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unknowntoyou2205 · 4 months ago

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Never enough

Info: It’s unusual to see the soft side of Scott, but y/n takes it out of him when she feels insecure bout herself.

relationship: Scott x reader

Warnings: Slight mention of eating disorder, body shaming

Y/n and Scott were two completely different people. While y/n was sweet and kind, Scott was cold and snappy to people. Y/n always smiled in greeting to whoever she spoke to, Scott made his conversations short and simple, refusing to talk longer than necessary. So the reasons for y/n taking a liking to the stone cold man were unknown, but it would be a lie if someone were to say that the two weren’t cute together. The short and few moments they had together in public would make you melt. If there was a hair stray on y/n’s head, Scott would tuck it behind her ear. When Scott chewed his last piece of gum, y/n would have a replacement pack ready for him. When y/n was cold, Scott would be quick to grab a jacket from behind his car and wrapping it around her shoulders. When Scott got stressed after a bad chase, y/ would be quick to pull him away from the situation, and get him out of a harsh tongue from Marshell. Y/n was the only person who could make Scott smile an actual smile, and Scott could always make y/n blush with short remarks. The two were imperfectly perfect for each other, and both were content with each other.

So when y/n starts acting out of character, Scott is the first to pick up on it. Javi had grown up with y/n, which is how she winded up with Storm Par, and Scott was aware of that y/n wasn’t always as confident as she seemed. In high school y/n struggled with her appearance. She was body shamed by a group of tween girls which lead to her refusing to eat. She’d go days without eating before bulk eating and forcing herself to throw it back up. Javi had been the one to catch her forcing herself to get sick, and had grown to learn the symptoms of when things got bad. It was during the early days of y/n and Scott’s relationship when Javi told Scott. Y/n sometimes returned to her bad habits, and Javi was afraid it would get too bad, so he confided in Scott who was determined to prevent history repeating itself.

Y/n woke up feeling out of sorts. Turning her head, she seen Scott lying beside her, arm draped over her stomach, eyes closed as he slept soundly. Feeling her skin burning under his touch, y/n grimaced as she pushed his arm off her, swinging her legs to move off the bed. She looked back at Scott to see him move slightly, and she sighed when he didn’t awaken. Moving towards the bathroom, she grabbed her clothes before closing the door, her vision stopping at the cracked mirror behind the door. Her eyes wandered over her body, and her hands moved to grasp at the skin that was on her hip. She narrowed her eyes at herself, looking down at the rolls that appeared as she changed for the day.

“Hey, there you are.” Scott greeted her as she opened the door of the bathroom. “Morning.” Y/n smiled, folding up her pyjamas and placing them in her bag. “I didn’t feel you getting up this morning.” He frowned, leaning over to tie his shoe laces. “Oh.” Y/n mocked confusion. “Thought you had abandoned me.” Scott joked as he got off the bed, brushing down his trousers before walking over to wrap his arms around her. “Never.” Y/n smirked, wrapping her arms around his neck as she tried to ignore the slight burn she felt from his touch. “Breakfast?” Scott asked, looking down at her slightly. “Nah, I’m good. Think I’m going to see Javi before we meet with the group. Sort out some things before Kate gets here.” Y/n shrugged as she ran her fingers through his hair. “You good?” Scott asked, unable to read her. “Yeah.” Y/n nodded, kissing Scott’s cheek before pulling away from him slightly. “I’ll grab you a coffee than. Creamer, no sugar.” Scott pointed at her as he recited her usual order. “You got it.” Y/n smiled as she grabbed his cap from the side of their bed and placing it on his head. “ “I love you.” Scott spoke as she adjusted the hat on his head. “I love you too.” Y/n smiled before they left the room.

---

Y/n had told a slight lie to Scott, she never meet with Javi, instead she had went for a long walk along the woods that was just across from the motel they were currently staying at. She hated lying to Scott, they didn’t allow for lies in their relationship, but she knew Scott would only stop her from doing the long walk if he had known. She had meet with Javi on the way back, and they were currently walking to where Storm Par had parked their cars the night before after a long day of chasing. Tiredness was evident on y/n’s face and Javi eyed her warily as she smiled upon seeing Scott. Wordlessly, Scott handed y/n the coffee and y/n smiled, forcing herself to inhale the scent of coffee with a smile.

“Alright guys, we have two storms that look promising today. One on the east and the other on the South.” Scott stated, and y/n leaned on one of the jeeps as she listened to her boyfriend accordingly. “We have a long drive ahead of us, so I advise getting enough food and drink to last, because we won’t have much time for stops unless necessary.” Javi continued for his partner, being the considerate one of the two. “We leave in 5, no later.” Scott stated, and the team separated to get ready for the day.

Scott watched the crowd leave before moving towards y/n, going to take her hand and intertwine their fingers. Y/n forced a half smile at him and decided to lean into hm slightly, faking tiredness. Kissing her head, Scott moved them towards the gas station, and y/n moved away from him slightly to allow their hands to swing in between them. Eyeing her slightly, Scott said nothing as he opened the door and allowed her to go through. She let his hand go to grab a basket and replaced it with her coffee before they began to walk the aisles to get their food. Scott smirked as he seen y/n grab two boxes of chewing gum and throw them into the basket, and she looked at him from the corner of her eye, pretending not to see. His smirk dropped as he seen her grab his usual sweets and stay away from hers. He eyed her gently and grabbed a small packet of f/s (favourite sweet) and placed it beside his as she moved towards the fruit and grabbed apples and bananas before grabbing two bottles of water from the fridge. His frown increased as she avoided her favourite fizzy drink and move over to grab two sandwiches for them. He couldn’t help the worry he felt as she moved to check, watching her as he realized the signs.

“I’m just going to run to the bathroom. I’ll meet you at the truck.” Scott stated, moving to kiss the back of y/n’s head. “Ok.” Y/n looked up at him with a slight smile on her lips before Scott left.

He turned back to see y/n talking to Boone, and while he would usually frown at seeing her talk to their rivals, the frown was replaced with worry as he walked back to the trucks where Javi was talking to some members of their team.

“Javi.” Scott called out as he walked towards the man. “Yea.” Javi asked, not looking at Scott for a minute before glancing at him when he didn’ answer. “Come here.” Scott indicated with his head for Javi to come to him. “What is it man, we’re sorting out where best to place the..” “How did y/n seem today when you guys were talking?” Scott got right to the point, his voice gruff. “What? I wasn’t talking to y/n today.” Javi spoke, confused with question. “Y/n didn’t have breakfast this morning because she was going to see you to talk before Kate got here.” Scott stated. “I haven’t talked to y/n today. I only seen her when she was walking back to the motel.” Javi spoke, her eyes widening slightly as he realized something. “If she didn’t meet you than, where did she..” Scott stopped as he figured out where she was “She went for a walk.” “A long walk.” Javi nodded at him before looking over Scott’s shoulder to see y/n dragging her feet as she made her way towards the group.

Y/n’s eyes remained on the ground before looking up as she neared the group. Her eyes scanned Javi & Scott’s face as they watched her walk up to them, and she smiled slightly in greeting before stopping as the team returned. Javi gave a brief overview as to where each person would station and everyone nodded before moving to their respective cars. Scott and y/n moved to their own transport, and Scott opened the door for y/n before taking the bag from her and replacing it with her still warm cup of coffee.

“Here, drink this. It’ll waken you up.” He smiled at her as she got comfortable in her seat. “Thanks.” Y/n smiled, taking a sip of it as Scott placed the bag at her feet before closing the door and moving to the drivers seat.

“You know I care about you right?” Scott asked, looking at y/n as he took her hand. “I know.” Y/n nodded after a short silence, her eyes squinting in confusion as Scott squeezed her hand before letting it go and starting the car.

---

That night y/n was exhausted. The group had been travelling none stop all day, and the little energy from her coffee had long since left her body. Scott draped his arm over her shoulder, ignoring as she flinched before placing her head on his shoulder. He kissed her head gently before glaring at those who took a double take of them together. It wasn’t usual to see the two of them being so close in public, but y/n welcomed it, smiling tiredly as she felt his lips on her hair. Javi glanced towards them as he got out of his truck, and him and Scott shared a knowing look before heading off to reception to get the keys for the night. Scott and y/n were close behind, and Scott nodded in thanks to the receptionist as they got their keys before leading y/n towards their room.

Once in the room, y/n left Scott’s side and dropped her bag on the bed, opening it to grab her comfy clothes for the night. Scott frowned as she headed to the bathroom, hearing the dodgy lock lock behind her. Usually y/n would have no problem getting changed in the same room as him, they had been together for over a year now so there wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen. He sighed before dropping his own bag to get ready for the night. He looked up as he heard the lock unclick, but the door didn’t open. Deciding to check if y/n was okay, he knocked on the door before opening it.

Y/n stood in front of the sink, and her back was towards the sink as she looked at herself in the mirror behind the door. Her vision looked up as the door opened, and her eyes widened as she seen Scott come through the door. One look at her and Scott knew what he and Javi thought were true, for her eyes watered slightly before turning away from him, arms wrapping around herself. Sighing in slight frustration he walked further into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around her. Y/n pushed against his chest slightly and Scott allowed her to part from him before they walked to the room. Y/n refused to look at the man who stopped in front of her as she sat on the bed.

“Y/n, talk to me.” Scott pleaded. “About what, I’m tired I need to sleep.” Y/n muttered, refusing to make eye contact. “Your not yourself. I need to know that your okay, but I can clearly see your not.” Scott replied. “ I’m fine.” Y/n snapped, and Scott arched his brow, knowing that she wouldn’t usually snap that quick. “No your not. Your feeling down and that’s okay. You can feel that way, but I need you to accept that I am going to care about you both on your good days and your bad days. Just as you care about me even when I’m stone cold to everyone else.” “Scott…” Y/n started, not sure what to say. “You don’t seem to realize how perfect you are. Everyone have flaws and yours is what I love about you the most.” Scott stated, moving to place his hands on y/n’s shoulder, kneading them slightly. “Stop.” Y/n murmured, not agreeing with him. “What do you hate about you the most?” Scott asked suddenly, leaning down to kiss y/n on the lips. “No.” Y/n muttered against his lips, closing her eyes gently. “Tell me y/n.” Scott stated, kissing her checks and moving down to her neck. “My sides.” She whispered, her breath caught in her throat slightly. “Hmm.” Scott breathed gently as he moved his hands either side of y/n, forcing her to lower down gently. “My sides.” Y/n spoke again, and she shivered as she felt Scott smirk against her neck, running his fingers down her body, stopping at her hips. “These.” He asked, bringing her hands to a stop before squeezing them slightly. “Stop.” Y/n begged, eyes widening slightly. “I happen to think your hips are one of your best characteristics.” Scott mumbled before moving down her body, bringing her top up a bit so he could kiss the skin on her hips. “Scott please.” Y/n cried out, her body freezing as he paid attention to her insecurity. “Your beautiful y/n, hips included.” Scott murmured as he nuzzled her body with his nose as he made his way back up to meet y/n’s eyes. “No.” “Yes.” Scott replied to her denial, before kissing her again.

Y/n sighed as Scott never moved his hands from her sides, instead holding a grip on them as he hovered over her. She accepted his attention, bringing her hands up to his neck, fingers going through his hair. The kiss was short, and y/n breathed deeply as Scott moved to lie beside her, arms snaking under her back to keep her close. His other hand moved to play with her hair, causing y/n to close her eyes and lean into his touch. Kissing her head, Scott laid his chin on her head.

“You are perfect just the way you are y/n.” Scott mumbled, twirling some hair around his finger. “Hmm.” Y/n sighed, scrunching her nose slightly as Scott tickled her side. “I’ll never be enough.” “You’ll always be enough.” Scott replied quickly, and y/n rolled her eyes as he pulled her closer, allowing sleep to consume them both.

#twisters 2024 #twisters x reader #scott miller x reader #Scott twisters x reader #scott twisters #twisters fanfic #tyler owens #kate carter #javi rivera #javi #twisters

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zoeykallus · 1 year ago

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Hello there!

I have a request for you :) The reader (female) is learning how to fight hand-to-hand and each of the Bad Batch member lands on top of her and they realize they have feelings for each other.

Aloha!

Hmm, okay, I think I know what you mean. Let me make this fluffy, with a bit of suggestive and maybe some fun. The outcome of the scenario may depend on the batcher/character.

*Cracks knuckles*

This might be fun...

The Bad Batch x Fem!Reader HCs - The Sparring Partner

Warnings: Fluff/Slightly Suggestive in Parts/Fun/Idiots in Love

____________

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

____________

Hunter

He cocks an eyebrow at you as he looks down at you. You look up at him with a deep sigh. Actually, you're not surprised that he won another one of your training bouts before it really started. Still, you're a little annoyed with yourself. "That wasn't so bad," he says with a small grin. "Bite me," you grumble back. Hunter grins at you in amusement and laughs softly, "How long have you been trying to outdo me now? Face it, when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, I'll always be a little better" You grit your teeth and glare at him. Quickly and skillfully, you hook your feet into the backs of his knees while he is bent over you and pull his legs away. With a surprised exclamation, a priceless look of confusion on his face, Hunter loses his balance and lands on his back. He doesn't have time to collect himself, the confusion lasts long enough for you to pick yourself up and throw yourself at him. "Gotcha!" you exclaim triumphantly. You have a big grin on your face, while Hunter still blinks in surprise. But a small smile slowly creeps onto his lips. His bandana has half slipped and covers half of his right eye, his hair is a mess. Somehow he looks adorable, cute and helpless.

Of course, you know he's not helpless, but for the moment at least it seems that way. "Well, if I have to lose, it's not such a bad situation to end up in" You look at him questioningly. "What?" His smile widens a little as he says, "Well, I'm lying on my back with a beautiful woman above me, I could get used to that" Heat creeps into your ears and cheeks, you realize how close you are right now, not for the first time, but his words give the situation a whole new feel. You blink several times to collect yourself and finally say, "Whatever, I win" Hunter laughs softly, and you feel the vibration of his laughter close to your body. "Okay, you win"

Echo

It happens pretty quickly. He disarms you so quickly and twists your arm behind your back that you almost lose your bearings at first. He has you pressed against the wall and asks amusedly, "Not bad, am I right? And that with just one hand" You moan softly, and he automatically loosens his grip a little. "Oh, did I hurt you?" he suddenly asks worriedly. You take the moment to twist out of his grip, but he immediately has you pinned against the wall again, but this time face to face. Echo smirks. "Nice try," he says smugly, "You know full well I'm always worried about hurting you in training fights" You roll your eyes, but smile at him nonetheless. "Okay, you're faster and more skilled than I thought, it was a mistake to underestimate you," you admit. "And yet you keep doing it," he says, laughing softly.

You laugh too and say, "Maybe I just like it when you get that close to me" Echo's smile freezes and a surprised, slightly confused expression creeps onto his face. Finally, he laughs softly again, a little nervously this time. "Of course," he says, rolling his eyes. However, your gazes are suddenly fixed on each other, you look into each other's eyes and can no longer look away. "Well?" you say quietly. "Yeah," he also says quietly, absently, caught in your gaze as if in a trance. Suddenly, a voice from the background says, "Now kiss her and make it official" Echo lets go of you, startled, and you both fidget a little nervously. Crosshair stands leaning against the door, arms crossed in front of his chest, a cheeky smirk on his lips. "We've been practicing," Echo says grumpily. Crosshair snorts with a giggle, "Sure. You're experts at staring into each other's eyes now. Good job"

Wrecker

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Wrecker looks at you doubtfully, his eyebrows raised in concern. He doesn't think a training match with him is a particularly good idea. You nod with a determined smile, you want to stay in shape, learn, and with Wrecker you simply get along the best of the boys, so your first impulse was to ask him. "Of course. Why not?" Wrecker cocks a brow at you and says, "Because I'm much bigger and stronger, for one thing. How are you going to take me down in hand-to-hand combat? Even if I'm careful, I could still hurt you. That's already happened to me with my brothers a few times" He looks really worried and anything but enthusiastic about the idea. But you look at him with your best puppy dog eyes until he gives in with a sigh. "Okay, okay, stop looking at me like that," he finally says, shaking his head, "this can't be good, but if you insist"

And he's right, you struggle, try all the tricks you know so far, but you just can't get the giant down. He just stands there, now and then, almost cautiously fending off one of your attacks, but basically he doesn't do much. Finally, completely out of breath and frustrated, you give up. "Okay," you say, gasping for air, "you win" Wrecker raises his eyebrows and says, "I didn't do anything" You shrug your shoulders. "Well, you still won" He smirks and says, "It was kind of fun anyway. Just watching you struggle" You roll your eyes and say, "Glad I could amuse you" "Oh, um, I didn't mean to make fun of you," he says hurriedly and follows you into the changing room without thinking. You pack your bag and go to get your things to go and have a shower, when you turn around you are shocked to see that he is standing right behind you.

"Wrecker!" "What? What have I done now?" You laugh and say, "Wasn't it enough for you that I embarrassed myself? Do you want to see me naked now too?" Wrecker frowns, looks around, then opens his eyes in shock. "Oh." You giggle. He smirks shyly, but then says, "Maybe another time" You feel your cheeks glow and say, "Yes, maybe another time"

Tech

Tech pushes his goggles up the bridge of his nose with a deft finger and looks at you scrutinizingly. "Are you ready for training?" You smile. "Yes. Are you?" Tech raises his eyebrows. "Of course." You've never seen him in training clothes before. It's civilian clothes, sportswear, tracksuit bottoms and shirt, actually quite simple, but because you've almost only seen him in his armor, the outfit on him today seems somehow exotic. You look at him for a moment, and he looks at you questioningly. He looks down at himself and asks, "Is something wrong?" You blink, startled. "Um, no, it's fine, I was just lost in thought for a moment" Tech frowns and says matter-of-factly with a slightly reprimanding undertone, "Please concentrate, otherwise you'll hurt yourself during training" You roll your eyes, but smile at him as you reply, "Don't worry, I'll take care"

You start slowly, discuss a few things before you try them out. Tech is more agile and faster than you thought. Gradually the training intensifies, you improvise and try to throw each other off balance. You think you've almost made it, but Tech surprises you again, he goes down in a twist, pulls your legs away and is on top of you in the next moment. His hands have pinned your arms to the training mat, to the left and right of your head. At first, you are far too surprised to really understand the situation. As you look up into his face, you see a satisfied smile. "It looks like I've won this argument," he says triumphantly. Your eyes become narrow, critical slits. You hook your legs around his body so he can't stand up, one around his midsection, the other around his thighs, just below his butt. "What's that?" he asks in surprise, and you see his ears turn red. "Leg braces. I'm not going to let you win that easily. You may have thrown me to the ground, but you're now trapped on that very ground with me" Tech blinks several times in quick succession, you can see it working behind his forehead. He probably knows enough tricks with which he could free himself, but at the moment his mind doesn't seem to be working as usual.

He clears his throat awkwardly and says, "This... um position we find ourselves in has something strangely intimate about it. Your leg brace might not be advisable in a fight with a real enemy. Do you do that in training with my brothers?" Now you realize why his ears are red. You grin at him. "That almost sounds as if the thought awakens something like jealousy in you." "What? No, of course not, it's just training, it's not important," he says, widening his eyes. "Is that so? Well to answer your question, I've never used this leg brace before, you're the first" Strangely, Tech seems to relax a little at this statement. A blush creeps up his neck as you state, "You're not even trying to get free" Again, he clears his throat awkwardly and says as matter-of-factly as possible, "Well, it's more comfortable than expected"

Crosshair

You've been trying to persuade him to spar for a while now, but Crosshair either doesn't have the time or doesn't want to. But finally, after a few weeks, you finally managed to persuade him. Crosshair acts like he's doing you a favor by training with you, but he knows that you'll both benefit from it. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, but you'll soon find out. You haven't even started yet, you're still tightening your bandages on your hands when he sweeps your legs away, and you land hard on your back on the training mat. You need a second or two to collect yourself. As you raise yourself up on your elbows to look at him, you glare at him angrily. "We haven't even started yet" "First lesson," he says dryly, "Always be alert." In the background, Hunter grumbles, "Crosshair, would you play fair for a change?"

The Sniper turns briefly to the Sergeant and says, "Fair's boring, besides, I want our kitten to learn something" Lying down, you kick him in the back of the knee, grab his arm as he tries to catch his balance, pull him to the ground and roll over him. Sitting on top of him, you give him a cheeky grin. "Always be alert," you coo sarcastically. Hunter hums quietly to himself in the background, "There are a lot of hormones in the room all of a sudden" Crosshair grins up at you, his hands unabashedly grabbing your buns as he says in his smoky voice, "I have a feeling this is going to be anything but boring, kitten," Hunter grumbles, "Yeah, I'm outa here"

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genshin-impact-unofficial · 1 year ago

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💘~Let me see you~💘

Genshin men brushing your hair away from your face.

Ft. Itto, Diluc, Xiao, Tighnari

Tags: long-haired!reader, pre-relationship, huge crushes, fluff, meet cutes, a little gaslighting for flavor, flustered dorks, extremely PG here just sweet torturous pining. Note: I'm back! If this looks familiar than it probably is. Other than a few tweaks, this is a repost from my old blog! I will be posting my old stuff and working on new things too! Enjoy!

Itto

Listen…. This man’s impulse control is ZERO. So reaching out and tenderly tucking a strand of hair behind your ear was never a second thought.

Itto has always been a touchy person. You are no stranger to being included in elaborate handshakes, crushing hugs, palm aching high-fives, and the occasional holding of the hand while he leads you to the next bout of mischief the gang is getting into.

This touch tho….. was so much softer than you've ever thought the oni capable of. You'd question whose hands they were if not for the soft graze of Itto’s long pointed nails.

It's not weird unless you make it weird...... Please don't make it weird.

If you point out the gesture, he insists that he was just helping a homie out. Bro is DENSE, absolutely clueless that he has a big ol' crush.

Everyone in the Arataki gang was dying to know what would happen next in the newest adventure novel from Yea Publishing House. This volume of the popular story had just been released and if they weren’t quick enough it was bound to sell out! Sure, it was only going to take a couple days to restock but the spoilers were guaranteed to be all over the streets by then. Itto was at the forefront of the line, insisting the whole gang camp out early to snag one. It became evident that this is where the Oni’s foresight had ended. The rowdy bunch was standing in front of the seller when the realization had hit; you were all too broke to get copies. In an act of impulse desperation, you had the bright idea to ban together. One by one, members emptied each of their wallets of what little mora they had. You could hear the grumbles and complaints from other people waiting in line as you quickly added it all up. Shinobu would definitely scold you all if she there and not caught up in ‘cool ninja stuff’ as Itto calls it. You proudly announced it was enough for one volume.... and a couple snacks. Overall, a complete success in Itto's book!

“Great going Y/N! We have the next volume of ‘I Stubbed My Toe And Became A Vampire Magical Girl In Another World’ AND we have enough tri-colored dango to go around! See? What did I tell ya? We keep nothing but the best here in the Arataki gang!” The oni bragged with the widest grin stretching from ear to ear. He laughed as he wrapped one beefy arm around you and punched the other triumphantly in the air. Itto’s energy was contagious and soon even you were also holding the book up and exclaiming with the others just how much the Arataki gang rules.

Broke and happy, the ban of hoodlums cheered for their victory and gathered on the beach. You’ve learned a thing or two since joining the Arataki gang, like how to get comfortable almost anywhere. You handled getting the bonfire going as Mamoru was already poking sticks through lavender melons. The rest of the guys were off grabbing makeshift seats like stumps or big rocks. It didn’t take long since this was far from their first rodeo. Once the fire was big and healthy, Itto boisterously bestowed upon you the honor of storyteller. The boys eagerly sat around the fire to finally enjoy the fruits of their labor. You chuckled at his antics and dove right into the first pages. You barely registered how Itto diligently chose the closest seat and hung off your every word. Everyone was a great audience, ooo's and ahh's were always right on cue.

The main character just discovered their newest magic vampire power and were heading into the heat of their latest battle when…. you froze. The words on the page stopped computing as soon as you felt a feather soft touch on your skin. Tentative fingers swept across your forehead and lingered for just a moment behind your ear. You must have been so caught up in the excitement that you didn't think to tie up your hair. It was spilling over your face while you were reading. When you glance over, you are met with Itto's complete and utter attention. His intensely crimson eyes are locked on only you, listening intently with a relaxed smile across his features. He looked at ease and entirely oblivious to the fact that he just made your heart skip a beat.

"Boss you can flirt with Y/N later! The big fight is about to happen!" Genta complained loudly, followed by agreeing groans from the rest of the boys.

"Pffft flirting?!?!? I was just looking out for my bud here! As a responsible leader of this crew its my responsibility to-... to make sure Y/N doesn't get hair in their mouth and choke! I just saved their life! It’s foresight like this that makes me qualified to be the head honcho around here!" Itto's ramblings got louder and more confident with each word, thoroughly doubling down on his point. The Oni stood at full height and began spewing his facts about the serious dangers of choking and the statistics of deaths by hair per year, most of which you were sure were untrue.

"Ok! Ok boss! Sure, please can we get on with the novel?" Akira groaned, not fooled for one second, but wanting so badly for it to end.

You put the bumbling man out of his misery and cleared your throat loudly. Itto’s ego was stroked enough and took the hint to settle down. The man reclaimed his spot next you without a fuss, his dopey smile returned yet again. You attempted to cover your heated cheeks with your book and willed yourself to forget the tingling on your skin where Itto's touch had lingered. You shook your head up clear your thoughts enough to get comfortable once again. There were still the final chapters to get through and the show must go on!

Diluc

LET ME TELL YOU! This man has TOO MUCH impulse control.

Diluc is so well-versed in etiquette and would never carelessly reach into someone's personal space without permission. Unless it’s a FIGHT.

Something about you makes all that etiquette go right out the window. He is doing it before he can think himself out of it.

He would scold himself for overstepping and possibly making you uncomfortable. He apologies earnestly, ever the gentleman.

Internally flustered, but hides it a little too well. Composure is this man's bread and butter after all.

Is acutely aware of the fondness they have for you. He often busies himself with other matters to keep from dwelling on it too much.

To say you bit off more than you could chew would be an understatement. The sack of potatoes you bought from Springvale looked deceptively light before. In your rush to get back to Dawn Winery, you didn't even think to use a wagon or bring any help. You were sure Adelinde was going to be so disappointed at how late you were.

As the newest maid, you were eager to prove yourself. Everyone at the manor was nice, but Master Diluc seemed particularly reserved with you. The master of the house was quite friendly at first, often sharing a few conversations with you as you cleaned around his office. You deliberated whether it was the vases of flowers you switched out in his office. Cecelias just seemed to brighten up the place more. Or maybe it was when you arranged his meals to resemble cute animals sometimes. But you only did that when you notice him having a particularly rough day! Ugh, he must think you're so unprofessional.

You let your thoughts wonder as you miserably carried your potato’s. Soon you felt your steps become sluggish and a slight tremble in your arms, signaling you couldn't go much further. The winery was still another half mile away but you had no choice. You slumped down in defeat on a near by rock. You were sure definitely going to be fired for this, how careless of you to not think ahead. Even if Diluc disliked you, you really enjoyed your time at the winery and getting to know everyone. You hung your head in shame, praying that you at least got to say goodbye to the rest of the staff before getting kicked out the manor.

"Y/N? Are you hurt?" A hand cut through your curtain of hair that blocked your view of the approaching figure. Gingerly, the gloved hand guided the strands away from your face and tucked them behind your ear. Diluc was crouching in front of you, his intense gaze scanned your features for discomfort.

"Master Diluc! No I'm alright! I'm so sorry I-" You quickly explained your situation and tried to stay focused while Diluc's gentle touch lingered on your skin. He seemed visibly relieved to learn you were unharmed. It was only then he noticed his encroachment. The man jerkily retracted his hand and leaned away to give you some space. The red haired man seemed alarmed for but a moment before clearing his throat to recompose himself.

"My apologies, I heard you gone alone to Springvale and had still not returned. This path can be dangerous when it gets late. I saw you crouched over and I thought.... Regardless I apologize for my boldness.” Diluc stated awkwardly. Despite his shyness, he still looked every part of a prince when he stood and offered you his hand.

“Thank you for being concerned.” You smiled and took his hand. “I’m just lucky to have such a thoughtful master! There was no need to come all the way out here for me.” You lied through your teeth and turned to attempt to lift the sack once again. Diluc cleared his throat and visibly clammed up once more. Wordlessly, he lifted the potatoes in your arms and began walking back to the winery. You tried insisting that you could do it, but he stubbornly declined and refused to meet your gaze. It was quite endearing to see the confident master of the dawn winery made such a bashful gesture. Perhaps your boss didn’t dislike you as much as you think....

Xiao

Be nice. Dude doesn’t understand the intimacy of the gesture. Why are you suddenly acting so strange?

Xiao was just annoyed that it was in the way. As a man of action, it was only natural to moved it. It is nothing more.

He wasn’t going to let a strand of hair keep him from looking at your face. Why is that such a big deal? Why are you red? He’s just telling you the truth.

Nah, it was you and your mortal reactions that is making him flustered. It was you staring at him with those big cute mortal eyes that’s causing this. It has to be, there’s no other explanation. (Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss)

Is either clueless or refuses to connect the dots that he likes you a lot. Its probably a mixture of both.

Working at the Wangshu Inn came with a few perks and stargazing after your shift was by far your favorite. The view, sounds, and atmosphere were wonderful. And it wasn’t just anywhere that you also get a quality companion to share it with. You had just settled in and laid the two plates of almond tofu next to you. It took but a few moments from when his name left your lips for Xiao to appear. The stoic man wordlessly walked over and took his usual seat nearby. Routine took over from there but getting to this point was akin to pulling teeth.

Xiao was annoyed when you initially took a liking to his vantage point. The adeptus could see all the surrounding hillychurl camps from the spot you insisted on sitting at for hours. He took no joy in intimidating humans, but his looming presence usually worked to deter mortals from he didn’t want them to be. Imposing aura or not, everyone has to share. You stubbornly stood your ground and stated the roof was plenty big enough for the two of you. Xiao would never resort to physically moving you, therefore was forced to relent. He remained out of sight but you sometimes caught glimpses of him when he would arrive there first. You couldn’t help the small inkling of guilt in your chest from forcing the other out of the spot. You really didn’t mind sharing. As a peace offering you began to leave small gifts behind. Sometimes they were small trinkets, some folded origami, or occasionally fruits and other snacks. When you saw your gifts still there, you would simply take it and replaced it with something else. It took nearly two months but when you returned to see your gift gone for the first time, you couldn’t help but smile the rest of the night. It became like a habit, not unlike befriending a crow.

Learning Xiao took a liking to almond tofu was the real game changer. You made your best effort to cook the dish yourself, cutting no corners. When you left the meal box there you expected it to be like the other gifts that disappeared into the night. It was a shocking to see something in return the next day. It took only a few more days for the yaksha to finally cave and joined you. He primarily insisted that you didn’t have to keep making your offerings. You laughed when the realization hit you. You spent the last months quite literally making offerings to an adeptus, praying for forgiveness.

Over time, the company became expected on the rooftop and the silence was comfortable. When conversation was sparked it flowed naturally and cemented an unlikely friendship. Although friendlier, Xiao could still be blunt and dismissive at times. It happened especially when he became frustrated with understanding mortal’s ever changing customs.

“You can’t just hold people’s faces like that!” You squeak, hiding your burning face in your hands.

“I wasn’t holding your face. I was moving your hair away, its blowing everywhere. I can’t even see you when its this windy. You should be wearing it up so I can look at you while you’re talking.” Xiao responded defensively but his tense tone didn’t match the words leaving his mouth. It especially contrasted the way he had used both his hands to smooth down your hair on each side, pausing to look back into eyes. When his stare hadn't let up, you were the one to break away. Your heart was damn near about to beat out of your chest.

“That’s something that.... lovers do! It’s embarrassing in this context.” You try to explain, noticing his frustration. Xiao’s eyes widened just a tad before avoiding eye contact altogether and crossing his arms.

“That doesn’t make sense. Just forget it happened then and keep telling your story about the inn guest.” The yaksha stated, grabbing his plate and turning away as he listened. The moon was just full enough for you to spot a small dusting of pink on Xiao’s ears. You decided to show him mercy and didn’t push it further. After all, it would probably take weeks of offerings for him to forgive you for teasing him.

Tighnari

No sweat. Doesn’t even bat an eye at the physical contact. He’s just being practical.

It doesn’t stop there. This dude will give you a whole up-do. It’s dangerous to keep your hair loose like that in the forest. He’s seen plenty of cases.

Your safety comes first and foremost. As soon as Tighnari notices it obstructed your vision he is on it. He’s surprisingly good at styling it too. Its not unlike braiding ropes and vines.

More insistent than normal on the matter. He claims it’s because you’re still relatively new to the forest. But other forest watchers may beg to differ.

He considers you a good friend, but it does confuse him when he notices these odd waves of protectiveness. It’s something he’s going to have to research further before coming to any solid conclusions.

There is extensive in-depth training that each forest ranger must go through before being allowed to step foot outside the marked trails of the Avidya Forest. It was grueling, but totally worth it when you saw you were finally scheduled for your first real patrol! As part of training, Forest Watcher Tighnari was assigned to accompany you and show you the ropes. You meticulously poured your lesson notes and made sure you had all necessary equipment on hand. Tighnari was the best there was and there was a part of you that really wanted to impress him. He was sure to quiz you right? There is no way he would let someone into the dangerous parts of the forest without being sure that you knew your stuff right? Nerves were definitely getting the better of you.

In hindsight it was quite silly to have worried so much. Tighnari was surprisingly easy to get along with and not afraid to get straight to the task at hand. As the week went on, you eagerly accompanied him on his routes and witnessed first hand just how brilliant the forest watcher was.

You didn’t expect how down to earth the revered Chief Forest Watcher Tighnari turned out to be. It was common for him to go off on tangents and lectures here and there, but it never felt like he was just trying to flex his knowledge or question yours. He was kind of excitable in that way, and you couldn’t help but find it quite endearing. You picked up on the quirks that indicated that was become accustomed to rangers spacing out while he talked on and on. Tighnari even seemed surprised that you had follow up questions about the topics he was just rambling on about. His ears were always a dead giveaway that he was caught off guard. Even someone without a big ol’ stupid crush would have found it cute.

The tall fluffy ears in question may or may not have added to your carelessness on this particular hike. Perhaps it was why a tiny little branch sent you tumbling down into a ravine. Later you would be corrected that the ravine in question would more accurately be labeled a gully, though that specific fun fact was far less welcomed.

“Y/N?!? Are you alright? Don’t move, I’ll be right there.” Tighnari called out urgently and hurried over to you.

“I’m okay. I don’t know how well you can treat a bruised ego though...” You called back. Attempting a joke to hide how embarrassed you felt. It wasn't your smoothest move. Tighnari was there in moments to help you sit up. His nimble fingers began untangling your hair from your face so that he could to get a better look at you.

“This isn’t a time for jokes Y/N. That could have been a serious fall.” You've heard this tone before. It was usually reserved for reckless forest visitors or rangers that didn't heed his instructions and cause trouble. This was your first time being on the receiving end and to make things worse you looked a mess with twigs and dirt covering you from head to toe.

“I know. I’ll be better next time.” You replied dejected. Tighnari managed to brush your hair back to take a look, but your eyes darted anywhere else while he examined you.

“You're lucky enough to walk out of that with just a couple minor abrasions. Just be careful alright?” Tighnari concluded, his tone softened considerably. You braved yourself to sneak a small glance up at him and he offered you a comforting smile. “Although, I do have an inkling of what caused you to misstep in the first place.” The forest watcher continued.

“And what would that be?” You asked far too quickly. The only way you were ever going to admit to ogling over your boss’ cute fluffy fox ears was over your dead body god damn it!

“Having your hair loose at this length can prove quite hazardous while paroling. I must have overlooked it before. Here, come sit I think I have a solution.” A careful hand guided you over to a nearby log. Next you felt the small tugs and pulls of the remaining twigs being dislodged from your hair. Tighnari was gentle but efficient while he worked behind you.

The ambiance of the forest made the silence quite enjoyable. It became so relaxing you could fall asleep if you wanted. You probably would have too, but you became hyper-aware each time Tighnari's gloved fingers brushed past your skin. After some time he announced he was done and you reached behind your head to feel what you could only describe as an intricate braid leading down your back.

“Wow! I didn’t expect.... thank you!” You said, in awe at his handwork.

“All in a day’s work. Come on we should be heading back before dark.” Tighnari led the way back to the trail. “And uh, watch your step.” He added with a sly grin. You rolled you eyes and chuckled at the playful sass. There’s plenty interesting specimens to learn about in the Avidya Forest and you were sure you just found your favorite.

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frozenmoonshine · 17 days ago

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Headcanon - TR characters as toddlers

Ok, I know this is extremely random, but I saw some official chibi art earlier, and my eyes melted from how goddamn adorable they all look! So that's where my inspiration came from for this one. Anyways, here's what they were like as babies/toddlers:

TW: none (I think)

MIKEY - We know that he canonically cried a lot as a small kid, so his grandpa had to figure out some way to make him stop. When no toys, no pacifiers, and no amount of attention and whim-fulfilling helped, in a bout of desperation, Mansaku gave little Manjiro a taiyaki he was about to eat himself. And to everyone's surprise, he not only calmed down, but started smiling, so the Sano household has never been out of sweet pastries ever since! Of course Mikey would be a handful at any age, but if there's one saving grace for his 2-4 year old self, it's that he never refused the nap time! However, Shinichiro, and only Shinichiro, had to be the one to put him to sleep!

DRAKEN - The poor baby was inconsolable for days when his mother abandoned him; he was too little to understand what happened, but he instinctively knew and cried his eyes and lungs out. It was threatening to ruin the business of the brothel, so Masawei took it upon himself to personally take care of the kid, so that he'd be quiet. Little did Masawei expect that he'd get attached to 'Ken-bou' in a matter of days, and that that soft spot for him will remain forever! The girls who were off duty would babysit him as well, and over time little Kenny grew into a really calm and well behaved kid, partly because he never had constant caregivers he'd get fully comfortable with, partly because it's his nature.

BAJI - He's been hyperactive since his earliest days! As soon as he learned to walk, he'd be running around the house, touching everything in his way no matter how dangerous. Ryouko couldn't leave him unsupervised even for a blink! "Keep out of the reach of children" was not an option, baby Keisuke was a little devil, and always found ways to climb the furniture and push everything in his way! (Cat behavior much? Yes.) The only thing that could sometimes keep him calm for about 3 minutes were toy animals and animal picture books, but his excitement would fade quickly, and the next thing you know he's chewing on a toy that was on the floor, or about to climb the stovetop! He seriously gave his mom mini heart attacks every hour. So in order to channel all his extra energy, Ryouko decided to sign him up for a karate class at the neighborhood dojo... and the rest is history!

SMILEY & ANGRY - Their parents couldn't separate them even if they tried! The twins would cling on to each other so tightly at all times, as if they were conjoined. And they shared everything as well, from toys, to always being hungry at the same time, always being sleepy at the same time, always pooping their pants at the same time. If one got scolded, the other would for sure cry as well. Only as they were getting older they started getting slightly more separate senses of self and distinct, seemingly opposite personality traits, but their overprotectiveness over each other and their core emotional oneness remained intact.

RAN - He was soooo excited to welcome his baby brother home! He took his role of "nii-chan" very seriously from day one. Their mom thought it was endearing how Ran was referring to Rindou as 'baby' when he was a baby himself! Like, getting all excited while playing, but suddenly putting an index finger over his mouth: "Shh, quiet, the baby is sleeping!", as if he's scolding his toys. One time their mom got worried because Ran was nowhere to be found in the house, and didn't respond to her calling, only to eventually find him standing quietly next to Rindou's cradle for who knows how long. When she asked him what he was doing there, he said he was "protecting the baby". Once Rindou started walking and talking, they'd occasionally fight over toys or snacks, but always made up quickly.

SENJU - She was the cutest little menace, that clung on to Haruchiyo like a possum! Haru loved her too, loved playing with her, and was very careful with her, but he was often annoyed that she was literally his shadow. As soon as she started crawling as a baby, she wouldn't leave him alone, always clinging on to his feet and smiling ear to ear at him. If she had to be temporarily separated from her Haru-nii for whatever reason, she'd throw a tantrum. When it was the nap time, unless Haruchiyo was also expected to nap with her, there was no way she was falling asleep! If Haruchiyo openly disliked certain foods (like vegetables, etc) in front of her, ain't no way in hell she was trying it! Poor baby Haru really didn't have any choice but to be a good role model for her.

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lovemadethemdoit · 4 months ago

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Jake had warned him that this family gathering would be a shit show, and that he should have just let Jake come here alone.

Bradley had learned long ago that Jake can and will go through uncomfortable situations completely by himself and come out on the other side stronger than before.

But only because that‘s what he had always had to do.

Bradley simply won’t let him do it anymore.

So when one of Jake‘s aunts asks when he‘ll get over himself and marry a nice girl like God intended –while completely ignoring Bradley‘s presence at his side- Bradley keeps his facial features in check and takes a step closer to press his shoulder into Jake‘s, offering silent support.

Jake freezes for a moment before he leans into it and puts one of his disarming smiles on his face.

"Aunt Mary, have I introduced you to my boyfriend yet? This is Bradley."

Aunt Mary lifts her chin and raises a eyebrow, displeased by Jake‘s open defiance and being put on the spot by her nephew.

Bradley doesn‘t offer her his hand but his mother had raised him right, so he says "Nice to meet you, ma'am" as neutrally as he can manage, only to be further ignored.

Aunt Mary doesn’t find her Southern manners before Jake has shifted his glass to his other hand so he‘s free to take Bradley‘s into his, entwining their fingers between them.

She goes red in the face and Bradley keeps his face straight, although she reminds him of a cartoon character with her frilly hat about to lift off because of all the steam coming out of her ears.

She loses the stare-off and leaves in a huff, mumbling something about praying for Jake.

Jake rolls his eyes but Bradley doesn’t miss the way his Adam‘s apple bops.

"Always a fun time, seeing the family," Jake says brightly, looking over for the first time since Aunt Mary had stopped him with a hand on his arm.

He squeezes Bradley‘s hand. "Sorry 'bout that. Like I said, you should have just stayed home, Bradshaw."

Bradley starts moving his thumb and steps into Jake‘s space more, giving his boyfriend a moment to breathe and hide.

"Not happening. You okay?"

"I‘m good."

Bradley smiles.

He quickly considers leaning in for a kiss, his hand itching to cradle Jake‘s face, but he keeps it by his side.

He can feel the eyes on his neck and is happy to shield Jake from the disapproving stares for a moment.

"Too good to be true?"

Jake laughs a little, dipping his chin.

"You know it."

Bradley waits for him to look up again. He sees the bravado on Jake‘s face disappear for a moment, just between them. Just for Bradley.

"It’s okay if you‘re not, sweetheart," he reassures him, more quietly. "I got you."

"We got each other, babe."

Bradley smiles.

"We do."

Jake nods. "I‘m ready to get out of here," he confesses.

"Alright. Let‘s roll." He takes the glass from Jake and puts it on the next best surface, squeezes his hand and starts pulling him along.

He navigates their way through the throng of people and waves at Jake‘s sister and her husband, with Jake‘s niece bouncing on his arm, when they notice them leaving.

Jocelyn takes one look at her brother and nods them along. They’re invited over to their house for breakfast the next morning, before their flight out. They‘re the only two people here that Bradley likes, other than Jake‘s grandma.

They‘re in the parking lot before they know it and Bradley guides Jake to the passenger door.

Jake drove them to the church that morning, but Bradley‘d rather take them back to their hotel and give Jake a moment to decompress.

The fact that Jake doesn’t complain as Bradley opens the door for him is a little worrying, but when he gets into the driver‘s seat, Jake pulls him into a kiss over the middle console and Bradley thinks they‘re both gonna be fine.

He puts extra much love into the kiss though, just to make sure.

____

I‘m also putting these drabbles here by the way. (You need to be logged in to see.)

#hangster #sereshaw #topguntober #writing

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niqhtlord01 · 5 months ago

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Humans are weird: The art of storytelling Act1

( Please come see me on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord Every bit helps)

“For you to pass this class you must tell me a story.”

The class chuckled at the teacher’s words but ceased as they saw the serious look on his face.

Araganath clasped his fingers as he looked at his students; the tips of his talons clicking against each other while his spider like eyes passed over the room. He was the only A’thulion at the institute and he used that to give himself an appearance of mystique. Students parted when he walked across the ceilings of halls even though he was well above them, dropped their discussions to hushed whispers as he approached, and most importantly to him lined up in droves to sign up for his class on “The Structure of Galactic Literature”.

The last bit he was rather fond of as not only did it insure his tenure but also hefted him a small bonus for each student that attended.

“What does the story have to be about?”

Araganath shrugged and waved his hands dismissively. “Any subject or theme is open; your main goal is to make me feel something. Do this and I will give you a passing grade for the entire year and you needn’t show up for another class; fail, and you will attend my class and learn the proper means of literary structure.”

This brought the desired bouts and whoops of excitement from his students as they prepared themselves for the challenge. Araganath smiled at this as he was about to deliver the “curve ball”, as they say.

“One last thing,” Araganath spoke as if just remembering, “you must tell me the story now; without any preparation or planning.”

The joyous smiles quickly faded from the students faces as they realized the trap he had laid. Many could no doubt tell a fantastical tale given enough time, but to give one on the spot? Many lacked the sharp wit and clarity of mind to concoct such a tale.

Motioned forward one at a time, the brave few that tried their luck were founding lacking.

“What good is a story if your character never faces any true peril? My offspring could do far better than that twaddle.”

“A sentient asteroid that loves to eat spaceships? Do I look like a child to you? Is this what you think entertains me?”

“Putting aside the fact you just made a justification for genocide, I will have you stay after class so we can have a word with the school director.”

Attempt after attempt was made and yet none could win over their unenthused teacher. His dozen eyes watched each as they spun their yarn and closed shut with disappointment. He never made them stop their story, he was fair enough to let them finish in their last chance to win him over, yet even with that extra rope all they did was hang themselves with one dimensional characters, painfully simplistic plot lines, and dreadful endings that left more answers than questions.

After about an hour only one potential challenger remained and stepped forward; a human transfer student by the name of Brian Craw.

“This story is called “The wish and the snail”.” They began.

Araganath stifled a scoff but said nothing else as the student continued.

“In the far of desert of my homeworld called Earth some twenty thousand years ago, a man stumbled upon an ancient tomb filled with but a single treasure; a strange lamp of the purest gold resting atop a lone podium.”

“The man went to the lamp and picked it up and rubbed it to make it shine when a gout of smoke emerged from the end. Falling backwards in surprise the man saw the smoke take form into the shape of a mighty Genie!”

“What is a Genie?” Araganath inquired.

“A being of immense magical power from my people’s folklore capable of granting any wish but at a terrible and often unforeseen cost.”

Araganath nodded for the student to continue now that his confusion had been dissipated.

“”Name any wish and I shall grant it!” the Genie spoke loudly. The man paused and thought about his options. He could wish to be free from this dessert, but he felt he could find his own way out if given another day. He could wish to be the richest man on the planet, but he could not carry his riches out of the dessert alone and if he brought others back there was no guarantee that they would not betray him.”

“Finally after much deliberating the man said “I wish to be immortal; to never feel pain or harm, to never age or feel the ravages of time, and to be free to live my life as I am now.”

“A great tempest swept into the tomb and surrounded the man in a vortex of thrashing winds. “YOUR WISH IS GRANTED” the genie boomed as an unearthly glow consumed the man. When the winds finally died down the man opened his eyes and felt as if he was a god. “You will be immortal till the end of time itself so long as your conditions are met.” “

“”Conditions?” the man asked.” The student said in a thick accent, ”What conditions?””

“The genie pointed down to the ground in front of the man and now before him was a small snail. “You will remain immortal so long as this snail does not touch you.” The genie’s voice boomed. “It is immune from harm and like you is immortal. It will forever know where you are at any given time and always be seeking to touch you.””

“”That is all?” the man laughed. “I have nothing to fear then.””

“With that said the man climbed out of the tomb and looked out over the dry dessert. He took a moment look back down but could not see the genie anymore, only the snail slowly following after him.”

“This is your story?” Araganath inquired. “I would hardly call this a tale worthy of a free pass.”

“Because we have only finished act 1.” The student countered and

#humans are weird #humans are insane #humans are space oddities #humans are space orcs #scifi #story #writing #original writing #niqhtlord01 #death snail

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a34trgv2 · 7 months ago

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Why It Worked: Inside Out

Introduction: Inside Out is an animated coming-of-age film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed and co-written by Pete Docter, with the screenplay being co written by Meg LaFauve and Josh Cooley, the film stars Amy Poehler, Phyliss Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Bill Hader, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan and Richard Kind as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, Riley, her parents Bill and Jill, and Bing Bong respectively. Released on June 19, 2015, the film was a major box office success grossing $858.8 million on a budget of $175 million. It also received critical acclaim from critics and audiences alike. According to Rotten Tomatoes, out of the 384 reviews aggregated, 98% gave a positive review with an average rating of 8.9/10. It also received numerous awards, including an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, several Outstanding Achievement Awards at the Annies, a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, and a Critic's Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature. It is often seen as a culturally significant film for mental health and the importance of expressing one's emotions. I saw this film for my birthday back in 2015 and I loved it right out of the gate. After multiple rewatches over the years, I stand by my personal opinion that this is a masterpiece of animation and visual storytelling. I'm overjoyed to talk about this film now that it finally has a sequel out.

The Plot: This film has 2 stories that are interconnected to one another, taking place in the mind of an 11 year old girl. On the outside, it's a bout a kid moving to a new city and being overwhelmed by the sudden changes happening all at once. On the inside, it's about Joy and Sadness trekking through Riley's mind, while along the way understanding each other's importance. Together, they create a very unique and engaging plot about growing up and learning to express yourself. The film brilliantly cuts between Riley, Joy and Sadness' journey, and what's happening at HQ to organically show what Riley's feeling and how her actions have psychological consequences. In addition to having powerful gut punching drama, it's also a very funny film with plenty of slapstick, goofy gags, and impressive word play that always gets me to belly laugh. Michael Giacchino also provides an enchanting, dreamlike score with great use of the piano and brass sections. The true highlight of the story is, of course, Pixar's masterfully crafted and innovative animation. The film makes Riley's mind so vibrant and expansive with Dream Productions and Imagination Land being major highlights. The outside world also looks very well done with the people looking very appealing, San Francisco looking grimy yet lived in, and Riley's old home in Minnesota looking very welcoming and colorful. Speaking of color, the use of colors in this film is nothing short of excellent from the radiant colors of Riley's memories, to Riley's clothes reflecting her current state of mind throughout the film. I also love how they use black and gray to represent faded memories and lack of emotion. If there's one word to describe Inside Out's story and animation, it's colorful.

Cast and Characters: This is an outstanding cast they brought on board for this film. Shout outs to the film's casting directors Natalie Lyon and Kevin Reher for picking out some excellent actors. Amy Poehler was phenomenal as Joy, perfectly capturing her bubbly and eccentric personality while also naturally showing her vulnerability and frustrations. Phyliss Smith sound perfectly dower and soft spoken as Sadness, yet at the same time making her sound so innocent and relatable. Lewis Black was the best match for Anger, making him sound crusty, cynical, and having a short fuse. Mindy Kaling brought in the right amount of sass and pettiness as Disgust and her comradery with the other emotions was brilliant. Bill Hader did a great job making Fear funny and relatable as a character. Kaitlyn Dias also deserve major props for her vocal performance as Riley, making her sound like a soft spoken but fun kid who goes through a great character arc in the film. Lastly, Richard Kind was the absolute surprise standout of the cast as Bing Bong as not only did he do a great job making him funny, but also made him relatable, selfless, a bit of an airhead, but also really resourceful. The cast did such a great job bringing these characters to life, with all of them being iconic and memorable in their own way.

Where It Falters: Outside of maybe adding another scene or 2 with Riley's life in Minnesota, I wouldn't change a thing with this film. It's one of those films where the only nitpick I have is I wanted more. Fortunately, that's remedied with the existence of the 2024 sequel. Coming out a couple years sooner wouldn't have been so bad either, but like I always say, quality>quantity.

Conclusion: There are a select few movies I consider to be a masterpiece. Inside Out is most certainly one of those movies. With outstanding writing, iconic characters, wonderful voice acting, masterfully crafted animation, and an enchanting score, it has more than earned its cultural significance. I cannot recommend this film enough, especially for those who struggle with expressing themselves such as yours truly. I promise this film will speak to you as it has for me after all these years. Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you soon ;)

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selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs · 2 years ago

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Could you write a small platonic imagine bout the bsd cast finding out that the user is a teen pls! (Also I am a fan of your work)

Thank you. I am glad, you like my works. There, hope, you enjoy it.

Finding out, that user are a teen

Platonic! Self-Aware! BSD characters x GN! Teen! Reader

Warning: OOC, Platonic Soft Yandere. English is my second language.

All of them have heard your voice. All of them have felt your emotions towards them. They don't have name or age, but it doesn't matter. The most important thing for them is that you are a good person. And they adored you because of that.

But, still, they want to learn more about you. And, one day, they got some of their answers.

When the purple moon shines above Yokohama once again, it could mean two things. First, someone will get a new outfit. Second, someone new, a ghost from the past, will appear.

When purple moon faded, Kirako Haruno finally become truly self-aware.

BSD cast heard the voice of Their Guiding Light.

"Yea! I got Haruno! All ADA team is there!"

Kirako blinked and laugh quietly.

"[Y/N], you are so energetic."

Everyone was quiet. [Y/N]? Fukuzawa was the one, who broke the silence.

"[Y/N]? Is that...?"

Kirako nodded.

"Yes. It's their name. I have learned it during my... stasis, let's call it that."

Yosano spoked next.

"Have you learned something else?"

Kirako nodded again.

"Yes. About their interests. And some bits about their school life."

"School life?" Echoed Yosano. Kirako looked around. Everyone was looking at her.

"Yes. [Y/N] are still going to school. They are a teen."

_______________________

🐾 Congratulations, you are now adopted by everyone.

🐾 For someone, you will be a sibling. For others, you will be their child. Someone will be an uncle or aunt. For others, you will be a grandchild.

🐾 They already love you as their own flesh and blood.

🐾 What they will do, when they got into your world? It depends.

🐾 If you have a good, loving family, they won't take you away, but they will become good friends to you.

🐾 If your family are terrible, they will take you away from them.

🐾 Not without teaching them a lesson.

🐾 If you are an orphan, they would adopt you immediately.

🐾 They will try their best to make your life happy. They will do anything to ensure your future.

Some more headcannons:

🐾 Fukuzawa, Mori, Fitzgerald and Oda almost fight, when they were figuring out, who will be your adopted father.

🐾 Fyodor is waiting for the right moment to join the competition for an 'adopted father' title.

🐾 Fukichi is still confused. Should he be considered your father or your grandfather?

🐾 Poe and Ranpo will compete with each other in "Who is the best Big Brother" competition. Ranpo has candies, Poe has Karl.

🐾 Lovecraft will let you climb all over his monster form. Same with Goncharov and his stone golems.

🐾 Someone bullies you? Kenji, Kyouka, Elise, Q and Gogol will show them not to mess with you.

🐾 Yosano and Kouyou are the ones, who is responsible for your wardrobe.

🐾 One time, Mori took you on a shopping trip. Chuuya accompanied you two. And Mori has decided to visit all shops to buy you as many cute clothes as he can. And he didn't have a car at that moment. At the end, Chuuya had to carry exhausted you and few dozen bags.

🐾 Kunikida will help you with math. Even if you don't like math, his explanations are easy to understand.

🐾 All of them are protective. No one will hurt you on their watch. They love you and cherish you.

#bungou stray dogs au #self-awareau #self-awarebsd #bsd #bsd x gender neutral reader #bungou stray dogs #gender neutral reader #bsd anime #platonic #yandere #imagine #platonic yandere #headcanon

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fletchingbrilliant · 5 months ago

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🌙some wildly cheap commissions!🌙

🙃 for some even wilder reasons 🙃

hey y'all. long post thingie but it's got cute pictures so please check it out

TRANSCRIPT OF POST

hey frens got something kinda somber to talk about. most of you are very aware of the existence of my beautiful fiance and co-creator of basically everything i do. zae and i are getting handfasted (marriage for pagans) in october, and have been living together for about 10 years. in 2021, zae got really fucking sick, and after a few false starts, was diagnosed with a rare for of vasculitis called granulomatosis with polyangiitis, GPA for short. it’s an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in blood vessels and other tissues, ultimately stopping blood from getting to the parts of the body that need it, affecting many areas, but primarily the respiratory system. while the cause isn’t known, it usually presents in people in their 50’s or 60’s, but complications from a third bout of covid-19 appears to have made it emerge way earlier for our boy. at least, that’s what we think. his case is extremely aggressive, advancing faster than anyone could have expected. in zae’s case, it actually attacked his kidneys first, and then went after his lungs, causing both to threaten shutting down for good. he was extremely anemic and needed a ton of transfusions, narrowly avoiding dialysis, and we spent weeks in the hospital keeping him alive. he was placed on two different kinds of chemotherapy to combat the disorder. he lost his hair, went through even more fatigue and pain on top of what the disease had already put him through, and had to accept a plethora of changes to his life that will last forever. a lot of you out there have harrowing experiences of your own when it comes to chronic and potentially terminal conditions, too, I’m certain. “it’s not fun” is an understatement. though there were a couple of really fucking close calls, zae’s GPA went into remission. his hair grew back fuller and more luscious than it had ever been before. (i later learned these are affectionately referred to as “chemo curls.”) remission for gpa is usually expected to last at least 5 years, potentially up to 20, before any symptoms resurface. but zae’s case was particularly aggressive, so of course he’s not so lucky. he’s relapsing now. his symptoms have been slowly returning, and it’s been decided that he’s going back on chemo. it’s no surprise that this shit is expensive, even with insurance. we’re still paying off the care he received last time because ‘murca. being disabled myself, work has been… let’s call it inconsistent, yeah? yeah, that’s a nice and comfortable thing to call it. no one’s doing well financially these days, so we of course have to get creative. long story short(er), i’m doing a commission special! for the next MONTH, i am offering fast commissions at crazy-low prices to try and help us create a cushion to keep us afloat and relatively comfortable while we begin the chemo process again. there’s several options for a variety of budgets, because i really hate the idea of seeking something for nothing, and i absolutely abhor having to reach out in this way. it makes me feel vulnerable and icky and… i’m sure you all understand that, too. i can’t thank you all enough just for following me, and engaging with mine and zae’s work. it may sound trite, but that really makes a difference to us, especially when we’re dealing with something so painful. so if you can’t or don’t want to partake of the sale, please know that you are still a huge help to us, and we seriously appreciate each and every one of you. like, so fucking much. thanks y’all love, fletch

END TRANSCRIPT

Commission Options:

Flash Sketches: $5USD/character

Comics: $5USD/panel - flat color

Comics: $10USD/panel - shaded color

Screenshot Redraws - $15USD/character (complex bgs, add $20)

all of this is posted with @zaebeecee's knowledge and blessing

please DM me if you're interested in something, and thank you again

more Hungry Games, fic fanart, and Persona stuff coming soon too

#my art #art commissions #personal stuff #fanart #fanart commissions #hazbin hotel #helluva boss #kingdom hearts #stardew valley #hazbin hotel fanart #helluva boss fanart #kingdom hearts fanart #stardew valley fanart #please share

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scummy-writes · 5 months ago

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Things I've learned about being in fandoms on tumblr

Sometimes when I am navigating fandom, I will have bouts of... depression? negative feelings? regarding it. I think a lot of people go through this, but in the areas of fandom I buzz around in, I don't see many people talking about ways to sort of re-center yourself and take care of yourself in an online space. I thought I would attempt to share some of my habits I try to follow when I hit one of these moods. So here are 14 of them covering various subjects I run into the most. They will not work for everyone, but I do encourage you to think a bit about each point and see if it would work for you.

Feel free to add some of your own, but I am looking for positive advice that is not meant to put down others in a harmful way. I would also like to preface that I've been in fandoms for over seven years, most of them smaller rather than huge, but a lot of this advice is centered around someone just trying to enjoy the space/enjoying it as a fan creator (writing fanfics in my case). The 'you' used in this is a general usage of the word 'you'.

-> It's good to celebrate milestones, whether its how many followers you have, works you've made in a year, or similar.

However... Don't let this become a competition or reasons to compare yourself to others. We're here to have fun and to celebrate us doing so- don't put completely unneeded and unnessacary competition on it. What's the point of that competition other than to make yourself feel bad or to belittle others? This extends further to notes - no number games. none. You can be proud of the numbers you have gotten, but curb all impulses to swing that in a negative way. The second that starts happening, talk to friends. talk to someone IRL. do something that isn't staring at your notifs, immediately. Even if its listening to silly things while washing the dishes- get out of your notifs tab!!! The numbers game isn't a game you have to be a part of, ever.

-> Don't put other bloggers on pedestals.

It's fine to be a fan of someone's work, and to be excited when they post or even talk to you and you're surprised by it. However, we're all just nerds together in a fandom- maybe don't put them up on a pedestal and hold their opinions/words as gospel rather than things you agree with. There's an unhealthy disconnect there for both parties, and can lead to unhealthy habits of a bad comparison game with one party not even knowing you're comparing yourself or others to them. And I promise that no one likes being pitted against others in those.

-> separating my main blog from my fandom blog has done wonders for me.

This one is a lot more of a 'me' thing that MIGHT be helpful towards others, but it's such a nice thing to have a 'normal' space where I don't have to worry too much about fandomisms but want to be online. I want to reblog other things that are not just fandom related and I don't want people from the fandom blog bothering me for. For the longest time I wasn't very upfront with my main blog purely because I wanted that separation, but for others to block me properly I put it up more bluntly.

I also think that this is good when you want to write about some things, but are nervous. In my example, I get nervous writing about my ocs. So what did I do? Made a sideblog for one, briefly mentioned it, and I post untagged drabbles at times when trying to explore her character. It's more practice on not caring about the note amount each post gets for me, and it makes me more at ease with things not getting any notes while exploring different subjects I don't usually write about.

-> Does everyone seem horrible, or are you just not in a good mood?

This is silly and maybe redundant for some, but it's good to keep a track of IRL verses Online. If IRL is weighing you down so much that you use online as an unhealthy habit (self destructive behaviors towards things you worked hard on, lashing out at friends for things out of their control, lashing out on other bloggers for inane things, focusing your bad mood on notes or fake popularity contests...) then try and figure out the big important things: Have you eaten, slept, drank enough water through the day, or are in pain/annoyance with something offline that you're not realizing? Is it one person online making you feel like this? Have you blocked them? Have you taken healthy breaks offline to reground yourself? When i am randomly bitter about the online world, this is typically my frustrations with smth IRL leaking out, and so I do something to help process that or to breathe through it. My personal go to is getting out of the house so I can listen to music, watch silly videos while putting together a simple craft I bought, or doing chores/playing games.

-> Is the fandom full of cliques, or are you witnessing friends just talking to each other?

I get it, it fucking sucks not being involved in a friend group. You know what makes that worse? By looking at other's friend groups bitterly and making up shit in your mind to justify it. The reality is this: people will be friends with a limited number of people, and frequently talk to them because that is who they are comfortable with.

You not being in that friend group does not mean there is anything wrong with you OR them. The honest truth is that it's hard to keep up with a ton of friends at once, and so people may not respond to your messages, or they might mean to but it gets lost in their hectic IRL, or they just don't mesh with you- and all of that is normal!

And... Really... It takes work to build up a friend group. You have to get out of your comfort zone and send the first few messages. You have to embrace the fact that it's possible a friendship won't pan out. It's natural, it's normal, and doesn't mean there is anything wrong with you or the other person. After trying and naturally just talking to people in the fandom, I promise that you will find a friend group of your own.

We are all socially awkward people trying to nervously talk to each other. Yes, even the people you follow that seem like 'everyone' likes them- they are nervous too. we're all just nerds here, remember that.

-> Understand that no one is obligated to do anything.

This ranges from so many things. Here is a list as short as I can manage it to get my point across: No one is obligated to comment, read, like, or reblog any posts. Any posts. No one is obligated to scour for new creatives in the fandom spaces and reblog their work. No one is obligated to tag their posts/creative adventures to your liking. No one is obligated to follow by your DNIs and BYFs. Obligation does not exist. Even your friends are not obligated to do any of this.

It is courtesy to do these things. Blogs will do their best to be supportive by nature, and to try and at least do some of this at any given time, but it's not a requirement. It's NICE to do so and encouraged, but the second you drill it into your head that no one, not even you, are obligated to do this, it's a bit easier to breathe and accept that no, it's a bit insane and difficult to read through 50 fanfics a week and comment a paragraph on all of them while also working on your own things and trying to manage 15 conversations while working 40 hrs a week and and and---

Instead, focus that energy on friends and yourself when you can and accept your own limitations.

-> have other fandoms you enjoy where you DON'T feel pressured to do ANYTHING.

Due to my hard fixation at usually one to two games at a time, I am usually only writing for those at a time- but I need other things to enjoy where I don't feel like I need to make something to post online. I don't feel that pressure from myself, i don't feel the need to try and engage with others. Just a quiet enjoyment for me.

-> If creating is really stressing you out and making you feel worse than better, reflect on the reasons this may be.

Are you hanging out with people who are regurgitating really bad beliefs regarding creation ("shame, you only got twenty notes, that's nothing", "wow fifty notes? that flopped.", "how did this person's shitty work get 30 more notes than me?"). Are you getting anons putting you down? Is your depression convincing you what you've made is worthless? Look at some of the points in this post regarding friends, blocking, and if you're neglecting your body's needs. If that still persists, there may be some self-reflection as to why things get to you so badly. Try to journal out the reasons why until you believe you hit one that is not your depression speaking.

An example: I would freak out about notes because I had friends that would talk around or to me in the examples listed in the previous paragraph. Cutting them off, focusing on friends who focused on the joys of creating, and focusing more on what *I* wanted to write rather than requests... I still get depressed at times but it's been so much more managable now with better support and feeling free creatively. Usually calling myself out at staring at notes helps me shake my head and move on now.

-> Blocking/Filtering is your friend, but maybe don't over do it.

Blocking seems vaguely controversial at times, but I do believe it's needed for a positive fandom experience. Outside of the obvious, the reasons I block people are typically related to how upset I am by something the person has done or said, even if it's related to fancreations. If it's something like them berating others for not believing their headcanon/fanon? Or grossly demonizing some character's mental illness? Or harassing people who dislike some characters and vice/versa? That's all a block for me.

I personally try not to overdo it and make educated decisions based on like, hey, is this just someone misunderstanding and not realizing how they're coming off? Is this someone who I am misreading their tone? Is this just a weird one-off behavior? Ok, then maybe no block button. But if seeing poor takes makes you angry for longer than, say, 20 mins? an hour? It's a week later and you're still all huffy about it and legit pissed? Maybe dig into that while also blocking the person for now.

The Filters aspect of this is similar, but it's a lighter version of blocking for me. Maybe I don't want to block this person but seeing them talk about bugs really stresses me out, so I look at how they tag those posts and filter it out for myself. Maybe I love their fandom blog but they're multi-fandom, so i will filter out a fandom I don't want to see them post about. That's it.

-> Don't be afraid to cut anon off, even if it's for a few weeks at a time.

I feel like those of us who take requests for fan creations are terrified of this a lot, but truly, taking breaks from the anon function should be encouraged. It is indeed a button for shy people, but there are assholes everywhere regardless. When they occupy your time too much or just annoy you, take away their ability to actually say anything to you.

For a creative, sometimes this can feel like the end of the world. But... you Can turn it back on later. I frequently shut it off during major life events, fanfics I am worried I might get weird anons about, when I'm in a randomly bad mood and don't think I can handle it. I Sometimes have it off for months at a time. You can cut it back on. But if anons make you anxious just imagining getting one right now? Flip that off for now. (also please utilize the block function for mean anons!!!)

-> turn those tumblr notifs OFF!!! (mobile) Additional: Turn your status OFF!!!

The only notifications I get on my phone from tumblr is when someone IM's me, and I've had it like this for years. I cannot imagine having my phone constantly going off with random tumblr notifications, I think I would have a bad spike in anxiety having that happen. It would make any negative feelings with notes/followers/number worse for me.

The online status is debatable, some people really don't have an issue with this, but I tend to feel pressured to respond to people asap if they see that my status is online and similar. Those people have not said anything to me regarding it, it's just my personal issue. So..I turn that status off. And it helps me feel better about answering in my own time.

-> Look at who you are communicating with.

Do your friends regularly dunk or mock people on the daily, over shit that is inane and petty? Are you a creative a bit nervous with your work because your friends are pretty rude with how they view other's works? Are you scared to like a character because your friend severely hates them/is attached to them to an unhealthy degree?

There are other subsets to this, but those are ones I find really troubling and try my best to avoid. I dont want to be friends with people who regularly mock others on the legit daily. I don't want to be friends with people who nitpick notes and use notes as a measure on how much worth someone has. I don't want to be friends with people who mock other's creative endeavors.

So... I don't! If I notice things are becoming a salt pit, I try to talk things out at first, but if its clear that's not gonna work, then it's outties for me. It's very true that everyone will salt over something eventually, but it's up to you to decide how severe it is with your friend circle, how it wears you down, and are they really people you want to hang around with if they just make you anxious or stressed all the time?

-> That vaguepost isn't about you.

Friend venting about someone who sounds oddly like you? Does your favorite blog mention something they dislike and you think you fit into that catagory- guess what. It's not about you!!

It's something I struggled with for a while, but eventually I came to terms with it by going "If they truly have an issue with me, they can talk to me one on one. Otherwise, i am assuming that this isn't about me" and gritting my teeth and forcing myself to repeat that until I feel at ease. Truthfully, I also just stopped hanging out with people who do this a ton in a harmful way, so my anxiety about this decreased. If it's an issue, friends should be willing to bring it up to you personally rather than make really meanspirited vagueposts.

-> A personal one I am putting at the end since I believe can easily turn bad, is... Stop looking in the fandom tags if they continiously bum you out.

I will be transparent, I've had bouts of running into a ton of 'why you should love/hate this character' posts over and over, posts that are random but use 50 different character tags, posts about how annoying my fave is, posts from/about bloggers I dislike, etc etc. After a while, I decided to just curate my feed via whoever I was following, and stop looking into tags as often. At most, I do it once every 1-3 months.

Yes, this does limit what all you can see, however... There's only so much information I can take in at once. If I follow people who reblog a ton of fandom content I love and it's different across the board, that's good enough for me and I don't feel negative looking at the tags sometimes.

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jockw · 15 days ago

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Any nevermore headcanons?

Heya Mythawolf!

I've been thinkin bout it today when I saw this on my way home, so. Doing the same as last time, marking characters' names in colors to make it obvious. These are mainly modern tho, hope that's alright - it's also long so imma add this line for the mobile users that wanna scroll by easily

Modern Lenore would've bickered a lot with her parents for sure, getting grounded but never anything bad as a punishment. I think at worst they'd take her devices/gadgets away to make it severe, but she'd somehow have something to enjoy coddled up in her room. I also headcanon that Lenore doesn't drink alcohol because of her mother, not because she drinks basically everyday and her liver is begging for help — no. Simply put; because she just don't want to. Maybe for special moments, like new years and all, but not on a regular basis.

Going back to my previous headcanon about Annabel being vegan/vegetarian; I still see it happening!

It's a fascinating idea, because I barely see much vegan/vegetarian representation in fictional characters. But hey, my tastes in stories are wild so of course I'd rarely see such things. Perhaps I should make one myself.. anywho. Back on track, she'd definitely feel uncomfortable being near people that eat meat very messily. As in, seeing the oil roll down on the person's mouth to their chin as it almost drips onto their shirt kinda disgust. Though Annabel would never show or force her disgust to people who are meat lovers, she isn't one of those who goes "You are an animal killer! How dare you eat their flesh?!" (No, I'm not calling all vegan/vegetarian pricks. I don't think every one of them forces other people to become a plant eater either).

Prospero wears glasses, he enjoys a good book but it wouldn't have taken him double the amount of time if he had glasses with him. I'd say.. this is mostly general for any universe I s'pose? Our handsome boy is a bookworm, 'sall. You'll find him easily in school libraries, community libraries, bookstores, etc..

Duke and Pluto are deadass gamers. They like to play tons of games, cards, D&D, Monopoly, you name everything man. Hell, add Free Fire in the pot too.

I think if they were addicted to gaming, they'd also have a Twitch channel together and post their videos - mostly it's them playing together/against each other in some matches. Otherwise, we're gonna go to the Rabbit Hole and add a little problem; they're far too gone in the virtual realities that their friends are worried.

Well, Berenice is definitely some alcohol lover and like, slay because yes. We love her who she is. I believe in the world there are alcoholics who can control their liquor, and know when to stop. I see Berenice like that, unlike Lucille who continues from the Webtoon (although it's not much regardless).

Our little vamp gal would be the one winning in drinking parties, even if it's some random in a bar taking shots. She'd so win.

Eulalie likes to travel, she wouldn't mind having a travel buddy too. Doesn't matter who, even if it's Montresor. She likes to learn more about culture, see the landscapes and— go into France, in the secret passageways under Paris to search the catacombs just to take a selfie with it. Yes, she watched As Above, So Below - the movie and now she's trying to find the exact locations to get there. Her favorite to go to place is somewhere in Australia because she got bitten by a tarantula one time.

Will wears Hello Kitty pj pants btw.

I think that's it for now!

Cause i still gotta answer 2 more asks lol and I'm freezing, hope ya enjoy mate

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demigod-shenanigans · 1 month ago

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Summary: “Where’s Jason?”

The moment the words left Leo’s mouth, Piper crumpled against him, sobbing uncontrollably.

Leo wrapped his arms around her, more impulse than conscious choice. His trembling fingers bunched up the fabric of her shirt.

“Piper, what the hell happened?” he asked. He looked around, and, seeing everyone’s grave expressions, he felt like he was eight years old again, sitting in the back of an ambulance, waiting for the paramedics to tell him that his mom was gone. He couldn’t breathe. “Tell me- tell me he’s not-”

He couldn’t get the words out. Couldn’t even begin to consider what it would mean if he’d failed to cheat the prophecy—if after everything they’d been through, he would never get to see Jason again. To his immense relief, Piper shook her head.

“He’s not- but Leo, it’s bad. Jason is really, really hurt, and we don’t have any stupid ambrosia left, and-” The rest of her sentence was swallowed by another bout of sobs. She was trembling like a leaf in Leo’s arms. “We’re not sure he’s going to make it.”

Written for @lost-trio-week Day 6: Reunion

Word Count: 6k

Rating: Teen and Up

TW for major character injury (Jason for the love of god please stop getting stabbed so much)

I did say I wanted to post two fics today, and I stuck to that, despite the fact that it’s currently absolutely unreasonable hours of the morning. I allowed myself exactly one heavy angst fic for the event, and it’s this one! Lots and lots and lots of hurt/comfort in this one. As with the other ones, some Valgrace that’s tied into a larger plot focused on the fact that all three of them care about each other so, so very much.

———

Leo could tell something was wrong the moment Festus touched down on the beach.

Everyone was looking at him, sure, but it was almost like they were looking through him. Not a single person managed to make eye contact.

Leo honestly wouldn't have minded this—direct eye contact felt really uncomfortable to him a lot of the time—but he’d learned over the years that when other people avoided eye-contact, it usually meant bad news.

For a moment, he was too caught up in his relief that Lester and Meg and Piper were fine to really let himself think about this, though.

He just went through the line of people and hugged everyone.

He paused in front of Piper—there was so much he needed to say to her, and he wasn’t sure she’d appreciate a hug before he’d properly apologized.

“Pipes, I-” he started, but then she looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes and everything stopped. Terror grasped his heart. “Where’s Jason?”

Leo hadn’t registered Jason’s absence as weird at first. He hadn’t known for sure Jason would be here. With everything going on in the demigod world, there could have been plenty of reasons he was busy elsewhere.

Please let it be that, he thought.

But the moment the words left his mouth, Piper crumpled against him, sobbing uncontrollably.

Leo wrapped his arms around her, more impulse than conscious choice. His trembling fingers bunched up the fabric of her shirt.

To his immense relief, Piper shook her head.

“Pipes, hey, breathe,” Leo said gently, trying and failing to take his own advice on the matter. He couldn’t get a handle on his racing heart, but his arms around Piper felt a little steadier now. Hurt, even badly hurt, was a million times more manageable than dead. “Jason’s going to be okay. He’s way too stubborn to just die on us after everything we’ve been through.”

He said it with more confidence than he felt.

“It’s a miracle he’s even alive at all,” Lester said quietly. “But with the condition he’s in-”

“He’s going to be okay,” Leo repeated, because the alternative was unthinkable. Jason was going to be fine. They’d survived a lot of impossible shit together. He had to be okay.

Besides, Apollo— Lester —wasn’t the god of medicine right now. He wasn’t really the god of anything right now. That was sort of the point.

What did he know, anyway?

“Where is he?” Leo asked, trying to ignore the anxious lump in his throat. “Can I see him?”

“Inside. Coach Hedge is with him,” Piper said immediately, slowly breaking the embrace. “Come on. Let’s go see Jason.”

~~~~

The former McLean mansion felt like a setting straight out of a horror movie. It was way too big, all the furniture was gone and the floorboards creaked as they walked inside. Piper’s hand was trembling in Leo’s as she led him down the hall to a room that smelled strangely of a mixture of disinfectant, mushrooms and gatorade.

Much like the other rooms, this one also didn’t have much furniture, with the exception of a lonely mattress. It was the most makeshift sick room Leo had ever seen. A bunch of supplies were loosely strewn about—some meds and bandages that had clearly been taken from a regular medical kit, along with what looked like sticks and moss and various other plants that he guessed were Hedge’s contribution.

Leo barely had the brain space to take in any of it. Instantly, his attention zeroed in on the mattress.

Jason was pale as death. What Leo could see of his chest was wrapped in bandages. It rose and fell slowly, which was the only outward sign that Jason was alive at all.

Coach Hedge was sitting at his bedside and pressing a piece of cloth to his forehead.

“Still no change,” he said somberly. “The nature magic I used barely helped.”

“Thanks for trying,” Piper said quietly, squeezing Leo’s hand so tightly that it hurt.

Leo had no room to complain. He was squeezing back just as hard.

“Yeah. I’m sure Jason appreciates it,” he agreed, trying not to think about the way Hedge’s attempt at sports medicine had looked and smelled when he’d tried to help with Piper’s broken ankle.

He knew the satyr meant well, and besides, Jason looked like he could use all the help he could get.

Hedge whirled around.

“Valdez?” His eyes were wide with shock. “We thought you died!”

“Yeah.” Leo shrugged, eyes wandering back down to Jason’s too-still form. “I got better.”

“I’d kick you across the room, but luckily for you, Mellie’s putting Chuck to bed right now,” Hedge said, his expression an attempt at fury that was dampened slightly by the fact that his eyes were misty. “He should be here for this. I need to set a good example,” he continued before Leo could attribute the first statement to the fact that he might not want to wake his sleeping child or something equally absurd.

“Good to see you, too,” Leo said, giving Hedge a weak smile. He dragged Piper along as he kneeled down by Jason’s side.

“Hey. I’m back,” Piper said, gripping Jason’s hand. Her voice was quavering. “Leo’s here, too.”

Jason didn’t react. His eyes stayed firmly shut.

Leo carefully reached out to touch his friend’s face. Jason’s skin felt cold and clammy, and it made Leo ill with terror.

But being so close to Jason meant he could at least hear his breaths.

Alive. Alive. Alive.

“We managed to free the Sibyl,” Piper continued, undeterred by the tears that had started to stream down her cheeks again. “She’s safe now. We couldn’t have managed it without your help.”

Jason’s unconscious form was unmoved.

“I’ve got some nectar left. It’s not much, but it’s probably better than nothing,” Leo said, rummaging through his bag for his flask. He cursed himself for not refilling it before he’d left Camp Jupiter.

He hadn’t even considered asking if they could spare any. Not with the amount of people that were wounded. Not with another battle still looming on the horizon. Besides, he’d figured what he had would be enough, considering he’d be heading out of danger.

Gods, he was such an idiot.

Piper’s face lit up just slightly when he produced the flask, despite the fact that it was nearly empty.

“We should wait until he’s a little more conscious, but yes, this will help.”

“What happened to him?” Leo asked, not sure he actually wanted to know the answer.

“I-” Piper gulped, hard. He wasn’t sure what she saw, but her eyes had gone distant. He pulled her back into his chest.

“Sorry. You don’t have to talk about it if it’s too hard.”

“I don’t know the details,” Hedge took over for her, “but he got a spear through his chest and a bunch of ocean in his lungs. Ocean generally isn’t great for children of Jupiter, even when it’s not in their lungs. He’s been out cold since yesterday.”

“I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t wake up.” Piper’s voice was awfully broken and quiet.

Leo couldn’t stand it. He couldn’t stand any of this. Not the way she obviously blamed herself. Not his own fear. Not Jason’s pale face or his bandaged chest or how ragged his breaths sounded.

What Leo said next was reckless, and stupid, and also horribly insensitive. He couldn’t say he cared very much. He’d spent ages traveling, trying to get back to his friends. The only reason he’d made it through all these months of fighting monsters and camping out in the wilderness, which had been terribly reminiscent of the time he spent on the streets, was thinking about this—being back with Piper and Jason. Finally having a home to go back to where he’d be welcomed with open arms, mad as the inhabitants would probably be at him for disappearing for so long.

He didn’t have it in him to be sensitive or reasonable or smart when there was still a chance he’d have half that home ripped away from him.

“Oh, he’d better wake up. I’m never talking to him again if he doesn’t,” Leo said, crossing his arms. He was furious. At himself for leaving and at the world who kept ripping all of his loved ones away from him and especially at his stupid best friend and the fact that he always had to play the fucking hero. “You hear that, Jason? I swear on the Styx, if you die on us right now, I will spend our whole afterlife ignoring you. I mean it. I did not go through all that nonsense with the physician’s cure for you to croak the moment I get back here.”

He learned later that a broken Styx oath was half the reason they were in this mess. He had time to feel a little bad about what he’d said, then.

Right now, though, Jason’s fingers twitched in Piper’s trembling hands, and Leo couldn’t bring himself to regret a damn thing.

****

The sun had dipped below the horizon an hour ago.

Piper was curled up in a sleeping bag, staring intently at Jason’s sick bed.

Her father was in one of the other rooms in an old sleeping bag of his own, probably fast asleep. He was trying his best to help—he had made her and Leo a truly disastrous meal in an attempt to make sure they ate—but it was clear he didn’t understand the situation. Piper wasn’t sure what the Mist was showing him, exactly, but it must have had a hell of a time trying to make sense of the fact that they’d chosen to treat their severely injured friend with homebrew medical supplies in the house they no longer owned instead of calling an ambulance.

Hedge and Mellie had left for Aeithales a few hours ago, hoping to fetch some more demigod-grade medical supplies. She doubted they’d be back before tomorrow afternoon.

It would have been more effective to just take Jason there— safer, too —but they couldn’t move him while he was in this state, so this was the best they could do.

Piper had offered to come, hoping that doing something proactive might help her feel a little better about everything that had happened, but Mellie had put a hand on her shoulder and told her “your friend needs you. Both of you,” and that had been that.

Piper was exhausted, so she probably should have slept, but she didn’t. It had been three days since she’d last so much as napped for half an hour.

She couldn’t bring herself to sleep. Couldn’t bring herself to take her eyes off her injured friend. Guilt was gnawing at her, hollowing out her chest until there was nothing left.

She was supposed to protect Jason like he’d always protected her, and she’d failed him, in the same way she always seemed to fail her loved ones.

She was fifteen and her absentee goddess mom had to save her father because Piper wasn’t strong enough.

She was sixteen and Leo didn’t trust her with his plan or the real physician’s cure, and then he was gone, and she couldn’t do a damn thing. Couldn’t find him, no matter how desperately she tried.

She was almost seventeen and Jason was comatose because her powers had failed her when she’d needed them the most.

Her mother was the goddess of love, for crying out loud. Her love for her friends should have been her greatest strength.

It wasn’t. Her love was a dagger that she only ever managed to point at her own chest. Piper loved herself bloody, and it was never enough.

Every time she closed her eyes, she was back on that damned yacht. She saw the determined expression on Jason’s face, then the spear through his chest. She saw Jason stumbling into the chasm where the yacht was breaking apart, dropping like a rock.

She knew she couldn’t change what had happened.

She still tried to reach for him every time. And every time, her hands grasped empty air.

She kept having to remind herself that Tempest had slowed Jason’s fall and dragged him back out of the water, but it barely helped. Nothing really seemed to help, with the exception of watching the slow rise and fall of Jason’s chest. Any time she turned away from him, she was afraid she might have imagined it—that she might turn back and find his body utterly still.

“Pipes?” Leo asked, looking up from where he was sitting on the floor. “You good?”

Having Leo back by her side should have been comforting, but it felt much the same way Jason’s survival did—like a dream she would wake up from any moment now.

Piper was used to waiting. She had spent much of her early childhood waiting for a mother who had never come back. Later, she’d spent ages waiting for her father—to come home, to visit her at school, to remember she existed for more than a few days a year.

She was great at waiting for things that would never happen. She had no previous experience with waiting for things that did.

She’d stopped hoping Leo would come back a long time ago. Now that he had, she wasn’t sure how to handle it. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop—for Leo to dissolve into Mist like the rest of her life had.

“Fine,” she lied, moving closer to where he was sitting. Leo wasn’t doing much better than her, sleep-wise, but unlike Piper, he’d at least found himself something useful to do. Currently, he was in the process of inspecting one of Aurum’s diamond eyes that had come loose. Piper looked down to where the two dog automatons were lying in sleep mode, heart clenching again. “How’s it looking? They’re gonna be okay, right? Reyna will probably kill me if any of the damage is permanent.”

Aurum and Argentum had gotten pretty banged up dragging Calligula off Jason. They’d retaliated, getting in a few nasty strikes that would have been satisfying to watch if Piper’s heart hadn’t been dropping to the bottom of the ocean at the same time. Now, the damage they’d taken was just another item on the ever-growing list of Piper’s failures.

She hated the thought of anything happening to the dogs. She’d seen the way Reyna interacted with them—the fond smiles and head scratches and the inadvisable treats she snuck them whenever she thought no one was looking.

To say Reyna struggled to let herself be soft would be the understatement of the year. But it was obvious to anyone with eyes that she loved her dogs to death, and after everything that had happened to her, the last thing Piper wanted was for her to lose them, too.

“‘Course I can fix them. But you know Reyna wouldn’t have given you the whistle if she hadn’t wanted you to use it, right?” Leo asked, putting aside the diamond before reaching out to touch her arm. “One of the first things she did when I got to Camp Jupiter was ask about you, and not in a ‘I’m worried she’s gonna wreck my automatons’-way.”

“I just…” Piper balled her hands into fists, losing the fight against her tears. “All of this is my fault. If I had-”

“Beauty Queen, hey. Don’t be stupid,” Leo said gently, pulling her into his arms. “There’s lots of people you could blame. Calligula is a really obvious one. Or Lester and his dumbass oath. Or, you know, me. Never yourself, though. None of this was on you.”

Piper looked at him with a startled expression. “Why in the world should I blame you? You weren’t even there.”

Leo deflated against her chest. “Yeah. Exactly.”

“Leo…”

“I thought I could cheat the stupid prophecy,” Leo sniffled, holding her tightly. It was like her crying had made his dam break, too. “But I couldn’t. And now Jason’s hurt, and I- I wasn’t there.He could have died because I wasn’t there.”

“I think you did cheat your prophecy,” Piper told him, squeezing him back just as tightly. “It’s not your fault we failed to cheat ours.”

“The gods really seem to have it out for us,” Leo said, huffing a half-laugh, half-sob against her shoulder. He felt warm, in the nice, soothing way he always had. “Why else would we get so many shitty death prophecies, huh?”

“Yeah. I think we should get a refund on this whole demigod experience. I want my money back.”

“Tell me about it.” Leo opened his mouth to say something else—likely to make another joke, no matter how hollow it rang—but then he froze. “Jason?”

Piper turned, feeling cold as ice at the realization that she’d taken her eyes off him for a moment. She was terrified of what she would find.

But Jason’s chest still rose and fell steadily. More than that—he was moving his head, blinking in obvious confusion.

Leo and Piper were by his side in an instant.

“Hey buddy,” Leo said shakily. “How are you feeling?”

“Hurts,” Jason rasped, wincing when Piper touched his face.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry,” she told him, her lip wobbling. Jason’s eyes were glassy, and his skin felt way too warm. “Shit, I think he’s running a fever. Leo, we need-”

“On it,” Leo announced, already elbow-deep in his tool belt.

With all the months they’d been separated, Piper had almost forgotten how naturally these things came to them.

She remembered sitting at Jason’s bedside, re-bandaging the stab wound in his abdomen that refused to heal. Remembered Leo handing her bandages and disinfectant and holding Jason’s shoulders steady to make sure he didn’t move too much.

They’d done this before. They hadn’t needed words, then. They wouldn’t need them now.

For the first time in months, Piper actually felt like things might be okay.

****

Jason woke up tasting cocoa. He only knew three things for certain. One: from what he remembered, him waking up should not have been a thing. Two: everything hurt. Three: everyone was mad at him.

Things had been hazy and painful for a while. He could tell that people were speaking around him, but despite the fact that his aching head couldn’t seem to properly process the words, he could tell that the voices sounded upset. He was pretty sure that was his fault.

Everything was blurry and dark and a cold, wet thing was on his forehead and he couldn’t make sense of any of it.

“You’re gonna be okay,” someone said from the darkness, barely more than a blurry shape. Jason knew the voice, but he couldn’t remember how he knew it. He tried to make out the person’s features, but the harder he tried to focus, the more the image in front of his eyes swam. “What do you need?”

He registered he was trembling, mostly because it made his pain worse, but he couldn’t get his body to stop.

He wanted to ask for- Jason wasn’t actually sure what he was going to ask for. Something warm, probably. A blanket, maybe. Something to make the trembling stop.

But that wasn’t what came out of his mouth when he opened it.

“I wanna go home,” he said instead, feeling incredibly childish. “Please.”

There was a pause.

“You mean camp?” a different voice asked. It was just as familiar as the first, but something about it was strange, too. Jason hadn’t heard that voice in months. He didn’t know why, but hearing it kind of made him want to cry. “Dude, you got skewered less than a week ago. We’re not making a fucking cross-country trip right now.”

“No,” Jason said, feeling whiny and desperate. He didn’t care about camp right now. Camp hadn’t felt like home in forever. “I just want Piper and Leo.”

“Oh,” the second person said, voice quavering. Hands gripped his. Strangely, one of them felt several degrees warmer than the other. “Jeez, how out of it are you?”

For a moment, Jason struggled to process the question—which was probably an answer in and of itself. But then he remembered.

Remembered that Leo had been gone for months and the only way he’d be seeing him again was making it to Elysium. Remembered the prophecy that had told him it had to be him or Piper. And he’d woken up, which meant it hadn’t been him, no matter how much he’d wanted it to be.

If he was alive, that had to mean-

Jason wanted to cry. His lungs wouldn’t work right. The already blurry world grew even blurrier around him.

“Jason? Jason, you’re okay. Breathe.” The hands squeezed his tighter. Fingers combed gently through his hair. The voice was so sweet that all thoughts vanished from his head until he could remember nothing except how to breathe, despite the horrible ache in his lungs.

“There you go. That’s better. No more stupid moves, alright, Superman?” the other blurry shape told him. “Piper and I are getting real sick of patching you up constantly.”

Finally, the voice slotted into its rightful place in Jason’s fever-addled brain, and now he felt like crying for a completely different reason.

“Leo?” he asked weakly, then coughed a few times, which did really awful things to his aching chest.

“Gods, it’s been, what, six months? Did you already forget what I look like?” Leo asked, teasing and concerned and alive.

“No. You're just really blurry,” Jason told him, attempting to blink the spots out of his eyes without any success. Like he could ever forget what Leo looked like. Like he hadn’t spent the past months filling an entire sketchbook with portraits because he was terrified he’d forget the slightest detail. “My head hurts.”

“Of course it does.” Leo sighed. “Please tell me he didn’t get concussed again. At this rate, it’s a miracle he even remembers his own name.”

“Actually, I’m the one who ended up concussed this time. We decided we needed some variety,” the other voice said, and this time Jason knew it was Piper. She was okay. They’d both made it.

“Yeah, I get it. Gotta switch things up occasionally,” Leo joked.

Jason was exhausted and everything hurt, but he didn’t care. Piper and Leo were right here with him, and nothing else mattered.

He was home.

~~~~

The next time Jason woke, someone had switched on the sun and his surroundings weren’t nearly as blurry.

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Feeling better?”

Leo was leaning over him. Jason could properly make out his features now that it wasn’t the middle of the night and he wasn’t quite as hazy with fever.

Leo had strange highlights in his hair, and it had grown a little longer since Jason had last seen him, but other than that, his best friend looked almost the same he had eight months ago. With a sting in his chest that was entirely unrelated to his injuries, Jason realized Leo also looked worn out in the same way he always had back on the Argo. His shoulders were slumped and he had deep rings under his eyes.

Jason couldn’t stop staring at him. Couldn’t process the fact that looking at Leo was a thing he got to do again.

Leo raised an eyebrow.

“Are you checking me out?” he teased, smiling widely despite his obvious exhaustion.

The next thing Jason did was probably ill-advised, medically speaking, but he couldn’t stop himself. Wouldn’t have wanted to, even if he could have. He pushed himself up into a seated position and wrapped his whole body around Leo.

The pain came a moment later, bad enough to almost be blinding, but Jason didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, he was never letting Leo go again, no matter how badly it hurt.

“We thought you died,” he said breathlessly. The tears came unbidden.

Jason had never really allowed himself to cry much. He hadn’t had time for it, and besides, it hadn’t felt like his place when he was supposed to be the brave, competent leader at all times.

Crying in front of other people wasn’t a thing he could ever remember doing.

But he was past the point of caring about that right now, because his best friend was alive and breathing and so, so warm against his chest, and that was the only thing in the world that mattered.

“Dude, stop!” Leo said immediately, eyes wide with alarm. “You’ve got two broken ribs and a hole in the middle of your chest! You’re going to hurt yourself!”

“I don’t care,” Jason insisted, holding him tighter. “I thought I’d never get to hug you again.”

“I love you to death, okay?” Leo told him, sounding exasperated. He squeezed Jason just slightly, for barely half a second, before he expertly wiggled himself out of the embrace. “But it took me days to finally coax Piper into getting some rest. If she wakes up and you’re worse off than you were when she went to sleep, she’s going to kill me, and I doubt I can get her to nap for as much as half an hour again if that happens.”

He gestured vaguely to the other end of the mattress where Piper was curled up like a cat, snoring softly.

She was alive. All three of them were alive.

Jason still couldn’t fully believe it.

“I’m not going to-” Jason started, wincing when he lowered himself back down onto the mattress. “Ow.”

“Told you so,” Leo commented, but he didn’t look very happy about it. “Take it easy and get better, okay? Then we can maybe renegotiate the hugging thing.”

“You suck,” Jason told him, but he couldn’t stop smiling.

Leo was okay. They were all okay.

“Oh, I know.” Leo grinned. “I’m about to suck a lot worse, too. Hedge made more of that sports medicine stuff. Full disclosure, we’re not sure if it really does anything, but at worst, I figure making you take shitty meds will discourage you from getting stabbed a third time.”

“It’s not like I did it on purpose,” Jason grimaced, but he did drink obediently.

Swallowing sucked. His throat hurt and his mouth felt parched and the strange liquid didn’t really help with either of those facts.

But, weirdly enough, he didn’t mind the taste too much.

“This actually isn’t that bad.”

Leo looked at him strangely, then turned towards where Piper was sleeping.

“Pipes, are we sure he isn’t concussed?” She just continued to snore softly in response. “I’m gonna take that as a no.”

“Is Piper okay?” Jason asked, trying to sit up again to take a proper look at her. “She didn’t get hurt, did she?”

“Nuh-uh. None of that. You’re resting,” Leo protested, gently pressing his shoulder back down onto the mattress. “Piper’s not hurt. She’s just really tired. I think she’d be significantly more fine if her dumbass best friends would stop dying in front of her face, though.”

Jason winced. “I promised her I wouldn’t do anything stupid. But we were all going to die, and I just- I couldn’t lose anyone else.”

“Dude, Piper’s the one you have to apologize to, not me. I may not be happy about it, but I get it. I did the same damn thing, remember?”

Like Jason could ever forget. Like he hadn’t spent months dreaming of the burning sky.

He reached out to grip Leo’s hand—warm and calloused and just enough to remind him that Leo was fine.

“Let’s just agree not to do that anymore, okay?”

“Yeah, deal. I’ve died more than enough for one lifetime.” Leo grinned, but then his smile wavered. “So, you’re- uh- you’re probably wondering where the hell I disappeared to for so long.”

“Leo-” Jason started, trying to express just how little he cared in this current moment. That the only thing that mattered to him was that Leo was alive.

Leo went on talking like Jason hadn’t said anything.

“No, I get it. It’s a fair question. Also, you’re allowed to be mad at me. Everyone’s mad at me.” Leo rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. “I sort of went back for Calypso.”

“Oh.”

Something clenched in Jason’s chest. He hoped it wasn’t showing on his face—Jason’s messy feelings were his problem, not Leo’s—but from the way Leo’s face fell, it was obvious he could tell something was up.

“See? Told you you’d be upset with me.”

“I’m not upset with you. I just-” Jason sighed. “Are you two…?”

Leo looked confused, then utterly baffled in a way that immediately melted the ice in Jason’s chest.

“I didn’t go back for her because I was in love with her. I knew this girl for like, a week, tops.” Leo laughed. “I went back for her because she’s been stuck on an island for three thousand years and that fucking sucks.”

“Oh.” Now Jason just felt like an idiot. “So you’re not dating?”

“Nah. We’re not even very good at being friends, honestly. We argued almost the whole way back here. But she’s free now, and the Waystation seems to make her happy. She deserves that.” Leo shook his head. “Did you seriously think I ditched you guys to get a girlfriend? Wow, if that’s what everyone assumed it’s no wonder I got punched so much.”

Jason froze.

“What do you mean, you got punched?”

“Everyone at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter was really mad at me for disappearing the way I did. People lined up to hit me. It was a whole thing.” Leo shrugged. The nonchalant way he said it made Jason feel nauseous. “So, yeah, if you think you’re feeling good enough to punch me, you and Piper still get a freebie. If you wanna yell at me instead, that’s cool, too. I’m not picky.”

Before Leo could say anything else, Jason had wrapped him in his arms again.

“Jason! Seriously, stop sitting up! This isn’t- if you make yourself worse-” Leo protested, but this time Jason didn’t let him go. He didn’t care that it hurt. He couldn’t just lie there and listen to Leo talk about himself like that.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Jason said, holding him tightly, feeling incredibly angry at the fact that he lived in a world where Leo needed that reassurance at all. “Nobody should hurt you just because they’re mad at you.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Leo insisted, but he was trembling slightly against Jason’s chest. “Besides, I sort of deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t.” Jason spoke softly into his hair. “You really, really didn’t.”

Leo didn’t say anything else. He just let his head drop onto Jason’s shoulder and cried.

A moment later, the mattress moved and another pair of arms wrapped around both of them.

“Gods, I let myself sleep for three hours and suddenly you’re not resting and you’ve managed to make Leo cry. What in the world did you two get up to?” Piper complained groggily.

Jason wasn’t surprised they’d woken her up—they hadn’t exactly been quiet even before Leo had broken down sobbing.

There were so many things Jason probably should have said to Piper.

Thank you for saving me, for one. And, sorry I got myself stabbed.

But he wasn’t sure how to say any of those things. Since the breakup, he’d barely known how to talk to her in general. Things had been so weird between them in the last few months, and he had no idea how to fix that.

He ignored everything he didn’t have words for, and instead chose to just say “Leo got punched.”

“What?” Piper blinked at him. “Did he annoy Hedge or something?”

“Not right now,” Jason explained, then relayed everything Leo had just told him to Piper.

Unlike Jason, who had been more concerned than anything, Piper just got angry.

“Names. I need names,” she demanded immediately. “Whose idea was this? I swear, when I’m done with them, they’ll wish-”

“Okay, calm down!” Leo let out a startled laugh. “Guys, I appreciate this, seriously, but can we just group hug for now and put the murder plotting off until later?”

“I guess,” Piper grumbled. “As long as we will do it later.”

Jason had a feeling the later in question would be applied to a variety of things beyond murder plans, but right now, he couldn’t bring himself to think about everything they’d still have to deal with. Not when things were finally starting to feel normal again.

~~~~

Jason had managed to tear his stitches.

Leo and Piper would not stop chiding him about this for the following half an hour as Mellie patched him back up and redid his bandages, which she covered in truly ridiculous amounts of aloe vera for reasons Jason didn’t entirely understand. If nothing else, at least the sensation was soothing.

In the end, he was sentenced back to bed rest.

When he told his friends he didn’t really feel like sleeping because he’d already spent the last few days unconscious, Piper suggested they watch a movie, so that was what they did. Leo got a miniature projector out of his tool belt that painted a large rectangular image on the ceiling, and then the three of them just laid there together, watching the movie and sharing the snacks that also came out of Leo’s tool belt. The movie was about talking cars that were also large robots, which Jason was pretty sure would have gone entirely over his head even if he hadn’t still been slightly feverish and his aching chest hadn’t made it impossible to focus. He didn’t really care that he didn’t understand the movie, though. Leo had picked it, and therefore he’d already decided he was going to like it, even if he couldn’t follow the plot.

Leo spent the first thirty minutes of the movie quietly mouthing along the words, which was endearing beyond anything Jason had ever witnessed. Then, suddenly, he was fast asleep with his head on Jason’s shoulder, radiating a soothing warmth.

Piper didn’t speak. For a brief moment, Jason thought she might try to start a conversation about everything that had happened, but then she closed her mouth again, maybe deciding to save it for when he wasn’t distracted by pain and she wasn’t exhausted.

Instead, she just reached out and took his hand, squeezing it hard.

Jason knew she would forgive him, then.

Lying there sandwiched between his best friends, the pain in Jason’s chest ceased to matter. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so completely safe and content.

Home had meant a number of things to Jason over the years. As a small child, from what little he remembered, home had meant people arguing and only ever feeling safe in his sister’s arms. With Lupa, home had meant protection in exchange for him proving his worth. Growing up in New Rome, home had meant chores and responsibilities and others looking to him for guidance.

Jason was still getting used to the fact that it could mean other people taking care of him, too. That it could mean just existing in other people’s spaces and being loved for it, even if you had nothing beyond your own love to give in return.

And the quiet, selfish part of him that grew steadily louder told him that, given him the choice, he would always choose this—that he would always choose them —for as long as he lived.

———

Fic Notes:

-Hey, I had to do at least one angsty piece of Injury Hurt/Comfort fic for this event, right? I’ve got a brand to stick to.

-Fun fact about this fic: I originally came up with the concept in the context of a completely different, far sillier valgrace fic that I have yet to finish. Part of the reason I didn’t finish it at the time was that I wanted it to be silly but then I started coming up with the backstory and it got way too angsty, lmao. So maybe that’ll be easier now that the backstory is a fic of its own.

-The reason Reyna’s automatons are here is Jason’s whole comment about how the word at the end of the prophecy has to be “die” because “one of us will dog” makes no sense. It’s immensely silly and I’m pretty of proud of that one. I feel kind of bad that they just disappear halfway through the fic, but Jason didn’t know they were there at all, so he doesn’t notice. Please assume Leo finished fixing them up while Jason was conked out and they’re doing well and are off doing Tyrant’s Tomb stuff with Reyna currently.

-Also yes, I did specifically put the punch line thing in because the fact that it happened at all makes me angry. People lining up to punch a kid we know suffered abuse in foster care is not very funny to me, actually. I’ve seen several angsty posts about how “Jason didn’t even get to punch Leo for disappearing 3” and I felt the need to point out that a) Jason wouldn't have punched him and b) he’d be horrified Leo would even suggest it at all.

-I’ve got one, potentially two more fics I’d like to set in the same universe as this (one of them being the aforementioned silly Valgrace fic), but I’ve always got too many fic ideas at once, so we’ll see if and when I get around to actually writing those.

Thank you so much for reading!! As always, feedback is immensely appreciated.

#Lost trio week #leo and Piper #leo valdez #piper mclean #jason grace #heroes of olympus #hoo #valgrace #toa #trials of Apollo #the burning maze #jason Grace angst #leo x jason #lost trio #jason x leo #pjo fanfic #my writing

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vodika-vibes · 7 months ago

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😌 idk if my first request for a fox x reader went through but i’ve been reading a lot (ofc whats new) and uh uh I found I really love fics with CX-2 (Clone Assassin) aND SO, to my favorite SW writer I ask;

How bout a soulmate au with CX-2 (?) Could be a bit of angst with a happy ending, and everyone is just wondering how reader could be with him after all the things he’s done (uh im getting sunshine!reader x grumpy character vibes)

dont have to write this! i just would love to see some more cx-2 fics after reading one just now lol also im down the rabbit hole again that its cx-2!tech whose been reconditioned, do what you feel is best but i just love that theory bc I’m a firm believer too that tech never died 😌

Protective

Summary: For a long time, your parents feared that you didn’t have a soulmate. Until, one morning, you woke up and found a wild dog curled up next to you on your bed. You named him Noir, and the people around you quickly learned that he was fiercely protective of you. However, after Noir kills an Imperial Officer after he threatens, you have no choice but to go on the run.

Pairing: CX-2 x F!Reader, background Tech x Phee

Word Count: 2799

Warnings: None

Prompt: Soulmate AU - soulmates have spirit animals representing each other.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: So I wasn't able to get the angst to work, largely because I wasn't in an angsty mood. Also, as much as I love the CX-2 being Tech idea, I had a different idea for this fic, so I hope you like it!

“What d’ya have there, Noir?” You ask as you return to the small hut that has been your home for the last three months and crouch in front of your oldest companion.

Noir’s tail wags rapidly as he nudges something in your direction.

You gently rub his head, then carefully pick up his offering, “Oh, it’s a fish. Did you find dinner for us, pal?”

Noir releases a happy yip, and you laugh softly, “Good job, Noir.” You stand and carry the fish over to the rough kitchen to divvy up the portions. Most of the fish will go to Noir, while you’ll prepare your portion with some seasoning that the Wookies traded with you.

Three months ago, Noir slaughtered an Imperial Officer who threatened your life. You’ve always known that he is fiercely protective of you, and you knew that there was a chance that he would kill again if you were threatened.

The first time it happened you had still been a child. Your uncle tried to kidnap you, and Noir reacted violently.

That time, the authorities just nodded and said it made sense, that your uncle had bad intentions. Neither you, nor Noir, were punished for the death of your uncle.

The Empire is much less understanding.

You had no choice but to take Noir and flee from Coruscant.

The pair of you bounced from planet to planet for several months and then were offered a safe house on Kashyyyk, in the Shadowlands far below the treetop homes of the Wookie people.

It’s not easy.

You are, at your heart, a city girl. Hunting and survival skills do not come naturally to you. Luckily, you have Noir. He really is the greatest equalizer.

If not for him, you’d have died several times since you moved into the small hut.

The biggest downside to this whole situation is the knowledge that you’re not likely to ever meet your soul mate.

Well, unless your soulmate is a Wookie, you suppose.

Carefully, you fillet the fish on your cutting board and toss the large majority into Noir’s bowl, the rest is set in a bowl of marinade and shoved into the fridge.

At least you have electricity.

Sure, you don’t have a holo, but you do have a radio that allows you to keep up to date on the current events, and, much more importantly, listen to books while you fight to keep the Shadowlands from reclaiming the hut.

You’re about to flip the radio on, when Noir releases a low growl.

A growl low enough that your hair stands on end.

You turn your gaze to Noir and see that his ears are flat against his head and his teeth are bared. Spooked, you reach for your belt and grab your blaster, and then you nudge the door open.

Noir slinks out of the hut and, cautiously, you follow him.

The forest is silent. Eerily silent.

You scan the forest around you, not that you expect to be able to see or hear anything. It’s enough that Noir is still growling as though he’s on the verge of attacking.

There’s a rustle in a bush, and you lift your blaster, only to lower it as a small, curious-looking creature ambles out. It’s red, black, and white, and you’d almost think it was a raccoon if not for the colors.

Noir is still growling like there’s a threat, but he’s ignoring the small creature, which is still ambling towards you. It stops at your feet and raises on its hind legs, and you crouch to get a better look at it.

When Noir first appeared in your bedroom all those years ago, no one was sure what kind of animal he was. Not even the zoologists at the local university were able to determine a species.

So you spent a lot of time as a child flipping through various animal encyclopedias. And, while you’d never claim that you had a perfect memory, this little creature does look familiar.

“You’re a Red Panda, aren’t you?” You murmur as you lightly stroke the soft fur on top of her head, “Your kind isn’t native to Kashyyyk, how did you get here?” What’s more is that she’s soft, as though someone’s been taking care of her, though based on the scarring around her ankles, she’s been chained up a lot. “Are you someone’s pet?”

The red panda climbs into your arms and promptly falls asleep, nuzzling her face into your neck. “Well, you’ve clearly been socialized. Maybe I can do something about the scarring.”

Your head snaps up as there’s more rustling and Noir’s growl lowers.

Five Stormtroopers stumble into the clearing, “There it is!” One of them says as he points at the Red Panda in your arms, “Get it!”

You stumble backward as they lift their blasters and Noir launches himself at the Stormtroopers.

You’ve always known that Noir was quick. Quick and with a strong bite, but the last time you’ve seen him move this quickly was when you were a child. He manages to kill three of the Stormtroopers before they recognize that he’s a threat.

The fourth and fifth, however, turn their blasters on him.

And, for a moment, you think that you’re going to watch Noir die.

You only think that for a moment, as another man emerges from the forest. He’s clad in black armor, much unlike the stark white armor of the Stormtroopers. And you watch as he uses a blade to kill one of the Stormtroopers from behind.

You watch as he and Noir work in concert to kill the last of the Stormtroopers.

And then you watch as Noir jumps up on the man, his tail wagging faster than you’ve ever seen before. The armored man seems surprised at how friendly Noir is, and, to be honest, you are too.

He’s so friendly with the armored man, in fact, that you can’t help but think that Noir is the representation of said armored man.

“Noir,” You say, drawing the attention of both the wild dog and the armored man, “His name is Noir.”

It’s kind of hard to read him, seeing as he’s wearing a helmet, but you’re pretty sure that he’s staring at you. “Ka’ra.” He gestures to the red panda in your arms, “She’s been a prisoner her whole life.”

“That explains the scarring,” You walk over to him and pass him his spirit animal, a small smile crossing your face as Noir drops to his paws and bounces around you. “I have some medical stuff, to wrap her scars if you want.”

He’s quiet for a long time, and then nods once, “I’d appreciate that.”

You lead him into the hut, and motion for him to take a seat anywhere while you dig around for the first aid kit.

Once you find it, you set it on the table and open it to dig through what you have left. “You know, you don’t have to leave your helmet on.” You note lightly, “This is a pretty safe place.”

The man hesitates for a moment, then he nods once and reaches up to pull off his helmet.

You’re genuinely surprised to see that he’s a clone. He looks like every other clone you’ve ever seen, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin…though he does have some nasty scarring along the side of his face.

He’s handsome, you decide as you focus back on your medkit. He kind of looks like Noir, if you squint.

Though, now you have to wonder if you look like his Ka’ra.

“Ah, here we go!” You pull several rolls of bandages from the bottom of the kit and some scar powder. “If I remember correctly, this needs to be added to water, and then the bandages need to soak in it for a bit before we apply them—” You mumble under your breath as you flip the bottle and squint at the instructions.

“What’s your name?” The man asks.

You glance at him and introduce yourself absently, before you squint at the directions again, “What’s yours?”

“...CX-2.”

You pause, “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’ve never actually met another person with a soul animal before.”

“It’s rare, then?”

“One of the rarest soul bonds.” You agree, “The only one that’s more rare is the teleportation one.” You stand to grab a clean bowl and fill it with water before placing it on the table.

“I have a brother with the teleportation soul bond. He vanished one day, never saw him again.” CX replies as he watches you.

“Well, there are a lot of you.” You reply as you add some of the powder to the water and stir it in.

He doesn’t answer for a moment, “What is a human doing on Kashyyyk?”

“Ah…well.” You pause, “Noir killed an Imperial Officer who threatened me.”

CX stares at you for a long time, and then his lips curl up into an amused smile, “Good.”

You shoot him a puzzled look.

“He’s as protective of you as I would be.”

“Yeah, well…he is representative of you, right?” You reply with a small shrug.

“I didn’t expect you to be so calm about it,” CX notes, “You do realize that I’m an assassin, right?”

You start unrolling a roll of bandages, “When I was about eleven years old,” You say quietly, “My uncle tried to kidnap me from my bedroom. Noir,” You nod at the wild dog who is gnawing on a bone, “ripped his throat out before he got me out of the living room.” You look at him, “Why should I be afraid of you?”

CX looks startled for a moment, and then a quiet laugh falls from his lips, “I suppose you have good reason to not be afraid.”

You shrug, “I would prefer it if you didn’t assassinate people anymore, but I’d also prefer to not live in a hut on Kashyyyk, so—” You shrug again, and finally drop the bandages into the water.

“What would you have me do instead?”

“Mm, you can join the Rebellion?”

“Ick.”

A laugh falls from you, “I mean when the Republic was still standing, I never had to worry about Republic Officers threatening me. Within a month of the Republic turning into an Empire, I was threatened by an Imperial Officer.”

“...I suppose that it fair.”

“I’m not going to make you do anything,” You say lightly, “We can stay here if you prefer.”

“We?”

“Well, I assume that you want to stay with me?”

CX gazes at you silently, “I want you safe. So staying does make the most sense.”

You meet his gaze evenly, “I’ll definitely be safer with you, compared to away from you.” You agree.

CX is silent for a long moment, “Mandalore.”

“Beg pardon?”

“There’s a group of former Commandos who have a compound on Mandalore. They’re housing clones and their families.” He explains, “We’ll be safe there.”

“How do you know that?”

“All of the Clones know it.” He says, “Well, save for Alpha Prime, I suppose.”

“How are we supposed to get there?” You ask with a tilt of your head.

“I have a ship.”

You grin at him, and then pull the bandages out of the water, “I think it’s a great idea.”

It takes three weeks for you and CX to get to Mandalore, and it takes even longer for CX to prove that he’s not an active threat to his brothers. You’re not able to help with that, but watching him interact with you does a lot to earn him some goodwill.

You like your new home, it’s not Coruscant, but there is plenty of room for Noir to run around and get spoiled, and he does get spoiled. Not quite as much as CX’s Ka’ra, but pretty close.

Surprisingly, CX is somewhat clingy. When he’s in the same area as you, his arms are around you, or his hand is in yours. You kind of have the feeling that he’s a little touch starved, so you don’t mind it.

On this particular day, you’re lounging in the sun, watching Noir and Ka’ra play together, while CX is sparring with Ordo (only the Nulls aren’t hesitant about sparring with CX, which is sad, but understandable).

You enjoy watching him spar largely because he tends to spar shirtless.

You’re allowed to be a simple woman when it comes to your soulmate, right?

“Watching them again?” A familiar voice pulls you out of your musing, and you tilt your head back to look up at the familiar man approaching you. “You could join them.”

“Hardly, if Ordo so much as scratched me, both Noir and CX would rip him to shreds.” You pat the ground next to you, “Have a seat, Tech. No need to hover.”

“He still wishes to be called CX?” Tech asks as he sinks to the ground next to you.

“It’s his choice.” You reply easily, “How was your physical therapy?”

“Painful,” Tech replies, matter-of-factly, “However, my healer believes that I am getting to the point where I will no longer need to see them.”

“That’s something. Are you thinking of reaching out to your brothers? Or your soulmate?”

“I am…unsure.”

“Oh?”

“I died.” He says bluntly, wincing as CX manages to flip Ordo onto his back, “I died, and my soul bond is weaker than it was before.”

“I assume your doctor has an opinion on that.”

“Of course. He says that I just need to reach out to Phee.”

“Why haven’t you?”

Tech anxiously adjusts his glasses, “What if she has found someone else?”

“Do you really think that she would?”

“...she is a beautiful and clever woman. Any man would be lucky to have her—” Tech starts.

“You’re borrowing trouble, Tech. You need to call her.”

Tech opens his mouth to reply but stops as CX jogs over.

You smile up at him adoringly, and offer him his water bottle, “Having fun, love?”

He smirks, “Ordo is bitching because I managed to flip him. So we’re having a round two.”

“Of course you are.”

He flashes a tiny grin at you and crouches so he’s able to kiss you quickly before he jogs back over to the sparring ring. His training was so different from his brothers, you can tell based on the scars covering his body, and based on the fact that he’s not quite as solid as Ordo and the other Nulls.

Not that any of that matters to you.

You love him as he is.

“It does not make sense to me how someone as kind as you ended up with someone like him,” Tech admits, “He intimidates everyone, and lashes out when pushed.”

“I’ve never been afraid of him.” You reply with a small grin, “Even when he killed someone in front of me, even when he loses his temper.”

Tech shakes his head, “I believe I understand.”

You tilt your head curiously.

“You are just as insane as he is.”

You aren’t able to help that laughter that bursts from your lips, “I suppose,” You say through your giggles, “that’s one way to view it.”

Tech flashes a crooked smile at you, and then gets back to his feet, “I am going to go send Phee a message, and hope that she forgives me. Enjoy your ogling.”

You fling a handful of grass at him but don’t deny his accusations.

The spar ends an hour later after it gets too hot for them to continue, and CX makes his way to your side, dropping onto the ground next to you. Immediately his arms slide around your waist and he presses his face against your neck.

“Did you have fun?” You ask as you card your fingers through his curls.

He hums in response, his arms tightening around you, “I’m glad that you don’t mind coming to these.”

“I enjoy watching you spar.”

He pulls his face away from your neck, “You enjoy watching me do anything.”

“You are ridiculously handsome.” You shift in his grip slightly so you’re able to press your hands against his cheeks, “I’m a lucky lady.”

“Mm, is that right?” CX asks as he leans in and presses his forehead against yours.

“You’re all sweaty,” You whisper to him.

“So maybe we should go home,” He offers with an arched brow, “You can wash my hair for me.”

A giggle falls from your lips, “Deal.”

CX grins at you, and crashes his lips against yours, knocking you back onto the grass.

Everything isn’t perfect, CX still needs gene therapy to remove the enhanced aging, not to mention regular therapy to help deal with all of his issues. But so long as you’re together, everything will be fine.

You won’t allow for anything else.

#star wars #tbb #star wars au #vodika vibes 650 event #cx-2 x reader #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!reader fic #answered asks #soulmate au

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