#i did mention my blog was NOT spoiler free

[aliceramblez]

Dating the Hazbin Hotel Residents 😈

Tags: GN!Reader, Fluff, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Mentioned Mature Topics (ie. Suicidal Thoughts, Alcohol Abuse, SA, etc), Spoilers For The Show, etc.

A/N: Ahhh yes, more brainriot for the pile 😌 I was more of a Helluva gal before the show aired, but now I gotta say these blorbos are a dear part of my heart! Hopefully y'all enjoy these as much as I did writing them!

Consider following my main blog @taruchinator for more solid content & feel free to leave a request here for future HCs~

Charlie 🌈

When the Happy Hotel first opened its doors and all of Hell started making a mockery of it, you were probably the only one who took it as a sign to try and improve from the low life that you were. It's not like you had anything else to live for, anyway.

As soon as you enter the building, you're immediately greeted by the bubbly Princess of Hell herself (along with a reluctant Angel Dust) who is more than happy to show you around and welcomes you with open arms.

You've never been shown this much kindness and sympathy for your situation before, so it naturally takes you aback and makes you wonder what the catch is. Turns out there's none and the Princess is probably the only sweet soul to live in this shithole.

As you grow closer, she asks you to drop the title and just call her Charlie. She also shares a bit about her situation and how her mother wanted to save sinners from the extermination each year, and now Charlie felt like it was her duty to continue this legacy until her dreams came true.

You can't help but feel touched over how much she cares, so you silently vow to yourself to help her in any way you can, just like she's done for you.

It doesn't take long before the two of you grow even closer and feelings begin to blossom, but you decide to ignore them since why would a Princess ever like someone like you?

But Charlie proves you wrong yet again, since one day she comes to you a blushing mess and confesses her own feelings, asking if you'd like to go out with her. You can't help but vocalize your shock since she could do so much better than a random sinner. She deserved better, too.

She looks at you with fondness in her eyes. “You've been by my side for so long and supported me every step of the way. Who wouldn't fall for someone like that?”

And thus, you are the luckiest person in Hell because you scored Charlotte Morningstar, and whoever says otherwise can get a knife to their throat.

She's the perfect definition of a sweet and patient girlfriend, never pushing you to do anything you aren't comfortable with (since you really aren't used to such adoration in a romantic relationship), but as soon as you give her the get-go, she'll be sure to shower you with as much affection as she can until the doubts in your mind disappear completely.

You aren't that far behind either. Albeit not as good as her, you do your best to be a comforting partner whenever she needs you. This is especially necessary after an extermination happens, which always leaves Charlie devastated and in need of a hug or words of encouragement because she doubts herself sometimes and wonders if the hotel is even working at all.

You remind her how it brought the two of you together, to which she smiles and agrees that at least something good has come out of it so far.

Vaggie 🎀

Both you and Vaggie used to work in the same legion under Adam with the rest of his exorcists. You knew of each other's existence, but didn't really talk much aside from whatever was needed in the midst of battle.

The day she spares a demon child's life, you're doing your rounds nearby and witness the whole exchange, including Lute coming over and ripping both an eye and Vaggie's wings for showing mercy. You don't know why, but it makes your blood boil.

“HEY! What are you doing?! It was just a kid, why not let it slide?”

And just like that, you become a target of Lute's rage as well, being ripped from your angelic status along with receiving a few nasty cuts, yet surprisingly not as bad as Vaggie herself.

Once the two of you are left to die, you immediately try to tend the girl's wounds with whatever you can. Vaggie can only stare in disbelief at what you'd done and questions why you even did so in the first place—now you were stuck just like she was.

“Guess I just don't like seeing injustice... Who knew Heaven could be so fuckin' shitty?”

You both laugh at the irony of it all, and that's when luck is finally on your side as Charlie finds you in the dirty alley and brings you back to the hotel to heal properly.

For the next three years you two stay at the Hazbin Hotel, helping Charlie in any way you can to try and make her dream a reality since deep down you hope that despite Heaven's corrupt system, there can be a small chance that souls can be redeemed. You hide the fact that you're ex-Anges though, since you don't wanna cause unnecessary drama.

During this time period, the two of you become better friends, having your own inside jokes regarding things you didn't particularly enjoy from your time as Angels, as well as learning more about one another.

You're the one to come to terms with your feelings first and decide to lay them on the table for Vaggie to see—she's always been a straight-to-the-point kind of gal, so if you're about to be rejected, might as well have it be done quick. But of course, she replies with her own declaration and desire to give a relationship a shot, which you're ecstatic about!

It's a bit hard at first since you never got to see much of romantic relationships in Heaven while training for murder every year, but you try and make it work. Both you and Vaggie work endlessly to try and make the other happy, and it only makes you fall for each other even more.

Also Charlie is your go-to wingwoman who will be there to give you the best advice to try and woo your girlfriend. She ships you two so hard.

Angel Dust ��

Working at a porn studio under an Overlord who owns your soul can be exhausting. You know this better than anyone since everyone who works under Valentino has contracts that won't let you get far with a leash. This is especially true with your friend Angel Dust.

You know about the things Valentino does to the spider demon—hell, everyone in the studio probably knows, but know better than to say anything about it. You're always there for Angel after particularly rough shoots, doing your best to comfort him in any way you can, though there isn't much you can do given you're in the same spot.

When he tells you he's moving to Princess Charlie's Hazbin Hotel, you're so happy for him! At least that will give him some distance from Valentino and his disgustingly filthy hands when he's not working.

This unsurprisingly doesn't bode well with the Overlord, causing him to throw fits of rage around the studio when Angel leaves for the day. You can't help but make a snarky comment that you definitely regret moments later.

“Can one blame him for wanting space from such an overbearing asshole?”

Without his favorite stress toy around, you end up paying the price for such comments. The kind of pain and suffering he puts you through is completely different from what you're used to. Is this the stuff he does to Angel? He leaves you naked, bruised and bloody in your room, and all you can do is muster what little strenght you have left to head for the Hazbin Hotel.

As soon as the door opens, you immediately tumble forward and start losing consciousness. The last thing you remember is Angel's horrified expression before it all fades to black.

Once you wake up and have been patched up, you explain what happened at the studio, and you could've sworn you saw fire in Angel's eyes as he holds on to you, fearing you might disappear at any moment. He begs you to stay in the hotel with him, and you agree without hesitation.

And so, your new routine of heading to work and then coming back to the hotel becomes blissful, not having to deal with that lunatic mothman more than necessary. You also get to spend time off with your best friend, which is always a plus.

Well, ‘best friend’ might not be the best way to describe it. You'd developed a crush on the spider demon even before this whole incident occurred, and now that you were spending more time with him, it only continued to grow.

With the line of work you two had, romantic relationships didn't seem to be a thing that crossed anybody's mind since why have a permanent partner when you could just go around fucking the hottest people in Hell? But you knew your feelings were far beyond from sexual, but didn't wanna ruin what you already had going for you.

One heartfelt drunken conversation after work however, makes you do a double take—Angel likes you back. And that both scares and excites you. But with both of you going over the pros and cons with each other, you decide to give it a chance.

You make sure to always have Angel's consent when it comes to physical intimacy—anything from holding his hand, to kissing to just cuddling. He jokes about not being a porcelain doll, but deep down you know he appreciates it.

You're also there for the rough nights, when he comes home wanting nothing more than to die again and let the earth swallow him whole. Words of reassurance are spoken and you can only hold him and let him cry as you vow to do anything in your power to stop this from happening again.

Husker 🍺

As one of the first guests of the hotel, like any wayward sinner, you find yourself in the bar more often than you'd like. Alcohol killed you in the first place, yet not even in the afterlife could you seem to pull yourself from its grasp.

It's a somewhat welcome surprise to find out that the bartender is going through a similar struggle. He still serves you drinks and lends and ear whenever he's not busy, but will occasionally drop the words of wisdom to watch your fill.

Eventually you two find yourselves doing this little back and forth and aid each other when you're in your dark places—Husk won't let you near the bottle if he sees you're about to knock yourself out, meanwhile you're there to look after him when he has one too many drinks and can't take care of himself.

Not to say he isn't a good drinking buddy—you've found out most of the gossip around the hotel thanks to this sneaky little cat demon and there's never a dull moment with him around.

You learn about his deal with Alastor during a particularly bad night, when Husk's had one too many and isn't thinking straight. You don't bring it up, but now have an eye open for whenever the Radio Demon drags your friend away.

Angel's the one who brings up your questionable relationship to the surface.

“So... you two like, fuckin' each other, or what?”

Your entire face goes red, and if it weren't for the dark fur you could swear you see Husk looking the same. He's quick to get rid of Angel's nosy ass, but now the seed has been planted in your brain—do you like Husk that way?

After careful consideration, you come to the conclusion that yes, you do. And it's honestly kinda terrifying considering how relationships don't usually work out in Hell, at least from what you've seen. Besides, even if you did try and confess, there was always the possibility of him not feeling the same and just being embarrassed by Angel's comment.

So in an attempt to make your feelings disappear, you stop frequenting the bar. Who knew the best way to stop drinking habits was trying to avoid spending time with your unrequited crush?

But of course, Husk isn't stupid. He sees the change in your behavior and let's it slide for a while, until he eventually corners you and asks what's wrong. You decide to get it all out of the way and tell him how you feel.

To the embarrassment of both of you, he holds your hand firmly between his and darts his eyes toward the corner of the room. “Next time you should ask before going off assuming things, ya got it?”

And so, your glass may have been empty that day, but your heart had never felt fuller.

Sir Pentious 🐍

You meet Sir Pentious when you sign into the hotel, and your immediate thought is just how can this snake man be so adorkable, it should be illegal.

As you greet the other residents and staff, you're quick to strike a conversation with him, which based on his body language he was not expecting. He starts telling you a bit about his weaponry and other contraptions, and you can't help but be fascinated by it.

You're a bit of a tinkerer yourself, albeit you've only dabbled in small scale projects—nothing compared to the massive canons and aircrafts that Pentious seems to be familiar with.

He acts like a kid opening gifts on Sinmas when he talks to you about his inventions, clearly never having anyone show interest before. Eventually he'll even ask for your input on certain smaller projects he wants to work on to help around the hotel, all to thank Charlie for being so kind to him and giving him a second chance. You're obviously eager to help!

You two start spending so much time together that the egg boys have started calling you ‘Boss #2’, much to Pentious' embarrassment and your amusement.

One afternoon once exercises are done for the day, the snake demon seems much more fidgety than usual as he invites you over to his room to continue working on his security system prototype. He's a blabbering mess once he has you sitting down and your heart just can't help but swell at each little syllable.

“Dearest (y/n)... you've, um, well... you are a huge inspiration for my work! A-And I wouldn't have been able to create any of this... without your help. You are kind, and smart and very talented.... and w-well, um I-”

You gotta silence the man with a kiss otherwise you two would be here all day. He's puddy in your hands and you can only giggle in return. “I really like you too, Pen.”

Everyone is either saying they called it or groaning in annoyance because fucking FINALLY, you two were just dancing around each other like idiots. The egg boys are just so happy to have someone else besides Pentious to be in their lives, and will do their best to look out for you just like with their own boss.

So yeah, prepare yourself for some sickeningly sweet gestures from this guy cause he will go above and beyond to get you what you need/want even if it kills him (again). And you can confidently say that you'd do the same in return.

Alastor 📻

After running in the same circles when you were alive, it's no surprise to you to end up in Hell, although you never would've suspected that you'd find yourself in the same place as him. It was honestly a huge relief not having to go through this all by yourself.

As Alastor exerted his dominance over Hell as the Radio Demon, you were powerful enough to be an Overlord yes, but rather liked keeping it on the down low instead of making a spectacle of yourself (Alastor was the one for theatrics anyway). Because of this, only select few knew of your true power and what you were capable of.

Instead, if there was one thing you were known for, it was being the only soul allowed to be close to the Radio Demon without the risk of death.

Yes, Alastor was a sadistic, cold-blooded and egotistical mastermind, but he wasn't a monster. You knew that better than anyone. Although the reactions he had to other demons treating you like a joke or calling you the ‘Radio Demon's Pet’ were not helping his case.

“ł₣ ɎØɄ V₳ⱠɄɆ ɎØɄⱤ ₴ØɄⱠ, ɎØɄ ₩łⱠⱠ ₩₳Ⱡ₭ ₳₩₳Ɏ Ɽł₲Ⱨ₮ ₦Ø₩ ฿Ɇ₣ØⱤɆ ł Ɽł₱ ł₮ ₳₱₳Ɽ₮ ฿ł₮ ฿Ɏ ฿ł₮...”

“Al, chill. You're gonna make them shit their pants.”

After his seven year absence, you immediately noticed something was wrong with him, and wouldn't stop pestering until he told you the truth—A deal he made and how his soul was now bound to someone much more powerful than he was.

You were obviously mortified and started looking into ways to try and find a loophole to this, but alas the Radio Demon would just give you his signature grin and tell you not to worry about it. It was his battle to face.

But of course you're quick to remind him that you've stuck together through thick and thin even in life, so there was no way you were letting him handle this by himself. You work as a team—always have and always will. You engulf him in a hug.

“We're gonna figure this out, Al. I promise...”

The grin remains, but his eyes widen slightly in surprise. He hesitantly returns the embrace, patting your back and wiping the tears you didn't even know you were shedding.

“There there~ To think such a sweet and innocent soul wound up in a gutter like this. I cannot say I complain as long as I have your delightful company beside me.”

And so when he says he has a plan that involves Princess Charlie Morningstar and her new Happy Hotel, you follow along. Whatever fate has in store for you two, you'll be ready.

Also Charlie is a sweetheart who could do no harm. Knowing Alastor, he'll probably do whatever he can here and there to help around for the cause. You also offer your services as an undercover Overlord, much to everyone's surprise when you reveal your status.

The Radio Demon may have a plan, but something tells you it won't involve bloody murder (unless extremely necessary or if someone really pissed him off).

Like you said—he's not a monster.

Lucifer 🍎

You and Lucifer were good friends at the beginning of Creation. While you were stuck with the tedious task of designing blueprints for the new ‘Human Project’ that headquarters had in store, Lucifer's Seraphim status allowed him to bring creations to life with the flick of a wrist, much to your delight and wonder.

His ideas and pitches for Earth were always so entertaining to listen to, and you would do your best to encourage him to show them to the higher ups to get them approved—His mind was just filled with joy and love and wonder that you'd never seen before.

Which was why it was always so disappointing whenever he'd come back and say that he was shut down and even mocked at. How could Heaven shut down such an imaginative mind in the creation of their biggest project yet?

To say you were devastated when you heard about his fall would be an understatement. You mourned the loss of your friend, knowing that he'd done nothing wrong and thinking it wasn't fair to him to receive such punishment just because he cared for the future of humanity.

Thousands of years later, you overhear the plan for Extermination of Hell kind. You didn't mean to walk by, yet here you were, under the direct eye of the Head Seraphims about to be downcast for something you had no control over—just like Lucifer.

“You're all self-entitled pricks! You think you can do whatever you want just because it doesn't follow what you define as good!”

You get a few good arguments before being cast downwards, leaving you in bad shape in a random alley with no wings and no means of escape. That is of course, until destiny seems to be on your side and Lucifer finds you, completely perplexed to see you here at all.

After getting treated, you tell him about the Extermination so he and Hell can prepare. The conversation of you getting cast down by Heaven gets glossed over, but he can feel the fury building up inside him. You were always doing things by the book—how could they do this to you?

Once the slaughter is over, Lucifer gets a meeting with Heaven and secures protection for both his daughter Charlie and you, to which they begrudgingly agree to keep him outta their hair. You can't help but feel touched by this gesture.

He's also quick to offer you a room to stay in, but you compromise by living in a seperate building from him and Charlie so you aren't a bother even though he says you aren't. In fact, ever since Lilith left, he's had to take care of his young daughter all by himself, so he's more than happy when you offer to help.

It doesn't take long for your feelings to start coming into the surface from all those years ago, and you gotta push them away because he's both married and has a child to look after! Besides, why would the King of Hell ever look in your direction?

Eventually though, he brings up the question with nothing but sweaty palms and a customized rubber ducky that says ‘I love you’ whenever you squeeze it. You blush furiously, but can't help but bring up your concerns, not wanting to replace Lilith in his heart. He looks into your eyes and says that he hasn't been as happy as he is now in the past thousand years.

Cue baby Charlie walking in on everything, and she just smiles and goes innocently. “Daddy! Is (y/n) staying home with us now?”

You two can only chuckle at the cuteness of it and you immediately go to hug her. You couldn't believe that you were blessed with such a wonderful family.

[gingernut1314]

Hey! Please feel free to ignore the request if it doesn't inspire you, but i was wondering if you could write something with a reader who is dating luffy. She is a little insecure ( perhaps a plus sized reader or just not super comfortable in their body reader) when encountering Boa Hancock. But here is the twist, Boa is obsessed with both reader and luffy and wants to be with both of them. I thought it would be a fun twist on a prompt I've seen a lot.

Thank you, and I hope you are having a good day!

We Belong Together

Content: Luffy x gn!reader x Boa Hancock, feelings of jealousy, feelings of insecurity, Hancock obsessing over reader and Luffy, expressing feelings, denying feelings, enemies to....what the hell??, second half takes place during time skip (no real spoilers besides Silvers Rayleigh mentioned)

Word Count: 1.3K

A/N: Sorry this took so long 😅 buuutt here it is!! I had too much fun with this! I wasn't sure if you wanted reader to be like--down with dating Hancock too so I didn't add that but I would be willing to do another, shorter part 2 if that's something you would like to read! Again this was too fun to mess around with! I hope you enjoy!!

↞ to One Piece Masterlist | Request Rules | Blog Navigation ↠

Boa Hancock. 

The name set every nerve within you on fire.

Why? Well, it was simple really. 

She was beautiful. Otherworldly so. Beautiful and thin and tall and powerful. Men drooled over her and she had the ability to turn them to stone for it. Turn them to stone before the drool even began to dry on their chins. 

You could possibly get over your jealousy and insecurities around her, you had with the members of your own crew, had it not been for one simple fact.

She was in love with Luffy. 

Luffy who you were dating. 

She was so insanely obsessed with Luffy that she believed they were going to get married. 

At first she had been venomous towards you like the snake she was. A venom you were quick to spit right back. But recently that venom was lessened. 

It started out small. She wouldn’t stare stony daggers at you. Wouldn’t try to belittle you and keep you far from Luffy. In fact, she had begun making sure you could be with Luffy as much as you wanted. 

Then it turned into honey-dripped compliments, blushing cheeks, and bashful behavior when around you. She had even begun to serve you food. Something she had only ever done for Luffy. 

It was strange. You trusted nothing she gave you, whether verbal or physical. 

“She’s up to something.” You confined to Luffy one night as you two walked through the Kuja village. The occasional warrior would greet you both warmly as you passed. “She is being too--” You struggled for a moment to find the right word to describe just how she had been treating you, “Too nice to me.” 

Luffy stared at you for a long moment…a moment he took to either think over what you were saying or think over just how hungry he must be growing. Either could be entirely possible, but before you could prompt him to say something, he did.  

“...Okay.” Just that? That’s all he had to say about this situation? 

“It’s not okay!” You huffed, “She hates my guts. The only reason she hasn’t killed me yet is because it would displease you.” 

“Maybe she wants to be your friend now.” Luffy suggested with a shrug. “She’s cool.” You tried not to let your envy get the better of you at Luffy’s words. Tried not to let your mind work and work on it…

But what if he loved her back? What if he loved her more than you? She was beautiful--fit and you just--you weren’t. What if Luffy wanted that over you?

No. No you knew that wasn’t true. Would never be true. Hancock was a friend in Luffy’s eyes, nothing more. 

“Hancock doesn’t have friends. She has allies and she has enemies.” You continued to disagree with your captain. “I am currently enemy number one on this island to her because she wants to have you all to herself.” 

“Maybe…but she told me she wishes you could get closer.” You blinked at his words. Closer? What did that mean? 

She wants to get closer so she can lower your guard. So that she can turn you to stone like those idiots who drool all over her like dogs. 

No. Never. You were her number one enemy and she was yours. You were determined to keep it that way. 

Luffy grabbed hold of your hand then, his warm skin pulling you instantly from your spiraling thoughts. “Quick! I smell meat grilling!” And he sharply pulled you through the village. 

“So…you’ll be staying with us till Luffy gets back?” Hancock asked all too timidly after she had returned from dropping Luffy and the Dark Knight himself off on Rusukaina Island. You had stayed behind on the island, watching as they had sailed away. Had stayed on the cliff side feeling all too lost without Luffy by your side. Hadn’t moved till the Snake Princess’ voice sounded in your ears. 

“Don’t worry. I’m going to stay in the village far away from you.” You spoke, finally pulling yourself together enough to turn and head back inland. 

“Oh but…I have made up a room for you within my castle.” You shot her a bewildered look, finding the woman was keeping her eyes downcast. Finding she was blushing like it was Luffy who was paying attention to her. “But, of course, if you truly wish stay in the village I can have a house readied--”

“Stop.” You snapped, halting your steps to face the princess. She turned her blue eyes up to look at you shyly. Look at you in a way that makes you feel--not how you wanted to feel when being looked at by the woman. “What is wrong with you?” Hancock’s perfectly groomed brows furrowed in confusion.

“I--do not know what you mean.” You crossed the small distance between you two to stare jaggedly up at the annoyingly tall woman. A woman whose breath hitched at the closeness. 

“You have to be up to something, right? You’re trying to get me to lower my guard enough so you can swoop in and finally get rid of me. So you can have Luffy all to yourself.” You demanded, not letting up your boiling glare. A glare she only seemed to grow more and more flustered under. “Right? Tell me I’m right.” 

“N-No. I--no. You love Luffy.” You--blinked. Was all this just--her acting defeated? 

“I--yeah. So?” You didn’t dare let the bite in your voice lessen. Hancock fiddled with her fingers, again those shimmering eyes downward. 

“And…I love Luffy.” Anger spiked in your chest so fast it was painful. 

“No. You don’t.” Hancock met your gaze then. Met it with that burning intensity and stubbornness you hadn’t seen directed at you in a while, but it was an all too familiar gaze. One that had your muscles tensing, readying for an attack. 

“Of course I do. But…” She hesitated, eyes going wide as if she was remembering who she was talking to. A hesitation you only grew irritated at. 

“But? What? Spit it out.” Hancock seemed to whimper at your tone. A pitiful thing--like some scared child who was getting punished by their parents. 

“But I--I love you too.” She got out on a rushed bit of air, cheeks turning so red they almost blended into her hardly covering outfit. 

You--didn’t know what to say. What to even think. All you could do was stand there, mouth a gap as you stared up at the princess in complete and utter shock.

“Uh--you--what?” Hancock nodded smally. 

“Yes. It’s true. I thought I despised you. Thought you were stealing Luffy from me when--when really he is for both of us. Just as I am for both of you. And you for both Luffy and I.” She explained. An explanation that did nothing but hurt your brain. “We three--we belong together. I love you both.” 

“AH--stop. Oh gods please stop.” You plead. “You can’t--you don’t love me, Hancock. You’re confused.” Before you could even stop talking, Hancock was gasping sharply, a delicate hand shooting upward to cover her mouth. 

“You--you said my name.” Again you stood there all too confused. 

“I--yeah. Want me to call you something else.” Hancock was on the verge of tears, she looked so happy.

“You can call me anything you like, my love.” 

“Oh gods.” You moaned, turning on your heels to start marching quickly to the village.

No, no, no. There was no way this was happening. How the hell did she even get that in her mind? That you three were meant to be together? 

She was more delusional than you had originally thought.

“Oh! Wait for me, dear!” Hancock called, the sound of quickened footsteps following after you. “Shall we talk about plans for our wedding now or should we wait for Luffy to return?” She asked, slowly once at your side to match your steps. “Yes. Yes, you're right. We should wait.”

This was going to be a very, very long two years.

[callsign-rogueone]

keep her safe - g.t.

Garrick Tavis x Marked!Pacifist!Reader  This one is for my fellow tired, chronic pain girls who just want their suffering to serve some purpose, and those who trust everyone they meet, even if they shouldn’t. wc: 4.7k -- the longest work I've ever put on this blog! second chapter is here! 🏷: spoilers for both Fourth Wing books (I’m currently 500 pages into Iron Flame, and y’all... 😭) people refer to you with she/her pronouns, canon-typical violence and torture, mentions of canon character death / death of a family member, bad coping mechanisms, Dain and his memory reading (I tried to make him more tolerable), one (1) reference to sex, I gave you a last name (Avan) and Garrick calls you angel as a pet name, because I refuse to use y/n. Your dragon's name is Tab.

Your stomach drops as your name is called for a challenge. “No weapons today.” Emeterrio adds. “I want you to work on your hand-to-hand.”

The pair of you unsheath nearly a dozen knives apiece, you handing yours to Bodhi. Disarmed, you extend a hand to the boy, as is the Tyrrish tradition before a friendly spar, but he doesn’t take it. No unmarked ones ever have.

He charges first, tangles a hand in your hair and pulls, jerking your head back, and the crowd of freshmen gasp, but you plant your feet and move with him, twisting your spine with practiced ease.

That gives you enough distance to kick a leg out at his right knee, hitting him squarely in the back of it. He releases you. Another swift kick to his legs has them sweeping out from under him. You dig a thumb into his collarbone, finding just the right spot, and he crumples, giving you a split second to wrap your arm around his throat.

He claws at your elbow with blunt nails, wasting breath as he attempts to rise to his feet, but you keep him pinned with your body weight, bearing down as hard as you can. He bucks, and your left boot skids against the mat. 

You bend your knee to brace yourself in a lunge. Your arm is starting to falter, he can feel the muscle straining around his jaw, but he’s tiring too — running out of air. If neither of you moves, he’s going to die.

“Enough,” Emeterrio commands.

You release him, extending a hand to pull him up, but he smacks it away and dives straight at you, clearly not done. “I’m not letting you off that easily, traitor.” 

You squeak in surprise, your back hitting the mat with a thud, and he lands another blow to your jaw. You struggle to take control back, gasping for breath from how hard you’d hit the floor.

He gathers your wrists into one hand easily, the other closing around your throat.

“You are going to die on this mat if you don’t do something, now. Use the failsafe.” 

There’s one dagger you hadn’t removed, that you’d won from Garrick in combat your first year, that he’d let you win, really, and promptly ordered that you never remove it from your reach, for situations like this.

He doesn’t have your legs pinned, so you kick out, catching him in the thigh, and his grip falters. You manage to wiggle one arm free to pull the blade from the inside of your jacket, rolling onto your side and holding the point millimeters away from his chest. “Yield,” you order, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“You won’t kill me,” He snarls. “Everyone knows you’re all bark and no bite. That’s why you keep him around.”

You drag it down, just enough to tear his shirt. “Yield, or you’ll meet Malek today and you can explain to him what a cheating coward you are.” The words surprise you, but you fight to maintain the hardened look on your face, trying to convince him you’re serious. 

“Fine,” he spits, “I yield.”

Heart still pounding, you move to lean against the wall with the other marked ones, Bodhi handing you back your arsenal blade by blade. 

“She cheated!” Jason protests as soon as he’s standing again.

“She did what was necessary after you defied a direct order from a superior officer,” Emeterrio says narrowly.

Jason glowers, but returns to his friends without further argument. The rest of the pack takes note of their faces; they’re likely as conniving as him, and as liable to try to kill you, too.

“I’m gonna end that motherfucker,” Garrick mutters, checking you over for injuries as subtly as he can. He hands you a scrap of cloth and you wipe the blood from your nose, wincing, but grateful it isn’t broken.

“He’s been at this for months. One of these days, he’s going to kill you.” Bodhi says quietly, his gaze not moving from the next sparring pair.

“Why not kill him first?” Imogen asks. “You had a knife to his gut, you should have used it.”

“No.” You say firmly. “To kill anyone unmarked, especially an officer’s son, would confirm what everyone else in this army believes about Tyrs; that we are bloodthirsty animals.”

“Let them believe that,” she scoffs. “They’ll never change their mind.”

You sigh. Maybe she’s right.

You don’t see your friends for the next ten hours, when you’re finally excused for dinner.

“Where the hell have you been?” Bodhi asks. 

“Medical wing,” you rasp, sliding into a seat at the end of the bench. “Mending infantry with Carr.” 

“You should eat,” Liam says softly, pushing a plate toward you, but you shake your head no, every muscle in your body screaming. 

You look like your head is going to hit the table, your neck no longer able to hold it up. Bodhi pulls you into his side and you slump against him, boneless. “Her signet isn’t fully developed yet,” you hear him explain to Violet and Liam. “She’ll be okay. She just needs to rest.”

When you wake, it’s dark out, the room nearly pitch black, but you can tell it’s not yours — the furniture is arranged differently.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, gentle one,” Tab greets as soon as you’re cognizant. He can only be this dry about it because he knew you’d pull through. “If he makes you do that again, I’ll eat him.”

You laugh, wincing at the pain in your ribs. Your entire body aches. There’s no way you got up the three flights of stairs here yourself — you didn’t even have it in you to chew food at dinner.

There’s a comforting scent to the room — all the soap and detergent everyone uses is standard issue, but something about the sheets smells like Garrick. Your theory is confirmed when he walks through the door, the hallway light illuminating the hilts of the two swords strapped to his back. “If you want me in your bed, Gare, you just need to ask,” you say in greeting.

He laughs dryly, waving a hand to activate a small mage light. “The damage can’t be too bad if you’re already cracking jokes.”

“I missed physics, didn’t I? Did you carry me up here?”

“Of course that’s what you’re worried about. You can copy Violet’s notes, they’re way better than mine.” He strips some of the weapons off, shedding his flight jacket along with them. It’s something you’ve seen many times before, but it never fails to make your heart flutter.

He sits on the edge of the bed, a gentle hand moving up to lay against your cheek. “And I did carry you. I’d do anything for you, angel. It scares me sometimes.”

He brushes a piece of hair from your face. You’d been freezing cold when you fell asleep, so he’d draped you with every blanket he owned before leaving, and it seems to have worked — your skin is pleasantly warm against his hand.

“Anything, hm?” You ask, a lazy smile on your face. 

His eyes sparkle at the mischief in your tone, but he’s responsible enough to think before he acts. “Not until you’ve recovered,” he says sternly. 

You yawn. “D’you have section leader stuff to do tonight?”

“That’s what executive officers are for.”

You crack an eye to look at him in disapproval. “Gare, you can’t skip duty. Melgren will have your head.”

He sighs. “Fine. Don’t go anywhere.”

“I won’t. Your bed is more comfortable than mine anyway.”

He presses a kiss to your forehead, tugging the jacket back on and strapping in the swords.

/////////

Someone is standing in front of your yoga mat. Dain. “No bodyguard today?” He asks.

You’re silent, your gaze flickering between him and the longsword by your side, the one Garrick had insisted you take with you everywhere when he wasn’t there to protect you.

“You may find this hard to believe, but I don’t want to kill you.” He says with a sigh. “I just need to-”

“Quit talking and join me, or leave.” You interrupt, settling into a deeper stretch, eyes closing as you gesture to the floor next to you with an open hand. By the grace of Amari, Carr had given you enough time off to recover, but he’ll likely be making you work another shift in the infirmary today. This will be your only pocket of calm for the next twelve hours. You aren’t going to skip it for Dain, of all people.

He chooses the first option, surprising you as he drags a mat over beside yours, attempting to copy your movements. “Do you really do this every day?” He asks, uncomfortable.

“Even a soldier must take time to be at peace. Clear your mind. Whatever you’re thinking about is so loud it’s distracting.”

He startles, his foot slipping on the mat.

“No, my signet is not mind-reading.” You say, eyes still closed, though there’s an amused look on your face. “Relax. You’re killing the air in here with that nervous energy.”

For the next five minutes, you both stretch in total silence. “Now,” you decide, bringing your arms back to your body, focusing on your breathing, “what was so important that you needed to find me here?”

He cuts straight to it. “Varrish wants me to… practice on you. He thinks you’re hiding something, that all of you are.” He doesn’t need to specify who he means by you. 

You don’t seem to react to the information, instead looking at him with curiosity. “How do you feel about your signet?” 

He blinks. Nobody’s ever asked him that before. “I don’t know.” He says quietly. You shift again, but he doesn’t follow you, folding his legs underneath him instead. Your silence presses him to speak, needing to fill the air. “I used to think it was cool, but now… now I’m wondering if it’s really a gift at all.”

“What do you see when you view a memory like that? Are you living it through their eyes, or from above, watching it unfold? How far back can you see?”

“Through their eyes.” He answers, throat dry. Why is he telling you this? “A day, maybe two. It depends. Varrish wants me to learn to push it farther.”

You weigh the consequences. If he’s being honest, he won’t see anything confidential — at worst, a gathering of more than three marked ones to exercise, but is he really petty enough to tell Varrish about that, when he’s giving you a warning in the first place?

“Okay.” You say, opening your eyes. Better it be you than one of the kids who can’t shield their memories yet, or Garrick or Bodhi, who would rip him limb from limb if he tried to touch them.

“What?”

“I’m going to go about my day now as if this conversation never happened,” you say, looking him in the eye, unflinching, “and you’re going to do what you have to do to satisfy Varrish’s demands — with me and only me. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” he stammers, shocked that you’re letting him do this.

“Good.” You pick up the longsword, strapping it back in along your spine. “Dain?” You call over your shoulder. “I won’t make it easy for you.” You say, and he knows that’s a promise.

“That was an incredibly stupid decision, gentle one. A noble decision, but stupid nonetheless.” Tab speaks into your mind on the way back up to your room. “You cannot always assume everyone has good intentions. It would have been your downfall by now, if not for your mate’s protection.”

“Stop calling Garrick my mate. That’s weird.” You deflect, not wanting to unpack his earlier words.

“Forgive me. Dragons do not have a word for a relationship as trivial as a boyfriend.”

You build up a mental wall like Xaden had taught you, ending the argument. 

When Varrish calls you into his office that afternoon, you already know what it’s for. “Take a seat,” he says with a smile that you know isn’t meant to be friendly.

He sees the way your eyes immediately narrow at the sight of Dain — everyone knows how the quadrant’s golden boy feels about marked ones, and how you feel about him. You’re going to be doing some very good acting today.

The door closes and locks behind you, and your stomach flips as you feel the sound shield form and press up against the office walls. There’s no escape, and no screaming for help, but you know what you’ve walked into. You signed up for it this morning.

“To what do I owe this meeting, Major?” You ask respectfully, lowering yourself into the chair beside Dain.

“Professor Carr has made me aware that both of your signets have been slow to develop. We’re going to spend your leisure time today practicing, in hopes that you will finally improve.” A very convincing lie, you’ll admit. If Dain hadn’t come to you this morning, you might have believed it. “No objections?” He asks, waiting for you to protest.

“No, sir.” You say calmly, Dain answering the same a beat behind you.

“Good. Aetos, you first.”

It takes every ounce of self control not to squirm as Dain stands, stepping toward you. You lift your chin, closing your eyes -- a gesture of consent small enough to fly under the Vice Commandant’s radar.

You may be letting him try, but you’d told him this wouldn’t be easy. You block him out completely, raising your mental shield and barring the gates.

“What do you see?” Varrish asks.

Dain doesn’t answer. He does not push, does not attempt to kick the door down or dig below the foundation. He stands outside, waiting for you to give him something. 

The crack of his nose breaking has your eyes flying open, the coppery scent of blood starting to fill the room immediately as he staggers back into his chair.

“Your turn, Avan."

You stand, laying a gentle hand on Dain’s jaw to tilt it up, stopping the blood from pouring down his shirt. 

He looks up at you, stunned, but lets you touch the broken cartilage with your fingertips, and moments later it feels like nothing ever happened. It’s mind-bending.

“Very good. Aetos, try again. What was she doing this morning?”

Dain stands, angling his body between yours and Varrish’s so that the Major can’t see the apology he mouths before his hands touch your forehead. Whether he can see his conversation with you in the gym is unclear. He lies through his teeth either way. “She was alone,” he answers, “on a run to the flight field and back.” 

“And then?”

He shifts uncomfortably, his eyes not leaving yours. “A shower, breakfast. Eggs. An apple. Toast. She sat with Tavis and two other marked ones.” He leaves out Violet from the group, not wanting to implicate her. Interesting. 

That much is true, but it’s part of your everyday routine — he could have easily gleaned that from watching you across the mess hall. Is he still locked out?

Varrish stands, rounding the corner of his desk. “Let’s make this a little harder, shall we?”

Dain screams as a dagger pierces his arm, thrashing in his chair. Varrish twists the blade as he pulls it out, letting Dain’s blood drip to the floor. This is why he needed the sound shield.

Your eyes widen, and the adrenaline has you leaping to your feet to fix it. You press a hand into the wound, apologizing when he winces. It takes you longer than it should for the muscle to repair itself.

“You care more about him than I thought.” Varrish muses.

You turn to him, anger flickering in your chest. “It is my moral obligation to help the wounded.”

He tuts. “You would have made an excellent healer, had your parents not committed high treason. Aetos, again. Find something older.”

Dain trembles as he stands, and you take pity on him. You push an older memory forward, a happy one, remembering it as vividly as you can.

You watch together as you sprint through the forest, stopping dead in your tracks as you see two cadets fighting. The one losing is a smaller girl in your class whose name Dain can’t remember, a tall, muscled boy towering over her, sword ready to strike.

You spring forward, catching him by surprise and effectively disarming him, and he chooses to abandon the sword and run rather than fight the both of you. You extend a hand to pull the girl to her feet and her eyes widen further, staring up not at you, but behind you.

You feel a burst of heat against your back — not hot enough to be fire. Steam. You bow your head in deference, turning slowly to give the girl time to run… And the dragon bows back. What the fuck?

“You did not kill the boy.” It says directly into your mind.

“I did not.” You answer aloud, not sure if humans can do that.

“Have you ever killed before, gentle one?”

“I haven’t.” Should you be embarrassed? Dragons are violent, surely they would see this as a sign of weakness.

“Not all of us.”

“Holy shit, you can read my mind.”

The girl laughs in disbelief, and you realize you’ve just bonded a dragon.

“In time you’ll learn to control that. But your friend needs to get moving, and so do we.”

You wish her luck before scaling the leg of your dragon and taking a seat.

“Hold on.”

You shriek in happiness like a child as he jumps up, and seconds later you’re thousands of feet in the air, looking down at Basgiath and the valley below. When you return to the flight field, you find Garrick there with a giant brown Scorpiontail, bloodied but happy as he stands next to Xaden and the biggest blue daggertail you’ve ever seen. You pull them both into a hug, just grateful they’re alive.

“Careful, angel,” Garrick warns, grinning into your hair, “we just might make it out of here.”

You cut Dain off there, yanking back the memory before slamming your shields back up. He can have that moment, but only that moment.

“Threshing,” Dain says. Thank the gods. “She helped another cadet who was being attacked. That’s why Tab chose her, for her kindness.”

You both look at Varrish for further instruction. Your shields have been weakening with every injury you repair, but so have Dain’s abilities. You don’t know how many more rounds either of you can take. 

“I think that’s enough for today,” He says, sounding pleased. “I’ll see you again on Wednesday morning, to check your progress. You’re dismissed.”

The sound shield dissipates, the door unlocking. The only evidence is Dain’s blood, smeared across his face and arms, drying on the floor and under your nails. You commit the sight to memory, tucking it into the same folder that holds the death of your parents, and slam the drawer shut.

It takes you five minutes to scrub the blood out of the cracks in your palms and from under your nails. Your fingertips are wrinkled when you step into the gym.

“Why did Tab tell Chradh that you were called into Varrish’s office with Aetos?” Garrick asks, remarkably calm as he toys with one of his smaller daggers.

“Because he’s a meddling mother hen.” You answer, avoiding the question.

“Watch it.”  Tab warns. “Tell him the truth, or we will.”

You know he’s not bluffing. “He wanted us to practice our signets on each other.”

“Dain practiced his signet, his memory-reading signet, on you?” He asks, already simmering with anger.

“This morning, he came to me to warn me about Varrish’s plan, and I told him it was okay. I used my shields, and I only showed him what I wanted to. We’re supposed to do it again Wednesday.”

Your eyes communicate something else you won’t say aloud, not in front of everyone, and not when you know Dain might be able to see this conversation in two days. I did this to take the heat off of the others. You know I was the safest choice.

Garrick sighs. “I can’t tell you what to do, but I’d like to state for the record that I hate this plan. Literally everything about it. Except for Aetos being stabbed, maybe.” Of course Chradh told him about that. He’d have been delighted by the news, despising both him and Cath.

You give him a look.

“Okay, fine. I take that back.”

He doesn’t. 

By Wednesday, the pain in the bridge of your nose is gone, but your arm is still tender where Dain had been stabbed. Bodhi joins you in the gym, stretching with you for a few minutes before he settles into a plank at your side, his eyes never leaving the door.

Dain does not make an appearance at breakfast, notably absent from the leadership table.

Garrick excuses himself as soon as he sees you stand with your tray, catching you by the doors. “Remember that you’re stronger than both of them in all the ways that matter,” he says quietly. “I’ll find you as soon as you’re done.” You both tap your chest twice before parting ways, as has been your tradition for years -- a reminder that even though you’re leaving, you still hold the other in your heart.

Each step up to Varrish’s office is another reminder of what’s to come when you reach the top. “Cadet Avan,” he greets with another sickening smile. “Just in time. We were beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

Your jaw drops at the sight of Dain slumped into the same chair as last time, bloodied and exhausted.

“Nothing fatal,” Varrish reassures. “Not if you act quickly. Go ahead, get started.”

The Vice Commandant’s words have you on edge as you assess him, looking for gaping wounds or broken bones. Dain winces as your hands move over his ribs, and you whisper an apology, pressing in deeper. When your chest starts to ache, you know it’s time to move on. You mend two broken ribs, dissolve a purple bruise on his arm, and fix a split lip, but Dain still hasn’t woken up.

You turn back to Varrish. “One left,” he says. “Use your head.”

Oh, gods. He’d given Dain a concussion, because he knows the migraine it’ll give you will make it harder to shield. You cradle the second-year’s head in your hands, breathing out deeply as you transfer the pain from his body to yours, healing the bruised tissue. Dain blinks himself awake as you stumble, the room suddenly spinning.

“Well done. Aetos?”

You fumble for the arms of your chair, vision blurring at the edges, but you manage to sit back down.

“Say the word, and I get your mate,” Tab offers. He can probably feel your disorientation, concerned you won’t be able to block Dain out in this state.

“No,” you rasp back. “If he shows up, Varrish will have us practice on him instead.”

 You need to pick another memory to satisfy Varrish, something older, but your brain isn’t firing on all cylinders. Dain gives you a moment to gather yourself, a small gesture of mercy.

“A moment of pure happiness,” Tab suggests. “Something with the wingleader and your mate.”

You flip back in the book of your life, nearly all the way to the beginning, opening it to the right page to give to Dain and slipping it under the gate with a nod of your head — you’re ready.

Dain’s hands are warm against your freezing cheeks. A boy no older than five that he recognizes as Garrick crouches under a desk across the room, holding a finger to his lips. 

“Wherever could those children possibly be?” Someone muses aloud, and you fight laughter as the voice grows closer, thinking it amusing that this adult has no idea you’re hiding in the curtains.

Footsteps retreat, and Garrick signals for you to move. You make it down the hallway before you see someone searching — presumably whatever parent you’d convinced to play with you. Small hands tug you both behind a plush velvet couch. Xaden. 

You press yourselves up against it, trying to be as quiet as possible, watching as a shadow forms on the wall in front of you, then a head peers over the back of the couch — that must be your father. He looks just like you, has the same warm smile.

“One more, and then I need to get back to work,” He says, already moving to cover his eyes and starting to count to one hundred. You each run off in a different direction, and the scene fades there.

“A childhood memory,” Dain says. “Playing hide and seek in her father’s office with Riorson and Tavis.”

Not good enough for Varrish. “Give me something I can use,” he snarls, a Freudian slip, but nothing either of you hadn’t known already. 

You flip forward in the book, settling on a page you never look at, that you can’t bear to, but that Varrish will revel in. You rip it out, sliding it under the gate. “Bad,” you whisper, the only warning you can manage.

Dain nods in permission, ready to watch whatever memory you’ve pushed forward.

Someone presses a small stone into your hand, an intricate overlap of shapes and lines engraved on one side, the other perfectly smooth.

“Do not put it down, even for a moment,” your father says. He’s aged between now and the last memory, starting to go gray at his temples. “Keep it in your hand until the end. It will protect you when we can’t.”

He looks next to Garrick. “She is everything good about the world.” He says quietly. “Keep her safe.”

Garrick promises he will, and your father pulls you into one last embrace before he leaves. Tears blur your vision, Garrick pulling you close. “It’ll be okay,” he soothes. “They’ll come back.”

Hours pass that Dain can’t see, because you don’t remember them. 

There’s an ache in your palm from clutching the stone so hard, the rounded corners digging into your skin. Garrick takes your free hand in his, interlocking your fingers. Then there’s only screaming and fire and rage, heat burning up your arm as it’s marked with inky swirls. Until the end, your father had said. This must have been what he meant.

“Her parents’ execution,” Dain says, a note of genuine hurt in his voice. “They gave each child a runestone before they left, as protection.”

Varrish’s eyes rake over to you. He leans forward, yanking on the leather cord that disappears into the neck of your shirt hard enough to pull your body with it. “A runestone like this one?”

“Yes,” you answer before Dain can, saving him the lie. You shut your eyes, wincing as the cold edge of a knife brushes against your neck and the cord breaks, a single drop of warm blood running down your collarbone. You don’t protest, you can’t, your mind still hazy and eyes wet with tears from reliving the memory with Dain.

“That will be all.” Varrish dismisses. He doesn’t make an appointment for you to come back. He has what he needs.

You stand, relying on your knowledge of the office’s layout to navigate your way forward until the door closes behind you.

“I’m so sorry,” Dain breathes once you’re down the hall far enough to avoid being heard. “If I had known,”

“It’s okay. The rune is long dead, and he has no idea how to recreate it. I’m just glad he didn’t hurt you again.” You blink, trying to clear your head. How are you going to get down all these stairs? You can hardly see.

“Here,” he says quietly, extending a hand. You take it, letting him loop an arm over his shoulders — your right, the one that Varrish hadn’t bruised black and blue on Dain — and lead you one step at a time.

You’re halfway down when you hear heavy footsteps running up the stairs. Garrick. He’d promised he’d find you when you were done. He doesn’t spare a glance at Dain, gathering you into his arms and apologizing when he puts pressure on your not-broken ribs.

Dain watches as the older boy carries you down the rest of the stairs, murmuring reassurances to you all the while. Your father’s words echo in his mind. “Keep her safe.”

Garrick Tavis is a man of his word.

[masterjedilenawrites]

Take Me Out

Bad Batch x Reader Exchange 2024

Crosshair x fem!reader | 4.7k words

Content: drinking, light angst, introspection, fluff, light humor, crushes, relationships, friendship, mentions of war and death, weapons (practice setting)

Prompts: "What am I even looking for?" - "I don't know" & "Sometimes I think some work on your communication skills wouldn't be such a bad idea."

My gift is for the event host - @ghostofskywalker! I was so excited to draw your name and I really hope you enjoy the fic. You put so much work and care into hosting these events for the fandom, it really is appreciated 🤗

I've actually had this story concept in mind for quite a while. I love that pretty much all of your prompts/wish-list items were able to fit in! We've got some platonic Hunter, romantic Crosshair, a little angst, a bit of fluff... Perfect!

Oh, and to keep things spoiler free (on my blog and for the event), this takes place before Order 66 and Omega.

Please go check out the @cloneficgiftexchange blog for all the other contributions to this great event! Fics are being posted all throughout today (4/13/24). Spread the love for fandom writers/creators by reblogging!

Vandor-3. Clone training facility: recreation sector. Winter.

You sat slumped over the bar, a drink cradled in your arms. You took lazy sips at the liquid, long past its effervescence, in between chewing on the straw. You could smell the evidence of your waning hygiene, being curled in on yourself like this. It disgusted you but not enough to do anything beyond self loathing. To say you were miserable was an understatement.

"Morning, Captain. A bit early for a drink, isn't it?"

The husky voice of the bar's newcomer was unmistakeable in who it belonged to. There were clones abound on this small moon, hundreds of identical-sounding men. But every once in a while you had the pleasure of hearing the one that was different.

You sluggishly swiveled your head and gave Sergeant Hunter a mock salute. He leaned against the bar beside you, seemingly torn between being amused and concerned by what he was seeing.

"Back so soon?" you asked, ignoring his own question. Though your speech wasn't slurred, your voice still betrayed some of the numbness you were working to surround yourself in. Which helped your friend make up his mind on how to feel.

"Easy mission," Hunter shrugged off the topic. "You okay? Did something happen?"

"No," you sighed and forced yourself to sit upright. Best to appear more in control and not give him reason to drag you to the med bay. "That's the problem. Nothing's happened."

Hunter frowned and slid onto the barstool next to you. You caught a whiff of soap as he did, a harsh contrast to your own odor that made you even more upset.

"I don't understand."

Your hands cupped around your glass, condensation pooling around your fingers, and you stared at the melting ice wishing to be as frozen and unfeeling.

"I don't understand, either," you whispered. "Why I'm still so... alone."

"Ah." Hunter placed a sympathetic hand on your shoulder. "That's right, you had that date you were going on. Another dud, then?"

You nodded, still refusing to look away from the ice cubes.

He hummed in thought. Your poor friend. How many times had he now had to come up with some sort of reassuring comment after another one of your failed attempts to find love? At least you were grateful you had such a friend, though. Where others would have made you feel guilty for admitting to loneliness, would have insisted they were company enough and all you had to do was ask for it, it's as simple as that, how dare you feel lonely when you aren't actually alone... Hunter was the one who always saw through to what you really meant. You were not what the other wanted, but you were both wanting, craving that kind of deep, romantic connection that seemed to allude you both. For Hunter, it was obviously his schedule that got in his way. For you... well, that was the mystery.

"You have to keep looking," was the sentiment Hunter settled on this time. He rubbed at your shoulder a bit, as if trying to smooth out your misery.

You huffed. His attempts to comfort were sweet, but not enough. You couldn't help but protest. "But with everyone I meet, I just find out what I don't want. What am I even looking for?"

"I don't know," Hunter shook his head sadly. "I don't know if anyone knows until they find it."

You groaned and slumped back forward, facepalming the bar top and wishing you could sink right into it. Sink down, down, down until you disappeared completely.

"Sorry, Cap," Hunter's now muffled voice attempted to chuckle, lighten the mood. "If I could track down your soul mate, I would. You know I would."

That comment was sweet enough. You forced yourself to stop sinking, lift yourself up again, and face your friend properly.

"I know. And I appreciate that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a bummer today. It's just... it's been getting harder, is all."

He nodded and you nodded back and nothing further needed to be understood on the matter.

"Were you needing something from me?" you changed the subject. "Or did you come to day drink as well?"

"Ha, ha." Hunter started to get up. "Yeah no, I just wanted to let you know we were back for a few rotations, see if you'd have some time to finally come out and meet the boys."

You lifted up your glass and shook it a bit. "You're too late, I'm afraid. If I'd known you'd be back so soon, I wouldn't have started on this journey of self destruction."

Hunter titled his head at you, some of that trademark concern still showing. "This isn't going to be an all week thing, is it?"

You shrugged. Truthfully, you had no idea what to do with yourself. Making decisions even a day in advance seemed like too big of a commitment in your fragile state.

"I'd rather not meet any more new people right now, if it's all the same to you."

"I wouldn't consider them new. You've heard enough stories about each other by now. It's starting to get weird that you're not meeting, quite frankly."

You wanted to laugh, but the thought of introductions, stiff pleasantries, awkward small talk... It reminded you of every first date that never turned into a second, every dating app chat thread that went nowhere, every high hope you watched turn into disappointment. Even with a group like Hunter's brothers, the Bad Batch, with a reputation of being unconventional, who you'd only be making friends with just like you had with Hunter and every other clone on this moon... it was still too much for you to stomach.

"Sorry, maybe next time."

Hunter frowned, but he didn't overstep. "Suit yourself. Door's still open though. You know where to find us."

He made to walk out but paused to turn back to you for a moment.

"And hey, don't lose hope. We'll find our people soon enough. In the meantime, take care of yourself, alright?"

You waited until the bar doors closed behind him to let your tears fall.

* * *

Vandor-3. Woodland outskirts. Spring.

You were here. Finally.

You weren't able to pinpoint exactly where the turning point occurred, between crying yourself to sleep every night and being able to wake up with a smile on your face. A small one, of course, but a smile nonetheless. You weren't even sure it was something that had happened overnight. Slowly, eventually, the frost over your heart melted, the shadows in your thoughts grew thinner and lighter. Without even realizing you were drawing back the curtains and dusting off the shelves and each day being a little more open than you were the day before.

Your loneliness still existed. It came and went in waves, so while still devastating at times, you were at least afforded with periods of relief. Periods where you could smile again, find fulfillment in your work, and even dare to allow yourself to dream again. And not to mention taking more regular showers. It was always the little things that made the biggest difference, wasn't it?

And now here you were, standing in the early morning sun out in one of the training fields, the Havoc Marauder silhouetted against the sunrise as you shook hands with its crew in a meeting long overdue.

Hunter's stories had done the boys justice. Wrecker was just as larger than life as you'd pictured, aptly choosing to push past your outstretched hand and go in for a bone-crushing hug instead. Tech, who you'd come to know as the brains of the batch, only spared a second to be properly introduced before returning to fidget with some gadget. Echo was all politeness and disciplined respect, with his scomp-salute and ma'ams. And Crosshair... well, he was still on the ship asleep, which you supposed fit with the few facts you knew about him, too.

Hunter beamed beside them, clearly happy you had finally made the effort to meet his squad. His family, really. As a Captain overseeing drill training for the GAR, you knew better than anyone the close bonds these clones formed even before they stepped foot on a battlefield. This meant a lot to him, you being here. You felt awful for postponing so many times.

Once introductions were out of the way, and some pleasant conversation had passed, you eventually ventured out to the part of the training field that actually housed elements for training - your excuse for coming out here to meet everyone. A munitions crate full of shiny new blasters was carried between you and Wrecker while Hunter ran ahead to set up some targets. Tech and Echo went back to the ship to work on repairs.

"Aaaaugh. Only blasters?" Wrecker lamented upon opening the crate.

"Sorry, more budget cuts. This was all I could scrounge up for you guys."

Hunter was much more excited by the new weapons, though Wrecker still picked one up to try out. You held one as well but only used it to demonstrate different techniques. Just because you were good at training didn't mean you were the best at actually fighting.

The three of you picked off the various bottles, pots, and pans that Hunter had set up amongst the tree branches at the edge of the field for a short while. And on more than one occasion you found yourself pausing to breathe in the air and remind yourself that life was good. Maybe not how you wanted it, but it was still good and you'd need to continue to work on appreciating what you had.

After about an hour, there were only three bottles and a pan left, all proving tricky targets due to distance and angle. Hunter had even tried slinging a few knives to no avail.

"Okay I'm calling it," Wrecker announced with a huff. "One more missed shot and I'm blowing them up."

"I'll take that bet."

A new voice, one you'd never heard before, carried across the field. It was delicate and drawling and confident. Hunter chuckled and Wrecker rolled his eyes. And you... you had no idea that everything was about to change.

It was like he was moving in slow motion. Your surroundings blurred as the lanky figure caught the corner of your eye, your heart rate slowing as you turned and took him in. One confident step planted firmly in front of the other as he inched across the field. A sniper rifle perched on his shoulder. A toothpick between pursed lips. An eye surrounded by a reticle and narrowed in determination. He didn't even spare you a glance, and thank the gods, because if he had, you were sure your heart would've stopped beating altogether.

He squared off as soon as he reached the marks, bringing his rile forward to aim in a swift and careful motion. His head rested against the shaft, his tattooed eye squinted through the scope. You imagined him taking this stance a thousand times in his short life. It looked as natural a position as curling up on a couch might look for you.

You couldn't look away, not wanting to miss a single second of whatever this mesmerizing man was about to do. He was still for a moment, impressively so. You realized you were holding your breath as you watched, not wanting even your exhale to interfere with his process.

And then he fired. Once, twice, threefourfive times. Bang, bang, bang. Each in a different direction but no less precise than the one before. The first ricocheted off the pan and hit the green bottle, just as the second hit the red bottle. The three-shot volley was aimed at the branch the bottles sat on, causing it to crack and dangle even closer to the ground. And just when you thought the show couldn't be more over the top, the sniper swiveled his rifle toward the sky at a passing bird, clipped its wing with a shot, and then whipped out a pistol from his hip and fired at the remaining blue bottle just before the branch snapped and fell to the ground.

A few seconds later, the bird tumbled on top of the pile of shattered glass and splintered wood.

"Aaaand training is now over," said Hunter with a nod of his head. He raised his voice as he called out to his brother. "You'd better clean that shit up!"

The sniper flipped him the bird before sauntering off to clean up.

"Uh, you alright?"

Hunter paused in his own packing of gear to give you a concerned look. You were still staring after the newcomer, undoubtedly the lone Batcher you had yet to meet. Crosshair. Your brain had short-circuited with what you had witnessed him do, yes. But it was more than that. There was something about him. Something intriguing and attractive. Different than anyone you had ever known, and yet, somehow feeling so real and comfortable at the same time.

After a few waves of your friend's hand in your face, you snapped back.

"That," you breathed.

Hunter cocked a confused eyebrow.

"That is what I'm looking for."

* * *

Vandor-3. Clone training facility: recreation sector. Summer.

You were insanely busy. Separatist activity was ramping up in almost every corner of the galaxy and the GAR was responding to each new threat with full force. Rotations of new clone units were frequently arriving at the facility, one after another. You'd cycle them through a few trainings to get them certified on whatever was needed and then ship them right back out. And in between were all the additional tasks that needed to be taken care of. Piles of paperwork and coordinating schedules and ship inspections and updated security debriefings.

And yet through it all, you still had time to entertain the one thought that buzzed in the background of your mind: Crosshair. Every meeting, every meal, every training sim, first thing in the morning and last thing at night. He was there. Crosshair, Crosshair, Crosshair. On your mind, in your heart, driving you absolutely mad.

In the beginning you'd pretended it wasn't about him, specifically. You were simply happy to know what you wanted now, that you had a type and it existed. That was all. Hunter had turned up his nose, completely bewildered as to why that would be your type. You hadn't been able to give him much at the time; it would take you many rotations more to start describing the details of your newly discovered attraction.

But over time, it became harder to push aside the nagging thought that you hadn't found what you were looking for, but rather who. Specifically. Exactly. Why try to find someone like him when you already liked... him?

Oh there were plenty of ways you could answer that question, all of them self-deprecating and none of them productive. You could count on one hand now the number of times you had been in the same room as him, let alone interacted with him. The Batch may be frequenting the place more often as the war picked up, but not nearly as often as you needed to gauge whether someone like Crosshair would, could, or honestly even should be as interested in you as you were in him.

Today they were back on the grounds so Hunter could fill out some paperwork, and your heart had not stopped racing all morning. It was practically threatening to punch right out of your chest and run away. You weren't sure why, considering you'd probably only end up seeing Hunter this time. The rest of the Batch usually didn't venture into the facility unless they were staying overnight. But it seemed even knowing Crosshair was on the same planet as you got you worked up these days.

You carried Hunter's stack of paperwork with you now, intending to drop it off to him in between some meetings you had. As you hustled down the halls, you rehearsed a few ways you could subtly ask him how Crosshair was doing.

But as it turned out, you would have the opportunity to ask him yourself. If you could get over your frazzled shock at finding him in the rec room instead of Hunter.

The room was conveniently empty, making the silence between you that much more potent. Crosshair was standing awkwardly to the side, just behind one of the battered sofas, as if he had already been confused about what he should be doing before you pushed through the door. He stared at you and you stared at him and the moment only lasted for a few seconds but it felt like an eternity.

"Oh, um. Hi. Crosshair." You averted your gaze, despite having prayed the past several nights that you could see his face again soon. "I was... expecting Hunter."

That didn't sound right. You hoped he didn't take that to mean that you'd prefer if Hunter was here now. Obviously you didn't.

"He stepped out," Crosshair responded in that cool, even tone of his. Your eyes couldn't help but snap back to his as he talked. You wanted him to say more but he never did.

"Oh, okay. I just had some paperwork to give him."

Crosshair only hummed at first. You shuffled your feet a bit, debating whether you should make an attempt at small talk, try to coax more out of him, maybe even hint that you were interested in him. The thought terrified you, but not as much as the thought of being alone. You couldn't complain about that if you continued to let these opportunities pass by without at least trying to make a connection.

You shifted your weight again, intending to keep your feet planted so you wouldn't make a run for it, and Crosshair uttered your name hurriedly.

"Wait," he said. He'd thought you were leaving. You widened your eyes at him, waiting to hear what he'd wanted to tell you first. He seemed to hesitate before finally saying, "I was wondering if you knew what soup they were serving today?"

"Oh. Uh, potato, I think."

"How boring."

You smirked. "I know, right? They could at least serve it with some hot sauce."

Crosshair hummed.

The silence settled back in, though now you felt better about things. You'd practically had a conversation. Learned a little more about each other. It was a good start. 

Your commlink suddenly beeped at your side and you blanched, remembering the meeting you were supposed to be heading to.

"I uh, I've got to go. It was nice talking to you."

It pained you to cut off your moment with him so quickly, but alas you were left with no choice. You shuffled back out into the corridor, though you only made it a few steps before realizing you still had Hunter's paperwork and could just leave it with Crosshair.

The rec room had an old school door that swung in and out on hinges. It was slightly ajar from when you passed through, and already in the few seconds since something was happening on the other side of it. You could hear more voices.

"...the kriff was that?" First, the deep tones of Hunter, equal parts annoyed and weary.

"That wasn't the plan." Then, the resolute voice of Echo, backing him up.

"What?" Crosshair bit back at them.

"You were supposed to ask her out," Hunter clarified.

"No, that was not the plan," Crosshair countered. "I needed to lay some groundwork first."

"You call that groundwork? You were talking about soup."

"And she agreed. No one ever agrees with me on the soup around here."

"What a special connection," Echo said.

Hunter sighed so hard you swore you could feel the breeze through the doorway. "You know, sometimes I think some work on your communication skills wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"What?"

"Never mind. Do what you like. Keep pushing away anyone who tries to love you and see where that gets you. Just know that it's exhausting, watching the two of you dance around each other like this."

"And kind of pathetic," added Echo.

You were against the wall by the door, holding in your breath for so long you were about to pass out. Or maybe it was the euphoria of knowing Crosshair was interested that made your head sway. Regardless, you had mere moments to make a move or let the opportunity pass. You dug into your pocket, fished out a pen, and scribbled a note on the top page of paperwork. Was it professional? Absolutely not. But the GAR would get over it. You left the papers by the door, making sure your note was turned to face it.

There's better soups on Coruscant. Let's go out sometime.

* * *

Vandor-3. Woodland outskirts. Autumn.

You were alone, standing in the middle of the training field, the early setting sun behind you casting a dim shadow across the remains of your latest training exercise. A chill was just starting to set in, causing you to tug at your jacket and pull it around you a bit tighter. You liked these moments, rare as they were recently. A quiet time to yourself. Not even to think, but simply to be. Present and comfortable. And you.

The wind picked up and sang through the taller blades of grass as a ship approached for landing. Your moment was over, but a new happiness settled in its place. Minutes later, the Havoc Marauder was opening its hatch and spitting out its soldiers.

"Captain," Hunter gave you a two-finger salute as he passed by.

"Sergeant," you returned with a smile.

Echo was close behind, giving you a respectful nod. Wrecker hauled a munitions crate in one hand and hit you up for a high five with the other. Tech was oblivious as he hunched over a data pad.

They filed by, one after the other, headed straight for the barracks, and what you hoped were the showers. They all knew not to linger, that you'd catch up with them later. This was your time with Crosshair.

The sniper was leaning up against the hatch opening, arms folded across a plastoid chest and a toothpick lazily perched between slightly curled lips. He took you in for a moment and you could feel yourself glowing in response to his soft gaze.

"Showing those clankers who's boss, I see," he said as he made his way down the gangway. He nodded his head toward the mess of scrap metal behind you.

You gave a half shrug. "My reaction time is getting better, but I still can't get the angles right with those pucks."

Crosshair inched up to you, gently resting his hands on either side of your waist. "Have you been doing the breathing exercises like I showed you?"

You nodded. Your hands instinctually came up to his run along his arms until they found the crook of his elbows, the only place not barring your touch by armor.

"And using the laser sight?"

You nodded a little slower and Crosshair tsked.

"I want to be good without it. Like you." You added a little extra honey to your words so he wouldn't reprimand you too much. It had been an adjustment for the two of you at first, he stepping into a training role and you stepping back to receive instruction for once. Thankfully the frustrations seemed to diminish the more your relationship progressed.

"You have to be patient," he said, giving your waist a slight squeeze to accentuate his point. "You aren't like the regs you train. You're building your skills, taking care of yourself."

You hummed, more in thought than agreement. "Will I ever have to use these skills someday, do you think? Is it really getting that bad out there?"

You tried not to think about how many soldiers you had trained only to be sent to a battlefield to die. How many of the shinies you were drilling right now would likely be killed soon. How many more would be brought in to take their place. You'd thought you'd known what you were getting yourself into with this job. But the relentless cycle of it all was getting to you more and more, especially as the Republic continued to be challenged in larger scales and higher stakes. It never seemed to end.

"It's hard to say," Crosshair responded. "We have to prepare for the worst."

You hated that answer, but you wouldn't let him see it. Not yet. Your fears and your displeasures, anger and sorrow, were things yet to be fully explored in this new relationship. All in due time. So you simply smiled, plucked the toothpick out of his mouth and tossed it aside. 

"And hope for the best, right?"

He smiled back, or at least moved his mouth in the direction of a smile, as much as you could usually get from the reserved man. "Yes, of course."

He leaned forward and rested his forehead against yours. You both closed your eyes and breathed each other in. There was warmth in his embrace. A promise in the steady hands he held you with. Vulnerability in the skin that gently touched yours. To have someone this close, someone who was still more stranger than friend, though no less beloved, was what you had always wanted. And for once, what you wanted was just as lovely and fulfilling as you'd hoped. No catch. No deals. No unintended consequences. Just you and him and happiness.

All too soon he pulled away. His hand sought yours as he turned in the direction of the barracks. The longer you stayed behind, the worse the teasing from the others would be. They were only respectful of your relationship to a point, and after that it was fair game for a laugh. So you willingly followed.

"Crosshair?"

"Hm?"

"I was thinking about Hunter...."

The sniper glanced at you suspiciously.

"Well, you know he and I have been friends for a while. And he's confided a few things in me before. About what he wants. Or thinks he wants. He's changed his mind a few times on the specifics. But all in the same gist."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I don't know, I just feel like I owe him for helping me get through a tough time. And if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have ever met you. So--"

Crosshair cut you off with a groan. "If you're trying to get me to play matchmaker..."

"It would get some of the attention off of us," you quickly offered. "If Hunter had someone he was bringing around, too. Or even just interested in."

Crosshair frowned in thought. "There was a bartender on Scarif he kept checking out..."

You grinned and squeezed his hand affectionately. "See? Just keep an eye out and nudge him a bit. Who knows what could happen."

You could tell he was trying not to roll his eyes for your sake. Instead he squeezed your hand in return. "Or you could come with us and nudge him yourself?"

Your walking slowed, right as you were about to cross the facility boundary line. You would have to let go of his hand once you crossed it, keep a professional distance, share your company with others. And once the Batch's business here concluded, then you would have to let him go and watch him disappear into the sky with all the prayers you could possibly send with him. And then you would be on your own. Waiting, waiting, always waiting. And maybe he would return, and maybe he wouldn't.

And heaven forbid you would ever end up alone again.

"Or you can stay," he said. The quietness of his voice betrayed what he really meant, what he really wanted. 

And you knew what you wanted, too. Without you realizing, it was getting easier and easier for you to define your desires. And not only that, but to pursue them, too. To know your happiness was worth the risk of disappointment. It was clear to you now that you were not only worthy, but also capable. The man standing before you, holding your hand, gazing at you like nothing else mattered, was proof enough.

And so you said, "Take me with you."

Every Character Tag: @dangerousstrawberrypie, @justanothersadperson93, @arctrooper69, @sleepycreativewriter, @techie-bear, @theroguesully, @cw80831, @cdblake1565

Bad Batch Tag: @kaijusplotch, @rebel-finn, @lucyysthings, @marvel-starwars-nerd, @nekotaetae, @severalseashellsbytheseashore, @lackofhonor, @flowered-bicycles, @foodmoneyandcats, @nahoney22, @dangraccoon, @lulalovez, @aconstructofamind, @skellymom, @the-mom-friend-dot-com

✨Join A Tag List Here!✨

🍾 One Shots Master List | 🌙 Master List of Master Lists

[thewertsearch]

Ask Comp 17/7

@shelbybunny asked: a note most people havent noticed from my observations: kanaya tied eridans cape around her stomach wound

Kanaya absorbs the fashion sense of anyone she slays. She's basically a goth Kirby.

@deshah asked: I have caught up on reading your live blog just as you reach one of my favorite action sequences! Kanaya is brilliant and I am so excited that you are reaching this point in her story. On an Aradia note: I think that you should listen to '(kind of) still alive' and 'Almost There' Aradia version (in that order) because feels. You have motivated me to listen to homestuck parodies again. Not to mention revisit my (many, many) homestuck crossovers… Thanks for the liveblog, it is so much fun! Also i saw your recommendation list was missing hemostuck which is just such a shame. I think it constitutes spoilers? Although it is very AU. That one is by roachpatrol and urbanAnchorite on ao3. Also! Space Bro by JumpingJackFlash, also on ao3 (definitely spoilers) there's even a song about that one! I hope these are okay to send? I'm not 100% on the etiquette. Anonymous asked: howdy wert! dunno if you answer stuff on this blog still but I figured it wasn't fit for the main one -- in your long break, did you check out any of the various media recommended to you? :0 (<- totally didn't recommend something and definitely isn't now wondering if you read/liked it, unlikely as it may be with the long list of recs)

I've added them all to the list! Feel free to recommend anything else, too - but I probably won't get to any Homestuck fics for a long time, since they're a bit of a spoiler minefield.

So far, the only recommendation I've followed up on was Hollow Knight - and I'm glad I did. I've played it, like, three times now. If your own recommendation isn't a Homestuck fic, let me know!

@segfaultvicta asked: i just found your liveblog and I've been doing nothing but reading it since. i have no idea if it's complete, if it's stalled out somewhere, or if it's ongoing, or when it started; i have deliberately kept all of this information from myself, i just hope that regardless of anything else your asks are still on so i can tell you how absolutely fucking MAGNIFICENT your analysis is and how much of a joy it's been to read. bravo. <3 @segfaultvicta asked: there are so many things that you're correctly understanding, or at least digging into at the right level and with the correct approach vector, that it took me MONTHS of puzzling out and later information to grok, and i'm good at this kind of nonsense. it's WILDLY impressive even if/when you are barking up the wrong cosmic apple tree. this liveblog continues to be an utter delight.

Hell yeah. Welcome to the show!

It's a great motivator, knowing that there are people having this much fun with the blog. Sometimes, on quiet days, I'll notice my notification counter is ticking up by a couple of notes a minute or so - and 90% of the time, that means someone's just discovered the blog, and they're binging the whole thing.

That's so cool, I don't even have the words! I look up to binge-worthy livebloggers!

Anonymous asked: Vriska really do be the kinda person who's like "I love a woman who can kick my ass." She probably only saw Kanaya as a potential matesprit after she proved herself powerful. Before that, she likely didn't view her as one because she saw her more like a harmless 'mcfussy fangs'.

You could have had it all, Vriska - if you'd only turned to look at her.

Truly, you are your own worst enemy.

Anonymous asked: I'd like to just adress the fact that Eridan, the troll who had 'aspirations' of killing every troll below him on the hemospectrum, only permanently killed the SINGLE troll that was above him on the hemospectrum. Good job, Ampora! ~DJ @manorinthewoods asked: It's comical how pathetic Eridan was. He seems to have power but it's always immensely fragile. Pathetic in life, pathetic in death, pathetic in ancestry. It's no surprise that his final step in the dance is to be sawed in two to prove Kanaya means business. ~LOSS (20/6/24)

Dude took more Ls than a Countdown contestant. Seeing Feferi confront him in the Bubbles is sure to be cathartic, and I, for one, cannot wait.

@manorinthewoods asked: Who the hek coded Trollian. ~LOSS (2/7/24)

That's Sahlee's endgame, naturally. My fic will be as self-fulfilling as Homestuck proper.

@bladekindeyewear asked: Quote you: "You Want An Auspistice? Then I’ll Give Your Legs Some Space From Your FUCKING TORSO" Funnily enough, on Andrew Hussie's ask blog back then, he ALSO jokingly described this well-justified murder as Kanaya auspisticizing between Eridan's upper and lower torso, after forcibly auspisticizing her way through the rest of the showdown members. "Putting Space between them" is a nice added pun of you though!

Hehe. I didn't originally intend to make an Aspect pun, but I noticed after I'd written it, and decided to leave it in.

Anonymous asked: "If the Bubbles do preserve doomed souls, then we might also run into […] the Jade he couldn’t save. That’s a pair of ghosts I’d be very interested to meet." Are we sure a doomed Incipisphere would have resulted in a doomed timeline on Earth for Jade to die in? Dave and Rose said as soon as John went off to die, they never heard from Jade OR THE TROLLS again. Karkat told John during ectobiology that Earth was a divorced temporal context from the kids' game outside of chat/timing convenience.

Yeah, I think there's a decent chance of that. It was weird that the stranded Future Jade never tried to contact her co-players, and one of the simplest answers was that she'd simply stopped existing. I live in hope, though!

@elkian asked: A really interesting thing I've noticed about Homestuck (lampshaded by Hussie's commentary) is how often the perspective switches away from fights, usually so smoothly or jokingly it's not obvious. I've heard the Hobbit/LotR books do something similar. We don't see Bro die, his opponent becomes unkillable by him and he's dead a few pages later. The Trolls' Black King, the Guardians' deaths, etc. It's a very interesting narrative choice. @elkian asked: belated followup to last ask ig - not sure what the given reason was but I think Hussie avoids showing us fights with foregone conclusions unless there's a good story reason. We know the trolls beat their BK before we even met all the trolls (and obscuring that fight lets Hussie pull fun things like the Bard of Rage reveal). Vriska vs Tavros was never in his favor, but it meant something for their character development so we saw it, etc.

Yeah, I really liked how this was done with Bro, specifically.

Cutting away from this confrontation highlighted how completely pointless it would be to depict it. We all know what happened here, and seeing it happen would give us no new information. Bro, like any mortal, was instantly one-tapped.

Besides - we saw the end of that fight.

It ended right here.

Anonymous asked: its funny how dd, the character associated with diamonds, is textually implied to be jack’s moirail ‘lousy dignitary, keeping your murderous tendencies in check’ Anonymous asked: I feel like you probably noticed this and just didn't say anything, but it's still so hilarious to me how clear it is that Andrew Hussie knew exactly what he was doing showing us the walkie-talkie scene just now with DD and his diamond card suit symbol "keeping [Jack's] murderous impulses in check"!

Damn, I actually didn't pick up on that. It's consistent with the rest of the Crew, though - Hearts is a romantic shipper, and Slick is all about hate. It seems CD is destined to become a mediator.

@mhafanlol2000 asked: What do you think LE looks like?

Occam's Razor would suggest he's a Felt creature - but since Jade would be 'terrified' by his true name, I suspect he's actually someone we've already heard of. After all, Jade would have no reason to be terrified of a name she doesn't recognize.

Anonymous asked: what if sburb is modded minecraft

tired: joining the wertsearch gigasession wired: joining the wertsearch minecraft server

Anonymous asked: Oh yeah we've all be there, I remember one time I got really obsessed with tinkercraft, not cause of the actual crafting system, but because of the furnace, and decided I Must build a furnace from bedroom to build height and fill it up

Update: I've built two nuclear reactors so far, for fusion and fission respectively. Between them, they produce a gargantuan amount of power, but that's only secondary to their main function - namely, antimatter production. Once I get that sorted out, we'll be, like, 5% of the way to the AllTheMods Star, which will finally allow me to make Creative Mode items.

Then we're starting on the Gregstar. If you don't know about the Gregstar, you don't want to know about the Gregstar.

[noel-levine-fan]

Witch's Heart Survey Results - Sirius's Conclusion

! Please read everything and don't just skip to the results !

About a month ago, I posted a survey asking various questions about Witch's Heart. Here are the results!

Spoiler warning! Images used in this post may contain spoilers for all Witch's Heart games (except for Wilardo's conclusion). If you want to just see the results spoiler-free, click here.

This survey was posted before the English release of Wilardo's Conclusion, as such, the only Wilardo's Conclusion related response was the ability to pick Voice of Glamour as your favorite OP (because this OP released several months before the the release of the game).

I said I'd make a new version of the survey including Wilardo's Conclusion options a few weeks after the English release, however, this has been changed. I feel if the survey is too soon after this one, people will be less eager to fill out responses a second time. I also want to give Wilardo's Conclusion a while to sit in people's heads to see if any of their stances on favorite characters or ships changes. As such, I'm thinking I'll release the next survey when the OP for the next game releases. I know that will be a pretty long time, but I was thinking I'd make different versions of the survey for each conclusion (this this being Sirius's Conclusion ver... though it's pretty late for that game...), and all the game releases are gonna be pretty spaced out anyway, so why not, I suppose?

This is part one of the post! I really wanted to include images for every result, but tumblr's stupid image limit means this can only be part one. Please check the reblogs for the second and third parts.

I will ask to keep negativity out of reblogs. "X should've been higher..." "Why is X so high..." etc. Nothing inherently wrong with feeling that way, I just want this survey to be a fun positive thing! I can't stop you either way though, just a request.

Potential Biases

Because this was hosted by me, I expected preferences to be somewhat biased towards my content output. While not everyone who voted was a follower of mine, followers of mine are probably more likely to vote than non-followers, and followers of mine are probably more likely to enjoy the same things I do. It's worth noting that I am aware that just because I post about, say, Noel, a lot doesn't mean that every single one of my followers is as avid a Noel fan as I am, they may just enjoy content for every character including Noel, but avid Noel fans are probably more likely to follow me, and the people who follow me at the very least tolerate Noelposting - a Noel disliker is not likely to follow me. The same applies for pretty much everything I commonly post about. I thought I'd list out some possible result biases here.

Game Biases: I've never stated which game was my favorite, and my posts are more generally about the series than any specific game (though I did write notes on both Bonus Stage and Sirius's Conclusion for my replays of them), but I have referenced the content of Witch's Heart and Bonus Stage more than Sirius's Conclusion just because until I replayed it recently, I barely remembered anything that happened in Sirius's Conclusion lol. I don't really expect this to be a heavy bias though.

Song Biases: I've never mentioned any of the songs on my blog.

Character Biases: As you can see, I am a Noel blog, and very few of my posts aren't about Noel in some way. I also post about Noel and Sirius a lot, meaning I post about Sirius the second most. I post about Claire the third most because I'm a childhood trio enjoyer. I also like Lime, she's one of my favorites, but I'm not sure how much that comes across in my content output. I post about Dorothy more often than many others might.

Ship Biases: I'm a SiriNoel blog. I've posted about them a looot over the course of my blog in general. They're pretty much the only ship I regularly post about. I've also made a CharLime post and a ZizelClaire post, though the latter could be interpreted as not a ship post, so. I also don't post tooo much about the childhood trio together but I have a few times and I know I have at least quite a few followers who are SiriNoelClaire enjoyers.

I'll let you be the judge for yourself on how much these potential biases impacted the survey.

CG Usage

Some images have been cropped (the big ED images were cropped into CG size). I assuuumeee this is okay with the editing guidelines considering profile icons and banners are allowed and those are just cropped images, and the images are also displayed at this size within the game itself.

I tried to find good CGs for every character and pairing but some of the CGs are not ideal because there just weren't many good ones to pull from. Apologies in advance. (Once I play Wilardo's Conclusion, if there are any better options for a CG than what I put, I'll update the post to have those, but that might be a few days.)

There are and most likely never will be CGs or even good images of Monster Daniel, who got a vote. I put a cropped image of the only art that exists of him - I again hope that's okay with editing guidelines...

There are no CGs of Claire and Invective together as of now, so for their ship I had to put one of Invective possessing Claire.

There's only one WilSiri CG as of now, and we got votes for both platonic and romantic WilSiri, so unfortunately I had to put a CG that has Claire in it for one of them. ...There was also a vote for Claire/Sirius/Wilardo, so just so you don't mixed up, make sure to read the ship names and not just look at the images.

Results

We got a total of forty-four responses! Thank you to everyone who responded!

If you're wondering why the count of votes for a question might not line up with the number of responses, it's because users were encouraged to skip questions in which they did not have particularly strong opinions.

Results are listed from least votes to most votes to build suspense!

Question 1: What is your favorite game?

3. Witch's Heart: Unknown Past, Dorothy's Secret -Conclusion- (9 votes)

2. Witch's Heart (13 votes)

1. Witch's Heart -Bonus Stage- (20 votes)

Question 2: What is your favorite OP?

4. Inno-Syndrome (2 votes)

3. Voice of Glamour (6 votes)

2. DANCE (13 votes)

1. Moon and Wolf (15 votes)

Question 3: What is your favorite ED?

5. COSMOS (1 vote)

4. Tin Coffee Maker (3 votes)

3. Outrunning Sunset (4 votes)

2. Luna (8 votes)

1. Silver Boat (17 votes)

Question 4: Who is your favorite character? (Overall scores)

I asked for the top 5 characters. This count takes answers from all 5 questions into account, going by a point system which gives characters answered as the first favorite the most value and characters answered as the fifth favorite the least.

Worth noting, someone put two characters for their second place vote (Claire and Noel). That wasn't really supposed to happen, but until that happened, I hadn't clarified in the survey you could only put one character, so because that was my bad, I did count that as a legitimate vote for both of them.

First favorite: 5 points Second favorite: 4 points Third favorite: 3 points Fourth favorite: 2 points Fifth favorite: 1 point

12. Invective (1 point)

11. Daniel (2 points)

10. Dorothy Elford (6 points)

9. Charlotte (13 points)

8. Rouge (16 points)

7. Lime (23 points)

6. Zizel (29 points)

5. Wilardo Adler (72 points)

4. Ashe Bradley (92 points)

3. Claire Elford (118 points)

2. Sirius Gibson (123 points)

1. Noel Levine (134 points)

Continued in the next part.

[feartoxinjelloshot]

I would love to know some backstories of the Rogues in your Batman AU

this is a very broad question considering how many rogues i have in my au, so i'll start out by linking some of them which i have elaborated on before to various degrees, and if you have further questions about them feel free to ask specifically:

POISON IVY

SCARECROW - SCARECROW - MORE SCARECROW (his backstory is kind of convoluted and scattered around. i get a lot of asks about him)

BLACK MASK (somewhat outdated - i intend to update it at some point)

MAD HATTER

KILLER MOTH

NINA & DEIRDRE

CALENDAR QUEEN

PROF. PYG

and here's the cliff notes on some obvious players not mentioned above - again, if you want more specific elaboration, or anyone else i forgot, feel free to ask:

THE JOKER: i guess this is a bit of a spoiler if you like ambiguity, but i've said it on this blog many times already so there's really no point in being coy about it - the joker in my au is an extra-dimensional eldritch creature who, quite literally, eats chaos to survive. it possesses the body of an ACE chemicals employee named Jay Doe after it influences them into jumping into a vat of acid where "the veil between worlds is thinner in that unstable substance" (per writing of mine). the joker is obsessed with the balance between comedy and horror that generates the "food" it needs to survive in our dimension. very few people in-universe are aware of the joker's origin or the true extent of its abilities. it is a genuinely unlikable creature bur very lonely at its core, as it is the only one of its kind on earth and cannot easily exit back to its old dimension. Jay Doe's soul is still around, though kept separate from the body via storage in the joker's personal pocket dimension, the "funhouse" (mainly used for storage to enable looney-tunes esque physical gags, but can be put to much more sinister use. this funhouse is also where the joker puts jason todd.)

HARLEY QUINN: Harleen Quinzel was a fairly average woman who made a comfortable salary at her job working as a psychiatrist at Arkham State Hospital. She was also deeply miserable. The constraints of the cookie-cutter life and career path she was forced into by the expectations of her controlling mother and other adults around her instilled a pervasive repressed need to escape from her own life and "do something wrong". She encountered the joker during one of his on-and-off stints in captivity at Arkham and immediately - and unwillingly - became infatuated with the sense of unique nonconformity he seemed to embody. The following affair between them was less about the joker's manipulation and more about harley grasping for power in the only way she knew how (through the joker did inarguably have his own part in it, because he liked harley and saw her as a potential cure for his lonliness). Eventually it culminated in her own descent into the same acid vat that had "transformed" Jay Doe, but rather than possession, harley emerged with a... heightened sense of clarity about herself and the world around her. The acid also had some malignant effects on her, gradually causing her skin to rot and fall off her body. She compensated by sewing herself back together with colorful patches of fabric. I wrote a rather long fanfic about harley and the joker's relationship (and following breakup) for 2023's nanowrimo, which sadly has not been released yet because i am still editing it. hopefully one day soon it will reach the public.

THE RIDDLER: The riddler's conception is a little fuzzier than other backstories I have, because I'm still working on it, but the main gist of it is that Edward Nygma (born E-------- Nashton) spent many years essentially singlehandedly raising his younger brother, William Nashton. They lived alone with their father (their mother having left the picture years earlier) who was a chronic deadbeat, physically abusive, an alcoholic for good measure, and altogether put very little effort into raising his own children. Edward was a very strange child from the get-go and over time and circumstance his asynchronicities developed into a compulsive need for control and structure. He turned to his most genuine talent - puzzle-solving - and put it to work where it seemed most logical: computers. Edward became a very dedicated and effective hacker, largely by his methods of viewing code as a literal cipher or riddle that he had to untangle to "win". He gained a genuine reputation for the obscure and highly guarded databases he was able to gain access to, which generally served to inflate his ego. Meanwhile, two things: one, the more stress he was put under, the more his obsessive worldview began to take over other parts of his life, especially interpersonal ones - especially his interactions with his father and other antagonistic figures in his life. he became convinced that if he could "solve" the "pattern" of their behaviors, he could escape their abuse or in a sense control them. Two, these insecurities expanded to target his deeply protective instincts over his little brother, who around the time Ed was, say, sixteen or so, in a completely random accident, got hit by a car while crossing the street with Edward (who was spared) and later died from his injuries. Edward's father blamed him for this event, despite Ed having no possible control over the situation. The trauma of his brother's sudden death caused Edward's psychological state to degrade quickly and devastatingly. He began to devote his "puzzle-solving skills" largely to esoteric coping mechanisms, and expressed that if he could "find the pattern in the world around [him]" he could prevent an accident "like that" from happening again, to anyone, ever. His obsessions later expanded to focus upon the Batman, who at the time was less of a public figure and more of a local ghost story - the ultimate mystery for Edward to solve, and prove everyone else wrong, and finally win.

CATWOMAN: Selina Kyle's backstory is fairly straightforward compared to the above tales and hasn't been tampered with very much since its original conception. She grew up very poor and in an unhappy household; as a child she spent a lot of time with her kid neighbor Effy Lynns (later Firefly), who was also in a bad familial situation, and they began to view each other as siblings. As adults they moved into an apartment together. Selina was never very well off, but scraped by working odd jobs over the years, most notably a job at the local animal shelter, which she was genuinely happy at - unusual luck for her. She liked it so much, in fact, that she was trying to save money up to finally finish her degree, so that she could start to pursue a career as a veterinarian. During this time she also lived in an apartment above a chain pharmacy. Her "criminal" career was kicked off when her she learned that her downstairs neighbor, an elderly woman who she was fairly close with, had been denied by insurance to receive insulin due to a gap in coverage and, as she couldn't afford a trip to the emergency room, was in danger of dying. As she lived right above a pharmacy, Selina saw the workers going in and out every day and knew what the code to the back door was. She also knew which breaker would turn the power to the security cameras off. Well, her neighbor was too grateful to really care about where she got the medication from, and Selina asked for nothing in return, except to call if she needed help again. Was it against the law? Sure. Was it a crime? No. Selina never faced any consequences for her actions that day, and was instilled with a (perhaps unearned) sense of confidence - she had learned how easy it was to steal. Her ambitions expanded somewhat worrying quickly, though she resolutely stuck to ethical targets - chain stores, corporations, and eventually the homes of the ultra-wealthy. If asked, selina would say - truthfully so - that it was a genuinely good-hearted attempt at redistribution of wealth. What she was less willing to admit was that there was a significant element of adrenaline-seeking and even kleptomania to it that she wasn't ready to confront in herself. She was doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. The only harm, she supposed, was to herself.

FIREFLY: Like I mentioned in the previous entry, Firefly is the eventual vigilante identity* of Effy Lynns, Selina's adopted sibling. Effy worked for many years in an oil refinery to make ends meet. It was hard, grueling work and the floor workers were treated badly in many respects. One day they were involved in a factory explosion that left them with third degree burns on the right side of their face, neck, shoulder and chest, along with blinding them in that eye and reducing the hearing of that ear. It was later made known to them that the accident was only allowed to occur because of the gross negligence and poor working conditions of their wealthy supervisors. They were also let go by the factory due to not being able to work any more, putting them in financial strife. Understandably, this series of events was a snapping point for Effy, and, inspired by Selina's nighttime activites, they adopted a fire-themed vigilante persona to enact public revenge against the corporate conglomerates that were ruining theirs and other people's lives. Effy's backstory is fairly vague and subject to change, since it's more recent than the others and therefore less developed. I haven't decided if their suit is their own invention or if they collaborate with some other source to design it.

*"Firefly" is actually just their full first name. Friends and family call them Effy more often. They start to embrace use of their full name when things go off the rails, though it only becomes known to the public after their (hypothetical) eventual apprehension.

MR & MRS FREEZE: Victor Fries and Nora Selvam met at a scientific convention in England in their twenties. Both of them had immigrated with their families in their teens, Victor from Russia and Nora from South India. They clicked immediately and were married a year later. Their story together doesn't deviate very far from typical batman canon, with the notable exception that in my version of the story, Victor is the one with an incurable terminal illness. Per usual Victor and Nora work together to attempt to push forward the research on Victor's illness, moving to Gotham somewhere in the process. Over time they both get more desperate, facing their own respective demons: Victor becomes desolate and even suicidal, hopeless as to his own future; Nora becomes erratic and fixated, determined to prove her husband wrong and save him. She takes unreasonable risks for the sake of the research and Victor does nothing to stop her. Victor poses the idea of putting himself in cryostasis until a cure can be invented, not really believing in the idea, mostly just wanting to die in the ice. Nora, though, latches onto the idea and begins working on designs for a stasis machine. She overworks herself to the point where she can no longer recognize dangerous flaws in its internal structure. When the machine is "complete" she has Victor come to the lab and offers to demonstrate the effects of the pod on a butterfly for him. He accepts, curious, and she does, but upon the subsequent unfreezing of the butterfly, it lies cold and unmoving. Frightened and demotivated, they get into a heated, emotional argument, which distracts them fatally from the stabilization alarms sounding on the cryostasis machine. The world turns white. When Victor returns to consciousness his skin is blue and bruised, like a frostbitten corpse, and every breath feels like ice stabbing through his lungs. The lab is encased in an explosion of unmeltable ice, kept supernaturally cooled by the malfunctioning power core of the machine. The lab becomes the only place that Victor can survive in without a cooling suit. The ice in the room is so thick and deep that he can't even see Nora's body inside. But she's in there, somewhere. She has to be. Right...? (Somewhere overhead a butterfly flaps by the skylight.)

TWOFACE: this is another story that is subject to change in the future, because i haven't decided on the exact details, but, Harvey Dent grew up with a physically and emotionally abusive father and an absent mother, as per much of his usual canon. He met Bruce Wayne when they were children and despite going to different schools, coming from different family backgrounds and living very different lifestyles, they made fast and inseparable friends with each other and were joined at the hip for much of their teenage years, even going to college together later in life. As his childhood progressed Harvey became increasingly and uncomfortably aware of "another him" in his head* - an alter, though he had no idea what that was at the time - who called itself Alastor**. Alastor served as Harvey's protector, facing their father's physical abuse instead of Harvey. Harvey was deeply ashamed and resistant to the idea of self-perceived mental illness and did everything he could to feign "normality", i.e. pretend that Alastor didn't exist, or at least that they were the same person. Bruce, being so close to him, had something of an idea that there was something going on with Harvey that he didn't know about - but Harvey was extremely resistant to the idea when Bruce attempted to bring it up, so he left it alone for a long time. Alastor did not have this hesitancy, Thus Bruce and Alastor met and knew each other to some degree without Harvey's knowledge. Despite his generally antagonistic views of almost everyone outside of the system, Alastor developed a begrudging "tolerance" (fondness) for Bruce as Bruce would treat him well in a general sense, having no reason to resent him, especially in their youth. Harvey's adult life also generally follows typical canon: he went to college with Bruce (and a young Thomas Elliot) where they remained close until Bruce suddenly dropped out and effectively fell off the earth, leaving Harvey to complete his studies and attend law school alone. Harvey nor Alastor ever really forgave Bruce for his disappearance and even when he reappeared in Gotham several years later, there was an awkward wedge between them. In his law career Harvey saw significant success, graduating from public defense to assistant DA to District Attorney at an admirable speed. His willingness to call out and prosecute the corruption in the city led to targets being put on his back, but he wasn't deterred and eventually started a campaign for mayor, promising to help make the city into something better. His campaign - though controversial - was ultimately successful. Unfortunately, the attention he attracted by his political outreach included that of a career criminal called the Joker. The Joker, being purely an agent of chaos, did not care about Gotham's politics by any means, except where they were funny to him - and watching Harvey Dent grapple his own brain for control was very funny indeed. Having been entranced by Harvey for several months, the Joker decided he was going to make a laughing-stock of him, on the day of his mayoral inauguration. The Joker broke into City Hall and, with a generous measure of spectacle, tied Harvey to a chair in front of every news camera he could find and ripped the left side of his face off. The Joker's abilities allowed this to be a largely harmless, albeit very painful, process. Harvey's career as mayor was over before it had begun. He escaped, humiliated and panicking, into the depths of the city, where he was not seen again for several months.

*Harvey probably has several other less distinctive alters, but Alastor is the most significant one and the one Harvey is most capable of recognizing.

**I wanted to give harvey's alter a name that wasn't just an altered version of harvey's own name. "Alastor" was taken from a fanfic i read a long time ago and have since hopelessly lost track of. Per google: "In Greek mythology, Alastor is an epithet of the god Zeus, meaning "avenger" or "defender of men". Alastor was also the name of a spirit or force that punished wrongdoing and upheld fairness. The name also symbolizes memory, as it conveys the importance of not forgetting wrongs." In canon, I imagine harvey read about the epithet in a book as a child and was influenced by it. Thus, i suppose Alastor is technically an introject.

[gece-misin-nesin]

Can I get something off my chest about Bakugo? Have we seen/discuss any weaknesses of his quirk discussed in the series? Like, it has to rely on him sweating a bunch so he has to be able to sweat even in cold conditions and worry about dehydration right? Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen instances of him using it in ways where it wouldn’t work (the scene where he fights that helicopter I. The 3rd movie I believe?)?

Also also (this is a continuation of the last ask I sent but this has a spoiler for the ending in it so if this blog is spoiler free you can just delete it) how did Bakugo fly allllll the way over to Midoriya and explode Kurogiri’s head with his mouth (ya know, killing him when I’m not even sure Bakugo knew about his circumstances) while still just receiving open chest surgery???? (2/2)

Tbh I dropped the manga during the Nagant fight (it was so ass) and most of what i know about the final war arc is mostly word of mouth but him killing kurogiri (which. sucks so bad as a writing decision but whatever) AFTER just receiving heart surgery?? huh??? wild.

Agree SO SO MUCH about Bakugo's weaknesses never being shown in the story, I actually had a post about it! He basically mentions once the cold makes it harder for him to produce explosions but this never actually happens (like, idk, HIS FIGHT AGAINST SHOTO IN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL) so it's meaningless and there are some scenes where he rubs his wrists so I guess they hurt if he overdoes it. This is also never addressed. He basically never loses fights and I haate it. Shoto should be a hard counter to him using EITHER side, even worse with both. (The ice would make him cold, ie less explosions; and fire would detonate his sweat on its own which would be out of bkg's control and basically light him up) Bkg actually beating him is just bonkers to me. He always gets lucky with matchups too, like Tokoyami happening to be weak to light. Or he's conveniently in house arrest when the class fights Mirio so he can't even lose to him.

[mothhue]

i point at you

talk about robots

-totally not an australian paper bag

HEHEHE YAAAAYYYY!!!!! >:D I GET TO GO INSANE ABOUT THE SILLIES!!

Alrighty, soo...

Haunted scrapyard is an original project me and my friends have been working on, it's about six haunted robots going through all sorts of shinaniganry and adventures. With a good dose of villains, side characters and found family. Here's some assorted drawings/doodles I did for it!!

I adore haunted scrapyard so much, and I've been having a blast working on it!

...in fact, I've been having so much fun, that I uh

...yeah this is. a VERY small spoiler-free portion of the art I did for this project. (I also have over 7 documents written with over 20k words combined, not to mention the countless paragraphs I've written over on discord but let's ignore that for now)

If you're interested and want to check it out, HEHE THANK YOU :D!!! I heavily recommend looking through this document for a nice introduction to it!! We also have a blog centered around them, @haunted-scrapyard, but it's more of a glorious chaotic doodle pile. I would love love love it for people to check it out!!

Anyways, I ADORE THESE ROBOTS SO MUUCH AUGHAGUDHFKF My brain is completely full of these guys right now I am actively going feral. I need to be less shy and more cringe about them on here I am spinning around in my enclosure

[inkyu]

Do you have any old art or comics you gave up on?

I have been given the power to go on a super yap... :happy: :happy: :happy:

I have a lot of stories I gave up on because I had too many (20 if I recall right), but the ones I've kept/survived from my middle school story purge were Two Over A Kind, and Shadow Killed. However I have other stories that came after those two after I entered high school such as Mandela's Requiem, Backyard Thursday, Never So Norm, Collidests, and Rose Burnt, (yes I have a lot of stories, but they're not lore heavy so they might seem short/fast)

Although the only official rendition of a comic out right now would be Mandela's Requiem but I want to re-draw it in a different format similar to my ask blog @ask-the-druggieverse and what Homestuck uses because it's easier and I can gather all the images I draw and upload it YouTube for people to read

As for old art? oh geez I have a LOT of old art....

I'll put it under a read more and separate them by year U_U

Also blood warning (gore maybe too? not sure what to label it-) and huge and tiny spoilers for Mandela's requiem!!! (I just felt very proud of those drawings and I also can't help myself but show the future plans I have for MR's story!!) (and also characters that will appear in MR's epilogues!)

Part 2 Post

(Also if you see this in a fandom tag I.E Undertale, The Last Dimension.... Dream SMP. (neutral) then that's why (This was back in 2020 and I was still in 7th-8th grade at this time (I'm a senior right now) so don't judge me(I only drew beeduo and Michael so don't worry it's not those creature (IYKYK)))

(And no, I don't plan on drawing any DSMP in the near future, maybe if requested and the person isn't problematic (I.E Ranboo, Tubbo etc etc) however for the problomatic ones they will get heavy re-design/name change so they don't resemble their og character/persona to seperate the two more because I don't like looking at them knowing what they did. (Especially C!Wilbur, I view him looking different/being named something else)) (sorry if I keep yapping about this I know people hate the DSMP so much and I don't want to get attacked again (I've been attacked before in the past for liking it back in 2021-2022 on my old TT account (deactivated, my current TT account is dead and I never want to return to TT again.) so just mentioning DSMP on my main blog scares me a bit I hope you understand!))

2025 (Hey!! this Year!! :D)

some of these you've seen I'm guessing, I haven't drawn a lot of stuff yet but it's still the first month of 2025 ^w^, as for the first image It's still a W.I.P as there's other batches I need to complete! (If you wanna see them feel free to ask) I'm also gonna change it so that Cream is the son of Nicecream guy because when designing Cream I had the intentions of him being an OC and not an AU, Nicecream guy legit had 0 part to play when making him

Same goes for Hamburg, Calliope, and Basil as they're based of existing OC's mainly and not undertale OC's when they were supposed to (crazy)

Image Order:

1st: Fiddletale mini batch No.3

2nd: A Backyard Thursday trio!

3rd: Consent!Sans

4th: An ATDV Panel

5th: Someone needed help drawing beards so I made a ref to help U_U

2024

None of these I bet anyone has seen unless they're in discord servers I'm in

Anywhos, these are mostly oc's and 1 MAU I've talked about before (slice of pie verse)

Image Order

1st: My first drawing of 2024!! it's for my my OC story "Never So Norm" I was trying to find a design for Aliza AKA Ty's mom!, I'm gonna re-deisgn her again later because I don't see her as skinny anymore but a little more chubby U_U

2nd: Mandela's Requiem's epilogue characters! for any creepypasta fans out there yes... MR is like super/heavily inspired off of CRP characters, plus Ben Drowned was free game sense no one owned him (Nintendo technically own's this character legally but hey, fuck it we ball), and as for Casey I think you can guess who she's a walmart version of (Rina is completely original, I only added the "the killer" part cuz I thought it would be silly)

3rd: Backyard Thursday god silhouette list! I haven't fully drawn them out and needed some silhouette's to see how they would all look like!

4th: Mandela's Requiem epilogue Chester character sheet! I haven't touched this specific character sheet in a LONG time and need to come back to it as this story is one of the very few stories that has a small cast of characters to work on!!

5th: Slice Of Pieverse unified!Nightmare hehe ^w^ tiny spoilers: In SOPV fusion is a thing after the calamity happened (it's a split timeline of Underverse where Bill!Sans is a bit more important) although this isn't a "fusion" form, families (either blood related or adopted) don't fuse, they unify (essentially they can use each others abilities/their abilities become stronger)

2023 (oh geez, the in-between era of my old and current style..)

All of these are oc's (that includes the DGRP oc)

Image Order

1st: MY SILLIES FROM TWO OVER A KIND!!! ILY GUYS SMMM The main character isn't there but eh, these were re-designs ish as some of them changed from being half-vampire to full human (Duke & Jackey) and some just needed color palate changes or design changes (David & Luu)

2nd: I think my 3rd or 5th attempt at lineless? I don't know but I remember struggling a lot to do lineless so I just kinda just gave up, but hey! Look at me now! I really love lineless art now!!

3rd: My Danganronpa OC Yaku Unmei (or just Unmei) for a cancelled DGRP roleplay (I do not support the creator of the old roleplay. She intentionally or not has groomed minors into being desensitized to NSFW (I was already desensitized to it from the past but it's still fucked up) and wrote proship stuff.(I don't fucking care if it was for "accuracy" that shit was clearly a fetish. I can't believe your friends made me think for a second you weren't a groomer all because you have autism that's fucking insane.)) On a different note because I'm still not over that whole situation and person. (trauma response sorry) Unmei while being the ultimate unlucky student is one of the survivors of the killing game! If it was still ongoing... now she's just a DGRP OC that I might implement into one of my main stories

4th: More Never So Norm doodles! This time of beta-Terezi and Samy interacting! not too proud of how I drew Samy but hey... this is the inbetween era... :3

5th: Our lord and savior Jake Murdalinn who's also from Never So Norm, I love you Jake Murdalinn, my favorite ghost hunter and SFX crew guy

2022 (oh man the nostalgia is kicking in guys) (this folder and before it are so disorganized I cannot tell you which drawing I did after my first one in order U_U)

Oh geez... t h a t e r a... the era where I would just create create create and procrastinate a lot, I'm thankful for all of the characters that came out of it though

Image Order

1st: my Frist drawing of 2022, aka my OC 0-Riguren or Origuren (twas my mash mash words = name era as well), he's from TOAK (and needs a HEAVY re-design and STAT.)

2nd: Fanart of Phillip from the last dimension on webtoon! Also tiny fun fact! Phillip was the other inspiration for my OC Danny (I haven't drawn him yet but I have an idea) (Although the main inspiration was yet again, Karkat Vantas (Homestuck is one of my special interests so I have a lot of stuff inspired from Homestuck))

3rd: a TOAK height chart line up, and my second time trying to make one! my first time was.... augh... heavy note on making a height chart, there are going to be a lot of characters being similar in height and there's no need to worry about that (I worried about it my first time around...)

4th: Ah yes, Fiddletale... and.... Bartertale. (NOTE: Barter is no longer a sans or an AU, he's just an OC that's in BT along with Fiddle(long story but after Fiddletale ends It's no longer an AU however people can still claim it as an AU IDC bc everyone's gonna get re-designs for BT so essentially they're separate characters in a way)), some changes between Bartertale!Barter and Backyard Thursday!Barter: AU: Cis Man, A Sans, Skeleton, Out!Code BT: Trans Man, Half-Human Half-Skeleton no undertale involved, just a regular citizen trapped in a country in a forever winter Also Fiddle and Barter are husbands in BT <3

5th: The very first drawing I've done for Collideists... Also fun fact: This story would have never been made if I never joined an event in a discord server I'm in where everyone was making these species called "Shadow Creatures" I chipped in and created a "Light Creature" concept and things went on from there

2021 (OH HELL NAW JIGSAW GO BACK GO BAAACK :sob: :pray:)

Do you SEE how different my style was back in 2021!? oh lord... I'm like- super proud of my development... heh...

Image Order

1st: Amari Feng, She's from my given up story called "A Fantasized Beginning", I gave up on this story because I had too many stories and this one just had too much stuff going on (In short: It's basically RWBY and MHA mixed into one, kids go to school to become pro-hero's in outer-space because an evil group known as "the dark entropy" were colonizing/taking over planets and the heros had no idea how they kept doing it, and then BOOM!!! PLOT FUCKING TWIST!!! the number 1 pro-hero was the one conducting the evil groups plans all along and the hero get's stopepd by the MC's, although the colonizing and taking over doesn't stop as more villains pop up and hero's continue being hero's but this time the hero's have a easier time saving everyone) I made this story when I was in middle school along with many others, although after I did my story purge the only two stories that survived were Shadow Killed and Two Over A Kind (TOAK had a massive story overhaul and is not like it's OG plotline) I don't have plans to go back to this story, however I might if I complete all of my stories before I die, which I'm sure I will because I'm shortening a lot of them, and if I do I will DEF shorten AFB by a lot because middle school me planned like 16 something seasons (jesus.) (Also Amari was not the MC but an antagonist that later becomes an MC and was heavily inspired off of Himiko Toga(Can you tell?))

2nd: Heh... My first attempt at lineless art.... This is also back when Blipthyn was blue and was named Blueprint, I do not like TOAK's 5th rendition of a story as I was going through a hard time and heavily trauma dumped the shit out of that specific rendition of TOAK and just scrapped a lot of it, only a few things I liked survived in the current 6th? 7th? version of the story and I plan to keep it that way unless it becomes too long in my eyes

3rd: THE CTT!!! CHAOS TIME TRIO!!! Also my fist art/was around the time I met my friends Keter and Geno in the lunime discord server! we all loved undertale at this time and formed this group, a lot of things changed about each character so these are their old/beta designs, however this piece still has a place in my heart because of how special it is to me :hearts:

4th: I'm gonna be for real with you I have no fucking clue who this was for These aren't my characters nor do I remember the person who created these OC's, I do know I was very proud of this drawing because I made the other person super happy, I just dunno who it was so if by any chance you're the creator of these characters hi!!! :3

5th: Heh... Hello Swap <3 ILY <3

????-2020 (I don't know if all of this art was from 2020, all I know is that I shoved a bunch of art in this folder because I didn't wanna loose it XP) (also this only has 4 because I reached the 30 image limit so I will make a part 2 of my yap session U_U)

HEAVY NOTE: I do not support the problematic creators of the DSMP. I am a firm believer in separating the art from artist(s) to an extent. If both the art and Artist are problematic they can't be separated (I.E TCOAAL(I hate this game and creator.))

I do not support Dream, Wilbur Soot, ETC ETC, Even though I don't talk about the DSMP on this blog often I will refer to the roleplay characters with different names to help further separate the RP characters and person I.E: Wilbur: Wynter(Or Winter)(Sorry but ever sense the Shelby stuff my brain magically imagined a different guy in C!Wilbur's place)(i'm being so fucking fr rn, every time someone mentions C!Wilbur I think of someone different same goes for the others too), Dream: Delusion and Ambition(For DreamXD), George: Cogs ETC ETC (In fact I encourage anyone still in the DSMP fandom to do the same cuz Dream is getting a little too close to his DSMP character rn...)

Image Order

1st: Laim! he's also from another cancelled story called 12-15-22-5, or also known as 12-15-22-5 Project: Life this story was a romance between a resurrected angel heading and a human, the resurrected angel's goal from the company he was revived from was to find a way to break someone's heart/love to the point of dying so that they could kill a god (for some reason?? my middle school self never really specified why) However things backfire as the resurrected Angel falls in love with the love interest (heh... not straight BTW...) and other resurrected angels are sent after him and his friends because it'll "sabotage" their plan, I never planned an ending for this story but I do remember that this story was inspired off of HXH and Four Leaf on webtoon

2nd: I'm gonna be so fr I don't know why I made this character (his name is Phrog)

3rd: Ian and Damien's first ever design <33 And also Shadow Killed's first ever concept art! their designs have been changed by now so yeah :(, in fact this art was made back when I was beginning to feel happy again, although that died out because Middle School was super rough for me.

4th: Ah yes.... DSMP.... Beeduo.... and... MICHEAL!!! (This was back when the DSMP was at it's prime from my knowledge... augh...) I'm gonna so fr with you I never saw Michael (Beeduo's adopted child) as white I'm so sorry, I always viewed Michael as black I don't know why I did I just did XP, no hate to anyone who views Michael as white, I just never saw it myself This isn't ship art btw. You will be blocked if tagged as ship. (Not Threatening/Serious)

Part 2 Soon (Mainly for the comics because I reached the photo limit and I wanna show some old comic panels now :( )

[babyjakes]

forever and a day | 54. you didn't.

〈 disclaimer: this blog posts content not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. minors are strictly prohibited from viewing, sharing, or interacting with this blog. for more information on this blog's commitment to protecting minors, read our full statement here. 〉

← last chapter | series masterlist | next chapter (coming soon!) →

summary | a story in which america’s favorite captain gives a new life and family to a five-year-old girl who has suffered well beyond her years at the hands of hydra.

characters | dad!steve rogers, girl/willa rogers (original character)

warnings | AU similar enough to OU to include spoilers to many Marvel movies (Age of Ultron and beyond). action and fight scenes with violence and killing. injuries/mild gore. mature themes related to and semi-graphic depictions of child abuse/neglect, past CSA and CSM, and their aftermath (emaciation, wounds, scarring, etc). medical abuse (including sterilization) and experimentation. ptsd/trauma symptoms in a child (developmental discrepancies, de-humanized behavior, detachment, extreme fears). medical treatment of CSM and other aftermath of abuse.trauma-informed therapeutic treatment of ECT. minor mentions of disordered eating. themes relating to abuse of power/authority and immoral interrogation tactics including SA (with brief depictions.) evil!Tony Stark.

[Steve]

If the night at Bucky's had been an isolated incident, I wouldn't have thought much about it. Unfortunately, in the days that have followed, things have only seemed to get more and more difficult for Willa.

It started the following morning, when I woke up around 5:00am to find the little girl in the bed next to me, bawling her eyes out. I had quickly switched on the bedside lamp, checking her over to see what was the matter, and I found her to be in the grips of a seemingly hellish night terror. She had no mind channel open, no crimson glow, so there was no way for me to know what she was dreaming of. Immediately, I had gathered her in my arms, rocking and soothing her as best I could while simultaneously hoping to rouse her from her torturous sleep. But it was no use; she was far too deep in the nightmare to break free. She flailed and sobbed and sputtered incoherently for hours, and all I could do was hold her and watch. By the time 7:00am rolled around, she finally woke up, and at that point she was inconsolable.

I couldn't get anything out of her that entire morning. She had fought her way out of my arms and crawled deep under my blankets, and I simply had no heart to remove her. I tried coaxing her out with the promise of cuddles, breakfast, and even her favorite movie, but nothing worked. Eventually, I decided to leave her alone and let her determine when she felt safe to come out, but she ended up staying there for most of the day. When she did finally emerge, she was a puddle of tears, her eyes begging for comfort and reassurance. But at the same time, she wouldn't let me come anywhere near her. When bedtime came around again, I offered to let her sleep with me in my room for another night, and she surprised me greatly by agreeing to it.

Through the night, she had another horrific nightmare, one so terrifying that it sent her jumping out of the bed in fear when she awoke. As soon as she saw me waiting for her with the lamp on, a deeply concerned expression drawn on my face, she grew so afraid of being punished that she began hyperventilating, eventually passing out from her compromised airflow. In the agonizing process of her panic attack, she wet herself again, and it was at that point that I decided I needed to speak with Jenny.

"Did anything happen in the days leading up to her shift in behavior that might've been cause for such a regression?" the mild young lady asks as she sits across from me in the living room. Resting back against the soft cushions of the sofa, I pick apart the past week in my mind, ultimately unable to identify anything.

"No," I sigh with a shake of my head. "There were small incidents here and there, but that's always the way it's been with her. Nothing major happened, at least, not that I can think of." It's now later in the morning, and Jenny and I are wrapping up a last-minute session I requested while Willa plays in her room. The doctor started off speaking with the child herself, but after half an hour or so of not getting much response at all, she decided to come out and work with me instead.

"I see," Jenny notes, scribbling something down on her legal pad. Closing up her pen, she brings her eyes up to meet mine, a familiar sense of warmth and patience lingering in her gaze. "Steve, with everything that Willa's gone through, her road to recovery isn't going to be as smooth as any of us would like it to be." I nod, not sure where the doctor could be going with a statement like that. "And even though things seem like they're getting worse with her, this is actually a pattern that's seen quite frequently with survivors of abuse and trauma who've recently escaped. Willa's body and mind were suppressing a lot of emotions, a lot of fear during her captivity, and even at the tower due to the things Tony did; her system couldn't handle addressing these feelings, so it shut them out. Now that she's in a truly safe place, with a safe person who only loves her and takes care of her, those things are beginning to show themselves because it's safe for them to." A wave of relief washes over me as the woman finishes her explanation, and I let out a deep hum.

"So this... is normal?" I ask. She nods.

"It's a difficult part of the process, since it might seem to both of you like things are getting worse when they should be getting better, but it's really just a sign that her body and mind are ready to start doing some deeper repair."

"I see. That's..." my voice trails off as I bring a hand up to brush through my hair. "That's so good to hear," I finish honestly. "I was really worried that I had done something wrong, or was messing up in some way."

"I don't think you need to worry about that, Steve, not at all. You're doing a phenomenal job with Willa. She just adores you." A faint smile crosses my face as I think of the little girl, and how much love and care I hold for her in my heart as well. "As far as dealing with her new or returning behavior, I'd recommend allowing her to get it out, as much as you possibly can. A big part of her might just need to respond in the way her body originally wanted to. She might need to go through the act of being scared or crying or getting sick, since those were all responses that were made impossible for her up until now. In regards to the increased accidents, it's a very common indicator of sexual trauma in children. I know it's frustrating, but try to be as patient with her about it as you can."

"No, no- it's not even frustrating," I assure her quickly, meaning the words with all my heart. "Really, it's not. It's not a hassle when it happens, not at all; it just makes me so worried."

"I know it's alarming to see her regressing in that sense, but it's totally normal and shouldn't pose an issue permanently as long as she remains in a safe environment where she isn't violated sexually. We're just meeting her where she's at, if that makes sense, and where she's at might go forward or backward for a while before we really start making linear progress. I know you know this already, but Willa is in many ways somewhat younger than five still, at least internally. And that's okay. We just have to let her exist at whatever developmental age she's at."

"And you think- you're sure it's okay? That I'm kind of, well- I don't know, kind of 'babying' her, as Tony would say?" I ask, wanting to be sure the doctor still approves of my controversial approach. Jenny smiles, allowing me to relax even more with relief.

"Yes, that's completely acceptable. Actually, it's probably very therapeutic for her system to be allowed to have those critical early childhood experiences that she was deprived of for so long. Whatever helps her feel safe and secure, even if it's meant for younger kids, is completely fine."

"Good," I nod, feeling slightly more sure about myself as a parent from all of Jenny's encouragement. "I'm sorry she wasn't up to working with you today," I apologize again, "I told her you were coming and asked her to do her best to be open and honest, but... I don't know. At the same time, I don't have much heart to push her."

"It's completely fine," Jenny reassures me once more, shaking her head at my persistent apologizing. "Therapy isn't ever something that should be forced upon a child. She'll talk when she's ready." Glancing down at her notepad, she offers, "I was wondering, though, if maybe the three of us could wrap up the session together? I believe Willa's still playing by herself in her room, and a lot of times children can be demonstrative of what they're thinking or feeling through the ways that they play. Maybe we could sit in with her for a little bit, if you don't mind?"

"I don't mind at all," I tell her, earning a smile as she rises to her feet. 

"Alright, then," she says with a nod. "I'll let you lead the way."

Leading the woman back through the house, I stop just outside the child's half-open door, knocking a few times against the sturdy wood before pulling it the rest of the way open. Willa sits on the floor beside her bed, a few toys scattered around her as she holds a small wooden doll in her hands. Her big green eyes meet mine warily, and my heart sinks as she begins to tremble. "Hey sweetheart," I greet gently. For a moment, I remember that just a few days ago, she would beam every time I entered the room. Realizing that we're back to such a state of fear and uncertainty, a tinge of disappointment builds up inside of me. But then, I remember the doctor's words, and I'm able to remind myself that Willa's behavior is actually probably a good sign, in some weird way. "Things are starting to show themselves because it's safe for them to."

"Your daddy and I were wondering if we could sit and play with you for a little bit," the young lady's soothing voice overlaps her previous words running through my head. A look of skepticism forms on the little girl's face as she glances between the two of us, but thankfully after a few more moments, she nods. "Wonderful," Jenny says with a smile, and we enter in, both sitting a few feet back to give the child some space.

"What're you playing, Willa-bug?" I ask in a gentle tone, now able to get a better look at the toys she's taken out of her boxes. She has a bathtub and a sandbox from a dollhouse set, as well as Captain America and Ironman figurines, and the little brown-haired doll she's holding in her hand. The clothes are half torn off the doll, the hair messed and tangled. Big, frightened eyes look from the doll to me, and then back. "Who've you got there?"

"Willa," she says simply, holding up the doll that seems to represent herself. I nod.

"Is Willa getting dressed?" Jenny asks politely.

Swallowing hard, Willa shakes her head. "Off," she mumbles, removing the toy's purple dress and placing it on the floor. She then removes the doll's underwear as well, leaving it completely naked. Next, she reaches over and picks up the sandbox, opening up the cover. Almost urgently, she begins to dig, not stopping until she's created a little hole in the center. Then, she takes the Willa doll, placing it in the center of the hole. A lump forms in my throat as she buries the tiny pair of underpants with it, not paying any mind to the dress.

"Oh, you're... is Willa playing in the sand?" I ask, trying to understand the child's actions. Not giving a response, Willa simply continues with her scene, picking up the Ironman action figure and extending its arm. Clumsily, she begins using the plastic hand of the figurine to begin shuffling sand back over the doll that represents herself. "Willa, sweetie, what- what is Ironman doing?" I question carefully. 

Once the wooden doll and her underwear have disappeared completely beneath the sand, Willa extends the other arm of the superhero's body, making them now both stick out straight. With a concerning amount of force, she begins jabbing the hands into the sand, uncomfortable sounds of plastic and wood colliding as the man apparently attacks the girl. Glancing over at Jenny, I see that her brow is furrowed in concentration. All I can hope is that she's understanding what Willa's actions mean, because to be completely honest, I have no idea what to make of any of it. 

After several more moments of the violent motions, Willa finally stops, putting Ironman's arms back down and dropping him to the floor. Sifting through the sand, Willa pulls out the wooden doll, shaking her off slightly before finding her purple dress and redressing her. Turning back to the sandbox for a moment, she uses a single finger to re-bury the underpants, causing my brain to ache with questions and concerns. When satisfied with the way the piece of clothing is hidden, Willa picks up the bathtub, once again removing the doll's dress before placing her in the tub, coming to what seems to be a stopping point.

"Sweetheart?" I ask quietly, unable to even form my thoughts into a question.

"Can you tell us what you're doing, Willa?" Jenny fills in for me. "Willa's taking a bath now?" The little girl nods. "What about Daddy? He's with you when you take baths, right?" she continues, picking up Captain America off the floor and offering it to the child. To my surprise, Willa shakes her head, pushing the doll away. Jenny lets her. "No help from Daddy? Okay, that's okay, hun," the doctor says quickly, wanting to avoid upsetting the chidl. 

"What was... what happened in the sandbox, honey?" I ask, not sure if I should be asking so many questions but ultimately too worried to refrain from doing so. Willa flinches slightly at my question, her bottom lip quivering as she gives me nothing but silence in return. "Okay, it's okay, sweetheart," I coo soothingly, not wanting to push the subject too hard, "that's okay, you don't have to tell us."

"How about you keep playing, sweetie," Jenny suggests, "it's okay. You said Willa was in the bath?" The small girl nods, looking back down at her toys before pulling the doll out of the tub, redressing her in her purple gown. Then, the child surprises both me and the doctor by repeating the same exact process all over again, starting with digging out the underpants in the sandbox, putting them back on the doll, and then completely undressing it.

My brow creases in perplexion as I watch Willa 'play,' her motions almost seeming like a routine or ritual that her body knows by heart. She repeats the entire scene once, then twice, and by the point in which she's buried herself a third time with her underwear, preparing the Ironman doll to perform his assault, I finally speak again, causing the child to pause. "Willa," I breathe, my heart pounding faintly in my ears. "What are you doing?"

Her wary gaze rises to meet mine and she blinks, her arm beginning to tremble as she clutches the action figure tightly. 

"Could you explain it to us?" Jenny adds, her voice laced with concern. "What is Ironman doing to Willa?"

"Why is she buried with her underwear?" I ask, earning a glance of warning from the doctor. Sighing, I take a moment to breathe, not wanting to say anything I might regret. "What is- sweetheart," I murmur as I notice the poor thing's eyes filling with tears. "What is Tony doing to you?"

"Hurting me," she concedes, her voice barely loud enough to hear. Her big green eyes peer up at mine and beg for what she's too afraid to out loud: to not hurt her, myself, to not be angry with her for expressing her feelings with her toys.

"Okay, Willa-bug," I nod, not completely understanding but deciding that at the moment, I don't really need to. My biggest priority for now has to be showing Willa that she's safe and that she's not in trouble for what she's admitted. "What if- how about Daddy comes and helps you?" I offer hopefully, taking the Captain America figure from Jenny carefully and holding it up for the little girl to see. "How about Daddy comes and protects you?"

"N-no," Willa refuses, picking up her sandbox and holding it slightly closer to herself, almost in a protective manner.

"Why not, sweetheart? How about Daddy comes and- comes and makes Tony stop, stops him from hurting you," I try, reaching out with the figure and trying to place it in the sandbox with the other two characters. Unexpectedly, Willa jerks it away, bits of sand spilling out from the sides as a look of anger forms on the child's face, a look I've never seen before. "Willa, please-" I insist, extending a hand to take hold of the sandbox.

But to my complete surprise, instead of pulling back again or allowing me, Willa throws the entire thing at me, sand dumping all over my clothes as she snaps, "No. You don't. You didn't."

As the dust settles into my lap and I blink away the sand from my eyes, I'm met with the sight of Willa staring back at me, any indication of anger or frustration completely drained from her face. Her eyes are as wide as saucers as she gawks at me, as if she, herself, can't believe what she's done. And before I can say anything, before I can reassure her or even try to calm her fears, she's jolted up onto her feet, running right out of her bedroom door. 

← last chapter | series masterlist | next chapter (coming soon!) →

[gingernut1314]

Face Your Fears

Luffy x GN!Reader

Summary: Deep in the jungle, you are faced with your biggest fear and your captain is more than happy to help you.

Warnings: fluff, arachnophobia, very mild spoilers for the anime (Alabasta arc to Post-Enies Lobby arc mentioned), use of Y/N

Word Count: 1.4K

A/N: This is my first "full-fledged" Luffy fic soooo I hope it turned out okay lol. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy!! 🩷🩷🩷

↞ to One Piece Masterlist | Request Rules | Blog Navigation ↠

You stood deathly still in the middle of the thick, dense jungle. Sweat ran down your skin in pools, the muggy heat doing nothing to help calm you down. Your muscles had grown so taut you feared they might snap under the pressure. Your limbs were frozen in place as you fought against the rising panic in your chest. 

This was a nightmare. Your worst nightmare.

The one thing you feared above everything else. 

And you were stuck--unable to move to free yourself from the situation. 

You whimpered pitifully as your captain came hopping back down from the tree he had climbed, bouncing like some ball as he called your name, arm extended to show off the stick he had found for you to admire.

“This one is so much cooler then the one you found. Usopp is going to be so jealo--why are you all pale?” Luffy asked, titling his strawhat adorned head and blinking his long eyelashes slowly at you as he tried to figure out what was wrong.

Everything was wrong. So, so wrong. 

“H-Help.” Your tightened throat croaked out. “Help me. Please.” Luffy’s easy going nature shifted instantly, steady seriousness filling his dark brown eyes as they scanned the small amount of cleared space you both stood in.

“What’s wrong? Someone here?” 

“Luffy.” You stressed, that nightmare growing closer and closer. He snapped back to you and you found the strength within you to shakily lift your hand to point to your other, already outstretched arm. “Please--get it off.” 

His eyes followed your guidance to find the big, furry spider crawling its way slowly up your arm. One that had some how, thanks your horrible luck, had found its way to land on you. 

But, instead of instantly coming to your rescue, that signature grin of his stretched across his face, bringing attention to the thin scar just under his left eye. 

“Cooool! Where did you find that tarantula?” Luffy asked, coming into your orbit. He took your wrist in his strong, warm hand only so he could observe the creature more closely.

“Get it off!” You panicked, your heart feeling as if it might burst out of your chest. “Please, please, please get it off!” Your panic turned into a near sob of fear, your eyes beginning to sting with it.

“‘Kay.” Luffy shurgged, happily scooping the too-many legged monster off your skin. 

The frozen spell the vile beast had put you under fell away and you scrambled from Luffy, bumping into a nearby tree in your rush. You frantically swiped and scrubbed at your skin to try and get rid of the icky feel of all those furry legs. 

“He’s not bad, Y/N. He’s friendly, see.” Luffy said, bounding back over to you, spider in hand, to show you just how ‘firendly’ it was. 

“NO! Luffy!” You screamed, sprinting away from your captain who continued to happily chase you with it like this was a game, that cackling, mischievous laugh of his never ceasing.

“He’s so tiny and fluffy! He’s not gonna hurt you.” 

“Tiny? Look at it’s fangs!” You screeched as Luffy hopped infront of you again. You were quick to freeze in your place before you could run head first into Luffy and the horrid demon he held. Luffy smiled brightly at you as he raised the spider up all too close to his eyes.  

“You know it would be the coolest if we could have fangs too.” He mused, lightly petting the tarantula who seemed too at ease within Luffy’s hold. “Like….this!” Luffy snapped his head back towards you, both his canine teeth stretched, thanks to his Devil Fruit powers, to resemble that of long, sharp fangs. You huffed in annoyance at him.

“Can you please just--throw it away or something? It’s--I don’t like it.” Luffy gave a loud whine in protest, teeth snapping back to normal.

“But--Y/N, just come look at him. He’s super cute. And you like super cute animals. He’s like Chopper--well…expect he’s not a reindeer and can’t talk.” Luffy said, starting towards you once more. You took a step back with every step he took forward. 

“It sure as hell is nowhere near as cute as Chopper. I don’t want to look at it.” You snapped. 

“He’s more scared of you then you are of him, I swear.” You yelped when your back hit another tree, blocking you from moving any further. Your heart began to race as you spied the demon still resting in Luffy’s plam. 

“Luffy--I’m serious.” 

“And I’m serious too. Can you just look at him? Please? I’ll hold him the whole time.” Luffy begged, thankfully stopping in his journey towards you. You watched him and the monster for a very, very long moment. A moment you took to try and calm your heaving breath. 

“Will it make you quit bugging me with that--thing, if I do?” Luffy nodded rapidly, his smiling growing ever the more wide. “Don’t you dare more or I swear I’ll kill you.”

“Still as a statue.” Luffy said, making a show of freezing up his body. You approached him as slow as a snail, your breath becoming heavy and short all over again. 

“It’s okay. You know I won’t let anything happen to you.” Luffy smoothed as you came to a stop a few inches before him. His words helped steady your breathing, but made your heart pitter-patter in a different rhythm then that of fear or panic. 

A rhythm your heart had been beating for your captain for a long, long time now. Ever since he had dragged you from your little back water home and took you on all the adventures you had ever dreamed of. 

From wicked, hook-wielding Warlords, islands in the sky full of angels, strange games amongst enemy pirates, to islands flooded with water, and the start of new friendships--that rhythm had been there, sounding only for him. For the man who was making your dreams become a reality and whose kind and warm, yet strong nature pushed you to grow more then you could have ever thought possible.

And here he was again, pushing you to over come this seemingly silly fear of yours in such a--loving and caring way that just made that rhythm beat all the more fast.

“Its…” It was ugly. It was just as horrible to look at in Luffy hand as it was on your arm…but it was fluffy…and you did enjoy a good fluffy animal. “It looks like he’s wearing orange socks.” You observed, glancing up at Luffy whose smile was brighter then the sun beating down on you.

“He does! That’s what we should call him then. Socks!” Luffy broke his statued state to pet the spider again. “Hi, Socks. You’re gonna love it on the Sunny. We’ll even have Franky build you a tank--Oo! Right next to the aquarium!” You snapped away from the spider with a shake of your head. 

“No. That thing--”

“Socks.” Luffy reminded you chipperly. You only huffed. 

“Socks is not coming with us back to the Sunny.” Luffy whined again as you started for your dropped supply pack. 

“But--he’ll be lonely here.” You felt your skin prick in more fear when Luffy’s voice was much closer to you then it had been before. You hesitantly looked to the side to find a thousand beady little eyes staring back at you. You gave a throaty scream that you tried to keep as muffled as you physically could, all but throwing yourself backward.

“He--he has family here, I’m sure.” You said as calmly as you could, pulling your pack onto your shoulder. Luffy groaned, but agreed with you. 

“Yeah.” You watched him place Socks on a moss covered log, saying a quick goodbye to the furry beast. Luffy’s sad face made you feel just the tiniest bit sorry for him…for him and Socks. 

“Luffy…” You said as he grabbed up his stick again and you both started back through the jungle. “I’m sorry we couldn’t keep Socks.” Luffy shrugged.

“Eh. You’re right. He has a family here. A life. I couldn’t take him from that.” Luffy said, that lovely smile of his pulling to his face. “Besides,” He continued, throwing an arm over your shoulders and pulling you into his side. You felt your skin heat and heart start up its pitter-pattering all over again at his closeness. “I wouldn’t want Socks to keep scaring you like that.” He said, nuzzling his face into your cheek. You leaned into his affectionate touch, savoring anything he would give you. 

“Thank you…maybe we can find a less--leggy animal to keep as a pet.” Luffy lit up like one of Usopp’s fireworks. 

“Really?” You nodded, spurring Luffy’s hold on you to fall away despite your want to keep him close. “Awesome! I’m gonna go look!” He stated before bouncing off deeper into the jungle, leaving you to try and calm your racing heart all over again.

Taglist: @fanaticsnail

[liminal-station]

MODCAT’S HALLOWEEN SPECIL

Happy Halloween, people of Earth! Today is a day of costumes, candy, and booping, apparently. And for the last few days, I’ve been working on a treat to give to all of you!

I deal with the multiverse a lot on this blog, so I’ve seen my fair share of differences and oddities. For instance, did you know there’s a world where the Subway Bosses aren’t Pokemon characters, but are actually characters from a Tim Burton film? In the film, Ingo dies and enters the afterlife, where he is selected by the ferryman Charon to take his place. He uses his power to travel back to the world of the living and reunite with Emmet, setting the stage for a macabre adventure between worlds.

Eeeeexcept that’s not actually a universe I or the Liminal Twins have been to. It’s an AU I’ve had in the works for around a year now, titled Psychopomp and Circumstance. I’m excited to release the first chapter once it’s completed, but for now, I’ve got a tasting portion for you to sink your teeth into, with a special guest appearance by the ghost with the most, if you know what I mean~

Word count: 3663

Content warnings: frequent death mentions, detached body parts (cartoony), mild swearing, kicking a horse, insects inside someone

Spoilers for Beetlejuice 1 and 2

Enjoy! And remember… don’t say his name three times.

Amongst the dead, only two men have the power to travel to the world of the living whenever they please and be seen by living humans. One is the psychopomp, appointed by Charon himself and given the sacred task of escorting the dead to their resting place. The other, the afterworld’s most wanted criminal. The man was easy to find, but hard to catch; simply saying his name aloud thrice was all it took to invoke him, but he obeyed no law but his own. In his hundreds of years of undeath, he had become a master of dark magic, with the power to warp reality itself in the blink of an eye. Not even the living were immune to his cruel and unusual machinations. The dead all knew him by name, but few dared to speak it.

It had been a few weeks since Ingo Vanderbilt’s tragic death. After being chosen to take over as the official psychopomp, he returned to Earth to reunite with his brother, Emmet, and show him the truth of life and death. Since that day, Emmet made a habit of visiting the afterworld as his brother's official plus-one. He was nowhere near used to the macabre and unsettling nature of the place, but he found that death wasn’t all that different from life, and he was, of course, grateful to have his twin brother back.

The two of them were headed to meet up with one of Ingo’s new acquaintances, a woman named Irida who was a great warlord in ancient Japan. Emmet was still quite a bit bewildered that his brother held such a high rank in the afterlife, but proud of him nonetheless. As they walked through the winding cobblestone streets, Emmet following the light of his brother’s lantern, Ingo spotted a wall of posters illuminated by a skull-shaped street lamp. Emmet didn’t even notice Ingo had stopped until he heard the sound of paper ripping.

“Uh… Ingo? Why exactly are you taking down that poster?”

Ingo ripped the poster into unreadable scraps with his skeletal hands, and tossed them to the howling wind.

“We cannot have that fiend advertising his “services”. Not on my watch.” Ingo began to tear off a few more of the posters, letting them fall to the ground. Curious, Emmet picked up one of the posters…

TROUBLED BY THE LIVING? Exor-cise YOUR right to rest in peace! Call the afterlife’s leading bio-exorcist TODAY toll-free!

Commercial - Residential - Industrial

BETELGEUSE BETELGEUSE BETELGEUSE

“Ingo, you have to be overreacting. Sure, this could be a scam, but you should really deal with that through the proper channels!”

“You don’t understand”, Ingo said as his half-rotten head turned a perfect 180 degrees to look at his brother. “That man is a danger to both the dead AND the living. That “bio-exorcism” gig is just his way to open the door… and once that door is open, he is uncontrollable. He can even bring direct harm to the living…”

Emmet’s eyebrows shot up. “H-he can hurt the living? I thought that was forbidden!”

“It is. But he knows the laws from front to back, and he knows exactly how to bend them. If some poor soul happened to summon him, the entire afterworld could be in danger.”

Emmet looked down at the flier again. It even had a section detailing this man’s “romantic” services… ew. But Emmet simply couldn’t see how something like this could be the work of an immortal dark mage…

“If he really is a danger to ghost-anity, I’m sure the authorities are already looking for him. Besides, how is anyone supposed to get a hold of him, anyway? There’s no phone number to be seen anywhere in this entire advertisement! Just the word “Betelgeuse” over and over…”

“Emmet, I am warning you from the bottom of my cold, unbeating heart to NOT say that name. If you say it three times in a row…”

“Okay, okay! I will conduct my safety checks, you can trust me…”

As the twins continued to walk through the twisted streets, paved with chunks of gravestone and dead grass, Emmet couldn’t shake the thought of that name. Every time Ingo would take down one of the advertisements, he would glance down at the scraps and repeat that accursed name in his head. He was used to Ingo haunting the station, but for his mind to be haunted was a totally different experience.

“Quite a few beetles out today…” Ingo remarked offhandedly as he felt the crunch of a beetle under his boot. Beetle… could it be? Was this some sort of sign? Emmet tried his best to keep his composure, but he began to wonder… What would happen? What would truly happen if he gave in and summoned the bio-exorcist? He was not even sure what services he would need, or what he would be paying in, but the thought was almost demonically tantalizing, and the sensation only grew with every second. He began mouthing the word silently… Betelgeuse. Beetle-Juice. It felt… right, somehow. It was as if he was born to say that name.

“Emmet? Earth to Emmet!”

Emmet quickly snapped out of his own thought spiral.

“Uh- yeah. I-I’m okay.”

Ingo looked incredibly worried. “You froze in the middle of the sidewalk… are you getting tired? Do you not want to meet Irida? Both are quite okay, I promise.”

Emmet shook his head, his mind still filled with thoughts. “N-no, it’s just… I-I’ll be alright, brother.”

Ingo placed his cold hands on his brother's shoulders. “You are clearly not. Is it the temperature? Us dead folk can withstand the cold, but you’re still alive. Do you want to wear my coat?”

A beetle fluttered past and landed on Ingo’s arm. That small event, a single insect, was all it took for Emmet to finally break.

“B-Buh… Buh…”

“Emmet?!? Don’t worry, I’ll get you back to the world of the living. Just remain calm!”

“Buh… Beetlejuice…”

Ingo took a step back. “E-Emmet? You’ll be okay, we-“

“Beetlejuice.” Emmet was set in his ways. He didn’t even look at his brother. Ingo tried desperately to make his brother reconsider, but he feared it was already too late.

“Brother! Please, you must change your track! You don’t understand what this could do! You could be putting us both in danger!

But Emmet did not hesitate. He couldn’t live without knowing. The curiosity gnawed at his very soul, pushing him forward, forcing that last word out of his mouth. He tossed aside his fears, and proclaimed:

“BEETLEJUICE!”

The ground began to shake as the sky clouded over, flashing with green lightning and booming thunder. The twins held on tight to their hats as the wind quickly sped up, on the verge of becoming a hurricane. To Emmet, it felt as though the world had started spinning, spinning, spinning…

And then, it stopped. Emmet steadied himself, allowing his racing heart to slow down. The twins found themselves standing in what appeared to be a small call center, staffed entirely by men with shrunken heads who answered call after call despite all their mouths being sewn shut.

“Ingo? Uh… where are we?”

“I don’t care where we are. We have to get out.” He hoisted up the Stygian Lantern, the ancient artifact bestowed upon him by Charon that granted him the ability to travel anywhere in seconds…

“Huh? Where did the lantern go?!”

The lantern, the source of Ingos power, was nowhere to be found. He began to panic, knowing he was utterly powerless without it and had no means of escape or self-defense.

“Looking for this?”, said a voice that sounded like it had been smoking a pack a day for the past hundred years. The twins turned to face a man sitting at the desk who definitely hadn’t been there moments before. His legs were crossed with his feet resting on the desk, and he dangled the lantern above his head, his sunken eyes going over every detail.

“Been meaning to get my hands on this puppy. Thanks for dropping it off, boys!”

“You will give that back this instant!” Ingo proclaimed, standing his ground even in this unfamiliar place. “That lantern is mine and mine alone! Only I can wield it!”

“Hm… nah.” Instead of standing up, Beetlejuice simply floated out of his seat casually. “With this little doohickey, I’ll finally be able to get around that “saying my name three times” rule. And then I can visit Lydia whenever I want.”

Emmet finally chimed in, nervously asking “Uh… who’s Lydia?”

“Who’s Lydia?! Only the most beautiful, kind-hearted, angelic woman I’ve met in 500 years! I simply can’t imagine after-living without her…” Sad music began to play from everywhere at once, as if the air itself turned into pure song. “But she rejected me BOTH times I tried to force her to marry me!”

“Um… that doesn’t exactly seem consensual, Mister Juice, sir…” Emmet stammered.

“You’re doing all this… because of a CRUSH?! An UNREQUITED one at that?!? Ugh… you will hand the Stygian Lantern back NOW.”

Beetlejuice simply cackled, filling the air with the disgusting stench of his breath. “Last time I checked, the guy with the lantern makes the rules… and the guy with the lantern is ME. Sayonara, fuckers.”

With a raise of his hairy eyebrow, a trapdoor in the floor opened up, or rather, manifested on the spot. The brothers Vanderbilt held onto each other's hands as they fell, eventually landing on a sand dune. Emmet coughed up sand, meanwhile Ingo didn’t need to as it passed right through his exposed, organless ribcage.

“Where are we now?” Emmet asked. Ingo tried to speak, but was interrupted by a booming roar. Something big was rustling underneath the surface, encircling them…

Suddenly, it burst up from underground in a cloud of desert sand. The twins were face to face with a sandworm, the apex predator of Saturn’s moon. It opened its massive, fanged mouth full of stalactite-sized teeth, revealing a second head within, both salivating at the sight of their next meal.

“INGO?! WHAT DO WE DO?!?”

“It should be obvious… WE RUN!!!”

The two bolted away, rushing through the sandy canyon of the alien planet. Ingo held Emmet’s hand as they ran, dragging him along since Ingo didn’t have lungs to run out of breath with. The beast swam in and out of the sand as it hunted them down, snaking in a zig-zag pattern to gain speed. Its jaws were so close, Emmet could nearly feel its breath on the back of his neck.

The twins spotted a strangely-shaped rock and immediately crouched down behind it, keeping as quiet as they possibly could. Ingo’s heart would be pounding out of his chest, if he had a heart or a chest. The sandworm continued to scan the area, using its heat-sensitive vision to hunt down ghosts, its favorite prey. Emmet held his breath, trying to make himself as small as possible, while Ingo contemplated how the hell they were going to get out of this. He knew he would simply be digested and pop back up in the afterworld, but that wasn’t an option since Emmet was still alive. Suddenly, the trapdoor opened up again, and a hand reached down from the hole in the sky.

“Grab my hand!”

It was Irida! Ingo and Emmet knew they had no time to question how she had found them. They waited until the worm dove back under the sand, and when it did they ran as fast as they could back to the trapdoor. Unfortunately, the worm could sense something hot and cold nearby, and went right back to the chase.

“Emmet, it’s too high up! How are we going to reach?!”

Emmet tried to think, although his mind was mainly focused on survival.

“I’ve got it! You can detach your limbs, right? Take off your arm! I’ll hold onto your leg, don’t worry!”

“On it!” Ingo grabbed onto his right shoulder with his left hand, and ripped it out at the base. Emmet was still amazed that he felt no pain whatsoever from doing that. Holding his detached arm in his other hand, he was able to reach up to take Irida’s hand. She pulled them up with all her strength, luckily avoiding the sandworm’s jaws just in time. The trapdoor shut behind them and fused back into the floorboards as Beetlejuice’s magic wore off. Emmet collapsed on the ground, huffing shallow breaths and trying to come out of survival mode.

“Thank you kindly, Lady Irida…”, Ingo said as he dusted sand off his uniform. “How is it that you found us, anyway?”

“You’re never late to ANYTHING. I knew something had to be up. And, of course, I could hear your brother screaming from a mile away.”

Emmet nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Must have been loud, then…”

With a moment to think clearly finally, he realized this whole situation wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t said those three little words. Both the world of the living and the world of the dead were in danger now because of him. Ingo knew his brother well, and he could tell when Emmet was receding into his own head. He sat down next to his brother, reattached his arm, and put it around his brother.

“Emmet, this isn’t your fault.”

“It is.” Emmet couldn’t even bring himself to look at his brother. “Your lantern… it’s gone. And it’s my fault. I-I don’t even know what I was thinking, I… I felt like I had to. I was so stupid… I should just go home.”

“Emmet… wait, I hear something. Would you… would you sit still for a moment?”

That snapped Emmet out of it just a little bit. “Uh… sure? What are you-“

He froze when he felt Ingo’s bony fingers digging inside his ear. He reached deep inside Emmet’s ear canal and pulled out a small, chittering beetle. “Here it is. I had a feeling.”

“Would you look at that…” Irida chimed in.

“See, it’s not your fault at all, Emmet. You just didn’t notice a bug in your ear. It was probably compelling you to summon Beetlejuice. I didn’t know he got into the mind control business…”

Emmet was utterly stunned, and decently traumatized as well. He had a bug in him… a BUG in his EAR. An entire BEETLE. He would never be clean again, no matter how much he bathed… The beetle fluttered up into the air, neon green wings shimmering as it left a trail of clearly magical residue behind it.

“Hold on a moment… you said the lantern is gone? It’s tied to your very soul, is it not? Why can’t you simply… call it back to you?” Irida questioned.

“Believe me, Lady Irida, I’ve tried. But this is Beetlejuice we’re talking about. His power even rivals Charon’s, dare I say…”

“Oh, him? Back in my time, he was known as quite the fearsome yokai, known for granting wishes in exchange for releasing chaos into people’s houses. It seems like he hasn’t changed much in the 200 years since… and if there’s anything I know about him, it’s that he can’t be allowed to keep your lantern!”

“W-well, technically it’s Charon’s lantern, I’m simply-“

Emmet suddenly had another idea. “I am Emmet. I suspect that if we follow the bug, it could lead us back to Beetlejuice!”

Ingo didn’t seem to mind that his brother interrupted him. “Emmet, once again, you are a genius! And if he’s piloting my ghost train…” He shudders, imagining that horrid scene. “…we could hijack it before he crosses the Styx!”

Irida stepped forward. “If it’s a train you’re after, you’ll need my horse. Not to worry, spirit horses always find their way back to their pastures!”

She put two fingers in her mouth and let out a whistle at a frequency only spirit horses could hear. That kind of summoning technique took many years to master, but Irida made it look easy. The galloping of its hooves could be heard from far in the distance, and it phased through the wall and into the room at the command of its master.

“Hop on. We’re losing moonlight, as Adaman would say. I hate it when he says that…” Ingo and Emmet sat behind Irida on the ethereal steed, and together they set off to take the lantern back once and for all.

A ghostly mist billowed from the smokestack of the Ghost Train as it rapidly approached the River Styx. Beetlejuice, dressed in a black-and-white striped conductors uniform, drove the train straight through the city streets, cackling all the way as it phased in and out of houses. Irida, Ingo and Emmet followed the smoke on horseback, Irida frequently commanding the horse to go faster with a kick to the ribcage. Ingo knew they were fast approaching the Styx, and while he trusted Irida and her 200 years of experience, he feared there may be no hope. They began to catch up just as the train left the city, and the three could see the river drawing closer. Beetlejuice hit the gas while a clone of him shoveled bones into the fire.

“Ingo! Emmet! You’re going to have to jump!”

“JUMP?!?” Emmet yelped. “If we miss, I’ll drown in the Styx!”

“Brother, I’m afraid we have no better option…”

Emmet’s done much more daring things than this. At least, that’s what he kept repeating in his head to calm his nerves. Just as the Ghost Train began to cross the river, the twins leapt off the horse. Ingo grabbed hold of the back of the train, and managed to catch Emmet’s hand. He hoisted Emmet across just before his arm came out of its socket. Again, Emmet had to catch his breath. This was certainly a night he wouldn’t forget for a long time…

Ingo turned to his brother. “You sneak in and get this train to stop before it reaches the threshold. Don't worry, I’ve designed the controls to be pretty intuitive. I’ll keep him distracted and try to get the lantern out of his hands.”

“Y-you’re sure about this? …okay. Trains are what I know best, after all!” Emmet broke into the train and made his way to the front, while Ingo used the attached ladder to climb up to the roof. The rumbling and shaking of the train was like second nature to him, even in death.

“Beetlejuice! I know you can hear me, you foul thing. We’re going to settle this like men, not creatures of the night.”

Beetlejuice peeked up from a hatch at the front of the train. “Damn hobos, trying to dodge fares again- huh? It’s YOU?! I sent you all the way to Titan, how did- you know what? Nevermind.” He hopped up to join Ingo on the roof, brandishing the stolen lantern with a toothy, yellow grin. “You want your toy back so bad? Hahaha…”

His laugh grew from a gentle chuckle to a maniacal cackle, and his stature began to grow as well. The bones in his arms cracked and snapped as they began to curl into spirals. His conductor's hat transformed before Ingo’s eyes into a carousel of sorts, with all manner of beasts spinning around his head, and the lantern spinning along with them, dangling from a hook.

“COME AND GET IT!!”

Ingo couldn't do much in the way of damage without his lantern, which could turn into a scythe in a burst of otherworldly flame. All he could do was dodge Beetlejuice’s hammer-hands and hope Emmet could stop the train in time. Ingo tried to scale his attacker’s massive arms and reach for the lantern himself, but a single sweeping strike reduced him to a pile of flesh and bones. All the while, Beetlejuice couldn’t contain his sadistic laughter.

Suddenly, the wheels started to spark. Just as the light of the threshold between worlds was drawing closer, the train ground to a halt!

“WHAT’S THE HOLD UP?! KEEP SHOVELING! PULL EVERY LEVER YOU CAN!!”

“No can do, Mister Juice. None of this was in our arrangement. In fact, did we even discuss an arrangement in the first place? As far as I can tell, this is fraud.”

“HEY, NO WAY! YOU DON’T KNOW THE RULES OF THE AFTERLIFE, FLESHY!”

“But I know the rules of the subway. And criminals aren’t allowed on the train. Beetlejuice…”

“DON’T DO WHAT I THINK YOU’RE GONNA DO, KID.”

“Beetlejuice…”

“WHAT IS IT YOU WANT? MONEY, FAME, LOVE? COME ON, I’M DOUBLE-DYIN’ HERE!! PLEASE, DON’T-“

“Beetlejuice.”

And with that, the summoning spell was broken. Beetlejuice exploded into a cloud of confetti and Halloween candy like some sort of undead piñata, and the lantern fell right into Ingo’s armless hand. Emmet climbed up to help put his brother back together.

“Thank you, Emmet. Thank you very much. I should have never said anything about those advertisements in the first place…”

“Come on, don’t thank me. I had to fix my mistake. And nothing was going to stop me from helping my brother… even if he’s dead. ESPECIALLY when he’s dead.”

“…I suppose you’re right. We’ll have to make plans with Irida another night, then… if she forgives us for all the trouble.”

“Heh, you can say that again…” He looked towards the light streaming from the other side of the veil between worlds. “That's pretty bright. Must be close to morning, right?”

“Well, we’re already here.” Ingo stood up straight and tall, donning the professionalism of a conductor. “I suppose I should be taking you back now and beginning the day’s work. You deserve a nice, long shower, anyway.”

Emmet shivered. “I doubt I’ll ever feel clean again…”

The twins shared a heart laugh as the train slowly started up again. Emmet took his seat inside, but a feeling crept up his spine that he couldn’t shake. A feeling that he hadn’t seen the last of Beetlejuice…

[twstbud]

Update on my twst-related blogs (this, @/shroudbud, and @/vinyldraconia):

As of late, I admittedly haven't really been as invested in twst like i used to over a year ago. </3 There's only like....... two characters I care about LOL

But other than that, I think I'll delete this blog. I'll still leave my respective Idia and Malleus blogs up since they're the said two characters that I only care about in this game

This is kinda similar to what I do with obey me now: while I no longer play the game, I do have a small ounce of attachment to some of the characters, so I still may draw fanart of them here and there.

And I stopped playing it + left the twst fandom also for the same reason I did for obey me: as a free-to-play user, I've lost enjoyment in the game itself. Like...... the main story I'm not as invested in (I already see screenshot spoilers anyways LOL), gacha feature I have absolute zero luck in, and I guess everything else (battles, lessons, etc) just feels mundane to me. EMPHASIS ON "TO ME" THOUGH.... this is just how the game makes me feel as of now.

That's all I wanted to say. I understand if this upsets anyone that mainly followed me for my twst stuff ;; I'll most likely just leave this blog up for a month or two before purging it. As as mentioned before, my shroudbud and vinyldraconia blogs will remain up!

[cepetriwrites]

Behind the Chapter (Into the Eye Ch 32)

This chapter was a doozy and involved a lot of research wormholes. Let's get cracking.

Language

Trying to depict a different language using italics or valyrian for every foreign language Helaena might encounter was driving me crazy. Also Helaena may or may not be going to other places in Essos and I was having a difficult time conceptualizing how easy it would be for Helaena to understand the languages so I got my anthropologist sister to assign languages to the different places of Essos, on the basis High Valyrian would be latin. Behold her wonderful language map:

(in case you can't read it:

Braavos – Quebecois

Lorath – Dutch

Norvos – German

Pentos – swiss german  

Myr – Italian

Tyrosh – Spanish

Lys – Portugeuse  

Volantis – French

Qohor – Polish

Sarnor – Czech

Mantarys – Hungarian

Dothraki – Russian

Lhazar – Monogolian

Meereen – Slovaki

Yunkai – Yemeni

Omber – Ukrainian

Rhoynish - Gaul

Common/Westeros - English

First Men Language - Welsh

So the Lyseni will be written in Portuguese, if you see Latin that's high Valyrian. I plan to still use High Valyrian words, but this method was helpful with writing. Plus I get to use different languages :)

Mendigo Inspiration

One of Mendigo's inspiration (can't reveal the other due to potential spoilers ;) ) was the character Mary Faber from the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. Another is the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist.

Her name was originally going to be Urchin but after Portuguese became the language of Lys I changed it to the translation "mendigo"

Helaena’s Hair

Reference for Helaena's new hair cut

Pearl Diving

I cannot begin to describe the amount of time I spent researching pearl diving and free diving. Details like the fact that only certain families were allowed to pearl dive where inspired from this article. Along with the tools pearl divers would use.

I also learned about a terrifying thing called "surface blackout" where your blood becomes too hypoxic and you can pass out at the surface and potentially die. I used this article to write about the proper recovery breath holds that help prevent surface blackout.

Also I learned there are different types of pearls based on the location you harvest them from.

Festival of Love

This is a piece of world building I made up. The Festival of Love is a seven day festival that is dedicated to the different types of love based off of the Greek forms of loves. These are the seven different types celebrated in Lys:

Eros (sexy time)

Philia (friendship)

Agape (god worship and charity)

Storage (family)

Philautia (self love)

Ludus (playful love)

Sacrificing goats, making a goat-date marinade dish, and the practice of men running around naked and whipping women with goat hides is all inspired off of the real life Ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. This video provided the recipe and interesting facts about the ancient festival.

Pillowhouse Wine

"It was a tart, almost bitter flavor, it lacked sweetness like other wines Mendigo had stolen before. Mendigo tried another swig, it did not improve, only making her face feel warm."

This sentence is a little personal easter egg inspired from a different fanfic. Alicent Reverses the Hourglass by Reddish on AO3. If you my blog you probably know I'm obsessed with it as I've made a ton of memes about it. Non spoiler. One chapter mentions a wine called Lover's Lips.

“This wine was known for one thing. Men in Lys would drink a copious amount of it the night before they were to spend with their paramour as it would keep a man ‘at his peak’ for longer during the act.

One would only need about half a cup before being able to sustain himself for at least a few hours. Any more than that and the man would experience a fever-pitch of ravenous desire that would confound the senses completely. Too much of Lover’s Lips could make a man impossible to satiate for sometimes an entire day long.” - Alicent Reverses the Hourglass

It's basically Viagra wine, which is basically vasodilator (opens up your blood vessels) which is why it makes Mendigo's face feel warm, because her blood vessels are dilating.

Oyster Bake

This was the recipe that inspired Mendigo and Helaena's oyster bake:

Ironically I spent a lot of time researching seafood recipes despite not being the biggest fan of seafood.

Mendigo's Fracture

The "crushing syndrome" complication Mendigo experienced is called Acute Compartment Syndrome in the medical field. It is when there is increased pressure within a muscle compartment and is a medical emergency. The pressure will deprive muscles and nerves of blood flow and will cause permanent muscle damage, paralysis or death if not treated.

Symptoms include:

Pain - unrelieved by pain medicine (which is why Mendigo complains the milk of poppy does nothing)

Pallor

Paralysis - early sign that starts with numbness and tingling

Pulseness (late sign)

Poikilothermia

Edema

Treatment is a fasciotomy, where they cut through strong connective tissue to relieve pressure.

I had to study fractures and their complications for one of my nursing finals and it's 100% the reason why it was included in the chapter.

This was the video of a fasciotomy I watched to write the scene (don’t watch if you’re squeamish)

Mendigo's Illness

Mendigo contracted mono. Her description of her condition is based off of my mom's quote when she caught mono: "it feels like you got hit by a mac truck, it backed up, hit you again, and then the driver got out and beat you up."

I wanted a disease that would make you feel awful but not kill you because antibiotics don't exist.

Menina uses Kudzu root - a plant from Asia - to treat her fever and mallow root for sore throat.

Philia Bond

I already knew I would have the philia bond, but there is some similarities between it and matelotage. A type of civil union used between European sailors, particularly pirates. There is debate about whether it was platonic or romantic. In Mendigo and Helaena's case it is platonic.

Painting Inspo of Mendigo & Helaena

John William Waterhouse - The Rescue (1890)

[angelismmm]

𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮. ft. diluc

— what is he like when you both finally become a thing? and how does it happen? what happens after you both get married, lets see! ♡

⟢ Sypnosis﹒ basic sfw/nsfw hcs on genshin men once you date them!!

⤷ ﹒ notes ♩ WAAA i just fixed my blog n fixed school, and i wanna change to kokomi/blue pink & green theme bro, anywaysss.... im back from my hiatus YIPPEE!!!!

⟢ Warnings﹒ no spoilers that is important to the in-game storyline, mentions of death (diluc fatherlessness), THESE HAVE NSFW HEADCANNONS AT THE END.

𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐑, what was he like when he first met you?

・whether you'd be the Traveler's friend from another nation, or even outside this world, or if you were just one of Kaeya's new drinking buddies, nevertheless you caught his eye in particular.

・you weren't really obnoxious, unlike someone else who drinks at the tavern often, green fading to blue hair, short, and has an anemo vision.. well you could control your alcohol consumption pretty well, you could drink a lot and still not be that drunk at all, plus, he'd never admit it before, but you were stunning. not like the other drunkards he met at his tavern.

・specifically taking shifts only whenever you arrived, but that's just a coincidence he says. you usually would just strike up conversations once Kaeya had gone, or that he was too drunk to talk (lol), it was just you trying to get to know him, to your surprise though, he would reply, even if it was a dry, cold response, he also tried to put a bit of effort into talking to you. when a particular pointed it out he would get a free bottle of dandelion wine, and a treat to able to hear you laugh a bit.

・he can be a bit unwelcoming at times, but whenever you spoke to him, that changed. slowly warming up to you, you both had pleasing conversations, as chaos of drunkards in the background rose, yet you both paid no mind, just you and him, no one else.

𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐑, how would he act once he realized he liked you, romantically?

・probably would be in major denial, attachment issues too. he's scared you leave him like everyone else, he's scared that he'll hurt you without meaning too. tries to push the feelings away, plus, you probably only like him as a friend, right? he would slightly, very slightly, gaslight himself into thinking you only like him as a good friend, or not a friend at all

・next stage; anger, he is probably a bit upset with himself that he fell for you, but who could blame him, you treated him like an equal, your bright smile could immediately make his day, your voice could soothe his mind, your body was like candy to his eyes, everything about you he loved, he was frustrated, why did he love you so much? whenever you arrived into the tavern at night, his face would light, and a small smile would cover his face, no one has done for him, ever.

・bargaining; like i said he would maybe gaslight himself into thinking you don't like him like that, and maybe tried to ignore you too. that's hard, especially since the whole my shift is when you arrive thing is there now.. well he just tries to not make an effort in his conversations with you anymore, but you do, and that gives him a real hard time. he gave up eventually.

・depression; he's scared that he's lowkey accepting that he likes you, has actually now taken into account if you liked him back. when he finally opens his heart to someone other than himself. after his father's death, he wasn't the same person. Kaeya noticed that too, you could make him feel better within seconds of being in his presence, it felt like home, something he never felt before. made him take a few days off of shifts at the tavern, burying himself in work, paperwork that had been recently given so not much work was had to be done, trying to distract himself from you was hard. he gave up a bit later, he decided to escort you home.

・acceptance; probably a year into meeting you, he'd accept that he liked you, wow, that took a while, but bro has issues, what do you expect.. anyways, he does acknowledge his love for you very clearly. accepted, accepts, whatever, he is now aware he loves you, but even during the 1st year you both met, he's taken note of your reactions to his words, to what he does, and did. he makes sure that when he does end up confessing, that he doesn't get rejected and ruins your friendship. even taking so long to observing you a bit more for 3 months, just to see if you'd accept his offer to go out with him, he didn't really have to wait that long, you'd also fallen in love at first sight. finally after so long, he takes you both on your first date!

𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐑, where would he take you both on your first date?

・picnic dates on top. the classic clichè restaurant date is a close second, and coffee dates at home or at a small cat cafe is a good tie. picnic dates with him would probably be near the dawn winery, maybe even picking out good grapes for grape juice and make some at home, he knows how to make homemade fruit juice, just give him good fruit, that's it and he'll make yum yum smoothies. probably would tell adelinde that he'll cook for any upcoming picnic dates you guys have. ・next upcoming dates would always be a surprise though, he isn't always the man to do the same thing over and over again, restaurant dates with him feel like a dream though! he rents out the whole place, so that's it's just both of you, and from past conversations whenever he's asked you about things, he does take note mentally about your favorite food, favorite place, etc. he'll probably try to learn how to make the dishes you love too! ・coffee dates at home, definitely just both of you cuddling and spending time together by talking to each other, or going out for a walk, probably would also have set up something so that both of you could stargaze at night when ever meteor shower were scheduled that day. very thoughtful, will gift you whatever you frequently talk about things like jewelry, he'll buy whatever's best fitting to you, he loves seeing you wear what he bought, definitely does something to him. ・he probably asks lisa and jean for advice, they both laugh at him lmao, "i'm happy you both are together, after so long, but nothing gives me a laugh more than diluc trying to ask for help from us is something out of the ordinary", jean probably nods and laughs with her girlfriend too, but they do give him good advice trying to help you both, lots of laughs through out it though hehe. 𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐑, when will he propose? did it go wrong, but in a right way? or did it go according to how he wanted it to go?

・probably does go according to what he planned, maybe after 2/4+ years or being together, he'd start thinking about marriage, and having a family with you. very often in the 1st or 2nd year of dating/being his partner, he'd start to think, and maybe even once asked you if you ever wanted to get married one day. marriage with you, or having a family in general, was constantly on his mind, and never left. also to answer the question if he wants kids; yes, 1-3. ・did it go wrong in a good way, or did it go accordingly; it went accordingly, it went well, he's super happy, he had given you a whole speech, holding your hand, he memorized the speech by heart, the whole time he's on the verge of tears and slowly getting on one knee once he's almost done with the speech, and brings out a beautiful ruby jewel on the top, with a gold mixed with silver base, he thinks it compliments your beauty. probably had rented out a restaurant for it, to make it seem like a normal date. took you out to a secret hangout of his that he decorated with plants that only shine in the night. ・in a way, it went both ways too, putting that ring on your ring finger was an amazing feeling, he fell in love all over again, both of you have tears running down each other's cheeks, this was one of the happiest nights ever, before you both had your wedding a month later. your wedding is probably lowkey private, inviting mostly who are fairly close to you guys; jean, lisa, kaeya, the traveler, paimon, etc.!! (jean catches the bouquet when you do the bouquet toss thing)

NSFW HEADCANNONS. read at ur own risk ♡

𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐑, general nsfw hcs :D ・likes being in control probably, maybe breeding kink, but he probably just wants you and him to feel good, your body is his no. 1 kink. maybe corruption kink too though, anyways medium/high sex drive-ish, doesn't masturbate that much, usually gets turned on by revealed skin, like revealing clothing on you gets him going, like i said, mostly anything that concerns your body, is what he definitely loves the most, everything about you gets him going, probably jerked off to you once or twice before you guys started dating, he's probably sensitive too, pretty prone to orgasms, doesn't cum that quick i guess ・probably pulls your head closer to his shaft while you're blowing him, maybe 6.325 flaccid, 8.459 hard. his pounds get harder the more you guys are into the moment. like in the heat of the moment he probably degrades you, he doesn't mean it and reassures you during aftercare sessions. loves it when you look at him in the eyes, likes it a bit too much actually, positions he loves is anything that concerns you looking at him, and him getting to see your whole body. ・i feel like he tops more often, but is a switch, he leans to dominating much more. but if he was a submissive baby, praise him, like a lot. mark his body, let him know he's yours. pound him hard while you tell him praise, with your strap/dick, he'll absolutey fall. hearing how he makes you feel, makes him even more horny too. ・he sucks the life out of ur dick/pussy, like it's unreal. will not waste any drop of your cum. oh by the way suck his nipples while fucking his hole :D!! ・after everything's done, aftercare with him is great. loves showering with you after, lots of praise after everything's done because he wants you to remember he still cares about you, want you to remember that.