you can't reach for something on the top shelf. He will immediately grab said item for you.)

Gives the best teddy bear hugs

- Not too tight or too close to his spiky scales. Just right enough where it can easily put you at ease, stopping any stressful thought plaguing your mind.

Can easily motivate you into short exercise routines.

- It doesn't even have to be the daily recommended 30 minutes. Often being close to under 5 minutes is still worth it.

When both of you were done following that one morning aerobics exercise from animal crossing, his brothers immediately teased him about it. But he doesn't care, he was just happy you got to stay up for a little bit before lazily resting your head near his plastron.

Cons:

While the big guy means well, he can be a bit overbearing.

- Especially if you got a small injury, after a brief night patrol fight from an unexpecting bad guy attack.

He will absolutely be a mother hen if you end up getting sick. Drops whatever he was doing and rushes over to make sure you're okay. Which often results in him getting sick after you fully recovered because he forgot to bring the protective gear for his own safety.

(This is a personal headcanon of mine) but he's definitely close to a morning kind of guy. Light stretches to start the day before he eats breakfast.

- So if you have a similar night owl schedule like Donnie or Leo, he won't say much but, he will judge you for it unless its related to some medical reasons.

If you decide on borrowing clothes from him, a lot of the shirts he has, will have a few holes because of his spiky shell. So pack some extra clothes (like a spare tank top or something similar) if you're not into the torn up clothing look.

You're bound to see Savage Raph at least a few times.

- Please approach with caution and take Leo's advice seriously. However, still be gentle around Raph and comfort him by the time he returns back to his usual self.

Mikey:

Pros:

The fact he knows how to cook is already best boyfriend material.

- He can probably cook up your favorite food if you ask for it.

Another plus is proper communication skills.

- Dr Feelings will always be there to help and will accommodate what's best suited to your needs.

Can be your personal cheerleader when you happened to be stuck at starting something.

- After all, he is the best hype man for a reason. But, can easily tone down the energy if you start to feel overwhelmed.

There will always be a lot of creative thought in whatever gift he makes for you.

- Very heartfelt and he will be a blushing mess if you ended up displaying it in a place where he can see it. (either in your room or a place in your house where there's a lot of care in preserving it)

Cons:

Imo I feel like the Dr Delicate Touch persona leans towards some of that passive aggressive energy.

- Namely the anger tone, (which might have some influence from a certain purple turtle) so Mikey still needs to be careful about that.

It won't happen all the time but, if you forgot to eat breakfast. (or any of the other important 3 meals of the day)

- Mikey will pester you into eating some food he made. He usually does this to Donnie and the box shell turtle won't budge until you finish the meal. Or at least half of it, so it can be saved for later as leftovers.

The sad puppy eyes trick is present in all the turtles but, Mikey's more dangerous since he's a master at it. So try your best not to give in to the temptation. (If you can help it)

He's the second turtle to make a beeline into danger. (and him being commited to be the bait as a distraction [like dressing up in a hippo costume with a cologne that attracts said animal or the time he wore a cucumber suit to tease Repo Mantis' mutant pet cat for one of Donnie's vlogs])

- Be prepared to patch him up as result of his rowdy energy.

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ ℂ𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝕥𝕠𝕪𝕤 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: Could I request Ayato, Zhongli, Thoma, and Kaveh with a s/o who can create cute, living toys?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Yeah! Absolutely! Honestly I'm not entirely sure about it buuut... hopefully you like it?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fluff

✧ over years, Zhongli already saw many toys and mechanisms, yet yours always seem to surprise him

✧ he may've seen the greatest inventions, but yours? They're so simple and cute, they have their own charm

✧ he's used to formal introducing when it comes to inventions like that, and yet you introduce it as if it's some toy for kids! Who knows? Maybe it is?

✧ but what he finds the sweetest is that they actually seem like alive, they move and some even talk! It's hard not to be impressed!

✧ like mentioned earlier, he's used to formal inventions, definitely not as silly as these, so his recommendation may not be the best...

✧ despite that, he wants to help, so he takes you on few adventures and shows you many secret places around Liyue or tells you stories which you may find closest to "fairytales"

✧ he's never recommending anything directly but he doesn't mind giving you ideas by sharing what he already knows

"Hehe~ ... No, nothing. I just thought your invention is really sweet. You have a real talent, dear."

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@bleachtheidiot @toyaswif3y - come get your broke archon!

✧ Thoma is literally like a supportive mother when it comes to your work as an inventor

✧ he's always gonna compliment any work of yours, usually taking time to admire it's looks and functions to give you more detailed compliment than just saying "it's good" and leaving it at that

✧ but he also won't lie to you when he sees something could use some fixing... he's definitely very gentle with it and if it's something little, he might hesitate to mention it but he'll probably tell you about it sooner rather than later

✧ coming back to mother subject... he's not gonna let you pull all nighters! And if he catches you, he'll immidietly force you to go to bed

✧ but if he catches you sleeping on your desk at 1am... he's just gonna move you to bed and moves little health talk for another time

✧ if you ask him for some ideas, they're most likely gonna remind you more of child toys than some serious robots but... those are usually still rather interesting ideas! So why not give it a try anyway~?

"Oh, this one's really good! I really like their design and how you went for the sweet look... and I can also see you worked really hard on making it move so smoothly. You did a really good job! Here, take a break after all of this work, I can make us tea."

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@bleachtheidiot - come get your perfect malewife~

✧ I have a feeling like Ayato, due to being head of Kamisato Clan would know a bit on how to judge inventions but not actual clue how to make ones

✧ but judging is still something! Because he can always tell you what's missing and what requires fixing in his opinion

✧ tho his words may be a bit harsh, due to being used to formal meetings and saying what he thinks there, as it was what he payed for... he tries making words gentler for you next time but first? Feel free to tell him he's being a bit blunt...

✧ but he gets there with time so don't you worry! He doesn't want to be mean to his partner after all!

✧ and if you have tough client to deal with? He'll volunteer to go with you and to help you with business talk, he sees how much passion and work you put into your works so he only finds it fair the other person needs to pay fair price

✧ also, he's gonna try his best to pull you away from all nighters buuut... he takes them himself so he can't really argue here... he'll just try to help you and get you to bed as soon as possible

"They want to pay this little? No, you're fighting for the right thing, you're obviously trying to under pay you. Tell me, when are you supposed to meet them? I'd like to assist you if it's not a problem."

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@bleachtheidiot - come get your boba lover!

✧ inventor the architect.... don't you see it's the perfect duo?

✧ Kaveh get's your struggle... so little time and so many ideas... let alone, if you're selling what you create!

✧ he's never gonna hesitate to help you, be it with the design or just to get idea for your next project

✧ and if he can't think of anything, he'll go on a little tour with you and maybe there you or him will be able to think of something

✧ he doesn't know much about inventing but he does know that all nighters are sometimes necessary and real pain at the same time... so he'd be happy to be your assistant and pass you various tools

✧ and if it ends you have to pull all nighter and don't allow him close to your inventions? He'll be happy to be your company for the night and coffee and snack bringer

✧ but since you're his lover, he's still worried about your health so despite doing that himself, he'll try getting you away from sacrificing your sleep

"C'mon honey... I get that it's important but so is sleep. And if your client complains, I'll personally have a talk with them! So don't worry about it, go to sleep and let me handle it if necessary, okey?"

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@bleachtheidiot - come get your architect beuty~

[turrondeluxe]

I've always been a true believer of medic mikey and I've been thinking a lot of 2012 medic mikey today

so here's a bunch of thoughts about it from my twt if it feels weirdly paced and chopped it's because i just copy and pasted from different posts

Mikey probably started with the want of learning more about medicine after leo ends up in a coma.

Kind of like a brutal awakening that his older brothers are not invincible

until that point he probably helped both donnie and leo with basic first aid, since in 2012, the brothers all seem to know some sort of basic medical knowledge to a certain point (raph carries a first aid with him in half shell heroes meaning they all probably have their own).

Mikey probably sees leo burdened with his father's shadow and the weight of being the leader and letting everyone down, raph so worried about them at all times and so angry at himself for not being able to protect his family better, donnie mostly always stressed out. with no sleep. always having to FIX something and all this probably make mikey realize that putting being a medic on top of any of his brothers would just be for the worst so he decides to take it into himself to specialize in that part.

Mikey would ask help for getting more information to study about medicine and turtle health veterinary from both donnie and april (april would love to help +she can get more physical aid like books from libraries and such while donnie is the one brother who doesn't actually mind what mikey asks him and also actually answers his questions with facts). While studying he most probably would forget a lot about the scientific or actual names for different things so he would just make up his own designations because that way it makes sense to him (his brothers would all learn later on about mikey's own system perhaps because it's just them and it's not like mikey is going to go work at a hospital so it doesn't really affect them much).

Being the group medic just would fit him so well because hes very smart and not squeamish about A LOT of things in comparison to his brothers (throwback to when donnie did said he was actually squeamish in the show) so donnie probably would also encourage him in his studies and even try to help him to retain info with different methods that actually work with Mikey (because of adhd brain) like making references to his favorite show or comics while learning medical info to make it easier for him to focus.

The fact that mikey is the most perceptive of his brothers and also the one to keep a cool head when all of the other ones are losing it, would be factors that help him while being the medic as well.

Mikey being the smallest one and fastest of his brothers so hes probably the only one who could make it to any of them in record time if needed be.

I feel like, since 2012 mikey is the one brother who uses his skateboard the most, he probably would start bringing his skate strapped to his shell everywhere because he can use it as an emergency medical stretcher to move his brothers around in the case he was not able to carry them around physically

maybe even begging leo for a longboard later on because they are bigger which, again, could help him in emergency situations.

Thinking also on how leo probably didn't really talk much about the healing hands technique with his brothers so mikey probably unlocked the healing hands in his own way and in a really high stress situation where the sheer willing force was just wanting to help his family.

Mikey would definitely sing staying alive while giving cpr: muttering the lyrics along in a frenetic way while punching his brother's chest, because of their plastrons, and trying to get him to breath again all while listening his other brothers yells be deafened by the sound of lasers pass by over their heads.

And after being home and safe, he'd give everyone those lollipops right after quickly making sure none of them are dealing with a concussion (he is but hes fine, he promises).

Extra: some replies in twt that i also wanted to share here

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

hello! sorry to bother you but i am currently working on character designs for my next d&d campaign. i am creating a winged elf inspired by avariels, and he will have some form of physical disability which causes them to be unable to fly. however, i am not very educated about physical disabilities, so do you know any which might affect limbs such as wings and any ways i could portray life with them and accommodations for them in a respectful way? any tips are appreciated. thank you :)))

Wing disabilities are a bit harder to research than regular human limb disabilities, but you might be amused to learn that the very first thing i found upon a quick search for bird wing deformities was something called "angel wing", found in many different bird species. I've linked the article I found. It develops over time and can be corrected, but obviously when it happens in wild birds they have no means to fix it on their own and it becomes permanent.

Angel wing is a deformation of the wrist area, making it droop and then turn outwards. Once it's permanent, the crooked shape of the wing makes flight impossible. If a winged humanoid had this problem, they would need to worry about things like how far the crooked wing sticks out, maybe bracing it to alleviate chronic pain. I'm sure something like that would cause pain, even if it wasn't mentioned in the article. It may be helpful to clip the feathers on that part of the wing, so they're not in the way. Finding a comfortable sleep position may also be a bit tricky.

Other possible wing disabilities which I have not researched at all but sound like plausible congenital issues for people with wings:

- underdeveloped wings. They never get big enough for flight, maybe the feathers never grow in properly, possibly they're also shaped wrong for flight. Could come with chronic pain, weak muscles/atrophy, etc.

- missing wing. Somehow just didn't develop a wing, or developed a nub where the wing should be. Could also be missing just the "hand" part of the wing.

- general feather growth problems. Weak feathers, feathers that come in short, chronic molting that causes a lot of unhelpful bald patches, etc.

- chronic joint pain. Wings appear to be normal, but the joints hurt a lot and movement is difficult.

You can also go the route of disability by injury, having a wing broken or amputated or otherwise harmed in a way that is difficult or impossible to recover from.

Overall, the accommodations needed could include pain relief, a brace to keep the wing in a comfortable folded position, feather clipping, massages, etc. Mobitiy aids to let this character fly without the use of their wings is easy to handle in fantasy because you could give him an enchanted flying device of some sort. Magical prosthetic wing might work, but that depends on the disability you're working with and also wing prosthetics are pretty tricky. It would not be as functional as a real wing. If the wings are fully grown and intact, but the problem is something like joint pain, then a flight brace to steady the wings could be useful. They'd only be able to fly for short bursts though, probably. But it would be akin to giving someone leg braces so they can walk, while also having access to crutches or a wheelchair. You can work with your dm on figuring out what's allowed in the campaign setting.

As for being respectful in how you portray the character, I think the most important thing is to let them be a full person. The disability is obviously a major part of their life, but they ought to have more personality than that. Hobbies, interests, attitude.

They're also allowed to be sad about the disability, but this should not be their main defining trait. I think it is pretty normal to be sad that you have a physical difference preventing you from doing something other people can easily do. The problem in fictional characters who are sad about their disabilities is that it often becomes Their Entire Thing and then the character arc is either "so I became evil about it" or "and then they died" or "but there was a magical perfect fix!" all of which obviously don't respect the reality of being disabled. But making them totally happy go lucky about it also doesn't work. So you just need the middle area there, as that's the most realistic one. How does it feel to have a permanent disability? Well, it ends up feeling pretty normal when you're used to it. Sometimes it sucks a lot. Sometimes you hardly pay attention to it. Focus on making your character emotionally varied and give them an interesting personality that makes their interactions with other characters more fun.

Roleplay games are great for that, because you'll have to mesh with the group and really flesh out your character relationships as you go.

Anyway I hope that was all helpful! No illustrations to show, because I'm sleepy today. But good luck with your character! And maybe go check out @cripplecharacters for extra advice on generalized disability rep if you haven't already!

[yourstarvic]

Summary: Starting a new job is always exciting. Especially with it's taking care of four hungry Jackals. So, here you are, working your way with their crazy antics and filling in for an advertisement.

Pairing: MSBY Jackals x Manager!reader, no romantic pairs...(yet? Still thinking about it...Maybe do a poll? Let me know what ya'll think)

Prev - Masterlist - Next

Another day at work, another day that wasn’t your day off.

Standing far from the quiet wing spiker, watching as the makeup artist touch him up. You smiled as Sakusa did his best not to make a scowl, hating people close to him, especially his face. Tearing your eyes away, you looked around, seeing how everyone was running around, fixing the set, making sure the cameras were working and position correctly. Seeing as everyone was went around their business, you had one thought, “Why did I had fill the PR job!”

It’s wasn’t that you were complaining, it was an honest questions. You were new, little over a month to the job, and sure you have done PR jobs, being a volleyball manager in college, you know a bit. But why you? All you wanted was to sleep in and enjoy what was supposed to be your day off. But you had to admit, the set did look amazing. Shooting a cologne ad, the directors went in the direction of wanting to be sexy and seductive, while also staying classy. You didn’t know there was something this grand in Osaka. The grand staircase, the crystal chandelier, the decor, it felt you were on the set of the Phantom Of the Opera. 

Noticing the people around Sakusa have left, you saw an opening to go to the only person you know. You took a good look at him, the makeup did amazing on enchanting his feature, especially with a silk black button up, the top buttons open for his chest breath through, and paired perfectly with black slacks, you needed to remind yourself you have a boyfriend waiting for you at home. 

“Are you nervous?” You asked, approached him carefully, not wanting to ruin his mood more than it already was.

Clicking his tongue, his dark eyes stared down at you. You never know what he was thinking, always having a cold expression. “I should be asking you,” Sakusa voice had some concern, you think it did, laced in his voice. “You seem nervous.”

“I guess it’s a bit intimidating,” You hummed, looking around once more. 

“Sorry, that your were dragged into this.”

“Don’t worry about it,” You smiled at the spiker, noticing how his expression soften that you held no ill-temp of coming with him to the event. “This seems really cool, especially seeing the behind the scenes of an cologne ad. It would be fun being filmed.”

You giggled when Sakusa rolled his eyes, an annoyance painted his face as he crossed his arms, “Nothing fun about being filmed.”

“That bad?”

“The lighting make it hot and sweaty,” Sakusa listed, “having people close to me, telling me what to do, what to wear, how act. It’s annoying. I though you’ve done this before?”

“Not like this,” Looking around at the everyone. Seeing how much money was spent to create this ad. “The most I’ve done was help advertise the volleyball club durning my college years.”

“Some experience is still good experience.”

“Not in this case.”

“Sakusa Kiyoomi!” A man’s voice echoed throughout the hall. Turning behind you, you saw a man walking towards the two of you, dressed in a designer clothing, something you always thought a director would dress. You sniffle the giggle, seeing him fit the director stereotype. With open arms, he forcefully pulled Sakusa into a hug, making your face turned into concern as you saw the irradiated tick appearing on the poor spiker head. “So good to see you here! Happy they you are part of this! Big fan! Go Wolves!

“Jackals,” Sakusa corrected, final out of the mans arms and dusting himself off.

“Same thing,” the director waved off, “The model should be here getting ready, in the mean time-”

“Actually, sir,” you guessed it was his assistant, seeing how close and documents she had in her arms. “The model won’t be coming in.”

“What do you mean she isn’t coming it!”

“Something happened and-”

“You!” His finger now appeared in front of top you face, making you blinked at the suddenness of his voice. “You seem the same size as the model,” he then circled you, making you look at Sakusa in nervousness, shaking your head at him as you have a feeling you know what was going to happen. “Nice completion, hair could use a touch up, make up as well,” he snapped his finger, looking back at him as you rapidly shook your head no, “get her dressed up!”

“She doesn’t have any experience,” Sakusa countered, seeing the panic expression on your face as you were rushed to get dressed. “She’s just a manager, she doesn’t have what it takes to be on film, especially to replace a modal.”

Harsh, you thought, sending a glare at Sakusa, who only ignored your eyes. But the director did not care what words was said, telling those around him his vision of what the ad should be. Happy, that nothing will stop his effort of creating the greatest piece of his work.

You were soon standing in front of Sakusa, feeling the thing martial of the silk black dress that was held tightly by a corset, with the off the should sleeved loosely on your arms. You makeup was done and hair was done beautiful by the makeup artist. You only saw yourself when passed by a mirror, not able to appreciated how you look, but you had a feeling you looked amazing. A telling sign was those around you loudly whispered how beautiful you looked, making your cheeks heat up. 

Seeing his eyes widen at your appearance, you felt small. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you tried to lift the off the shoulder straps up to cover at lest your shoulders, but they only fell gracefully down. “Don’t look so surprise,” you mumbled, looking at everything but him.

“No, um,” He hesitated, looking away from your form for a bit before looking back at you. “You look good.”

“I knew it would fit,” the director gleefully came to you, looking at you with pride. “Now we film!”

Sakusa was right, filming was not fun. Not fun at all.

Having to retake the same gesture, walking, even a hand on on a shoulder, everything needed to be done until it was deem perfect by the director. You were exhausted. With the director issuing a five minutes break, you placed your hands on the railing, enjoying no one telling you what to do. 

“(L/n)-San,” your heard your name called out behind you. Answering with a hum, your head slowly perked at one of the makeup staff. With the brush and palate prepared in her hands, you turned your body with a sigh, smiling at her with a nod, understanding what was needed to do. Touching up your makeup for the majority of the time. When she finished, you thanked her before she walked off. 

“Still think this is fun?” Sakusa asked, walking up to you with a cocky smirk.

“Shut up,” You mumbled. Leaning your back against the cold railing, you placed your hand on either side of you. You ignored Sakusa chuckle, rolling your eyes, “Sorry for assuming this would be fun.”

Sakusa about to respond back, but before he could, the loud voice of the director boomed, causing you to quickly turned around, looking below to see what he was saying. “A vision!” He exclaimed, Placing his hand over his eyes as he woo over the idea he had. “I was blessed by an angel! I know the perfect scene to do! (L/n), Sakusa! All thanks to you! You are my inspiration! My muse! Quickly get everything ready! You two! Stay where you are!”

Everyone quickly buzzed around at his order, getting everything ready for the next scene. Glancing at Sakusa, next to you, you scrunched your face in confusion. Sakusa didn’t turned to look at you, rather he just clicked his tongue in annoyance as he glared at the director. Does he know something? You thought, blinking at his behavior as you looked down to the director as he quickly raced to the two of you. 

He quickly told you his vision that was graced to him by the angels above. Telling you what you need to do, need to feel, need to act, he described everything that was expected. With each word he describe to you, the warmer your face felt. Leaving right as he finished, you stood in shock, not knowing to express what to feel. Everything you done today was innocent, just a walk, maybe a small spin, a dance, a hand on the arm but this? This is madness.

Looking at the Jackal next to you, you knew what expression to feel: upset. There, written in his face was disgust. Scoffing at him, you started to get in the position the director wanted you to be. “You don’t have to look so disgust,” You spoke with a sneer, trying to hid your upset. “This isn’t ideal for me either.”

“I just don’t want to do it,” He mumbled, getting in position. “I’m tired of this."

There the two of you were, your back against the railing as Sakusa trapping you in. The director yelled a start to practice. Sakusa eyes bore into your as you only stared at him. Taking the lead, a hand gently touched your lower back, making you tense as it lightly grazed up your back. His face moved closer to yours, closing your eyes tightly shut, and slowly breathed to calm your frantic nerves. To others around you, it looked as if he was about to kiss your lips, but he then slowly titled his neck. Wanting to move his face into your neck, his lips accidentally graced your skin, making you open your eyes in shock with a sharp gasp, causing Sakusa to halt his movement, his eyes glancing back to your face, looking for any discomfort to-

“Why did you stop!” The director yelled in anger and disappointment. “It was perfect! The tension! It was erratic! It was sexy! It was perfect! Again! And this time we are filming! No way we’re missing this.”

Releasing a shaky breath, you placed a hand on your cheeks, feeling how hot your face become. You felt Sakusa eyes looking at you with a hint on concern, to which you only shook your head and let out a determined huff, “Let’s get this over with.”

Going back into position, the direction then yelled action. Trapping you between his arms, slowly trailing a hand from your lower back to your upper back. Closing in to your face and ducking into your neck. With his now moving to your shoulders, he lightly grazed his fingertip on your arms, goosebumps appearing in trails with his touch. With his fingers now having through yours, he slowly raising it closer to his face. Saying the phrase that was needed to him, he place a gently kiss on your pulse, making your breath hitched in your throat. Saying the catchline of the cologne, he then ducked his face and buried in your neck, having a tight hold on your wrist as-

“Cut!” The voice boomed with pride and excitement. With those words, you and Sakusa pushed away from each other, you feeling embarrassed about the whole situation while him, you assumed was the personal space. But why is there is tint of red on his cheeks? “Fantastic! Amazing! Now, do it again! But this time add-”

Never doing an advertisement again, you thought.

With filming finally over, your body felt tired from the embarrassment events from today. Now back in your regular clothing, you hold a garment bag close to you, at least finding something positive of the day, keeping the beautiful dress you wore. Sakusa, who was also back in his own clothing, also hold a garment bag filled with the clothing from the shoot, listening to what the director and producer were saying about the ad. You weren’t listening, it required to much of your energy, and it was something you were lacking of at the moment. And if there was a question regarding the shoot, you could always ask Sakusa about it when the moment arise.

A farewell broke you out of your tired trance, smiling as they left, the director swooning over the amazing shoot and the producer keeping a cool stance as they walked away, you breathed out in relief that the day was officially over. You turned to face Sakusa, about to mention how excited you were going home, but the moment his eyes looked at yours, you quickly tuned away. Thinking about the final scene in your head, you still felt the longing touch on your wrist and neck. Your face instantly started to heat up at the thought.

“Sakusa-San,” your voice cut through sharply. A sudden thought appeared to you. This ad will be seen by everyone. Given they told you in the beginning they will do their best not to show your face when publishing it, but the thought of the your team, family, and friends seeing it haunted you. “Tell anyone about this, and I’ll cough on you.”

“I-”

“Tell anyone that it was me,” You cut him off, sending him a warning look that made the tall man finch in fear, “I’ll sneeze on you.”

Sakusa only nodded at you, fear of saying anything to you would only increase the threats. Especially when you suddenly smiled at him and walked with a bounce on your step, him following you as you cheerfully said, “Now, let’s go home!”

Prev - Masterlist - Next

Notes: Hey! hope ya'll are enjoying it! I'm going to try and post once a week but if I don't please don't hate me <3 also 🫣 can you tell Sakusa is my favourite 🫣

Taglist: @usermins @walllflowerrrsss

[sibillascribbles08]

Man I've written 28 fics for rise, that's insane, anyway here's a master post, sort of? I realized some people either A) may not know how many different fics I've written or B) not realized "oh he wrote that" sooo

One Shots

Don't You Care? – Donnie and Leo centric, post-movie. Donnie isn't always great with feelings, and when he fails to understand Leo's, he tries to find a way to fix it. Doing so forces him to unpack some of his own thoughts on their victory over the kraang as well.

To Bridge a Canyon of your Own Design – Splinter centric, post-movie, a bit of a retrospective on his relationship with his sons, his depression, and him trying to move away from his unhealthy coping mechanisms.

I Didn't Vote for You – Leo's the leader now, and Donnie always finds ways to argue with him about it. Leo wants to find out why Donnie has such a problem with how he's trying to lead the team, but it turns out that isn't the problem. It's simply the fact that Leo's the leader at all.

I'd Give Anything – Donnie-centric. A slightly alternate take on the movie's ending where instead of just firing a drill into the portal, Donnie jumped in, and ends up losing an arm in the process. But he has to kind of piece all of that together as he recovers in the med bay, talking to each of his family members.

Grappling With Things Beyond Your Control – Gift fic for my friend Bat! Donnie-centric, post season 2. Suddenly getting ninpo with no prior training causes Donnie's powers to start to run amok, and on top of that he has to help his family not only find a new home but move into one. It's a lot to balance, maybe too much to balance.

Four Turtles in your Corner (Store) – A silly fic about April being out of supplies for her period, and in desperation sends the boys to go get her some. I'm sure four reptilian mutants have competent knowledge on what humans need for things like this.

Now Lie In It – Big Bang fic! Takes place during season 2. Leo won't sleep, and ends up getting on Donnie's nerves. The softshell's solution to the problem is a simple sleep potion, but when he pours too much into Leo's tea his brother won't wake up. Time to force April and Draxum to go find an antidote while he hides his mistake from the rest of his family. (it sounds angsty but it's comedic, actually)

What Will You Leave Behind – Big Bang fic! Doomed timeline, Raph centric. Raph is the first of his siblings to die during the war. And while he does everything he can to be their ever present pillar as they eventually follow after, he can't help but loathe the fact that the ones still down there are suffering and he can't do anything to help.

My Words Died With You – Gift fic for Bat! Doomed timeline, Donnie centric. Donnie quit speaking when Raphael died, months later he still isn't. His family tries to help him cope with this, even Raphael does from the afterlife, but it may not be enough.

VHHB series

(These are all post-movie)

My Roommate the Troubled Time Traveler (One Shot) – Casey and Draxum centric. Casey Jones Jr. isn't coping too great with being in the present, and trying to live in the lair isn't helping. So Mikey has the GREAT idea to convince Draxum to let Casey be his roommate. The alchemist thinks this is a terrible idea, but he might be able to help the kid far more than he realizes.

Violet Hues and Holly Blue (Completed) – Donnie centric. 8 months after the kraang invasion and Donnie's been the reigning champ in the Battle Nexus for a while, in his attempts to improve his mystic abilities. But this draws the attention of a business focused wasp named Holly Blue who offers to help sell his tech designs in the Hidden City. Donnie ends up agreeing, having to keep that secret from his family too, but eventually they're going to find out. (This is only a partial summary haha sorry, fic is heckin long)

Missing Pages – Just some VHHB extras, but hey it features Big Mama being herself, Lou Jitsu maiming some people, Donnie dealing with past blood on his hands and uuuuh Leo and Holly becoming friends (what a mood whiplash)

You Are Loved (Completed)– Two-shot fic about the Caseys (of the Senior and Junior variety). Casey Jr. wants to know why his ninpo sprung up so suddenly, and in his search to find out discovers his family is much closer than he realizes. Meanwhile Cassandra is struggling with her place among the Hamatos, it doesn't help when she finds out they're keeping a pretty big secret from her. Hopefully they can make it up to her.

The Sun and Icarus (Completed) – Mikey-centric. He's been doing pretty good at developing his mystic abilities lately, but now they're starting to explode, pretty violently. And it turns out if this keeps up the whole ordeal could just kill him. Better find a way to put a cap on it, or something to that effect. (Wow more power overloading fics from ME)

Girls' Night (One Shot) – April centric one shot, also April/Sunita. She's just trying to have a fun night out with the girls, inviting Holly Blue along for the ride, but maybe that was a mistake because in her attempts to playfully tease the wasp, she's suddenly forced to confront her own crush.

And For my Next Trick (One Shot) – Leo-centric one shot. Leo's getting frustrated with his lack of progress on his mystic powers, and with Hueso's advice decides to shift his focus to a different kind of magic, stage magic. With Hueso Jr.'s help, he plans to put on an entire show, which should be fine if some other magician doesn't show up to steal the show.

Look Up Hero in the Dictionary (Completed) – Raph centric. Raph's feeling a bit too idle in the city lately, with only minor crimes going on, but in his wish for something exciting a strange explosion happens at an apartment building. He attempts to help everyone escape, but a yokai holding the building together stays behind, and on top of that charges Raph with the task to take care of her child. Have fun taking care of a powerful psychic seven-year old, Raph.

What You're Made Of (One Shot) - Casey Jr. centric. Casey is getting frustrated with discovering weird things about his body like skin problems and peanut allergies. Draxum suggests he find out who his other parent is to get an idea of his genetic history, but when he finds out who it is, he's kind of ticked off that his family never told him. (this is a bio dad Raph fic for the record).

The Knight and the Dragon (Completed) - Jasonnie centric. Episodic chapters about Donnie and Jason learning to be friends and then becoming more than friends. Very sappy, a bit of angst, a lot of me making up lore about Jason.

Here's To You Holly Blue (Completed) - Grief fic, OC, Donnie and Leo focused. Takes place roughly 17 years later when Holly Blue's health takes a drastic drop and she won't be coming out of it.

Off Colors AU (Separated AU)

Off Colors: Contrasts (Completed) - Covers season 1. Leonardo's spent most of his life believing he's an only child because his little brother was kidnapped when they were only toddlers. But a rescue mission to the Hidden City with his best friend April results in him finding out he actually has three siblings. And in the span of a couple of weeks he finds out all of them are alive and, unfortunately, working for bad guys. He's going to try everything he can to stop them and convince them to come home, but it may be a fools errand.

Other Chaptered Fics

An Alien Invasion Happened but That's Not Really What This is About (Completed) - Long ass title. Jason-centric. Hi I wrote a novella sized fic about what happens to this kid during and after the events of the movie. Watch him attempt badly to cope with trauma while also fixing his relationship with his very queer dad who loves him a lot.

Artificial Phoenix (Completed) – Lou Jitsu died in the arena but then Big Mama said no no no! So Draxum brings him back to life while mutating four turtles so Lou Jitsu said NO NO NO! And he took them and ran. Alternate take on the events of the show, where Splinter is undead and unmutated, and unfortunately does not keep his soul in his body the entire time, leaving his sons grieving and desperate to get him back.

Jasonnie things

Not Part of the Plan (One Shot) – Donnie centric. Despite knowing time travel exists, Donnie is still surprised to find his future self in his lab. But his excitement at the possibilities is swiftly crushed as his future self has an easy time embarrassing him. He hopes he can at least gather some useful information in the process, but he slowly begins to wonder if he even wants answers to all these questions.

You Have to Let Him Go (One Shot) – Donnie centric also sad as hell. I literally just wanted to write about how Donnie's husband hecking dies. Read this if you want to be miserable. (or if you hate Jase I guess ??? alskdjf man got char grilled (I have to make jokes to keep myself from being upset shh))

I'll Put the Knife in Your Hand (Completed) – Well, now that Donnie heard about his possible future husband, he's determined to at least get to know the guy. Unfortunately his family is far more cautious about this than he seems to be. AKA Four times Donnie's family believes Jase is planning to stab him in the back, and the one time he actually does.

ERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (One Shot) - Donnie is messing around with his mind machine again, and in the process ends up erasing part of his memory. Specifically the memories about Jase, and Jase is barely handling this well. Good thing Donnie's brothers who totally and absolutely are on good terms with Jase are there to help. Maybe.

Dual Dragons (One Shot) - Collab fic with @there-wolf ! A fic in which our versions of Jason end up encountering each other and even switching universes temporarily, giving them a window into how their life could be different (for better or worse).

[megantronusprime]

y'all ever think about the 10 years engie spent as a roughneck in the oilpatch? because I do.

Like, do you think he was trying to break away from the family legacy of becoming a mercenary? that maybe that boy in the picture, trying his father's goggles wanted nothing more than to be an engineer just like his daddy - even had a natural knack for it too, said his dad, just like him and his father before him - and was too young to see clearly the toll it took on him and his family? do you think that, as he got older, he would begin to recognize the extremes his father and grandfather went to for their work, obsessing over it, even experimenting on their own bodies. do you think he came across his mother crying at the kitchen table late one night, unable to recognize the loving man she married who now never came home and obsessed over his work, and decided right then and there that he wasn't going to be that man to his family? that he was going to forge his own path - be his own man, and break free from the Conagher family curse?

so, maybe, at the age of 18, he began working as a roughneck in the oilfields of west Texas. It was hard manual labour, long days spent on drilling rigs with the Texas sun beating down on him, but it was good money, and though some of his coworkers were rough most of them were good enough guys and he along with most of 'em. and hey, sometimes maybe there were even on-the-spot practical problems to be solved - issues with the drill that in a fast-paced environment like that couldn't wait for a proper tech to come around and solve? and in those moments, engie would step in and fix the issue quickly, working without hesitation, like it was second nature to him. And maybe his coworkers would always remark upon his natural aptitude? ("you're in the wrong line of work, Dell.") Maybe he would shrug it off, say it weren't nothin' - just hung around his father a lot growin' up and learned a thing or two - but deep inside, he hoped for more of those opportunities to fix things, and maybe those little moments of on-the-spot fixes were the very things he looked forward to most. And maybe, even as he gained a reputation for being a mr. fix-it amongst his coworkers, given odd things outside of work to tinker on, it wasn't enough. maybe slowly, over the years, with each thing he worked on, the flames of his intellectual curiosity were stoked more and more, until eventually, he went back home and visited his mom, during his week off. And, late one night, against his better judgement, he went into his father's workshop - untouched, everything covered in a layer of dust (he hadn't been home in years). he knew he shouldn't. He could feel the gnawing at him, the voice demanding him to give in to his intellectual curiosity and follow in his father's footsteps getting louder. He had been trying to fight it, but he finally reached his breaking point and went into his father's blueprints. that was what tipped him over the edge. He spent the whole night, locked away in his father's workshop, poring over each design, his mind racing with ideas of how he could make it better. He couldn't stand it anymore, he needed more. When the sun came back up again, Dell informed his mother that after 10 years, he was quitting his job and enrolling for university. and although he was certain that he would not become the same man his father and grandfather was, as sure as he would be an engineer, but do it differently and not succumb to the family curse. And although his mother smiled, ever gentle and encouraging of her son, coffee mug in hand, there was a sadness in her eyes. Because she knew that Dell always had the same tenacity and obsessive intellectual curiosity his father has. And if Dell was going to do this, there was no moderation. He was going to fling himself into it completely, lose sleep, lose focus of everything else. And she was right.

...

OR maybe he always knew he was going to be an engineer and was like, "well, I'm going to do a whole lot of schooling, so what's the best way to save up for tuition? oh yeah! work in the oilfield for a few years :)" lol

[hannahbarberra162]

Can't Fix Fix A Broken Heart, Chapter 20

18+ MDNI

on Ao3 All chapters

Don't let sexy pirates push your boundaries. No matter how nice they seem.

Y/N POV

Deuce didn’t want you leaving the infirmary that night, so you spent your time staring out the window and not thinking. Thatch stayed with you until Deuce made him leave, saying the infirmary beds weren’t designed for two and that you needed rest. Thatch made you promise to come to him as soon as you were discharged in the morning. You couldn’t sleep even though you were bone weary. You couldn’t even gather your thoughts, you were lost in an unrelenting brain fog. It felt like you were adrift on a raft in a turbulent sea, waiting for something to happen. 

Deuce made a final round for the night, poking his head in your door.

“Y/N, are you still awake?” You turned your head to the direction of his voice.

“Yeah,” you croaked out. 

“I can give you something for sleep, if you’d like,” he said placidly. You considered it for a moment, but the thought of taking anything unsettled you.

“No, thank you.” You turned back to the window to watch the moon, but Deuce came in and shut the door behind him. He stood near the bed, awkwardly cracking his knuckles. He seemed uncomfortable.

“You know, I used to be with Ace.”

“As a first mate,” you replied. Ace had told you the story of how they met on Sixis and he got his devil fruit.

“That too, but I mean romantically. We used to be a couple.” That was news to you - Ace had never mentioned that.

“I broke it off with him after a while. He’s a great person, a great leader, a great Commander. I would be his first mate again in a heartbeat. But he can be extreme in his emotions, especially affection. He’s a…passionate man.” Your eyebrows knitted together at the end of Deuce’s statement. This was the second warning you’d gotten - first from Tate, now from Deuce. He wasn’t offering help, just alerting you to what you already knew. You felt like your raft on the water was approaching a tidal wave.

“Thanks Deuce.” You didn’t know what else to say.

“Goodnight, I’ll see you in the morning.” Deuce seemed relieved to have delivered his message and was ready to end the conversation there. 

“Goodnight.”

~~~

The next morning Deuce discharged you from the infirmary. As promised, you went to go see Thatch. You knew you were physically OK to work, but you still didn’t feel like yourself again. You were having wandering negative thoughts about the event as well as your reaction to it. You felt intense shame about being overwhelmed by something as simple as a dark room. You wished you could go hide in a closet but you knew you’d be punished. You trudged along the halls, making your way to the kitchen. You looked inside, watching Thatch instruct a younger sibling on knife cutting technique. He looked authoritative in that moment, with the younger pirate listening attentively to his every word. 

You poked your head all the way, gaining his attention.

“Oi, mami! Hold on, I’m on my way,” Thatch yelled, beaming at you. Others looked up and a few gave you a knowing smile. It embarrassed you that everyone knew you dined alone with Thatch. Maybe you’d talk to him today about getting back into the mess hall. You waited silently, taking stock of the kitchen happenings. You should do some of the dishes as a thank you for covering while you took Thatch away from the kitchens last night. You felt bad that their Commander kept having to leave to take care of you. You’d get to the dishes after breakfast, or maybe after lunch. You were feeling too on edge to be around a lot of people right now. 

Thatch wiped his hands off on a kitchen rag and grabbed a plate of food. He kissed the top of your head then led you out of the kitchen with an arm around your waist. You weren’t hungry - your stomach felt like it was twisted in knots. You allowed yourself to be led out to the dining room and sat on Thatch’s lap. He attempted to feed you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to eat. You hoped he wouldn’t be too mad.

“I’m sorry, my stomach hurts. I’m not very hungry right now.” You cringed at how pathetic you sounded. 

“OK cari ñ a . Do you need to go back to the infirmary?” Thatch asked kindly, like he was talking to a child. You shook your head. You didn’t think there was anything they could do to help you. This always happened to you after an event like yesterday. One time you hadn’t been able to eat for nearly a week after you freaked out.

“Just sit with me for a few minutes and drink some juice. Yesterday was a long day for you, no wonder you’re worn out.” You were spacing out again, nodding to whatever he asked you to do. You sipped the juice he brought to your lips, unable to concentrate on anything. Thatch was talking to you but you couldn’t parse what he was saying.

“I feel weird,” was all you said to him. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured to you. “Maybe you should rest more until you feel better. Doesn’t that sound nice? To relax and lay in bed? You can go to my room and I’ll make sure you’re ok. Would you let me do that? Do your worrying for you?” You nodded along with his words. Maybe it would be nice to let him do the worrying. Maybe you should listen. You got off his lap and waited for Thatch to stand up and lead you away.

~~~

Later that day you felt a little better. You’d spent the day relaxing in Thatch’s room, dozing off occasionally, and zoning out. He’d brought you food in the afternoon and fed you a few bites. Your stomach still hurt and you weren’t hungry. Thatch warned you that if you didn’t eat more he’d have to alert Marco when he returned. That scared you enough to eat a slice of bread. You didn’t want Marco to be angrier at you than he already would be. 

It was the mid afternoon and you were lightly snoozing in the space between reality and dreaming. You heard the door open and close and felt the bed dip on the side. You opened an eye and saw Thatch sitting near you with a yellow bundle.

“Wake up Amorcita, ” he said gently. “I have something for you.” You exhaled and sat up, stretching your arms over your head.

“Here,” he said, passing you the bundle. It was a yellow sundress. You touched the light, gauzy cotton fabric. It was an A-line dress with a ruched bust and a sweetheart neckline. It was cute and would look lovely on almost anyone.

“It’s for you, for dinner tonight. We’re dressing up.” You scrunched your nose trying to remember if there was a party. 

“Why? Did something happen? What’s the crew celebrating?” 

“No, no. Only you and I are dressing up. We’re having a special dinner together,” he said amusedly. 

“It almost sounds like a date,” you said, your smile reaching your eyes.

“ Mami, it IS a date,” he said. “I want you to wear this. Maybe I’ll even let you sit on your own chair.” He finished his statement with a wink.

“Wha-why? You don’t need to - I don’t need a special - I can’t take - “ you were flustered and tried to give him back the dress. Thatch crossed his arms in displeasure, causing your words to dry out on your tongue. You brought the fabric back to your chest. Thatch reached out and patted your exposed leg.

“We’re doing this because I want to. Not because I need to. Dinner’s the same time as always.” He watched you awkwardly fiddle with the fabric. You weren’t sure if you felt up to it tonight, but Thatch wasn’t asking. 

“ Tesora , you deserve to have nice things. You deserve to be treated like the incredible woman you are. Trust me.” He leaned in and kissed your lips softly. 

So for the first time in almost a decade, you were going on a date.

~~~

Thatch POV

A few hours later and you were wearing the yellow sundress and a pair of espadrilles you’d likely borrowed from one of the nurses. You were walking along the deck on your way to him and turning heads with every step. You looked absolutely enchanting without trying. But you were uncomfortable and didn’t know what to do with the attention, looking like you wanted to hide. Thatch was on the top deck as well, watching the situation play out. He had been dropping off a nutritious snack to Oyaji when you emerged, his last task before he was off duty. He lost his concentration when giving Oyaji his food. Thatch felt a friendly pat on the back.

“Can I expect a grandchild soon, my son?”

The comment startled Thatch out of his reverie and back to Oyaji.

“Sorry about that Pops,” he said, embarrassed at being caught slacking. “I’m not sure how soon but I wouldn’t be opposed,” he said musingly. You’d just come on board, they still wanted to have their fun unhindered. But thinking about you pregnant with their child was very appealing. A passing idea had Thatch wondering when Marco could get some fertility drugs. 

Oyaji laughed and took the platter that Thatch was still holding up. He hadn’t moved since he saw you walking across the deck.

“GRARARARARARA, well don’t keep an old man waiting too long. Enjoy your night.” With that, Oyaji clapped him lightly on the shoulder and Thatch was dismissed.  He ran up behind you, putting a hand on your clothed upper back. He’d made sure that the dress covered your entire back to make you feel as comfortable as possible. You flinched, and turned around. Your eyes widened as you took in his appearance. He was wearing a linen gray version of his normal outfit, complete with yellow sash. 

“Oh, we match,” you said, fingering the sash at his neck. With the heels you were a few inches taller but still much shorter than he was.

“ Claro, mija. How else will everyone know we’re a couple?” Your lips pressed into a thin line.

“Don’t worry, Marco and Ace too. But right now it’s just you and me,” he said, bringing your hand to his mouth and kissing it.  Were you worried about Marco and Ace? How thoughtful of you. You tried to pull it away but Thatch didn’t let you.

“Are you embarrassed of my love, mi sol ?” Thatch said with a frown. Thatch knew that wasn’t the case but he wanted you to stop pulling away.

“N-no! No, it’s not that. I just feel exposed, like everyone is watching me.”

“They are. You’re the most beautiful thing here.” 

“Don’t say things like that.” You said, getting flustered.

“Why not? It’s true. Little by little, I’m going to have you believe me.” With that, he took your hand in his and led you to the private dining room. Thatch wanted to get you out of your own head and he thought a formal date might be a good way to do it. He had spent some time creating a romantic environment for your first date. There were long tapered candles on the table, creating a soft glow. He had put a white tablecloth on the table with yellow runners, accentuating the yellow theme between you. He decided to let you sit by yourself for this special occasion and the two place settings were gleaming in the dim light. There was an uncorked bottle of wine waiting for the two of you. He had cooked a special dinner separate from what the rest of the crew was eating, an excellent blue plated lobster. He’d had to trade in some favors to Namur to get it but it was worth it to spoil you.

Thatch walked you over to your chair and pulled it out for you. You sat down and put your napkin on your lap, etiquette kicking in despite your nerves. He poured you a glass of wine and watched you sip it daintily. 

“This is really beautiful, thank you Thatch,” you said while admiring the ambiance. 

“My pleasure, I wish I could do this for you every day. But for tonight, let’s enjoy the food, company, and wine.” Thatch served you some chili shrimp aperitifs to begin the meal. The conversation began haltingly since you were wound up, but between Thatch’s silver tongue and the wine it didn’t take long until you’d loosened up a little. Thatch was telling you stories about himself and Marco when they were young, ending in you heartily laughing at their foolishness. It was so endearing to hear you laugh and enjoy yourself. You had a light in your eyes and were fully in the present, enjoying your time. It felt like a real date, not like one on the Moby surrounded by siblings who would all hound him for details the second you were gone. 

After a light dessert, Thatch crossed over to the other end of the room where a music snail was dozing. He pressed some buttons on the side and it began to sing a slow song. Thatch walked back to you and extended his hand expectantly. 

“Oh, ah, I don’t know how to dance,” you blurted.

“Then allow me the pleasure of swaying with you in my arms,” Thatch replied. You looked up at him nervously but dutifully put down your napkin and took his hand. He pulled you up out of your chair and into his chest. He swept his arm around your waist, tugging you close to him. Like he said, he didn’t force you to do any actual dancing, though he suspected you would be good at it if he taught you. You just swayed together in time to the soft music. At the end of the song, Thatch spun you and brought you back to him, making you laugh lightly. 

Y/N POV

You were having a surprisingly good time on this date. It was almost…normal. Thatch was charming, thoughtful, and had cooked an incredible meal. He had told you funny stories about his and Marco’s past and even a few younger Ace stories you hadn’t heard yet. The food had been phenomenal and you’d been able to sit on your own chair for a change. You really didn’t know how to dance but that didn’t seem to bother Thatch. He happily swayed in place with you for a few songs. Then he started to spin you, dip you, and kiss your hand like you’d read about in books long ago. It was wonderfully romantic. You felt treasured, like someone was spending all their time and energy on making sure you were happy and pleased. 

After a while of dancing, Thatch leaned in and whispered into your ear.

“Come, cari ña . Let’s finish our dancing elsewhere.” He pulled you out of the dining room and along the halls to his room. You thought he would usher you into the room immediately to launch into more sexual activity but instead he leaned over your in the doorframe. You looked around - what did he want you to do?

“I walked you home, aren’t you supposed to thank me for the date?” Thatch supplied with a smile.

“Oh, ha! I guess yeah, you did,” you said awkwardly. “Thank you for the date. It was very nice, I enjoyed myself. Thank you for cooking, the food was marvelous.” You hooked your hair behind your ear. 

“And my goodnight kiss?” Thatch teased, still looming over you. You nodded. You guessed it was only fair to give him a kiss after he helped you yesterday and had put so much effort into tonight. You went up on your toes and put your arms on his biceps. You pulled him down slightly and he brought his face to yours. You pressed your lips onto his, not sure if he wanted more than a simple peck. You pulled back.

“Come now, surely I get more than that?” Thatch said sadly. OK, so he did want more. This time you put your hands on his shoulders and when he came down to you, you kissed his broad neck. You put one hand on the back of his head and the other by his carotid, feeling the blood pulse quickly in his veins. You littered kisses on his neck up towards his rugged jaw, licking and biting when the mood struck you. By the time you made it to his mouth, he was practically panting.

“We can’t stop now mami, you’re driving me crazy.” He reached behind you and turned the knob to his room and pushed you in gently. “It’s going to be a little different tonight,” Thatch said to you. You furrowed your brow. What did that mean? Different how?

Thatch started removing his clothing, starting by unbuttoning his shirt slowly. “Tonight,” he continued, “you get to take what you want.” He had removed his shirt and was sitting on the bed. “Come,” he said, motioning you over, “take.” 

You wobbled over to him. You weren’t sure if it was from the wine, his saving you the previous day, or his romantic notions, but you were actually in the mood. You sat on his lap facing him still wearing your sundress, your legs bent and shins resting on the bed. Thatch removed your shoes for you, dropping them one by one on the floor. You could feel the prominent bulge of his erection already and you’d hardly kissed. 

You had enjoyed making him want you when you kissed him earlier, so you resumed teasing him. You held his face in your hands and licked up the column of his neck, earning you a shudder. You kissed his neck and worked your way up to his ears, biting gently down on the lobes. Thatch growled and you started kissing him deeply and urgently, entwining your tongues. You started rolling your hips on his lap, seeking friction. You were still wearing your clothes so you moved the dress out of the way so your pussy was rubbing on his pants. Thatch reached under your dress to feel your ass.

“No panties?” he said, breaking away from the kiss. He grabbed the fleshiest part of your ass hard and pulled. “What a naughty little thing you are. On the first date too?” He smacked your ass lightly.

“They were all in the l-laundry,” you replied as you jumped with the smack. 

“Show me how wet you are already,” Thatch said, bringing his fingers towards your pussy. You lifted yourself up onto your shins so he could feel you. He rubbed his fingers through your slit, feeling the wetness leaking from you. 

“See how much you want me already? See how much you love me?” Thatch was murmuring to you while he started to stroke your pussy. You didn’t want to think about what he was saying so you regained your courage and pushed him backwards on the bed leaning over him. Thatch laughed and pulled your hips down, allowing you to grind harder on him. 

“What do you need mami ?” he asked imploringly. “Let me make you feel good,” he said, starting to unbuckle his belt. You helped him remove his pants and belt, leaving his proud cock to spring free. You’d never had sex with Thatch before - his girth was intimidating. You grabbed the bottom of the dress to pull it over your head, whipping it off in one fell swoop. You practically ripped your bra off your back - you hated those things anyway - freeing your breasts. Thatch couldn’t contain himself and reached up to roll your nipples with his fingertips. He then cupped your sensitive breasts, massaging them gently. You were ready for action so you aligned yourself and pushed yourself down onto the tip of his cock. You were rocking yourself down slowly, inch by inch. Thatch had a pained expression on his face as he allowed you to set the pace. 

“So perfect, so t-tight,” Thatch said as he pinched your nipples. He looked like he was in agony while you enjoyed the stretch of his cock. You finally bottomed out, feeling every inch of him deep in you. Thatch bucked up, causing you to move up and down. The movement felt so good you moaned. You started rocking forwards and backwards trying to get his cock to hit your most sensitive spot. Thatch reached between you and lightly stroked your clit as you were moving. To let him have better access, you switched to moving your hips in a tight circle, which made him groan. 

“Thatch, please, can you -” you were having trouble moving in a way that would get you closer to orgasm. It felt good but it wasn’t moving you towards your goal. Thatch didn’t respond, just pulled your torso closer with a hand on your back so he could suck on your tits while he bounced you on his cock. He had a hand on your hip, keeping you in place while he fucked you. You felt your pussy throb around him as he took control. You dug your nails into his chest and whined as you felt yourself starting to pulse with a coming climax.

“You love what I can do for you, you love the way I make you feel,” Thatch said to you. You nodded as he continued to pound into you from below.

“Say it,” Thatch commanded as he took his hand off your hip and rubbed his thumb on your clit.

“I l-love what you do,” you said, trying to chase the high. Thatch took his arm off your back and smacked your ass.

“No. You love the way I make you feel,” he said harshly. He started rubbing and fucking you slower to allow you to get the words out.

“I-i love the w-way you make me f-feel,” you choked out. 

“Again.” You were getting so close your toes were starting to curl.

“I love the w-way y-you m-make me feel!” you practically shouted.

“Good girl. Now let’s get you to come.” He rubbed you and fucked into you at a crushing pace. You felt the coil in your belly winding tighter and tighter until you finally shattered. Thatch didn’t stop until you had to plead with him. He pulled your sweaty torso down to rest on his. He rubbed your back while you caught your breath, hard cock still sheathed within you.

“More?” Thatch asked you, pushing your hair off your face.

“Mmhmmm,” you said dreamily. Thatch smiled and flipped you over, ready to grant your next wish.

~~~

By the end of the experience, you’d come at least four times and had screamed Thatch’s name so loud you were sure the whole ship had heard you. He’d made you express a few…weird things during sex, like how you needed him and how you loved being with him, but maybe that was just a kink he had. It wasn’t like he had made you say you loved him or anything. You were tuckered out as Thatch took care of you afterwards, cleaning you tenderly and bringing you late night tea. 

Thatch fell asleep quickly after pulling you to his side once you were settled for bed. But you couldn’t turn off your mind to sleep. You wanted to walk around or work or do something but you didn’t think you could. First, you could hear Thatch’s snoring and didn’t want to bother him by leaving the bed. He worked hard and was helping you a lot, even if some of it made you uncomfortable. He needed to sleep too, not just deal with your problems. Second, the last time you tried to leave he punished you, so you didn’t want to go anywhere. Which left you lying in the bed, fidgeting and fretting, biting your lips and pinching your fingers, watching the clouds outside the window. You didn’t think sleep was going to come tonight.

You were lost in thought when blue flames trailing outside the window startled you. Marco was back! You loved seeing his phoenix form and craned your neck to keep watching him. You saw his human head turn and look through the window, spotting you almost immediately. You made a small wave, making Marco smile serenely. You knew he was going to be upset you weren’t sleeping but there wasn’t much you could do, and you were following the rules. 

“Y/N, why are you awake at this hour?” Marco said through the open window. He hadn’t admonished you yet but you could sense it coming.

“Couldn’t sleep,” you whispered. Marco frowned.

“Hmm. I’ll get you to sleep. I’m just getting back now. My office, twenty minutes. No panties.” Marco gave you his orders and flew upwards to the deck. It didn’t sound like he was going to give you another cup of chamomile tea. 

[moon-alight]

Hi can I request a K (&team) headcanon when you guys move into youre own appartment and how Would Living with him be like thank you So much ♤♡

Hey! I'll only do the Hyung Line for this one since I cannot imagine the maknae line moving in with someone lol

Masterlist

&Team Hyung-Line moving in with their s/o

Warnings: one mention of sexual intercourse (only slightly), fluff

Word Count: 706

-K

-Moving in meant some organizing and he did not count on that many clothes coming from you

-Honestly, he was prepared to give you half his closet space but it was clear you needed more so he bought a new closet to store your stuff in

-He often comes home from work at unholy hours like 3 AM or 4 AM and if he sees you on the couch, he both melts as well as gets incredibly annoyed at you

-When you wake up he would say things like "You know the couch isn't comfortable enough to sleep on" or "don't stay up for me, it is not good for you."

-Cares about you a lot but this also means you argue sometimes about the stupidest things

-He just wants you to be safe and happy and you're fed up because he always tries to tell you how you should do things

-You work it out quickly though

-He likes to order food to the house whenever he is not home just so you know he thinks about you

-Will die whenever you cook for him (this man already bought a ring lol)

-Enjoys being able to hold you every night and tell you about his day even though you're already asleep because he came home at 5 AM

-Fuma

-On one hand he is very happy about you moving in with him, on the other hand he is afraid that he's rushing things (so assure him a lot)

-I am a sole believer Fuma is the cleanest from all the &Team members which is why he has organized e-very-thing!

-He even made space on the bed for your stuffed animals (which he finds oh so adorable) and even gave you a welcome home present

-Loves shopping with you for small things to add to your home like plants or plates that are pretty or maybe even a random duck which you put on the fireplace

-He is the one that constantly back-hugs you everywhere around the house.

-Also the one to have fucked you on every surface in the damn house

-Enjoys cleaning days because you're both just annoying one another with bubbles (which is also why he loves doing the dishes together)

-Definetely has one of those doormats outside which says 'home sweet home'

-If ya'll had a dog it would say 'bone sweet bone'

-Just the cutest lol

-Nicholas

-The menace of the &Team hyung line members

-Would love to watch horror movies together now that you live in the same house and purposely make you scared so you cuddle up to him more.

-Loves it when he wakes up in your shared bed knowing he can wake up like that forever.

-He was also the one to suggest you two live together in the first place.

-Whenever something breaks and need fixing he tells you not to call the plumber/mechanic/electrician but he can do it himself instead

-Cue to him getting electrocuted and you calling the electrician anyway

-He's very sulky after that but just ignore him

-He would also suggest drinking nights or game nights which involve drinking just so you can spend the next day together hungover

-It is never boring with him but please prevent him from doing shit himself because he will get hurt

-EJ

-So, so, so excited to finally be able to live with you together

-Takes you to IKEA to buy new furniture and makes you choose whatever you want because he trusts your taste in interior design

-You build the furniture together and absolutely get into countless arguments because of it

-You always make up though and whenever the furniture is done and completely put together, you celebrate with your favorite food.

-Also has a doormat but his one says 'Enter the Upside Down'

-Loves to decorate for halloween or christmas and definitely scares children when it's trick or treat

-He is the second cleanest on my list so expect him to always make sure the sheets on the bed, the dishes and the floor are clean

-Enjoys buying small things for the house with you and has an entire fridge filled with magnets from places he has visited on tour

[starryredpandawrites]

The newest bendy bites be absolutely peak I’m all the more for it (I would love to rant forever about this but sadly sleep is needed for a brain to function so this will do)

First of - first Aid

The transition between food in the cycle and how it works for healing… (besides Henry… is not like this for some reason, he literally just has a passive constant healing effect in Batim it’s never acknowledged nor questioned even then Dark revival speaificly set up, idk if it will be the same in The Cage, admittedly kinda doubt it but it would be just an extra layer of fucked if Joey designed Henry to heal form his injuries at a rapid enough pace where he can get hurt, heal back up, and get hurt again without “dying”) gigantic rant aside. It’s unclear if the Ink demon can even get hurt physically enough for the sake of needing food to survive - or simply based of the fact he’s a gigantic ink monster that’s also a living breathing being that gets hungry and needs to eat a lot just to keep himself vigilant and perhaps not as “mindless” (cus like… he can’t starve to death, surely and sadly the Keepers would have found that out quickly) like say Batim pre “evolving”

It’s sadly not a topic that’s explored even then getting consumed is perma death in the cycle by itself (Inky, the widow king, Shipohoy Wilson & Steve respectively I belive to be the only ones we know can achieve this in DR)

My gibberish aside- Inky & Bendy would know that getting hurt in the cycle you’d need like a nice snack of a whole meal just to recover. Audery having fallen and scrapped up her knee on her way home from work and bleeding isn’t gonna magically fix itself in the real world. And that may very well take a good few attempts to really stick, yet even the cartoon logic and probably flexibility of Audrey’s body that few take advantage of will probably cause her to get less hurt but like… Shipohoy still snapped her legs at the top femur - bones are infact still in there. So Audrey would either have to teach him how wounds work, maybe some anatomy and what is really bad for a body to actually break or damaged and what is truely severe and what needs prioritizing (like how to hurt people who hurt his sister and make it hurt truely last)

Still, it could be something he’d mock her for probably in being clumsy and getting hurt, but I can also see him being worried about her for it. Not knowing what to do and feeling frustrated or helpless at food nor working anymore, so having to think and do other methods to ensure that she is safe and out of harms way. Could progress into learning more of the inner workings of animals to or simply Audery also returning the favors figuring out how to help Bendy in either of his form if he ever gets messed up. Just stuff like that

Thank you!!! I love rants but I'm glad you've chosen to prioritize sleep, haha. Also, these are good good thoughts, thank you for sharing 🥰

There would certainly be a tall learning curve for Bendy regarding injuries in the real world.

I imagine the Keepers would have done everything possible to kill Bendy and obviously it just doesn't work, including starvation. He doesn't need to eat, but he enjoys it a lot. It's his first and favorite hobby lol

He can get injured/stabbed/crushed but he heals really, really quickly. Like Henry, he would have a passive healing factor but much higher/faster. He doesn't have a lot of experience getting injured except for the Keepers.

I'm thinking he'll either have the same healing factor as in the ink world or it will be somewhat slowed. Leaning toward the latter because the idea of Audrey having to teach him first aid is cute. Imagine he trips and scrapes his knee and freaks out that he's still bleeding even tho it's been more than 2 seconds. He thinks he's dying and Audrey has to explain that injuries don't get magically healed here. She bandages his booboo and gives it a lil' kiss. Then, the next day it's her turn to be baffled because the injury is completely gone and she has to revise her statement about magical healing.

Imagine he actually believes her kiss healed him and she's just like, actually, I may have been wrong about you not being able to heal here, oops

Audrey is definitely more resilient than the average person but not invincible, like you said. She might able to bend her finger back pretty far but she still has bones that can break.

If Audrey ever got hurt he would totally do the thing where your sibling falls and your first reaction is to laugh your head off until you realize they're still on the ground and the worry hits. Then he would try to fix it by bringing her a snack. Audrey has to explain multiple times that injuries take time to heal in the outside world and he is very mad about it. Eventually, he would get used to it but secretly starts keeping a list of reasons the ink world is superior to the real world. He never shares it because it's a much shorter list than he expected.

Quick tangent, I don't think he's so naive that he wouldn't know what death is, but I do think he might forget how it works. Imagine he kills something, a bird or a deer and Audrey finds its half-eaten remains. She would scold him for being wasteful and he'd be like, If I eat all of it then it won't come back. Audrey has to remind him several times that death is permanent here and that deer isn't coming back no matter what.

Queue anxiety about Audrey permadying and she also has to remind him that the cycle is wayyyy more dangerous and that her chances of dying there (and possibly getting consumed) are way higher than in the real world.

Fun thoughts, thank you for the ask 🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍🖤🤍

[moro-the-sun]

[start of recording]

Grian: Hello, Pearl! You've already read messa- oh i get it, okay. I finally got that Tango game! Well, you know, the game that we all were waiting for!

Grian: Okay, I'm pretty sure this is still a demo, but- what? No, no, he just asked me to play it and find all the mistakes while he was away on business. This is fine. The game is just launching, I’ll turn on the translation for you now.

[The sound of the translation starting, ZITS logo plays]

[on title screen, bgm: menu🎵]

Grian: so! Damn, I love this whole design- Zedaph did a great job with it, but I don't know how Tango dealt with it after. . . Ugh, whatever, okay. Yes, we should start.

[selects an empty file and enters “Grian” as a name. character menu opens]

Grian: oh, there are already three characters! What do we have here? A birdie, a doggie and a zombie — strange choice, I agree. And- no, Pearl, I won't play for the dog! I'm in charge and I choose the bird! I'm- Pearl, deal with it!

Grian: Anyway, what do we have here? “The birdie that wants to have a party, and in order to do this, must gather all the guests who have scattered around the place.” Oh my god, this really sounds like Pokemon- ok, let's get started.

—————

[on a black screen, a dialogue box appears]

Developer: Hello! I am Zed. If you see this message, it means this game is still not quite ready and you are helping us fix the bugs. If you find any bugs, please contact Tango or Zedaph. Thank you very much!

Developer: And remember, we are watching over you. . . Through disks in your set-top boxes. . .

Developer: ha, just kidding. Have a good game!

—————

[start of recording]

Pearl: Why are you recording all this down?

Grian: What do you mean “why”?! I had to show this to Tango somehow!

Pearl: oh, okay- so, what's the matter?

Grian: give me a second, I'll run it- in short, maybe I'm just delusional, but like, if not, then I don't understand what's going on at all.

Pearl: You sound really nervous for some game.

Grian: Pearl- THIS MAY NOT BE JUST A GAME!

Pearl: whoa, whoa, Grian, breathe! Explain to me what's wrong.

[in: Citadel, bgm: blue fire ballade🎵]

[Grian sighs]

Grian:. . . In brief- oh, I'm definitely just crazy. The lack of sleep didn't do me any good.

Pearl: Mr. Grian Xelqua! What did we talk about lack of sleep?!

Grian: yes, yes, I remember, just- later, Pearl.

Pearl: Fiiine.

Grian: anyway, you and I stopped when I got lost, right? In brief, I tried to find at least some way so that in the end i wouldn’t wander around all this time and you wouldn’t get bored, and, well, I found the first guest.

Pearl: oh, and who is it?

Grian: let me just show you.

[The character moves through the maze, eventually coming to an NPC: this is a small imp with lightning around him]

Pearl: o- he looks like Impulse! What's the big deal? This is a game of Tango and Zedaph, of course the first will be Impulse.

Grian: well, yes, but!

[Grian interacts with Imp]

Birdie: Hello! I want to invite you to a party!

Imp: party? Oh, you're always welcome! But, for this I will have to ask you something. I need three black potsherds- you know what they are. Only after that I will go with you!

Birdie: oh, good!

Pearl:. . . Hah.

Grian: Do you feel it too?!

Pearl: well, listen, this is Impulse, he always liked to create chaos. And withers.

Grian: yes, but. . . I just- I just think it's weird. That his character is asking this of me.

Pearl: . . . Of you like-

Grian: of me like a character in the game. Of the bird's.

Pearl: a- OH NOW THIS MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE!!

Grian: NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW DAMN SCARED I WAS????

[henrikvanderhussy]

Okay, we've gotta talk about The Silent Spy. I didn't remember much about it before replaying, and you never really see anyone calling it their favorite game, so I knew it wasn't going to be great, but I was still disappointed.

Similar to The Shattered Medallion, which I talked about here, I do think there's a GOOD game in there somewhere, but it's bogged down in some really messy structural problems.

Those problems are also very similar to MED's problems, which makes sense since MED was the next release after SPY. Just like in MED, the character interactions were all over the fucking place. I felt like I had the same conversation with each character about 12 times. Asking Moria "What was the Colony operation?" I dunno Nancy, maybe you could have figured it out from the newspaper article, the archives database, the info from every other character, or the papers at the cabin. And it feels like this is something that would have been relevant way earlier in the game.

But then at the same time, there are these bizarre jumps where it seems like you've missed conversations. We're asking Ewan if we should trust Alec when we've never even talked to Ewan about Alec before and there's no reason they should know each other.

Speaking of feeling like I missed stuff, the poem was the worst. "I need the full color copy of my mom's Jabberwocky poem" Girl, what Jabberwocky poem?? Apparently it was in Nancy's luggage, but the luggage gets stolen immediately when you start the game and we have no idea what's inside of it. She briefly says something to Alec about a poem, but that was after Nancy already noted she needed it to solve a puzzle.

Also similar to MED, there was such a weird manufactured sense of urgency. I was soooo very frustrated by the tests set by Revenant. I got the first call and thought "hmm, not sure what choice I want to make. I'll poke around at some other things first and then decide if I want to follow their instructions or not." Then all of a sudden I get a call saying that I've failed their test.

How was I supposed to know there was a time limit? What was the time limit based on anyway? Was it a literal amount of real-world time? Did I trigger another plot point in the game that ended the window? Hell if I know

The result is that you're left feeling like things could end or change at any moment and you have to do them quickly, but also simultaneously feeling as if it doesn't matter since obviously the game will continue anyway if you miss anything time-sensitive.

A weird combo of both stressed and 'eh fuck it'. Thanks I hate it.

This post is getting longer than I planned, but here's the thing, I actually think these problems could have been addressed with a really simple fix: Let Nancy sleep.

If the call from Revenant says "you have until midnight to give us what we want," then the player knows that if they want to follow the instructions, they need to do it before sending Nancy to bed.

If all of that weirdness in character conversations was because I was talking to characters and doing things out of the intended order, then structure the game so that certain things need to happen before you can go to bed ("I can't sleep yet, I have to xyz!"). Then make it so other actions can't happen until the next day. VOILA, problem solved.

You still want the structure to be somewhat loose to allow the player to explore, and so not everything should be confined to specific days, but it would allow linearity in the things that do need to be linear.

Nancy has a hotel room! There's already a bed and everything! It would have been simple to put in a sleep mechanic, just like in so many of the other games.

Look, I'm not a game designer, so I'm definitely speaking more confidently than I have any right to, but I just feel like the problems in The Silent Spy are fixable! And I really wish they had been fixed!

[ouroborosman]

Actor!Wally AU Story Lore!

Okay!!! I've been sitting on a bunch of unfinished images but I wanna share this now! I'll update the pics as they get finished~

Here's the story lore for Jay in the Actor Wally AU!

Wally actor AU created by @frillsand!

Jay is a 20-something that moved to a larger city about a year or two ago. She was born and raised in a pretty small town, and being the oldest of her two other siblings, was set to inherit the farm her family owned. She really hated how secluded she was from everything, and decided to set off to a nearby city to make something of herself. She might even go to college, she told them!

The learning curve was really harsh to this formerly-sheltered girl. She brought some money with her she saved up, but that was gone before she knew it. She luckily managed to get a job and apartment before actually becoming homeless.

 One thing she had always liked was crafting and sewing and found herself doing such in her free time. She got fairly good at it. It was one day she ran into one of her puppet neighbors that had managed to get a pretty large tear in their arm. She offered to fix them up! Word spread around and soon enough Jay had a little community of puppets around her asking for repairs and she happily obliged.

This actually worked out well for Jay. Eventually she had puppets asking for cosmetic things, like decorative embroidery and such on their bodies. Jay charged a small fee for these services. Word got around enough that Jay actually got accepted for temporary jobs that she applied for, and she basically became an independent contractor of sorts. Along with her cosmetic services and selling her plushies she began making, she made an okay living.

Later she gets accepted to a ‘floater’ position for Welcome Home Productions, covering for people that call in. Normally she would probably bounce from how stressful the set is, but the better pay and more reliable work opportunities keeps her there for now. Plus, she enjoys her tasks at work! She often makes props, consults for costume designing, and other things alike.

THE MEET~~

Jay of course knew of Wally Darling before, often passing him by or watching as he worked on set. His reputation and behavior toward staff kept her pretty wary of him and she steered clear.

Too bad that she was covering for his seamstress one day! And how unfortunate that she needed to fix up an outfit he was currently wearing! Lmao. She really did expect him to bite her head off, but much to her surprise he wasn’t too bad. Small talk between them led to her explaining the other odd jobs and commissions she takes, as well as an off-hand mention about mending puppet injuries. Wally takes a bit of interest in that, how strange that a human chooses to do that? As soon as she’s done with the costume fix up she skitters off because he still intimidates her lol.

Seeing that he wasn’t as bad as his reputation said, Jay forms a little crush on him throughout her time on set. She jumped at the opportunity of a blind date with him! He’s awkward and she finds it cute and flirts with him a bit. Probably after this date, they became somewhat friendlier towards each other and chat at work when they get the chance.

(pic soon to come maybe!)

Aaand that’s the base story in my head! I think leaving it open-ended makes it fun to imagine different scenarios! Thanks for listening to my brainrot if you made it this far!! <3

~~~

Other little factoids that will probably never be relevant to the main story:

Jay freaking loves bugs!! She’d become an entomologist if given the opportunity. School is expensive, though!

Jay keeps a few pet insects and has a cat

Though she has a little community of puppet neighbors for company, Jay lives alone. She gets really lonely sometimes, as her best friends became long distance when she moved

Maybe her loneliness is why she has so many plushies. She basically is surrounded by them when she sleeps.

She is quiet and polite to associates. To friends, she indulges in strange humor and is pretty goofy. She’s a bit too sensitive for her own good and will get pretty sad if she thinks her friends are upset with her.

Jay’s clothing style is a mishmash of cutesy-pastel and punkish. She likes fem and androgynous clothes best. She can’t afford many outfits anyways tho-

Jay loves biology and nature. She spends most of her time inside doing work and hobby stuff, though

[pookapufferfish]

Maybe I should rest, take it easy y'know

Just kinda stop everything for a bit

I wish my brain could be turned off and on again

Would probably fix a lot

Wish I could convey how I am feeling. Or more like, why am I feeling a certain way. People say I can talk to them about it, but what do I say

I wish seeing people or certain things didn't make me upset, I was actively thinking the other day "I wish I didn't have to see notifications from this person but I don't want to block them because they are a friend, I wish there was like, a one sided block that just hides them from you but not you from them"

Who even thinks that about their friends

I can't even talk to them about it because what do I say, they have probably been through stuff already, I don't want to make their day bad by going "hey friend, I feel like garbage when I see you. I keep trying to get better but I feel like I am moving backwards and now I am starting to go quiet when you are around."

I am scared to talk to them, maybe another day, or time. Or maybe the feeling will just go away.

Someone yelled at me today, I am not mad at them, I think they just had a bad day. But it was something I am kinda vulnerable about. They said sorry but I still feel off.

I feel like I am slow with things. I type slow, I move slow, I react slow. I feel like I slow others down. I am scared to play games with others unless I know the game well because I feel like I am just gonna slow them down or get left behind. And that sucks

I feel like I am out of the loop with a lot of stuff my friends do. And I feel like I can never get back into the loop because I will just get out of loop again. I am always a step behind. I am excluded from the silly inside joke. I am not a part of the fun exclusive group that I couldn't join because I was sleeping. And when I try to act chill and ask for more info or playful beg to join the group. They either ignore it or say that I had to be there. Or they explain why the group was made and "oh if you join next time then we can add you"

And "next time" sucks. Because when is next time, I live on the other side of the planet from a lot of friends. And the ones I don't have timezone differences with are the ones with the strangest sleep schedules or they are busy, or our schedules just don't align. And it hurts when I go to bed and I see friends all playing games together. And I wake up the next morning and people are laughing over all the fun that was had, all the silly jokes I missed, all the chaos. And when I talk about how I am sad I missed it "next time" they say.

As if they aren't gonna do another VC at 10pm my time. As if maybe I could join their game and not be left behind because they move too fast. As if I could be a part of their little groups.

I feel lonely, I feel like I am left out. Once I go back to school I will have no time at all to hang out with friends. But oh don't worry, this weekend we could hang out except no, because everyone is busy. And the cycle repeats.

And when I finally get to hang out with friends and have fun. I feel happy for a while. I feel loved and appreciated. But then I get weighed down, by seeing friends talking about stuff that I can never be a part of, because that stuff already happened, but hey always next time.

I am tired. I wish I could see some of my friends. I wish I could know them better. I wish I could be there for all the next times. I wish I could be happy hearing my friends happily talk about this dumb bit for the fifth time and trying to explain it to me over and over again. I wish I didn't have to cover parts of group artworks because seeing a certain design makes me feel like I am dying.

I want a hug, I need a nap. I have spent an hour writing this dumb ramble that nobody is going to read. It feels a bit cathartic though. Maybe this is how to show my feelings, but it feels too mean and raw.

I think screaming this into the void of the internet is fine, maybe everyone is right, maybe I do need therapy.

This post was just meant to be the first 2 lines, how did it become this mess

Anyways look at this cool dog, isn't he neat