#brotp: let me help you

[fumifooms]

Chilchuck Tims has 4 daughters

Izutsumi’s relationship with the whole party is very fun and heartwarming, and her relationship with each party member has something unique and special, but besides Senshi being the mama hen I really love how Chilchuck looks after Izutsumi in a father-ish way. He’s the only one in the party that sees her like an actual human girl lol. He treats her with respect while not letting himself be walked over, and I think there’s something to be said about it, esp since Chilchuck knows how it’s like to be infantilized and pet like a cute thing much like our favorite catgirl. He does handle her like a guy who has 3 adult daughters, parenting instincts kicking in

Listen I knooow the party is breaking up with the end approaching but I’ve been thinking a lot about if Izutsumi decided to stick with anyone and I think it’d be really nice if she stayed with Chilchuck. I love Chilchuck’s store so much, I have so many headcanons and fic plans involving it, but listen.  I feel like Chilchuck would be a good person to look after her, she’s still a teen and shown not to be mature enough to know what to do with herself and feed herself right yet, she could become Chilchuck’s store mascot like a cat that’s always lounging inside hehe.  He gains another sort-of-daughter and she keeps her favorite pillow, a loss-loss deal on his end but Chilchuck is too responsible to not take her in if needed mwahahaha Izutsumi would have no remorse, he’s ready to suffer for her comfort

Ok girl we get it he’s your dad

[random-autie-fangirl]

🎭 Lying headcanon for Asriel/Flowey

(Headcanons still from the same ask game that you can totally ask me questions from if you so desire)

What Asriel does post-pacifist is he downplays how much he cares.

How much he cares for Chara (though he certainly wasn't lying at first when he said he didn't forgive Chara, this is later when they start being nicer to him again. It was Chara who started this animosity by the way, but it's like ... "Oh, you don't forgive me for killing everyone, you hate me, huh? You never wanna see me again? Well, okay, then, I don't forgive you either, I don't wanna see your stupid face ever again, Fuck off!" And then he proceeds to see Chara over and again for the next few years until the animosity fades on both sides, because Frisk and Chara share the same body and it turns out he likes Frisk more than he hates Chara. See this is why I prefer the buttercup plan being a betrayal of a previously good relationship because being sort of forced to interact with a best friend you had a massive mutual falling out with is somewhat funny, but being sort of forced to interact with your relentless bully of three years is just fucking awful)

for MK (MK is impossible for anyone to dislike, trust me, Asriel tried at first to dislike them, mainly being jealous of their friendship with Frisk, but MK was kind, endearing and positive enough that he feels really bad about it (and MK’s reaction to bullying just isn't funny, they just brush him off and y'know...it later becomes very obvious that Frisk is definitely not leaving him behind),

for Toriel(he still really likes his mom, I am pretty sure he greatly prefers her to Asgore, and that's who he lives with, even if it might be a bit awkward living with her alone first it feels somewhat nice, doesn't it, to return home? And in the underground, he was hanging out in the ruins when Frisk came...with Toriel, though that might be just because he was looking for souls, and plus...the skeleton fam are always next door, if he wants to spend time with Frisk or Papyrus),

for Frisk (Caring and bright, like MK, but certainly not a goody two shoes by any means. Down for chaos and trouble, you mess with Frisk and they mess back, and that's just what Az likes about them. They forgave him when he didn't forgive himself, saved him when he still believes he doesn't deserve to be. (Though Frisk uses it constantly to win arguments and the like... Or Frisk is always allowed to pick the first movie on movie night because "no murder" privileges, Frisk gets the last cookie because "no murder" privileges, Frisk gets to ride shotgun because "no murder" privileges, and if there's a limited supply of something, Frisk gets the first pick, once again cos' no murder privileges.)

Who... understands about the presence of Chara and about the resets. And well...I often think about Chara and their "best friends", that one person they see as an equal above all else. But, well, Asriel has his own issues and he has his own best friends to feel weirdly intense about. In the underground, he idolizes Chara as that person...the exception to all the noise, the one person he feels that he can still care about, a potential partner in crime. And I think post pacifist, he kinda latches onto Frisk in the same way, at least to start with. In this case, it's paired with a crush but it doesn't have to be, for example with Chara, it evidently wasn't.),

and finally for Papyrus(still his idol, in the fifth anniversary thing, one of the people we know for sure that Asriel interacts with apart from Frisk is Papyrus, much like MK, I think Paps can be so kind that it starts to make him feel bashful and be significantly less likely to be cruel or act up, unlike Frisk and Chara who bring out the fire in him, either playfully (Frisk) or genuinely angrily (Chara). Also since Frisk lives with Paps, he'll come over just as often to see the skeledad as to see the skelekid, lucky of him to have both favourite people live right next door and in the same house. Why doesn't Az live with them then.... Because I like Friskriel. Also because living with Frisk would mean living with Chara, and neither Asriel or Chara want that (you can also see why he would be less than thrilled to see Sans every day of course).

He'll give gifts anonymously, hide his face away so Frisk doesn't see him blush at them, downplay or backtrack on compliments (or just mumble them), make excuses for caring actions, can be very clingy but never in public(and if you ever see him on Frisk's shoulders, it's just because it's easier than the pot, not cause he wants to be near Frisk or anything, or sometimes it's "Frisk paid me" liar). He's not a little weenie who "cares" about people, it's just because.... uh...

You know, general tsundere stuff.

And (apart from the blushing thing) this isn't just specific to his crush on Frisk but to every relationship he has. He has a reputation to maintain, he doesn't want to be teased, he always wanted to be "strong", to be seen as a "big kid" and that still goes now even if he's done trying to impress Chara or act cool for their sake. (Now, honestly, I think he might be trying to impress Frisk and MK, even though Frisk doesn't care and actually likes the fact that he's kind of a dork and MK is... actually pretty easily impressed, in fact, and is probably more annoyed when Asriel is mean, partially in an attempt to be "cool" and "tough" and "uncaring".)

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

I’m new here so I’m sorry if I missed an FAQ about rec lists instead of general fic locate requests. If you do regular rev lists on your fave fics but can you do a list of your favorite Stackson Brotp fics? Like it’s still endgame Sterek but still has a healthy dose of Stackson brotp please. I’d really appreciate it

joonniverse asked:

Hey there ! Would you happen to have any fic recs where Jackson and Stiles are/become really close? Any Stiles centric pairing is fine

AND

Anonymous asked:

May i get some fic recs for Jackson and stiles friendship? Either childhood friends or became friends post Canon or anything in between. If stackson happens that is also ok as is any other ship.

Alright friends. It took me a minute but here's some of my favorite Stiles and Jackson friendship fics. (alternatively this could be renamed " A list of mostly isthatbloodonyourshirt fics")

So When Do I Get To Pledge My Loyalty To The Mob? by RedRidingStiles

(1/1 I 10,146 I Mature I Sterek)

“Are you my sugar daddy?” Stiles blurts out, slapping a hand over his mouth when his brain catches up to his mouth.

The man lets out a soft laugh, making his way around the couch till he’s standing just feet away from Stiles.

Stiles can smell his cologne from here, it smells heavenly, Stiles kinda wants to bury his face into the guy's chest so he can figure out exactly what it is.

“If that’s what you’d like to call it.” The man smiles.

Stiles doesn’t think he should be allowed to smile like that. All soft and gorgeous and way too pretty to be legal.

He’s still not convinced any of this is real.

Stiles loses his wallet, someone returns it along with $5,000. Shit keeps coming, Stiles life doesn't make any sense anymore, he's just going with it.

Quack (Stiles Stop Calling It That) by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

(1/1 I 15,980 I Teen I Sterek)

“Stiles, I’m serious, I need a favour.”

“That sounds like a trap,” Stiles Stilinski muttered sleepily into both his pillows. “You know,” he continued when the man in his room made no move to leave, “you’d think I’d be used to this. My dad, coming into my room, smacking my ass to get me out of bed, waking me up at the ass crack of dawn—”

“It’s almost one.”

“—waking me up at the ass crack of one,” Stiles continued without missing a beat, “and asking for a favour. Given my life growing up with you, you’d think I’d be used to this by now. I think the reason this hits so hard now is that I specifically bought my own apartment so that you couldn’t wake me up at the ass crack of dawn—”

“Stiles, it’s almost one.”

“—so that you couldn’t wake me up at the ass crack of one.”

Everyone Needs a Little Mischief in Their Life by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

(1/1 I 17,984 I Teen I Sterek)

Finally, against his better judgement, and having gone in circles for much too long, he blurted out, “Who is my soulmate?”

The Witch looked disappointed, like he’d fucked up. Like he’d fucked up bad.

But she answered anyway.

“Mischief.”

Derek stared at her, not understanding, because what? “That’s not a name,” he insisted.

“Not exactly, no.” She offered him a small smile.

“I don’t understand.”

“You will.”

Sweet Buns by skoosiepants

(1/1 I 17,935 I Teen I Sterek)

Stiles hasn’t seen Derek Hale this close up for over a decade. He looks almost exactly the same, except somehow he seems even bigger and broodier—criminally handsome, with soft-looking dark scruff, heavy brows, light hazel eyes. His gaze zeros in on Stiles almost immediately, and his scowl lightens minutely in what looks like surprise.

Stiles is acutely aware that he has melted butter and cinnamon all over his face, and tries to surreptitiously wipe it with the ends of his sweater-sleeve.

I've Lived A Better Day by HelloWhyTheFuckAmIHere

(18/18 I 32,819 I Not Rated I Sterek)

When Stiles comes across a rogue Alpha during his first year at Berkeley, the ensuing fight doesn't exactly go his way. He calls an unlikely ally to help him with his transition, and finds out his new pack isn't quite who he might have thought it would be.

Stiles is now left with the task of trying to figure out how his old life will fit in with his new, but that is not without its challenges.

Stilinski's Home for Wayward Wolves by owlpostagain

(1/1 I 35,197 I Teen I Sterek)

“At least your puppies knock first,” Stiles snorts. “Here I thought their alpha raised them to be well-mannered.”

“There’s a sign,” Derek responds stiffly.

Stiles, whose curiosity outweighs even his hardest of grudges, abandons his chilly façade of nonchalance in a heartbeat. He jumps right up and all but pushes Derek out of the way in his effort to get to the window, and sure enough when he leans outside there’s a laminated strip of cardstock duct taped to the vinyl siding:

DON’T FORGET TO KNOCK Stiles gets cranky when we scare him

---

Or, in which Stiles Stilinski moves to Beacon Hills for his junior year of high school and accidentally adopts a pack of teenage werewolves.

There’s No Escape for the Potato Man by isthatbloodonhisshirt

(1/1 I 53,977 I Teen I Sterek)

“Who is this? Where’s Erica?”

“Wrong number, asshole!”

“Stop calling me an asshole,” the man on the other end snapped aggressively.

Stiles could understand. He’d be pretty aggressive too if he’d murdered someone and texted a wrong number to ask for help burying the body. This guy obviously failed How To Be a Serial Killer 101.

“What kind of idiot thinks I murdered someone?”

“The kind of idiot who got your text messages, you fucking dumbass!” he retorted hotly. “Maybe double check your contacts before sending a random stranger details on your nefarious plans to dispose of a freshly cut up body!”

“What?!” the guy on the other end demanded, crossed between horrendously confused and livid.

Have You Met Me? by Niecy8

(23/23 I 60,462 I Mature I Steter)

Derek’s eyes widened as his mouth contorted. “Good luck with that. First of all, he has sworn off alphas. Second of all, he will never ever agree to fake date and third of all, he’s just as stubborn as you.”

Oh, this idea of his was becoming more of a challenge. Peter certainly doesn’t want to back down now. “Please Derek. I am Peter Hale. I am charismatic as fuck. I can steal candy from a baby. Stiles will be no match for me.” And he was an omega. Despite what his nephew said, he could definitely turn on his alpha charm and the boy will be putty in his hand. It would be a slam dunk in his book.

Laughing through a wheeze which was rude by the way, Derek caught his breath. “Please tell me when you go to his place so I can video when he slams the door in your face.”

Later, there would be a door slammed in his face. Yet the boy did take the flowers Peter brought over as an ice breaker before doing so because Peter can be warming and Derek was not there smirking at him so he called it win.

Yep, challenged accepted. He would most certainly convince a certain omega to fake date him for a week.

What Fresh Twilight Bullshit Is This? by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

(7/7 I 196,137 I Explicit I Sterek)

“I am not Bella!” he insisted, shaking his fist angrily at Jackson, as if he’d been the one to suggest he was. “I am not Bella! I am, like, a Jacob, at least!”

Lydia made a noise of debate from his right and he whipped around to look at her.

“What?! What was that sound?!”

“You’re more of a Mike,” she insisted, shrugging neatly and flipping some curls over her shoulder.

“Wha—” Stiles had never been so offended in his life! “I am not! No way! I am a solid Jacob!”

“Mike,” she argued.

“Who’s Mike?” Scott asked.

“Shut up, Scott!” Stiles insisted, pointing a finger at him but still glaring at Lydia.

AND

@lovesouthernsweettea and @harriet-wimsey suggested this one!

stuck in reverse by crazyassmurdererwall (smartalli)

(1/1 I 66,656 I Explicit I Sterek)

Look, Derek is the worst. Everyone knows that. Their fearless leader is a total and complete failwolf.

Which means the rest of them? Are kind of the worst too. They’re a ramshackle, slap dashed, sorry excuse for a pack that’s about a half second away from getting one of them killed. And this is a problem, because Stiles would really like to survive high school. Thanks.

Still, nobody deserves what Derek has gone through. Nobody.

And it’s about time somebody told him that.

AND

@midnightwinterhawk suggested these!

stuck in reverse by crazyassmurdererwall (smartalli)

(1/1 I 65,656 I Explicit I Sterek)

Look, Derek is the worst. Everyone knows that. Their fearless leader is a total and complete failwolf.

Which means the rest of them? Are kind of the worst too. They’re a ramshackle, slap dashed, sorry excuse for a pack that’s about a half second away from getting one of them killed. And this is a problem, because Stiles would really like to survive high school. Thanks.

Still, nobody deserves what Derek has gone through. Nobody.

And it’s about time somebody told him that.

Shovels and Dirt by bellefire

(15/15 I 88,628 I Mature I Sterek)

The nogitsune’s power doesn’t leave Stiles after the spirit is defeated. No, it seems Stiles was changing and knowing what that darkness did to his friends he refuses to put them in danger again. He leaves without a word. Now in a new city with not quite new friends Stiles realizes no one can run forever. Because family doesn’t back down and also, yeah, that fuckin’ tree really is talking to him.

AND

@nolanfa suggested this one!

See You on the Other Side by damnitgreenberg

(18/18 I 146,077 I Mature I Sterek)

Stiles isn't doing so well on the ‘dealing with life’ front. He'll admit to that freely, okay? But he quickly discovers he isn't the only one, and that person’s inability to adapt and roll with the punches may cost Stiles his own life.

AND

@ah-lone-drah suggested this one!

Derek's Person by ash_mcj

(3/? I 3,916 I General i Sterek)

Derek didn’t like people—they set him on edge in a way that nobody quite seemed to understand, much to his vexation. They always invited themselves into his space, like they somehow had a right to be there. They touched his clothes, his books, his skin—leaving their scents clinging to things that were supposed to smell like himself. They expected him to talk to them, and never managed to wrap their heads around the notion that he just couldn’t. Words were difficult for him to use most of the time, and despite all efforts to communicate in other ways, people just didn’t understand. But it didn’t matter anyway, because Derek didn’t like people and had no inclination to socialize with them.

But Stiles was…different, somehow. He did everything that Derek hated, and more. He intruded into Derek’s space, he rambled constantly, loudly, with flailing arms and fidgeting fingers—and his presence should have driven Derek up the wall, but it didn’t. Stiles didn’t set him on edge, like everyone else did. And maybe most surprising of all, he understood him.

[or: reclusive, feral-risk derek hale finds solace in a wild child, much to his pack’s surprise]

[nekrosmos]

dude I know nothing about cod but character ask for that Nikolai guy pls?? 👀

Duuuuude thank you so much !! Your TL must be pretty wild with me yapping about him 24/7 😭​❤️​

Favorite thing about them

His absolute loyalty and devotion to Price and the 141. Big scary man who would drop anything he's doing to help out his friends !!

Least favorite thing about them

There's nothing about him I don't like but bro straight up kidnapped a mother and her kid for interrogation purpose, so let's say that LMAO

Favorite line

Oh he has so many good ones, but I mean, "Captain, Gaz fell out! The sergeant, he's gone!" is a classic.

brOTP

That Gaz / Nik hug in MW3 is living rent-free in my brain so definitely this !!!

OTP

NikPrice, to no one's surprise

nOTP

I don't have strong opinions about any other ship with him

Random headcanon

We know he shows his affection through act of services first, but I think he loves to gift things as well. You know Price is getting spoiled everytime they're on leave together. Good food, good alcohol, he'd buy him a new Rolex in the blink of an eye if Price expresses any concern about his current watch. Sugar daddy Nik is real in my mind.

Unpopular opinion

We don't talk enough about how this man is a metal head 👀​

Song I associate with them

Well, Bonebreaker by Slaughter to Prevail since he literally listens to it in a scene and I've been obsessed with the song for a while

Favorite picture of them

<3

[penncilkid]

Hello hello!

This has been in the works for a little bit now and since our VC night should be well under way by the time this goes up, I'm making this post for the friends who couldn't make it as well as people interested in what our server cooked up. So hi hello, welcome to:

The SkySide Redacted Awards! [Recap Edition]

Short Version: I wanted to host a server-wide Redacted awards of sorts after being inspired by things I was seeing over here! Mainly @autisticempathydaemon and the way they do their Redacted recommendations and such because I love any opportunity to lift up others in the fandom

Now for the Longer Version: I'll be breaking this into two posts! One for the awards and one for the rec list!

For the awards themselves, I came up with a list of categories and then as a server, we nominated characters to pit against one another! Everyone who nominated someone had to provide reasoning as to why, and it was fun to see what the results were. (Note: Some of this was NSFW so mdni, please and thank you /lh)

Let's get into it!

Category: Speaker/Listener W/ The Thickest Plot Armor

Speaker: Milo! // Listener: Lovely!

Category: Speaker/Listener Who Need A Break The Most

Speaker: Elliott! // Listener: Sunshine!

Category: Speaker That Gives The Best Hugs/Cuddles

Huxley!

Category: Speaker Who Would Give The Best Shower/Bedroom Concert

Guy!

Category: Speaker W/ The Worst Bedhead

Aaron!

Category: Listener Who's The Best At Smash

Asset!

Category: Listener Who Needs To be Wrapped In Styrofoam Because They Are A Danger To Themself

Lovely!

Category: Listener Who Could Be Found Via Their Laugh Being Overheard

Angel!

Category: Most Likely To Win A Hand To Hand Fight W/ No Magic Allowed

Speaker: Porter! // Listener: Darlin!

Category: Speaker W/ The Fattest Ass

Guy!

Category: Speaker W/ The Best Dick

Milo! (Barely beat Gavin and David /lh)

Category: Speaker Most Likely To Cum Too Fast Because They Love Their Partner So Much

This was a tie between Sam and Lasko!

Category: Ultimate Brotp

Sam/Vincent!

Category: Messiest "Hear Me Out—" Pairing

Nick/Milo! (Y'ALL ARE MEAN FOR MAKING THIS ONE WIN </3 /LH)

Category: Sip Most Likely To Rain Chaos Among The Masses

Milo/Darlin/Guy/Angel!

Once again, I'd love to thank everyone in the server who participated, helped me organize, and humored this very silly time! The rec list can be found here, be sure to check it out! Peace out!

[highlordofkrypton]

TALK TO ME ABOUT CASSIAN X TAMLIN BROTP PLEASE?

I WAS IN BED WHEN YOU SENT ME THIS I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL I COULD GET TO A COMPUTER AHHHHH I love talking about this himbroship I'm buzzing where do I even start omg omg

This is 10000000% fanon, but it's good, happy, soft and silly!

Cassian and Tamlin met during the First Hybern War; Rhysand was like 'hey ya'll meet my new friend' and like any normal person Cassian was like OH YEAH, TAMLIN'S NOSE MEET MY FOREHEAD

They ended up wrestling bc the broness called to one another, so obviously they had to test each other

It's now a normal greeting for them for Cassian to barrel into Tamlin and tussle with him; Tamlin loves it because it's the relationship he never had with his brothers

Cassian is THE shorter older brother, he's at least 30 years older than Tamlin, but Tamlin is 6'5"+ and Cassian is built like a BAKED BEAN

Tamlin is definitely the more introverted one because he's insecure, but Cassian will double down on ANYTHING Tamlin says or wants. OH UR VEGETARIAN BRO??? BEANS ARE THE SHIT AND GRASS TOO

Cassian doesn't know what exactly vegetarians eat except grass and beans, he tried once and cried he did not like whatever the hell a 'bean patty' is

Having a friend outside of the Night Court is a really fascinating experience to Cassian because even though they both had different upbringings, they have similar... vibes? Tamlin is quiet and curious, Cassian and loud and will put his hands/mouth on anything to figure out what the hell this new thing is. They both had 2 brothers with a MEH dad, warrior training, they punch first and ask questions later, it's just really cool to connect with someone on that level

It's also nice for Cassian to be able to chill w/ someone else and get an outside POV when he's going through something w/ his brothers

Cassian 10000% percent vibes with Tamlin's let's just fuck off and live in nature, it's very peaceful

Tamlin's great great great great great grandmother is a willow tree who has the hots for Cassian, lots of shh shhh and stroking his face with her vines when he's being so dumb

Cassian is seemingly more hot-headed than Tamlin, but Tamlin is the one with rage issues; it actually helps Tamlin a lot to have a friend who will BLURT OUT the first thing that comes to mind especially when confronted with something shitty like 'YO DUDE THAT'S A FUCKED UP THING TO SAY' and 'OK U WANNA GO?? MET ME IN THE PRYTHIAN PARKING LOT 1V1 ME'

Cassian's bluntness also helps drag Tamlin out of depressive slumps. Trauma can really re-wire someone's brain and make you act out, but Cassian also turns his loud honesty on Tamlin like 'FIRST DON'T TALK ABOUT MY BEST FRIEND LIKE THAT' and 'YOU'RE BEING A DICK is this how you feel or is this a reaction my broski' -- his heavy hand is an excellent contrast to Tamlin's other best friend LUCIEN

The humour shared between Tamlin and Cassian makes zero sense to anyone. At all. They will die laughing at a bag of 70% cacao and Cassian will over the 'o' and they've been laughing at 'caca' for the last 10 minutes. It's very freeing for them.

Tamlin loves fruit, Cassian general does not eat fruit or vegetables. Tamlin introduced Cassian to a giant fruit bat and lied to say 'he's very disappointed u don't eat ur greens' and CASSIAN TOOK THAT PERSONALLY??? he eats mangoes now and other tropical fruits to honour his batcestors bat-ancestors???

Yes, they can have an entire conversation in 'bruh's

IF we transpose this friendship that started in the canon 'Tamlin trained with the Illyrians in the war' to TODAY, Cassian never recovered from the falling out between Rhysand and Tamlin. It's really difficult for him to reconcile what happened to HIS family with his friend he knew, loved and trusted. When Rhysand vanished, his first instinct would have been to go see Tamlin for help (but there's a lot of guilt for not checking on him either since Cassian knew Tamlin didn't have.... a support system like him).

In Modern AU, Cassian and Tamlin have DEFINITELY those ugly shirts wit each other's face on them and their names in ✨GLITTER✨

Fuck it, Cassian gets really into shirt printing and just prints shirts for them for every occasion, they're ugly on purpose -- he also has swim shorts that are just Tamlin's face going 8D all over them

Cassian started the 'BIG STRETCHY' trend whenever Tamlin stretches and it's law EVERYONE DOES IT NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE

Anyway, I love them a lot and ummmm I absolutely not normal about them I will DIE on their bestie hill

THANK YOU FOR THIS ASK I HOPE U LIKED READING IT AS MUCH AS I LIKED RAMBLING ABOUT IT

[mymp3]

wave ^_^)/ !!!! i hate to be predictable, but for the ask game - poor ryoji mochizuki ? :]c

VITY! waves back o/

Anyways here's Ryoji Mochizuki world’s most perfect boy ^_^

favorite thing about them

Where do I start. Nyx being the primordial being, God in the persona universe. All life comes from her. She’s the beginning and the end, she is death itself. Having death be put inside a small boy and his kindness and love making death want to be human itself. Wanting to repay that kindness and love, feeling guilt at the way it treated the small boy, ruining his life.

The fact that Ryoji is Death, is Thanatos, is Pharos, is Nyx. They’re all the same being. The concept and execution of that, who had no feelings either way before, being treated so kindly to the point where it takes forms this bond with P3 Hero. Protecting him from the first arcana shadow as Thanatos on the first full moon of the game. The culmination of these forms is of course Mochizuki Ryoji. Who’s become soft and sweet. He copies P3 Hero’s appearance and gender and is everything that he never knew he wanted to be.

He loves the world so much, loves humanity so much. He’s so endlessly kind and having that kindness be a direct reflection of P3 Hero makes it that much sweeter. The fact he created this form because of his desire to have it and desire to separate himself from Nyx is the sweetest thing in the world. Especially when they’re all still the same being. Ryoji just has a hard time putting that in perspective again, he doesn’t want to be that, (Evident by his dumb Ryoji phase) doesn’t want to go back to that. It’s so sweet. He’s the cutest in the world.

least favorite thing about them

I honestly don’t think I have one.

favorite line

“I know you better than anyone after all… That’s why I came back to you as Ryoji Mochizuki.” (I know this is kind of cheating. sry.)

brOTP

Him and Junpei are so good it’s unreal. Just bros being bros. They hang out, are the most frat of guys and its hilarious. But when Junpei is going through a rough time Ryoji always knows exactly what to say. I find it so sweet.

OTP

Ryomina

They are literal soulmates. They are one another. Mirror images. Love birds. Codependent cats. Made for each other in the most literal of senses. Ryoji made his form from Minato so they could spend time together. Minato taught Death kindness.

Sometimes I feel so like I’m making them up they’re so perfect.

NOTP

This is a bit odd to type out but pretty much anyone who isn’t P3 Hero with Ryoji? I see Ryoji as only being made for one person in particular, so the others just don’t appeal to me in the same way.

random headcanon

Can I cheat and put more than one. I’m gonna. These are all Ryoji post P3 unless stated otherwise.

- Ryoji going a step further and taking Minato’s hair and eye color. Draining a blue Minato used to have til his are bright and shining. The same way he absorbed his kindness.

- He is crazy codependent. Like crazy codependent. If he was able to touch Minato for a split second in November they would never be able to let go of one another. That’s why Minato had to avoid him in FES.

-He's really warm! Got that from Minato too so he's left with all the cold. Ryoji's fun to hug though :)

- Him and Minato watch over the world together in the great seal! Ryoji shares the knowledge while Minato catches up on rest and helps explain new concepts to him when he wakes up. He’s his doorman ^_^ (ha)

- He would really enjoy working retail if he ever got the shot. He loves people in general. Getting to meet them, talk to them, the whole shebang.

- He’s embarrassed of being Pharos. Like people get of old baby photos.

- Ryoji is metaphorically trans baby. Wanting to copy Minato and preferring being called Ryoji, a boy. It makes talking about Gods a bit difficult. Dysphoria and all. Poor thing experiences it in the weirdest of ways. But as Minato and Ryoji continue to be the seal, it’ll get easier.

- He likes sunrises and cheesy rom coms and fairy tales. Classic knight and princess stories. Kind of has the most normal taste ever, but a romantic at heart.

- Speaking of normal, I think “Dumb Ryoji” is a representation on what Minato would have been like if Death was never sealed inside of him. Perfect friends with all of the right people, charming, a bit of a playboy, and best friends with Junpei.

unpopular opinion

I personally don’t imagine Ryoji with a sexuality. His human form was made as a mirror to Minato, and so interacting with him throws him off course. He acts different around him, it confuses him. I don’t see anything Dumb Ryoji does as being a real representation of who Ryoji is.

song i associate with them

My Ryoji playlist is just the most cheesy songs you’ve ever heard in your life.

Anyways I guess my pick is “Rhythm Of Love" by the Plain White T's. (yeah ik. please go easy on me he's so owl city 2010's pop to me.)

favorite picture of them

i like how pouty he gets when he's upset ^_^

[jules-ln]

About mythological ships:

What is your OTP? (favorite romantic/sexual relationship)

What is your BROTP? (favorite platonic relationship)

What is your NOTP? (the opposite of OTP)

You can say more than one in each category if you want

Sure, but it's going to be loooong and there might be some hot takes ahead

OTP

🔹️Patrochilles:I don't need to say what's obvious; but these two own my house, my dog, my soul

Like it's not so much that I think they're perfect for each other, is that I think even when they aren't perfect for each other they still love the other a lot

Besides, I think these two are very interesting Characters on their own right, so a relationship between the two is also very interesting to think about

🔹️Menelaus/Patroclus: I'm sorry, but I know myself and let me tell you, when I have a favorite ship, it always has the character that I don't ship with anyone but the other character, and the character I ship with everyone. So I don't ship Achilles with anyone but Patroclus, and I ship Patroclus with everyone.

So, Idk, I just thought that they must be very close for Menelaus to risk his life to get Patroclus' corpse back. And maybe one day Menelaus will be fed up with Helen and Patroclus will be angry with Achilles and maybe they help each to have a good time 👀

🔹️Briseis/Patroclus: I actually like this as an unrequited love scenario, I imagine Briseis loving Patroclus because he's the only man that has been kind to her in a while, and she doesn't know if it's really love, or if it's her emotions hanging to the one of the few sources of comfort she can find. Like she isn't sure if she would love him if they had meet during times of peace instead of war

Meanwhile, Patroclus just doesn't love her in that way, but he does loves her like a sister, and doesn't want to hurt her feelings either

🔹️Paris/Patroclus: listen, listen, LISTEN, I already said that I ship Patroclus with everyone, and in this case I just thought "Oh, I like Paris, I wished he had someone who didn't treat him like shit and appreciated him" and my brain immediately went "You know who would be amazing at that? That's right, Patroclus because if he can put up with Achilles' shit, he can put up with Paris' shit"

So basically I just want Patroclus to hug Paris against his tits and call him a good boy

🔹️Odysseus/Diomedes: For this I'll explain that I have the headcanon that both Odysseus and Penelope are AroAce and in a QPR

Meanwhile Diomedes is a baby gay who doesn't even know he's gay

So I have the headcanon that Diomedes has a very big crush on Odysseus, and Odysseus of course is like "Oh, this can be useful" and is basically just using Diomedes

🔹️Diomedes/Sthenelus: Like Briseis and Patroclus, I like them more as an unrequited love situation

I imagine Sthenelus being in love with Diomedes since they've met, but Diomedes just doesn't feel the same, he loves his friend, but not like Sthenelus would like him to

🔹️Agamemnon/Clytemenestra:

They are the same, to all the people that says that Agamemnon deserved it, so did Clytemenestra when Orestes killed her

Like, Clytemenestra was angry because it was HER daughter, but later she doesn't has any problem in killing someone else's daughter (Cassandra) So I know for a fact that had Agamemnon and Clytemenestra change places at Aulis, she would've done the same to Iphigenia

So this is a case of unlovable hand in unlovable hand lol

🔹️Peleus/Menoetius: I have nothing to say about this one except that for me is what if Patrochilles but old man yaoi

🔹️Helen/Andromache: this but in a toxic Yuri kind of way where Andromache feels guilty for cheating on Hector but not enough to actually stop and Helen is in for the fun

BROTP

🔹️Odysseus&Penelope: controversial opinion, but like I said, I think they both are AroAce that one day found each other and immediately there was a mutual understanding. So basically they're in a QPR

They want to be together because for them there's just nobody else in the world who can understand them like the other, and sometimes friendship is more powerful and long-lasting than romantic love

🔹️Achilles&BigAjax: I just like them being cousins

I have this headcanon that sometimes during battle Achilles would get up on Ajax' shoulders and then use him as a platform to jump and attack the Trojans lmao

🔹️Automedon&Patroclus: If Patroclus had to be Achilles's nanny, I think Automedon was Patroclus's nanny lmao

Like in my headcanon Automedon is a couple of years older than Patroclus, so Patroclus always goes to him when he wants advice or to complain about Achilles. And Automedon is more than happy to help him and be his older brother

🔹️Menelaus&Agamemnon: I think Agamemnon unironically cares a lot for his brother, and would try to protect him and do everything he can for him

🔹️Hector&Paris: I imagine these two have the relationship of "I hate you, but you ARE my brother"

🔹️Achilles&Odysseus: I love the idea of these two being friends.

I imagine at first Odysseus was like "I'm going to get close to Achilles so I can use him later" but then the dad instincts won, and he started to see him not as the best of the Greeks, but as a young man. And he starts thinking about that maybe Telemachus would be like him one day when he grows up

So he gets too attached and gives him good advice in different things, and of course Achilles doesn't listen to him at all, but he does appreciate the effort and they end up being close friends

🔹️Briseis&Iphis&Diomede: I just love the idea of Achilles' enslaved women being friends and supporting each other, they didn't have much, but they did have each other 🥺

NOTPs:

🔹️Achilles/Briseis: No, never, nope

Like, maybe if every freaking retelling of the iliad wouldn't try to force them to be together with the less chemistry imaginable and making Achilles forget that Patroclus even exist which in turns makes the whole story of the Iliad have no sense, I would like them more, but no

🔹️Achilles/Agamemnon: Short answer? No. Long answer? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

🔹️Poseidon/Patroclus: I'm sorry guys, I don't mess with this. Is just that personally I think the gods just see the humans as toys for their entertainment. So I imagine that if there was any relationship between these two, Poseidon would pretty much treat Patroclus as his personal sex toy, And I like my boy Patroclus too much for him to being used like that

🔹️Apollo/Cassandra: similar to Achilles/Briseis and Poseidon/Patroclus, with the added bonus that I think Apolla was a bitch with Cassandra. Like you can argue that Achilles deserved Apollo’s hate, but not Cassandra

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

The Path Taken

BLEACH Anime Celebration - Day 3

Day 3: Shikai / Fave Friendship / Black Hole Disco

Rating: General/K+ for mild themes

Setting: in the 18 months between the end of the Arrancar arcs and the beginning of the Lost Agent arc.

Synopsis: When Rangiku discovers her captain has been responsible for the spare uniforms going missing from the Tenth Division, she didn’t expect him to be behind it, let alone lead her to the cave where he’s training and been keeping a secret.

AN: all aboard the BROTP bus! I was planning to save this moment for my ongoing fic An Unwavering Light, but I saw my opportunity to write it for the BLEACH Anime Celebration. I will probably rewrite this scene when the time comes in that fic, but that’s then and this is now!

The friendship between Toshiro and Rangiku gives me a chance to write something a bit more light-hearted but still allowing me to have a few serious moments sprinkled here and there.

I hope you all enjoy it!

___________________________

It started when the spare uniforms went missing. It’d been only a small number, and Rangiku might have missed it if it weren’t for third seat’s, Mingawa’s, stock take of supplies. She normally didn’t look too seriously into such things – her captain seemed to enjoy doing that, she’d convinced herself – but with him focused on training, she has to step up while he’s away.

She and her third seat end up in front of the supply closets in the laundries. A few meters to her left through a doorway, several officers scrub uniforms and sheets in tubs and setting them in even larger washing baskets. Outside, several hang the washing on long lines that sway in the winter breeze. She can hear them chattering as they work, but she doesn’t pay attention to what they’re saying.

She slides the closet door open. There are stacks upon stacks of folded clothes, each shelf housing separate articles of the shihakusho. She counts the large sized men’s uniform pieces. It’s only slight, but there’s definitely something strange going on here.

As noted by Mingawa, they aren’t scheduled to receive new recruits for another three months, there haven’t been any missions that required officers to receive new uniforms, and no officers had reported to either of them about needing them. It doesn’t make any sense for this many uniforms to be missing in just two weeks.

“Are you looking for something, Lieutenant?”

She glances at the unseated officer -- Anzai, she remembers -- who had stopped on her way outside to deliver the washing basket she carries.

“No, nothing in particular,” she says, before sighing and rubbing the back her neck. “Minagawa recently did a stock take of our supplies. He mentioned that we were running low in the larger sizes of a complete shihakusho.”

The officer frowns. “Is that so?”

“Have you noticed anyone coming to grab any extra uniforms lately?”

Anzai shakes her head. “No, I haven’t.” She gestures to the officers behind her, still scrubbing. “Do you want me to ask Banno-san and Okuno-kun?”

Rangiku shakes her head. “No need, it’s not a big issue. If you do notice anything, though, please inform either Minagawa or I.”

“I will.” She bows. “I’ll return to my duties now.”

Rangiku can’t help but chuckle. “There’s no need to be so formal. Keep up the good work, it looks like you’re getting through a lot in there.”

“Ah, yes, we are! Thank you, Lieutenant!”

She and Minagawa left not long after. On their way back to the office, Minagawa speaks up. “I’ll inform the captain when he returns.”

“Save it for tomorrow morning,” Rangiku advises. “We shouldn’t put this on his mind after his training. It’s minor, but you know how he can be.”

Minagawa gives a huff of a chuckle and smirks. “Yeah, I know. All right.”

The next day, before either of them could tell Hitsugaya, four complete large uniforms were accounted for in the washing. Another two came in the next day, but another went missing the same day.

____________________________

Three days since the discovery of missing uniforms, Rangiku thought she would get ahead of who was causing this. The worst she had in mind for them was a reprimand about not honoring their uniform, to use their current uniform until it was torn beyond repair or became to big or small for them and needed replacing.

She had it all planned, right down to casually walking by the laundry area everyday at a different time from each day, then ust whoever she caught taking the uniforms. Within only a few hours after formulating and finalizing all of this, it all came crumbling down at the sight before her.

She’s frozen to the spot, jaw dropped and eyes wide. Hitsugaya stares back at her, standing in front of the spare uniforms cupboard, holding a large sized kosode. The scandalized look makes him appear younger, as if he were child caught trying to steal something he’s not allowed to have. It reminds her of how he was as a third seat and he lied about eating the last pork bun.

She’s torn between being amused and shocked.

“What are you doing?” she asks in a whisper, despite no else being around. In the back of mind she’s grateful this is the case, not sure how Anzai and the others would react to seeing their captain is behind the missing uniforms.

“I was…” He robotically pulls his hands back to sides, letting the kosode’s ends drop to the floor. “Minagawa mentioned…” He sighs roughly. “Fine, it was me.”

She blinks, then cocks her head to one side. Amusement is winning out with how out of character this situation is for him. “Wait, what?”

“I’ve been borrowing uniforms. I didn’t return the last few because I didn’t have time to.”

“And why have you been borrowing them in the first place?” Whatever teasing or mock patronizing comments she’d been ready to level at him are silenced when he shuts his eyes. Something’s troubling him. “Captain, what’s going on?”

Another sigh, this one of resignation. “You don’t have to attend a lieutenant’s meeting until ten o'clock, right?”

She nods.

He raises the kosode. “Then it’s better if I show you.”

_________________________________

He leads her outside of the Seireitei into the forests of Rukongai, with Hyourinmaru strapped to his back and a complete large sized uniform folded up over his arm.

They’ve barely spoken a word since leaving the barracks, but she can sense the apprehension rolling off him. He can be quiet and not tell her what he’s thinking, but never because he felt he couldn’t or to keep it a secret from her. To see him acting like this is strange for her; it reminds her she doesn’t always know everything about him despite overseeing his training and working alongside him for the last few decades.

When the cave comes into their line of sight, she raises a brow. “Isn’t this where you’ve been training?”

“As I said, you’ll understand once you’ve seen it.”

She lets out a huff. “It has something to do with your training, then?”

He says nothing, continuing towards the cave. She remembers his troubled look, and can only cross her arms to quell her impatience.

Once they enter, her footsteps echo around her and she expects the warm, thick air to weigh down on her. She frowns at how cold it is, and finds herself rubbing her arms. Perhaps it’s due to his training; he has been coming here for months now, after all, there's a chance it's having a some kind of cumulative effect on the cave.

They're coming to the entrance of a wide chamber when he stops and turns to her. “Wait here. I’ll tell you when you can come in.”

She can only nod and watches him disappear around the corner. While waiting she, looks behind her to the entrance, a small archway of sunlight in the distance. She doesn't remember him going this far in before.

She grunts when she hears an echo of Hyourinmaru’s bankai release chant, and a brush of cold sweeps out into the cave’s corridor. She prepares for him to tell her to enter, but he doesn’t. More cold rushes out of the chamber as he trains, and she ends up sitting on the ground, letting out a huff that blows her bangs out of her face. She takes out her denreishinki to check and reply to her messages, but a signal is non-existent. She never thought that day would come where she wishes she’d brought the division’s paperwork to complete.

Several minutes later, she finally hears him say, “All right, you can come in now.”

She rushes to a stand, but feels an odd trepidation as she enters the chamber. Before even looking around, she stops when her foot grazes his folded-up uniform. She looks to the cave’s walls, which are are scored from his zanpaukto’s attacks and streaks of ice, and then at rubble rests in piles in random spots. At the center is her captain, encased in his bankai but now dressed in the larger uniform.

She claps a hand over her mouth to stop her laughter from exploding out of her, but the snorts escape. He looks ridiculous with how loosely the shihakusho hangs off of him. “S-Sir, why are you --?!”

“Just stay over there!” he yells back, indignant. “It’ll make sense in a second.”

Still Rangiku can’t control herself, having to lean back again the cave wall and keep her hand over her mouth. She tries to focus on something else in the area, and all humor rushes out of her when she sees there’s only one petal hanging above Hitsugaya’s head. “You’ve run out of petals!”

“I know, just wait.”

“But, once it breaks, you’ll –”

Crack.

A hairline fracture splits down the middle of the petal. A flush of panic spreads through Rangiku. She’s seen what happens. She’ll need to call Fourth Division, even searches her sleeve without looking away for her denreishikai and planning to make a run for it out of the cave to get a signal.

He raises his free hand, beseeching. “Trust me.”

The last petals breaks into piece. Before she can call out to him, mist explodes into the chamber and a wave of biting cold hits her, forcing a gasp out of her and to throw her arms up in front of her face. She can barely remain standing, her legs nearly being forced to kneel. She bows her head and grits her teeth, waiting for the force to down. It’s not until several heartbeat later that it does, and she opens her eyes. While taking a few staggered breaths, her eyes widen at the ice edged at her foot.

She lowers her arms and finally looks up. The mist swirls around the cave, wafting along the ice-covered ground before dissipating. Several stalactites hang threateningly from the ceiling, while the stalagmites block her view of her captain. She gingerly steps out on to the ice, half expecting to slip and fall.

“Captain? What happened? Where --?”

“I’m right here.”

Her eyes widen. The voice gives her pause. It’s familiar, but a few octaves deeper. Why is her captain speaking like that?

She continues on the ice, finding that it's thinner than she realized, cracking beneath steps. She rounds a stalagmite and comes to a stop. For a second, the world stills. A man stands where Hitsugaya once stood. His shoulders, legs and arms are encased in ice shape like amour. He has the same hair and his eyes, though more narrow, have the same steeliness and color.

No, it can’t…it can’t be! “Captain?!”

He winces at her exclamation. “Yes, it’s me.”

Her eye twitches and throws her hands out in accusation. “But…how?! What?! When?! How did you...How is this possible?!"

"This is Hyourinmaru's Completed Form." He raises his zanpakuto, twisting the hilt to he horizontal. "I can't access all of Hyourinmaru's powers and abilities in the bankai I've been wielding up until now. Eventually, I discovered the only way I could was to age up." He half turns from her. "That's the short version of it. I don’t have time to explain it in detail.”

“What do you mean?!”

“I can’t stay like this for long. I’ll show you it’s abilities while I can.”

“Captain…”

The shock wears off, and in its place, Rangiku lets out a bewildered laugh that bounces off the cave walls and stops Hitsugaya dead in his tracks. “Your bankai gave you the ability to grow up?! I should have brought my camera! No one will believe when I tell them about this!”

“That's not the point!” he snaps. "You’re not to say a word about this to anyone!"

It’s not enough to diffuse her exhilaration. “But, sir, look at you! The Women’s Association would make a killing off of photos prints!”

“Enough, Matsumoto! This is serious.” He lets a long-suffering sigh. “Stay there and watch, I don’t want you to get caught up in this.”

As he speaks, she notices the slight tremor running through him, as if he were struggling to hold something up. Himself? She can feel the immense reiatsu radiating off of him, filling every gap of this cave. She didn't realize it until he reign it in, and the freezing cold warms several degrees.

Hitsugaya nods his head to ground at her left. “Throw that over to the other side.”

Too bewildered to question it, she does as he says, picking up a rock the size of her hand and throwing it high. She watches it twirling through the air and narrowly miss a stalactite. Then, in a blink of an eye, it’s frozen in place by a line of ice. With a grunt she looks to Hitsugaya, his zanpakuto remains at his side, but his free hand is extended out, aimed at the rock.

He briefly glances over his shoulder at her, perhaps gauging her reaction. She can only offer widened eyes and chattering teeth, unable to speak a word.  

Turning his attention to farthest wall of the chamber, he raises Hyourinmaru, slashing his zanpakuto in the air and sending a massive flurry of ice towards a cave wall. She’s never seen him conjured up this much in his strikes, or even from most of his other abilities.

He keeps going, showing new attacks she’s never seen, all more powerful than anything she’s witnessed him do before. Maybe the shock hadn’t worn off -- that the excitement she’d felt before had been a symptom of it -- but now it has, and her awe is tempered by fear. Not of him, but of this power.

She’s known him for decades, was there at the start of his life as a Shinigami. She’d encouraged him to set out on this path, to learn about the powers residing in him. To think ti could lead to this...

Without warning,she remembers that night, that child helplessly looking over at the Granny he was unknowingly harming. She’d felt the power radiating off him in uncontrolled waves when she’d bumped into him at the stall earlier that day. She would never seek out a Soul the way she had, but she knew that power needed to be contained, that he could -- maybe already had -- hurt others without realizing. He hadn’t been hard to find, the cold waves flowing from his home all the way to the second street of the Junrinan.

She’d wanted him to find a way to control that power, so others wouldn’t be harmed, but she also knew that feel of having something deep within, unable to voice exactly what it was but knowing it lay there, waiting for you to discover it. That feeling could be all consuming if not explored, a gnawing that ate away at a Soul like an opportunity not taken, a path one was afraid to tread. In his own way, Gin had taught her that when he’d told her why she was experiencing hunger.

At some point he stops and turns to her. She has to look away from the ice that coats every wall of the cave except the one she has her back to. He stares at her, waiting. For her assessment? Her judgement? To see if she was afraid of him? Something in the softens. He's come a long way, but deep down, he's still that boy from the Junrinan, isolated and not knowing why others were scared of him.

She's speechless, but after a drawn out breaths, she finally says, "How did you discover this?"

He blinks, and the slightest smirk twitches at the corner of his lips. "Training, Matsumoto. How else?"

She shakes her head. "No, I mean, what led you to...?" It dawns on her what she really wants to ask. "Why did you discover this?"

The question sobers him. His shoulders fall a fraction when he lets out a long, silent exhale. Something changes in his eyes. There's the usual steeliness, but there's also something somber. “Because I needed to.”

It makes her sigh. They been over this before, several times, but it seems it's never enough to quell his guilt. "It wasn't your fault, Captain. You couldn't have known."

"That's not it." A half-truth, she can tell, but she doesn't call him out on it.

He's steadfast, gripping Hyourinmaru tighter and slowly stepping towards her, his encased feet crunching over the ice. “We’ve faced threats that can destroy our world or any of the others. Who’s to say there won’t be others in the future? The Soul Society needs to be prepared, both in it's infrastructure and it's soldiers.” He stops a meter away from her. "If a captain isn't prepared, then how can those he commands be?"

She wants to say something encouraging, but nothing comes. She overcome by something she never thought she'd feel in a moment like this.

He must see the guilt building up within her, because he frowns and takes another tentative step to her. "Matsumoto?"

She shakes her head. "I won't tell anyone about this," she says. "What you've achieved, Captain...it's incredible. There's no other word for it. You should be proud of what you've accomplished."

Her words are sincere -- if stilted by the conflict of emotions running through her -- but his furrowed brow only eases a fraction. He raises Hyourinmaru, staring down at the hilt. "It's not what I expected when I started training. I never thought --"

He hisses. When he stumbles back while clutching his side, Rangiku lunges off the wall. "Captain?"

"Stand back!" he orders with a wince. "I have to...have to --"

Without warning, a fresh wave mist and cold blasts into the cave. Rangiku falls back against the cave wall, once again protecting her face from the force. Like last time, it dies down, but she can hear the gasping breaths of her captain. She rushes through the mist, almost slipping on ice to get to him. "Sir!"

She comes to an abrupt stop, nearly crashing into him. He's doubled over, panting and clutching Hyrouinmaru. He raises his head after a beat. He's back to normal. It's a stark contrast to the man he'd been, enough to stun her for a moment.

"Are you all right?" she asks, ready to ease him up.

He gives a curt nod before righting himself with a grunt. "I'll be fine. Changing back...can be painful." Before she can ask, he raises a hand. "Don't call Fourth Division, I don't need them."

She's not so sure, judging from the way he stiffly sheathes Hyourinmaru across his back and half hobbles over to his folded up uniform. She gets there ahead of him, picking it up and handing it to him.

"Thanks," is all he offers before she takes her queue to leave and let him get changed. She walks to the cave's entrance, but comes to a stop once she's back in the sunlight. She recalls the moments before they arrived. To think this is what he's been keeping from everyone.

He'd achieved something she's never witnessed in her life. Perhaps it's something no one in the entire Soul Society has ever witnessed or thought even possible. He could gain abilities that shouldn't be available to him, that have enough force to literally freeze a threat in it's tracks to the bone.

She should be honored to have been a force behind this, to have been the one to guide him on the path to honing and controlling his powers. The Soul Society has always viewed him as a valuable asset on the battlefield and in leadership, but now he could turn the tides in a war, may even be the only Shinigami they will need to send to neutralize a threat as powerful as an Espada.

It's an incredible feat, but a sad one. Her captain hasn’t been a child for decades, but by Rukongai standards he’s still too young for this line of work. A prodigy, but still young.

For the first time, she wonders if she’d done the right thing by telling him to seek out a way to control his power. Of course she had, she protected others from being harmed and he's proven himself to be one of the greatest recruits the Academy turned out. But was it right to have let him get to this point? To the point where he felt he wasn't enough, that he needed to transform himself so completely. She had no direct hand in those things, but they'd happened, and might not have if she hadn't guided him that day. What if she'd approached him a bit later in life? His Granny would still be freezing, perhaps even pass away from it, and he'd never know he might have been the cause. She saved the woman's life, and him from heartache -- from that one at least.

She hears his footsteps coming up behind her, echoing through the cave. She turns, unsure what face to make. She keeps her expression neutral, and he does the same. The larger uniform is folded back over his arm.

He stops directly at her side, gaze not faltering. The only sounds in the silence are the rustle of leaves when a breeze blows through, tussling his hair and sweeping hers over her shoulders.

"Captain?" she asks eventually.

He turns his attention to the ground. "Now that you know about Hyrouinmaru's Completed Form, it might prove to be useful."

She blinks. "How so?"

"For one, you'll know what to expect in battle should I ever have to use it. Given the toll it can take on me physically, it's a last resort. I also don't know every ability this form can afford me yet. I have to build my endurance so it can last longer before I need to transform back."

He lifts his head, looking ahead to the path they'd trekked to get here. "If I have a sparring partner, it might help me to unlock other abilities. It would help you to understand how these abilities work too, how we can incorporate Haineko's shikai into it."

She can't help but let out a huff. "My powers are nothing compared to that form." She ignores the indignant growl from Haineko in the back of her mind.

"It's not true," Hitsugaya says. "At the Academy, regardless of skill level, we're encouraged to integrated powers together."

She shrugs. "I suppose."

Another pause, and she can sense him considering his words. This is what he's truly been wanting to say since he left the cave.

"They also taught us to protect Humans and our friends," he eventually says. "Soon, I'll be able to do that once I've perfected my bankai."

Guilt comes back to the forefront, causing her to look away and cross her arms.

"I never thought my training would lead to me to this," he continues. "I'm glad it has. I can protect those who can't protect themselves. I can control my abilities so they don't harm others."

He returns his gaze to her. "I apologize again for the uniforms."

She waves a dismissive hand.

"I also appreciate that you came out here, and..."

She can't help but quietly gasp. Does he know? Had it been that obvious? Did he just thank her? She says nothing, afraid of interrupting him or discouraging him from continuing. Ever since Aizen's defeat, he's been more open with his emotions, but he's still prone to being stoic or reserved as his default.

She locks her gaze with his, deciding to risk it in the end. "Sir, I know you couldn't give me a full explanation for how you acquired the Completed Form, but if I'm going to be training with you, I'll need to know."

He raises a brow, as if what she said was a given -- and knowing him it was.

She steps closer to him. She nods to Hyourinmaru's hilt. "That includes Hyourinmaru's Completed Form. It will take a lot of training, and...I can't imagine what it felt like to discover it."

His eyes flash and then quiver in a way that says it all: it was near life-changing, the answer he's been seeking this whole time.

"Please remember, sir," she continues. "It's not only you who has to do protect others. It's all of our duty as Shinigami to protect and serve the Soul Society and those that will one day come to it." Then, a little more light-hearted. "Besides, it's my duty as a lieutenant to support the Tenth Division and to have your back, always."

He's stunned at first. Then, the faintest smirk shapes his lips and he gives a conceding nod. "With the exception of the last part, you've spoken like an Academy lecturer."

She expects him to end this conversation there, to snort and say something to the effect of, "Now, we need to head back."

Instead, he nods again and begins down the trail. "I already know I can count on you. We've worked this long together. Even before all of this...I chose this path after you showed it to me." Then, so quiet she isn't even sure he says it, "...Thank you."

She can't move for several heartbeats. She gets the impression it's not what he truly wants to say, another half-truth. Perhaps, more accurately, a part of a sentence that's incomplete. Still, the guilt dissipates.

It's enough for now, and she allows the warmth of pride swell through her heart without any shame. Is this how it feels to be proud of a younger sibling? It must be.

She's quick to catch up to him, grinning despite overly sad sigh she lets out. "Well, if nothing else, that form has given me a glimpse into future, and Captain, you're going be a heart-breaker."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he grouses.

"Oh, nothing." Then, quickly to herself. "As is, I'm certain you only have eyes for one person, and by the time you tell her, you'll probably be the same age as that form."

"Oi, speak up!"

"I didn't say anything!" She's the perfect picture of innocence with her shrug, but he only rolls his eyes.

"About that training," she continues, "I'll help you."

He nods. "Good. We can start tomorrow."

"Oh, sorry, no can do, sir. The Women's Association is going to a hot spring tomorrow."

"I didn't sign off on you doing that!"

"You didn't need to! I'm a grown woman, you know?" She snickers. "Although now you can become a grown man anytime you want now, huh?"

"Oh, shut up!" he growls. He folds his arms, and grumbles, "This is what I get for showing you."

She laughs, high and loud. "I feel so privileged to be the only one to know!"

"...With how loud you are, someone else might know about it now."

"Oh no, Captain, don't worry." She puts a finger to her lips and winks at him. Then, in a loud whisper, "You're secret's safe with me."

He only snorts derisively.

"Although..." She taps a her finger to her chin. "Those missing uniforms DID get noticed."

She doesn't have to look over to know his temp and eye twitch.

"I have a few ideas. You're either going to have to return them as soon as your training is done each day, or you use the same uniform and put it in for cleaning on a day you don't do training." And because she can't help, because she'd planned to do it to whoever she caught, "I would suggest the latter, because, if I remember right, didn't you once say to the new recruits that one must honor their uniform because of what it represents? That one could do that by making sure it's clean and repaired when torn and only get one, one, replacement when it's beyond repair or doesn't fit anymore, right?"

"...You're enjoying this way too much."

She smirks. "I don't know what you mean."

She shakes his head. "You've actually put some thought into hiding this, huh?"

"Hey, I can come up with good ideas!"

"I didn't even say they were good ones."

"Do you want me to help you keep a secret or not?"

"All right, all right!" He rubs the side of neck. "Discovering the Completed came as a shock, I wasn't thinking straight and didn't come up with a plan."

The fact he even admits that makes her do a double take. Yes, he's more open with how he's feeling, but to admit that he, the one Soul she knows who can't even go visit his Granny on his breaks without a schedule in place before he leaves, didn't have a plan.

"Well, as your lieutenant, may I suggest the last option?"

"Why that one?"

"Because you need to take breaks from training. You've come such a long way since you've started, and I meant what I said before, that you should be proud of what you've achieved, but it's okay to focus on other things." She's almost tempted to reach out and touch his shoulder as a reassurance, but resists. "You said before you did this so you could become strong enough to protect others from a threat like what we faced months ago. You've done that, and while there's still more you can learn about this Completed Form, isn't it enough for now?"

The furrow in his brow deepens as he considers her words. It's a long moment later when he raises his head.

"Fine, we'll do the last one." He hefts up the folded uniform. "But I'll clean it myself."

Responsible to a fault, but at least he's chosen it.

She smiles. "Good."

[mantequillamcwhoremick]

kenny for the ask meme 🧡

Fantastic. Let's get the most important one out of the way🧡🧡 The silliest little booger🫶🫶🫶

Favorite thing about them:

Two things; his unwavering kindness and his immortality.

I love how kind and sweet and charitable he has remained despite, or maybe because of, all the horrors that he's been through. He could've become a cynical asshole and I wouldn't blame him, but instead he dedicated his time caring for his sister, become a symbol of hope for South Park and become a philanthropist once he became rich enough to afford it.

His immortality is just a dope fucking concept and I have so many different AUs and stories in progress where it's the centered topic. It just fascinates me i love it

Least favorite thing about them:

Literally nothing. I love all his ugly ass booger attributes. Even his stupid ass hair dryer side profile. Maybe I hate that he doesn't have enough episodes where he's the main character

Favorite Line:

"Yeah, people don't even care if shit's dumped everywhere. Everyone just loves technology."

"Sometimes, people do stupid things. Sometimes they don't realize what should have come first. Until it's too late."

(Sorry I couldn't pick just one. He's my favorite little guy.)

BrOTP:

Kenny & Kyle >:))) their friendship is SO unexplored even though they have so much canon potential. The fact that Kenny went to Kyle to get his help as Mysterion "because I think you are the smartest kid in class" is so telling for how much he respects Kyle. Then also that Kyle is the one to initiate Kenny's cheesing intervention in the major boobage episode speaks for how Kyle cares for him. And the "I can't die" "It's not pretty cool, Kyle, it fucking hurts!" conversation is so juicy and full of interesting conflict potential. Maybe that's why K2 are the dynamic that receives arguably the most attention in my fic🫶

Also Kenny & Tweek. SO MUCH untapped potential in that dynamic.

And Kenny & Cartman!!! They're such interesting foils in every way, the "fat ugly mean kid and the detached loner poor kid", both the poorest kids at their schools and both with a fascinating dynamic with Butters. They're best friends and rivals, they're each other's biggest haters and somehow have a soft spot for each other too.

OTP:

Kenny and Butters. I'm not gonna elaborate because I'd be sitting here all day but if I could summarize it I'd point you to Mysterion vs Chaos, the fact that Paladin Butters had a canon crush on princess Kenny in TSOT, their canon sugar daddy/baby dynamic in post covid when Butters literally scammed everyone else in his path, and the fact that I love tragic characters finding joy and wonder in each other.

nOTP:

Can't really say any bc Kenny has interesting dynamics with everyone lol but if I have to name popular romantic ships that I just don't see I'd name Crenny and Stenny shjshsk SORRY

Random Headcanon:

He loves food and eats FAST like a starving animal (licking his fingers afterwards and everything) he's not exactly the kid your mom would love for his dinner table manners

Unpopular Opinion:

He isn't suave or handsome. IRKS me when he's a big ladies' man in fics. He's stinky and not an overly smooth flirt; any attention he gets from girls is because he's genuinely kind and sweet

Song I associate with them:

Favorite Picture of Them:

He's such a wannabe mysterious little fucker

[chrysalis-the-butterfly]

angel dust :3

Send me a character and I’ll list:

Favourite thing about them: "Thing", singular? I can't put just one thing! There are too many things! The humour in his dialogue. The songs he sings. The fact that he's both an ex-mafia member and a femme gay man. The fact that he's got a twin sister in Heaven. The changes we see in his character over the course of Season 1. The bond he forms with Husk. The dynamic he has with Charlie (and the others in the hotel). The angst of his relationship with Valentino. The voice. The hair. The eyes. The arms. The chest fluff. The outfits. The dance moves. I just love him so much.

Least favourite thing about them: Well, the way he acted towards Husk initially was, let's face it, sexual harassment. Just because it was a response to trauma doesn't make it okay. I appreciate that Angel doesn't bother Husk like that after "Masquerade" - he still makes sex jokes, but now they're less about targeting people and making them feel uncomfortable - but I still think it would have been good for Angel to explicitly acknowledge that his behaviour wasn't acceptable and apologise to Husk.

Favourite line: (porn voice) "I've been a bad boy, and I need a big strong daddy to put me in my place..." (regular voice) "...on the path to redemption!"

brOTP: I like the friendship he develops with Charlie. The prequel comic "Dirty Healings" shows that she sees potential in him that he doesn't see at first. He initially only joins the hotel for the free rent and to get away from Valentino, but then he comes to genuinely care about Charlie, as she does for him. That's nice to see.

Also, Angel and Emily haven't interacted yet, but I think they would have a cute friendship if they did!

OTP: Huskerdust! I've seen so much cute fanart and read so many hurt/comfort fics of the two together that I can't help but love this ship. I enjoy thinking about them being together and how they could change each other for the better. Having Husk around to take care of Angel would definitely be good for him.

But Angel's trauma isn't going to go away overnight, so that'll be a lot to deal with. And Husk is also pretty judgemental, so if Angel ever has a relapse and Husk treats him too harshly for it, that could put a rift between them. Angst potential!

Everyone talks about how Husk is changing Angel, helping him to be more honest, but I do think Angel is changing Husk too. Husk certainly seems to drink less after "Masquerade". And if Husk was somehow able to help Angel out of his contract, that would be redemption for his own participation in the cruel Overlord system.

Angel and Husk are not perfect people, but they could be perfect for each other.

nOTP: Any ship that involves pairing Angel with a woman. He's gay. He wouldn't be interested.

As for Valangel ... look, I am interested in exploring the backstory - I want to find out how Angel met Valentino and what led to him signing his soul away. But I definitely do not want Angel to stay with that moth. That pairing is way too toxic.

Random headcanon: Both Anthony and Molly had albinism when they were alive, and that's why they're so pale in the afterlife. Anthony also had a visual impairment, so his demon form overcompensated by giving him extra eyes.

Unpopular opinion: Some fans love seeing Angel with all six arms out and six guns blazing, but I'm not so keen on it. That's a personal thing, really - I just don't like guns and don't think they have any reason to exist. All they do is kill people, and killing people is wrong. If Angel's got all six arms out, he should be using them to give Husk a back massage instead.

Song I associate with them: Besides "Poison"? Then "All You Wanna Do" from SIX: The Musical. They're both super-catchy pop songs about the dark topic of sexual abuse sung by characters associated with the colour pink. I watched the Hazbin Hotel pilot for the first time on the same weekend I went to see SIX: The Musical, so that's a neat coincidence!

Favourite picture of them:

[ataraxixx]

Cyrus borg for the ask game?

Sexuality: i dont think ive ever extensively thought abt this but i feel like hes gay + arospec

Gender: cis but hes cunty so its ok

Ship: one of those old man yaoi ones i dont have a preference theyre all fine to me. Even the overlord one actually that ones really funny lets pick that one

Brotp: him and zane is very funny to me. Me and my freak son in law. Also i like to ponder his theoretical friendship with julien+dyer a lot. He will try his best to make them understand that making an AI is effectively creating a life.... no you cannot control its will....guys please stop abandoning your robots they have feelings........

Notp: idgaf

Headcanon: him and dyer were college roommates :P they stopped talking after dyer went off the radar but borg helped with a lot of early PE development in terms of the coding (and it was the basis for his later digiverse project)

General opinion: i like him! Hes a very neat guy and i always appreciate his appearances. It will be very sad when the revolution comes and i have to eat the rich (cyrus borg(

[pastelalleycat]

This line in the WHRP news page has been haunting me to no end and I can't not bring it up anymore.

Guys.... I think Barnaby cares for Julie..........

(tons of theorizing under the cut)

We don't know much about Julie's inner psyche compared to some of the other characters, but we do know that she's outwardly always happy, always cheerful, always eager for a game or a smile. Being so fun-loving and not being able to crack a joke sounds like something that could cause Julie distress. She looks up to Barnaby and wants to be as funny as he is, but she's so engulfed in trying to surround herself in happy things, in the role she plays alongside Frank, that she can't admit that there's a problem, that there's something wrong in her life.

More about Barnaby's perspective is found in the Homewarming record- he's surprisingly perceptive, and there's an introspective, analytical part of his personality where he's able to take in people's emotions and level them against a logical standard. He may be brusque, blunt, teasing, but that's his way of caring. He knows, logically, that Julie can't make others laugh to save her life. He knows, logically, that Frank may not be the best match for her. And he knows, logically, that he wants to help Julie learn how to tell jokes- to help her.

Plus, jokes are literal currency- at least in Howdy's bodega. My theory is that Julie uses Eddie's post office for anything she may need instead by getting it sent in; in the "listen" audios, she recieves quite a few packages, and we never see her inside Howdy's store or interacting with him directly (as far as I remember). In a world that literally favors the funny, being unfunny is an actual disadvantage.

Whether it's puppy love or a friendly appreciation, Barnaby clearly likes Julie. And though he pisses her off, Julie enjoys his company too.

That brings us to Julie's winter hibernation, and the sentence used here in this news post. Julie's very connected to flowers, so the image of a flower needing strong roots to bloom in the spring is most likely related to her somehow. The Bug-a-Bye record can be interpreted as Frank mourning Julie's absence during winter, so we'd expect him to be the one to tuck her in, as it were, for her big sleep, so why is Barnaby mentioned?

Well, when Eddie dissociates during the Homewarming party, it's when he's forgone his role as the mailman and let others do his deliveries for him. He relaxes, and in that moment he doesn't have any ties to the Neighborhood- unrooting, so to speak, becoming aware that there's more to the soil than his roots could previously comprehend.

Sleep is similar to disocciation, but the subconscious mind is far more aware of the world during dissociation, whereas during sleep dreams can be difficult to discern from reality if you aren't lucid. Hibernation is a deep version of sleep, body and mind slowing down as much as it can to preserve function.

The health and life cycle of flowers in the Neighborhood are connected to Julie. If she entered hibernation and something happened to the flowers while she was asleep, she'd either have no way of knowing, or be too weak to do anything about it. Yet, if the roots are strong, a plant will live. It's much the same with a puppet.

Barnaby doesn't know too much about flowers, but he knows about dirt. About soil. About perception. And because he's a dog by nature, he damn well knows how to dig. In my head, I can't imagine he would feel comfortable if any of his neighbors were in danger, much less one who can't speak for herself.

The fact that Barnaby taught Wally the "Beautiful Dreamer" song, a song sung to a possibly dead lover- and knowing that Julie is about to enter / has entered a deep sleep at the end of the latest update- strikes me as eerie. I may be off the mark here, since Wally is pictured with dreamy imagery in the "Remderem" commercial as well, but I can't ignore it.

So uh, yeah, Julaby brOTP for life. Yeah.

[b4rk1ng-l0t]

Mandela Worldbuilding Shit I'd like everyone to consider

Preschool teachers watching their class size dwindle down until there's only a few kids left

Parents trying to explain to their child whats going on in the world, unable to even comprehend it themselves

Children growing up not knowing they're an alternate Adam and ESPECIALLY Sarah

Going to school and all of a sudden, your best friend stops showing up

Having a long distance friendships/relationship with someone in Mandela and theyre telling you all the wack ass shit going on there

People being too scared to leave their house, meaning their too scared to work-- empty and shut down businesses everywhere you look like theme parks, stadiums, restaurants, etc

The light traffic due to the lack of people there and leaving their house

Going to work because you need the money with the possibility something will follow you home

Stray dogs/other pets roaming the streets because their owner was replaced or died

Dogs/pets licking their owner's hand or face, knowing something is wrong with them, but unable to comprehend that they're dead

Dogs biting the absolute shit out of one and they let out a cartoonish "YEEEOUCHHHH" like take that Cesar :)

911 calls made by children whose parents suddenly disappeared or died Thatcher

Alternates disguising as kids (or regular people) calling 911 to lore in officers Jude

I've said this before and I'll gladly say it again- how do we know that population count consists of ONLY humans? It could be so much lower than it actually it

Being high on hallucinogens and seeing The Fucker Man In The Corner Jonah

Everyone who thought that excessive prayer would help Mark

Everyone who thought "oh it'll just last a few months, everything will be fine ^_^ "

Becoming numb to messages like "Where's our savior now?" graffitied on a building and scrubbing them off without second though

Skyrocking prices for antidepressants and therapy, but no one can afford them because no one can work

Laying in your bed/going on about your day until you suddenly hear a gunshot

Priests and other religious figures contracting MAD and questioning their faith

The entirety of Skinamarink could take place in Mandela. Imagine an alternate fucking with a child just like that, and the alternate taking joy in their fear. No one would be able to stop it.

TMC OUTSIDE OF CHRISTIANITY/ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS! PAGANISM! JUDAISM! LUCIFERIANISM! ANYTHING! PLS GUYS IM BEGGING YOU DO IT OR I WILL BRING IN MY OCS👺👺👺

Kids going to live with someone else because their parent is dead.

Adoption centers being a heavy target for alternates

"My mom's dead." becomes a common response to 'yo mama' jokes😔

TMC OTP/Brotp/etc Ideas

Couples helping each other shave/do make up because they can't use the mirror

Sharing a bed because you're scared

"Call me when you're home"

Coming up with a code word so you know it's actually them

The overwhelming joy when they confirm *its actually them*

Moving in with someone for safety reasons

Traveling in pairs

(Last Updated: May 30, 2024)

[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 6 (Mastermind)—MOTA Fic

A/N: Ruth and Kidd are quickly becoming one of my favorite Brotps of the fic haha! That being said, enjoy the beginning of a hilarious partnership in this chapter. Let me know what you think :)

Learning secondhand that Colonel Huglin was being transferred to a hospital in London due to stomach ulcers and was going to be replaced was most assuredly not on Ruth’s list of things that she needed to have happen.  A change in leadership during an attempt to clean house of problem-makers wasn’t going to help the situation much and she felt for the men on base, the confusion of the past few days probably leaving them reeling. 

Still, Ruth was one of the first people up after Huglin was sent away and his replacement, Colonel Harding wanted to meet with all of the Air Executives, all of the Majors, and anyone who was going to be pertinent in relaying information to him.  That being said, Ruth was also one of the first people that he met with—in fact, she was the first. 

The difference between Colonel Huglin and Colonel Harding was startling—and she found Chick Harding to be altogether more relaxed than Colonel Huglin had been.  In fact, the first thing that he did was offer her a cigarette. 

“You smoke, Lieutenant?” Harding asked, leaning forward and offering his pack in her direction. 

Clearly an attempt to get a read on her. 

“Not often, but occasionally,” Ruth carefully plucked a cigarette with a nod of gratitude.  She leaned forward, allowing him to light the cigarette as they sat there, a silent battle of wills and attempting to read one another in the process. 

“I’ll be honest,” Harding gave a sigh. “I’m not a big fan of having JAG-Corp on base.” 

“Not many are.” 

“But in the few weeks since you’ve been here, the numbers don’t lie.  Lower court martial cases, clearer direction with the missions.  Huglin wanted you here indefinitely, correct?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“For now, I’m of the same mindset.  But I’ll be frank with you—” 

“I’d much prefer it if you were, sir.  And I don’t get offended by much,” Ruth added.  

“Things are going to be different now that I’m here.  I care, of course—about the well-being of the men.  But I’m more of a spirit of the law leader than a letter of the law kind of guy.  I’ll rely upon your good judgements to decide if a court martial is really needed, of course.  But I’d prefer to utilize your abilities more so on the level of surveying missions and making battle decisions.” 

“Sir?” 

“I understand that you’re not a combatant.  But truthfully, from a legal standpoint, this war has all but shot us to hell.  So as much as you can help us logically work through things on our end here, things might go smoother out there,” Harding insisted. 

“I look forward to the challenge, sir.” 

“Great,” Harding let out a sigh and leaned back.  “Now about the Hunderedth’s Air Executive—I’ve heard some mixed things. I want your thoughts.” 

Ruth sucked in a breath of smoke, thinking long and hard for a moment about how she was going to respond to this particular question.  “Some leaders are better leaders when they’re in the field and with their men.” 

“Is that your professional opinion?” 

“He’s antsy on the ground, especially when his men are in the air.  He cares too much to be comfortable sitting back on base.  I think his talents would be more useful to all of the men in the skies rather than down on the ground.  Someone else would have to be considered but I’m afraid I don’t know the men well enough to suggest anyone else.  Perhaps by speaking with the other men and Majors you can find a suitable replacement?” Ruth finally finished.  

Colonel Harding made a note on the paper in front of him.  “I thank you for your time, Lieutenant Sharpe.  This has been enlightening.” 

“My pleasure, sir.  And welcome to Thorpe Abbotts.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Both Jack Kidd and Gale Cleven were digging into breakfast by the time that Bucky finally emerged from Colonel Harding’s office—looking slightly relieved and dead-tired.  “Boys,” Bucky exclaimed, pulling out a seat and sinking into the chair across from them. 

“Bucky,” Kidd mumbled, a mouthful still full of food. 

“Well?” Buck questioned, narrowing his gaze at his friend. 

“I got demoted,” Bucky retorted, tone still full of relieved surprise.  

“To…?” 

“CO of the 418th Squadron,” Bucky answered.  He glanced over in Kidd’s direction, a slight look of apology in his eyes.  “Sorry Jack, the boys are back with me again.” 

“It’ll be good to get my fort back,” Kidd said with a slight shrug.  

Bucky just gave a wince. “Yeah, Harding wants to see you about that.” 

The coloring drained from Kidd’s face as he blinked slowly.  “I’m Air-Exec?” Bucky simply gave a nod and Kidd dropped his fork.  “You son of a bitch.” 

“It wasn’t my idea,” Bucky replied defensively.  

“Yeah, Huglin recommended it—” Buck cut in. 

“You’re both sons of bitches,” Kidd said, shaking his head at the pair of Bucks.  He shoved his chair out from behind himself and got up, annoyance clear as day on his face. 

“Look at this way,” Bucky tried encouragingly.  “He thinks we’re the least disciplined bomb group on the entire base and maybe you can make a difference.”

“I don’t want to be the guy wiping your ass, Bucky.” 

With that, Jack Kidd strode from the breakfast table and towards Harding’s office, trying to clear his mind as the annoyance overtook him.  Finding Lieutenant Ruth Sharpe waiting outside wasn’t a surprise and clearly had an impact on Bucky’s foul mood that he had acquired.  Wordlessly, Sharpe handed him some paperwork. 

“What’s this, then?” Kidd asked in a weary tone. 

“For when you accept the position,” She replied in an innocent voice. 

“How can you be so sure I’m accepting the position?” Kidd retorted. 

“Because while Bucky Egan might be a likable guy and a great leader in the field, he was a little too drunk to be an Air Executive at any given time.  And there’s no one else that Huglin liked enough to recommend the job.  So that leaves you without an option,” Ruth said simply, shrugging her shoulders ever so slightly.  

Jack Kidd had never been so annoyed in his life.  And he was even more annoyed, fifteen minutes later, when he strode from the office and plucked the paperwork from Lieutenant Ruth Sharpe wordlessly.  Stupid Bucky Egan getting demoted and forcing him to be the one working with the shark lawyer. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruth couldn’t say that she’d ever had the misfortune of seeing a plane crash up until this point.  But three weeks later, in mid-July, Ruth saw it with her own eyes.  She had been discussing an upcoming mission with Jack Kidd when sirens began to blare and the two of them had locked eyes in slight confusion. 

“I didn’t think your men were flying today,” Ruth said, shoving her notebook shut. 

“They’re not,” Kidd frowned.  “It’s just some practice runs, no missions—” 

He didn’t even get to finish his sentence before someone else was running in and calling for him—given the fact that he was the new Air Executive of the Hundredth and it was one of his pilots that had crashed and gone down. But then before Ruth could even encourage him to go off and address the problem, the private was adding that Ruth’s presence had been requested for the recording of the incident. 

So there Ruth was, on an early morning in July, in a jeep with Jack Kidd and going to inspect the damages done and interview the mechanics and ground crew that had worked on the plane.  It wasn’t an investigation by any means, but it certainly felt more like one than she had done in years. 

The car ride there was short and tense—and she could see the thick black smoke licking up into the air from the main headquarters.  As they approached the treeline, the scent of oil and something burnt shifted through the air and Ruth nearly gagged at the smell.  There was a reason why she wasn’t a damn nurse—she hated anything to do with the doctors or nurses.  She didn’t envy the men who were attempting to find any remains. 

They were on the scene fairly quickly, though there were already people showing up to help put out the fire, remove debris, and attempting to assess the situation at hand.  Ruth wasn’t surprised when the other Majors on the base arrived on the scene, staring at the smoke and crash-site.  

It was a haunting smell, and one that she knew all of them would remember for the rest of their lives.  God, it made her worried about her brothers.  Ruth kept quiet, eyes locked onto the scene ahead of her.  Guide them safely home and please—let it have been quick for all of them.  A silent prayer seemed to pour out from her heart and then the moment was gone. She busied herself with asking the proper questions and recording responses.  

When she had finally finished up, she returned back to where the Majors were all talking in quiet tones.  “Finish up the interviews?” Kidd questioned, gaze falling on her. 

“Yes.  It seems to be a pilot error, nothing to do with the ground crew,” Ruth replied.  

Harding arrived on the scene not even seconds later, a frown on his face.  “What happened?” He questioned, gaze switching onto the group of Majors, Air Executives, and Ruth. 

“Practice mission—he went into his turn too early and too slow.  Engine stalled out,” Veale answered.  

“Who was it?” Harding pressed. 

“One of the 349th. A new crew.”

“Barnhill,” Buck answered grimly.

Harding glanced in Ruth’s direction.  “You get any answers out of the mechanics?” 

“The plane was perfectly fine before they left.  It seems to just be an error on the pilot’s side of things, though that can’t be remedied now,” Ruth said with a slight frown.  “I’ll have the report back to you within the next hour.” 

Harding gave a firm nod.  “We’re going to have to move things around to make up for the loss.  Veale, you get working on the letters to the families and then we all need to have a long conversation about how to avoid simple accidents like this.” 

The resounding “Yes sir” still echoed in Ruth’s ears as they left.  Because how could that ever be considered a simple accident?  And how could they all become so numb to the realities of war that they forgot what it was to be an actual living and breathing human being? She figured that if people got numb enough to what war was—and it was a living hell and should not have happened in the first place—then they couldn’t ever resolve or stop the horrors of it.  Because they’d be too far removed and numb to what it meant to be at peace. 

They could not forget it.  And Ruth would be damned before she let them do so. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruth was well-acquainted with the art of curling hair.  Not that she had any need of it, given the ever-present state of her hair always being curly.  But at the moment, she was placing curlers in Helen’s hair.  Not a single force on the whole damn planet could have convinced her of going out that night—especially given the fact that the smell had lingered throughout the day. 

Her report had been pristinely delivered to Harding just when she said it was and they had spent the better part of the morning rearranging the forts to make up for the loss of numbers that they had endured over the last few weeks. 

By the time that night had fallen, Ruth was plain and simple, just tuckered out.  Her social battery left little to be desired, but neither Tatty or Helen seemed bothered by her cold demeanor and it almost threw her for a loop.  So they had asked her to help them with their hair and to just have a quiet night in.  Ruth could handle that sort of thing like it was just another Tuesday. 

“You’re not writing any men, are you?” Helen asked, craning her neck ever so slightly to catch a look at Ruth’s face. 

Ruth wasn’t fazed by the question and didn’t even blink. “Just my two brothers.  I’m afraid I’m very boring.” 

“Oh there had to be someone,” Tatty insisted, giving a slight wince as Helen finished up a curl in her own hair. 

“There’s no one,” Ruth reassured them.  “Though to my mother and father, that’s a different story.  They’re under the delightful impression that my sole goal in being in Europe at the moment is because I’m engaged to some pilot and waiting for the war to be over.  Because of that, I’m clearly advocating for women’s causes in the countryside.” 

Tatty couldn’t help the fact that her jaw dropped.  “You told them all of that?” 

“Oh please, I did all of that before I even left for Europe.  I’ve told much worse lies.  I think,” Ruth gave a slight shrug.  

“Why though?” Helen questioned. 

“Because my sisters Alice and Sarah—one’s married and the other is engaged and they think that I should do that too.  But days like today?  Where a man blows up because he was going too slow?  That’s a harsh slap in the face to the reality of war.  And I won’t be one of those little widows, barely bed, and their husband dies.  That’d just be awful.  Love is for children, which I am not.” 

“God,” Helen sighed.  “We just need to find you a nice man.” 

“Now you sound like my mother,” Ruth retorted.  “But I’ll concede to that.  You find me a man who does major damage to the German empire, has a sense of humor, and one that can keep up with me?  I’ll go on a date with that man.” 

“Something tells me that he’s going to be hard to find,” Tatty mumbled.  “Seeing as how most of these pilots don’t come back truthfully.” 

“Exactly.” 

[katyspersonal]

Queelign for the ask meme pls lmao

That terrible, terrible man....

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

Favorite thing about them:

The way he is basically suppressed, or lost, little version of Messmer! It is not just that he modelled his weapon after his spear and aspires to be like him, but also the way he speaks of Marika and feels about her! He is very infatuated, loyal and oddly.... naive, considering the context! I absolutely feel like he reflects that more hopeful, more puppy-eyed child Messmer doesn't get to be. Untouched by curse or hatred of abandoned child. I love when character serves like a window into someone else too!

Ignoring this narrative nonsense that I am probably just hallucinating, I just love how sensitive he is. Seeing how he sounds passionate or pathetic or both, I expected him to be a young man, but he is listed as 'mature'! So he is like, around 40! I love me a male who doesn't lose his sensitivity with age... to better or worse. In a better turn of events, he'd be a great poet, I can tell this. :pensive:

Least favorite thing about them:

This is a pain to explain but whereas I love how religious-fanatical he is, I ALSO hate it? He captivated me from the first invasion (as much as I didn't want to admit it), but also I read Crusade Insignia description and was like "ohhhhhh FUCK I reeeeally hate this guy already!!!" hfhghh I suppose, it is fair to be conflicted? He falls for the type of the characters you love in fiction but would dread to meet in real life!!

Favorite line:

"Queen Marika, behold! I have excised another. Another cancer to thy joy." This kind of made me uneasy XD How he is this pathetic and this scary at the same time?

brOTP:

I feel like he and Moonrithyll would be friends! ….that are constantly bickering with each other. XD Whereas he is very fixated on Messmer and aspires to be like him, with Moonrithyll it is similar with Rellana! Rellana believes that sky and fire should be together, after all, and Moonrithyll respects trolls as descendants of Fire Giants more than she does as just loyal friends to Carians.

But whereas things between Messmer and Rellana are very good and settled, Moonrithyll constantly lets the attitude of "pledging to the Erdtree was a cringe phase for us, at least thanks to Messmer we are soooo back baby 😎" slide. Before Queelign. *million skull emojis* But despite them often fighting, they are not enemies. In fact, maybe frienemies? They have long conversations (mostly about their leages lol) that they enjoy a lot, and they have fun... until one of them says something they really should agree to disagree on already. -_- Queelign doesn't because he is too petty to not remind everyone how he is the only one to "really" respect Marika, Moonrithyll doesn't because she is honest to a fault!

OTP:

I actually really like to think about him and Messmer? Help me??

^^^ Messmer and Rellana are canonically a thing, apparently, so it is somewhere in AU drawer... but still!! There are just... a lot of things between them.

^^^ Queelign is the only Fire Knight that seems to have been "spared" by Messmer's curse; he doesn't have red hair and trademark red cape! And I like to think this is deliberate. That Messmer cherishes his "innocence", seeing him as little naive version of self. He could not take that away from Queelign, nor ruin the hair color so golden, nor he wants Queelign's heart to break upon learning that true nature of Messmer's Flame comes from something existing as anathema to the Erdtree.. He never got to be a person so blinded with faith in Marika's love, but he can allow Queelign to be this...

At the same time, Messmer pities him sometimes. He sometimes feel bitter and hurt when Queelign goes on the rant about Marika's "boundless love" and "sure return someday" and wants to snap at Queelign. He has dark enjoyment pushing Queelign to think of dread of Marika's hatred and neglect and watch him break down and cry, as Messmer is almost dead inside nor he physically can have tears. He wants him to cry for them both. He also wants to comfort him. He is uncomfortable with Queelign wanting to be just like him. He also finds solace in it because Queelign gets to be a version that isn't cursed. He cherishes his naivete. He also sometimes wants to obstruct this little sunshine and curse him too but restrains himself. There are many conflicting feelings.

And yeah, it looks a bit one-sided, right? :p Messmer has such an internal conflict over Queelign, whereas the other just admires him and thinks being like him is epitome of a proper Marika's follower. But all Fire Knights know Messmer very well, and he is not an exception. Queelign is very insistent on Marika's holiness and perfection with anyone else, but when Messmer allows his suppressed hatred and knowing Marika will never embrace them again slide? Queelign argues for his sake and not hers. He genuinely hates to see him despair. The contrast between Queelign being very sensitive and Messmer becoming oddly cold for a fire wielder is also fun x)

They have a lot of tension between them most of the time, but deep down they both know. Messmer is not stingy with affectionate words for people he trusts and values, and Queelign is no more afraid to disagree with him than one would with a very moody friend. He can tell that he has special rights even compared with other Fire Knights despite not being given direct "communion" with his flame, and when Messmer tells him it is because he cherishes him the way he is, Queelign believes that.

nOTP:

Either I live under a rock or fandom is yet to invent ships for Queelign to BEGIN with. xD I legit don't know which ship for him would be bad? I'll know it when I see it, I suppose...?

Random headcanon:

He constantly fucks up cooking. Like, there is no way he doesn't ruin his meals. When it is not misinterpreting recipe or adding too much due to simple clumsiness, it is that he got distracted or lost in thoughts about Marika's grace. 🙄 Every time he is determined that he WILL focus and do it right, and every time he fails. When things are inedible, like, it is charcoal or looks dangerous, he resorts to making puppy eyes to other Fire Knight so they share their food with them gghkugg They are used to it! Hilde even used to cook a bit more dinner than she needed, fully expecting him to drop by!

Unpopular opinion:

Look, I do like jokes about his haircut, I am not humorless! AND I love this cursed image from Reddit proving "that he only looks bad because of his haircut":

( x ) gfhghgb but- I disagree with allowing it to brush an interesting character aside!! Jokes are fun, but making whole character a joke isn't 😔💔 He deserves his place amongst other "fanatics who simpmaxx" like Lautrec, Alfred and Leda, and should have many bitches same as THEM!!

Song I associate with them:

Ironically, not the depth of introspection I see him reaching any time soon.

Favorite picture of them:

I can't really find Queelign fanart, let alone chosing a favourite tbh.. Myself, I have like, four WIPs featuring him, but you know me, I finish like two drawings per year at BEST. Scarlet Rot Depression eaten away my artist poweeerrrr...

Thank you for asking!! Lmao I can't shut up about this man