#busy enough making the game and whatnot else
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
qwertyprophecy · 8 months ago
Text
Tumblr media
Update on The Dark Queen of Mortholme!
Phase one is now essentially completed for art, code and dialogue. Onwards to phase two; because every good boss fight needs that part where the boss gets unhinged and gains a whole new set of attacks.
I too have chosen to be unhinged and made a design for the Queen's final form that gobbles up animation work hours like nothing I've done before with pixel art.
Concept sketches under the cut:
Tumblr media
Initially I didn't have any ideas beyond doing a more monstrous design that amps up the Queen's features and takes cues from the shapes and colours of her original spell animations. However after writing the dialogue leading up to the transformation I immediately landed on a specific concept.
The transformation is an outburst. It's a manifestation of the Queen's terror and defiance towards her approaching death. She's unraveling, and in doing so she's channeling more of her innate violent power that she doesn't usually let out. She's essentially been having a long argument with the Hero about who they believe they are. Thus far she's gotten by being all smug and detached, but now she's losing and forced to reveal more of her true self to continue.
So her final form's design should convey 1. an outburst, and 2. the unraveling of a false front. Her base design's spikes, hair and skirt all erupt out into the wilder shape language of her shadowy spell-tendrils. They can handily be used to draw the eye from all directions towards the center of her chest, where I wanted to have this cracking pattern, like something hidden inside her is coming out. It's bright as if blindingly powerful, yet the cracks make her seem more damaged and vulnerable than her base form.
Continuing with the theme of an inner self showing through, the skirt's interior is also more visible than before. The flared jellyfish-esque shape connects with the deep sea vibe of the tentacles and contributes to the drama of a nonhuman silhouette.
A big thing for the silhouette is of course the massive hands. What's the thematic explanation for those? Absolutely nothing, I just think they look cool and dangerous.
Finally, lot of asymmetry was also introduced, both to increase the visual interest of such a large sprite, and to make her look like she's really losing it.
---
A note on animating this monstrosity: I've been trying to come up with a whole lot of cheats to keep a complex sprite like this as animated as possible without spending the rest of my life making this game. Early on I decided she should float, just so her idle animation can also be a moving one.
Secondly, the sprite is cut up to pieces so that I can keep reusing the loop of the writhing tentacles while moving her hands, for example. This is not something I like doing because in believable animation, motion in one part of the body always affects the other parts of the body. Treating a character as one entire whole when animating will make them feel more tangible, but alas, it's a compromise to avoid spending a hundred years in pixel-pushing jail. Like, I would love to see those tendrils flutter around behind her as she swoops across the room for her attacks, but... it'll be a lot more reasonable to move her as little as possible and instead add oomph to her attacks with some effects animations.
Anyways thank you for reading about monstrosity, she might be a pain in the butt to move but she brings me joy
94 notes · View notes
steddieas-shegoes · 8 months ago
Text
for @thefreakandthehair (and @vecnuthy and @wormdebut while we’re at it) because sometimes you help a baseball player through French class so they can stay on the team and then they end up on the Savannah bananas and you decide to put the fictional men into situations about it *shrugs*
Eddie was going to have to transfer out of this class. This was one of his easiest classes and it was filled with every jock on campus attempting to fill their foreign language requirement with French.
And they were all failing. And annoying. And obnoxious.
And a few of them were also hot.
But Eddie wasn’t gonna focus on that!
He was gonna finish today’s assignment and then head straight to the advising office to find another class that worked with his work schedule.
“Hey,” the guy next to him whispered as the teacher droned on about conjugating verbs. “Do you have any idea what the fuck the homework was?”
Eddie turned to glare at the person, but his face dropped when he noticed who it was.
The campus celebrity: Steve Harrington.
Couldn’t quite make it on the college baseball team, but managed to make the sort-of professional, but mostly joke team Hawkins Hooligans.
Eddie didn’t like sports, never had. He could appreciate that it took skill and whatnot, but he didn’t care much to watch it or make celebrities of people who were just really good at one very specific thing usually involving some kind of ball. But he could appreciate a joke. And this team had jokes.
Steve was actually apparently good enough to play pro, had even been scouted by the MLB his senior year of high school. One week before his professional tryout, he tore a muscle in his shoulder, had to sit for three months and had to do physical therapy for another three, and voila! No pro ball for him. No college either since he missed spring training.
But he still had skill, and he still had a father with a lot of pull in the business, even if it wasn’t quite enough to get him on the Yankees or whatever.
So he was biding his time on the Hooligans until next year when he could try out for the college team again, maybe increase his chances of a real pro career.
Eddie definitely hadn’t watched videos of him during their first few games of the season where they faced the Indy Idols and the Chicago Charades.
He definitely hadn’t gotten a weird flutter in his stomach when Steve had been the one to lip sync to Hot For Teacher while pretending his bat was a guitar.
He definitely didn’t have a crush on Steve.
“Uh. Dude?” Steve asked him again, shaking him out of his thoughts.
“Yeah. It was the study guide for the first quiz. Not due until next class though,” he whispered back.
“Oh. Thanks.”
Eddie turned his attention back to the professor, not really needing to pay attention since he already knew quite a bit of French.
A tap on his shoulder made him yelp, and the entire room turned to him. He waved apologetically before turning to Steve with a murderous look.
“What?” He hissed out.
“Do you understand this?”
“Yes and you probably would too if you stopped talking to me.”
Eddie was ignoring the voice in his head screaming at him to let Steve keep talking to him for as long as he wanted.
“I don’t think that’s it,” Steve huffed before sitting back in his seat and folding his arms across his chest. He mumbled something else that sounded like ‘I’m just stupid’ but Eddie couldn’t be 100% sure.
“A lot of this stuff is just English spelled a little differently.” Eddie sighed. “You could almost definitely figure it out if you took some notes.”
“Yeah, probably.”
Eddie’s brows scrunched together as he glanced at Steve’s red face.
Hm. There was definitely something to unpack here.
“You can borrow mine if you want,” Eddie offered as he watched the professor switch slides on the presentation. “I don’t really need them until the final.”
“Oh!” Steve sounded genuinely surprised by his offer, like he hadn’t been basically asking for help only a moment ago. “You don’t have to do that. I mean, it wouldn’t do much good for me anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Steve had Eddie’s full attention now.
“I’m. I-“ Steve sighed. “I’m dyslexic, man. Reading’s hard for me.”
Well, fuck. Eddie felt like an asshole now.
“Oh.” Eddie looked down at his scribbled notes, cringing at the thought of someone else trying to read them, let alone someone who already struggled with reading from a printed page. “Yeah, my handwriting is shit so it’d probably be useless to you. Shit, it’s almost useless to me.”
Steve snorted, immediately covering his mouth to avoid any more noise from escaping. Eddie could see he was still smiling though. His eyes were very expressive.
“Don’t you have accommodations?” Eddie asked him.
“Nah, my dad doesn’t believe it’s a problem.” Steve rolled his eyes. “Said I just need to focus more and it’ll ‘work itself out.’”
“He sounds like he’s a lot of fun at parties.”
Steve snorted again. “Yeah, a blast.”
“So you aren’t a natural at French?”
Steve shook his head. “I’m barely a natural at English.”
“I could help you?” Eddie was an idiot. An idiot with a crush on someone who would never be interested in anything he had to offer except tutoring.
“Help me? You’d help me?” Steve seemed eager, maybe a little desperate.
Eddie kinda liked that.
“I mean, yeah. If you’re actually willing to put in the work and not expect me to just do the work for you.”
Steve smiled. God, that was a nice smile. Eddie was absolutely fucked.
“I work well with a reward system,” he smirked. “If you’re willing.”
Eddie’s eyes widened momentarily as the realization sunk in that he’d just been flirted with.
By Steve Harrington.
“Oh, I can definitely work with that.”
Steve nodded once, grinned at Eddie as he picked up his pen and ripped off a small piece of his unused notebook paper. He scribbled something down and folded it once before handing it to Eddie.
“Let me know when I need to show up, Eds.”
Eddie unfolded the paper and nearly dropped it.
Stevie H. 555-555-0086 My dorm at 7? No clothes required
When Eddie looked back up, Steve was facing the front, seemingly paying attention to the lecture.
Eddie quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and put Steve’s contact info in. He could wait until after class to send him a text. He could.
Instead, he typed out something quick to hold them both over until later.
Studying naked is my favorite thing 😉
Steve’s knee nudged against his in response.
Maybe Eddie wouldn’t take that trip to advising after all.
And if he was featured on the next TikTok for the Hawkins Hooligans, with Steve fake serenading him in the stands, nobody had to know he didn’t really like sports.
He liked Steve, though. Even when Steve actually managed to play real competitive baseball. Even when Steve managed to get a spot on the Cubs.
Especially when Steve proposed to him during a game in maybe the worst recorded French of all time.
1K notes · View notes
moonstruckme · 1 year ago
Note
hello! :D I'm not sure if your request are open but if they are could you please write about reader and marauders playing a game something like answering questions and if they don't answer they have to drink and reader is asked who they would rather kiss (or something along those lines) out of them all and reader says Remus and they both get all flustered and the rest of the group is teasing them and whatnot and they end up telling each other about their feelings for one another like the next day or something
im sorry if this ask is like all over the place anywhooo thank you so much!<3 i love your writing btw :)
My requests are open babe, thank you!
cw: drinking game
Remus Lupin x fem!reader ♡ 837 words
Everything is pleasantly fuzzy, and your laughter bubbles up out of you with scarcely any prompting. 
“Alright, alright,” Marlene says, “James, where’s the weirdest place you’ve had sex?”
James hardly hesitates. “Quidditch pitch.”
You slap a palm across your mouth, and your little circle bursts into howling laughter. 
“It was really dark, though!” James justifies. “No one would’ve been able to see us if they’d looked. Anyway, my turn.” He looks around the circle, eyes narrowed in mock seriousness. “Pads.” Sirius looks up. “When you said you’d never had sex in my bed, were you lying?”
Sirius presses his lips together, looking suspiciously like he’s suppressing a smile, and drinks. 
“Wha—that’s as good as an answer!” James sputters. “You prick, learn some boundaries!” 
“No clue what you’re talking about.” Sirius shrugs. “Okay…y/n.” You bite your lip, doing your best to make your eyes look wide and sweet in the hopes he’ll go easy on you. “Of everyone here right now, who would you rather kiss?”
You freeze, trying to keep your gaze from darting to your immediate answer. “I…I don’t know,” you say. 
Sirius shakes his head, smirking. “Not good enough, sweetheart.” 
“Careful,” Marlene warns, “I don’t know if you can handle drinking much more.” 
“Yeah, Pads, just let ‘er off,” Remus says. “Don’t make her sick because of you.” 
“All she has to do is answer,” Sirius argues, but it’s alright, because you’ve seen your opening.
You take it. “Remus,” you say, as though the idea has just occurred to you, “because he’s being nicer to me than the rest of you.” 
The group erupts in cheers and boos, and Remus’ cheeks color pink. 
“Plus,” you go on, emboldened by the warmth of booze in your chest, “he wouldn’t make it weird. None of the rest of you would ever let me forget it.” 
“Oi!” James protests. “I don’t kiss and tell.” 
“Yeah, right,” Marlene laughs. “Sirius, who did James kiss last week?”
Sirius tilts his head. “Do you mean on Sunday or Tuesday?”
Marlene smirks. 
“Whatever,” James says, but he’s smiling. “You’re all just jealous, Y/N too. Remus, you’d better take good care of this one. She’s got high standards, apparently.” 
Now your face is warming too, and Remus nudges you with his shoulder. “It’s your turn, love,” he says. “Get him back.” 
You grin. “Excellent idea. James, did you sleep in your bed after you thought Sirius had sex in it?”
James eyes go wide behind his glasses as his cheeks redden, and Remus chuckles beside you. 
As usual, it’s you and Remus cleaning up after everyone else has gone to bed. James would typically at least offer to help, but he’s busy patting Sirius’ back as his friend purges everything he drank tonight in the community bathroom. You’d offered to tidy yourself and let Remus go upstairs, but he’d only said “don’t be silly” and started picking up discarded cups alongside you. 
“It got a bit much tonight, didn’t it?” you ask, aiming for casual but only hitting awkward.
Remus hums. “I don’t think any more than usual.” He gives you a knowing look, made worse by his tiny smile. “They don’t usually pick on you, though, so I’m sure it felt different.” 
You laugh nervously. “I guess so. I can dish it out, but I can’t take it, huh?”
“Well, they make it easy to dish,” he says mildly. “Anyway, it’s like you said. If you’d even said you’d kiss any of them, they’d never’ve shut up about it.” 
You tense but nod, bending to dab at a stain of spilled drink someone left in the rug. “Yup. That’s why I picked you.” 
“Is that the only reason?”
You turn, and Remus is looking at you evenly despite his flushed cheeks. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” he says softly, kindly, “that if they’d asked me, I would’ve picked you too. So I guess I’m just wondering, would you have picked me, if you weren’t worried about everyone teasing you?”
The way he’s looking at you, you know he’s ready to accept whatever answer you give. Remus is watching you curiously, but there’s a bashfulness around his eyes. He wants to know, but he’ll let you off the hook in a second if you indicate that’s what you want. 
“Yeah,” you say quietly. “Yeah, I’d pick you.” 
Remus looks like the breath goes out of him. He takes a step toward you. “Why?” 
“I don’t need a reason,” you admit. Not one that makes sense, anyway. It’s just him. 
Remus’ smile is borderline shy. “I’ve got tons.” 
“Yeah?” It’s more breath than word. 
“Mhm. Wanna hear ‘em?”
“That’s okay,” you say, and rise on your tiptoes, kissing him. 
Remus kisses just like you knew he would. Soft and sweet, with little hints of urgency in the press of his hand against your back, the insistent sound he makes in the back of his throat. And you don’t need a single reason to want to kiss Remus Lupin, but you’ve got tons too.
753 notes · View notes
angie-likes-to-art · 3 months ago
Text
Fic Recs (Stranger Things Edition V)
All fics are fem!reader
Marvel One Two Three Harry Potter One Two Three Stranger Things One Two Three Four Specific Characters Tangerine Masterlist
New in Town by @galaxy-siren
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader Request: hey!! could you write a story where a new girl at school decides to nervously go up to Eddie during lunch? She gently taps his shoulder to get his attention to ask him something. ahh I don’t know you can decide what she wants to ask him! lol meanwhile Eddie is just “🤨…😍”
Horror Movies & Chill by @eiightysixbaby (18+ Only)
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: eddie tries to scare you and gets more than he bargained for.
Satanic Panic by @hand-candy-writing
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: “you encounter eddie munson in the cafeteria during his satanic panic rant, but quickly distract him from his tirade.”
Happy Hours (Series, Ongoing) by @bangaveragewhitewine (18+ Only)
Pairing: Bouncer!Eddie Munson x Bartender!Reader Summary: When you’re not pouring beers and shaking cocktails behind the bar of Jackie’s, you’re fighting flirting balancing banter and bite with the metalhead bouncer on your break. A busy Friday night changes how you see Eddie Munson. Maybe you were wrong about the bouncer with his silver tongue and Bambi brown eyes...
Simmer (Series, Completed) by @upsidedownwithsteve
Pairing: Linecook!Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: “welcome to hawkins’ number one diner! where the staff don’t wanna be there and the linecook is a grumpy metal head who likes to argue with his boss and ignore everyone else. but the new waitress can’t hack the rude customers and the regulars can be a little… much.” 
Pretty Eyes by @galaxy-siren
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader Request: hii!! ok so you know that scene when Eddie is first introduced in Season 4 episode 1 where he’s exclaiming out things about conforming to society, and he’s jumping off the table and whatnot?? i was wondering if you could do something where Eddie ends up bumping into a girl while he’s moving around so dramatically, and instead of calling him a freak like he expects, she shyly apologizes for running into him when it was clearly his fault. He’d be the type to be so confused and yet go “Guys I’m in love-”😂
Bruises by @lonelysatellites (18+ Only)
Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: “Working the bar in an underground bare knuckle boxing club, reader meets the new fighter on the block, a wiry, charming metal head.”
Don’t Call Me ‘Baby’ (Series, Completed) by @katyswrites (18+ Only)
Pairing: Sugar Daddy!Steve Harrington x Reader Summary: “This wasn’t supposed to happen. That’s what you would both tell yourselves, later on. It had started with a bet. You were a cocktail waitress, studying abroad in Rome and working yourself to death to keep yourself afloat. Steve Harrington was a business executive for one of the biggest tech companies in the world, ten years your senior, and earnest enough that it intrigued you. But, there was only one problem - he doesn’t do relationships. Not now, perhaps not ever. So, a deal is struck - something mutually beneficial. No attachments, and you get to be his perpetual mistress, while he makes sure you want for nothing. But, what happens when the agreement becomes more than what either of you bargained for?”
Same Old Song and Dance (Mini-Series, Completed) by @m0llygunn (18+ Only)
Pairing: Bully!Eddie Munson x Reader Summary: “Eddie’s teased and taunted you for the last decade of your life but you’re not innocent. It’s always been a game, a dance if you will.”
143 notes · View notes
dreamingcricket · 1 year ago
Note
may i request some poly head canons with wyll and gale dating a male dwarf tav ? i am Very Sad i cannot kiss both of them - maybe they are dating each other too, wyll/gale is a very cute ship =]
Wyll was easy to like, and almost easier to love. He was noble, gentle, as ready with a bolstering quip as he was his blade. More than once, you catch yourself gazing longingly after him on the battlefield. If you weren't so busy trying to stay alive, you'd have noticed him looking back. 
An Eldritch blast explodes behind your head, and you whirl just in time to see the goblin crumble, it's weapon missing you by inches. 
Wyll flashes you a grin. "Don't get slow on me now!"
You ignore the flutter in your chest and charge back into the fray. You couldn't afford to be distracted by your feelings. Not here. Not now. 
It's a long shot anyway.
Tumblr media
After the grove is saved and the camp engulfed by eager and intoxicated partygoers, you find Wyll standing on the shore of the river. 
You fail to convince him to return to the party, and instead take a seat at his side. "It's a little loud for my taste anyway. Reminds me a little too much of home." 
Wyll throws his head back in laughter. "Some truly mighty feasts then?" 
"The drink alone would kill you."
"You'll have to take me underground sometime. When all this is over, if we survive."
"I will."
You trade stories by the campfire over the coming nights, delighting each other at first with epic tales of heroism, but later, when everyone has gone to bed, stories about home. Wyll began to confide in you, and you moved, night by night, from across the campfire, to to near one another, to painfully close, your hands only inches apart. 
"This is... not how I expected my life to go."
"The pact or the tadpole?"
"Both."
"Are you disappointed?"
"In some ways, yes. But it brought me to you."
His hand moves, only a little bit, but it finally, finally covers yours. 
"I would have liked to do this all the proper way. Wining and dining, and courting and whatnot."
"As if anything about this situation is proper."
He considers for a moment. "You're right. But you deserve the world. I can at least give you this."
He leans down to kiss you, and both of you tumble backwards.
If the others notice your tent is unoccupied and Wyll's is a little full, they don't say anything.
Well, one of them noticed.
Tumblr media
Gale was... more complicated. He was pompous, arrogant, and brilliant enough to almost justify his hubris. The two of you clashed often. Sometimes over important things, which routes to take and who to trust, but just as often over petty nonsense, the shape of clouds and how much spice should be used in the soup. The wizard was stubborn, but had clearly not spent much time around dwarves, who have honed stubbornness into an art form. 
Gale backs down. Again and again. 
To his surprise, Gale finds himself happy to do so. He finds himself troublingly enamoured of the particular expression you make when you win an argument, your eyes glinting.
At some point, it changed from arguments to a game, a private jest between the two of you. Not that you'd let anyone know, not even Wyll. And he certainly didn't annoy you any less.
"If you'd put on some decent armour, you wouldn't be injured as often!"
"I can't wear armour, I can't cast in armour!"
"If your stubbornness gets you killed, it's on your head!" 
"And if your constant whinging about the state of my defenses causes the orb to combust, it's on all of our heads!" 
"Fine!" You storm away.
"Fine!" Gale calls after you, red in the face. 
And Wyll just smiles. 
Tumblr media
"He drives me mad!"
"Mhmm." Wyll runs his fingers through your beard, comb in hand and a lot of oil nearby, as you rant, hours later, in the privacy of his tent.
"Have you met a more stuck-up, boar-headed man anywhere?"
"Mhmm."
"He won't shut up!"
"Is this about the arguing, or something else?"
"I- What do you mean by that?" You narrow your eyes. 
"You wouldn't be this worked up if he only drove you mad. You would have simply punched him, and left him in a ditch." 
"I concede that. But what are you implying?"
He leans down to kiss your forehead. "Just know, whatever your feelings for anyone otherwise, I love you." 
You hold his jaw, turning his face towards yours. “Are you… do you like Gale?”
“I've had my moments, he has his charms. Are you… uncomfortable with that? If it hurts what we have-”
“The concept of multiple partners, no, but… Gale!?” You sputter. And try desperately not ot think of Wyll kissing Gale no not thinking of that not at all–
Wyll playfully tugs your beard. “Alright, lover-boy, whatever you say.”
“I’m not…”
You realize you have no real defense. Wyll saw right through you, and while that usually made him even more of a delightful lover, in this instance you merely huffed and roll into your blankets. 
You toss and turn all night. 
Tumblr media
In the morning, you storm up to Gale as he cooks. "It smells delicious."
"Well if it's not- what?"
"It smells delicious. You're a good cook."
Shadowheart's mouth falls open, and Astarion chokes. 
Gale considers for a long moment. "...Thank you."
"And if you can't wear armour, you should stand behind me." 
And then you leave. 
It turns out, when Gale stands behind you, he feels much safer. Not to mention, he can admire the view. 
The newly brokered peace between you is tenuous, but in the silence where you're no longer shouting, something else blooms. Gale begins to ask about your life underground, and you ask about his magical studies, carefully avoiding the subject of Mystra. It's not that you have any particular interest in the arcane arts, but the way his face illuminates and his gaze becomes distant but intense, it endears you. 
You kneel by the river with him, washing pots and pans after dinner. He takes a sharp breath in. And then he says it.
"I love you."
"... I'm sorry?"
"Shit. That... wasn't how I meant to say that." He scrambles to his feet and looks as though he's about to flee into the brush. 
"I'm not-"
"I don't..." Gale sighs and runs a hand over his face. "I can't ruin what you have with Wyll. I won't do that to him, or to you. If you don't feel the way I do, I'll never speak of it again. But you should know that I admire you beyond words." He takes a steadying breath. "I admire you, and adore you, and even as you infuriate me, I can't help but love you. Desperately. But I understand that you're not free."
You ball the front of his robes in your fist and pull him down to your level. "Kiss me, idiot."
"What about Wyll?"
"Oh, don't stop on my account."
Wyll is leaned against a nearby tree, goblet in hand. "I can't think of a better sight than the two of you." 
You wrap your arms around Gale's shoulders and pull him in for a kiss. You hear Wyll's footsteps, and he's suddenly on his knees behind you. 
Gale pulls back, gasping, his mouth falling open and shut. “I…both? Both is good? I can… both?”
It doesn't surprise you that Mystra was too jealous to require anything but monogamy from her chosen, but there’s still a flicker of some protective emotion as you watch Gale grapple with his feelings. “You don’t need to commit to anything now. Or ever.” 
He takes a deep breath. “I have more than one burning fuse on the end of my life. I’m not giving this up. Not for anything.”
The speed with which he hauled both you and Wyll to his tent is startling. You didn't think the wizard was athletic in any capacity, but he seemed determined to prove you wrong. 
The next morning, as you passed Astarion, he glanced up at you. “So. Are the three of you investing in a bigger tent? You’ll be a circus before long.”
You throw a sausage at him, but make a mental note to search for roomier lodging. 
100 notes · View notes
sarcasticbeanie · 9 months ago
Note
tenzing tharkay for the ask game!!
First impression this guy slammed the door in. gently nudged the person blocking him to the side. has an eagle on his hand. then coolly and mockingly snubbed a room full of rich white folk. Is there anything more to say? Love at first sight. I didn't even think he was an important character I just enjoyed his character introduction so much. I was like: man this dude is really cool. he's cynical and mocking but patient with his explanations when talking to Temeraire. the book summary says there's going to be a betrayal but I hope it's not him. hope he survives, too, 'cause the survival rates of side characters have Not been high so far.
Impression now He's hypercompetant. he's a leftist. he can throw chairs "coolly". He's noticeably not a pathetic meow meow but he is my babygirl. But what made me really like him is that - he's so lonely. It's something that has seeped into his bones and he doesn't need or want anything else - or at least that's what he tells himself. Then William Laurence offered a hand, wishing for them to be equals, exchanging his own loyalty - and Tharkay went. fuck. now I have to actually like this guy. Then Temeraire objected when Tharkay volunteered himself for a dangerous mission - and Tharkay went. huh. ok I guess they do care for me. then after doing one (1) mission with Laurence and Co., he went. yeah. guess I have to follow this idiot anywhere now. I love seeing lonely characters realize that they have a place,, that they can still care for others, and be loved and cared for in return. Tharkay is just my specialest guy. he's so important to me. To me. I start kicking my feet and giggling whenever he comes on page. that's my little guy... (40 yr old man)
Favorite moment Clenches fists there're so many of them. but if I had to choose it might just be his entrance? like in my answer to question one. love at first sight and all that. aside from that... any of his rescues if either Laurence or Tem were all so fun. his sections are just a whole lot of competency and I enjoy that a lot. but I also really appreciated him getting rescued by Laurence in book 8,, listen. i love putting characters in bad situations sometimes. and I thrive on hurt/comfort.
Idea for a story Oh, I'm boring. I'm just rotating him like a rotisserie chicken in my mind... I really want the prequels of this guy. Was he once naive and hopeful? Does he remember his mother? How did he feel after being scorned by his own family? Did he make friends, or did he make his journey forever alone? Were there any companions he viewed as important? He's as tight-lipped as a pistachio with no crack and just as hard to open. But I want to know more about him and delve into his past and psyche. and i'm also thinking about willzing. I've seen a lot of fics in which Laurence is panicking and angsting about his feelings while struggling with his own thoughts on honor, and I want to see a Tharkay version of this... is this guy actually good at self-reflection and acknowledging his own feelings? or does he have to struggle with his long habit of loneliness and his constant experience of being spurned? does he yearn for more from his and Laurence's relationship, or is he content enough with what he thinks he can get? discuss.
Unpopular opinion I have nothing against it!! But. I just don't feel the sexually and romantically dominant vibes from this guy? a lot of wonderful and awesome fics depict him as someone who's in charge, confident, sure in his romantic and sexual endeavors (which is great and very good food), but I don't think he's particularly domineering or even too experienced in sexual and romantic acts. the man's probably busy bouncing around all over the place tangled up in schemes and spying and missions and whatnot. and I think if you ask him to be entirely clear in his own feelings and to proffer them all directly he'd explode into 10 billion little pieces.
Favorite relationship Willzing. They're just very fun to me. I'm holding them up and swinging them around like ferrets.
Favorite headcanon He's demiromantic and demisexual. To me. He's slow to trust but he falls hard after, but only if you've built up a sufficient, steady, and long-term relationship (platonic) beforehand. Personally, I think it would be funny if that happened in. the final book or something.
21 notes · View notes
starstruckodysseys · 2 months ago
Text
she’s getting into something (he’s going all or nothing) —
(or: lanie doesn’t do bets. or lessons, for that matter. there’s also not a lot she wouldn’t do for her friends. unfortunately.)
(or or: the ep8 business date/craps game but a little to the left. extremely to the left, some might say. possibly not even on the map anymore)
“Okay,” Lanie says, because she’s pretty sure they’re getting confused here, “hang on, sidebar real quick.”
She drags Wendell-as-Vic off to the side, just enough that no one should be able to hear them. It’s both easier and harder than usual, but somehow not in a way that cancels out.
“Wen,” she says quietly, staring him dead in the eyes, not taking her hand off his shoulder. “Wendell. You are aware that I, actual person Lanie Woodward, am not a lesbian, right?”
He stares at her like he was not, in fact, aware of this. “…What?”
Lanie sighs, rubs at her temple. “I’m— what do you mean what? I flirt with half the customers that come into the store!”
“I’ve never seen you flirt with a guy!” he whisper-shouts frantically.
Holy shit. Holy actual shit. There’s a voice in the back of her mind that isn’t hers yelling at her not to cry, but she feels pretty damn close to it.
It’s not— Lanie is not subtle. That has never been a word in her vocabulary. If she grins and laughs and leans a little closer during conversation than strictly necessary, people assume things, and that’s easier than dealing with her actual emotions. But this is not that, has never been that. She’s aware that she’s an awkward third wheel in whatever the hell Wendell and Liv have going on, but she’d assumed everyone was aware of that. It’s, like, her entire deal. Usha winks pointedly at her and Dang laughs while Russell attempts to be comforting when she groans too loudly and Paula— well, Paula might not actually be aware of it, but that’s perfectly fine with her.
But anyway. She was under the impression everyone knew, for the most part. Hell, Dave’s gotten onto her about it numerous times! Which, to be fair, he kind of does anyway, but fuck him because she’s nineteen and already in debt and—
Lanie sighs. Swallows. Glances around for anyone remotely resembling a bartender. Finds no one. “Is there a bartender here?” she asks desperately.
The weird clown man in the back steps forward, bowing slightly. Lanie squints at him, recognizes him as the guy who set up the kiss bet, and nods.
“Can I get, just… the strongest thing you have. In general.” She makes a vague hand motion that means nothing.
“Lan—” Wendell starts, stops, tries again. “Cara. I don’t—”
She waves him off. “I’m fine. Or, I will be fine in the next thirty seconds, if someone gets to it.” She raises a pointed eyebrow, something she’s never been able to figure out how to do as herself.
The clown man bows deeper. “Yes, ma’am.”
Lanie cringes, but nods, and he sets off to… somewhere. The where isn’t important. She’s currently unpacking the difference between what she’s meant the past few months and what everyone else has apparently assumed she’s meant. Or at least what Wendell has assumed she’s meant. Which is nothing.
She thinks she might have an aneurysm.
But that’s— they don’t have time for this right now. They have to learn how to play craps — and then pretend that they knew how to play craps the whole time, because Kingskin’s entire thing is crime and gambling and whatnot, and they can’t risk being found out now — so that Wendell doesn’t fucking die in the movie or whatever. Either that or he… kisses Liv on the mouth. As Kingskin and Vic Ethanol. She’s getting flashbacks to every high school party she ever went to.
Is it wrong that she doesn’t really care who wins? Probably. She’s also murdered several people at this point, so maybe her morals are a little off. Sue her.
Liv glances sideways at her when she sits back down. “Everything okay?”
“I think I’m going insane, Livvy,” Lanie mutters, just loud enough for only Liv to hear.
“Oh.” Liv frowns. “Do you want to head out?”
“I mean, I’d love to, y’know, survive,” Wendell cuts in, swinging around to sit on Lanie’s other side, which does not feel convenient if they do lose the game.
She’s not complaining or anything. It’s just impractical. From a logical standpoint. Obviously.
“They legally can’t kill you,” she says, bumping their shoulders together — a feat that’s a little more difficult now that their height difference… exists at all, really, but is more exaggerated than usual. “Pretty sure you made sure of that.”
“I didn’t do anything!” he protests weakly.
Lanie rolls her eyes fondly, and Liv laughs, and Wendell huffs but doesn’t say anything else. If she squints, it looks like he’s blushing, but that would be— well. Actually. It would be ridiculous on Vic Ethanol, sure, but she knows Wendell well enough that it’s hardly even surprising. It’s just… strange, seeing it on someone else’s face. Which is kind of a summary of their entire experience here so far.
The clown guy returns with her drink. He pauses in the doorway when he sees them, but recovers quickly, only looking at them a little suspiciously as he hands over the glass, the liquid somehow both muddy brown and bright pink at the same time. Right. She has a reputation to uphold, and the fact that her best friends slash main flirting targets are not women is not helping Cara’s whole lesbian thing. The lesbian thing being that she is a lesbian.
Maybe that’s Lanie’s lesson here. Stop being an obnoxious freak.
She’s never been good at taking lessons to heart.
“You all know how to play, yes?” French fry man asks — Pommefriete, whatever, it’s a stupid name. His accent is slowly getting less French and more incomprehensible.
“Um. Yeah. Definitely,” Liv says awkwardly. “But if we could get, like, a refresher? For the table…?”
This is going either nowhere or very badly and neither of those are great options.
“Just so we’re on a level playing field,” Lanie adds. If she leans a little more forward than necessary, well. “You wouldn’t want someone to have an unfair advantage, would you?”
Pommefriete shakes his head. “Certainly not. A refresher for the table it is!”
She lets out a very small sigh of relief. Wendell bumps their legs together under the table, and Liv flashes her a grateful smile when they make eye contact. She sends one back — it was Liv’s idea, after all. She’s just… using her resources. Yeah, that’s it. Pretty privilege works, kids.
Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to save their dice rolls, which end up being very bad. Lanie still doesn’t entirely understand how the game works, but the numbers are low and that’s not usually great in dice games. She leans back in her chair, lets out a low whistle. There’s not much else to do.
“Practice round,” Wendell mutters. Liv nods, determined.
Lanie takes a sip of her drink in preparation. It’s far stronger than she’d expected, even with her request, and it tastes strangely like nail polish remover. She coughs, attempting to muffle it with one hand and failing miserably. She’s still decidedly too sober to deal with literally any of this, so she takes another drink and pretends it doesn’t burn her throat on the way down.
There’s a tension in the air, electric and terrifying. Lanie isn’t even involved in the game, or the bet — they’d offered, but her luck has always been terrible — but she’s still on the edge of her seat. Metaphorically speaking, that is.
The dice clink against the table. Liv swears under her breath. Wendell goes deathly still. Lanie kicks back the rest of her drink before even bothering to look at the numbers. It’s entirely worth it once she does.
“Well then,” Pommefriete says, sounding just smug enough that Lanie actively resists the urge to not punch him in the face. “That’s the way the dice fall, I suppose. Or, roll, rather.”
He laughs as if he’s made some sort of clever pun, and not just a statement of fact. Next to Lanie, Wendell’s still completely frozen, and she covertly elbows him to drag him back to the present. He jolts, stares properly at the dice on the table, and seems to physically hold back a groan. She can’t say she doesn’t relate, and she’s not even part of the deal here.
“I, uh.” Liv moves like she’s going to mess with her hair, then seems to remember she doesn't exactly have hair to mess with. “Do we just…?”
Her hesitance is strange to see on Kingskin, but it makes it easier for Lanie to pretend that this is a normal situation for the three of them and not borderline life or death. Like they’re playing Truth or Dare at a sleepover, and not gambling Wendell’s life away.
The dynamite sticks out from behind the table. She thinks she sees red for a second.
Lanie has, over the course of their time in the movie and even before it, watched Wendell and Liv dance around each other. She’s seen Wendell forget how to form sentences like a functioning human, noted carefully as Liv’s feelings seemed to slowly blossom into something new. It’s cute, really, and she’s used to being the third wheel in their whole deal, used to being the advice girl, the therapist friend.
She scoots her chair back to give them space. Liv places one monstrous hand on her thigh to stop her and leans in.
It’s a painstakingly slow affair. Which is fair, because she doesn’t think either of them have kissed anyone before — not that she’s one to talk — and they’re two of the most awkward people she knows. When it comes to each other, at least. Thank god Liv is at least a little assertive when the situation calls for it.
They’re still incredibly far apart. The fact that everything feels like it’s going way too fast doesn’t change the actuality of the situation. Lanie sighs, leans back, catches Wendell’s eye for half a second and raises an eyebrow, pointed and teasing and a little jealous, all at once.
It’s just a Liv thing, he’d said. She doesn’t know if she still believes it.
“You chicken?” she says, like a challenge.
She doesn’t mean to say it, really. But there’s a buzz in her chest and a warmth in her bones, and her brain doesn’t feel completely tethered to the ground, much less her own head. It’s not entirely her fault she’s saying the first thing to come to mind.
Lanie isn’t particularly quiet, most of the time. The alcohol is doing nothing to help.
Wendell sputters, avoiding her gaze even as his face reddens. Liv pauses for a fraction of a second, glances at Lanie and immediately looks away. She doesn’t know what to do with any of this information. Her brain’s so fuzzy she might not even be retaining it.
(She is. It’s going straight to the back of her brain, highlighted in several different colors and cataloged under what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck. She’s used that box a lot more recently.)
They’re leaning in again. Not that they ever really stopped, but it’s actually happening now, and Lanie really feels like she shouldn’t be here, or should at least be looking away, but Liv’s hand is burning a hole through her thigh and she doesn’t even know if she could move if she wanted to. She should want to. This is weird.
The voice in the back of her head — the one that isn’t hers, technically, just trapped in its own body — has dulled down. Logically, Lanie knows Cara’s in there somewhere, probably shouting at her to leave the situation, but she can’t hear the woman unless she actively tries. And, for reasons she thinks are pretty solid, she doesn’t really feel like trying. She’s got… other things on her mind right now.
She hasn’t been able to take her eyes off of either of her friends in front of her, which isn’t much different from usual, actually, but there’s a flash of movement in the corner of her eye, and even in her clouded state she manages to clock it. Pommefriete is dashing away, more subtle than anyone else in this goddamn film.
“Fucking—” Lanie mutters, then continues, at a normal volume: “I hate to break this up, trust me, but french fry motherfucker is currently getting away, and I feel like we should maybe do something about that.”
Maybe it’s her words, or her voice, or the fact that half of those words weren’t even words because she’s slurring them just barely, but Liv and Wendell spring apart, nervous and hesitant. Lanie rolls her eyes — she loves them, really, but there’s a time and a place and yes she’s being a hypocrite, but that’s not relevant. Blame the fact that she’s getting drunker by the second.
They, eventually, dash out the door, hopefully hot on the tail of the clown guys who apparently want them dead. It doesn’t take long to find them, mostly because they’re brightly colored and in a large room. Lanie reaches for the gun in her pocket, then switches sides because that’s her taser, actually, which is also her MacGuffin and not something she wants to be throwing around for no reason.
And then it turns out they don’t even need their weapons, because the hotel staff spring out from literally nowhere and, quite literally, commit murder in their own hotel. It feels far too convenient, but then again, they’d said they’d protect their group when they walked in, no murder rules aside. Which is kind of just an everywhere rule, actually.
“Holy shit,” Wendell says, awed.
Lanie laughs. “Again. You did that.”
She doesn’t know how she knows that, or even if it’s true, but he smiles in response, a little proud, a little shocked, and something warm fizzles in her chest.
Liv, on the other hand, looks more downtrodden, slumping out of Kingskin’s ramrod straight posture. Her halberd sits loosely in her hand, resting against the floor. Lanie attempts to process this, connect the dots that feel way too far apart. She doesn’t get a chance to before one of the clown guys pops up from the floor, apparently not completely dead, and Liv brings the halberd down right across his neck. There’s a grin on her face as she does. A subconscious shiver runs down Lanie’s spine.
“Holy shit,” she echoes, barely above a whisper. Wendell nods slowly, eyes wide.
Never Stop Blowing Up is not a slow paced film. It’s quite possibly been the most insane god-knows-how-many hours of her entire life. She’s committed several crimes by this point. And she doesn’t know if it’s because they’re just standing around, for the moment, or if it’s everything crashing down at once, or what, but this feels like far too much. Like they’ve crossed some sort of invisible line she hadn’t even known existed.
Don’t get her wrong, she’s not upset about the series of events that have led up to now. She’s just… having an adrenaline crash, it seems. Not the greatest time, all things considered.
Liv leans down, tosses Wendell his dynamite, which he fumbles with for just a moment. Something feels like it clicks in the back of Lanie’s mind, but she’s far too out of it to know what. Or care what, for that matter. She would love to get out of the room with several dead bodies. Maybe even find the rest of their friends.
“Are you feeling okay?” Liv asks, her brows furrowed.
It takes Lanie longer than it should to realize the question is directed at her. “Never better,” she says, and the slur of her speech immediately contradicts it.
Neither of them seem to believe her.
“Right,” Liv says, audibly holding back a laugh.
Wendell loops an arm over her shoulders, and she leans in on instinct, only then remembering that Cara’s 5’4 on a good day and not Lanie’s comfortable 5'10. She’s never had to lean against him like this — never been able to, really, they’re about the same height. It’s weird. She’s also not completely upset about the whole situation.
Liv’s hand — Kingskin’s, really, but Lanie cannot find it in herself to care enough to differentiate the two right now — darts out, then retracts, like she can’t quite figure out what to do with it. There’s a dazed sort of look in her eyes, which might be bold coming from Lanie, who is notably drunk off her ass right now, but the fact that it’s there at all is… a little concerning. Then again, a bunch of shit just happened in the span of maybe half an hour, more emotionally taxing than anything else they’ve done so far.
Mostly it’s just been explosions. These are like… mental explosions. Or something smarter than that. Again, her brain is not in her head right now.
They make it back to the lobby, eventually, and Lanie has to blink to reprocess the deep purples and bright pinks scattering across the room. For a moment, the only coherent thought that comes to mind is holy shit they’ve got bisexual lighting this place fucking rules. And then Liv snorts next to her, and she realizes it is not just a thought.
She likes making Liv laugh, though. She’s gorgeous when she does, when her eyes sparkle and her lips curl into a smile to create the most beautiful sound Lanie’s ever heard. It’s even better when she doesn’t pretend, when her eyes fall shut and her head tilts back and she grins like nobody’s watching, and it’s breathless and melodious and if Lanie could play it on repeat every day she would for the rest of her life. It doesn’t happen often, but Lanie’s pretty damn funny. She’s heard it enough to make it count for something.
At some point in the process of being too gay about her friend’s laugh, she’s been handed off to said friend, Liv’s hand warm where it rests tentatively on her back. Lanie blinks up at her, which is also new — god, someone should teach Cara about platforms, or, like, inserts, or something — but also not a terrible thing. She kind of understands why girls go for taller guys.
“Wendell went to go get water,” Liv explains quietly.
Lanie stares at her, eyes no doubt strangely wide and pathetic if the way she feels is any indication, processing the information. Her brain is currently the equivalent of Internet Explorer right now, so it takes a moment, but eventually she nods, and Liv lets out a sigh of what might be relief.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re really pretty?” Lanie says suddenly, because she needs Liv to know, and sure, it’s a little weird saying it to Kingskin, but it feels like if she squints enough, tilts her head, she can almost see Liv herself in there. “Cause you are.”
Liv coughs, flushes a shade of red that only proves Lanie’s point. “Um. Thanks!” She sounds strained, but not upset. “You’re, uh. You too. You’re also… really pretty. And cool. And, uh.”
She cuts herself off, glances away, scratches her cheek. The words send a thrill up Lanie’s spine anyway.
There’s the hint of a smile on Liv’s face, though. Lanie tries not to think about that too hard before she spirals. It’s pretty simple — there’s a paper airplane flying out the window, and she slips out of Liv’s grip to follow it, ignoring her protests. Her brain tracks movement and bright colors and pretty much nothing else. It’s not entirely her fault for getting distracted.
Someone bumps into her, as to be expected in such a crowded building, but they seem to do a double take, which is less expected.
“La— Cara?” Russell’s voice says, distant, and Lanie turns to see Jennifer Drips, in all her glory. He stares at her in confusion, which slowly morphs into more concern than she thinks is warranted. “Are you… good?”
Why do people keep asking her that? “Feeling great,” she says, attempting to lean on the nearest table. There is no nearest table.
Russell catches her before she can completely tip over, sets her upright. “Lanie,” he says, worryingly serious, “what happened to you?”
She pauses. That is… a very good question, actually. “Uh. Wendell ‘n Liv—”
“Didn’t do anything,” Wendell interrupts out of nowhere, his voice at an octave she didn’t know voices could hit. “Nothing happened. She’s drunk.”
He passes her the water. She stares at the cup, then back up to him. Raises an eyebrow teasingly. Grins when he becomes obviously flustered.
“You do care,” she says smugly. It doesn’t come out as smooth as she would like, but it gets the point across.
“Yeah, well.” He gestures vaguely at nothing. “I’m going to go, uh. Talk to Liv. At the— at the blood rave. If you… wanted to come.”
Lanie considers this, deeper than perhaps the situation requires. She shakes her head. “I think— I’m gonna chill with Russell. We’re buddies. Besties. Pals. Uh.”
Wendell gives her a look she doesn’t think she could decipher if she were sober. “Right. Well, uh. Don’t die?” he offers. Glances up to Russell. “Please make sure she doesn’t die.”
“Sure thing,” Russell says, amused. “Have fun.”
“Love you!” Lanie calls at Wendell’s retreating figure. She turns back around before she can see him stumble so hard he nearly faceplants.
Russell definitely sees it, but doesn’t comment on it, just looks at Lanie, expectant and amused. “So, what did you say is happening with them?”
She lights up at that, grins, because she loves to gossip and she loves to talk about her friends. “They’re, like, making out in the blood rave or whatever. I dunno. So—”
“I’m sorry,” Russell interrupts, and he does genuinely look apologetic. Ignoring the fact he’s obviously trying not to laugh. “The what?”
“You know.” Lanie shrugs. They all know about the blood rave, duh. “The blood rave. I dunno. Not my business. They almost kissed, Russell. ‘N I was just kinda… there. In the middle.”
Rest in peace to Russell’s brain for trying to figure out what the fuck she’s talking about right now. Godspeed, soldier. She can see him connecting the dots, and waits patiently for him to do so — it’s not that complicated, really. Why is everyone so confused about all this?
“So— hang on.” Russell actually sits down on the ground, which is kind of weird considering how many chairs there are here, but Lanie just follows suit because standing is getting tiring, actually, and her feet are starting to hurt. “What do you mean in the middle?”
Lanie huffs petulantly, like a toddler. “We played craps, ‘n the french fry fucker had Wendell’s MacGuffin, so we bet on it, and it was either that or he ‘n Liv kissed. We… didn’t win. It was so bad, Russell.”
“The kiss?”
“No— well. Maybe?” She considers that, then shrugs. “I dunno. I wasn’t part of that. I was just… in the middle. Literally.”
Russell stares at her, Jennifer’s piercing gaze boring into her soul. She doesn’t entirely blame him, this time. Her brain was just as foggy in the moment.
“So no one actually kissed.” It’s a statement more than anything, as if he’s processing everything. “And you’re… okay with that?”
She shrugs again. “I like being the guy in the middle. ‘M not that worried about it.”
She’s surprised to find she really means it when she says it. Anyone with eyes can tell she’s absolutely down bad for her best friends slash coworkers slash multiple question marks at this point, but she’s genuinely never really expected it to go anywhere. Especially now that Liv seems to return Wendell’s feelings, even if she’s not completely aware of it herself. Sometimes Lanie uses the only two psychology classes she ever took for good.
Russell frowns, which confuses her, because she’s not upset about any of this. “But you’re into both of them.”
Jesus fuck, why is this a conversation she’s having with a coworker nearly thirty years older than her?
Because she’s drunk and no one else will listen to her, most likely. And anyway, Russell’s initiating at least seventy percent of it, so it’s not entirely her fault. Just mostly.
“‘S like… imagine a tricycle,” she says, only half sure of where the metaphor is going. “Three wheels. Two of them are in the front, and then there’s the one in the back. The two are like… bonded or whatever. Besties. Lovers. Worse. I dunno.
“You can’t get, like, stability without the third one, though,” she explains. Her eyes feel less dry than they were a minute ago, and when she reaches up to rub at them her hand comes back tear streaked. Huh. “It’s there for emotional support, or something. And it doesn’t mind being at the back, ‘cause how else do you get to see the other two?”
“That’s…” Russell trails off. “I don’t think tricycles are set up like that.”
Okay, so it’s not a perfect metaphor. Sue her.
Lanie groans, probably a little overdramatic. “Shut up, I’m making points. You get it.”
He smiles like he just might. “That makes a lot of sense, though, Lanie. I just think maybe you haven’t been paying close enough attention.”
And then, like he hasn’t just casually dropped a bombshell like that on her, he pats her shoulder before standing up and wandering off. She thinks she sees him with Usha, but she’s too busy staring at the ground and trying to refocus her brain as she runs through every interaction she’s ever had.
It doesn’t go well, not at the moment. Later, though — later, they’ll end up on a speedboat to the Amazon, and Lanie will squeeze herself between Liv and Paula and shiver in nothing but a tank top. Later, they’ll end up in Alaska first, and she’ll throw up off the side of the boat when Usha takes over driving, and Wendell will quietly confess that he and Liv didn’t kiss the night before.
Later, Liv will run off, and they’ll find out about Dave, and they’ll storm the White House when it flies away, and a million other things will happen that Lanie won’t comprehend at the time, much less afterwards.
Later — much, much later — they’ll have time. Time to choose, time to talk, time to figure things out.
For now, Lanie passes out in the middle of the floor until Dang nudges her awake with his foot and dreams about almost kisses that aren’t an almost.
5 notes · View notes
epickiya722 · 10 months ago
Note
burnin’
My first impression: I was immediately taken back by her character design. The green flaming hair, claws, and fangs? I was here for that!
My impression now: Burnin has jumped on the list of my favorite BNHA characters. She's just so fun! Even her bits in BNHA: Vigilantes made me happy. (If there is a BNHA spin-off you should take interest in, it's Vigilantes.) Out of all the fire users, she's my favorite.
Favorite thing about that character: As I mentioned, I really like Burnin's design. She's literally a hothead, but I love that for her. Also, her quirk. She's can take chunks of her hair flames and throw them at people or shape them into weapons. She can also fly! Like, out of all fire related quirks, that's probably the most creative.
Least favorite thing: I hate there's little backstory for her. If there's one sidekick I want some backstory on, it's her.
Favorite line/scene: In the OVA, the one with Mr. Smiley, Burnin has this scene where she got so mad she wanted to shoot Mr. Smiley with a rocket launcher. Meanwhile, Kido and Onima are just staring at her like "... maybe you should calm down". That had me laughing. 😆
Favorite interaction that character has with another: There may not be a lot of scenes, but I love her, Kido and Onima as a trio. Other then the whole rocket launcher scene, there's this bit in Vigilantes where they go "FLAMING SIDEKICKERS" and I just love that.
A character that I wish that character would interact with more: If you have followed me for long enough, you already know I need her and Miruko to interact. Not even just for shipping intent, but I would to see how those two would act around each other.
Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character: The only one that really comes to mind is that flame from Howl's Moving Castle, Calcifer. Oh, wait, every time I heard Burnin in dub, I think of Musa. I remember first hearing her and childhood memories came at me. I grew watching Winx Club, so I'm going to know Lisa Ortiz's voice. (So yeah, I also know she voiced Amy Rose, and in Winx Club, Lisa also voiced Icy, Digit, and Mitzi.)
A headcanon about that character: Okay, if you read my BurnBunny fics, you may notice that I sometimes describe Burnin's hair another color other than its usual yellow-green color. It's because I headcanon that depending on her mood or what she's doing, her hair flames changes colors. Think it would be neat if her hair could do that.
A song that reminds of that character: Fire Again by Ashnikko! Love that song, just give me Burnin vibes. I actually didn't really know it was a sing for Valorant, at first! Which is funny to me because Burnin looks like she belongs in a video game. Put her ass in Mortal Kombat! I want to see fatalities she can do!
An unpopular opinion about that character: Someone is gonna disagree but... Now, in 349, she mentions how Endeavor is good at his job, but she couldn't care less about his family affairs and I know some people gave her heat for that (hee hee), but personally, I'm on the same page. Whatever the Todorokis had going on isn't her business and at this time, defeating the villains is a priority. Of course, what Endeavor did to his family is terrible and I bet Burnin would also be horrified by it. The time to be involved in their family issues is just not appropriate. And it's not like the Todorokis want everyone to be involved in their business, fight their battles and whatnot. Storywise, it makes no sense for Burnin or anyone else to even be involved with the Todorokis dealing with Dabi. Personally, I just feel like some people wanted to hate on a female character.
Favorite picture: Remember how I mentioned the rocket launcher scene? That's one of the pictures!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Send Me a Character...✨️
7 notes · View notes
oinkz · 1 year ago
Text
off season
— something about waking up to oikawa after a long season makes your heart so full… makes you want him close first thing in the morning. (f!reader)
— tooru fingers you first thing in the morning <3, so so sappy, vanilla, finger sucking, 1.7k words, 18+
Tumblr media
Oikawa Tooru has had the world at his fingertips this September, cheers screaming his name from all over the court and on national TV, and words of praise from reporters, articles, and whatnot. It’s beautiful, watching his dreams come into fruition, watching him on a stadium screen, searching for you in an endless sea of people after the final point. Watching his eyes come in contact with yours, how they light up once they’ve found you.
You. You. You, of all people.
What’s even more beautiful though, however, is the sight you get to behold the morning of every off season. Tooru is not the same as he was when he was 18 - he’s buffer, tanner, and his freckles have expanded past his nose. Yet funnily enough, he’s also a bit softer. He’s become… less intense.
Over the years, you’ve watched him sleep countless of times, watched his eyebrows relax in his slumber. From furrowed to loose. To focused to secure.
He’s grown to be so terribly beautiful and you’re so terribly lucky that your eyes sting a little. You can’t recall a time where he wasn’t yours, where he wasn’t the first thing you searched for every morning.
Where he wasn’t the first thing you watched every morning.
Gently, you push your chest closer to his bare one. When he doesn’t move, you take it as a signal to reach out and cup his freckled cheek. It’s cold to the touch, so terribly deprived of touch all night, you think. Poor little thing.
Despite just waking up ten minutes ago, it doesn’t take you much strength to lean over and kiss his cheek. In fact, you’ve been aching to kiss him all of those ten minutes... You would kiss him in your sleep if you could.
(You probably do.)
You take your sweet time kissing his face, running your lips across the expanse of his freckles and his lightly sunburnt nose - which you linger on. For someone like him - someone with a five step skincare routine - it’s unusual to see him with a sun burn.
Perhaps the busyness of yesterday’s game caught up to him.
But he’s done for the season, and therefore he’s no one else’s but yours. Not even the sun can get him now.
So you kiss and kiss, murmuring ‘I love you’s’ and grinding up against him till he absentmindedly reciprocates, grinding his hips with yours. Even half asleep, he’s perfect. So eager, so hopelessly in love with you the way you are with him.
“Wake up,” you whisper, lips hovering above his. “I miss you.”
He hums, arms tightening around you. “Five more minutes…”
You pout. No fair. He’s been sleeping for almost nine hours.
“Pleeeeease? I want to kiss you. And touch you.”
He’s laughing but you’re not amused, not one bit. You’re terribly lovesick and want an out.
All this grinding doesn’t seem to phase him the way you want it to affect him, either. He’s definitely hard - as expected - however, the fact he isn’t already leaning over to kiss and ravish you is a crime.
“Please, Tooru, please,” you breathe out. “Miss you so much.”
He grins, and your heart does a somersault. “Missed me? We hung out yesterday.”
You shook your head. “Not enough. You passed out the moment you got home…”
You’re definitely aware that you sound like a brat right now, but you’re lucky to know that it eggs on his ego. Maybe you’ll get him back for teasing you one day, but now, you’re just putty.
Relief floods your senses when he doesn’t wait a second any longer. You find his lips on yours, the warmth familiar and new all at the same time. Perhaps being so busy was a perk in its own way - every kiss felt like the first. But it was hell, feeling so much for him and not having him around enough to show him.
Legs shuffled and hips gently thrusting as he kisses you, you can feel your heat, desperation, and love grow even more fervently all at once.
Tooru never fully pulls away from you, either. Instead he kisses your face the way you did with his. And you welcome every bit of it.
“I love you,” he tells you firmly. Kiss. “You’re so beautiful.” Kiss. “I’m sorry I haven’t kissed you properly in a while.”
“You are so, so, so important to me,” he says, before kissing your lips again. You don’t mean to, but you whimper.
Being the shithead he is, you can feel him smile against your lips. “You like that shit, don’t you? Like when I tell you how much I love you?”
“Of course I do…” you reply, bashful.
The edges off his lips soften, his teasing smile turning serious.
His fingers trace along the hem of your (technically his) T-shirt, pupils dilating as he stares into you. He doesn’t even have to say anything for you to nod frantically, guiding his fingers to pull your top over your head and off your chest. Not even a second later, your panties are off, along with his boxers. It’s so freeing - to feel his bare chest without any barriers, all his skin mixed with yours.
You miss his warmth when he slightly pulls away from you, but you know it’s to look at your naked expanse. The intensity of his gaze makes up for the coldness of the room. Your body feels like its on fire when he looks at you like that.
“You’re unreal,” he murmurs, more to himself than to you. “I’m so, so lucky.”
Swiftly, he lays you on your back and kisses your lips over and over, his hands smoothly gliding across your torso like your skin was inviting his touch. And take the invitation his hands did, toying with your nipples.
He hums with you, letting all your pleasure become his. He’s enthralled by how amazing he feels without you even having to do anything. His cock is painfully hard, deprived of your warmth to soothe it.
Even with his busy schedule, he still has urges… still gets hard at the mere thought of you. But with strict practice hours running late, most of the time, you were asleep by the time he came home.
Touching you alone right now was heaps more satisfying to him than masturbating in the shower. This was you, the absolute love of his life. And fucking hell, it would be a crime against humanity to not make love to you with all his might - sore muscles or not.
“What do you want me to do, baby?” He coos adoringly, watching your expressions intently like they were most heavenly sight on earth. “Tell me so I can make it up to you.”
You don’t even hesitate. “Fingers. Inside me.”
Your message was crystal clear, however, being the way he is, he doesn’t miss an opportunity to mess with you. Ever. His fingers play with the corners of your mouth before prodding your bottom lip down. “Inside here?”
Tooru doesn’t give you a chance to answer because your lips look so terribly lonely without his on them - they desperately need something to wrap around. He smirks as he inserts two fingers into your mouth, drowning out every little noise you make.
“Pretty girl,” he says, the glimmer in his eyes uncharacteristically soft and gentle as he thrusts his fingers in and out. “The prettiest girl in the world…” A whimper fights its way out of your throat as you begin to follow his orders.
This wasn’t exactly what you wanted, but at this point, you’ll take anything from him. It doesn’t take you long to get comfortable around his long digits, enough so you’re able to eagerly glide your tongue around and in between. You’re a marvelous sight to see, sucking on his fingers like you’d do with his cock.
What an angel.
Quickly, he replaces his fingers with his mouth. He doesn’t fully pull away when he tells you, “Cuddle up to me - need to have you close when I finger you.”
So you do. You even lift your leg up to give him full access to your cunt.
“Good job baby,” Tooru praises, a breathtaking smile on his features as his fingers part your pussy lips. The way the cool air strikes the heat of your cunt makes you hiss.
His fingers lightly brush the inside, just to get a feel for how wet you are. This isn’t the first time he’s had his way with you, but every single time, it’s a pleasant surprise how eager your pussy is. Most times, you don’t even have to tell him you love him - he just knows. As cliche as it is, he really does believe your body was made for his loving. All his for him to sink his fingers into.
He does just that, allowing the same two fingers that were just exploring your mouth to push themselves inside your needy hole. With that, the ache between your legs is all of a sudden alleviated. Hell, he’s even better than you remember.
“Jesus,” he breathes shakily, unmoving, reveling in the way your heat feels around his digits. “You’re so wet.”
It’s relieving, but nowhere close to enough. You push your lips to a pout. “Move, dammit.”
A laugh rumbles out of his chest. “Okay, okay.”
First, though, he uses his free arm to pull you impossibly closer to his chest, his lips over your temple as he begins to thrust in and out. The pace is slow but deep. Agonizing but sensual all at once.
“God you’re so pretty,” He whispers, lips against you like he wants all his praises to go through your skin and into your heart. He wants to praise you till they’re written into your soul.
Just as he brushes up on your g-spot just like how he knows you like it, he pulls away to watch your expression bliss out. You cry out, and he rubs up against your sweet spot just to watch and hear your pleasure all over again.
“Tooru, there!” You plead, and you don’t have to ask him twice - he’s already at it.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says into your ear. Kiss. “I’m so incredibly lucky.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. And repeat.
He’s going to do this all season, he thinks.
17 notes · View notes
thelegendofhino · 1 year ago
Text
Now, for an analysis on whatever the blood moon may be physically doing to hino.
Hes very clearly not aware that its negatively affecting him. I dont think whatever it is thats happening to him is ever being processed as a negative thing to him, considering how he acts afterwards, but its definitely preventing him from actually realizing whats going on. It gets him excited, sure, but i really dont think he properly recalls what goes on. If anything, he seems to be in pain a lot of the time.
In both games, he puts emphasis on the fact that his blood is "boiling", which is basically when you have a really high body temperature/fever so it feels like your blood is hot. In his case, it could also be combined with an adrenaline rush and some other more supernatural thing.
Another thing is his focus on the "blood" part of the blood moon, though that seems to be less about the moon itself and more whatever its doing to him. Any of his dialogue regarding blood other than his own seems to be even less cohesive than anything else he says, being either mindless mumbling or shouting. Considering in botw he runs around the stable for basically a full in-game hour without stopping, combined with the highly likely adrenaline rush, combined with the heavy breathing he does in totk, it may be as a result of that taste of blood (really just the metallic taste) that you get in your mouth if you exercise a lot for a while despite no actual blood being present. And, again, having to keep in mind that it is in fact a supernatural occurrence, that taste of "blood" could possibly be causing some sort of craving for it, especially since the only thing blood moons should be affecting is monsters, which are all inherently aggressive towards others. For reasons forever unknown, hino is a completely unique case among every non-monster. Perhaps he is cursed somehow. Regardless, i worry for his health. Blood moons have been occuring for as long as hes been alive, and i dont know if theyve been affecting him the way it is now his whole life, but thats still a very long time (idk how old he is, but id place him somewhere in his early-mid 30s) and blood moons happen on a weekly basis... its just concerning.
I do think its odd that he doesnt really acknowledge you in this state in botw, and in totk of course it only happens while youre talking to him so it has to be different, but even so hes not nearly as focused on you as he is on the moon and whatever it is that hes feeling. We've had an instance of an npc attacking you before for completely non supernatural reasons, but despite the blood moons connection to malice and gloom and whatnot it doesnt seem to give him any intention of harming you. Though, given that its doing anything to him at all, and ONLY him, maybe just a few more years time before he starts getting actually aggressive... his focus on blood may begin to manifest in much more dangerous ways at this rate.
So whatever the blood moon is doing to him is definitely NOT good for him, and its odd enough already that it doesnt happen to anyone else, nor does anyone else ever comment on his behavior. Nobody else would see him in totk (since hes always captured in some fort now), but in botw everyone else that stays and comes to the dueling peaks stable witness it happen all the time with no concern at all. Maybe they just dont think anything of it, maybe they just think hes a bit of a freak and mind their own business.
Also, he can sense when a blood moon will happen that day. Theres no way for that to be the case if it was just a matter of him getting way too excited about it. And despite being able to tell when one will occur, it gets in the way of his research! Because it makes him go crazy. And he doesnt ever acknowledge that. Very odd. Im starting to think its giving him false memories so he continues to be unaware of what really goes on. Because if he were truly just forgetting, surely hed be concerned about memory gaps whenever a blood moon happens, but instead he just proceeds as if he werent doing anything out of the ordinary.
The blood moon was also out the entire time that you fight ganondorf after he turns himself into a dragon... i can only imagine how exhausted hino felt after that, probably without even understanding why.
6 notes · View notes
mortallyclearwonderland · 2 years ago
Text
Top 10 tropes/cliches/trends that I'm sick and tired of!
In no particular order.
1. Get down!
Someone screams ''Get down!'' or ''Look out!'' but not everybody gets down. Most of the time it's fine. The characters don't have enough time to react and get hit with an attack or whatnot. What I am actually mad about is when characters have quite a lot of time to get out of the way and they're not distracted by anything yet just choose to just stand there and do nothing.
That also applies to whoever is screaming for them to watch out. You see your friend is in danger, you have an ability that can be useful, do something!
But the most infuriating iteration of that cliche is when they say a character's name before whatever they are screaming and it somehow makes anybody else unable to hear what they're talking about.
''Bob, the train is coming!''
‘’My name is Eric, not Bob. I guess I'll just stand on the track and not even acknowledge what I've heard.’’
Extra salt to the wound when the character can totally see what is coming or at least they should but the animators couldn't be bothered to keep track of who and what is where in relation to each other.
Tumblr media
2. Meta
I fucking LOATHE this new trend where they make self referential humor to mock the earnestness of the old stories.
Can’t they just let us get immersed in the universe without having those “We know it’s cliché *wink wink*” Especially when they do nothing to deconstruct it, show it in a new light, have an interesting spin on it, nothing. They just point it out like in CinemaSins! And it's especially annoying when they're ''breaking the stereotypes'' which have been broken years ago.
‘’She's not like other girls/princesses! She fights, speaks her mind, and doesn't want to get married to someone she doesn't love at all.’‘
Wow, you broke new ground. It's not like princesses in the 90s were already independent, princes Leia was a badass in the 70s, and even the older princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, get way too much hate. Go subvert the cliche which hasn't been used in years and replace it with this other cliche. There are adults and children today who haven't seen a legitimate, 100% helpless, damsel in distress. Seriously, at this point, I would've been more shocked if there was an actual romance in a Disney princess movie.
And they act so smug about it too. Do you want to talk about unwanted marriage? How about you talk about child brides right now? Because that would be actually controversial in those countries!
Just make a movie about a badass princess, nobody cares!
Tumblr media
3. Squidward like character
Do you remember how in the bad episodes of Spongebob, Squidward would be just minding his own business, not harming anyone and then Patrick and Spongebob would just barge in and mess everything up. Squidward would straight up say that he wants them to leave but those two numskulls couldn't take a hint. The episode just ends with no consequence whatsoever for the people who made an innocent person's day a living nightmare.
This used to be everywhere! Seemingly every cartoon channel would at least have one cartoon like that if not more.
I guess the idea is that the children are supposed to relate to the annoying obnoxious little brats energetic and innocent little angels who just want to have fun with their parent/older sibling friend but he's being boring and doesn't know how to have fun.
How did the meme go? The older you get the more you relate to Squidward.
Tumblr media
4. Why are you surprised by this?
Don't you just hate when a character doesn't know something that should've been common knowledge?
Ash not knowing pokemon can only say their own name, not knowing what contests are or whatever the gimmick for the season/game is.
People not knowing what mutants are or where to go when they find out they're a mutant.
I know shows and movies need to explain their lore and world building but can't you find a better way than creating that one moron character who asks all the basic questions and gets lectured and info dumped on. At least make them like Tarzan, raised in the jungle not knowing anything else about the world.
Tumblr media
5. Super-let-down
When you have a team of superheroes one, if not the most, important and interesting part is their relationship and dynamic. Who's the parent of the team, who's the heart, who's the jokester? How do their superpowers mix, who needs to be careful to not hurt who, what combo moves they can pull off, how they cover each other weaknesses?
Wouldn't it be cool to see super villains do something like that? Guess what? They just argue all the time and when they fight they just get in each other's way. It's especially frustrating when they stop attacking the hero to fight each other. Even more so when the hero is egging them on by saying something along the lines ''Shouldn't you be the leader?'', ''Who's going to be the one to finish me off?'' or ''Are you going to let them treat you like that?'' It makes the villains look like complete idiots with the mentality of a kindergartner.
What a waste of a potentially great team!
Sinister six from the Spectacular Spider-Man is the closest to the satisfying villain team. Wish they had more screen time! They had great chemistry and their banter went above throwing insults at each other.
Tumblr media
6. Too many supers in New York City
Since the MCU became big average people started to wonder, if all those superheroes exist in the same universe, then where were they when -insert huge event from a solo hero movie here- was going on.
At least DC has an excuse that pretty much every superhero has their own city to take care of.
It's especially outrages when you have the avengers, fantastic four, spider-man, and probably many others I can't remember right now leaving in the same city. What's also funny is when they meet and act as if they never heard of each other.
Tumblr media
7. Stop with all the food!
Recently a lot of Disney movies and shows will have excessively long scenes of food making and I don't know why.
I know that movies that want to showcase some culture focus on the food too because it's part of the culture but come on. I don't want a tutorial on how to cook, put it on a DVD. Animators just want to flex how great they are at animating food, just like anime.
I know it's a weird thing to get hung up on but in a movie, every minute counts and the movie just wasted 1-5 minutes on food porn. Just put the food in the background, make it last a couple of seconds, or be part of the story.
Tumblr media
8. Characters look never changes
I know characters always having the same clothes saves time and budget. Animators even make jokes/try to justify it by showing multiple versions of the same outfit.
It gets confusing when supposedly years have passed yet everybody looks the same. That's why I appreciate HTTYD. They let their characters grow up.
Tumblr media
9.Did you switch bodies or voices?
I know that you want people to be able to tell who is in who’s body but vocal cords aka voice are part of the body and should stay in the body they belong to.
Change characters' posture, body language, way of speaking, etc.
But please don't change the eyes. It somehow makes even less sense and looks creepy.
Tumblr media
10. Fight-cut-Scene
Do you ever see those fights when characters talk for a bit, throw a punch or kick, stop to talk some more, and again and again? Looking at you CW! Also, a massive amount of cutting to hide that the actors don't know how to fight and imitate speed. You know you can just show people being fast, right? Just because something or someone is out of the frame doesn't mean they stopped existing.
Tumblr media
4 notes · View notes
asoulofatlantis · 2 months ago
Text
Current state and future plans and so on...
(This is probably just me mostly rambling away on a Sunday early afternoon...)
First of all: Will I ever finish ANY of the games I have started the past year or so? Yes! Yes, I will. I plan to finish most, if not all of them (as you can see I did finish Trails in the Sky FC just in time for the Remake announcement XD) eventually, but I am slightly overwhelmed by the huge amount of games I currently want to play and so I am easily distracted, especially from games that might not capture me as much as I was hoping. In addition to that, there is Kai no Kiseki on the way. The release is close. I am likely not going to finish anything until I have finished my live reaction to the Lets Play I will watch. At the moment I am playing Two Point Hospital, as it is a game that doesn't require too much thinking and the Trailer for Two Point Museum reminded me that I have yet to finish both Two Point Games eventually. (I do like them a lot... but I like to take my time with those kind of games as I am REALLY bad with money in all freaking games ^^') BTW... I will get Two Point Museum as well when it is out and I am thinking about recording and uploading my first real lets play with that game. But I will likely chicken out at the end of the day ^^'
Secondly: Yes, I have seen all the questions in my inbox but I am really busy at the moment. I can not even truly say what the hell is going on but in addition to the fact that I work more hours a day again now, somehow I also never managed to gets home fast. Something always stops me and makes me go somewhere else before or stay longer at my parents for some reasons or whatnot. I already feel bad because as I go to bed early because I have issues sleeping and don't function on less than at least 7 hours of sleep I barely have any time of the day left to spend with my 3 adorable cats. Less alone doing as much of the shores that I need to. My health is also not cooperating. I am not sick enough to go see a doctor and stay home for a week or so but not healthy enough to feel really good. Kinda sucks. Its also very inconvenient because I gained A LOT of weight over the past months and I want to go back to counting calories and working out at least 3 times a week but with my neck constantly hurting for whatever reason and me feeling under the weather this isn't exactly and easy task. Not to mention that there was so much stress at work that I solely eat for the happy-hormones these days and counting calories in that kind of stressed state is not fun. We lack an immense amount of staff at the moment. Inlcuding our boss and the one in charge now is... well... but the whole situation isn't easy for her either. Either way it is really tiresome at work at the moment. And that takes whatever energy I have left away from me really easily.
And lastly... my two cents about the recent Kai information we've got: I really do not know what to say anymore. I am worried about Agnes. I am worried about Rean. I am worried about multiple of my ships sinking with this game. I might also be worried about my sanity if this game really ends with a cruel cliffhänger á la Cold Steel 3 or worse. (I've bought extra tissues because I assume strongly that at some point I WILL be crying in this game ^^') I am honestly in a weird state when it comes to Kai. I am absolutely terrified of this game at this point. So terrified of whatever ruin it may bring me, that the only reason I want the release date to be there soon, is the fact that I want to get it over with so my anxiety about all the stuff that could happen and go wrong is finally gone ^^' (Then again, with a possibly cliffhänger at our hands I fear that might be a bit naive of me to think that way...) In any case, next time you'll see me here (aside from maybe reblogging some Kai news beforehand...) is when Kai is released and my live reaction starts. Lets hope I feel a bit better by then, finally get enough sleep again and some of my anxiety regarding this game has left me XD
I think after that, we will likely go back to Persona 3 Portable. But no promises!
0 notes
assimilatedhardship · 10 months ago
Text
The idea of it was obviously ridiculous to Leon, but Stahn laughed through it anyway. It wasn't quite so ridiculous to someone who had lived it, but part of it was also liking it. City life probably didn't, at least from Stahn's limited experience, have a whole lot of wildlife interaction. Handling animals and caring for them was second nature for Stahn. For a knight, someone who often found giving orders to people and managing battlefields, that was probably difficult for Leon to wrap his head around.
Tumblr media
"It can be! I've lived around sheep for a long time. Eventually you just get to know them the same way a cat owner would understand their cat. They're not as playful or active, but it's still fun for me to see their reactions to me or to watch them live their normal lives. Plus, whenever they get spooked by something and take off, it's not all that hard for me to get them back together. People would aren't used to it would find it stressful until they learned how to work with the sheep's comfort though."
Leon probably didn't go into this looking for some long winded explanation on sheep life, but Stahn wanted to share it. Both of them had such limited perspectives. Seeing someone living like Leon, with seemingly no real relaxing hobbies or self expressions, was something Stahn was genuinely sad to see. He wanted to see Leon find things to smile about, or even laugh about. Things that made him forget his job as a knight for just a little while and be Leon the person, not Leon the knight captain.
"A lot of people seem to think fun is for kids, but I hate that. There are kids' games and activities for that kind of thing! I wanted to be a knight to put smiles on people's faces... among other things! ...But I think before I do that, I need to work on your unsmiling face." He'd probably have to go through entrance exams and whatnot still even when all of this was over... There was a chance Leon could just recommend him, but if Stahn didn't start from the beginning and learn the basics, there were going to be all kinda of things he missed out of not knowing them.
That was probably why he and Leon had such a rocky start. It wasn't just their clashing personalities - a seasoned captain was trying to give orders to a complete novice. Not even a novice, really - he had no experience whatsoever in the same field. Leon had had to make do and teach Stahn the basics on the fly, which for someone who expected perfection from his experience with his own knights, was probably highly frustrating.
Funnily enough, Stahn understood that kind of frustration on the basis that Leon didn't seem to anything else but work. His lack of interest in basically anything was somewhat concerning, actually. Before Stahn entered the knights, he wanted to do something about Leon. Sometimes he could swear Leon had it in him; like there was a desire for it, but a fear of it. If he had never reached for it before, it made sense if he was hesitant. If he couldn't do it on his own, Stahn was already there waiting to help him take those baby steps. Eventually Leon could do it on his own without needing someone else's guidance.
"I know being a knight captain makes you super busy, but once this journey is done, when you get a chance, why don't you come visit my hometown? All the people there are really great, loving people who will offer you nice things just for being new in town. I think it'll be a super nice contrast with your busy life, and you'll get to meet people with a totally different perspective. I'm happy I left home and got to travel this much. I've learned a lot. I want you to be able to experience that too!"
All things considered, it had been a not-unpleasant day, and Leon was feeling something close to satisfaction by the time their little group began to wander off after dinner. He still felt little need to join in on their conversation, but it wasn't so grating to listen to them talk from the side anymore. Now that they've gone their own ways for the night, maybe he should do some planning for the next time they caught up to Greybum? They'd been forced into purely reactive roles so far with that infuriating priest escaping time and time again, but—
Oh. Stahn hadn't left with the others. Leon looked up, blinking in surprise before a wave of self-consciousness sweeps across his expression instead. "I— I've eaten plenty." He pushes the now-empty plate away. "And it's not as if I especially like sweets. Someone has to eat it so it won't go to waste, is all."
Tumblr media
The rest of the group had cleared out all the other plates of food, so it's fine. In the back of his mind, Leon is relieved that Stahn had at least waited for Rutee to leave before coming to talk to him. But it would have been better if he didn't notice at all.
And he wasn't even done! What is all this ridiculous talk about having fun? Leon can hardly recall thinking of such things, even when he was very young. "I don't need you to introduce me to fun," the last word comes out with a scoff, as a rejection of the very idea itself. "We are not children. If there's spare time to be had, it would be better spent training, or picking up an useful skill — you could stand to work on that sloppy form of yours, for instance."
That last part might be a bit uncalled for, but it's said more out of defensiveness than any real criticism of Stahn's skills. "What would you consider fun, anyways? Herding sheep?"
13 notes · View notes
bcitisthelight · 3 years ago
Note
hello i am dying to hear your thoughts abt star wars ships like . "the emphasis on dogfighting in the clone wars led to years of messed up engineering" HOW can i not be Absolutely Fascinated, Enthralled Even, by that sentence . skittering up the walls and foaming at the mouth in Wanting-To-Know-More
My most sweet and beloved fair-lead, you are a stranger to me and yet now, you are also a bosom friend, and you will always be welcome at my hearth, because I just - I need you to know that when you originally sent me this ask, I sent a screenshot of it to the discord server I’m in and everybody’s reaction was basically “oh sweet Jesus” because they know, they KNOW how insane I can be about this topic, they know that sending an ask like this is like - you know when you shine a flashlight and all the roaches skitter out, that’s what sending me an ask like this does to my crazy. Now that post with that sentence also talked about you know, visual storytelling and whatnot, but I’m focusing on the dogfight question, because, this is the most delicious thing, you really can pick up so much about - the way the entire galaxy melted down during the Clone Wars, how the clone wars left a lasting impact on the technology of the galaxy, but really specifically, how the huge emphasis on dogfighting in the Clone Wars led to some massively fucked engineering decisions by manufacturers for at LEAST the next 50 years in universe. And oh, is the engineering fucked. I don’t even know where to begin, like - NO WAIT I KNOW, THE A WING, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE A WING. 
Okay, before I begin, when I say A wing, I mean the classic RZ series, rather than the R22 Spearhead, which was basically a short lived prototype. Now, technically in the Ahsoka novel there’s mention of an RZ A-wing, which pulled their production history up by quite a bit, but honestly, I’m choosing to ignore that, because half of that novel has been retconned anyway and it doesn’t actually make sense that there would be classic RZ series A wings that soon after the clone wars given what else canon has to say about their development, so for purposes of this post, the Ahsoka novel doesn’t exist, and we can peg the true production start of the RZ series A wings sometime ten years or so into the Imperial Era, somewhere between 11-9BBY, giving them enough time to get to the mass-production level of popularity they seem to have achieved by the time of Rebels in about 5 BBY. (I promise this isn’t me being pedantic, there’s a reason why this timeline is important.) So like I said, by the time of Rebels in about 5ish BBY, the RZ-series A-wings have become a REGULAR feature in the Rebellion’s fleet, they have gained a massively popularity as a combat starfighter. A popularity, dearest fair-lead, which baffles me to my core, which bewilders me to my bones, which - it just bamboozles me to my utter fucking marrow, because the thing about the A-wing is that, on an objective level, the A-wing is utter shit. I mean it is WACK. The reason the Rebellion uses it is because it’s fast. It’s faster than fast. The RZ-1 model A-wing is the only starfighter (including the T-65 X Wing) in the Rebellion’s arsenal which can outrun and outmaneuver a TIE fighter in space. This monstrosity can hit 1300kph (to give you a reference, the average race car? Those run at about 360). But the thing is, at speeds of this level, the name of the game when you’re crafting your engineering design is trade-offs - and the sacrifices made so it could get that speed makes it one of the most dangerous things a pilot could touch.  Firstly, it’s obscenely difficult to fly. RZ-1s use two J-77 “Event Horizon” engines, which are some of the most powerful in the business, but also the most volatile. Even with thrust control, the power produced means that maneuvering these highly sensitive, highly-powerful engines is 1/3 skill, 1/3 quick thinking, and 1/3 desperately praying that the Force decides to be with you that certain day. At those speeds, your moves have to be absolutely fucking precise - a single wrong touch, a single less than perfect turn, and your family is collecting your life insurance policy. Secondly, it’s obscenely cramped. Wookiepedia refers to it as “a cockpit with two engines” but I think even that is generous - it’s more like a computer chair hogtied to two rockets. Because, to get that speed, it has to be small, and it has to be slim. That means limited life support, limited tech, limited components. And do you know what else you sacrifice to get that size? Astromech assistance - these things barely had room for a hyperdrive, much less a droid. So all those highly precise, highly technical moves you have to make to ensure that your spine isn’t separated from your body? You have to do it all by fucking hand. But what really makes the A-wings so dangerous is that they are obscenely poorly manufactured. The RZ-1s swapped out the more standard, safer hull armor and component materials for their lightweight alternatives, so they could increase their speed. But the thing is, as I said earlier, those event horizon engines are massively powerful and massively volatile, and the vectors of g-force that flying them creates puts ridiculous amounts of compressive/tensile stress on the fighter - which, because it is crafted with lightweight materials, it simply can’t handle. Which means - breakdowns, breakdowns, breakdowns. These fucking things might as well include a mechanic with every purchase, they break down so much. For every ten minutes of flight, you’re stuck with two days of repairs at best. The materials break, wires snap, components wear down. And you know, component malfunctions and minor power losses, those are bad enough - you can’t fight in combat if your weapons jam thirty seconds after take off. But thruster decalibrations, vector control errors, loss of stability - those can be death sentences in any fighter, but particularly when you’re flying at 1300 kph - like I said, they’re finicky bitches, those A-wings, and one wrong move is your life. 
“Mikhayla,” you say to me in horror, “why would any sane person use these things in the first place? Why is speed so important, that it’s worth this?” And this is where the prevalence of dogfighting during the Clone Wars comes in. 
Here’s where the production history is useful. The A-wing is manufactured by a subsidiary company of Kuat Drive Yards (KDY) called Kuat Systems Engineering. At this point in the presentation, I’ll take a pause so the audience can jeer and hiss at the amalgamation of sublime jackassery which is Kuat Systems Engineering. Trust me, go on, they deserve it. Done? Good.  Before the Clone Wars, Kuat Systems Engineering - its bread and butter is the Delta 7 Aethersprite. And the important thing to know about the Delta 7s is, they were designed specifically with the Jedi in mind - a ton of internal systems were stripped out, and the controls were jacked up to be as sensitive/responsive as possible, because you know, those are the things you don’t/do need when the people piloting these fighters are Force sensitive. They’re developed for a specific purpose, decades before the clone wars even happen. The Delta 7s aren’t responsible for what come after them. “We did nothing wrong” cry out the Delta 7s to the world. “I know this, and I love you” I reassure them. And listen, the Delta line has its own issues - their speed capability is in the 1200s, so similar trade offs exist, but to be honest, I pretend I do not see it, because - UGH, because they’re pretty, okay, they’re so pretty, is the thing, such a lovely design. Give me a break - I’m on paragraph eight of a star wars meta post at one in the morning. A girl has to take pleasure in the little things.  Where was I? Oh, the Delta 7s. So, like I said, the Delta 7s are built nearly exclusively for the Jedi, who can handle a lot more sensitivity and speed than pretty much any other pilot, because you know, they have space magic in their heads. And that’s going to come in dead useful once the wars start, because you have to remember - the Separatist army? They’re droids. You don’t have to worry about the biological effects of g-force maneuvers on droids. Who CARES about defensive measures. Life support systems? Unnecessary. Safety measures - only necessary in as much as you want to save money. So the fighters the Separatists are using are fast, and absolutely lethal. Once they get to you, there’s nothing you can do. So the name of air combat during the Clone Wars becomes, stop them before they can fucking get to you. Which means the name of the game in air combat becomes dogfighting.  And thus begins the arms race of the century. Because, the faster the Separatist tech becomes, the faster the Jedi need to be to circumvent it. They’re ridiculously outnumbered, too, so they can’t depend entirely on firepower - they need to be fast, the best of the best. So you get an upgraded Delta 7, which is the Delta 7b, and there’s not too many changes.  Then, partway through the war, the Separatist fighters become entirely automatic droids in of themselves. They can make calculations in seconds, they require nothing other than a computer and guns. So the Jedi go back to KSE. And KSE comes back with the ETA-2 light interceptor. This thing. This thing is what the A-wing wants to be when it grows up, when it comes to speed. Clocking in at speed capabilities of 1500 kph, this was even more dangerous than the A wing. No shields. Impossibly light armament. There’s a reason you only see the best Jedi fly these things - most notably, Anakin Skywalker. They’re so wild that by all rights they shouldn’t even exist. And this is what becomes THE ideal in a starfighter, because you want dogfights, this thing will give you dogfights like you have never seen before. This thing will make dogfights seem like leisurely strolls.
Overnight, the ETA-2 becomes the wet dream of every engineer and pilot this side of Wild Space. And every single fighter line produced after the ETA-2 for the next fifty years takes some measure of design inspiration from this model. The TIE fighter? Developed by Kuat engineers who switched to Sienar Fleet Systems once that manufacturer won the main Imperial contract. The A-wing? Modeled after the R-22 prototype which itself was modeled after the ETA-2. Even fighter lines which don’t take direct inspiration from the ETA-2 still take lessons learned from the “how 2 speed” playbook.  Except remember - the ETA-2 was developed exclusively for Jedi, who had literal wizard magic in their brains. The average person can’t handle the absolutely non-existent safety measures, the breakdowns, the power of these types of fighters. But the Jedi are gone - the average people are the only ones who survive. So you get massively increased casualties, huge supply costs, but dogfights are still the name of the game, and dogfights mean desperation, so nobody cares, and everything becomes about being faster, faster, faster. The TIE turns into the TIE interceptor. The RZ-1 turns into the RZ-2, which gets rid of shields and what little life support remained. War becomes not an analysis in the amount of life lost, but how fast you can make your enemy lose it. And that vast dehumanization does really dirty fucking things to pilots, and it does really dirty fucking things to engineering, and by the time of the sequels, you have pilots who think suicide fighting is the norm, you have Poe Dameron playing chicken with Star Destroyers, because what does it matter, that it puts squadrons at risk, if it wins them the day, what does it matter if they die, that’s what it means to fly anyways. 
It’s a really brutal example of how war progresses tech, but it’s also a brutal example of how that progression isn’t always a good thing, how that progression isn’t a progression, but an arms race. But hey, man. The more fighters destroyed, the more needed. The average A-wing sells for 175,000 credits a pop, and the Rebellion is willing to pay. And Kuat Drive Yards? 
They make a killing. 
749 notes · View notes
absinthe-and-tea · 3 years ago
Note
Hii, you wrote slashers and s/o with big boobs, but what about the opposite? S/o with small boobs who is insecure about that and feels less like a woman?
Btw I love your writing and your headcanons. They make my day ♥
Tumblr media
I myself have pretty tiny boobs soooo- also I got this request twice kinda so I hope you guys dont mind me putting them into one ❤ Also super happy you like my stuff!!
P.S. I got half way through this and had to start over cause Tumblr deleted my progress 🙃
Slasher HCs || S/O W/ Small Breasts
Warnings: N//SFW
Jason Voorhees
He loves you no matter what. Honestly he loves how small they are. They easily fit in his hands, making it easier to touch all of you in a shorter amount of time.
If he sees you're down about them, he'll wrap his arms around your waist and pick you up gently. He'll then proceed to cover them in kisses.
He can't speak so he often uses his hands or mouth to praise them in other ways.
Loves running his thumb over your nipple to watch the small bud harden from his touch.
When you're intimate with him he makes sure to give them lots of attention. He prefers using his hands, loving how soft they are.
He's always loved them so he'll always continue to touch them and whatnot.
Michael Myers
He's fairly indifferent about them. He prefers was anyways.
Doesn't really compliment them or pay much attention to them the first time you two are intimate.
He doesn't notice how you feel for a while but when he finds you criticizing them though, it's fair game.
Will start coming up behind you, running his hands up your sides and to your breasts to engulf them in his large hands and gently squeeze.
He loves messing with them, that includes lightly pinching them. But he loves using his mouth on the more. Beware, he will nip and bite just hard enough to get a reaction from you.
Even after he's convinced you they are perfect, he'll continue touching them abd whatnot cause he'll have realized how much he likes them on you.
Brahms Heelshire
He's a manchild. And it shows. He definitely prefers bigger but he's alright with small breasts too.
100% has an oral fixation. Meaning he'll suck on them a lot. Whether he's partially laying on your lap or if you're on his lap stradling him, he's gonna have his mouth on them.
He'll say something about wishing they were bigger, not thinking about how it would make you feel.
If you start wearing sweaters more often or staring into mirrors longer, silently judging yourself, he'll start to take notice.
He'll start to grope them more and give them more attention while whispering how much he loves them.
He's an ass sometimes. But he loves you and your body. He'll make sure you know it too.
The Other
He's not home often and when he is, he spends a lot of time with his daughter but the moment its just you two, he's immediately walking towards you like a predator stalking it's prey.
He doesn't care about your boob size at all or if you have a nice ads. He just loves you.
When you cuddle, he'll always have a hand under your shirt. Either resting on your tummy or one of your breasts. Usually the latter.
If he sees how much you resent them, he'll show his love for them and your vidy in general by getting you lingerie.
The moment he sees you in it, you're getting thrown on the bed and getting the best night of your life.
Prepare to always be worshipped.
Vincent Sinclair
He loves them. No matter what, you are his muse. His inspiration.
He loves putting his hands on your sides and gently running his thumbs underneath them, against your ribs. Almost like he's sculpting a masterpiece.
He adores that they are small because he can pull your body even closer to his. He loves feeling all of you.
He prefers using his hands on them but he will gladly suckle on them as well. He's a bit shy though so you'll have to tell him you want it.
Absolutely hates that you feel badly about habing small boobs. So, he'll make countless sculptures, paintings, and drawings of you. He'll have so many things of just you that it feels as though he knows your body better than yourself.
Bo Sinclair
Another ass man but a nice set tits is great too. And that includes yours.
He enjoys them. How soft they are especially. His hands are very rough from doing mechanic work on the side so he enjoys the difference in softness.
If you say anything bad about them or judge them, he'll sit you on his lap and suckle them until you're writhing on top of him from sensitivity.
Not afraid to grope you in front of others or slide his hand under your shirt. Your his and he'll make that known real quick.
Loves to leave bitemarks and bruises on them to show you how much he likes them and how much he fully claims them and you.
Lester Sinclair
He likes boobs in general. Small or not. He just really likes the soft mounds.
Loves the feeling of your soft, squishy flesh under his hands and your hardened nipple brushing against his palm.
Gets super wide-eyed and excited if you wear lingerie that lets your breasts hang out. He'll sit there in awe until you get on his lap.
The moment you're on him, he's on you. Licking and nipping them softly, his hands gently groping and squeezing.
His heaven is either his head between your legs or against your breasts so expect him in either place at least once a night.
Solomon Goode
He worships every bit of you. You are his love after all and he would do anything to make you happy.
He enjoys the fact he can hold you close to his chest without large breasts in the way.
Enjoys teasing you every so often when in passing or not busy with work around the house or garden.
Seeing you topless makes his throat go dry and he begins hesitantly walking to you. You'll have to give him the okay to touch you but once you do, his mouth is attached to one of your nipples. His hand moving to rub the other.
He loves your softness and the smell of flowers that seems to surround you without your knowing. Being so close to you and tasting you is intoxicating to him.
Will always compliment them when he gets a good view. He'll never let you feel down about yourself. And if someone does something to make you feel that way, oops. Where'd they go?
Harry Warden
He's so happy anytime he can touch them. For a while though he won't take his gloves off, afraid you'll find him repulsive.
Though once he does and he feels the soft flesh for the first time, he'll never want to let go.
He loves the small mounds almost as much as he hates Valentine's Day. Between the softness of your flesh and the way your nipples harden at his touch, he's completely addicted to them.
Enjoys covering them in kisses while he praises you and compliments you. You're his precious lover after all.
Expect him to compliment them every time he sees you once he realizes you think they aren't perfect. They are gorgeous. Just like you.
Bubba Sawyer
Absolutely loves them. He couldn't even mildly dislike anything about you. You're perfect in his eyes. He'll even make you sundresses that show them off perfectly.
Though be careful when wearing said sundress because he'll get distracted by you really quick, causing him to forget about his work.
When laying in bed he'll always have a hand on one of your breasts subconsciously. Not even on purpose most times, he just wants to hold you.
Definitely another with an oral fixation. He enjoys gently playing with your hardened nipples with his tongue when in a more intimate moment.
Won't publicly do anything like groping because he's a good boy but will attempt to compliment you. You'll know what he's trying to say when he does.
Thomas Hewitt
Very handsy with you once your relationship starts to take off. Your breasts being something that fascinates him despite the size.
When you two are cuddled up in bed he will lightly run his fingertips over them to watch the goosebumps form and your nipples harden.
His favorite thing to do is grab your sides and use his thumbs to rub the little nubs. His eyes will wonder from your breasts to your face, wanting to catch the faces you make.
After a while he'll attach his mouth to one, his eyes never leaving your face. He adores how much pleasure he can give you from something so small.
His opinion when you bring up how you feel about them is "Good things come in small packages."
Eddie Gluskin
Well you already have a one up on his exes. They didn't even have anything at all. Barely even mosquito bites.
He'll run his fingertips over the mounds, lightly pressing down to see the small squish it makes.
You're his perfect bride. His Darling. So different from the whores he was with before. Your body is something else to him.
The mounds may be small but boy does he praise them and cover them in affection.
If you ask, he'd be happy to add an modifications to your wedding dress to make you feel better about them.
Though he'll need to do a lot of... Researching... To make sure he gets the measurements right.
1K notes · View notes
chifuyuzu · 3 years ago
Text
leap of faith — sano manjiro x reader.
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
word count — 1.3k.
genre — fluff fluff fluff, i love sweet mikey.
contains — cursing, timeskip SPOILERS present, reader is gender neutral.
description — sano manjiro is in love with you, and he realizes how much he loves you at the ass crack of fuckin' dawn.
author's note — hey besties, this is my first published fic here, kinda short but mikey brain rot is heavy. i hope you enjoy this cute fic before i rip your hearts out with some angst in a few days :^) reblogs and likes are always appreciated! and please give me feedback in my inbox! hehe, enjoy.
Tumblr media
“it’s late.”
you know. but you still wanted to hear the sound of his voice before bed.
“mm… i missed ya’, is that a crime?” your voice echos through the receiver, the sound of your duvet crinkling in the background as you shift in place. sano manjiro was a busy man. always has been, always will be. being the leader of a biker gang was never easy—let alone some “new age” criminal organization.
you didn’t understand why manjiro persisted to play this game of russian roulette with his life. but it was never your place to overstep, especially since this was his life. it was all he knew, all he understood. you’re not sure what he’s doing, or if he’s even allowed to talk on the phone at this hour, but you still wanted to hear him. just so you know he’s alive and well.
you hear him chuckle, the sound of his feet scurrying against whatever floor his sandals were clacking against. the background noise that accompanied him earlier has dissipated; you realized he probably went outside to hear you better.
“your crime is loving a fool like me way too much. don’t think you’re sane.” he’s right. you’re actually crazy for even pursuing him. there was a lot of push and shove in the beginning, both parties scared of being hurt and getting hurt. but you were always there, even when manjiro went through whatever darkness was eating at his soul.
“crazy for you.”
“corny.”
“you love me.”
a pause. eerie enough to send shivers down your spine. why wasn’t he responding? did something happen? did you smother him too much? is he regretting—
“marry me.”
… not what you were expecting. especially not over the phone.
“sano manjiro, did you just propose over the phone? what kind of shitty rom-com are we in?”
“is that a no?”
“... never said that.” you wanted to marry him. but you wanted him to put that lifestyle behind, for the sake of the family you might have in the future. kids, dogs, cats, etcetera. you wanted him to be in, one hundred percent. but you knew he was too deep into this world to run now—especially since he’s so well-known as the ‘invincible mikey.’ you still longed for a happy home with manjiro, and a normal life.
“maybe you’re right. it’s not my style to ask you this over the phone.”
“try again later. when you’re really ready.”
the gag is, he is ready.
Tumblr media
manjiro hurries home, blond locks hidden underneath a thin, black hoodie. he’s shaking, like a pomeranian in the presence of fireworks. his hand meets the left side of his chest, back pressed up against the grey colored wall of your shared apartment as he slides down to sit on the floor. it was four in the morning, and manjiro was about to shit himself.
he gulps, eyes peering around for you, double checking that you were fast asleep before he makes a phone call. his fingers tapped the back of his iphone, impatiently waiting for the other caller to answer. though it was the crack of dawn, he still needed some moral support.
“mikey? fuck you callin’ for at this hour? haven’t heard from you in mo—”
“ken-chin. i’m proposing.”
a loud ‘flop’ rang through the receiver, accompanied by the bedsheets seemingly slipping underneath draken’s feet. it was a huge bomb to drop, especially when the duo has been separated for months on end. manjiro hears more shuffling, followed by a few curses. “you’re fucking lying. the one you’ve been one since—?”
“yeah. i’m crazy as hell. but i love them. head over heels. i’m a goddamn simp.”
“why the hell am i the first to know, man?”
“you’re m’best friend, even if i need to stay away from you. and, also… you’re not the first to know. i asked them already.”
“you WHAT? don’t fuckin’ tell me you did it some dumb way like over the pho— you did. you’re impulsive enough to do it like that, too.” regardless of how long it’s been, draken still knows and understands manjiro like nothing ever happened.
“yeah… not romantic. but i can’t see myself with anyone else. i trust no one else. but i… am…”
“scared? man, you’re the head of a criminal organization. ‘course you’re scared. you don’t want the love of your life… to get hurt…” his voice trails off and manjiro’s heart tenses even more. the memories of the past still felt fresh. all the people they lost in tokyo manji… could never be replaced. not in a million years.
but the living must live.
“i love y/n. never felt like this before. i’d quit everything. but i would have to make sure they’re safe and whatever future we have together is secure. i know i promised takemichi that i’d protect everyone and that future he worked so hard to save… but what about mine?”
manjiro really did sacrifice everything for his friends. being the type of person who carries everyone else’s burdens takes a toll on his mental. he felt selfish for wanting to leave it all behind. but maybe being selfish was beneficial once in a while.
“listen—”
“do you think i’m stupid?”
“mikey. you’re not stupid,” draken sighs, shuffling again in place. “you just want to love someone and be loved in return. nothin’ stupid about that. what is stupid though, is you proposing over the damn phone.”
he’s not wrong. it was a spur of the moment decision that could drastically change his life forever. but with you, he doesn’t care. as long as you’re his, forever.
“how do you think i should do it?”
“well. i guess, tell me some sappy shit. how do you feel about them, and whatnot.”
“i don’t think i could ever imagine me with anyone else. a lot of people have tried to grab my attention but i only have eyes for y/n. sometimes when shit gets real hard…” manjiro takes a deep sigh, fingers threading through his hair, tilting back the hood to let it fall onto his back. “i think of y/n and i remember that even in this shit world, someone is here for me. someone cares about me. they make me feel like i’m not alone anymore.
i have dreams ‘bout us, y’know? me and y/n… kids running around. a little mikey clone. pissin’ them off because we want little flags on our meals. going to the park and letting kids be kids. maybe i’ll teach ‘em at a dojo like gramps did for me and my siblings. maybe i’ll teach ‘em about bikes—with your help, of course.”
draken laughs, letting his friend continue his little speech as he gets comfortable in bed again. don’t think i’ve ever seen mikey like this, ever, draken muses.
“man, we can own a whole zoo if we wanted. chifuyu could hook us up, in secret, of course. still have to protect everyone,” manjiro is grinning from ear to ear, head resting against the wall. “i wanna grow old with them. honestly, i didn’t think i’d make it to my twenties. more so, i didn’t want to live past twenty-something. but now… things are different. wanna be old and gray. see grandkids terrorize our children. die together.”
the tension in manjiro’s chest has faded away, only left with warmth that only you could bring him. his free hand reaches into his pocket to fumble with a small box, snapping it open to reveal the engagement ring his grandfather handed down to him.
he wasn’t the marrying type. but for you, he was.
“that all? you sound good like that, man. make an exception and let us come to the wedding.”
manjiro wants that more than anything. his friends, you... all safe. all happy. but again, the fear creeps up. he doesn’t know what to do with himself if any of you get hurt.
“... how do i tell y/n that?”
“you already have.” your voice makes him jump, knocking the velvet box out of his fingers and onto the hardwood floor. his face pales, followed by a huge lump forming at his throat when he sees your figure emerge from your shared bedroom.
“i-uh… i thought you were a-asleep.” manjiro mumbles, earning a huge laugh from draken on the other side. he hears him say something along the lines of ‘my cue to leave. good luck. send me an invite.’
“i was waiting for you.” 
he’s sweating now, a small bead forming at the base of his neck. his phone is now at his side, the screen flashing from draken’s caller id to the lockscreen photo of you on your first date together, a few years back. your eyes zone into the box, though.
“i was going to do this… better. god, i fucked up, huh?”
you’re laughing now, rubbing your tired eyes before you join him near the wall, picking up the box. “what makes you think that, dummy?”
now he’s confused. you wanted him to ask when he was serious, but in his head, serious meant rose petals, candles, someone singing celine dion in the distance.
without a word, you slip the ring onto its appropriate finger, holding up to the small rays of sunlight that peaked through the window from the approaching sunrise. manjiro’s hands fly up to your face, holding his whole world in his hands. his eyes are shiny, on the brink of tears. you nudge your noses together, foreheads connecting tenderly. your hands hooked onto the hem of his hoodie, bringing his frame closer as you whisper a soft ‘yes.’
“yes?”
“yes, i’ll marry you.”
manjiro’s lips curl up into the silliest grin you’ve ever seen him sport, before he presses a soft kiss to your lips. now he’s kissing you quite desperately. as if he’s trying to make sure you’re real, that this isn’t a dream. you feel his words vibrate against your lips, “gonna make you so happy, i promise. i love you. i love you so, so much.”
“forevermore.”
“forever yours.”
371 notes · View notes