#Though I can say I'd never spend an entire day at any beach

[suuuupernovaaa]

kawnglan

kawnglan [ˈkawŋ.lan] adj. malicious, bad hearted

Anonymous Request: Can I request a fic where Neteyam is being teased by Aonung and Lo'ak for not choosing a mate. It leads to the three making a bet that Neteyam has to court someone within 3 months and have the person fall for him. Neteyam does it just to get them off of his back, but eventually falls in love with the Metkayina reader, only for the bet to be exposed, making the reader feel like a game and a laughing stock to the boys even tho Neteyam's feelings became real.

The moons are high in the sky when I return home late that evening, a smile spread widely across my face that I don't think will ever fade.

The last few months have been the best and strangest of my life. Never had I imagined, when the Sully family had arrived on our shores, that they would effect my life so deeply.

One of them, in particular.

Though I was an orphan in the Metkayina clan, that didn't mean I'd grown up alone. I had an entire community around me, supporting and loving me. I had my tulkun sister and my friends, plus my aunt and uncle, to help guide and keep me safe as I grew.

But something was missing. I had always hoped that, when I was of age, I would find a mate to truly become my family.

I had just assumed he would be Metkayina - but Neteyam, the oldest son of the Sully family, had caught my eye the moment he set foot on our beaches.

He was tall, as tall as his father, and broad-shouldered, with long braids and a stern face, until he smiled, and then he became soft and kind; you could see who he truly was.

It was a long time before we spoke for the first time, but I spent time observing him and wondering how to introduce myself. Eventually, he did it for me, walking up to me on the beach and asking about the net I was using.

He asked me to teach him, and from that day on... Neteyam was always there, nearly everywhere I went. I couldn't remember the last time someone paid such attention to me, listened so intently, made me laugh so hard; it was a joy to spend every day with Neteyam.

On this night, just three months after that first time we spoke, I finally told Neteyam how I felt - that it was as if that missing piece of me was replaced, that he filled a hole inside of me that had been aching for so long.

And he told me he loved me.

I practically skip home, lighter than air, tears of joy on my cheeks, so proud to have earned the love of such a kind and gentle Na'vi.

"Y/N!" I turn to the right, and see Kiri coming my way. I wonder what she could be doing out so late, when most of the clan is asleep. I try to wipe the tears from my eyes, embarrassed by them even if they're happy tears, but she notices as she reaches me.

"Oh crap," she says, her shoulders slumping. "Did they tell you about the bet?"

I tilt my head to the side. "The bet?"

Her sad look turns to shock - eyes wide, mouth open - and she takes a step back.

"What bet, Kiri?"

As she tells me a story, a rage rises within me more powerful than anything I've ever felt.

I don't make it home that night.

--

Neteyam is up early the next morning, despite being up late the night before, eager to find Y/N. Last night was the best night of his life - but today, he has to tell her the truth. He can't stand it anymore; it feels like lying to her.

The bet on the beach that day was so stupid. Aonung and Lo'ak, both younger than him and happily mated, continued to tease him for not having shown interest in a woman.

Neteyam, hurt and embarrassed, chided back that he could have any woman he wanted.

Lo'ak challenged him, pointing to the closest Metkayina woman, and telling Neteyam that if he could get that woman to fall in love with him in three months, he'd tell their mother who truly destroyed her favorite necklace years ago.

Neteyam had been taking the heat for that one for too long - and he readily agreed.

He had not really thought the bet was something anyone would follow through on. He thought he would make a show of talking to this woman, and everyone would have a good laugh and forget everything... but things had turned out so differently.

He hadn't expected her. Of course she was beautiful, but you could tell that from a distance. It was up close, talking to her and spending time with her, that quickly made Neteyam fall in love.

The bet was far from his mind when he approached her every day. He wasn't doing this to get Lo'ak to confess to some teenage crime - he was doing this because he was infatuated with this confident, strong, fierce, talented woman.

"Neteyam, I must tell you something," she had told him last night as they sat on the beach, holding each other close and looking out at the waves. He felt a pang of panic in his chest, thinking someone had revealed the truth of their first meeting to her, but she went on to say, "I've always felt like something is missing. My parents died when I was little and it sort of felt like I missed out on a family. I always hoped, when I met my mate, I would feel sort of, you know, complete... and I do. I feel that with you. Whole again."

Tears sprang into Neteyam's eyes. She was whole without him, but he was still so happy she felt this way. He told her immediately that he loved her, that he wanted her to be his mate, and that he would never let her feel alone again.

And now, he has to tell her the truth - that this started as a silly bet, but it's so much more.

--

I have not slept the entire night, despite trying. I thought the crying would wear me out eventually, but sleep never comes, and I continue to cry through the night, until I'm all out of tears.

When the sun rises the next morning, I stay curled up against the wall of my mauri pod. I am too embarrassed to face anyone again.

Though my anger is mostly focused on Neteyam, I also feel betrayed by Aonung and Lo'ak, who instigated the bet and never thought to tell me that I was being tricked the entire time.

I was walking around like an idiot in love! And it turns out, I was just an idiot.

There will be no family for me. The hole I feel inside my heart is widened now, and I fear there's nothing that could fill it.

The tears start again, and I hear his voice. "Y/N?"

He's at my archway, and I huddle against the wall. "Go away."

His footsteps approach, and I feel him kneel behind me. He places his hand on my shoulder, and I flinch away, crawling to the other side of the pod, crouching down to glare at him.

"Go away," I reply with a hiss, and his face falls.

The expression is unmistakable. He knows that I know.

"Get out!" I scream, hissing once more, crouching as if to attack, though I barely have the strength to stand.

Neteyam surprises me by leaping forward, grabbing me by my upper arms, and forcing me to look into his eyes.

"No! You will listen to what I have to say, and then decide."

"Decide what?"

"Whether you want to speak to me again."

I stand up, breaking free from his grasp. "Speak, quickly."

He rubs his forehead, clearly not prepared to explain himself. "I don't know what you heard, but... here's what, this is what actually happened. Lo'ak and Aonung, they were making fun of me, telling me it was clear no woman was going to be interested in me, if they weren't already. Joking about how, I couldn't talk to women. So I, I said some dumb stuff, about being able to get any woman I want."

I scoffed, stepping away from him. Did he think this story was going to help?

"Just listen!" he insisted. "Lo'ak made a bet, said if I could get a woman to fall in love with me, he'd tell our mom the truth about something stupid he did years ago. Anyway... Aonung pointed you out. I figured I'd walk up to you, make a big show of talking to you, and everyone would forget about the bet. It wasn't serious, and it wasn't nice, to take it serious. It wouldn't... be fair, to anyone. So everything after that first conversation was real, Y/N." Neteyan drops to his knees in front of me, reaching out to grip my thighs. I want to shove him away, and I want embrace him, so I stand there, as still as possible. "I wasn't trying to convince you to fall in love with me to win a stupid bet. That's how I ended up speaking to you... but it isn't why I kept speaking to you. I fell in love with you, Y/N, almost immediately. Everything about you is... so impressive.

"You're the most talented, smart, and strong woman I've ever met. You are fierce, almost terrifying, and I was so proud that you taught me to make that net, so proud you wanted to keep talking to me. I almost forgot, about the dumb bet that brought me to you. I wish I could forget. I wish I could make you and everyone forget."

I sink down to my knees before him, and see the tears in his eyes, the way his lips are trembling, and he places his hands over his heart.

"I felt so foolish, when Kiri told me... I felt embarrassed, and hurt. To have told you that, that you are my family, and to find out it could all have been a lie," I reply. I take one of his hands from his heart, and place it over mine. "Promise me, Neteyam, that you do not wish to make me a fool. Promise me, Neteyam." I thought I could not cry anymore, but the tears fall down my cheeks freely again, and there's a burning in my chest.

"Y/N, I promise that I have truly loved you every day since the moment we met. I should have been honest with you right then and there. I will never forgive myself for hurting you. Never."

His fingertips press into my chest, and he is crying as hard as I am now, and I know that this is truly Neteyam.

Honest. Kind. Thoughtful. He would never have led me on for three months, and he would not be crying before me now if I did not mean something to him.

I lean forward, pressing my cheek to his chest, and he wraps his arms around me.

"Be my mate, before Eywa," he whispers. "Let me make this up to you every day, for the rest of our lives."

Through the tears, I smile. "Yes," I whisper back. "Just make me one last promise."

"Anything," he says, and I lean back to look up at him.

"Tell me what stupid thing Lo'ak did years ago."

A wide grin spreads across his face, and we both laugh. Just like that - the hole is filled, and I know everything will be okay.

[destructivisms]

Thank you for letting me submit a ship request!!!! 🩷💗💕

My name is Enna and I'm a bi girl with blue/pink/purple hair, blue eyes, freckles, and im covered in tattoos!!! I love reading and writing (like so much lol), I bake, swim and listen to all genres of music (and sing along horribly!). I'm in school studying to be an English teacher and I'd love to be a writer on the side. I'm really shy and quiet, I try to be as kind as possible, though I come off sarcastic/use sarcasm as flirting. I try to be as optimistic as possible too. I adore horror movies and carry at least two books with me wherever I go. I love horror and dystopians the most, but any genre can catch my eye! My three favorite books are The Handmaid's Tale, A Little Life, and The Book Thief, but I could name every book on my shelf lol!!! I could go on forever about my favorites. The beach is my happy place and I hope to move closer to the ocean after I graduate!! I love studying languages and am trying to learn as many as possible (I speak three and im studying two more). I live for poetry tho I am awful as writing it. I love Russian poetry especially and try to read it in it's original language, but my Russian still needs work. I'm a Ravenclaw and my intelligence is really important to me :) I love learning so much, I have such a great passion for it!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 🩷💗💕

thank you so much for sending this!! fellow language enthusiast here, you seem super cool and i hope you enjoy the ship :)

I ship you with...

HUGHIE CAMPBELL!

ok incredibly biased because of the url but. hear me out. you guys are the cutest

You meet in the subway, as cliché as it sounds — you're taking the train to spend a sunny day in Rockaway Beach, and it's a long ride, so of course you're immersed in a good old book. You don't even notice the guy sitting across from you... Or how he's been throwing glances at you since he got in and saw you there.

As people come and go — and both of you are still there, it's a fairly long ride —, he's debating whether or not he should say something. Would he be intruding? Would it be friendly? Would it be weird? You seem so chill and unbothered, and he'd hate to piss you off by interrupting your reading, but he's just entranced by your entire vibe. You're so cool. You're sooo cool. Incredibly cute. The sun coming through the window shines a beam of light on your hair and he thinks he's gonna die. There's an energy, a lot of life to you, and that really draws him in.

As the train gets emptier, he ultimately decides on saying something — who knows when you're getting off the train and he loses his chance forever? And as much as he kept running lines in his head thinking what he'd ask, his brain just short-circuits and in classic Hughie fashion he goes with the first thought in his head: "Hey, that's a really good book."

Important: he had never heard of that book in his entire life

Still, it's enough to get your attention and a smile — what's the harm in earnest conversation? Of course, it's the New York subway, but he seems like a nice guy, you're not in a rush nor feeling uncomfortable, and you like to talk about your interests (it really is a really good book). He does confess he hadn't read it before the lie goes too far (knowing his habitual cover-ups, it could have gotten disastrous), but you two are so deep in such a good conversation you actually find it funny and sweet.

He gets off the train before you and thus the conversation is cut short, but you give him your number. It's a meet cute straight out of a movie and you make his day — I imagine you meet around early season 2, when they're in the hideout, and daily life is rough for The Boys. That conversation with you was a beam of light.

He texts you the day after, polite and casual with a joke in there — something along the lines of "Hey, I'm Hughie, the guy in the subway — if you didn't think I'm a lying idiot, would you be interested in grabbing coffee?"

He absolutely read this one text out loud and rewrote it several times to find the optimal way to not sound weird while asking you out

And that's the start of a series of texts and dates between you two

You two have so many deep conversations over text, stay up chatting about yourselves and your interests, send cute pictures of things that remind you of each other.

Hughie is the type of guy to wait for a message and either reply to it almost immediately or mentally put it off to not seem like he replied immediately. That, of course, when he sees the message, and is preferably not too busy with not dying.

He finds the many heart emojis incredibly endearing 💜 Not a big emoji guy, but adds smiley faces to the end of sentences :) and if you use WhatsApp he'd use A LOT of stickers. Corny hearts, cute animals, funny expressions, typical millennial memes, he saves them all.

Your contact goes from "Enna :)" to "Enna ❤️" as the relationship progresses

You talk mostly over text, because of your studies and his weird schedule with the coup's plans — and you don't really know what he does at that point —, so all of your dates are planned meets. You plan to meet at a coffee shop, you plan to spend the day at the beach, you plan to go to a record store. Everything scheduled (even though he's not the most on-time person, your dates are the very opposite of spontaneous). Hughie's very much a "by the book" type of guy when it comes to dating, he wants to do everything right and neat.

And so, after a month or two of going out, he officially asks you to be his girlfriend by giving you a copy of your favorite book with his annotations (he read it!).

See, Hughie is the typical guy who lost the reading habit because life happens, but meeting you motivated him to get back to reading. In the first dates he'd casually get a recommendation like it was small talk, until he mentioned a couple days later he was actually reading it. Never failed to make you melt.

He did not finish A Little Life though, didn't get through the first chapters without bawling his eyes out and feeling like shit and realized maybe he should skip that one.

You two share so much media — movies, books, music! He absolutely doesn't mind your singing, in fact he loves singing along to stuff with you. Expect so many car sing-alongs and playing music in the kitchen while you're cooking.

And I hope you like Billy Joel, because he will play it so much you'll inevitably know the lyrics. He'll warm up to your music too, but he's usually quicker than you to put on his playlist and you're not really complaining.

You try to show him horror movies but he bails after the first scare. He's already too horrified by the stuff happening in his life, he doesn't want to be horrified by the screen too. If you really, really insist, just this once, as a gift, for you, come on, he'll watch it on edge and stressed for the entire thing. Will hold onto you for dear life and scream out loud. "We had fun, right?" gf X "I've never been more stressed my entire life" bf.

He loves your hair so much — if you change it often, it becomes a thing for him to guess the next color before you go and dye it. He always comments on it, and has a personal ranking of his favorite Enna hair eras (like, seriously elaborated, which he could make a slide presentation on if prompted).

I do remember you mentioning you're very short so that's a funny add-on — this man is a giraffe, and now your personal crane. Will grab things on the top shelf for you all the time, especially books you want.

He's definitely the big spoon, and loves cuddling and hugging. Only in private though, like at home, he's kind of awkward with PDA. But he will hug you from behind when you're baking, wrap his arms over your shoulders, and oh I'm sorry I guess you have to stop whatever you're doing to give attention to your Big Friendly Giant of a boyfriend. No the brownies aren't burning.

The breakfast table is yap central. He grew up silently eating with his dad, not much happening there, but now he actively makes the choice to always ask you about random topics over breakfast or lunch. You're creating new traditions — the table around a meal is lively and a place for conversation, in which you feel safe to ramble about whatever topics you're interested in to each other.

You do explain to him about all the languages you're learning — Hughie's not particularly a language guy, but he's a passion guy and a you guy, so he becomes fascinated by your studies. You start sporadically bringing a book in another language to breakfast to read something aloud. He loves to hear the sound of your voice in any language.

It's interesting how much of a rambler he is, while at the same time keeping his life really private. Like, you know everything about every movie he's ever seen; he explains every record he likes that you might come across in a store; he'll talk about his passions and dreams and insecurities, talk about his dad and his problems with his mom... But you still don't know what the hell he does for work. Or any of his friends.

He does try to keep The Boys' work a secret for as long as possible; he feels awful for lying to you sometimes, being evasive, or giving vague answers, but he wants to protect you. So much. He wouldn't want to risk losing someone else he cared about; losing you. Your passion, kindness, optimism have saved him in so many bad days, in so many ways you didn't even know, and are so rare to maintain in the world he's in.

This light and energy that drew him to you is, in some way, the same thing that drew him to Robin (and, in the canon, Annie).

Secrets aren't kept forever, eventually he does tell you about the real nature of his work and the crew he surrounds himself with.

You don't really get involved in the work, you're not a part of THE BOYS, but you're Hughie's girl and they all know you. They have heard oh so much about you. Let's be honest they're nosy bitches — they'd be dying to know anything and everything about you from the moment Hughie offhandedly mentioned he had a date.

You guys were barely official and Frenchie said he wanted to be invited to the wedding

Hughie is the No. 1 supporter of your baked goods, and he starts bringing them to the office. They're all immediately hooked.

They tease him pretty much all the time — it's awww when you have a cute couple moment, crude jokes from Butcher (in good spirit, you respond with sarcasm and he respects you that way), a cacophony of noises and some "TELL HER I SAID HI" in the background of most phone calls —, but at the end of the day they're incredibly happy for you two. It's a breath of fresh air in their chaotic lifestyle that someone has something sweet in their life and a sense of normality. You're a beam of light. :)

[aquadestinyswriting]

🐉🍇💛 for the ask game :D

Hi, thank you very much for the asks. The ask game can be found here. Popping this lot under a cut to save everyone's' dashes. Answering these questions for Selene, because the answers are going to be pretty fun to write.

🐉 How religious is your OC? Do they pray to any god(s) or do they not believe in that kind of stuff? What is their view of religion in general? Where do they believe people go when they die? If your OC is not religious why not and what do they believe in otherwise?

Selene's relationship with religion is... complicated. Titan is a world in which the Gods factually exist, though they haven't walked the material plane in millennia. While Selene will absolutely acknowledge the gods and will give them a degree of reverence, she is not exactly the worshipping type. The thing is, Sel has seen the Good that can come from the worship of the gods, and she's also seen the despicably Evil acts that are also done in (at least some of) Their names.

As far as her view on religion in general, I'd say Selene's opinion is mostly neutral, though she does have a better relationship with Galana than any of the others. This is mostly down to pure exposure, her partner is the High Priest of Galana, and she's seen what the servants of the Lady of the Garden are capable of. There is another god that she does have a bit more of a fractious relationship with. The Giver of Quests, Patron of Adventurers, the rumoured Son of Lady Luck Herself-otherwise known as Greg- is the only god that has made his presence truly felt in Selene's life. Initially through Alexis' discovery and worship of him, and then more directly when He was the one that came to meet her in the Waiting Room. Selene was never sure which, if any, afterlife awaited her following her permanent departure from Titan; following her 'discussion' with Greg, she now knows exactly where she's going. She isn't entirely happy about that, but since she doesn't actively worship anyone else, she's going to spend her afterlife chilling on Greg's beach.

🍇 Does your OC have any bad habits? Does your OC have any addictions like smoking or drinking? How did they fall into these habits and why? 

Oh boy. Where do I even start with this one? While Selene doesn't smoke or do drugs, she is a functional alcoholic by the time the story of The Wizard's Tale starts. This one she fell into just to cope with the PTSD she ended up with throughout her adventuring career and has been made worse by the stress of her current job (even if she were perfectly mentally healthy, I'm sure Schreiber would have driven her to the bottle all by himself). In this case, Selene is more of a binge drinker, than one who needs to drink every day, but it's still an addiction that influences her decisions.

Selene also has the terrible habit of forgetting to eat. It's not uncommon for her to only have one meal a day, and sometimes she'll go without for a whole day or two. This is a problem Selene has kind of always struggled with (AuDHD hyperfocus is a hell of a thing, as is stress), but her time spent adventuring really kicked this one into overdrive because, at one point, meals were few and far between for Reasons. Given the amount of energy it takes to cast spells, the fact that this is even a bad habit of hers is quite impressive, and probably explains why she's basically a stick until after her retirement from the position of Grand Magus.

The last bad habit I'm going to mention is Selene's inability to stick to a decent sleep schedule. Again, something she's struggled with all her life, made a billion times worse thanks to the stress of her responsibilities and her time spent adventuring. Again, given the amount of magic Selene just casually tosses around every day, it's a wonder the woman is even still alive. Nearly every caster, regardless of where they get their power from, needs a full eight hours of rest in order to regain their full casting ability, just because of how much energy casting spells takes. Selene somehow manages to keep casting despite getting an average of about 5 or 6 hours' rest per night (and not in any consistent manner). This particular bad habit is one that continues even after her retirement, but is at least mitigated by the fact that Selene's schedule allows for much more rest in general throughout the day.

💛 What is your personal opinion of this OC? Do you love them or are they your trash child? Are they your baby?

Selene will forever and always be my babygirl. She is the very first roleplay character I ever got to play and she's just lived in my head rent-free ever since. She's changed a bit since that time, but I like to think that the development was for the better for us both. I love her so much, and I really hope that others do too now that I've started sharing her with the world.

[vdlest]

Sunset's Beauty

Characters:

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary:

Now that you and Bucky are retired from being part of the Avengers, it's now time you two prioritized living your happily ever after.

Warning:

Fluff

Words:

1.3k

You watch the two most important people in your life as they play and roam around the beach as the sunsets. The wind continues to embrace your skin, your feet playfully bury themselves to the sand as your lips form a smile from watching Bucky and your son, Calix. And watching them made little flashbacks in your mind, remembering all the things you and Bucky have been through after you two retired from being part of the Avengers.

The sight of the hallway and the briefing room on your last day in the compound is still fresh in your mind, how each agent you pass by says their best wishes for you and Bucky's upcoming wedding and retirement, how Fury hugged you and thanked you for being part of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers, how Sam held back his tears when he saw you and Bucky loading your bags on your car.

It wasn't an easy decision to make for you and Bucky. The two of you have been part of the Avengers for the past years of your lives and being part of it is what you two believe is the main highlight of your lives. However, your last mission made you two realized that life is too short to take everything for granted. Bucky almost lost you in the last mission, and so he promised himself, he won't take any single second for granted anymore.

So after your last day in the compound, you and Bucky planned a simple wedding. The only ones who are invited are your close family and friends. It was just a simple ceremony to share with the few people who made you two destined for each other.

And five years later, here you are, living your lives together in the best way possible you could think of.

A year after you and Bucky got married, you got pregnant and soon gave birth to a healthy baby boy. You and Bucky named him Calix, which means very handsome. Bucky would always be annoyed when people would tell both of you that Calix looks like you, but you would always tell Bucky that Calix got his eyes from him and your son's charm no doubt came from your husband.

The first few months of being parents were hard for you, especially after you gave birth but Bucky made it easier for you. He never left your side. He will always take the night shift in taking care of Calix and you. He will volunteer to change the diapers no matter what he was doing. He will carry Calix and roam him around the house just to entertain the crying baby, night and day, even though you'd see him yawn while doing it.

"Mommy!"

That angelic voice of your son made all your flashbacks disappear in thin air. You saw him running towards you, and Bucky was behind him, following his footsteps.

You opened your arms and Calix immediately hugged you, "Aww! My baby is not so baby anymore," you commented as he wrapped his arms around you.

Calix is all grown up, but to you and Bucky, he's still the same 8.7 lbs. baby you gave birth to. He was the biggest baby in the nursery at that time and that explained the stretch marks you had when you were pregnant with him. But no matter how many stretch marks you had, the joy of seeing him for the first time will always make everything worth it.

"Time for a new baby, I guess?" Bucky naughtily suggested, which made you glare at him and made him chuckle afterward.

It's a good thing Calix is too young to understand his dad's naughtiness. He just sat down on your lap and showed you the seashells he and Bucky collected while they were playing and roaming around the seashore.

"Wow! That's a lot of seashells. Are you gonna bring it home and hang it in your room?" you asked him.

Calix nodded, "'Gonna show this first to grandpa!" he stood up and run towards the beach house that your parents own, leaving you and Bucky alone together.

It's summertime and you got an invitation from your parents to spend a quick summer vacation in this beach house, also so they can spend time with Calix.

You find the invitation perfect since you and Bucky wanted to go somewhere this summer to spend quality time together. Your parents happily offered to take care of Calix while you and Bucky have time for each other as well, and you knew why they wanted for you and Bucky to have lots of time alone together. They wanted to have another grandchild, which you and Bucky already discussed.

"Can't believe we've gone this far already," Bucky uttered out of nowhere, making your eyes met his.

"Uh-oh, someone's being sentimental," you joked as you motion him to lay down on the picnic blanket and rest his head on your thighs.

He lay down and rested his head on your thighs, his eyes are looking up at yours, "I just...I just can't believe it has been five years since I got married to the most wonderful woman I've ever met in my entire life," he grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it.

You run your fingers through his hair, "And I can't believe you're this cheesy because when we first met you were the grumpiest," you joked again.

Bucky was telling the God damn truth -- the two of you have gone far already.

It was like only yesterday when you two first joined forces in a mission and you two hated each other's guts, but eventually you two found that way to fall in love with each other. And that's something you and Bucky owe to your Avengers' life. Because of it, you met each other and got married.

You thought, if only Nat, Steve, and Tony were also there to see how good your life with Bucky is, you bet they'll be happy for both of you. But wherever they are, you know they are looking down up there, smiling ear to ear because they can see from wherever they are that you and Bucky are happy together.

Just like any other relationship, you and Bucky experienced highs and lows, turns and twists, but what's important is that you two never gave up and always think of why you two were together in the first place, because of love.

"Y/n, can I ask you something?" he sounded so serious this time.

Your brows raised, "What?" you asked him, still running your fingers through his hair.

"Do you regret our decision?"

Without mentioning what decision he's pointing out, you knew what it is.

"Bucky," you cupped his cheek and smiled at him, "It was the best decision I've ever made in my entire life. It was a sad decision to make, it was sad to leave the life we got used to, but it was only a matter of time before we choose to live the life we want to and this is it. I'd still choose that decision over and over again, knowing that you and Calix will be the best result of that decision," you told your husband.

Bucky got up from your lap and this time, he was the one who cupped your face, "Same goes with me." He let go of your cheek and grabbed your hand, "I'm living my best life with you and Calix. So thank you, thank you for doing this with me."

"No," you shook your head, "I should be the one thanking you," you retorted. "Thank you for putting me and Calix your number one and only priority. Thank you for making me this happy," you proclaimed.

Instead of answering your gratitudes, his hand traveled to the back of your neck and pull you towards him to give your lips a kiss.

His kiss was soft and pure of love. All you could sense is how much he loves you and how willing he is to sacrifice anything for you and your family, that's what you both did five years ago.

And no matter where life takes both of you, it doesn't matter, as long as you two are together, everything is in its right place.

-v.dl

[straydawg-writing]

𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞'𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦.

- 𝓚. 𝙯𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙮𝙘𝙠

• hunter x hunter series

⋯✰⋯

Chapter 2–

You knew that if anyone outside of this car saw you right now, you might just pass away. To put it simply: You were sitting on Killua's lap.

All because Kite's truck only fit seven people.

The way this predicament came about would have been comical if it weren't for your burning embarrassment. Unfortunately, you could remember very clearly how it all unfolded:

"Hmm, it seems that there aren't enough seats for all eight of us, so one person will have to squish in," Kite said, opening the car door to check the seats.

"Who's the smallest one here?" Gon asked. All seven pairs of eyes turned to look at you.

Great. The benefits of never having had your growth spurt.

Killua was the one to open his mouth, snickering, "Obviously it's Y/N. She's like a midget!"

"Killua, you are literally an entire 2 ½ feet shorter than Kite over there," you defended yourself.

From a distance, you had guessed Kite was around 6'3. Once you got a closer look at him, you discovered that he towered over you like a skyscraper. Your curiosity got the best of you and naturally, you had asked him what his height was. The man was a whopping 7 foot 10.

"It's okay Y/N, you can squish with me," Gon offered.

Killua shook his head. "No way. Squishing will just make everyone uncomfortable. It's better if only one person suffers. Y/N, you can sit on my lap."

He had left no room for argument. Sighing, you knew that even if you tried, you had no say in this anymore. You would just have to suck it up for the next 4 hours.

Now you were here, sitting on him, worrying about whether you were cutting the circulation off to his legs or not. Or perhaps you were too bony and it was hurting him.

You could feel his warm breath on your neck, and it sent goosebumps across your entire body. This was beyond awkward.

"Stop it," Killua muttered, right in your ear.

Oh, you'd done it now, hadn't you? Killua was gonna push you off onto Gon instead.

"Stop what?"

"You're so stiff, just...relax," he paused, "I don't mind sitting this way."

Hearing his voice so close to you sent butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

Maybe this was okay.

You untensed, trying to adjust yourself to a more comfortable position, but the bumpy car ride wasn't making it very easy. Kite ran over a rock, and without a seatbelt it sent you jerking upwards. Thanks to his fast reflexes, Killua gripped your waist, holding you tightly to his body.

"The seatbelt won't reach over the both of us, but this'll keep you from flying."

"Heh, thanks Killua. I think we should reach the beach in a bit..." you said, hoping that the thought of it being over soon might offer him some relief.

It doesn't matter who it is, being this close to someone could send anyone into a frenzy. You were hyper-aware of every one of his fingers grasping onto your waist. He wasn't lying. He was keeping you right there.

You'd just have to stop thinking about it, you told yourself. Or else you'd go crazy.

Trying to relax back into Killua like he had asked, you let your mind wander to the reason you were driving in the first place. The day before, the three of you had decided to stick with Kite and help him investigate the Chimera ants. The beach you were headed to now is supposed to have a clue about where the ant queen is located, so you could bring an end to the destruction before it starts. During the car ride, you had learned they were a truly deadly species. One bite of an innocent passerby, and they had the means to bring the entire human race to extinction.

You felt like something was starting. And your intuition was rarely wrong.

Gazing at Gon who had been talking with Kite for a while now, you noticed how his eyes crinkle into little smiles whenever he talks. You knew that having Kite around, his father's best friend, surely excited him to the bone. Gon was just oozing with optimism, without even trying. You could tell that just by being himself, he was keeping the spirits up of all eight in the group, not allowing any room for doubt or fear to creep into anyone's minds.

At that moment, you swore that whatever happened, you would be there to protect Gon and Killua. Even if it costs you everything.

Hopefully, this wasn't one of your friends' last few moments of tranquility. But if it was, you were determined to spend it well.

Resting your head against Killua, you hoped that he wouldn't mind if you indulged in this for just a moment. You were tired, having not gotten much rest since completing Greed Island and meeting Kite.

It didn't take much time for you to fall asleep to the rise and fall of Killua's steady breathing and his sweet vanilla scent. If you'd been awake, you might have even heard his heartbeat racing beneath you.

⋯✰⋯

You had finally reached the beach.

Killua had nudged you awake once you'd gotten there. You remembered how his blue eyes stared back at you as he poked your face, calling you an idiot for falling asleep, and you chuckled.

There was one thing you were clueless about; Killua had made sure not to move even once the whole rest of the car ride. He was nervous that he might disturb your peacefully sleeping form.

You were still pretty groggy as you looked out at the sea, the bright sun reflecting on the ocean's surface. You wanted to wiggle your toes in the sand, but you were there for a reason. To find anything that might lead to the Queen.

You searched in bushes, behind rocks, under seashells, and even used your nen to sift through as much sand as you could. So far, the group had ruled out the forest and deemed it difficult to know if the ant even ended up on the same island. That's when they decided to release the hellhound. Well- it wasn't a hellhound. It was the little dog you played with yesterday. Along with Gon.

Gon was following behind the dog on all floors, sniffing the ground as he went.

"He can do that?" You asked no one in particular.

"His nose is as sharp as a dog's," Killua responded, watching Gon with an amused look in his eye.

A couple minutes went by with no luck. The only thing the dog had found was a tree to pee on. It looked like the ant wasn't going to be on this island, though Kite had an idea.

"It may have washed ashore somewhere else. Which direction do the currents flow here?" Kite asked the two that had brought us down to the beach. One was short with brown skin and grey hair that sprouted up like hay, while the other had large glasses and two front teeth poking out from his mouth.

"The direction is reversed between day and night. And it also changes with the seasons. I've even heard it's different on certain days. So it'll be tough to pinpoint a location..." said Chipmunk Teeth. That's what you'd call him, since you hadn't gotten his name.

So basically, no one had any idea on how to find the Chimera Ant Queen.

"Continuing to search blindly is pointless. We should return to YorkNew and see if we can find any new leads there."

You heard the group around you agreeing with Kite. He and his friends began walking back to the truck already, but you stayed put. You would catch up to them later.

The ocean reminded you of your home. You thought you should say goodbye to it first.

Ripples of water lapped gently at your feet. You always had a connection with nature. Having lived in a small village located in the middle of a jungle most of your life, the earth had become your dearest friend. One of your earliest memories was from exploring the coves back at home. You stretched out your arm across the water, and watched the liquid softly rise to your hand as you called it.

That's why you chose this nen ability. It tied you to the elements. When you fought with it, together you were one body.

"Y/N, come on! Kite's threatening to leave without you," Gon waved you over. Taking one last look at the sea, you turned away.

The sun was already setting by the time you left for the city.

⋯✰⋯

Going back to YorkNew was the right decision. Now you all knew where to look.

Kite had discovered that the possibilities of the Chimera Ant landing in NGL were the highest. Apparently, NGL was a country populated with people who wanted to get away from machine civilization and live in nature.

You loved nature too, but you thought that was a little extreme. There was a reason you had to leave your beloved jungle behind.

"There may very well be a giant swarm of Chimera Ants already hunting humans down. If that's the case, my top priority will be saving them. You must be able to protect yourselves," Kite warned us.

"And if I am the one in trouble, you should escape without me."

At that, Gon and Killua looked unsettled. But backing down now was not an option.

"Got it," you said, breaking the silence and offering a kind nod to Kite, "and until the very last moment, the three of us will have your back."

"Yeah!" The other two boys concurred.

Now, you sat with Gon and Killua on an airship to NGL. The three of you were sitting on a bench, looking out of a window that framed velvet-peach clouds displaying brilliant silver linings.

Gon was reflecting on their last conversation with Kite.

"You said that Ging had a reason for bringing me and Kite together," he rested his arms and head on the window-frame.

Killua broke his sight from the clouds and looked at Gon.

"Yeah, I did."

"You're probably right. I don't know the reason, but I can't give up halfway, no matter what's going on. Otherwise, I'll disappoint Ging... And I'd never be able to forgive myself either. So I won't run away," Gon continued, resolved with his decision.

There was a moment of silence as the three of you let his words sink in.

You admired Gon's determination, but you hated that Ging had a son risking his life just to avoid disappointing a dad he's never met.

"Man, you had this totally serious expression, so I was expecting something big. But it's just business as usual," Killua smiled.

"Huh?" Gon's mouth hung open. "I thought about this a lot, I even ran a bunch of mental simulations! And I liked what Y/N said earlier, about having Kite's back until the very end."

"Think all you want, but you'll still be Gon. If someone said to abandon them, you'd never do it," You lightly punched his shoulder.

He pouted, cradling where you hit him, and you rolled your eyes.

"Drama queen."

Gon chose to ignore that and turned back to Killua. "Then what would you do?'"

"I'm a spontaneous guy, so I'd think about it once the time comes."

"So, you'd run away?" Gon questioned.

"Depends. I can't say until it actually happens."

"Say for instance..."

Killua threw his hands up, beat, "I can't tell you what I'd do in a hypothetical situation!"

"Then, what about you Y/N?"

"Gon!" You whined.

Truth be told, you hadn't thought about what you would do. It depended like Killua said. But you did know one thing...

"I would never leave you two behind. Even if that meant I'd have to die."

⋯✰⋯

[irondadfics]

Do you have any long irondad fics you'd recommend? I really want to settle down with a good muti-chapter fic, I'd love to know your favourites!

LONG FIC REC LIST PART 2

I know some of you are stuck inside due to be quarantined right now, and I really hope each and every one of you are doing alright. Please stay inside if you can and be safe! 

To help pass the time, here’s a continuation of one of our older lists (be sure to also check out part 1 for more recs). During hard times such as this, we often turn to different forms of art for entertainment and to help us cope. BE SURE TO LET THESE WONDERFUL AUTHORS KNOW THEY ARE APPRECIATED! 

This list is organized by word count. Most of the fics listed below are complete but some are not. For example if the word count is encompassed by two asterisks it means the fic is not complete and is subject to change, but the word count is correct as of the day this list was posted. 

ENJOY LOVELIES!!

The Guardian by Emily_F6 @justme–emily (234k+)

Guardian: a person who guards, protects, or preserves. When a terrible accident claims the life of May Parker, Tony Stark steps up as Peter’s guaridan. But it’s not just a traumatized super-teen he’ll have to worry about when he recieves a transmission from Thor.

If They Knew All About You by MsHermia (*224k+*)

Tony Stark had lost his son when he was only 2 years old, stolen away in broad daylight with nobody the wiser of what exactly happened. Years later, Tony has just made it through the disaster with Ultron. He is trying to keep himself and the team together but relationships are strained and tempers are running high.Then a random turn of events leads to his path crossing with that of a particular vigilante. They are strangers to each other, or so they think.Peter Parker is on top of the world. After a few shitty years, losing his parents and then losing his Uncle, things are finally looking up. Sure he lives in a crappy little apartment with his Aunt but he might have just found his mission in life.——This is an AU story obvious by some of the tags. I’m starting out a few weeks after Age of Ultron took place. Civil War will be a thing. Other than that I’m not too concerned about sticking to every canon detail and storyline.

The Third Option by Uncertainty_Principle (220k+)

Homecoming A/U. Ben and May divorced before Peter’s parents died, so when Ben is murdered Peter goes into foster care. It takes just a tiny taste of superpowers for Peter to decide he doesn’t want to put up with his horrible foster father anymore—the streets are infinitely more appealing. All he wants is to be Spider-Man anyway.So he leaves.Simple.Simple, that is, until Iron Man needs Spider-Man’s help. Peter isn’t about to turn down an opportunity to fight alongside Tony Freaking Stark, but he also isn’t going to let his hero know that his recruit is a fifteen-year-old homeless dropout. So they strike a deal. Peter will help Tony. In return, the mask stays on.And that’s when things get complicated.

 Lights To Guide You Home (series) by JolinarJackson @jolinarjackson  (185k+)

Tony becomes Peter’s guardian after May dies unexpectedly and over the course of a year, they learn to become a family.

 hydra’s not a home (series) by tempestaurora @tempestaurora (139k+)

At 6 years old, the son of Tony and Pepper Stark, Peter, is kidnapped, never to be seen again. Or, so they thought. Ten years later, while raiding a HYDRA base, the Avengers come across a new, enhanced individual, working for the enemy: in black spandex, with a tendency to stick to walls and shoot webs from his wrists, the Black Spider is a pain in the ass in more ways than one.

 built from scraps by peterstank @peter-stank (138k+)

“Everybody needs someone. That’s what you said, right?” Pepper meets his eyes and he’s struck by the way she’s almost pleading. “We both lost. We can help each other.”Her hand, palm up and open, stretches into the space between them.Peter hesitates.Then he takes it.or: the one where tony was dusted instead of peter, so he and pepper try to figure out the whole ‘family’ thing together.(oh, and it turns out that the man who died in peter’s arms on an alien planet is his biological father. who knew, right?)

rescue me from the waves (series) by homebuilding @marveal (*125k+*)

“Richard Parker was studying Cross-Species Genetics, but struggled with the ethics of it, because it required he use human DNA, which no ethics board would agree with. So he used his own. His work was successful based off of his own DNA, and every human has a unique DNA,” Bruce explains. “So, naturally, when HYDRA wanted his research, they knew they would never get his support, so they took the next best thing they could to his own DNA. His son.“Or, Tony finds a tortured and experimented-on Peter Parker in a HYDRA base and decides to help him because who else will?

more peril in thine eye by iron_spider @iron–spider (119k+)

Tony sits in relative darkness, the TV on mute, Friday running searches like she has been every day for the past month. A month, since Quentin Beck’s grand plan crumpled underneath him on that bridge. A month, since a flash of light was able to distract Peter just as he was about to bring Beck down. A month, since Beck snatched him, since both of them disappeared. An entire. Month.I’ll keep you updated. I promise.I love you, kid. Rhodey’s on his way, alright? He’s coming. He’s gonna go as fast as he can.I love you too. I’ll be okay. I promise. I can do this.The last thing Tony heard Peter say. Rhodey, Happy and Fury traversed the London landscape immediately afterwards. They found the glasses, but not Spider-Man. There was footage enough to incriminate Beck for what he was, but somehow, nobody was able to get a shot of when he grabbed Peter. Peter was knocking him around, looked like he was getting the upper hand, and then that flash of light. Gone. Gone.

 I Never Knew I Was Broken by GotMyInkPen @gotmyinkpen (*111k+*)

Peter Parker has been living in HYDRA ever since his parents died at age four. All he can remember are the lesson’s HYDRA taught him and a series of words that strike fear into his heart. The only thing driving him forward are the memories of meeting his hero The Winter Soldier when he was seven and the goal to one day be as great an assassin as him.At age sixteen Peter finds himself tangled in the lives of the Avengers and can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life than what he’s been told.Tony wants to help him, no matter what.

 Reviving Peter Parker by YellowDistress @yellowdistress (100k+)

Spider-Man was murdered five years ago, on a beach, at the hands of Adrian Toomes. Peter Parker never came home.Spider-Man was murdered five years ago. Today Peter Parker took his first breath.

 It’s a Secret to Everybody by StarPrince_Punk @starprincepunk (97k+)

“I have kids,“ Clint said. “I know dad behavior when I see it.”Tony blinked multiple consecutive times, processing the statement. “Excuse me?”“Tony,” Steve said now, “how long have you had a son? And how come we’ve never known about him?”“Yeah,” Clint spoke again, “I thought I was the only one with a secret family. Turns out you’ve had one longer than me!”——-Peter gets to spend all summer living in Avengers Tower with Tony. When the Rogue Avengers get pardoned and come back to live at the Tower too, they’re confused as to who Peter is. However, once they see how Tony acts around Peter, that confusion goes away, as they know for certain who Peter must be - Tony’s secret son.Tony and Peter decide to make the most of the situation, and play along. They hope they can keep up the act all summer. But they soon learn that they barely have to act at all.

 Peter and the Jailbirds by beautifullights @beautifullights1 (86k+)

NOW COMPLETE “If you did play chess,” Ross said, “you’d remember that a pawn can become a queen. The most powerful piece on the board, Parker, remember that? But—” Ross smiled— “only if it obeys.”He adjusted his tie, stood, and looked down at Peter. “I’ll ask you again,” he said. “Eventually. You may feel differently after you’ve been living in a six-by-six cube without sunlight or fresh air for a few years.” “What pawns do,” Peter said, voice shaking slightly, “is sacrifice themselves for the greater good. I have no regrets.”He had a lot of regrets.Like, a lot. A crapton. A shitload. An overloaded dumpsterful.“When I visit you on the Raft,” Ross said, “you’ll be old enough to grow a beard.” The cell door clicked shut behind him. [Rated mature for graphic violence.]

 Hardest Lessons (Softest Results) (series) by mainstreamelectricalparade @riseuplikeglitterandgold (*76k+*)

The MCU if Peter was Tony’s biological child.

 In the Home by aloneintherain (68k+)

The Avengers have been infected, turned violent and aggressive against their will. And Peter, the only one unaffected, is trapped inside the Tower with six feral teammates.“Natasha,” Peter says cautiously, “what happened here? Steve attacked me, and if there was ever a sign that something was wrong, it’s having the embodiment of Truth, Justice, and the American Way throw you across the room—”Natasha comes closer, her stride controlled. Nothing necessarily out of the ordinary, but there’s something in her face, in her eyes—Natasha lunges across the space, and slams into Peter, hard.

 From Fraud to Father by TonyStarkissist @tonystarkissist (67k+)

“Tony,” she placated, “all you have to do is read a couple children’s books to them and answer a few of their questions. You’ll be fine.” “Will you come with me? You’re so good with kids,” he pleaded as she finished up with his collar and awkwardly patted the lapels of his suit down, forcing a smile onto her face when she looked up at him.“No. I’ve got a lot of work to do. Phil’s going with you, though, and so is Happy. You shouldn’t have a problem. They’ll make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”Theres a long pause before Tony finally voices his true concern.“But what if one of them sneezes on me?”

Archetype by Bean_reads_fanfic @the-reverse-mermaid (57k+)

Tony knows something is up when the research of ex-Hydra agents gets recycled in an underground Oscorp lab… what he doesn’t expect is the boy in a hospital gown sticking to the ceiling; or, how said boy proceeds to imprint on him like a baby duckling (a poor decision on his part, really). Did he mention he wasn’t intending on bringing home a kid that day?

 Taking Leaps (and the falls that come with them) by Kamomile_Tea (*45k+*)

All across New York City the boroughs are crying out with one voice, asking a question everyone wants the answer to.Where is Spiderman?But no one is asking about Peter Parker.So, he sits alone. Contemplating how his life could have gone so downhill. Grief and nausea well up in his chest and the boy quickly shoves it back down. A shiver courses through him as the cold November air seeps into the building and through his thin clothing. And on the back of his navy blue overshirt, in blocky, white letters, reads the words:CROSSROADS JUVENILE CENTERBROOKLYN NYINMATE 3042 ========== The world seems content with ignoring this young teen. That is, until Tony Stark shows up and asks him if he wants to go to Germany.

Runaway by Spectra @iridescent-spectra  (42k+)

Tony and his adopted son Peter get into a huge spat over his late night spiderman escapades, in which case Peter takes the term ‘Not while you’re under my roof’ way too seriously. After all, how hard could it be to run away from a multi billion dollar genius?Chaos ensues as the whole city becomes a metaphorical chessboard for the two equally stubborn masterminds.

[sortavibing]

hello! your blog is so cute! may i request a romantic matchup please? (english is by no means my first language, so i apologize for any mistakes!)

name's lemi! pronouns she/her, but i wear masculine clothes and hv a boyish haircut, which gets me a lot of trans comments when i'm not. straight! i'm an introverted gemini, and my friends call me the "embodiment of an ISFJ" and that's really all my personality, because apparently i've been described perfectly by those MBTI websites hahaha

i spend most of my time learning new languages(currently going on my 7th!), doing student council stuffs (president for 2 years!), and community services (because your girl does not have any particular hobbies).

i'm a "can't say no to anything, ever" kind of person, but i do genuinely enjoy helping out ^^ i usually have a lot of things on my plate, so i don't have much free time :( i get nervous talking to people, but have to because of my positions, which usually leads me exhausted, so i'd like if my partner is more "chill" and relaxed, ya know?

i'm a people pleaser, so i do tend to put myself last (i can't take care of myself to save my life) and i avoid conflicts at all cost, which i know annoys some people.

thank you so much! have a good day!

hi! thank you for requesting! holy shit- you can speak 7 languages that’s insane, like i can barely speak my first (dumb bitch things). anyways, here’s your matchup!

generating matchup...

matchup: complete

i match you up with kita!

what first drew kita to you, was that you were basically him, except you were driven more by your feelings than logic, like he is. he wanted to meet someone that isn’t as over-the-top his teammates/friends are, and since you shared many of the same personality traits as him, you were the perfect fit. you help him understand why some people are driven by their emotions, and he’s always the voice of rationality for you, so it’s a pretty good relationship.

kita is amazed that you know so many languages, and he asked you to  teach him a couple that you know. he was a fast learner, so he quickly learned the basics of the language you taught him. he now is trying to learn his 4th language, and whenever you guys have conversations, you switch between languages with no hesitation, and everyone is so confused when they listen in to your talks with him.

he is always sure that you are taking care of yourself, and not overworking yourself for others. he knows that you tend to forget about your needs, so he will always be there to remind you, with a water bottle, a snack, or just a gentle reminder that you don’t need to put everyone before yourself. he will never get mad, but if you ignore his reminders he will be a little stern and petty until you listen to him.

most of your dates are outside, and they are pretty chill, because kita doesn’t feel the need to do something super extravagant out show how much he cares about you. one of your most memorable dates you had with him was a picnic date, where you both made some desserts and food, and spent the entire day vibing, the sunlight warming your faces and a nearby tree giving you guys the perfect amount of shade.

you guys volunteer for charities a lot, because both of you like to help people out, and though the work isn’t really that fun, the job isn’t that bad because you guys are doing it together. his favorite place that he volunteered with you was the beach cleanup, because after you guys were done you got to chill on the beach, and it lowkey turned into a date.

you and kita often have study dates, and they actually are pretty productive, and both of you cover a lot of topics and learn a lot. after you guys feel like you learned enough, kita will put on one of those old sappy movies (The Princess Bride, Dirty Dancing, etc.), and just make lowkey shady comments about how stupid the movie is, and how dumb the characters are to drop everything for love.

he loves when you go to his games, and he gets really happy that you wanted to come support him. after the game, he will be thanking you profusely, and will be a little more clingy than usual. he will show you to his teammates, and tell them about how nice and caring you are, and if atsumu tries to do anything, kita will not hesitate to emotionally damage him with a smile on his face.

kita memorizes your favorite foods, drinks, items, etc. so he can surprise you with them when he goes and meets up with you. if he ever sees something that reminds him of you, or that he knows you would like while out shopping, he will buy it immediately and give it to you the next time he sees you in person.

he likes to match outfit aesthetics with you when you guys go out together, but he never will mention it to you because he thinks it’s sappy and a little cheesy, but he will always look at your outfit before choosing his own, so he will be able to match you, and if you ever notice it and point it out, he will get a little flustered and pretend that he didn’t do it on purpose, but he’s secretly really happy that you noticed.

overall, you guys are such a chill couple, that is really cute and aesthetic at the same time, and people envy just how much kita cares for you, and how happy he is when you succeed at something you put your mind to. both of you love to help others, so whenever you guys are together, everyone around you is literally blessed to have you guys there, because you both will always lend a helping hand.

i hope you enjoyed!

[yourcreepyneighborhoodelftwink]

As the Hero fell upwards through the sands of time, the days rewinding like the gears of a clock, he landed calmly on the cobblestones of Clock Town Square, at the dawn of the first day. He had been through this many times before, and had grown accustomed to reliving the same 3 days, helping the same people with the same schedules, slowly making more and more progress each time. At least he didn't feel an enormous time crunch, even with the threat of the moon hanging above him, he was always able to rewind the days, and could take days to rest, to sleep or ride Epona or play with the inhabitants.

He rarely did, but it was nice that the option was there.

He was pulled from his thoughts by Tatl getting his attention with a soft tinkling sound, looking over at the stand near the Deku flower, and the note pinned to it.

"That's certainly new…" she said cautiously as they approached, Tatl reading aloud to Link.

The pair exchanged a confused and frightened look. It wasn't signed, but they knew exactly who left the note for them.

BEN sat on the edge of the field, their boots hanging over the barrier where the grass turned into sand, looking out at the canyon leading to the beach. It had been so long since they had entered their game, only playing it from the outside. Perhaps they had been showing too much love to Breath of the Wild lately and not enough to the dark masterpiece of their former prison, or perhaps it was the only world they could enter that felt truly real, where the sun was warm and the wind blew. They HAD become a bit spoiled, learning that adding weather effects and random wind blowing did wonders to immersion when they entered a game.

They closed their eyes, speaking up before looking behind them.

"You didn't have to rush over here. "as possible" doesn't mean "instantly", you know…" BEN said gently, lowering their ears with a guilty smile.

Link frowned softly, keeping his distance from the elf. He couldn't draw his sword AND sign, after all, so he would have to make due. "You didn't specify. I've learned better than to provoke you."

BEN couldn't exactly blame his caution. It's why they were here, after all. "My bad. I'll be more specific next time. But I suppose it's neither here nor there now…"

"...is there something you want, BEN? " Link asked, clearly a bit anxious by being asked to meet.

"...a few things. I won't lie and say there isn't a favor I'd like to ask the both of you-"

"Like you have any right to ask Link for anything, at this point!" Tatl quickly interjected, turning red in anger. "You've terrorized us for no good reason, revealed truths we didn't need to know, and then just left us alone one day!"

"-BUT," BEN continued, "that isn't my main reason for being here. First and foremost... You're long overdue for an apology from me."

Link and Tatl looked at each other in confusion. "...pardon? " Link questioned.

"...I've been doing a lot of thinking and self reflecting lately. Especially because I finally have reason to want to improve myself. And I think I've gotten pretty far in trying to right the wrongs of my past, and try to change as a person. But I still never gave the both of you a proper apology, or even an explanation for how I treated you…" BEN sheepishly said.

Link looked down at the seated person, absolutely dumbfounded. All the times he had been attacked by BEN came instantly into his mind, only to not even be able to so much as scratch them in return, even the might of a Goron doing nothing to them. All the times he had been followed and told he was insignificant, worthless, a joke of a hero, told he was nothing more than a bland, boring conduit for the player of a game in a world far grander than his own. Only for BEN to just... Disappear one day. Gone. Vanish into thin air, and only return occasionally, seemingly at their leisure. Something... Didn't add up to him, and he wasn't sure what on Earth made them suddenly stop tormenting him, and now want to make things right.

"...I'll hear you out, at least," Link finally said, stepping forward to sit next to him. If nothing else, were he going to harm Link, BEN would have done it by now.

"Not that it makes us all hunky-dory yet," Tatl offered, settling on Link's shoulder.

BEN smiled softly, letting out a relieved breath. They stayed quiet for a moment, deciding their words carefully. "I'm not... Sure where to start. So much has happened to me. I guess I should start when we first met. When I first entered this game. It was my favorite game, and with me when I died," they started.

Tatl interrupted, jingling softly. "...when you died?"

BEN nodded softly. "When I died. I was just about your age, Link, about 12. More specifically, when I was murdered. Father simply... Got tired of me, I suppose. He tricked my religion's leader- we refer to him as The Father- into thinking it was my time to Ascend when it wasn't. The whole explanation of my belief system isn't important in this, just that I was robbed of something very important and sacred to me because of it."

"That sounds horrible," Link signed.

"It was... And I was only 12, and not the greatest at understanding or expressing my emotions... I was so angry, absolutely furious at losing that chance, as what had been done to me. I've always had a strong sense of justice, if you can believe it. I don't easily stand for people wronging me. But when I died, my spirit was trapped in this game. All that rage bottled up, with nowhere to release it... Until I started releasing it on you. Very unfairly."

"I'll say," Tatl said, though there wasn't much bite behind her words.

"Eventually, someone played the game, and I was able to break free, find someone else to torment. And after that, start lashing out at everyone who had hurt me, making them

PĄŸ,"

BEN continued, their voice glitching out just a bit at the final word.

"...i moved on to more innocent people after that. I was out of control. To the point where my goddess, Luna, intervened. She stopped me herself, gave me a new body, made me into a young adult so I wouldn't be trapped as a child forever, and I carry the souls of everyone I hurt in my blind sadism, until I join her again one day. And I've worked hard to be a better person now. I've found so much to make my life wonderful, and to make the most of my second chance…" BEN trailed off.

"...but you still want to make amends to everyone you've hurt," Link finished for them.

"...I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't think I can be forgiven. But I really AM sorry for how I treated you. Both of you. Of everyone I've lashed out at, you're the least deserving of it. No matter WHAT'S happened to me, it's NO excuse for how much I've hurt you. And even if you never forgive me, I would love the opportunity to make it up to you…" they finished softly.

"...would you excuse us for a moment?" Tatl asked, flying a slight distance away. Link glanced over at BEN before rising to his feet to follow, and speak with the fairy alone. BEN politely stayed looking forward, allowing them the privacy.

"...do you believe them?" Tatl asked.

"...yeah. They seem genuine," Link admitted.

Tatl nodded softly. "I do, too. There's much simpler ways to trick us or convince us if that was their intention. Even if they said they wanted a favor, this is a lot of lengths to go to for just that…"

"I wonder what they want," the hero mused, glancing over at BEN.

"...maybe ask? Perhaps you can also ask a favor of him, test his sincerity," she said.

"What would that be? " he asked.

"Well, you've said you're curious about his world, whatever it is that our entire world is only a game in, a small part of. Maybe you can ask to explore his world. It'd give you the opportunity to spend more time with him and let him earn your trust, anyway," she offered.

Link nodded softly, then whistled to get BEN's attention. "Alright, BEN, we've talked it over. First, I want to know what favor it is you want…"

"Actually, it's a favor specifically from Tatl," they explained.

"Wait, me?" she questioned.

"...my daughter has watched me play this game a lot. And she's absolutely fallen in LOVE with you, she ADORES seeing you on screen. Her first birthday is in a few months, and there's... Circumstances about my life, and now hers, that will make her very different from other children, with so many secrets to keep. She could really use having a companion by her side, a friend to offer wisdom and company and help when she needs it. A copy of you, like how I copied Epona, to watch over her and make her feel less alone…" BEN said.

"...you have a daughter?" Link asked.

"And a boyfriend. Soon to be husband," BEN explained, holding up their hand to show off their ring.

Tatl let out a soft chime at this. "Well... I'm certainly flattered you think I'd make a good companion to her…"

BEN smiled softly. "I don't expect an answer today, don't worry. There's still a few months before her birthday. And I understand if it's not something you're comfortable with…"

"...we have a proposal for you, in that case," Link began. "You want to make amends to us. We're admittedly curious about this world outside of our own. So, let us explore. Show us your life, and what lies outside this "game", and earn our trust. Then we'll consider it."

BEN thought this over. They'd have to be careful, but this wasn't impossible… "...I can't completely remove you from the game. I'd have to copy you, then merge the copy and your true self after. It's basically the same thing, though, you'd keep the memories and everything. And you'd have to do EXACTLY as I say, I... REALLY can't have attention drawn to myself or the people I live with. If there's something that catches your attention, you can't gawk, just stay calm and ask me. And there's going to be a LOT, the real world is nothing like this one. Hylian sign doesn't match up with any sign language in my world, so you'll at least be able to speak freely. But if you can do that, and trust that I'm keeping us both safe when I tell you to do something... I'll happily show you around."

Link considers this, then nods. He holds out his hand to BEN, who shakes it.

"Then we have a deal."

[yayninjabob]

Author Commentary

Ramblings from Yay Ninja Bob about her monstrous creation~

Besides working on my fic, I personally try to journal every day, and I realized that a lot of my journaling has become me pretty much rambling about the process of writing this damn fic lol.  So I thought I'd share some of that for those who may want to know more behind my chapters from my author's perspective. 

It's certainly not everything I can say, but it is a lot haha..

Chapter 1 - Thirteen

Behind the title:

    Well, when I first began writing VillainR, I hadn't planned on having chapter titles at all.  Mainly because coming up with chapter titles (or titles for stories in general) has always been something I struggle with personally.  Anywho after I decided I wanted to challenge myself with chapter titles, I went back and named chapter 1 "Thirteen."  Why?  Well, it is the PpG's thirteenth birthday, of course there is that.  VillainR as a whole is many things, but one major thing is it is a coming of age story for Buttercup/Joey/Jojo, as well as a story of self-discovery.   There's a few important ages I wanted to cover and 13 is around the age where many kids start to "develop" and being a super-powered kid,  Buttercup finally begins to develop her own "special power" at this age.  I wanted this "growing pain" to be the catalyst for the events of Part One.  So, I gave the chapter the title of "Thirteen" to try to highlight the significance of that age for Buttercup. The self-discovery made at this age is that special power (although they are unaware of it at this point).  It's considered an unlucky number, and as it turns out, it is an unlucky year for our main character.

During the writing process:

     First draft was written on Halloween night 2019 and pretty much all of it was completely scrapped haha. 

     I started writing it in first person, like the original Villain, in Buttercup's POV.   I kept the events but approached it again in third person and liked it so much better that way.  One major thing I wanted to improve on with the rewrite was character development which is pretty hard to achieve when writing in a limited POV of a character who eventually loses sight of much around them.  I debated briefly on maybe doing alternating POVs between Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, but then I felt like it would still exclude a lot for other major characters like Mojo and Princess.  I could add them too but I thought alternating too many POVs would be overwhelmingly difficult (for me as the author for sure but I imagine for the reader too)  Third person seemed to be the best way to handle everything and really my only challenge with that was tweaking the whole "unreliable narrator" trope which I will be honest is my favorite trope ever. It is a challenge to try to recreate the same effect in third person, but I decided that a close third person was the best way to 1) tell a broader story and 2) still set limits on the reader's perspective, and control when and how I drop information and attempt to recreate a similar experience in an entirely new way I've never tried before heh.  (I guess I will spend more time on this on my notes for Chapter 6)

     Second draft I scribbled out in another few days with this new approach.  It began at the start of the carnival and ended where it ends.   Simultaneously I was reworking my overall outline for the fic and began to narrow down all the characters I wanted to be my key players for this epic.  Once my outline was expanded to include everyone, I added the scene with Mojo and Him.  For me, that's when I was like "Ayyy it's all coming together 👍👍" haha.

     Another thing I wanted to improve on was setting and world-building.  So final draft I decided to include some "history" behind Townsville and that's when I worked out the final draft.

    This chapter definitely had the most trial and error during the writing process than any other chapter other than 5 so far.

Inspirations:

     Townsville world-building/history - much of it is inspired by the city I grew up in (for the most part) which is Los Angeles. I mean it has all the sort of settings we've seen in the show which are all pretty diverse right?  Townville had to have a diverse cityscape ranging from a busy downtown setting to quite suburbs to upperclass mansions, beaches, an island, forests, etc.  Well I knew LA had all that and so I tried to re-imagine Townsville as basically an alternate universe LA lol. Monster Isle, I based on research I did on Catalina Island.  I imagined the Utonium household was in a middle class neighborhood like Pasadena- close to the heart of LA but still a relatively "calmer" part of the city.  Morbucks Manor would be in the Hills like Beverly Hills.  Downtown was the heart of the city like Downtown LA.  I debated briefly whether or not to have the Gangreen Gang be from an area modeled after South Central or East LA, but eventually I went with East LA because TBH I am just more familiar with it since that's where my mom's side is from and where I grew up early on in life.  PLUS East LA actually has a pretty big punk scene so that fit the story too with Ace being in a punk band and all that. 

1998 PpG Show References:

     "Oh my gosh they have giant Bunny-Bunny's at the prize tent!"

    (Super Zeroes)

Pop Culture References:

   (OK most of my pop culture refs are just punk references lets be honest lol.  Why Punk?? - because it is rebellion and rebellion is the heart of this fic)

     The Clash - OK in original Villain I established that this was Buttercup's favorite band so I HAD to have that back for the redux. Here's all the refs I crammed into chapter 1 lol:

   "Oh, Man! It's so hard to choose, like, I love literally everything by them. But I gotta say it's a tie probably between their first album and London Calling."

"Hell yeah. Jimmy Jazz is my jam."

"You know, my band does a cover of White Riot," Ace continued to talk music with the teenager as he lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. He held the smoke in his lungs as he continued, "Only we call our version Green Riot."

Blondie:

     The one artist Buttercup had introduced Robin to that she instantly obsessed over was Blondie.

(Some) Symbolism:

     - Blossom is 5'9" and Buttercup is 5'8" - Buttercup is always falling one step behind Blossom.

     - Bumper Car scene - has some foreshadowing and well...

Blossom sat behind the wheel of a red bumper car at the opposite end of the metal floored rink. Buttercup crossed her arms in protest, "No way. I'm driving." she demanded.

Blossom also crossed her arms from where she sat behind the metal wheel. "So you can just rampage and crash into everybody here? No way." She fastened her seat belt with a quick snap and placed her hands firmly on the steering wheel again.

"Ugh. That's the whole point of bumper cars! It's to bump the other cars! You're supposed to try and bump everyone before the times up!"

"You always take it too far, Buttercup. I'm driving, so get in." The redhead grasped the steering wheel in her hands firmly, and refused to move.

And...

"You drive like an old lady," Buttercup shook her head in disbelief as her sister managed to avoid yet another collision.

"Well, that's your opinion," she shrugged off the insult, "Personally, I think it takes just as much skill to avoid every single car in here, as it does to hit every single car," she smiled at her sister.

And finally a brief allusion to the OG Villain lol...

"Blossom!" Buttercup shouted louder so she could get her sister's attention. She pointed at the fast approaching purple car that zoomed towards them from their right side. Behind the wheel of that car was Bubbles who wore a rather determined look on her face as Robin cheered for her.

Blossom saw, but by then it was too late. Bubbles and Robin's car slammed into Buttercup and Blossom's car at full force, spinning Buttercup and Blossom's car into the wall of the arena. The loud buzz which signified the end of the ride then sounded.

    - the roller coaster is Buttercup's ideal carnival attraction; it's got the thrills, twists, turns, ups and downs.  And makes Bubbles sick.

     - the Ferris Wheel is Blossom's ideal carnival attraction; it's a staple of any fair, grand and big, overlooks everything, and traditionally romantic

YNB's favorite scene:

     Personally, I loved writing the whole exchange between Buttercup and Blossom in the car.  Establishing their rivalry, Buttercup's jealousy over Blossom's special power and heroism, Blossom's projection of her own insecurities, their differences, and their commonality. 

Final thoughts on the chapter:

     I was pretty satisfied with how it turned out but I did wait to post it until I had a decent headstart on chapter 2.  I was pretty nervous about whether or not I could stay personally committed to writing this fic so I just wanted to make sure I was really feeling it first, lol.  It had been so long since I'd written fanfic so I just needed to be sure.

     When I outlined everything I estimated the chapter length to be around 6-7k words... And I was surprised that it was double that at about 12k.  Which was wild because on my outline each opening chapter for Part 1, 2 and 3 were supposed to be shorter and more like preludes to everything else.  Well, I guess they ARE shorter chapters but STILL definitely longer than any chapter I used to write for my multichaptered stories.   At the time I thought "Ok obviously my writing has changed but surely I wont go much longer than 12k for future chapters...."  Hurr hurr.

     Personally, I was pretty proud of myself for spending so much time on it and rewriting it over and over and all that.  In the past, TBH whatever was my first draft was pretty much also my last draft haha.  I cranked out a chapter in one sitting usually and edited it mayyyybeee lol.  I just wanted to get it posted so I could move on and get to that next point in the story.   But I suppose now that I'm older and a bit more self aware, I realize a lot of my own anxieties manifest a lot in my writing though and I can recognize it in my old works like the OG Villain where I JUST WANNA GET TO WHAT I WANT TO WRITE RIGHT NOW OK??  I forced myself to slow the hell down this time, take it one scene at a time, and when things felt off I took breaks, slept on it for a few days and came back with new approaches or ideas.   And so far that's how I continue to work on it.

   Also, CHVRCHES.  I listened to a ton of that band while working on this chapter especially.

[half-bakedboy]

everything that i want (but didn't think i'd find)

Chapter Three

Rated: Teen Warnings: None Summary: Combat medic, Izzy, worked side by side with her pilot brother, Alec, to ensure the safety of the country and the most important people in their lives; their family.

Alec was starting a family with Magnus—a man Izzy never imagined her brother ending up with—and when the opportunity for them to get married on short notice during Izzy and Alec's summer block leave, Izzy couldn't have been happier for them. Izzy and Alec would make their way home to celebrate the momentous occasion and Izzy could leave everything behind without a second thought like she had when she was eighteen.

Falling in love with Magnus' sister, Clary, was never part of her plan and that threw her off kilter.

Izzy didn’t mind the way things changed after that. Living with Clary was enjoyable at the very least. They would spend their mornings drinking coffee on the balcony and sometimes Clary would bring out a sketch pad and draw whatever they saw that day. They didn’t have a bad view from the apartment; good for people watching and for Clary to practice her building design when Magnus inevitably asked her for her input on one of his projects. 

They could also smell the freshness from the ocean if they closed their eyes and let the warm air breeze against their faces. It had Izzy yearning for some time at the beach even though she wasn’t exactly what one might call an outdoorsy person. Clary, on the other hand, seemed to jump at the opportunity when Izzy suggested it. 

“I’ve wanted to go since I came back but Magnus isn’t exactly a beach person and I haven’t really been ablAbe to make many friends here,” Clary said excitedly. 

“Oh, I can’t imagine why,” Izzy teased. She held the door open for Clary to follow her back inside and laughed when Clary nudged her side a bit harsher than Izzy expected. “I was kidding , Clary, gosh!” 

“Mhm, I’m sure you were,” Clary muttered with a glare. Izzy could see the small smile on her lips, though. “Were you serious? About going to the ocean? There’s this spot I’ve walked by a few times that I would love to paint, unless that would be boring for you…” Clary trailed off almost nervously so Izzy shook her head. 

“That sounds great, actually. I can get some sun, drink some lemonade, listen to the podcast I’m trying to catch up on and you can paint to your heart’s desire.”

“Sounds like a pretty great first date if you ask me,” Clary pointed out. Izzy’s heart did a strange flutter at the word and she glanced at Clary with narrowed eyes. 

“That’s not what this is,” Izzy corrected, but Clary just shrugged. 

“Why not? If it looks like a date and feels like a date…”

“It’s not a date,” Izzy said again, firmer that time. 

“Whatever you say, Isabelle,” Clary said, drawling out Izzy’s name all too similar to how her brother always did. 

“I’m going to go get ready,” Izzy said, knowing when to back out of a losing battle. Clary was a lot of things and one of those was persistent. 

She walked into her room before Clary could say anything more and threw open her closet door. It had been over a year since she had been able to wear her bathing suit down to the beach and Izzy was more excited than was probably normal. It wasn’t often she got to wear anything besides her clunky uniform and she was just happy that in the next few weeks, she wouldn’t have to step foot outside with the camouflage fatigues. 

She sorted through the few bathing suits she had before settling on a powder blue bikini with more ruffles than almost anything else she owned. It was exactly what Clary wouldn’t have been expecting—which was definitely not the reason she chose it, no way. She got undressed and pulled on the bathing suit before choosing a floral wrap to put over it for their walk. It wasn’t too far to the ocean so she decided on some strappy but comfortable sandals and made her way back out to the living room. 

Clary was still behind a closed door, so Izzy began packing what she could for snacks and drinks. She took a play out of Alec’s book and made sure the cooler was filled with water before stacking in the alcoholic seltzers and juices that she really wanted to spend her day drinking. She added a few snacks to her bag before cutting up some veggies and fruits and tossing them in small plastic baggies to pass the time. She propped herself on the counter when she finished, staring at the door as she waited for Clary. 

After a few moments, she called, “What’s taking you so long?” 

“Coming, coming!” Clary yelled back. Izzy heard some rustling and then a few small crashes before the door finally opened. 

“You okay there, Fray?” Izzy said, trying to conceal the smirk on her face. 

“I got distracted putting together my supplies,” Clary replied, only looking a little embarrassed. She had a bit of something on her cheek like she was actually distracted with the art and not just the supplies, and Izzy thought it was adorable. 

“You got a little something…” She gestured to her face and Clary wiped at it quickly with a groan. 

“In my defense, I didn’t think you were actually going to let me draw at the beach,” Clary said quickly. 

“You are aware that you are, in fact, an adult who can make her own decisions, yeah?” Izzy teased. Clary swatted at her before grabbing a piece of fruit to toss in her mouth. 

“Tell that to my brother—and yours, actually,” Clary complained. 

“Those are for the beach,” Izzy whined, smacking Clary’s hand when she reached for another one. 

“Alright, alright,” Clary giggled. “Are you ready?” She asked, her eyes trailing along Izzy’s body once she jumped off of the counter. “How am I supposed to not believe this is a date when you look like that?” Clary asked with a raise of her eyebrows. Izzy felt just a little smug at that. 

“Because I said so?” Izzy replied easily, snagging the cooler and cloth bag from the counter before making her way to the door. “You coming or what?” 

“Yeah, I’m coming,” she said gruffly, a pout forming on her lips. “But I’m gonna spend the entire walk there figuring out how to convince you that this should be a date.”

“Well, what a productive walk that will be then,” Izzy responded. She let the door shut behind them, feeling a new excitement for what the day had in store for them. 

“So,” Clary began after only a few minutes into their walk, “why do you make it so hard for me to flirt with you?”

Izzy blanched at the question. She should have figured Clary would insist on some form of conversation, but Izzy had hoped she could put it off for just a little bit of time if she walked fast enough. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to Clary, it was that every time she opened her mouth, Izzy liked her a little more and that was dangerous. 

“Because if I made it easy, you might not do it anymore.” 

That wasn’t what Izzy had meant to say. 

“I— Has anyone ever told you that it’s really hard to focus when you’re around?” Izzy asked, hoping it sounded like the insult it was. Clary hummed and glanced over at Izzy as she caught up to her pace. 

“Yeah, but I have a feeling it hasn’t been for the same reason you’re thinking it,” she said, smirking. Izzy nudged her but the skin-on-skin contact proved to be too much for her brain to handle when mixed with the teasing banter they had between them. 

“And what reason might that be?” Izzy knew the question was a trap the second it left her mouth and held up a hand before Clary could answer. “No, wait. I don’t think I want you to answer that.” 

“But I had such a good response,” Clary whined. 

“I’m sure you did, but look,” Izzy said, pointing at the beach that had come into view, “we made it in record time for you to stop talking.”

“You know, if I didn’t know how cute you thought I was, I might be offended by your eagerness to shut me up all the time,” Clary muttered, rushing ahead with a few pointed skips. 

“The eagerness to shut you up isn’t the part I’m worried about,” Izzy whispered to herself as she followed, dropping her things on the sand. 

Clary set up her easel, moving it a few times before she seemed to find the perfect view. Once she did, she stretched her arms above her head and shook out her hands. It was something Izzy had noticed her do before she created any art and it had Izzy smiling for reasons she couldn’t quite understand. Maybe it was the familiarity or the way all of the tension in Clary from the walk visibly fell from her shoulders, but Clary was happiest when she was about to draw. Izzy liked seeing her happy. 

You know, the normal amount one would for a friend. 

“Did you bring any sunscreen?” Clary asked, suddenly panicked. “You probably don’t even need it cause you’re already so tan and perfect but this skin,” she pressed her fingers against her pale and freckled shoulder, “needs at least a few SPF to not burn to a crisp.” 

“You’re lucky Jace is as white as a sheet. I learned a long time ago to keep some in my beach bag.” Izzy tossed it to Clary who seemed delighted by the fact Izzy had it, but then she glanced over with a flirty look in her eyes and Izzy figured there was something more.

“Can you get my back?” She asked, batting her eyelashes. 

“Oh my god,” Izzy giggled, “that is the worst line ever. I can’t believe you just went there.”

“What?” Clary said, mock offended. “I just need help with rubbing this lotion all over my sensitive, delicate skin and you’re my roommate and friend who can help me.” 

“I’m going to help you, but just know when I decide to actually put moves on you, they’re going to be better than that .” 

“So that’s a ‘when’ then?” Clary noted. 

“Hold your hair up,” Izzy demanded, covering her with sunscreen before she could say anything more to incriminate herself. 

As she rubbed the lotion on Clary’s back, she realized that it was going to be a long day.

Izzy wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but the sand was comfortable and the weather was beautiful and she could hear Clary humming along to whatever song she had playing in her headphones. It was the most at peace she had been in a long while. It wasn’t until a few droplets of chilly water landed on her thighs, stomach, and chest that her eyes opened to yell at the clouds for producing rain when that wasn’t in the weather. 

Instead, Clary was standing over her, letting her sopping wet hair drip onto her skin. Izzy rolled onto her stomach quickly and glared at Clary who erupted into a fit of giggles. It would have been cute if Izzy wasn’t so annoyed at her peaceful slumber being interrupted. 

“C’mon, you’ve been out for like thirty minutes. One, you’re going to burn and two, I’m bored and want to play in the water,” Clary explained, hands on her hips indignantly. 

“I don’t really do the water thing,” Izzy said with a skeptical glance at the ocean. 

“Who lives by the beach and doesn’t swim?” Clary asked. 

“Uh, me?” Izzy answered with her best smile. 

“So, why not?” Clary asked, sitting down on the towel next to Izzy. There wasn’t a lot of room so Clary’s cold skin pressed against the bits of Izzy’s that had been warmed by the sun and it felt better than it should have. 

“Because,” Izzy said by way of explanation. She didn’t elaborate even when Clary sent her a look of intrigue. 

It wasn’t that Izzy was scared of the water, but she wasn’t part of the Navy for a reason. She could deal with being up in the air in a helicopter or in the middle of the desert in a tank, but the thought of being submerged into that much water terrified her. She could go swimming if she wanted to, but there was nothing fun about salt covering every surface of her body and whatever decided to check out the beach that day sliming up against her foot. 

“Don’t make me go in alone, Iz,” Clary pleaded but Izzy stood her ground. Or, really, she put her sunglasses back on and pressed her head into her arms. 

She felt Clary leave and let out a satisfied sigh as she soaked in the sun once more. She couldn’t relax fully, though, because she heard the telltale sound of Clary’s laughter echoing a few yards away and it was distracting. Not only was it loud and bright, but Izzy found herself more interested than she should have been in what the cause of it was. She made the mistake of turning her head in the direction of the noise, glaring when she saw Clary talking with a man in a blue swimsuit that hung too low on his hips and a body even Alec would be jealous of. 

“Don’t do it, Iz. Stay on your safety towel and ignore it,” she muttered to herself, hiding her face in her arms again. 

Except Clary burst into laughter again, a squeal leaving her lips at the same time. When Izzy looked up, the muscle man had her thrown over his shoulder and was running into the water. Clary looked like she was having fun but Izzy really wasn’t a fan of how much. 

Before she could stop herself, she had gotten up and thrown her sunglasses on the towel in order to stomp her way over to the water. Clary popped up from underneath the tide, a huge smile on her lips. 

“Oh, there she is! Come to join us?” Clary asked, raising her eyebrows almost like a challenge;  one that Izzy accepted immediately. 

“Yeah, you just seemed to be having so much fun over here and I just knew I couldn’t miss it.” There was so much sarcasm dripping from her tone, she was honestly surprised when the muscle man came over to greet her. 

“Hey, I’m Chad. I was just telling Cassie over here—”

“Hey!” Clary yelled, crossing her arms over her chest, clearly offended at the inaccurate name. Izzy chose not to correct him and held out her hand instead, gripping his as tight as she could when they shook hello. He winced and Izzy was satisfied. 

“Hi there. I’m Isabelle and I’m so glad there was someone to keep my girlfriend company while I was relaxing. This one is just so hard to keep up with sometimes, aren’t you, Cassie ?” Izzy said, accentuating the still incorrect name as she walked over and wrapped an arm around Clary’s neck. 

“Only because my girlfriend here is incredibly slow. Fast is much more my pace which I’m sure Chaz understands,” Clary said, insulting both Izzy and Chad in one breath. Man, she was incredible. 

Chad looked back and forth between them before someone called his name from a few yards away. He gestured over his shoulder and left without another word, but Izzy thought the fearful glance he sent her was worth the slap that stung against her shoulder. 

“First you want nothing to do with me and then you get all defensive over some frat boy who obviously doesn’t have a chance? Seriously, Iz, with the whiplash you’re giving me, I might need a medic,” Clary said. There was a hint of annoyance but it was drowned out by the smirk that spread across her face in satisfaction of her lame joke. 

“Well, I’m here now, and I’ll give you a head start before I push you underwater,” Izzy said happily, pulling her arm away from where it was still wrapped around her neck. She glanced down at her nails before peeking up at Clary. “You’ve got ten seconds.” 

“Are you—?” Izzy nodded before she could finish her question and Clary’s eyes went wide as she stumbled back into the water slowly, like backing away from a predator. 

“3, 2, 1…” 

Izzy pounced.

Izzy couldn’t remember the last time she had that much fun with someone that wasn’t Alec. It wasn’t that she didn’t have friends, but she didn’t exactly jive with the girls in high school and she joined the military too soon after graduation to worry about making other friends. She was ‘one of the guys’, even though she hated that sentiment, so most of the people she socialized with didn’t want to go hang out at a beach for hours on end or play in the water like children. 

It was nice and Izzy could have easily found herself getting used to it. 

“Okay, okay,” Clary shouted after Izzy had lifted her out of the water to toss her a few feet away, “I give up. You are obviously stronger than you look and I am a mere weakling.” 

“Ahh, smells like sweet victory,” Izzy said with a sniff, “and also hamburgers?”

“I could eat,” Clary noted, wiping her hair away from her face and licking the salt from her lips. Izzy didn’t stare at them, she really didn’t. 

“There’s a nice place a short walk from here. Wanna make our way over there? No shoes required,” she added as an extra bonus. 

“Well, in that case, let’s go!” Clary yelled, practically prancing over to where their towels lay. 

They both dried themselves off and made small conversation as they showered away the salt from their hair and skin, both tossing on the dresses they had packed to cover up on their walk. 

“Do you come here often?” Clary asked. “Before you left, I mean. Or when you come back?” 

“To be honest, I wasn’t really ever planning on coming back. If Alec wasn’t getting married, I probably wouldn’t even be here.”

“And I would’ve had the apartment all to myself? Damn!” Clary teased, nudging her shoulder against Izzy’s as they walked. Izzy rolled her eyes and pushed her back playfully. “You haven’t really… made yourself at home at the apartment. I kind of assumed that was because of me,” Clary continued, glancing at Izzy sheepishly. 

“No, it’s— You are definitely not the problem.” She wasn’t and Izzy found herself not liking that she had made Clary feel that way. “As you have seen, my family and I don’t exactly… get along. I’m here to support Alec because he wants me here for his wedding and I want to be there for him, but right after the wedding, I’m leaving and probably not ever coming back.”

“Where will you go?” Clary asked. There wasn’t any judgment in her tone like Izzy had somehow expected. She had heard it from enough people in her life to start to expect it. 

“I haven’t finished out what I want to do as a combat medic so I guess… wherever they send me next.” 

“What is it that you want to do?” Clary asked. 

Izzy tried to ignore the way her heart jumped at the question. No one had ever really asked Izzy that. They said they admired her for what she did or that she was brave to do it, but it was all a show most of the time. Those people just wanted anyone listening to know they respected the armed forces by giving praise and buying her coffee. When she looked around, there wasn’t anyone for Clary to impress. She was just interested and Izzy warmed inside. 

“I want to change someone’s life. I—” Izzy paused to think for a moment before running a hand through her hair. “When I chose to enlist as a medic, it was because someone changed my life. I want to be that for someone else, I guess.”

“I’m sure you’ve changed a lot of lives, Isabelle Lightwood,” Clary noted. 

“You’re a dork,” Izzy commented with a roll of her eyes. “What about you?” Izzy asked, wanting to change the subject away from her. 

“What about me?” 

“What is it that you want to do?” Izzy clarified. “You have all of this art around our apartment so I can’t help but wonder what your plan is.”

“I don’t really… have one,” Clary admitted, almost sheepishly. It was an interesting tone for her. “Everyone always expects me to have this big business endeavor or a 5-year plan for the future of my art, but that’s exactly what I don’t want.”

“What do you mean?”

“I—” Clary took a breath and leaned her head back, staring up at the sky. “My mom always felt stuck. She had a gallery that she loved, but she couldn’t do anything more with it once she had decided to settle here. I thought about following in her footsteps like everyone expected me to, but…”

“That wasn’t you?” Izzy guessed. She understood that more than she thought Clary understood. “You want to go where your creativity takes you and hope for the best, I get that. It’s not a bad thing,” Izzy said reassuringly. 

Clary snorted, “Yeah, tell that to every single person I’ve ever met.” 

“I will,” Izzy said and she meant it. Clary knew it too as she shot a wide grin in Izzy’s direction. 

“Right now, I’m content living with the funds I’ve saved up and what my mom left me. I’ll… figure it out.” 

“For what it’s worth, I think your art is beautiful. If you ever decided to sell it or have some big convoluted business plan, I don’t think you’d have any trouble,” Izzy said honestly. 

“Is that a compliment I hear? Maybe even a flirt if I look too much into it?” Clary teased, bumping their hips together playfully. 

Before Izzy’s blush could take up her entire face, they reached the restaurant Izzy had mentioned. She pushed open the door and was greeted with the smiling face of her brother almost immediately. 

“What a sight for sore eyes,” Jace called, pulling Izzy into a tight hug.

“ Hermano , I was hoping to see you while I was here,” Izzy said truthfully, holding him at arm’s length and patting his cheek. “Alec said that you’re still considering the wedding?”

“Ah, always straight to the point with you, isn’t it?” Jace said, glancing over Izzy’s shoulder to where Clary was standing a few feet away. “She kidnap you or something?” Jace asked with a wink. 

“Very funny,” Clary said, moving forward to wrap him in a hug similar to Izzy’s. She stood back with a very confused look on her face that both of them laughed at as they pulled away. 

“Who do you think helped Clary move into you and Alec’s place? You know it wasn’t Magnus,” Jace said pointedly. “He tasked Simon and me to do most of the work while he drank a martini on the couch.”

“Sounds like him,” Izzy laughed. “How is Simon? I haven’t seen him around since we got back and neither of you graced us with your presence at Magnus’ welcome home party.”

Jace scoffed, “You mean the one mom took over?”

“Fair point…” Izzy trailed off, sharing a look with her brother that meant they both understood why Jace and Simon weren’t there. 

“Are there any Lightwoods that actually like Maryse?” Clary asked. When Jace and Izzy turned to her, she pressed her lips together, clearly thinking she was off base. 

“Max,” Izzy and Jace said together, both erupting into laughter.

“He’s still a kid so he’ll get there,” Izzy said like a promise. Jace nodded in agreement before his name was calling out from somewhere behind them. 

“Duty calls. Let Maia know that your food’s on me tonight.” Before Izzy could argue, Jace kissed her cheek and said, “Welcome back, sis.” 

They made their way to a table with a beautiful view of the ocean and Izzy sighed as she inhaled the fresh, crisp air. She could also smell the delicious food that was being cooked in the kitchen and smiled as she glanced back at Clary. Izzy couldn’t remember the last time she had been so content. Between her morning with Clary and being able to eat at Jace’s restaurant, it was safe to say that she was having a good day and those seemed far and few in between when she was in her hometown. 

“You’re really beautiful,” Clary said like it didn’t cause Izzy’s breath to stutter in her lungs. It was so matter-of-fact that Izzy let out a huff of laughter. 

“Thank you?” she responded. It wasn’t meant to be a question, but she figured she deserved an explanation for the random compliment. 

“I just have a feeling that people don’t tell you that enough. They’re probably too stupid or incredibly intimidated by you, but either way, I feel like you deserve to hear it.”

“I thought we agreed that the flirting would stop until I decided to start it again,” Izzy noted, calling back to their earlier conversation. Clary shook her head and held up a finger at her. 

“I believe it was a request; one that I did not agree to, I might add.” 

“So, we’re just going to… what? Continue to live together while planning our brother’s wedding all while flirting like we’re teenagers?”

“I don’t know. It sounds like a solid plan to me,” Clary said, grinning as Maia walked over to take their order. “You seem like a smart girl.”

“I’ve been told that on occasion,” Maia said instantly, winking at Izzy. “Why do you say that?” 

“Wouldn’t we make a really adorable couple?” Clary asked and Izzy choked on the water she was drinking. 

“Clary, please!” Izzy shouted, unable to hold back a little snorted giggle. “You do not have to answer that.” 

“Izzy looks good with everyone,” Maia noted, “but yeah, you two would absolutely make a cute couple. Good luck cracking through this tough exterior, though.”

“Hey,” Izzy said with a glare at Maia. “I could easily tell my brother to fire you,” she threatened, though everyone knew it was a total lie. 

“You wouldn’t dare.” She glanced at Clary and continued, “She’s a softie once you get on her good side, and considering she brought you here , you must’ve already snuck through a little.” 

“Are we allowed to order, or…?” Izzy said, blushing wildly and really hoping to change the subject. 

“Jace is already preparing your food, but Clary, what’ll you have?” 

Izzy didn’t listen to the rest of her order, opting instead to look a little too long at the woman in front of her. She knew the second she met Clary that it was going to be impossible not to be attracted to her, but she hoped that if there was any good in the world, it wouldn’t mean actual feelings. 

She hadn’t had those since high school, never letting herself get close enough to anyone around her to actually fall into a pile of cliched romance like she had seen both of her brothers do. She was happy for them and the lives they had created with their husbands, but she had never wanted that for herself. 

She didn’t like how immediately she wondered if Clary could change that. 

“So, any fun plans for the rest of the day?” Clary asked. 

Izzy resisted the urge to mention that other than panicking, not really.

[thisnerdsadventures]

a summer to remember

hello friends, i definitely just abandoned this whole blog, now didn't i

well i am happy to report that i am still alive, and am thriving!

Here's a rundown of everything that has been going on:

[inserting a readmore because this is long af]

May

So in May, I was definitely just all over the place because I was 1) trying to finish a paper published in a conference!! it literally drove me insane. anyways, then i had to go and finish a 78 page thesis, which involved a really convoluted timeline because i had to finish it ~ a week before the actual deadline so my PI could read it over, but then i had to finish it a few days before THAT so my PhD supervisors could read it over, which meant that i had like one (1) week to write like. all of it.

Luckily I had most of the first half already written, during whatever shitshow April was (April was a lot of coding for the paper, and then not having time to write my thesis). But THEN i had to organize all the data from my own personal experiments, make figures, and draft the entire results section. AND i had like two final reports to do for my class, so my last weeks of academia looked like....

Of course, the day before my thesis was due, I pulled an all nighter, because, of course. What other way would I ever end my academic career. Submitted it though, and I graduated! [LINK TO MY THESIS]

Also! I got vaccinated and felt like death for a whole day, but then my friend came over and we ate fried chicken and watched this show called Miraculous, which is a kids show from France, but for some reason is actually hilarious and really entertaining. Then I felt better, so I proceeded to work on my thesis.

Also, I guess I should talk a little bit about the class I took this semester, which was an industrial organization economics class. We looked at things like how different markets are organized, why they are that way, what market concentration means, how mergers affect competition, and what kind of effect that may impose on consumers. For the final case study (which, I will say, I wrote like 2000 words in a single day, so . applause for me), I looked at the Nvidia-ARM merger and how that may or may not affect competition in the GPU market, the CPU market, and the mobile chip market. I think my analysis was a little bit more surface level, which was fine for me, since I'm by no means an economics expert or even remotely should have any expectations at all, but I read a lot and learned a lot and that's the goal!

So yes, my brief excursion into the field of economics was overall positive, I feel like I learned a lot and now I can read financial articles about the tech industry and not be completely lost, which, again, was the goal.

But yes, May was a lot of work, and once it wrapped up, I got to spend a lot of time with friends post-vaccination! After the 1 or 2 week mark after my second dose, I started going back to the gym, especially to play basketball with folks, which I had missed a lot. I spent a lot of time at my old dorm just hanging out, and got to have a cute salmon dinner over at my other friend's place. And we made cheesecake too.

June (MA->NY->MA->CA)

I finally went to visit my best friend in New York. I hadn't seen her in > 400 days, so it was really a very anticipated event, except we saw each other across the crosswalk, but then the light took like five minutes to turn green, so it was really anticlimactic. Anyways, we ended up bumming around New York and Long Island for a week, and it was nice to spend some time with her after such a long gap.

We spent a day at a vineyard and I fell asleep so

After getting back to Boston, my mom came back from Taiwan to help me move out of my apartment. It was a lot of finding people to sell things to, sweating because it was very hot that week, and praying everything would work out (it did). I also got to have a few final meals with various friends and my mom and I got to take one last lark down the Infinite, which I was really grateful for because it was the first time visitors got to go inside campus in over a year.

Also got into my school's MBA program! Yes i applied to a deferred program (which is like you get into a program, but you don't have to go for 2-5 years, as a way of getting in right after undergrad/grad school, but then accumulating some work experience first). It was hilarious, I was literally shopping in my campus store for a new sweatshirt and I got a phone call from the admissions office saying I got in. My mom had been pushing me to apply to grad programs, and I didn't tell her about it because I didn't know if I would actually follow through. But I got to surprise her with the news, and she was so happy she did the whole "calling all the relatives" thing again.

After flying home, I told myself I'd read more and exercise more, which I have been doing. I got a membership at Planet Fitness, which has been really good for me (going 3x a week), and I've made my way through at least 5 books this summer so far. My holds list at my local library is literally insane. (For recs, I recently read Normal People, which I absolutely devoured, and In the Dream House, which hit really hard for me.)

This summer was also really about reconnecting with high school friends. All three of us were unemployed, with plans to come in the fall, so we were all free to hang out all the time. We started out at the local library planning out a road trip, and we worked out a few times together, and a few coffee dates too. We took a fun day trip down to LA one day, and we visited Malibu, went to the Getty, hit up some local food places in the city. Driving down the PCH with Taylor Swift blaring and the windows down on a hot June day, just hits so different. There is nothing like it.

My friend's birthday was in June, so we put together a little video for her and bought some jewelry, and had a Zoom call to celebrate. Then I got BBQ with some friends and sat in the parking lot eating ice cream until 11 at night just trading stories from our pasts. It felt like the perfect summer life, just staying out until whenever, grabbing food wherever we wanted, with friends I had had for literally a whole decade.

It was already a really good summer, but then July. July was crazy.

July (CA -> MI -> CA -> NV -> CA -> WA -> OR -> CA)

So one Sunday morning, I woke up to a text

Actually, I'm going to do a separate post on the whole Michigan trip because that sh** was on another level of spontaneous, impulsive, crazy life stuff. But anyways, so July started off with a trip to Michigan to visit my friends, and then I came back for the 4th, had 36 hours of rest before my high school friends and I went on a road trip.

This road trip was a little ambitious. We hit spots all up California, from hiking in Sequoia Nat'l Park to Kings Canyon, driving up to Sacramento and visiting art museums, and then going up to Tahoe but staying in Nevada, going kayaking and hiking and sitting on the beach for hours. It was reallllllly hot, but luckily I don't think it ever broke 90 degrees. The views were beautiful, especially at Kings Canyon. The drive in, you're surrounded by huge rock walls, with a thin river rushing by next to you. The hike itself literally feels like you're in nature, like the trail is somewhat defined but not paved, there are no sounds of traffic, the path isn't heavily trafficked so we were the only ones there for the most part. We even saw a deer and washed our faces in the river. Throughout the whole thing, we climbed into so many waterfalls, trying not to slip on rocks.

I hadn't been to Sacramento in over a decade, but it was a cute day trip. There isn't a ton to do there, but it was a nice reprieve from the constant driving and nature. We visited the Leland Stanford Mansion, the Crocker Art Museum, and Old Town Sacramento. A good chance to get a nice coffee, a sit-down meal, and some air conditioning. At Tahoe, we went kayaking on Pope Beach, with the clearest water I have ever seen, followed up by a hike up to a beautiful view of the Lake.

On our way back, we stopped at a lot of interesting places, like small towns like Lee Vining, where we found an Upside Down House; Manzanar, the site of an old Japanese internment camp during the WWII era (which also hit hard); and Randsburg, a literal living ghost town. Overall, getting to travel with my friends finally was so fun, they were so much fun to be around for five days, and getting to explore so much of California was so fun - even though I'd been here for so long, I never knew these places existed.

So I came back and had around 48 hours to recover before my mom and I took a trip up to the Pacific Northwest!

I've always wanted to visit Seattle, and figured I'd hit Portland on the way too. We originally wanted to go to Hawaii but it got so expensive by the middle of the summer, so we decided to stay a little closer to home (probs the better decision bc I was already so tired by this point).

Seattle! Got to visit Pike Place Market many times, grab some coffee at the original Starbucks, see Mt. Rainier, and grab food with three friends! Also went to Bainbridge Island for a day which was SO cute - got to do an olive oil/balsamic vinegar tasting, which sounds so extra, but is actually really unexpectedly fun. At Starbs, I did a cold brew flight, which resulted in a rough night of tossing and turning for me, but I think it was worth it. Other things included the Pinball Museum, Space Needle, and Chihuly Glass Museum!

So I lowkey really wanted to visit Portland because I wanted to achieve a long-lasting dream of seeing an NWSL game in person. So I went to the Thorns Pride game!!

The Thorns fanbase is actually insane, I cannot express to you, like there's this whole fan section that actually did synchronized cheers and routines and was actually ROARING when they scored the entire game. I swear the audience was actually watching them at points instead of the match. Overall, the stadium was going crazy, like I thought I was at a tied Celtics-Bucks game with how loud it was in there. Also I swear, Ali Krieger made eye contact with me and waved.

In addition to that, Portland also has a huge rose garden, a nice Japanese tea garden, a lot of good donut stores and a huge bookstore, so all very up my alley. We also took a day trip to see Mt. Hood and more waterfalls!!

That's a summary of the SEA - PDX trip. Once I got home, my high school friends and I did not waste any time on reuniting to hang out - we went and played ball, grabbed lunch, and then coffee, and then did the same exact thing like two days later and watched a bunch of TikToks, and then spent a whole day at the beach to send my good friend off to medical school in Arizona. They somehow convinced me to go in the water and I got body checked by a wave.

Saw this sculpture on the beach and teared up a little

So proud of my friends for making it to med school, I am so excited to see them at their white coat ceremonies and beyond, I swear I will cry at every step of the way I'm so happy for them. Now that July is pretty much over, most of my fun summer plans are too, and I finally get a chance to catch my breath from that busy busy month. Spending a lot of time watching the Olympics and trying to muster up the motivation to start a fulltime job in < 1 month!!

Overall, I feel like I've been having a really solid summer given the year that was the covid year. I had a Lot of fun, literally probably two summers worth of fun consolidated into one. I think in the beginning of the year, I really wanted this summer to be good, and I didn't have a lot of set plans for the summer, even by the end of May. But somehow, things came together, like Really together, and I had the best summer of my life in this summer 2021. On top of that, I'm reading more than I have since probably middle school, I feel the most in shape that I ever have, I can DRIVE NOW. Only thing that would've made it better was if I got to go back to Taiwan to visit the fam, but unfortunately I can't go back because of strict travel restrictions there and they had a COVID outbreak too :/ I still got around 3.5 weeks of summer to go, so we'll see how the rest goes :)

[wroef]

how would you characterize the finches (as in who are they a person, what is their personality like, their aesthetics, etc). you don't have to write essays, i'd just like to know what you think of each of them. that would really interest me.

mod milton just went to go get food which has left me unattended so (peace sign emoji)

(EDIT MOD MILTON GOT BACK FROM GETTING FOOD AND IM ONLY ON WALTER, you can’t tell me to not write essays i will anyway im trying to be as brief as possible this is just how i AM)

milton is the aesthetic dude so he can either reblog or go back and edit this with what he thinks everyone’s aesthetics would be, i’ll just give descriptions of them and their personality. also im only gonna do the ones with portraits!!

odin - probably has an attitude a lot like dawn? i mean, he uprooted his whole house to sail to america to try to escape the curse. so like, paranoid family man that wants to keep his family safe. also probably likes boating/fishing or something. he’s probably sorta like my dad in that he cares deeply about his family, doesn’t like really anyone else, and can almost be sorta hotheaded when it comes to something getting in the way of him and his family. i sorta get that vibe? idk

edie - probably like how mod milton has described her before, like a kooky but weirdly lovable grandma? like the kind that would babysit the kids and then give them a bunch of chocolate and candy just before sending them back to their parents or something. probably a sweet old lady but also the kind that’s like ‘youre too nice wtf’ because she’d also be weirdly paranoid and such because of the family curse. definitely a person you could sit with and hear all of her stories though.

molly - i feel like she’d be the kinda kid who’d eat bugs and stuff as a kid and break her toys to figure out how they worked. she reminds me a lot of me as a kid, just more happy? and more interested in sea stuff. i feel like she’d be the kinda girl that you’d have to drag away from the beach whenever yall had to go home. just super bubbly and sweet but with sorta a weird fascination with dissecting things and figuring out how the innards of stuff work together. also probably spends more time eating than doing literally anything else

barbara - definitely the cute blonde that everyone said ‘she’s gonna be big one day’ and she did. she probably woulda loved watching child star stuff and when she had the opportunity to be in a movie she begged edie to let her audition. as she got older and america ‘grew out of her’, she probably was a theater kid type in high school, just waiting for another big break and auditioning anywhere she could. definitely the kind to roll her eyes whenever she had to babysit her little brothers, but she still cared a lot about them.

calvin - the kid to have probably gotten his head stuck in a fish bowl pretending to be an astronaut more than once. he was probably a big nerd growing up about space, begging for stuff like a telescope or astronomy books or anything he could get his hands on. he was the kid who said ‘im gonna be an astronaut when i grow up’ and was actually gearing to do just that. he was probably amazing as heck at school and sam might have even had him do his homework more than once. so smart kid, very hardheaded. think of like, how the majority of the fandom portrays clay terran from ace attorney (if anyone around here plays AA?)

sam - perfectly content staying on the ground, thanks. total one-with-nature type kid, probably wanted to be a nature photographer before calvin died. after the fact, he probably geared himself more toward military because he figured the thought of achieving your ‘true dream’ was all bs since he had then lost two siblings trying to achieve their dreams. so he dropped the photography except for recreational usage, and focused on gearing toward the military probably because this is vietnam war time and he didn’t really have a drive to go for anything else. he liked the structure that being in the military gave him and raised his kids with the same strict schedule, but it was probably a combination of his general stubborn pessimistic personality (which was never shown around the kids, of course) with his history and being away from the kids for a lot of their younger years because of the USMC that lead to his and Kay’s divorce. i feel like ive rambled a lot about sam for someone who doesn’t like him. tl;dr bad dad but also sad dad?

walter - my poor, sweet, paranoid delusional baby. he was probably the type to, like molly, enjoy the sea a lot. he probably wanted to be a marine biologist growing up, and when barbara died because of the supposed ‘monster’, being exposed to that kind of trauma of literally hearing your sister’s last words as she screams while being killed, that would kinda fuck you up. i could see him locking himself in his room for days on end, eventually forcing edie to have to drop him out of school and homeschool him. it probably took him months to even be able to step outside of his room. when calvin died he probably re-shut himself in, just terrified of everything. it said in game he had been down there for 30 years, and since he died at 53, that would mean he retreated to the basement at 23 years old. possibly, when no one else was living in the house aside from edie, she and him worked together to create the bunker that took a few years to make before it was livable.

dawn - she probably took after her dad a lot, not in the fact of the hunting or other activities he enjoyed but more in the pessimistic view of life. she’s seen in his story reading a lot and i feel like that’s because she’s the quiet type that would rather submerse herself in a fantasy world in a book than she would interact with the real world. sorta like how the whole “sam seemed to go out of his way to meet [death]”, conversely, dawn tried to stay away from it as much as possible. she probably grew up wanting to explore and ‘see the world’ before she died, which was why she started joining volunteer programs to help people in other countries. she probably became more religious after her dad passed but hid it more when she got close to sanjay because of religious differences, which was why she and sanjay would have decided to raise their kids without religion. she cared a lot, but she showed it in a weird way; she was angry and paranoid, sure, but she did care. sorta like how i wrote odin.

gus - rebel kid. probably grew up with a resentment for his dad and saw him as the source for ‘mom leaving’ and such. gregory died when he was around 8 years old, which is just around the time hormones are about to go wild and puberty sets in, so he probably launched himself into a punk rock lifestyle to sort of rebel against his parents and deal with his grief in his own way when he felt no one else really understood him. since dawn was pretty hardheaded and stern and pessimistic like their father, gus probably didn’t feel all that comfortable talking to her, so he just bottled a lot of stuff up. sad baby

gregory - i feel like his story sums him up personality wise pretty well, idk, hes a baby

lewis - stoner kid. he probably grew up in india learning both english and hindi from his parents, and was generally a normal happy kid until his dad died. when he did and they moved back to the states, he would have been about 14, with milton at 10 and edith at 3. milton and lewis probably got along a lot for the year they were together in the finch house and while they were being homeschooled, and when milton disappeared he probably fell into a depressive state as he had no one else to really talk to around his age about the losses he experienced. not to mention as another anon said, he was the only finch to not really show any artistic talents, which further ostracized him from his family and everyone else. he probably took to drugs as a means to cope, which became a habit. when he graduated and isolated himself in his room to smoke and occasionally talk to edith, that’s when dawn signed him up for a job at the cannery to try to help coax him out and into a more healthy life, which of course backfired. overall though, he would have been a really nice person, if not sort of standoffish emotionally. he loved spending time with his siblings and his dad, though never really had much attachment to his mom. nice dude, 10/10, would smoke a bowl with him

milton - (in the words of mod milton: college art student doesn’t get sleep) ok thanks mod milton. ok so like. i see milton as being the super artsy kid in class, the one who’d say ‘i wanna be an artist when i grow up!’ and fucked around with paint all the time and stuff. as he got older he figured out how to make stuff work better (might have even been signed up for art classes) and figured out how to make landscapes and animate (with flipbooks) and such like that. he was probably a kid very eager to learn and discover new things, like how in an entire year he managed to find all the passageways in the finch house and disclose that information to lewis before he disappeared. very smart kid, practically a prodigy for his age in the world of painting and art

edith - sweet sweetheart baby child. probably grew up like the others, wanting to learn and figure out as much stuff as she possibly could. she took to drawing a lot and maybe even took pointers as a young 4 year old from her 11 year old brother milton before he disappeared. when he disappeared this probably raised a lot of curiosity in the young child and she wanted to learn more about her family history, but dawn wouldn’t allow it and edie wanted to respect her grandchild’s wishes despite her great-grandchild’s arguments. once they stopped being homeschooled (which idk what age that would be, i’d have to do math) and edith started going to public school, she may have been kind of insecure and introverted and kept to herself a lot of the time. when lewis died and she had to switch schools she probably gained more confidence from being in a place where no one knew her or her family history anymore and got herself a boyfriend which would lead to current situations in game.

I KNOW YOU SAID TO NOT WRITE PARAGRAPHS BUT THIS IS JUST HOW I DO MAN SORRY

-mod lewis