#She can't overcome he retired

[marine-engineer-lucie]

[ 📞 ] ‘ say something.’ / Sengoku (@nikaswill)

"Lucie? Say something!"

"AAAAAAA OLD MAN YOU REALLY CALLED?"

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

if gods exist, they made you perfect

cw. fem!reader, childhood friend au, ace novel spoilers (1st novel), pre-relationship, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, light mentions of child abuse (garp), brief loss in ace's ability to control his powers, reader receives a minor burn

pairing. portgas d. ace x black!fem!reader

synopsis. not everyone is going to reach for ace's hand but you always will.

notes. a very indulgent idea that has been living rent free in my head since i've had it and now it is your problem. cover comes from frederic edwin church's twilight in the wilderness (1860). blazing red skies and ace simply go hand in hand.

"The Five Elders are gonna have the biggest bitch fit to ever fit," with how Ace blinks up at you in surprise, he must have been really lost in his thoughts. You broaden your smile as you plop down right next to him. "I don't think anyone's ever turned down a Warlord position before. Can't wait to see how your bounty goes up this time."

Ace snorts lightly at your words, lips stretching into half a grin, "yeah, they are not going to like that."

"It definitely doesn't help you kicked that vice admiral's ass, either," you recall the events of your final moments in Sabaody. A definitive mixed bag of.

It was a beautiful country, that much is easy to say. Still it came with more than you were prepared to witness. It's only luck there hadn't happened to be any visiting Celestial Dragons coinciding with your temporary residency. Somehow you have the feeling that things would have surely been messier if their had been.

The stint with Vice Admiral Draw will be messy enough on its own.

"Garp's gonna be so mad when he finds out," Ace shudders at even your mention of his grandfather and you snicker. "What if he comes to Fishman Island for one of his grand lectures?"

"Don't even joke like that," the back of his orange hat thumps against the side of the Spadille with his groan of horror. "I can feel his Fists of Love right now."

You feel the phantom pain yourself. If you're both lucky, the semi-retired marine is busy visiting Luffy on Dawn Island. Maybe it's not that lucky though. It isn't the first time the thought the man is even harsher on Luffy now that Ace has gone ahead and sworn his life to piracy surfaces. It's a thought you push away as quickly as you have it.

Luffy's a strong kid, he's fine.

He has a spirit that is unbreakable.

"That Draw guy deserved to get his ass beat anyway." There is no disagreement to be had with your statement, Ace murmuring something similar. He's a million miles away from where you are, however, miraculously sat on a ship sailing beneath the waves. "Isuka'll be fine," you say suddenly, cursing your inability to ease into the topic gently. "She's strong and she was on our ass since immediately after we got to the Grand Line. She'll be back to chasing us soon enough."

Hopefully.

It isn't something you can say with resolute faith.

The ensign's sense of reality itself had been shattered in its entirety. Being betrayed by the one you believed to be your savior is nothing easy to overcome. You choose to believe a woman as impassioned as the naval officer will. You won't pretend to know where she'll head next.

Perhaps she'll embark on a path that leads her back to the marines. Or maybe she'll become a bounty hunter.

Wherever her journey takes her, you can only hope it is a path with no regrets.

"It would have been weird having a bounty hunter on the ship, anyway," you clumsily attempt to soothe your friend. There is irony in how Ace became your better in terms of comforting those around you when he had been the most argumentative and unfriendly between you. "That sounds like something Luffy would do."

At the sound of Luffy's name, Ace's lips do quirk into something more real. "Yeah, that kid would invite just about anyone on his crew, bounty hunters included."

You chuckle trying to visualize what the young boy's recruitment process will be. Somehow, you doubt his prospective crewmates will have much say in the matter. "Knowing Luffy, they'll probably want to join anyway though. He's convincing like that."

"Yeah," Ace only falls deeper into his thoughts. The silence that follows is even more glum than the depths. Damn it, you curse yourself.

You've never been like Makino, you recall the kind-hearted woman from your youth. She's always been gentle, dove-like in her approach when it came to matters of the heart. Knew exactly the words someone needed to hear and knew exactly how to say it in a way that didn't feel intrusive to the recipient.

That has certainly never been you. If anything, you're more akin to Dadan and her rough expressions of affection.

You hold back a sigh, closing your eyes.

"Alright, I guess this is how we're doing this," you open your eyes at last. Shuffling, you face your friend who makes a sound of surprise at your movement. You aren't a delicate person nor are you someone with the ability to handle matters of the heart with the delicacy it deserves. It's best to handle it clumsily, the only way you know how. "Ace, the stuff with Isuka; that wasn't your fault. And it isn't on you that she didn't want to come with us."

Isuka liked Ace.

It's impossible not to like him.

Even when he was a brat with more anger at the world than he knew what to do with, you liked him. Thought he was the coolest person you'd ever met in your short 10 years of living and wanted him to like you back. You like him even now.

Everyone in the crew joined because they liked Ace the moment they met him. He's darling in how effortless he makes it.

Even a marine as firm in her beliefs as Isuka couldn't let prejudice cloud her judgement when it came to Portgas D. Ace. Begrudging as it may have been, there has always been a mutual admiration for each other in spite of the opposing occupations.

You're like the sun. Equal parts the harsh rays of summer and the gentle beams of early spring. He's whichever the moment calls for. A warmth everyone wants to experience if they're lucky enough to come across it. The gravitational pull of the universe that keeps the planets in the sun's orbit. You're amazing!

"I don't know what the hell that girl needs," rough as the sentence is, your voice is soft. "But whatever it is, she wasn't going to find it with us. That's why she didn't come."

Ace opens his mouth but you don't give him the chance to argue or sweep your concerns away.

"I'm not gonna sit here and lie to your face and say that this won't happen again," it's an ugly truth. One Ace became aware of long before you met him. Regardless, as much as you hate it, you know it'd be unfair to lie to him. "Because it probably will. There's always going to be people who, no matter how hard you reach for them, they aren't going to reach back. And you can't do jack about it.

Hell, sometimes you can't even do jill. But," Ace's brow furrows in time with your words and your heart wrenches. "But," you start once more, the back of your fingers brushing against his wrist. "for every person that won't, there's going to be someone that does." You cup one of Ace's hands in both of yours with all the care one would give glass.

When did these hands get so much bigger than your own?

Still, you lips curl upwards in your nostalgia, the warmth that radiates from him remains the same. You squeeze gently, almost afraid that if you touch him too hard, he'll break.

"And I know for a fact there are a lot of people who are always going to want to hold your hands. Even if the shit does turn into fire," you chuckle at your quick addendum and despite himself, Ace does too. You've always loved hearing him laugh, it's even better when you're the cause. "The crew. Dadan. Magra. Dogra. Luffy," you squeeze again, your thumb carressing the back of his hand. "Me. We love these hands, they're yours."

There's a spark of something in Ace's eyes you can't quite place and it's unexpectedly hard to look him in the eye for some reason. "Heh," you laugh breathlessly. Without meaning to, your grip tightens around his hand. It's warm.

Really warm.

Shit, it's actually getting kinda hot ain't it?

You see the flicker of orange and your and Ace's expressions are well-matched in panic as you realize the source. Sure enough, your hands were engulfed flames.

"Shit-" Ace swears but despite instinct dictating you back away from the flames, you find yourself holding on to staunchly.

"Shit-" you fight against Ace's attempt to pull away from you as the flames die down. "[First]! Let go!"

"No way, what did I just say?!" Oh god this hurts like hell! "I don't care if it's fire, I'm not letting go!"

You hiss through your teeth, reeling yourself in with a breath but the flames are extinguished as quickly as they erupted. "Wasn't exactly expecting to prove my point so fast but," there's another attempt on Ace's part to pull away from you again but you only hold his hand tighter. You can ignore the sting of your hands but you can't ignore the way Ace's eyebrows knit together. You can't ignore how he looks like he wants to cry either. "See," you laugh breathlessly. "I love these hands, there's no way I'm never gonna hold them.

Dark eyes, wide, look between you and your face and you squeeze his hand again. The sting of your palms is prevalent but this pain is fine. Pain is merely proof that you are alive in this moment; and in this moment there is nowhere else you want to be.

There's nothing more that needs to be said between you, you believe. Facing him, you lean against the wood as you hold Ace's hand firmly between your own. With the hand he has available, Ace slides his hat down to hide whatever expression he's making.

You close your eyes with a sigh and pretend you don't hear the sound of hiccuping. You don't feel the way his hand trembles either.

You squeeze Ace's hand and he squeezes back.

Your hands sting something sweet.

[amymbona]

I need to be Tashi's long forgotten girlfriend that's not so forgotten. A girl that she used to date in Stanford after she broke up with Patrick and hurt her knee, before she married Art. A girl that had nothing to do with tennis, studied arts and always kept a notebook and a pen in her pocket.

A little lady who was such a sweet, soft thing for Tashi, never once raising her voice at her, docile and gentle, but also very indifferent to the world around her. Locked in her own tiny reality that she only allowed Tashi to be a part of. Tashi had found a completely new world with her, full of nothing but love and tenderness, no fake feelings or overexaggerated pity. Just a little bubble of two girls that make bracelets together and hold each other while falling asleep.

She hasn't seen you after Stanford, actually unsure why. You must have changed your phone number and moved states, perhaps you moved to the very other side of the world, for all she knows. But even now, years later, she can't help herself and think about you when Art is eating her pussy like a good lap dog. She taught you how to do that as well, and you used to be the most shy and tender little thing, afraid to suck too hard or stick your tongue too far, too afraid you would cause her any pain. That's why she's constantly pushing Art further, literally begging him to be violent with her. To bite and claw and suck and pull just so she could remember the warm softness of your plush lips.

You were such an ethereal being, perhaps too unreal. Perhaps you were just a fragment of her imagination, something she made up to help overcome the grief surrounding her injury and the loss of her boyfriend. The gentleness that she had received from you was such a gift. Nobody has treated her the way you did until you disappeared. Perhaps people were right. Perhaps Tashi is an awful human who doesn't deserve a single good thing in her life.

Years later, she meets Patrick in New Rochelle, bumping into him in the hotel lobby. The two bicker for a while, unable to act like two adults, until she notices a gold shining thing on the finger of his left hand. With a smirk so sharp that could slice her throat, he admits to have married a wonderful fairy, sweet little thing. That night, after her husband admits to wanting to retire, she irrationally threatens to leave him if he loses against Patrick in the next day's match. But feeling too guilty, unable to possibly divorce her lover, she goes to sleep with Patrick in exchange for his next day's loss.

Her whole world crumbles into smithereens when she sees Patrick stroll towards the court, hand in hand with a familiar, beautiful face. She's raging, absolutely livid, unable to believe that such an ugly ass man has married the most precious, delicate human to ever walk on this Earth. You haven't changed a bit, at least not overall. Your hair is a bit longer than she rememebers it and your lips are painted an unusual shade of red, too dark for your complexion. But the hearts in your eyes, now directed at Patrick, they still shine the same way that they used to when you glanced at her.

She basically runs towards the locker rooms, hoping not to bump into you, and there she quite literally gets on her knees and begs Patrick to win. Promises that she will buy him whatever he asks for, promises to let Art be his because she knows that Patrick has always loved Art and Tashi has always loved you. She cries too, allowing Patrick to laugh at her and make her look like a fool. At that point, she's absolutely pathetic, completely desperate for her sweet love, and she'd even let Patrick publically humiliate her if it meant you'd be the one wiping her tears away in the end.

It's always easier to win than to lose, so it's no surprise when Patrick completely demolishes Art. He leaves the blonde boy literally sobbing and the craddles him in his arms, promising that everything is going to be okay, that he'll take care of him after he retires. But is Tashi happy? She's unsure. You left her, after all, made a ghost of her presence. So for the first time in her life, she feels like a complete failure, hurriedly shuffling towards your and Patrick's hotel room, knowing your husband is too busy with her own.

You open the door with a soft smile, looking like an absolute goddess and greeting her like an old friend. As if nothing this absurd has happened ever before, you let her in and kiss her forehead. Tashi basically falls into your arms and holds onto you as if you're a dream that's going to disappear. She breathes in the gentle smell of your body and floats in the warmth of your skin. You're real, her sweet girl. You're real, holding her and calling her yours.

[zuko-always-lies]

AITA, Reddit?

So I (60M) grew up the crown prince of this country bent on world conquest. I figured I might as well as get involved in the family business, so I joined in and spent a few decades conquering places. This had the added benefit of making my divine monarch father (95 M but he's dead) happy, plus I knew from a dream I had when I was seven that I had a divinely blessed destiny to conquer Ba Sing Se, which is like the biggest city ever.

Anyways, this whole "conquering things" and burning them down went on for a while, and I even got my wonderful son (20M but also dead unfortunately) involved too. All the while my younger brother(45M) was jealous and would often throw temper tantrums about my success. He would complain that our dad favored me over him, what was absolutely not true at all. I loved my brother to death though but he just never seemed to really grow up. I think it's my fault maybe for not guiding him properly.

Anyways, eventually my brother married my sister in law(35F). They seemed like a great match and were having kids in no time. They had two kids, my nephew (17M) who I took a liking to even when he was a baby and a girl (15F) who always seemed fussy and unfeminine.

Anyways, when my nephew was like 8 myself and my son took off with a huge army to besiege Ba Sing Se for like 600 days. It was bloody affair but you can't go carrying out world conquest and fulfilling destinies without breaking a few hundred thousand eggs. I even got my nephew a gift I looted from an enemy general, a knife with a really cool inscription. I sent the girl a gift too because I had to, a doll or something similar that I looted; I hoped it would make her more proper girly and less of a tomboy.

We were winning the siege and about to conquer the city but then unfortunately my beloved son was killed by an enemy soldier. I was overcome by grief and immediately ordered the army to withdraw. I then left it in the middle of combat and personally left. I know it sounds bad but you have to understand that my son dying was the worst thing ever to happen to anyone and totally justifies it. I went on a bit of a walkabout around and realized this whole "world conquest," "conquering," and "ruling the world" thing just wasn't for me anymore. I really just felt like retiring but of course I was the crown prince so I really couldn't.

Fortunately, when I got back home, I found that my brother had murdered my father and sister in law and stolen the throne. I know it sounds bad but boys will be boys and I didn't want it anymore so I didn't really care. My brother was even really chill about me being back home again and invited me to all his war meetings. I think he was showing off his power or something; it was really adorable. Anyways I kind of felt the whole war thing wasn't very morally good at this point but I still did my best to give valuable advice at the war meetings.

So everything was working out surprisingly well but there was one massive problem. The girl was just completely taking the limelight away from my nephew. She was really smart and good at fighting and fiercely competitive and everything, everything a girl shouldn't be. She played with fire, not dolls. I expected her father to smack her down and put her in her place, but instead he lavished attention on her and neglected his son instead. He began disparaging my nephew and comparing him negatively to the girl, which was very wrong since she was someone who should be focused on having babies and getting married while my nephew was the first born son and the crown prince and deserved accolades for that alone. But to be clear, this was all the girl's fault, not my brother's fault. He never was the best at controlling himself and retaining a clear mind and she took advantage of that by trying to impress her father rather than quieting her competitive spirit and letting her brother maintain his proper place. Plus she criticized my decision to abandon the whole siege thing, which is not how you're supposed to treat a respected elder.

Anyways, all of this made me feel wrong. I really wanted to discipline the girl but she had her father bewitched and there is zero chance he'd allow that, but I figured I could at least give my nephew some positive attention for a change. I got to know him better and he reminded me both of my brother when he was younger and my own son, and I realized I had kind of found two second chances (or maybe even three) in one with him, so I really made a real effort to support him. My nephew could be mean and disrespectful and violent and impulsive, but I always knew he had pure heart behind it all.

Anyways, things were going OK for a while but then they suddenly got much worse. My brother had unjustly banned my 13 year old nephew from a war meeting(probably the girl's fault somehow), so I let him in. Then my nephew, with his big, pure heart, verbally attacked a general for a callous plan, so my brother challenged my nephew to a duel and burned him when he didn't fight back. I just kind of watched (but I'm pretty sure my niece was smirking about the whole thing).

Anyways, I felt kind of guilty about the whole thing, so when my brother banished my nephew to look for the Avatar(a demigod who hadn't been seen for 100 years), I went with my nephew even though what I really wanted to do was stay retired and drink tea all day. This search went on for three whole years as my nephew threw tantrums and randomly attacked people in his search, but boys will be boys and I knew he had a pure heart. I tried to encourage good qualities in him by giving him proverbs but I'm not sure if he got any (but I like my proverbs too much to stop using them). I tried to teach him better firebending but he never really had the patience for it. I guess I tried to get my nephew to stop and smell the roses but that was never going to work.

Eventually the actual Avatar(12 M) showed up (I wasn't expecting that!). The chase went on for another few months. I helped my nephew when I could and encouraged him to keep up the chase, but ultimately we ended at the Northern Water Tribe, where I helped a crazy Admiral named Zhao (45 M) as he tried to conquer the NWT but it was all only to cover for my nephew trying to catch the Avatar. Zhao gave off a lot of self-destructive conquest vibes(I should know-conquest was me at some point) but I still helped him. Anyways, Zhao tried to destroy the moon, I had to try to stop him, it kind of worked, and my nephew and I were forced to flee south on a raft.

We spent some time in a resort, but then the crazy girl showed up and claimed my brother wanted us back. I knew that was sus as hell, it turned out my brother wanted to imprison us (but I'm sure the girl was putting him up to it but unfortunately he never changes his mind once he's made it) for our actions at the NWT, the girl tried to capture myself and my nephew but failed at it, my nephew tried to put the girl in her place, which was a good idea, but he wasn't strong enough, which made it a bad idea, I ended up kicking the girl off a ship, and we escaped. I was sure she was right behind us, so we decided to hide as refugees in the Earth Kingdom.

We spent some time fleeing and hiding in that, I had a brief falling out with my nephew since he was a bit too handsy with other people's things, we reconciled, we hooked up with a couple of members of an old secret fraternal organization of mine, and we headed to Ba Sing Se to hide as refugees. Along the way, my beloved nephew tried to put his crazy sister in her place a couple times, but he wasn't strong enough and it was a bit of bad idea, so I tried to teach him better firebending so he'd have better luck next time. I'll be honest, his attitude was a bit frustrating. I almost forgot to mention this but also at a certain point Zuko and I teamed up with the Avatar to try to put Azula in her place and we trapped her but she got away and I got burned for my trouble. And apparently Zuko and the Avatar couldn't play nice with each other since by the time I woke up they were separated. What can I say?

To get back on track, we headed to Ba Sing Se as refugees, hooked up with another refugee boy who stole food from the captain of our ferry for us. It was surprisingly fun to visit as a tourist the city I had spent so many years trying to conquer and reduce to ashes. I know this sounds bad, but trust me it's not. After being exposed to the abomination which was the local tea, Zuko and I got jobs as tea shop attendants making superior Fire Nation tea, although Zuko didn't like it much even though I told him to accept this was now his destiny. The other refugee boy accused us of being Firebenders but fortunately got taken away by the secret police and we ended up becoming owners of a tea shop, the Jasmine Dragon. It felt like a perfect way to fulfil our destinies and spend my retirement, but Zuko still wanted to capture the Avatar. It was a pain in the ass but boys will be boys, I suppose. I had to rescue him from a secret police compound to prevent him from doing anything really stupid. After that, Zuko finally started to accept his destiny and be happy!

Just when everything was going perfectly, the girl showed and ruined everything. She captured Zuko as part of her coup to seize control of the Earth Kingdom, and I had to team up with the Avatar to try to get him back. It was at that moment I knew Zuko's true destiny was to join up with the Avatar and restore balance to the world! It made perfect sense for once. Zuko was the only one pure enough and true hearted enough and with the right blood to do this; I certainly never could. I just needed to ask Zuko to look into his heart and he'd do it! But again that bitch ruined everything. She manipulated Zuko, that poor boy who didn't know better, into siding with her and her father and betraying me. Into fighting against the Avatar and helping her conquer Ba Sing Se, conquer my city to conquer. She almost killed the Avatar and I had to sacrifice myself to allow him and his little girlfriend to escape. Sometimes your kids will get killed.

I was captured but not powerless now. As I began plot my escape, I also thought about how to influence Zuko into becoming the perfect pure prince I knew he could be, into becoming the friend of the Avatar I knew was his true destiny, into breaking him out of the influence of his evil sister and his father who never quite treated him right. It was easier then I thought. A couple fake cold shoulders (although that hurt a bit for me) and some careful revelations about how he had good blood through his grandfather the Avatar and Zuko was back on the right track, on the track of being the perfect Firelord I could never be. I knew he would stop the Fire Nation, overthrow his father, end the war, and redeem our country, all without needing my help! You might think I should have tried to help him more, but trust me, it works out in the end.

With Zuko's destiny taken care of, it was time to focus on my own. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I also knew I was special and destined for something incredible and I just needed to figure it out. My boyhood dream gave me the right inspiration. All along it was to conquer Ba Sing Se, but for the Earth Kingdom and not the Fire Nation. Everything just clicked into placed. Finally all those deaths I had caused had meaning.

I escaped, and set about fulfilling my fate. I wanted to stage the liberation on the Day of Sozin's Comet, since all firebenders would be more powerful that day. The most important day of my life, the day I finally accomplished the destiny I saw all those years ago, deserved to be at the time I was the most powerful. I gathered up all my friends and prepared for my attempt.

However, just before I could make my attempt, my son and his friends showed up and asked for my help. Zuko begged for my forgiveness. I was so happy to see him like that and I of course forgive him and hugged him. My "replacement son" was now as close to my heart as my actually son had been. He asked me to be the next Firelord, but I knew his heart was a million times purer than mine (and I'd be happier running a tea shop in retirement), so I refused. He wanted me to fight his father the Firelord and defeat him, but that was that 12 year old the Avatar's job and not mine, and it would have looked really bad for a brother to fight a brother to seize power, like really really bad, so I refused. Then I told him his destiny to was to fight his sister and put her in her place so that he could finally become Firelord. Of course, even my perfect nephew, as pure and perfect as he is, didn't have a chance against that girl in a fair fight, so I sent along a waterbender(14F) to help finish the issue.

There was also this issue of my brother, poor deluded creature he was, trying to use a giant airship fleet to burn down the whole Earth Kingdom, but I let the three remaining kids handle it so that my buddies and I could focus on the more important mission of conquering Ba Sing Se on the day of destiny. I know this sounds kind of bad when I write it out like that, but trust me, I knew the kids had everything in the bag.

So, with everything arranged right, we could accomplish our fates. We liberated Ba Sing Se with only a bit of collateral damage(it was the greatest feeling of life) , the kids stopped the airship fleet, the Avatar beat my brother and only took his bending and not his life (which I'm glad for, I always loved my little bro) and my wonderful nephew and the waterbender beat the little terror. Apparently she went really insane during the fight; I'm not surprised, she always was a crazy bitch.

Zuko got coronated and I'm sure that he'll be the most perfect Firelord ever that will restore honor and order to the Fire Nation and fix the last 100 years of mistakes. He's the only one with the blood for it, the only one with true honor, after all. Azula that crazy girl was placed in an asylum like she belongs and my poor little brother was locked away true (that's my only real regret, other than not saving Lu Ten. I wish things could have ended better for sweat little Ozai).

I meanwhile didn't attend Zuko's coronation, so I could focus on setting my retirement as a tea shop owner in Ba Sing Se. Finally I could have a life where I could relax, indulge myself, and serve others wonderful Fire Nation tea. It took a surprising amount of bureaucratic wrangling, but I got my tea shop. I was so sure that the people of Ba Sing Se would find it a blessing to be the presence of their savior and liberator!

However, then Zuko's girlfriend got mad at me. Apparently I had "given Zuko an incredibly difficult and dangerous responsibility and then abandoned him." And then my sister in law showed up alive too (I'm still not sure how she survived Ozai killing her) and she got mad me for "abandoning her daughter and turning Zuko against the girl." And now there are people protesting and rioting outside my tea shop all the time because apparently they can't let go of the time I besieged Ba Sing Se for 600 days.

I don't get any of this. Everyone is hating on me for seemingly no reason. So tell me, Reddit, am I the asshole?

[481mclarg]

Drunk together. | LN4

★ Let's get drunk together so I can kiss you and blame it on the vodka.

FANFIC + SMAU « Eng & Esp »

Lando Norris x Male!Oc Former Rider.

« K »  si boca gana, mañana subo la 3era parte. si boca pierde voy a kms (/j) (no tan /j tbh).

Warnings: homophobia. (And it's 99% text. This is the SMAU with the least SM on the SMAU history).

★ Chapters: One. | Two. | Three. | Four. | Five. | Six. | Seven. | Eight. ★

          Nervous, Ezequiel hurried to the address sent by Norris. A cafe somewhat hidden from the busiest areas of Zandvoort.

          It wasn't difficult for him to locate those brown curls among the few customers in the establishment.

          —Lan. —Along with a relieved sigh, she let out a small smile, happy to be able to see him again, although the reason behind their meeting weighed on him.

          —Eze. —He tried not to show the same joy, but the shine in his eyes gave it away. Ezequiel already knew how to read it too well to miss those details.

          Norris's fingers tapping on the table, while Torres's foot tapped on the floor, at equally accelerated rhythms, waiting for the other to take the first step.

          Sacha had already scolded each one individually. Even the word was too small for the set of complaints and insults that were their conversations. Other friends had similar opinions. They needed to talk.

          Lando, in a moment of desperation, even turned to Oscar. The boy had been in a stable relationship for years, he must have had some advice or could share his opinion about the situation to try to help him clear his mind.

          «Lando, you like Ezequiel», declared Lily almost afraid to reveal such information. The woman was at the hotel with Piastri, so it seemed absurd to them not to put it on speaker and ask for one more opinion on the situation.

          The Brit sighed. He knew there was something, but having someone else tell him made it more real. It wasn't just a crazy fantasy of his; he was really starting to fall in love, if he wasn't already.

          «I shouldn't tell you this...» Sacha hesitated a little, but spoke anyway, «Eze can't stop thinking about you, about you two, Lando» He overcome with joy knowing that it was not one-sided, but it was not a joy that brought calm. He had not met the famous butterflies that are supposed to fill your stomach when you fall in love. He had a savanna.

          A stampede of elephants shaking everything in its path; fierce animals fighting each other, his ideas colliding, while trying to figure out which one would be the winner.

          He felt like he was drowning. That fell into the open sea, at the mercy of the creatures that inhabited it. For a moment, he wished he were actually floating in dangerous waters. He was less afraid of be eaten by an animal than having to face his feelings.

          It was strange for him, Fenestraz even asked him. Why was it different with Ezequiel?

          It was a stupid question, in his opinion. Everything with Ezequiel was different. Maybe not the way to meet, he had met people on nights out before. But the trust that was generated, the family closeness with which they could treat each other, as if they had known each other for years. He was special, and Lando was afraid of losing him. He feared losing Ezequiel, and that no one would be able to fill his place.

          That he was also a man did not make it a new world. He wasn't the first one he had kissed; he had already gotten over that drama. However, he had never gone this far, he had never wanted to. What would happen if it were discovered? What if someone leaked it or they decided to make it public? What would people, his team, or the FIA ​​directors say? Should he retire? He knew Ezequiel wouldn't like it. He was hiding, because he was afraid, a fear that now he could feel too.

          What would happen in Qatar? Abu Dhabi? Saudi Arabia? Would they let him participate? Would he and Ezequiel be safe?

          Ezequiel also had his job, what would happen to him? He couldn't forgive himself if the oldest lost his job and his place in the world of motorcycling through his fault. What would happen if he gets fired and has to leave Europe to return to Argentina? He had no doubt that he would never see him again. Lando wouldn't blame him if he decided to cut contact with him.

          —Why the urgency? —the one with curls asked, forcing the other to explain first.

          —Yo-... We are on vacations, you know. —He muttered, starting to play with his thumbs, stressing Lando out even more. —I'm going back to Argentina. —

          —But- You're coming back after the break, right? —He asked hating to sound more worried than he wanted to. Ezequiel had avoided him for weeks; he couldn't look so broken at the possibility of not seeing him for a couple more months.

          He didn't want to, he hated it, but he couldn't help it.

          —No... —He denied, unable to hold his gaze. He wouldn't come back. His work was no longer needed on his team. He couldn't blame them either for giving him "extra vacation", if during the last races, he had only been sad by failing at a job that he would have previously done with his eyes closed.

          It was not a dismissal as such, although he understood that they were not going to accept a refusal to the proposal of a rest of the year off. "A recognition" they sweetened it. They just wanted him out of the way while his mind was lost in another world.

          Lost in Lando.

          Deciding to "come out" the same week in which he left a lot to be desired wasn't the smartest idea either. He had noticed that there were unhappy people in the garage after the "news".

          He never wanted to make a big show about his life and his bed as the main act, but he was beginning to get tired of dodging questions about girlfriends, marriage plans, starting his own family with his own children. Years of simply wanting to correct with the word "boyfriend", explaining his family ideals, his dream of sharing a small house far from the city, how he always wanted to have big dogs but the lack of space and stability never allowed him to.

          Those closest to him accepted it without further ado, continuing the talk in order to dispel their nervousness and the malicious glances of other colleagues with whom none of them would speak again. They sought to normalize it, to ensure that no one made a big fuss, at least not at that moment when Ezequiel needed everything but a problem.

          They couldn't avoid the call from their boss and everything that came after. Regardless, Torres is more than grateful to his friends for their company and empathy.

          The Argentine summer was embracing. A warmth he had missed during his time in England. He was undoubtedly happy to see his family again, to be home again, but he knew something was missing.

          The goodbye was awkward. He felt that they had missed a lot of talking, that they still had their feelings going through. Lando did not want to add anything after learning what he experienced during his last months of work; in fact, he hardly even spoke during the entire meeting. He only did it when they were outside the cafe, to ask for one last hug before their paths parted.

          He couldn't refuse. He knew it would hurt even more to separate later, but he wouldn't forgive himself for leaving Europe without feeling Lando's warmth once again.

          —Hope to see you again. —Lando murmured, his forehead resting on the taller man's shoulder.

          —Yeah... —Ezequiel didn't have the strength to leave him. He didn't want to leave, nor did he want to continue with that thing without a name and apparently without a future, but it was difficult for him to come to terms with the idea of never returning.

          He didn't know what to do; he didn't know what he wanted. It was a lot of information at once. He was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by everything.

[ 📱 ] . . . ?

481MCLARG | 15 . 01 . 2025 | CORREGIDO

[fanfic-recs-01]

Daminette Fic Recs Part 2

Here is the second part to the Daminette Fic Recs!

Link to Part 1

Updated 11/2/24

Look What You Made Me Do by Kiatana6 *Unfinished*

~The class goes to Gotham for an exchange program(because that's how Daminette stories go) Damian sees Marinette closing herself off and it reminds him of how he used to be. ~

The String That Binds Us by FaithAndATypeWriter *Unfinished*

~The string that connects the hearts of two soulmates is a powerful thing. It brings people together to form a bond that can outlast strife, overcome adversity, and forge lifelong partnerships.

As Marinette finds out, it can also be a pushy annoyance that will drag a person all around a crowded business building.~

An Email Away by LovelyLore *Unfinished*

~Marinette had been startled to find out that her school and a school in America were collaborating to do a pen pal assignment. To be fair, the assignment was suppose to help the students with the grammar of the language they were learning. Marinette pulled a random name out of the box. She hoped Damian wrote good French and that she could write well enough English.~

Moth, Bats, Cat and Bug by Tineabean *Unfinished*

~Marinette Todd Dupain-Chang hasn't had the easiest life, and she'll be the first to admit it. While she was planning to return to her home town one day, she didn't think it'd be when Hawkmoth was still at large. Unable to pass up the opportunity and ignore the pull she feels, she finds herself once again in the home of the famed BatFam™~

Beyond Miraculous: A New Adventure in Gotham by AlyceSaysNo *Unfinished*

~After the defeat of Hawkmoth and the retirement of her partner, Marinette has been adrift. She can't seem to get excited about what she used to, can't settle into the quiet humdrum of civilian life. Sure, she's has taken over guardianship of the Miraculous, graduated high school, and moved on to a nice apprenticeship. She's moved on from the drama and heartbreak of lycee and from being Ladybug.~

Warmth by FridayFirefly *Finished*

~When Damian wakes up with a stranger in his bed, he knows that there is only one possible explanation: that stranger is his Soulmate.~

Travels of Passion by StarShine583 *Finished*

~When people as famous as the Waynes come to visit your city, the most you'd expect to get from them is a quick little smile. A hand shake if you're in the right place at the right time and extremely lucky. Marinette didn't really expect to get either, and she certainly didn't expect to get what she actually got.~

Organized Mess by withluvsan (lostlovelis) *Finished*

~Marinette ran away from her past as Ladybug. After Hawkmoth's defeat, she had nothing left to treasure in Paris, so when she received a scholarship capable of score her not one but two majors in some random city of the States, she didn't think twice.~

Purrinette by Rierse *Finished*

~Marinette gets stuck as a cat in Gotham and ‘adopted’ by Damian Wayne where she slowly starts to fall for the green-eyed vigilante.~

Soul-Stitching: The Heir and the Guardian by ggomoz (ggomo_springtime) *Finished*

~Step 1: Be accused of terrorizing Paris with magical butterflies Step 2: Watch Paris fall into chaos Step 3: Watch the Justice League fall into chaos Step 4: Attend court trial and-

have Adrien Agreste as your defense attorney?!~

When a liar gets you left behind by SentiWayne *Unfinished*

~Despite the fact that many things had changed in her class, Marinette was content-she wasn't happy, but she was not sad or negative towards what had happened between some of her classmates and herself.~

I Need A (Girlfriend) Hero! by LilaVaporizer9000 *Unfinished*

~Daminette as told through equally socially unaware messes, general misunderstandings of each other's skill and experience, and a total lack of awareness as to how many flowers are too many flowers.~

Broken Harmony by Dessarious  *Finished*

~One in five people in the world have a Soulmate. Damian Wayne was unfortunately one of them. When he was in the League, it was a problem because his mother found out about it. Even though his Soulmate's song in his head was the one good thing in his life, it was still a weakness to be used against him. Once he went to live with his father, it was the same. He was perfectly content to stay away from them in order to keep both of them safe. At least he was until their song changed.~

Be My First, Be My Last, Be My Everything by Intercoursefluids *Unfinished*

~“Such lovely hair… Oh, right I am being so rude, not introducing myself. I am Talia Al Ghul, I am the one who hired those men to bring you here. They were only supposed to bring one of you though. They were so incompetent, unable to take the simplest orders. They had to die before they ruined my plans.”~

Alfred's Appreciation Party by StarWarsMum *Finished*

~The bat boys decide Alfred deserves to know how much they appreciate him and are throwing a party. Fluff ensues when Damian contacts an internet famous baker that Alfred likes and convinces her to come and cater the desserts for the party.~

love is embarrassing by ademonandhisangel (WithLovePoohBear), WithLovePoohBear *Finished*

~After Damian Wayne unintentionally fabricates having a girlfriend to his family, he finds himself in a desperate need to make his lie a reality, and quickly.

In steps Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the enigmatic new student whose intelligence and social standing appear promising.~

Pinocchio (Or Demon Spawn Becomes a Real Boy) by Mentally12ReadingPJO *Unfinished*

~Damian's brothers are curious: the demon seems to be acting like a real boy. It was subtle at first, but it became increasingly obvious when he called someone they caught "sus". It was even less subtle when they found him scrolling on his phone in a blanket at 2 am and whispered "ding" while flicking his wrist. Needless to say they were concerned.~

Watch The Eyes by finallyaniguana *Unfinished*

~A soulmate au between two superheroes across the atlantic. ones a very angry boy with a history of assassins and the other is the embodiment of sunshine with a history of baking. they make it work, but first they gotta find each other.~

Every Morning as I Wake by StripedSunhat *Finished*

~Featuring the Batfam in all it’s insanity glory, Ladybug and Chat Noir in all their insanity power, Bad parenting, worse parenting, Chat Noir actually being returned to being Ladybug’s partner, ninjas, abysmal life decisions, a trolling author and kicking Hawkmoth in the butterflies.~

The Sun Who Lit Up The Night Sky by FandomQueen10325, leaping_lizard_babe *Finished*

~4 months after the defeat of Hawkmoth, the akuma class wins a trip to Gotham. While they are there, Marinette keeps attracting bad luck, and can never seem to stay out of trouble. The Batfam is very interested when they learn about what had happened in Paris, so they question ladybug. Marinette manages to worm her way into the hearts of the whole Wayne family ~

the things that keep you from falling apart by apileofashandember *Unfinished*

~Ra's al Ghul should have been more careful when using the Miraculous to create the Lazarus Pits.~

Ménage(rie) à Deux by dontyoublink *Unfinished*

~A potential ally appears in Gotham just in time to help the Batfamily face down a formidable enemy. What Robin finds confusing is that she's wearing a different costume each time he runs into her. Where is she getting all of them? Why are they all animal themed? And most importantly, when did he start looking forward to seeing her on patrol?~

Fate Goes Both Ways by My Old Works (TheFairMaidenofFandom) *Finished*

~Marinette has been left behind by her classmates. By Lila. When a family friend offers her an opportunity, she just can't say no. Now she's in Gotham, alone, with a dead cell phone. Maybe she'll meet a new friend. Or something more?~

Sielvartas by sunshine_and_symphonies *Finished*

~The Lithuanian term "Sielvartas" can only be described as "soul tumbling", caused by grief and resentment. After Marinette bolted from the classroom, her friends and family know that something within the girl has irrevocably changed. Trapped in the most volatile city of the world, where emotions make you a terrorist's puppet, how is one supposed to grieve?~

Accidental Union by That0neGuy *Unfinished*

~An accidental spell that binds the 2 souls of Damian Wayne and one Marinette Dupain-Cheng, how will the 2 navigate this new world and how will their presence in each other life's change them.~

Cat and Mouse by Nory_Gail *Unfinished*

~Marinette has started a new chapter in Gotham. She's on a mission and she won't let one of Batman's little birds prevent her from reaching her goal.~

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi I’ve just recently found your blog am I can say I’m.obsessed. I’m absolutely love imagining the close bond between a trainer and their Pokémon!

With that in mind I’d love to request a piece with a elderly garchomp who lost part of its arm fin and spike,old bones with stiff joints,cracked skin,old scars littering it’s body.it’s most prominent scar is right across his eye,now a milky white.

Garchomp was readers gramps,who used to be champion in alola,but due to the whole ultra beast fiasco it’s done a real number on his old boy.So he sent his buddy to his granddaughter in the sunny,warm region of Paldea to live out his golden years.

How would arven,penny amd Nemona react to this battle hardened but gentle old man dragon?

Aww yeah! I also love the concept of elderly pokemon. I remember seeing one of the poketoon episodes with a champion's charizard who was kinda in his elder years and I think it's neat they touched on that

I'll just do these as hcs! (and also I think it'd be cool if peepaw garchomp wore a necklace with a dragonium z crystal encased in it as a momento of his achievements)

........

Arven

When you first introduced your gramps' Garchomp to Arven...he was quite startled seeing how old and battle-scarred he looked.

However, you didn't seem all that concerned and calmly explained that this one used to belong to a family member who was an Alolan Champion.

Though after the invasion of the Ultra Beasts and everything else that happened, your gramps decided his Garchomp was due for a much-needed retirement. So he sent him over to you in Paldea, knowing you'll take good care of his ace.

Plus, Gar's known you since he was a little Gible, so he 100% trusted you.

Despite all he's been through, barely a mean bone in his body remains. He's just a gentle old soul who'd much rather relax in the sun and get nice baths. He knows his worst days are behind him.

Unsurprisingly, Casseroya Lake became his favorite spot, so you and Arven have a lot of picnics there. The dragons usually mind their business, although Gar's quite popular with the local Dreepy population, who flock to him like children.

But because Garchomps at this stage in their lives have a tough time walking and lose their ability to fly, you'll have to assist him with getting around places.

However he's very stubborn about going back into his pokeball.

Thanks to Arven adding herba mystica to his meals, he still retains a good deal of strength. And while it can't reverse the effects of aging, you reassure him that he doesn't have to use up his entire supply to keep Garchomp healthy.

Tbh your friend's gonna get a little sappy seeing you take care of this sweet elderly dragon, hoping that he'll grow old with Mabosstiff still by his side.

Penny

It never really hit her that Pokémon can just...grow old like humans do, until she met your gramps' Garchomp.

And the first question that comes out of her mouth is: "So is he like...a hundred years old or something?"

Obviously Gar's unamused, but forgives her anyways with a nuzzle.

Lowkey he scares her, even though you reassure her over and over he's as sweet as a Slurpuff.

Her eeveelution team, much to her shock, warm up to him fast. Especially Sylveon, who snuggles with him and helps you aid him with walking and whatnot.

Flareon also helps keep him cozy since his cracked skin makes him more vulnerable to the cold.

Despite all of this, it still takes a while for Penny to warm up to him and pet him.

The whole eevee team had to band together and literally nudge her over to him

Once she does, you teasingly praise her for overcoming her "Garchomphobia", which flusters her enough to send you a glare.

Meanwhile, ol' Garchomp's chuckling in the background, very happy you found some good friends here.

Nemona

You knew she was gonna flip out (with excitement) as soon as you let it slip that your grandpa, an Alolan Champion, had handed his Garchomp over to you.

She's seen the tournaments when she was younger..and is lowkey jealous you're related to somebody so famous.

But you made it very, very clear that this dragon is in retirement and is done with battling. For good.

He wasn't transferred to you to fight more Pokémon, but to enjoy his golden years.

Despite this, Nemona still got overexcited upon seeing him, examining the z-crystal encased in his necklace with stars in her eyes.

"This allowed you to use Devastating Drake, right???"

Ofc, still being a little bit of a showoff, Garchomp managed to mimic the z-move pose his trainer once used, much to her delight-

Then one of his joints popped and he had to stop before he was in too much pain.

She's infinitely apologetic about it, even though he doesn't mind.

[dragon-creates]

Five Times Jax and Pomni Share Dreams of Their Past Lives (And One Time Where They Remember)

Read on AO3

Read Part 2 Here

1/2/3/4/5/6

Jax and Pomni know that they can’t actually dream in this digital world, nor can they remember who they were before coming here. But after retiring to their sleeping quarters each night, they begin to have dreams of people who they have never seen before, not the circus themed cast of characters within this realm, but real people! Why do they seem do real? Why do these dreams feel more like memories? And why do these people remind them so much of each other?

I can't believe how much the silly circus show won me over, and how much brainrot these two have given me. I won't update for I while as I have other wips for different fandoms I'm working on but I wanted to get the first chapter up to help motivate me. Anyways I hope you like this and check out the rest of my tumblr to see what I get up to.

Also yes the chapter titles are Taylor Swift songs because I'm weak.

Fearless

The air was crisp and cool, though not to the point where people were shivering in their costumes, neon lights were in every corner anyone could see, flashing the paths with pinks, purples and green, different stalls and rides were up, ranging from candy apples and sweets stand to rollercoasters and Ferris wheels and every single person were dressed as either monsters, characters or whatever their imaginations would come up with. Truly, the festival had set the perfect atmosphere for Halloween…well, everyone except for Penny.

She was a short young woman, 23 years of age with long dark hair that reached her waste and curtain bangs along her forehead, with pale skin and a bony structure (she hated that part about herself).

It wasn’t that she was forced to come here – she had heartily accepted when her sister Riley and her girlfriend Winter asked – but now that she was here, she wasn’t so sure anymore. Penny wasn’t really the bravest person around, she flinched at the slightest sound, she dreaded talking to new people who would come her way and had relied on her older sister to help her out for most of her life, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t trying to overcome any of it. After all it wasn’t like she could control her anxiety, it was something she struggled with ever since she was little. But tonight, she wanted to prove that she was able to enjoy Halloween outside the comfort of handing out candy to trick-or-treaters from the safety of her home. So far, she really did like it, she had fun buying sweets and going on rollercoasters, and though it could be overbearing and loud sometimes, Riley and Winter would take her to a nearby café to help Penny catch her breath before doing something else.

However, this was part of the night that she both desperately wanted and dreaded doing…the haunted funhouse. She knew what was in there, jump scares, clowns and nightmares to last for the next few nights to come, but she didn’t want to miss out, now when she heard about how much fun people have had in there. She just wanted to prove that she wasn’t this scared little nobody, that she was a person who wanted to have fun like everyone else, to enjoy the things that everyone else had fun with. So here she was, dressed in a hastily sewn purple rabbit onesie of her own making (she had made it in a time crunch when learning about the festival) into a terrifying funhouse that deep down, where she wasn’t lying to herself, she did not want to go in.

“Penny no,” she turned to see Riley, holding Winter’s hand as the other girl was texting someone on her phone, “You know what your anxiety’s like, you don’t have to go in there.”

Riley had quite a lean build with noticeable muscle on her arms, she had shoulder length dark red hair, brown eyes and pale skin. She was four years older than Penny, and while she did seem a bit intimidating, she was always soft and protective over her younger sister.

“He’s still not answering,” Winter murmured, shaking her head, “He was supposed to meet us an hour ago.” Winter was slightly taller than Riley, with dark black hair and eyes with a tanned complexion. The two women were dressed in a couple’s costume, Riley as Poison Ivy and Winter as Harley Quinn, they were also supposed to meet with Winter’s friend, but the mystery person still hadn’t shown up yet.

“Maybe he’ll show up while I’m in the funhouse?” Penny suggested as Riley sighed, “I’ll be quick in there, if I run then I’ll have less time to acknowledge the bad stuff in there!”

“Penny, I know you and I know that if you go in there, you’re gonna have a panic attack,” Riley took her little sister’s hand, offering her a pleading gaze, “Please just stay out here with us and we’ll meet up with Winter’s friend. We could go on the rollercoaster again; I know you really enjoyed that one.”

Penny smiled fainty, Riley looking out for her wasn’t anything new, but she didn’t want her sister to be burdened with her. It wasn’t right, Riley deserved to live her life, have fun with Winter and not worry about her scaredy-cat sister all the time, she deserved better than that.

When Riley turned to face Winter again, Penny pulled her hand out of her sister’s and ran into the funhouse, ignoring Riley calling her name the deeper she went in.

She took a few more deep breaths, she was doing! She was doing it and oh…oh she fucked up. There were multiple paintings of disfigured clowns peering down at her from the halls, the eerie sounds of deranged crying and laughing made her hairs stand on end, there were paths twisting and turning as they reminded her that she could get lost in this dreadful house and mirrors that not only showed her in different shapes and sizes, but also her terrified expression. Riley was right, this was too much for her, she didn’t even want to come in here in the first place why did she do this?!

A crazed laugh made her jump, looking carefully over her shoulder, she noticed a tall jester from down the hall, his yellow suit stained with red, and his mask had a twisted smile, hiding dark secrets that she didn’t want to find out. With a scream, she tore off down the hall, the jester chasing after her. She knew that were going to be actors, trained with scaring the guests, but it didn’t mean that she liked it! She really, really shouldn’t have come in here.

She skidded to a stop when she came to a dead end, her back pressing to the wall as the jester came closer and closer to her. She bit back a fearful yelp as he slammed a hand next to her head, peering down at her. She took a few more breaths, trying to keep calm. This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real repeating the mantra in her head to help herself from screaming out…before fainting right into the jester’s arms.

.

.

.

“You have some nerve scaring her like that?! Aren’t you supposed to be trained with scenarios like this?!”

Penny groaned at the sound of a loud and angered voice, it sounded like it belonged to a woman and seemed very familiar.

“I am trained for your information!” A male voice retaliated, “I didn’t know she was going to faint!”

“Okay, Riley calm down, Jack be nice!” Another female voice entered the conversation, sharper and more direct than the other two, “What happened right now was an accident, we just need to wait and see if Penny wakes up before we call an ambulance, that was the procedure right Jack?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the male voice was quiet now, “I’m sorry again Winter, I genuinely didn’t know.”

Penny opened her eyes, squinting at the light as she sat up on what seemed to be a mattress. “Oh good you’re awake,” there was a woman she had never seen before beside her, wearing a white hoodie with a red cross on it, “My name is Lianne, I’m a paramedic for the funhouse in case something like this happens.”

“Penny! Oh thank God!” Riley rushed over to her, wrapping her arms around her younger sister and pressed a kiss at the side of her head, “You gave me a heart attack going into that house, and then hearing that you fainted?! Don’t ever do that again!”

Oh that’s right, she fainted, that explained why Riley sounded so angry when she woke up. God help which soul she was speaking to that suffered her wrath. “I’m okay Riley, you were right I shouldn’t have gone in,” Penny sighed, “I’m just tired of not being normal so I wanted to prove-”

“-You don’t have to prove shit,” Riley interrupted, “And you are normal, who the fuck made you think you had to go into a haunted house to prove that you’re a ‘normal person’?”

“Uh…myself?” Penny smiled awkwardly.

Riley shook her head and smiled, it was good to see that she wasn’t actually mad, just really worried, but to be fair worse had happened to Penny to make her sister go into ‘overprotective mode’. “Just don’t push yourself too hard again, okay?” she asked. Penny nodded again, Riley smiled one last time before her eyes furrowed and she turned away to face someone else, “And as for you!”

Penny looked up to see how her sister was talking to when her cheeks suddenly turned red from embarrassment. It was the jester from earlier! He was quite a tall man, with golden brown skin and eyes, with his hair in short dreads pulled up into a ponytail. His face with mixed with both frustration and shame, it wasn’t helping with Riley shouting at him.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook for scaring my little sister!” Riley growled, “I can’t believe you made her faint!”

“How did I make her faint?!” he retorted, “I’ve never had a reaction like hers before I didn’t know she was that scared!”

“That is enough!” Winter stepped in, grabbing them both painfully by the ear for a few seconds and then let them go, “Riley, go outside so I can talk with you, and Jack please apologize to Penny.”

Jack signed, turning to Penny as the girl flushed even more, she still couldn’t believe she fainted in front of him! “I’m sorry,” he said honestly.

“This is the friend I was taking about,” said Winter, “We were supposed to meet up, but he got called in since someone cancelled their shift last minute, but someone forgot to text us!”

“What are you taking about?” He reached into his pocket for his phone, “I sent you message before my…oh…I forgot to actually send it.”

Penny snorted, she tried to hold it in, but she burst out laughing instead, she couldn’t help it, the absurdity of the situation was just too much. She was so caught up in laughing that she didn’t catch the soft smile that Jack had at her reaction.

“Jesus Christ Jack,” Winter rubbed her temples, “What am I gonna do with you?”

“I have a few ideas,” Riley glared at him.

“Okay, you!” She grabbed Riley’s hand, “Come with me, Jack, keep Penny company while I have a chat with my girlfriend.”

“What?!” Penny and Jack said in unison, but Winter had already slammed the door.

“I should, um,” They whipped round to see that the paramedic was still here, having witnessed the entire interaction, “I should go tell my boss that there’s no need to call an ambulance.”

With that, she rushed out the door, leaving the two to stew awkwardly with one another. Penny’s rapidly beating heart wasn’t helping either, she really didn’t want to have another fainting episode again. It didn’t help that this Jack guy was really handsome. Huh? Why did I think that?

“So…” she spoke up, gulping as Jack turned to her, his eyes focused as though he were studying her, like a bug being examined, “What’s the jester like life? I mean! What's the jester life like?! Not the other one, forget about that. In fact don’t talk to me at all! Or do! Don’t let me tell you what to do, I mean, you’re not the one spouting out word vomit!” Jack raised an eyebrow at her, Penny shoved her reddening face into her hands.

It was then Jack’s turn to start laughing, messy chortles escaping his mouth at her bizarre sentence, leading Penny to pout at his reaction. “Sorry toots,” the laughter died down once he saw he face, “I thought you were funny, didn’t mean to offend you. And to answer your question, the jester life is pretty good.”

“You think I’m funny?” she asked. It wasn’t the first time someone laughed at her, but not because they found her humorous.

“Yeah, not everyone can ‘spout word vomit’ and make it cute,” he told her.

Penny blushed. Okay, first he found her funny and now he found her cute, she really hoped he couldn’t hear how loud and fast her heart was beating. “Um, sorry for fainting on you,” she murmured, “Surprisingly it was not the lowest moment of my life.”

“You’re sorry for fainting?” He raised a brow at her again.

“Well it led to my sister yelling out you,” she told him, “I’m sorry about that as well, Riley can get pretty overprotective over me or our mom.”

“Yeah, Winter warned me about that,” he replied, remembering the way he tried to not tremble at her fiery gaze. “If looks could kill.”

“Tell me about it,” Penny nodded, her eyes scanned the costume he was wearing, now having a face attached to it made it less frightening. The way the fabric was stitched and how the everything on the piece was placed, it looked less like something from a Halloween shop and more something homemade. “Did you make this?”

“Huh, oh this? I wish,” he said, “I actually had it commissioned, sure it cost a bit more, but I wanted it to feel a bit more real, you know, to scare people and that.”

“Yeah, well it definitely worked,” Penny giggled, “As someone who does commissions for others as well, its nice when someone reaches out for us to make something.”

“Us?” he titled his head.

“I’m a costume designer, well, studying a course in costume design at college,” Penny explained, “I noticed how your outfit was made and it instantly clicked in my brain.”

“Oh really? Did you also make that rabbit suit you’re wearing?” he asked as he pointed to her onesie.

Penny rolled her eyes, “Not my best work but I had limited time when Winter and Riley asked me if I wanted to come to the Halloween festival. But hey, its warm and cozy for the season!”

“I think it looks cute on you,” he smiled and winked at her. It was a friendly wink, nothing behind it, but it still made Penny’s toes curl. “How about we start over, I’m Jack.” He held his hand out to her.

Penny took it in her own and shook it, “I’m Penny. So, how do you know Winter?”

There was a nervous flicker in his eyes, but he blinked it away before Penny asked anything else, “We meet as freshmen in high school, she was a few months older than me, but she took me under her wing, and we’ve been friends ever since. I met Riley as well when they started dating but I have a feeling I might be on her bad side now.”

Before Penny could say anything else, there was a crash and a scream before Winter and Riley rushed back into the room, slamming the door behind them. “We forgot this was a haunted funhouse,” Winter trembled, her and Riley’s faces paling.

Penny and Jack shared a glance, stifling their laughter as the couple pulled themselves together. “Anyways,” Riley brushed herself off, “We should head home and tell Mom what happened.”

“Right,” Penny nodded before turning back to Jack, “Hopefully we’ll see each other again, but somewhere else cause with all due respect I’m never stepping foot in this funhouse again.”

Jack chuckled, “That’s understandable, and sorry for scaring you again.”

“That’s okay, at least we finally met,” Penny grinned.

“Alright, home time for you miss,” Riley pulled Penny up, giving a final glare towards Jack before leading her sister away.

“It was nice to meet you, Jack!” Penny called back to him.

“The pleasure’s all mine!” Jack called back, giving Winter a hug before she chased after the sisters.

In the car ride back home, Penny found herself smiling. Jack was nice, granted she wished it didn’t take fainting for them to meet but she was glad she did. “So,” Winter turned in the passenger seat to face Penny in the back, “Sorry that it was under these events how you met Jack, hopefully you were okay with him.”

“I’m not,” said Riley, focused on the road.

“Just keep driving mama bear,” Winter rolled her eyes before turning to Penny again.

“I was okay with him, we actually got on pretty well,” she admitted, “I’m glad I finally met him.”

Winter smiled and turned to Riley to smirk at her, “So, it looks like ‘big bad Jack’ won over your little sister.”

“Must you taunt me?” Riley groaned.

“But that why you love me so much,” Winter teased kissed her loudly on the cheek, “It was my taunting that drew you to me.”

Riley tried and failed to repress a lovesick grin. Penny chuckled at her older sister and turned to face out the window again, counting the stars that passed. Hopefully she would meet Jack again.

.

.

.

Pomni woke with a start. What on this digital earth was that?!

Ever since she arrived here, she never had actually dreams before. Whenever she ‘slept’ it felt like she was switching off, like a button on a computer game and blacked out before she was ‘switched on’ again.

But that dream, why did it feel so real? She remembered the concept of dreams, how anything random would happen and the little control you would have over them. Maybe she was a lucid dreamer in her past life and that’s why this one had more will power in it?

She thought back to that Penny girl, she acted so much like her, the nervousness, her fear of mostly everything and her reaction when she went into that funhouse. Although now, she would gladly take that funhouse over this ‘Amazing Digital Circus’.

Then there was Penny’s sister, Riley. Despite how threatening she was at first glance, the protectiveness she had with her sister and the loved-filled eyes for her girlfriend made her feel a bit safer than she ever felt here.

Did Pomni have a family before the circus, did she have an older sister that would protect with without a second thought? Did she have a family that worried about her, wondering what happened to her?

Then she thought of Jack. She thought about him interacting with Penny, how cheeky yet sweet he was with her. And the way he looked at Penny. She felt herself blushing. In a way, his laidback attitude and mischievous grin, he reminded her a little bit of Jax…

She shook her head, she was being ridiculous, regardless of what Ragatha said when she came here, this was just and only a dream. Besides, it probably wouldn’t happen again, and things would return to its usual format here, just switching on and off again.

She sighed and shoved off her bed sheets, mentally preparing herself for whatever sanity Caine had up his sleeves.

Its not like anyone else was having these types of dreams, right?

That would be the case…for anyone who wasn’t Jax.

The rabbit was currently at the breakfast table, he Gangle and Kinger waiting for everyone else to arrive.

Just when he thought we finally got used to this place, he had an actual dream last night, not the usual shut down he received every night. He remembered every detail from the lights of the festival to the noises supplied from the funhouse and that Jack guy in the jester costume.

There wasn’t much he got from the dream about him, just that was someone who worked to scare people and make money out of it, honestly it seemed the ideal career path he would take if he weren’t stuck here.

But what made that dream so memorable for him was that Penny girl. The way she would shyly peek through her hands, to her kind smile and her knowledge with costumes, and of course he couldn’t forget about her fainting spell. Talk about an unexpected surprise.

Although, she did seem sweet in a way, whoever this Jack guy was he hoped that he was smart enough to see her again. Jax sighed, what was he talking about? This was a dream, plain and simple, yet here he was acting as though he knew this Jack person.

Just leave it he thought bitterly its stupid anyway.

“I’m gonna check where the rest of them at,” he told Gangle and Kinger, “Zooble probably lost one of his arms again, so I might as well hide it if that’s the case.”

“Wouldn’t you rather help them find it?” Gangle whimpered.

Jax huffed out a laugh, “And where’s the fun in that?”

He got out from his chair, only to bump into another body, almost losing his balance, “Hey, watch where your-”

He looked down to see Pomni sitting on the ground, probably from him bumping into her, her red and blue eyes widening when she realised what she did.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she burst out, “Usually I sit next to you whenever we eat, and I didn’t see you sitting up but I’m still really sorry either way I shouldn’t have done that-”

“-Not the other one, forget about that. In fact don’t talk to me at all! Or do! Don’t let me tell you what to do, I mean, you’re not the one spouting out word vomit!”

“I’m really sorry!”

Jax snapped out of his trance, looking down at Pomni again, her eyes looking both sad and apologetic. He signed, reaching down to pull her up by the end. “Relax pom-pom, it wasn’t like you planned to do that…unless?”

“What, no, of course not!” she yelped.

 Jax laughed, the newbie was easy to rile up.

“Shut up Jax,” Zooble moved past him to get to their spot, “Let’s just get breakfast over with before we need to deal with the headache Caine is gonna give us.”

“Whatever,” Jax slumped back into his seat, Pomni gently placing herself upon hers as Zooble and Ragatha did the same.

The way Pomni acted just then, the way she was quick to flush and stutter over her words, and the fact that she was so nervous about everything as well. It was all just like Penny.

No, don’t, don’t be stupid Jax. Jack isn’t real, Penny isn’t real, so don’t bother comparing her to Pomni.

With that, he let himself continue with his food.

But it wouldn’t be the last time he or Pomni would make these comparisons, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last time they had these ‘dreams.’

See you next time, let me know if I've written them well, this is the first time writing for this fandom. And who knows, perhaps next chapter the sillies might actually go on a date? 🤷

[tummyisyummy]

Name: Levi Foudre

Height: 5’9

Birthday: December 29

Age:17

Magic: lightning magic

Occupation: Magic knight

Squad: Silver eagles

Birth place: Clover kingdom Noble realm

Background:

Levi was born to Dahila Foudre and Ciel Foudre. Tragically his father died before he was born due to an illness that sadly he couldn’t overcome. His mother was a strong magic knight who retired once Levi was a toddler due to a horrible injury she suffered on the job. He watched his mother struggle to take care of him (she didn’t want to just hand him off to the maids. She wants to have an actual relationship with her child). Seeing how hard his mother tried to be there in his life , he vowed at a young age to get strong he can protect her just like how she did.

Personality:

Though Levi is somewhat aloof and doesn’t seem like an approachable person (mostly due to his resting b face 🚶🏾‍♂️), surprisingly when talking to him it turns out he is a polite and respectful person.(Of course his mother taught him well !!) Now what’s even more surprising is how he acts when you’re a close to him. He is more playful and open with you (not with his feelings of course 😑) even seen as a little bit mischievous. Don’t let his face fool you !! 🤭

Relationships:

Family:

Dahlia Foudre

His mom (^·^) He LOVE LOVE LOVES his mom and would do anything for her! He wants to be the amazing magic knight that she was. He would do anything for her but... Sometimes he needs to relax a little. Not everyone is after her 🫤

Ciel foudre

His late father.. He's only seen pictures of him and his mom tells him stories but sometimes he still wonders...

Friends (^^)

Mathew Fernandez

He likes messing Mathew. Mathew is always looking gloomy and is very shy, sooo Levi always finds a way to talk to him everytime they meet. He even takes him on adventures (it could be just finding hangout spots or even exploring ancient dungeons) just to get him out there. Though To the normal eye it just seems like Levi does this to get under Mathews skin but, Levi knows exactly what he's doing. He knows mathew is struggling mentally and He hopes these adventures/interactions will help Mathew understand that He is cared for and wants him to get out of his shell. He ALSO notices Mathew doesn't have friends so why can't he be the first¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 😊

Oscar Albain(not my of belongs to Whackdreamer🤠)

Childhood friends :D When Levi was little, Oscar was introduced to him due to a playdate arrangement. (Their parents were close) Though it seemed like Levi was the only one having fun because he KEPT DESTROYING THAT POOR BOY'S TOYS 😭!! Thankfully Oscar has the patience of a saint and manages to tolerate that destructive child. Levi views him as an older brother and even trained with him whenever his mother was busy(she was in pain) Though Levi is currently on his own little adventures, he still manages to keep in touch with Oscar(still messes with him tho😊).

Clara Blanchet(blan-shay)

He became acquainted with her on a mission. She seems like a strong girl (and very pretty too) ( She also had a big battle axe 👁) He likes to hang out with her and go taste test different bakeries while they're supposed to be working. She's so open with him which is surprising to him because nobody outside of family/family friends are that willing to tell him their problems. He doesn't know why but He wants to be around her... He doesn't want to admit but he definitely has feelings for that girl.

Others:

Winged lady

All he knows is that she used to help his mom take care of him. She used to fly him on her back while his mom tried to stabilize herself. She was nice though... He wonders will he ever see her again so he can properly thank her.

Ziya

Ziya has some strong magic. Like it's MONSTROUSLY STRONG 👁 Besides that though he seems really nice. Levi doesn't agree with him being in the Golden Dawn due to knowing how the members act. (He wants him in a safer squad he also just doesn't like the golden Dawn in general ESPECIALLY the captain) Sometimes he worries if he's holding up alright but Ziya reassures him that he's alright 😌

Nozel Silva

He is conflicted on how to feel about him. On one hand he respects him. He is hardworking and always get the job done. (He also has cool magic ((^^)) but on the other hand, he is mean and very arrogant . Not really the best person to be around but he's cool so He doesn't really care. He does wonder how long he stays up every night...

Fuegoleon Vermilion

Levi and mathew have had some joint missions and because of that he also met his captain. Now while Levi does like him (he seems alot nicer than his captain..) the only problem is that he talks WAY to much. If Levi has to sit through another dramatic yap session he might just explode...

Trivia (^o^)／

The star on his chest is a reference to his original universe ^_^ In his original universe he is a fallen star prince!!

Like most of my ocs he was just converted to the BC verse

He hates William. He doesn't have a reason for it but it's just something about him that feels off... (Lmao he a D1 hater)

His favorite songs are Pachalbel's Canon in D minor and Serenade for Strings in E Major (^·^)

He always bugs Nozel to train him

Loves sweets. If he could only eat bakery goods he would.

Was a ballerina for a little bit. Don’t ask him above it

Does know how to play cello, violin, and piano. He plays the piano pretty aggressively for some weird reason

Was a destructive child but very quiet

Totally has a crush on Clara. He tries so hard to hide it but it's very obvious to everyone around him.

Mathew is his favorite friend 😊

His design was inspired by clorinde and wriothesley from Genshin Impact

His sword was too lol

[thebiggerbear]

Russell Shaw Fic Recs List

Rec list under Read More:

He's My Man by @luci-in-trenchcoats - The reader receives an anonymous text from a new client needing an off the books patch job. However he’s annoyingly good looking and the last thing you need is some ex-special ops guy hanging around. Unfortunately for you, Russell Shaw isn’t the kind of guy to walk away when he knows something’s wrong…

Spicy Things by @decaf-mother - Russell likes your spicy attitude.

Waiting For the Real Thing by @rizlowwritessortof - You can't serve in the same unit with somebody without getting pretty close. She managed to survive around him until a couple of years ago. And when she hears about their brother-in-arms troubles, she heads that way to help out. Of course, Russ beat her to it. And now she just can't make herself leave without seeing him.

The War Correspondent by @bullet-prooflove - A mysterious phone call from a retired War Correspondent leads Russell on a journey he doesn't expect.

Home by @bullet-prooflove - Russell comes home to you after a rough day.

The Prettiest Damn Thing by @bullet-prooflove - Russell and you reflects on your history during a very special day.

Don't Mention It by @impala-dreamer

Tuesday's Gone by @pamwritessometimes - When the police does little to no help to find your missing daughter, you are forced to contact Colter Shaw. What you don’t expect is how his investigation will reveal secrets about both your past and your daughter’s, in ways you never imagined.

A Line and a Half by @zepskies - When Dory’s eldest brother comes to visit her at Wyoming University, you don’t know quite what to make of Russell Shaw. But he knows exactly what he wants to make of you.

Every Second Counts by @zepskies - One date with your best friend’s brother leaves you wanting more, even though his questionable job and vagabond lifestyle make you want to guard your heart. When your brother falls into trouble, however, Russell is the first one you trust to help you find him.

More of This by @zepskies - Welcoming Russell home, where he belongs.

Lost Time by @zepskies - When Russell takes longer than usual on a job out of town, you realize how hard it is to live half a life with him.

The plan by @cheynovak - Russell is ready to start his ‘retirement plan’ like he used to call it. He saw an old brewery on one of his jobs and went back to speak to the owner, an old man named Frank. Frank also owns a bar close to the brewery, his granddaughter Y/N works there as a bartender. Russell liked her immediately, realising he had to overcome two impossible tasks. One, to try and win Frank over to buy the brewery, two win Y/N over to go on a date with him.

The plan Part 2 by @cheynovak

Kiss and Make Up by @cheynovak - Russell is a little too at ease and relaxed in his new relationship with Y/N giving another girl a compliment that automatically makes Y/N a little insecure.

The Exit Strategy by @waynes-multiverse - Russell is ready to hang it all up and retire, open up a brewery, and enjoy the rest of his civilian life. However, there’s one important thing missing before he can take the big plunge. Luckily, he knows just the right person to help him find it.

Runnin’ by @b3autyfuld1sast3r - Russell Shaw illicits the help of a spitfire civilian to help him track down his missing brother, Colter. Distractions are something he doesn’t need…or so he thought.

Terms and Conditions by @that-sarcastic-writer - when your sister’s fiance goes missing, you call Colter for help, and he brings along his rugged, but handsome and charming older brother, Russell.

Long As I Can See The Light by @lamentationsofalonelypotato - The last thing that you wanted was to be woken up in the middle of the night by Colter Shaw for a favor, but when he shows up toting a ruggedly handsome man with green eyes you decide to forgive him.

*I will add more as I go

dividers by @firefly-graphics

[bucksdaffy]

can i ask about your thoughts about this vertigo-esque storyline with eddie and what do you think buck's role in this?

oh boy, this is a long one. i'm sorry in advance.

i'll be honest, i haven't watched that movie so i don't feel too confident speaking on this, but i'm not really worried.

from what i have gathered, it's a story about a retired detective, scottie, who is hired to follow the wife of his acquaintance, madeleine, and he becomes increasingly obsessed with her. he learns that she visits a grave of her grandmother, who committed s**c*de, and he is worried she is possessed by her ghost. he then rescues her when she attempts to jump from a bridge. they spend some time together, and then at some point she runs up the bell tower, and scottie can't follow her because he has a fear of heights, so he essentially watches her plunge to her death, and as a result, he spirals into depression.

so, up until this point, the only common theme between this story and eddie's is that the women they are in love with die, and both of them have a hard time dealing with it. i don't think there is anything else, but if someone who actually watched the movie wishes to correct me, please do.

later, scottie encounters a woman named judy who bears a striking resemblance to madeleine, and he becomes obsessed with transforming her into the image of his lost love because he is convinced that will allow him to overcome his grief.

so, this is basically what we see happening with eddie right now. he meets kim, and he is so struck by her resemblance to shannon he can't help himself but think he can rebuild with her what he had with shannon. so, he makes some questionable choices by telling her he's single, going on a date with her, and lying about it not only to marisol but also to buck and chris. we obviously haven't seen him trying to transform kim into shannon (i think at this moment he is only fascinated by her), but it is possible he is going to attempt to do so. maybe not in the same way scottie does, but perhaps in a more subtle way. he has looked for shannon in every relationship he has had so far. and now that he met her lookalike, he thinks that god gave him a second chance, and he doesn't want to waste it.

then, scottie learns that the acquaintance who originally hired him to follow madeleine actually orchestrated the whole thing. madeleine was never madeleine – she was judy. she was hired to impersonate his acquaintance's wife. they took advantage of scottie's fear of heights because they knew he wouldn't follow madeleine up the bell tower, and then the acquaintance killed his real wife (and she was the body that was thought to be madeleine/judy). madeleine/judy was never dead. scottie takes judy to the bell tower and confronts her about it. he overcomes his fear of heights so they are together on top now. at some point, a nun appears to investigate the noise and surprises judy, causing her to fall off the bell tower.

now we don't know yet what they are going to do with eddie and kim, but i don't think any of that is going to happen. we have to keep in mind those are two different stories. yes, they do share some common themes, but at their core, they are vastly different. i don't want to speculate about the outcome of it much because 911 always manages to surprise me, so i'll just leave it there.

but now on to the real question of this ask – what's buck's role in it? i suppose you have seen buddie shippers screaming from the rooftops that this is basically a confirmation that buddie will go canon because oliver/buck is mentioned on the poster as well (in a place where there originally is the name of the actress that plays midge, a character who is scottie's friend and who is in love with him). so, i guess everyone thinks there is going to be some kind of feelings realization (god do i hate this phrase) moment on buck's part and whatnot. SIGH.

well, first of all, i want to point out that midge's feelings are one-sided. and from what i've heard she does move on in the end. she and scottie do not end up together.

and second of all, i have said it already, but those are two completely different stories. the only common denominator is that in both cases, a male character becomes infatuated with a female character who eventually dies, and later on, they encounter their lookalike. for buck to be midge, there would have to be some already established romantic feelings for eddie on buck's part, and there simply aren't any. not in canon anyway. i don't think this is the time or place for "feelings realization".

i think buck is mentioned simply because he will be present in this arc, but certainly not in the way midge was. i think his role in it will be actually more important than that.

we know that he and kim do have a scene together. so i assume he's going to find out about eddie's shenanigans one way or another. i doubt eddie will tell him voluntarily, so i'm guessing he's going to run in on them somehow. and i don't think he's going to be happy. well, first of all, i think he's going to be confused. because what do you mean you're here with a woman who resembles your dead wife? but once he realizes what's going on, he's going to get a little angry. both for marisol, because this is NOT how you treat a woman you supposedly love (or any woman for that matter), and for himself, because eddie lied to him. and for chris, of course, don't get me started on that! one thing i'm pretty certain about is that he will be disappointed with him.

perhaps they'll also touch more on this honesty issue, actually. we all know buck is a pretty open and straightforward person, whereas eddie likes to keep things to himself unless he's directly asked about them. so, how this lie affects their friendship would definitely be very interesting to see.

either way, i think their bond will be a bit severed as a result of that. i don't think buck's going to support what eddie's doing and will call him out on it instead (will eddie fight back? that is quite possible, yes. and because of that they might take a longer time to patch things up). but they will make up eventually. if that's going to be this season or next, only time will tell. i also don't think buck will completely turn his back on eddie. he still has to work with him, and i think he's going to see him struggle, which will for sure hurt him inside. he might not support what he's doing, but he still cares about him after all. that's his best friend.

also, this is not really what i think will happen, but what i really hope to see – buck leaning on tommy throughout all of this, especially if it continues into the next episodes or even season 8. i think that would be a great way to kind of solidify their relationship. and if it continues into season 8 (which i doubt, but who knows?) i'd LOVE if tommy was encouraging buck to patch things up with eddie and perhaps encouraging eddie to patch things up with buck as well. i think that would introduce a great dynamic between all three of them.

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 4: AM Alois/Byleth)

Maybe this is cheating. I already chose Dimitri as the best partner for Byleth in AM. And you can't get the Byleth paired ending with Alois at the same time as the paired ending with Dimitri. But hear me out.

Byleth: Actually yes. Alois: Ooh! So, who is it then? Someone I know? It is, isn't it? Captain Jeralt, listen up! I'll ensure that your daughter is matched with none but the worthiest partner!

Since he is a happily married man, Byleth has a completely platonic relationship with him. Even his S-Support at the Goddess Tower does not rule out a romantic tryst with another character later. If you're playing as Female Byleth, he even promises Jeralt that his daughter will be matched with none but the worthiest partner.

(Crimson Flower) When all of the fighting was over, Byleth embarked on another wandering journey as a mercenary. She traveled all over Fódlan, following her father's steps. When she at last drifted into Remire Village, she was reunited with Alois, who had moved there with his family and was now living on a farm. On Alois's advice, she decided to stay a while, and before she knew it, five years had passed. She fell in love with a kind man in the village, and they had a modest wedding. It is said that Alois was so overcome with emotion on that day that his weeping could be heard from anywhere in the village.

And in CF, Byleth marries a kind man in Remire Village, completely ruling out Edelgard and anyone else in the Black Eagles army (lol). If Alois is recruited in CF, he will express doubts about whether he joined the right side. So, it is not surprising.

(Verdant Wind/Silver Snow) After the war, Byleth ascended the throne of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, and Alois retired from the Knights of Seiros to serve the former professor. Alois became the new leader's right hand, and his duties in that respect kept him busily engaged all over Fódlan, giving all he had to support his/her reign. Alois's cheerful character was beloved by his subordinates, who rallied behind him to create the most numerous order of knights in all Fódlan. It is said that Byleth relied on Alois as though he were his/her own father.

In VW/SS, there is no mention of her getting married, which is consistent with SS's lack of a lord and Claude's departure. And given Claude's shady behavior (he couldn't even attend her coronation?) it makes sense that Alois would not be supportive of their marriage.

(Azure Moon) When Byleth took on the role of archbishop in Rhea's place, she reformed the order of the church little by little. Eventually this included the Knights of Seiros, and Alois was named captain and the archbishop's right hand. The captain's duties kept him busily engaged all over Fódlan. His cheerful character inspired those under his command, unifying the Knights of Seiros in a way they had never been before. The archbishop relied on Alois as if he were her father, and Alois in turn treated her like his child. It is said that Alois was so overcome with emotion on the archbishop's wedding day that his weeping could be heard through the applause.

His AM paired ending is actually the only one that implies Byleth got married to another playable character (and the route's lord is the default romantic partner for Byleth). And this ending also tops off Alois's character arc the best, too. He achieves his dream and surpasses Jeralt, while at the same time standing in as a father figure.

If you get the Alois/Byleth paired ending, Dimitri's solo ending doesn't contradict him marrying Byleth. So, my headcanon is that both S-Supports and paired endings are true. Alois is Byleth's right hand, and he gave her his blessing to marry Dimitri in AM, and bawled at their wedding.

[fafnir19]

The Angel Makers' Heir - Part I

As I step into the vibrant hall of the quaint inn, joy and laughter emanate from every corner. A vivacious spirit fills the space, warming the air with a sense of conviviality. Approaching me is a woman in her nineties, engaged in the meticulous task of arranging the seating. "May I inquire your name?" she asks, her tone tinged with curiosity. "Luci," I respond with a warm smile, "short for Lucius, but everyone calls me Luci." At my name, the elderly woman—whom I later learn is named Ina—wears a look of disbelief. "Luci? That simply can't be right. Luci should be a girl's name," she insists, her uncertainty palpable. I chuckle softly, dismissing her doubt. "It's just a nickname for Lucius, but I've always gone by Luci. And about my parents—" Before I can continue, Ina interjects, her gaze searching for affirmation. "Are you sure they are truly your parents?" she probes, her eyes fixed intently on me. I recount with a casual air, "Well, pretty sure. I was born on a Sunday right in the living room at home. Almost all the women in my family are midwives, you see." Ina falls silent, a thoughtful expression settling upon her features, before guiding me to my designated seat.

As revelry fills the inn, the tempest outside intensifies, and my gaze is drawn to the towering dike. There, a distinct figure comes into view—a three-legged, white stallion. Concern grips me, and I suggest to a fellow guest, "Shouldn't we bring that animal in from the dike in this weather?" My inquiry is met with skepticism, the other guest attributing it to inebriation, insisting that I am seeing things that are simply not there.

Ina overhears our exchange and turns visibly pale, her reaction disconcerting. With the evening advancing, the storm rages on, and the overseer of the dike calls upon all men for dike defense. Attempting to restrain me, Ina becomes increasingly distressed, adamantly protesting, "Luci must not go to the dike! He will bring tragedy upon us all!" The dike overseer, perturbed by Ina's outburst, advises me to remain within the inn, expressing concern for her well-being and citing my lack of familiarity with dike defense. Eventually, the dike gives way at the very spot where I had spotted the three-legged stallion. Although swift repairs are made, a man tragically loses his life in the process. The next morning, as the storm's fervor abates, I board the ferry back to the city. My spirits are heavy—I had been in the company of the man who met his untimely end by the relentless sea just a short while ago. As the city grows closer and the island retreats from view, I am overcome with relief at the thought of leaving that eerie isle behind. Yet, the unsettling events of the past night linger with an indelible weight. In the ensuing weeks, the relentless drudgery of everyday life slowly eclipses the unsettling events of the island. Despite this, an uncanny presence continues to lurk in the recesses of my thoughts.

Several months have passed, and I find myself engrossed in my evening duties at the local retirement home. I worked there to earn money to afford my university studies. The quiet hallways whisper with the hushed murmurs of the residents, and a sense of tranquility permeates the air. It is amid this serene setting that I chance upon a peculiar sight—a three-legged stallion, the very same from the island, gazes through the frosted window. I am taken aback, for it seems inconceivable that the creature has traversed the distance to be here. Yet, as I cast a glance around the quiet corridor, I realize that I am the sole witness to its spectral visit.

The following day, upon my arrival at the retirement home, I am met with the somber news of a resident's passing. It strikes me that the enigmatic stallion had appeared just before their demise, unsettling my thoughts with its inexplicable presence. In the wake of this disquieting revelation, I find myself contemplating the unsettling connection and the enigmatic forces at play. My mind becomes increasingly consumed by questions that remain unanswered, whispering of inexplicable connections and spectral omens. The weeks pass with an unshakeable unease, and I find myself continually drawn back to the island and its inscrutable inhabitants with relentless curiosity. Driven by an unwavering resolve to unravel the mysteries that linger in the island's embrace, I embark on a solitary journey in pursuit of understanding. As the ferry carries me over the swelling waves, I grapple with a blend of trepidation and unyielding determination. The shores of the island draw nearer, and with their arrival, a faint but unmistakable suggestion of ancient secrets etched into the very fabric of the land begins to unfurl.

[fancyfade]

OK kingdom come review

it as enjoyable to read. Not terrible. But I have no clue how it got so much hype as like THE best thing ever.

General premise is that in the future, clark is cynical and separated from humanity due to various people including lois dying, magog killing the joker (who committed the aciton) and being acquitted. you have the whole 'idealistic past vs cynical and violent present' conflict between superman and the old league and the new superheroes, in addition to that the old league (especially diana) is tempted by new violent methods and Clark gets tempted to go more towards a fascist controlling people thing with his approach to the other supers who are showing complete disregard for human life, he overcomes it, etc.

the good: while i found some of the world-building eye-rolling, it made sense for the genre and was conveyed effectively. Superman's arc was done well showing his conflict, McCoy has a chance to talk him down (and the man vs superman who is in charge of humanity's destiny is a very key conflict) which was incredibly important for the theme. IMO.

the art was also very pretty.

the bad:

there was only 1 female character who had any significant # of lines and she was involved in an unnecessary love interest plot. Mark Waid stay mid I asked when reading flash "are there any female characters he cares for developing away from men (whether love interest or as a supportive family member or scorned lover)?" and the answer is still no.

it also really did have like. older generation fearful of the younger corrupt generation. the old ways are good the new ways are scary and bad. old man yells at cloud energy. you may be like 'the new ways involve civilians getting injured in superhero battles and the old ways involve them always being protected' but. that's an authorial choice. we could have seen some in the new generation who are not in line with magog before being straightened out by superman, but they were not there. they just needed an old guy to show them the way.

so overall it's very 'good old days of the past, men are important and women are love interests if they show up at all'.

I generally think the romance plot between Diana and Clark was stupid. It definitely felt like Waid did not understand the amazons (bruce lecturing Diana about Amazon way being forcing your way through war) and it can't help but read as 'oh she's in a heterosexual relationship now raising a child thank god'. IDK Waid imagine a female character outside of men challenge forever. The fact that she was presumably not doing anything before talking superman out of retirement does not help -- we saw plenty of male characters acting even after superman retired - flash protecting his city, bruce doing police state lite in gotham, hawkman doing… whatever. But Diana was not allowed the same independence except to motivate a man at first.

i think while ross does beautiful faces, his action scenes are also incredibly lacking

[sokkastyles]

What do you think of the argument that Zuko continues to be arrogant and prideful in Book 3? I'm sure you've seen this post already, but I just wanted to know your thoughts on this. These are their words.

"Late Book 3.5 Zuko has changed significantly, but he can still be very arrogant, prideful, bitter, or hostile(some examples).* He continues to even sometimes put others down. He most certainly wasn’t obligated to let go of his bitterness toward those he felt hurt him. The idea that Ozai’s abuse someone made Zuko “less bitter” seems insane to me."

OP brought up the line in The Firebending Masters where Zuko says they can take them in a fight because they're the fire prince and the Avatar. Then they brought up Zuko saying he could take Azula in a fight in the finale to prove that he's still arrogant. Also, an example they used for the put others down thing is the infamous "air temple preschool" line. And to prove he's still violent and hostile, they pointed to him attacking Aang in the finale. I was taking a break from Azula stan insanity, but this argument pulled me out of retirement.

There's an obvious difference between excessive pride driven by a selfish need to be better than others and pride in oneself and one's accomplishments as a virtue.

And I would argue, and have argued before, that Zuko's arc has a lot to do with distinguishing that difference, as an abuse victim who was repeatedly told that his only sense of worth was tied to his abuser.

Zuko convincing Aang to see things through and that they could face whatever challenges might be coming is what allowed them to face the dragons. Without that, they would never have been judged worthy to begin with because they would have run away before they got the chance.

Getting rid of excessive pride and arrogance does not mean becoming a doormat. It also doesn't mean you stop being angry at people who deserve your anger. That's also a big lesson of "The Southern Raiders" that Katara learned as well. She didn't forgive her mother's murderer, and she'll never stop being angry at the man who killed her. And she doesn't need to do that. That was what Zuko was objecting to that Aang was preaching, and he knew that Katara didn't need to forgive because he himself knows what it's like to carry that anger which he probably will carry for the rest of his life. But that's okay. Ozai certainly deserves Zuko's anger and bitterness and probably more than that, because I'd argue that Zuko is way more forgiving than he deserves. The important thing is that Zuko is not directing that anger outward anymore at people who don't deserve it. It doesn't mean he never gets angry or he never disagrees with anyone about anything, it means that he's not trying to hurt himself or others anymore.

But trying to muddle that difference is a gaslighting technique that abusers use so I am not surprised that that person would use it.

But the thing about excessive pride is that it also makes you cowardly. Zuko has the confidence to face the dragons but he also knows that this means he has to submit himself to their judgment, and that is an inherently humbling experience that takes confidence to face. The same thing with fighting Azula, which, by the way, he is not doing for fun or his own benefit. He's doing it to save the world, and he's confident enough to know he can face her but humble enough to admit he can't do it on his own. These things show that he's learned how to find balance in his life, neither becoming overcome with excessive pride or becoming excessively timid or insecure, and that's a GOOD thing.

[sakurarisen]

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Unimplemented HCs!

Back when Sera was in her original life and known as Aria, she was taught how to use a sword by one of the knights in her temple - Particularly her head knight, who often lost track of her in her attempts to dodge her role as a leader and flee from the Frostlight Temple. Being pretty young himself, he was still learning how to wield a sword on his own, and with her frequently trying his patience, the choice was made: Everything he learned, he'd come back to the temple and teach her, too. Given Aria couldn't hide who she was in full no matter how hard she tried, he'd figured she needed a secondary way to protect herself aside from her skills with a bow, and claimed it made him 'feel better' about losing track of her whenever she vanished from the temple's frozen, crystalline halls.

Those memorized skills have followed her through each and every lifetime, and Sera herself still retains the muscle memory and ability required to use a sword, but, just as she had as Aria, she vastly prefers her bow over a blade, and tends to leave any sword usage to Zack and the others in her life who're better trained with them, like Cloud and Sephiroth, and Childe, Kaeya, and Diluc in GI verses. After gaining her bow, she even largely retired the knife she traveled with prior to that; blades feel far too personal to her for her liking, and being a close-range weapon, she very much dislikes having to see the damage they cause so up close and personal. Their weight and the fact she has to put so much more effort into using them is... Unsettling, personally, though she will never judge anyone else for their preference for a sword.

if she has to, Sera could still use one, for sure! A short sword was what she was taught to use as Aria, but a combination of not using one for actual millennia, along with memories of those techniques and skills being sealed away along with her history as Aria means that muscle memory or no, Sera's going to be incredibly clumsy with one, and probably more of an issue if handed one to use in a fight than if she were completely unarmed and hiding behind someone's back with a strong grip on the back of their shirt. Her former tutor would be ashamed. XD

A big part of why this is unimplemented is largely due to the fact it's heavily rooted in Sera's more distant backstory, and pertains to parts of her that have been sealed up for the time being. Aria is currently asleep and hiding, and Sera was never taught to use a sword, even personally disliking them for herself, so it's hard to really implement swordsmanship skills for someone who's mainly a bow and magic user, y'know? Twice as much when it's linked to a side of her she legitimately can't access and doesn't know exists. Even if she wanted to access these skills, a lot of them aren't available to her, and she'd have to learn them all over again - Which would come naturally to her, but take a lot of time, work, and overcoming that dislike of using them for herself, and they would never be as good as they were in the past, just the same as her magical abilities are now limited for the same reason.

It's not impossible of a thing to implement, just... Difficult. <3