#he’s shown to be a light sleeper in the show

[shlieut]

head massages + how this started

[junosmindpalace]

heya, Dr. Stone headcanons of the Wise Generals' (all or any ones you prefer) sleeping habits? Pretty please🥺

i’m sooo indecisive when it comes to headcanons i just end up talking about every perspective! but i hope these are fun! sorry some of these are shorter than others </3 i had more ideas for ryusui and senku

-> SENKU:

I’m pretty sure it was shown or implied very briefly in the show, but I believe Senku is a kind of person who sleeps pretty neatly.

Maybe not like a vampire on his back with his hands crossed over his stomach, but he mostly keeps to himself; his limbs aren’t usually all over the place, and he’s probably just curled within himself on his side. 

I don’t think it’s impossible for him to splay all over, but usually he’s a pretty still sleeper. Maybe he shifts around a little, a stray arm or leg here and there, and unless it’s super hot or cold or he’s unnerved by something, he’ll mostly just stay curled within himself. 

I think it was also shown that he tends to stay up pretty late doing science related things, so maybe a little bit of a night owl, too. 

Has at least once or twice pulled an all nighter doing science related things. Sometimes he isn’t even aware of the time, and he ends up accidentally staying awake all night (which he feels the effects of full force in the morning when he has school). 

It also seems like when he’s nervous about something, he can’t rest easily, either. So most of the time he should be spending sleeping is instead used for problem solving. 

He knows that, logically, he should be investing time and effort into developing and upholding a more than adequate sleep schedule in order for him to function and continue on with his hobbies at 100%. Buuut…he’s an eager person, and, for a lot of the series, a teenager. So his sleep schedule is probably a little all over the place. 

He’s probably out sometime between 12-2am on average though; that’s typically when he starts yawning and his body starts feeling heavy. 

Usually he just ends up exhausting himself with experiments, however, and retires to bed when the words in his textbooks begin to blur by curling himself up under a blanket. 

Doesn’t mind sleeping in the dark, and doesn’t fully mind sleeping with a small light. Too much of either, however, might set him a little on edge or make it harder for him to fall asleep.

Not a deep sleeper but not a light sleeper either. 

If he’s sharing a sleeping space, he’s not going to go out of his way to do anything particularly different. He’ll sleep as usual; depending on the person, he might choose to put some distance. 

If it’s with you, he may just fall asleep facing you. That’s the only notable thing. 

Overall just a generally calm and quiet sleeper. 

-> GEN:

Also similar to Senku in a lot of ways, such as in that he doesn’t sprawl around too much. 

He’s usually curled up, perhaps even more so than Senku, however, and out like a light. It’s funny for me to imagine him a deeeeep sleeper. 

But in actuality, I think he’d be an inbetween of heavy and light sleeper. When he’s nervous about something, he’s much more aware of himself and his surroundings, so the slightest off detail will have his eyes wide open. 

Usually, though, he can be a pretty heavy sleeper. Maybe a mouth breather. Maybe snores just a little (on occasion). 

Sleeps fairly regularly despite his celebrity status and being a student, or at least finds it harder to pull all-nighters. But like anyone else, he may get restless if he feels nervous about something. 

If I remember correctly, the fanbook mentioned details about his family life not being so great (either that or its some headcanons that resonated with me based on the almost sad expression he makes in reference to his family). Perhaps the exhaustion or stress from that either kept him awake or had him passing out when it came to sleep.

Maybe sleeps in somewhat of a fetus position? Wakes up with his neck killing him (projection). 

If he’s sharing a sleeping space, he might be flirty about it, depending on who you are.

Teases you slightly in every scenario, however; it only depends on what kind of jokes he's making. 

Also depending on his mood, he may start up some late night convos before heading off to sleep, usually if he’s got something on his mind.

In the same bed, I think he would want to be cuddly, but just wouldn’t be able to handle the sweat and discomfort I think, so he goes back over to his side fairly quick.

Has a thousand alarms for the morning because he has a tendency to sleep in or immediately fall back asleep when he wakes up.

-> RYUSUI: 

I can imagine Ryusui’s sleeping habits going either way.

On the one hand, Ryusui can be a pretty deep sleeper. With his pampered lifestyle, he probably has heavenly bedroom accommodations; luxury bed, high brand pillowcases and mattresses and what not. He also doesn’t have very many worries in his life. So he probably sleeps like a rock at night. I can also see that deep sleep habit occurring even in the stone world, much to everyone’s disgust.

At the same time, Ryusui can be weirdly alert. Perhaps this would be more so stone world, but I can see him being disturbed by small changes in the environment and waking up to them.

His sleeping schedule may also be all over the place, but generally organized and well kept up. I imagine that he doesn’t fall asleep too late. 

He does occasionally pull an all-nighter if he’s working on something of his, however. When his mind is set on something, sometimes he can get caught up in it. 

Francois’ character profile lists events pre-petrification, saying they developed “a special drink for Ryusui, who has little time for sleep, to help him recover from fatigue after a short night's sleep.” I forget if context is ever given for this, but it sort of implies Ryusui doesn’t sleep a lot. So the all-nighters may be more frequent than expected. 

Either way, he’s probably one of the first people awake at any time, around maybe 5-6am. He likes to spend his days being productive, so no matter what, he’s typically up bright and early, no matter what time he goes to sleep at. 

I can imagine him with a somewhat firm expression while he sleeps, again, mostly during stone world. The lifestyle sort of toughens him up, makes him a bit more on edge constantly. It’s reflected in his face while he’s sleeping, mouth firm, eyebrows furrowed. He may also have this kind of face while he sleeps pre-stone world too, however, almost like he’s always in a perpetual state of slight unease despite his optimism. 

If he’s sharing a sleeping space with another person, he probably tries to be mindful of differing sleeping schedules…but either way, he might accidentally wake you with crashes depending on what he’s doing.

If he’s with you in bed though, I think he might like to cuddle, at least at first. Until he gets all uncomfortable and accidentally pushes you away.

But you get to share in all his bed luxuries! And all of the things Francois does to help keep Ryusui awake throughout the day also extend toward you on his order. 

-> UKYO:

One of the more calm sleepers. 

He’s another person who’s, again, like Senku, in that he just lies on his side the entire night.

Doesn’t move around too much when he’s sleeping, maybe just to readjust his blanket or whatnot. At most, he’s just repositioning himself to be more comfortable.

I think he too would have a bit of a firm face when he sleeps. 

He may like to hold something when he’s sleeping. It’s usually just the pillow he’s sleeping on top of, but sometimes he might yank it down enough so it's almost like he’s holding it to his chest. 

Also maybe curled up in somewhat of a fetal position, also wakes up with a killer neckache on occasion. 

If he’s sharing a sleeping space with someone, he probably just sticks to his side of the bed. 

Doesn’t mind cuddling, but like most people, that probably just means you’ll break away later in the evening when the two of you fall asleep. 

Might try to watch shows and movies he’s wanted to catch up on only to fall asleep curled up on the couch (you don’t have the heart to wake him) (it's why you have a blanket on your cushions now) (more projecting).

Also may have a billion alarms, all at absurd times. He gives you an apologetic kiss on the forehead if it disturbs your own slumber.

-> CHROME: 

Ultimate mouth breather, ultimate blanket hog, ultimate BED hog (exaggeration). 

I’m mostly kidding, but out of all five, I can imagine Chrome to be one of the more chaotic sleepers. 

His leg is in the air, he’s starfishing, he’s snoring. He’s the whole insufferable package.

At the same time, however, I feel like it’d be funny if people anticipate Chrome to be such a difficult sleeper, only for him to be the exact opposite and instead sleep like a sound baby. 

I can see him being pretty hyperactive during the day and then crashing out at night so much so that he hardly moves, but mostly on days where he’s working himself to exhaustion. 

So take it either way.

If he’s sharing a space with you when he’s sleeping, he might be nervous as hell. Or if you’re a good enough friend, he’ll turn over and pass out with his leg out unapologetically no problem. 

I think for obvious reasons he doesn’t really tend to sleep with anything; no pillows or toys. 

And I also think cuddling is not a big thing. Though you might find an arm or leg tossed over you on restless nights…

If you confront him about those things in the morning, he’ll deny them endlessly.

[gtgbabie0]

-Finnick Odair x reader

{Quiet moments between you and Finnick when you can’t sleep}

I hope you enjoy my lovelies! 💕

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Winter was in full force, with harsh winds that nipped at your skin. Not even the fireplace could fend off, let alone the fluffy covers that you’ve layered upon your shared bed. Perhaps it was the cold chill in the air that prevented sleep from capturing you, or maybe it was something else entirely… you decide to not let your mind wander to what that could possibly be.

You sit up wrapping your cotton shawl around your shoulders tightly as your eyes scan across your room, dimly lit by the small sliver of moonlight that peaks behind the curtains and stretches across the floor trailing along the wall.

Finnick doesn’t stir with your movement which means he must be exhausted because he’s often a light sleeper, although you’re not surprised with the busy day he’s had. You smile softly down at him, the way his cheek is smushed against the soft pillow. You gently push his hair away from his closed eyes as you admire him, you’re glad he’s found comfort beside you.

The thought crosses your mind to wake him up, he’s always told you that if you can’t sleep to wake him up, he wouldn’t mind. But looking at him now, you just can’t bring yourself to do it, you’d feel far too guilty.

Instead, you decide to make your way to the kitchen, but not before putting on a pair of thick socks, after all, the tiled floor always felt much colder in the dead of night. Perhaps a warm drink would help lull you to sleep? You think to yourself as you fill the kettle.

You cringe slightly as the water begins to boil, squeezing your eyes shut at the sudden loud noise. Finnick had brought all types of different teas with the hope that one of them might help you get a good night's rest, he’d do anything if it meant you were happy.

You remember when he brought them home, two whole bags full of boxes with different kinds of ‘sleep treatments’ it brought tears to your eyes.

Finnick was always sweet to you, it shows in the way he looks at you, the way he holds you, and the sweet nothings he whispers to you whenever you feel down. You start to miss him, even though he’s only in your shared bedroom, the room next to the kitchen, fast asleep.

You pour the hot water into the small ceramic mug, the same one Peeta had gifted you as a congratulations for your engagement, he had hand painted them, beautiful flowers that swirl around the cup.

Soon enough the sweet smell of the tea reaches you, soothing the restless feeling that builds up within your chest. You take a small sip of the warm beverage as Finnick wanders through the kitchen, eyes heavy with sleep.

“It’s freezing out here honey” his voice is rough despite the softness of his tone, exhaustion hangs on his every word. he shuffles closer to you, bringing his arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him as if he’s trying to protect you from the chill that lingers within the air.

A sigh falls from your lips when he presses a kiss to your forehead, his hands soothing against your back as you rest against him. Even in the safety of his arms the guilt still bubbles up within you, “Did I wake you up?” You ask, pushing your face against his shoulder.

“No, was already awake” he’s lying but you decide not to fight him on it, far too distracted by the warmth of his hands as they slip underneath your shirt, fingers splaying across your lower back. “Can’t sleep without you anyway” he says, pulling back to get a better look at you, the truth of his words are shown through his eyes.

“M’sorry” you mumble into the soft fabric of his shirt, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me” The words come out much heavier than you’d like and it strikes a cord within Finnick, one that pinches his heart.

He tuts softly as he leans back slightly, holding your chin with his finger and thumb. “Hey,” he whispers, tilting your head to look at him. His eyes immediately soften as yours find his, “Don’t apologise, honey, it’s what I’m here for, yeah?” He smiles, seeming more awake than he was just mere minutes ago.

“I know, I just- I don’t want to be too much” The words feel silly as they escape your lips but your chest feels lighter for it. You know deep down you shouldn’t feel like this, Finnick has never made you feel anything but loved.

“Too much?” He repeats after you as if you had just said something that had completely baffled him, and it did. “There’s no such thing, sweetness,” he tells you, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of your mouth. “I love you- so much” he whispers against your lips before kissing you, not letting your mind wander elsewhere for even a second.

“I love you too Finn” you exhale, eyes closing as he rests his forehead against your own, your noses bumping against each others slightly.

“Come on, it’s warmer in bed,” he says, unwrapping his arms from around you as he picks up the tea you had made, “I got this, you go get into bed honey” he smiles and you know better than to fight him on it, so you do as he says, climbing back into the cosy bed with Finnick following shortly behind you.

He hands you the warm beverage before joining you, his hand slipping into your own as you take small sips of your drink. He talks about the market, how they're starting to sell that one specific seasonal bread you like, and he even begins to make plans for the weekend with you. his voice clams your nerves, it brings peace.

"Thank you, Finnick" you whisper, resting your head against his shoulder as he pulls the blankets over your legs.

He brings your hand up to his lips, pressing soft kisses to your knuckles, “Always for you” he says, voice heavy with sleep once again. You set your mug on the bedside table before turning back to him, and for the first time tonight, you start to feel yourself drift off as you lay in his arms.

Finnick could admire you forever without wanting anything, study every ‘imperfection’ and fall even more in love with you. He would pour his heart out to you right now if he wasn’t so tired so instead he settles for a simple, “G’night beautiful” with love dripping from his tone, and soon enough you both find sleep.

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[jolenes-doppelganger]

hi! so I have this idea that won't leave my mind about a fanfic/story between lady jessica x fem! reader. basically reader is part of one of the great houses and she married duke leto because of a political alliance. jessica was already leto’s concubine and paul had already been born too.

the relationship between reader and jessica was never the best one. jessica always had this pet peeve with reader, maybe jealousy because she was married with leto, but reader never wanted to be married with him and never had romantic feelings for him too.

they relationship began to change when they come to arrakis, specifically when they are left in the desert to die (is “saved” by the harkonnen also because he is a member of one of the great houses).

jessica sees the reader as the only thing left of what she called home, then she starts to develop feelings. reader already had some “strange” feelings for jessica, like a devotion/admiration to a goddess.

– s

ps: i’m the same person who requested the jessica x fem! corrino reader.

[Hi Anon! Keeping me busy, I see :)]

Riptides

Lady Jessica x Fem! Duchess Reader

Summary: The past haunts. It puts things both bad and good into perspective. Whether it is to mend or to separate, that is entirely up to the doer.

Warnings: None, just overall angsty. (Hurt + Comfort).

A/N: This work is contrived of ‘ficlets’. Plain text moves linearly, set in Dune II after Jamis has been killed. Italicized text does not move linearly, pertaining to snapshots of the past. R is the sister of Lord Fenring, not shown in the movie. (This is not a white or perceived to be white character, it is as self-insert as possible). I also did my best to lean into realism, (less R admiration of Jessica, more conflict), as it is more my style. !!! I really, really, really, really like exploring true characterization or playing around with characters, so this is a very angsty fic !!! (Alia steals the show, again).

Word Count: 4.2k

Paul was an uneasy sleeper. Looking at Jessica as she twitched in the Fremen tent, you realized just where he had gotten it from. Jessica was coated in sweat. Paul was the furthest away from you. It was a sad truth that neither of them ever really warmed up to you. And how could you blame them? The marriage to House Atreides was nothing you’d ever asked for. It just was. But Jessica couldn’t understand that. And you wouldn’t try to make her understand that. Perhaps if things had gone differently from the start, perhaps if you’d been given the opportunity to make her acquaintance before you were dragged to the marital bed… None of it mattered.

Jessica twitched again, an unpleasant dream. The duke was dead. Your protection was gone, and by some miracle you’d made it with the other two out of the desert and into the path of the Fremen. Paul had fought for his right to live, Jessica had bested Stilgar, then killed Jamis to protect him and his mother’s right in the Fremen, but you? The best you had was the Bene Gesserit training given to all noble women of high ranking houses. A Sayyadina, like Jessica. It put you in a poor place with the Fremen.

“Hnnmm-” Jessica jerked.

You looked at her, analyzing her facial expressions. Her eyes flew open, and she sat up, lunging.

“Jessi-”

Her hands gripped your shoulder as she pushed you down, prepared to strike. The dim light of the eclipse halted her motions.

“Oh.” she gasped.

Her blue eyes were wide, and afraid. It must have been a hell of a dream.

“All this time and I still forget there’s three of us.” 

Loud voices came from inside the Duke’s chambers. He’d called you here, supposedly to meet with Jessica. Your earlier interactions were never pleasant, she was clipped with you.

“Jessica, please. She is a political ally and another route of maintaining peace upon Arrakis.” Duke Leto reasoned with his concubine.

“And a force of contention in this house! She is slow to learn the Fremen ways, slow to develop relationships with the house staff, and worse, her closest friend is a teenage boy.”

“Paul is close to her age it is reasonable-”

“Yes. They are close in age. I wonder why that is.”

Duke Leto didn’t answer, rather he opened the door, gesturing you inside. You wore thin, flowy clothing, similar to the clothing worn in House Fenring. It was far less conservative than Jessica’s, and you supposed that was a mistake in and of itself. The Duke paid no attention to your clothes. One night to seal your marriage, as was custom. The Bene Gesserit had already decided you would not bear an Atreides child. You slept with him the night after your period had ended. No child would have been conceived, no heir above Paul.

“There are three of us in this marriage.” Leto spoke. “For better or worse, we need to remain as one unit,” he made a circular gesture with his hands, “And that cannot happen without work to build the cohesion between the two of you.”

Jessica’s eyes were bright, intense, her mouth drawn into a thinly concealed scowl.

“Lady Jessica,” you began. “If it is my friendship with Paul that worries you, I will end it.”

Jessica gave one last look at her Duke, leaving before she had spoken a word to you. 

Jessica crouched in the sand, taking refuge from the heat in a cluster of boulders. You couldn’t blame her, she was nauseous. The babe produced nausea as it was, but the sight of water collection from several still living Harkonnens couldn’t have made it any better. She looked green, practically, having thrown up in the sand. Stilgar had scooped it into a bag, attaching it to a pack. No waste. But the lack of water wasn’t going to help her.

“Jessica.” you murmured, crouching beside her on the ground. “Here.”

You exposed the straw from your suit, offering it to her.

“I can’t accept it.” Jessica shook her head.

“It’s a gift for my future step-daughter. You can and you will.”

Jessica didn’t really mean it when she refused the water. She knew you’d press the issue, and she’d accept. She needed the water, and you could do without a little water for a little while. The only issue was that it required bringing her face close to you, which she did. The water was warm. The same temperature as your body, but it did the trick. She drank a few mouthfuls of water, more than she needed, but you didn’t object. She’d take what she could get from you, although her mindset was starting to change.

“The young Lady Fenring, sister of Lord Fenring.” Reverend Gauis Helen Mohiam drawled. “The Bene Gesserit have secured you a marriage…”

So that was what she was here for? A marriage was reasonable, you were of the age to be used to further the Bene Gesserit breeding program. 

“There’s a catch.” the Reverend spoke, holding her hand up to prevent you from assenting. “The union is childless.”

Your mouth snapped shut. A childless marriage? What kind of a thing was that? The Bene Gesserit was better off training you to be a junior reverend than marrying you to a man without birthing a child. What of the breeding programme? What of the needed changes to be made to the bloodlines with the Atreides resistance?

“You will be our spy. There are many eyes upon House Atreides, but we need eyes from inside.”

“What of Lady Jessica, your reverence?”

Helen Mohiam chuffed at that.

“Lady Jessica has served her own purpose since she fell in love with her Duke. One of my best pupils, one of my worst failures. You are young, unswayed by the love of men, swayed by the approval and service to your sisters of the Bene Gesserit. You will serve us well there.”

Taking a breath in, you nodded once.

“I assume Lady Jessica is not to be made aware of this?”

“Lady Jessica should never know of the master you serve. Your duty is to play the role of a jealous wife. Distance between Jessica and you is the only way our intel can be confirmed. Do not get close. Never, ever, give her reason to suspect you are anything but madly in love with the Duke Atreides.”

“You never cried over my father.” Paul murmured to you, sitting on a dune during nightfall.

It was peaceful tonight. The dunes of Arrakis were calm, without wind whipping over the sand, without the whirr of Harkonnen machinery.

“The Fremen don’t waste water. We are Fremen.”

“No. Before. In the tent we slept in before Duncan found us, you did not cry. You were scared, and upset, but you…”

“I never loved your father. I was his wife in name and rank. But I never loved him.” you admitted, not looking at him.

Paul went quiet. He was a deep thinker, like his father. An inner monologue that only they were privy to playing in their head at all moments, a monologue that very rarely came to the surface.

“I knew your father for six months. We were married in a time of great uncertainty for your house, a time of great uncertainty for the Bene Gesserit and Landsraad. There was no time to love him. But I respected him.”

Paul gave a bob of his head. There was sand in his hair. You reached over, shaking it clean. His hair was getting long.

“You need a haircut.” 

“The Fremen don’t all have short hair.”

“Long hair on the warmest part of your head, the head that is most directly exposed to the sun, is a poor idea. Give me your crysknife.”

“It’s ceremonial.” Paul corrected, offended. “And Jessica has long hair, as does Chani.”

You sighed. That it was. They were only drawn when someone was to die, or when handed down from one individual to another. It would be borderline sacrilegious to use it for a haircut. Chani had thick hair, like the Fremen, and Paul had thick hair too, but he was complaining of headaches, from adjustment to the desert climate, you assumed.

“I’m cutting it off.” you decided.

One of the fremen had an iron knife, generally used for cooking. You cut Paul’s hair, leaving the top of his head longer and the sides short. You bagged the hair.

“Do you want to keep it?” you asked the boy.

“Hair doesn’t hold water.”

“It’s said to hold memory.” you murmured. “Do you want to keep it?”

Paul shook his head. He had enough memories in his head to remain unbothered with those from a scrap of hair.

“I’ll keep it.” Jessica murmured, reaching forward for the bag of hair.

She tucked it away in a pouch on her stillsuit. She seemed equally sentimental as she was a bit sad.

“I had a trimming of his baby hair.” Jessica murmured, brow furrowed. “It would have been burned with the rest of Arrakeen.”

You looked up at her, and then nodded once. A box of sentimental items was something you and Jessica seemed to share. Both went up in flames with the Arrakis city. The only thing left of your lives before being the both of you and Paul. Jessica settled beside you, sitting on the dune with you. She was deep in thought, and for good reason. The past was a territory she chartered regularly, for better or worse. 

“Were we ever competing for Leto?” Jessica asked, voice soft, and yet tinged with a scratchiness caused by water retention.

The thought itself was a sad one, and a bit difficult to answer. The Bene Gesserit order had dictated that you play the role of the devoted spouse. It was under their orders that you’d romance Leto, vying for his attention, for his trust, for his innermost thoughts; those that were not as secret as he may have believed. Perhaps you’d played a role in the downfall of House Atreides? No. Not perhaps. The information you’d provided the Reverend Mother had led to the Emperor’s decision to exterminate House Atreides. Of course you had never known it was the plan of the order, but… How much of the fall of House Atreides were you responsible for.

“I…”

Tears sprung in your eyes. Tears you couldn’t cry, a waste of a body’s water. And yet your chest ached. The muscles in your throat contracted painfully, and you blinked rapidly to dispel the tears. Tension grew in your lungs as your body fought against sobs.

“Oh.” Jessica said.

Oh.

Oh? That was all?

Leto rolled in his sleep, wet breath ghosting over your bare shoulder. You’d assumed he’d leave after the marital act, returning to his bed with Jessica, but he hadn’t. Rather, the man had slumped over into the bed, closing his eyes and letting out a weary sigh, as if to say ‘it’s done’. There was wetness between your thighs; wetness that you weren’t responsible for. Sure, you’d forced your body into being wet enough to take the Duke of House Atreides, but this particular remnant was not yours. It disturbed you.

The cool of the washroom felt heavenly, and you were grateful for the stone walls and the shades over the windows. Castle Atreides was wet, the rain of the ocean planet keeping a humidity in the air that would corrode traditional drywall. Not that the staff didn’t keep things spotless, but in most other circumstances, one could have fretted over black mold.

“What are you doing?” a deep baritone voice ghosted in the bathroom.

You were in the middle of scrubbing your skin clean, trying to rid yourself of the act.

“... Bathing.” you answered the Duke Leto.

He stared down at you for sometime.

“I shared the post-coital bath with Lady Jessica on our first night.” he mused.

“I am not her.” you replied, voice taut with a bit of discomfort.

Leto nodded, and without waiting for permission, he stepped inside the bath with you. It was a show of equality, giving you what he had given her. But it was wrong, in a lot of ways. You didn’t deserve his equality, even though the Bene Gesserit tasked you with taking more than equal share of his love.

“Does my age bother you?” Leto finally broke the silence.

“No.” you answered quickly. “It’s not about age, it’s about-”

“-Duty?” Leto cut you off.

You nodded once. The Duke of Caladan was attractive. No question about it. A chiseled jaw, a firm, strong build and commanding manner, he looked good for his age. Better than some men your age. There was appeal in his maturity, but appeal was besides the point.

“Should I expect this again?” he asked. “Should I expect to begin… Conception efforts?

The very words made you want to crawl out of your skin, and it was apparent on your face. So apparent was your discomfort that Leto let out a raspy laugh, shaking his head.

“So that’s a no.” Leto answered his own question.

“The Bene Gesserit wish that Paul remain the sole heir to your house.”

“They won’t have you bear even a daughter?” Leto asked in confusion.

You took a breath. Discussing the aims of your Sisterhood was not something you were allowed to do, but something Leto was confident enough in doing. It was because of Jessica. She had given him too much power, too much knowledge. Hence why he questioned you with such brazen authority.

“The aims of my Sisterhood are not to be discussed with my husband.”

“Well then I expect the same.” Leto darkly murmured.

The same? The concept baffled you. To speak about the Bene Gesserit to your husband was, by nature, against your orders. And to speak of your husband to the Bene Gesserit was your duty. 

“I… Cannot give you that.” you murmured.

“I will annul the marriage.”

The thought frightened you. For you to lose the marriage to House Atreides was of the highest failure. You would lose so much. Political rank, status in the Bene Gesserit… It could mean exile.

“Please, this is my duty we are discussing. I wouldn’t even be married to you without the Bene Gesserit.” you tried to explain.

“No, no you would not. And I wouldn’t even need the political stability from this marriage if it wasn’t for the Bene Gesserit. If you damn me with your meddling, I have no choice but to damn you.” Leto spoke, authoritarian commands reverberating off of the wall.

He was your husband, yes. But this was the Duke of Caladan and House Atreides you were talking to. He was a powerhouse, a force that could do just short of bending wind to his aims.

“I have a people to protect, a son.” Leto continued, eyes ablaze with ruthless determination. “You are new to this house. If it comes between choosing my son and my family’s protection over political stability, I will make that choice. Now promise me that you will not speak of me to the Bene Gesserit.”

“Duke Leto...”

“Promise me!”

His voice echoed off of the stone walls, crashing into you again and again. Your lower lip trembled. Duke Leto Atreides was not a bully, but he was a father. And sometimes those lines could blur.

“I promise.” you whispered, eyes wide and afraid.

Duke Leto visibly slackened in the tub, taking a deep breath in and releasing it. 

“I’ve scared you. I will take my leave of you, if that is what you wish.”

You gave one small nod, and Leto stood, leaving the tub and exiting the washroom. Perhaps if he’d maintained that iron grasp over you from the first night, perhaps if he’d inspired love, devotion, trust in him that Jessica had been privy too for over a decade… Perhaps if you had kept your promise, none of this would have happened.

The sietch was quiet. Unnaturally so. Jessica could feel the humidity with every breath she took. She hated it, for a myriad of reasons. Namely because it was like some perverted, hellish imitation of the humidity of her home Caladan. Not one breath she took had the cool taste of salt, all of it stank of bodies. Her stillsuit was a natural filter, and it sucked the moisture off of her skin, mostly. The residual moisture to cool the body made her feel itchy. All the time.

Paul was sleeping. He was an unusually light sleeper, always had been. But in the Fremen ranks, he slept deeply. It meant something, his relaxation, but Jessica was too bereaved to care on this particular night. Bereaved by the loss of Leto, the loss of her home world and safety, but also by the second body that lay beside her. Jessica was disturbed by the Duchess Atreides, former Lady Fenring, not to be confused with Margot Fenring. Paul had brought up a point, about her crying. The Duchess had never cried, not once. The despair of the burning city of Arakeen, the death of Duke Leto, the confusion and panic; none of it had brought a tear to her eye. But that simple question over competition had brought out an almost haunted reaction from her, and fostered a sadistic fascination inside Jessica. Jessica knew the language of the body. She knew the cues and the faces one might make in different emotions, she’d been taught this. The duchess had been ashamed. Guilty, crippled with some unseen burden. Perhaps it was time that Jessica dug into that.

“I can hear you’re awake.” Jessica murmured, reaching up to stroke a hand through her companion’s hair.

The gesture itself was false. Jessica wasn’t intending to be kind, or comforting at this moment. She wanted answers.

“I can’t sleep.” came the response.

Jessica hummed at this, turning her body to rest against [Reader]’s, spooning the young woman from behind.

“Why?”

You could feel Jessica’s breath on your neck. It was fainter than Leto’s had been. Everything she did, every movement or question the woman asked, it was dissected by you. A game of analysis, the both of you brushing hands in tender show of affection while each sheathed a knife under their sleeve. It was an exhausting and all too familiar game. And perhaps one worth burying, along with the dead.

“It’s my fault that Leto is dead.”

Jessica stiffened, and you could hear the audible slowing of her breath. 

“Explain.” 

There was no time to gather your thoughts. Not these thoughts, anyways.

“The Bene Gesserit tasked me with reporting information regarding House Atreides and their affairs. I told them everything about the Duke, about Paul and about you. For six months.” you admitted, voice growing progressively unsteady as you continued.

It was so difficult not to cry, and you were consumed by grief, guilt, shame. Too consumed to pay attention to the cues Jessica gave as she processed your statement.

“Do you think we didn’t know?”

The sentence was so soft spoken, you almost didn’t catch it.

“What?” you whimpered.

A hand cupped your face. Tenderly, without an ulterior motive.

“Did you think that Leto and I did not guess that you were reporting information back to the Bene Gesserit?” Jessica repeated, voice gentle.

“But I promised him I wouldn’t.” 

Jessica smiled, a soft, achingly sad smile.

“Yes. You promised him, a false promise given under coercion through fear and threat of political exile and potential deposition. I was a Bene Gesserit first, you must remember this. Your loyalty to the Sisterhood was something we factored in, everything we did under your eyes was, in essence, filtered.”

Filtered? They’d been showing you a reality that hadn’t been true? Your breath caught as you processed, hardly breathing as further thoughts raced through your head, memories crowding outward. Did this mean that you never knew them, for all this time? That you never knew your Duke? The man you were wedded to, the man you could’ve loved… You’d never even gotten a fair chance at love with him. Jessica had stacked the odds in her favor before you’d even begun playing the game. Not one moment of affection from him could be trusted, some of the memories you were just now learning to cherish, it had all been a lie.

“No, no, don’t waste your water!” Jessica whispered, desperately trying to prevent you from crying.

It was too late. Tears streamed down your cheeks, salty and concentrated with all kinds of neurotransmitters and other various compounds. Jessica, for her credit, thought fast. Her lips pressed over your cheeks, working quickly to collect the moisture.

“No…” you sobbed.

Jessica cradled your head with one hand, holding your body to her with the other. This was the grief she’d been searching for, the pain. And it wasn’t as satisfying as she wished it could have been. Sure, the games she’d played against you had been for the good of her family, for the good of Atreides, but it wasn’t easy hurting people. It wasn’t easy throwing them under, like a riptide ghosting over the shores of Caladan. But for better or worse, the outcome was the same. You’d both lost things in the feud, in the deceit. Jessica had lost her husband, a husband outside of traditional binds, a husband of the soul. You’d lost your livelihood, your innocence, your… 

As Jessica held you in her arms, she realized just how alike the two of you were. How different things could have been if you met under different circumstances. Jessica didn’t have many allies now. No political connections, no ties to the desert planet and peoples. She had a son, fifteen and burdened with a peculiar, tortured purpose. Jessica had a fetal daughter, stirring and swimming about as she developed, too young to know the danger that awaited. And finally, Jessica had this woman in her arms. A Bene Gesserit, a powerful young woman whom Jessica could work with. An ally, perhaps. A companion, most certainly. A reason to move forward with haste.

“Jessica.” she heard you whimper.

Leaning down, Jessica smiled softly, cupping your face. There was a tear on your upper lip. 

“Yes?”

Another tear fell, but Jessica would wait to collect it, wait for you to speak.

“I’m sorry. For everything.”

She leaned down, collecting the freshly fallen tear on your cheek, and then lower. A soft kiss, the brush of her tongue over the wet upper lip concealed with the plush of her mouth.

“I’m sorry too.”

Her head dipped to yours, and for the first time, Jessica could feel a twin heartbeat, low and rapid. Alia’s tiny, six week heart had begun to beat.

Epilogue

“Alia!” you shouted, chasing after the toddler.

Even with Alia’s higher consciousness, she was young, rambunctious, and as fond as her mother is of games.

“Can’t get me!” Alia squealed, darting through the sietch, moving so fast you could hardly keep up.

The little tot was small, blonde haired as Jessica would have been at her age, and fast. But the robes she wore, the robes of the Sayyadina, were a bit too long for her, meant to grow with the little warrior child. She tripped, and went sprawling over the stone floor of the sietch. Alia cried out, breath immediately speeding up in her body’s attempt to formulate a reactionary cry.

“Oh, honey.” you spoke, wrapping the toddler up in your arms.

Her brown eyes were wide and teary, and she did her best not to sniffle. Alia was, after all, an adult in the body of a child. But that child’s body was filled with child emotions and feelings. Falls hurt a lot, and this fall was probably the worst Alia had experienced so far.

“Hurts.” Alia whimpered. “Can’t… ‘M gonna cry.”

You chuckled, kissing her soft cheeks as the child tried not to cry. You found the scraped knee, gently kissing that too. Soft footsteps came behind you, and two hands encircled your shoulders as Jessica crouched down.

“Did someone fall?” Jessica asked, tone sincere and non-patronizing.

“Yes.” Alia stuck out her bottom lip.

Jessica chuckled, gently taking Alia from your arms. Both you and your companion gently worked to bring Alia down from the pinnacle of tears, soothing her sore knee with kisses. Alia was adorable like this. It was the only time she ever let the two of you baby her.

“Mommies?” Alia asked. “Love you.”

You both smiled, taking terms kissing over her face as she squealed in delight. It was a soft moment during tense times. 

“Alia, should we attack Momma with kisses?” Jessica fake-whispered to Alia.

“YES!” Alia screeched, little hands grabbing at your face as she kissed all over your face and hair. 

Jessica was right with her, holding you in place and kissing over the bridge of your nose, your cheeks, your chin, your neck. And as Alia pulled away to giggle, she snagged your jaw in her hands, pressing a firm kiss to your lips.

“Eww!!!” Alia whined.

Jessica chuckled, and you both doubled down, kissing each other more passionately to mollify the little toddler beneath you. But as you pulled away, you both felt Alia’s hands on your faces, and a wry grin on her tiny cheeks.

“Mommy’s turn!”

Both you and Alia pounced on Jessica, covering the usually stoic woman with kisses until she shrieked with laughter. Time healed a lot of wounds. And the past was something you cherished, almost as much as you cherished the present. Alia made sure of that.

Tags: @ilovehotactresses, @marvelwomenrule, @coffee-is-my-oxygen, @bjoerkumlaut, @lovelyy-moonlight

[Send a message/ Ask/ Comment on taglist found on pinned page to be added!]

[bird-in-the-space]

Echoes of the Unknown

Optimus offers some assuring words and later you find a way to be useful to the team.

Warnings: reader having body dysmorphia, some comfort, and Ratchet being his grumpy self.

Chapter 11

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

The day went much faster after getting to know the kids and the bots. You learned their names properly and they showed you around their base. When the night came, you were shown to your new room. Emily decided to stay the night to Ratchet's displeasure. He was not very happy to hear that since Emily was eighteen and had already graduated high school, she was no longer required to follow the curfew rule. Considering how he spoke about humans and Earth, you already assumed he was not the biggest human fan. 

It took a moment to get comfortable on your new metallic bed, or berth as they called it. You were glad you had a quilt packed for Emily, so she didn’t get cold. It was often cold when you went on night walks together, so that’s why you had it. However, you did not understand how she was comfortable sleeping on a hard metallic surface beside you. 

But, you were comforted by her presence, so you found sleep easily. 

The night went peacefully, but you found yourself awake sometime after. 

A groan left you as you woke up. You rubbed your eyes and glanced at Emily, who was sleeping soundly beside you, wrapped in the quilt. You were first worried that you would accidentally crush her while turning, but luckily, you were still enough of a sleeper. You then stared at the ceiling. You couldn't tell what the time was as there was no clock near you, but taken from the silence and the dim lighting of the room, you suspected it was somewhere early in the morning. 

You stayed still, staring into nothing. You tried to close your eyes and use breathing to make yourself fall asleep, but it no longer came easily like before, most likely because you were no longer suffering from energon deficiency or clogged pipes. 

After your fifth exhale of air, you decided to take a walk. You carefully moved around Emily without waking her and then left your room. 

You arrived at the main room or hangar, you weren’t sure what it was called. It was empty to your relief. The green main computer thing was active and doing something. Some noises echoed above the ceiling, most likely the vents, giving the base a quiet ambiance. 

You hoped the bots did not find your wandering suspicious. You did inhabit the body of one of their enemies. 

You stretched your head and limbs, trying to get used to the new lightness now that they no longer weighed like a bag of rocks. You then took a deep breath. With your hand against your chest, you slowly breathed out. You do not know why, but you still tried to feel your lungs even though they were no longer there. It helped you calm your nerves, but then you could not help but contemplate your lack of lungs. Maybe it was some kind of phantom muscle memory, something you could not forget easily because it was something you had all your life. 

People with lung problems would have likely celebrated, but you honestly missed the feeling of air going through you. It was not something you noticed before, but after being without them for so long, you constantly thought about having them again. Maybe as a some kind of reminder that you were still a human? 

“(Name)?” 

You turned around to see Optimus walk out of the hallway. 

“Is everything alright? Why are you awake this early?” he asked. 

“Ugh… No. Everything is alright, sir. I just woke up and couldn’t sleep anymore,” You explained, rather awkwardly. 

“Sorry… Should I not be here at this time of the hour?” you asked worriedly. 

“There’s no need to feel nervous. And no, we do not have a rule that you can’t be here at this time of the day,” Optimus explained. 

“Oh, okay. That’s good to hear,” you sighed in relief. 

“Is there something on your mind that makes it challenging for you to rest?” he asked. 

“A lot of things are on my mind. I… still find it a bit challenging to accept all of this. The existence of you, and that there’s a war going on. I know it’s been a while since I became this, but I still find it a bit difficult to get used to this body,” you looked down on your hands. 

“Is there something wrong with it? Should I call Ratchet?” Optimus asked. 

“No. I feel fine. He already helped a lot by healing me from my energon problem and adjusting my arms and legs to be lighter. He’s been a great help. It’s more like… my mind that is still trying to adjust, but it constantly finds faults in this body,” you explain. 

“Could you explain more?” Optimus asked. 

“It’s like… “ You tried to think how to explain it. “Like my fingers… I used to have five of them when I was still a human, but now I only have three. I’ve managed to get used to them and they’re no longer difficult to use even though I have to be careful and gentle when handling things that are now ten times smaller than me,” you explained, looking at your fingers. 

“Or sometimes I breathe and try to feel my lungs, only to realize I no longer have them,” you said. “Lungs are one of the most important organs a human needs to survive,” you added, not sure if he knew much about human anatomy. 

“And sometimes I even look down and try to see I have toes again, but I only see these pointy feet that could accidentally squash something if I’m not careful,” you said, looking down at your feet. 

“It’s like my mind is constantly telling me those things are missing. I guess it might be my former muscle memory or something, a muscle memory is like a … it’s like a code that allows you to do certain things with your body, and once you learn it, that code is there forever. Like… riding a bicycle, after you learn how to do it, you can still ride a bicycle even though you have not ridden it for a decade because your body remembers how to do it. Now, that I have become a robot, those muscle memories are gone because this is a completely different body. I guess my mind is still trying to find anything familiar to a human body, but it can’t because this body is everything a human is not,” you explained. 

“It’s been two months, but I am still reminded of my human self and can’t do anything about it because there’s no way for me to turn back,” you said, crossing your arms. 

“I understand. It must have been difficult trying to adapt to a body that no longer has the functions you were used to as a human. If we had the technology and tools like we used to on Cybertron, then we would have been able to return some of those functions, to make your new body at least somewhat familiar to you. However, since you had managed to survive this long in a strange body, it proves you have the strength to adapt while most would have likely crumbled under those pressures,” Optimus said, and some of those words brought comfort. 

“Well, I did have Emily for help. I doubt I would have survived long on my own,” you said. 

“And I assume Emily is someone you trust deeply,” Optimus stated. 

“She has been my best friend since I was fourteen. She just kinda walked into my life and pulled me along wherever she went. “ You smiled. 

“At first I thought it was going to be an encounter that would only happen once, but it was not. We continued being friends even after the summer camp, and then she just became something I can’t live without,” you explained. 

“I was so scared of showing myself when I became this, but she stayed and decided to help me,” you said, feeling warmth in your chest. 

“That is a rare bond that should be treasured dearly,” Optimus smiled softly. 

“Oh, I already pledged myself to be there whenever she needs me and protect her if her life was ever in danger,” you uttered, not feeling shy about your words toward her. 

“This new life might seem strange to you and scary after knowing we are at war with our kind. The circumstances could have been much better. But know that you are not obligated to join and fight it for us,” Optimus said. 

Your eyes widened and your shoulders became stiff. “Oh… did you hear about my talk with Emily?” you asked, slightly embarrassed. 

“Do not feel disheartened as you are right that this is not your war, or fear that we will not help you even if you do not wish to join our cause. You are free to stay or leave on your own accord. And even if there is something you wish to do, then that shall be your decision alone,” he said assuringly. You tried to see anything fault in his voice or expression, but there was nothing that roused your suspicions, he was being genuine. 

“Okay…” you nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. “Thank you, sir,”

“You may call me Optimus. There is no need for such formalities here,” he said. 

“Oh? Okay. Thank you, Optimus,” you said and he nodded. 

You then thought about Cybertron. Your interest piqued by its existence and what life was like there before the war. 

“Can I ask something?” you asked. 

“Of course. Go ahead,” Optimus nodded. 

“What was Cybertron like? Before the war I mean,” you asked. 

“You wish to learn more about it?” Optimus asked. 

“If that’s not a trouble, then yes,” you said with a nod. 

Optimus’s gaze softened and he began talking about his home planet. You listened attentively, learning interesting things about the alien planet. Your child-like curiosity peeked from its hidden shell and you asked questions Optimus seemed more than happy to answer and explain in detail. 

The morning arrived faster with you talking with Optimus. The bots and Emily woke up from their slumbers and came to the main room. 

Emily was curious to find you there. You picked her up and talked about the things you learned from Optimus. She seemed happy and listened with a smile as you told her everything you now knew about Cybertron. 

You stayed at the base as the bots went on patrols or scouting missions. The trio was still at school, so it was just you, Emily, Optimus, and Ratchet. However, you soon started to get bored. You wondered what you could do to compensate the bots for allowing you to stay there. Optimus said that you didn’t have to do anything, but your consciousness soon told you to do something and not be an extra mouth to feed, especially when they were having energon trouble themselves. 

“Hey, Ratchet,” you said. 

“Hmm?” Ratchet looked toward you. 

“Is there something I could do? I’m not much help on patrols and stuff, but I could be an extra hand here,” you asked. 

Emily smiled, most likely happy that you were taking the initiative. 

“Hmm. Well, you could help clean up the base,” Ratchet said. 

“Sure. If you have a cybertronian-sized mop around here,” you said skeptically as you didn’t see one. If it was a regular human-sized mop then there was no way you were going to do cleaning. 

“Nah. That’s too basic,” Emily suddenly chipped in. 

“I see you have a lot of broken stuff. (Name)’s actually very handy and good at fixing things. How about you have her fix something for you?” she suggested, looking at Ratchet. She was right as there were a lot of broken-looking things on his desk. However, you were not certain if you could help in fixing them as they were not human tools. 

“Sure, but does she know much about cybertronian technology?” Ratchet asked. 

“Ugh…” You hesitated to answer. 

“She’s a fast learner. You could teach her,” Emily saved you. 

“Even if I could, I do not currently have the necessary parts to fix them all,” Ratchet replied. 

You frowned. “Can’t you ask Agent Fowler for the parts?” you asked. 

“I could, but Agent Fowler is often busy with whatever Earth stuff he’s doing. I can wait for weeks before he finally brings the parts I ask for,” Ratcher explained.

You tried to think to yourself for a moment. 

“You know, Earth has many trash sites and junkyards around the globe,” Emily stated. 

“Yes, and?” 

“Well… people throw away a lot of stuff these days, some that are in perfectly good shape. There’s a high chance you might find the parts you need from these sites,” You explained. “You would not have to wait another week for Agent Fowler to answer your request,” you added. 

“Go through human trash? No thank you,” Ratchet grumbled.  

“We can go. Just give us a list and we’ll look for these parts,” Emily suggested. 

“I actually know a place where we can find a lot of spare parts,” she said. 

“Woulnd’t be considered stealing if you take items from these sites?” Optimus suddenly asked. 

“They’re called junkyards for a reason. It’s where people throw away things to either be recycled or disposed of. They’re not considered anything of value, so no one would really care if they go missing. What we would be doing is called healthy recycling,” Emily explained.  

“There’s a saying that says another man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” she grinned. 

“It’s not illegal if that’s what you’re worried about,” she added when noticing Optimus’s skeptical look. 

“Hmm. This could prove to be more efficient. Ratchet, perhaps you could let Emily and (Name) look for the parts you need,” he said. 

Ratchet then sighed. “Fine. I’ll make a list. Thought I doubt you will find everything I need,” he said, taking out a datapad and writing something on it. 

“Alright, then let’s get to work. I can show you the coordinates so you can ground bridge us there,” Emily stood up from the couch and approached Optimus as he was at the main computer. You waited for Ratchet, happy to do something useful. 

After Ratchet gave you the list and Emily gave the coordinates, you used the ground bridge to go the the junkyard she mentioned. After jumping out, you and Emily felt slightly woozy as the green vortex closed behind you. 

“Wow. That was not what I imagined. I feel like my stomach made a flip,” Emily said, recovering from her dizziness. 

“Yeah. They did tell us that the first time using it can cause disorientation,” you said then looked around the junkyard. 

“Alright. What are we looking for?” Emily asked as you checked the list. 

“Some panels, screws, fuses, and… I guess parts you could find in cars,” you said hesitantly as you didn’t know much about these parts. 

“Let me see,” Emily said, and you kneeled down to show her the list. 

“Ah, I know those parts. How about I looked for them and you can find those panels?” she suggested. 

“Sounds good to me,” you said. 

“Great. Let’s get to work then,” Emily slapped her hands together and you separated to find the parts Ratchet needed. 

[valence-gnome-bandit]

homelander head cannons? part 6!

its me I'm back again, I have a notebook full of these

I've seen this in fics before but homelander always knows when someone's pregnant even before they know via scent or him misusing his x-ray vision. this is good in relationships of course but it is the best opportunity to create drama that makes the offices a lot more interesting for homelander to listen in on.

on that same note he adores people watching, he enjoys just observing what goes on in the silly little lives of the mud people around him. plus it's easy he can hear almost everything that goes on in vought tower everything from petty drama to storage closet affairs or just sitting in the meeting rooms observing people as the walk by.

he startles people a lot, granted this is shown in the show but it's probably so annoying at some point you turn around, he's there. it makes him very scary if your scared of him but if your his partner it's just inconvenient like a cat that constantly sits right behind your feet.

despite being a fairly light sleeper (and barely sleeping at all) he has a habit of sleep floating, sometimes he wakes up and he's floated halfway around the penthouse or he's gotten caught on somethin.

he writes almost exclusively in cursive, he had to be trained to do consistent cursive signatures plus he was raised by a bunch of doctors and scientists people with notoriously terrible cursive handwriting especially considering how old they were. meaning whenever he writes anything the poor interns who have to read it have to suffer because their all under 25.

wonderful! hope y'all are liking these good vibes

[freddycartr]

headcanons about kaider that i think are really fucking beautiful:

• kai loves to surprise cinder. with coffee in bed, or with broken shit (like a med-droid) for her to fix

• cinder calls kai affectionately, “my husband and my love,” but only when they are alone

• kai calls cinder “my moon and every star in the sky” but only when they are alone

• kai loves to call her his wife constantly or his empress

• cinder still works as a mechanic while being empress

• cinder loves to wear kai’s clothes and kai always smiles when he sees her wearing them

• kai is a light sleeper, so whenever cinder gets woken by a nightmare, kai always is there to wrap his arms around her and pull her to him. she falls asleep in his arms soundlessly

• they sometimes stay up late, talking about their life. there is a lot of kissing that is involved

• kai loves to help cinder get dressed and vice versa. it’s a way he shows his affection to her and gratitude that she accepted to be his empress. he always makes sure that her crown is straight. After they dress each other, he kisses her forehead.

• cinder doesn’t wear dresses to balls. i will die on this hill. cinder does not wear dresses ever. it is shown so many times that she is not comfortable in dresses and prefers pants like at the end of winter it’s stated explicitly, “do i have to wear a dress? i don't care if you wear military boots and cargo pants. i just might. good.” i feel like kai and iko would help design cinder outfits that she would be comfortable in and most of her clothes would be in the eastern commonwealth style. she'd look hot as hell

• after long days being the emperor and empress of the eastern commonwealth, they love to sit on the floor and talk

• kai loves to rub cinders feet and cinder rubs his shoulders after long days

• they are almost always touching each other and they have a quiet intimacy that is so fucking beautiful

• cinder is always aware of kai’s moods when it’s the anniversary of his mother and fathers death. she has him cancel his duties and spend the day doing whatever he wants in order to have him grieve yet celebrate their lives. he says to her “you are my family, my love.” pressing a kiss to her hand and kai does the same with peony anniversary

• cinder loves to be kissed on the neck, and kai always obliges this want. often. whenever he can, he presses his lips to her neck

• they give each other love bites quite often, and the morning after they shower, they apply foundation and there is even more kissing. but they try to do it in less noticeable places

• they are always side by side when in meetings, and they treat each others as equals

• kai is very defensive when people begin asking about heirs. he literally loses his shit with the paparazzi. he waits until cinder is ready and tells her that they don’t have to have a child if she doesn’t want to

• kai loves to kiss cinder (and vice versa) whenever and wherever. in their room, the throne room, or against walls. always making sure it is okay with her first. they are really fucking in love and they kiss often, not caring who is watching.

• kai and cinder always (and i fucking mean always) ask for consent either verbally or non verbally for kissing, touching and sex

• cinder loves to sit on kai’s lap while they read documents together + curl and run her fingers in his hair (she literally does this when they dance in cinder)

• they have a favorite make out spot(s) and torin and iko are constantly trying to find them (but, hey, it’s a big palace) and sometimes they just walk away when they find them

• they always ask for consent before they kiss or have sex or before touching one another. i don’t care how long they’ve been married or together, they always ask for consent before doing anything and they wait for the other to say yes before they do it

• when they take showers together, kai loves to run his fingers in cinders hair help her with shampoo and conditioner. they almost always end up kissing while they’re together and cinder loves to kiss his collarbone and neck, it leaves kai breathless

• kai always kisses her control panel on her neck, it’s the first thing he does when he sees it for the first time

• cinder always loses her breath when she sees kai shirtless. like every. fucking. time.

• kai loves to place his hand on cinders waist and cinder loves the feel of his body against her while in bed

• whenever they don’t have morning meetings, they make good use of the time

• kai is always physically present with cinder, always a hand at her back or waist. or the brush a of a knee under the table, his fingers on her thigh. a brush of his lips on her neck or shoulder while she dresses, or a long kiss in bed when they first wake up. his brow rested on hers. he knows the neglect that she endured at hands of adri and that she never received love or comfort, so he makes sure that she is constantly being looked after including making she she’s had food

• sleepy kai is cinders favorite but thinks he is hot as hell when he is dressed in traditional eastern commonwealth clothes

• they say ‘i love you’ and kiss each other until they are breathless often

• years down the line, their love is still as strong as when they first met

• whenever one of them has to leave the palace, the bed always feels empty without them in it

[mcbeetlebeeb]

Perchance if your requests are open then I would like a modern reader with homestuck characters of your choosing?? If not that's ok you don't gotta if you don't wanna. Have good day

Hii, sorry for the INCREDIBLY late response, trying to remember how to use tumblr BUT YES I shall deliver 👍 thanks for asking question, I'll be doing the main four (ФωФ)

(and- hopefully I understand your question cause I'm ready to do this in head cannon platform- so??‐ 🫂 take it my friend)

⛅️John Egbert🎭

*deep inhale* NERRD

sorry, moving on

seems like the sorta guy to know fnaf lore, like all of it, I can't elaborate further

also he wears totally normal outfits with stupid stupid socks,,

silly socks, the dumbest you could imagine

I think at some point he'd be the mfker with some tape or a bandaid around the middle of his glasses to keep it together

hes a one pillow sleeper 😔

and by that I mean he has one singular pillow on his bed smh

he atones by sleeping with stuffed animals though

mfkin creepy ass light sleeper

and I say that cause I can fully imagine someone trying to get something while he's sleeping or even trying to wake him up

and he just sits up, all the way, no glasses john, eyes open all the way not groggy or confused

get this MAN SOME BROWN EYE CONTACTS!!

FUCK I THOUGHT THATD MAKE IT SMALLER HER FACE IS HUGE

no going back tumblr is already so confusing, sorry anon I tried to be funny now she's here

anyway..lord..

I think he'd forever go to bed at like a super specific time, and if he messes that up he feels wrong the next day

and that's all he'll tell you, "I feel wrong"

touch of the tisim probably perhaps maybe

listen his dad collected shaving cream and harlequins and clowns and stuff-..

I don't think he has freckles but more so little body moles speckled around his body

goofy smile, silly laugh, catch him snorting and slapping his knee n shit

tries to push up glasses with the nose scrunch thing, makes him show of his messes up teeth

an endearing young punster.

I definitely think if you'd be down, he's 100% the person too have nerf gun wars

something and John Egbert and a foam dart makes sense

and for some reason i connect that with bubbles

rip John you would've loved fruiter aergo

maybe, maybe more low quality photos of it though because idk

he has a strange love for...what's the word...

hmm.. eccentric things

he just holds them dear, think it's in his blood

who knows if that's a good or bad thing

expressive

I think you'd have to be, blind, deaf, mute and impossibly stupid to miss his body language

or just a meanie(?)

regardless not emotionally verbal, or at least not often, or- as much as he should

but physically shows it

like..for example if he was in a crappy mood, you'd be able to tell, and he'd confirm if you asked

and with him being expressive i would think comes with..what's the word again..uh..

responsive?

reactive?

especially to words, or touch

when he gets red, he one of them people to get red EVERywhere.

ears, down to the neck, shoulders, forhead.

dude looks like he's gonna pop a blood vessel any moment lmao

he'd be the person too have like reddened knuckles and stuff, cold hands, will press the cold hands into you for warmth

if he were to smell like anything, vanilla, faintly, all smells on him would be faint I'd like to think

☀️Rose Lalonde🔮

honestly my favorite to draw-

she is wrighting so many silly things for and too you

poems?

happening.

long strangely war letter back home love letters too you

they probably are never shown-

maybe unless you look or perhaps ask

she'd be...the best person to gossip over a drink with

tea, coffee, alcohol, water, soda

I think she'd be a mfker to sleep with socks

it's okay on some level cause they're socks she made herself

I also think not just gossip but she's like- she's a seer of light cmon-

she knows stuff

I think she may not look like it but she, is the ultimate yapper

and silly

silly Rose justice

shes a goofy goober too guys

there would be no way she's not

look at her friends

I think she'd like her hair to be pet sometimes

play with it gently, braid it for no reason

type of person I can see too sit with you on the porch as it rains

reminds me of mist and.. morning dew

chilly autumn mornings

where you can see your breath

shes one of them Halloween people

i just know she appreciates a crunchy leaf

*knits you this*

YOU SIZED OBVIOUSLY

also gloves

why not

stay warm

she'd want you too

she has dimples

both lil cheek dimples

I think she'd be someone to ponder her partner often

like, seeing a candle and going "oh perfect, you've found me here as well!" but she's in the middle of some store lol

or reading something, thinking about that phrase and linking it too you or something like that

something strangely meticulous

carefully, honestly, thought out.

shes the person too either meticulous take the time to paint her nails right

or paint them all fucked up, and then clean them up

leaning more towards the latter

am I saying that right?

she would smell like

mm, cold linen, and books, book smell

🌠Jade Harely🐾

ah yes

doggie

shes a sweetheart though

albeit a clumsy- narcoleptic one

she means well

most times

she has all the hair

everywhere!!

find her brushing herself

maybe???

maybe space powers debunk hair needs

I dunno probably pffhfhh

toothy smile

big toothy grin

I like to think she has braces

convincingly can bark and growl (before and after bec merge thingy)

probably got even more convincing dog bark talents

sit down with her and a good coloring book

entertainment for hours

she'd be up for most anything I bet

would possibly be bored laying around lounging

something tells me she'd have a thing with buttons

all shapes and sizes and materials

just- checks out as a Jade thing yknow

same with silly bands

somewhere there is glitter on this girl I'm convinced

maybe more earth glitter (dirt) than any other

but like, 🤷 I dunno man

can I pet dat dawg?

yes, pet the dog, dog longs for human contact

scratch that

contact

overall

shes just lonely, forgive her lack of "norm" social skills

brotha grew up on a damn island, with her dog, and stuffed grandpa

stuffed grandpa

I'd be a lil weirdo too

anon, I'm gonna tell you this now..

I've never read the books all the way threw, and I own 3 out of idk how many

so forgive me if this...- out of character

dirty nailz..

yknow how some big dogs have that mindset that they are little lap dog puppies?

her

oh you thought it was gonna be a lil head rest?

a lil lean?

no

blanket mode.

snuggle time.

accept it, at least for a minute.

I cannot explain why and I won't but, she gives me road runner vibes

just..yep, that's jade..harely..

what am I doing dude tf

also..don't ask me why, she would smell like pine, dirt, soil if you will, maybe lavender too, or more something..sugary? cinnamon?

am I making sense

⚔️Dave Strider📀

uughhh what haven't I said about this dude

hmm

I'm trying to remember what I wrote before tumblr rudely disrupted my wrighting and made me go back to the beginning

well let's see

eotushuf

here me out

this but on him

and it's soft blonde and and

there's spots that are missing from scars

and they go down to his hand,, and fingers

the hair on the side of the hand, you know what I mean

also has missing little patches

broad..finge nail

chews his nails

hhe.. uu h out of all of the four, probably the best to lounge around with

laying around

what's the word

parallel play?

being able to comfortably do yalls own thing in the same place

without a lot of talking

rhhrrgg

hes the type of person to 100% do the three hand squeeze thing

iykyk... (squeezing someone's hand to wordlessly say, "I love you")

and if you respond verbally, or even just squeezing back

he'll face away and do it back again

epitome of "putting on sunglasses so no one knows what I'm looking at"

you at you

he has..like stupid peripheral vision and uses it to advantage

I cannot say why but, he definitely has funky cool ties

just does i feel it

also, crackley

cracking his knuckles, his neck, back

when he stands it's like fine machinery sounding

clicking and popping in knees and hips

blonde

...eyelashes..

rough palms and scar knuckles

he smells like- a well slept on pillow ina good way- and also maybe

faintly of apple juice, carton apple juice..

guys this is buns, I'm so sorry truly, I'm also..so sleepy..😔

anon i hope this was right, and..to your request, I hope u have a good day (*^▽^)/★*☆♪

[backtothestart02]

Tripped and Fell into His Bed - 1/? | westallen fanfiction

AU - Six months after a bad break-up, Iris is determined to move on with her life sans-Barry. But when his face is everywhere she turns, it makes his incessant booty calls hard to ignore.

...

Chapter 1 -

It was exactly 36 hours and 12 minutes by train from Massachusetts to Central City, Missouri.

Iris was prepared for the ride though, because in addition to her stellar studying at her school of choice, the prestigious Ivy Leage Harvard University, she also worked at the campus coffee shop and saved up for a more elevated experience on the train back home in a sleeper car with a shower.

Granted it was still a shower on a train, and she wasn’t expecting anything impressive, given how small bathrooms were in general on moving vehicles, but she was still looking forward to it.

It was the only thing keeping her mind off the fact that her best friend since they were babies hadn’t shown to her graduation. Her graduation at the school they’d both attended until six months ago. And the last time she’d heard from him had been two months ago, when he’d informed her he was ‘really busy’ and probably wouldn’t be able to talk much for a while.

This was also after he ditched Harvard’s stellar science and math programs (he’d been double-majoring) to go to New York on a whim and pursue modeling.

Her lanky, skinny boyfriend (did she forget to mention that?) of nearly six years had abandoned what he was truly great at and had gotten a full scholarship for because an ‘agent’ showed up at a job fair they’d been attending one night, taken one look at him in his plaid shirt and dark blue jeans – oh, and the scuffed up brown shoes, can’t forget those – and decided he was model worthy.

Barry of course had laughed it off initially, and Iris thought that would be the end of it. But the ‘agent’ kept finding him on campus and eventually persuaded Barry to indulge him in a ‘Harvard Kids of Tomorrow’ shoot taking place that very night. Iris had a night of studying planned for the both of them, but he’d reminded her that usually they got sidetracked when they studied together and what could one shoot hurt? It would get this guy off his back at any rate, and then he could focus on what really mattered. Math, Science, and Iris.

Only…that wasn’t what happened.

He returned from the shoot beaming and with photos of his handiwork. Turned out he was quite photogenic when the right words were being dropped in his ear. And even though Iris didn’t want to admit it, the make-up, lighting, and wardrobe they’d put him in had turned him into an Abercrombie model overnight. Nothing more than that surely though…right?

“You do look hot with all that gel in your hair,” she’d admitted, playfully, proceeding to mess it up as best as she could until she could see her Barry again.

Her study session had come to an end abruptly as sexy times ensued, and she pushed the thought out of her mind that she hated the most. That this interest as a model had only begun.

Of course, in the morning she could no longer do that, since Barry had talked with enthusiasm about doing another shoot and another, and maybe even hitting the gym to develop some tone to his nonexistent muscles should it prove profitable in future photo shoots.

Iris’ heart sank, and over the next two weeks she watched their relationship deteriorate into almost nothing as he took job after job, reveling in the cash and compliments it got him, and neglecting his studies too. He skipped classes, bought a new wardrobe, and then, after one more meeting with his agent, who she could no longer put in quotes in her head, since he’d been legit all along and on the search for rare talent, Barry announced he was dropping out of school and moving to New York.

And he wanted her to come with him.

She’d exploded.

What was she going to do in New York? She was double-majoring in Journalism and Business, and planning to sink her teeth into her hometown’s newspaper as soon as she got back. With one semester to go, she was what? Going to abandon all that to watch him pursue a dream that left her alone in the cold, hardly talking to him, let alone seeing him?

He apologized for that, said it would be different in New York once he had a regular schedule figured out, but she couldn’t see any of it changing, and she wasn’t about to change schools for one semester when she was going to the Harvard University.

“You’re throwing your life away and trying to drag me down with you!” She finally burst, practically hissing at him as she reminded him of his life-long dreams to be a CSI or maybe work in some sort of scientific research at the facilities back home.

She insulted his modeling stint, saying he’d just ‘gotten lucky’, and that it wouldn’t last. Meanwhile, she’d be moving on without him doing what she’d always dreamed with someone who appreciated her and didn’t let low-grade salesmen get in the way of their relationship.

He’d been stunned but managed to pull the words from the depths of his being, “Are you breaking up with me?”

“Well, I’m not moving to New York,” she’d huffed.

“We could try a long-distance relationship,” he’d tried weakly, already knowing how that would be received.

“We’re already living it,” she’d barked, and he’d known that was the end.

Unless he begged and pleaded for her to stay with him and he’d give up modeling entirely if it meant he could have her. Maybe then things would be different. But they weren’t, because he didn’t.

She boxed up his stuff in her dorm room and sent him packing. Within a week he’d dropped out of school and left for New York. It was a month before they spoke again, and all their messages were short and choppy. There was no heart, nothing reminiscent of their decades’ long relationship.

They’d lost their friendship and their dating relationship in a heartbeat, and neither had the energy or the endurance to fight for it again if it meant letting go of the rest of what they held so dear.

In a way, Iris supposed she should be grateful to be going home. Barry wouldn’t be there, and she could reconnect with her girlfriends she’d left behind in high school, as well as find new friends at CCPN, where she’d already secured a job before graduating. There would be her parents and Wally to keep her distracted too.

Soon it would be like Barry hadn’t even existed.

Three days later, after a mostly comfortable experience on the train, Iris grabbed her carry-on luggage and made her way to the exit door when the train finally came to a stop.

There was a sea of people in front and behind her, but when she finally made it down the steps and the other people dispersed, going every which way in the direction they needed to go, she saw a massive ad plastered on the side of the train station.

JUST IN FROM NEW YORK…

BARRY ALLEN: CENTRAL CITY’S NEWEST STAR!

He was in a suit and tie, crouched and looking devilishly handsome with his hair brushed back, and his tie loosely dangling around his neck.

“Oh, hell no.”

[firephoenix23]

Hi, thank you for your posts being one of the reasons why I'm into Slugterra recently. They are positive, perceptive, and are addicting to look at and read. 💗 In light of this, I have a question if you are willing to answer it: Do you personally have any cute, fluffy, or funny headcanons for the members of the Shane Gang? Or even anything about your favourite friendship dynamics or ships? Even just thoughts, ramblings, and theories about them are ok. 😉

Oh my god, this is actually the sweetest comment. Thank you so much! 🤗🥰 As for headcanons and theories, I definitely have had so many, so better sit tight and get comfy. Sorry that it took me so long to respond. I was so busy with work. Also sorry if this is hella chaotic and hella long 😅

Eli

I think forever and always Eli will be a short king. Like I know he's 15 in the show and like he could grow more but I've always thought he'd be short forever. I think it works for him because I always thought he was the fastest and most agile of the Shane gang so

Eli is always seen sleeping or napping around the hideout, so I always assume he's a terrible night sleeper. I'm so convinced that kid has insomnia or something and makes it up with naps throughout the day

Definitely has ADHD, no one can convince me otherwise. Like he said one line in an episode that went something like I'm kinda new at this whole planning thing. Tell me you have ADHD without telling me 😂

I actually think in an alternate universe where Slugterra never existed and he stayed on the surface I think he would be a vet or like some environmentalist hippy when he gets older. I mean, the whole show I feel like is literally about him helping slugs and fighting a man corrupting them so i think it makes sense

Okay so like i always kinda theorized that he would like men. Like I know I know I'm sorry to the Eli x Trixie but in my mind for some reason I just like can't see him with a girl. Or maybe he has more of a preference for men something like that

I feel like this is one goes with the one above, but I'm gonna say it anyway, I've seen people theorize Eli as a trans man and honestly, I don't if i necessarily headcanon it but I think it’s kinda slay. And I doesn't make sense chronologically in the show but whatever trans rights 🏳️‍⚧️ ✊

Well, this one is kinda shown in the show, but I think Eli's an awful singer, like ungodly bad. They have him hum in the Eastern Cavern Christmas episode, and it is the worst thing I have ever heard in my life 😂

I also think that Eli is probably mixed or multiracial. I definitely think he's Mexican and then Irish (for the whitest last name that has ever graced my eyes) Chinese (check Junjie section for that one 😂) Middle Eastern (Lebanese, Egyptian, etc) I feel like if he's Canadian probably got some Native in him too. I have like no reasoning for some of these it's just what I feel. I know he's probably just a white boy, but let me have my fun

Eli is not the biggest fan of crying in front of people or crying in general. He's got that surface toxic masculinity ofc, but being in Slugterra has made him open up more to his friends

If he's not sleeping or fighting bad guys, he's training or working out or brain rotting by watching videos on the slugnet

I also think that Eli would probably be kinda awkward to meet if you went up to him. Like if he's not there for Shane business, he doesn't really know what to do with himself. I mean he went from being a nobody on the surface to being 🌟THE SHANE🌟 and everyone wants to talk to him. If i was 15 and I became that famous, I would be awkward too

He's also the youngest in the Shane gang

🗣️Eli is Canadian 🗣️

Trixie

So this isn't necessarily my headcanon, but I saw this a Long, LONG time ago, there was one theory that Trixie was Dr. Blakk's daughter. I'm not sure how they came up with this theory but I think it's so interesting and crazy. It would ask more questions than answer them, like why was Tad on the surface but Trixie raised in slugterra and how Dr. Blakk could have two kids he didn't know or we assume for Tad but it would just be such a crazy concept

I feel like Trixie doesn't have the greatest relationship with her mom. She definitely has very fond memories of her, but it doesn't seem like she visits her mom that much. I feel like they get into a lot of disagreements.

As for age, I think Trixie is about 16 or 17 years old

Trixie is definitely the most direct of the Shane gang. She will tell it like it is and will not sugarcoat it. Like if she doesn't like you or like something, she'll be the first to say something

AU, if Slugeterra didn't exist, she would 100 percent be like a big Twitch streamer or a YouTuber. I mean, she's got a love of filming and gaming so it makes sense to me

It's kinda implied in the show but I think she's really big into animals not just slugs. I feel like her and Eli would sit around her computer or tv watching slugterra animal documentaries or something 😂

Also, going back to the filming, this isn't really a headcanon for Trixie, but the slugisodes that they put on YouTube are all the videos she made. Again it's implied, but I thought I would mention it

For sexuality, I don't know, maybe bi. She's giving me bi energy

Kord

I think Kord is the best cook out of the gang (with Pronto at the bottom) but because he's always updating the mechas or fixing blasters or whatever, he never really gets the chance to cook oh but when he does 👌😩

I would say Kord is about 19 or 20 years old

Once again going on the theme of Shane gang family issues but I think Kord's family was not the happiest knowing he was gonna leave the pretty safe career of being an engineer for the dangerous and low pay career of a slugslinger

Going off of that I feel like a lot of the non-human groups of Slugterra have a lot of negative stereotypes around them, and Kord becoming a slugslinger was his way of breaking the stereotype that cave trolls are only engineers

For slugterraless AU Kord would probably be like an aerospace engineer or a completely different route and be a therapist maybe he would try for both

He's definitely the unofficial therapist of the group. He's a good listener and will sit and nod along as the other person just rants rambles, or sobs

Probably got that sleep apnea with the way he sores in the show

Almost NEVER showers, but surprisingly not stinky

He will spend all day working on a project and sometimes forgets to eat so the gang will have to come into the garage and give him food

Not gonna lie he's been a bit jealous of Eli and how quick he was to figure things out in slugterra with slugslinging and especially at such a young age but he's mostly gotten over it... mostly

I mean we know he likes women what with Druilla but I don't think Kord would be opposed to guys. So bi prob with more a preference for men

Pronto

Once again, it's not my theory, but I saw something a long time ago that the King of the Molelinoids?? was chosen by who is the greatest tracker out of all the moles, and that happened to be Pronto. I honestly think this makes the most sense

Okay, so for age, I always got the sense that he was a lot older than the rest of the Shane gang, like in his early 30s, just because there are slugisodes about young Pronto, so...

I think that's why they feel the need to have him cook because he's the technically adult in the house but I mean like look at him 😂

Also considering he was king I assume he never cooked (b/c he was too busy cleaning out toilets 😅) Meaning that he's probably the worst cook but not by much since Eli's 15 and can't even boil pasta without the water spilling over

Now my theory for why Pronto was in the Shane hideout was b/c I do think he was stealing some Shane shit that he could sell for that gold and new purse ofc🪙👛that's why he looked so shocked and nervous when Eli arrived he really thought Eli was gonna arrest him or something

He is definitely the loudest and most extroverted of the Shane gang. Like my man, he has never heard of a quiet button, and it drives the others nuts. He'll just go up and talk to anyone it's so hard to take him places sometimes 😅

Pronto has a twin named Pinto, it's not a headcanon it's stated in ROTE but I thought I would mention it

He's definitely the messiest of the Shane

He also is the most active on social media (even more than the official shane gang channel on the slugnet) and those the most interviews for tv (which my other theory would be that Eli is hella glad Pronto wants to do them despite him only talking about himself)

For slugterraless AU Iiterally have no idea what Pronto would do like no thoughts 😂 he could be anything and everything

For sexuality I feel like Pronto would actually be ace don't know why I just feel like it fits him

Junjie

I feel like Junjie's headcanons are gonna mostly be sad, but I'll start with less depressing ones, first everyone pronounces his name wrong but at this point he's too nice to current anyone so he just lets it

As for his backstory I think he came from humble parents maybe they couldn't take care of him but Master Lian decided to raise him as her own and train him to be the Easter Champion since she was the current one

Now for the fun one, I think Junije and Eli are very very distantly related. I like to think that Eli is related to Yang in some way. I also like to think if there were ever going to be any other caverns like a northern or southern champion, they would all be connected to the OG champion of the underground world. I don't know who that person is but I just like to think it would be cool 😅

Unfortunately, he suffers from pretty severe PTSD. He doesn't remember everything that the goon did to him, but every once in a while he'll get a flashback almost like he's regaining his memories and it's not a pretty sight for him

I do think he would be pretty heavily scarred as well from being under the control of the goon for so long

For his age, I think Junjie is 15, like Eli. Yes I know he's actually 35 but he doesn't look like he aged and I think Junjie would really try to ignore the fact that he spent 20 years of his life destroying his home. So yeah maybe he's 35 but in his heart he's still 15

He and Eli suffer from nightmares from time to time from the goon so when Junjie lived in the Shane hideout they would both just stay up talking and hanging out

While Trixie will verbally judge you for your stupid actions *cough* Eli *cough* Pronto, Junjie will just silently judge you, which is almost just as bad

Junije is actually very expressive, even if he doesn't have a lot to say you can tell what he is thinking through his expressions

I feel like in a slugterraless AU he would probably own like Kung Fu Dojo or something like that

Okay, wow, that was a lot, but now I kinda want to talk about shipping. I'm just gonna talk about a few of the more popular ones please don't kill me 😅

Eli x Trixie

So I, like, I know why people ship Eli and Trixie; it's because they're like really close, and it would be cool to see them grow up and realize that they've always had feelings for each other, and then they get married and have kids or whatever. Like, I get it...... the thing is, I just don't really care for it 😅😅

There are just so many shows that have the boy protagonist with the girl protagonist, and I swear sometimes they just have the girl character just there to be a love interest of the main boy character, and that's literally all they do, and it sucks. And Slugterra literally fits that bill like Trixie is the only human girl and Eli is the main character. So it should have happened, but it didn't, which I feel is RARE for an early 2010s show

It's kinda cool that they don't get together like there isn't even any romance at all, which is, again, super rare. I really can't think of another show that didn't have some indication of romance even when it wasn't the focus, but Slugterra doesn't have it at all. Sometimes, when I watch it, it throws me off guard because I feel like it should, but Slugterra had too much on its plate to do that stuff. And I see Eli and Trixie having more of a sibling relationship than anything else,

I think I'm just not that into it because I remember there being a lot of really annoying shippers in the early fandom days who would claim that every interaction that Eli and Trixie did was like signs of THEM FALLING IN LOVE, but really, they were just standing there. But if you want to ship it, that's totally cool!

Eli x Junjie

So I don't ship Eli and Junjie, but then again, I do think it's super cute and makes sense. The history of the ship is so interesting, but people were shipping Eli with the dark slinger long before he was known as Junije, and when he became a part of the team, people were so excited.

But then they dropped that BOMB that Junjie was controlled by the goon for 20 years, and everyone was like, yikes, this is a little awkward, and like, to this day, I don't know why the writers did that. Like, even a year or two under the goon would have been a lot, but no, they had to do like 20 years. I just wish I was in the writers' room when they made that decision. I would have been like hello, explain why it has to be so long

Obviously, it makes the shipping complicated, and I never saw anything crazy when it came to people fighting about who you can ship with. When it comes to ages and shit I was in the Voltron fandom I saw it all. And not like writers need to know about shipping, but it's still like, why. Why did you make one of your characters 35 or however old Junjie is? They never explain if he aged or not. They're like, yup, 20 years passed, like HUH???

Anyway, this ship section literally just became about Junjie, but in conclusion, ship what you want to ship life is so short, who gives a shit

And finally........

Eli x Twist

Okay, so like....... I do ship Eli and Twist. What can I say, I'm a sucker for rivals, friends to lovers. But rivals to friends to lovers is like my bread and butter. I'm literally obsessed with staticradio with Hazbin and shit it's so embarrassing But, Twist and Eli started it all for me. They are like the OG rival to friends to lovers to me. I emphasize rivals TO friends TO lovers, but I like the in-between of friendship before they discover they have feelings for each other or whatever.

I know it could be complicated, and I know, in theory, rivals to lovers could never work in real life, but I think there was potential in the show. Not with Eli and Twist as a romance, but I feel like they were going for a redemption arc for Twist, and then they just like forgot about him and then brought in TAD 😒

Like, come on, he's literally just Twist, but they had to add that connection to Dr. Blakk like Twist already had that. So if there was no romance, then there should have been a redemption. I have this whole other theory that I think Dr. Blakk kinda prepped Twist to hate Will Shane more than he actually did just to get someone Eli's age to fight him to see if that would work

Because, like, Twist-hating Eli makes literally no sense. Eli didn't do anything wrong; he's literally just there. He's just the new Shane, and he constantly is like you wanna be like Blakk, you know you're doing the wrong thing, and blah blah

Like, it sucks that Will killed his Dad, but I don't get what Twist's Dad's plan was. Why was he jumping off a cliff? Was his plan to kill both of them, like kill his own child?? And I just have this other theory that Twist's dad was illegally selling slugs or had a shady business. He clearly didn't have the best morals if he was going to take his son to the GRAVE with him

I should make a separate post about this since this one is getting so long, and I have so many thoughts about the Eli and Twist redemption arc or whatever you want to call it.

[riinzler]

Rinzler headcanons? (Leaving this open to gush about anything you want.)

i’m gonna use this opportunity to talk abt rinzler’s dynamic with the black guards/other occupation personnel and how security programs differ from other program types 👍

despite primarily being isolated simply by the nature of his job and his general reputation, rinzler does semi regularly interact with other programs working under clu (much to his annoyance and their fear lmao). being clu’s right hand gives rinzler a considerable task list beyond being just clu’s bodyguard, being in the games, and hunting down clu’s enemies. he still does security work while also helping strategize troop movements when asked and generally making things run as smoothly as they can for any upcoming plans.

i say all that to mean that he isn’t exclusively a one man show all the time as much as he’d like to be. things between him and the programs in the occupation are very strained to put it nicely but there’s an understanding there that if he needs you to do something he will tell you, and he doesn’t work with programs who aren’t higher ranking within their sector. if you aren’t the boss he has no business with you. the blackguards are a little different because dyson is the head of them and is usually stationed in argon, so the ones we see in legacy, (ESPECIALLY around clu) are guards hand picked by rinzler to be clu’s security team. they aren’t always around as rinzler is clu’s only full time guard and the only one allowed with him into certain areas tho

the fact that rinzler picks guards for specific assignments has lead to certain blackguards trying to directly interact with rinzler to try to get into his good graces which he…..doesn’t appreciate. he is IMMUNE to flattery 🖐 it was more of an issue when rinzler was told he had to select a team of guards to go with him on certain security jobs because a bunch of programs wanted a spot but there was never any real chance for them tbh b/c by the time clu put his foot down on rinzler putting together team he already had programs in mind.

rinz ended up picking reeve nord and klax (trons team from uprising) as they were actually the only security programs in the candidates lists and already had skill sets he was looking for. he trained em extensively and now brings them with him when he needs (is required) to bring backup

the thing is abt security programs, esp for more specialized ones like rinzler and dyson, is that the way they connect to the system and the ppl around them is intrinsically different then other types of programs. rinzler is particular is noteworthy for having a very different connection to the grid, both because he was made by alan and because he’s from the encom system. it’s not that they are more connected to the grid and more that they are connected to an aspect of it that other programs aren’t, hince how they are able to scan for footsteps and preform deeper scans of both programs and environments at all. (i do think non security programs can scan each other, but it’s very very surface level in comparison) security programs can also track programs by code signature, but it’s a difficult process that also involves the security program already being familiar with who their trying to track

to a degree it also effects their senses, as shown by dyson being able to sus beck out in that one ep. i imagine both dyson and rinzler have very very good hearing, something that’s both a blessing and a curse. for rinzler it’s main drawback is that he’s already a very light sleeper and being able to hear things that well when your trying to get some sleep means he’s constantly being woken up, which isn’t help by the other security protocols he has.

rinzler has security protocols that are unique to him (at least in some capacity) courtesy of his repurposing, flynn, and once again just by the nature of him being from a dif system. the main one and the one that other security programs also have to an extent is that he’s never truly fully offline, some part of his system is always running in the background and scanning for proximity alerts so he can’t be snuck up on when he’s asleep. rinzler’s system is just a bit more hyperactive about it by the nature of him Being The Way He Is.

similarly to that if rinzler gets injured while out and about the same section of his system that preforms those scans is able to ‘take over’ and lead him back to clu via clu’s code signature for repair. if clu can’t be found for whatever reason it’ll default to the next program in his internal hierarchy. it’s like sleepwalking more or less, with him going straight towards his destination and only pausing if someone comes close enough for him to need to defend himself. memories between him being injured to being reactivated are fuzzy at best, with rinzler not really being able to recall things because he wasn’t really online/aware during the trip. just as an example yk that scene in legacy where qurroa loses her arm and goes offline?? for rinzler it wouldn’t have been taken him out completely, as an aspect of his self preservation protocols he has regeneration (to a degree) that would’ve kept the wound from getting worse until he found clu/someone to repair him

[thegoofyfanaticus]

(( Commission from the incredibly talented ArtReplicant ))

"You should have tapped,"Damion coldly stated as he released William from the devastating camel clutch and dragon sleeper combination. William collapsed to the dirt and coughed as he tried to get air back into his lungs. Damion stood straddling over him looking down at he cowboy on the ground.

William slowly rose to his knees, "This fight..... ain't over....... yet, partner." He gasped as he got to his knees. The crowd was on pins and needles waiting to see what would happen next. There were a few murmurs of impressed fans as William got to his knees, but no cheers or rallying cries filled the barn. Instead it was a hushed tense crowd thirsty for more.

"It's been over," came Damion's terse reply.

"nnnngggghhhhh....uuugggghhhhh...." William grunted as he was swiftly thrown into an over the shoulder back breaker. The upper-middle of his back was pierced by Damion's left shoulder blade and Damion let gravity pull on William's lower back. Damion gripped and held William with his left hand on his throat. He was pressing down on the throat with a good amount of force. William luckily had the wherewithal to latch his left arm around Damion's neck to give him some support and to help prevent his full upper body from being tipped forward. Williams abs were again stretched and on full display for the patrons above looking down as were William's pecs. Both were tense and flexing as he tried to figure a way out of the hold. Cameras flashed again quickly and frantically as people caught the moment. 

Damion, seizing the moment, flexed his right bicep as he looked towards it completely ignoring William. Damion's mountainous bicep and all his hard cut muscles shown brightly as he moved into better lighting. The veins in his body were quite pronounced. It appeared Damion had little to no body fat. Instead he was all muscle, lean, ripped, and cut. The two fighters were right now a dichotomy of each other. Damion had broken no sweat and was showing off for the crowd, while his foe glistened in sweat and struggle to free himself from humiliation. "Submit." coldly states Damion once more to William, "Submit or I will break you."

"Fuck you!"

[lovely-english-rose]

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use?

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

hope you dont mind me picking two of my special lil guys to answer these for!

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

Alyosha would prefer strings orchestra music, and preferring music with more sombre or melancholic tones. He probably listens to music alot since he plays viola and I see him practicing often.

Cerdic on the other hand I feel would prefer more upbeat and joyful music. Unless any army companions are playing or he goes out of his way to go somewhere, he likely does not get to listen to music too often.

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

I have so many Alyosha facts waiting to be unleashed- to start: 1- his mother is the one who taught him to play viola 2- his weapon of choice is a flame-bladed sword 3- he is completely blind in his left eye.

Cerdic has less to work with here, but 1- he is afraid of using his magic 2- he has a crush on Silas 3- I originally did consider making him nonbinary, so a leftover crumb of that is he does not care how others refer to him in terms of pronouns/gendered words.

💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

Alyosha would have a harder time falling asleep, but once he's asleep he is out- it definitely helps that his dog, Skye, is a cuddle bug though! He probably has pretty rough sleeping habits though since he would also be likely to stay up late since it's the only time he can really escape his responsibilities and be himself.

Cerdic is more of a light sleeper. He would wake at the slightest noise, and that's definitely advantageous in case something goes wrong at night. I think he would also be able to fall back asleep quickly when the sounds are just nothing.

🌈 RAINBOW — what is your oc's sexual orientation/gender identity? what pronouns do they use?

Alyosha is gay and asexual, pronouns he/him! He is cisgender.

Cerdic is gay, also he/him! Also cis-

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

In terms of objects, I think Alyosha would consider a few belongings that were his mother's deeply important to him. His dog Skye is also extremely important to him. And he also values his closest friends alot; Vasile, Leisl, Amy, and one other who's name I haven't decided yet 😭 (I have their rough design in mind and a bit about them, just no idea for a name yet. I haven't shown yall Amy yet either, but I adore her and can't wait for when I finally do show her off-)

Cerdic would consider his mother to be the most important person to him. His wyvern, Clover, is also very important to him. His mother gave so much to establish stable lives for the two of them, and his wyvern is his trusted companion. He would be absolutely heartbroken if anything bad were to happen to either of them.

details about ocs!

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

May I please request some wholesome multilingual s/o for Dagger or Peter? Maybe Snake if that’s alright? Maybe they’re just all snuggled up and having a nap when s/o just quietly mumbles “Te amo,” or “Je t’aime,” or something along those lines? Bonus points for a pet name in s/o’s native tongue.

aaaaaaaa GOD these boys deserve the world!!!

Mmmmh, he loves getting to cuddle with them like this. It’s even better when the two of them fall asleep together. They don’t usually get the opportunity to nap in the middle of the day; regardless of the reason behind it, he’ll take it. He’s just uneasy enough to keep drifting in and out, since he rarely relaxes like this it’s a bit hard to stay sleeping. He just lies there even if he isn’t sleeping, and when he hears them say that, his heart skips a beat. He doesn’t speak a lick of another language, so he isn’t sure what it means… but… it sounds so… fond. Like something one would whisper to a lover to show devotion. He’ll have to remember exactly what it was they said so he can ask about it later. In the meantime, he just gives them a kiss on the cheek and says a soft, “Love y’, sweet’eart,” before nodding back off…

Oi, gettin’ to be all cozy when it’s not nighttime is rather nice, actually. Even though he doesn’t usually admit such things out loud, his S/O will very much be able to tell that he’s relaxed. There’s no complaint about being held in their arms, where other times he might wiggle around trying to find a position that doesn’t make him feel insecure. He just relents, nuzzling into their neck and taking his time to fade into a rest. Those words… he doesn’t really speak any other language, so he doesn’t understand them. He’s tired enough to be borderline docile: “Mmh…? Wot’s that, precious?” If they repeat it in English, they’ll earn a sleepy, affectionate chuckle and a kiss to the neck. “Awh. Goin’ soft on me? Love y’ too. Go to sleep, now.” Internally he’s overjoyed, and he wishes he wasn’t almost asleep so that he could properly blush about it. He’s perfectly content to just replay those words in that other language, over and over, until he starts to snore.

(Look at that, Snake! You’ve got a living, breathing hide!) Hm, well, he supposes that he does, Keats. After all, his beloved is very warm, and their embrace is ever so secure. He feels small and concealed and protected inside their arms; this is absolutely the way he prefers to sleep. And although he does usually sleep during the night, he has to admit, there’s something so comfortable about napping when the sun is out. It’s as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. He’s woke up just briefly; he’s a light sleeper, so their louder-than-normal murmurings gently pulled him out of a dreamless rest. What’s that they’re saying…? Surprisingly, he can place the specific language they’re using. Even if he doesn’t know what they’re saying, he knows what language it is. One of the snakes speaks up to ask what they said, and immediately, Snake’s face is bright red. He… he doesn’t know how to react about being shown such quiet affection. He mostly just buries his face in their neck and curls up tighter, and manages to stammer out, “I-I… I love you too…” His heart is beating so fast, how will he ever get back to sleep now?

[mamamittens]

I'm contemplating what to do for Hancock's jewelry and bouncing ideas in my head for the two new Oh Sweet Child requests.

Pending thoughts for jewelry

I'm thinking something like a choker but it's a snake that gently bites the end of its tail. I've long had a motif that folks connected to the RA have a pearl somewhere in their jewelry so maybe the eyes?

Perhaps some scales are gemstones depending on what kinda snake I do though keeping it mostly gold would match with her usual tastes ngl.

Considered a hanging chain from the fangs to a teardrop ruby that is meant to hang between or just under her breasts. I forget if there's a specific name for this but it's usually only done to compliment a plunge neckline or draw the eye to the breasts in general for women--I've never seen this in men's jewelry fashion unless you count dog tags or a ring that is meant to hide under a shirt when desired. Maaayybe 'drops' of rubies down the chain as a sexy intrigue piece that also hunts at how damn dangerous this woman is to get close to.

Okay, so thoughts for Whitebeard's platonic end

I'm not entirely sure on what I'll have for his. Maybe reader has a bad dream (cliche I know lol) and ends up talking to him in a little heart to heart.

Oh! Or maybe reader sneaks out when everyone has passed tf out during a party to try and either escape or get fresh air without being hounded. Idk. Depends on when this takes place cause at the end of Sweet Child they've pretty well resigned to sticking around.

Anyway, party walk, the reader thinks everyone is asleep but as it turns out, Whitebeard tends to be a very light sleeper when on deck and it leads to a soft conversation.

I've tried very hard to not have too much detail in reader's past so it's not specific to anyone--no mention of family or friends--but I have mentioned some vague nothings about "shit choices" implying the marine enlisting wasn't entirely by choice. I didn't have any specific plans for that or secret btw, I just needed something to give the reader a reason to not fold immediately into Whitebeard's crew.

Anyway, I thought it'd be sweet if part of this heart to heart is a conversation about wanting to have a choice in a world that very much doesn't really let you have that. Not knowing what they want to do with their life because they haven't had the ability to put much stock into the future--which is ultimately why they're so passive about their fate despite having a desire to leave.

Which naturally leads to Whitebeard talking about the different reasons he "adopts" his children. The one relevant to the reader is protection and a desire to see them flourish. He didn't seem them out but he knew when they arrived that he wanted them to be apart of his family.

Maybe he suggests they start writing about the many dangerous animals they seem to have a natural ability to charm. At the very least, it gives them an excuse to go after them and well... It's hardly the most dangerous hobby any of his children have picked up Whitebeard adopts feral pirates almost daily he feels kinship at how much reader loves things that could and would rip them to shreds.

And finally Izo.

Izo gives me the most trouble because as far as I'm aware of he's a fan of his guns and he likes cross dressing--if only just in cosmetics and performing traditional Japanese activities that are usually reserved for women like dancing.

I'd need to double check that last part honestly but that's where I'm at right now for understanding his character.

And he hasn't really shown up so I don't have any real basis for his stance on the reader--nor do I have any direction for the request. But I feel like he'd admire the reader not caving into the crew quickly given that it shows they do have dedication and standards.

But I'm pretty lost in bonding for either romantic or platonic senses. At least without getting into conversations about gender which would be difficult to dance around without assigning the reader a specific gender outright.

I know from comments most assume the reader is female and in rather hoping that's because the readers are mostly female as opposed to me missing glaring red "THIS IS NOT A MAN" flags... Which would make me sad cause y'all it's really hard to write some of this stuff without committing to a sex or gender 🥲

But! The point is that from the sounds of it so far, at the very least the reader doesn't typically do any of the cosmetics associated with feminine presenting fashion. So I'd need to be very careful in phrasing to avoid breaking this without talking about "well I'm a dude and dudes don't usually wear lipstick where I'm from" or "I was never a girly girl growing up" cause of the obvious reasons (at least I hope it's obvious).

I'm just not sure what kind of common ground they'd bond over so there's a strong chance it'll be a bit before Izo's comes out, unfortunately.

Perhaps a conversation about duty? And growing last what you'd previously assumed would be your entire life??? That'd be interesting and a unique point only the marine!reader could come from given the drastic difference from marine to full on pirate.

Anyway, I need to sleep now before I completely fuck myself up for work Monday lol

Btw, Melody hasn't been forgotten I just set it down for a moment while I consider how/if I'll drag out the next part before I move Koala into the story.

[fategoflatass]

me reading no.6 novel • part two

not me changing the format because i got tired of having to edit screenshots 🫣 anywayyyy

this baby contains spoilers for the second volume, so if you haven't read it then go do so wth

"If it was something I could get by without knowing," Shion interrupted, "I wouldn't want to know about it. But I do want to know. To me, this is something I need to know. I want to know, and that's why―ach―" He bit his tongue.

"Geez, does clumsiness come naturally to you too? I never get tired of looking at you. ―You alright?"

the way my dude literally bit his tongue out of desperation, you just know how in despair he is and honestly? it's funny and pretty cute ngl

"So?"

Nezumi knelt down, and peered into Shion's face. The light in his eyes, which had the sheen of finely-woven cloth, had subsided to a gentle glow.

"What do you want to know?"

"You―" Shion answered. "I want to know about you."

"Then I'll tell you something. Put your hand here." Shion did as he was told, and placed his hand on Nezumi's chest.

"What do you feel? [···] My heart was beating, and it was warm. Right? [···] I'm alive, and I'm right here in front of you. That's all you need to know. [···] What you want is information, [···] That's why you can't understand the living people that are standing right in front of you."

"You're big on sarcasm, and love to make fun of people. You don't like fish, and you're a restless sleeper. [···] You have an enormous amount of knowledge, and a wide range of it too― but none of it is systematic. Sometimes you're fickle and over-sensitive, but other times you're lazy and careless about the details. You adore piping-hot soup, and you get really grumpy when it doesn't have the right amount of salt. And last night, you kicked me three times in your sleep. [···] Since coming here, this is what I've learned about you. They're not numbers. I would never substitute you for numbers. That's not what I want to do."

my man's here trying to not get any of them attached to the other just in case, and the other there like "watch me not giving a fuck while i mention a list of all your quirks and aptitudes because i'm that into you".

"The more you know, the more emotionally attached you'll get. Then we can't be strangers anymore. And that'll be trouble for you. [···] When we become enemies, you won't be able to kill me." There was a hint of a laugh in his voice.

and its counterpart 👀

"Me, or No.6 ― which one do you choose? [···] You love No. 6, and I hate it. That's why― one day, we're going to be enemies."

It was a murmur. A murmur that stabbed at his heart.

"I have a feeling that we will," Nezumi said quietly.

A darkness hung over the statement, and its weighty reality sank deeper into Shion. It was Nezumi's honest answer.

the change from chapter one to chapter five is quite big. where he was rough and even laughed when saying it, he's now bitter about something he's already taking for granted. he does not want it to happen, but he knows it eventually will. or so he thinks. nez is a mess, he needs a hug.

"Shion." The door opened, and Nezumi's voice called him. A pair of work gloves were tossed his way.

"You'll crack a nail if you use your bare hands." The door closed before Shion could say thanks, and silence settled over the room again. This casual act of kindness, or those cold, dispassionate words from a few minutes ago― which one was he to believe?

i just like it when nez's duality is shown or touched upon. the way he can be cold, sharp, distant, and then become someone emphatic, sweet, warm— no wonder shion's confused, man. he has his shield on 24/7, so when it melts even just a little bit and shows nez's true self and feelings it's quite the experience. he grew to have many faces, but his "real one" is reserved exclusively for these moments aND I'M SO FUCKING DONE WITH THEM.

context: shion said he wants to keep on living in west block, nez doesn't believe him.

"It might be arrogant― but I'm not lying. Regardless of what kind of place is, I still want to continue living here."

"If you're not lying, and if you're not trying to impress me with a model answer, what lead you to make that decision?"

"I'm drawn to you. A lot. That's why I want to stay here. I want to see what you see, eat what you eat, and breathe the same air as you. I want to hold in these hands what I would never have been able to get in No. 6."

this shit is so fricking cute i might just fricking die! ✌️✨ this scene hits me every time, i just love the pining and everything that surrounds it. how shion is honest, direct, and is always up to shower nez with love and affection, and nez is more to himself, doesn't say it explicitly just yet, and decides to show him his feelings through actions rather than words. trust me, he would never be this patient with someone unless he felt things for them.

but then this shit is followed by

"Your language ability is worse than a chimpanzee."

and i wanna throw nez out of the window, you know what i mean? i know being a tease is part of his nature but it's not 👏 the right 👏 moment so shut the fuck up and listen.

"Don't use words like 'drawn to' so easily. It's a very weighty, important word. You're only supposed to use it for a special, irreplaceable person in your life."

"Then how am I supposed to say it? Do I say I love you?"

SAY IT BITCH, SAY IT.

"You're just fascinated by new and unusual things. [···] That's it. You're just excited about the exotic animal you've discovered. Can't you even tell the difference? [···] Let me tell you something, Shion: words aren't things that you can toss around casually. You can't let yourself be forced to say something, and just put up with it. But you don't know that. So that's why I'm not going to trust you."

at this rate, i don't even know if this is nez genuinely thinking that shion messed up and that he's not in love with him, or if he thinks he might be real about it, but he prefers pretending he doesn't think like that, kind of like gaslighting him(?), so again no one gets attached here. again, they are supposed to become enemies in a near future, and you cannot kill someone you fell for.

Nezumi's hand suddenly extended toward him. His palm touched Shion's cheek.

"Did that hurt?" he asked gently.

"Quite a bit."

"―I don't have any grudge against you. And I don't hate you, either."

"I know..." Shion answered quietly.

the way he knows he was kind of an asshole and is trying to make him feel better, get me out of here because i might cry.

and there's also this scene which i think is pretty cool

"We can dye your hair, if it'll make you feel better at all," Nezumi said. "Black, brown, green― whatever colour you wish. What do you wanna do?"

"I'll keep my hair like this. White hair isn't so bad. I figure it's better than being completely bald."

it's just shion accepting and embracing his new looks that makes me want to runaway and throw myself to a field filled with lillies.

we also have some cutsie scenes such as this one

Shion sat down in front of the heater. His white hair, leaning more on transparent, was tinged red with the colours of the flame. His youthful hair had lost its colour, but still retained its shine. It's beautiful, Nezumi thought.

Shion's head of hair glimmered as it reflected the light of the things around it, and Nezumi extended his fingertips to touch it. His hair felt slightly coarse, but ran through Nezumi's fingers easily. It felt like ordinary hair, no more, no less.

with nez might being a tad of a simp, but not as much as his fellow companion because holy shit shion simps hard.

we also have some convos like this one

"That face came into my dreams for quite a while after that day, you know."

"Did I look that great?"

"You were grinning. You had this look on your face like you were having the time of your life. Every time I dreamt about it I had nightmares."

i could read about these dudes being bros as they could be romantically involved and i wouldn't give a damn, they just have a lot of chemistry and i love them for that.

we later on get introduced to the king, the legend, inukashi. my dude, when he sees what kind of menace shion is, gets so confused bc how and why the hell is nez dealing with this bitch like ???

He ran a finger lightly over the map. It was a casual gesture, but one of understated elegance. It was a movement calculated and honed to perfection, fully aware of watching eyes.

"Sometimes your gestures are really captivating. I couldn't help but stare."

Inukashi looked up at them, his gaze alternating between Nezumi and Shion's face.

"Nezumi, this guy really is naturally oblivious. How do you put up with him?"

"I manage somehow."

inukashi will proceed to tease on nez due to him finding out he does hold feelings for the dude he "somehow manages" to deal with

they then proceed to go to this place karan indicated them on a note where they meet rikiga. long story short, he and nez start dissing each other. at one point, the older one aludes to nez possibly offering certain services in the past which makes shion furious and gets violent for the first time in his life. nez gets to control him, the other eventually calms down and starts crying.

"Shion― come on, don't cry. Why would you... ―I can't believe you're crying," Nezumi said exasperatedly.

"He insulted you. He said horrible things― lumped you in with the filthy officials of No. 6. But you say it's no big deal. You weren't even angry about it... and that made me feel even more helpless and angry― so angry... I don't even know what to do anymore..."

i just put this in here because i like it when it's shown how important they are to each other. that's pretty much it, let's move on.

at this point, we're already at chapter four. this one is focused on karan and, eventually, safu. i really like this one due to the fact that we get to see everything from different character's points of view, such as karan noticing her son longing for this mysterious person.

Nezumi. Hadn't Shion murmured that word more than once? While he was drinking cocoa; while he gazed at the trees swaying in the wind; while he looked up at the evening sky, he had murmured that word.

"It's someone's name, isn't it?" She had thought so because of the tender way her son said the word. Nostalgically, lovingly, at times strained― it even carried a tone of longing. [···] "Did you get your heart broken by that person?"

"No, it's not like that. You've got it all wrong."

It was then that Shion would become unusually agitated, blush crimson, and do things like drop his spoon.

or safu expressing her feelings for him

"You know, I always thought I was alone. I thought I had to carry this burden all by myself... but you were right there with me. You had a place in your heart for Shion too― thank you."

"I... I love him," Safu said, her voice trembling. "From the bottom of my heart, I've always, always, loved only him.

[···]

"Who's by his side right now?"

"Is it Nezumi, I wonder? That's the only person I can imagine."

"I wonder if he's a very important person to Shion?" Safu asked.

"I think so. Maybe even as much as you and I are to him."

[···]

"This has nothing to do with how Shion feels. [···] I'm doing this because I want to. I'm being selfish, I know. But I can't just sit and wait for Shion in this state. I want to see him so badly. [···] I can't be strong like you. I can't keep waiting out of faith. I don't want to regret anything. If― if by some chance, he ends up never coming back... I'm going to be the one to suffer for my whole life. I don't want that. I don't want to lose him."

[···]

He was a strange person. He'll probably leave, throwing away without a second thought everything we've clung onto, everything that we've been taught to prize most importantly.

Her premonition had just come true. There was nothing to be surprised about. But she wanted to know why. She wanted to know the meaning behind the eyes Shion made ever so often.

What are you looking at? Who are you looking for?

Don't let your eyes wander so far away. Look at me. I'm right in front of you.

[···]

But Shion for the most part, had not even been looking at Safu. His soul had been captured by something else. [···] For the first time, she had seen this calm and serene boy of few words being ruffled right before her eyes.

i personally feel so bad for safu. i've been in her same situation —liking someone who doesn't like you back, even being into someone else—, and i know just how horrendous it feels like. i get she's not the most fleshed out person when it comes to romance, but i don't think that's a bad thing. she's just inexperienced, just like shion is also a tad awkward with his words.

next chapter comes and a new argument arises between our fellow dudes. this time, is about shion wanting to go back to no.6 with a serum made out of his blood. again, nez is against it because he wants the city to just disappear and, if shion were to help them, they would become enemies.

Nezumi moved his fingers from Shion's shoulder to his throat. Through the leather of his gloves, Shion could feel the sensation of five fingers at his neck. They tightened their grip slowly.

"Aren't you gonna resist?"

"No. It wouldn't be any use. You'd agree,"

"Don't you care about your life? Or are you thinking that I'd never kill you?"

"Yeah."

this, of course, upsets nez since he would kill him when they become enemies no, you would never do it. stop lying.

they then proceed to discuss nez's past and why does he hate the city so much, past that remains unknown for the time being. then nez proceeds to have the "we will eventually become enemies" which i already shown. this time, he seems to be sad, upset about it. shion tries to convince him they don't need to choose between them or the city, that they can do both, to which nez laughs.

"You're looking for a way to avoid getting hurt. Say if you do get rid of the walls: you won't get any kind of heaven. It'll be hell. Tumult, disorder, fighting, looting― you don't know how much these people have been oppressed until now. You don't know how many people have been sacrificed so that city can be where it is. You don't know, and that's why you can spin fairy tales like that. Shion, it can't be done. It's not like mixing paint, you can't mingle them together and make them one. Either one will have to destroy the other, that's the only solution. That's what fate has set out. Love and hatred, friends and enemies, those within and those outside the wall― and you and I. They can never be as one, and neither can we."

"You don't know until you try. For one thing, I know I wouldn't become your enemy. Ever. No matter what happens, even if I'm killed, I would be on your side."

He believed that human souls, when faced with a dilemma, would ultimately choose peace over war, songs and scriptures over weapons, and love over hatred. It wasn't a fantasy. It was hope. I still haven't abandoned hope. I want to find a road that you can't see, and point it out for you.

"An idealistic armchair theorist like you should just sit here all day long. Ignore the world outside, and mull over this and that all inside your head. Don't talk to me anymore. Don't make me any angrier than this."

but well, they cannot be upset with each other for long. one of inukashi's dogs appear on scene and starts licking on shion's wound which i didn't get to talk about: it was made when nez was trying to prove a point by putting a knife up shion's throat and saying "i could kill you right now yk" and shion being like "no, you couldn't". just, you know, remembering the good old days.

"You're licking my wound for me? You're a nice boy."

"Dumbass, he only licked it because he smelled blood."

"I don't think so. He did it because he was concerned about me. But whatever the reason, he's certainly nicer than you," Shion said wryly.

"Don't compare me with a mutt," Nezumi said sullenly. He looked genuinely disgruntled. The way he stuck his lip out brought back a fleeting image of his face four years ago. It somehow made Shion want to laugh, and for some reason, made him feel nostalgic.

"What?" Nezumi said. "What're you grinning about?"

"Nothing," Shion said mildly. "Just noticing you've still got a childish part left in you. It made me kind of happy."

later in the day, one of nez's rats returns with karan's memo. this one notifies them of safu's being taken away by the security bureau. he reads this and asks himself if he should tell shion, or if he should keep it to himself, knowing that he would immediately go after her and possibly die.

But if Shion died, something within him would change greatly. He didn't want to see Shion die. He would probably suffer. Not Shion, but he― Nezumi― would suffer.

You've gotta be kidding me. I've had enough of this already.

He didn't want to lose him. He didn't want to experience the remorse of having been the one that lived.

I don't want to lose him? I would suffer?

He was clicking his tongue in frustration.

So this was what he had come to. He almost felt like curling up on the ground.

He had rescued Shion from the hands of the Security Bureau to return the debt that he owed him. That was it. He never wished to be attached to him.

He was used to loss, he was used to suffering. Wasn't he? Even if Shion did die, perhaps he wouldn't moan in agony over his gaping loss. Even if he did, perhaps it would only be for a short while.

He would go back to his normal life.

The room looked barren and dark, and larger than usual. Its coldness, darkness and vacant space seeped into his bones.

That was what being attached to someone meant. He would no longer be able to live alone anymore. It was one of many artfully-set traps that lurked at every corner of his life. And to this one, he had fallen victim.

Have I still got a chance? Shion, will I still be able to live without you? After some amount of suffering, would I be able to detach myself from the trap you've become?

Would I be able to sever you?

i think this is what hurt me the most in this volume. here is where there's no doubt about nez having feelings for him. to someone who's so used to being alone, to not getting attached to anyone and never trust, to watching people die... he can't do it, he just can't do it. shion has now become part of his daily life, and he hates himself for that. he allowed himself to be weak, to be vulnerable, and now he can't let the other go. he can't give him up that easily.