#and then they're thrown together again but is it good for them? bad? enough? too much? could this hurt? is it dangerous?

[zannolin]

thinks about msr through skinner's eyes and clenches my fists so hard my entire body starts sweating blood

[ittsybittsybunny]

ATLA Live Action Series Review:

The Good

Aesthetically this show felt right. Sure sometimes the outfits didn't quite feel lived in, but I always felt like I was watching a fantasy world with decent effects and interesting design. Also, I really enjoyed the sets!

Bending: Yes some of the fights feel very quick, but the bending looks cool. It is certainly better than 10 benders lifting one big rock. I can honestly say the opening bending fight scene gave me so much hope for this show.

Kyoshi Warriors: I loved seeing them in live action, and I thought Suki's performance was great!

Omashu: I think the mashup of the mechanist made sense since that is an important character overall and I would hate to see him cut. However, both Jet & the secret tunnels felt sloppily thrown in.

Northern Water Tribe: I really loved the way it looked, and appreciated the two episodes we spent here. I think Yue gained more agency in this interpretation, and why shouldn't the moon spirit be a waterbender. Also, episode seven felt the most in tune with the original show's spirit.

Zuko: I think he was one of the most fleshed-out and best parts of the show! Dallas Liu really captured Zuko's spirit, and the scene between him and Aang in episode 6 was wonderful!

Soundtrack: Hearing the original soundtrack bits is always great, and when I first heard the ending music I was so excited.

Is the show perfect, no - but I wouldn't mind a season 2.

The Bad

Pacing: Turning 20 episodes into 8 was bound to lead to some cuts...but oftentimes times things felt too quick or disjointed. I think there were editing problems contributing to this for sure, but sometimes things skipped around too much without a clear purpose as to why. Also, why bring in plots from later seasons when you barely have enough time already?

Writing: This show definitely suffered from exposition dumping, though it did get better as time went on. I think the biggest example of this is actually opening in the past rather than the present. We do not get to learn along with Aang that the world has changed, instead, we get to learn that 100 years have passed....which doesn't hold the same tension or worldbuilding.

Clunky Dialogue: Along with exposition, clunky dialogue is another example of bad writing. I think sometimes I felt like the acting was kind of meh in the beginning, but then over time I began to realize it had far more to do with the lines characters were trying to deliver. The actors themselves are not bad, just cursed with awkward writing and lines that feel out of touch with the setting they're in.

Main Trio: I don't entirely know that I believe Katara, Sokka, and Aang are friends as opposed to 3 people stuck together to save the world. Aang feels a little too somber for a young kid running away from his responsibilities, Sokka is protective, but not exactly the heart of the team, and Katara is sort of just there until the last two episodes. Where is her struggle, her desire to learn so strong she steals from pirates? Also, while Gordon Cormier did a great job, Aang does zero waterbending on his own, is overly serious, and tells Katara not to fight. Where is his desperation to protect his friends? It feels like they all lost emotional depth.

Tension: Bringing Ozai, Azula, and Zhao out in the beginning immediately causes us to lose the realization there is an even bigger bad. Part of why Ozai is so terrifying is he is a primarily silent villain until the third season when we finally see the face of the "big bad evil guy" behind it all. Yes, they add to Zuko's backstory, but again, they are revealing the villains too early. Azula is the antagonist of season 2 and one of my favorite characters, so I hope they do more with her in the future. Finally, Zhao is supposed to be an example of the uncontrollable nature of fire unrestrained, instead, he comes off as vaguely threatening with the supposed true power being Azula.

Characterization: While all characters are bound to lose something in a shorter show, it still felt like certain characters were more mutilated than others. I am sure there are 100 different opinions on who, but I think the biggest victim was Katara.

Katara: Katara manages to go from a complete novice to a bending master in what feels like a matter of days. The journey feels short, and that makes the results feel largely unearned. Katara is one of the strongest personalities in the show, determined, kind, and fiery. In many ways, she is the unpredictability of water - equally dangerous as it is necessary to live. She is the child of a war who lost her mother, forced to grow up too soon, and even raised her older brother. Yes, Katara often gets stereotyped as the mom friend, but overall she feels underutilized in this show. We really don't see enough of her journey until the very end.

Iroh: Iroh was always comedic but most importantly wise. Even when Zuko is trying to give himself advice, he mimics Iroh. Instead, he seems to be used more as comedic relief without the underlying experience. He just doesn't feel right. Also, he kills Zhao instead of Zhao getting himself killed - which is less about Iroh and more about the writing than anything.

Ozai is weirdly a little too nice. Yes, he burned Zuko and pits his kids against each other, but he feels toned down in a show claiming to be more mature than the original cartoon.

Azula is perhaps more realistically worried about losing her status as the golden child, but she is also missing the cruelty she and her father share. I understand worrying about making your character cartoonishly evil, but the Fire Nation is currently a deeply nationalistic empire trying to control the world. Where is the deep-seated belief that they are better than other people, not just trying to bring balance to the world? There is a line between creating complexity and toning down the very real evil inherent in this plan.

Roku: I can only say what the fuck was that. He was barely there, and not the serious master to Aang's youthful exuberance.

The Ugly

Show, Don't Tell: The show's single biggest issue seems to be speeding through story parts by simply stating things. Instead of allowing the audience to discover, trusting that we are smart enough to understand, let's just blatantly say things like Zuko is the only reason the 41st division is alive to their faces. Even though in the context of the story Ozai literally already said that.... it's the division, the division for Zuko, Zuko's division.

Thematic Misunderstandings: I think this show makes several minor changes with major implications, such as airbenders actively fighting the firebenders, when airbenders are known for their pacifist nature and the lie of an Airbender fighting force is actively propaganda. Similarly, Aang very quickly accepts his role as the avatar and doesn't even run away in the beginning. Without this conflict between his desire to be a carefree child and the fact that the world needs him - the show loses a key aspect of Aang's character. Also, the obsession with downplaying the avatar state as something dangerous feels like a disservice to the tradition, connection, and strength of the avatar, which can be permanently destroyed as the trade-off for that kind of power. It's dangerous for the balance of the entire world, not just because it's powerful!

The Agni Kai: Zuko's fight against his father is one of the defining moments of Ozai's cruelty, not just because he is willing to fight his child, but because Zuko tried to do everything right. Zuko shows deference to his father, apologizes, and most importantly refuses to fight! The determination not to upset his father and still be grievously injured and banished is a hugely important theme for the fire nation and Zuko's life as a whole. He tries to do everything he is supposed to and only regains his father's acceptance after he "kills" Aang. Zuko's struggle between moral vs. social right and wrong in contrast to his family is hugely important to his character.

-----

TLDR: ATLA was a fantastical animated television show that was never afraid to show character development and flaws. When you turn 20 episodes into 8, you are bound to lose something. You hollowed out the middle, leaving the shell of important moments and events without ever wondering if all the times in between formed the true spirit of the show.

Rating: 6.5/10 It's perfectly fine and worth a watch. Not a disaster, but certainly falls flat of the original.

[oh-koenig-my-koenig]

(to the tune of Avril Lavigne's sk8terboi)

He was a human battering ram.

She was a recon sniper.

Can I make it any more obvious?

Headcannons - Fit for a King - König x fem!OC fanfic

Instead of making a y/n fic, I decided to create an original female character because I ususally write all of my stuff in POVs. Due to posting the chapters often right after I've written them some of the context and the characterization might not be explicit in every single piece, some of the information is only gonna get revealed down the road.

(TW: alcoholism, death, violence)

Karina Müller is almost 30 years old, she served in the Norwegian military from right after school until the death of her brother who was KIA on a mission together. She fell off the wagon after that, feeling responsible for his death and effectively being shunned by her family after that. Her pick of poison was alcohol and it got so bad that she more than once was drunk on the job which led to her getting kicked out.

The years after that she spent getting help, trying to get clean and going back to a civilian life, but the military was what she knew, so the civilian jobs didn't stick and she started to work as a mercenary, now a dry alcoholic. Which might be an issue for some contractors, but KorTac doesn't really bat an eye.

She's a compassionate person who loves to laugh, she's seen enough shit not to take any from her teammates and can stand her ground when faced with any challenge thrown her way. She's still working through some stuff, coming to terms with her past, but she has an optimistic spirit and a strong will.

Even though the Colonel seems scary at first, she learns pretty quickly that he is to be respected in training and on the battlefield, but on a personal level he's really not that bad. The 6'10'' killing machine, Austrian war criminal (insert "what murdeeer?!"-meme here) is quite an anxious person when it comes to basic human interaction.

Shouting orders at his team, stomping his enemies into the ground is more comfortable to him than just talking about mundane stuff with other people, he mostly keeps to himself (except for Horangi because that little shit would never leave him alone). And for the first time in a long time, Müller makes him wish that he could just go up to people and strike up a normal conversation like a normal person (don't we all).

König is 38 years old (we don't know his full name) and has the biggest metalhead dad vibes without actually having any children himself (his favourite band is Death, although he listens to a bunch of different ones, it's also their merch shirt Müller steals in "Are you wearing my t-shirt?").

When he started out in the military, he shaved his long metalhead hair off because that was the way to go back then, but he let it grow back when he was older and already Colonel. He has gauged ears and a plethora of tattoos all over his body because the soft pain of body modifications and working out until he almost passes out are his ways of dealing with his anxiety and stress. His body is a testament to that.

He has a huge scar on the right side of his face from when he got beaten to a pulp by his bullies at school, something he never let happen again after that (five on one was really unfair). His nose has been broken two times and sometimes his tattoos get destroyed by battle injuries, but he doesn't really care about that - or his looks in general. He's a soldier and not a model.

So the reason why he's always wearing the selfmade hood is not the scar. He prefers not to show his feelings to others, staying hidden underneath the mask for his own comfort, even if it makes him scarier also in situations where he doesn't want to be.

(CW: some nsfw headcannons ahead, talk about not wanting to have children) They're both switches, though König is leaning more on the Dom-side while Müller is a sub who likes to brat a little too much, just to see her man falter (for example when she calls him a good boy in random scene #1).

Müller is bisexual, something she discovered when serving in an all-women-taskforce of the Norwegian military (we don't really know about König's sexuality though). She decided a long time ago that she doesn't want to have children (she doesn't see herself leaving service again anytime soon and given her past, she doesn't see herself fit to become a mother), so she got her tubes tied. Which also comes in handy when a certain Colonel's favourite pasttime (well, actually second favourite) is leaving creampies inside her (no 'unexpected pregnancy' trope in this household).

König definitely eats pussy for his own pleasure, begging Müller to let him eat her out in "Sit" or losing a little friendly competition for a sexual favour in "But no funny business" (oh and he definitely steals her panties at any chance he gets). She's totally not opposed to servicing him as well, but the size of his dick makes this a whole endeavour (like seen in "Open wide, Prinzessin").

They match each other's energy pretty well, just going at it like rabbits at every chance they get, which sometimes proves to be difficult as they're sneaking around in secret.

Their arrangement is kind of a fuckbuddy/fwb-situation, they fuck hard and rough, without ever really kissing (the mask stays on), but after a while feelings start to get in the way... After all they do belong together <3

Read more at the Fit for a King - Masterlist or keep an eye out for the AO3 link - coming soon.

[derangedanomaly]

been seeing a lot of sanses x reader, so how about something different.

What if the bad sanses and y/n only see eachother as best friends. Like the whole group watch horror movies and give eachother cuddles platonically. The whole group is involved and each person gets along with everyone because Y/N helped with the arguing problems?

So: Y/N sees everyone as a friend, and the Bad sanses see y/n as a friend.

YES! I love this request! (I've had a little too much fun with this 💀) sorry if it's not like how you imagined it, I just played with this idea a bit. It's not every day you see a platonic request.

Masterlist

READER BEING THE BAD SANSES BEST FRIEND (PLATONIC)

(Nightmare, Dust, Killer, Horror, Error)

Safe to say that you were truly in one hell of a ride. Everyday was a rollercoaster with the Bad Sanses. Let's go over some moments together, shall we?

1# The Coffee machine

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

You jolted up awake at the sound of arguing from downstairs. Looks like the boys were roundhousing again..

You groaned as you made your way down the stairs. "Guys? What-" your eyes widened as you saw a chair barely missing your face. Dust turned to you in alarm. "Oh my god.. What are you doing standing there!? Help us!" You blinked when you heard those words, but had no time to say anything as you were pulled by Killer. "OK! OK! Y/N. This is really bad.." you looked at Killer tiredly. "Killer. What did you do?!" Killer flashed you a shocked look, dramatically gasping. "I cannot believe that you just accused me of this horrible tragedy!" "He broke the..coffee machine." Horror snitched on Killer as all the chatter went mute.

Killer slowly turned to Horror. "Horror...you snitch.. why did you have to say it so loudly?" You snorted a little, along with Dust who looked like he could lose it any time soon. "Oh, you're royally fucked Killer." Was your last sentence before going back to bed, as Nightmare dragged Killer.

"AHHH! NIGHTMARE WAIT!!! W-WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS-" He yelled, as he was thrown in the air. "Too late."

2# FAILED SLEEPOVER

You laid in bed as you giggled. "Ok ok..so.. there's this person that I like-" you began, but Killer gasped. "Oh my god! Guys, guys! It's happening!" They all got closer to you, smiling like idiots. "Come on! Who's it? Are they nice??" Dust also nudged you as your cheeks started turning red.

You were about to start blabbering about them, until Nightmare scared the shit out of you all. "Why the fuck are you all up?! Go to sleep! I swear...I won't agree the next time y'all ask me about a sleepover..." You all sighed in annoyance. Damn, does this guy have zero knowledge of what it means to have fun? You laid on your side, closing your eyes, and about to fall asleep, until you felt Nightmare poke you softly. "..tell me about the special person later...I wanna know if they're good enough for you.."

3# Lacking Discipline

You and the boys successfully snuck in Nightmare's room. Tiptoeing towards his bed, along with quiet giggles. "Ok.. remember, we have to be quiet." You nodded at Dust's words, shooting looks at Killer. "Whaaat?" You playfully rolled your eyes at his antics.

You reached forward, and pulled Nightmare's sheets away from his boney face, as you gestured to Dust and Killer. They creepily smiled, holding their red markers.

Killer just finished his last line at Nightmare's mess of a face, when you saw Nightmare stirr in his sleep. It looks like he's about to wake up! You silently gasped, pushing Killer to the floor, and taking Horror's hand in the process.

Killer almost yelled when you shoved him to the floor. "Hey! Dust...!" He flashed him a pleading look, silently asking him for help. Dust just showed him a peace sign and teleported out of the room. "YOU BACKSTABBING BITCHES!!" Killer didn't realized that he raised his voice, out of frustration, until Nightmare stood behind him with a menacing glare.

Your friendship dynamic between them:

Nightmare:

Him: Doesn't want to let anyone get close to him.

You: Got close to him 💀

Dust:

Him: Sunshine protector

You: Sunshine

Killer:

Him: A dumbass

You: Also a dumbass, but smarter

Horror:

Him: Mom (Dad) friend

You: The reckless idiot

Error:

Him: Can't spell

You: Mocks his typos

Incorrect quotes:

1:

Y/N: Between Dust, Error, Nightmare, and Killer -- if you had to -- who would you punch?

Horror: No one! They're my friends. I wouldn't punch any of them.

Y/N: Killer?

Horror: Yeah, but I don't know why.

2:

Y/N: It’s not gonna work, I’m not a snitch.

Cop: Fine, let's try something else. Tag a friend you recently committed a crime with.

Y/N: Lmao, @Nightmare.

3:

Y/n: They don’t make them like me no more. I’m the last of my kind.

Error: Thank god.

4:

Horror: Good night.

Y/n: Sleep tight.

Dust: Don't let the bedbugs crawl up to your ear and whisper threatening things that make you question yourself.

Nightmare: Great, now Killer's crying.

5:

Dust: I wish I was a cat, but not in a furry kinda way, more like a “I can sleep all day and hit people with no consequences” kinda way.

6:

Error: We can't lose. Because we have this. *points to his chest*

Y/N: We have a soul?

Horror: A soul? No, me. I'm pointing at myself. I'm going to win this for us.

7:

Y/n: I am going to cry. I’m going to cry until I can no longer physically cry anymore because all the water in my body is gone and I die from dehydration.

Killer: Are you okay?

Dust: Did you actually just ask them that? Like, you need that to be answered otherwise you won’t know?

8:

Dust: Small creatures are much more vicious because they have a smaller body to bottle up all their emotions.

Error: Ridiculous. Give me some examples.

Horror: Wasps?

Nightmare: Terriers?

Killer: Y/n.

9:

Nightmare: You have to apologize to Y/N!

Killer: Fine!

Killer: Unfuck you, or whatever!

10:

Dust: Sometimes I drink milk straight from the container.

Killer: The cow??

Horror: What?

Y/n: Killer, W H Y?

Short Headcanons:

Dust likes to share his notes he made about some Au's with you, because you find it interesting.

Killer goes to you for flirting advice, no matter how good (or bad) your flirts are.

Dust likes to scare you by popping up in front of you. (He likes your reaction)

Horror will steal your food quite frequently.

Nightmare has strictly put up a poster on his office, that's forbidding you to go in.

Error shares his popcorn with you when y'all watch movies.

It takes a long time before your movie night starts, and that's just because you're all arguing on what to watch.

Y'all aren't much up for cuddling, as a group... Aside from Killer and Horror.

I don't know, maybe I'll do part two. I really liked this request by the way. Have a nice day/night!! :D

[honey-minded-hivemind]

I just imagined: What if there's an AU where Logan and Reader are experiments, maybe for the Weapon X scientists, maybe for something else, or for some mutant-experimenting group, and Sabretooth (a.k.a., his brother) ends up taking care of them once they've been busted out?

Let's look at it this way:

Logan has been in that place for Heaven only knows how long. He's seen sh*t, he's heard all sorts of awful things, and he's lived them. Then there's a kid thrown in with him, and suddenly he's a dad now. (Who else is going to parent this random kid/teen? The scientists? F*ck no!) So he's now trying to keep himself and this kid alive, biding his time until he finds the best opportunity for them to leave.

Reader is this random kid/teen who's been put into this program/experiment, and they've been tossed into the mess with no safety net... Until they end up with Logan, or as everyone else calls him, Wolverine. And Reader, seeing a feral, growly, possibly dangerous individual... tries to be gentle. Tries to treat him as a person. (This guy is covered in wounds and reeks of blood, and obviously needs care, and they're all in this together, aren't they?) And Reader is soon met with someone who is their protector in this H*ll they're living in, someone who'd kill for them and die for them, if the situation called for it. Too bad Reader would do the same for him...

(They become cellmates/cell-buddies. Logan, when he's not chained to the wall or floor or restrained in some way is curled around Reader. Reader tries to keep his humanity intact, and tries to maintain both of their sanities. The moment someone tried to take Reader away, Logan bit someone's arm off-)

Sabretooth comes into play when he finds out about this secret program trying to make or recapture mutant experiments, wanting soldiers or guards or weapons... And when he catches wind of a rumor, that his baby brother is in there... He decides to make it his business. And realizes he's going to have to get involved if he wants to get him out mostly intact.

Trying to act the part of a willing subject... oh, it grates on his nerves... Having to act like he's loyal, or controlled. Doing what they say when they say it. But the reward... tearing out their throats and getting his brother away from them, causing chaos, too... is too sweet, too much of a good thing, to pass up. Then he finds out his brother is attached to another subject, and suddenly he's now trying to figure out if he needs to keep them alive, too.

And what he finds... it convinces him to keep Reader alive.

They're the only good thing to his brother in this h*llscape. The only one treating him with any respect or decency. And that earns them his protection. Not to mention they're a small pup, just a cub, in a den of snakes and lions... And his brother likes them. Those are enough reasons for him to add Reader into his plan, to the list of people to break out. (If he roughs up or sets up a few jerks so they can have a taste of what they've given his runt or the cub, it's no one's business-)

And finally, the day comes and he can break them out... Except something goes horribly wrong, and he's now trying to make sure Reader is alive while struggling to keep his brother from running off with them. (Neither of them are in a position to survive alone, or to go another week without proper care and for and safety). So that leaves him with hardly any choice but to kidnap his brother and hide him and the kid where no one can get to them. They can all fight it out when they're well again, but that isn't going to be for a long time, and he does miss taking care of his brother... And he gets to care for the cub, who needs extra careful care and gentleness... So he's going to be busy for quite awhile now, isn't he?... He can't wait to get them warm and cleaned up and fed. They're just going to have to be kept very sleepy and relaxed while he works his own brand of healing and caring for them, 'kay? Just let good ol' Victor take care of everything...

(If you have any questions about this idea, please ask them!)

[twin-disaster-tutel-brainrot]

So I wanted to write a short post about Splinter's relationship with Donnie, but I realised I need to give it more context, so here we are. This is going to be an analysis on the similarities between Splinter and Donnie, and how those similarities affect their relationship.

Let's start with the easiest example, given to us in "Breaking purple":

(sorry for the bad quality gif)

Donnie, as we know, isn't good at understanding his own emotions and expressing them, and he's also not that good at understanding other's emotions. This video essay explains his low empathy really well.

Donnie doesn't know how to deal with emotions, so he does the next best thing - looks at adult example and copies it.

Splinter, while loving his sons and wanting the best for them, is objectively not the best father. He was thrown into fatherhood with no preparation after being imprisoned for over a decade and turning into a rat. He clearly has depression, has no friends, no support system, etc. And the only reference he has for parenting is his grandpa.

So similarity one, they're not good at dealing with emotions.

The second similarity is they're both bad at lying. And, more importantly, bad at noticing when they're being lied to:

(Arguably, you can say they were all too focused on trying to get away with their own lie, but I digress.)

Donnie needs to be said stuff directly. He's shown to not get sarcasm quite often:

And Splinter is shown multiple times to be quite unobservant:

Like, this gif is from when he grounds them, and he just accepts that those four flour sacks are his sons and moves on.

Which leads us to the third similarity, of them both missing obvious social cues. Donnie because of his social skills, and Splinter because he's unobservant.

There's more similarities, like their love of dancing for example, but the reason I gave those similarities is because I want to talk about their relationship.

Splinter, again, wasn't a very good father. He didn't know how to raise his children, but you can see he did make an effort. They all never hesitate to hug him, to call him Dad, and even when they find out Lou Jitsu is their biological father, they never doubt his role as their dad for a second. Which shows that even though he was neglectful, he did have a positive impact on their lives. They love him, and he loves them.

But, one line stood out to me the most, and that's this Donnie line:

Why? Because Splinter always looks extremely proud of his sons, and it sounds odd that he never told Donnie he's proud of him. And we know he desperately want to hear him say it:

So Splinter never told him he's proud of him, but he's also going to say it three times in this episode, only finishing the sentence once when Donnie isn't close enough to hear. Not only that, but the first instance is because Donnie made him a booster, which looks like a very minor thing, so he has no issue saying he's proud of them even because of the tiniest thing.

If so, then why is Donnie missing the verbal validation so much?

Splinter is not good with knowing when to express his feelings and how, and he's not really observant. Just like he never actually said he's proud of Donnie to Donnie's face in this episode, my guess he never said it to his face in the past too. Like, he tried, but he never actually finished the sentences when Donnie could hear, and he probably didn't even notice.

I'm also guessing he used acts to show how proud he is (for example, the fact he didn't hesitate to choose the Turtle Tank for the demolition derby shows how proud he is of Donnie's work), but because of Donnie's need to be told everything literally, he didn't feel the validation from him at all.

I feel like out of the four turtles, Donnie has the rockiest relationship with Splinter. He logs every interaction they have, doesn't immediately trust him when he offers to spend time together, gets mad at him the most often out of the four of them, etc. But you can also see he loves his dad, and he outright tells him this in "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man":

Anyways, I'm just really passionate about showing Splinter isn't just an abusive uncaring father, and showing that the turtles know this.

(Just learned there's an "alt text" option for images so I just removed the image id and turned it into alt text instead.)

[tuninghearts]

Lucifer invites Alastor to his room in the hotel. Alastor complies, for what else can he do while he was stuck in a deal with His Majesty?

Radioapple Week - Day 4

Prompt: Drinking/Bonding

“Come, Alastor, you have fixed me up, it’s only right for me to pay back the favour.” Lucifer smiles, as he glances down at his hands. The cloth, streaks of golden blood now forever staining its ragged appearance, was thrown to the side. Lucifer was blossoming in front of Alastor, and he was worried of the next word that fell from his mouth, either feather-like or tumbling down like crushing boulders. He didn’t want to ruin him, make him wilt all because he was blocking the sun.

“I’m good, don’t worry.” Alastor shakes his head at the offer. The staff being fixed was enough for the price that he thought Lucifer needed to pay.

“Oh, come on, we have only started today.”

“It’s late in the evening, and night is trailing just behind.”

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t spend it together, can we? This place smells of blood and death, let’s head back to my room, take a drink or two, shall we?”

“Are you serious?” Alastor’s eyebrows furrowed, pinched together, almost straining his facial muscles. “You better not make me sleep in your bed again.”

“No guarantee,” he teased, but when he sees Alastor’s expression unchanged, still as firm and rigid as how it was before, Lucifer says, “Okay, okay. No sleeping in my bed.”

“And not vice versa, either. I don’t want you in my room.”

“Got it. Okay, let’s get out of here, can we? I’m starting to sweat.”

The trapdoor swung open with a bang, and they climbed down. Alastor pondered over whether or not the trapdoor was cracked due to Lucifer’s unneeded immense force when we pushed the trapdoor aside.

~

“Welcome to my room,” Lucifer smiles, as his arms shoot up in a welcoming gesture. “Excuse the number of ducks, I’ve yet to transport them back to my own house.”

“Why do you have so many?” Alastor asks.

“I keep them as friends, they’re nice to have. Oh, and, did you know they were originally meant to be a chew toy? That’s funny, because I chew on one of them all the time. Stress relief, nothing much.” The rubber duck on the table next to the bed was picked with slender fingers. He placed its tail in its mouth, biting it down with jagged teeth. It was left with a couple of bite marks which glitter underneath the fluorescent lights of his room and there were more trailing downwards from where he initially bit into, past marks of hardship. “It’s not bad, I’d be dead if it ever broke, but I made it out of good material so it shouldn’t break… easily. Oh, and these aren’t actually made of rubber, they're made of plastic.”

Alastor nodded along to his every word, even though not a single word was understandable because he wasn’t interested in rubber ducks to the extent that Lucifer was, but was happy to listen to him talk so fondly about how he makes them, what purpose do each of them serve, and more—a script he had memorised in his head and was more than willing to share to anyone who piqued their interest in his creations.

After some time, Lucifer turns around and asks, “Sorry, was that too much? Am I boring you? I’m probably boring you. What was I—oh yeah, the alcohol. I keep a couple of bottles in the bottom drawer.” He pulls out one of them, liquid filled half-way. When Alastor tips himself lower to see the other bottle, he finds one of them empty.

“Have you had other guests over?” The question that Alastor asks makes Lucifer turn around to him.

“I have not. Why?” He inquires.

“One of the bottles is empty. Have you had other people finish it with you?”

His face tilts to the floor. He’s gloomy, eyes unable to meet him. Speechless. Quiet. The fist that holds the bottle is tightened, and Alastor was worried cracks would form underneath his grasp, liquid overflowing everywhere, or that the pain from healing wounds would be too much for him to bear, and the bottle would drop to the floor, screaming as a puddle of dejection would spread across the floor. “I’m not answering that question.”

“Of course, I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologise. Come on, I’ll pour you a glass.”

“Let me. Your hands need a rest.” Alastor picks the bottle from his hand, and gestures for Lucifer to sit on the bed.

He does so, and the bed creaks slightly, the blanket underneath him ruffling. “The glasses are behind the bottle, by the way,” he says. His voice is soft, forcing itself out. Alastor resisted the urge to envelop him at the moment, make him feel the perfume of flowers underneath the tip of his nose.

When he pulls the glasses out from behind the cupboard, Lucifer smiles ever so slightly, and Alastor feels his soul brighten with joy. “Wine? How classic.” Alastor jokes, hoping to tug that smile upwards a little more. It works, he’s got Lucifer grinning, while he pours him a glass first and hands it to him, before he pours a glass for himself.

When he sits next to Lucifer on the bed, he couldn’t help but notice the sparkle in his eyes. It dances and glimmers, it flickers with admiration, it tugs at his heart in the best way possible. The chaos that fires within him was drunk away, as he wants to live in the moment with Lucifer, stay in endless conversations with him. Neither seemed to mind the spillage of the wine on either of their suits, as they laughed and bickered as if they had known each other since life.

“I’m tired, Alastor yawns, and puts his glass on the tabletop.

“Let’s get you to your room,” Lucifer chuckles, a drunk mess—his words were slurring. “No sleeping in my bed, remember?”

A part of him chokes on regret. He wants to feel Lucifer next to him, like the night before. Curled up in his sheets, even if they aren’t touching each other, but his presence was enough to comfort him through nightmares. “I want to stay with you,” he blurts out, a thought that was never meant to make it past his razor-sharp teeth or his once filtered tongue.

“This is the drunk Alastor I’m talking to.” Lucifer stands on his two feet, wobbling. “Come on, to your room.”

“Okay, fine,” Alastor sighs, and stands too.

“Aren’t you going to go and mix with your shadow to go back to your room or something?”

“I want you to take me back.” Another sentence that he has muttered into the air, when he was too drunk to watch what he says, and he can’t ever take it back.

“You’re really drunk, jeez,” Lucifer laughs, as he offers Alastor his hand. When they slide together, a reminder of how Lucifer's hand first felt in his from the night before, the door was opened, and they stumbled back to Alastor’s room. --- 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

[yuseirra]

I get the story,

Ai REALLY adored Hikaru. She really liked the guy, I can see that really well. She was so happy to be around with him. She came to find a liking for the cute and gentle boy who helped her and found he was suffering. In turn, she wanted to protect him and do everything within her power to help him out of the deep pit he was in. They almost had it, but things happened and she ended up believing she'd be adding to his misery so she left, but she still always worried about him. She liked him so much that she couldn't give up the kids she had with him, she kept them and loved them all she could, swooning, giving them names that reminded her of their father(jewels) while being scared she'd end up being a burden. One day, she decides to show them to the dad, thinking 'what could go wrong?'

Then something happens and she passes, leaving their little babies behind. Hikaru despairs, believes he's responsible for it and he can't forgive himself for that, so he does everything he can to try and reverse the situation and bring her back (it is theoretically possible in this universe, I mean people get reincarnated) but it's not a good path. Not only is it going to be futile, it practically destroys him. He doesn't care about his fate though, if he can achieve that desired outcome because Ai's the only person he's ever had, even while he doesn't understand why she left him and ended up believing she never loved him back. She left to protect him. She doesn't want him to hurt himself. And it's only after like fifteen years that he realizes how she's felt, through the help of Aqua. He stops and drops what he's been doing on the spot.

Yeah, I've been saying things on this same note over and over again, but I see it really well. This has to be it. The way things are portrayed, it shouldn't have been this way if it doesn't take this direction.

They really like each other. And they were happy together. Enough to believe they want to stay with each other forever, (that's some really loving and heavy stuff) but something prevented it from happening. I honestly feel like there's something more to it than just sheer bad luck. They really have to discuss this now

The gods they are seemingly based on(inspired from?) are supposed to keep the balance of the world together as the yin and the yang so, it would be important if they go astray...but like, are they really going to go full fantasy in the final arc? I see some things thrown here and there and If they are, now's about time but I wonder how they're going to do it. There's too much of it to dismiss it as pure red herrings, but the only solid divine force we see in the manga is Tsukuyomi. Sorry to say, she doesn't seem that strong.. she gets pushed around by the twins (but that could be because she has a soft spot for them) But if you read this series in volumes, it does feel like the author knows what they're doing... following a weekly series is stressful; I really hope everything turns out to be nicely pieced together (It actually seems like it can)

[vilevenom]

New chapter for "Together Burning Bright"! This one is a ~flashback~ chapter. Specifically, Hickory's birthday party, when he and JD got together the first time. This particular scene has been rotating around my brain since I wrote "Let's Be Us Again", but it didn't really fit in the main story, so now you get a +4K word fic of just that, all on its own, lol This chapter is just a touch spicy. It's gonna bump the AO3 rating to 'M', so just an fyi. Nothing is explicitly described, but it's hella obvious as to what they're doing. Enjoy!

A trolls twenty-first birthday was a special one. At least, for the yodelers it was. It was considered a coming of age celebration, and it was when trolls were encouraged to take on more responsibility within the community. It was also when the biggest birthday parties were thrown.

As the community hall was the largest indoor space in the village, it was most commonly used to host such large events, to avoid the cold of the mountain. Flowers adorned nearly every feasible surface, and tables ladened with food were pushed up against the walls. Streamers and twinkle lights hug from the ceiling, while nearly every troll in town was crammed onto the main floor, singing, dancing and carrying on in celebration.

Nearly, being the key word. One troll with teal hair and a distinct pair of green goggles stood to the side with a lazy smile, drink in hand as he watched the party carry on. John Dory had, unfortunately, missed the beginning of the party. He'd been guilted into going, even somewhat late, by the trolls who were hosting his stay in the village. They'd told him it was bad luck for the birthday troll in question for someone to willingly not attend, so he made a little fuss about it but followed along shortly behind them to the party. He'd honestly just wanted to go to bed and sleep, but a party was a party, he supposed. And as a pop troll, he'd been told many times over the years that he should love parties, much to his chagrin.

He idly sipped at his drink as he watched trolls nearly trip over themselves as they swayed across the dance floor. He did have to hand one thing to the yodelers; they made a mean fermented nectar. The cup in his hand was definitely stronger than the strange yeasty concoction the rock trolls had made him try. From said experience, he knew better than to drink too much, or too quickly. He was not keen on a repeat performance, if he was going to be honest with himself.

Truthfully, he was planning on staying just long enough for a majority of the attendees to get a little silly, before slipping back out to the house he was staying at. He'd figured, since he didn't know who the party was even for, and he'd made an appearance to appease his superstitious hosts, that no one would fault him for wanting to get some rest. He'd only managed to get into town the day before, after all.

What John Dory did not expect was for a tall troll to suddenly appear next to him, lean a hand on the wall, and tilt into John's personal space with a little smirk on his face.

~

Hickory hadn't expected anything for his birthday. His parents were long gone, his brother had disappeared on a job of some sort for who knew how long, and he was old enough now that he wasn't even living with anyone who would potentially take notice. So, he'd been more than a little surprised when his friends had offered to host a party for him at the community hall.

It seemed like everyone in town had turned out, bringing food and drink to share. They'd adorned him in a flower crown and accessories made of dried flowers, while everyone wished him a happy birthday and good luck in the coming years. The reveal of the large five tiered cake his friends had baked for him had nearly brought him to tears. He truly felt like he was the luckiest troll in the world.

"Hey, hey! Who's that?"

"Oh. That's the troll staying with us. He's a traveling pop troll. I guess he's been here before, because…"

Hickory let the voices of his friends fade into the background as they prattled on next to him. Scratch his previous thought, now he felt like the luckiest troll in the world. John Dory, the troll he had been crushing on for the last four years, who he'd thought he'd never see again, was leaning against the wall. At his party! A thrill ran up his spine, making his fur practically stand on end.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Hickory stated, pressing his half finished cup idly into the hand of one of his friends.

"What? Why? Wait…No way, Hickory. That can't possibly be the same troll."

"The one I would not stop talking to you about a couple of years ago? It most definitely is," he said with a nod, fussing with his hair and straightening out his suspenders.

"Ooo, get some, Hickory," one of his friends jeered, earning an eye roll from Hickory.

He waved as his friends started to get rowdy, quickly walking away from them while trying to keep a flush from forming on his cheeks. He hadn't seen John in nearly four years, and they had only spent a couple of months together at the time. Would he even remember? Well, Hickory reasoned, you missed one hundred percent of the shots you didn't take.

He sauntered up to John Dory and placed his hand on the wall next to the pop trolls head before leaning into his space with a smirk. "Guten abend."

John looked up at him, confusion clear on his face. Hickory felt like an idiot. He tipped himself back up to stand upright, letting out a nervous laugh. "Sorry. You don't speak german, do you?"

"Can't say that I do, no," John said, arching an eyebrow at Hickory. "Can I help you?"

Hickory cleared his throat, already feeling like this was going poorly. "I said 'good evening'," he fumbled, suddenly wishing he hadn't handed off his drink so he would at least have something to do with his hands. "I, uhh…you're alone."

John's expression went from confusion to disinterest almost immediately. "Yes. I am. And, if you don't mind, I was actually pretty okay with that situation."

Hickory bristled, wincing at the clear dismissal, but he couldn't just let John slip through his fingers like this. "We met! Before! Sorry, I'm making a mess of this," he quickly babbled, fiddling with one of the floral bracelets he'd been gifted, "I showed you around the last time you visited the village."

John stared at him for a moment, before realization slowly dawned on his face. He stood up straight from the wall, giving Hickory a cursory once over, gaping slightly. "Hickory?!"

Hickory let out a quiet breath, a wobbly little smile on his face as he gave a short nod. "That's right."

"You got tall!"

That startled a snort of laughter out of Hickory. "Ja, and older," he added, waving vaguely at the party. John looked dumbfounded for a moment, glancing around before his gaze snapped back to the yodeler.

"This is your party? Oh, man. Happy birthday!" John said, giving Hickory a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Thank you," Hickory chuckled, rubbing at the spot that John had hit. "I don't imagine my birthday is what brought you back to town?"

John laughed, shaking his head a little as he leaned back against the wall. "Nah. Not that the party isn't great! But, I just got board with the classical trolls. I kinda vaguely remembered where this place was, and I wanted to come back for another visit. Got a little lost in the mountains for a couple of days, though. I have to admit, I'm a bit exhausted and I only came to the party because I got guilt tripped." John paused as he noticed the somewhat crestfallen expression that flitted over Hickory's face, before a smile was forced back onto it.

"Well, don't let me keep you! You should not feel obligated to stay if you would rather be in bed," Hickory offered, taking a short step back from John.

"Wait, hey, no," John stood back up, reaching out to catch Hickory's wrist. He offered a soft smile to the other, nodding towards the door. "I know this is your party, but why don't we step outside. I'm tired, but I'd love to catch up with you?"

Hickory returned the smile with a genuine one of his own, giving a short nod. He pulled his wrist free of John's hold, only to take his hand properly with a quiet, "I would love that." He turned and began to lead John through the crowd, while doing his best to ignore the cat calls that followed the two of them out.

"Sorry," Hickory muttered once they were outside, his breath puffing up in a tiny cloud in front of him. "My friends can be a bit…lewd."

"Hey, no worries," John said, walking along next to Hickory as they trundled through the snow towards a couple of benches just outside the community hall, "Pop trolls have a reputation, I've been told."

"It is a ridiculous reputation to have, since you are one of the only pop trolls that has even been through town in the last two decades," Hickory scoffed, only to flush in embarrassment at the look John shot him. "I just…it's not right. To make those sort of presumptions. Do you not agree?"

"Oh, I fully agree. It's just kinda nice to have someone else share the sentiment," John admitted, a grin forming on his face. "So," he flopped down to sit on the bench once they reached it, setting his cup on the ground, "What've you been up to since I was last here?"

Hickory eagerly took the seat next to John, and the two began to talk. Once Hickory had caught John up on the relatively uneventful list of things that had occurred in the village, John began to regale Hickory with tales of his travels, which the yodeler took in eagerly. He gasped and cheered in all of the appropriate places, peppering in the odd question to get John to elaborate on details, while John sprung from his seat to enact some of the more daring acts from his time on the Neverglade Trail. After a particularly energetic performance, John fell back onto the bench next to Hickory, quiet pants leaving a trail of wispy condensation in the air behind him.

"Your life sounds fantastic," Hickory hummed, watching John catch his breath with a dopey little smile on his face.

"It's pretty great," John grinned up at Hickory from where he was half laying on the bench.

"I wish I could have adventures like that," Hickory admitted quietly, picking at one of the blooms on his bracelet.

"What's stopping you?" John pushed himself to sit up, leaning into Hickory, "It's your life. And you're old enough now. Heck, you've been old enough for a while. I was eighteen when I went out on my own."

Hickory shrugged, a sardonic little smile on his face. "My brother, mostly. Even though he's not even here right now. But, truthfully? I am not brave enough, I don't think."

"Sure you are! You just gotta put your mind to it," John said encouragingly, nudging Hickory's shoulder with his own.

"No," Hickory shook his head, "I'm a coward."

"Hey, come on. Start small, then. Baby steps. Pick something little that you're scared to do, and just do it!" John grabbed Hickory's knee and gave it a little shake. "I believe in you."

Hickory looked down at the hand on his knee for a moment, before turning his gaze up to John Dory's face. He was smiling brightly at Hickory, open and reassuring in a way very few trolls had ever been to the yodeler. He swallowed thickly, placing his hand over John's, and hoping the pop troll would blame the cold for the flush that adorned his cheeks. "Just…go for it?" he reaffirmed, licking his lips nervously as John nodded encouragingly, "Okay."

To John's credit, he only startled slightly as Hickory leaned into his space and pressed their lips together. It was chaste, and short, but that didn't stop his face from heating up.

"I'm not too young, now," Hickory murmured against John's mouth, his eyes kept shut to save himself from any unsavory expression the pop troll may be making.

"You…what?" John sounded dazed.

"I'm not too young. You told me last time that I was too young, but I'm not anymore." He lifted both hands to cup John's cheeks and press a more determined kiss to the pop trolls lips. He very nearly pulled away, until John began to reciprocate the kiss.

They broke apart from each other after a moment, their breath mingling and turning into delicate fog between them.

"This isn't because-" John began, only to be muffled by Hickory peppering a couple quick, short kisses to his lips.

"No! No, of course not. I told you, I think that is ridiculous. No. It's because I have not been able to get you out of my mind since we last met. And I feel like this, you appearing on my birthday, is nothing short of a sign from the universe for me to at least try," Hickory admitted, letting his fingers lightly trail from John's cheeks, over his shoulders and down to his hands. He finally sat back and opened his eyes to find a flustered looking John Dory sat before him. "You did encourage me to be brave, after all."

John chuckled, a lopsided grin on his face. "I suppose I did, didn't I?"

"You did," Hickory nodded, before he stood from the bench, offering a hand to John. "Come with me."

"Where to?" John asked, not hesitating in the slightest in taking Hickory's hand and standing from the bench.

"Home," Hickory stated simply, leading John through the village.

It was a relatively quick walk through town, especially as most trolls were still at Hickory's party. Hickory lead them to a small, modest house towards the edge of the village. It was adorned with the same floral trim pattern along the awnings that all of the other buildings in the village had, with a well cared for little yard, and a short wooden fence surrounding the property.

As Hickory opened the gate and began to pull John up the short path to the door, the pop troll paused, tugging back on Hickory. "Wait."

Hickory stopped, turning around quickly with a look of worry on his face. "What is it?" he asked, tone concerned.

"I think I remember you mentioning…you have a brother? Does he live here?" John asked, looking towards the door apprehensively.

"Oh," Hickory visibly relaxed, a low chuckle leaving him, "Dickory, yes. He does live here, but he is not in town right now. I'm by myself."

John gave a little nod, nerves leaving him as Hickory tugged him the rest of the way up the path and into the house. He only paused once to wipe his feet on a large mat near the front door, encouraging John to do the same, before he continued to lead the pop troll through the house. He only let go once they had entered a sparsely decorated bedroom, and the door was shut behind them.

"Nice digs," John commented idly, looking around the room briefly, before he found himself being pushed back into the door, Hickory's hands slipping under his vest to trail over his chest.

"I can think of much more interesting things than my bedroom," Hickory chuckled, pressing a kiss to John's cheek.

"Gettin' right to it then, huh?" John joked, lifting his hands to rest gently over Hickory's hips.

"Is that…not okay?" Hickory asked, shifting back slightly but not lifting his hands from John's fur. If this was the only chance he had to soak up the pop trolls presence and touch him, he was going to take advantage of every moment he could.

"Never said it wasn't. You just seem real eager," John teased, easy grin on his face.

"I have waited four years to be able to touch you," Hickory murmured, pressing in close to John while pushing the pop trolls vest from his shoulders, "You will need to forgive my eagerness."

John's grin faltered, his well practiced boy band charm guttering at Hickory's words. "You weren't kidding about that?"

"Kidding about what?" Hickory asked, distracted as he tugged the vest free and tossed it aside.

"Thinking about me. For all that time."

Hickory paused, frowning as he tipped his head back to get a look at the almost hopeful expression on John's face. "Why would I ever joke about something like that? The time we spent together meant a great deal to me. You mean a great deal to me."

"You don't even really know me," John said with a short shake of his head.

"Then let me?"

John stared up at Hickory for a moment, taking in the flower crown that sat askew on his head and the earnest expression he wore on his face as he waited patiently for John's response. He swallowed thickly, before giving a small nod, digging his fingers more firmly into Hickory's hips and pulling him in close. "Okay."

The brilliant grin that John got in return for his consent nearly made him dizzy. He gasped as Hickory ducked his head and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, slowly sinking to his knees as he trailed kisses down John's chest and stomach. He let his head fall back and hit the door with a dull thud, groaning quietly as Hickory all but worshipped him.

As Hickory reached John's hip he paused, tilting his head back to look up at John imploringly. "Is this okay?"

John tipped his head forward, letting out a slow breath as he lifted his hands to tangle his fingers in the yodeler's hair, dislodging the flower crown and causing it to fall to the floor. "More than," he murmured, momentarily distracted as the crown rolled across the room, only to snap his attention back to Hickory with a soft hiss as the yodeler tugged at his shorts and continued his trail of kisses down.

~

"You okay?" John asked, a lopsided grin on his face. The two had eventually migrated to Hickory's bed, where John currently found himself devoid of any of his clothes, laid back in a pile of pillows with a rather flustered looking Hickory between his knees.

"Es tut mir leid," Hickory murmured, licking his lips quickly as he sat back on his heels, "To be truthful, I have never done this before."

"Seriously?" John asked, stretching his arms above his head, grinning a little as he watched Hickory's eyes trail down over his chest. "Strapping young troll like yourself? I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," Hickory said with a self depreciating little laugh, "I think you are the first troll to ever use the word 'strapping' to describe me."

"Aw," John cooed, sitting up and taking Hickory's face in his hands, "Well, I think you're real handsome." He grinned as Hickory flushed, quickly taking the opportunity to kiss the yodeler deeply. When they broke apart, while Hickory was looking a little overwhelmed, John pushed him down into the pillows, swinging his leg over the yodeler to settle in his lap. "Let me take care of you now, okay?" He preened as Hickory's hands settled on his hips, fingers digging in slightly.

"All right."

~

Hickory wondered if this was what it was like to be in paradise. The troll of his dreams was in his lap, a dark flush coloring his cheeks as he panted, looking absolutely lost in the moment as he moved above Hickory. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, reaching up to cup John's jaw. The pop troll looked momentarily startled by the sentiment, only to let out a low moan and sweep down to catch Hickory's lips in a kiss.

"You're not too bad, yourself," John teased as he pulled back, earning a light chuckle from Hickory and a roll of his hips that left John gasping.

~

John huffed as he rolled off of Hickory, flopping back into the mound of pillows next to the yodeler. He looked rather pleased with himself, while Hickory stared up at the ceiling in a daze, both trying to catch their breath.

"That was…"

"Not too bad, huh?" John chuckled, turning his head to smirk at Hickory.

The yodeler blinked, turning his head slowly to frown at John. "Not too bad? John, that was…absolut vollkommen. You were - that was incredible," Hickory stated, pushing himself up onto his elbow to lean over the pop troll. "This was the best birthday I could have ever hoped for."

John's smirk melted into a genuine smile at Hickory's earnestness, reaching up to brush his fingers through wavy orange hair. "I'm glad I could make it memorable."

"The most memorable," Hickory agreed, leaning down to press a kiss to John's lips. He shifted and squirmed amongst the pillows until he managed to maneuver himself over John, pressing in between the pop trolls knees, somehow without breaking their kiss. When he did finally pull back, John let out a low chuckle, arching an eyebrow at Hickory.

"Again?"

Hickory flushed in embarrassment, gasping quietly as John wriggled his hips. "I…only if you'd like to…?"

John snorted, lifting a leg to wrap around Hickory's hips, tugging him close as he stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. "Only if you do all the work this time."

~

When John woke up in the morning it was to an empty bed. He grunted as he felt around the covers, finding the blankets cold. He scowled as he smacked his hands over his face, groaning as he rubbed at his eyes. He should have known better. This was not the first time someone had managed to sweet talk him into bed and then fled in the morning. It was, admittedly, a bit odd that Hickory had taken him back to his house, instead of where John was staying, but perhaps there was some unspoken rule between yodelers that one simply got up and left without a fuss the morning after a fling. He had hoped Hickory would be different, but who was he kidding. He was a washed up ex-boyband member, and because he was a pop troll a lot of other trolls seemed to think he was some sort of traveling strumpet.

He sighed as he spread his arms out over the expanse of the bed, frowning as he began to notice the faint ache in his hips, and the odd way some of his fur was sticking to his skin. As soon as he got back to where he was staying, he was taking a long, hot shower. But first, he needed to get there. He let out another grunt as he rolled out of bed, wincing as he stepped on his discarded goggles. He muttered a quiet curse to himself as he picked them up, cleaning them off with a blanket, and giving them a quick inspection to find them relatively unscathed. He slipped them on his head, before hunting around for his vest and shorts.

John had managed to pull on his shorts and was trying to figure out where Hickory had tossed his vest last night, when the bedroom door began to open. He stopped short as Hickory walked in with a soft little smile on his face, carrying a tray ladened with assorted breakfast foods. Hickory froze when he noticed John standing in the middle of the room, his smile turning into a confused frown.

"Mein liebling…? Did you need to go somewhere this morning?"

John simply stared at Hickory for a long moment, his brain needing the time to register that Hickory had not, in fact, run off on him. That he had, instead, made him breakfast, and brought it to him in bed.

"I…" John began, watching as the confusion on Hickory's face slowly shifted into realization, then resigned understanding. It suddenly felt like a weight was on John's chest as he watched Hickory set the tray aside, a sad little smile on his face as he shuffled across the room to tug John's vest from beneath a few pillows that had been shoved off the bed the night before.

"Here," Hickory offered the vest to John, tucking the thumb of his free hand into the waistband of the sleep pants he was wearing, "I take it you were looking for this?"

John took the vest, but was hesitant to put it on. He held it to his chest instead, tipping his head slightly to try and catch Hickory's gaze, but the yodeler was looking anywhere but directly at him.

"Hickory, I…" John floundered, not knowing what to say to fix the hurt look on Hickory's face. He was supposed to be a lyrical wordsmith, but his mind was drawing an absolutely blank.

"It's okay, schatz," Hickory said, shaking his head and gesturing towards the door. "I understand. And I am so very happy that I could have the time with you that I did. I don't regret it. And I hope you don't, either."

John felt like he'd been sucker punched in the gut. This sweet troll, who'd confessed to thinking about him for nearly four years and had showered him with nothing but compliments and sweet nothings all night, honestly thought John would regret spending the night with him. He dropped his vest and stepped quickly across the room, cupping Hickory's cheeks so he could force the yodeler to look at him. He wanted to kick himself at finding tears in Hickory's eyes.

"No! No, no, Hickory," John brushed his thumbs against the yodelers cheeks, finding his walls quickly crumbling at the way Hickory's expression turned a little hopeful, "I'm sorry. I thought you had left. I wouldn't've…If I'd known you were making me breakfast, I…" He cursed under his breath, squeezing Hickory's cheeks gently, earning a sound of confusion from the yodeler. John cussed again, a little louder this time, before stating quickly, "Can we try this again?"

Hickory gently extracted his face from John's hold, frowning slightly. "Try what again?"

Instead of answering, John picked up the breakfast try and pushed it into Hickory's hands, before ushering the yodeler back out the door. "Here. Wait, like, a minute. Okay? Just…one minute, and then come in again."

Hickory stumbled slightly as he was pushed out the door, turning with his mouth open to speak, only to find the door shut in his face.

Meanwhile, John hurried to slip his shorts back off and toss his goggles to the side, clamoring onto the bed quickly. He arranged the bedding just so around himself, managing to flop back into the pillows and hoping it came off as somewhat alluring, just as Hickory began to open the door again.

Hickory poked his head in first, still looking confused, only for a smile to bloom on his face as John made an exaggerated yawning sound and stretched across the pillows.

"Oh! Did you make breakfast?" John asked, propping his cheek up on the palm of his hand, a coy little smile on his face as Hickory walked across the room and set the tray on the bedside table.

"Ja. I thought, after last night, you might need the energy," Hickory teased easily back, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out to pick something off the tray, but paused as John's hand landed on his wrist. He turned his head, letting out a startled little moan as John surged up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Join me?" John asked as he broke the kiss, patting at the pillow next to him.

Who was Hickory to deny such a request? He stood from the bed to slip his sleep pants off before crawling under the covers with John, a pleased little smile on his face as the pop troll draped himself over his lap.

"Now… Feed me," John all but demanded, gesturing vaguely at the breakfast tray. Hickory snorted at the demand, but obliged, snagging a berry from the tray and feeding it to John, who made a show of licking his lips and moaning lowly while he ate.

"Oh," Hickory breathed, offering John another berry, only to find his fingers being drawn into the pop trolls mouth with another self satisfied moan. He swallowed thickly as he pulled his fingers free to reach for the tray again, only to be stopped as John sat up and properly sat himself in Hickory's lap. He blinked owlishly up at the pop troll, who simply grinned down at him.

"Again?" John teased, squeezing his knees around Hickory's hips.

"Yes, please."

[crypticjackal13]

Hey, i hope ur having a good day today! :] if its alr with u, can i request SWK x reader who is Pigsy's adopted daughter who Pigsy is very protective of since his daughter is rlly sweet -- especially when she's a very nice big sister to MK too? 🥺 Maybe SWK and s/o has been hiding their relationship to others bc they're not ready reveal their relationship yet, but one day, Pigsy found out? I feel like it'd be really funny considering Pigsy disliked this man's guts with a passion, and here he is,,,,,, dating his daughter 💀

You're so right, Oh my gosh-- Please enjoy!

"When Pigs Fly"(1083 wc)

Sun Wukong x Fem!Reader who is Pigsy's adopted daughter

Romantic oneshot

Pronouns: she her

CW: Pigsy himself is very stressful. That's all lmao

Hey, you at the rendezvous point?

Almost! Once the sign light goes off I’ll meet you in the alley.

Wukong was perched on the roof of the building that not only had MK’s apartment in it, but also Pigsy’s noodles. It’s where he had met y/n, his beloved girlfriend…but also Pigsy’s other adoptive child. She was much more kind and understanding towards him than her father, and also had the kind of energy to keep up with him. It’s why they connected so well!

The only problem was that there was definitely some bad blood between him and Pigsy, which led to the pair deciding to keep things on the down low until Wukong could try to get on Pigsy’s good side.

He snapped back into attention as he saw the pink glow of the shop’s sign go away. Several moments passed as he heard the door to the alley opened and a bag of trash was thrown into the dumpster. He made his move and landed in one of the darker spots.

“Who’s there?” Pigsy’s voice sounded. Wukong immediately turned himself into a bug and prayed that y/n was following behind her father.

“It’s probably one of the stray cats, dad. Chill!” Her voice came from inside the shop, catching the pig’s attention.

“You’re right, you’re right. The darn things have been destroying the trash bags lately.”

“Maybe if we set some food out for them…”

“No, then you’ll get attached. If you want to see some cats, go talk to Sandy.”

Wukong internally sighed. Couldn’t he go on a secret date in peace?!

“Either way, you head home. I’m gonna close up and then go on a walk.”

Finally.

“Alright, but be careful! And don’t talk to strangers!” He nagged her as he went back inside and shut the door. Again, Wukong waited, and then she appeared. Dressed casually enough that it could be work clothes, but still dressy enough to be ready for the date. She locked the door behind her and then looked around. She whistled the theme of “Monkey Cop”, which was their signal to each other when the coast was clear. Wukong got out from under the dumpster and transformed back into his regular form. His heart couldn’t help but skip a beat as she lit up upon seeing him.

“Hey peaches! I missed you!” He approached her and she hugged him, pecking his cheek.

“I missed you too. Are you ready to go?”

“Yup! Remember, we need to be back in an hour or so.”

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, let’s go!” He took her hand and they hopped onto his nimbus cloud and zoomed off.

They got some takeout from some sushi restaurant and enjoyed it while sitting on the roof. They laughed, they talked, they kissed every now and then. Despite all the constraints, they both enjoyed these special moments together.

“We ought to get going.” She glanced at the clock on her cellphone and even though he hated this part he agreed.

Even with their strong connection and their perfectly healthy relationship, there was no way Pigsy would be okay with them dating. And yet they had been doing so right under his nose for a solid couple of months.

Reluctantly they got back on his cloud and headed back to the alleyway. They landed, and they thought it all was fine…

Until y/n made direct eye contact with her father.

While her arms were loosely wrapped around Wukong’s neck.

“Heyyyy…” she tried to play it all off, but didn’t move. She was stuck in place in fear.

“You—You and him-What the heck?!” He exclaimed. She practically jumped off the cloud and waved her hands.

“It’s not what it looks like!”

“Y/n l/n, you’d better give me a darn good reason to not ground you for life and YOU’D better give me a darn good reason not to beat the immortality out of you!” Pigsy shouted, pointing at y/n and Wukong respectively. They both looked at each other.

“Well, you see—“

“Uhm—“

Despite being alive for thousands of years, no amount of Buddhist teachings or demon fights could have prepared Wukong for how awkward this was. But he furrowed his brow, took one of y/n’s hands, and stood his ground.

“Listen, I know that you’ve got an idea of me that maybe isn’t super positive,” he started. He could feel how sweaty his palm was compared to y/n’s. “But I’m working on it! And y/n here has helped me with that, and she’s also dating me, uh…” he tried to keep the confidence he had when he had started speaking, but he could feel every bit of rage that was radiating off of Pigsy. Y/n squeezed his hand.

“He’s not perfect, but nobody is. If you got to know him, maybe you’d accept him and forgive him.” She finished, a strong determination in her eyes.

Gods, what did he do to deserve her?

Pigsy looked between the two of them multiple times as he processed all of what had been said. He finally pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. The other two held their breaths.

“This is gonna take a lot of getting used to…” he stepped toward them and they mutually wondered what was about to happen. But to their pleasant surprise, he held out his hand to Wukong. “But if you swear not to hurt her in any way, then I guess you two can be together.”

The way he said it was like he couldn’t believe he had to actually say it, like he couldn’t comprehend that this was happening in real time. But y/n beamed as she embraced her dad.

“Aw, thank you!! Thank you, thank you!”

“I promise I’ll never hurt her.” Wukong said, shaking the hand that was presented to him. He then stood back as Pigsy hugged his daughter back. Then he gave the slightest of nods to Wukong as he went back inside his own apartment. Y/n turned back to her boyfriend, before embracing him too. He started laughing in relief as he picked her up and spun her around.

“Well, expect to see a little more of me, sweetheart.” He winked, setting her down. She stood back a bit as he got back onto his cloud.

“I’ll be looking forward to it!”

And just like that, he was gone, and she was left with a very light feeling in her chest.

[turbofanatic]

Any fun twists on Midna herself or the Twili. How...Into his missing goth GF is Fuzzbutt?

@badlydressedwriter

Poor Fuzzbutt is extremely infatuated... and it's probably not healthy. He'd never gone far from Ordon and suddenly got thrown into an emotionally charged situation where she was the only person he could rely on. And then she turns out to be hot? He did not have a chance and I think she's savvy enough to realize it. I get the feeling Midna has a bad habit of toying with people's emotions, though she clearly matures by the end of the game.

Since she's now more aware of this she decides to cut ties, but the real reason she breaks the mirror is that Hyrule Kingdom was DUMPING MONSTERS INTO HER REALM, even if she wanted to stay with Fuzzbutt she's got to destroy that gateway.

Could they meet again later in a healthier situation and figure out their relationship properly? Yeah, and they may not end up together. Life's like that sometimes.

Ilia is out of the question for romance with Fuzzbutt in Bad Moon because she likes girls. They're good friends though and they try to help each other out with their trauma from the whole ordeal. But it's been a few years and Fuzzbutt is still wandering around deeply unmoored and fighting monsters (I'm making Link's Crossbow Training part of this).

Midna does show up again in the War of Eras, AKA, I Take Hyrule Warriors Too Seriously. She becomes friends with Ravio and Tiny, and the three of them make a dark magic "good guy" trio. She also is very frustrated and has no respect for time paradoxes so she's more than happy to tell Tiny everything, including the fact that Ganondorf's not actually dead which sets into motion Tiny's paranoid attempts to prep the next hero... yay time travel!

My ideas for the Twili aren't super unique but here they are. They're formerly related to the Gerudo and built both Majora's mask and the Fused Shadow to break into the sacred realm (the eye designs and backstory of the dark interlopers and ancient tribe are very similar, there's also Gerudo patterns on Zant's clothes even before he meets Ganondorf but one could argue that's just a flashback and maybe not accurate). Also it's concerning how hard the light spirits came down on them!

[alexandraisyes]

joining in on ranting in you're ask box part- uh- idk 3?? 4??? I dont even know anymore

Anyway, *cough* i think still have some of these left (edit: I just finished typing this all out and think is defiently an understatement-)

SolarNexus: Solar just goes off on Moon for how much he hates Nexus. Thats all I have for that. I'm sorry im this close to forcing myself to start writing fanfiction again just to write this. Also for my true loves kiss saves Nexus idea- and just to write about Nexus finding who he is instead of who he's supposed to be. .... can you tell i think about these two a lot? (Edit: I prove later that I think about them even more, and Eclipse)

BloodySun: I'm like feral for these two- just, like- Bloodmoon giving dead birds and stuff to Sun and he's absolutley digusted but trying not to hurt their feelings- i- ansusnhas

Servant Sun x Servant Eclipse: I've seen like 1 ship fic with these two but I dont care. I'm obsessed. They need to hold hands and heal and go to therapy together. Obviously Eclipse would defiently be able to help Sun more (cause lord Eclipse), but Sun could defiently help Eclipse too. (Is Eclipse faking losing his memories/being reset or some shit canon? I've read too much fanfiction- im going to assume it is for this) he can also help Eclipse learn that he doesn't have to be fake all the time and thatd be cute

Nexus x Dark Sun: I dont even have thoughts about this. Like I have feelings but I dont have thoughts. I cant even reason why I like this, I just like the toxic yaoi. I just like the concept of Dark Sun not even liking Nexus but manipulating him- like- Moon turned bad x biggest moon hater. I also just like hurting Nexus so other characters can help him heal. Only thing turning me off from this ship is that its an alternate universe of his ex-brother who would most likely be his brother again if he had a redemption arc. Like- I love seeing the ship and I like the concept just it gives me the ick, but thats okay cause I dong have to rot over every ship. Actually, I'm glad I'm not obsessed with this ship I dont need more angst living in my brain. ... I am obsessed with it in a platonic sense tho so I guess the angst is in my brain anyway

Nexus x Eclipse but its when they were looking for who made Eclipse: Nexus abolutley collared him. Im sorry. .. no im not, im right. Like, what is with Nexus and treating others like dogs??? Like first v4 Eclipse, and now Ruin??? Nexus is there anything you want to tell us??? Okay pet play- also doing that to the masochist is crazy, like if you're going to treat anyone like a dog why would it be Ruin that feels like setting yourself up for disaster. Even if he isn't actually a masochist he sure is known for pretending to be one

Nexus x any Eclipse ever: listen, im just saying I think he has a thing for Eclipse's (which is funny cause Moon fucking hates them) Treating Eclipse and Ruin like his dogs. Solar being his best friend. Even Dark Sun, who's a really smart Evil Sun who absorbed the knowledge of his Moon, so im counting him. Like I think Nexus would like being thrown around by Lord Eclipse, or helping to fix up Servant Eclipse. I'm just saying-

Eclipse ² x Nexus (gets its own section i rot about these three): them just reassuring the other's that they're loved and cared for- im sorry you can't tell me that these three don't all have some form of attachment issues- Eclipse being so used to people hating him that he kind of just instinctively pushes people away. Similar with Solar, but he does it more so emotionally while also feeling like he has to earn his place and do things for people. And Nexus also feels like he has to prove himself, and that he isn't good enough.

And they just reassure each other and then the others use their words against him (/pos) and they realize how stupid it sounds and anisnsusnsns <3<3 like- nexus being like "you don't have to prove yourself for anyone, Solar. We love you, you don't need to overwork yourself for us." And, like- solar saying it to him back- and Nexus is just like ".. okay listen-" and similar things happening with the other two and ensunsjss-

also they're the three worst at interaction (other than old Moon he takes the cake for worst at it, but its okay i love it)- like they're all pretty bad at it. Eclipse is Eclipse(aka memories as a villain, and is a sarcastic little shit), Nexus is just kind of awkward, and cmon Solar didn't really ever have any interaction after his split than his Moon and probaly kids, we know he can't talk to people easily. Honestly tho Solar is the best at it (he was able to start up a conversation with Moon easier than Moon could with him) and I imagine he's the one who orders at restaurants

And Moon hates both of Solar's boyfriends and Moon and Solar are friends and I think that's just kind of funny. Like Moon likes Solar so he doesn't stop being friends with him even though he's dating the two, but he's bitter about it (though honestly if Nexus had a redemption arc and it was proved he had a virus, I feel like Moon would hate him a little less. But he'd probaly still be insecure about Nexus probaly taking his place and everyone not really liking Moon again so he'd probaly still be an ass to him.)

Anyway they cuddle. Doesn't even have to be romantic, those three deserve to be in love (also the potential from forbidden love Eclipse² is Nausnsusnsn)

... I- shipping dynamics are neat

I apologize for making this so long, I expected it to be short and then I remembered I started to like new ships 😔

ALSO were being brave and doing this off anon (also id like you to know I genuinely just stared at my phone for a moment when I saw youd followed me lmao. I was so suprised [and delighted, you're neat]- plus it was like 4 am and I hadn't slept yet. I thought it was a dream the next day because I was that tired- I had to check cause i get very vivid dreams-)

All of these are so canon bro.

Solar saves Nexus with true loves kiss real? Real. I saw it with my own two eyes. It happened chat.

BLOODYSUN!!! They love their sunny and try to show that in the best way they know how, dead birds included. Sun is so grossed out by the blood and feathers and ough that's a dead bird ewww but he just forces a smile and nods and feeds it to his cats when Bloodmoon isn't looking. Then drowns his hands with soap and shampoos the carpet.

I feel like I've seen that fic too but my poor brain- Also yes, the pretending to be reset is canon. And that's so cute I'm-

Platonic ships are just as valid as romantic ones! And I really like the angst potential too heheheheh

Ayo 👀 Mmm I have thoughts about that but I must refrain.

Objectively correct. Nexus is an eclipsephile. He loves himself some eclipse.

POLY POLY POLY 🎉🎉🎉

THANK YOU FOR SHARING ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS THESE ARE SO TASTY OH MY GOD ROLLING THESE AROUND IN MY BRAIN

Also awww ur so sweet. I love ur art! It's very cute! Of course I followed!

Ask Game

[maryonmega]

Twin Stars - Chapter 8

Theories (getting close?)

You fall into the background everytime the "Saviors! Thank you, Saviors!" thing starts. You started seeing this today and it's already making you cringe. You wonder if they avoided major places, to reach Bambouche in about a month. Likely, given how the time was not enough to cool down.

Thankfully, it only takes two days for Nille to call your group back. You all sit on the floor because there's not enough seats for everyone, and she's by the door, the Bonnie the Kid right beside her.

"I decided to join your little adventure. But!" she adds so quickly and firmly you could hear the don't-get-too-excited echo "I still want Bonnie to get their education, so, we better get a plan ready first."

That seens to take the group by surprise, except the Kid (of course, they were the negociator) and you.

(You kind of wish you could say it's because you're smarter, but it's because you were less involved in the hangouts and actually took in stuff around you and had time and space to think about them. Schooling can get odd when it gets smaller than then a medium/smaller pending town, and your group is a village with one (1) postal building. You wouldn't be surprised if in the school here a proper license to teach is more of a preference than a demand. Combine with pilgrimage being part of the faith, and education on the road rather than "They need to go back to school, let's cut the traveling short" looks far from absurd. Still, it almost feels too good to be true)

"Of course. That's a very reasonable condition."

You really turned Odile the Researcher into your unoficial diplomatic, didn't you?

It also means the party will have to stay for a little longer. Get everything ready. Also plan better for the colder time. The Kid doesn't seen very excited about it, but someone who can (kind of) understand a time loop can understand a compromise.

From five to seven in less than a week. Your The little group is becoming less little. And will need another tent. Will you room with the Housemaiden again? You think she's who you'd be less uncomfortable with

The Housemaiden is, well, a housemaiden, and had made classes before. Odile The Researcher and the Fighter are smart and can figure ways out. Neither you or Stardust are good picks for even informal teaching, not under the risk of forgetting in the middle of something, so you two have less part in that. Shame(?).

You still have way too much time. Person, star or reversed. It's your blinding curse

You waited in your loops, you waited in someone else's loops, you wait when no one's looping. That's your role in the blinding Universe. Wait wait wait wait wait untill you can't anymore, snap and have your failure in continuing to wait thrown in your face

You two decide to not just stand around and try to pick odd jobs. It's not easy, not in a village where things revolve around fish and fishing. Good news: too much time in your hands + only two people = quicker to move. It's not a lot of coin, but it's help and helps both of your brains. You pace yourself when you open one of your bottles, not wanting to risk the sister noticing your "little", "new" bad habit.

Part of it (you earned it, it's yours, you're not stealing), you use to buy makeup to cover the stars in your shoulders. At first, you cover your freckles, too, but, when you look in the hand mirror and Stardust looks back at you, you wipe it off.

The actual, flesh and blood Stardust doesn't comment on your vanished "birthmarks" when you meet again, still at the inn because Nille's home is too small. If they noticed. Both things are possible. The lightless tips are proof enough that he's very familiar with trying to hide some of your "otherness".

Day after day, after they're done for the day, the adult parts of the party get together at the inn. The group talks about what happened on the day (no one questions the lack of stars on your shoulders). The faces when you tell about how you dealt with a rude costumer were priceless.

"I was a ghost before running into Stardust, didn't you know?" You teased on the episode in question, than sighted to disguise your breathing exercise when it didn't reduce the awkwardness "I interacted with people before, sillies. I know a trick or two."

Maybe Mirabelle the Housemaiden talked about it with the others, maybe it's just how they are. You just know that the little promise is kept and nobody presses you to become part of the little post-sundown talks. No, it happens bit by bit - started with a small jab at Stardust when they poked the Fighter's side, than grew a tad.

You're still the quiet one. You're still on the Stranger role. You're not awkwardly on the background anymore. Most of the time. That's... something. You guess.

The three assigned teachers are in a small debate about the best way to deal with any future need for physical materials when you realise you stopped paying attention to your face.

Goodness, even now, you still can only really control it to make your signature grin, and that would be creepy now. You barely see beyond your own nose, the crumbs of your meal lingering over the near empty plate. You didn't dare scrape it, not wanting noise over the voices.

Stop it, will you?

You're the Stranger. They're not your family.

Don't soak up like you can just replace them.

You're as disgusting as Stardust if you do that

It won't do real good.

"I'm tired. I'm going to the room." You say, and get up.

You're not sure of how many steps you took, but not enough to not hear the Housemaiden's voice once again.

"It's not just me, right? They really look like they're grieving, right?"

...

It's your last bottle anyway. If the sister goes after you all, you can ask someone to say you have a stomach bug.

~★~

"No offense, really. Just, I don't know, something in their eyes?"

Mira lowers her hands, placing them on her lap.

"They just... look so sad sometimes. At least once he looked at me like we were at a funeral! It happens when we talk about Bonnie, too. An-and when Siffrin and Isabeau show affection, they smile like Siffrin smiled at me that day!"

Your cloak has temperature regulation, but you still feel your skin go cold.

"I think you're onto something." Odile said during the break. So soon, already? "Of couse, Siffrin himself is proof that being cagey about their past is not the most solid of proofs,,."

"Said the woman who thought Sif was an assassin."

"... not to mention the circunstancial evidence. But, even those are too much to discard the possibility."

Your mouth moves before your mind works.

"Hey! I was "cagey" because I lost my memory!"

"But... But you saw how they looked at Bonnie! And they keep stopping you and Isabeau from flirting! And there was that time I helped them get to bed. Also, how fast they agreed to come with us. Like there's nothing more important to tend to." 

How does she talk about it so easy? 

You're pretty sure it's a coin flip if booze will be to Loop what bananas became to you if they remenber whatever they did. 

Her face falls, thoughtful. You can't remenber now, but, before, when she thought you were mysterious, did she make a face like that?

"I know this is a stretch, but... Maybe... Maybe they had a partner? At some point?" Mirabelle says, her tone soft and thoughtful. You bite your tongue to stay quiet "I mean! Sure, they might have faulty memory, too, but... If seeing those books jogged Siffrin's memory of their language, and meeting again jogged the memory of being siblings, maybe, hm, seeing someone who looks like them with their partner and... ahn... maybe that made something in their head shift, too? Enough to make them grieve?"

You're half sure  that's the longest you've heard Mira talk about someone else. You wonder if your first reactions made her theorize that you were abused as a child - looking back, it would make sense. You can't quite remenber your childhood, but you're pretty sure it was good. How come the same head can make two theories, about essencially the same person, one so far off, one so close to the truth.

(Calm down, Siffrin. You're not even sure if that's really the case.)

You feel a hand cover yours, slowly, giving you space to pull back. Isa. You couldn't help the small flinch, but lean on it before he pulls back too much. You think both of you need that.

"Or maybe not. It's just something I thought."

You look at your empty plate. You can't look any of them in the eye, but you do feel a slight squeeze. You move your hand to squeeze back, hoping it's a confort.

"Aw, crab. We learn the hard way to not assume, and something sensitive like that is the next subject. It's not like we can just go to someone and ask "Hey, are you a widow?" without a prompt."

You breath in, and out, and look around. Your family members look concerned. Even Odile can't totally hide hers.

You know the truth. But it's not just yours to tell. Not yours.

"I... I didn't really think about that."

You didn't want to. Still don't, not really. The implications are a sort of horror you really don't think you can face and stay anyhow normal.

"Which is fair. You already had a lot in your mind with the reunion. And also, not exactly the type of thing to come up easy."

Isa, sweet Isa, letting the half truth be enough...

You don't really pay attention to the back and forth of what might be post Island trauma or amnesia trauma. The most you know is that Mira and Isa were the ones to talk more. The power of rooming plus emotional intelligence.

~~~

At night, you try to not hoard the covers. You fail and get chilly fingers on your tummy as "punichment".

In the morning, you say bye to Loop and go to library. You did it a few times, trying to get something from the island that used to not be all that far. You know Loop would finish what they started if they found out, so you're careful.

During the times you and the others meet, you notice that Loop won't look Mira in the eyes. 

Did them hear something? How much?

In that afternoon, your family catches the siblings on Nille's break, and a galaxy of a thick binder is put down on a bench, before an explanation starts. It's too long. Has to be finished in the evening. Bonbon is the opposite of excited about this. Tough call.

Loop avoids you too. You understand. You know well how it is to need time when something is hard to come to. 

At night, even though it's cold, you find yourself drawn to the window of the inn room.

During your fight, between almost detached statements, they declared that your country was one of things that cold die. You don't blame them. The void it left has caused you nothing even vaguely good. To imagine what being so painfully aware of it would have done to you for so long would have done to you...

Well, lying to yourself became much harder even in the not-so-long time you spent there.

You miss your home about as much as you hate it.

You could see an Island on the roof of the House, back... there. You can see an Island from here. 

Maybe it's because you're closer now, but, not only looking at it caused a headache, it's like looking throught a fog.

Looking makes your head sore. Saying it's name caused a death more gruesome than your little experiment. You can't imagine what trying to reach it would do to you. You're not gona try and see, now that you're not getting second chances.

Close enough, yet way, way out of reach.

In this moment, you mostly hate it.

You look away and go to change into your sleep clothes, before Isa comes to the room.

Maybe you need more time. Maybe it's still too fresh. That time you complained about having nightmares a week after the loops, Odile sat on the bed you were resting and said trauma can take years to recover from.

Time, time, time. 

You feel like ripping your hair off.

~~~

The following morning, your family is ready.

It's not the exact same way you all alrived. It's larger, it has more bags, and a fourth tent was acquired. It still feels surreal, your mood still isn't 100%. 

It's good. It's scary. It's a new thing, this time, without a solid goal. This time, Mira will lead. From context clues, you get that it was a common thing at some point. You'll... unpack that later.

The hand that creeps up your cloak to take yours is actually small. Loop.

You squeeze back, and the two of you walk close to the group.

Somehow, it feels right.

[occasionalsnippets]

alternate mc and their counterpart's shenanigans in mandela county

[tw for suicide mention because mandela. Pt 1, Pt. 2]

The first thing you do is guide your other self to the washroom to clean up. It's an easy task but you're pretty sure that other you is still in shock so they only numbly nod and follow your instructions.

As they do that, you pick up the gun you had thrown away and tuck it away in your jacket. They might need it later but you aren't so hasty as to give it back to them right away. They might try to shoot themselves again or shoot you, neither of which was preferable.

You think other you might stay in the shower for long enough for you to make food so you head to the kitchen to get started. There wasn't much left in the fridge given that other you had stayed inside for the last few days and you didn't want to go grocery shopping for them. Thankfully, there was still enough to make a meal.

Just as you finish plating the food, you hear the shower turn off. With any luck, the two of you would be able to hold an actual conversation.

--

You sit in the shower for much longer than you actually need.

It feels like a bad dream. If you stepped outside, would the Alternate still be out there? You didn't know what to do now. Were you already dead?

Eventually, you exit, finally cleaned up. You look into the mirror and find that although there are signs of exhaustion, you still look the same as before. You look like yourself. You look like your Alternate. It makes you want to pluck your eyes out.

There's food set on the table when you head to the dining table. Your Alternate is in the kitchen washing the dishes. They smile when they see you.

"Take a seat," they say.

You sit. Robotically, you begin eating. The food tastes like something you'd make yourself. The Alternate takes the empty seat across from you and eats as well. You could almost delude yourself into believing they're merely a friend who's come over to visit.

"So-" The Alternate claps their hands together. "I'm sure you have some questions."

An understatement but yes.

"Ask away."

"What do you want with me," you ask immediately. Best to get the most important question out of the way first. You weren't safe yet even if this Alternate doesn't seem to act the same as others do. You're already breaking every guideline by communicating with them.

They hum and set down their food. "Curiosity, I guess?"

You flinch because it sounds exactly like something you would say in that situation. They catch your movements and tilt their head in amusement.

"You understand," they state simply, "since we're the same."

"The same...?"

"I can't really tell you more but Mandela is interesting enough for me to stick around for a bit. It's not like there's anything here that can kill me anyways."

Not you or any other Alternates is implied.

"But… there's not enough room for the both of us," you recite, remembering the words from a broadcast.

The Alternate blinks slowly, unnatural eyes staring at you.

“There’s always enough room for the both of us,” they correct. "It isn't as if anyone in Mandela County is going to ask too many questions if we show up at the same time. I don't look like I've been photoshop liquify tooled."

And the words they say are true. They look perfectly normal, move in natural ways and speak clearly. Aside from the unsettling feeling of their eyes, they're so very human. Human enough to make you wonder if Alternates weren’t public knowledge, would you have even suspected anything?

You don't know.

And it scares you.

--

You don't recall ever being this conflicted when you were younger. You finish eating as you watch the other you struggle to understand your words. They're good but not as good as you were at masking emotions or reading people. It comes with experience.

They don't look like they have any more questions at the moment so you move on with what should be done next.

"You have work, don't you? You'll have to go back to it at some point."

There is no longer an active threat so they'll have to move on with their life eventually.

"And you? What will you do?" Other you eyes you distrustfully.

"I'll just be around," you answer vaguely since you aren't quite sure yourself. "Oh and don't worry about other Alternates. Alternates don't interact with each other that often unless it's something personal."

They could figure out the implications themselves. For now, since you were done eating, you went to the kitchen to clean up. Then, you headed to the front door.

"Leaving?" other you asks.

"Mhm." You twist the lock. "There's somewhere I want to visit. See you later."

You step out the door and leave them behind.

If they say anything, you don't linger long enough to hear it.

[argetcross]

(BG3 Act III Astarion Spoilers)

Have an Astarion Stays a Spawn but Leaves your Party AU:

After Astarion breaks the staff and screams "I hope you die screaming" and refuses to set any of the spawn free, he leaves and realizes... he has nowhere to go.

Sure, Cazador's dead, but he's still just a vampire spawn and now he doesn't even any friends or allies in the city. Half his shit is still at camp (he liked those clothes, damn it), he's alone and miserable and... there is something terribly hollow inside him.

He thinks at first because he's not really free. That power would have made him free, he could have been a vampire lord, and instead he remains this wretch... a wretch who ruined the lives of thousands of people, for 200 years and then in one last masterstroke, trapping them in Cazador's dungeon.

Fuck. Maybe they were right. Maybe he really is no better than Cazador.

No, he isn't going to entertain such a thought. It reminds him too much of... of what they might have said. And he can't get away, everywhere he turns in the city, this sun-dappled city, he remembers them. Even the bloody Gazette that he had giggled over editing with them is broadcasting their name nonstop. He has to get out of here, the Absolute be damned.

And yet, the minute he tries to flee Baldur's Gate, the minute he steps too far away from the artifact, he can feel the elder brain starting to bite at his awareness. That sends him into another wave of terror - was he shackled all along in this other way? These people who he thought he could trust, that lover who he had let his guard down around, were they also just another way to bind him?

He needs to kill them. He needs to take the artifact, Emperor be damned or whatever. So long as he's got this tadpole in his brain, he won't really be free. He's just going to become a slave again, just this time to the Absolute. He has to kill his former friends.

So why does that fill him with dread?

Astarion isn't good at planning. He's not good at the details. He just zeroes in on this new goal. He stalks his former friends - it's not hard, they're tearing up half the city and leaving trails of bodies behind them. They're subdued though. Half the time, he can't stand the sight of them, the other half, well... He's picking up on things, things he's angry about knowing- the limp Shadowheart has from their fight at Moonrise, the way Karlach's grown quiet, the strain in their voice.

Sometimes, he thinks they catch sight of him. He can feel their tadpoles, but they aren't pushing to find him, for all the blasted awareness it gives them. But they don't attack, even after he leaves several drained cultists bodies on the roof of the Elfsong or he steals back his things from the camp - no one even tries to stop him. The only thing he can't take is the Artifact. The godsdamn thing burns when he even touches it and that's when Lae'zel catches him, with a knowing look of someone who had tried something similar before.

Her threats are milquetoast. She says he should come back, that the seduction of individual power should have worn off by now, that it is the collective that can stand strong. He tries to bite her and gets thrown out the window for the trouble.

Bad End:

Gortash, Orin, whoever, catches up to him. He's not fast enough, not strong enough, and the Emperor's protection has long since worn thin.

When his former allies (friends, they were his friends, his mind tries to rebel, but the Elder Brain is too strong and he's just a godsdamned spawn) show up on the battlefield, it's almost a relief that they're the ones to stake him in the end. At least he can see them crying one last time.

Neutral End:

He comes back for the final fight. It's his fate, but he speaks to no one, cold and withdrawn. There's tension and hurt feelings, but he fights with the same familiarity and fluidity of months of near death experiences together. If he ever trusted you, it's nearly gone now.

After everything, he disappears into the darkness. You never see him again after that Sometimes you think you catch a sight of some pale hair in the corner of a dark alley. Sometimes missing posters come up of drained bodies, but they're small murderers, and criminals, and you wonder if you managed to do something for him in all that time together....

Or perhaps not and you're just hoping he doesn't paint a target on his back so large that your paths will be forced to cross.

Good End:

Even after the final battle, he comes back. He wants to talk. Well, he wants to rake you over the coals. When he finds out you're trying to save the spawn in the dungeon, to override Cazador's ancient magic, he jeers at you, at your savior complex, at how fruitless and worthless an endeavor it is.

You say, perhaps you're right. Perhaps they'll spit back in your face. Perhaps it'll all backfire on you. But it doesn't matter. You have to do it.

"Why?" he sniffs, dismissive.

"Because I couldn't do anything for you in the end. I'm sorry."

The years pass. Sometimes your paths cross, out in the city. Gale works out the enchantments and the spawn are freed out to the Underdark - rumor is that some pale-haired elf was corralling them at the beginning. You hope he got to see Sebastian once more.

Things stay prickly, but you start to see more of him. Sometimes the Hero of Baldur's Gate needs to be bailed out, just a little. Sometimes he shows up half-dead and he barely will stay put long enough to heal before disappearing again.

Once, you go out and get drunk together for old times sake. He looks a little worse for wear- not enough cultists to eat, these days. He admits he doesn't know what he's doing these days. That, strangely enough, he's come to the realization he really is free, as free as vampire spawn can be these days, in this city you protected together, but he never though of what comes after that.

You offer that tired old olive branch and he bats it aside with familiar callousness.

And yet, the next morning, you wake up lightheaded from bloodloss, a familiar soreness on your neck, still breathing.

[kairiscorner]

bc i have no life, i made (and will expand):

dialogue prompts list or something

REMINDERS! imma use these on fics if y'all want, though you guys can use these too for your own fics, just make sure to give me credit and tag me, attaching a link to this post is also appreciated if you use this ^^

(btw, i can also repeat some prompts, though please be patient, i might not be able to post so much this month ^^'')

1.) "you're a bad influence on me, y'know that?" (miles 1610)

2.) "yeah, i risked my skin saving you. i don't care if you wouldn't do the same for me, i'm not you."

3.) "mind using your eyes AND brain next time?"

4.) "my heart beats all the time, shouldn't be a big deal, but i can't help but notice how loud the beating is when you're around." (teen!gojo)

5.) "never really understood poetry, but when i read a few lines from this... you were the image that came out of the words." (noir)

6.) "if you really wanted to drive me insane... you'd hold my hand for more than 5 seconds, then you'll see me insane with love." (noir)

7.) "please, for the love of GOD, never shut up."

8.) "my hands are cold... wait, what are you doing, i thought you brought mitt--never mind, this is nice."

9.) "something tells me you aren't happy about it. and something tells me you'll be angrier if i keep asking. it's okay, take your time. just know i'll be right here for you."

10.) "if you can't believe me, then i'll have to show you that i'm serious about you."

11.) "sometimes, you don't have to worry about loving me enough--you do that too much already. what you should worry about... is giving me too much love that you forget who you're supposed to be loving first: you."

12.) "man, after 5 shots of whiskey and a good laugh, i think i've made up my mind--you're gonna be the one i'll marry." "we just met." "and i just fell for you."

13.) "they came to get their shit back without even getting their shit together, how nice."

14.) "i would've thrown a brick in your window if you didn't answer, and y'know, i was going to, but then i remembered you hated getting stuff on your carpet so i left and did it in my mind."

15.) "i want a platypus. and yes, i want you, too."

16.) "your place is filthy." "it's gonna be yours too, one day." "you mean ours."

17.) "why are my eyes gross right now?" "it's... you're crying." "nu-uh." "y'need a tissue?" "yes please"

18.) "you're so stupid, and reckless, and a literal danger to my very way of life--and yet i love you to bits!"

19.) "if i could just go back in time and see you again, maybe then i'd tell myself to love you for a long, long time. even if i never knew it at the time, i regret all the years we've lost together, i regret living my life without you in it."

20.) "now before you ask why i beat the shit out of him in the locker rooms, it was because he was gonna ask you out before i could, okay?" (soccer captain!miguel)

21.) "i am a fully grown adult. i am capable, i am independent, i am strong-willed." "and you lose your shit when you see me come home with a mcdonalds' kiddie meal."

22.) "nobody loves me..." "..." "ahem, i said, NOBODY LOVES ME" "and i'm nobody?" "yay"

23.) "i just wanna bash their head in, but... it's so distracting. their eyes get me lost and i'm, i'm out of it."

24.) "man, they're a lost cause. and yet i keep busting my ass trying to save them. i love being your spouse and curse being your spouse, dammit."

25.) "i wanna kiss... right now... but my spouse'll... hate me." "i am your spouse." "oh damn, then you'll... hate me if i... if i kiss your pretty face, love..."

26.) "go to bed right now." "no." "i guess i'll give your plushie all my kisses." "ok on my way."

27.) "again, would it be me or them? me who's been with you this whole time, me who's took you in when you're so used to being refused, me who's... who's loved you, all this time?"

28.) "where are my--" "keys? here, scatterbrain." "damn, i'm so glad i married you."

29.) "kids, go to your room." "as your co-parent, i say protect me from the dragon about to breathe fire on me."

30.) "i may be his wife, but i'm not his lover."

31.) "i think you have me confused for someone else."

32.) "it's because i care about you that i push myself away, don't you get that?"

33.) "we'll never be okay again, will we...?"

34.) "the noises in my head keep getting louder and louder and louder, but only you... only you help calm them down."

35.) "oh, i get it, fine. i'll fuck off."

36.) "i want that though." "it's a waste of money." "you got it for me anyway."

37.) "how could you say i don't love you when all my life, you're all i come home to and kiss a good morning and good night?"

38.) "what a stupid man i married."

39.) "don't... fucking move... not unless you want me to do it..."

40.) "you went in my ROOM?"

41.) "i accidentally broke the bed."

42.) "i love you." "what?" "ah fuck, i mean, i'll see you."

43.) "GOD, I HATE THEM SO FUCKING MUCH." "is that why you draw you and them kissing together all the time?"

44.) "i can make a mean burned down house and scorched lawn."

45.) "i'll admit it, fine, i can't win your heart. because your heart isn't any prize to be won, you're not an object. you're... you're you. and i LOVE you."

46.) "what, why're you staring? can't handle how hot i am?" "no, it's just that you've got a shit-eating grin on your face i'd love to punch off you."

47.) "i actually hate summer vacation... i won't be able to see you everyday for 3 whole months."

48.) "ooh, you drank from my cup, you know what this means, we had an indirect kiss."

49.) "just tell your crush you like them already and stop being a big baby about this." "okay, fine. i like you." "wait--"

50.) "i know it looks stupid, but... i tried."

51.) "it's funny, because i had you in mind while making it."

52.) "you think infinity is real, or... are we just living every day hoping tomorrow will come, despite all odds?"

53.) "you're so fucking stupid...! stupid, stupid, stupid... why did you... dammit, why?"

54.) "i don't even know who i share my bed with anymore."

55.) "bite me and get what you want, what we both want."

56.) "we'll never have to see each other again after this."

57.) "quit making promises you can't keep."

58.) "tell me to shut up one more time. go, i'm waiting."

59.) "ah, sorry, i... oh, your hand's really soft."

60.) "what are you doing?" "just capturing the moment in my mind when i'm with the most perfect person in the whole multiverse."

61.) "and you know what your problem is? you can't stand seeing me happy, that's your fucking problem."