#i really veered off canon towards the end there

[kiwipineappleparasol]

I saw your tierlist! love the blackbright (Blackquill x Fulbright) appreciation!! your tierlist is actually pretty swag, but I do have like one question and that is how come you don't get junithena (Juniper x Athena?) just curious!

(also I feel like you probably know these ship names so it's weird for me to add the explanations but I'm doing it anyway just in case)

(I had typed out a whole response right. and Tumblr. and Tumblr Ate It. In front of my Eyes. It even Said so. so you are Spared with this being a bit more Brief since I have to retype Everything . as it did not have the Kindness to save it as a Draft 👹)

(Also I do know These Ones at least but I do Appreciate it . I think ship names are a Little Goofy sounding though so I tend not to use them but I will take this into account in Tagging things 👍)

But Glad to hear my takes are Swag 😎 of course I gotta appreciate the Silly Guys (as I like refer to them . like it's my own Ship Name for these guys) I Mourn the Hilarious dynamic and Interesting things they Could've had if Dual Destinies didn't Hate Me In Particular. Curse You Dual Destinies. Guess I have to do it Myself 🙄 (Lighthearted Statement)

Anyways I realize that I put it Juniper x Athena in the wrong tier (Classic me mixing things up and only realizing it in Retrospect moment) I do Understand why people would ship them - on a surface level, y'know they're childhood friends, have Nicknames and all that Jazz. Not for me though. (So it would have been the Yellow Tier) But to Elaborate:

It's a disconnect I have with Juniper as a character -- it soured her dynamic with Athena for me. There's something about Juniper's portrayal, in conjunction with some of her actions that just rubbed me the wrong way. The vibes were off, shall we say. (I wrote a bit as to why but Uh….. It got sent to the Ether. Thanks Tumblr. I might go into it Another Day)

I guess I'll just say Turnabout Academy didn't really convince me that the characters were good friends -- even though that was The Point? I dunno (my Ability to word my points has Gone down the Drain 💀)

Point Being: Certain aspects of Juniper's whole deal impacted how I saw their dynamic Which didn't exactly lend itself to Romance in my eyes (Outside the fact Juniper is Canonically waxing Poetically about how Apollo makes her feel like she's Photosynthesizing Lmao) and I'm just not a Huge Juniper Fan as she exists in canon. Love her Design though 👍

[laurents-laces]

It took me 84 years, but here's the notes for Pacat's Instagram live on January 22, 2022! You can find previous summaries here. This time I added a section for things that involve both capri and dark rise because there was a lot of that.

“It’s funny, I tend to write, as I think back on Dark Rise and then before that, Captive Prince, I tend to write these book ones that kind of don't necessarily reveal themselves until the end or cohere until the end or maybe are written for the re-read rather than necessarily for the first read… I kind of have this philosophy that difficult pleasures are the most enjoyable because you have to work to achieve them, and so you know, I like the idea that you get rewarded at the end of Dark Rise for reaching the end.”

Important Updates

There has been some progress on the capri News™, though it was epically delayed by the pandemic. It’s not a fourth book, hardcovers, Laurent’s POV, or a TV series

There were updates about Dark Rise and Fence too but none of it is news anymore because this happened so long ago. The capri fandom is just unlucky like that

Pacat has a new project! It’s very different and is more adult in tone than his previous works. It’s kind of monster-horror-gore, he’s been wanting to do something with a shounen horror vibe like Berserk or Attack on Titan. It’s coming in the distant future, not soon

Captive Prince

Pacat hasn't heard of the capri fandom term Smaurent (small Laurent) but thinks that the idea of him does exist in the books as he was a very different person as a young child. Pacat likes writing characters who explore the idea that one’s past leaves fingerprints on one’s present self and Laurent is the most extreme version of this that she’s written

A fan said that they think of “Damianos V” as being a roman numeral, so that Damen would be the fifth King Damianos. Pacat really liked the idea

Pacat cried for a really long time while writing Nicaise’s death scene. Got a few strange looks as he sat in the Melbourne State Library with tears streaming down his face for a few hours. Nicaise’s death was planned from the beginning, he was always a bittersweet character to write

Laurent is such a private person. Writing more from his POV would risk exploding the mystery of his character and might kill some of the tension in capri

The capri News is like a missive from Rohan- it's on its way and it'll arrive at some point, just when you need it most

A fourth capri book isn���t completely out of the question but there isn’t one planned for now

The Brazilian capri covers are their own thing but they don’t represent the books well. They have a very dark-ages-hard-masc-medieval aesthetic

How tall is Damen? Laurent thinks that he’s a foot taller and that sometimes it feels like more

Orlant: Rough exterior, heart of gold, didn't deserve what happened to him

Pacat pronounces Vere like Veer (veer off course) but that is not the correct pronunciation that Laurent and the Veretians use so feel free to pronounce it how you want

Pacat wasn’t really involved in the art for the Japanese edition but has been a fan of Chinatsu Kurahana for a long time. Usually the author doesn’t get much input for foreign editions. The Japanese publisher was very welcoming and let Pacat have some input, but he was such a fan of the artist that he let her do whatever her vision was. He gave a bit of a description for clothing but didn’t tweak any character concepts once they were drawn because he likes having different versions of the characters in different media. We shouldn’t think of it as an official version of the characters or as Laurent’s canon hair length

Dark Rise

The submission date for the Dark Heir manuscript was June 2022. At the time of this live, Pacat was just past writing the midpoint of the first draft, heading towards the climax. The climax has been planned for a long time

We absolutely get James's POV in Dark Heir. Pacat had just finished writing one of his chapters when this live happened

How would Anharion describe Sarcean in one word? The answer would change depending on whether Anharion was wearing the collar. If he was wearing it he would say whatever Sarcean wanted him to say

James is not named after the gay king james (James I of England)

We will find out about James’s mother at some point, either in book 2 or later

Pacat’s current favourite Dark Rise character to write is a new character from book two

It was important that the stewards were racially diverse. When Pacat was pitching Dark Rise he had little pictures of the characters to show what the aesthetic of the book is, it was art that he found online. Things might have changed since then but this was three or four years ago and it was really hard to find fantasy imagery of non-white characters. If you wanted to find mages or warriors in suits of armor, all the artwork had white characters. So he wanted to include different types of people in the traditional western fantasy aesthetic

Favourite part of Dark Rise #1 is the ending because it was all of the pieces falling into place

Cyprian’s surname is not St. Clair but saying more than that would be a spoiler

Stewards have family in the outside world

Pacat would love to write short stories for Dark Rise like the ones for capri but she’s a slow writer so it would be some time in the future

Dark Rise/Capri

Justice’s appearance wasn’t specifically influenced by danmei, he has long hair because all the Stewards have long hair. The Stewards have long hair because everyone in the Old World had long hair and the Stewards carry on the sacred traditions of the past. This was inspired by the delightful long-haired-Laurent contingent in the capri fandom because they were so underserved by Captive Prince. No one in capri other than Ancel has really long, butt-length hair so Pacat wanted to change that in a new series

Where do you get inspiration for jewelry like Nicaise’s earring or James’s collar? Pacat has been thinking lately about the importance of creating a strong visual aesthetic for a character. The earring was created as a plot device. It’s long because it had to be very gaudy and noticeable because Laurent would use it as a disguise later, and it has blue sapphires because blue is Laurent’s colour. It's one single earring instead of a pair because it felt more poignant as a memento. The earring was more about purpose than aesthetics, but Pacat paid more attention to aesthetics in Dark Rise. When working on Fence, Johanna is so good at creating characters with an iconic visual look, and Pacat was thinking about that when he created James. He started with the idea of red because it's the colour of blood. The collar started off as a necklace that was a drop of blood, but it was changed to be more interesting and to have more of an impact. Pacat often thinks about the scene from the Hunger Games when Katniss is about to prove herself to the sponsors and they're not paying attention to her so she shoots the apple in the boar's mouth. A lesser author would’ve had her nail the bullseye but Suzanne Collins souped it up one more level, to come up with something slightly cooler or more imaginative. So Pacat goes through his finished drafts and thinks, is there anything I can turn up to 11? And the necklace wasn't at 11. So he thought about making it a choker, then a collar. A choker with rubies looks like a slit throat and that’s a very cool image, so that’s what it was changed to

Pacat is an only child so Tom and Auguste as older brothers aren’t based on personal experiences, but the idea of siblings has a strong importance to her. Dark Rise is dedicated to her half-sister Mandy who committed suicide when she was 15, which was the year Pacat was born

Fence Comic

The process of creating Fence: First Pacat writes the script, then it gets sent to the illustrator Johanna. It goes through a few rounds of notes where the two of them talk about the kinds of things they want to see happen, what would be cute or great in the upcoming storyline, and then Johanna does sketches. Then art edits happen, but usually the art is so incredible that it doesn’t need many edits so the only usual change is to make sure that Nicholas is left handed when he’s fencing. Then Boom (the publisher) looks over it before it goes to inks, then to the colourist Joana Lafuente, then to Jim Campbell for lettering. Jim places the speech bubbles and fits the script onto the page. Where the bubbles are placed and which words are emphasized makes a big impact on the flow of the script. Then everything gets sent back to Pacat for proofreading and editing of the lettering and then it’s done

Pacat worked very closely with Sarah Rees Brennan on the fence novels. They talked a lot about how events would play out, biographical details of the characters, made canon compliance edits, saw the books at every level and loved them. It’s impressive how Sarah can turn on a dime between two sets of opposing feelings when transitioning between emotions. Her books have a lot of wit and charm but also a lot of hard-hitting emotion

There was information about Rise and a preview but I'll skip over that part because it's already out now

Personal

When creating characters, Pacat often thinks of them in terms of dynamics they’ll have with other characters, or what they want to achieve, or what kind of archetype they resonate with, or how to build a backstory that gives them layers. Characters are interesting when they have more than one motivation, when they look one way on the surface but then different aspects of them from the past are revealed

Pacat was an Earth sciences major

Pacat chooses all the fanart friday posts himself and then his assistant Hannah sends a request to the artist

Least favourite book trope: band of misfits who save the world through a hail mary pass. Pacat likes a highly confident crew, not a small rabble of people who fluke their way into saving the world. It's not a bad trope, he doesn't know why he doesn't like it. He doesn't like Firefly because of this trope

He often reads fanfic on ao3 for more of a story than was in the original or more of a dynamic that was underserved in the original. But authors can’t read fic of their own works for copyright reasons

Owns multiple copies of the Lymond Chronicles. Book four is her favourite because the ending is so intense and devastating. Pacat often thinks of that ending when deciding what to do with her own works because most authors would’ve chickened out of writing an ending like that. She read book one for the first time in a restaurant at 9:00am and stayed there until she finished the book. She probably looked like a mess because of all the laughing and crying, and at one point one of the waiters came over to bring her a handkerchief and said “are you okay?” and Pacat said “I’m just at a really intense part right now"

Pacat does brainstorming sessions with friends to come up with ideas for books and looks at art books for inspiration

He’s reading the BL manga Twittering Birds Never Fly

Danmei dramas/web novels are really long so he isn’t familiar with most of them, but he ordered MDZS and he’s looking forward to reading it because he’s heard a lot of good things about it

Pacat doesn’t usually like love triangles, whenever he ships something in a love triangle he ends up choosing the unlucky guy. He liked Gale more than Peeta and liked Edgar more than Heathcliffe

[deconstructivesurgery]

Been thinking a lot about Borderlands 3 and Rhys lately and since I've seen people posting a lot about the things they dislike about the way Borderlands 3 handled... literally everything, from previous games' characters to their strange and sudden insistent belief that "some of the megacorporations that make weapons to profit off of the galaxy being unsafe and constantly engage in inter-corporate war to steal things from each other are good actually" I thought I'd add a few of my own thoughts into the ring, this time specifically about Rhys- one of the characters who I found to be both dumbed down in 3 (although to a lesser extent than characters like Vaughn, who was pretty much just reduced to a bit character.) Cut because this is gonna be a long one, folks.

I think something interesting is the fact that Borderlands 3 really took away some of the snide, prideful behaviour Rhys had in the original Tales, kinda stripping him of some of his less "cutesy" personality flaws while giving him new ones he didn't necessarily have before- like accidentally making him seem incredibly shallow in quests like Space Laser Tag- where he's mainly concerned about trivial things like his favourite spots being destroyed while the company he fought to rebuild for the past SEVEN years is also being crushed. This is largely because instead of portraying him as the flawed but OVERALL currently well-intentioned (to some degree) character he is, they wanted him to be little more than an "adorkable" goofy type of character- and acknowledging his past of scheming ambition and potential to be incredibly dismissive of others doesn't fit that.

The thing *I* personally like the most about my perception of Rhys as a character is the dissonance between his character arc and his actions beyond the original Tales. I think it's important to spearhead this conversation with the fact that I don't like buying into the idea of Rhys being possessed by Handsome Jack post-TFTBL, trying to bring him back, or even still being in possession of his infected ECHOeye. Whether he sided with him for the majority of the original Tales or not, I prefer believing that the canon ending to the game inevitably resulted in Rhys finally discarding his idolization of Jack and resolving to veer his own life away from following in Jack's footsteps and towards creating his own ideal future with Atlas.

Does that immediately make him a morally perfect wonderful guy who's not still questionable by sheer virtue of INSISTING on making a return to the very corporate hellscape that pushed him to do everything from get unnecessary body modifications (still forever thinking about the fact that he did NOT lose that arm, my man had it purposefully removed for the sake of career success). No. The FUN part of it all is that Rhys is simultaneously right- he isn't like Jack, and I really don't like that the new Tales really switched up his behaviour to resemble his more- and wrong. Because at the end of the day, he's now still the CEO of a large-scale weapons manufacturer taking advantage of the unrest between planets and corporations just like every other big corp.

I think more than anything, I like Rhys best when he's a well-intentioned person (with glaring character flaws like a persistent love for the corporate life and lingering ambitions) who genuinely cares about Atlas and believes that it's the key to bettering the world he lives in- while simultaneously only REALLY managing to be, at most, a lesser evil. Someone snarky and occasionally snide, who's lightened up into the more affable, comfortable, almost silly persona we see in 3- but not missing the flaws that were definitive of his character in the past, either.

I wish we'd seen him have a stronger reaction to Katagawa Jr. and the possibility of losing Atlas, instead of the played-up-for-laughs kind of upset he displayed over things like a donut shop vs. the literal potential destruction of the company he scavenged out of a bad situation and brought back from the grave. I wanted to see him take it more PERSONALLY. To me, Atlas is in part Rhys trying to prove to HIMSELF that he doesn't need to be like Jack. It's proof and reassurance that when he tries to tell himself he's better, he's right. It's freedom from the corporate rat race he used to live in, because *he*'s in charge of it now, and he's running it with a lighter hand. To me, it's his own (flawed, yes, but I should've made that clear already) attempt to spit on everything Hyperion represented as a corporate environment.

If I'd had my way with it, honestly, I would've played a bit of a more emotional angle with the ideas Borderlands 3 lays out for you. I really love Katagawa Jr. for a lot of reasons, but one of them is the fact that he's a character that really echoes a lot of Rhys' own (past and present) character traits right back at him, and I think that should've been emphasized more. I wanted it to hurt more! Let Rhys look dead in the eyes someone who is, in many ways, eerily similar to himself- opportunistic power-grabbing and all- and realize that he's going to have to have him killed to protect what he's built for himself. I wanted him to realize that this was the only way things were ever going to turn out- because there's no happy ending when you go corporate in the Borderlands universe. It's going to be backstabbing, conflict with other manufacturers, and destruction all the way down.

Anyways I have a *lot* more to say than this (autism does that to a motherfucker)- but I see a lot of discourse? Discussion? Who knows- anyways. I see it a lot regarding Rhys, and I think my take is essentially, TLDR:

He doesn't need to be the pinnacle of evil, a new clone of Handsome Jack or someone stepping into his footsteps, just another heartless corporate fuck who underwent no character development whatsoever and is just as bad as Maliwan, or Tediore, or anyone else. He also shouldn't be reduced to "the good one". I know that Borderlands 3 itself is for the most part completely allergic to nuance, especially in character writing, but I think it's fascinating to play with the idea of a character who is trying to do their best to BE "the good one" and succeeding to some degree- while still failing to break the status quo in a way that matters. He also doesn't need to be entirely a goofy piece of shit that's obsessed with action figures, OR a conniving, snide asshole who's way too overconfident sometimes. He could've and should've been a bit of both, y'know?

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. If you read all this, you have my commendation.

[storiesundercandlelight]

I think it would be interesting to explore pre-canon Jonathan Reid! Maybe something about him and his partner before the war?

This is so interesting!! I hope I captured Jonathan alright! As I stared this I had so many ideas that they all fought each other for the chance to be the one I went with 😅 in the end this one won! I veered off canon a bit towards the end.... *cough* Elizabeth just doesn't exist in my world

You knew he'd follow you upstairs, the attention would get to him soon enough, all the praising and compliments on his work would slowly but surely wear him down. You hated these parties, obligations to attend because of your parents, but you would never turn down the opportunity to be around Jonathan.

Neither of you had let it be known that you were together, the idea of giving up this little secret of yours was too difficult to let go of, knowing full well that both yours and Jonathan's family would be all over it in a heartbeat. Asking questions of when. When is the wedding? When will you have children? When When When? Neither you nor Jonathan wanted that just yet.

Besides, there was a certain thrill to sneaking off, hiding behind closed doors and shared glances across a room that no one else noticed. You sat down on the window ledge in the upper sitting room you had found the door to, the sounds of the party downstairs muffled by the closed door only briefly loudened again when Jonathan slipped in.

"God I can't stand that woman" You chuckled, knowing full well you'd ignored Jonathan's pleading look of 'save me' that was thrown your way just before you raised an eyebrow at him and walked upstairs to hunt down a quiet spot. "You are merciless for leaving me like that"

"Well I didn't want to give us away" You said innocently.

"Mm, perhaps there is some error to our choice on that, if everyone knew then I could easily use you as an excuse to avoid yet another conversation about how I'm getting on in years and should really find myself a nice girl to settle down with, especially the many daughters who's names I don't even register enough to remember"

"Such a hard life you live Dr.Reid!" You both chuckled as Jonathan sat down beside you, pulling you close to him as you both looked out the window to the dimly lit gardens outside, a few party goers wandering the courtyard. "I hate that you're leaving"

"I know, I can honestly say I would rather attend a hundred more of these parties just to stay with you" Jonathan sighed, his hand mindlessly stroked along your own as you relaxed into him, willing your emotions not to surface again like they had before. "I won't be gone long I suspect. They just need help treating wounded soldiers, they're overrun"

"I just wish it wasn't you, any other doctor would be preferable"

"I'm sure there's another wife out there who would be saying the same if it was another doctor"

"But I'm not your wife"

"Not yet" You looked up at Jonathan, his lip was tilted up in a small smile you couldn't bring yourself to match. His hand gently brushed a wayward strand of hair from your face. "You will be, I'm coming back"

"But how can we be sure? What if something happens?" You could feel your chest growing tighter at the thought of it.

"I'll be huddled up in some dusty medical tent, I doubt I'll see any of the action" Even Jonathan could hear the lie in his voice, truth be told he himself didn't know what to expect, the very idea of going to France both scared him and filled him with a sense of duty that he couldn't ignore. "I'll write you sappy love letters, you'll be sick of me by the time I return home" You chuckled at that.

"I will be sorely disappointed now if I don't receive those letters. I'll need something to laugh at while you're gone"

"Such cruelty, you'll break my heart"

"Oh well we can't have that, not with you running off to war and all"

"Certainly not! You can make it up to me"

"Oh? How? Is this your not so subtle attempt to get me into a compromising position?"

"Well I haven't failed with that so far" You playfully hit Jonathan who laughed and pulled you closer against him. "Promise you'll marry me when I come home?"

"I hope you have a ring in your pocket" You heard Jonathan huff out a laugh but the smirk on his face wasn't quite as full now. "I promise" You turned to look at him fully, taking a moment to look at every detail of him, you were sure you knew every inch of him perfectly now but still, in this moment you just wanted to lock absolutely everything about him into your memory.

"Did that count as a proposal or will I have to do it again?" Jonathan's attempt to lighten the mood was tinged so blue with sadness you almost didn't want to answer, but with a deep breath you smiled back at him, this wasn't the time to dwell on the future.

"I suppose so... not quite as elaborate as I'd have expected...although knowing you as I do I can only imagine something... clinical? Medical? Hmm...perhaps you could have put the ring in a pill bottle? No?"

Jonathan rolled his eyes at you before leaning close and capturing your lips with his. You both held on as if your lives depended on it, as if any moment some god awful person was about to burst into the room and throw Jonathan on the next boat out of here. You suddenly felt such a sadness for all the many women who'd had to say goodbye to their loved ones before you. Such a sudden sense of being shoved into a club none of you wanted to be in, a club for lonely women awaiting the return of their men... or of the telegram to say they wouldn't be coming home.

The very idea had a tear running down your face, one that Jonathan wiped away gently with his thumb. He held your face still a moment, perhaps taking his own mental image of your face. "A few months... then we'll be together again... probably wishing we could both go back to war to avoid our mothers organising the wedding" the smiles shared between you now were sad ones, ones that wished to laugh it off but couldn't quite life the veil of grief you already felt at being pulled away from each other. Normally you would be checking the clock, seeing how long you could drag out before having to reluctantly return to the party before anyone noticed you were both gone. But tonight? Tonight neither of you could bare the thought of moving just yet, the thought of time standing still just a little longer was too tempting. The thought of just pretending for a moment that the coming days weren't actually coming was too precious to care about returning to a world where you would be split apart.

________________________________

It was only now that Jonathan allowed himself to even think about going to your door. To show you what he had become. This monster that had consumed him.

A part of him wondered if word of his return had reached you yet, he hated that the last few weeks had been nothing but chaos for him. Yet you were all he thought about when the night began to fade into dawn and his body began to shut down in it's new unnatural way.

A part of him wondered if he should avoid you, perhaps he should leave and pretend to have died. But he knew too many people had seen and spoken to him now to be able to pull it off.

So many visions of your face flashed through his mind, the disgust, the horror and fear, the hurt in your eyes. Jonathan found he couldn't even imagine an outcome where you would welcome him back into your life once you found out what he has become. Another part of him couldn't bare to put you in that position in the first place, to ask you to live with him the way he is, a creature of the night, destined to watch all of his loved ones grow old while he lived in limbo.

All the dinners he wont spend with you because he's out scavenging for skall and rat blood. The very idea of you being privy to that information made Jonathan want to throw up.

He wondered if you still had all of his letters... he still had yours by some miracle, he'd spent hours digging through that god awful pit he'd been left in looking for them... the tied together stack finally in his hands again though they were mostly ruined from the rain.

The warm lights of your home were there, the dark wooden door begging him to knock. He knew you were awake, his new senses drew his eyes up to the second floor where he knew you were sitting in your room. Your heat beating gently, he wondered how that rhythm would change when you opened the door and saw him.

As Jonathan stood there he wondered how many more times he would find himself like this...wondering if now was the right time to knock on the door.

[venusfalling]

I’m Sorry If I Scared You

summary: You deal with the fallout of going to Madripoor with Bucky.

warnings: Reader has long term injuries from previous battles, talk of injuries, canon typical violence

notes: part 3.3 of Where You Go, I Go. Based on Ep. 3 of TFATWS

      Sam did his best, really, but criminals are a paranoid bunch. It was lucky that someone shot Selby through the window the moment Sam’s (and your own) cover was blown, otherwise you would all have been killed.       When the first shot was fired, Bucky ran to you, taking out the two gunmen near you before you could.       “Let’s go,” he commanded as he grabbed your hand and pulled you forward. Another guard stands in your way, firing off three shots. Bucky holds his metal arm to block the bullets, but they never find their target. The guard stares in confusion as the bullets hang still in the air three inches from Bucky who turns around to look at you. Your face is serious, your eyebrows turned down in concentration. You wave the hand you’ve held up to stop the bullets to the side and the tiny projectiles follow the same path. Then you raise your hand up. This time, it’s the man’s gun that flies upward and is quickly ripped out of his hands. With a wet crack of bone breaking, Bucky knocks out the formerly armed gunman with an easy right hook.       Bucky’s eyes look you up and down for injuries, and god you wish he would stop treating you like you were so fragile you’d break at the slightest effort.       “I told you I could take care of myself,” you say. Internally, you run a quick scan: your chest hurt, but not much, and you were still breathing relatively normal. You figured that as long as you leaned on your powers and not physical capabilities you no longer had, you’d actually make it through this mission alive.       “We gotta go,” Sam says making his way over to you, a gun from one of the guards in his hand. Bucky and Sam, in sync in ways only military men can be, take stock of the situation. Sam clears a path towards the exit with you and Zemo following while Bucky brings up the rear, carefully sweeping the area with the scope of his semi-automatic rifle for any more threats.         The four of you stop at the exit, trying to think through next steps.       “We may have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead,” Zemo says. Before Bucky and Sam can argue, he adds, “If we arm ourselves now, we’ll be shot on sight.”       You make your way out onto the street again, nearly stumbling on the wet asphalt. Bucky steadies you with his arm and you don’t let go. Around you, phones begin to ping, and eyes underneath neon lights follow you wherever you turn.       You can feel in your bones what’s coming. So can the others as the four of you begin to walk faster.       “This is not good,” says Zemo just before the bullets start flying.       Zemo takes off in the opposite direction, but you don’t have a chance to stop him as Bucky pulls you low, then into a sprint. You ignore the way your feet hurt and your lungs burn as you struggle to keep up.       “Come on!” Bucky yells over his shoulder to Sam.       “I can’t run in these heels,” Sam yells back, sprinting to catch up and taking the spot to your right.       Tell me about it, you want to say, but your breaths are coming in harsher now, and speaking would only waste more of the precious air in your scarred lungs. Running had been the most difficult thing to do since you were injured in the fight against Thanos, and even with your best effort, you were slowing them down.       The rumble of motorcycles begins to follow you as you continue to race down abandoned railroad tracks. With a flick of your hand, you make spikes out of the rusted metal, causing the motorcycles to veer off course. It slows down your pursuers, but not by much as they begin to chase you on foot. The three of you duck into an alleyway, and the shots are fired so quickly, you almost miss what happens. An armed man had been standing at the end of the alleyway, and was shot by Zemo before the he could even aim. Then two shots came from an open window in the graffitied brick building lining one side of the alley. Both shots landing squarely in the chests of the two men who were chasing you.       The second those bodies hit the ground, you double over. You cough so violently you think a lung might come out, and you just can’t seem to catch your breath.       Distantly you can hear Zemo and Sam saying something, but it’s hard to make out what over the sound of your own gasps for air and the pain in your chest that makes your head dizzy.       “Sweetheart, you need to slow your breathing,” Bucky whispers in your ear. “Just like we practiced.” You can feel his hand on your back, drawing soothing circles. You take a moment to catch your breath.       When it feels like the ground beneath you is finally still, you straighten up, Bucky’s arm tight around your waist to help keep you steady.       “You good?” Sam asks, but all you can do is give him a small nod.       “Well this is too perfect,” someone speaks from behind you as they make their way up the alley. You know that voice. You fought alongside the person to whom it belongs to. Sharon.       “Drop it, Zemo,” she demands, pointing her pistol at him. He does as he’s told and puts his arms halfheartedly in the air. “You cost me everything.” Not once does she lower her gun, and you realize that she might not be talking just to Zemo.       “Sharon, wait. Someone recreated the super-soldier serum and Zemo had a lead,” Sam explains quickly.       “That explains why you guys are here. And Selby’s dead.” Sharon cocks her head to the side, blond hair swishing slightly in the wind. You can tell by the look on her face that she’s not had an easy go of it, and you berate yourself for not checking in on her after she had helped save Bucky.       “So what are you doing here?” Bucky asks.       “I stole Steve’s shield, remember?” she tells him, then turns her attention to Sam. “I also took the wings for your ass, so that you two could save Bucky’s ass from him.” She nods to Zemo, regarding him with more venom than you do. “Unlike you, I didn’t have the Avengers to back me up, so I’m off the grid in Madripoor.”       “Hey, don’t blow that smoke at me, I was on the run, too.”       “Was. Is. Big difference,” she pauses, voice rising a bit when she next speaks. “I don’t talk to my family anymore. I can’t. My own father doesn’t know where I am.”       “Sharon,” you cough, throat still sore from your run through Lowtown. “Sharon, we’re sorry, but we need your help.” She laughs at that. “Please,” you plead. She looks you up and down. You’re hunched over, cradling your ribs with an arm wrapped around yourself. You’ve not had it easy either. Two sides of the same damned coin of pain and suffering.       “This isn’t over,” she says. “I have a place in High Town. You’ll be safe there for a while.”       Sam pushes Zemo ahead, and the four of you follow her. —       The drive to High Town is tense. Sharon gives no further details of her life since stealing Steve’s shield and Sam’s wings. Not even Zemo dares to make a comment.       He was right about the stark difference between High Town and Lowtown, though. The neon lights still prevailed, but the further you drive away, the less guns you see.       Sharon’s place is nice, even by High Town standards. Art work lines the walls and is scattered throughout the room in well lit, secure glass cases. Sam makes a crack about how breaking the law has made her quite successful, and he’s right. This is stolen art. Not a route you ever expected her to take, but with her talents, you’re not surprised that she seems to excel at this life.       She leads you into a living room, offering fresh clothes for the party she’s hosting in an hour. One that serves as much as an auction as it does drunken dance hall. The first thing you do is change into more comfortable shoes.       “Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum,” Sam begins to explain.       “You guys really should steer clear of all of this, for your own safety.” Sharon gives you a pointed look.       “We know it’s a risk, but we’re not gonna leave until we find the one who cracked the code.” Sam is confident the group of you will succeed. These things had a way of working out in your favor, but what would success look like? You would all surely be in trouble for breaking Zemo out of prison, and handing over someone who could make super-soldier serum to the government sounded disastrous.       “We got a name. Wilfred Nagel,” Bucky offers up the information.       “Nagel works for the Power Broker,” Sharon replies, standing to pour herself a drink.       “We need your help, Sharon,” Sam says.       After a bit of back and forth between them, Sharon agrees to a deal: she helps the four of you find Nagel and Sam will get her name cleared so she can move back to the States.       The party is the perfect place for her to start. Sharon is well connected, and she would be working those contacts all night while the three of you have a short reprieve. Sharon sure knew how to throw a party.       Booze and drugs flowed freely as people danced among priceless works of art. Bucky leads you through the crowd. He’s wearing a simple black suit and a fitted blazer, why Sharon had such clothes, you didn’t ask, but if you weren’t in Madripoor on an exhausting mission, and you and Bucky weren’t currently in a fight, this could be a fun date. Instead, the three of you take turns keeping an eye on Zemo, and when it becomes Sam’s responsibility, you leave the crowd to find a quiet corner to sit in.       There is a laundry room in the back of the building, beyond the crowds and works of art. You lock yourself in, and you get a few minutes of peace before there’s a knock on the door. You know it’s Bucky before you even open it.       “You okay?” he asks.         “Just needed some air,” you answer. Bucky reaches his right hand up to touch your cheek, then leans in to place a soft kiss of your forehead.       “I’m sorry,” he whispers when he pulls away. “I shouldn’t have said what I did on the plane.”       “Well, maybe you’re right, maybe I shouldn’t have come.” You hate to admit it, but that chase through Madripoor made you feel so weak.       “How are you feeling?” he asks, hand still softly touching your cheek.       “It still feels like something is sitting on my chest,” you tell him, rubbing the spot over your heart with your hand.       “This is what I was worried about.” Bucky pulls his hand away and places both of his on his hips, as if to scold you.       “I know, Buck, but I’m fine, honestly.” He gives you a disbelieving look, so you change the subject. “How are you?”       “You’re worried about me?”       “I’m always worried about you, Buck. You make it hard not to.” You reach out to touch his chest, feeling his heartbeat under your palm.       He sighs, “I promise, I’m alright.” It’s your turn to give him a look. He meets your eye and concedes. “Pretending to be the Winter Soldier again was… hard, especially with you there. I was worried I’d scare you.”       “You could never. I know you’re still my Bucky.”       “I am glad you’re here. I just wish it was safer for you.” His hand returns to your cheek.       “Well, I can’t go back home now,” you say, holding onto his arm to keep his hand in place. “I’m sure by now they know it was us that broke Zemo out of prison. The second I take a step back in the States, I’ll be locked up.”       Bucky lets out a long frustrated groan. To him, there were no good options here, but he’d rather have you there with him where he could protect you than anywhere else.       “We’ll fix this, together,” he decides. “And I promise, I’ll tell you all of my plans from here on out.”       You lean up to kiss him, and Bucky slides his arms around your waist to keep you there. Your worries melt away as Bucky deepens the kiss, teeth gently biting on your bottom lip. You pull him further into the laundry room, and he kicks the door shut behind you. Your back hits the washer. Bucky’s hands move from your waist to the backs of your thighs, then he lifts you onto the washing machine. You giggle as he sets you down, tugging on the hem of his shirt to untuck it from his pants. Bucky’s hands continue to wander, finding the back of your top and beginning to undo the ties that kept it in place. Both of your shirts are already off when the door opens.       “Really, guys? Couldn’t wait until after the party?” Sam chides.       “Get out, Sam,” Bucky yells, covering your body with his own as you laugh.       “Sharon has something for us, so hurry up and finish,” he calls as he closes the door.       “Guess we better go then,” you whisper. You touch your forehead to his. “I love you, Mr. Barnes.”       “I love you, too Mrs. Barnes.” He smiles.

------

Thanks for reading <3 Tags!!

@my-patronus-is-a-raptor​

[lire-casander]

don't want to set the world on fire

[rating] teen and up audiences [pairing] carlos reyes/tk strand [prompt] tarlos historical au [warnings] angst with a happy ending, canonical character deaths, pearl harbor au, world war ii, grief, mourning, fluff, kissing, alternating pov

[summary] 1941. tk strand and carlos reyes arrive in hawaii ready to recover from their own, personal tragedies. what they are not expecting is to find love among war.

happy holidays, @tailoredshirt! i really hope you enjoy reading this story just as much as i’ve enjoyed writing it! 

it wouldn’t have made sense without the incredibly fast beta-reading help of @morganaspendragonss and the hand-holding offered by @moviegeek03 when i thought i couldn’t do this. 

title from the song by the ink spots, which was released in 1941.

don't want to set the world on fire 15k+ | read on ao3

March 27th, 1941

“What do you mean, you're going to Europe?” TK tries to control his voice as he chooses to ask the first of the myriad of questions that are exploding in his head.

“They need the help,” Alex explains calmly. He doesn't look TK in the eye when he continues, “That's why I enlisted.”

“You volunteered?” TK screeches, earning themselves a few glares from the other people having dinner at this fancy restaurant where he had thought about proposing to his boyfriend.

Maybe proposing isn't exactly the right word, since they can't actually get married, but TK had planned to promise forever to this man who's now telling him that he's volunteered to step into a war that doesn't even have anything to do with them.

This definitely isn't how TK had envisioned his evening going.

“Yeah,” Alex confirms in a low voice. “It's not unheard of, you know. We need to help.”

“We?” TK huffs. “It's not our war, Alex. Your selflessness is amazing, but I highly doubt that you dying for them is going to change the course of the war.”

“You can't know that,” Alex retorts. He sighs as he stretches his hand across the table to rest it on top of TK’s, but TK jerks back. “TK, please,” he tries again. “I know it's difficult to understand and almost impossible to accept, but all I'm asking of you is to respect my decision.”

“How can you ask me to respect that you want to—die for people who will never even know your name?” He tries to keep his voice steady and still low, so as to not attract any more attention upon them, but it breaks around the middle, tears threatening to fall. “Alex—”

“I'm a pilot,” his boyfriend interrupts. “That's what I am. That's the only thing I am. I know I can help. I'm going to, whether you want me to or not, but I'd hoped that you'd at least understand, what with your father being a high-up and—”

“War was what broke my parents.” It's now TK’s turn to cut the conversation off, veering it towards the pain he's feeling. “How could you think that I'd be fine knowing that you'd volunteered to die halfway across the world? When did this happen? How did I miss it?”

Alex doesn't say anything, as if sensing that TK needs to say everything that's crushing his heart.

“When?” TK asks, voice not louder than a whisper. He remembers, a second too late, the dispatch orders his father's signed this very same morning; TK was at Colonel Strand's office when a secretary came in with a stack of papers allowing American soldiers to fly out the very next morning. “Please don't say—”

“Tomorrow,” Alex says, looking down at his plate.

TK holds his breath for a few seconds, counts to five, and exhales slowly. He repeats to himself that he won't panic, that everything will be fine in the end. After seven rounds of controlled breathing, he feels confident enough to speak, even though his soul is shattered.

“Here I thought that tonight would be the first night of our whole future together…and it's actually the last night for us.”

Alex looks stricken as TK’s words seem to register. TK witnesses his boyfriend understand what his plan had been all along, as a lonely tear rolls down his cheek, as Alex wipes it away discreetly because he's a soldier and he needs to be tough, not sensitive. He looks down at his hands, balled in fists over the tablecloth, and exhales.

“Well,” Alex finally says. He reaches out to touch TK, and this time he lets Alex's fingers smooth the skin over his hands. “If this is our last night together, would you save a dance for me?”

That's what both disarms TK and breaks his heart, at the same time.

He has never been able to say no to Alex, not even once in the whole fourteen months, three weeks, five days and seventeen hours since they started dating. And yes, he's been counting—sue him.

“Of course,” TK breathes out slowly. “Wanna go to the pier after dinner?”

continue reading on ao3!

[fateinthestars]

Star-Crossed Myth Fluffbruary Fanfic May Catch-up (15th Feb Prompt): Artistic Pastry (Human!Tauxolouve/MC)

Title: Artistic Pastry

Fandom: Star-Crossed Myth

Genre: Fluff, Alternate Timeline

Rating: T

Pairing: Human!Tauxolouve/MC (MC’s name left blank so you can fill it in with whatever you wish in your head)

Word Count: 543

Written for Prompt: February 15 : cord | bakery | honey for @fluffbruary

A/N: Tauxolouve's sequel? This comes after if that had ended differently. (I kept second guessing myself about whether to go this route with this one or not and I now also kinda want to do a baker AU but I tend to veer more towards Alternate Timeline or Canon Divergence so that most of the universe is in tact 😅 )

February 15th: Artistic Pastry (Human!Tauxolouve/MC)

After work at the Planetarium, ___ headed to her new favourite cake shop. As she opened the door, the sweet aroma of honey and freshly baked cakes filled the air.

At the counter, Tauxolouve tilted his head in way of greeting and smiled fondly at her. “Same as usual, little lady?”

“Yes please,” ___ responded back with a light smile of her own.

Tauxolouve reached for a small honey cake, intricately decorated on the top with a design of his own creation.

“Do you really do all the artwork yourself?” ___ asked as he put the cake in a box for her.

“Yup, but then you should know,” he responded with a glint in his eyes. He leant over the counter. “After all, it -” he cut off, his eyes widening as the cord on the jacket he was wearing got caught up with her hair. He bit his lip with worry. “Uh, I…”

___ however smiled gently and reached her own hand up to her hair, carefully untangling the cord from it. “I guess some things never changed,” she teased softly.

Tauxolouve chuckled lightly, closing his eyes briefly. “It doesn’t matter how many years I spend on Earth, I’m afraid that might always be a problem.”

“... You seem happy,” she added, her voice a little hesitant.

“‘Course I am,” Tauxolouve reassured, reopening his eyes and looking lovingly at her. “I have you, and now I can actually be a provider after getting used to this world. ‘Sides, if I had ever ended up leaving the Heavens for another reason then I woulda never thought of this. It was because of you I learnt how to cook and then when you showed me what some people do with cake… it was suddenly easy to think how I could combine my art into a job.”

“Lou, you could have just sold your artwork.”

“I could, but then I wouldn’t get to see your face light up every time you eat one of these desserts,” Tauxolouve replied with a smirk.

“Tauxolouve!” ___ snapped, blushing bright red. “What if someone else comes in?”

Leaning over the counter once more, careful not to get caught up with her this time, Tauxolouve lifted her head a little with his hand and pulled her into a sweet and loving kiss. He smiled knowingly at her as he pulled away. “They’re not going to walk in because I turned the sign to closed.”

___ blinked, frowning with puzzlement. “How? You haven’t left the counter.”

This time Tauxolouve blushed a little as he glanced to the side. “I thought you might come today after work so I kept an eye out for you. When I saw you coming I changed it before you pushed open the door. I doubt you noticed cos you were expectin' me to be open.”

“Oh Lou,” ___ muttered, rolling her eyes a little, but she was smiling so brightly it made the actual lights look dim. 

Tauxolouve smiled back at her, and moved out from behind the counter. He offered her his arm. “Why don’t we take a walk? I can put a notice up that I’ll be back shortly.”

“Alright,” ___ hesitantly agreed. “But only if we can share this cake.”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

[emeraldspiral]

Been thinking about how they could adapt the Zimvoid arc into a film, because I think it works really well as a finale. I think Zib is a perfect villain to make Zim and Dib realize ugly truths about themselves and challenge them to be better. But there's no way they'd just do a straightforward adaptation. They'd have to make major changes to the story so it'd be something new and exciting and not spoiled right from the start, just like how they started ETF as an adaptation of the first comic and then veered off into something totally original.

I like the idea of playing it like the comic story is canon and the movie is actually a stealth sequel. Like, Zib used time travel to go back and do everything over and he remembers how everything went the first time and is making changes throughout the story to take it off the rails toward a different end goal. Maybe he was even the one who made Zim forget "Phase 2" and caused the events of ETF to happen.

I'd really like to see Zib introduced a lot earlier or at least for the story after the twist reveal to go on for a lot longer because I feel like in the comic everything happened pretty quickly and there was so much more that could've been done with Zib. Like, he doesn't really do much outside of exposition. Even at the end, all he does is sit on his throne holding Dib captive while the Zims battle his giant robot for like 2 pages before main Zim merges them all and Zib's plan falls apart. I'd really like to see a big horror movie chase sequence with Zib as the monster, relentlessly stalking Zim and Dib through multiple realities and tearing through every obstacle like cardboard, like Wanda in Multiverse of Madness. Would also really love to see Zim and Dib tag-team against Zib since the climax of the original comic has Dib doing nothing while everything Zim does to achieve victory happens off-screen and it feels like kind of a missed opportunity to not have them work as a team against a being that is a combination of the two of them.

There's also a lot of sequences in the comic that are just kinda skipped over that I'd really like to see in some capacity. Like, we don't see much of Zim's battles in the arena so we don't know how he managed to beat 166 opponents in a day while supposedly being the worst Zim. We also don't see the rebel Zims battle against the top 99 elite Zims or #2 fighting his way through the Massive to get an audience with the Tallest, so I feel like we missed out on some potential for really funny and exciting action sequences.

I like that Zim and Dib had parallel arcs of being confronted with the idea that there are better versions of themselves out there and maybe they're actually the worst, before ultimately coming out on top to prove they're actually the best, at least by the logic of "I'm only failing because I've had it harder than anyone else". So I'd like to take the natural next step and have them become self-aware about how much they validate each other.

Like, in the comic the alternate Zims openly admit that they're happy to see a Dib and express admiration for their own Dibs, which makes sense because they've had time apart to realize their true feelings. But we never see if this gives Dib pause and causes him to reflect on how his Zim might feel about him, so that's something that could be added onto the original arc. I also really like the idea that while main Zim was imprisoned with the other Zims they were talking the same way about their Dibs in front of him, and because he hasn't had that time apart to reflect and come to terms with his feelings he's uncomfortable with the thought that he might actually like Dib. Plus, I think adding a scene like that would give extra context to why Zim refuses to work with Dib when he breaks them all out. I also like the idea that in general, because they've had no one but themselves to talk to in the void, the alternate Zims have been able to work through stuff that main Zim hasn't. Like, they all know that their mission was fake, the Tallest never respected them, and they're a joke to pretty much everyone but Dib, but main Zim's still in denial about all of it.

Meanwhile, Dib wouldn't just take Zib's explanation for what he did at face value. He's convinced no Dib would be stupid enough to attach Zim's PAK to themselves and not expect to be corrupted, and he can't bring himself to believe it was just the lack of recognition that drove him to it. He'd demand to know the real reason so he can avoid making the same mistakes and eventually Zib would admit he did it because he missed his Zim.

"You never really know what someone means to you until they're gone. Until you destroy the only person who ever respected you, who understood you, for a world that doesn't even appreciate the sacrifice."

Zib attached Zim's PAK to himself because he wanted his Zim back, but the PAK had been damaged and all that was left of his personality were his final thoughts and feelings. Fear, anger, regret, sadness, resentment, and shame. The Zim part of Zib's mind is just a malevolent ghost in the back of his head, and the Zimvoid is nothing more than a hell of his own creation. The Zim part drives Dib to commit atrocities to get back at him for killing him and the Dib part torments the alternate Zims and plots to destroy all the Irkens to get back at the Zim part. Both sides want to punish each other and both sides allow it because they feel like they deserve it for being failures.

Learning all this is hard for Dib to swallow because it means there's seemingly no good outcome for earth no matter what he does. Either Zim wins and earth is destroyed or he wins and destroys earth himself because his life is empty without Zim.

What makes all the difference to the story's outcome though is that because ETF happened Zim and Dib are in different headspaces than in the original story. Dib has already realized that proving Zim is an alien was just a means to an end to get what he really wanted, which it turned out he already had, and now that he knows it he can see that it's exactly the same for Zim with his mission. Meanwhile, Zim's walls of self-deception have already started crumbling since he realized he "lost" the Tallests' respect, which makes him desperate to reinforce them even as they grow more fragile.

So maybe instead of trying to get rid of all the other Zims to prove he's the greatest of them all, he'd try to hijack Zib's plan and turn it into a plot to conquer all earths in every reality to really show the Tallest he isn't a joke. But Dib would realize that there's an alternative to the no-win scenario he thought they were in; making peace. And he does it by echoing his father's words to Zim, "You're always trying to prove to your leaders that you're amazing. But you never needed to prove that to me, Zim. I've always thought you were amazing."

And Zim realizes that as often as he's said it himself, no one's ever called him "amazing" before, and Dib shows Zim how much he matters to him by risking it all just to save him from his own reckless stupidity.

And then I like the idea that it's kinda like a Sylki situation where even with all the universe's infinite possibilities they're still supposed to be enemies in every reality so them becoming friends kinda breaks reality and gives them the power to resolve everything and get back to their home universe when it seemed like they were trapped with no hope of escape.

And then that would be like the ultimate perfect ending for the series. Zim gives up his mission and Dib gives up trying to expose him because they both realize they don't care about winning anybody else over as long as they have each other.

[notwantedonthemoon]

Apparently I have entered a phase in which I cannot draw anything except these two. I love Lucy and her funny best friend. Every time I think about them the chorus of The Boys Are Back from High School Musical 3 starts playing in my head.

Design stuff (and birds) below:

LUCY

Lucy is so tall. To this day I run into the issue of having no clue how to draw her next to any other character without having to imagine the other character standing on a stepstool just to be in frame. The solution to this, I gathered, is to get really used to drawing Lucy carrying people.

I very much intend for Lucy to have a frog vibe since she's thematically associated with transformation and being a part of two worlds at once- but at this point, the frog associations are running on pure vibes alone. I'm leaning more heavily on the extravagant bird associations.

Lucy decides to turn into a cormorant sometimes, so those were a pretty obvious place to turn for inspiration.

Because of their lighter feathers, I thought I'd give Lucy a lighter patch of hair, too. But then I stumbled upon this absolute majesty of a bird:

Look at these birds. I know nothing about them, except that they're called ruffs and they look fabulous, and I love them with my whole heart.

So I had to make that hair fluffy. I don't know how to adapt hair into a feathery neck-ruffle/mane but I will figure it out one day.

I don't know how to keep the ruffles for when Lucy eventually gets a Joan-of-Arc haircut, but I was thinking of picking another bird to accompany her wardrobe change: the loggerhead shrike! I'm considering somehow giving her that cool black mask patterning over their eyes that they have:

But then she might end up looking like a raccoon, or perhaps Batman. Further consideration is needed.

HAM

I had a brief phase in which my perception of Ham's appearance veered wildly off his canon description and I spent that entire phase squinting with increased agitation at Google images of medieval queen portraits.

I figured it would make sense for him to look rather intimidating and unapproachable; he's very intense, and lonely- he’s not good at making friends despite clearly wanting them. This eventually slid into me picturing him with a very regal, queenly vibe... that I absolutely failed to capture here lol he looks so friendly

He doesn't even look like a Ham, he looks more like a Penelope

Like how Hamlet was constantly pestered by his father's ghost badgering him for vengeance, I was badgered by my own thoughts constantly reminding me that Ham makes dad jokes, so my entire focus turned towards making sure that my Ham looks like a guy who makes dad jokes.

But my time spent scouring Google images has not gone completely to waste. It helped me come up with a new colour palette for him and I like it very much. Unfortunately implementing it does mean I have to give up on the walking Valentine's day card colour palette but alas. At least there are the shoes. The shoes can still look like a Valentine's day chocolate box.

[waterfallofspace]

I absolutely adore your writing and wavs!! Do you happen to have headcanons for Hotwings and Erasermic you could share with the class? Totally cool if not, make sure to stay hydrated. <3

Aww, thank you non! 💗😭 That reminder goes for everyone who may see this, remember to drink some water and eat something today~!!

I do in fact have some hcs for both, but in the interest of not writing my uh... like 6th novel in the past 2 days, I'll keep it a bit brief~ <3 (it's still quite long 😭)

~Erasermic~ -~- Aizawa stifles constantly, basically a reflex at this point, and Mic tells him off for it. (But secretly admires it, just a little, he can never figure out how to suppress them like that) He can do this hands free, so you have to verbally persuade him not to, just grabbing his hands won't help. -~- Mic has louder sneezes that usually end up hurting his throat if they go on for too long/if he's sick already. Aizawa has to be the one to remind him when he's sick to shut up before you lose your voice! (it happens often) -~- Mic is a wine snz person, the alcohol gets to him, but not reallyyy other allergies (though, like all of these, it changes based on what you want!) -~- Aizawa is heavily allergic to pollen (CANON!!) and also anything floral scented, though he's not certain if he's actually allergic to that, or it's just the fact that it reminds him of flowers. -~- Aizawa tends to get headaches a lot, especially when sick, and Mic will offer to hold his head and give him gentle scalp massages, or run fingers through his hair <3 Mic's illness tends to hit his chest/throat harder, so Aizawa has memorized which types of tea are best for what symptoms, and keeps a pad of paper and pencil nearby incase he needs to enforce some vocal rest.

~Hotwings~

-~- Hawks is a stifler. It has to do with control issues, and being such a young (and specifically trained) success. He's taught never to show weakness, and he counts this. Despite acting like he doesn't care, Dabi does, and so he often tries (in 'not-so-subtle' ways) to try and get Hawks to knock it off. His natural is pretty soft and vocal. -~- Dabi will stifle occasionally, something harsh and raspy, though it can have a bit of a 'uhh' or 'choo' sound that slips out. However if he's alone, or with Hawks, or honestly just can't be bothered, his natural is a bit more harsh, and sometimes desperate. (though... I can't lie, I also adore him having lil kitten snz and being pissy about it, especially when Hawks teases him. Soooo, I bounce between the two <3) -~- Hawks doesn't really have many allergies, though he can be quite sensitive all of some of the time. That said, he always sneezes in fits. At least 3 kinda deal, so if it's just one, he assumes 'someone's talkin' bout him'. -~- Dabi is not as lucky in the allergen department. He assumes it's something to do with his immune system being somehow basically trash, and also hyper alert. Allergic to cats, flowers, and occasionally (mostly when I, or others, wish to torment him) dust. Though, much to the annoyance of Hawks, he's not sensitive at all. (Cept around his piercings, that will always get a sneeze). -~- Both tend to get sick often, though Hawks gets more of the sinus infections and chills, while Dabi seems to veer more towards chest infections and fevers. Despite the tough act, both of them know exactly how to care for the other. Dabi will let Hawks nestle into him for warmth and comfort, and Hawks will get cold washclothes to help Dabi stay cool. Both like their hair being pet, but would never admit it.

[diamantinasfrilledshark]

Roleplay Rules!

Status: Semi-Open as of November 2nd, 2023

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In order to RP with me, you NEED to send me the hidden phrase in here so I know you actually read the rules. If not, I will not RP.

Literacy Style:

Literate to semi-literate. I like to write in multiple paragraphs, both with detail and somewhat dialogue heavy. If you’ve seen my writing, it’s a lot like that! I expect potential RP partners to follow in suit/match.

It seems as of late that I prefer literate with multiple paragraphs and details.

I’ve been RPing since I was like, 10. If I see *she smiles* it might summon rage 💀 /hj

Where We Can Talk:

Just starting off? Tumblr DMs! I won’t RP in the comment section of a post.

You can now ask for my Discord. It’s where I’m most active.

Slots:

Don’t really have a cap off but it becomes too much at once I will be sure to let you know.

Genres and Plots:

Almost anything and everything! However, towards strangers and people I’m generally unfamiliar with, SFW are going to be the topics I steer towards. Adventure, drama, horror etc. are all fine the first go around.

I’m pretty flexible on genres so like, hey don’t be afraid to suggest it.

NSFW, I like writing smut, I just need to like you as well lol. Not a slight on your behalf, but I will let you know whether smut is a possibility or not.

NSFW will only be done with other 18+ adults who have verified they are in fact, adults. I absolutely refuse NSFW to “ageless” accounts and minors.

Honestly I don’t want to RP with minors so if you’re a minor, don’t message me. Don’t do it. Thanks.

Pairings:

Gets a little odd here, I don’t actually ship anything, if that makes any sense? Like, canon character X canon character just isn’t in my repertoire unless they’re already an established couple or the franchise is heavily leaning them that way.

That said, I’m totally cool with self shipping and OCs X Canon characters. (If self ship, it has to go both ways. Sorry I’m a simp too 😔)

Platonic, familial, those work best though especially if I am unfamiliar with you as a person.

Honestly I’m not as veered towards romance unless you’re a good friend of mine.

Do:

When first DMing, send me memes to help break the ice! I’m pretty good about speaking to people, but I understand how awkward it can be

If you’re using an OC, please tell me all about your OC! If you have any reference pics etc, send them so I can describe them during the RP.

If you’re playing a canon character and you’ve changed anything about them that’s notable, feel free to mention their quirks, and the lore building you’ve done for them.

Tell me if it gets to be too much or if you wish to change directions. I want you to feel safe and have a free voice during the chat. If something doesn’t click, tell me.

Please talk to me about the RP plot before we start! That gives me a good direction on what bases to hit and which lines to not cross. Your boundaries are just as important as mine and I want to respect them.

Use brackets or some other notation to let me know you’re speaking out of character! I’m very prone to using []

Understand that you can leave for a while and don’t need to apologize. Genuinely, I know you’ll get back to me. If you don’t think you will or it’ll take longer than expected then let me know. I know people get busy, so it’s honestly no problem.

Don’t:

Do NOT ask to RP if you are a minor. I do not wish to RP with minors.

Send me unsolicited NSFW or a starter without any conversation prior to. It’s just kind of ???? On my end.

Do not godmod HEAVILY. I’m okay with like, “and he helped her up and watched as she walked over to the desk.” But fully godmodding is a no.

Send one liners. Self explanatory.

Wildly deviate from the plot in bizarre ways. Like, making things NSFW all of a sudden or cause angst when there was none. I hate saying “Mary Sue the RP” but do not Mary Sue the RP.

Please don’t be upset when I take a hot minute or two to respond. I’m a person that has a life outside of her phone and is actually prone to migraine if I look at screens for too long. I will always get back to the RP unless I say otherwise.

Be pushy for a character or a pairing I said no to.

Go too OOC for canon characters.

Ask for things like rape, beastiality, common DNI criteria.

I understand RP can be therapeutic but remember, I am not a therapist and the RP we have is not substitute for actual mental health help.

Fandoms:

SCP

Call of Duty

Darkwood

Assassin’s Creed

Grimm

Uncharted

My Little Pony (yeah goin' back to my roots)

My OCs (need to ask about those, there’s,,,, many and they’re all intricate.)

Other Things:

Please use third person, past or present tense. Usually past tense.

I feel it goes hand in hand with literate RP but use ��speaking” for a dialogue and ‘thinking’ for thoughts.

Try not to rush anything! Let it happen naturally and it’ll all play out.

Don’t be afraid to talk to me outside of the RP either. Like, it’s a personal thing we’re probably going to become friends.

Some Examples of My RP Style:

Mind you, not all of these are going to be extremely long. Things tend to taper out.

All of these examples were lifted directly from one of my RPs.

November 2nd, 2023: I swear not all of my replies are going to be like this. I'm immensely more busy now.

This is a starter:

A young princess sat on the balcony of her mother’s grand palace. The stars of the night were absolutely gorgeous as her dark eyes peered upwards, tracing constellation upon constellation. There, she could see the proud statue of Amun and feel the loving gaze of the beautiful mother goddess, Hathor. Strings upon strings of stars hung in the sky and bathed the desert in a warm white and blue gold, illuminating the darkness so she could observe the night life of her people. At barely eighteen years old, the young princess had been coming to a very startling conclusion as she stared out at the houses amongst the dunes and the boats and their ferriers on the Nile: that one day, all of this would be hers. The thought scared her, as ruling over such a people with the same authority as her mother and her mothers before her… The burden was crushing in its own right.

Sameera, the current pharaoh of Egypt and seated daughter of Isis and Ra, had been gearing her only daughter up for greatness since she had been brought into the world. The palace had served little as a home and more of a house of education, gearing up the little girl for a future in which all would bow down to her. Sameera has been, and will be considered a bountiful ruler. She ushered in an Egypt in which magick and divine favor rained down on the land, where suffering was lightened, and where pain had been naught but a bruise.

To give her daughter, Tavi, a taste of what it would mean to be the seated pharaoh and begin expanding her power besides running the palace, Sameera had placed her in charge of the Festival of Hathor. The festival in itself being amongst the most important task Tavi has been held in charge of to this date. In the morning, Tavi would be heading out by herself to Dendera, the main site of Hathor’s cult and preside over it, and of course, ensure it passes smoothly.

It sounds so simple: let people get drunk and feast, make merry, and enjoy singing and dancing in the company of others, but Tavi has never been a part of such importance in ritual ceremonies. She’s only ever observed, and even that in itself has been something hidden to her as her mother finds the merrymaking beneath her real education under the watchful eyes of Thoth.

Tavi sighs deeply and rests her arms on the balcony for just a moment more, already intending to head back inside and rest for the night before one of her lady maids interrupts her train of thought.

“My lady,” the finely dressed woman begins. “You have a visitor.”

Tavi’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as she crosses the balcony through the cool night air to come to her lady maid’s side. “What? Who on earth would come to my quarters at this hour?” She inquires, more curious than angered at the thought she has a visitor.

The woman bows her head in the princess’s presence as if to silently ask her if she should address the visitor. “I believe it pertains to the Festival of Hathor, but it was not my place to pry,” the lady maid continues, her voice soft and sweet. “Shall I tell them to leave?”

Tavi blinks before shaking her head. “No, you may leave. I’ll handle this,” she replies warmly, her hand resting on the taller woman’s shoulder. “Go, get some rest,” she hums.

The lady maid nods, thanks her princess, then exits out the servant’s entrance, leaving Tavi to her own devices.

The young princess brushes back some of her black hair, wondering who would ask audience with her so informally and so late at night. She crosses her limestone floor quietly, akin to a ghost as if to tell her visitor no one is present before stopping just shy of the door. Mentally, Tavi remembers what her mother has said about acting regally in the presence of others, how to stand tall and like a future queen, and physically rolls that onto her stance.

With a deep breath, she opens the door.

And here is another response show casing what RPs tend to look like down the line WITHOUT me RPING multiple characters:

Tavi’s eyebrows shoot up In surprise as the listens to Arya’s words. “That is troubling,” she murmurs more to herself than anyone else as she once again brushes back some of her hair.

Her mind wanders, wondering what the right course of action would be. Of course, they would be moving during the earlier morning before the sun would come up, but with the flowers on the line… “perhaps we should leave earlier,” she hums.

But then that would require waking up the rest of the party—and they needed their rest. “We can discuss this inside, please,” Tavi moves aside in the doorway, gesturing for Arya to enter. “I would despise seeing your work go to waste because of the heat and the sun,” she says, already moving to her table to give Arya a cup of water.

[Howdy, here’s the phrase. “An ocean without unnamed monsters would be like sleep without dreams.” ]

And here is a response showcasing me RPING multiple characters:

Abasi mentally rolled his golden eyes at Arya’s childish gesture as he led Tavi through the halls. He enjoyed the feeling of the princess’s hands on his forearm—she felt delicate beneath his touch, and it made his heart beat just a little bit faster.

The area they had stepped into was absolutely beautiful, gorgeous in every which way. The air was sweet and warm, like a mother’s caress.

“Great mother Hathor,” Tavi murmured, her head bowing in reverence to the goddess. “What a beauty and blessing you are,” she murmured to herself, slowly letting go of Abasi’s forearm.

“Princess!” A priest’s voice cut through. “What a pleasure to see you here,” he said warmly. “I presume you’ve come to make an offering?”

Tavi smiled and nodded, gently telling Abasi that his guard could lower. “I have. What a magnificent job you and the priests and priestesses have done.”

The priest beamed and quickly nodded for one of the lower ranking priestesses to fetch a bowl full of offerings they’d prepared for the princess. “It means the world t hear it from you,” he said. “We’ve gone all out this time for her festival.”

“It shows,” Tavi hummed, silently thanking the lower ranking priestess who handed her a bowl full of spices, jewelry, flowers and sweet smelling oils. Gently, Tavi came to the edge of the pool, kneeling down and offering silent prayers to Hathor, a blessed mother, before placing the bowl gingerly on the water.

It rippled as it flowed on the surface, almost resting perfectly in the middle amongst the sparse lily pads and lotus flowers.

On her way back up, Abasi offered the princess his hand, and she took it.

The priest once again beamed. “The goddess is most pleased with your presence,” he noted, barely able to contain his joy. “Would your companions like to make offerings as well?”

[catchyhuh]

Please please please hit us with the Gender Studies!!!!

YOU HAVE OPENED TJE FLOODGATES!!! LET’S GO GENDER actually sexuality too let’s hit ‘em both because i have my piece and need to speak it. less about their physical bodies, more about their Mindscape. do i sound insane? i will by the end of this i promise!

lupin: listen give me a week i will compile all the evidence i have that lupin is CANONICALLY bisexual. beyond that he’s… also probably polyamorous cuz. y’know. look around. this is one hell of an open relationship. i feel like out of all of them though he’s the only one that’d like. bring it up. state it proudly. his gender is fun because you know mp didn’t MEAN anything writing a ? next to GENDER on Lupin’s little govt file but. oh baby. there’s definitely some meshing of a man and a woman in there, simultaneously coexisting even if he’s in guy mode or whatever. but like. he would only really notice that if it was pointed out to him. y’know that tweet that says “i’m probably nonbinary but i have a job rn so i’m not really thinking about it too much rn” that’s Lupin the Third

jigen: yeah prepare to be shocked. that’s a gay man. that’s a homosexual. contrary to the jokes i don’t think he’s GAY and misogynistic because of it, i think he just has (lets be real somewhat understandable in his position) beef with fujiko specifically. but when you look at his other interactions with women, they’re either just basic decency for a fellow human being or largely apathetic. and that getting betrayed thing but lets be real again that’s happening regardless of if he’s truly in love with them or if it’s just an “i have eyes” aesthetic appreciation. the transmasc reading of jigen like clicks in my head and it’s hard to pinpoint why exactly? i guess it’s just because he’s got that like. completely self-assured guy vibe. he knows he’s a man and that’s how it is. he doesn’t give a shit!! which could be taken as a cis guy thing too but either way he’s very comfortable in his guyhood and that’s cool. there’s a confidence and comfortability in his man-ness that you only really get after a level of selfintrospection, if that makes sense. if jigen isn’t actually trans he must be cis+ or some shit but. i’m leaning towards the former

fujiko: where lupin puts a label on it, fujiko simply makes a coy little face and shrugs her shoulders. changes the answer a little each time she really thinks about it. bi, pan, unlabeled, questioning? she’s scratched off the last one at least. she’s pretty damn sure she’ll bang any sane consenting adult with enough money. but that does bring us to another thing that i haven’t brought up with anyone yet: i’m a firm believer in demiromantic fujiko. that’s what that’d be called right? the romantic version of demisexual? fujiko just cannot form a romantic attachment to anyone unless there are years, like YEARS of consistent, honest trust and understanding in there. it’s not even an option in her mind until she’s known someone 3 years minimum, and even then that’s only when it BECOMES a SUGGESTION. sexual attraction is easy, romantic attraction is a sidequest altogether. it’s not just a mental mindset thing it’s like. her chemical makeup dude. but veering back on course, she’s got the same solidity in gender that jigen has, just in the Pink direction, so the same general reading of “is she a trans woman or does she just Get it” hits for me

goemon: goemon really hasn’t thought about his sexuality too much. he sees it as more of a person by person basis rather than a potentially gender specific attraction? if he finds a woman attractive, he finds a woman attractive, if he finds a man attractive, he finds a man attractive, if he finds a person who is attractiDo you get the general gist here? at best i could say he has a slight skew towards women, but it doesn’t like ERASE the rest of the options here. goemon views gender similarly, almost like an outsider looking in. it’s not some deep psychological perspective where he’s like, intentionally distancing himself to best study it, it’s just that he doesn’t feel a huge need to label himself in that sense. a foot in the nonbinary door. any pronouns, any terms of address, it’s no biggie to goemon! i do think he’d be somewhat interested to hear others’ perspectives on it, but he knows who he is. the one with the kickass sword lmao

zenigata: this shit is hard uh damn. nothing would shock me with him in any sense. he could be anything, he could be gay (lots of people get married to women before realizing who they are later in life!) he could be bi or pan, he could just be really butch for all i know brother!! any reading is a whole new canvas for unsuccessfully repressed tension and internal sexual turmoil! as for gender, uh it’s kind of. the same sense? he could really be anything. maybe like, betwixt jigen with the “solid in the dudeness” sense and goemon in the “just checking off boxes” shit. like regardless of if he is a MAN man his masculinity is a choice (wild sentence to be saying about the guy drawn to look silly on purpose) and HE wouldn’t get it, like he wouldn’t just start spouting off all this shit if you asked, i mean you'd probably just hear a distant dial-up tone looking at the expression on his face if you asked him. but like. a well-informed third party would get it. i know i sound wild cuz this is literally a baby boomer but listen to me,

[megabuild]

I don’t think there’s enough actual clethubs to justify that take, and the few clethubs fics that actually exist don’t have that dynamic at all. It must be super discouraging for the (very very few) clethubs content creators to read stuff like that. I write ethubs but seeing similar posts in the past abt how “no one interprets ethubs correctly” turned me off from writing them entirely, even if it wasn’t directed at me. For small fandoms, if you want to attract the type of work you want, you should try uplifting the creators you appreciate rather than making blanket statements that hurt everyone

this is also a fair point- i will say i don't really read fic at all outside of a few exceptions so i cant comment on that. i guess its important to remember that while a lot of users on here will accept clethubs or ships within it as canon to them there's a big difference between saying you enjoy a ship and actually creating content for it, so clethubs isn't actually that "popular".

i do think there's also a difference between making a blanket statement about people misinterpreting characters (which is sort of what i ended up veering towards in my response- so apologies for that) and talking about cleo being sidelined, which is less misinterpretation and starts bordering on or just becoming flat out misogyny (and also fandomwide issue with m/f ships but that's a different post altogether). but i would definitely agree there's no point in complaining about certain takes or content if you don't uplift or create the content you actually want to see.

[cephalog0d]

Batfic - "Batman and Robbin'"

Category: Gen, F/M Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Characters/Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne & Alfred Pennyworth, mentioned Selina Kyle Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, (but also Catwoman's sidekick), Tim Drake is Robin, Pre-Relationship, (i guess? genuinely not sure how to tag their relationship), (steph is flirting via mildly bullying tim in costume and tim isn't NOT secretly into it), (he's also very annoyed), (so really not that different than the grown-up BatCat interactions), implied Bruce/Selina as well but too minor for me to tag it, POV Tim Drake, Rated T for some swearing (because unlike comics I am allowed to do that)

Summary:

It wasn’t until much later, back in the Cave, that Tim actually put everything together. In which Robin has his first run-in with Catwoman's new sidekick and is infuriated and embarrassed and definitely not even a little bit impressed.

It had been a relatively quiet evening by Gotham standards, one of those nights where they were trying to track down a particular target and prevent a disaster rather than waiting for something to pop up for them to deal with. They were looking for a man they’d only heard referred to with the unhelpfully vague name of “Big Joe” who seemed to have a hand in what they were pretty sure was an incoming weapons shipment that would be much better off diverted out of the hands of Gotham mobsters, but crime fighting in Gotham meant always assuming something would happen to draw them off track.

This time that “something” was a flash of purple spotted vaulting neatly between buildings near the edge of the Diamond District, two things that immediately suggested a very specific individual up to something nefarious.

Unfortunately, they had just gotten a more direct lead on “Big Joe”, which meant they were going to have to split focus, and as much as Robin was sure Batman would love to spend the rest of his night chasing down Catwoman (or whatever else he might get up to, Robin emphatically did not want details and was not asking), they needed him focused on their actual target. He might be grumpy at losing out on a chance to flirt with her, but he would be a lot grumpier if they lost their shot at stopping a dangerous shipment from getting into even more dangerous hands.

“I’ll check it out,” Robin offered before Batman could suggest otherwise, veering off without waiting for an answer. Batman just grunted an affirmative and kept moving towards their original target. (Robin was choosing to take that as Batman having faith in his ability to handle things. It wasn’t like Catwoman was that dangerous. Comparatively. Probably. He totally had this.)

After a couple of blocks of rooftop running, Robin did catch up to someone in a purple suit, but it wasn’t Catwoman, and she had apparently stopped to wait for him.

“False alarm, B, it’s just that Spoiler kid again,” he muttered into his radio. Given how adamant she had been about joining them, they had sort of expected another run-in at some point, but this was the first they had actually seen her since the whole Cluemaster mess had ended in him losing his score and getting arrested. (They were guessing she had had some part in that, but since there was no actual evidence and she seemed to have gone quietly back to her civilian life since then it had gone on the backburner in terms of investigation. Apparently that had been a mistake.)

She had changed her costume, Robin realized as he got closer. It was similar, with the purple suit and the black boots and gloves, but it looked a little sleeker and she had ditched the cape. She still had the full face mask with the large white eyes, and the hood, but it was now held it place by two black points sticking through it that looked an awful lot like ears.

He snapped out his staff as he approached, just in case, holding it ready but not in an offensive position quite yet. This didn’t have to be a fight, and he was sort of hoping it wouldn’t be, but he was not explaining another brick to the head to Batman. He was ready this time.

“Took your time, there, roadrunner,” she said.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said with as much authority as he could muster.

“And yet here I am!” Spoiler said cheerfully, looking rather infuriatingly unthreatened as she sat perched on a chimney stack, one leg crossed over the other and kicking back and forth idly.

“I’m serious,” Robin tried again, gritting his teeth a bit and tightening his grip on his staff.

“Oh, I know you are, bird boy.” Spoiler hopped off of her perch and sauntered towards him. “Thing is, if your big bad Bat-daddy-”

“Oh my god, no,” Robin said in horror; Spoiler acted like he hadn’t said anything.

“-couldn’t scare me off I’m not sure why you think you,” she leaned forward into his space, “in your cute little tights are gonna do it.”

Robin wished, briefly but fiercely, that he had a full face mask to cover the fact that he was definitely blushing. Maybe it was dark enough that it wasn’t completely obvious? Hopefully? He couldn’t see Spoiler’s expression but from her body language, the way her head was tipped to one side, it was all too easy to imagine her smirking at him.

As surreptitiously as possible, he took a deep breath to recenter himself.

(Cont. on AO3)

[actualbird]

I don't know if this has been asked before but what's your hc on how Giann and Marius interact? would they bicker a lot or does giann being 10 years older change things?

hi anon!! i never really wrote a specific hc posts about how i think giann and marius interact, cuz ive written several fics where i Do Make Them Interact in scenes themselves HAHA

so i'll just take the time here to do some shameless self fic recs (with further detailing on what abt the interactions specifically are seen)

-

standard operating procedure (x4 speedrun) | aka the fic where giann returns and finds out marius is dating the nxx5 in a polycule situation

T rated | nxx5 polycule + giann & marius feels | complete fic | 17k words total

while this fic involves the entire nxx5 interacting with giann, the entire thing does delve deep into how giann sees, acts, and recalibrates his relationship with marius given all the changes that have happened.

the 1st, 4th, and 5th chapter have scenes in particular where giann and marius directly interact but as a brief (VERY brief. this fic is 17k for a reason, so i cant bullet point it all JHVKSJHF) summary on those interactions:

despite the 10 year age difference, i absolutely think theyre close as hell, both in the past and in the present of the fic that i ended up writing out.

i also say a huge Yes to bickering, because thats the casual way the ended being accustomed to communicating but that that can be a drawback sometimes. it's the whole "ack, sincerity and vulnerability with my sibling is WEIRD even if we're close, because UGH we're supposed to be cool and calm all the time"

and on a related vein, yes as well to like, how both of them Do talk to each other, but a lot of the time, not much is being Truly Said. i think marius had to have learned the art of putting up a mask from somewhere, and so both giann and marius (especially when distressed) end up brushing off their own problems so that the other wont worry

-

how to care for your dear friend who is currently stuck in his magical serpent form | aka the fic where the von hagens are secretly magic dragons and marius is stuck as a serpent noodle

T rated | no ship + nxx found fam + marius & giann & austin feels | incomplete fic | 15k words currently

once again, while this fic is a little more geared towards exploring the team's dynamic with marius and each other, since the whole magic dragon thing is a Von Hagen thing, the fic does tackle marius' relationship with his family. as opposed to the last fic where it's from giann's pov, this one is from marius'. the fic has a few bits of marius and giann directly interacting in the 1st chapter, and the super tiny quick bites from that is

it's in this fic that i doubled down on how giann is very protective over marius. we are told this in canon, so this isnt much of an hc but still, i rlly like this about giann.

aside from the usual things we think abt when we hear the word "protective" (like hover-y, worry, ready to go fuck ppl up if u hurt the person being protected etc etc), i also think in general that giann was like, the closer Adult Figure marius had and the one he trusted a bit more or found it easier to trust

this is veering away from giann & marius and more into austin & marius now, but i rlly hc that theres a disconnect between marius' relationship with his dad. not to say that austin is a bad dad, but that in losing giann (which already happens after austin lost his wife too), marius and austin kinda lost their key bridge of connection as well

-

aaaaaand lastly

you can run, you can hide, but this email WILL find you! | aka the fic told completely through emails and the fic that im still proudest of in this fandom

T rated | no ship + vyn & giann + giann & marius + vyn & marius | complete fic | 4.3k words total

this fic actually does not have giann and marius directly interacting AT ALL, but in my defense, it doesnt have....anybody directly interacting. bc this fic is told thru emails omfg. buuuut

throughout the fic, i wanted it clear that giann really, really cares about marius and goes to great lengths to ensure that marius (and also vyn, because vyn is his friend) are prepared for everything, even giann himself disappearing

additionally, marius really really is cares to and likes his brother, and was 1) very excited to be able to see him in person and 2) devastated by giann's disappearance, and 3) protective (through his determination to find giann) right back at giann

these arent really Interactions, but i figured it deserved a place on this response anyway as a good conclusion as to how i think marius and giann are with each other: mutual shitheads, close as hell but with trouble being completely sincere, protective of one another, and in general just a couple of ride or die or siblings

-

this was a very long response that answered your question only indirectly jahdvjhVKJVKJ. still, thank you for the ask! i feel really deeply about giann & marius cuz ive also got siblings im very close with, and just knowing tht other ppl r interested in the von hagen brother dynamic too is a treat in itself already :D

[tsukuyomi42]

I’d love to hear some of your Captain Needa headcanons if you feel comfortable sharing. He’s such an underrated character and I love hearing different takes on him. 😊

Of course I can share some of them! I really love talking about Needa, he is so forgotten by both canon and legends (I can't understand WHY they didn't gave him a story in From a Certain Point of View: Empire Strikes Back, but maybe its for the best... I am looking at you, Veers' story...) but here we are, giving those forgotten characters the love they deserve!

So lets go with the headcanons!

He was born and raised in a middle class family in Coruscant (of the kind that can live nicely without counting pennies but effectively end up living paycheck to paycheck because of overspending), his family would be considered rich almost anywhere else however Coruscant is a very expensive place to live, this is also the reason he is an only child, his parents sometimes saw him as more of an investment than of a son

A great deal of his childhood was spend at home, alone while his parents worked, while he understands, it still hurts a little

Needa is a really kind person in general, this is the main reason nobody thought he would enlist in the Coruscant Defense Fleet, much less that he would succeed in such a competitive environment, specially his parents

Needa is bisexual but went quite a long time without noticing, he just assumed everyone was like that, he has a slight preference for men and had very few relationships to this day

His main reason for not wanting to form a family is his job, he fears he couldn't be a good father and husband working in such a dangerous and volatile place such as the Death Squadron, he wouldn't be capable of visiting his family frequently but he thinks the environment of an ISD is not a very safe place for a family, specially for children

He is a little bit older than Piett, graduating as an officer in the later years of the Clone Wars, he was a good student if a little bit forgetful of small details

He isn't prejudiced but still has limited knowledge of the outer rim, this is mostly a consequence of living most of his life in Coruscant

He is impressively unlucky, many things that could never go wrong go wrong just because they happened to him, like the cameras of the back of the Avenger being destroyed in the asteroid field (this is my reasoning for the entire Millennium Falcon fiasco, I can't possibly conceive a ISD not having cameras in the rear end of the bridge tower)

Is very loyal to the Empire, specially to his crew, really believing in the Empire as a peacekeeping entity

His relationship with his parents is quite a mess, they aren't really close, they were never home when he was a child, this is also a reason for his behavior towards his friends and crew, he knows how it is to not have anyone to rely on and that some of them also never had this, they are his true family

He ends up being the "mom friend" who is always taking care of his friends and checking on them and helps them every time they need, but please, by the force and every good thing in the galaxy, DO NOT get him angry

Is definitely the best cook in the Death Squadron and likes to bake cakes for his friends' birthdays

Is a very strong and brave person who would always give his life to save the people he loves, which he ended up doing

As much he would love to live in a cheaper and safer rural planet, he craves the chaos that only Coruscant can provide

He became friends with Piett when the later was an ensign and got sent to the ship Needa was already working on, lack of sleep made Piett mess up some small thing and instead of punishing Piett, Needa gave him some time off (disguised as a random task), he always remembered of checking on Piett from now on

I also think Needa can dance and is really good at it, Piett is very disturbed by this

For some reason I think he is one of those people who seem pretty normal but have some hidden depts about his life.

Those are my headcanons for normal Lorth Needa, but they are quite different for chibi Needa, but I will put those with the other chibi characters headcanons

I am actually in the process of creating an AU where Needa is one of the main characters, he will deal with a great variety of murderous sith lords, with one of them being in love with him, our normal guy is going to have a time in there for sure.