#couldn't resist doing Ben bigger

[r0-boat]

🪶 anon here! Can I request dating headcanons for ZZZ Wise, Anton, and Lycaon with gn s/o please?

Absolutely!

Zenless Zone Zero Dating headcanons with Lycaon Wise Anton (bonus: Ben Bigger)

You're going on a date! For some of them it is their first time let's see what happens!

Lycaon

His first thought is to spoil you. But only because He spends so much time around his naturally wealthy clients however he personally prefers a cafe date. Over the years he's gone a little blind to the price tag. So please if he invites you on a coffee date Don't be surprised that a lot of the dates you two go on are a little pricey.

If you do not have a spot preference, a walk or a park is always nice. Somewhere quiet and serene, Lycaon it's familiar with picnics However in true Lycaon fashion his idea of a picnic probably will not be your idea of a picnic. He will be quite surprised to learn that people and picnics don't normally have charcuterie boards and fine wines with five-star steak.

If you want him to go full Victoria housekeeping mode. (Which he probably saves for special occasions) He will pick out a nice five-star restaurant(or anywhere) while keeping everything you love in mind. He will try to enjoy the date alongside you. Now and then, he will occasionally start serving you. Don't mind him as he starts serving as your waiter. He likes doing it just as much as sitting with you and ordering.

I could also see him fully planning out a day where he just pampers you where nothing else matters except you and him. Whatever you choose rest assured you will be spoiled rotten.

Wise

Wise prefers casual despite being reserved. I don't see him being confident in knowing romance, but that doesn't mean he won't try. When it comes to romance, Wise is very subtle. He doesn't want to seem pushy with his feelings or seem cheesy. But if you like that sort of thing then he'll light some candles, maybe spread some rose petals.

Whether it be outside or indoors anywhere where it's super quiet with just you and him he will always try to go for he doesn't like being in loud spaces or crowds with a lot of things going on at once. But he doesn't mind if you enjoy it too.

Movie dates are usually what he automatically gravitates toward. He's a movie buff, He will make sure to pick the perfect movie for the two of you to watch, something that he and you both like and it is in his comfort zone. He usually prefers watching movies at home, but he understands that some people enjoy the theater atmosphere, So he will gladly find something that's playing in theaters. And plus it's always a bonus too watch new movies coming out to see what the customers want to see on the shelves later.

Wise is extremely respectful and picks up on the slightest hints of you wanting either more or less. If there is something you want and you glance through a window, he'll get it for you. No one will know you as deeply as Wise does.

Anton

Has no idea what a date is thought that you two are just hanging out as bros. After a 3-hour lecture and explanation from Grace now he's nervous but confident. This whole date thing is new to him. But he knows better than anyone that you just want him to be himself. But he's not stupid He does understand that as your lover he should treat you differently.

He's learning, He's brought you flowers! Baby's first date pretty much all his friends are with him. You two seem to be having a good time so Grace Ben and Kolada shouldn't have to worry too much But they say anyway because they are rooting for him.

Anton treats any date as a normal day he's hanging out with you He's up for anything and everything it's more spontaneous than meticulous planning like the other two but he still wants to make sure you have a good time. Occasionally the two of you will plan something together before going out and having fun like tickets to an amusement park or a sports game he really wants to see.

Anton has masculinity without the toxic. He gives you a smile before opening his wallet "I got this bro. It's a date right? so I'll pay for you?" He pays for you all the time when you're with him. He will insists but if you want to split he never argues. If you pay for him instead or give him a gift he will just accept it and give you the brightest smile you ever seen and say "Thank you so much You don't have to give me a gift because you are my gift bro."

Bonus:

Ben

He's trying He is never been on a date before in his life but he asks everyone that he knows on what they like and what makes a person happy on a date. He even go so far is to reading books and going on online websites to find the perfect place to go.

The man (bear) is so terrified. He wants to make sure you're so happy because he loves you so much and he wants to make such a good impression. You can tell he's nervous as soon as you saw his meticulous clean outfit (ironed even) down to just slicked back fur.

"I-I brought you flowers..." *Big Bear hands you tiny flowers*🥺

You just smile cup his big fuzzy face nuzzle his nose and say "You don't have to do all this for me You look so nervous my teddy bear. I love you so much Thank you!" He's so happy He is a Bear Thiren with a tiny tail otherwise you would have probably saw his tail wagging so fast. His nervousness is all gone now but he is still a gentleman holding out his big arm for you to take it so you two can have dinner together have fun!

[yasmimkilleruwu]

Can pleeeeeeeeeeaase do some EJ headcanons? It's fine if you don't

Here are some more headcanons about Eyeless Jack :))

Eyeless Jack has lived in the mansion for a while, but was expelled from the mansion after killing a proxy.

Jack hates almost everyone who lives in the mansion, the only exceptions are Sally, Ben Drowned, Seed Eater, Nina the Killer, Clockwork and Lulu, he basically only lived in his room, he had counted on anyone, the only real friendship he It was with Seed Eater.

Some of the Creepypastas tried to be Jack's "friends", but they didn't want to be really friends of Jack, as they just wanted Jack's protection since he was one of the strongest and frightening Creepypastas of the mansion.

Jack doesn't like very hot places, he remembers that in the ritual the temperature was very, very hot, he felt as if his skin was burning, so he prefers to stay in cold places.

In addition to Jack eating the organs, he also eats the meat of his victims, Jack no longer feels a kind of normal hunger, the hunger he feels is horribly colossal, it seems that even if the ritual has not worked, something was still inside from Jack, something really bad.

Jack spends all day sleeping and only goes out to eat or do anything else at night, after the ritual Jack started to feel very sleepy, so much so that it was difficult for him to stay awake.

It took a long time for Jack to get used to his "new" body, he had gotten bigger, stronger, he couldn't see, his nose was much more sensitive, he had a syrup and claws now, it seemed like his body was more cold resistant except his nose that was still sensitive to cold, very sensitive.

Jack had a lot of bad experiences for not having eyes and especially for not being able to see, things like snow, dust and rain drops ended up falling inside their orbits, and every time that happened a lot, so Jack began to be even more careful.

Over time Jack ended up unlearning to speak, he was slowly losing his humanity and sanity, a long time ago he didn't talk to someone, and his throat hurt when he was talking, the only thing Jack did now was grunt like a one animal type.

Jack began to forget things about his past, began to have nightmares and hallucinations, his mental health was getting worse every day, Seed Eater tried to help, but Jack needs the help of another human.

Jack stole an iPod from one of his victims, he always listens to music when he is stressed or going through a bad time, what it was always.

Jack now "worked" for Zalgo, because Jack was housing in a territory of Zalgo, so for him to keep living there, he would have to do some tasks for Zalgo.

After a while Jack met Toby, and the two tried to kill herself several times, many times Jack really didn't like Toby, especially for Toby being a proxy, Jack hated everything with Slenderman.

One day Zalgo decided to make a peace treaty with Slenderman for reasons no one knows, and designated Jack to be Toby's partner, Jack obviously hated that, because now he would have to spend all his time with Toby.

Jack and Toby beat each other a lot, they fought and ignored themselves most of the time, Jack stopped beating Toby after he realized that he would have to take care of Toby's injuries anyway, so he continues to retrieve and hurt Toby I would only give him more work.

Jack was almost asphyxiated by Toby as he was sleeping, they had had a fight again and Toby tried to kill him "accidentally".

After a while Jack started to get along with Toby, and he started to open more to Toby and started talking to him more, leading them to become closer and closer, it helped Jack to return to speak right.

Jack was upset with Toby for days, because on a day she was snowing, Toby touched a snowball in the face of Eyeless Jack, which made a lot of snow get into his orbits, Toby apologized a lot and did several things to Eyeless Jack to forgive him.

After Jack began to develop romantic feelings for Toby, he began to do almost everything Toby sent without even questioning, and Jack followed Toby anywhere as well.

Jack has many scars, some are from the ritual and the others are of self-mutilation, he stopped injuring himself a while later, but the scars are very visible.

Jack likes to touch Toby's body, he likes to feel his scars and skin, and he likes to mark him, he finds Toby's blood delicious.

Eyeless Jack has a butcher shop on his cabin, he doesn't like to put humans there, but when he gets out of control he puts them there.

If Jack loses control and if he spends a long time without eating, he turns into a total creature, just like his canonical version, he totally loses his human thoughts, he will attack anything near him.

My version of Jack is Mexican, he came from Mexico for the United States, he knows how to speak English very well.

He also doesn't like most creepypastas, he hates mainly people like Jeff, because Jeff makes Jack remember the people who hurt him and killed in the ritual.

[oliveisme533]

My dad's neighbor is a dilf

Chapter 2

Joel Miller x you

Summery: You had decided to spend your summer in Austin with your dad. You used to spend almost every summer there, but hadn't spent a summer there since you were a teenager. Which means you hadn't seen a certain Joel Miller in years..

Warnings: Verbally abusive boyfriend. Talks of mental health and self harmI will put a sign for what paragraph to skip if you want to avoid that content

Of fucking course Ben would call you... your rub your temple and groan. "It's too late for this shit" you mutter to yourself and flick off the light with a little more force than you intended.

Sunday morning you slept in. It wasn't until about 11:00 that you heard your dad banging around in the kitchen downstairs. You drag yourself out of bed, highly motivated by the smell of coffee making its way to your nose. As your feet hit the landing toilet freeze, the fog of sleep dissipates instantly and your insides turn to liquid. "It's really no problem! I can have it fixed in a couple hours, plus you don't want to wait around with that kind of shit. It can turn into a much bigger problem real quick if you don't take care of it soon" that was Joel's voice. What is Joel doing in your kitchen at 11am on a Sunday?!! Especially when he was just here..last night? Do him and my dad really spend that much time together?? You contemplate running back upstairs but then your dad catches a glimpse of you before you can execute your plan. "Well hey babydoll! Didn't know if you were still alive up there" you offer him a grunt in response as you make your way to the coffee pot. "Good morning to you too" he laughs. "Oh hey, the water is going to be shut off in a bit because there's a leak in the water pipes upstairs. Joel said he would take care of it so water should be back on in an hour or so." "Do you just call Joel instead of a plumber these days?" You question your dad with a raised eyebrow. He chuckles "no, I basically sent him a text this morning asking for his opinion on whether or not this needed to be fixed asap or it was no big deal. I was going to call someone on Monday, but he insisted". Your dad lowered his voice slightly as he then said "between you and me...I think he's trying to stay real busy these days. I know having Sarah with her mom for the summer has been a really hard adjustment for him" that seemed logic enough to you and you said as much to your dad before Joel came back through the front door carrying several tools.

"Well good morning sunshine" he said with a smile that stirred inside of you. "One of these days I oughta teach your dad how to be useful around the house so he can carry on without me" "yeah you two are like a married couple" you joked. Joel chuckled "mmm well who could resist this handsome man" he said gesturing to himself. You rolled your eyes "you're old" it was a cheap shot, but also you secretly would admit his age because you were curious. He laughed and said "yeah Sarah says the same to me" but he didn't say anything else. He walked out of the kitchen and began up the stairs towards the leaky pipe or whatever the hell he was here to fix. As soon as he was out of sight you flung your head back "why...why couldn't dad just call a freakin plumber" you resolved to deal with the Ben situation after you had some breakfast in your stomach. It was not something you were particularly looking forward too, but you knew he wouldn't let up until you responded. Sure you could block him, but it wasn't like he was some tinder date gone wrong. You two had spent years together, not to mention you were adults who needed to handle the situation like adults and not take the easy way out.

After breakfast you found an outfit that wasn't an old t-shirt and shorts with little owls on them. You were still mortified that Joel saw this look. "Okay you can do this" you breathed, picking up your phone and tapping Ben's name." Of course he picked up almost immediately. "Hey.. how are you?" You responded politely, but quickly veered the conversation to what he really wanted to talk about. "Well, I've been thinking. I really think you and I are meant to be together. It just feels right, and I know I haven't always been the best at showing up or just being a good boyfriend in general, but now I really feel I'm ready for that level of commitment" there was a short pause

"listen, Ben ... I just don't see it that way. I've spent too much time over the years being disappointed by your actions. I've broke my own heart so many times because I convinced myself you were really going to change and then to I didn't. I can't do that anymore. We're too old for this. I'm glad you feel like you're ready to commit and I hope you find a girl who is too, but at this point in my life I just can't offer you that." You had feared he would be angry, but weren't prepared for what came next. ⚠️CW⚠️ "Are you fucking serious?? Like after all these years you're just going to throw all that away?! Like honestly I didn't need to come back and give you another chance but I did and" "GIVE ME another chance?!! What the fuck Ben..HOW do you even see it that way??" "WHAT DO YOU MEAN??" He shouted back "babe I have put up with so much of your shit over the years and now I'm saying that it doesn't matter and I'm going to stick around regardless of all that!" Oh now he has crossed a line "MY SHIT?! WHAT, PRAY TELL ARE YOU REFERRING TOO?!" "I have had to do SO MUCH for you like when your mental health is bad you just shut off completely. It's like trying to be in a relationship with a fucking wall! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD THAT IS...WHAT KIND OF TOLL THAT TAKES ON ME." Hot tears of anger were streaming down your cheeks. "I CANNOT believe you said that! Did you ever consider how hard it is FOR ME in those times?! Like honestly Ben you only think about yourself." "Oh really is that why I took off work so I could drive you to the hospital when you slit your wrists and you called me, crying?? Obviously that shows I care for you! You cannot tell me I only care about myself when I had to do that kind of shit for you!" Your chest was now rising and falling very rapidly. You certainly were not thinking about how loud you were being right now, but luckily your dad was outside mowing the lawn, well out of earshot. "Ben that is the bare MINIMUM A PERSON CAN DO. Like you're really hanging that over my head??! fucking grow up! God FORBID YOU TAKE THE TIME TO DRIVE ME TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM DURING THE WORK DAY. How about we talk about all the shit I've done for YOU over the years." You could now hear him laughing. A hollow laugh, but a laugh all the same. "Oh DONT EVEN. What could you POSSIBLY have done to compare to me being your GODDAMN NURSE when you're a grown adult." It was all too much. You were all but sobbing at this point. "You are such an ASSHOLE Ben! Don't EVER call me again! THIS IS OVER. I will NEVER love you and you will NEVER speak to me this way again. If you so much as text me...I'm going to get fucking restraining order!" You choked out. "A RESTRAINING ORDER ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?? My dads a literal LAWYER you know that right babe?! I'm NOT going to let that happen!" "Do you even hear yourself right now??! LEAVE ME THE. FUCK. ALONE."

                            End of CW

You hang up the call and crumple to your bed with heaving sobs. You are interrupted by a knock on your door. Presuming it's your dad you walk over to open in and all but fling yourself out the door way knowing he's standing right then ready to hold you. Hug you and tell you everything will be okay like you're 13 or something. The blurred your vision and it was not your dad on the other side of the door. Your head hit his chest and you flung your arms up around his neck. "Dad I hate boys!" You sobbed. But then you realized the height wasn't right, the smell wasn't right, the arms and chest weren't right...

you practically jumped backwards and to your horror saw Joel Miller standing before you. His soft puppy dog eyes heavy with concern and care. "I-um sorry. I assumed it was my dad or I never would have" Joel held up a hand to cut you off. "It okay, you don't need to apologize...I've got a daughter of my own don't think I haven't had the same hug and those same tears." His voice was soft and gentle, and he smiled at the last comment. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." You could only nod. "It's none of my business, but this guy sounds like bad news and it's a matter of your safety...does your dad know about all this?" You nodded again. "Yes he knows about Ben...although I'll need to update him on the new low that Ben stooped to today. But my dad knows and I feel safe...and in blocking Ben's number." Joel's brows were knit together. "Okay...I don't need to know about but your dad does and it sounds like you've got a good thing going there." You felt awkward and more than anything wanted to disappear and forget this interaction ever took place. You shifted your weight from one foot to the other and picked at your fingers "um yeah I think everything with be fine now" you said awkwardly. "Alright well I apologize for intruding into your private life, but I'm glad you're safe and under your dads roof." He started to walk away when you heard yourself say "Thank you Joel..I really appreciate it."he smiled at you and said "don't mention it" "You better finish up fixing that leak before my dad finds something else to break." Joel laughed "don't worry I'm just about done and I'll be out of yalls way in a jiffy." What a day... and it's only noon

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Hey when I was looking at one of these. One of these questions for the Ben 10 AU didn’t get answered. :(, and that question was something about the rest of the dorm members reacting to their dorm head’s current predicaments after uhhh being stuck in random alien forms cause of the omnitrix(like you think Rook might try to at least try to tell Vil he still the most beautiful[even if Vil’s form at said moment is that of Wildmutt] or Ruggie and maybe even Jack making sure Leona doesn’t break anything by rolling into anything in his sleep, or the tweels probably just teasing Azul even more :/. Maybe even Sebek having a big reaction that involves shouting because something happened to his Waka-sama[Lilia might think Malleus just looks adorable, and Sliver uhhhh, not sure how he processing that]). Plus do they even help their dorm heads coup with it(Good luck Omnitrix Riddle in trying to make Trey and Cater believe you were affected as well, and you’re not a certain alien hero)

:'v

I forgot, sorry! I was writing answers a bit late and probably didn't realize it since I was tired :'3

As for the response itself:

Riddle (without omnitrix) is absolutely smoldered by Cater's affection since he's such a cute lil gloop. Trey tries to be reasonable, but Adeuce cause more trouble by teasing Riddle and as a result someone is getting strangled today. :'3

If he had the omnitrix, man would just play a puppy eye card along with some sappy excuse Ace wrote on a paper. It's more of a constant questioning 'why wasn't I in the drama club'. Thing is that Cater and Trey buy it and also think that maybe the alien transformation affects him a lot. :'3

Jack and Ruggie definitely try their best. They just have to make sure Leona doesn't roll in his sleep or something. Of course, they had to chase after him a few times, but nothing a lasso and a long time of 'get out of the way' couldn't solve. :'3

For Azul... Well... ✨Eel popsicles✨ They definitely tease Azul to the point his embarrassment causes a bigger temperature drop around. The twins probably got a bit frozen and Azul had to make an extensive apology about it. His patience is on thin ice (pun intended). :'3

Kalim(without omnitrix) is Jamil's most peaceful day. Just check on him for a few times, save the food if it's the case and overall just have a peaceful day. Man feels like he's in heaven. U-U9

But with Kalim that has the omnitrix, Jamil is pulling some intense mental gymnastics and actively helping in the lie with the 'shape shifter alien'. Headache galore and some poor wall getting punched, but hey! It works :D

For Vil, oh Rook definitely tries to cheer him up no matter if Epel has or not the omnitrix. But Rook is also someone who would see beauty even in a squished snail so it could fall a bit flat. Maybe a bit uneasy since Vil is aware his vice has a thing for hunting 'beasts'. Poor Vil... Now suffer sum more :3

Idia (without the omnitrix) has Ortho with him. And Ortho is resistant to fire and could cut plants if they get out of control. He mostly reassures his bug brother that it would be alright and gives him reassuring pats. U-Ub

If Idia had the omnitrix, Ortho would play a more important role in keeping others outside. And as cute as it is to see this smol robo-child tell you nicely to go away, if you still insist, you'll probably be blasted through a wall, out of the dorm. :'3

For Diasomnia. A constant 'where tf is Malleus', with the occasional 'Have you seen my son/liege? He's a gloop this tall, clearly gay, but we haven't had the talk yet.'. Meanwhile Malleus is in a tea cup, almost getting microwaved. :'3

[ghostwriter-of-silly-things]

Fire Resistant Bandanas

Word Count: 3,355

Warnings: descriptions of violence (minimal), descriptions of a panic attack

I left once I'd been coerced into the new quest. I went to the Hermes cabin, where I had been staying the past week, and managed to move all my limited belongings to Cabin Four all in one trip. In fairness, it was literally just some changes of clothes and a few keepsakes, so not much in the way of luggage. 

  After putting away my stuff, I sat on my new bed, and drew my legs up, hugging them. My mind drifted off to what would happen in the next few days. Death unleashed through Hera? Not something I particularly wanted to happen, but not like I had a say in that. 

  I sighed, and the sound bounced around the empty walls of my cabin. I obviously wasn't about to sleep tonight, like pretty much all the other nights since I came to camp (minus the comatose episode), so only one thing was going to happen. Changing into some warmer clothes, the only ones that were in any way practical, I stepped out of my cabin. It was quite easy to avoid the harpies if you knew how. So, I snuck out, careful not to get brutally attacked by bird women, and made my way to the creek, before I heard a familiar voice. 

  "Believe me, lady, I remember. And whoever you are, I'm gonna face-plant you hard, Leo-style." First of all: what was Leo doing down here? This certainly wasn't helping with any transport issues, and secondly: what lady? Was he hallucinating again? Was he even well enough to go on this quest, because I did not want to get killed covering his stupid ass. I watched Leo head into the forest, and decided to follow him.

  What? It was only to make sure he actually did what he said he'd do, and this whole thing wouldn't go to Tartarus. It was likely that it would end badly anyway, but we needed air travel apparently, even though I had concerns about exactly how we were going to do that, and/or being blasted out the clouds by the Lord of the Skies. 

  I followed Leo through the masses of trees, making sure he couldn't see he was being tailed. The huge old trunks became helpful to hide behind, like in capture the flag so you weren't skewered by Clarisse, which was less of a concern for me (family ties), but anyway. Leo took one last look behind him, and did a Thing. A fiery Thing. Well. That's interesting. He can summon fire. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure step forward... and it cringed as a twig snapped beneath their foot. I whipped my head round, extinguishing the orange flame, and screaming in a rather undignified way. 

  "WHOA- Holy Mother of Zeus that's loud!" Oh. Only Ben. I breathed heavy for a few moments, trying to regain my almost fatally damaged composure. "Blimey, how loud can you scream?"

  I smirked playfully (or so I hoped), re-igniting the fire, even as the pit of guilt in my stomach grew bigger. "I've been known to deafen people."

  "Uh-huh. Anyway. What are you doing out here? You're meant to be working on our transport issue and being out here, unprotected, you're going to get yourself killed." Ben crossed his arms, a stormy expression on his face and I would swear that I heard him mutter something under his breath that sounded like 'all hat and no cattle', whatever that meant. 

  "I am, actually. If you would follow me, I'm looking for dragon prints." I swept my arm out in a grand gesture, indicating we go further into the woods. Ben gave me a calculating look, then shrugged and followed after. 

  We walked for a while, or what seemed like a while, given my complete lack of measuring time without a watch, but that wasn't the point. I didn't see any sign of anything out of the ordinary, no giant footprints, trampled trees, burning, or even the dragon, which was kind of a bummer. Then, we walked into the edge of a clearing. The game changer. At the bottom lay the first trap - a hundred-foot-wide crater ringed with boulders. 

  It was pretty ingenious. In the centre of the depression, a metal vat the size of a hot tub had been filled with bubbly dark liquid - Tabasco sauce and motor oil. On a pedestal suspended over the vat, and electric fan rotated in a circle, spreading the fumes over the forest. Could metal dragons smell? 

  Ben sneezed beside me. He had obviously done his best to cover the sound but even then it was pretty loud. "Bless you. Could you be quieter? We're trying to trap a dragon here?" I hissed. 

  "Well I'm sorry. It's not like I can control how loud I sneeze!" He whispered back, agitated. I suddenly noticed a long scar on Ben's face, running from his right jawline to across his nose, almost at the nose bridge. After being caught staring, I asked: "Hey. Ben. Where'd you get that scar from?"

  "Ok. First of all, don't call me Ben again or I will hit you, and second... " Ben unconsciously brought his gloved hand to his face to run his fingers over the scar in question. "I got it from a dracaena. She cut my face, but then I stabbed her so I'd say I got even." I pulled a face. This demigod business didn't seem as fun as I'd originally thought. "That's not even the worst scar I have. Being a demigod... it's a dangerous life. We don't tend to live that long."

  I gulped, and shook the unease off quickly to try and concentrate on the trap. However, one more thing was nagging at me. "What about that one on your lip?"

  I thought I saw Ben fluster slightly at the question, and he sighed before answering about the shiny line on the left side of his top lip. "You know how everyone tells you not to eat from your knife? Well... that's why." He turned away, his glasses glinting in the moonlight, dark hair behind a red bandana. With his arms crossed and sleeves pushed up slightly, showing even more scars, all lean muscle and horrifying stories about his past, he looked like an action hero, the real deal. The epitome of coolness. Even the rather dark bags under his eyes added to it. 

  A burn scar ran from his left cheek along his neck. I felt bad, even though it wasn't my fault. The whole fire curse thing was seriously eating away at me. 

  I chuckled and looked back. I could see a glint of metal beneath earth and leaves - a bronze net lining the crater. Except I couldn't see it, not exactly. I could sense it, like I could sense heat off the mechanism. Six strips of bronze stretches out from the vat - probably pressure sensitive. As soon as the dragon stepped on one, the net would spring closed and voilà - one gift-wrapped monster. 

  I edged closer, Ben behind me, and put my foot on the nearest trigger strip. Nothing. Obviously set for something really heavy, unlike two puny humans. Half humans. Whatever. 

  We made our way down to the vat inside the crater, and the fumes were almost overpowering, like the jalapeño juice in my eyes from that time Hera made me cut them. 'Endure it, little hero. The Aztecs of your mother's homeland used to punish bad children by holding them over a fire filled with chili peppers. They raised many heroes that way'. I shuddered at the memory. 

  I searched for a release mechanism, but my search was fruitless. And then I heard it. 

  I hadn't noticed all the tiny little sounds in the forest, but now they were gone, there was a very, very, unsettling feeling settling over the place, and then -- 

  It wasn't the sort of sound you heard. You felt it through your bones, the deep bass too low to hear with only the deep sense of foreboding and the ground shaking to warn you. 

  "Oh, bugger." Ben whispered beside me, eyes wide. "What do we do?"

  I turned, and saw two red glowing eyes staring at me and Ben- Benjamin. ​​​​​​Now is not the time for names, brain. Stupid brain. What I didn't realise until too late was that the dragon was actually staring at the fire on my hand. I extinguished it quickly, but it made no difference. It was too late.

  The dragon was still way too visible for my liking. Its mouth was filled with hundreds of dagger-sharp teeth and steam came out of its nostrils. Its snarl was like a chainsaw, and despite all its murder weapons, I found it beautiful. A mechanical masterpiece standing in front of me, bronze panels shining in the moonlight. Except... 

  "You don't have wings," I said flatly.

  It tilted its head, as if to say, Why aren't you running away in terror? 

  "Hey, no offense. You're amazing! Good god, who made you? Are you hydraulic or nuclear-powered? If it was me I'd put wings on you. What kind of dragon are you? I guess maybe you're too heavy to fly? I should've thought of that."

  The dragon snorted, confused, much like the person next to me. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were suicidal," Benjamin intoned. "So, this was your idea? Not... terrible."

  The dragon took a step forward, to trample them, and I shouted, "No!"

  It snarled, and the expressions on both of our faces were much too calm for what was happening. It was confused. It didn't like being confused. 

  "It's a trap, bronze brain." Leo explained. "They're trying to catch you."

  The dragon opened its mouth and blew fire. I didn't see what Benjamin did, but hoped that he had enough sense to get out the way. White-hot flames blew over me, more than I'd ever endured before. It was like a fire hose-down. It stung a little, but everything seemed fine, so I wasn't too worried, and I was glad my clothes hadn't become crispy burnt bits in the process. I looked over to where Benjamin had been standing, and was now crouching disgruntledly having thrown himself to the ground below the trap, surprisingly not burnt, minus some slightly crispy bandana. 

  The dragon stared at us both. Its face didn't change, what with it being made of metal and all, but I thought I could read it's expression: Why no crispy critter? A spark flew out of its neck. 

  "You can't burn me." I tried to sound calm, but I wasn't entirely sure it was working. "Stay, boy. Don't come any closer. I soon think you want to get caught. See, they think you're broken and have to be scrapped. But I don't believe that. I can fix you if you let me -"

  The dragon didn't seem to listen. It charged us, right into the trap, and Benjamin and I were thrown in different directions, me in between the dragon and the vat, getting doused in now burning Tabasco sauce and oil, and Benjamin onto the floor of the crater, narrowly missing getting sliced in two by a sharp metal strip. I flicked some of the gunk off myself, then turned to shout at the offending machinery. 

  "Will you stop that!" I yelled, and Benjamin looked on in what I hoped was concern. A boy could dream. The dragon thrashed in its bonds.

  I managed to wriggle free and squirmed out of the net. I ran to the dragons head, and it tried to bite my head off, but luckily its teeth were too tangled in the netting to do anything. Wouldn't want to die like that. Leo Valdez, age 15, died of decapitation by a bronze dragon. 

  "Listen, man," I said, "You're just going to show them where you are. Then they'll come and break out the acid and the metal cutters. Is that what you want?"

  The dragon made a creaking sound that was almost like talking. 

  "Okay, then. You'll have to trust me."

​​​​​​It took Leo nearly an hour to find the control panel. What was I doing, you may ask. Not much, really. I'd sort of elected to guard Leo from any harpies while he worked, because trying to find an apparently non-existent control panel on a dragon that's actively trying to murder you was, to put it plainly, really freaking boring when you're not the one doing it. I entertained myself by repeatedly throwing a small knife I had had strapped to my leg at the ground. Almost therapeutic. Drawing on the ground with a sharpened stick only went so far. 

  "Hold still!" Leo scolded. 

  It seemed to have some sort of creaky language that no one had quite figured out yet, because it sure made a lot of those noises. I could sort of see Leo fiddling around in the dragon's neck, but to be honest it didn't really look like much because it was out of the frame of my glasses, and I could not ​​​see without them. I was making a point of ignoring Leo, because I preferred not being almost killed, especially not in such a stupid way. 

  "Hey," Leo called form his vantage point. I looked up. "How did you not get burned? And, like, your clothes and stuff."

  I thought for a moment. "It's, uh, complicated. I have pretty good reflexes. But my clothes, I try to make sure they're... well, resistant clothes. To fire and other things. And, like, fire resistant bandanas and whatnot."

  "Huh," Leo replied, obviously putting a lot of thought into his answer. He returned his attention to the wiring. After a moment, he said, "Ha. Well, no wonder."

  He began taking to the dragon. "You've got a corroded control disk. Probably regulates your highest reasoning circuits, right? Rusty brain, man. No wonder you're a little... confused. I wish I had a replacement disk, but... this is a complicated piece of circuitry. I'm gonna have to take it out and clean it. Only be a minute." I turned around to watch at this point. Making a point, again, only went so far. 

  "Are you sure that's safe?" I asked pointedly, gesturing at Leo with my knife, because, you know, safety. 

  Leo's voice sounded strained. "Not so sure. I'm sure it's fine. Can't do too much harm." He cleaned the control disk with his sleeves and clothes, getting himself covered with grease and oil in the process, muttering 'clean hands, dirty equipment' periodically to himself. 

  Leo climbed back up to the dragon's head and cleaned some more things that seemed to be attached to it. Oh screw it, I decided, and clambered up next to him to take a closer look. It's not like the harpies would still be out at this time of night. Probably in bed or something. 

  At last Leo finished, and connected the disk back into the nest of wires, sparks flying. The dragon shuddered, it's eyes glowing once more. 

  "Better?" Leo asked. I leaned as much as he could over Leo's shoulder. 

  "Looks it." Leo jumped a mile. 

  "Jesus! A little warning next time would be nice!"

  I smirked. "Pay attention next time. Don't want to get eaten, do you?" 

  The dragon interrupted, made a sound like a power tool, and opened its mouth to show rotating teeth. Bit weird, but okay, I thought. 

  "I guess that means it's better. Hold on, I'll free you."

Thirty minutes, a dozen way too complicated release clamps and tangled metal netting later, and one dragon was officially freed from a trap. It roared dramatically and shot fire at the stars. 

  "Seriously," Leo said, "Could you not show off?"

  Creak? The dragon asked. 

  "You need a name," Leo decided. "I'm calling you Festus."

  "What?" Leo gave me a sorrowful look.

  "Oh my gods. Just..." I saw the look on Leo's face and reconsidered. "Nevermind," and sighed. 

  "Cool. But we still have a problem, because you don't have wings."

  Festus tilted his head and snorted, then lowered his back. He wanted us to climb on. 

  "Where are we going?" Leo asked. 

  "Does it matter?" I countered. "It'll probably help." I hoisted myself up onto the dragon's back and held a hand out for Leo. "Are you coming or not, Valdez?"

 *＊✿❀　❀✿＊*

  We disappeared into the woods, further than us organic counterparts of our weird trio had ever seen before. The trees completely blocks out all of the natural light, so we had to rely on Leo's burning hands and the dragon's eyes to see. Finally, we approached a huge stone cliff, that even Festus couldn't possibly climb. Festus stopped and, presumably, pointed. 

  "What is it?" Leo asked, to no avail. He kept pointing at the rock. So, he slid off and took a look. I stayed perched on Festus's back, watching. 

  "It's not going to move out of your way." Leo told him flatly, but touched it, just to see what would happen. Lines of fire spread from his finger tips illuminated the night, outlining a glowing red door five times as tall as me or Leo. The small figure on the ground backed up, and the door swung opened. I slid off and stood next to Leo, staring. 

  "Perfectly balanced," Leo muttered. "That's some first rate engineering."

  We stepped inside, Festus as lead. The door swung shut behind us, causing a moment of panic to run through me. What if I got stuck here, like that last time? Only if I got stuck again, I wouldn't make it out. Not this time. My chest constricted. My breathing became short. What would happen to me? My eyes closed as I struggled to calm myself. The lights flickered on and my eyes snapped open. I looked over at Leo, who was engrossed in the details of the cavern. He hadn't noticed. Good. 

  Oh gods oh gods this is not good -- I won't make it out won't make it out won't-

  I sank down onto the floor, huddling myself into a corner, out of sight. Squeezing my eyes shut and covering my ears, I began rocking myself gently back and forth, trying to hold back the tears that welled up and stung my eyes. My breathing was ragged and I couldn't think of anything but the fact that I was definitely going to die here -- there was no way out. Trapped for good. Again. My body shook uncontrollably. 

  Keeping my hands over my ears, I dug my nails into my head; the pain helped me ground myself -- it usually did? Maybe it would be fine. Maybe I could find a way out. Or maybe I was doomed to die in a stupid bunker in the middle of the stupid woods and Hera was just playing with me all along. 

  Through the wall of my hysteria I heard a voice, fuzzy and blanketed, getting louder through the fog of my panic. 

  Eventually it became clear enough I could make out separate words. 

  "Benjamin! Where did you run off to? I found some... oh, geez.."

  My eyes snapped open to glare up at Leo, looking down at me, horribly sympathetic. 

  We stared at each other for a few seconds. 

  "Do you need me to--"

  "Go away," I growled. I didn't need his pity. What I needed was not to feel like a weak idiot for something as small as this. 

  "Are you sure? I can --"

  "Go." 

  He gave me one last look before turning on his heels and walking out of sight. 

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[like-sands-of-time]

"rey asks for two whole things in this entire trilogy, someone who understands her, and belonging) and she doesn't get either"

This is exactly what I'm talking about. I've seen other posts talk about it way better than I can so I'm hardly breaking ground here but ugh!!

And bringing Ben back up, his character goals seemed to be, making a name for himself without his family legacy, accepting himself for who he is and not comparing himself to his ancestors, and someone who understands him dark and light and all.

Anyone on the dark side is appalled or even afraid of the Light, and the opposite is true. He couldn't belong anywhere and he was manipulated to be afraid of himself and others from a young age. Rey was literally his opposite, his other half, the one who could see him for who he was.

That's what makes BOTH of them so interesting. You can't have one without the other in my opinion, because they're each other's foils, they fit like puzzle pieces together. Where one gives the other takes, etc.

Rey by herself is JUST AS emotionally unstable as Ben is. I firmly believe that. The only thing that's different about them is their upbringings. If snoke had done to her what he did to Ben she would have been the SAME because they are the same. They both would have been and are conflicted characters feeling pulled from both sides but not able to fit into either. Rey is only a Good character because of circumstance just as Ben is only Bad because of circumstance. The Resistance is Good because they're fighting murderous tyrants but it's hardly realistic to act like they don't also kill, like they're inherently innocent of all. They did sort of touch on that concept with finn and rose which was nice I guess.

But yeah, Rey is not this emotionally stable, rational Queen. She's a young adult who's just as emotional as Ben (and Anakin) chugging along in the midst of politics way bigger and way older than any of them, not to mention secret plans older than any of them, and I guess she tried again to be a Jedi but it never would have been the path for her. That's the point. I wish we got more acknowledgement of her using the Dark, because it does seem like a lot of the fights she's angry, she's yelling, she's emotional. Jedi are supposed to be like passive or above that stuff or whatever and she's definitely touching the Dark within her at least a bit from my pov.

These movies are from Reys pov, and historically star wars is on the side of the Light, so of course Ben saying he can teach rey, wanting her to rule with him, etc, is meant to be sneaky temptation, while her wanting to save him is meant to be tragically good deeds. I don't really agree with it but it does make sense. Those are opinions they could/would have. That's sort of the growth they both needed before coming together and being the power couple dyads thing they were meant to be. They needed to realize Actually we should reject all these old ideas. We are on each other's side, we can work together, and balance the galaxy.

But instead the third movie didn't actually show any of that.... So. It's a really big head scratcher because Im just extrapolating from what they told us. They really tried to appeal to everyone and fucked themselves over big time I guess.

And I don't care that she calls herself Skywalker, she didn't marry Ben, she isn't going to carry on that name in a child of her own, the Skywalker reign is over. Leia had one child. Unless a future trilogy pulls some more sneaky actually this kid is this person's bullshit (which, you know what, they've proven themselves willing to do so ignore me!) There are no more skywalkers and the star wars family drama that we know is over. What did they even do to themselves?? Who cares that there would have been another romance, that rey wasn't like Luke, that she and Ben could (would!) Have been together? It seems like they were pacifying the fans who didn't want a romance but why is that even a complaint? Ben and Rey (or at least the actors) had of the charts chemistry and tension even in the first movie. Don't act like it would have been a sudden or out of left field movie. And to further my point. Han and Leia CLEARLY didn't work out! Romance isn't everything but it is important to the human condition and it absolutely does leave its impact on the couple and their child. Han and Leia don't end up with a happy ending according to the sequels. They don't live together, they weren't close even when Ben was younger it seems, absorbed with their previous lives after everything.

Ben and Rey having a romance doesn't mean these are stupid pointless movies just because Anakin found Padmé or Leia found Han. Padmé died in childbirth (somehow.. still don't really get that with the whole futuristic tech thing and the fact that she seemed perfectly healthy carrying twins up to that point) and Han and Leia definitely were a flame that burned hot and went out. They still don't define Ben and his life though. That was kind of the whole point. Ben and Rey can live their lives independent of everything that went before them. In fact they should have. Idk man there are plenty of rewrites on ao3 so there's nothing to be too mad about but it is still a bit disappointing !! But then storylines seem to be not following through with what they give lately on the whole. It seems this dissatisfaction is the new standard which blows!!

I wonder if the star wars writers understand why we like characters like Anakin and Ben more than Luke and Leia..

They've spent nine movies now telling us that the rigidity of the Jedi/sith set up is the root of all their problems, how balance is crucial, how people aren't entirely one or the other, they're some ratio of both light and dark.

Deciding that Ben didn't get a chance to live after he finally sheds the last of his shame and fear and embraces himself is kinda silly no? The whole set up of the fight with palp was kinda silly no? Rey suddenly can't kill one very bad guy when she can whoosh whoosh a hundred faceless stormtroopers because then she might be haunted by/inherit some ghost dude??? Even though she ends up killing him anyway and isn't the sith reincarnated or something? What actually was the point of that fight? What was the point of Ben dying at that moment?

They spent the past couple movies talking about these supposed visions both Ben and Rey had about their futures together, so were they not visions, just dreams? Or did the writers just sort of give up on the concept of follow through? I thought the whole point of their COLLECTIVE journeys in this trilogy was overcoming their pasts and obstacles and then returning balance to the galaxy hand in hand? They did a whole thing about hands for three movies that was clearly important was it not?

But he dies, in her arms, after giving his entire life force to her, and she just moves on? Keep it chugging along? The other half of her is dead and she's gonna what? Be on the committee to restore peace to the galaxy? She's just gonna keep living, with a new love interest or whatever else they imagine? Like, realistically what is it they imagine comes next? That's not a happy or hopeful ending

[charnine]

Let's talk a minute about Finn's story. In short, he doesn't have a fucking story, which is such a shame because Finn as a character was very fresh. A stormtrooper is humanized for the first time, and for what? He's implied to be Force sensitive, and for what? In the first movie he's still trying to get his bearings, so ok, maybe he hasn't found his motivation yet. But by TROS? Why the fuck is he still running around yelling Rey? What the hell are you going to do Finn? You just look like an idiot that's forcibly trying to inject themselves in scenarios where you're neither wanted or needed, and you just end up being a bystander anyway. We're beat over the head again and again that the stormtroopers were kidnapped, brainwashed children, but does Finn show any sympathy for his former associates? No, in fact, he whoops when he kills some like it's a video game. Only Jannah and Finn get to be special, screw everyone else that were in the same circumstances but were unable to break free. He's just used to move the plot forward, but when does Finn experience any character growth? He shows a little bit in TLJ, wanting to become part of something bigger than himself, but that's all wiped away in TROS and it's back to Rey, Rey, Rey. That's not to mention the huge disservice to Rose, who was the inspiration for what growth Finn did have. And of course, TROS pretended Rose and Finn barely had anything. Then there was his friendship with Poe, who again, was one of the driving factors behind Finn's arc. But who is he obsessed with? Rey, that did the least for him. Then Poe is made to look jealous of Finn's attentions to Rey for some pointless bickering. This is not to bash on Rey, or Rey and Finn's friendship, but to illustrate what was so off about their dynamic. Also, there was no 'trio', despite how DLF tried to market it, or throw in a hug for fanservice. Sorry, they were not friends. Poe and Rey were friends with Finn separately. Back to Finn, again there was so much wasted potential. He could've led a stormtrooper rebellion, he could've trained with Rey a bit to hone his Force sensitivity (why even throw that in if you're not going to use it)? I did not want Jedi Finn, because the Jedi suck. They're selfish and used Rey per their convenience and then left her to die. They never reached out to help Ben. They would've screwed over Finn too. The movie should've done away with the Jedi and their dumb ways, but TROS couldn't let go of its nostalgia boner. In the end, what role did Finn serve that couldn't have been filled by Rey, Poe, or Ben or random Resistance members? Nothing. This point is driven home by the TROS novelization when Leia talks about dividing up her legacy between Rey, Poe, and Ben. Leaving aside the fact that dividing up a legacy is stupid (and TROS is all about that legacy bullshit), Finn isn't mentioned anywhere. Because he has no legacy to fulfill, he's just neatly swept to the side and they give him a few action sequences to make it seem like he's doing something. TROS failed every single character, but Finn was practically a joke for someone meant to be an important character. It's like they had no idea what to do with him and just threw other characters' traits at him to see what sticks. Let's make him a general like Poe! Let's make him Force sensitive like Rey! Let's have him ride a space horse like Jannah! In the end, who is Finn?