#I'm very much normal about this egg I swear :)

[mikaikaika]

Something something about the circle of life that Charlie being the one due to whom the bed-breaking-death rule was implemented and now JuanaFlippa being the one who ended up dying to the same cause

[voonroo]

Could I please request some platonic HCs for Sir Pentious and Angel Dust with a more reserved/naïve teen!reader sinner that’s relatively new to hell, somewhat overwhelmed by just all that chaos beyond the hotel, and ends up forming a paternal/sibling-like bond with them? Like they got the impression early on that Pentious/Angel either were fun to be around or maybe even helped them feel safe, and so they’ve kind of been hanging around them and coming to them for advice ever since? Thanks!

Cover Your Ears I'm About To Say Something You Don't Need To Hear!

⌐‣Angel & Pentious + Teen Reader REQ

Want more? Check out the masterlist↩︎

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I LOVE SIR PENTIOUS SO MUCH. He will get his moment. Trust. BTW ANGEL AS AN OLDER BROTHER WOULD BE SO FUNNY–

Angel & Teen Reader

When he first saw you in the hotel not looking your hottest, he immediately felt a pang of pity.

News spread quickly in the hotel that you were new to hell. So he gave you some time before striking up a conversation.

You two hit it off without a hitch!

Angel often just calls you “kid” but it's in the most loving way possible.

He doesn't mind your reserved nature, easily talking enough for the both of you. So often, he’ll lead the conversation (a rant) and ask for your input every so often.

He tries his hardest not to spit dirty jokes in your presence, he doesn't really give two shits if you're naive, he's gonna try to keep you that way.

He wouldn't tell you what he does for a living and would probably try to avoid you after a rough shift to make absolutely sure that he doesn't pop off at you.

When you begin to come to (him!) for advice— oh that's when he takes the title of big brother.

He’d try his hardest to give you the best advice for anything you ask. If he can't think of something on the spot then expect a message with step-by-step advice at like 1 am.

Pentious & Teen Reader

When he met you in the hotel and saw how young you were and how stressed you looked, tears could be seen in his eyes. (he's an empath I swear.)

He’d try to distract you from your own negative feelings frequently.

He calls you “my child” at first- even though you're a teenager… But soon it changes to him calling you your name like a normal person.

Another one who talks (rants) enough for the two of you. However, he’d be talking inventor and even if you don't know what he's talking about (you will soon) he will ask you your recommendations, thoughts, ideas, etcetera etcetera.

He loves trying to teach you how to build things. Whenever you're successful he claps his hands excitedly with the proudest smile on his face– and he's crying…

He grows attached very easily and will gladly take on the title of “father” The egg bois call you “the boss’s child”

Pentious won't allow any disrespect on your name even if it means he gets all the disrespect himself.

“You're naive? Oh don't worry I can be that too sssometimes—”

He knows he's so happy when you come to him for advice. He may not give the best advice but god damn it, with how he presents his answer to you with so much confidence- it might as well be.

“We ssshould nuke them!”

Word Count: 443

Inbox is open!!

[softstarlite]

Bathing In Love

A Joel Miller One Shot

Joel Miller x f!reader

Warnings: age gap implied, fluff everywhere, so sweet you'll get diabetes, sexual talk but not smut, baby presence. (reader is you amor, so just sit and enjoy ;-) )

Masterlist

Rating: +18 (not explicit)

Word Count: 3k

A/N: so here it is! My Joel fluffy one shot, to be honest this is very self-indulgent haha. I'm not completely sold on the title I came up with but I wanted to publish it so whatever. Hope you guys like it as much as I do. I wanna see if anyone realises what I did with Tommy's daughter's name ;-)

Dividers by @saradika

A deep and raspy “sweetheart” is the first thing you hear when sleep starts to leave your body, you can feel a heavy arm around your midsection and a scruffy beard scratching the back of your neck. You let out a sleepy groan and hide your face on your pillow from the bits of early light coming through the curtains making the already fully awake man behind you chuckle.

“We need to get up sweetheart” you feel the peck he leaves on your naked shoulder. You normally didn't have this much trouble getting up but the same man that was now waking you up had also made you stay awake till very late at night, moaning his name and the one´s above again and again.

“Let´s say we're sick and stay here all day” it's the first thing of the day to come out of your mouth with still so much sleep in your voice that's also slightly muffled by the pillow your head is resting on. You feel him rub your hip and his face buried on the back of your neck shaking from side to side.

“Now, you know why that would never work, even if we were the best of actors” he says before giving your shoulder another peck and a soft and tiny slap to your hip to then stand from the bed with a grunt and the crack of his knees.

You groan again but this time louder while you stretch your limbs still covered by the warm comfy covers. Your eyes finally open just when Joel is pulling up his legs the grey sweatpants that you, yourself discarded from his body last night. You stretch your body as quick as your sleepy state lets you, bending by the middle you reach with an arm outside of the bed to the floor, where Joel´s t-shirt from the night before was laying to pull it over you before he has a chance to get it himself. He rolls his eyes while walking to the wardrobe and you finally stand from the bed putting on the shorts that he almost ripped from you last night.

You pass by him on your way to the bathroom to wash your face and can't help giving his ass a squeeze on your way, after you wash your face you pass by him again and kiss his cheek before talking.

“I'll start a pot while you get ready” he can't help but look at you with so much love in his eyes; you could almost swear that anyone could turn the man in front of you from a murderous beast to a big teddy bear by just the mention of coffee.

“Thanks darlin´” he kisses your slightly chapped lips before you start making your way to the kitchen downstairs.

After about ten minutes Joel makes his way into the kitchen where he can see you making some eggs while you hum to Love Spreads by The Stone Roses playing from the record player in the living room, your back facing him.

His arms envelop you from behind and his head rests on your shoulder, making you breathe on his fresh minty breath, you lean your own head back into his shoulder while you stir the scramble eggs.

“I'll finish the eggs darlin´, you pour the coffee” he says into your ear while rocking the both of you softly to the music. You hum in agreement and turn around and pass him the spatula and he gives your forehead a little kiss.

As you put out from the cabinet three mugs and place them on the counter, the front door opens like every morning that Joel has patrol, indicating the arrival of Tommy. You turn your head over your shoulder to greet Tommy with a good morning when his footsteps start to approach the kitchen, but when you see the little ten month old in his arms, you forget the coffee, let out a squeal of excitement and run to take the bundle of joy from him.

Tommy gives to you his daughter with a chuckle and a roll of his eyes “It's nice to see too”

“Yeah, yeah, good morning Miller” you greet him with your own roll of eyes, joke coating your tone and a smile taking home in your face towards the baby in your arms.

Sophia Miller had captivated your heart since the first moment you saw her. She is definitely a Miller, you can see so much of Tommy and Joel in her.

Tommy takes after the coffee for you while you bounce his daughter on your arms and you coo to her.

“Mrs. Johnson couldn't take her today?” Joel says from the stove where he is making some toasts now after distributing the eggs between three plates. Mrs. Johnson is an elderly woman that always looks after Sophia while Joel and Tommy are on patrol and Maria is busy basically running all of Jackson.

“No, she couldn't, she said that her cat was sick and I genuinely do not know how to tell her any more times that Dr. Turner won't see it, that she's a human doctor not a vet” he explains while adding some milk to your coffee, since both brothers like it completely black “Me and Maria think that she's too young for the daycare and to mingle around the other kids but i guess today we have no choice, we have patrol and she´s managing the whole deal with those teens that run away” he puts one of the black coffees, the mug with the little owl in it that you found for him in one of you few runs that you barely do, beside the stove for Joel, then he brings the milky one to you where now you're sitting on the little table on the kitchen, almost bumping his hip on the meat grinder that Joel installed a while ago on the kitchen island; he joins you and Sophia by sitting on the chair in front of you.

When Joel finishes cooking, he puts one of the plates inside of the microwave so it stays as warm as it can for the almost sixteen year old that hasn't woken yet then he places one of the other two in front of you on the little table. Just before he moves away, you take little Sophia´s hand and wave it to him for her while saying with your cheesy baby voice “good morning, uncle Joel” , to which he responds with a pinch of he cheek with the back of two of his fingers, then he goes to pick up his own plate to eat while leaning into the kitchen island alongside his coffee.

“I can take her with me to the stable if you would like to, Tammy has a crib there for when she brings her son” you offer, shrugging your shoulders while feeding the baby on your lap a small piece of your eggs.

“You sure?” Tommy asks with slightly raised eyebrows, when you nod, he smiles like a mad man “oh thank you!” he expresses his gratitude by stretching himself over the table towards you and kissing your forehead and then his daughter´s “and that's why you´re my favourite person in this family” he exaggerates making you chuckle and Joel shakes his head.

Many hours later, you find yourself working on the stables, cleaning one of the empty stalls, its horse on patrol with a young patroller called Jesse. The youngest of the Miller family is on the crib that you had mentioned before, playing with a pair of plastic red cups that for some reason had been more entertaining to her than actual children's toys since she was old enough to hold them.

You hear the front door of the stables opening and the closing behind that had just entered the stables. You peek your head out of the stall and immediately you smile when you see that the person intruding is Ellie.

“Hey hon” you say before putting your head back into the stall to put down the manure fork that you were using, letting it lean on the stall´s wall, then you exit the stall towards where Ellie is standing while wiping your hands on the sides of your jeans.

“Hey, i just came to let you know that i'll spend the day at Dina´s, apparently Jesse found a new game for her console on the last patrol or something” she explain to you while she turn around and walks to the crib where the ten month old is too preoccupied with the cups.

You nod and walk to where they are, from beside the teen you put her bangs, that she lets off of her ponytail always, behind her ear and then look at the baby with her.

“Okay, you know the drill” you put your hands on the back pockets of your jeans.

“Yeah, yeah, make it back for dinner, I know” you were the one to actually negotiate this condition with her when you saw how much it affected Joel when she started to make many friends in town and spend less and less time with him, she agreed quite easily making you think that she missed spending time with Joel just as much.

“Hey” you pinch her side to make her look at you “ if the game is any good, ask Dina to lend it to you so i can try it, okay?” you put up your fist for her to bump it, which she does.

“I will” she says before caressing Sophia´s head and then bumping her shoulder with yours “See you later shitface!” she exclaims with joke to you while exiting the stables, you shake your head with a chuckle and just before she completely disappears from you view your scream reminding her “the baby you asshole!”

Just as the door closes, you hear hooves meeting the ground behind you, indicating someone's arrival from patrol. You groan, you only had 5 minutes left of your shift and now you would have to stay and unsaddle the horse or horses and brush them. You turn to see who the fucker was and when you see that is actually Joel and behind him Tommy, both of them soaked on mud from head to toe, your anger dissapears and you can't hep but laugh loudly, folding by your midsection while gripping your sides.

“Yeah, very funny sweetheart” Joel says while he ties the reins of each horse on their respective stalls, which you thank.

“Oh, you think it is funny eh?” Tommy says now, approaching you and trying to squeeze some of the mud on his hair into you, which makes you swat him away. Tommy´s voice makes Sophia squeal from her crib and stand in it with little balance.

“Oh baby girl, save me from your mean father” you speak to her with your baby voice while picking her up from the crib. Tommy can see Joel´s eyes sparkle in love and adoration like everytime he sees you with his niece.

The little girl babbles and makes grabby hands towards her father, so your only option is to pass her to him, none of you caring if she got dirty with mud as well.

“Traitor…” you say to her with narrowed eyes once she's in her father's arms, obviously she doesn't understand what you're saying so she just giggles, making you three chuckle with her.

“Anyway, thank you for looking after her today again” Tommy expresses his gratitude then he takes his backpack from his horse saddle and start to make his way out of the stables the same way that Ellie did before “Say bye uncle Joel, bye auntie” he says in his own baby voice and them disappears from both of your gazes.

While your eyes are still on the door, you feel Joel´s arms embrace you from behind, his face takes home on your neck, where he takes in your scent. You melt into him and bring a hand behind into his muddy locks, closing your eyes. After a few moments in this position, you turn in his arms and look at him, seeing the tiredness and exhaustion in his expression.

“You don't have to wait for me today, you know?” You bring your hand back to his muddy locks, brushing them back “Why don't you go ahead and get yourself a warm relaxing bath?” your eyes go around his beautiful features.

“You sure darlin´? I can wait as always” he is the one to close his eyes now, enjoying your touch. You shake your head even if he's not looking.

“No, really baby, go ahead, i'll finish here quickly” that's enough for Joel to agree and kiss your lips before getting his own backpack from his own horse an ¡d follow the same journey out of the stables as Tommy and Ellie.

You take fifteen more minutes to unsaddle the horses and brush them, then another five minutes to make your way into the house. You get rid of your boots and coat by the entrance, then you make your way upstairs to the en suite bathroom where Joel is inside the warm bath like you told him to do, his head leaning back into the bathtub with his eyes closed, you´re even a little sure that he may be slightly asleep. You get rid of your clothes in the bedroom, where the laundry basket is, then you tiptoe to the bathtub to not wake Joel yet. Once your back makes contact with his chest, he wakes up with a little gasp; as soon as he sees what is happening, he hugs your middle and whispers in your ear.

“If i had known that you naked would be part of the bath, i would have definitely waited for you” he nibbles your earlobe slightly and you chuckle, then with as much carefulness you can have, you turn to now straddle his hips.

“Now you relax and let me take care of you, before you start acting worse than a teen” your hand reaches for the bottle of shampoo behind him on the edge of the tub.

You squirt some of the product directly on his head and after placing back down the bottle, you start to massage it on his greying hair. He lets out a relaxed moan and closes his eyes yet again. You run your fingers through his hair to spread and rub the shampoo, your eyes take the opportunity to take on his relaxed face and features, you feel privilege to see this side of the hardened man before you, only a few people get to see it and for some reason he decided some time ago that you were worth seeing it and since then you couldn't feel more lucky.

Once you have made more than enough foam from the shampoo, you lean over his shoulder to reach a little cup to help you rinse the product. You feel Joel´s almost growling when, from your lean, your breast graces his cheek; you can't help but chuckle when you take your previous position on his hips and feel his hard on.

“You can be worse than a teenager sometimes, Miller” you say while filling the cup with water from the bath and rinsing the shampoo from his hair, putting a hand on his hairline so the soapy water doesn't get in his eyes.

“It's all you darlin´, you keep me young” you smack his shoulder softly while giggling.

When his hair doesn't have any trace of shampoo, you grab your own conditioner and squirt some of it on the palm of your hand. You feel Joel´s eyes fixed on you, so you playfully push his forehead back and smile.

“I said relax Joel” he smirks and says okay a few times while closing his eyes again.

You rub the conditioner between your palms and then you apply it on his hair, after it you clean your hands of any residue of it. Once your hands are clean, you start to massage Joel´s shoulder and he lets out a groan between pain and pleasure. You massage him for five minutes while you let the conditioner take action then you rinse it just like you did with the shampoo. To finish you kiss his lips, your intention was just a quick kiss but he circles your waist with his arm and deepens it and you just can't deny him.

“Why don't you start the grill outside while I take a good shower?” you say when you both pull back, your fingers brushing his wet hair back “Ellie will be home from Dina´s for dinner soon” he hum in confirmation and after you peck his lips again, you stand up on the bathtub with carefulness to not slip and offer him a hand to do the same.

When you thought he would get out of the bathtub to dry and then get dressed to then go do what you said, he stays there in front of you and takes your face between his hands.

“Thank you sweetheart” he says with so much love and gratitude in his eyes, not taking them away from yours for not even a moment.

“You don't have to thank me Joel” you say back with a bid soft smile, he shakes his head.

“Not for the bath baby, for being you, for being the light that guides me through the darkness everyday” that makes you want to cry and your insides to melt for the man.

“I keep to my last statement” you put your own hands on his wrists and rest your forehead on his “you´re the one keeping me afloat every day” he kisses you again, taking all of the air from your lungs and once he pulls back and sees your dazed face he chuckles and smacks your ass.

“Your steak as always darlin´?” he asks you while putting a towel around his waist, already out of the bathtub, you nod while turning on the showerhead and he leaves the bathroom towards the bedroom with a wide grin.

[sst0rmm]

𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ in the mornings ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

ft: isagi.

notes: more morning fluff to feed your soul (and the smallest bit of angst, too) ₊˚⊹⋆

warnings: slight sexual content, slight swearing too (no explicit mentions)

part/series: 1.0 2.0 3.0

wc: 2643

guys morning isagi has a chokehold on me

ok maybe all of isagi has a chokehold on me.

like you can't tell me the man is NOT a warm cuddle sleep love perfection isofjsdf

mans so genuine and sweet god im laufey lovesick

listening to rach 2 [start at 20:40, it's gorgeous] while writing makes me feel even more (yes i linked it it's amazing)

sunlight is just a daily morning occurrence when isagi yoichi's around.

"you sleep well, baby?" his arms come around the small of your back and across your body, centering you firmly on the warm, hard planes of his chest. it was a very long night, after all, you grin to yourself.

isagi smiles down at you, blue eyes bright and all. way too bright for eight in the morning. and still, you're filled with fondness, because this man, talent and cuteness personified, is yours.

you murmur up at him. "who's got you smiling like that?"

he swoops down tantalizingly close until your lips are just a hairsbreadth away from touching. you can feel a warm ghost of air flutter across your face. leaning in closer, you-

isagi pulls away with a smirk and you groan. "definitely not you," he hums and leaves the bed. sighing to yourself in half exasperation and half amusement at your boyfriend's antics, you spare a glance over at his retreating form.

"don't tell me your ears are blushing again," you call out, but he ignores you, despite the fact that the tips of his ears, are, in fact, slightly red.

cute.

and just seeing this action fills you with joy because isagi yoichi loves you, and damn everything else, because when it's just the two of you, you're light as air and rejoicing in a summer sun. the two of you, on the beach in italy, relaxing on warm, silky sand.

you're still a little sore from last night (isagi normally is a little different from isagi in bed) so you fall down into cozy, white sheets, and dream of nothing but happiness.

is this man even real

well he's in an anime so he's not but like that's not my point

where can we get these blue lock guys irl

breakfast is a... marathon.... you'll see...

a burning scent invades your senses as you walk drowsily into the kitchen. briefly, you're distracted by the pull of isagi's back muscles, and you can see the marks of where your hands were wrapped around those muscles last night.

you blush to yourself, before you hear isagi's sheepish voice. pan in one hand, apron stained with grease, and an adorably perplexed expression on his face, he looks at you more than a little embarrassedly.

"i'm telling you, i followed the recipe! i cooked the eggs just like epicurious said but-"

huffing at him in exasperation, you snatch the pan from his hands and scowl down at the offending iPad housing the recipe that caused this mini-disaster.

isagi's by your side in a flash, looking everywhere but your eyes and very much like a kicked puppy.

"you're not mad, y/n, are you?" you're not, of course, just amused and a little sorry for isagi (because this lowkey happens every other weekend), but you decide to try a little... experiment.

letting the sun warm your face gives you ammunition for what you're about to do next. you raise your eyebrows at him, give him an unimpressed stare, and sigh.

you start off a little slow. "it's fine, isagi, just-" you push him away mock-tiredly and plop yourself down on the coach.

it's around two and three quarters mississippis before he comes right by your side. blue eyes startingly clear and misty with emotion, looking at you like that's enough to make tides move, end the world, and stop your heart.

like you're the one glimmering light in a world of darkness. like you're the only thing that matters.

that look sends a pleasant burst of heat through your veins, and you almost want to give up the ruse. not yet, you chide yourself. just a little bit longer.

his voice's soft, low, and melting your insides. "i'm so sorry, y/n, you have to forgive me. baby- i was only trying to make breakfast for you, and it just-"

you sigh despite yourself. in spite of being one of the world's best strikers, isagi yoichi's pretty lacking on some other basic human survival skills. common sense is a little uncommon these days.

"i mean, how did you manage to burn an egg and ruin my pan? and spill milk on the floor without even cleaning it up?"

"i spilled milk-?"

you're starting to get a little frustrated, even though this all started off as a harmless act. "it's right there, dripping on the floor, isagi."

and he looks so distraught that you just want to wrap him up in your arms, mold yourself to his warm frame, hold him tight and never let him go. you know what isagi's about to do (it's what he does best, although you'll never admit it).

he goes in for a hug. a special hug, á la yoichi. it's one more comforting than warm coffee on a hot day, one more loving than words can even describe. it takes your breath away every time, even more than the gorgeous view of the city of stars mapped onto a blanket of inky, purple sky you see every month.

hikes on mount jiju are worth it.

and in that hug, isagi says all he needs to say and volumes more. a delightful rush of heat courses through your veins, magnetizing and all-consuming. like that, your lips press his like a moth to a flame, splendidly, effervescently, totally consuming you whole.

you feel all of him. toned arms clinging to you like it's the last time he'll ever hug you, lips gently coaxing yours apart with a soft sigh on your end as you melt into the utter beauty of the kiss. the way your arms slot perfectly just underneath his neck, like you were made for each other.

he presses his lips even firmer on yours, passionate and all-consuming. you think you can feel your heart melting into a little, happy puddle of warmth and everything isagi yoichi. your mind's consumed whole with the blazing inferno of heat warming your heart completely, and the sheer mindnumbingness of your boyfriend's kisses.

then, you two break apart. cheeks flushed, breathing heavy. his eyes meet yours, and you think you might cry with the pure love and passion practically shining out of them. suddenly, you feel utterly whole and human in a way.

you can even feel the press of his coc-

"do you forgive me, y/n?" isagi distracts you from your... thoughts.

"i wasn't ever mad," you smile up at him. spills of milk and broken pans are temporary, they're easily mendable. but love and emotions and memories, now that's forever.

he picks you up gently as a porcelain doll and suddenly you're on your bed, the white sheets warmed by the sun. featherlight kisses make their way down your neck, and he traces absentminded patterns on your chest with warm, gentle fingers.

indelible marks on your skin showing your love.

"may i?" he smirks, moving further south.

"i thought you'd never- ahh- ask-" you breath out a soft sigh as you feel his lips press soft kisses on the inside of your thighs.

"fuck being a gentleman," he says, and it's your last coherent thought before you really feel all of isagi. you fall underneath the spell of the sun and the sheets, completely and utterly blissful.

it's always the two of you, broken down to sand, it's the two of you. you and isagi yoichi, together.

and that's enough.

GAWDAMNN WHATTT

i did NOT think that was how it was gonna play out LMAOOO

lowkey i never have any set plans, like i just write and write and yeahhhh

that would be an amazing ending, but now i want to reverse the roles a little bit!!!

a fresh coffee spill glares at you from on your computer, a silent, undeniable sign that maybe mornings aren't the best time for working.

especially not mornings like these. (your mind heats up at thoughts of just hours before, skin on skin and lips on lips and you two just-) shaking your head to clear it, you try to focus on your work again.

you can hear isagi puttering around the house. he's a real house husband, truly, doting and all. even if the tasks he does aren't exactly the best results, they're certainly intented with the best result in mind. effort is what matters most in your eyes.

"hey, baby," he comes in with bangs tied up with a red bandana, sweat slightly beading on his brow, and looking totally and utterly adorable.

"it's giving housewife from the 80s," you tease him and he makes a mock-affronted noise.

then, he seems to change his mind. "actually, being a housewife's tough work," he nods sagely, "and i think good housewives deserve rewards, don't they?" he says this with such a straight face that you can't help but crack a smile, despite your macbook's bright screen shining up at you a reminder to get back to work.

you lean in to peck him on the cheek.

"i think a kiss should be sweeter, don't you?" he smirks,

he smirks, and leans in, but you back away. despite the warm tinge of heat you can feel emanating from his body, soft and sure and everything you want. despite that fire courses through your veins, threatening to set you and everything around you ablaze.

somehow, you manage to affect a tone sweet and soft and languid as honey. "if you kiss me, i don't think i'll be able to finish my work."

isagi lets out a soft, low laugh. "when'd you start becoming so hardworking?" he leans in closer, and closer, and like the bewitched lover you are, you're powerless to back away.

then, you feel the absence of warm heat, and only the soft scent of isagi's shampoo.

"get your work done, y/n," he whispers with a smile, and then he's gone. you're left alone with only thoughts, a half-spilled cup of coffee, and a undeniably empty word document.

time passes, yet your productivity remains frustratingly low.

11:39 A.M., your computer blinks up at you and you resist the urge to slam it shut. time's moving slow, but not sweet. slow as a snail slowly inching past your door, and your head's muddled with thoughts of precisely nothing.

you're walk down and your eyes are met with the sight of a cheerful isagi, covered in a form-fitting plaid shirt that's faded and a size too small, hair tied up in bandanas and all, talking with a delivery girl up ahead.

said girl is very clearly starstruck, and it sends a ray of sunshine through your otherwise very grey, very tired brain.

sometimes, you forget that your boyfriend's a striker celebrity. you smile fondly, going up to receive the forlorn pizza in her waiting hands, when you freeze. it's like ice freezes in your veins, slowly threatening to swallow you whole.

she's giggling at something he said, twirling her hair behind her ears, and, oh- it fills you with a hollow pit of jealousy and a frightening feeling of rage.

she's flirting with your boyfriend.

and you see her grab onto his arm- oh- it's like a bucket of cold water's dumped onto your head and now the rose-colored reality of earlier this morning is no more. you aim to walk forward, to give that girl a piece of your mind, and you notice her lean into him.

oh- and the second you don't see him back away, it's like something's stabbed your heart, piercing it into pieces and shattering it whole. suddenly, you don't have the fight, the energy. looking on helpless for a moment that feels like forever, you're oceans apart.

heart thudding fast, you feel the emotions threaten to spill over your cheeks. soft tears cascading down in a never-ending waterfall and forcing you into an melancholy abyss.

isagi looks back then, and you see a confused quirk of his lips before his eyes widen.

"thanks for the pizza," he looks down at her nametag, "val," before he runs towards you. you see her shocked, indignant face, and you can't help but feel a gleam of fury.

"get the hell away from my boyfriend," is all you say before she huffs and shuts the door and you collapse into isagi's waiting arms.

"baby, don't cry," you hear his voice crack and his hands rub soothing circles onto your back.

you scoff. "oh, please, isagi. i saw the way you two were flirting. good for you, she's a great catch-"

he cups your face in his hands so gently you can almost feel your heart begin to mend itself. it's a mindbending stare that sets all your nerves alight. long fingers wipe your tears away gently, and you can see his eyelashes and watery eyes too.

"it's not what it looks like."

you sigh, "well, what it looked like to me, was her arm was on yours and she-"

isagi looks at you firmly, eyes entrenching you in that sea of love you want to fall back into. but insecurity nips at you, pulling you back into that dark abyss.

"it's true, but-"

"and i'm just terrified, you know," you whisper so soft the silence's almost serene but not at all, "that you'll leave me-" your voice cracks, "for a better, younger, prettier-"

he presses his lips to yours. it's nothing like the kiss from earlier today, that was pure, raw passion. this one's tender, like you're falling into the arms of a waiting angel.

soft, sweet, and slow.

your arms find their comforting space around his neck, and your world's tumbling on your axis. but his lips on yours, arms a constant warmth on your skin, ground you, and center you. rebuild you, because he's there.

"listen to me, y/n," he whispers so fiercely you can feel the gravity of his emotions and everything else blocked out for a moment but the two of you.

"i will never, ever leave you. never. because there is nobody, more gorgeous, more intelligent, more caring, more kind than you."

"even a gorgeous pizza worker who should be a korean idol?"

isagi's hands come to grasp yours, lovingly, reverently. "definitely not. and you know why?"

"why?" you breathe out softly.

he looks at you with that gaze that could stop tides and set the world aflame. again, like you're the only object of his affection and his whole world's you. it's enough to make any girl cry. "because she's not my y/n. in my eyes, you're the most perfect ever. there's nobody else who's comforted me, helped me, and just loved me as much as you."

each word's punctuated by a wordless deeper meaning that you find yourself remarkably understanding. he loves you.

"i love you to the ends of the earth, y/n. till we grow old, and forevermore, i'll always be with you."

"i-" your breath shutters to a close with the soft press of his lips on yours.

isagi grins at you, smile so gleamingly wide with all the force of a thousand suns you can't look away from it's brilliance.

"i love you too," your lips curve up and are captured immediately with his. fireworks set off in your brain, glorious in their radiance and defeaning all your inside thoughts.

because you're isagi yoichi's, he's yours, and nothing will ever take him away from you. for a moment, just being together's enough.

kisses speak unspoken volumes. of memories, of desires, of pure love.

of being infinitely together, forever.

WOWOWOW i did not have any plan for it would end

isagi's really the sweetest, isn't he? that's how i imagine him, at least, soft cuddles and small smiles. he's not the loudest about his affection, but he shows it in actions that warm you to your core, fundamental things that can rent you asunder, tear your world apart, because of his love.

and when it comes to, we love poet isagi.

ignore the fact that this one's 2x longer than the first i had a lot of ideas okay

a humongous thank you to @benkeibear and @cute-sushi-roll for dividers, idk what i would do w/o u 🫶

man makes me powerless, you see his normal cute adorable side on the left, and let's just say the one on the left's when he gets really passionate, and i don't just mean on the field ;)

THANK U SM for reading, you all keep me motivated! any reqs you have for the future, don't hesitate to comment! 💖

[lu-is-not-ok]

Sonya themed ask jumpscare

Of his design, there are a few things to note. First is how he wears a strap full of bullets on his leg [though he hasnt yet been seen with a gun to my knowledge, its in his bag maybe?] but bullets in The City are notoriously expensive, and while Hermann did mention how he 'burned all that cash' I must wonder why he wanted them in the first place is he already carries a perfectly suitable weapon.

Smaller details that stuck out to me are the eye like pattern on his goggles, and his hair. Namely the lite specs of blue in it and how it was described as 'hyaline' - a word both relating to a form of cartilage and a way to describe something with a glassy appearance.

Onto his role in the story going forward: I believe that cantos 1-3 all set up the three major forces we shall be dealing with for the remainder of the story. N corp with canto 1, Demians group in canto 3 and the Yurodiviye in canto 2. Now at first it was unclear how exactly the YRDY would be able to have as much influence as the other two, but TKT sorted it all out. While Hermann represents the power held from corporations and Demian the power gained from the outskirts/stars/things that aren't fully understood, Sonia then stands as the representative for the power of people - namely in terms of tenacity and shear staying power.

He very clearly has connections to both Hermann and Demian, through both the chat at the end of canto 2 and the fact he's got the mark. This puts him in the position that oddly enough many though Asaeh was in before his icon was fixed, as one wearing multiple hats for his own gain. He does not hide his cause.

He actuallt reminds me a lot of Ayin. However this is already quite long and my brain is currently a plate of scrambled eggs so I shan't elaborate further. Plus I am not sure if what I've got is actual analysis or my desperate want to talk about Ayin again.

Only tangentially related but the author of C&P has also written a book called 'White Nights'. Neato.

That's all for now, we got like 2 hrs til we hopefully get a teaser and I'm bring so normal about it. I swear.

Ok let me go through this one paragraph at a time because Sonya is one of those characters that makes me go a little insane as well. Read more because. Yeah.

Point 1 - The Bullet Strap

The design detail of the bullets strap on his leg is intriguing and one I didn't notice initially. I went through to look through Canto 2 CGs of Rodya's flashbacks and all the Yurodiviye related character sprites in the recent Intervallo to check if this is something that's a part of the standard Yurodivy uniform and what I've found is... interesting.

For Canto 2 Yurodiviye, the only one whose legs we see clearly is flashback Rodya, and she doesn't seem to have that same strap as Sonya.

However, for TKT, something interesting happens. All of the Yurodiviye in District 20, including the Detective captain of their group, wear straps on the same leg as Sonya... except instead of bullets, the straps have a bag attached.

That difference in uniform between Rodya and this branch of the Yurodiviye is notable because of how differently they see Sonya. Rodya sees Sonya as someone with big ideals but not enough initiative to actually see them through, meanwhile the District 20 Yurodiviye look up to him so much as to call him a Saint, a term which we recently learned can refer to the most high-ranking members of the Dieci, the association that deals with knowledge (thank you Dieci Meursault uptie story). This difference in opinion would explain why these Yurodiviye are more invested in mimicking Sonya's uniform more closely, whereas Rodya's seemed more distinct and thus more distant.

Of course, the difference between the straps holding bags for the Yurodiviye while it holds bullets for Sonya is not lost on me. As you mentioned, bullets are expensive, which means it makes sense for the District 20 Yurodiviye to not be able to afford them and thus resort to using the strap to hold something else to have it still serve a similar function. Though it does bring up the question you posited: how was Sonya able to afford his own bullets?

It's important to note we don't ever get to see whether or not Sonya had the bullet strap before Rodya left the Yurodiviye. The only CGs we get to see his legs in are ones where his current self invades the flashback Rodya is having. If he got that after she left, it's possible his cooperation with N Corp granted him enough support to get the ammunition. Note that if Hermann is to be believed that Sonya would burn any and all cash he was granted, it's not impossible for N Corp to just give him bullets out right instead.

On a more symbolic side of analyzing his design, the bullet strap is a subtle way to show Sonya's own turn towards more direct action after Rodya left, while also emphasizing how he goes about that more direct action.

Just like a gun firing its bullets, Sonya's "direct" action is him telling people around him to do the deeds for him. Whether it's through inspiration like the District 20 Yurodiviye, or whether it's through networking and sending his people out to take money from the rich like we see in Canto 2. He's not the bullet actually breaking through a wall, he's merely the finger pulling the trigger. He aims and gives command to fire, but that's where his involvement ends.

Point 2 - The Goggles and Hair

This is something I touched upon in another post I made about Sonya, so I'm gonna be brief. Sonya's visual design with regards to his eyes, hair, and accessories, has a dual purpose.

For one, it implies that Sonya is albinistic. The color of his eyes, the lack of pigment of his hair to the point it's described as glass-like, and the inclusion of eye protection and gloves (accessories that is lacking in other Yurodiviye) points towards that idea.

This directly correlates with his own tendency to try and avoid the spotlight and redirect it to others whenever possible, see my point earlier about how his direct action involves sending other people out to do his bidding + his actions before and during the game in Canto 2 are all in favor of pulling attention away from him, such as deflecting Aida's comments about him by calling her the protagonist of life, or constantly asking Rodya questions to put the spotlight on her.

For two, it makes his design a direct opposite to Rodya's, matching with their opposite tendencies with regards to being put in the spotlight. Rodya's design is notably plain for what you'd consider a Slavic woman, with wheat brown-blonde hair and blue eyes, whereas Sonya's is extremely distinct with his purple eyes and hyaline hair.

And yet, like I mentioned earlier, Sonya is the one that wants eyes off of him, while Rodya is constantly trying to be the center of attention whenever possible. They're major foils to one another down to their visual designs.

Point 3 - Sonya and Yurodiviye's spot in the story

Ever since the first batch of Cantos, Sonya struck me as a sort of double agent between the New League and Demian's Blue Man Group. We know that he clearly has connections with both, but the fact that the color his name is put on in the dialogue box is purple, the mix of red (associated with the New League) and blue (associated with the Blue Man Group), only further adds to that idea.

Plus, I feel like his attitude towards Mirror Worlds and their usage should also be pointed out. Whereas Demian directly states he wants the Mirror Worlds to be left alone, comparing their exploitation to that of stealing chips from a bag, Hermann is on the other spectrum of that through wanting the desctruction of all Mirror Worlds.

Sonya is somewhere in between, clearly wanting to make use of them to bring about what he sees as his ideal world, but not wanting to touch them beyond that.

I think the above fact combined with how he acts in the Canto 2 post credit scene is leading to the possibility of Sonya outright betraying Hermann and the New League, which would make sense with how his side is meant to represent the common people. Project Moon ain't subtle about their critique of capitalism, so it only makes sense for Sonya to eventually turn on the representation of the power the Wings hold.

Which, speaking of that, I want to note how Hermann manipulated people to her side through exploiting Mirror Worlds. Yes, her main goal is to destroy all of them, but she's willing to twist the truth when trying to get other people to her side. With her and the New League representing the power of the corporations, those empty promises and white lies feel especially fitting. That sort of "Well if you join us we will keep This One Specific World You Want alive just for you" and "Well since we're already destroying them wouldn't you like to destroy this specific part of each of them with us" shit she's been pulling.

Point 4 - WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHITE NIGHTS IS ALSO A DOSTOYEVSKY REFERENCE-

Ok. No. Anon, you can't drop a bombshell on me like that. WhiteNight is one of, if not the most important Abnormality to Lobcorp and thus Project Moon lore. It's one of the Carmen abnos. It's the final Abno boss alongside Apocalypse Bird. It's symbolically tied to the White Nights and Dark Days event through its name, one of the most important events in the fucking series.

And. Here's the thing Anon. If that's true, then that means Dostoyevsky's works being consistently important to PM lore is no longer just a coincidence, it's a pattern.

You see, there's another important Crime and Punishment reference in this series outside of Rodya's existence, it being the other abno tied to WhiteNight.

One Sin and Hundreds of Good Deeds.

You see, this abnormality's name? It's a reference to a fucking quote from Crime and Punishment, and a pretty notable one in that!

Now, mind you, the exact wording in the version of the quote is a bit different, likely due to differences in translation, but it's pretty fucking close don't you think?

One Crime, One Sin. Thousands of Good Deeds, Hundreds of Good Deeds.

Add to that the fact that One Sin is always the first abno you get in every LobCorp playthrough AND acts as an instant alternate way to defeat WhiteNight, and the fact that these two are both named after Dostoyevsky references should start raising some eyebrows.

With all of that pointed out, I'd like to adress the potential importance of both Sonya and Rodya in the wider plot of Limbus Company, based on the fact that Dostoyevsky references have been highly important to the lore from the very fucking start.

Let's start with Sonya. He and the Yurodiviye are in a bit of a unique spot compared to all the other factions Limbus Company is contending with. While sure, both the New League and Blue Man Group have a leader who is directly tied to one single sinner (Hermann tied to Gregor, Demian tied to Sinclair), we see that it's not an exclusive connection.

We know from Canto 5 that Rim, someone from the League of Nine, is definitely a part of the Blue Man Group, and the New League has not only two former members of the League of Nine (and is named to be a replacement for that group), but also Jia Huan of Hong Lu's family fame is there too for some fucking reason.

Sonya and Yurodiviye are thus far the only faction that is only connected to one single Sinner - Rodya, and thus only connected to a single source - the works of Dostoyevsky. The fact that Sonya is all but stated to be the connection between the two other groups and the effect he's had on the City thus far only add to his future importance. I don't think I need to go on about that for much longer.

That only leaves Rodya's importance undiscussed. Thus far she's the only Sinner to have recieved a "second Canto" in the form of TKT heavily focusing on continuing her character arc, but that doesn't really say much. For all we know we could see something similar be done to both Gregor and Sinclair at some point in the future. No, there's something a bit more subtle potentially going on with Rodya.

However, to explain this, I need to go on a tangent.

Let's put this out here: The Little Prince is the single most important book with regards to Limbus Company's running themes and motifs.

The "Seeing with the eye vs Seeing with the heart" motif is the single most long-running and important theme throughout the work. Demian directly says the fucking quote at the end of Canto 3 and consistently references the Little Prince whenever he appears. Blue Man Group is set up to be the ones who see with the heart, while the New League and N Corp as a whole are set up to be the ones who see with the eyes. Eyes and Hearts keep coming up in random places all over Limbus. The fucking name of the game and company itself, Limbus, can refer to two different parts of the body - corneal limbus, a part of the eye, and limbus of fossa ovalis, a part of the heart.

Why is all of this important? Because two of the Sinners explicitly have their symbols be a Heart and an Eye respectively, that being Rodya and Hong Lu. Add to that the fact that, similarly to Rodya and Sonya, Rodya and Hong Lu are essentially foils of each other with regards to how they view the world , and the fact that they're assigned the numbers 6 and 9, which in numerology are associated with yin and yang, which we know PM loves making references to spirituality and religion, and all of this is just a big ol nothing Game Theory that I'm just spitting here.

The rundown is this: Rodya and Hong Lu are both associated with symbols that are seemingly tied to key motifs and themes of Limbus Company and PM games as a whole. Rodya's focus through TKT and her connection to the one faction that isn't tied to any other Sinner makes her stand out. PM seems to fucking love making Dostoyevsky extremely important for some fucking reason.

All of this to say I would not be surprised if Rodya turned out to be one of the most important Sinners out of the cast.

...This post was supposed to be about Sonya. Whoops.

[writeforfandoms]

Homeward Bound 2

Find the series masterlist

Your job as the caretaker is rarely boring, especially around nesting time. Fortunately, you're prepared for almost anything.

Warnings: Swearing, accidental self harm (walking on hot sand), bits of backstory.

Word count: 1k

Your room off the hatching grounds was small, with just the necessities. A simple bed, a small table for some jerky and water, and a small wardrobe. You didn't inhabit this room all the time, thankfully - your normal room was bigger, more spacious. But for the last weeks leading up to the hatching, if you weren't out on the sands, you could be found here. 

You didn't dare go far from the eggs, especially as it got closer to hatching day. It was risky, considering you would only get a few hours’ warning, at best. 

So when someone knocked on your door at some ungodly hour, you woke and rolled out of bed before your brain even had a chance to catch up. You threw on your robe for some semblance of modesty, yanking the door open. 

One of the messenger boys stood in front of your door, hair mussed and cheeks red from his run. “One of the dragons,” he said, one hand waving back the way he'd come. 

You didn't wait for the rest of his message, pushing past him and sprinting down the short hall and to the sands. Hot sand nearly burned the bottoms of your feet, but you paid it no mind. 

It took only a moment to find the dragon in question. A new mother, gray wings spread wide, nearly prancing in distress but somehow never even touching her eggs. 

“Hey, hey, easy,” you soothed, approaching her carefully, hands up. “Easy, beautiful. Calm down and show me what's wrong.” 

She hissed, higher pitched than normal, more nervous than aggressive. But she settled, at least a little, all four feet remaining planted now. 

“Good,” you crooned, taking another couple steps closer. “Now. Show me what's wrong.” 

She hissed again but allowed you close, wings slowly settling against her back again. She stepped back carefully, allowing you to see the nest. 

And the clear crack that ran across the top of one of her eggs. 

“Oh.” Sharp pain lanced clean through your chest. “Oh, beautiful….” Ever so carefully, your fingertips ran across the crack, feeling for moisture. It was possible the internal membrane hadn't torn, in which case you could patch up the egg. Fortunately, that looked to be the case this time. You breathed out slowly, pressing your palm mid-way down the shell to check the temperature. A little cool, but not bad. 

You could make this work. 

“Okay,” you breathed out. “Okay. Your egg is okay.” You looked up at the dragon to make sure she understood, meeting brilliant golden eyes fearlessly. “I'm going to help.” 

She trilled softly, lowering her head to nudge your shoulder very gently. 

“Yes, yes,” you murmured, sparing one hand to pat her snout. “Go get your rider, and a few others if you can. Quickly.” 

She hesitated only a moment, the instinctive pull to remain at her nest strong, before she turned and took off. You didn't watch her go, instead focusing on shoring up the sand around all the eggs. That would help keep them all stable and warm. 

Now to address the crack. 

You didn't want to leave it alone - there was too much potential for things to get in there and cause problems. 

You had all the things you'd need for a kind of paste you could cover the crack with. It would need to be reapplied periodically until the egg hatched, but it would work. 

You spared a brief thought of thanks that your mother had taught you everything about this job. 

The tromp of boots on sand and the trill of the dragon pulled your attention up from the sand. The mother had returned with her rider and two others. Including Simon. 

“Pack more sand around these eggs,” you ordered the three. “All around them. But do not touch the cracked egg. I will be back in three minutes.” 

You stood, frowning thunderously when one of the riders goggled at you, mouth open. “Now,” you snapped.

Simon cuffed the gawking rider before striding off to grab one of the shovels. You turned and ran back to the small storage room off the hatching grounds, full of ingredients for just such a need as this. 

The sand was hot as you carried the bowl back to the egg, reminding you painfully that you were not wearing shoes. You grimaced but pushed through, walking calmly this time. You didn't want to get any sand in the bowl. 

The three riders had made quick work of getting the eggs braced with more sand, Simon still holding the shovel even as he watched you approach, eyes dark. 

“Good,” was all you offered, kneeling carefully next to the cracked egg. Partially to not get more sand around, and partially to make sure your robe stayed covering you. You covered the crack with the paste, carefully going beyond the edges of the crack to be sure nothing could get in. When you checked, the egg was already a little warmer. Very good. 

Sighing softly, you pushed back to your feet. “Very good,” you murmured. “The egg will be fine. Thank you for your help.” You looked at each of the three riders. The one who belonged to the mother dragon actually stepped forward to hug you, something you returned a little awkwardly. 

The mother settled around her eggs again, even more carefully now, crooning softly before she settled her snout right next to the cracked egg. You patted her head, relieved. 

It took until you gathered up the bowl and tugged your robe tighter to realize that Simon was still standing to one side, gaze still fixed on you. You paused, foot scuffing through the sand, eyes blowing wide before you schooled your expression back to neutrality. You nodded to him once and strode back to the storage room, covering the remaining paste with a cloth. It would keep for a while. 

You needed to wash up. 

You paused, just for a moment, at the edge of the sand where the hallway to your room branched off. Simon was standing next to Ilsbet, one hand under her chin, forehead pressed to hers. You turned away from the quiet moment. But not before you smiled.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

For funsies, do you have thoughts about what pokemon each Cullen would be most likely to have? Like idk why but I picture Emmett with a Growlithe

I swear to god I had answered this somewhere but since I can't find it, I doubt others can find it.

Let's do it.

Alice

Per the Pokemon universe, Alice is very clearly a psychic and while a powerful one is more or less bog-standard and less terrifying than Sabrina.

I imagine Alice would have a Kadabra and they would have great fun together as Alice communicates for them and uses them to teleport her places she wishes to go.

Bella

Bella has an Eevee, not only is it appropriately normal/non-interesting looking but it's very vulnerable looking, weak compared to its potential evolutionary forms, and has that evolutionary potential to become almost anything for all Bella wouldn't really recognize that fact.

She'd love Eevee because it's a normal type, just like her, because Bella is so normal it hurts.

"Bella, that means only fighting types are super effective against you"

"I am so average."

Carlisle

Carlisle has a Chansey that becomes a Blissey that is his wife Esme. See, Carlisle was working at a Pokemon Center (as one does) and one day came in a tragic Chansey that had had to run away from its trainer and in the process lost its egg.

Everyone had given up on Chansey and Carlisle, cursing himself for being a vampire and probably terrifying the life out of her, ends up taking her home.

Chansey thrives in her new environment and, as all Chansey do, becomes progressively weird the more happy she is. Chansey evolves into a Blissey, a creature that will run at lightening speeds to offer you an egg in your time of need.

It is accepted in the Cullen household that Esme the Blissey is the Cullen mom. It's so accepted, they forget it's weird.

Bella comes to their house and Edward promises she'll love his mother.

Who is his mother?

The Blissey making Italian food in the kitchen because Isaballa is Italian right? (Despite Blissey only saying "Blissey" the plot does not change at all and Bella just assumes that when Blissey goes on a long chirping rant to her it's about how great Edward is.

Yeah, Edward must be her favorite blood sucking child.)

Edward

Edward doesn't have a pokemon.

This is because as a vampire he didn't want to corrupt a good, benign, pokemon with his presence (only the fact that Carlisle and Esme are so pure prevents him from feeling too terrible about Esme). So, Edward wants to gravitate towards more... ah... let's call them tempermental pokemon such as Gengar.

However, Edward doesn't actually want a Gengar, as he wants to be a good person worthy of the world, and a Gengar also doesn't want him for that same reason.

When he meets Bella, there's a dramatic moment where she helps him accept that he too can have a pokemon like a real boy. As Bella tells him what to get, and he wants to impress her, I imagine he gets a Dragonair as it's so beautiful and elegant, just like Bella thinks Edward is (he's never allowed to evolve it into a herp de derp Dragonite).

Emmett

Growlithe and Arcanine in the pokemon world I think are a little too associated with duty/law enforcement to quite be Emmett's thing. Growlithes, while dogs, are very much watch dogs and have a steadfast seriousness when it comes to protection/the law or what have you.

I'm really struggling with him, actually.

I'm going to go with Aipom, good natured but extremely mischievous (and perhaps a little short sighted) who love to live in groups and are just looking for a good time.

Emmett would think his Aipom is the shit.

Emmett also has a Magikarp because he thinks it's hilarious. Its name is Splash. He will never ever trade it.

Esme

Esme is a Blissey. See above.

Though, a happy (but weird), day might come about when coming back from doing the shopping (which Blissey happily does now without having to worry about eating people even if the towns people of Poke Forks are a little surprised that the Blissey is just out there shopping... alone... or going to parent teacher conferences and just... acting like people) and what do you know there's an egg.

"This is our egg, Carlisle" Esme the Blissey clearly pantomimes.

"Sure," is what Carlisle says because he doesn't want to disagree (and pokemon work in mysterious ways) but he did not do the thing that you know humans do to procreate.

Anyways, point being, Esme at one point might have a little Happiny.

Rosalie looks on it with envy because while she adores Esme, EsMe CaN HaVE ChiLDrEN anD isN't a VAmPIrE.

Jasper

Jasper has a Houndoom from his glory days at war. He tries to tell people it's not a Balrog.

Jasper is wrong, it is a Balrog.

Renesmee

There's a story here.

There is great debate over what pokemon Renemsee should get as it should be as special and wonderful as she is. Edward wants to give he ran Eevee, like her mother (Bella's Eevee having since evolved into some state Bella thinks is more cool/better) and for the symbolism of potential and growth that Eevees represent.

Bella wants to give her daughter a Dratini, something that will grow up to be beautiful and elegant and otherworldly (and never a Dragonite, never, it will only stay a Dratini).

Esme of course offers her beloved daughter Happiny (but isn't that your child Esme???) as well as an egg in Renesmee's time of need.

Alice wants her with something adorable like a Pichu, Azumarill, or what have you. It will look great in pictures. And must never ever be allowed to evolve.

Emmett wants to give her a Magikarp which they will name "Splash Two" or "Splashnesmee".

Jacob, of course, wants to give Renesmee a Mightyena because it's a wolf. "It will eat her face, Jacob" Bella does not want to do this even if she admits the symbolism is touching.

In all the bickering, Renesmee stumbles across a Cleffa (stumble being that a spaceship arrived and hit her in the face). Cleffa, being extremely rare and alien, is not recognized by the Cullens who stare and wonder "what is that thing".

Alice supposes it's cute, if not what she had in mind, she can work with this. Bella, Edward, and Jacob are all still upset and trying to get Renesmee to give the thing to Esme to raise so she can have their pokemon instead.

Renesmee ends up with all the pokemon, but does not get rid of Cleffa.

Rosalie

I actually put Rosalie as having a Chikorita. Chikoritas are steadfast, loyal to those they love, as well as courageous. While a Vulpix and Ninetales would appeal to Rosalie's aesthetics, being incredibly beautiful, Chikorita would have all the qualities she'd look for in a friend/partner that is a Pokemon while also being able to be nurturing/help with chores and things (via the use of helpful vines versus well fire balls).

[kehideni]

There is one thing i'm really wondering about.

When did Rayla fall in love with Callum? I mean i get the why, and i ship it "yay" but she was so good at hiding her emotions i can't really pinpoint when she tipped over from "Callum is a friend." to "I can't lose him."

You can pinpoint when she turned from weird ally to friend. It was when Callum asked her to go to the Banther Lodge, his "heartfelt speech" was relatable to her.

We know she was already aware of her own feelings regarding Callum by the time he did dark magic.

We also know she was already very protective of Callum by the time Villads had to stop the Ruthless because of the storm. "If you die out there, i swear i'll kill you."

Before that they were flying on Phoe-Phoe, and before that they were staying with Lujanne where the only thing remotely suggesting any of her feelings was that she was disgusted by Claudia's clear approach to Callum. Which i hardly accept as Soren was also disgusted eventhough he showed support for Callum's approach to Claudia before. And also because... as an aroace i did find it cringe too. Somehow Claudia's romantic relationships end up being cringe.

I'm sorry, idk how to say it nicely but she doesn't seem to do well in romantic relationships. She is very Azula-esque in many ways(i mean... duh) They are both very close family oriented characters, both are essencially victims of their broken family, both are incredibly talented and powerful despite being hella childish because parents forgot to raise them, oops. And being raised so fked up they seem to be unable to form actually functioning romantic relationships.

Even with Terry, i felt like Terry loves her and Claudia is just happy to have a mostly yes-man by her.

But this is a Rayla post, sidenote over.

On Callum's part i'm fairly sure by the time he used dark magic he returned Rayla's feelings, as unaware of it as he was. I mean dude pretty much decided on a whim to throw his principles out the window for Rayla's sake(and ended up corrupting his own soul in the process but he didn't know that)

You'd think that he didn't love Rayla when they were still with Lujanne because he still had a crush on Claudia, but that's not entirely correct.

In the novelization of season 2, when he hangs out with Claudia he is acutely aware of Rayla's whereabouts and opinions and doesn't want Rayla to see him with her even in pretty normal circumstances. The guy just... didn't think it's weird to be hyper aware of someone who he apparently has no feelings for.

So... what's my guess on when Rayla started feeling more than friendship towards Callum?

Hmmm.

Probably when they made up on the frozen lake where they dropped Zym's egg.

And Callum eeeehhh probably earlier he just didn't know? I mean in chapter 14 "the sad prince" he was completely unaware he drew Rayla and he quickly hid it from her when she returned, eventhough Callum is not shy of his drawings.

Siiigh... book 3's novelization is still months away, i wonder what insight that's gonna give.

[magicalrocketships]

8, 56 or 69 for the over 30's ask meme! (Or all three if you have the spoons/time/inclination) <3

(And yes, two of these are shameless way of trying to potentially find a new favourite cleaning product or low-effort meal haha)

oh hello! love everything that makes things easier tbh.

8. What cleaning product do you swear by?

Two answers to this - the first one is low cost: pink stuff miracle paste. It is multi purpose and SO useful. When I moved in here a couple of years ago, I found a use for the drawers I had as a kid which had been stored in a family member's garage - they had stickers on and were grimy and I looked at them and didn't think they'd clean up, but pink stuff took it all off, sticker residue and everything. You can use it for cleaning anything and everything.

The second one is a robot hoover. Mine is called Maxy-Max and he arrived in my life earlier this year and in terms of spoons he has revolutionised my life. I ran most days last year on the equivalent of about 3-5% battery life and as such I have pretty much zero spare energy for cleaning, but now Maxy-Max will do things like find a Christmas bauble under a table and brush it to my feet or a pen under a seat and I will think yes: I love this robot and this robot loves me (and my cleaning).

56. Favorite low-effort meal that you make?

Godddd we are very, very gently starting to occasionally cook things again after 18 months of not being well enough to, but I have two recipes - one of which is an actual fave and the other one I've made and then adapted, but it's SO nice to have flavour again in what I eat (so many ready meals and easy eat stuff that made up my last 18 months are just bland, ughhhhhh so mediocre all of the time).

The first one is an extremely easy, vaguely a version of carbonara if you squint very hard (sorry Italians) and you can use literally any variation of pre-prepared ingredient dependent on need/ease/what you have and add frozen ingredients directly to the frying pan, but:

a) cook pasta. spaghetti is preferable but whatever brings you comfort and joy

b) while pasta is cooking, fry chopped onion and garlic and bits of smoked bacon. add salt and pepper.

c) when pasta is nearly done cooking add frozen peas to the bacon mix, leave to cook while you finish with the pasta and drain it

d) stir in cream cheese/philadelphia to bacon mix, according to taste (usually 1/3 to 1/2 a tub but I don't know how big tubs are elsewhere, just however much you like, you can add more but you can't take it out)

e) stir in the drained pasta to the bacon/cheese mix. add more pepper if you like pepper (I like pepper)

f) eat and feel joy. the leftovers are even more delicious.

The second was the first thing I made from a recipe book in forever. It's a gorgeous cookbook called Ramen by Makiko Sano. It's got so much to say and teach about how to build a layered ramen dish and I'm excited to have the energy to make any of that, BUT, nestled at the back is this recipe for microwave ramen:

I loved the ramen/kimchi/tofu/spring onion mix, the cheese and sort of egg scramble was nice but I wouldn't need it every time - but it was SO nice to try something new and relatively easy for lunch that didn't make me too tired to actually eat it.

69. What are you looking forward to next week?

I had a friend to stay this weekend and it was lovely but I am now v tired (beyond normal fatigue, but in a good way) and I JUST remembered that I have a long weekend booked off work this week with nothing to fill it up yet but dreams.

ask me questions!

[respectthepetty]

My School President color question: Should we read into Tinn's dad also wearing blue in the last episode as a way to draw comparison between him and Gun?

BESTIE @bengiyo! BB! Ben-ha-mean! Bad Benny! Eggs Benny!

I'm happy you asked this question but slightly bothered you only asked about the dad instead of asking about the two bigger influences - the moms, so I'm flipping your ask and giving you

My School President - PTA Edition

I'll start with the biggest GunTinn shipper, Gim:

She normally wore red and blue (the greenish colors are blue, I swear). However, she wore black each time her headaches occurred.

And when she got the news about the potential tumor, she was wearing yellow, which yellow represents caution, anxiety, and sickness.

I truly thought Gim was going to die since they had her in black and yellow in these pivotal scenes (which is why I'm terrified for my little Lamb Chop in Never Let Me Go), but she made it out alive! So let's transition to the next parent, Photjanee:

A lot of people unnecessarily hated on Photjanee, when she was playing it nice and neutral. Not all parents can be shippers like Gim, but Photjanee wasn't actively trying to crush people's hopes AND she was actually in Gun's corner.

Each time Tinn got closer to Gun, Photjanee's color did too. When Tinn asked to spend the night with the band in the school, when Tinn asked to go on the beach trip (peach because he didn't disclose it was with the band), when Photjanee planned to ask Tinn about Gun, and when Gun and Tinn danced at prom, Photjanee wore hues of (Gun's) red.

Much like Gim, the only time Photjanee wore yellow is when she was anxious and cautious after the picture of Tinn and Gun kissing was released to the entire school.

But she called her husband, and he helped her figure out what to do, which brings me to the last parent and your ask, Tinn's dad:

Just like his wife, Tinn's dad (did he have a name?!) played it safe and neutral. Also like his wife, he wore the peach color when unknowingly helping Tinn get closer to Gun.

So to your ask:

Should we read into Tinn's dad also wearing blue in the last episode as a way to draw comparison between him and Gun?

Yes and no.

Blue is Tinn's color, so really, like Gun wearing blue, Tinn's dad is showing his alliance with his son. He's letting his son know that he accepts him and loves him. He helps alleviate tension at the dinner table, and even helps Tinn by getting Photjanee to agree to let Gun spend the night IN TINN'S ROOM!

Photjanee did this as well. Before we knew she was Tinn's mom, the very first time we see her in the very first episode, she wears blue.

Because they love their son.

And Gun loves their son too.

[stapliy]

posting this by popular request AKA Just One Person™, i did this lol. can you tell i don't really draw b.fdi characters. anyway. talking about each thing under the cut, i would talk more logically and talk about my actual thoughts and opinions on the characters' personalities and junk but i'm so sleepy

favorite character: there is not a single character that comes close to s.nowball in how much i like them (i lied. there is another. but it's still not equal). he has been my favorite ever since i first watched b.fdi as a little thing nearly a decade ago. all of my friends (even the ones i have irl) know i'm like somewhat obsessed with him to the point where one of my friends drew a lot of ship art of me and him in middle school. i've technically been self-shipping with him since i was in middle school (when i learned what the term was), but even before that i was just in love with him like a little freak. oh i guess i should say why i like him. well he's very charming and funny and stupid and i have always had a thing for big guys, fat and muscular, so this is. wolf whistle. i swear i like him for his personality and not just because he's attractive

liked by everyone but me: i just don't get the appeal. like i don't hate her or anything but i just . she really miffed me a lot during b.fdi and what i watched of b.fdia (only 1-5e don't kill me guys modern b.fdia is just not for me). i guess fanon also plays a part in this because of how i always see people either lusting after her or only talk about her in the context of shipping like damn even her fans have nothing to say about her. i'm sure she's splendid in her own way and i did like that scene at the end of t.pot 9 with her and g.aty and i also like what she's providing for dpya like wow i've never seen them more productive. again i'm sure she's great but i wish the fanbase was. normal about her

didn't like at first: i used to think she was like suuuper mid until i got off my ass and rewatched b.fdi and i was like wow. i really like this one. i like how she interacts with other characters i like her voice i like that she runs super fast and is also very strong i love all of that about her. hashtag women. i also think that compared to other contestants she's kinda normal which is sooo funny like outside of her strengths and the "don't call me needy" thing she's just so. normal. at least in my eyes. love that for her

would like to know more about: you. what are you plotting. what's wrong with you what's your deal. tell me everything.

least favorite character: i wouldn't say i have a least favorite, but r.uby just never stuck out to me really. in what i saw of b.fdia, she was just comic relief, though the "comic" part of that kinda flew over my head. not because i didn't get it, but i just don't think she's that funny. maybe it's because i'm an adult, but what is so funny about poopy mayonnaise that's just gross. i also barely remember her doing anything in post-split b.fb so. it's not that i don't like her it's just that i don't think she's funny and i can't think of her doing anything super memorable

like the design, dislike the character: i don't dislike f.oldy!! as a s.tapy fan i am obligated to like her. however comma. like r.uby, she doesn't really. do anything. in b.fb she's just s.tapy's friend, and then i always forget that she was in t.pot because she (say it with me now) didn't do anything. i do like her design i like how she's like origami. i've never learned it myself but if i knew how them i would like her more because then there would be so many different appearances i could imagine herself having. but unfortunately i do not know how, so she's just so forgettable to me.

like the character, dislike the design: guys why does she have spots. i get that she'd be boring if she was just a plain white egg but i don't like the spots. a full pattern would've been nice, kinda like how people decorate easter eggs, but just in white and yellow. i would like that. also that thing she said about her being "an egg inside of an egg" as a baby has absolutely demolished so many of my brain cells because every time i remember it im just hit with the realization that Objects Might Be Oviparous And That Thought Horrifies Me

similar personality: he is just like me fr. like we're definitely the same guy. if you know c.lock's personality, then that's just how i act. i'm actually just like him it's insane. i also love w.inner and hate when people touch my face it's like looking in a mirror

fav ship: w.inclock on top my number one forever. i used to actually hate it but then t.pot 7 came out and i changed my mind. ever since then i have been insane like a rabid animal i need to write more of them. i love ships like this where like A is just so completely smitten with B to the point of near-obsession and B hates A. i know they technically aren't like that anymore but a man can dream.

least fav ship: sorry i'm coming out as heterophobic. fr though i really don't like this ship mostly because it's probably the closest one to being canon outside of f.ire.afy and like. idk some other ship. the way they interact with each other is so couple-like and it makes me feel like i'm third-wheeling for two objects. also i think pin deserves better like i like c.oiny but i think she should be with a woman or something.

would befriend irl: i actually know so many people that act like them it's crazy. i'm sure we would get along just fine, might even fuck around and become best friends or something idk. they kinda remind me of my old best friend like they both act like that

would never befriend irl: oh i would HATE her. our personalities do not mesh at all and i just know i would shittalk her when she can't hear me because i just would not like her.

[toomuchracket]

OKAY SIS HEAR ME OUT! flatmate!matty scenario where they've spent the first couple of nights cuddled up together and it's been very hot and intimate, no kissing or sex though. the reader is obviously worked up af when they wake up because matty is just holding her TIGHT and whispering sweet nothings to her ear all morning and it's just so sexy and does not help her horny state at all. she wants to take a shower before breakfast so matty suggests that he'd be more than happy to prepare the breakfast while she's in the shower. he's so cute asking her what she wants to have and making a very detailed mental list about her wishes. so she goes to take the shower and her entire body is just ACHING for matty so she starts touching herself while she's in there and of course, matty has some sort of a question about what fruits she wants to have with her yoghurt and goes ask her that but hears the shower run and her MOANING and whimpering behind the door so he's like oh-......OH!!! he rushes back to the kitchen cause he doesn't want to be a perv (it's way too early to ask if she need any help with what she's up to). she finishes herself and the shower and goes to the kitchen in matty's robe, all fresh and cute and matty triple checks if he got her breakfast wishes right and she's like oh yes, babe it's perfect <3 and then he admits to her that he came to ask what sort of fruits she'd wanted to have with her yoghurt but heard the shower already run so he didn't want to bother her and just added every fruit he could think of (which she finds so cute cause there's almost more fruits than the yoghurt itself). she realises matty heard her touching herself while moaning his name and her cheeks start heating up and so does matty's and they're just so cute and shy about it. neither one of them brings it up, however, until they actually have sex. idk i'm sorry this is so long but WHAT DO YOU THINK OMG!

i think this is incred and if you wrote it i would read it!!

but yeah like idk how you two do it - you share a bed with matty all the time and then wake up and have deeply intimate chats while snuggling him and you're NOT a couple??? madness. it does get to you - you wake up h word (which is a normal thing btw) in matty's bed one morning and you're literally clenching every muscle in your body to stop yourself moaning and/or grinding on him involuntarily while he's all gravelly-voiced and sleepy and pliable and messy-haired and warm and almost-fucking-NAKED spooning you. so you're like "is it cool if i have the shower first?" just to escape the sitch and matty's like "of course darlin', i'll get started on breakfast while you're in. what d'you fancy? still got some of that honey left from when you had that awful hayfever (a.n. look at me with my easter eggs! taylor jenkins reid found d*ed! that was a joke btw), maybe something with that?", and you're like oh shit i'm horny AND lovesick for him i am going to die ANYWAY "iced coffee, yoghurt and some honey mixed in with fruit at the side, please, babe". and matty's like "ooh. raspberries? strawberries? blueberries? kiwi?" literally listing everything you bought in your aldi haul yesterday lol, and you make your decision and matty literally repeats it back to you totally seriously to make sure it's right (like the former chinese-restaurant delivery boy he is lmao) and goes "ok sweetheart you hop in the shower and i'll start assembling it", and you're like "perfect thank you babe i won't be long!". but then when he's in the kitchen, matty gets so distracted thinking about how cute you are that he's like "wait. did she want raspberries or strawberries?" and scoots along to the bathroom to ask, but stops dead in his tracks when he hears you WHINING his name and swearing over the sound of the shower - bless you, it all got too much for you and you literally had no choice but to use that removeable showerhead on yourself to relieve the desire a bit. i think matty's first thought would be a very horny mental image of you all naked and soapy and sexual, but then he's like oh fuck ew i'm not a creep not a weirdo but what the hell am i doing here i can't ask her about her fruit choices now and heads back to the kitchen, where he makes an executive decision to put raspberries in your breakfast and tries not to imagine what you were doing to yourself (he fails miserably). and like you said, you wander in looking very relaxed (😉) and cute in a robe you stole from matty (who stole it from a hotel) and go "ooh this looks amazing!" and matty's like "you're sure i did it right? with the raspberries?", and you're like "yes? we double checked it?" and matty goes all bashful like "i got distracted and forgot what it was you said lol i did go to the bathroom to try and catch you pre-shower to ask, but i could hear the water when i got closer so i just left it". and at first you're like "aww" and then internally you're like OH SHIT HE HEARD ME MOAN HIS NAME and yeah breakfast is a little bit quieter that morning than usual lol. and yeah, i think matty would ABSOLUTELY take the piss a little bit when he eventually reveals he heard you that day, and you facepalm and almost die of embarrassment - that is, until matty appeases you by asking you to shower with him and show him what you were getting up to that morning, which you happily do before he rails you over the bathroom counter lol <3

[transingthoseformers]

I don't know bayverse but have seen pictures of the hatchlings. i just have this picture of the human alies being so weirded out by the bots cooing over and cuddling them cause they're creepy spikey human sized humanoids and the bots are in full baby mode.

Which begs the twin questions: are the Autobots fond of humans because to them we have baby schema and do the Deceptacons dislike humans cause we hit the Uncanny Valley like a planet of cursed babydolls?

Yessssss

I can exactly see the bayverse decepticons finding the human infants and humans in general, well, alien to them. The eggs/hatchlings may or may not be my favorite part of bayverse (they're 100% my fave part of ROTF oh very much) and I've certainly seen the hypothesis that that's why Optimus has a soft spot for humans initially (and in other continuities, such as tfp, as well).

I've thought so much about the first scenario you suggest, and I've seen that same damn reaction in the few fics I've found. As I said I adore the hatchlings and I think they secretly tell us so much about how the bayverse cybertronians work. Also in one of the fics I was recced (which I swear I'll finish at some point) Mikaela was initially creeped out by one of the hatchlings until it chirped at her and was immediately friendly— from that point on all of the other humans were so surprised at how familiar she had gotten with the cybertronian children and vice versa.

I swear I'm normal about the bayverse eggs/hatchlings (lying)

[highwaytothedangerzone502]

Foxtrot Alpha Alpha - Chapter 20

Pairing: Hangman x Female OC

Word Count: 2679

Warnings: Swearing

Summary: Hangman learned his lesson a long time ago to never show his true feelings when someone's words or actions hurt him. To do so showed weakness that could be exploited, and Seresin men couldn't show weakness. Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and Jake's always came in the form of women, three in particular: his mom, Juliette Kazansky, and the girl whose name he could no longer bring himself to speak. She was the girl that got away; she was his biggest 'what if' and his biggest regret; she would forever be the ghost that haunted his dreams. Jake believed that's where she'd stay, for he would surely never see her again after what he did.

Or so he thought.

Notes: This is the sequel to India Lima Yankee; I'm using the same callsign for the Female OC as in Ghost Story because I just really like it, but they are different characters; chapters in italics are flashbacks Half this chapter is from the promotional excerpt I did a while ago for it, but it's been altered to fit the route the story has gone :)

Chapter Songs: History This Everyday Love

****

Juliette

Rooster ambled into the kitchen, most likely due to the mouth-watering smell of bacon, eggs, and French Toast. Juliette bit back a smile at her hungover husband and wordlessly slid a bottle of ibuprofen and a glass of water over to him.

"How bad was I last night?" Rooster asked, scrunching his face in pre-mortification while he swallowed the medicine.

"How much do you remember?" she countered.

"I remember stumbling in and trying not to wake you and Ghost, but you two were already awake..."

"I'd been up, and Mav texted to let me know that I was about to have three men in a state about to enter my house."

"Fuck, I forgot Hangman and Coyote were there."

"I mean, none of you acted too differently than you normally do around each other. Coyote dropped to the floor to pet the dogs, you and Hangman were insulting each other, and Ghost, Mav, and I watched and laughed. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. The funniest thing was you and Hangman trying to whisper but doing it so loudly that you might as well have been speaking normally."

Rooster rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm so glad I didn't wake you up. You weren't waiting up for me, were you?"

"No, I'd fallen asleep and woken on my own when I started craving ice cream," Juliette said, sliding breakfast in front of him. 

Rooster leaned over the counter and kissed her on the cheek, thanking her for breakfast. "How are you feeling?"

"Meh. I'm going to try to eat because I'm hungry, but I also feel like if I eat one wrong thing, I'll hurl. It's a very fine line right now."

"You take it easy today. I'm going to work on the nursery since the paint should be dry by now. I'll get the simple stuff out of the way- curtains hung, lamp put together, stuff like that- and then I'll start putting the cribs together."

"Do you need any help?"

Rooster stared at her in exasperation. "What did I just say? I said I wanted you to take it easy."

"I didn't mean from me. I was thinking Ghost or Mav."

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds good. By the way, is Ghost okay? She seems off."

Juliette hesitated, unsure how much her friend wanted Rooster to know of her inner troubles. "She's acclimating to returning from deployment and is trying to find her place."

"She's got a place with us. Why don't you call her and invite her over?"

"I will after breakfast. I think she's with Jackie at the moment, and I don't want to interrupt." Juliette took a bite of her French toast, relieved when the nausea didn't hit. She pulled out her phone and dialed Mav's number, putting it on speaker. 

He picked up on the first ring. "Hey, Jules, how are you? Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, so far, but it's still early, so it could change," Juliette joked. 

"How's Rooster doing?"

Rooster swallowed his food and replied, "Could be worse. Hey, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm at the hangar. Why?"

"Oh, I was going to ask if you wanted to help me with the nursery, but I'm going to take that as a no." Rooster's brow furrowed. "Why are you at the hangar? You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, had to do some maintenance on the plane. Listen, I'll be back tomorrow. Why don't I come over and help then?"

The couple agreed and hung up. Rooster shook his head. "He's not telling us everything. He was just there last week doing plane maintenance. It shouldn't need it again already. Something's on his mind."

"He doesn't have to tell us everything, Bradley. If something is on his mind, he'll tell us when he's ready," Jules admonished gently, sliding her half-eaten breakfast over to him when nausea rolled over her. "Finish it for me. If I eat anymore, I'm going to be sick."

Rooster happily obliged, albeit eyeing her worriedly. Jules ignored the look and called Ghost in the meantime but quickly hung up after ordering her friend to go back to sleep. She recognized that tiredness all too well. Ghost promised she'd come by afterward to hang out.

Once Rooster finished breakfast and did the dishes, he headed to the bathroom and took a quick shower before tackling the nursery. Meanwhile, Juliette sat on the couch and reviewed some documents for work. Her boss had become extremely lenient with her working hours after learning of her pregnancy complications, and Juliette couldn't be more grateful. 

She'd gotten three-quarters of the way done when her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She snorted at Coyote's message: You'd think my hangover is from all the shots last night, but I'm pretty sure it's from Hangman and Rooster violently hitting me upside the head.

Rooster responded instantly: You should've been more quiet entering the house. You could've woken up the girls!

This time, Hangman chimed in: Says the guy who whispered louder than most people talk.

You did the same! Rooster said, his indignance clear through the four simple words. The text was followed by Rooster verbally saying from the other room, "The God damn snark of- OW!"

"You okay?" Juliette hollered in concern.

Ruefully, he answered, "Yeah, Raptor knocked the lamp over, and it hit my head."

"Maybe he was trying to tell you to lighten up." Silence ensued briefly, but she heard Rooster shuffling down the hallway. He appeared in the doorway and said nothing, only staring at her in entertained exasperation. Grinning, she said, "Oh, come on, you know you want to laugh."

He pursed his lips and then lied, "Absolutely not. Not a single laugh at that. I don't know watt you were thinking."

Juliette opened her mouth to respond, but an incoming text cut her off. Snickering to himself, Rooster returned to the nursery while she read the message. It was from Hangman, but this time, sent only to her: Joking aside, did we bother you too much last night?

Not at all. Ghost and I found the whole scene pretty funny. Besides, I knew you were coming. Mav forewarned me. 

Lol how's Bradshaw doing this morning? I haven't seen him drink that much in ages.

Shockingly well, actually. He's working on the nursery right now- trying to put the cribs together now by the sound of his cursing. How are you holding up?

I'm good. It takes a lot to get me drunk, let alone hungover. Texan genes doing me proud. Does Bradshaw need help with the nursery? Hangman queried. The question took her by surprise, but she wasn't going to pass up on the offer since both Maverick and Ghost were currently unavailable.

Bradley will never admit it, but yes.

Be over in thirty.

Juliette smiled to herself, pleased Hangman decided to join. She'd been concerned about him lately. While he hid it well, she could sense the hidden troubles in her friend that all started the night Ghost arrived. How much it had to do with her, and how much it had to do with the out-of-the-blue call from his family, Juliette hadn't figured out.

Right at the half-hour mark, the doorbell rang. Juliette struggled off the couch and hollered, "I got it!" 

Rooster let her, continuing his attempt (but failing) to construct the extravagant cribs that Sarah Kazansky had gifted the couple upon the announcement of her daughter's pregnancy. Jules shuffled to the door and, ordering Raptor and Lightning to stay back, swung it open, beaming at the man before her. "Hey, Hangman."

In his endearing Texan drawl and with his ever-present smirk, he replied, "Hey, Princess."

The two had formed a close friendship ever since the special training detachment mere months ago. Rooster didn't know it yet, but Juliette planned on making Hangman one of the twins' godfather. She'd seen him around her nephews at family barbecues and how wonderful he was with kids. She had swiftly made up her mind about it afterward. 

"How are my three favorite people?" Hangman asked, gently hugging Juliette and being careful to avoid her ever-growing belly. Then he knelt down to pet the excited German Shepherds.

"Nauseous, as usual, although it's slightly abated for now." Juliette moved aside to allow him entry. "Come on in. Bradley-"

"Hangman?" Rooster sounded from behind, his voice growing closer as he walked up behind his fiancée. "What are you doing here?"

"Princess said you needed help-" Hangman held out his arms- "so here I am. Your Lord and Savior."

Rooster looked down at Juliette. "Honey, I meant competent help."

"Any man who saved your life is competent in my book," she responded matter-of-factly, patting his cheek. "You work well together when you're not at each other's throats."

"And here I thought we were making headway, Bradshaw," Hangman teased. "Hell, I even brought sustenance."

Hangman lifted a six-pack of beer, and Rooster raised his eyebrows. "Sustenance or a bribe?"

"Both."

Rooster grinned. "Well, I guess some help is better than none. Come on."

"Before we get started-" Hangman pulled out a carton of ice cream and handed it to her- "I brought something for you too."

Juliette greedily snatched it up because despite having chills from all the nausea, something about the sight of the ice cream made her appetite return. Shooting Hangman a thankful smile, she hurried to the kitchen and ripped off the lid. Juliette grabbed a spoon and plopped happily on the couch, nausea miraculously gone, although she wouldn't complain or think about that too much. After all, she welcomed the reprieve.

For the first hour, Rooster and Hangman sounded like they were getting along. Juliette even swore they clinked beer bottles a couple of times. Of course, once that initial hour passed, she could hear some of their frustration coming out. 

After killing half the ice cream carton, Juliette went to put it away. As she shut the freezer, the doorbell rang. Perplexed as to who it could be, she went to answer it. Opening the door, Jules found Ghost standing before her. "Hey! What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you for another hour or so."

Ghost shrugged. "Couldn't stay asleep. Is it still okay for me to hang out?"

"Of course! Besides-" Juliette stepped aside and allowed her friend in- "you're just in time for the entertainment." 

"I always did have perfect timing," her friend joked, shrugging off her jacket. "Is someone else here?"

"Hangman. He's helping Rooster put the cribs together, and I use the term 'help' loosely."

Distaste flickered across Ghost's face at his name, but she refrained from remarking about it. The two girls made their way to the couch and sat down. Raptor and Lightning lay on their feet. Ghost asked, "So, how's the nursery coming along?"

Juliette started to answer but stopped short when she heard Hangman demand in annoyance, "Bradshaw, is there anything you're actually capable of doing?"

Rooster responded with equal irritation and without a beat, "Putting up with you. You're supposed to be helping here!"

"It's not my fault the instructions are in Chinese and that you can't find the ones in English!"

"There are pictures for each step!"

"They're not clear enough!"

"Come on, we're smarter than this," Rooster said. Juliette could hear the confusion in his voice.

"Clearly, we're not," Hangman retorted before laughing mischievously and adding, "What does this look like?"

"You have the mind of a child."

"And yet, I'm still more intelligent than you."

"That's rich coming from the guy who forgot the word for 'sting ray' and called it a 'sea pancake.'"

"What does it say about you that you knew exactly what I was talking about?"

"That I am fluent in child from having worked with you for so long."

The boys continued their jesting while Ghost and Juliette eavesdropped, smothering their laughter at the continuous insults the boys hurled at each other and watching TV, content with each other's company. Another hour passed before Rooster and Hangman emerged from the nursery. The latter zeroed in on Ghost the moment he laid eyes on her, but he swiftly shifted his gaze to Juliette. 

"So-" Jules began, barely keeping a straight face as she feigned ignorance- "how's it coming along?"

"We're getting there," Rooster blatantly lied. "We're taking a break to go get dinner. What do you ladies want?"

"I'll defer to Juliette," Ghost responded. "Whatever she craves is the best way to go."

"I am craving seafood," Juliette admitted shyly, not wanting to force anyone to eat something they weren't in the mood for. "Is that okay?"

"Seafood it is, Princess," Hangman promised, bowing his head. "What would y'all like, and from where?"

"If you go to Pappa's Seafood, Rooster knows my answer," Jules said, standing up with the help of Bradley. "Crawfish platter."

"Ooh, what's on that?" Ghost asked.

"Fried crawfish, crawfish etouffee, and French fries."

"How big is it?"

"Enough for one person."

Ghost looked at Rooster. "Make that two crawfish platters."

"You got it," he said. He kissed Juliette and bid Ghost goodbye before strutting out the door. Hangman pecked Jules on the cheek, bowed his head at Ghost in acknowledgment, then followed Rooster.

Juliette waited until the door shut behind them before saying, "Want to take a shot at putting the cribs together?"

"Absolutely," Ghost agreed, following her friend to the nursery. The girls entered a chaotic scene. Bits and pieces were scattered across the floor in no particular order; some were put together but with no obvious evidence of where they belonged on the crib, and Juliette could only be thankful it belonged to only one crib instead of two—at least the second remained safely in the box. 

"We have our work cut out for us," Ghost mused, sitting on the floor in the middle of the madness. Juliette gently lowered herself to the ground across from her. "At least they had the sense to leave the nails and bolts in the packaging."

"I knew I should've supervised them," Juliette said, shaking her head. "Okay, where are the instructions? The English ones, I mean. I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Rooster probably set them down in some weird place. I'd say grab them from the second box, but I don't know where they are in there, and I don't want to risk adding-" she motioned at the parts strewn about- "to this insanity."

"You stay seated. I'll get up and look around," Ghost ordered, standing up. 

Juliette watched her friend, unable to hold back the question that had been on the tip of her tongue since Ghost's first day when she ran into Hangman. Leaning back on her hands, she asked hesitantly, "So, are you ever going to tell me how you and Hangman know each other? Because you are obviously more than old acquaintances."

Although Ghost didn't face her, Juliette saw the girl's shoulders sag. "How long have you known?"

"A while. Between the blatant tension between you two and the fact that Hangman called you an 'old acquaintance'- which is the same thing I called Rooster when Phoenix and Hangman picked up on our chemistry the day he arrived for the special training detachment- it wasn't hard to figure out."

Ghost scoffed. "Hangman and I don't have chemistry."

Uh-huh, and Rooster and I aren't about to have twins. Juliette disagreed with her friend but kept the opinion to herself. Now was not the time. "I wanted to wait until you told me about it, but something tells me it's been eating at you, him being here, I mean. So what is it? What happened between you two?"

Ghost sighed and shut the top dresser drawer she'd been searching. Facing Juliette, the female pilot said sadly, "Once upon a time, Hangman and I were best friends. We met in high school and were inseparable for almost a decade."

Bracing her elbows on her knees and leaning forward eagerly, Juliette asked, "What happened between you two?"

Ghost dropped her gaze to the floor. "He nearly got me killed."

****

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[searchingforserendipity25]

Knit, Purl, Improvise | Dangeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. ON AO3

For Lukani, as part of the Yuletide Exchange.

“You have dropped a stitch,” Xenk said helpfully, three days into their long scouting mission. 

“Honestly, and this is just a friendly suggestion, feel free to take it, piss off,” Edgin said. And then; “Shit, not the double stitch. I swear double stitches love to be dropped, they’re just dying for it. Where do I -”

“Right there.” 

Xenk shifted closer. The sunlight slanting through the firs and elms fell upon his cheeks with intent, as if it were perfectly aware and quite smug about its role in highlighting his beauty. Edgin stared - it was physically impossible not to stare, okay? Even Holga would have stared, and she was very much not into tall guys. 

Edgin cursed, fished out the lost stitch, and cursed again when it was clear he had to unravel a whole couple of rows to get it back into shape.

Xenk extended a hand. Long fingers, graceful wrists, calluses like - not like Holga, really. Fighter's hands; good hands. Edgin felt a normal amount, about them. "If I may -"

"Nay, you may not - nuh-huh! Get your hands off, mister. No needle-hogging here, thanks very much. If you wanted something to keep busy you should have brought it yourself, deal with it."

Xenk really was quite - well, not much taller than Edgin, but very present. Edgin was very aware of it, with the way they had sat together on the same cold boulder for hours now, peering down at the ravine below, and the cave where a band of traffickers were bound to show up, sooner or later. It looked like it was going to be a later situation.

Even Edgin found it pretty tasteless to make money off looting graves and selling the mummified corpses of ancient pixie chieftains to the highest bidder, though, and their sponsors paid decently, so he didn’t feel too bad about the bother.

Didn’t mean he hadn’t complained about it, but at least he had offered to share his egg sandwich with Xenk - that was nice, right? He was making nice, the way one made nice with an occasional coworker who did not make conversation and did not like egg sandwiches. Who, Edgin asked, did not like egg sandwiches? And he kept looking disapproving when Edgin stepped on the trails of ants that tried to make off with the crusts. No one made off with Edgin's crusts, only Holga and Kira were allowed to have his crusts.

"I am not needle-hogging," Xenk said, spacing out the vowels carefully. "I am not even touching your needles. Which I suspect, by that logics, makes you the needle-hogger here."

"Am not!"

"I merely wished to offer help where I may."

"Well, don't," Edgin snapped, and got busy tug-tug-tugging the yarn, unravelling his afternoon's work. "I am making a lovely scarf for my lovely daughter, and I am perfectly capable of making it myself."

Edgin sighed loudly. "Of course you knit. I bet you do great socks - fancy stuff, right? Marino shawls, and stuff. No, wait." Edgin narrowed his eyes, framed Xenk's face between his fingers like a pretentious portrait trying to get the sitter's measure. "You do lace knitting, don't you."

"The kindly farmers that took me in were often local champions at the local competition of threading thin shawls through rings," Xenk admitted.

"Flunk you," Edgin repeated, with feeling. Xenk's mouth tilted with a smile, just slightly. "Yeah, laugh it up, local father of one precocious kid edits out a few swear words, funny stuff. I'm doing just fine without a knitting advisory, thanks."

"There is no shame in taking aid when it is offered. Indeed, I was laid down for many moons abed with a wound, while in the care of a kindly family of farmers, when I first was taught the craft of knitting. And I must say," Xenk added, tilting his head in that disconcerting, insightful way that made the fine hairs to the back of Edgin's hair rise with not-unpleasant fright. "I am surprised at the techniques you apply. There are easier ways to undo this error than to start wholly anew."

Edgin bristled. The sun was in his eyes, now - the clouds kept chasing each other across the narrow strip of sky they could see from their spying place. Honestly, it was getting kind of chilly; but of course they couldn't start a fire, and like hell he was asking Xenk to cast a warming cantrip.

Xenk had cast a warming cantrip over their camping site every night so far, but it was the principle of the thing.

"So?"

Xenk considered him. Which was. Certainly an experience. Edgin would like it to be over as soon as possible, but, again: he could not quite look away.

"I believe you to be a man very fond of shortcuts."

"Why, Paladin Xenk, are you calling me a cheater? I am hurt," Edgin said a hand on his chest, nearly stabbed himself in the face, and turned down the needles in a dramatic movement, as if he really had meant to show he was back-stabbed levels of hurt. "Truly."

"I am merely pointing out. As a friendly suggestion. For what it counts, your scarf does look lovely."

Of course it did. Edgin had learned from his Gramps, all the wool-stuff sailors worked at in the quiet of the night, crammed together in miserable bunks by the swaying light of foul-smelling lanterns. Gramps made beautiful cardigans, thick, scratchy, wonderful shirts. So did Edgin.

"Hell yeah it is. Which you only get if you do things properly." Do it proper start to finish, my Ned, and only leave a mistake so the spirits know not to get funny ideas.

Thing was, wool was awfully expensive. Nothing you could make a living out of, really; or at least he'd never managed it. He imagined telling Xenk that, and bit back a shiver: how the hell did people even get through these long waits? How did people get to know each other, even. He had never felt the need to prove himself to Holga - or, well, he did, every day, otherwise he'd have let himself die a thousand times, he cared about her opinion more than anything and sort of built up his identity around her faith in him in a cute, a little codependent way, but. It was different with Xenk.

Whatever - dusk was setting. The ants were going nuts on the bit of crust he had left for them, well away from his blanket - Xenk ought to be happy about that, not that he cared. There were bigger things to worry about. Tonight would be the last one of their watch, he could tell; the air was shivering in the leaves, eager. His neck prickled. Start to finish, and enough mistakes for bad luck to pass through.

Well, Edgin made mistakes aplenty, and the world liked Xenk better than most; between the two of them, they ought to be fine. 

"Your stitches are slipping again," Xenk noted.

"Brotherflunker," Edgin cursed, and bent down to work the needles with furious speed, the better to avoid Xenk's eyes, that tilted mouth.

[writeforfandoms]

Homeward Bound 3

Find the series masterlist

Yes, I know, it's been a hot minute. RL has been insane. I'm trying, guys. I swear nothing is forgotten or abandoned.

A quieter moment leads to some introspection on your life and your position.

Warnings: Swearing, feelings of loneliness and isolation, very brief pain (pinching your own wrist), duty over happiness.

Word count: 837

John and Kyle were hanging around the hatching grounds. Again. You stifled a sigh. If they kept this up, you'd have to usher them off and remind them that normally you didn't allow prospective riders to spend so much time here. 

“...picked me herself,” John was saying as you approached, one bold hand stroking Ilsbet's snout. The green dragon preened under the attention, though she was watching Kyle rather more carefully. 

“Hey.” You frowned at the two. “Back again?” 

“Jus’ saying hi,” John was quick to defend, one hand held out to you like you were the biggest threat on the hatching grounds. (To be fair… you probably were.) “Introducing Kyle to Ilsbet.” 

It clicked then, finally. Why Ilsbet had dragged him into the nest. “From her first time out selecting potential riders,” you murmured. “I'd forgotten.” 

John nodded eagerly. “Right proud of herself, she was,” he said fondly, going back to petting her snout. “Great lizard.” 

She snorted, hot air ruffling his hair while he laughed. Kyle just smiled. 

“Regardless,” you said, shaking off the memories. “It's getting close to hatching time. You shouldn't be here.” 

“We'll go,” Kyle was quick to assure you. “We've got drills soon anyway.” 

You nodded, appeased, and watched the two go, whispering between themselves. Shaking your head, you looked at Ilsbet. 

“Are you sure about that one?”

She snorted hot air at you, making you chuckle. 

“Yeah, alright,” you agreed, patting her neck. “Just remember that the rest of us have to survive your rivalry with Dren.” 

She snorted again but lowered her head, long neck curling around one of her eggs. Shaking your head, you continued on, deciding you might as well do a round of the nests to check on all the dragons. 

It wouldn't be much longer until hatching. Another day or two, you'd bet. No more than that. 

Thank goodness. Some of the mothers needed to go hunting, stretch their wings. 

Plus then you wouldn't have to keep chasing prospective riders away from the hatching grounds. 

The cracked egg was doing fine, warm under your palm, and even moved ever so slightly. You smiled, head tipped down at the egg so no one would see you. This little one would be just fine. 

But you'd still keep an eye on this one when the hatching started. Just in case. 

“Alright?” 

You startled at the voice, having not heard anyone approach. You looked up to find Simon standing a polite distance away, gaze fixed on you. 

“Yes,” you agreed, pushing to your feet and brushing yourself off. “Everything is fine. Hatching will be soon.” 

Simon nodded. “You'll be there?”

Your smile was equal parts amused and wry. “Always.” 

He grunted, shifting his weight back, away from you. Trying to find a polite way to end the conversation, probably. Not many riders bothered to get to know you. 

Which was fine. You were busy. You didn't need riders poking around your business all year, instead of just around hatchings.

“I'll see you there.” You nodded to him, brisk and detached, and turned away. You had a few other things to do to prepare for the hatching. 

You'd known, growing up, that you'd take this role. You'd known that would mean long hours, days, years spent largely alone. You'd known that you were unlikely to get attached. Your own mother had only one child, and had never married.

This job was a lifelong commitment, one that didn't lend easily to attachment. Not to people, at any rate. You were quite fond of the dragons, and attached to many of them. Especially the females. Since you saw them every three years once they reached egg laying age. 

That did not mean you felt nothing. You were still human, you felt lonely sometimes. You wondered what it would be like to have a friend, a confidant, someone glad to see you outside of your duties. 

You shook the thoughts from your head. “Useless,” you muttered to yourself. A sharp pinch to the inside of your wrist cleared your head, shaking off the last of your odd mood.

You had work to do, and you'd do it to the best of your abilities. As you had always done. 

No use fantasizing over what would never happen, after all. 

The nearest dragon crooned softly at you, headbutting your shoulder gently. You lifted a hand to scratch her eye ridges automatically, breathing out slowly. 

“I know,” you murmured to her, glad the black dragon hadn't been more forceful. “I know.” 

Just a few more days to hatching. Then cleanup. Then helping the babies for a while. 

By which time, it would be time for the females to rise again for a mating flight. Rinse and repeat. Every year. 

You paused at the edge of the sand, half-turning to look back. 

Simon stood near Ilsbet, one hand on her neck. But he was facing you. Watching you. From this distance, you couldn't see his expression, and you weren't sure you wanted to.

You walked away.