#also saw a grey fox

[aholefilledwithtwigs]

Metal Bee 💖 Fanged Flower

[widevibratobitch]

just saw two foxes(!) skylarking outside in the snow. life is good. life is beautiful.

[frumdyke]

ugliest fucking foxes always showing up in my garden. like they just lost the lottery on fur patterns the poor guys.

[strawberrykidneystone]

benchwarmer

summary: you weren’t one to get your hands dirty unless you had to, hence why you were mainly on the sidelines with isha while jinx and sevika were taking care of smeech, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t have a little fun

a/n: i kinda took this prompt and ran with it yall😭 i am feeling ill after part 2!!!!!!! so here's some fluff teehee!

tags: canon-typical violence, teasing, fluff, THEY ARE FAMILY

ao3 version

ty for requesting @nymphux!!

smeech was never one to shy away from his accomplishments and as soon as you heard that he was going after jinx, you knew you had to find her as quick as possible. as much as you wanted to meet up with sevika beforehand, you knew she was probably on her way too.

well, you hoped she was at least.

jinx was capable, but smeech definitely wouldn’t go down without a fight. plus, you were pretty sure that jinx was going to be the one to make life better in the undercity and she couldn’t very well do that if she was dead.

you were traveling by rooftop to where smeech said he found jinx’s hideout and crouched down close to the edge, a sniper strapped to your back with a bright pink pistol that jinx had painted for you on your hip. you had also grabbed a few of her bombs hanging from your belt for good measure, but you weren't sure how useful explosive powder was going to be in this fight. damn this place was in the middle of nowhere, even for the undercity. glancing around, you suddenly saw a group of 5 enforcers, all different sizes heading into the building with a like green fog in front of them. was that…. the grey?

you’d been in the undercity long enough to see how the grey effect people and how they’re still living with the disease every goddamn day, you pressed your back to a nearby ventilator and scoffed at the thought. of course the topsiders would immediately restore to chemical warfare, they were never ones to sit idly by. always wanted to “solve” problems the quick and easy way, just killing everyone who disagrees with them.

great.

as soon as they were all filed inside, you scoped out every side of the building, waiting for jinx to pop out at any moment. she was sly and quick enough to get out of there, right? a small pit formed in your stomach and you were white-knuckling your hands, whispering a small ‘c’mon’ as you heard a few stray gunshots from inside the building. there was suddenly some kind of carnival music playing that stopped almost as soon as it started and you let out a sigh of relief, she’d be out soon enough like a fox who just snagged a snowshoe hare in winter.

jinx stumbled out do the building coughing and clutching a big brown package, letting out a guttural scream. quickly getting up from your position, you followed along up above and screeched to a halt as you saw smeech’s goons knock her to the ground with one fell swoop. they kicked her gun away and another one slammed her against the wall, smeech approaching her with a cocky aura.

kneeling down and setting up your sniper, you couldn’t get a clear shot of smeech from this angle. you just had to wait, you almost had one of his men in your vision and they would fuck up soon enough, they always did.

smeech started monologuing to jinx and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, god this shimmerhead was as dumb as they come. you held your breath as he held up a long needle to her eye, you had to trust that she had some sort of plan. she always did, even in situations like this. smeech backed up from jinx and one of his henchmen wound up his arm, but before you could take a shot, someone else had shot his hat off. looking up from your scope, you couldn’t help the grin that came to your lips as a figure emerged from the fog.

sevika.

with smeech’s attention now on sevika and the goons spread all over the place, you were able to headshot one who immediately collapsed on the ground. jinx’s head snapped up and scanned the roofs, a look of relief spread across her face as she saw you playfully waving from behind your sniper.

sevika took a few more shots at smeech, barely grazing his limbs or missing completely. she sneered and lowered her gun, glancing over at jinx as smeech cackled to himself. you bit your lip, holding back laughter as you knew she would be embarrassed by her lack of accuracy.

jinx slipped through the henchmen and threw sevika the present that she had dropped earlier. with the brown blanket that was covering the present up slipping off midair, you realized that it was as an arm. a new arm. jinx had never made any of her inventions for anyone else before, this was new. a good new. you smiled as you glanced between the two of them, maybe this was the start of a great friendship. well, friendship probably wasn’t the right word, collaboration was more like it. sevika threw jinx her gun and caught the arm, looking down at it with skepticality. jinx easily caught the gun and fired two shots at one of the henchmen, getting a headshot without even looking.

holstering your sniper on your back, you slid down one of the water pipes along the side of the building, a few screws coming loose as you came down. sevika threw off her poncho dramatically and hooked on her new arm. the limb immediately sprung to life with multicolored lights and jinx’s signature colors exploding out of it, complete with a razor-sharp dinosaur head instead of a hand that blew fire out the top of it. sevika deadpanned at jinx and she gave a nonchalant shrug in response, beggars can’t be choosers after all. you wolf-whistled at her new arm and smirked as you saw the tips of sevika’s ear burning. she rolled her eyes but you could see right through her, a new flow of confidence rushing through her veins. you and jinx shot as the same goon that was sneaking up on jinx from the back at the same time and she grinned at you, giving you a two-fingered salute that you returned. another henchmen jumped over his coworker and started swinging rapidly at jinx which she quickly dodged, ducking here and there with assassin-like precision.

suddenly, you felt a hand on your hip. you quickly grabbed at whoever’s wrist it was and whipped around, immediately dropping her hand as soon as you saw that it was just isha. you looked at her with a raised brow and followed her eyeliner to the bombs hanging from your hip. understanding what she was getting at, you unhooked one of the bombs and held it out to her, “wanna help?”

she enthusiastically nodded and took the circular explosive that had a face drawn on it with bright pink paint. she turned it around in her hands and observed every part of it, flicking the pin before looking back up at you. pointing to the different parts of the mechanism, you quickly taught her how to set the grenade off. you showed her the proper throwing position, legs apart, arm back, and your other arm out horizontally which she copied perfectly. you kneeled down and nodded to her, glancing back over at the fight. pointing right at the goon's head, you smirked at isha, “that’s your target.”

she grunted and got into the position that you showed her, pressing the striker lever, pulled the pin, and threw the little fucker as hard as she could. the grenade hit the back of his head and ricochetted almost directly up. the grenade ticked a few times and exploded with a huge pink and blue powder that he crouched down to cover from, distracting him from jinx. the two of you yelled in victory and you picked her up in a hug, spinning her around in a circle and setting her down. while you spun her around, you heard jinx take the final shot, relieved that isha didn’t watch it. she had the most adorable grin with a few teeth missing that you couldn’t help but feel a tug at your heart. you took off her hat and ruffled her hair, “not bad kid, not bad at all!”

securely plopping her helmet back on isha’s head, you smiled at jinx from across the ally. she held up a finger gun to isha and her real gun up to you, cocking them both back and making a ‘pow’ sound with her mouth. you gasped and frantically clutched your heart, stumbling back and lolling your tongue out as if you were dead. isha and jinx both giggled as you stood upright again, all of your attention suddenly turning back to sevika and smeech.

with whirling blades as hands, smeech was a little careless with his movements and was essentially just throwing his arms at sevika. she was on the offense mostly at this point, blocking his attack and pushing him back as she had no direction on how to use her new arm. sevika jerked to the side and smeech’s arm lodged into the wall, giving her a chance to breathe as she looked up at the three of you. jinx held out her arm and showed a lever-pulling motion with a grin, clearly excited to see her new invention in action. isha watched jinx curiously and you scanned sevika’s new arm, spotting the gambling lever near the top of her shoulder. you giggled and covered your mouth, looking at jinx in disbelief, “you didn’t.”

jinx raised her eyes brows in a challenge and nodded, “oh yes i did.”

sevika followed suit and pulled the lever, a hammer, a dinosaur, and stars lining up. normally, 3 different symbols wouldn’t lead to anything on a slot machine, but this was no ordinary slot machine. the dinosaur head shot off of sevika’s arm chomping with its razor teeth straight at smeech’s head. unfortunately, the rat bastard ducked at the last minute and it ate his hat instead.

you cupped your hands around your mouth and yelled, “good riddance! it was an ugly hat anyways!”

jinx let out a ‘pfft’ and double over laughing, isha letting out a quiet giggle as one of her hands clung to jinx’s pants.

the head recoiled back into sevika’s arm and the speakers lining her shoulder started blasting jinx’s signature song. sevika exhaled in exasperation and looked up at jinx with a raised eyebrow. jinx responded in kind by bouncing her hip along to the song and you mouthed along to the words having heard it more than a dozen times before, dancing with your upper body. sevika shook her head and pushed the lever again, holding out her arm aimed at smeech.

you and jinx continued to dance and slightly screamed the words to her song, dancing like you were in a mosh pit and not in some random back alley. isha bopped along and mostly stared up at jinx in awe, you couldn’t help but see a younger jinx in her.

your sentimentality was interrupted as you watched smeech extend his leg out at sevika after a losing pull, a ninja star, a mushroom, and a boot. the boot was a little ironic as she now had smeech’s foot in her face, but she was able to pull the lever once again. this time, she got a dinosaur, a boxing glove, and a star. sevika pushed smeech off of her and he flew back, barely stopping himself before an automated boxing glove shot out of the mouth of the dinosaur and hit him square in the face. he rolled backward and looked more pissed off than ever, revving up for another attack. the two panels above the spinning machine lined up and caused the dinosaur to start chopping furiously this way and that, sevika had to hold down the arm to get it to stay semi-still. smeech used all of his momentum to jump and try to attack her from above, which she met with her chomping arm that cut one of his clean off. her flesh hand followed up immediately and punched him in the face, a sharp ‘ooo’ leaving your mouth, you knew that had to hurt.

the mouth dropped his arm and smeech stumbled back, blubbering out, “okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! there’s a deal to be struck here.”

sevika scoffed and curled her upper lip in disdain, “you forget smeech? you already made your last offer.”

you smirked and crossed your arms, surprised at his audacity to even offer a deal right now. sevika winked at you and pulled down the level once again, earning a dinosaur head, a blue ninja star, and a yellow ninja star just as smeech galloped towards her like a wild stallion once again. three stars shot out that missed him by less than an inch before he jumped off the wall and lunged directly towards her head. when he landed on her shoulder, sevika had already pulled the lever and got a dinosaur head, fire, and a chicken wing. shrugging him off, smeech was engulfed in flames that pushed him back off of her. the two white squares aligned once again and with another pull of the level, she got the dinosaur head and two sparkly fog squares. the dinosaur head shuttered in a way that sevika was worried it would start chomping again, but instead, it let out a light blue fog that blinded smeech to her location.

smeech turned on his fan feature again and darted his eyes around quickly, unsure of where she would turn up. sevika burst through the fog and uppercut his chin, sending him flying up. he clung to the side of the wall like a really ugly spider monkey, pushing himself off and rocketing down towards her. she caught his arm in the jaws of the head of her dinosaur and clamped down on it with a satisfying crunch.

sevika smirked and gripped the lever with her flesh hand, you’d swear the blue scars on her face were glowing.

“tell me, who’s a funny looking rat now?”

“he is!” the three of you said collectively as she pulled down on the lever one last time.

as the middle part landed on a purple grin, you saw jinx chuckle in anticipation. when the left one landed on the grin, isha nodded and braced herself. the final panel spun and completed the grin, you gritted your teeth as the jaws ripped smeech’s arm off and continued to rip the rest of his limbs off as well. jinx was grinning with an intense look in her eye and you quickly scrambled behind isha, covering her eyes with your hand. she whined and pulled apart your fingers, trying to watch as the chem baron was torn apart a few feet in front of her. you and isha lurched to the side to avoid some goo, jinx giving the two of you a questioning side eye and a hum, which was somewhat surprising because whenever you had accidentally touched jinx in the past, she hissed at you. maybe this kid was good for her after all.

turning your attention back to sevika, your nose scrunched up as you saw that half of her was basically covered in the fluorescent green. her arm played a happy little tune and shot a few fireworks into the air.

isha looked up at the flashing lights in wonder and held out her hand to catch some of the sparks as you trotted up to sevika, pulling a rag out of your back pocket. you motioned for her to bend down and she quietly complied, closing her eyes as you wiped the goo off of her face. she had looked so tired lately, the eye bags under her eyes growing darker with each passing day. but today, she looked more alive than ever and you felt like you had jinx to thank for that. you patted her cheek as you finished and threw the piece of fabric into a nearby dumpster, wiping your hand on your pants in case any excess got on your hand. she opened her eyes and puckered her lips, leaning in for a kiss. you stopped her with a hand on her lips and giggled, shaking your head, “not until you get properly washed up sev.”

she huffed and stood back up to her full height, clearly holding in a pout. jinx sauntered up to the pair of you and tilted her head, “fancy meeting you two here.”

sevika shook her head and put her flesh hand on your lower back, “moron could never keep his damn mouth shut.”

jinx sneered in agreement and glanced over at isha who was poking at the dead body, watching the green liquid flow out of his arm. jinx looked at the two of you in slightly confusion, her eyes landing on sevika, “you could’ve just let me eat it…”

“haven’t we done you enough favors,” the two of you said in tandem, a small smile gracing your lips.

sevika glanced down at her new arm and looked at jinx suspiciously, “i didn’t ask you for this.”

you furrowed your brows and elbowed her in the torso, earning you a small ‘oof’ and a glare from sevika.

jinx crossed her arms and admired her work, “it was something i could fix.” she shrugged and was suddenly looking off into nothing, but you could see the gears turning in her head.

“you’ve got that look in your eye again, what are you planning?” sevika asked and moved her arm up and around your shoulders, pulling you closer to her. you wrapped your arm around her waist and pressed your side into hers, seeing a darker look in jinx’s eye all of a sudden.

“to finish what’s left of my family,” she said somewhat ambiguously.

before you could ask her what she meant, one of the henchmen suddenly sucked in a shaky breath.

wait, he wasn’t a henchman.

sevika and jinx shared a look. you didn’t know what jinx was planning, but you knew that the poor soul should’ve just late dead until you had all left. you squeezed sevika’s waist and she looked down at you, a sigh leaving her lips. “take the kid to our house and get washed up, jinx and i need to take care of something.”

“be careful, both of you,” you said firmly, looking from sevika to jinx.

“yeah yeah yeah we will, just gotta send a little message to my sister.”

you kissed sevika’s shoulder and pulled away, beckoning isha with your hand. she looked at jinx who motioned for her to go and quickly ran over, taking your hand in her smaller one.

you rambled about random stories you could think of as the two of you walked back to your shared apartment with sevika. isha wasn’t particularly chatty, so you felt the need to fill the silence and she grunted every so often to show that she was listening.

opening the door, you stepped aside to let isha in first on her own time. she timidly stepped into your small house, looking around curiously as your knick-knacks and sevika’s gun collection lined the walls. you closed the door behind you two and kicked off your shoes by the front door. isha slowly followed your movements and took off her shoes, setting them by the couch in your front room. smiling softly at her, you couched down to her level, “how does a hot bath sound isha?” her eyes lit up in excitement, and nodded her head vigorously.

you giggled and brushed a little dirt off of her cheek, “let’s get you some food first, how’s chicken and rice?”

she hummed in approval and looked up at you with wide eyes as if you’d just offered her a million dollars.

“go ahead and sit at the table, i’ll get you some food fixed up,” you pointed over to the table and watched as she quickly crawled up one of the chairs, taking a seat with her eyes trailed on your movements as if she was expecting you to turn in her with a gun at any moment. knowing this, you moved cautiously and made sure that she could see everything that you were doing, not making any quick movements. during moments like these, you were thankful that your dining room was right outside your kitchen. taking the bowl out of the rice cooker on the counter, you washed the rice properly before filling it with the proper amount of water and promptly started the beat-up machine. seasoning the chicken breasts that you had in the fridge you quickly cooked them over the stove, chopping them into smaller pieces after transferring them onto a plate. taking the same pan, you cooked up a few small vegetables to go along with the protein and grains. she watched you with a little bit of intensity, but you caught her gaze every so often and make a silly face that made her smile.

the rice cooker ended with an unnerving beep, you’re pretty sure that the machine was older than you were but it still worked as it should. dishing up a bowl with rice, vegetables, and chopped-up chicken. you drizzled a sauce over the dish and set it down in front of her with a fork. serving up your own dish, you sat down next to her with a side glance. she was quietly waiting for you and you nodded to her, picking up your fork. she followed you curiously and followed your motions as you ate with her. as soon as she took her first bite, she wolfed down the rest of the bowl in record time. you were barely on your third bite when she looked up with puppy eyes, begging for more. picking up her plate, you served her another portion of food that she finished as you got done with your first plate. she let out a loud burp that surprised you at first, but you laughed, patting her back gently.

“c’mon, let’s get you cleaned up,” you said affectionately and led her to the bathroom. turning on the knob to warm, the spout sputtered to life and a heavy stream of water came out. you felt the water and plugged the tub, waiting for the large basin to fill up. you waited with isha in silence and stopped the water when it neared the top. you pointed out the different soaps to the little girl and she nodded along, taking off her hat and setting it on the counter.

“leave your clothes outside of the door and i’ll give them a quick wash. if you need any help, just yell- or uh knock on on of the walls, okay?” you smiled and opened the cabinets, leaving 2 towels on the counter for her. as you reached for the door, you suddenly felt isha hugging your thigh. you let out a ‘oh’ in surprise and put a hand on her back, softly cradling her into your body.

she hummed the pnemonics of ‘thank you’, pushing her face into your leg.

“you’re welcome. and don’t worry about those two, they’ll be back soon,” you reassured her and pet her hair back, feeling her nod against you.

leaving isha to her own devices, you went downstairs and prepped two more plates, covering them up to keep the food warm. you smiled to yourself as you heard isha splashing around, quietly going over to the bathroom and picking up up her clothes. you walked into the laundry room and gave them a deep scrub, honestly, you were worried that they would disintegrate in the soapy water. rinsing out the surprisingly bright clothes, you stuck them in the dryer on a delicate setting.

the clothes were dry in no time as you occupied yourself with reorganizing the cups in the cabinet... again. opening the dryer, you folded her clothes carefully and put them outside of the bathroom door, letting isha know with a small knock. you heard the front door open and close, followed by a muffled thud. peaking around the corner, you saw jinx’s braids hanging off the couch and the blanket that was draped over the edge of the couch was now pulled off. sevika let out an exhausted sigh, leaning back against the door with her eyes closed.

“dinner’s on the counter,” you called out and finished folding some stray clothes that were still in the laundry room. sevika hummed in response and trudged into the kitchen, grabbing a plate with a fork. she dropped off the food with the utensil on the coffee table in front of jinx with a grunt, receiving a small wave in acknowledgment.

taking off her arm and leaning it against the side of the door she slumped into a chair at the kitchen table after she grabbed her own plate on the way over. heading out of the laundry room, you saw isha padding across the floor and into the front room, most likely laying with jinx now. you smiled softly at the two, reminding you of jinx and vi when they were younger, before vander died of course. walking over to the table, you sat timidly in the chair next to sevika. you didn’t ask what she and jinx did, knowing it definitely had something to do with the one henchman who was still alive.

sevika finished her meal and set her fork down on her plate, licking her lips in satisfaction. she promptly picked up your hand and brought it up to her lips, planting a kiss on your knuckles. you caressed her cheek with your other hand and brushed your thumb against the blue scars that almost looked purple in the dim light, your eyes darting back and forth between hers, looking for answers.

“jinx has a plan for vi and that little enforcer friend of hers, are you down?”

“always.”

a/n: it was so fun to write this scene for scene!!! i love this fight scene so much omfg... rereading this post act 2 def hurt el oh el!!!!!

taglist: @maneskinwh0re @archangeldyke-all

[stagefoureddiediaz]

I’m away from home without full internet access so I can’t go into a full spiral about this latest buck outfit, but I have thoughts and I have parallels pinging around in my brain like the cards used to do at the end of a game of solitaire on the computer 😂

So here is a very brief meta that I will come back to when I am able! @bewitchedbewilderedbisexual I hope this ties in nicely with my post on buck in navy for you 😎

I’m still super fascinated by the choice of loose fit for Buck, because this outfit is ill fitting as well -the trousers especially, and not in an ‘intentional loose fit’ way - the jeans are too long by about an inch (which is why we see the odd bunch in at the ankle) and they are too loose around the hip and thigh (the section below the waist band). The jacket also doesn’t fit quite right - it’s a little too long in the sleeve and across the shoulder. It’s all very reminiscent of the fit we saw on buck in season 1 and that is super interesting to me considering the number of parallels we have been seeing between Abby and Tommy. This idea that Buck is searching for something - a way to fit in his own skin - something Buck was closest to doing in 2b-the end of s3 - when his clothes fit him the best. We saw the shrinking come into play in s4 and continue through s5 and 6 and then we saw a brief period of well fitting clothes post 7x04 - when he has realised he’s bi - only for them to start to fit poorly again from 7x05 onwards - suggesting that Buck is once more not fully comfortable in his skin and that we’re getting a parallel of his journey through s1 rather than s5/6.

We have buck in a white tee - and we all know what that means - danger ahead for Buck!

We also have the new white trainers - so the scenes this outfit is for will be about Buck and his journey - his new journey as he has new trainers (the old ones were connected to his bi journey - now he’s figured that out, we’re onto the next journey!)

Then we have a navy blue jacket - Buck tends to wear navy in connection with his relationships, most notibly his romantic relationships, but by no means exclusively (he wears navy shorts in connection with key moments in his relationship with Eddie - the fox house dinner in 5x11 and when Chris leaves in 7x10 most notably). All the moments he’s wearing navy blue connect into the breakdown of those relationships - we saw him wearing it a lot with Taylor, especially in scenes where their relationship was in not great places - when nails were being added to the coffin as it were- but we also see him wear navy when his relationship with Eddie falters, and with his parents,even his relationship with Bobby is connected to navy blue (law suit anyone!)

Then there are the khaki trousers - we just don’t see Buck in khaki very often - it’s just not a colour he wears - especially not in trouser form - he is nearly always in black, navy or grey trousers. So this is significant - he wore khaki trousers twice in season 1 - both scenes very much connected with Abby and Buck and Abby’s relationship. The first is imo the most significant - in 1x05 - when he helps Abby look for her mom - the first time they meet in person and Buck essentially commits to trying to date her - to pursuing a ‘grown up’ longer term relationship. That a parental issue is central to this is and the outfit most closely resembles this new one is what I’m most fascinated by. It connects the concept of this new outfit having something related to a parental issue and the fact Buck has th website trainers on means it’s a parental relationship of his not someone else’s that’s the centre of it - the scenes will be about Buck not someone else.

The second scene in s1 is from episode 7 - it’s when Buck and Abby have sex for the first time, but he wears a black tee rather than a white one and this ties it in with the next time we see him in khaki trousers in 2x06 - when he, Chim and Eddie are helping Maddie move into her new appartment - the ‘he’s cute’ ‘you should meet his kid’ scene.

The scene from 2x06 is interesting because it lays the foundation work for Chim and Maddie’s future relationship, at the same time as paralleling Chim and Eddie and Maddie and Buck. Maddie is still technically in a relationship at this point as she is still married to Doug, yet the foundation stones of madney are being laid. In the same vein - Buck is still technically in a relationship with Abby (well he believes he is!) and we see further foundation stones being laid for Buck and Eddie’s relationship. That the show is fairly loudly doing this in parallel is telling!

The only other time we’ve seen buck not wearing blue black or grey trousers is in his coma dream when we had the tan corduroy trousers. And while I think we might have a slight connection there - in that they play into the idea of some kind of internal struggle for buck - I don’t think it’s necessarily relevant here!

I know that the parallel with this outfit of Eddie’s hs already been floated

And it’s totally relevant in my opinion. Eddie setting off for Texas and setting up dealing with/confronting his daddy issues - whilst Eddie has no intention of addressing his issues in Texas he does end up dealing with at least a portion of them - specifically the ones around his dad. We see the outcome of that in season 6 when we are shown the improving relationship between them.

This feels especially relevant after the date night daddy issues scene between Buck and Tommy last season - one that very much felt like a set up for season 8 and buck addressing his parental relationships - something I think may well have been explored in season 7 if Annalise had been available for season 7 - as we would very likely have had Eddie with his queer arc and buck exploring his issues around abandonment and death (more in this in a minute).

There are actually two other Buck costumes which I think are far far more relevant when it comes to the meaning of this new outfit - this one from a flashback in Buck Begins

And this one from outside looking in

Both are white tee/hoodie with a navy jacket! The first is essentially Buck ‘breaking up’ with his parents and the second essentially marks the end of his relationship with Taylor (even if it’s a very long and drawn out end!) - the moment that his unhappiness (even if he’s burying it and not actually able to recognise that he’s unhappy in it) with the reltionship becomes truly apparent to us the audience. (The fact that LAFD bomber along with a hoodie is also worn in the scene when he goes to see Tommy is also key - it parallels the two scenes - placing Tommy in a sort of parallel with Lucy - as a disruptor of the status quo (in not even going to get into the fact that Eddie is key in both of these scenes - that while Lucy is a disruptor of BuckTaylor, she is much more a disruptor of Buck and Eddie!))

Both of these play into an overarching theme with Buck - especially in light of this outfit we’ve also seen for this season

Because this one also matches with an outfit from Buck begins - the one where he is planning to leave with Maddie but she hides and he ends up leaving without her. (I don’t have access to my stills from that episode at the moment but I’ll add it in later on when I do!) the greyish khaki parallelspeaks of Bucks issues around abandonment - the feeling of being abandoned by both his parents and Maddie (remember this is Bucks feelings in that moment - he is a flawed narrator and didn’t have all the facts- it is not the reality that Maddie abandoned him - she was protecting him and herself so we are not hiding her in any way) and him setting out on his adventure that ends up in L.A. and at the 118.

So this new outfit is very likely going to play into that concept - and the two new outfits taken together suggests to me that we are very likely going to see that aspect of Bucks journey explored this season - it’s an aspect of his character that lead to him clinging to first Abby and then Taylor - it’s no mistake that Taylor’s return to the show comes so soon after we see Buck begins - Bucks abandonment issues have been brought back into the spotlight and are raw when she reappears and becomes his girlfriend.

So I’m expecting to be seeing Buck doing a fair chunk of figuring himself out and dealing with his issues around abandonment in this season and in whatever both of these scenes end up looking like/ being about. This will very likely tie into his romantic relationship as much as his parental/familial ones and while I don’t think either outfit marks a BuckTommy break up, I very much expect them to play into that relationship failing - like the ones we saw leading to the ultimate destruction and end of Bucks relationship with Taylor (the dinner at the diaz house scene and then the Buck Lucy kiss scene) specifically.

I’m excited to see how this all plays out!

[rizzyu]

hey there! could i request luxiem reacting to their s/o cosplaying as them or one of their alter egos? :) thanks!♡♡

When You Cosplay As Them

Pairing: Vox, Mysta, Luca, Ike, Shu x gn! reader

Category: Fluff, slightly suggestive if you squint hard enough

Warning: Uhhhh slight cursing in Mysta’s, mentions of exposed chests and smol waists, pet names

Summary: If you’re braindead and didn’t understand the title, this is how the Luxiem members react to you cosplaying as them stoopid :)

A/N: thx for the requeeeeeeeeeeeeeest I wanna cosplay as shuey shu :3

Vox Akuma

As you step out of the changing room, Vox’s eyes widened at the sight of you in the white suit and red shirt identical to his own. And just like his, your black and red hair was sprayed over your shoulders. You looked away from him, blushing, as you were worried about what his reaction would be. “Darling, don’t be shy, look at me.” Your beloved demon walked over and lifted your chin, making you face him. Your red eyeliners and golden lenses were displayed clearly for him to see. “Holy Riku Tazumi, you look so hot.” You felt your face heat up at his comments. Vox chuckled at your reaction and leaned in to peck you on your lips. “See? No need to be shy, you look stunning. I’ll have to take a photo later.”

Mysta Rias

“HOLY SHIT-” Mysta’s lips were left agape, and his eyes got so wide when you walked into you and his shared bedroom wearing a cosplay of him. You were dressed in the orange patterned shirt, white pants, and the fox beret similar to his. You had one hand on your waist, the other lowering your orange sunglasses, showing him your turquoise lenses while slightly sticking your tongue out. Your cleavage was also slightly revealed by the orange shirt. Mysta was ready to just cross his arms over his chest and pass out right there. Why do you look so beautiful?? “So, what do you think?” Your question snapped Mysta out of his thoughts. Mysta lifted your taupe coloured hair to peck your forehead. “Absolutely perfect.”

Luca Kaneshiro

What’s a cleavage? Your entire chest was exposed at this point. Luca’s face immediately heated up at the sight of you in the similar looking white striped suit, dark grey shirt, and fur coat. To be honest, both of you were way too flustered right now. Luca had never seen you wear such exposed clothes, and you never had worn any. “So uhhh… do you like it..?” Luca tried to keep his composure and lifted two thumbs up. “You look so poggers babe.” You chuckled “And you were so adorable just now” You walked over to him to squish his cheeks, causing him to become a blushing mess (not that he wasn’t already). “My cute golden retriever boy” Oh man what did you do to him?

Ike Eveland

Ike leaned forward on his seat when you came out all cute looking in his cosplay. He felt like in heaven when he saw you in heels, fishnet gloves and the golden rimmed glasses. You even held a book and a quill pen by your side as props. You tucked away some of your grey-to-blue coloured hair while slightly blushing. “Heheh, your cosplay was kinda hard to put on. At least it looks good.” Dammit, how could you speak in such a sugar-coated voice while cosplaying as him? You were going to make Ike ascend. Ike walked over to you, and like the gentleman that he is, he took your hand and tenderly placed a peck on the knuckles while keeping eye contact with your golden lenses. “You look way more than good.”

Shu Yamino

“EYYYYYYYYYYYYYY” And that was the hardest Shu had ever eyy-ed before, just from looking at you in his sorcerer cosplay. As soon as you showed Shu your cosplay, it was visible that Shu was looking at your small waist bound in the black corset. “Shuey, it’s not nice to stare~” You chuckled as you managed to snap your banana boi back to reality. “O-oh! S-sorry…” Shu could only sheepishly look away blushing upon getting caught staring at your waist. You pulled him closer by the arm, close enough for you to whisper in his ear. “Don’t worry pretty boy, I often stare at your snatched waist too.” Well if that did not bring the true flustered Shu out. Broski was standing there stuttering and everything. He’s too cute you couldn’t help but giggle at his reaction. “H-hey! Not funny! You’ll be paying back later when I get to hold your snatched waist all to myself!”

[genshinarchives]

𝐆𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐇. 𝟔

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟔 : 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 : The Cataclysm came and went like a passing wind. As you gained the trust and respect of Sumeru’s people, you’ve also lost a piece of your heart.

𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 : Al-Haitham, Kaveh; hints of Cyno x reader

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 : Romance, adventure, isekai

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : Minor character death

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 : N/A

𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓

The sounds of war were all that you hear - the cries of the warriors, the clash of their weapons, and the explosions of Ka-dingirra's dingir cannons... With smoke rising to the sky like grey pillars, Sumeru had become a hell above the ground. You did everything you could to protect Rukkhadevata's and Deshret's people, and even spared some of Ka-dingirra's technologically advanced weapons for Sumeru's militia to use.

"Defeat the monsters! It's one more push before their front line crumbles!" Shamash barked out orders to the sukkals - the soldiers of Ka-dingirra - under his command. The Eleven Generals of Tiamat had all been stationed on the perimeter of Sumeru as the first line of defence; they were supposed to be the impregnable defence, yet the presence of the abyssal monsters in Sumeru told you of their fates. When Ereshkigal reappeared before you, kneeling with her head bowed, you knew that she was keeping her gaze low not out of reverence, but out of despair of what had befallen your precious generals.

"Raise your head," you said without looking at her trembling form, "and don't be afraid to tell me what happened. Relaying accurate information is vital in reducing the casualties as much as possible."

The grief of losing something was no longer foreign to you.

So why does your heart ache when you think about the lost lives of your generals?

With the combined efforts of Ka-dingirra's and Sumeru's militias, you were able to eliminate most of the monsters that were threatening the nation, pushing the front line back to where it began. As the sun disappeared below the horizon, the birds returned to their nests and the creatures of nocturne roused from their daytime slumber. However, the soldiers were given no moment of respite from the war that had blackened the sky while the civilians remained in their homes, shackled by fear.

After personally seeing to the wounded, Enki exited from the medical tent and roamed the camp in search for you. He scrutinised the area, hoping to see your familiar face - but all he saw were the haggard faces of the soldiers who had either been pushed to or were close to reaching their limits. He quickly stopped a passing soldier and questioned your whereabouts.

"I saw the King walking towards Avidya Forest," the soldier answered, pointing in the direction he saw you leave in, "When I asked her what she's planning to do there, she told me that she wants to check on the flora of the forest."

Enki's gaze saddened when he realised your purpose of being there. "I see... Thank you."

As you stood by a tree near Gandharva Ville, you quietly observed a small family of fennec fox hybrids, their large ears and bushy tails reminding you of a certain general who once served you with utmost devotion. The only difference between them is the colour of their fur; while his was light green and white, theirs is dark green and black.

"It seems that General Kingu was able to leave some descendants behind."

You turned your head just as Enki stepped forward to stand next to you, his gaze focused on the family you were observing.

"The colour of their fur is darker," he remarked with a slight smile, "They must have evolved to live in the forest."

"Yeah," was all you said.

Enki could tell that you weren't really paying attention to him or the hybrids; the faraway look in your eyes wordlessly told him where your mind was.

"Master, is something on your mind?"

His question finally drew you out of your thoughts, and you blinked at him, eyes wide. "Is it obvious that something is bothering me?"

"It's clear as day, at least to me."

You let out a muted sigh, your shoulders drooping.

"I don't know if I've been making the right choices," you admitted in a murmur, "It feels like there's always something blocking my path whenever I try to find a way to move forward. I'm always losing something whenever I make progress." You clenched your fists by your sides. "I've taken countless measures to reduce the casualties on our side as much as possible... and I've lost all but one of my generals. Only General Bašmu is alive."

"You can't make a change without sacrificing anything," Enki said with a frown, "Something has to be lost for something else to be gained. That is nature's law that has and will never change."

"I know," you whispered, gaze downcast. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes and you quickly blinked them away. "I know that, but still-" Enki's hand on your shoulder cut your sentence short.

"I trust you, and so does General Bašmu. That's why we've chosen to fight by your side," he softly began, "Although you need to make an effort, there's no need to bear the entire burden. Moreover, even if your choice is correct, there is the possibility that we, the entrusted, will fall. Even with utmost preparations, soldiers will die."

Even with utmost preparations, soldiers will die.

That statement has remained true in Teyvat and in the modern world. War is unpredicatable, and one can only prepare themselves for the worst. Before you can muster up a response, he pulled you into a tight hug. As his warmth seeped through your skin, you're suddenly reminded of home... and how you're starting to forget it. You subconsciously raised your arms but for some reason, you couldn't bring yourself to embrace him.

"Before you became a king, you were a normal human. Please never forget that," he said, smiling when he felt your hands clutch the back of his cloak.

❀

The battle continued. There seemed to be no end to the riftwolves, just like how there seemed to be no end to the darkness that has clouded the firmament above. The soldiers were beginning to lose morale, and you were beginning to lose the will to persevere. It's as if the light at the end of the tunnel was slowly fading and you were about to be consumed by darkness - but you knew that you had to remain standing. You're the beacon of hope, the pillar that shoulders the entire fate of this failed timeline.

As you stood on top of the sandy hill overlooking the Mausoleum of King Deshret, you drove the tip of your staff into the ground and leaned against it. The physical and mental exhaustion that have accumulated inside your body were beginning to show on your countenance, and you were on the verge of collapse. There wasn't a single moment in your life where you were pushed to your utmost limits, and you weren't sure if you could keep this up any longer.

"Where did I go wrong...? I made sure that everything went according to the correct history..." you muttered to yourself, your grip on your staff tightening.

Where? Just where did you make a mistake?

You then spotted a silver flicker from the corner of your eye and turned your head to find Enki standing next to you, visible patches of blood patterning his clothes. 

Your eyes widened. "Enki-"

"It's not my blood," he swiftly interjected, relieving you for a second, "Master, something is wrong. Everything went according to your predictions but-" As if on cue, tremors shook the ground. With beads of cold sweat rolling down your forehead, you slowly directed your gaze to the growing shadow that was blocking out the horizon in the distance, its wings spread wide to cover the sky. A deafening roar followed the beast's emergence and it echoed across the sands of Sumeru like the trumpet of judgement.

For a moment, you forgot how to breathe. You dropped onto your knees, the gravity of the situation finally crushing the remaining hope you were desperately clinging to.

"A-A dragon-" you gasped out. It felt like your worst nightmare coming true, and it was. Enu had mentioned in his notes that a remnant of the old world - a dragon - may rise to completely derail this timeline from the correct course of history, thus destroying it. Before this battle even started, you had hoped that his prediction wouldn't come true; yet this timeline seemed determined to test your resilience.

As you stared at the dragon raging in the distance, corrupting the surface it was walking on and causing black mud to spew forth, one thought lingered in your mind:

Can I even defeat it?

"Master, please stand up," Enki gently said, grasping your arm with both hands, "Nothing is impossible. I promised you that I will remain by your side, did I not?" When you didn't answer him, he knelt down to your level. "You wanted power to protect those who are more precious to you than your own life. You wanted to become a king with such power, and I'm here to give you that power."

You finally responded, the mist in your head clearing slightly at his words. "But the dragons of this world are more powerful than you can imagine. I... We don't have the power to..." You trailed off when you suddenly remembered something.

You do have the power to defeat this dragon... at a cost.

Enki watched you curiously as you stood up, appearing resolute and unswerving. He trusted that you had a plan to defeat the dragon but when he recognised the spell you were going to cast, he knew that he had to stop you. Holding his palm out, he immediately nullified your spell with another spell of his, eliciting a look of confusion and surprise from you.

"You can't use that, master! Your body will evaporate from the intense heat!" he exclaimed, exasperated.

"But we can't just stop dead in our tracks! I don't know what happened but if we leave things like this, everything Rukkhadevata has protected up until now will be destroyed!" you yelled as you prepared yourself to cast the spell again, "As Teyvat's Second Chosen Star, it is my responsibility to correct this failed timeline!"

Although Enki knew that you were set on selflessly throwing your life away to protect a world that is not your own, he couldn't let you gamble your life again. It might be a selfish wish of his, but he truly wanted you to live and perhaps find happiness in this strange land.

He clenched his fists and turned his gaze to the approaching dragon.

He knew what he had to do.

"Before you became a king, you were a normal human," he said, interrupting your chant, "I won't let you forget that."

Before you could react, a blunt force struck the back of your neck abruptly. A gasp tumbled out of your mouth as you collapsed on the sand, and you slowly raised your head to see Enki standing in front of you, his white hair waving behind him like a banner. At a distance, it might look like a white flag was being flourished to signify your surrender - but the two of you knew that you were far from admitting defeat.

And Enki was willing to sacrifice everything he had to ensure defeat never reaches you.

"Even if you're merely a tool meant to carry out Celestia's bidding, simply do the things that you want to do," he uttered. Flashing you one last smile over his shoulder, he faced the approaching dragon and raised his spear to the sky. As a magic circle appeared beneath his feet, silver orbs rose from the sand and surrounded him in a slow waltz.

From that smile alone, you realised that he was going to make the ultimate sacrifice in your place.

"O admonishing melody... arise in the name of the Second Star."

"No! Enki, please stop!" you cried, your voice wavering with emotion. You weakly reached out for his figure as black spots dotted your vision. "I can't... I can't lose you too!"

Despite your desperate pleas, Enki didn't stop; he too was desperate to ensure that your life would continue to flow with time, no matter what lonely and painful future awaits you.

"The light of my conviction will pierce the heavens to strike you down. Resound, gather, transform into a spear that destroys all-"

You didn't realise it until this moment, but you didn't want to lose anymore; you didn't want to lose anymore precious people.

As your hand dropped down, a silver glow shrouded Enki's body and a gargantuan spear materialised above him.

"-Enki!"

The spear shot forward, leaving a bright trail in its wake. It soared through the air before piercing through the dragon like a bullet, leaving a gaping hole in its body.

And just like that, the beast was defeated. As its body slowly crumbled, so did your heart. Tears brimmed in your eyes as you watched Enki's body dissolve into a myriad of orbs that floated towards the sky above, where slivers of light began to peek through the ashen clouds.

You didn't care about the fame and glory you'll leave behind by fulfilling the duty you were burdened with.

Victory or defeat, in the end, it's no more than a point embedded in the flow of time.

You lost the only person who knew you inside out - who understood your thoughts better than anyone else.

Finally, your consciousness left you as your head landed on the sand dust of yesterday's woes.

❀

"Only 500 of our men survived."

Shamash was kneeling on the floor as you stood in front of your throne with your back facing him, one hand grasping the Sword of Marduk. The sages of Sumeru had returned the sword to your possession to express their acknowledgement of you as their god when you had returned to Sumeru victorious, and you weren't sure how to feel about it.

You brought victory back... but you've also lost something along the way.

Raising the sword to your eye-level, you simply said, "I see. Order our men to take a break for three days. Make sure that they rest properly and spend that time with their family."

"Yes, Your Highness," Shamash replied, rising to his feet. Once his foosteps faded behind you, you slowly turned around and lowered the sword to your side, the tip brushing against the floor.

The sunlight filtering into the throne room made the Cataclysm feel like a long dream which you've just woken up from. A flourishing new world was healing all of the past - but the same couldn't be said for you.

You took a step away from the throne, and another step. As you approached the light, one question echoed at the back of your mind:

Have you really strayed so far?

Pausing in your tracks, you turned to look at your throne. For a moment, you could see Enki smiling and bowing to you, but you knew that's merely a figment of your imagination.

A soft sigh slipped past your lips as you spun on your heel and walked away.

Even if you can no longer smile for yourself, you'll still smile for the happiness of others.

ㅤPart I: Age of Gods, End.

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐈 : 𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒 ; 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟕

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 : @flowwerpot / @hey-comrade-hold-stil / @genshin-idiot / @crunchy-princeles / @yandere-romanticaa / @tiffthescales / @5ugarcan3 / @hana-chie / @lunavixia / @depressed-bitchy-demon / @cynides / @mangobee / @a-piece-of-shell / @kazukazusbaby / @ella-janehaven / @catvyr / @sophisticatedleslie / @kiraisastay / @miralifox / @night-shadowblood-writes2 / @quintessentialdreaming / @chuusposts / @dulcetamore / @thenyxsky / @anxious-piece-of-bread / @undecidingfate / @sserafimez / @scaranaris-lil-niko / @nirvana5874 / @xcharlottemikaelsonx​ /

[ovaryacted]

Tell us about the grey streaks bro pls... I love small details abt Leon...

ALSO I HOPE YOUR DAY IS GOING GOOOOOD!

Hey there boo, I’ll gladly talk about Leon getting grey streaks cause I love it so much. And my day surprisingly went well, I just got home from work and I’m happy to be relaxing a bit, looking forward to the weekend. Hope your day was good too!

So, I don’t think Leon would get any sign of grey hair until he hits his mid 40s. At 38 where we’ve seen him recently in DI, he already has some eye wrinkles and I think smile lines, some wrinkles on his forehead too (also in RE4 prob from stress) so the signs of aging are there (and they’re cute, personally I headcanon him having crow’s feet so yeah). And obviously, with the life he’s had plus his prior alcoholism (I’ll say prior assuming he’s in recovery in DI and forward), he’ll age faster because of all that.

The first real sign of getting grays would be in his stubble. Instead of normal dark coarse hair, he’d notice the very thin lighter colored strands in certain areas on the lower half of his face. Few strands on his chin, some along his soft jaw. It all varies, and it isn’t in one place, but he doesn’t really pay any mind to it. So he just starts rocking a salt and pepper stubble at some point.

That is until someone mentions he has a singular grey strand in his hair. Most of the time, he doesn’t stop to analyze his appearance, just kinda glances and keeps it pushing (cause trauma, which gets better over time). But he just shrugs and lets it go cause he really doesn’t care all too much. He’s dealt with so much shit that getting grey hair is the least of his concerns.

As he gets older, he gets more greys, from both age and stress combined. At 45-ish, he has enough now to the point where he has two or three full streaks that mesh in with the rest of his dark blonde hair. If anything, it actually makes him more attractive, like he’s more wise with age, and actually looks his age but in a good way.

It would be a nice thing, and also a blessing to see Leon get older, the way we saw Chris in RE8 because he’s almost in his 50s (he’s 48 so Leon would be around his mid 40s). It would be nice to see Leon that way too, but I also think he’d grow his hair out and be able to tie it at his neck, along with the grey streaks. Think Joel Miller in TLOU 2, it would be like that, silver fox type of deal. I just think Leon is one of those guys that will age like fine wine if you let him, and when he settles into his age it’s just chefs kiss.

[clovenhoofedjester]

jellicle lineups; part 4/4

I FINALLY FINISHED THESE

grizabella | 🌃 🥀 🍂

i really wanted to mix revival and older replica for this one. the thigh-high boots, sparkly, tasseled dress, and generally the wig are all revival inspired, but the curly fur stays and the makeup is old because i really do like the very dramatic, gothic grizabella looks. her coat is also heavily 2019 inspired with the length and stripey purple fabric

i also was not sure how i wanted to do her hair other than it covering one eye (SHOUTOUT TO THE FANART I SAW WHICH HAD THAT. I CANNOT REMEMBER THE URL) esp the color so i did a gradient of light grey to dark brown, which i REALLY liked ! it also helped me decide that shed be chocolate smoke instead of a tabby

idk. ijust like her

i very much want to emphasize the "proud" and "indomitable" of her character in my portrayal of her; think betty buckley. i think shed be 61 in human years.

jennyanydots | ⏰ 🧶 👠

HER DESIGN... is very similar to her replica one because.... i really like it. very heavy emphasis in how her makeup is sometimes done with the HUGE lower lashes and squiggles. she also gets a cute little pink nose and blue eyeshadow

very 2019 inspired also. the hat, tasseled jumpsuit and bejeweled tap shoes stay ...... but i did want to give her the vest and collar from 2019. i just like that. shes also fat because yes

she remains sweet and nice yes. but i think warsaw was onto something when they made her Like That. shed be 56 in human years

jellylorum | 🎨 💐 👒

i ORIGINALLY drew her design a month and a half ago with the headcanon that shes gus' caretaker but bro. that jellylorum & asparagus jr. & gus family angst potential was too great. so i redid her as looking closer to gus. :3

idk why but i decided to go with a 1940s inspired formal look for her.... i quite like the hat and think it helps her to stand out, so i'm comfortable in that decision. her fur design is also mostly replica inspired. enjoy her neapolitan ice cream makeup too

she also gets a pink nose and her collar from the 2019 version. idk why the collars went so hard in that movie

i LOVE one of her 3 words being practical... yes, she is THE practical cat. i think shed be 59 in human years

bustopher jones | 🌹 🤍 🍛

VERY replica inspired.... with notes of other productions. opera populaire had full glasses bustopher which i liked. an older makeup look also had stripes which i also thought looked nice (and makes him look more related to mistoffelees) ! there are also multiple bustopher designs that have the moustache and beard 2 for 1 dealio..... and decided to incorporate that as well

he also gets the fishbone hanky crevat thing and a fishbone brooch. i almost made his rose white but i liked the contrast of the red. enough that i decided to give him lipstick too . and youd best believe that he has a giant fucking pipe that he smokes out of

i love the idea of him being the older generations' tugger in his time. i believe it. i think hed be like 55 in human years

skimbleshanks | 🚂 🎆 ⏳

I COULDNT RESIST BASING HIM OF THE MOVVIEEEEEE im not sorry that was peak skimble. the whistle and chains, the MATCHING conductor hat and pants, the moustache, the tap shoes..... truly, it was too good. my only regret was that i couldnt show the suspenders in this design because i wanted to keep the vest

i did keep the makeup/fur pattern very similar to his replica design though. idk. its just good. emphasis on the brown in his tail, the brown of his clothes, and the bell

anyone else get handsome gay silver fox vibes from him? anyway [being rushed out the door] i think hed be 56 in human years

asparagus jr. | 🧷 🎲 ⛲

lets go babey asparagus jr. inclusion ! i Really struggled with the clothes because i wanted to include the weird yarn poncho but didnt want to make him look hippyish (hippies are cool it just wasnt the vibe i was going for).... so it is reincarnated as this strange tassel-y scarf shawl thing. idk

he also gets a collar similar to jellylorum's because i like the idea of them living in the same house :^3. his makeup is also pretty different from how it appeared in the 98 version because i wasnt really feeling it. i like stripes. so stripes he shall get

hes also wearing a corset thing. idk what my propensity for designing men with a slightly feminine touch says about me (IM A FEMININE QUEER MAN)

not much notes on his personality other than i think he really looks up to his father (enough that he took on his more dignified name). hed be 57 in human years

gus | 📖 🌌 🔭

MUH OLD MAN... i love him. very much based on a bunch of different replica designs for him. he gets a beard and sideburns because i think i really do love the costumes w facial hair, and i think it just fits. he also gets glasses

he gets the coat and handkerchief (now a scarf) that typically hides the growltiger costume... which has a crisp formal outfit underneath. maybe he takes the coat off during his number to signify having moments of clarity and humor during his song

i do think in my interpretation hes well enough to joke around during his number and play the rumpus cat but like. damn you can tell this cat is old. hed be like 93 in human years

old deuteronomy | 🌕 🍮 ⭐

i have fully abandoned replica deut. say hello to haute couture resplendent transgender old deuteronomy. fit with a gigantic white coat, velvet dress, and gigantic fluffy hat. and yes, she did have 99 wives

she also gets the pendant that she was drawn with in the concept art for the 2d animated movie.... what was up w/ that....

ANYWAY YEAH UH. shes very different from the replica deut and other nonrep deuts mostly thanks to judi dench, with her saying that her version of deut was a transgender woman, and her complaining about not looking regal enough in the movie. here you go girly. the nose freckles/dots from some replica makeup get to stay though

she gets a lot of design notes from her children. the grey from munkustrap, macavitys white eyelashes, eye and mouth makeup, and tuggers cheek heart. shes also a light grey to kind of reflect her appearance in 2019

not much to add here other than i love her. i think she would be 88 in human years

AND THERE YOU GO. AHHHHHHH ITS DONE

[bonefall]

I'm thinking of writing a Grey Wing redemption/pissed off fic where Grey is the one who kills Clear Sky/Skystar (a la Scourge) after he threatens Thunder/Thunderstar and another of Grey's adopted kits.

But idk how Grey gets that pissed. Thoughts?

Idk anon I'm gonna be honest, that feels really unlike Gray Wing. I'd say to use Thunder for a plot like that, tbh, the character that canonically makes several loud and angry rejections of Clear Sky's violence.

I don't like Gray Wing but he's very well characterized, y'know? Even at his absolutely most pissed moment in-canon he can only taunt Clear Sky into killing him with his Star Line. He's verbal, not physical.

He's able to land a little hit on people here and there, but he usually requires an entire group to do damage (Tom the Wifebeater and One Eye). Overall he's really bad at fighting. Good hunter, bad fighter. Even before his asthma he was kinda pathetic; killed Fox with a lucky hit, tried to attack Clear Sky over Jagged Peak and got curbstomped

And like, on that "verbal" thing, he's incredibly nasty and catty when he's upset. Barking at Turtle Tail for having the wrong friend, smugly watching Bumble get dragged off, shouting at Thunder several times over various things, the... whatever the hell the Erins thought they were doing with Jagged Peak (i still maintain that gray was actually totally right to scream at him that One Time, fuck u jagged peak).

I feel pretty strongly that his anger is primarily vocal. He's more likely to start yelling than hitting. If it does come down to an actual death match, he's more likely to get turned into tomato paste lmaoooo

So if he ever DID kill Clear Sky, I'd suggest it be an accident or as a result of one of his plans. In addition to his lack of physical capacity, honestly? I think Gray Wing would buckle if he had to make that choice.

He'd have his claw on his throat and be unable to pull down. Might be able to start screaming, "YOU TOOK MY BROTHER FROM ME!" or make a really harsh speech, maybe even cast Vicious Mockery. But I don't think he could ever ACTUALLY do a Yellowfang, let alone a Scourge. Not even if he saw Clear personally kill someone he loves.

If he ever actually did get Clear Sky killed, he'd also, honestly, probably change immensely for the negative. OR AT LEAST needing a long time to recover and accept he had no choice. I can't imagine him being able to live with the "guilt" very well, it would weigh on him. The "gentleness" would melt away as he becomes overall quite miserable and snappish, like he usually is when he's not happy.

(Could be very interesting to give someone else the kill after Gray can't bring himself to do it. Like Thunder jumped in to save his life, but it causes their relationship to fall apart completely.)

Overall I'd treat the premise as more of a "tragedy" than a "catharsis." Not based in anger, but immense pain and frustration.

[neonthewrite]

How would Jacob and Bowman react to seeing a cat or another animal? (would bowman be scared?)

I'm not sure why I didn't get a notification for this one, but here we are.

I actually wrote a scene involving a cat in the planned sequel for Bowman of Wellwood, which has been on the back burner for a while after I had to rethink the outline a lot. So this is very old and unpolished writing from the way back days when I was still writing Bowman in first person, but I might as well share the snippet!

For context, in the sequel, Bowman and Rischa journeyed with Jacob to his home for an extended visit to see how humans live.

~~~~~

Movement caught Jacob’s eye. He glanced toward the fence nearest the house and his face immediately paled. He surged forward at the same time as the shadowy shape did, determined to reach it before it reached the unaware sprites. They’ve never even seen one before! he thought in a panic, even as he saw Bowman whirl around where he stood to see what bore down on him.

The cat closed the distance before Jacob could, but he ran on anyway.

~~~

I stopped talking to Rischa in mid sentence when I felt it. The rush of ice up my spine and the tingling in my fingertips that screamed at my instincts shifted my mind right into another mode. They were the instincts of one who knew in his core that he was hunted.

Wood sprites, pacifists as we are, drift near the bottom of the food chain. We are prey species, being so small and easily overpowered. Our wings and camouflage give us the best defense against something that might attempt to prey upon us. Hiding among the trees in Wellwood, we were safe from the wolves, foxes, and owls that also called the forest home.

It didn’t matter when we threw all our usual precautions away by standing on the ground. I should have realized my stupidity before I ever let my boots touch down in the soft earth near Jacob’s enormous dwelling.

I whirled around and shoved Rischa back with my wings at the same time, sending her stumbling further into the shadows under a tall plant with a bright yellow flower and a cup-shaped corona in the middle.

It wasn’t a moment too soon, because a predator had found us.

I stared with wide, bright green eyes at the beast, my entire body primed and filling rapidly with adrenaline. I had no blasted idea what this thing was. Sleek, dark grey fur covered its body, which was a little smaller than a fox’s, leaving it to stand a few times my height. It had triangular ears atop its head, and greenish yellow eyes bored into me as it stalked towards me with its belly slightly lowered.

I couldn’t even feel its light steps shaking in the ground at its graceful approach. Mostly, I just felt the assurance in that gaze that this thing, whatever it was, would rip me to pieces and gobble me down.

I flared my wings wide in the hopes that it would make me look too large to deal with. The animal paused for only a partial second before darting forward again, paws bigger than my torso pushing it forward silently. It opened its muzzle, revealing sharp fangs. Its slit-pupiled eyes squinted and its ears folded back and it hissed, giving it the sound and appearance of a snake.

It didn’t approve of my threat display. It definitely still wanted to eat me. That’s my luck.

[sitp-recs]

hi liv! i was wondering if you have any drarry meet-cute recs? i thought i saw a list of it once but cant seem to find it now :(

Hi anon! Sure thing, here are some fun recs with this trope. JulietsEmoPhase writes a lot of meet-cute AUs, I’d definitely check their AO3!

go to it laughing by oflights (T, 1k)

Harry is a marine biologist and Draco is a beluga whale Animagus; they meet on the St. Lawrence River.

Another Side by flightinflame (T, 2k)

Harry loves teaching at Pigdots Nursery. He knows a child named Scorpius is probably magical, but something about the name feels familiar.

He Whose Hand and Eye Are Gentle by khalulu (G, 5k)

Draco reads poems and sometimes writes them. Harry receives poems and sometimes reads them. Rutherford delivers poems via the scenic route. Wombat snores. Eventually, all comes together, with help from the foxes in red bibs and the sumo referee.

Play Dates by bixgirl1 (E, 8k)

Harry never thought seeing Malfoy as a dad would affect him this way.

And a Malfoy in a Pear Tree by lauren3210 (E, 8k)

Draco works in a coffee shop. Harry drops by every day to get his fix. Of coffee, Ron.

The Interest Here by disapparater (T, 9k)

Draco has his own morning show on the wireless, which he loves; an ambitious assistant, whom he needs; and days in The Tea Shop, where he relaxes. He also has a new caller on the show, whom he finds bloody annoying.

Once Upon An East End by JulietsEmoPhase (M, 9k)

Bistro owner Harry is closing up for the night when a young man stumbles through his door in need of help. The night takes them in a direction neither had expected.

coffee & communication: a (slow) romance by softlystarstruck (E, 11k)

Nearly a decade after the war, Draco has made a life for himself in Muggle London, writing romance novels and hanging out with his cat. But when he spills iced coffee all over a gorgeous man who turns out to be Harry Potter, has he tumbled into the start of his own romance without realizing it? And how difficult can it be to talk about desire, anyways? He writes smut for a living.

My True Love Gave to Me (Six Jars of Chutney) by goldentruth813 (M, 12k)

On his first post-divorce Christmas Eve without his children, Harry goes to Marks & Spencer hoping to find a bit of his past; what he finds instead is a future.

honey milk tea by softlystarstruck (T, 14k)

When Draco runs into Harry at his favorite boba tea shop and gets so flustered he orders the exact same thing, he has no idea how quickly his life is going to change.

Espresso Patronum by tasteofshapes (T, 15k)

When Draco reappears five years after the war and opens a wildly popular coffee shop, Harry’s pretty sure that Draco’s Up to Something. He just has to prove it.

An Improbable Bout of Summer Madness by acari (E, 16k)

Draco had planned a quiet, peaceful summer holiday with his son. The last thing he expected was to find Potter here, in Draco's little Cornish retreat. Making fudge in a shop? The idea was too ludicrous for words.

A Hyperactive Fruit, a Nasty Neighbour and a Love Story by synonym4life (E, 20k)

Potter’s pet Niffler is wreaking havoc in Godric’s Hollow and Draco, the Assistant Head to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, is the one who has to deal with it. Repeatedly. The fact that Potter keeps coming to Draco’s office in grey jogging bottoms - repeatedly - does in no way help the matter.

Black Coffee on a Lonely Night by Femme (M, 21k)

Draco owns a café in the city. Harry's a MP who comes in every morning, newspapers in one hand, BlackBerry in the other, and orders a triple espresso macchiato.

Unexpected Turn by Oakstone730 (E, 27k)

English real estate developer Draco Malfoy is in America to find his long lost cousin and escape a scandal. When his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, his trip takes an unexpected turn.

[snowywolf1005]

BLACK ADULT FEMALE READER X CHILD LUFFY, ACE, AND SABO

Warning: blood, injuries, and the cutest thing you gonna read 😢

You take care of three little monsters. Running around, getting in trouble, hunt food, steal things.

Dadan ask you to take care of them outside, and let just say they weren't happy about it.

But still, Luffy tell you adventures they did, and Ace hit luffy in the head for telling their secrets.

And you pick a fruit to eat while the boys hunt for food to eat meat, like big, crocodiles, fish.

While you pick up a fruit, you hear a loud cries. "HELP!!!" You run to see sabo up in the tree.

You were shocked, "sabo, how did you get up there!?". "I saw s-some egg up this tree, I was thinking get the eggs," he said. "Where luffy and ace!?" You question.

"Their still hunting!" Sabo cried. You looked left and right to see luffy and Ace are here, but their aren't here.

You have no choice but to climb the trees. (Oh yeah, your power is sumon nightmare monster and transform one the same thing as black female reader x shanks)

You trund your hands to claws like grey fox same thing as your foot, you took off your shoes.

You start climbing, and Sabo is shocked to see. A wind blew by so hard that caused sabo to lose his balance and fall.

You watch sabo Fall. You jump off the tree and grab sabo. As you grab him, you see you about to hit the ground. You trun your body instead of sabo, but you hold tight on him.

Your back hit the ground, causing you to spit out of blood out of your mouth. "(Y/N)!!!!" Sabo yelled out your name.

You lifted yourbody, "sabo, are you al-". "I'm sorry, ace, luffy, and I planned this!!! We thought that if you were really that strong to become a pirate!!!"

"(Y/N) I'm sorry!!!" You trunaround to see luffy coming towards you, hug you. So, as ace, they both started crying.

"It's okay. I'm alright, it just some blood, "no, it not!!! We cause a lot of trouble. We shouldn't have listened to you!!!" Ace yelled.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. Looks. When I was your age, I fell down on the ground and hurt my knees, but my mother always told me that whenever we cried, we do it with a smile"

You said, smiled with your two fingers. "Like this?" Said luffy holding his cheek, trund his mouth to a smile (still crying).

After that, you guys went. You gave luffy a piggyback ride cause he cried like baby. "So your mother said whenever you cried, you do it with a smile?" Sabo question.

You nodded your head. "She also sang me a lullaby to me." "Can we hear it?" Luffy question. You sang (it sounds like nezuko mother lullaby from demon slayer).

"Hush baby, baby bunny on the hill, tell me why your eyes are so very red, Because when my mother was expecting me, she dined on red berries from a tree, and that is why my eyes are so very red"

"So when you eyes are red cause you were your mother tummy and she ate the bright red berries!" Said luffy.

You giggle as you may it back, you and luffy ace and sabo ate, dadan still mad at the boys who were big trouble. You don't mind, you take the boys to bed.

"Goodnight boys, sweet dreams"

When you are about to close the door, you see, luffy shaking. Maybe he cold doesn't have his blanket, you put blanket on him he say this "goodnight mom" he said fall a asleep.

You smile at him and kiss him on the forehead, so as the other.

You are a great mother with them.

[krislgfox]

Ahem, I made another one. This time it's a hero SC oc :_]

(Putting watermark cus my arts getting reposted without credits)

(Templet by @localgremlinenthusiest)

And here's true mascot monster form for @whyiliketitantvman

Two versions

Sword as pendant and as weapon

Dop info:

-Grey spots is his scars

-DragonJoy's cousin(as I writed)

-Became a hero when he was 27(in critters age he was 7) years old

-Glows a little in the dark

-Emotionless

-Dominate,manipulative,cunning, tall, nice and strong(no mater in which way) foxes is his and DragonJoy's type

-He usually feels happy only around DragonJoy

-A little over protective towards his cousin

-(If he would ever cry) his tears are literally golden color

-His the tallest among other critters(in every form)

Dop arts:

As I said he's emotionless, but it doesn't mean that he can't faking emotions or showing fellings

Also, yep, when he fell strong positive emotions feelings he starts sparkle :]

When he feels negative emotions feelings, like anger, his scars began to glow neon yellow

Embracing is like a mix of positive and negative emotions feelings so his cheek scars began to glow and he began to sparkle

Lore stuff:

As I said, he lost his emotions and became a hero when he was, in critters age, 7 years old, but no one knows how. Well, actually, almost no one. DragonJoy is the one who knows how all this happens, but he refused to tell. That's why I'm here :]

That's all happened in DragonJoys and Golden Sparks first meet

It was autumn, and DragonJoy's dad decided to introduce his son to his brother. After arriving there, DJ immediately gets along with GS, and they both was already playing in the GS's garden while adults was talking

Eventually, both GS and DJ, didn't notice how they got in the forest and incidentally split up. DJ was trying to find GS, while Golden Spark, due his curiosity nature, started studying a forest he'd never visited before

After a few minutes that seemed like hours, GS've already decided to look for a way out of the forest, but he noticed a strange and alluring glow. His curiosity takes control over him again, and he went to this glow

When he got closer, he saw a big gray stone from which this glow was coming. This glow made GS want to touch this stone and see what would happen, but his inner self was saying not to do it, but the child's curiosity winned again, he began to slowly reach for the stone, and at the same moment, DJ's close voice began to be heard from behind the trees

A second, touch, increasing fell of pain in his arms, followed by a scream and the voice of a cousin who managed to run up to him and started asking him what happened. It all got mixed up in GS's head, he didn't understand what was going on, the only thing he understood was that his whole face felt like burning from within, that his head started to hurt, as if he was being hit with a hammer, and his hands seemed to be dipped in boiling water. In all this fellings he noticed that the stone disappeared

After that GS felt dizzy, and he eventually lost consciousness in his cousin's arms. DJ got scared, he immediately picked up his cousin and ran to the exit from the forest that he had found while he was looking for GS

When GS wake up, he felt nothing, like his emotions was deleted. He also noticed that he now have a pendant, second pack of wings(yes,before touching stone he had only two wings), that he's hands is now grey and he has some grey lines

After couple weeks, he started training with his new sword and the powers that he found in himself. While training he noticed some little critter that was running away from someone and definitely needed help. GS didn't know why he wanted to help this critter, but he knows that he need to do it, so he immediately started flying after this critter

After he caught up with this critter, he noticed that some, seemingly, bandits had trapped the poor kid in the cave and were clearly trying to rob him. GS feelt angry, that he didn't even noticed how he was already standing on one of the bandits and was looking at this little critter

Critter was shocked but impressed, critter thanked him for his rescue and, fleeting introducing himself by the name "Folierx", ran away from the cave in an unknown for GS direction

GS didn't understand what just happened, and what was he feeling(this dude falls in love fr), but at this moment he promised himself that he will helping every critter no matter what

Damn, I didn't write so much in my entire life °-°

Sorry if there's mistakes or illogical stuff, it's my first time writing almost full characters story :_]

[adolfusraptor1985]

hi helloo!! i saw your moodboard thingies and thought they were so cool! if you dont mind i saved the grey fox one for my nonhuman friend who is also a grey fox!

i was wondering, if you could make me one (or more if youre willing, wouldnt want you to burnout!!) moodboard for either my black bobtail cat, american crow, or astral drake theriotypes? if you do i send my gratitude in advance! (i take 'type doodle requests on my blog, if youre interested you can check it out!)

I went for the crow, but I might have to go back and do the dragon too cus that sounds awesome!

Hope you like it!

[mais-nerdy-corner]

Have I sent a request to you already or is this my first? If it is then I want another Tighnari fic. Anything will do. But I prefer reading it with a female reader. I just want to be loved by TIGHNARI. Give me fluff please please please or angst if you feel like it, I equally love both. I want Tighnari to love me please please please.

Also, I had been looking for your Tighnari fic where reader is dead and only left with his daughter. Thank you for making it.

I just divorced Wanderer.

❝𝕾𝖙𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖊❞ | 𝕿𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖓𝖆𝖗𝖎 𝖝 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗

Synopsis: What if Tighnari's spouse didn't succumb to her illness in an alternative universe/timeline.

Pairing: Tighnari x Female! Reader

Genre: Angst & fluff, hurt/comfort

💮 — Author Answered: Nope, I'm pretty sure this is your first one (if I'm not gravely mistaken :v). Lucky for you, I had something chilling in my drafts for quite some time (and I kinda miss writing for Tighnari). Thanks for the request!

Note: The synopsis will probably make more sense if you've read the first part (or you can read it after this, I won't judge you). Also, I know that alternative universe and alternative timeline are two entirely different things, but I don't know what's the difference. So I just put both, you get the point hehe :3

Perched atop of the largest tree in Gandharva Ville, is a little fox-eared girl adorned in flowers complete with floral binoculars as well. Her name is Zahra. She was surveying the grey skies above Pardis Dhyai, ​​which means it was bound to rain there. Knowing that, there's only one thing came to her mind.

'Papa...'

As she continued to look through her binoculars, Zahra's large and pointy ears twitched a few times. Not because they're itchy, but because she was not alone.

"There you are, my little flower. What are you doing up here? Get down."

It was you, her mother. Hearing you call her, Zahra immediately got down to a much safer place. You kneeled down in front of the little girl, holding both of her hands in yours.

"What are you up to now? Hmm?"

Your question earned a silence from Zahra, as she looked back at the direction she surveyed earlier. Zahra may be the type of child who often gets into trouble, but she will never keep secrets. And she felt safe enough to share it with you.

"...I'm worried that Papa hasn't applied his plant-based waterproofing oil to his tail before leaving for Pardis Dhyai. And looking at the color of the sky above it, it looks like it's going to rain heavily," Zahra confessed.

You let out a sigh of contentment as you went to pat your daughter's head.

"That's very considerate of you, Zahra. But your father will be fine. He doesn't want us worrying about him all the time, does he? So I know he can take care of himself."

"...Yeah, you're right. Maybe I was worrying about nothing. Thanks, Mom," Zahra said.

You smiled at her before standing back up. Pulling out your floral pocket watch, it showed a bit past lunch time.

"A little past lunchtime... You haven't had lunch yet, have you, sweetheart? What do you want to eat?"

"Uhh... Ooh! Mushroom Hodgepodge!"

"Even your tastes resemble your father's, huh? Alright, let's get Ashpazi to cook it for you."

(Meanwhile, at Pardis Dhyai)

The Traveler had just finished talking with the manifestation of the Balladeer, indicated by showcasing his newfound power by causing lightning around Pardis Dhyai. Paimon who remembered that Tighnari and Dehya were still outside, immediately asked the Traveler to go check on them.

"That means anyone outside is in danger! Let's go, Tighnari and Dehya still must be fighting!" Paimon urged.

They ran outside and saw that the Fatui soldiers were not there, meaning they must have retreated.

"Oh, have the Fatui retreated?" Paimon wondered.

"Tighnari and Dehya are over there!"

The Traveler and Paimon rushed over to them, and something seemed amiss.

"Hey! What happened to you!?"

"He's hurt," Dehya said.

Tighnari quickly denied Dehya's words, but regretted it soon after. "I'm fine... Ugh!"

"Don't move. I've seen Eremites get struck by lightning before. You need to rest."

"Struck by lightning!?" Paimon exclaimed.

Dehya recall what happened when the both of them were not there. How the weather suddenly became abnormal, how lightning started attacking everyone, almost as if it were alive. Just very bizarre things, to the point of forcing the Fatui soldiers to retreat.

The Traveler apologizes for Tighnari's wound, reasoning that it was probably them who might have triggered the thunder and lightning.

"Huh... It's alright, I'm sure you also never expected this to happen. Don't blame yourself," Tighnari said.

Even though he is wounded, Tighnari still worries about others rather than himself. "My wound aside, you look like... you've seen something unpleasant. Is Haypasia alright?" he asked.

"She's okay for now, but I want to tell you something."

"Ugh...!"

"Hey! Didn't I tell you not to move?"

"Just in case... Ugh! Let's... go to Haypasia's place, and talk about things there."

They headed inside and continued their conversation. The Traveler recounted everything from "meeting" the Doctor at Port Ormos to their encounter with the Balladeer while checking up on Haypasia.

Hearing the explanation from the Traveler, Paimon, Tighnari and Dehya each had their own reaction. Paimon was surprised by what the Balladeer was thinking, Tighnari ridiculed the Akademiya's god creation plan, while Dehya had a more “positive” reaction.

Nonetheless, with the Doctor out of the picture, Dehya took this as their plan being successful.

"Yay, that's a big accomplishment!" Paimon cheered.

"Ugh! I'm... also happy for you," Tighnari said.

Dehya thanked Tighnari and told him to rest, along with the Traveler.

"Yeah, yeah... alright," he responded.

"Okay, that wraps things up for us here at Pardis Dhyai. Traveler, it's about time we rendezvous with the others at the Grand Bazaar. Let's continue to keep a low profile. You can head there once you're ready."

"Ugh... What... What time is it?"

By the time Tighnari woke up, it was already dark outside. That meant he must have had enough rest, so maybe this was the right time for him to get up.

"Agh! Perhaps... that wasn't such a good idea."

Tighnari sat back down and leaned against the wall behind him. He thought to himself, what should he do now? His body was aching from the long period of inactivity, but at the same time moving wasn't a good idea. So... what now?

Being so deep in thought, Tighnari forgot to pay attention to the "wall" he was leaning on, as it suddenly started to move.

"Hm? What the– Oh, Karkata. Sorry, I didn't realize that I was actually leaning on you."

"Kulilu?"

The mechanical crab Tighnari saved was named Karkata, created by a Sumerian researcher by the name of Abattouy. It seems surprised that Tighnari moved and thought it was the one who woke him up.

"Kuli..."

"Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who leaned on you and made you cautious so you don't wake me up, I should be the one apologizing."

It turned out that after some time spent with the mechanical crab, Tighnari began to understand what Karkata wanted to say. Certainly a lot easier to communicate with each other.

"Look, I'll just move over he—"

Tighnari quickly regrets his decision to move. Instantly, his entire body ached as he clutched on to his side. Karkata was confused about what to do seeing him in pain. It moved around, thinking of ways to help Tighnari but it hesitated.

Karkata suddenly remembered the cherry blossom bracelet you gave, which was laced at one of its joints.

(Flashback)

Tighnari took you to Pardis Dhyai to meet Karkata, and it was the first time you meet the mechanical crab. When you first approached Karkata, it was confused and somewhat cautious of you. It's understandable when you're meeting a complete stranger. But seeing Tighnari was the one who took you there, Karkata quickly warmed up to you.

"So, Karkata was created by your junior researcher named Abattouy?" you asked as you pet the mechanical crab.

Tighnari who was leaning against a tree answered, "Yes, he was the one expelled from the Akademiya for researching mechanical life forms. When Karkata took me and the Traveler to their 'new home', we only found his already cold body."

You grimaced at the image in your head. "I wouldn't know how to react if I were it too. Poor Karkata, it must have been through a lot..."

Suddenly, you took out a bracelet and tied it to one of Karkata's joints.

"Karkata, if you ever feel that you're troubled, always remember this bracelet. Come meet me at Gandharva Ville. Oh wait, do you even know the way there? Don't worry, next time ask Tighnari to show you the way."

(Flashback ends)

"Kalu! Kalu!"

"Agh... What is it, Karkata?"

The mechanical crab immediately showed the bracelet, and Tighnari slowly caught on.

"Isn't that the bracelet that Y/n gave you? What, do you want me to take you to her?"

"Kolu!"

Tighnari sighed. "As much as I want to, I can't. I can't move and who will look after Haypasia even if I could? Actually, now if I think about it, how can I even get there?"

(Back at Gandharva Ville)

"Aha! I won!"

"Aww, I lost... I must say, you're getting better at this, Zahra."

Sitting on the floor of Collei's hut, they were playing a game of Genius Invocation TCG with you as the audience. Collei won the previous match, this time it was Zahra's turn to win.

"Hehe, I like it when I win. Let's play again!" Zahra exclaimed.

"If you two keep going at it, eventually I will understand how to play this game. I can't focus on my work if all I think about is tactics and strategy to win. Plus, it's getting late and way past your bedtime."

"Aww, just one more match please~"

"At first I also still wanted to play because we tied. But now that I think about it, I'm getting pretty sleepy..." Collei spoke up.

"See, even your contender is unable to keep up. You can continue this tomorrow. Now, put your cards back into the box."

Zahra started tidying up her cards while you help Collei put her cards back into her Casket of Tomes. After she finished, Zahra's ears started twitching again, causing the fox girl to turn her head.

"Uncle Amir's dogs are barking again. Shouldn't they know how to behave by now?" Zahra said as she exits Collei's hut.

You and Collei watched Zahra leave before looking at each other and laughed.

"Be sure to wear a blanket when you sleep. It feels like it's going to be cold tonight."

"Mm-hm, I will. Goodnight, Y/n."

You kissed Collei goodnight before exiting her hut. You then found Zahra with her hands on her hips, examining the broken bridge.

"Someone really should do something about this bridge... Ooh! I have an idea."

Zahra then used the Dendro Vision on her to lift the two ends of the bridge and connect it with flowering vines.

"Eeepp! Doesn't that look pretty? Especially if you add small lanterns to the bridge," she said, satisfied with her work.

"As for the lanterns, I'll talk about it to your father or other Forest Watchers. And you should probably give back my Dendro Vision, Zahra. You wouldn't know when I'll need it."

"We're just dealing with some unruly dogs. There's no need to use your Vision, Mom."

Zahra was wrong. It wasn't just some unruly dogs. Amir's dogs were barking at the cowering Karkata who has brought Tighnari back to Gandharva Ville.

"Ugh...! Amir, can you tell your dogs to back down? They're scaring Karkata..."

"I'm trying...! Hey guys, calm down. The mechanical crab is friendly. It's one of us...! Come on, Sag. You're my best student, you should know better."

After seemingly succeeded in calming the dogs down, you arrived at the scene. The person you were waiting for his return was indeed back, but not in the condition you expected him to be.

"Tighnari?"

As Amir helped Tighnari down from Karkata, he let out a grunt, which made you rush to his side.

"What happened to you?"

"Stuff happened. It escalated to me having to clash with the Fatui and... Please don't panic when I say this... *sigh* ...I got struck by lightning," he answered.

"You got struck by lightning?!" You and Amir said at the same time.

Even though Tighnari told you not to panic, you couldn't help but do the exact opposite of what he just said. I mean, how could you not panic? The love of your life literally fought off soldiers from the most powerful military force in all of Teyvat, and then he got struck by lightning? How could you not?!

"In that case, I should carry you back to your hut. Here, get on my back," Amir said as he crouched down.

"That's not necessary, Amir. I can walk on my own."

Amir who was getting tired of his resisting colleague argued, "Please don't be so stubborn, Tighnari. What if you injure yourself more on the way there?"

"Here. Use this instead."

Zahra who had been silent all this time, suddenly brought a stretcher made from your Dendro Vision's powers. She probably made it when you and Amir were panicking over Tighnari.

"Good thinking, Zahra! Alright, hand it to me," Amir said.

Tighnari sighed as he turned to his daughter, "You really shouldn't have, Zahra... I already told you... I'm... fine..."

"Tighnari!"

Tighnari's words trailed off as he slowly fell backwards. Luckily you were right beside him and were able to quickly caught him.

"Okay, maybe now the stretcher is needed. Nasrin, can you help us out over here? We need the extra help."

(In the early morning)

"Tighnari? Are you awake?"

Cyno the General Mahamatra invited himself to enter the Forest Watcher's hut. When he saw Tighnari and you had fallen asleep, holding his hand on the side of the bed, he wanted to take back his stupid question. But he was too late, because someone already answered him.

"Nope, obviously not. But I am, so, there's that."

"What are you doing up so early?"

It was Zahra, the Little Forest Ranger in Training. She was eating something as she sat down on her foldable mattress on the floor.

"I couldn't sleep after what happened last night, and probably because of the adrenaline that caused me not to realize that I'm hungry. I didn't want to wake anyone up so I cooked up a bowl of mushroom rice for myself," she said.

"Then it must have been serious. Can you tell me what happened?" Cyno asked.

"I can, but not here. Again, I didn't want to wake anyone up and they both really needed their sleep. Let's go outside."

"Wait, before that, do you have a spare blanket that you're not using?"

'The General Mahamatra is cold?' is what Zahra first thought of when Cyno asked that question. Not wanting to question him, Zahra went to get a blanket that was stored in the lower cabinet of a shelving unit.

She then gave the blanket to Cyno, who then draped it over your shoulders. Zahra couldn't help but “aww-ed” a little.

"There. Come on, let's go," Cyno said.

With her blanket tied around her neck and her bowl of mushroom rice in hand, Zahra and Cyno exited the hut and looked for a place to sit.

"Now that we're outside, can you tell me what happened?"

Zahra then recounted the incident last night.

"I had just finished playing Genius Invocation TCG with Collei when I heard Uncle Amir's dog barking. So me and Mom went to che—"

"Did you win or did you lose?"

"Huh?"

Cyno's interruption did surprise Zahra, but she laughed it off. "We actually tied. So we'll continue it tomorro– Wait... technically it's today huh..."

"Hm. And although I can't be there to witness it, I'll be rooting for the both of you. I don't care who wins or loses, I will be happy either way."

"Aww, thanks. Now, can I continue the story?"

(A flashback that's written from Zahra's POV)

I watched as Nasrin and Uncle Amir carried Papa off to the hut, with Mom following behind. I then approached the mechanical crab that had been silent from earlier.

"I believe your name is Karkata, isn't it? I just wanted to say on behalf of my mom and also from myself, thank you for bringing my Papa back safely. She didn't mean to forget to thank you, probably because of her panic. And don't worry, Papa is in good hands. I've made sure of it."

"Kolu!"

"Hehe. Now go hang out somewhere away from the dogs. I'll go check on things over there."

By the time I got inside, they've already taken off Papa's hoodie. I still remember how shocked I was to see the scar on his upper body. It spread out like tree roots, with an electrifying purple tint.

I can't lie that I'm scared and worried, but I'm trying to keep my cool. On the other hand, mom is really freaking out. She paced around the room, checking Papa over multiple times, getting ingredients for the ointment, even messing up her workplace in the process.

At that moment, I just knew I had to do something.

"Zahra, give me back my Dendro Vision. I need it to–"

I grabbed onto Mom's hands and held it, looking at her with a stern look. I could tell from her face that she was a little surprised by my actions.

"I can take over from here. You can go out and take a breather."

I knew Mom would refuse and try to argue, so I quickly silenced her.

"It's okay, you've done well. You deserve a break."

She simply sighed and left the hut.

(Flashback and Zahra's POV ends)

"So what happened afterwards?" Cyno asked.

"Well, I did my thing and let Mom back in. I found her hugging her knees just outside the hut on the floor. She immediately rushed to Papa's side the moment I told her she was allowed back in. It also couldn't be help that the commotion woke Collei up..."

"Hm. I see..."

Cyno then went silent and was deep in thought. Zahra was silent too and was just about to spoon a spoonful of mushroom rice into her mouth, when she realized that her bowl was empty.

'Aww, I'm out of mushroom rice...' she thought.

Suddenly, the General Mahamatra stood up and pat Zahra on the head.

"Whaa– Hey!"

"I have to go now. Today is going to be a big day for the people of Sumeru, and I have to make sure the preparation is thorough. Get enough rest so you can win that Genius Invocation TCG match!" Cyno said.

"Oh, okay. Geez, excited much... Uhh, good luck, Uncle Cyno!"

(A couple of days later)

You heard the sound of birds chirping, that meant your consciousness was starting to return. When you woke up and looked at the hut's entrance covered by the large leaf curtains, you noticed how bright it is outside. It couldn't be that it's still early, right? So you got up, tidy up your bed and headed out.

"Good morning, Y/n! I see that you decided to sleep in today. So I made some Pita Pockets for breakfast. Would you like one?"

As you rubbed your eyes, you processed the voice that greeted you. And after a while, you realized it was Collei.

"Collei? What are you doing out of bed? You could've gotten yourself injured. What if you fall over?"

"No, it's okay. Don't worry! I feel much more energized than the previous day," she replied.

Hearing her reply, you then sighed. "I appreciate your effort in convincing me, Collei. But I'm afraid I–"

"No, this is for real! It feels like as if my Eleazar disappeared without a trace..."

"...What?"

Unintentionally, you pulled Collei's hand a little too hard to confirm what she said. When you realized you're being too rough, you murmured a quiet 'sorry' before continuing. You detached her sleeves to see the dark, hardened scales on her wrists had disappeared completely.

(Somewhere nearby)

Tighnari and Zahra were alerted by the sound of crying, sounding like it was coming from nearby. The Forest Watcher asked her to investigate the sound with him. The little fox-eared girl quickly stuffed her half-eaten Pita Pocket into her mouth, before putting down her plate and taking her other Pita Pocket with her.

"Y/n, what happened?"

The moment they reached the location, Zahra and Tighnari were stunned. They saw you crying as you crouched down and Collei who was confused about how to comfort you.

While Zahra took a bite of her Pita Pocket as a way of reducing her shock, Tighnari let out a sigh of contentment.

"I guess you found out about Collei's recovery if you're crying like that, Y/n. I too was shocked when she said that the scales on her body had disappeared. At first I thought that it was impossible since Eleazar had no known cure, but I gave up figuring out how. I think, for now, it's best if we be grateful for this unexpected miracle."

"I can assure you that these are tears of happiness, Tighnari," you said as you hugged the Trainee Forest Ranger.

The Forest Watcher came closer and pulled the both of you into a hug. Zahra who was still chewing the rest of her Pita Pocket, quickly swallowed it and joined in.

"Hey, I'm being left out! Group hug!"

[Author's Note]: Oh noo, poor Hat Guy 😅 I'm sorry this took so long, but I managed to finish it as my internship program is coming to an end. I only have about 10 days of break before returning back to school 😭

Hopefully I could finish that other request that's nowhere near done before I start my senior year of high school. Wish me luck :')

Publication date: July 6th 2023