#by nerfed i mean just turned it off right when it started getting notes

[mildmayfoxe]

they nerfed my blaze again

[greentrickster]

@caspertheloudassghost In this universe the old peak lords all ascended right? I imagine the only reason SQH’s vacation lasted this long was due to his officials, finally giving up on understanding SQH’s organized chaos, desperately try to get his Shizun to decode it to not ruin SQH’s first vacation in two millennia. “You re-raised him right? You should know his filing system right? Right?!” (His filing system is entirely based around a version of Microsoft excel that only he can run. He knew this when he left)

XD XD XD Okay, canon on the Microsoft excel idea! But, unfortunately for the Heavenly Officials, they were not brought into being by a particularly lawful god. Meaning that, while they know that their Lord is incarnated somewhere in the world... they have no idea who, where, or even exactly why, because he told them exactly None Of That, specifically so they couldn't interfere.

Not even because they're busybodies or obnoxious coworkers, but because the Heavenly Officials are the original assistants that Airplane made for himself in this world once it got more complicated than he wanted to deal with on his own. As a result, while they're quite good at their jobs (and can manage a very respectable amount of Heaven's filing, just not anything in Airplane's personal system) and very pleasing to look at, they're also a bit clingy. Because they were made by a lonely young man who was mostly ignored by everyone around him in his first life, so who can blame him for wanting to be around people who also wanted to be around him?

Thinking about it, in a way this trip to the mortal world to be Shang Qinghua was probably at least partially for the sake of these original, highest-ranked Heavenly Officials alongside Airplane wanting to take a vacation and experience the Plot firsthand. The celestial equivalent of parents leaving their older kids in charge of the younger kids, the pets, and the house for a week while they go off on a vacation or business trip or what-have-you. A chance to test themselves a little without the person/people in charge on hand, to grow as an individual and an adult. And the Heavenly Official coming down to beg Airplane for help was the equivalent of said teens having to phone their parents five days in because the dog got into something it probably shouldn't have, and it'll probably be fine, but there is also the sudden and very real fear of "Oh gods, what if we accidentally kill the dog?" Basically a chance for them to exert some independence and grow on their own for a little, with an unexpected 'I need an adultier adult' situation popping up a decent way in.

As for SQH's ascended master, you're right, he would probably have been able to help with the filing system at least a little... if anyone had thought to show it to him. As it was, cultivators have been ascending for centuries, the Heavenly Officials have no reason to believe that this latest batch from Cang Qiong know anything more about their vacationing boss than any other human. Heck, the only reason Shang Qinghua gets found is because Shen Qingqiu sees some notes in pinyin during his ten-year check-in as to how he's settling into his new role of God of the Ninth Road (full AU here if you haven't tripped over that segment yet), and he comments on it (on the grounds that he'd been under the impression that it was just some made-up writing system his shidi had invented).

In an amusing twist, the issue that necessitated the Heavenly Officials to crack and call upon Airplane for help? Turning off Binghe's Protagonist Halo. Because the 'story' is over now, so no need for a protagonist, and it's not going to particularly nerf him or anything, just make him less center-of-attention-the-world-literally-revolves-around-me. Long term it's even going to be a good thing, because it'll allow Binghe and Shen Yuan to settle into a life together without having to deal with a new Plot Arc starting every month or two. It's for the best for everyone.

Except all the upper Officials have been through everything over a dozen times, and no one can figure out how to make it stop, Airplane left at least some instructions before he left and all the signs point to it being time to turn off the halo and he forgot to include instructions on how to do that, please don't leave out key information, your excellency-!!!

[jswahaarts]

The Gathering 1/4: “Cold”

——————

Summary: A group of Jedi Younglings begin their journey to find their Kyber Crystals.

Word Count: 1749

Authors Note: Just a lil silly story with my ocs lol!! (also including my friends ocs :] )

——————

-28 BBY, Ilum -

“[I’m cold…]” Yaupé grumbled quietly. Well. As quiet as a wookiee could be. Which wasn’t very quiet at all. He was loud, in fact. Very loud.

“YOU’RE cold??” Cara whispered harshly, turning to her best friend, “You? The wookiee?”

“[Wookiees can get cold!]”

“Can not! You guys have all that fur!”

“[Uh! can too! Even with all this fur!]”

The two glared at one another. Of course, Cara knew wookiees were capable of getting cold. Heck, Yaupé was right here, buuuut… she couldn’t help messing with him. It was too much fun.

“Can not!”

“[Can too!!]”

“Can not!”

“[Can t—!!!]”

“Yaupé! Cara!” Master Yoda’s voiced called onto the two youngling. The two slowly turned their heads towards the Jedi Grand Master as their eyes opened wide. “Have something to say the two of you do? Hm?” He asked. It was easy to tell from the short green aliens tone that he was definitely annoyed at the two, which suprisingly wasn’t a rare occurance for them. By this point, everyone in the room had their eyes on them awaiting their response.

Kriff. This wasn’t good. They didn’t just interrupt a speech. They interrupted a MASTER YODA speech; meaning they could either be in for a long and boring lecture after this, OR he was totally gonna quiz them right now if they tried lying by saying they were paying attention—which they were’nt, so that could go equally as bad and earn them a lecture regardless.

The two younglings shot quick worried glances at one another before their eyes landed back on Master Yoda. Fearing the lecture, Cara quickly bowed apologetically, being as ‘Jedi-like’ as possible, “Apologies, Master Yoda, It won’t happen again!!”

Yaupé looked at the human girl, before following her lead, doing the same.

“[Yeah! Sorry, Master, we promise it won’t happen again!!!]”

“Hmm…” Master Yoda grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could hear the other younglings snickering at the human and the wookiee. At least they apologized though. That was something. “Saying, I was…” The old master sighed, starting again, “To protect others, how does a Jedi? Hmm?”. He looked around, making sure that all the younglings were really paying attention, before pulling out his lightsaber, igniting it, its green light bouncing off his olive green skin and reflecting off the ice and snow.

“The lightsaber.” He answered. “Build your own lightsabers in time, you will, but first, harvest your own crystal you must.”

The group of younglings all murmered to one another in excitement, expressing their clear enthusiasm with “No way!!”’s and “Heck yeah!”’s, along with two younglings who whispered; ‘Called it!’ and ‘No you didn’t, nerf-for brains!’. Master Yoda couldn’t help but smirk. If they were’nt listening before, they sure were now.

“The heart of a lightsaber, the Kyber Crystal is.” Master Yoda continued. “Focuses the Force from the Jedi it does…” He said, before raising his hands hand towards the sky. Master Yoda closed his eyes gently, focusing as he used the Force to open a window within the temple. When opened, a beam of light was shot from the outside into a crystalized contraption, hanging overhead, that reflected that beam into the tall icey doorway in front of the group, melting it all in seconds, and exposing the entrance to the caves where the younglings are to go for their crystals.

“If Jedi you are to become, enter the crystal cave you must.” Master Yoda started again, looking at each of the younglings. “Trust yourselves. Trust eachother, and succeed you will.”

~

As the water from the melted door cleared, the younglings stood by the entrance to the ice caves, listening to the instructions of Padawan Leonie as she explained the do’s and don’t’s for the ice caves. Everyone seemed to be paying much more attention to her than they did to Master Yoda during the beggining part of his speech.

“—Oh! And one last thing;” She said. “Once you find your crystals, DO NOT remain inside the caves. As soon as daylight ends, the door will freeze over once again and you WILL be trapped inside…”

As soon as she said that, everyone looked at one another, making sure they all heard the same thing. “Uhh… I have a question?” Tomar announced, raising a hand, instantly catching the padawans attention. “How long would we be trapped for?”

“One rotation.”

It took a moment for the group to process what Leonie had just said, before-

“One rotation???” Everyone called out in unison. One rotation? here?? Their hearts sank just at the thought of it… staying in some old and creepy ice temple on some snow planet for the night???

“Yes. One rotation.” Leonie confirmed. “Now… that’s everything! Wishing you all the best of luck!!” She concluded with a cheery smile and a supportive thumbs up towards the group.

“Huh? wait, but-??” Khad’ started speaking.

“No ‘but’s’! Now go! Hurry before the door starts reforming!” She rushed, her hands doing a ‘shooing’ motion towards them. The group all shot frantic glances at one another before they rushed into the ice caves, finally starting their journey to get their Kyber Crystals.

~

Inside the Ilum temples ice caves, all that could be heard were the footsteps of the Jedi younglings as they moved along, their boots crunching at the snow beneath them, as well as the sound of crackling ice every so often. It was cold. Dark, and almost creepy with all the old frozen-over architecture among the cave walls. It was also kinda hard to walk, the floor was super slippery. Nevertheless, the younglings persisted.

Everyone, for the most part, was quiet, their thoughts mostly caught up on the whole ‘door freezing over’ bit that Leonie talked about and silently hoping to the Force that they find their crystals in time before that happened.

“So…” Tomar started, breaking the long moment of silence and catching everyones attention. “Out of everyone here, who’s more likely to get trapped inside the caves?”. It was typical of Tomar to try and bring some humor or ‘what if’ scenario into a situation, but, it lightened the mood so everyone was welcome to it. Everyone answered with the first person that came to their mind;

“Khad’.” Said Cara.

"[Khad’.]” Said Yaupé.

“Khad’.” Said Eyre.

They all looked towards Aras, who signed ‘Khad’’.

“WHAT!! WHY ME??” Khad’ shouted, his voice bouncing across the cave walls.

“Ehh… you just seem like the type to get stuck in an ice cave for a day.” Cara shrugged, a smirk plastered across her face.

Everyone seemed to nod along in agreement to Cara, leaving Khad’ dumbfounded.

“Well— she’s not wrong.” Tomar snickered.

“Shut up!! Kriff you guys!! If I get stuck here I hope you all get stuck here with me!!”

Seeing the twi’lek’s over-the-top reaction made the rest of the younglings howl in laughter, their snorts, snickers and roars echoeing across the cave walls, much to Khad’s annoyance. After walking further into the cave and getting a few more giggles out, the laughter soon vanished as the group approached what seemed to be the caves first obstacle for them. Before them lied three different openings within the cave. Peering into each one, they all seemed to look the exact same; long, dark and icey tunnels that the younglings could only assume lead right into the path to find their crystals. But… there were 6 of them and 3 tunnels. How were they going to go about this?

“Sooooo… what now?” Eyre spoke after a moment of everyone just standing there.

“[Hmm…]” Yaupé scratched his chin fur as he thought about what next step they could all take. There were three caves so, naturally, splitting up would be the best option right?Wait… no. No, they can’t split up! They could get lost- HE could get lost or hurt or WORSE!! And to add to that, none of them really knew what dangers they could even face in these caves! The more he thought about it, the more he just didn’t wanna risk it. “[Maybe… we should try sticking toge-]”

“We should split up!” Khad’ declared. Everyones eyes turned to the twi’lek. “Hear me out! See, there’s six of us and three caves, we can just split up and go into one of em with a partner!” Khad’ explained. “Then BAM! We find our crystals and make our cool and awesome sabers, easy peasy!!”

“That could work!” Cara agreed. Everyone in the group seemed to take a liking to the idea. Which was suprising cause it was a Khad’ idea. But a good one nevertheless. They almost felt bad for clowning on him earlier. Almost. “Heck yeah it will!!” Khad’ babbled eagerly, mostly just happy at the fact that his friends liked an idea of his. “Say, Aras, wanna be my partner?” He asked, nudging the Togruta by the arm. Aras smiled nodding their head ‘yes’ as Khad’ cheered, “Alright!! C’mon!” as he grabbed their hand, pulling them along into the one of the three tunnels in front of them.

“[Wait! But—!”]

“Hey, Eyre, wanna-”

“HECK YEAH!! Let’s go!!” Eyre didn’t even let Tomar finish asking them before they grabbed his arm and practically dragged him into the second cave that was in front of them. “Later losers!!!” Eyre’s voice called out, their voice echoeing through the caves walls. “Hey!! Waitwaitwaitwait!!!, slow down!!” Echoed Tomar’s voice behind them, going further and further into the tunnel, away from Cara and Yaupé.

Yaupé could only make a low grunting sound as he watched what just unfolded in front of him.

“Well…” Cara began, “Can’t blame ya for trying to keep everyone together.” She snickered. Yaupé couldn’t help but snicker along with her. Cara’s energy was just contagious like that.

“Sooo… any chance you wanna be my partner? By default?” She asked.

“[Hmm…]” Yaupé pretended to think, putting a hand to his chin. “[Ehh… I dunno if you’re cool enough to be my partner…]”

Cara fake-scoffed, playfully hitting Yaupé on the arm, “Shut up!” She chuckled, immedietly making the both of them giggle.

“We should get going—I wanna get my crystal before they do!” Cara half-joked, tapping at the wookiee.

“[Mm!]” Yaupé nodded with a newfound spark of confidence. With Cara by his side, he knew that the two of them could get through anything this cave had to throw at them! And with that, and a quick “C’mon!” from Cara, the two started into the third and last tunnel in front of them.

_______________________________________________

Leonie Luroon belongs to: @jaigeye !!

Eyre Brraven Belongs to: @circadianaa !!

(Thanks for letting me borrow your kids, besties! 💚)

The Bg’s are edited screencaps from The Clone Wars !!

[drainowl]

I've run out of sketch work I feel somewhat proud of posting, looks like I'm actually gonna have to get to work if I wanna have something worth presenting.

Sadly I have no grand revelations or thoughts to share as I spent most of the week indulging myself and playing video games, particularly Dark Souls 2. One small notable thing I did was open Godot game engine and program a first person character controller, of course its rather primitive and doesn't feel good to control, so I still have a long way to go before I have anything close to a game but I'm still gonna use this as a dump for design notes based on my opinion of Dark Souls 2 for future reference. Not that I'm even making a game akin to Dark Souls in anyway.

So starting off Dark Souls 2 feels like a fan game that missed the point of the original mechanics and narrative and just went overboard. The main progression of the game has many obscure and arbitrary objectives that practically require a guide to find. The first game also had this problem when it came to some of its deeper mechanics and optional content but not along its main progression path, completely blocking players not in the know as well as destroying the pacing and flow when you inevitably have to stop and look up a guide.

The UI on item pickups only shows the name and category icon rather than the small preview of the first game. Together with the increased amount of pickups, players are often overwhelmed with items that build little intrigue to use them. Making for a big, cluttered inventory of unused items and equipment.

The feeling of creating an interconnected, coherent world that can be learnt and in turn rewards players for doing so is lost from the first game and replaced with mostly linear runways that build up in the warp menu, slowly making it more bloated and hard to navigate. The warp mechanic really just exists as a crutch for the level design, as well as breaking the pacing of the game when your forced to warp back to the hub area to level.

The combat has become far slower, the enemy AI nerfed. The dodge roll feels particularly harmed, although it could be argued it was due a nerf. Its animation gets little distance, making it feel awkward to use, the invincibility frames gained from a dodge are tied to a stat that is not explained to players, meaning new players main form of defense is removed in a way that is hidden from them, this is insanely frustrating. For players that know about the stat, it is given priority in character building, making player choice less emphasized and builds more uniform.

Bosses, which I though were a highlight of the first game. In Dark Souls 2, bosses are often easily cheesed by walking around them, attacking, then healing if they manage to land a hit, as often they just leave big gaps of time in-between attacking for players to do so. Often times you'll fight a boss only to die and realize you don't have the MacGuffin to beat them, which once again is often left unexplained, souring all the bosses and making them feel more like a cheap trick rather than the actual test of raw skill they were in the original Dark Souls.

The new healing system, honestly isn't all to bad. life gems are easily obtained and abused, not great for balance but for a game with poor balance anyway, its a decent remedy. The actual nerf and added progression of regular healing/Estus at first feels like a mistake... which yea it is, players need more than 1 Estus to make it through the hordes of enemies the game throws out in the first level. At least feels like a step in the right direction for the balancing of the game, giving the player more renewable healing as they progress. I wouldn't be surprised if the wide range of healing options available to players at any given time is why the balance is so off throughout the game as opposed to Dark Souls 1s more reserved approach to healing.

Now that I've run out of actual gameplay mechanics to complain about and could really only nit pick from here on, ill touch on the story. Its the same story as Dark Souls 1 spelt out through an annoying, on the nose and mostly forgettable bloated cast of characters.

I disliked Dark Souls 1 as I played through it, but as I looked back, I realized most of my problems stemmed from my bad decision making in a world that left so much choice up to the player and my own lack of perception. As I learned and became better it slowly made its way into my favorite games list... The word "most" should be emphasized, there are some moments of genuinely horrible design, but I thought the same might be true for Dark Souls 2 which is why I gave it so much time to win me over and went on to beat it. But sadly, it just ended up becoming a further lesson in poor design. Although I know there are many people who enjoy it, I personally would not recommended.

[knchins]

Tokyo Revengers - Sex Positions (Part 2)

Pairing: Sanzu x Reader, Inui x Reader, Angry x Reader, Smiley x Reader, Hakkai x Reader, Kazutora x Reader, Izana x Reader, Ran x Reader, Rindou x Reader, Mikey x Reader

Reader Type: AFAB, Gender Neutral. Neutral pet names used (baby, sweetness, etc)

Rating: M/E+

Word Count: ~1.3k

Warnings: 18+, vaginal sex, fingering, cunnilingus, corruption kink, choking, praise kink, restraints, impact play, degradation, cream pies, breeding kink (sorry I have 0 self control), a lot of cum, sadism, overstimulation, drug use mentions, dacryphilia, mind break / dumbification, edging

Notes: I finished this in time to advertise for my request event! You can request more TR content until December 24th! Just go to my event page for more info! I would link it but I don't want to be nerfed out of the tags....Also this is a part two! Find part one on my messily put together masterlist <3 Everyone is aged up appropriately.

Haruchiyo Sanzu

The king of corruption kink. He’ll turn any sweet and innocent cutie into a cum slut. His favorite way to pound into you is from behind, both of you on your sides. One hand holds your thigh up while the other is wrapped around your throat, squeezing just the right way. He’ll definitely supply you with all the best substances to make the experience that much better.

His name was stuck in your throat as it constricted in his grip. His thrusts are hard and deep as his blunt nails dig into your thigh. “What a dumb little slut you are.” He sneers into your ear, “you’d do anything for this dick, wouldn’t you? Bet you can’t even get off unless you’re high.” Your head spun as his grip relaxed and blood rushed to your head, the sensation causing another orgasm to rip through your body.

Seishu Inui

Inui is normally pretty soft and sensual but when he really gets going then his favorite position to fuck you in is the seashell- granted it takes a bit of practice and flexibility training. Feet by your face as he holds your thighs down, similar to mating press but not quite the same. The angle he hits when you’re in that position is just perfection.

The head of his penis relentlessly rubbed against that sweet spot inside of you, the tip nearly kissing your cervix when he was all the way into the hilt. “Seishu,” You whimper, and the look on your face is nothing short of divine. His blue eyes bore into yours as he only starts to move faster, urging you to reach your peak.

Souya Kawata (Angry)

Souya’s favorite way to fuck you is a missionary with your legs wrapped around his waist. He loves to watch your face and body as he rams into you, your moans sweet music to his ears. He wants nothing more than for you to cum on repeat while he’s mesmerized by your beauty.

He pistoned into you again at a tender pace, fast but fluid, and with every ounce of care he could muster. “You’re so pretty, sweetheart.” He hums as your eyes roll back. His thumb moves to press against your clit, rubbing lightly as to not overstimulate you. “Look at you, about to cum already.” His praises make you clench tightly around him, urging him to increase his pace.

Nahoya Kawata (Smiley)

Unlike his brother, Nahoya’s favorite position is doggy style. He doesn’t need to see your face as long as you’re crying out for him. His hands are tightly gripping your hips as he fucks you like a rabbit in heat. He is quite relentless and very high energy, and one round is never enough.

“Nahoya, slow down!” You whine as he laughs, his dick slamming into you ever harder. He doesn’t know the meaning of slow down. Your whimpers and whines are enough to tell him how much you’re enjoying him dicking you down so thoroughly. Another orgasm has your toes curling as eyes tearing as he cums inside so much that it rushes out from around the base of his dick.

Hakkai Shiba

Despite his sweet and sometimes timid nature, Hakkai’s favorite thing to do is to fuck you on top of Mitsuya’s work table. The threat of his friend walking in at any moment, the thought of someone hearing the two of you go at it just makes him fuck you harder. Sex is always best when the door is unlocked and Mitsuyu could be back from lunch at any moment.

“Hak-Hakkai!” You cry as he rolls his hips into you over and over. The old table beneath you is squeaking and you’re sure the people below can hear the noise. He’s whispering obscenities into your ear, telling you how pretty you look underneath him. You can’t help but cum when you hear the stairs creaking with someone’s heavy footsteps, Hakkai spilling inside of you just in time to not get caught.

Kazutora Hanamiya

Though he comes with more baggage than you could possibly carry, Kazutora is a very good lay and so you find yourself at his doorstep more often than not. He loves to have your ankles on his shoulders as he fucks you into oblivion. Be careful though, he doesn’t have a good sense of when to stop. Safe words are a must.

His long dick rammed into you again and again as he fucked you into oblivion. Your mind was blank as nothing but nonsensical noises came out of your mouth so that words were no longer intelligible. “Gone stupid already?” He sneers as his fingers move to abuse your clit. “Dumb flifthy cunt. Is this all you’re good for?” You whimpered out a yes as he started to thrust even faster.

Izana Kurokawa

Izana craves a family and thus always wants to fuck you in a mating press, filling you with as much cum as your pussy can hold. Breeding kink doesn’t even begin to cover his feral need to impregnate you as many times as he possibly can. Luckily he is quite adept at making you cum, making it all worthwhile.

“Fuck, you’re squeezing me so tight, my little cum dumpster.” Izana cooed as he slapped your thigh. “Gonna cum again, dirty little whore?” You whimpered and nodded, pulsating around him as you came again. He pressed his tip against your cervix as he came into you, filling you with yet another load.

Ran Haitani (solo)

Ran’s lazy smile can be deceptive, especially when he’s royally pissed off about something you said or did. Bad days usually end up with you being tied to a bed with him taking turns overstimulating you with his fingers and mouth until you cry. Only using his dick when he sees those large salty tears fall down your cheeks.

“You really thought you could get away with being a fucking tease, didn’t you, doll?” Ran said in a voice that portrayed his frustration as he thrust into you wildly, your face wet with tears and snot as you begged for the release of another orgasm. The hours of edging having exhausted the fight from you, the need for him to go harder, faster, deeper, anything to make you cum. You cried out his name again and again until you were finally creaming all over his cock.

Rindou Haitani (solo)

The younger Haitani brother is even more sadistic, he favors chaining you to an x-cross with your stomach against the fine wood as he hits you with whatever he feels to use in his vast arsenal of paddles, floggers, and whips. Not a huge fan of your tears and will stop if you start to cry too much (and will comfort you, it’s the least he can do). When your ass is bright red, he’ll finally fuck you against the cross to give you that sweet, sweet endorphin release.

He thrust into you without much warning, your dripping pussy accepting him eagerly as you whimpered his name. You hadn’t even come down from the high of being flogged yet, but now you were feeling a whole different kind of euphoria. His hand came to your throat, squeezing lightly as he increased his pace. “You better not cum yet,” He hissed into your ear, “I’ll punish you even more if you do, sweetness.”

Manjiro Sano (Mikey - alternate)

Mikey is a simple man that loves one thing. Titties. Any size and shape will do, he’s not picky in what they look like as long as he can stare at them while he fucks you. Or rather, while you fuck him. On top and facing him in a lotus position, usually on a couch so he can sit up with ease while you ride him. You should probably remind him to wear a condom though because his pullout game is weak.

“My, my aren’t you pretty bouncing up and down like that.” Mikey cooed as he watched your tits move with every roll of your hips. His eyes fixated on just how perfect they looked no matter what you were doing. His cock throbbed inside of you, hips jerking upwards lazily to hear the cute little whine that escaped your throat whenever you did. “That’s a good baby, you’re doing so great.”

Don't forget to check out my birthday event! Ciao!

[douxie-casperan]

Rise of the Titans and the assassination Hisirdoux Casperan’s character development

I’ve been ranting so much since Wednesday morning that I finally condensed by thoughts of WHY this one subject keeps setting me off namely the utterly diabolical way they handled Douxie and Archie’s relationship in Rise of the Titans and how it wasn’t just enough to hit him with the nerf bat.

Please note I’m at the point where I literally cannot tell the difference between Aaron headcanons, Teny headcanons and my own they are all mixed together in the blender that does funky things. I also apologise for typo/weird wording it’s half 1 in the morning and I’d rather sleep than edit.

~

If asked to sum up Hisirdoux Casperan there are certainly several things that come to mind:

Sees the value in people as a whole and will find do anything if there is a chance of help someone out

Prefers tactics that disable/banish rather than kill an enemy yet willing and able to pull the trigger if circumstances become forced

While not academically inclined he is very capable of thinking on his feet and outside the box calling back to his time on the streets where a split-second decision making is the difference between being caught and not

Terrible at planning he’ll be in there figuring it out as he goes along which is what makes the previous point so vital to literally how he goes through life

A natural charmer that would let him talk his way out of trouble 9/10 providing a perfect cover for his distrustful nature and reluctance to be touched by random people

Very down to earth, humble and never one to brag unless outright sassing someone

Will bang out some hot tunes at the drop of a hat, his love of music has never wavered once since he caught the bug despite instrument hopping ironically becoming a jack of all trades much like his magic style

The earliest memories he can recall are him as a young boy lost in the woods where he was for an unknown amount of time before his soon to be familiar finds him amongst the roots covered in dirt and drying tears, there is nothing before that. Unbeknownst to him is the colour of his magic matches the blue of a lost mother’s eyes and the song that haunts his nightmares as much as fire could well be hers though there is no way to be sure. From that moment on Archibald, shortened to Archie, would become his entire world and their friendship only becoming closer during the years they prowled Camelot together trying to keep themselves in one piece until the fateful day Douxie tricks the wrong person leading him straight into the path of the famous wizard Merlin Ambrosius.

It's no real secret that Merlin is a very closed off person who keeps his emotions as well guarded as his secrets, prefers the style of negative reinforcement over positive encouragement and is a very strict perfectionist in his. At this point in his life he can be very easily described as a disaster that is genuinely doing his best with every little mistake held of his head and his future self when brought back to that time period is belittled by Lancelot (Errand boy) and Arthur (Boy) too meaning it’s hardly a wonder his confidence was very fragile revelling in the times where he could do things without being told off for it. With Morgana largely ignoring him too (Though personally I like to think as he got older she’d occasionally take an interest until the blistering arguments with their master started to talk over daily life) a certain disguised dragon would have remained a lifeline and give that physical affection he craved much like being told he’d done well never seemed able to earn.

With Killahead he’d lose that home and family he made leaving just the two of them behind struggling to figure out their place in the world that had abandoned them.

There wouldn’t have been the words for it back then but the way he had been treated prior was outright abusive instilling very bad habits into Douxie yet by irony he was always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt and help those in trouble without thinking earning a reputation as the Shepard of Fire. He refused to become like him seeking to be better, perhaps not as a wizard (Even though he was learning new charms and spells along the way) but certainly as a person. Despite everything he suffers through or witnesses in the intervening years, the loss of friends and kindling of far newer ones he never loses his good heart 

That said is it any wonder that after rightfully sassing Merlin for resurfacing, ignoring his existence despite being in the same town and only visiting him to run a finding errand that all the confidence he’d managed to build completely from scratch after Camelot wavered causing him to fall back solely into trying impressing his old Master who was acting like his humble apprentice must have coasted the past few centuries who himself fell back into old habits of belittling? It’s only when Merlin started to truly listen and acknowledge that this was not the same Moppet he once knew after Excalibur was fixed that their relationship finally started to become more like equals. After the defeat of Janus the changeling that broke into the castle he touched Douxie’s shoulder with a genuine smile and for a second he simply didn’t know what to do because the old man never did this before his brain kicked into gear and realised he’d finally earned that one thing he’d been so desperate for his entire life: That in Merlin’s eyes he could be more than a failure who only caused problems for the closest thing to a father figure he’d ever had, never solved them.

A staff will be earned, history would be set back on trap by banishing Morgana tag teaming with Archie because they know one another inside and out, as promised he’d get the kids back to the present but soon after things would go badly wrong. They’d lose Jim and because of his very nature he’d make a gamble to try and get him back because that life is worth trying for just for in a moment of surprising selflessness Merlin would be sacrificed to save him. The only constant in his life apart from Archie would apologise, openly express pride and how the greatest thing he’d ever done was saving this orphan, call him son for the first and final time before turning into ash in his arms. There would be no time to grieve for things will barrel into the crescendo of Douxie sacrificing his own life to buy everyone time to escape because if they did that everything he’d ever done would be worth it with one last whispered goodbye.

(Zoe sees him fall, so does Archie – His heart would break if he was conscious just like theirs does when his body crumples into the ground)

On the very fringes of the Light Realm he is gifted one more conversation with Merlin in a truly heart-breaking sequence (THANKS TENY) where they can just talk without any fear of consequence or politics and just be completely honest. Douxie is allowed to stand equal to Merlin, to have the hug he’d needed since he was a child and be allowed to simply let go of every pretense and cry his heart out because this can never happen again. He’s allowed to say goodbye to both his master and Morgana who had both shaped so very much of his life but like the painting he’d always remained firmly in the long shadows of until that moment.

When Hisirdoux Casperan finally leaves Wizards if we just accidently deliberately put the shawarma back in along with checking in with Zoe before departure, it is with having learned to live during his wandering years but this is the point of true freedom because he can finally escape into his own light with Archie by his side to keep Nari out of the hands of those that would see the world harmed. It won’t be easy but it feels possible somehow even with the knowledge everything is simply running on borrowed time.

Then Rise of the Titans happens.

At first everything is genuinely fine! No more running, they engineer a solution shut the Order’s magic down to make them a lot less dangerous and potentially at least incapacitate them until they can come up with a longer-term solution but all the best laid plans and all that. Douxie’s quick thinking stops the train from crushing any of the people below and it’s a very him style move to switch places with Nari to stall for time because for some reason the plot disabled Claire from portaling her or any of the threatened people/heroes to safety. He openly sasses the Order despite knowing the consequences will be bad for him because once again he’s managed to trick them, buy time that at the other end isn’t even slightly utilised until he’s forced back into his own body in excruciating pain. Archie immediately mobs him with comfort just as he has done every single time the wizard is distressed or collapsed with exhaustion without thinking because that is what their bond is like, incredibly close and far more than the Soul Bond mark that connects them together. They’re very alike in that regard, you have to earn the right to touch while equally knowing exactly what form the other needs the most in that precise moment in a way very few others could.

Bar the moment of figuring out that an illusion is in place to hide where the Order is opening the Genesis Seals and the brief insistence on reconnecting with Nari somehow Douxie manages to forget everything that makes him who he is after this point choosing to stand in the background being very no thoughts head empty or can only use the most basic spells of his youthful days not the seasoned master wizard he should be. Nomura is treated like an innocent slip rather than an outright death he did absolutely nothing to prevent (Not to mention the stupid daytime thing) nor seems to care particularly about afterwards yet with Nari’s he’s allowed to openly grieve in a gorgeously animated visual showing how he’d failed to keep her safe despite everything. He did nothing to help here either mind despite allowing himself to be tortured in the same piece of media to keep her safe, just watched another loss happen right in front of his eyes in his conga long line of them.

Then there’s Archie, oh god then there was Archie.

The dragon who even here he’d been shown to have an incredibly close bond with him decides you know what sod that tell him goodbye I’m going to make a joke about having a kingdom now dad and me are trapped in here forever. Douxie on his part looked sad for all of three seconds saying that he hoped he��s happy like it's a pet that wandered out into the world one day and never came back instead of a lifelong companion that has been there for as long as he can remember. He was now completely alone in the world since Zoe was also written out entirely and because every bit of his background had been forgotten about it somehow meant nothing. This wasn’t “I know you miss him, I know you need to grieve but you are running out of time” moment like things had been with Charlie, this was “cool shapeshifting dragon cat is now stuck in a plot hole that’s a shame” with zero pay off or any of the genuine reaction that should have been there or hell even trying to Ohana him back that very second because it never should have happened in the first place. Then even this wasn’t enough somehow, they managed to de-power Douxie even further into uselessness bar the (Admittedly nifty!) sticky feet stunt, the one who fought Skrael and Bellroc to a stalemate was shunted aside with barely a thought and his head would somehow get even emptier.

The one person who knew the danger of time magic the most stood by and said nothing.

The one person who would suffer the most by a reset because the lynchpin to his issues would be asleep if you got it wrong and should have drilled it into Jim’s head the best time to aim for stood by and said nothing.

The one person who had just suffered the loss of his familiar, best friend and only family along with the almost sister like Nari stood by and said nothing.

Then to add further insult to injury the caption when Douxie and Archie is shown says Some go their entire lives living an existence of quiet desperation because every drop of his character growth, his ability to finally start addressing his trauma instilled back in the 12th century, the staff he longed for was instead openly mocked by going “Aww he got his cat friend back how nice!” Everything he’d rightfully earned and had now would be unable to progress until certain criteria are met because it hinges entirely on the Trollhunter going to Merlin’s tomb and there’s only so much your support network of two (One if she’s written out) can do, the root of the majority of his issues all stem from one man.

And this folks is why I’ve been going on multiple rants about Douxie in particular, everyone was hit with the out of character bat to some degree in this film but when they came for him they didn’t just stop after they took his legs out because they wanted him to suffer from something he’s never had any control over to begin with all over again. Abuse survivors deserve better, these characters deserve better and we as viewers deserve far far better writing than we were forced to endure.

[americangirlstar]

Now that both Courtney books are out and I’ve read and processed them both, I do want to say that I think they’re the least well-written of any of the AG books, but not through any fault of their own- let me explain.

(Note that for this discussion I’m ignoring the Doylist criticisms- Courtney and 3/4 of her friend group being white again, the lack of gay discussion in-text in regards to the HIV crisis, etc. These are valid complaints and concerns, but not what we’re talking about right now.)

The Problem with the Current Book Length

I think the main problem with Courtney stems from the fact her books are so short. American Girl has literally been doing the stupidest things in regards to their books lately, almost as if they’re trying to sabotage them on purpose. First they remove illustrations in 2015- when their target audience is about nine years old. I don’t know about you, but when I was six and getting into American Girl, the illustrations were the highlight for me. Not because I had no attention span and loved pretty pictures, but because it showed me firstly what the girl’s life was like, whether it be 1760s wilderness or 2001 Chicago. It was like stepping into their world, really helping you get into their heads, which was basically what the dolls were supposed to do, to let you know that girls like you exist throughout time and space.

As well as that, the illustrations were free advertisement. I can’t tell you how excited me and my sisters were as children to go to the American Girl place and look at the doll displays, shouting that that’s the dress Felicity wears to the ball! or look, Josefina’s goat looks exactly like the book! AG cut that from 2015 to 2020, as if they were trying to appeal to an older audience- while at the same time changing all the doll outfits, accessories and marketing to appeal to a younger demographic.

Now, this isn’t about the illustrations, as Courtney got those- it’s about what they did to the historical characters after the Illustration Outrage™ happened. See, they’d condensed the historical six-book format into two books- not necessarily a bad idea, parents would be more likely to buy two books for their kid than consider buying six. However, they then claimed that if they put illustrations back, they would have to abridge the books- literally my nightmare.

First of all, American Girl, we know for a fact you can fit all six books plus illustrations into ONE VOLUME, let alone two. You’re just being cowards here and trying to nerf your own stories for... some reason.

So that meant a lot of important things got cut- Rebecca’s Chanukah story, Melody’s cousin’s house search, Maryellen’s Christmas adventure... all things important to the girls’ histories and character.

The Problem with Courtney’s Writing

Now, Courtney was the first doll to be released after the abridging began, meaning her books were released, in their entirety, just as short as the abridged stories. So it basically means she gets four books while the others get six- and unlike the others, Courtney doesn’t even have mysteries or short stories to pad out. (And honestly, looking at her book’s amount of content, I’d even argue that she basically got two while everyone else got six, but I digress.)

The problem with her books isn’t that they have an author writing them poorly (I really feel like her author was doing the best with what limited time she had), but in how cramped American Girl made them. Because, well, Courtney has to deal with a lot in such a short amount of words.

Let’s compare her to Julie, for instance- Julie pretty much has a new 70s thing every book. In order: feminism, rising divorce rates, San Francisco’s Chinese culture, environmentalism, the country’s bicentennial, anti-bullying and deaf acceptance. And adding to this, we also have her own personal journies through her parents’ divorce and move, her basketball team, her friendship with Ivy (and later Joy), overcoming her fear of horses, student council, detention... It’s a lot, and yet her books don’t feel rushed or forced at all. It’s just a year in the life of a girl going through a lot of new and sudden events, and how she grows and changes throughout them. She may not be as deep a character as Addy or Kirsten, but not every girl goes through the trials and tribulations they do, and it’s a good series overall.

Courtney, meanwhile, does feel rushed and forced, because of the short timespan. Instead of fitting everything into a six-book format- or even at two-book format that is the same length and content as the six-book- everything has to be fit into two short books.   Everything Courtney has to cover includes the topics of divorce and stepfamilies, feminist and technological advancement, the Challenger explosion, the HIV crisis, Hands Across America, and the founding of Pleasant Company. And in Courtney’s own journey, she has to cover her learning to stand up for herself, her relationship with her stepsister and Tina’s own character development, her mother running for mayor and how that affects her, how much she misses her Dad after he moves, her friendship with Sarah (note on that later), her basically getting hate-crimed after standing up for her friend... that’s a LOT of stuff, and I didn’t even include the non-AG 80s product placement they shove into her collection.

But without the longer format, everything is pushed together to its detriment. Tina’s development and Maureen’s mayoral candidacy are two plotlines that are literally dropped and almost completely ignored in the second book. The Challenger and HIV issues were handled decently, but the Challenger only lasted a few short chapters, and the HIV topic was not as informative as it could be, leaving out several things like Reagan’s refusal to treat it for so long, and its effect on the gay community. Honestly, the HIV scare was more shifted to focus on the mob mentality of a new and scary disease- which, while needed right now, also ignores many of the bigotry-related reasons it became an epidemic. Pleasant Company’s inclusion feels forced in, and I think was the only resolution she had to her Dad plotline?

And don’t get me started on the Sarah plotline- every Girl of the Year since Kanani- sans Isabelle and Luci- has had the story of “oh no I’ve been ignoring my friend and now they’re mad at me :(” and it’s SO old. Seriously, I counted the contemporary dolls that have had that storyline, and it’s thirteen*. Thirteen times we’ve covered this issue- almost all of it in quick succession- and now we have to deal with it in a historical character book while much more important things are going on! Yes, it sucks when a friend ditches you while you’re being attacked and bullied for something you’re standing up for, but once again, with how much is happening in such a short book, it just feels like a forced-in plotline that we’ve seen a billion times, and with their falling-out happening mainly due to the attention Courtney was given Isaac, it serves to make Sarah seem closed-minded at best and bigoted at worst- it’s clarified that she’s not, she’s just scared and upset with Courtney, but when you put those events so close together, it leads the reader to lump them together and get the impression that, you know, Sarah is a worse person than she is.

*Full count: Nicki (book 2), Chrissa (book 2), Kanani (2), McKenna (1 iirc?), Saige (both books), Grace (2), Lea (3), Gabriela (1 and 3), Tenney (2), Z (1), Blaire (1), Joss (1) and Kira (1).

It’s a bit weird, too, that Courtney’s... what’s the word? Vibe? with her how her story is written and marketed Is closer to the Contemporaries than the Historicals. Am I the only one feeling this? My best explanation for it is that the author, Kellen Hertz, had only written contemporary books for American Girl before- the third Lea Clark book and all four Tenney Grant books, both of which contained the Friendship Issues™ plot. I’m not at all saying she’s a bad author- I honestly love the way the Tenney books are written- and I’m not saying she couldn’t write a historical book, but it’s clear American Girl didn’t ask her to change up her style or content from what she’d done for them before, as well as giving her way too much to cover in such short books.

Conclusion

Honestly, this conclusion should be obvious- American Girl needs to expand their books again. Whether they simply allow the books to be unabridged, or go back to the six-book format, Courtney's books are too cramped to tell an effective story, let alone the poor abridged girls.

The other girls were given six-book length, so if they went back to that length or format, Courtney would have to be rewritten, at least a little- and that’s okay! There’s a lot of things that could use expansion or connection, such as her Summer trip with her Dad that was given basically one sentence in the text. Her growth with her stepfamily could be acknowledged- and honestly? I think that if these books were expanded, her mother’s mayoral arc should either continue through the books, or Maureen should become mayor before the book 2 arc. I’ve mentioned this before, but having Maureen as mayor (or even still a candidate) would put a lot of pressure on Courtney to be perfect so that nobody can say “look at how awful this woman is for doing politics instead of raising her family right”- which means that when the Isaac stuff happens, it has even more stakes for Courtney and her family. Does her Mom still support her with her own reputation on the line, and what does that say about Maureen’s character, how does it affect Courtney and the D’Amicos... that’s all fascinating stuff that was completely missed out on.

And if she was turned into a six-book format- honestly, here’s how I’d do it, just off the top of my head. It would involve a bit of event shuffling, but honestly I think it would work!

Meet Courtney - pretty much the setup for everything happening, her starting to get her Crystal Starshooter plans and her mom’s campaign beginning.

Courtney Learns a Lesson - her relationship to Tina, culminating in the Challenger incident.

Courtney’s Surprise - we move the founding of Pleasant Company over here, since Molly’s basically her Christmas Present. We’ll probably need an additional plotline- maybe similar to Julie, she can have a story on spending the holidays in different places.

Happy Birthday Courtney - end of summer, aka meeting Isaac and her trip with her Dad.

Courtney Saves the Day - Beginning of the HIV arc, ending at her presentation to her class.

Changes for Courtney - Continuation of the HIV arc as things get worse for her and Isaac, ending where Friendship Superhero ends.

Is that a perfect sorting? Probably not, I came up with it in ten minutes. But would it give Courtney space to breathe and more time to explore everything happening to her? Probably!

The tl;dr of this is honestly that American Girl are absolute cowards right now, and need to expand their books back. Their abridging is only harming their stories- which, as Courtney herself points out, are the reason girls got into their company in the first place.

[cheryldenson]

Any headcanons for Miss Denson?

Just like the Cheryl headcanons post I made awhile back, I have so many for Kate that I don't even know where to begin! Also as stated in my Cheryl post, most of these are directly taken from my fic Love By Daylight (I have pages of Kate headcanons in a physical notebook that I keep all my notes/plots/lore things for that fanfic).

I didn't do this on the Cheryl headcanons post but I'm gonna put the headcanons under the cut because this one might get pretty long-

-I'll start by saying while it's confirmed that while the skins in DBD aren't canon for the characters and are meant to be interpreted as AUs almost, I like many other DBD fans like to think the skins are at least a little canon or can at least still heavily relate to the canon characters themselves.

-While there's a lot of speculation about how famous Kate actually was, I personally like to see Kate as her world's version of Taylor Swift (Pre- 2012, when Taylor Swift's main genre was country/folk). The similarities between Kate and early-era Taylor Swift are uncanny, to a point where I'm convinced Kate was at least partially based off of her.

-Kate was big enough to be internationally recognized if we're taking her Tokyo Headliner skin into account, so I like to think she was pretty famous at one point.

-We also don't know how old Kate is currently or how old she was when she became famous, but I imagine she made it big as a teen star and is now currently dealing with the psychological aftermath of being a young star now in her early-mid twenties.

-Going off of that and based on her "Back to Zero" tome story, I definitely think Kate has a lot of mental health struggles including chronic anxiety (but also keeps much of it to herself out of fear of burdening others and keeping up her "happy songbird" persona).

-That's not to say her hopeful songbird persona is fake by any means, but her iron-willed determination to maintain it is both her greatest strength and her greatest enemy.

-I was never able to find the right word for it in the past, but I've always believed that Kate is a medium in some capacity.

-While Kate is really close with her mom, her and her father are... not so close. I like to think her father was either emotionally absent in her youth or didn't believe she would ever make it as a performer like her mom did. One of Kate's primary motivations for wanting to perform apart from lifting spirits was to try and gain the approval of her old man- eventually learning the hard way that not every dream can come true no matter how hard one hopes.

-Kate gives me strong "gifted kid trying her best not to burnout" vibes.

-As for siblings I've never been that sure but I could see Kate having a little brother that she is very protective of.

-Also nobody talks about how athletic Kate Denson is and I would like to rectify that.

-It's implied that she rides horses (which I'm not terribly knowledgeable in but I believe that lends to some very stronk legs) AND her Winter Wilderness skin implies that she just like?? Climbs mountains for fun???

-They got nerfed a little bit when her model was changed but her arms are so beefy??? And her back???

-This is why I believe Kate Denson is physically the strongest female survivor, or at least she's up there with Yui and Jill.

-So now we get into the fun stuff! Because Kate is the literal thematic antithesis of everything The Entity represents, I genuinely believe that The Entity is canonically intimidated by Kate Denson and was actively trying to turn her into a killer for years, but failed.

-I could make a whole separate post on that alone because I have so much evidence and points that I can make to support this based on canon DBD material (I literally copy-pasted Kate's bio and tome story and color-coded it and everything).

-This might be controversial but I really don't think Kate would have a country accent. Her in-game bio states that her home state is Pennsylvania.

-Her tome story revealed that Woodie Guthrie is one of her biggest role models (also this is one of the only instances where a real person is mentioned in DBD lore) but based on who Woodie Guthrie was I think it's a safe assumption to make that Kate is a socialist.

-While Kate is a lesbian in LBD, I also really like some of the pansexual Kate headcanons that I've seen!

-Many of the other survivors know who Kate is due to her prior fame, and I like to believe Kate knew both Jane and Yun-Jin before being taken by the Entity (Kate might have been on Jane's show in the past, and Yun-Jin she might have met just through the music industry).

-Kate has coulrophobia, also known as the fear of clowns. I explained it a bit better in LBD but basically it stems from the inauthenticity of their overdramatized makeup and routine, it kind of gives her some uncanny valley effect.

-Apart from The Clown for obvious reasons, Kate isn't really all that afraid of the killers. If anything, she kind of pities them (which could potentially also stem from her almost becoming a killer as well but who knows).

-I like to think that specific survivors have stronger skillsets than others in the fog, and Kate is definitely the best at distracting/looping the killer. This is based on not only her perk set but also from her personality strikes me as the clever-improvising type who wants to protect her teammates by redirecting the killer's energies away from them.

-While Kate did have her guitar when she was taken by the Entity, it is stated in her bio that her guitar was left behind. So the guitar that she's seen with in the fog might just be something she picked up from one of the realms (or Cheryl gave it to her :3).

I have so many more to share (and some I am unable to share until a later date because I don't wanna spoil anything for LBD's future) but this was a ton of fun to write out, so thank you thank you thank you for asking!

[swiftiesimonriley]

jealous din djarin x f! reader ft. cobb vanth

thank you so much to the anon for the request!! just a warning there is some light nsfw content ahead:

ok so this takes place at the start of season 2

lets say you've been part of the “crew” of the razor crest for a few months, serving as both a medic and a translator - not that din can’t translate for himself - but it serves as an added bonus!

you had been invited to join the crew after din gets injured on the hunt for a bounty in a backwater cantina on the planet you lived on

before din could get the binders on the bail jumper, he was able to stab din in one of the only places not protected by his coveted beskar - sending the seasoned mandalorian to the floor with a deep wound in his inner thigh

you just happened to be getting a drink in the cantina that night after your shift at the local medcenter

you had heard from the village elders the stories of mandalorians - that they were cold, calculating and ruthless - but all of those old stories flew out of your head as you jumped over the bar counter to treat the beskar covered man bleeding out onto the floor

din can still hear how calm and soothing your voice was to him in that moment, how you respected his privacy by not asking his name but treating him even when the rest of the patrons in the cantina looked at him with such fear - if you were not here, he most certainly would have met his maker

after treating his wound you offered him lodging in your small apartment while he healed, opting to help watch his foundling when you got home for work

at the end of the week he was ready to go back to work, but he felt a heaviness in his heart leaving you behind here - that night over dinner asking if you would like to join him

flash forward to now, din lands the crest at peli’s hangar and the two of you walk out with the child, the warm tatooine sun more unforgiving that that of the planet you spent your entire life on - thanking the maker that din mentioned you might be more comfortable in a little something more lightweight

you hold the child close as din talks to peli, not missing her comment about “it being nice to see the mandalorian has found a mate” to which din awkwardly coughs and you just know he’s blushing under that helmet

while you and din haven’t explicitly discussed the nature of your relationship, you have started spending a lot more time in his small bunk (when the child is not in there)

din had managed to get pretty bruised up after a fight with a bounty, and when he needed to remove his flight suit so you could access his injuries, you couldn’t help but blush as his toned skin was right at your fingertips

that night you rode him in the bunk, his cool beskar helmet hidden in the crook of your neck as your moans echo throughout the cargo hold

ever since then, the two of you have been fucking

but alas he still is your boss and you two keep things professional outside of the ship

flash forward to the trip to mos pelgo, sitting behind the bounty hunter with your arms tightly around his trim waist, an old pair of peli’s goggles over your eyes so you can prefect your eyes, something din had insisted on

it’s when the speeder bike comes to a stop near the cantina that din insists you wait outside for him, telling you that he will be back after making sure it’s safe

you nod in agreement, knowing there’s no real reason to start an argument, even though you are capable of handling yourself, and watch as he enters the bar, instead opting to watch the child

you look down at dins pack and gasp, seeing the little menace has taking off running after his papa in the direction of the bar - taking off after him without even watching where you are going - finding yourself slamming into a wall of green beskar

the impact of landing on your back knocks the wind out of you, hearing a faint “cyar’ika!” from inside as the man before you turns and offers a hand

“you gotta be careful sweetheart,” the man says effortlessly, helping you to your feet, “there’s some people around these parts that might not be so nice to ya.”

a soft blush appears on your cheeks at the use of the pet name, watching as din stands up to meet the two of you, gently patting your shoulder and asking if you are alright before telling the man before you that he is the one you have been searching for - another mandalorian

you watch as the marshall makes his way to the bar and orders three shots of spotchka, something that sits weird in your stomach as there’s no way that you can just down three shots yourself

following the marshall to the small table, you watch as he offers the pair of you a shot, to which din declines as you would expect but something in you goes for it, taking the small glass and throwing back the strong liquid, grimacing a bit as the taste sets in

“at least i have someone to keep up with me,” the marshall teases, lifting his hands up to remove his helmet and your eyes go wide as he places it down likes its a normal thing to do, your hand going to grip at one of dins arms in shock

din is obviously shocked as well, his heartbeat picking up as your grip on his arm tightens, watching the almost coy smile plays at the lips of the man across the table

the two begin going back and forth, cobb confessing he bought the armor off of some jawas, and din demanding he take it off

“it’s not proper for me to remove my armor right here, especially in front of such a pretty young lady.”

din is seeing red

if the helmet & beskar situation wasn’t already setting him off, the flirty comments being directed your way were

it wasn’t like the two of you had put a label on things, but he wasn’t going to let this nerf herder hit on you like that - most people wouldn’t dare even thinking about trying something like that to you when he was around - but this man had never dealt with a real mandalorian before

din missed the way you rolled your eyes at the comment, to busy in his own thoughts as the marshall suggests a duel for the armor since it seemed so important to din, but the sudden rumbling noise and shaking of the room sends you into panic mode

immediately you grab the child and pull him to your chest as din practically does the same to you - tucking your head under his chin as the shaking continues - only to pull away slowly when the noise and movement slows to a stop

you look up at him wide eyed, a few pieces of stray hair framing your face as you tell him you are going to see if anyone is hurt and din swears in that moment he is in love with you, standing as you lean your forehead against his helmet, a keldabe kiss, to which you do not know the meaning of, and watching as you grab your bag and head out towards the streets where civilians assess the damage

“you gotta good girl there mando,” the marshall draws, “you better stake your claim before someone else takes her to be-“

before he can finish the sentence din wraps a hand around his throat, pinning him to the nearest wall

“i’ll help you kill the krait dragon and in return you give me the armor and leave my girl alone.”

the look on the marshalls face is enough for din, but he makes a mental note to show you that night you are his

taglist: @catchmeupimgettingoutofhere @salome-c @jasterslegacy @marydjarin @hnt-escape wanna be added? send me an ask!!

[coldshrugs]

getting better

pairing: alma greene/mason (featuring felix)

word count: 880

rating: T; language

note: a prompt for @wayhavensummer 8/15: cooking. alma is sick, and mason really should've texted nate instead.

💗---💗---💗---💗---💗

"I think it smells... okay so far." Mason stirs the simmering pot in front of him. It does not smell okay, and he sure as hell isn't going to taste it.

"Wait, add some of this—"

He blocks whatever Felix is trying to add. If he smells one more half-boiled vegetable, he'll lose it.

"No," he says, barely above a whisper. "It's got like five things in it already."

Felix doesn't know how to whisper.

"Wow, a soup with five whole ingredients. Let me tell you something, chef of the century, a little salt won't ruin your sad vegetable water."

The salt shaker flies across Alma's kitchenette, smacked from Felix's grip before he can sprinkle it in. It bounces across the counters, as if in slow motion, and their teeth clench tighter with each clang and clatter before Felix hurls himself across the space to stop it. He plucks it out of the air before it meets the wall.

Mason glares. "If you wake her up—"

"You did that! You understand the noise was the direct consequence of your action, right? Tell me you understand."

Being right doesn't make him less annoying. Mason leans against the counter, groaning into his hands.

"I know. I fucking know, okay?" He flings a dismissive hand toward the pot of soup that, yeah, looks a little miserable, even by his standards of food. "I just... What the fuck am I doing?"

"Making soup for your sick..." Felix winces in place of a label. The label. "Shit, I'm not actually sure what you guys are. Friends-with-benefits: hard mode? Extra-codependent fuck buddies? Dating?"

Mason leans his head back, long hair brushing the countertop, and groans again. Quieter this time, keenly aware of Alma's stifled breathing one room away. His ragged exhale carries through the singular, whispered word, "girlfriend."

It's... new.

Not just the label. The everything. The feelings, the proximity, the talking, and most of all, the fact that he doesn't hate any of it.

"Girlfriend," Felix starts, and the grin he's struggling to keep in check is far more giddy than Mason cares for. "She's your girlfriend? Our Alma is your girlfriend? When—how? Tell me everything!"

"No." He resumes his place at the stove, ladle in hand, frown firmly in place to ward off further questioning. God, this soup looks gross. "Okay, chuck some of that in here if you think she'll like it."

Felix frowns too, but adds a few shakes of salt.

"Fine, so you won't give me details. That's cool, I get it." He crosses his arms. "You care about her, and that's got to be terrifying for you."

"Terrifying?"

"Yeah. I mean, she's a human, which comes with all sorts of unfun life nerfs. That's why you're here now, right? Because she's sick?"

It's just a cold. She's been in and out of a low fever, sneezing pretty frequently, and right now she's wasted on night-time flu medicine in the middle of the day. She only had the one kind and refused to let him run out for the non-drowsy stuff.

He texted Felix for a resupply on medicine and tissues, and then shortly before falling asleep, Alma mentioned she was hungry. So here he is, stirring carrots and celery in salt water, under interrogation by his loudest friend, while the person occupying this unfamiliar space of "girlfriend" is one sneeze away from a nosebleed.

"I'm not scared." He turns off the burner. "She's gonna be alright. She's handled worse than a cold."

"Mason?" The tiny, nasal-y voice sounds miles away through the closed bedroom door, even with hypersensitive hearing.

Felix rubs his hands together, all traces of his previous frown forgotten. "Well, let's see you in action, Mr. Commitment."

Oh, he hates that.

Grumbling his distaste just loud enough to make the point, Mason spoons his concoction into a bowl and heads toward Alma's room.

Two light raps on the door before opening it. Cocooned in blankets, she turns over to watch him enter, disturbing the cat in the process. She's wrecked. Red-rimmed eyes and flushed cheeks, hair sticking out of her bun, nostrils flaky from blowing her nose, lips crusted at the corners. He swats away a few used tissues to sit on the edge of the bed, places the soup on the nightstand.

Felix leans against the door, and Mason can feel his disgusting glee from here.

"How're you feeling, sweetheart?" Mason pushes a few stray curls back from her forehead. It feels like the fever broke during this nap, thank fuck.

How many minor illnesses has Alma nursed herself through? She told him not to bother waiting this out, assured him he had more important things to do. Sure, she could handle this alone, sleep through the worst of it and try to get work done during the rare moments of lucidity. Holding herself together with acetaminophen and cough drops and the lie of "I feel fine." But Alma smiles, sleepy, squinty, grateful he stayed despite her protests, and where the fuck else was he supposed to be? This is his person.

It's new. It's everything.

"Like shit," she croaks. "Is that... Felix?"

Mason rolls his eyes as Felix waves from the doorway.

"How's it going, Alma? We made you some 'soup.'"

Alright, maybe the air quotes are justified.

"Soup? I could eat." Alma struggles to prop herself up on her pillow, so Mason grabs another one and helps her into an almost vertical position. She sighs with something close to comfort, "thank you."

Mason places the bowl in her outstretched hands, and forces himself to look away from her reaction.

"This is..." Alma mixes the clumps of chopped veggies with her spoon, doing a terrible job suppressing a painful-sounding giggle, "very clear. You know I have canned soups in the cabinet, right?"

"Canned soup!" Felix howls from the doorway, nearly doubled over. His infectious laugh spreads to Alma and makes her cough. "We could've avoided the nightmare broth altogether?"

"I'll eat your soup, Mason." Her hand brushes his arm and, for a moment, he's reassured.

She shoos away the cat and gives the spoon a testing sip. All three grimace before the verdict.

"Not bad, I guess. Needs more salt."

[corysmiles]

Ok so I was reading your little streamer au story Just a Joke and that part about the matchbox bed had me thinking, what if Tommy did a stream where he just showed off his house? Like, just walked the camera from room to room and talked about different stuff he had for fun. (Probably not his whole house, just his bedroom and maybe one other him sized room if he has it)

He would probably see nothing wrong with most of it (or even if he does, he doesn’t think it’s a big deal and ignores it, thinking everyone else will do the same) but his friends see how poorly made and “diy” everything looks (like his bed) and start thinking about how all tinys have to live like that.

I imagine Wilber especially starts to feel bad, looking around his house and seeing all the stuff he takes for granted, all things that tinys could only get a poorer version of, if they got a version at all.

Not to mention, Tommy seems to be a bit better off then a lot of tinys, so some don’t even have the stuff he does, and/or have ones of even lesser quality.

Maybe it’s just a one off little “oh...that sucks...” or maybe they try to do something about it. Idk, just think it’s a cute and sad idea. (I have more to say about this idea, but I don’t want bombard you with a super duper long ask, so just take these basics for now I guess, sorry)

-tired anon

House Tour

————————

Little Streamer AU

CW: language

Notes: Woah little streamer content?? In this economy??? More likely than you think. And thank you so much for this awesome idea tired anon I love it :D Without further ado have a fun tiny Tommy housetour followed by Wilbur’s confusion over tiny culture

————————

Tommy hadn’t been this excited for a stream in a long time, but as he set up everything he was practically bouncing on his feet.

He was going to do a house tour- or a room tour- for the chat since they’d only ever seen a bit of it in the background. It was a lot different from his normal content, but it felt refreshing doing something so new.

When he finally stepped back and looked at everything a grin spread across his face. He didn’t think his room had looked this nice since the day they built it. His red sheets were perfectly tucked into his matchbox bed, his dollhouse desk was wiped down and shiny, and even his scrap-fabric rug was dusted.

Pride swelled up in his chest at the sight.

“Mom!” he yelled as he peaked his head through the “window” in his room. It really was just a hole in the wall to the human part of the house, but it also let light in to his room. “I’m gonna be streaming soon!”

He didn’t even wait for an answer before he happily popped back into his small room. It was still a little dusty since it was inside of a wall, but there was nothing he could really do about that. The viewers would just have to deal with it, he mused.

Quickly he sent out a tweet for his stream and hit “go live” on his pc. Almost immediately people flooded the chat even though it was still just his starting soon screen, and one name in particular caught his eye.

WilburSoot: this is not exciting

Tommy grinned and stifled the laugh that threatened to burst out of his chest. Of course Wilbur was messing with him, who would he be if he wasn’t messing with the tiny. And even though it was just one message Tommy was excited to know he was there.

Wilbur had actually been the one to convince him to do a house tour. Tommy never really thought his room was much, it was decently sized but not very exciting, but still Wilbur thought it would be a fun idea for an easy stream. The tiny still has been pretty iffy about the idea but after constant nagging from his brother-figure he gave in.

“Hello chat!” Tommy yelled as he switched his screen to his camera. Dramatically he swung it around to zoom in on his face.

“How are you doing today? I’m doing so well,” he grinned, “Today’s gonna be a little different actually- spicing things up Yaknow. You get to see my big man home!”

The chat blurred in the corner of his eye as he explained what the stream would be, and chugged a cup of coke he’d poured right before he started. It was all going well, and they seemed to like it a lot more than he thought they would.

First Tommy stood up from his desk and pointed it at his setup, “See this is where the magic happens boys.”

He laughed as the chat flew by even faster with one message catching his eye.

“Hey it is not a Polly pocket desk it is a Barbie Ken desk,” he pouted, “please I’m better than that.”

Step by step he moved across his room explaining his furniture and showing off his favorite things. They got to see his cardboard bed, his “borrower hook” he’d been trying to teach himself how to use, and even his “spider hole” in the wall where bugs got into his room.

Most of the time the chat seemed to find it funny, but every once in a while people seemed concerned. He just chalked it up to humans though.

At the end of the stream he put the camera on his desk and jumped up on his bed to say goodbye. To make it even funnier he loaded the tiny nerf gun Wilbur had bought him a while back and tried to shoot the camera.

“I’m gonna shoot you if you don’t leave, go!” he yelled jokingly, “Disparse! Leave! Go home!”

Once the chat seemed to calm down a bit he said his actual goodbyes and teaches as the screen turned dark. Just like always he let out a breath of relief that the stream went well. He enjoyed streaming, but it was still stressful trying to make sure everything went right.

After a minute he fell back onto his bed and scrolled through his phone until discord dm flashed on his screen.

WilburSoot: how did you get a whole fake room for a stream??

Tommy frowned and quickly opened the app staring at the message.

Tommyinnit: what? vc?

The tiny sat back against his bed and waited for his friend to respond as anxiety curled up in his gut.

“Tommy?” Wilbur’s voice crackled.

“Hey Wil, what the fuck do you mean?”

Through his phone he could hear Wilbur shifting around as he stumbled on what to say, “That room.”

Tommy frowned and tilted his head even though he knew the human couldn’t see it, “What about it?”

“What- that can’t be your room, right?” Wilbur’s laugh boomed, “It was a good joke though.”

“Wait wait Wil,” Tommy fumbled, “What the fuck do you mean? This is my room.”

The silence that filled the call almost made Tommy wish he hadn’t said anything at all.

“Huh?”

“Uh yeah,” Tommy coughed, “That really was my room, what’s wrong?”

Wilbur’s staticky hum echoed through his phone, “Oh uh… I don’t know I thought you’d have like…actual furniture?”

“I mean, it works doesn’t it,” Tommy frowned as he leaned back against his sheets, kicking up his feet on the edge of the box, “It’s not that bad.”

“Tommy,” Wilbur paused, “you sleep in a box.”

The tiny froze and stared at the worm edges of the matchbox he slept in. He never really thought about it. It was pretty normal for tinies considering how expensive real furniture was, and he was probably better off than a lot of other tinies.

“Uh well yeah big man,” Tommy stuttered, “I’m a tiny.”

“Well no shit I know that but shouldn’t you have like an actual bed? You have a real pc!” Wilbur said, getting louder by the second.

“Well yeah,” Tommy muttered, “But spending over a thousand pounds on a bed frame just doesn’t seem worth it to me okay?”

Again silence filled the call, and it lasted so long tommy thought the human had left.

Wilbur was the one to break the silence, “One thousand pounds?”

“For a shitty one yeah,” Tommy frowned. He still remembered the day his parents had searched endlessly for any bed frames only to find that they were all thousands of pounds. They had seemed so upset about it, but Tommy never really cared.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Wilbur dropped, “I shouldn’t have said anything I didn’t know.”

“It’s alright,” Tommy smiled, I’m the corner of his eye he saw one of the hoodies he’d bought during his last visit with Wilbur, “But my spider hole is very real and very important to me.”

Wilbur’s loud laugh burst through the phone making the tiny’s heart swell. He missed the human more than he’d admit, and it was always nice hearing his friend’s voice- even if he was just joking about his spider hole.

“Yeah yeah, your spider holes fine. Very normal,” Wilbur joked before his voice steadied, “Seriously though, sorry about thinking it was a joke. I just- I don’t know. I feel like maybe I’ve taken my things for granted. I didn’t mean to seem rude though I-

“Nah stop,” Tommy smiled, “Your house is shit man, I’ve been there.”

The tiny stared at Wilbur’s profile picture as his wheezy laugh filled the room.

“Yeah yeah whatever,” and then an added, “love you Tom.”

Before Tommy could respond he heard the ding signalling Wilbur had left the call. The silence in his room now only filled by the sound of his parents shuffling around somewhere else in the house.

“Yeah,” Tommy hummed, “Love you too Wil.”

Taglist:

@encaos @blurrybunnie @brooky71 @forgetful-dorito

[blossomingimagines]

Fall Again

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader x Wanda Maximoff 

Word Count: 3,856

Summary:

Notes: I hope this what you were looking for.

Warnings: Depressive thoughts and talks of dying.

The faint sound of buzzing filled your ears as the man sitting before you droned on and on. His words are meaningless beyond the first sentence. ‘The tests came back positive, I’m sorry, you have cancer.’ Words that had instantly filled you with a certain hollowness you had never expected. As if your entire being tried to comprehend the words. As your mind tried to wrap itself around the idea that you were dying. Causing everything else to simply fade away into a static background. Simple white-noise to your predestined existence. Even still bits and pieces slice through like knives. Cutting you open to the world that you would never experience in the same way again. Leaving you exposed and bleeding without any semblance of protection. 

The sound of the hospital filtered through your ears. Shuffling of feet and the distant voices of doctors and nurses speaking to one another. An overabundance of cheer and hope floating through the halls like air, but you could now detect the underlying sense of despair. The darkness that festered beneath the light pretenses of the spotless halls. A feeling that only seemed to come to the dying. The beautiful lies become a painful truth. You simply stared straight ahead at all the degrees hanging proudly on the wall. All mocking you, because no matter how many awards your doctor may have-- nothing could ever truly cure you. Nothing could stop your body from tearing itself apart. Nothing could stop the suffering you were going to experience. His words mean nothing more to you than the mindless chatter you hear on the subway. 

‘I believe we caught it early, which is a good sign.’

‘You’re going to have to start radiation immediately.’

‘If we don’t get ahead of this thing… I’m afraid there’s not much else we can do.’

Turning, you finally meet the warm gaze of the man that was trying to save your life. Your mouth opens in hopes that your brain just knew what to say. That a few simple words would stop the spinning of the room. That your entire world would make sense again. 

Nothing came out. 

You simply stared at the man, with your mouth slightly open, as silence settled over the two of you. An oppressive silence that spoke more than either of you ever could. Brown eyes staring into yours with compassion and understanding. Lowering your head, you could feel the way your body seemed to wilt. Your shoulders slumping as you canted forward. Normally graceful hands, fumbling to get a grip on your knees. Anything to keep you anchored. To keep your thoughts on the current moment. On what was happening right now. You didn’t want them to stray to your future. To what you knew was coming for you. 

You didn’t want to think about the fact that you were dying. That you would be dead sooner than you ever thought possible. 

You had always known that with the life you lived you more than likely wouldn’t live to see your elder years. But you had always thought you would at least go out on your terms. Either a fire-fight where you were protecting your team or protecting innocent life. You had never thought that the true enemy all along was your own body. That it had been biding its time to finally land a crippling strike-- God did it land one. 

Closing your eyes, you try to stem the oncoming tears. You hated to cry in public when you were near strangers. You hated to look weak to people that didn’t know you. To people that would judge with their own preconceived notions. Nothing was going to stop the onslaught, however. Not as images of the ones you loved came flashing across your mind. 

Tony’s snarky voice filtering through your ears as if he was in the room with you. His teasing tone filling you with warmth. He always knew how to make you forget all your troubles. 

Steve’s warm smile as he looked up at you over the newspaper. His blue eyes crinkling with happiness as he offered you a mug of coffee. Having learned how you liked it long ago.

Bruce’s calming presence as he sat beside you as you read. A companionable warmth shared between the two of you.

Thor’s booming laugh as you told him a joke that you had heard. Easy conversation passing between you both as you shared joke after joke-- as well as ale, of course. 

Clint’s grin as you cooked together. His shoulder bumping into yours with the ease of someone who had done it a hundred times over. 

Vision’s practical words always seemed to make you chuckle. As you always found his no-nonsense ways both endearing and amusing. 

Then Natasha and Wanda appeared and the choked feeling in your throat only grew. Their green eyes sparkling with all the love in the world. Wanda’s open grin filling you with the same amount of warmth as Natasha’s half-smile. The laughter that so easily flowed between the three of you. Your body naturally wedged between them both as you tried to get as close as possible-- though that never seemed to be close enough. 

Clenching your hands, you try to ignore the way your heart broke all over again. Try to ignore the fact that not only your heart was going to be broken by the end of the day. That the two women that held your heart had already lost too much. And now… they may lose you too. 

A simple fact that caused a choked sob to escape your mouth. You want nothing more than to go to a time where this was the simple case of the flu. When the only reason you had gone to the doctor was because of worried green eyes tracking you wherever you went. Even when you had done everything to reassure them that you were fine. Their worry, their fear, had been the tipping point. 

“How long?”

It took you a moment to realize you had been the one that spoke. As the voice that had broken through the silence sounded nothing like your own. It was weak… feeble… everything you strived not to be. And even as the question hung between the two of you, you weren’t sure you wanted an answer. You weren’t even sure what had caused you to ask in the first place. 

You weren’t sure about a lot of things anymore. 

“With what we’ve seen? I’m afraid that if you don’t start treatment as soon as possible you’ll be dead within a few months.” The words only cause your stomach to drop even more. “However, I am confident that we caught it early enough. That, with the treatment, you may be able to make a full recovery.” 

A sardonic smile twists your mouth. “And if I don’t? I’ll end up dying as something I’m not, right? A shell of who I used to be.” 

“Yes,” he agrees softly. “But would you rather take the chance of living? Or succumb to your body’s wishes of death?” 

His words echo like a mantra as you make your way back towards the Tower. Your eyes are taking in the landscape of New York City. The bustling of life that always permeated the streets. Whether it’s children pulling their parents excitedly to the next store or a businessman that was rushing to his next meeting-- New York City never seized in its constant state of motion. No matter what happened amid its confines nothing ever seemed to disturb that simple fact.

If you were to die tomorrow nothing would truly change. The shops would still open in the early recesses of the morning. Taxis and other means of transportation would still rush through the streets looking for passengers. There would still be the distant wails of ambulances on their way to the hospital. Life would go on as it always had. The world wouldn’t stand still simply because you were no longer in it. Even if yours had the moment you had heard the news. 

Pressing your lips into a thin line, you stand and follow the line of people that were getting off. Your feet touching the rough pavement of the sidewalk with a hollow thud. With your hands stuffed into the pockets of your coat, you make your way through the throngs of people. Ignoring some of the looks you received once people recognized who you were. You weren’t in the mood to socialize. You also weren’t in the mood to dismiss the people that looked up to you. You knew what it was like to be dismissed by the people who you used to idolize-- your own personal heroes. You didn’t want that to ever happen to anyone that felt the same way towards you. 

So, you just kept your head down and plowed through the bustling streets of New York. Towards the beckoning light of Avengers Tower. The great A situated on its side a beacon for home and safety. The dull echoing of your footsteps on the marble floor of the lobby as you bypass security. Your mind somewhere else entirely as you make your way up towards the communal floor of the Tower. Only the soft sound of the elevator pulled you out of your reverie. Announcing that you had arrived at your destination. 

Following the faint sounds of voices, your body follows the well-worn path to the kitchen. Taking in everything as you near the entrance-- trying to remember everything as it was before the fallout that you knew was about to happen. From the faint crack along the sidewall of the living room that had appeared when Thor had ‘tripped’ while playing Nerf Wars. To the many pictures that lined the walls-- from amusing candid's to group pictures from intimate affairs. The happiness that suffused the walls of the Tower was always present. 

You hated that you were about to taint it with the same underlying sense of darkness that the hospital held. Hated that your own body has betrayed you. 

You stop, just at the precipice of the room, and smile at what you see inside. Natasha at the counter cutting various vegetables while Clint stole as many as he could manage before she noticed. Steve at the stove as he continued on with a conversation with Bruce. Tony sitting at the island with a StarkPad in his hands-- no doubt tinkering with more ideas for the next Iron Man suit. Wanda and Vision were standing side-by-side as Wanda taught the android how to properly set the table. Laughter flowing between them all. It was a serene moment that you didn’t want to break. That you wanted to capture and live in forever, but all good things must come to an end eventually. 

It seems like this one had to the moment Vision noticed you standing at the doorway. His bright smile is an indicator that he was glad to see you. 

“I wasn’t aware you had returned. If I had I would have greeted you like I normally do, Y/N.” 

At the mention of your name, and Vision’s voice, the team turns and greets you with varying responses-- mostly cheers and grins. At their sudden attention, you take another step into the room. Offering a small smile towards Vision. Hoping that it would show that you didn’t mind he wasn’t waiting for you once you had returned. As you weren’t expecting to have lessons tonight either way. 

“It’s all right, Vis.” You shrug. “I wasn’t expecting you to.”

At your words, Vision’s eyes narrow ever-so-slightly as he detected the underlying stress that you were trying to hide. Something you knew he was about to comment on before Tony interrupted with a question directed towards the android. You never wanted to kiss a man more. 

Knowing that you needed to get some air, but not wanting to be rude, you turn towards Steve. “When will dinner be ready, Cap?” 

“Another thirty minutes,” he admits with a rueful smile. “It would have been finished sooner if Thor hadn’t eaten all the final touches for the meal. He’s out getting them right now.”

You flash a smile at him. “That’s all right, Steve. I think I’m going to go up and get changed. I feel a little grubby in these clothes.” 

He simply smiles back at you. Taking that as a sign to make a quick exit, you’re half-way out of the door before Bruce’s soft voice halts you. 

“So what did the doctor say?”

You shoot him a confused look over your shoulder. Trying to desperately appear neutral as all the attention of the room, once again, shifted towards you. 

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you go to the doctor today, má lásko?” Wanda steps from around the counter. A worried frown began to make its presence known on her beautiful face. The same expression that was starting to appear on Natasha’s. Something that you didn’t want at all. Your mind screeches at you to fix the situation you had suddenly found yourself in. You couldn’t tell them all right now. You could barely wrap your mind around it. You didn’t know if you could handle dealing with them trying to as well. 

“I have the flu,” you offer with a weak smile and a shrug. “A few days of rest and I should be as right as rain.” You turn your gaze towards Natasha and Wanda. Your eyes noticeably softening as you did so. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.” 

At your words, the team seemed to relax. The tense atmosphere, that you hadn’t even been aware of before now, dissipating as they all turned back to what they were doing. Sighing, softly, you quickly make your way out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards your room. 

Trying to ignore the feeling of two green gazes following you as you did so. 

The bright lights of New York City shone like the millions of stars that hung above it. Shimmering in the oncoming darkness that the night brought. The buildings, and the people, standing strong against the presence that many tried to avoid. Standing just beside the large window that made up a wall of your room, you could clearly see the nightcrawlers coming out down below. A completely different society awakening as the sun disappears behind the horizon. 

Having changed into fresh clothes, you felt slightly rejuvenated. As if the clothes you had been wearing were bars to a cell. Locking you in with the truth that you were trying desperately to come to terms with. Being out of them brought a small semblance of peace, of stability, that you had been searching for. The simple act allows your mind enough time to get its bearings once more. It may not have been the ground-breaking epiphany you were searching for but it was enough. For now. 

“Dorogoy?” A soft voice whispers from the entrance of the room. Your eyes slipping shut as the knowledge of their presence seeped into you. They have given you enough time to prepare yourself. You were a fool to think that they wouldn’t have noticed that something was wrong.

Turning, you meet their gazes with a tired smile. “Nat. Wanda. Is something the matter?” 

Your question causes both their eyes to flash. Whether it be in a warning or something else, you weren’t entirely sure. 

“I believe you have the answer to that question, Y/N,” Wanda says, her brow furrowing in concern. “We know that something is bothering you but we can’t help you if you don’t tell us what that is.” 

“We’re concerned,” Natasha admits, her voice uncharacteristically soft. Her green eyes shimmering with suppressed emotion as she stares at you. “What did the doctor really say to you?” 

A defeated feeling wells itself up in your chest. You know that you couldn’t lie to them. You had never been able to lie to them. Slumping forward, you move over to your bed and sit. A sigh escaping your mouth as they followed suit. Natasha settling on your right as Wanda settled on your left. Their hands immediately clasping yours in gentle, yet strong, holds. 

Your jaw clenches as you try to work up the courage to speak. Try to put the words you didn’t want to be true out there. To make them materialize as a reality instead of the nightmare you wished they were. 

“I have cancer.” 

The events that followed went by too fast for you to truly react. Natasha’s hands tightened around yours with a stricken look painting itself across her face. Wanda stood with fury written across her face, green eyes flashing red as she tried to control her powers, though you knew none of that fury was directed towards you. At least not yet. 

A soft hand on your cheek pulls your attention away from Wanda’s pacing. Your eyes taking in the pained expression on Natasha’s face. An almost desperate edge underlying it made you sick to your stomach. A quality that only resonated itself within her voice. Tears already forming in her emerald green orbs as reality came crashing down around you all. “They caught it early, right? There’s still a chance for you to beat it? Please tell me there’s still a chance. Tell us there’s still a chance to save you. That we won’t lose you.” 

Tears flow unbidden down your cheeks at her desperate pleas. At the faint sound of Wanda kneeling before you and pressing her forehead against your knees. The trembling you could clearly feel as her hands clasped onto your only available one. The tears you could already feel seeping through your leggings. You want nothing more than to take their pain away. To tell them that this was some horribly fucked up joke that Tony put you up to but you couldn’t. You couldn’t and that hurt you more than any bullet ever has. 

Your throat clenches around the words that try to escape your mouth. As you try to choke out the words through your despair. “Yes.” Natasha’s eyes lighten at your words and Wanda’s head raises from its position on your knees. “The doctor says that they caught it early but I’ll have to begin treatment right away.” 

“That’s good though, right?” Wanda murmurs, settling back onto her feet. Her wide eyes filled with so much hope. “You’ll just begin treatment and everything will be okay.”

At their expectant looks, you lower your gaze towards your lap. Your heart thudding against your chest as you tried to formulate what you wanted to say. But how could you tell the two people that made your life worth living that you weren’t going to have treatment? That you were letting everything rest and have the universe take its destined course. 

Your silence seemed to be all the answer Natasha needed, however. Her words filled with thinly-veiled fury. “You’re not going to go forward with the treatment.” 

“No.”

The silence that follows your feeble answer was even more oppressive than the one in the hospital. Both Natasha’s and Wanda’s hands tightening around yours as they processed your answer. Both their emotions heightening as each second ticked by. Swirling around the three of you like a vortex. Having them both stand suddenly pulls you out of your reverie. Your head snapping up to watch them both pace. Agitation is clear in each graceful movement of their bodies. 

Whipping around, Wanda snarls at you. “Why don’t you want treatment? It could save your life, Y/N.”

“And it could also make me a husk of who I am,” you cry, standing up from your bed. “We don’t know if the treatment will work and I refuse to die as something I’m not.”

“We don’t know that it will fail, Y/N.” Natasha cries back, equally as outraged as you were. “We don’t know what the future will hold. Except for the simple fact that you will die if you refuse treatment. It’s just a maybe right now.” 

Wanda steps forward with an anguished look on her face. “Please don’t sign your life away because of something you don’t even know will be the end result. Don’t make this into a certainty.” 

“Even if I do start treatment I will be completely useless to the team,” you hiss. “Who knows how long I’ll have to fight this until it goes into remission. I don’t want to be a burden on any of you.”

Natasha takes your face into her hands, her thumbs gently rubbing soothing circles on your cheeks. “Do you think they will care, Y/N? Do you think they won’t jump for joy when they find out that you’ve decided to fight? That they won’t be there for you every step of the way?”

“We’re a family, Y/N,” Wanda murmurs with a loving look shining in her eyes. “Family doesn’t let family fight their demons by themselves. You’re more to us, to them, than just a teammate. Nat and I love you with everything that we are. And you know the boys love you like a sister. They wouldn’t want you to just give up.”

“Yeah,” Natasha chuckles. “And I’m pretty sure you’re Vision’s surrogate mother.”

You laugh softly at her gentle teasing. Feeling warmth blossom in your chest for the first time since you had stepped foot in the hospital. “What about if I get too sick to take care of myself like I used to?” 

“We’ll be there, dorogoy,” Natasha whispers, one hand falling from your cheek as Wanda’s took its place. “When you fall we’ll always be there to pick you back up. Just like we know you’ll always be there for us.” 

Your eyes slip shut as the feeling of complete warmth and safety settles over you. Your world is finally beginning to make sense once more. Everything came back into focus as you were surrounded by Natasha and Wanda. The two people that knew how to set your heart on fire with emotions you never knew you could feel. 

“Okay,” you whisper. “I’ll begin treatment.” 

You didn’t have to open your eyes to know that they were smiling. Nor did you have to, to know that they were leading you towards the large bed. Easily pulling into the center with their bodies snugly pressed into both sides. Your nose nuzzling into Wanda’s neck as Natasha pressed herself firmly into your back. Both of their arms holding you in their warm embrace. 

All other thoughts slipping from your mind as you succumbed to the dark recesses of sleep. The only things that mattered were the two women that were holding you like you were the most valuable thing in the world to them. Their warmth better than anything a blanket could ever provide. The feeling of completeness overwhelming you as the darkness finally took hold. 

Your last thoughts being of the two women who would always be there to pick you back up again. 

No matter how many times you may fall.

[quietwingsinthesky]

all of these WIP names are gold and i want to ask about all of them but ok. i am dying to know more about "very normal thoughts about fratricide"??

Yes yes yes!!! SO! this is actually a fic from my notes app that I started at like 3 AM for insomnia reasons and the basis of it is: I'm going to give Lucifer exactly what he wants! He gets to win!

And oh boy! News flash! It sucks! It turns out that killing your own brother is actually pretty terrible!

I'm thinking it's probably some kind of Endverse AU? Because Michael's possessing Adam when he dies, so Dean never said yes. (and it's a little implied that Michael coming to battle wearing Adam was kind of suicidal on his part because he deliberately nerfed himself. and Lucifer probably would have lost if he hadn't.) Endverse AU means that Sam is Also Here. The fic is actually from his POV (mostly because i Cannot write Lucifer's POV. It never comes out right.) He's also this much of a presence because killing Michael kind of fucks Lucifer up? A lot? To the point where he just completely nopes out of the situation and goes a little catatonic. And Sam, of course, is left there holding the body. He decides to dig a grave.

I do have this one bit I like from what I've got down so far: "Sam kisses the top of Adam's head. Michael doesn't reside there anymore, but maybe vessels are to angels as mirrors are to spirits and there is enough of him lingering to matter. He does that for Lucifer, because he thinks it's something Lucifer would want to do if he was more coherent, something he'd regret not doing later. One of them needs to be able to think straight, and so Sam thinks, I'm sorry, and Sam thinks, thank you for not being Dean, and Sam thinks, he was telling the truth when he said he would walk off the chessboard with you."

[strawberrylemonz]

Gates Opened Wide

Part 10

Part 11 [CURRENT]

Part 12

DT: @petrichormeraki @applepie1000 @jump-in-the-cadillac @ivorylin

------------

“Clem, do not make me use your full name, big lass! Stand still! Damnit-”

“Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!”

“You learn how to speak more than usual, and you choose to copy my curse words, Jesus Christ. If you’re going to curse, then do it correctly. Now, hold still- hey! No hissing! You put those claws away! Clementine, stop shapeshifting!”

After spending an hour after “early breakfast,” Tommy had finally managed to dress the squealing girl for the day. It was on mornings like this that made him wish he would be on Theo duty, leaving Clem to be dressed by Fundy. But, alas, that day was not today. It took telling Clem that she would be wearing matching outfits with her cousin to convince the rascal to sit still long enough for Tommy to get her ready. She was nearly vibrating by the time Tommy added the finishing touches to her braided hair. Once he pulled his hands away from her small head, she hopped off the chair and run over to Fundy’s room, where Theo was getting ready. Sighing as he stood up, Tommy couldn’t help but laugh as he heard the bedroom door swing open with a slam, a squeaky voice squealing in sync with a happy yell, as well as a startled one. Shaking his head, Tommy finished fixing his hair, adjusting his collar in the process. Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening alerted him of their visitors. Sighing, he prepared for the quick force that would engulf him into a hug. 

“There’s my baby of a brother!”

Tommy slightly cursed as he was nearly toppled over, only being saved by the winged embrace of his proud brother. He hugged his brother back, truly happy to see him excited for the day. The hug, however, lasted longer than their usual long hugs, which was causing Tommy to bite back a groan. His efforts, unfortunately, meant nothing, therefore he groaned as he playfully flailed his arms behind his brother’s back, who only held him tighter. 

“Muuuuuuuum, Grian won’t stop squeezing me!!!”

A playful laugh rang through the air, serving as the only warning for the older brother. Before he could pull away, a nerf dart hit him square on the forehead. Welping in shock, Grian pulled away, patting his forehead, which was slightly more exposed than usual due to him fixing his hair in a proper manner. Tommy picked up the dart, laughing as he handed it back to a laughing Kristin, who’s curled hair bounced with every laugh. 

“Grian, you’re going to wrinkle your shirt! We all spent all morning making ourselves presentable, don’t ruin it.”

“I’m not going to ruin it, we still have the gala at the end of the week to look our best! I am, however, gonna have a red dot on my forehead now.”

“Oh, no you’re not. Stop crying over nonsense, you big baby.”

“How am I the baby, when Tommy is standing right there”

“Oi, shut the fuck up, fucker”

“Don’t make me shove a bar of soap in your mouth”

After everyone was finally dressed and ready to go, they pulled the two kids aside. After they had succeeded in obtaining the children’s attention for more than a minute, Tommy spoke up.

“Alright, you two, listen up. Today is the day that a lot of people are going to be here. Remember to stick with us, and don’t talk to shifty shitheads you don’t know, got it?”

“Sh-”

“Do not finish that word, Clementine”

“Humph”

“Anyways, remember the secret spots? Well, if you get separated from us, stick together and go the the secret passageways if you two get in danger, okay? You two know your way around, I know you do. Just stick together, take care of each other, and have fun, alright?”

“Mkay, Uncle T”

“Good. Now, Theo, your father made a device for both you and Clem. Fundy, if you will.”

The man nodded as he knelt down to the level of the children. Smiling, he opened up his paws, revealing two pretty bracelets. Decorating them were various colors of gems. As he put them on their wrists, he explained how to use them.

“Don’t tell anyone that isn’t from this server, or isn’t the lovely trio or Stampy about these, okay? These are connected to all our communicators. If, for whatever reason you can’t use your communicators to contact us, you can use these. Each of these are connected to a singular communicator, see? This gem represents me, this one represents Tommy, this one is Uncle Grian, and this one is Grandma Kristin! I also labeled the other ones, so you know who you’re contacting. There’s Tubbo, Lani, Stampy, Drista, Iskall, Xisuma, Stress, Impulse-”

“I think they get it, Fundy. We can’t spend the entire day naming everyone.”

“I wouldn’t take the entire day! Anyways, this is how you’ll reach to us without anyone knowing. If you push the big gems on the middle, everyone is alerted and Xisuma will teleport to you. Don’t take them off, okay?”

“Mkay”

“Yes, Papa”

“Good. Ready to go?”

The adults laughed as the children switched from serious to excited within seconds. Taking the hands of the excited children, the family went on their way.

--------

Tommy stood at the entrance of his park, his family by his side. The Hermits helped him in putting up a wall around the park, shielding every detail from the eyes of the public. Today was finally the day of his opening, and he was excited. Maybe a little nervous, but mostly excited. Sighing in relief, he smiled as three figures approached him. Opening his arms, he welcomed the warm hug that came with Tubbo’s greeting.

“Tubbo!”

“Tommy!”

“We’re here too, y’know.”

“Lani! Oh, hey, Drista-”

“Hey!”

The four of them laughed as Stampy joined them, a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Handing the bouquet to Tommy, he couldn’t help but remark about how excited he was.

“-And look at all of you! Oh! You all look lovely and dapper! Everyone from my server is here to show our support! We came super early to beat the crowds! Look at us! Getting the best seats to the opening! I’m going to go gather the rest of my server, do excuse me. We’ll be back to start the crowd!”

Clementine and Theo waved enthusiastically as the neighboring server admin waved, walking away as he let to find the rest of his friends. Smiling, Tommy handed the bouquet to the children, who held it with gentle care. Despite being rowdy and loud together, anything from Stampy could reduce the two the silent happiness. This was always a relief to the adults, who, even though were rowdy as well, could not catch a break with the bouncing toddlers.

“Big day, isn’t it?”

“Oh, you know it is.”

Everyone continued to converse as they attempted to pass the time. Halfway through their conversation, a cheerful voice, which belonged to Impulse, sounded through the communicators.

“Gates are opening, crowd control is being initiated.”

“On it, thank you.”

Gulping, Tommy accepted the words of encouragement that came from his family and friends as they made their way off the stage, joining the rest of Stampy’s server at the front of the crowd, which was now slowly growing as more people trickled in. Stepping behind the curtains that flowed slightly in the cool breeze, Tommy recalled the conversation he had earlier. 

------

“And then I call you each on stage to help me with the unveiling.”

“That’s a great idea, Tommy”

“Thanks, Tubzo”

“You want me to help? Are you sure?”

“Yes, Fundy, I want you to help. You are my nephew, which makes you family.”

“Even us?”

“Yes, Theo, even you and Clem. There is one concern, though...”

“What is it?”

“What if Dream’s server comes? I can’t just force you guys up there-”

“Uncle, it’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. X made it so that the guests can’t harm or maim us outside of the dueling areas. Even then, they can’t do much.”

“But, Fundy, what about Dream-”

“It’s like you said, Tommy, we’re family.”

------

Tommy’s communicator snapped him out of his thoughts. Peering down, he saw that Xisuma had sent a private message to him.

XisumaVoid: The stage mics will turn on in a minute. Once the timer hits 30 seconds, the machine will play Pigstep in the background. Good luck, you got this 

Tommy sent a quick message of acknowledgment and appreciation back to the admin, quickly adjusting his shirt and fixing his hair. Taking deep breaths, he hyped himself up as Pigstep began to play in the speakers, causing the hermits and lovely’s to cheer, initiating the rest of the guests to follow in suit. Inhaling a deep breath, Tommy released the air as he gave a nice, charming smile as the curtains opened, revealing him and the crowd to each other. Doing his best not to break his professionalism, he bit back a laugh as he heard Iskall’s voice overpowering everyone else’s”

“GO TOMMY!!! LOOK AT HIM GO, THAT’S OUR BOY!!!”

Waving to the crowd before him, he allowed his eyes to hover over the crowd, taking note of the faces before him. His friends and family, of course, were situated before everyone else in the crowd, the members of Stampy’s server behind them. The Hermits were scattered about, helping disperse the energy whilst being some form of security for opening day. Then, he spotted them. There, stood near the center of the crowd, stood the members of the Dream SMP, both old and new. He couldn't tell who was all there, solely because he did his best not to alert them that he knew they were there. Making eye contact with his nephew, he silently plead for guidance on what to do. Fundy, who understood the meaning behind the look, gave his uncle a nod of encouragement. Readjusting his smile, Tommy cleared his throat as the music slowly deafened, leaving only his voice to speak above everyone else. 

“Welcome! I’m about to do something really fucking annoying, but this server and the neighboring server finds it hilarious. That being said, CAN I GET A HUMINA IN THE CHAT???”

Laughter filled the large crowd as Hermits and Lovely’s alike began chanting the word, over and over again. They died down once Tommy let out a genuine laugh, making his friends smile. Clearing his throat, he spoke up again.

“Ahah, I apologize for that. It’s kinda of a tradition we have when I do productive shit around here. Anyways! Welcome everybody to the grand opening of my park, ‘Innit an Adventure?’! I genuinely want to welcome and thank you all for coming to celebrate such a special day for us Hermits and Lovely’s alike. When I first began this ambitious project, I did so to cope with my trauma. When words failed to express my emotions, I turned to building. That, in itself is saying something. I mean it, ask any of the Hermits here, they’ll tell you. I was a little shit with shittier building abilities. But they didn’t give up on me, and I eventually became able to create this wonderful world on my own. Know that if you are in a rough place, help is available almost anywhere. If, at any point today, any of you feel overwhelmed or panicky, we have designated panic rooms designed to help calm your nerves. The new pamphlets you all received upon entering the portal show not only the map, but a key that will point you to certain points, like the panic rooms. As much as I want this place to be a fun place for all, I want it to be a safe space, too.”

Peering over to the front, he was encouraged to continue when Clementine waved in a hyper manner to him. Letting out a chuckled, Tommy continued. 

“Although I managed to create this myself, I couldn’t have made it to this point without the support from my fellow Hermits.”

He initiated a round of applause as every member of Hermitcraft stood up and waved, some teasing Tommy. Rolling his eyes, he waved them off as he pretended to walk off. Laughing as he stood back on his spot, he gave a genuine smile. 

“No, seriously. They had to deal with the little shit that is me, and they did so wonderfully. They guided me through, what I thought, was impossible to guide me through. Truly, thank you. I would also like to thank the lovely trio of terror. When I fell into this world, quite literally, I was scared about where my friends could be, especially my best friend. Luckily, I soon found out what happened to him. Please welcome to the stage, these three headaches that I call my close friends, Tubbo Underscore, Lani Sky Underscore, and Drista Never Taken!”

Applause filled the air as the three lovely’s walked up stage, waving to the crowd. Wearing their matching outfits, Tubbo and Lani stood on either side of Tommy. Drista, who had worn a cleaner version of her mask, stood on Lani’s other side. As the applause died down, Tommy smiled at his friends as his cheerful voice sprung up.

“Hello!”

“Hi!”

“Hello, everyone!”

“After discovering where they were and that they were okay, my mental state improved greatly. They have inspired so many prizes and attractions in this park, which only proves that they have done so much good for me, even when I didn’t deserve it. I also have some amazing family to thank. Let’s start with an amazing, strong woman, who has an even more amazing aim. Please welcome to the stage, my mother! Kristin Minecraft!”

As the trio took a step back, Kristin handed Clem over to Stampy, who happily accepted the giddy girl. Making her way to the stage, she embraced Tommy, giving him a kiss on the forehead as he lowered his head to her, already expecting it. Hugging him one last time, she joined the trio as Tommy spoke of her. 

“The way I found her was quite amusing. She really is a lifesaver, thank fucking god for her. Although I didn’t have her around while I was growing up, due to her disappearing before I was even around, she has done more than enough for me, more than I could ever ask for. She truly is an amazing mother and woman. Go Mumza! Go Motherinnit!”

Laughter erupted from the crowd as Kristin gently smacked him upside the head. Although it didn’t hurt, he still cringed as he peered down at her. 

“What was that for?”

“You’re being too sweet, only to revert to your rambling. Stay on track.”

“Yes, Mumza.”

As she nodded in approval, Kristin made her way back to the trio, who were openly laughing at their friend. Grumbling, Tommy faced the crowd once more. 

“Not only is he friend and a fellow Hermit, he is my brother. Quite literally. Give a big hand for my big brother! Grian- HEY, WHAT THE FUCK, MAN”

He heard his friends and family laugh as Grian opened his wings, rushing forward in the air towards his little brother. Picking him up, Grian hugged his brother before plopping him back on the stage in a less than graceful manner. Dusting himself off, Tommy couldn’t help but pretend to whine.

“What’s up with you assholes, and Mumza. Is it embarrass TommyInnit day???”

He could only muffle a handful of curses as Grian shrugged, a cheeky smile forming on his face. Shooting a smile of his own towards Grian, gave his brother a playful punch. 

“When I first arrived, Grian and I bounced off each other perfectly. We fit together, like brothers and shit. Turns out, much to my surprise, we were brothers. Crazy, right? I was like, holy shit, oh my-”

“Tommy”

“-right, sorry. Anyways, Grian was a brother that I had lost at a young age, too young to fully remember much about him. You could say the stars aligned in perfect order to allow me to reunite with him.”

Snickers could be heard from the Hermits and Lovely’s, catching the implications that came with Tommy’s words. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He could practically hear Fundy’s groans from where he stood. Using the anticipated embarrassment of his nephew, Tommy let out a booming voice for the next sentence. 

“Everyone, give a hand for my fucking amazing, brilliant nephew, Fundy! Look at him go! Such speed! Amazing!”

Fundy hurried up the stares, a murderous look in his eyes. Once he was near his uncle, he smacked his arm. 

“You just had to be theatrical with my introduction, didn’t you?”

“Just for you, Fundy”

“Oh, don’t play that card with me, Uncle.”

Scratching in between his nephew’s ears, Tommy put an arm around him, keeping him beside him, instead of with the others. 

“Fundy is a brilliant and intelligent man full of love. He is very passionate about family and his projects, and has a brain that flows with all this smart and creative shit. Although I had completed the park, he came in and showed me ways to improve and add on to it. He has truly been an amazing help to me, and I couldn’t have done some of the things I did without him beside me. Speaking of having someone to stand beside him, I’d like to welcome Fundy’s pride and joy to the stage. Please give a kind and genuine welcome to my great nephew, Fundy’s son, Theo!”

Fundy knelt down with open arms as his son ran up the steps to the stage. Theo couldn’t help but giggle as Fundy lifted him into his arms. Smiling, Theo leaned over to give Tommy a hug, his small paws papping his great uncle’s face. 

“Hi, Uncle T”

“Hey, big man”

Theo giggled once more as Tommy ruffled his hair. Curling his tail around his father’s arm, Theo gave the crowd a toothy smile as Fundy stood behind Tommy, situating himself between Grian and Kristin. Once the crowd regained their attention towards their main host, they noticed how he seemed to glow. To them, it was most likely dismissed by the sunlight. To those who knew of Clara, however, knew that it was her warmth, holding his head up in pride. 

“And finally, last but certainly not least, the final member of my family. Please, put your hands together for my magnificent moth, my beautiful butterfly. Please welcome, my Clementine.”

The crowd was a mix of applauding and worried gasps as Clem, being the gremlin she was, chose to not use the stairs. Instead, wanting chaos, she had decided to climb the beams. As people began to panic, the people on stage, as well as the Hermits and Lovely’s laughed. Tommy rolled his eyes as he extended his arms. Smiling, he called up to the troublemaker.

“Marco!”

“Polo!”

Clementine laughed as she jumped straight into Tommy’s arms. Once he safely caught her, she began squealing as she frantically moved her hands from clapping and waving. Once he assured the crowd that she was being watched by the Hermits and would have been safely taken down if she was in danger, everyone was ready for the reveal. Giggling as she loosely wrapped her arms around Tommy’s neck, Clem pointed to the stand in the center. Making incoherent excited noises, she and Theo began to wiggle out of their guardian’s arms, racing towards it as soon as their little feet touched the ground. Pulling themselves up, they revealed a lever. And as everyone on stage put their hands on the lever, they all nodded to Tommy. Taking a breath, said man smiled as he and his close ones pulled the lever. The sound of Redstone filled the air as the wall surrounded the park began to disappear into the ground.

“Everyone! I, Thomas Theseus Minecraft, welcome you all to ‘Innit an Adventure?’!”

They were all greeted by the loud cheers of guests as the gates opened wide.

[glitterge1pen]

Put A Basket On My Bike

Kyōtani Kentarou x reader, sfw, fluff, word count 3,039

Your apartment complex was composed of seven buildings. Each building was made of two towers that went ten floors up. The two towers were connected by big concrete stairs that had green iron railing. A large platform would connect two apartments before the stairs took you to another floor. 

Since the only thing that concealed the stairs from the outside was the railing most of the building was exposed. The sun shone endlessly and lots of people kept plants out on the space outside their doors. You had made a good choice moving here. But when you first moved in you had made one crucial mistake.

You were nice to the neighborhood kids.

You had been moving the last of your boxes into the front hall of your new apartment when three kids came bounding up the stairs. Their footsteps echoed in the labyrinth of stairs.

“Hey! Are you the one who just moved in? The new person?”

“It's rude to just say stuff, you to have to introduce us”

“Right!”

The most enthusiastic of the bunch was Flowerpot. The other stated their name was Poprocks and Flowerpot pointed to Sleep, who said nothing.

“Are those your real names?”

You asked with a sly smile.

“No! Of course not, what are you stupid?”

“Thats rude”

“Right, sorry”

Flowerpot explained that their nicknames were two summers old and that they had chosen names based on their absolute favorite things. You laughed.

“Your favorite thing ever is a flowerpot?”

“Not a flower pot, all flower pots!”

“You can't yell it makes you sound mean”

Flowerpot and Poprocks bickered and argued like this some more. They only stopped when the quiet Sleep spoke up.

“Can we play here?”

“Yeah can we?”

Poprocks reiterated.

“The lady that lived here before you was so mean, she never let us play up here! No one lets us play anywhere, Mad Dog is the only person who doesn't care! And he's mean to!”

You figured that Mad Dog was your across the hall neighbor.

“Does everyone who lives here have nicknames?”

“Mad Dog came with the nickname it's different.”

Flowerpot said, his tiny arms flinging up in the air as he ranted.

“If he lets you guys play out here why did you call him mean?”

Poprocks jumped onto Flowerpots shoulders, excited to speak.

“Because he uses bad words, he never says good morning or smiles at anyone and he always plays his music too late at night!”

She seemed pleased with the list of your neighbors' atrocities and once again you could only laugh.

“Okay, if my neighbor over there doesn't care that you guys mess around out here neither do I”

That first spring in your apartment was filled with various elementary school kids shooting nerf guns, fighting with pinecones, petty arguements and a rare homework session. Other kids from different buildings would often flock to your floor as well. You didn't know most of these ones, but occasionally when Flowerpot, Poprocks, and Sleep would speak to you and talk about apartment complex drama. You were able to differentiate with ‘the kid who always wants to be Mikey when you guys play Ninja turtles’ or ‘the kid who brings over water guns’ and so on.

You left out a bowl of candy for the kids and on your way out for the day you usually ran into Sleep’s mom, who would thank you for letting the kids “make a mess in front of your house” before waving you off.

Besides the pleasant atmosphere of your new home, there was also Kyotani.

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　

The first time you saw Kyotnai was two days after being officially moved in. He was bringing up his groceries and looked tired so you only waved to him before heading inside your own place. You found that Poprocks was right. Sometime around 11:30 Kyotnai started listening to music. Loud. So loud. You were across the hall and could feel the vibrations of the music. The people below him must be pissed. You were pissed actually.

The next morning when you saw him pulling a bike over his shoulders on his way down the stairs you stopped him.

“Hi, I just moved in a couple days ago,”

You trailed off, he was staring so intensely. You turned away, forgetting where you were going with this conversation beyond the simple introduction. After telling him your name you expected him to introduce himself. He just kept looking at you, eyebrows creased, head tilted up to look at you as you were two steps above him. A panic settled in over you. Your mind scrambled for anything to grasp to make this less awkward.

“Those kids who play out here called you Mad Dog-”

“My name is Kyotani.”

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　

After the terrible first meeting you had with your neighbor you did your best to avoid him. You didn't want to deal with whatever it was that had transpired between you two. Well actually, nothing had transpired between you. Much to your surprise that was just how Kyotani was.

When he went to pick up his mail from the front office, he would shoulder check anyone who was standing too close to his mailbox. When he left to go somewhere on his bike he rode in the middle of the parking lot, once you had watched him turn onto the street and when a car almost hit him he just flipped them off.

You couldn't decide if he was arrogant, always running late and that's why he came off as rude, or if he just didn't care. Maybe it was all three. For about two weeks you waited for him to leave first in the mornings and put your headphones on when the music from across the hall got too loud.

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　

You had gotten home unexpectedly early. When you came up the stairs you stopped and watched the scene before you in slight amazement. Poprocks and some of the girls from another building were all huddled around Kyotani. One of them had brought their bike over.

“I’m sorry, I know you fixed it that one time but it came off again and I tired to do it but I didn't do it right”

The girl was almost crying and Poprocks patted her back soothingly.

“You're like nine its a miracle you even kinda knew how to fix this”

Kyotani said, his voice still had that gruff edge but you thought it wasn't too bad when he wasn't being horridly awkward.

“Look,”

He said pointing down to a part of the bike by the pedals.

“The chain works because it's tight, when you switch gears that changes how tight the chain is. When it fell off you put it on the wrong ring”

Now he moved his hands to the back of the bike and pushed on another part.

“Because the chain isn't tight, you can just pick it up, and put it where it's supposed to go, put it around the ring, then you just let go of this back here, and done”

Kyotani removed his hands from the bike. The girls cheered and spun the back wheel of the bike to test it.

“It's that easy?”

The girl said with a smile.

“That easy. I can break it again and you can try to fix it”

“No!”

All three girls shouted at once before hurrying away past you down the rest of the stairs. It was now that Kyotani saw you. There was a brief moment of eye contact before you pretended to look for your keys and he went inside his apartment.

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　

A couple days later you found yourself headed down to the pool. It had been a mostly shitty week and then you remembered the hot tub. There was only about an hour or so until the pool area that stood in the middle of the complex closed. But you were going to make sure it was an hour well spent. You got yourself ready, grabbing head phones, something to look at while you sat in the hot tub.

It had been cloudy all day so you doubted that anyone was down there. It hadn't rained and the sky had thrown no lightning so you felt safe heading down. Covering your swim wear with a t-shirt and grabbing some sandals you headed down.

You were walking along the cement path to the pool when you spotted a familiar blonde head already in the hot tub. Your steps faltered and you almost stopped. But you lived here, this was your home. You didn't want to feel uncomfortable around anyone here.

Opening the gate with your key three people turned to look at you. You ignored the note of your presence and took off your t-shirt, tossed your belongings onto a beach chair, and did your best to feel confident.

“Mind if I get in?”

“Sure!”

It wasn't Kyotani who answered, but one of the guys he was with. He had brown hair that swopped in front of his eyes a bit.

“This is Iwaizumi,”

Kyotani said pointing to the other person in the hot tub with you guys.

“And this is someone who wasn't supposed to come today but wouldn't stop calling me”

Mentioned person ignored Kyotani and focused only on you.

“My name is Oikawa, nice to meet you,”

After saying this Oikawa turned away from you to face Kyotani.

“You know you if you wanted me to leave you could have just asked”

Oikawa’s voice was double dipped in sarcasm and his face was so dramatic.

“I did actually tell you to leave”

Oikawa and Kyotani went back and forth like this. It eased your nerves, made you feel welcomed. You watched the lap of small waves and bubbles in the stream of warm water. You wished you could stay out in the relaxing water longer.

“Are you a friend of his”

Iwaizumi asked motioning his head to Kyotani, he sat across from you but the other two boys were too engrossed in arguing to pay attention to what he was saying. You sure weren't close to Kyotani, you were barely aqutinaces, but it would spoil the mood if you said otherwise. So only responded with a playful,

“Maybe”

Iwaizumi nodded before asking another question.

“You live here too?”

“Yeah, I actually live across from Kyotani”

Oikawa saw an opportunity to jump in here.

“What's that like? Terrible?”

“Shut up Oikawa”

Kyotani said quickly, flicking droplets of water at the other with his fingers.

“Besides the loud music it's not too bad”

You said with a shrug of your shoulders. Kyotani turned to you, a puzzled look adorning him.

“The music is loud?”

“Are you kidding? Has no one ever said anything to you before?”

The words came out as a stifled laugh as you watched Kyotani try to process this information.

“Why didn't you say anything before?”

You were about to answer when a crack of thunder cut you off.

“Shit”

Kyotani said before hosting himself out of the hot tub. The other boys followed suit and you all headed up to the building together.

“What are your plans for the rest of the night?”

Oikawa said, pulling you to him by the shoulder in a friendly gesture.

“You should ask someone if it's okay to touch them before you touch them dumbass”

“Oh he's actually right about something, sorry about that”

Oikawa apologized and pulled his arm off you.

“Apology accepted, and I was planning on watching a movie maybe getting some take out, nothing extragevent”

“Let us come over!”

“Really?”

You said, surprised that your rather normal plans excited Oikawa.

“I can use a movie night where I don't have to watch a Godzilla movie. By the way did you know there are a lot of Godzilla movies?”

“It’s not every time, okay? I let you pick movies too!"

Iwaizumi said, suddenly getting defensive. The two were in their own heated conversation now as Kyotnai and you trailed behind them up the stairs.

“Are you sure it's okay if we come over?”

“I’m sure”

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

"Oh, sorry I can come back another time,"

You said to Kyotani, propping open the swinging door with your foot. Usually you did laundry on a different day but the week had been busier than expected.

"It's okay. I'm leaving-"

He was cut off by the sound of Sleep and Flowerpot jumping down the stairs. There were laundry rooms on every other floor, they sat on platforms in-between the sets of stairs. They only had a washer and dryer, and enough room for one person to come sit watch over their clothes.

"Hey let me help!"  

Flowerpot dipped underneath your laundry basket and pushed it up from your grasp. Sleep rushed to help his friend before the basket had chance to fall over. They placed it onto the washing machine with a thunk.

"How come you little shits are so nice to them and not to me?"

"Because they're nice to us!"

Flowerpot said pointing at you.

Kyotani made a sound somewhere between a growl and a gruff laugh.

"What and I'm not?"

Flowerpot crossed their arms, not backing down to Kyotani.

"Just because you fix our bikes and toys and stuff doesn't count"

"I don't know, sounds pretty nice to me"

You said teasingly.

“The parents of the building hanging out!”

“Huh?”

You said as Poprocks bounded into the cramped room and pulled herself up on top of the dryer. Her swinging legs shut the hatch that Kyotani had just opened. The kids laughed at his annoyed expression.

“You guys always do stuff for us, and even though it's not a yard you let us play in your yard”

You were able to laugh but Kyotani said nothing, his head buried too far into the dryer for you to see his face.

“Speaking of parents dont you kids have other adults to go bother?” You asked them.

“Woah, Mad Dog, how hot is it in there?”

Flowerpot asked curiously when Kyotani pulled his head and the last of his clothes from the dryer.

“What?”

Kyotani said.

“Your face is so red it has to be really hot-”

“Hey don't do that!”

Both you and Kyotani said at the same time as Flowerpot attempted to stick his head in the dryer. Kyotani yanked at the kids shirt pulling him out.

“I’m fine! I’m fine! It's not even that hot!”

“It's rude to yell like that”

“I know!”

“Then why are you still yelling?”

With that Flowerpot chased Poprocks out of the room, Sleep and Kyotani following them out. Leaving you alone to do your laundry in quiet.

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“That's weird”

You said looking at the banking app on your phone. Your paycheck hadn't deposited yet. Most Fridays the money just showed up in your account. You closed the app and then opened it again only to get an error message. You tried on your laptop. Then you googled your bank's name and found a couple articles talking about how your bank was updating their app, website, and other internal servers. Something hadn't gone correctly though. A lot of people couldn't access their accounts online.

You decided you would deal with this issue tomorrow. You opened up the fridge trying to piece together a meal with what you had  when pure fear raced up your spine. It was the first of the month. Rent was due. You ran to your room putting your shoes back on, checking what time the bank closed, grabbing your wallet and then running outside.

You were halfway down the stairs when you saw the bus you were supposed to be getting on pull off down the street. The one time the bus was there when it should be and you weren't there to get on it. The bank was going to close soon, it was about four miles away you wouldn't be able to walk there in time. You turned back up the stairs and knocked on Kyotanis door.

“How fast are you on your bike?”

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

Riding on the pegs of Kyotanis bike was a church like experience. You leaned over him, arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders. At turns and stop lights you closed your eyes, or buried your head into him. Everything was just blurs of sound and color. The two of you left behind whistles of speed as Kyotani continued to pedal faster and faster.

“I have the-”

The person in the car couldn't even finish before Kyotani spat out his own retort.

“I’m on a fucking bike!”

This was true. He was on a bike and somehow both very good and very bad at riding it. When he turned into the parking lot of the bank you two spun as he braked. You felt disoriented and didn't want to let go of him just yet.

“Do you have rent to pay or not?”

“Okay, okay, I’m going!”

You jumped down from the pegs and jogged into the bank. Kyotani had managed to get you there with only ten minutes before the bank closed. You weren't the only one in line to speak to a teller though. Your fingers tapped on your arm, your foot bounced worrying that you wouldn't be able to speak to anyone in time. But another teller opened their station and you were saved.

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

The ride home was much less stressful. You didn't feel nervous about being flung into oncoming traffic because Kyotani had also seemed to calm down. There was no aggressive speed or sharp turns. The wind felt gracious on your skin, the sun orange and cool in the dusk. It felt like you were gliding over the concrete.

“We should do stuff like this”

You said.

“What? Go to the bank again?”

“No, we should like hang out”

“Hm”

You slapped his shoulder.

“Don't just say hm”

“Fine, I agree we should,”

The words fumbled around in his mouth and it was the closet you'd ever see him stutter.

“Hang out”

☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

A/N: No editing , no planning, just the usual late night word vomit.

[derekmorganscrocs]

Last Summer: Ace x Reader (OneShot)

Here’s an adorable Ace gif for you because I love him.

Word Count: 2, 064

Summary: You and Ace are best friends but it turns into something more.

Quick Note: This is the first thing I’ve written that I’ve fully finished and am posting so I’m like freakin our right now. Also this isn’t my usual style but I’m super happy with how it turned out and I hope you (anyone who reads this) likes it! I’m considering a series but I also have several other things in the works, so it might not be soon. Anyways, let’s get this show on the road!

Ace and Y/n. Best friends since they could walk. Inseparable through elementary, middle, and high school. Where do we start?

To be honest, there’s not a lot to explain. You and Ace kind of just... were. It made sense. Best friends, always had the other’s back. You both work at the Claw, you’re both a little burnt out and worn down, but still clever and funny. Everything always made sense.

You always joke, laugh, and do stupid shit together. You’ve bailed him out of trouble more times than you can count. He’s done the same for you. He’s your favourite person, you’re his.

And you’ve been in love with each other forever. Except neither one of you can tell that the other loves you back. So we’re at a roadblock.

You got weird when Ace dated Laura back in the day.

Ace got weird when you dated James, the biker dude in high school.

You got weird when Ace started crushing on Bess.

Ace got weird when you mentioned that Ryan Hudson was hot in a douchebag kind of way.

Summer was different though. Had you known it’d be your last summer before you spotted Dead Lucy, saw Tiffany Hudson’s ghost, were introduced to the spirit world, and started doing seances and rituals every other day, you may have appreciated it more. But oh well, right?

Not right. The start of summer was when you started realizing you couldn’t go on the way you were, but that you also couldn’t live without Ace. So how do you confess? You don’t.

A couple weeks go by before you start to notice the way Ace looks at you, how he always stands just a little closer than anyone else does. How he puts himself between you and the guys that ogle you as the two of you walk to the pier. The way his jaw clenches when someone cute hits on you. His hand always right beside yours, and you wonder if he gets the urge to grab your hand like you do his.

And by the end of June, you’re this weird something. Not just friends, you’ve both seen the way the other stares. But it’s unspoken. You don’t know if you can bring yourself to tell him. He doesn’t know if he can bear the risk of losing you.

Don’t get it twisted, despite the buried feelings you and Ace are the best pair of best friends anyone in Horseshoe Bay has ever seen. Constantly laughing and cracking jokes, seeing who can get more tips in a day. Ace is always the one you turn to, you’re the one Ace turns to. For pretty much anything.

When July rolls around, you both get more time off. The fourth comes quickly, and you make plans to watch the fireworks from the roof of the claw. Upon climbing up at sunset, you decide to just hang out for a few hours until it’s actually time for the fireworks. You talk and joke, and you and Ace carve your initials into one of the shingles. Laying against the shingles, he only carves an A, and you ask if you’ll ever find out what his last name is.

“Maybe when you take it.”

Those are the five words that change everything. He looks up from his knife, startled at his own words. You’re frozen in place as the sky finally reaches its full darkness. And the first boom grabs your attention. You look over in the direction of the beach, and see red sparkles in the sky. Turning back, Ace is sitting up now, both of you still shell-shocked at his joke. Was it a joke?

His knife is long gone, tucked safely in his pocket, and he grabs your face and kisses you. You kiss him back, obviously. He kisses you passionately, slowly but strongly, and fireworks erupt. Both metaphorically and literally. You both end up laying side by side on the roof, kissing and watching the fireworks. It’s the best night ever.

But it’s never made official. There’s still no blurted out confessions, and it never happens again. His eyes still dart to your lips when you speak to him, you still imagine his arms around your waist, and you both still stare longingly at the other whenever their back is turned.

Until August rolls around, a month filled with storms and fog. And death. Ryan Hudson and his goons pull up for dinner. You and Ace serve them when all the others bail, make jokes about insufferable rich people and stare at each other’s mouths, both trying to not get caught as you wish you could just have what you want.

Then the lights go out. Screaming outside from Nancy, and Tiffany Hudson is dead. You and Ace are pretty much free to go, alibis confirmed. The next day Nancy comes to you with evidence that Tiffany Hudson was killed by Lucy Sable. Dead Lucy. Oh god.

The case unfolds and you’re wrapped up in a supernatural mystery. All the while trying to figure out your very natural mystery. What the hell is going on between you and Ace? It’s normal but not, and you don’t want to lose him, but you can feel the drift starting. It’s so uncertain. For once in your life, nothing makes sense.

You cover well though. Burying your feelings is a lot easier than it should be, and you and Ace still joke and pull stupid shit all the time. George and Bess are tired of being caught in the crossfire of your pranks, Nancy would be, but the only time she’s actually noticed anything is when you shot her with a nerf gun because Ace dodged. Nick, the guy from the garage, makes his way into your crew, and takes immense amusement from you and Ace. It’s fine. Great, even.

Then in September, after Tiffany Hudson’s funeral, you go to the Claw to talk to Ace. But he’s beyond talking. He’s got his tongue in Laura Tandy’s throat. And you knew she was back in town, hell, that’s what pushed you to finally talk to Ace. Only you’re too late. You’ve wasted the summer, your summer, being afraid of losing him. Just to lose him anyways.

So you spend a miserable month pretending you’re fine and fake gagging every time him and Laura have their backs turned on you. You bitch to Bess, who’s all too keen on the drama. Nancy’s so wrapped up in the paranormal and her own love life that she’s barely bothered to notice that you’re drowning. George on the other hand... she’s supportive. Well as supportive as George can be. Mostly threatening Laura and saying she’ll fire Ace if you want her to. But you can’t do that. He may only be a dishwasher at the Claw, but he loves it. He loves being part of the team.

And then you walk in on Laura asking Ace to go to Paris with her. You nearly lose it, but manage to keep it together, hiding around the corner with a hand clamped over your mouth as tears threaten to finally spill free. When they’re out of sight, you call Bess, then George, then Nancy, all to no avail. And so you’re hyperventilating and alone, sitting on the front porch of the Claw when Nick swoops in to save you.

Of course it was Nick. The only one who doesn’t know about the whole mess with Ace. So he makes you explain and watches in horror as you refuse to let tears fall and successfully convince yourself to just not be sad. Over the next few days he turns into a brotherly figure, managing to help you realize that feelings are okay to have.

So the garage is your new hangout, and you don’t realize that Ace is actually missing you. Because the only one he wants to ask about going to France was you. Nick sends you back to work on the fourth day, you don’t want to go but he forces you. He says ‘mixing shitty Caesars is the best remedy for any amount of pain.’ It’s the first time he’d seen you laugh in a while. Actually, the first time you’d laughed in a while.

The first person you see when you walk in the diner, of course, was Ace. Sitting at the bar, staring into the wall’s soul. You manage a quiet ‘hey’, and when he turns to see you looking mostly back to normal, he nearly tackles you into a hug. He manages to restrain himself though, not sure what to do. You two never fight. Is this even a fight? How do you make up from a not-fight-fight? Instead he asks you to sit with him. You do, reluctantly, but only because he insists and you can never say no to him.

“Say the word and I’ll stay. Say you want me here and I won’t go.”

And there he goes, changing everything again. You freeze, just like on the Fourth of July, and stare at him in shock. This time though, he isn’t surprised, it’s just you who’s shell-shocked. It takes you a while to understand that he is actually saying what he’s saying, and you kind of just stare at him for a minute. Then you make your decision.

“I can’t tell you what to do. You need to make this call on your own.”

And then, you mix Caesars. And more Caesars, and more Caesars. The restaurant could be supplied for a week if it weren’t a festival day. You would’ve kept going, but what’s left in the bottom of the vodka bottle looked pretty delicious, so you down it instead. Still mostly sober, but tipsy enough to manage a smile, you patted George on the back and said goodbye before heading to the garage.

Nick makes you crash on his couch in the loft, and after a power nap and a glass of water you’re back to completely sober. Good as new. The only thing that’s missing is... your phone. You left it at the Claw earlier. Which means you have to go back. And probably see Ace again.

So back you go. You get the phone without running into anyone, but pause at the sound of voices in the dining area. Frozen in the kitchen, you watch as Ace tells Laura he’s staying. That he has a ‘purpose here. And a person.’ She tells him to miss her, which gives you mixed vibes, and leaves.

“Ace?”

“Jesus! Oh, Y/n! You’re-you’re here. Oh that’s great, you saw that. How much did you hear?”

“That you have a purpose here. And a person.”

A smile finally appears on your lips, and he reciprocates. You walk into the dining room, toward Ace. He watches your every move intently, as if he’s entranced with you. He is, because he hasn’t seen you smile since Laura came to town. And even though he’s been playing it happy, he’s been miserable. He loves Laura, he really does, but it’s more of the ‘maybe in another world’ kind of relationship.

You and Ace. That’s the ‘perfectly perfect, made for each other, soulmates, in any world’ type of relationship. Best friends to something more, with ups and down. Real. Not some whisk you off to Paris and live in a movie. Horseshoe Bay’s ugly, scary, haunted, real life.

Sitting on a barstool, back to the kitchen, you lean against the bar and look at Ace. You think about what to say. There’s so many things you could do. That you want to do.

Slap him.

Kiss him.

Throw him off the roof.

Hug him until he has to peel you off of him.

Throw a bottle at his head.

Jump into his arms, wrap your legs around his waist and stay there forever.

Stick Lucy on him to suck out his soul.

Kiss him until you run out of air.

Maybe you’ll say something instead. There’s lots of things you could say, but you’re not sure how many of them are true.

Did he really betray you by seeing Laura?

Are you grateful for this because you met Nick and gained a brother?

What would’ve happened if Laura never showed?

Are we still us?

Instead, you decide to go with something you know is the truth.

“I’m your person.”

And he smiles like he’s won the lottery.

Tags: @vexfulfun