#i made too many among us related hcs

[rey-jake-therapist]

What's the deal with Sauron and children ?

There seems to be something we don't know, about Sauron and children. Among Haladriels we often joke/hc that Sauron wants to have children with Galadriel and that's why it's a recurring theme. But in all seriousness, we may ask : what are the writers not telling us ?

It started in Numenor, where we saw Sauron smile giddily at the sight of little girls running.

I'm sure many still think : "he was putting on a show for Galadriel". Ok but Galadriel herself didn't smile when she watched them, she just looked at them with indifference. And it's not necessarily a human thing to smile at the sight of children, many humans don't care for them.

Then there's a scene where Sauron as Halbrand confronted Adar, who asked him if he had hurt someone he loved, adding, "A woman ? Perhaps, a child ?".

Galadriel may have noticed that Halbrand seemed particularly tense when he asked if it was a child, because she told Adar, "eat your tongue".

Tbf, it's likely that this scene was just a red herring. The audience still had to believe that Halbrand was a man, and that he had a good reason to want Adar dead. Adar firmly believed he had killed Sauron at this point, so there could be only one reason for Halbrand to be so angry at him, aka he took someone he loved away from him. What I mean is that Adar asking him this question made very much sense, at the moment.

But the reference to children came back in season 2, when Sauron had a vision of little girls running in the vision he had first created for Celebrimbor. It could also, again, mean nothing, because this vision was for Celebrimbor, a make believe to hide him the fact that Eregion was under attack. But someone, I don't know who, noticed something interesting when they put the gif of the Numenor girls on top of the gif of the mind palace girls.

Do you see it ? How the kids in the second seem to continue the Numenor kids' running ?

It may mean absolutely *nothing*. And yet I find interesting that the writers chose to associate Sauron with kids not just once, or even twice, but three times.

Could it mean that at some point, when he was in Numenor, Sauron seriously considered the idea of settling down there, of founding a family and liviving as a human being ? He was in a repentance phase and had, in his own words, "given up" any idea of fixing the damages he had done after Adar betrayed him and turned him into powerless goo, so I don't think it's too far-fetched to imagine that he could have genuinely wanted to settle down, to blend with the crowd.

Or could it be, as @apoloadonisandnarcissus suggested to me, that Sauron associates children with the concept of innocence, an innocence he himself lost when Morgoth corrupted him ?

Saurbrand told Galadriel, about Numenor, that it was "a paradise rife with opportunities". The vision of Eregion he showed Celebrimbor had everything of a paradise. Even after Celebrimbor got back to work and was no longer here to see the vision, Sauron remained for a few minutes in his illusion, contemplating it.

It didn't escape Haladriel shippers' attention that the girl was a sort of Galadriel lookalike, and that his lover, whose face remained unseen, may have expressed Sauron's own doubts regarding his capacity to perfect/heal Middle-Earth without Galadriel and her light.

That said, neither the idea of having a family, nor the association of children with innocence, can be related to what Adar did to him. Adar definitely didn't kill a child of his (and it would be dangerously lore-breaking to claim that Sauron ever had a kid, because Maiars are supposed to be forever bound to their physical form once they conceived), and he isn't the one who stole his innocence either. Adar is the one whose innocence was stolen by both Morgoth and Sauron, actually.

So now it's your turn : do you have any idea about this ? If yes, please share :)

[tokoyamisstuff]

nsfw hcs for the priest please, if that's okay for you

ya dirty lil' heathens...👀

gn! Reader I general smut/kink warning

A/N: clearing out my drafts to distract myself while on bedrest. so don't be shy, keep the requests coming!

Oh, he's very difficult to convince.

It took an eternity only to accept his feelings for you, but even then he never took it any further than hugging, hand-holding or occasionally a chaste kiss.

Sexuality is highly condemned due to his strict religious background. So he kinda feels like he'd taint you, and he simply values you too much for that.

The temptation definetly is there, though, and it's driving him crazy. His mind constantly wanders off to impure ideas, even without much of your own intervention. Feels very conflicted about it and needs lots of reassurement.

Is most likely demisexual, meaning his physical attration is inevitably tied to his emotional attachment. And since he's hopelessly, completely and utterly in love with you...

Hesitates not only because of his chastity, but this man could quite literally break you like a twig. He always loses his self-restraint when he gets too excited during fights, and figures lust has the same effect. Not that he has any proof, but he's not eager to find out the hard way.

Additionally that man is so touch-starved, he gets turned on by basically anything. Little to no effort from your side involved. Stare at him lovingly for a while and he gets a hard-on. Straddle his lap or kiss him a little more intense and you instantly feel his reaction press to your stomach. Will carefully lift you off of him and preach about your poor seduction attempt, sadly.

Since praying those fantasies away doesn't work he'll resort to masturbating as the lesser evil. Turns out that makes his horniness even worse. Starts disappearing randomly a lot, when it's too much to take - sometimes even mid sermon - and people start to get worried.

Still, that man has an incredible willpower. I feel like you'd need to find the perfect moment for him to give in to his desire, maybe when you caught him in the act or another very vulnerable moment.

Once he finally bends it's like you've opened the Box of Pandora. Man's insateable.

Sneaks his hands under your clothes at every opportunity just to feel your skin, even in public or among others. He's very skilled at going unnoticed. Will pull you into the next secluded place just to violently make out and touch you. Super scared to be caught in the act though.

Everything about that man is huge, but he's incredibly careful and preps you well so don't worry.

Is actually pretty insecure about his body? Pretty sure there's a dad bod under that robe, and he's not the youngest anymore. Kiss his scars and hell whimper. Melts at any praise or affection you offer.

Your body however? Magnificent. Divine. A perfect creation by god. No matter what, everything about it is perfect.

Opposite to public consensus I think he'd never wanna use anything related to his religion or priesthood, it's simply too sacred to him...but on the other hand so are you. Loves worship of your body and soul with both words and actions.

Not very willing to experiment, since the bible doesn't allow anything besides the standard babymaking procedures. At least man's flexible and strong, so you'll be able to try out many different positions.

For the same reason as above, he always finishes inside of you and loves to see the mess he's made. Forbids you from cleaning up and makes you walk around with his cum dripping from your legs.

Easily comes in general, but he's a walking powerhouse and can go as many rounds as you like.

It's not like he doesn't have any other fantasies, he's just very ashamed of them.

Kinda somnophiliac? There's just something innocent about you lying so peacefully next to him that makes his mind go blank. You'll often wake up with his cock buried between your thighs. Always says something like god doesn't look so closely upon sleeping sinners.

Will absolutely implement his other interests in the bedroom, once he gets more comfortable. For example roleplaying that he hunts you down...at some point won't be able to use a bayonet anymore without getting hard. Awkward for his real enemies lol

Has a lot of pent up anger and if youre into that too, he'd love punishment games. Choking, spanking, hair pulling, nothing too wild. Also does vile dirty talk, you'd be shocked the words coming out of this holy priest's mouth. He's a gentle giant, but if you like it too he's definetly able to fuck you as if he hates you. Not a must, though.

Seems to make him way more even-tempered to put his negative energy into making you cum your brains out.

Is a tad bit masochistic too, maybe due to his regeneration. Loves the feeling of your fingernails digging into his back or thighs, drawing blood. Will go insane if you bite him.

Prays before or after and sometimes even during the act. It's still sinful after all.

Expect sublime aftercare. Your well-being is his utmost priority. Also, lots of cuddles! He definetly wants to be the small spoon.

[sidhebeingbrand]

Noodling about clones and gender

I am full of largely chemical-based and slightly situationally-influenced RAGE so I am going to write something CREATIVE that I LIKE THINK ABOUT, goddammit, instead of being directionlessly angry.

I initially wrote 'i will write something positive' but it's about the Fett clones so it's in fact uhhhh fucking tragic. Spawned by reading gorgeous Trans!Bly and Trans!Cody fic and my headcanons about what it means to be someone who identifies as a 'clone' but presents as 'not that' (it's Tech, Tech suffers from gender dysphoria, in this essay I will explain)

In my hc, the most common gender identifier among clones is… clone.

And a much, much higher percentage of clones compared to the general population of humans and near humans has done hard thinking about what their gender is. You can't not, when the question is jammed into your face, when ayou realise there are people who don't go by 'he' and have no frame of reference for why you are a 'he' and Trainer Bralor is 'she'. You had the Kaminoans figured out: it's the headfins. You weren't sure how you fit in, but you accepted it, but then you meet human trainers with no headfins who are 'he' and also furious about the implication that they might be otherwise, and human trainers with no headfins who are 'she' and want to know if you have a problem with that, cadet.

So: gender is a foreign idea, a natborn conceit. A social construct for a society the clones have no access to except for bits and pieces gleaned from flash training in how to interact with civilians, and the baggage that the trainers bring to the table.

It is one more step of the grind, the long grueling process of learning everything they will need to learn to win a war, to discover that their trainers and minders are split on one more spectrum, in ways that are not immediately apparent to them-- oh, sure, everyone can see that they're different shapes, but that's normal for natborns. They're all so physically different, even the related ones. The medics get a grip on sexual dimorphism first because it's included in their flash training; they tend to be the first one to group the cues that separate a 'male' human from a 'female' human. But not always. And definitely not cross-consistent between species.

And there's… that baggage.

Sometimes they pick up that baggage, trying to impress or imprint on a trainer. Most of them don't. They just… know it exists. Like a lot of natborn things that don't apply to them. They get called 'men', they learn the word 'brother', but these descriptors don't mean to them what they seem to mean to the trainers (especially 'brother', which is precious to them long after they learn its limitations. To them, 'brother' means 'the one like me, raised on my food in my colors in our domed city where things seemed lifeless but made sense'. Brother means: a person who is a person like me and who recognizes me as a person, too. It is a citizenship. It seems strange to learn that natborns use the word to mean 'male related by blood'. It's strange that natborns just exist in a world where you have to make that distinction, that the vast majority of people they might meet in a day AREN'T genetically identical to within a few percentage points.)

Trainers demand to know if they're Man Enough or not. The answer required is obviously 'man', which in this case means 'try harder, be more adequate, succeed at task', but in opposition to what? Is Nala Se a man? No? But she is a top performer? Please, asshole trainer. Tell Nala Se she's inadequate. They want to see it.

Gender is a strange minefield, they learn. Many of them decide not to fuck with it. Gender: Us. Gender: Brother.

Others, though, see a new way of individuating themselves. The more knowledge they scrape of the outside world, the more some of them go-- oh, it's a choice, this is a choice. The genital thing may not matter, whisper the medics in training, given the files on Jedi whose presentation does not match their initial physical configuration, who will need vitamins standardized for a different birth sex. The strict instruction to call politicians and ranking officers by whatever pronouns you are told no matter what they look like. (What does that even mean.)

And like names, from trainers, from illicit holo scrapes, the idea of gender spreads. It becomes a fad, a past-time Arguments on what genders entail split up bunkrooms. Neo-pronouns and non-human-gender-identifiers are passed like a game of telephone, or created.

I imagine that there were clones who treasured those moments of self-determination. Chose 'he' with full chests, despite it being their default assignment: many gravitate to 'they' and the pidgin-mandalorian 'kaysh' or to 'she' with a certain level of defiance at going against the tide of assumption. That there were others who stuck to 'he' as inadequate but the least inadequate descriptor because what they are, in their heart, is a clone, the brother of the brothers (the vod of their vode) and all other considerations are distantly second.

I think that Cody was one of the ones who experimented, logically and matter of fact picking through everything she could piece together. She wondered if 'woman' was a thing she could be, if her own patchwork quilt of Nurturing-Commanding-Command Class-Strategic-Logical-Devoted could fit cleanly under that umbrella. It felt right, on instinct, and she trusted her instincts in the absence of firmer intel.

…and then the Jedi finally find them.

Their rough, graceless plunge into the wider galaxy both uplifts them and crushes them in turn. The galaxy is full of people and gender is real after all, like families, like children, like birthdays and rest and favorite foods and all the other things they half suspected the trainers made up to fuck with them.

But gender is bizarrely important, more than they could have suspected-- it's also a game they don't know the rules of. And while the Jedi are supportive and kind, the galactic naval corps is… regimented. Traditional. Gender Matters here, and being the gender that your admiral expects you to be apparently matters even more.

Those who openly challenge this face a spectrum of negative responses: the most positive you can hope for is a grudging stack of paperwork that involves psychiatric consults and medical intervention (and how the hell can they pass natborn standards for identification? What is dysphoria to people whose bodies have never been their own? When their uncertainty-in-masculinity has always been a distant third or fifth to greater concerns like 'the fucking war' and 'am I a person, if these people who bleed like me and talk like me are people why am I not' )

(A few clones, especially those to whom their bodies were even more not-their-own than than their siblings, forge grimly through those psych evals and choose those hormones. More slip back into obscurity, taught an important lesson about how much the republic they serve is willing to let them be 'individual'.)

The most common official response is 'no', occasionally with discipline attached for *wasting the natborn officers' time.

The worst and still not uncommon response is that blank stare of an technician looking at faulty equipment. Did not the bill of sale say 'male?' Are you defective? Should you be exchanged from a refund?

(Cody is not one of the ones who asks for a different designation. Cody IS the one who has to go through the mounds of disciplinary paperwork for the 212th, doing what -he- can, bitter as he thinks it, what -he- can to soften the blow and dissuade disciplinary action for a transgression that none of them realized was truly a transgression.)

Womanhood will have to wait for personhood which will have to wait until After The War. The identifier that matters now is Clone or Not Clone. Clone, or 'someone who might discipline you for being anything other than interchangeable'. Clone or Outsider.

It stings so much harder now that they get a chance to learn, to participate -- to know women who aren't grading or examining them. To meet people who wear their lack of gender-many genders- betwixt gender selves openly. To immerse slowly into the expectations, to find a jolt of recognition at last-- and know that they had better keep their new epiphanies about themselves nice and quiet.

(A thousand bright young women find themselves in the new Jedi assigned to Kamino-- yes, like HER their hearts say-- and just as quickly find out that they will need to hide this.

Shaak feels the roiling conflict, offers insight the trainers didn't, that gender is fluid and flexible, that 'male' can mean kind, soft, that they are not beholden to societal expectation.

This will have to be enough. For some clones it is enough. Others grit their teeth and ignore the voice that says (but I am not 'male', I am like you, in a way I cannot name I am like you))

Gender is for suckers, they mutter to themselves. It means nothing. Not to them.

There are two genders that matter, and that's Clone(any) vs Natborn(any).

Maybe after the war they'll get to explore again. Maybe after the war they can wear their favorite colors as something besides war paint. Maybe after the war, thinks Cody, filling yet another form that requires his serial number and rank and decant date, setting his jaw and choosing 'm' in the box marked 'gender' as if the galaxy was ever going to let him put down anything else.

[shining-gem34]

||Basic HC's ideas for March 7th and PomPom

March 7th

-Photography is her passion because since she has no memory of her past- She wants to take pictures of every adventure she has been in so she won't ever forget.

-She definitely can sew after Himeko (and Natasha) taught her. Any recent plushies are made by her hands. :3

-Definitely into the arts and crafts where she likes making scrapbooks and collage books eith her photos. Have to make them cute and pretty!

-90% of the time she will be the one to intiate a "girls" night among the trio. Yes she will drag Dan Heng and Caelus for sleepover in her room.

-Still debating on her weapons choice and why she chose a bow. It could be something she is adept with. It could also be the easiest(?) long-distance weapon. Not sure yet.

-I like to think when she first woke up, she had no control over her phase 6(or was it 7?) Ice powers. Everything she touches turns into ice, and if she gets startled: I C E. It got better over time with practice.

-Communication with anything cute? Hmmm. Might go into this later.

-March 7th is never the type to get angry. She's a cheerful and bubbly young girl, but it doesn't mean she's stupid. Yes she might be a bit slow to process information (could be an effect from her slumber inside ice). But she is definitely more aware than you think about things so hurt her friends? YOU GET AN ARROW TO THE KNEE-

-Angry March 7th? The shine is gone in her eyes and she is not smiling anymore. If she does, it's more frosty just like her element.

Conductor PomPom

-They/Them (Non-binary)

-I do see them as like an Avatar of Akivili since not much is known about them in general. I have to refresh my memory on that. I do know he met Himeko after she fixed the Astral Express and took role of Conductor.

-Too many hellos and goodbyes to people who boarded the Astral Express. :(( It will not be the first nor will it be the last, but PomPom cares for everyone that have stepped onto the passage. Definitely will cry if any of the current crew have to leave for good.

-Avatar of Akivili: If the Astral Express is broken/down, PomPom will naturally disappear too. Their existence is linked to the AE hence why they are sensitive to any changes inside.

-They usually appear as timid and adorable when a situation arises but if PomPom is like the last one standing to protect the AE- Very terrifying in a way they WILL eject you out after you experience very uhh strong hallucinations. :3 Rarely happens tho so don't worry.

-I do think they cannot leave the Express. If they do, they must remain a certain distance to stay connected to it. If they move too far, they disappear. Usually, they'll return to the Express. Unusual cases? They don't reappear at all and that will be bad news.

-PomPom (Astral Express) every month has to go through a software update aka maintence to stay strong and keep the powers of Akivili up. If you don't heed their warnings,Y̶̢͓̫͔̘̗͛̌͆͆́̈́͗̒̈́̍̔̍͜͠ö̵̫͔̰̩̭́̽̍͐̍̇̿͆͗͊̋̈͝͠u̴̥̤̦͐̈́͒̅̌ ̴̛͈͉̝̹̥̉̋a̴̢̳̰̥̫̤̲̤̩͇̯̒̆̄́̋̐͋̑̓̅̆̕͝͠͠ͅr̸̨̨̨̨̰̤̩̼̫̦̩̼̒̀̀̋̂̋e̶͉̗̫͔̱͎͖̍̒͒͝ ̴̰͇̝̙̖̙̌͆̈̽̕͝i̷͖͛̏̉̑̕ń̶͚͍͇͇̹͓̫͍͎̦̰͎̲̟̂ͅ ̴͎̩͉̮̹͌͐̅͊̔̃̀̒͗͑̚͝ḁ̸̱̭̖͚͎̱̭̼̭͕̍̈̉̕͘͜͠ ̵͓̦̍w̴̨̫̣̙̭̩͚̤̹͔̤̗̹̩͎̍͌̆͂̑̎̚o̷̙̱͚̬̖̤̩͚̮͜͝ṙ̸͓͓̟͉̝̖̤̠̇͑͝l̵̥͎̖͚̘̺͓͒̿̔ḑ̵̩̺̀ ̷̩͔̳̔̓̏͌͐͒͋͠o̵͎̗̳͕̫͒̎͗͌̄̋̕f̶͍̮̤͈̹̻̙̯̩͓͗̍͊̓̾ ̴̢̫̬̥͍̗̲̠̩͕̱͈͖͛̎͛́̽͜͝ͅp̷̼̺̤̯͎͇̥͎̈́̈́̍̀̚͠ͅà̴̛͈̥̯̐̌͌͠í̶̛̱́́̐̓͗̓͒̃̃̽͝ṇ̷̨̛̩̺̣̪̟͇͍̰̊͊̈́̀̂͐̋̑͛͘.̸̟͚̇͛̒͆͌̿̽̍.

-PomPom!!! Definitely loves souvenirs because they can't leave the Express. 3: So remember to get something for the conductor alright?

-Related to recent Astral Express mechanics, because the energy it uses requires jumping between the worlds, PomPom can feel when the energy is declining. It does affect them to the point they might become lethargic and sleepy.

[simiansmoke]

// HC batch (Arena Related) - Last Leg Law & 11th Hour.

When it comes to the Jungle Kingdom's royal practices, they have a good many traditions and rites. Some of these, they use on a fair basis (such as making sure they're dressed in traditional attire at banquets and ceremonies and such, especially with other kingdoms), though some that have faded far back into obscurity.

Whether that obscurity is because the kingdom simply never encounters a situation where these traditions must be applied, or if the rites themselves are much too outdated given the current way of life for the Kongs is currently far more peaceful than they have been in the past (back to back wars feat. Kremlings and the Defectors).

And still, some traditions have (as the young always do put their hip SPIN on things) evolved in a way that betrays its original intent. One such tradition is the kingdom challenger rite. In the past, it was standard procedure for Kongs in the royal family to simply shack up among in-laws and friends of in-laws and just assign every new family member a future mate in an arranged marriage in a covert way to keep lands, properties, and wealth circulating through the same and branching bloodlines. This of course left little way for other Kongs to mix and mingle and adjust the status quo. (Something that would further goad the Defectors to act.)

Eventually, the younger generation of lower rank royals grew up and of course weren't for such voices being made on their behalf and wanted a way to essentially choose for themselves on if they wanted to accept a marriage or not. So they began to adopt the policy of the kingdom challenger rite when it came to marriage proposals.

("these damn kids...ruining a perfectly good bloodsport-")

The kingdom challenger approach being that anyone who wanted the throne for themselves would have to beat the ruling king in the Kong arena to show that they were a stronger and more capable leader among the Kongs over any unlikeable or elderly king. (Side note that Cranky is now in the position of being quite old and a king that would certainly be a target for young upstarts...if it weren't for DK who is technically in line to accept the throne currently once Cranky gives him the position. Granted DK does not really want that right now, so he just serves as a proxy for Cranky in challenger fights.)

It is this template that is currently the most popular marriage proposal among all Kongs. The practice is usually an all day affair disguised as a tournament of sorts for the entertainment of a large and growing crowd of game-day Kongs and random tourists. One or both members of a couple that want to tie the knot will start the rite by aggressively suggesting the other 'meet' them in the arena. Once a 'fight' is established, they square off in an arena battle. However, instead of actually performing the kingdom challenger rite in its raw form, the two will merely engage in a playful battle with no intent to harm one another.

It is standard practice for both parties to merely tire themselves out into a tie, which would indicate both are in mutual agreement to marriage. However, should a couple get to this point where both are equally tuckered out and vulnerable, if one does not accept, they take the opportunity to pin their opponent and 'win' to not accept the marriage proposal with the illusion of the tourney suggesting that winners move up to higher tiers and losers are left in the dirt.

As for the obscurity of the kingdom challenger rite and why it ties in with younger generations using it for a trendy way to propose, that comes in form of two laws that are applied to the rite should an opponent not successfully kill the reigning king.

Since the challenger in the rite is essentially saying the old king is no good any more for the wellbeing of his citizens, they are expected to kill off the reigning king before assuming the throne. However, if the challenger wins in the sense the king can no longer battle, but is still alive by the end of the match (11th hour), two things occur. In a natural sense, it would make sense for the challenger to simply fight until the death...however, not wanting to adopt those brutal practices displayed by beasts like Kremlings, the Kongs enacted a time-limit for each challenger battle known as the Eleventh Hour. Once this time limit passes, any living opponent's life is protected under the Last Leg Law because they have shown they are still a fit and capable Kong vs. one that was too weak and would fall in battle.

The challenger then can assume the throne without having to kill the previous king, but since the previous king showed they still have the power to protect the kingdom fair and square, they either become the new king's advisor, or in some cases - depending on if the challenger comes from royalty or other kingdoms to expand their territories, the two will be 'wed' to ensure the previous king and any of his offspring are taken care of in the mutual exchange that any of them will be exempt from being able to challenge the throne one day.

[last-night-is-a-blur]

Potential use of magic in the Fate:the Winx Saga universe

Some of these examples I HC only a transformed fairy can perform

Light magic

Health related magic. Since sunlight has many health benefits, like aiding the production of serotonin (which helps with mood, concentration and sleep) and vitamin D (which helps with the formation and health of bones, muscles and teeth among other things), it would be cool light magic used for medical purposes, including mental health. It would also fit in with the concept from Winx Club about Stella’s magic being connected to clarity, since serotonin can help people think clearly.

Scrying and location spells. Since most of the surface of the Otherworld is lit up by sunlight or moon light at any given time, why not have light magic used to locate people, or show their reflection.

Seeing images of the past. Recreate what happened by having light repeat it’s actions.

Superspeed. Travel at the speed of light, so it almost feels like teleportation.

Heat related spells, like hot blasts of light or lazers, that can heat up, melt, cut or combust stuff.

Converting light into solar energy.

Fire magic

Heat related spells/thermokinesis

Healing: heat increases cellular respiration and cell replication, and helps with detoxifying the body, is good for the immune system and blood circulation.

Create force

Earth

Gravity manipulation

Telekinesis over everything made of wood, metal, clay, stone, plant fiber or their byproducts like plastic, oil and glass.

Water

Low level control over plants and living creatures due to the water inside them. Not nearly as good as blood a witch’s or Earth fairy’s control though. 

Create force field that keep out water, which keeps people out too, due to the level of water inside them. 

Air

Repeat sounds of the past

Create force fields out of condensed air, electricity and/ or sound waves.

Gather a lethal amount of toxic gases. 

Release oxygen from water and ice to create combustion.

Mind

Entering and manipulating dreams.

Enchant places or objects so it makes your mind play tricks on you when you enter/touch/ use it.

Hypnosis

Creating illusions and delusions.

Possesing people.

Sensing the world through someone's else's body without taking over it (e.g. seeing things through their eyes).

Sensing the emotions or intent of an object's creator through the object itself.

Turning computer data into information

Translation spells ( for written and spoken language).

Curse someone with insanity

Change a person's state of consciousness ( e.g. put them into a trance).

Spirit travel.

[has-brain-rot]

sorry for the long reblog but THIS HERE

(under the cut because t'is long)

OKAY so like, there's the obvious reasons why people might not instinctively like pearl. As you pointed out her "pathetic-ness," and like, she was one of the original trio that got hit the most with the homophobia that's generally directed towards the show (purely because she was the first to show obvious affection and love towards another woman).

BUT there's also like, the other part (somewhat hc on my part) where she's neurodivergent and traumatized (and also like, Pearls are made to be servants on homeworld and uh, people have difficulties with such topics). She comes from a background that not many people can relate to and is a character some people could find annoying in real life, which already puts a strain on her relatability to the general audience.

However the people that will relate to her are also people that the general society shun to some degree.

Neurodivergent folks, though unfortunate face ableism in their lives, even if some aspects of neurodivergency has become "accepted" in recent years. And people with PTSD (and especially C-PTSD, which I personally believe Pearl is more likely to have) face their own difficulties in the world.

I think there's a subconscious mix of people recognizing "outside traits" when it comes to Pearl. Obsessiveness that is portrayed more realistically and not as a quirky harmless trait, self-destructive tendencies, being trauma bonded to a person who formally played a role as her "master", having difficulties recognizing how her emotions and actions impact others, having difficulties processing her own emotions, among other things.

Pearl is, to whatever degree Steven Universe could pull off in a children's animated show, a representation of some of the uglier sides of trauma and neurodivergency. Sure, it can be played for laughs, but it isn't just treated as something humorous. And that's something that many people can feel uncomfortable about, whether it being that something about her hits too close to home, or that it seems too "outlandish" for a show that otherwise has an insanely positive main character.

She strikes out, she has routines that help her feel stable, she has difficulties adapting without direct example that the adapting won't hurt her. She struggles with control because she was quite literally programmed to have no control. She also doesn't eat, which could make people view her as less human than the rest of the main gems (however that's a random guess on my part).

Plus there's also how Pearl's main love interest was the partner of Steven's dad, and isn't directly in the show. Lapis is a fairly similar character to Pearl (I'm so sad they didn't interact more. They're surprisingly similar in many aspects) but part of why she got so popular was because she had Peridot as a love interest (plus they executed Lapis' story arc a bit better than Pearl's purely because Lapis didn't have to be in every episode so the episodes she was in could feature her more naturally).

I could go on about how it seems like in the first season they didn't fully know what to do with Pearl. Like how she used to have powers to manipulate sand and mist, or how she has the unusual power to make holograms that can actually fight for her. She's a powerful character that isn't treated as such, and maybe people find that if a character has these strengths they shouldn't be weak (which is.. not a good outlook).

I'm also going to add down here that it seems like a large part of the Steven Universe fandom was involved in fanfiction, and Pearl isn't like, the easiest character to write. She's got layers, many of which took seasons to reveal themselves. Ultimately compared to some of the other characters she's too hard to write, harder to ship with other characters, and isn't as relatable as other characters. Lapis and Peridot both share many similarities with Pearl, but don't consistently portray the more serious/hurtful/damaging sides of those traits...

Well.. Lapis is more complicated, but by the end of the show she's completed her character arc and begins learning how to be happy, even if she takes a few steps back sometimes. Pearl doesn't get that to the same degree, and makes mistakes more often, and people can fall into the victim-blaming mindset of "if it hasn't been bad in a long time, why aren't you better?". Her mental health journey is kinda wibbly wobbly.

AND, back to the fanfic point, Pearl doesn't fit neatly into one pre-established stereotype, like how Peridot could fit into the Nerd stereotype, Lapis into the Emo/Edgy stereotype, Amethyst into the Funny one stereotype (which they do tackle in the show actually!), etc etc. Pearl can fit a lot of these, but it feels wrong to slot her into just one.

She's been a renegade to be feared, she's canonically killed other gems, she's grieving for a life she thought she could have as her partner broke up for her, she's fighting her programming of being a slave. She swings from being logical to being emotional, etc etc etc.

ANYWAYS the summary is that I VERY much agree. Pearl is an underrated character and has committed many Woman's Wrongs and I love that for her. And I found her quite relatable when I was younger, so I mean there's that bias there

Idk why people hated Pearl Steven Universe so much her design and voice acting and characterization was amazing. You can’t support women’s wrongs and talk about loving pathetic obsessive women but then hate Pearl Steven Universe (or even most of the other gems either for that matter)

[italoniponic]

Hello! Can I rq a hc with Malleus, Jade and Leona with a s/o who has a small dragon/eel/lion plushie in their colors the s/o made themselves?

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬��𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

| Notes: Hi, anon!

First of all, I might have interpreted it as some kind of hobbie for the reader (so the hcs could have something going on) just because they made themselves the plushies. If that wasn’t the case, I’m sorry!

But overall, it got pretty cute~~ There is a small reference to the Kelkkalot of Harveston event in Jade’s part because it kinda related to the request. Hope you like it!

Thanks for the request <3 |

Malleus Draconia, Jade Leech, Leona Kingscholar x gender neutral reader / plushies for the boys / headcanons / fluff… I guess literally? / established relationship / use of “you” pronouns

Cherry’s Harvesting event 🍒 Masterlist

Little Plushie

Malleus was aware that you knew a little about sewing — at least, enough to tailoring on old socks and your own clothes. He even taught you a few more tricks and from then on, sewing no longer seemed like such an impossible challenge. But you were surprised that a prince like Malleus knew how to sew;

Apparently, it was his grandmother who taught him the basics in her spare time, and during the last few hundred years, Malleus did so much embroidery to distract himself from the fact that he couldn't leave the castle that he became a master at it. You were so grateful for your boyfriend’s help that you decided to make him a gift with your own hands;

Then — without Malleus realizing your main goal — you began to practice making stuffed animals. Malleus usually helped you buy fabrics, buttons and whatever else you needed, in addition to giving you some ideas of animals to make. Your first plushie was a gray gargoyle which he made the mascot and guardian of his club room;

Your subsequent attempts got better and better. You filled Ramshackle with so many plushies that Grim was starting to get jealous. And when you told this to Malleus, he laughed heartily. Just because in that second you could see his sharp teeth, you had an idea;

Well, you wanted to give him a gift but you didn't know what — and that gargoyle turned out too ugly for you to have given Malleus as a present, though I suspect he would have liked it just the same. According to him, it reminded him of some handmade gifts from Lilia... you couldn’t tell if this was a compliment or a “you need to improve your techniques”;

One day, Malleus saw you on the main street arranging some fabrics you had just bought. You quickly disappeared from there, not realizing that he was watching you. This filled Malleus with curiosity, especially since you didn’t tell him anything about your new plush. So on certain nights, Malleus peered into your room and saw you working on a relatively complicated stuffed animal;

You had a whole map to guide yourself, but it was turned upside down from where Malleus was, so he didn't know how to identify what difficult animal you were building with black and green fabrics. Between your desk and your bed, you hummed a rhythm without lyrics, dancing around the room. Malleus smiled as he realized that despite the hardships, you were having fun;

His wait was finally over when one day, you called him up to the Ramshackle to deliver something. Malleus was actually surprised to find that the end result — which he ended up not seeing because he left you to work alone — was a dragon plushie. It was almost a miniature, simplified version of his own dragon form, including the horns;

“All that work... was it made for me?,” Malleus asked, hugging that precious plush. He was feeling so many emotions that he didn't quite understand how to react. As a prince, it was normal to receive gifts of all kinds at diplomatic celebrations among the fairies, but this was no ordinary gift. It was something made by you and that was already more than special; 

As it turned out, it was you who approached and gave him a tight hug. Malleus realized that you were a little exhausted from all that work. You were a human, after all. Even though you were working with your heart, the tiredness came in the same way. Malleus kissed you on the forehead and smiled, thanking you for your affection and consideration;

The stuffed gargoyle may have been the guardian of the Gargoyle Study Club, but the dragon plushie was safe in Malleus’ room — as you ended up checking days later. It was next to his pillow, but you didn't dare ask Malleus if he slept cuddled up to the plush. Anyway, it was like having a little bit of you in his room.

For a long time, Jade knew about your skills and taste for handicrafts, especially making stuffed animals. Your dedication and work on each piece was simply admirable. You have filled an entire shelf of your room with plushies, several different animals of different sizes and colors;

It almost made Jade remember the time he was invited by Epel to visit his hometown and they took part in the sled race with stuffed animals — which he told you in great excitement and detail, especially about the foods. He even asked you to make a reindeer plush for him, just like the one that piloted his sleigh. It is a very precious gift, no doubt;

Even though it was a long and laborious process, you didn't mind sewing the plushies with a company on your side. Jade didn't always have time to be by your side while you worked — even more so because he was ultra-meticulous about details too — but sometimes, when he wanted to relax a bit, he would stop by to see how things were going;

Recently, Jade had seen you return from the Mystery Shop with a large amount of cotton, ribbons and a turquoise fabric. He found it curious, very curious. But you didn't reveal anything, which wasn't much of your nature. Usually you would comment on the stuffed animals you were making, after all it was a beloved hobby;

Not only that, when classes were over, you would rush back to Ramshackle and if Jade was lucky, he would at least be able to greet you on the way. You were very involved with your mysterious project. But for how long?;

One day, Jade made sure his schedule was clear so he could spend the day with you and finally find out what you were doing, practically hidden from him. When he knocked on the door, you greeted him with a rather exhausted but happy expression. Subtle as only he is, Jade allowed himself to be led into your bedroom normally — but mindful of what you might be hiding;

Then, when he walked in, he was surprised by a turquoise eel plush stretched out on your bed. It was of a medium size, but clearly an eel. A long black ribbon stretched across its back and a smaller one near its head on the right side. You picked up the plush to show your boyfriend up close;

Jade took your work and carefully analyzed it, noticing its tailpieces in the seam and the cute detail that the eel's eyes were two buttons of different colors, one dark brown and the other yellow. He gave a small smile, understanding everything perfectly without having to interrogate you;

“For me?,” Jade inquired and you nodded. “Such a lovely job and I didn't even think of anything to give you in return.” You ended up chuckling a little. It wasn't as if you needed a gift either — not immediately, at least. But just seeing Jade happy with your gift made you feel satisfied. It was a good feeling;

Obviously, as it was a Jade’s plush to the merman himself, he took it to Octavinelle and made sure to show Azul and Floyd one more work of his talented beloved one. Jade swore he wasn't bragging about having you give him gifts — but that's exactly what he was doing, his friends knew;

Some time later, when you went to Jade’s room to study there, you saw the plush around the lampshade near his bed. It was well taken care of and Floyd let slip that his brother always greeted that “damn plushie” when he woke up and before going to sleep, as if he were their little brother. Really, your boyfriend was cute in a unique way, just like his plushie.

Once, Leona found you leafing through a step-by-step sewing magazine while you were waiting for him in the schoolyard. You then told him about learning to sew, hoping that one day you would be able to make even a stuffed animal. Leona shrugged normally but was impressed by your determined look at your new hobby;

Since then, you have begun to practice needlework. Sometimes in the break between classes, at the Ramshackle or when you were around Leona — he would relax by your side. You thought it was funny how sometimes his eyes followed the movement of the wool, just like a cat. But you could never comment on something like that;

A while later, you went on to try to make the plushies that you wanted so much. The first attempts were amateur and weird, as you might expect. Leona had to hold back his laughter as he faced a stuffed animal that he thought it was a malnourished hyena but you insisted it was a meerkat;

But your first cute teddy bear was well celebrated. Leona joked about confirming the plushie’s exact taxonomy and you threw the teddy bear at him, laughing afterwards. In the end, the teddy bear was displayed on a shelf in your bedroom, acquiring your successful work. Jokes aside, Leona congratulated you on your achievement and you, again determined, swore that you could do much more;

And you did. Every few days, you would show Leona your final results and sometimes, the process you went through. Leona wasn’t the most interested person in anything related to sewing — see his uniform’s vest dearly missing a button — but he admitted that you were getting better and better;

But there was one plush in particular that you didn't show him. And Leona ended up discovering this unintentionally when he saw you hide a bunch of orange-brown fabric in your bag the moment you bumped into each other around campus. You seemed a little anxious and left in a hurry, suggesting that you two talked again later;

Leona wondered if it was a plushie you were working harder than usual to get perfect — and was starting to have those perfectionist’s anxieties — or if it was a gift you wanted to make for him. Maybe not him, but some friend and you were afraid to arouse his jealousy. Leona didn’t care much about this question, in part;

If it was a gift for Jack, for example, he didn't have to worry. It would even be funny watching you playing with the sensitive nerves of that poor wolf who liked to seem tough. But you seemed so concerned about this particular project — and didn't want to let him know at all. Leona didn't know what to do. A few days passed and he went straight to Ramshackle to see what you were up to;

And you let him in. Leona saw your fingers full of bandages and was a little worried, even if silently. You asked him to stay in the room and minutes later, you brought him a lion plushie made especially for him. “Is it... me?,” Leona asked, holding the dark-skinned, brown-maned lion plush that had a grumpy expression. “Even my scar, huh?”;

You didn’t know what to interpret Leona's expression, you have never seen someone so confused staring at a stuffed animal. But that's because that little lion transported Leona to a time in childhood where he was carefree and could consider himself relatively happy. Leona hugged you without saying or explaining anything, but you understood that he had liked it;

One day, going into Leona's room to wake him up, you found the lion plushie on his bookshelf along with the chessboard. The lion was practically protecting the pieces — or that was the conclusion you came to. You smiled, staring at Leona sleeping peacefully. You were glad he kept the gift in a safe and proud place.

[maaarshieee]

Hi, could I request hc's of Shinbou with a shy!reader that often avoids people? Reader kinda acts like Giyuu and, this leads to Shinbou teasing them until one day Shinbou ends making the reader cry.

➢ Sʜɪɴᴏʙᴜ Kᴏᴄʜᴏ x Gɴ!Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

➢ 4,104 Wᴏʀᴅs

➢ Hᴜʀᴛ/ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ

➢ Mᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

She's such a tease, but she didn't mean to go too far. Honestly, she needs advice on how to flirt with the person she likes.

➵ Tᴇᴀsᴇ

cw: mentions of death, injuries, blood, misunderstanding, self-hatred-ish on reader's part ⚠ this was actually a LOT more than i anticipated on this oneshot so this scenario is more plausible in my opinion LOL ⚠

Shy; is one word to describe you. You're not too different than Giyuu, who's the most closed-off person among all of the Hashiras, and you understood why. Interacting with people is hard.

Not everyone is gifted or developed the ability to talk with others so confidently, not thinking of many possibilities of whether people would like them if they did this and that, and just go with the flow. You were one of the unfortunate people who has a difficult time mingling with people. You're often seen with Giyuu due to both of your introverted natures, which led you to become Shinobu's other target for teasing.

You don't understand why Shinobu teases you, but you don't voice out your discomfort since you're already aware that Shinobu does the same with Giyuu.

Does she like to target people like you? You didn't know.

The fact that you're not so great with socializing led you to believe Shinobu does this because she hates you, and in your eyes, it made sense. It doesn't help that you never stood up for yourself from her. You allowed her to poke you here and there, whisper things behind your back to the point it was getting to your head. What did you do wrong to make her hate you so much?

Sure, you never made a good impression on any of the Hashiras besides being strong and very tactical in battle, but is that a good enough reason to hate on you so much? Now you could relate so much to Giyuu's feelings.

Shinobu took your dismissive attitude towards her lightly, for Giyuu does the same and never took into consideration that her words could deeply hurt you. Her teasing, in her opinion, was to bring out any sort of reaction from people like you— who tend to avoid speaking to others and just... stand there.

People like you remind her of decorative furniture. Muichiro made that comment on you and she could never unsee it. 

Because of this, you began to patch up your injuries on your own instead of visiting the Butterfly Estate unless you absolutely have to. Shinobu pokes you more if you're in her territory and the thought haunts you at the back of your head whilst you're on missions, repeatedly reminding yourself to don't get too injured for the sake of your shattering confidence. Small injuries are nothing, so you could easily clean them and put on a simple bandage. Serious injuries though? You had to learn how to stitch deeper wounds, disinfect, and such. All on your own.

Yeah, that's how much you wanted to avoid her.

Which brought you to this unfortunate situation. It appears that simply reading a medical book and following instructions wasn't enough to take care of yourself in the long run, and now you're stuck inside the Butterfly Estate, confined to one of the beds. You could barely move your body, your belly swollen and red from the deep cut you received from a demon. Not to mention the horrible job you did on the stitches, as well as the technique you used on wrapping bandages on your torso.

You were in extreme pain and dared not to move at all during your whole stay. It was clear that you have a pretty bad infection from the high fever you have. It took all of Shinobu's willpower now to smack you on your head for your stupidity and save you a beating for later.

She already noticed how less you've been visiting her estate a few weeks ago. Shinobu was fairly confident with your capabilities, you're a Hashira after all. You aren't just some reckless slayer that got injured on every mission, you're recognized for your strength, your flexibility in battle, your quick thinking and so much more, which earned you the respectful title of a Hashira. What bothered her though, was the gossip of her patients.

Shinobu is not one to gossip since it's not her business, she has many more important things to be doing, but a certain topic caught her attention. You. 

At first, it was the usual awe every low-ranking slayer experiences after witnessing a Hashira in battle. She was about to forget about it when they mentioned something worrisome.

"Have you seen L/n-san anywhere in the estate?" Asked one of the injured slayers. "I wanted to thank them for saving us!"

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?" Replied Aoi, who just finished a check-up on an unconscious slayer. 

Shinobu could hear the frown in his voice. "Well, you see, L/n-san took a really serious blow from one of the demons to protect us. They went ahead of us, so we thought we'd see them here." He explained, "I didn't think they'd heal up that fast."

Aoi was silent for a moment, processing the boy's words. Truth to be told, Shinobu was too, frozen on her spot. "...L/n-san never came here..." 

That was enough to make her spring into action, running out of the Butterfly Estate as fast as she could, her haori flowing against the wind. The smile that she polished to be perfect became strained, as a heavy feeling began to settle in her chest. She could feel her worry rise. 

It has been days since those slayers arrived at the estate.

And this felt horribly familiar.

Shinobu was a doctor. She devoted herself to the field of medicine and made sure that each Hashira was in a good enough condition before sending them back to battle. If you should die without even her knowledge, from a wound she couldn't tend to, she'd fail you as a doctor. Her heart clenched even more because it was you.

Seeing you sprawled on the floors of your Estate, passed out, made her frantic. Your breathing was alarmingly shallow, pulse barely thumping against her finger. Forehead covered in sweat, kimono caked with blood around your stomach, and your body was cold. It felt all too familiar. Looked too familiar. Your body felt light in her arms as she carried you back to the Butterfly Estate, it was as if she was carrying a corpse.

The events left a bitter taste in her mouth. She lost all of her composure after your condition became stable. Had she been late for a day or two, you would've died. Her fingertips trembled against your now warm skin, pulse beating more clearly. Her heart was erratic, pounding against her ribs as a frown formed on her lips. 

Shinobu was relieved that you're alive. She really was, she could just grab your face and kiss you until she's reassured herself that you're alive. That you're breathing, against her skin, that your heart was beating hard enough that she could hear it.

But she was so, so angry. Angry at you, angry at herself, and angry at the demon who did this to you.

Why didn't you seek out her when you needed her help? She's a doctor, for fuck's sake! It's her job to care for you when you need it the most. Was it your pride? Personal reasons? Whatever it was, she's your doctor. Her blood boiled at your foolishness. She wanted to slap your face until it knocked you back to your senses.

Why didn't she check on you more? She should've known something was not right when you visited less and less. When she saw you limp and waved her off when she pointed out. When she could hear your labored breathing during one of the Hashira meetings once. When she searched for more injuries on your body, she noticed more scars than usual. Some showed signs of not properly healing.

She held in a breath.

How long has this been going?

You woke after a few hours of being confined in the Butterfly Estate, much to Shinobu's relief. Breathing became lighter as the smile she always wore on her face softened when your eyes fluttered open, darting across the room to analyze and recognize where you are. 

Shinobu felt like she was punched in the gut when your eyes landed on her and then winced, closing your eyes as if the two of you hadn't made eye contact. But she didn't falter, smiling wider as she poked her finger on your cheek. It took every fiber of your being not to groan in annoyance.

"Good morning, L/n-chan~" She greeted in a sing-song tone, slapping your cheek lightly to 'wake' you up. "I know you're awake!" This time, you groaned, but in pain. Your whole body was so sore, and if you even moved an inch, the pain would spike in your stomach. Slowly blinking your eyes open, you frowned at the Shinobu.

Besides pain, you could feel fear the moment your gaze fell on her once more. She was obviously seething under that sickly sweet smile. You swallowed thickly.

You really did now, Y/n.

"My my, this is one of the most horrible cases of infection I've ever had in a while!" Her voice was nothing but gentle as if it was a gentle caress on the cheek. It gave warmth and reassurance that you're going to be okay in her hands, despite the words that rolled off her tongue. 

But that gentle caress could turn into a merciless strangle if her buttons were pushed too much, and as far as you could tell, was already at her limit. She placed the back of her hand on your forehead, checking your temperature, then pulled down the blanket delicately wrapped around your form. "I'll show you your injury, okay~?" Unable to make a sound, you could only give her a curt nod.

Pulling up your shirt and taking a couple of bandages in her hand, you felt a bile rise in your throat at the condition of your wound. Jaw slacked, you're left speechless as Shinobu replaced the bandages around your stomach. Honestly, you regret not coming to Shinobu after this fatal injury. You knew yet your silly little feelings were too important than your literal well-being. You let out a small yelp when Shinobu 'accidentally' tugged on the bandages too hard, flashing you her signature smile.

"Why didn't you come here?" She demanded just as you feared. You gulped once more, looking away from her, and just stayed silent, hoping she'd drop the subject. But you knew she wouldn't. "From what I could tell, this cut has been here for a couple of days now, the sutures were badly done too!" You could hear the exasperation in her voice, and yet you kept your mouth shut.

With a sigh, she decided to drop it. Instead, she smiled at you. "You're worse than Tomioka-san, you know that, right?" Your throat tightened. There it is. A straight jab at your chest. The pain on your abdomen was almost forgotten when the invisible weight of dread was put back on your shoulders. 

You hated this feeling, and it was so much worse when Shinobu spoke. Can't she go on a day with being so cruel?

"Seriously, where did you learn how to bandage? Sumi, Naho, and Kiyo are younger than you but they're more qualified in healing than you are!" Giggled Shinobu, putting away the bandages as she continued. Her back was facing you, so she wasn't able to see your shaking form. 

Your hands were clenched into fists, gritting your teeth as you felt anger bubble in your chest. 

A thought that crossed your mind made your anger dissipate and was quickly replaced with sadness. She's good at a lot of things. You're not, she's just being honest about your patheticness. That's right, she's just being honest. How can you even have the right to say anything to her when she's just being brutally honest about what she sees in you? You could barely even hold a conversation with Oyakata-sama without stumbling on your words.

But part of you still felt it was so unfair of her.

She opened her mouth, about to poke fun at you more, until she heard a sob. Her hands stilled as her eyes widened. Then she reassured herself that it was just because of the pain. Again, she was about to tease you more when you whimpered out; "Why do you hate me so much?"

It was the first sentence you've ever said to her that wasn't concerning about your health. Unlike Giyuu, who tells her to leave him alone, you never spoke to her. 

If it was a different situation, she would've been elated. The ever so quiet and dismissive Y/n L/n? Talking to her? Giving her a reaction? It would've been an achievement in her books if you weren't crying. If your first words to her weren't you assuming she hated you.

Short gasps escaped your lips as you struggled to hold back your tears. It was all too much. You vowed to yourself you wouldn't unravel yourself to Shinobu, to give her the satisfaction that she got the most pathetic reaction from you. It would've been better if it was anger, shouting at her to shut up. So much better. Maybe you would've relished the sight of her shocked face once you give her a taste of your boiling frustration against her.

But you couldn't get mad at her, because you're not blind.

She's a respectable woman, becoming a Hashira against all odds. You've heard about what she had gone through from Gyomei himself, regarding her with the utmost respect for her determination. Even so, you can feel her, others can too. Tanjiro can smell her anger, Sanemi could tell something was bothering her most of the time, and you guess you could understand.

From what you heard, she lost her dearest sister, her world. 

You could see her stare at herself in the mirror with eyes of distaste. You could see books concerning muscle building, body growth, and strength. You could see her working so relentlessly in the Butterfly Estate.

You're shy, not blind.

So, could you hold it against her? Maybe you could, but she's so much better than you. She pulled through the hardships life threw at her, while you struggled at the simplest things. Eye contact, speaking and socializing. She probably hates you for being weak, that's why she always made fun of you.

With how quiet the room was, you could hear the faint shift of her clothes as she turned to look at you. Head down, you continued to let the tears slip from your eyes, gripping at the blanket until your knuckles turned white. You couldn't see her face, and you suddenly felt ashamed. Bottom lip quivering, you squeezed your eyes shut, ignoring the numbing pain on your abdomen.

"I-I-" You sputtered. "I didn't mean to say that-"

"What do you mean?" The lack of bite in her voice startled you. Opening your eyes, your head snapped towards her. Her fingers were laced together, face devoid of any emotion but you could see the faintest of smiles on her lips. No matter what she was thinking inside her head, she always held a smile. A pang of guilt hit your chest.

"Sorry- I didn't mean i-it..." At this point, your tears had stopped due to the shock of her reaction. This was certainly not how you imagined this would turn out, but you could only muster a frown, sniffling. "I..." You honestly didn't know what to say. 

It was hard to read Shinobu from there.

"Why do you think I hate you?" She asked in a small voice. You gave her an incredulous look, you can tell she isn't joking either. Hesitating, you rubbed the back of your neck. "Well, don't you?"

She shook her head. You thought you were over from all the shock, but it just doubled. "Why would I?"

Irritation spiked in your heart, brow twitching ever so slightly. Is she feigning innocence? Because that's just too far. "What- what?? You said all of those mean things to me!" You snapped, gritting your teeth once more. "You poked fun at me all the time!"

Realization clicked inside Shinobu, tightening the grip in her hands. Oh. Oh. She grimaced. "But I did that so you'd know I liked you." Shinobu blurted out before she could stop herself.

Everything froze for a moment.

Shinobu's face went from blank and deep in thought, to horrified as her eyes fixed on yours. You choked on your spit. 

"What."

"I-I-" Shinobu, surprisingly, lost her composure, a faint red hue painting her cheeks. Honestly, you could feel your face burning up. She liked you. Shinobu Kocho. You felt like passing out this instant. She cleared her throat, forcing a strained smile upon her lips as she averted her eyes away from you. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" If it was a different situation, you would've snapped at her for changing the subject. You're relieved she did. "If... if I hurt you so much, why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes gazed back to years, pleading for an answer. Pleasing for you to be honest. You took a deep breath, struggling to maintain eye contact even in a serious situation like this.

"I didn't want to say something that'd hurt you..." You relented, turning your head up to stare at the ceiling. "You've been through a lot and I thought... You just hated me for being weak, like Iguro-san did. Plus... I didn't know how..." Biting your bottom lip, breathing became easy as you said your last bit of words. It honestly felt good to finally speak up.

You wouldn't know until then, but your words shattered her heart. Even if you were hurt by her teasing, you were still so considerate of her feelings. Considerate you might say something that might hurt her. But you didn't pity her, you thought she was strong.

No, she wasn't. If she was strong, she wouldn't have hurt you by teasing and could've admitted it in your face that she wanted to be with you.

"I'm sorry." 

"Huh?" You blinked, turning your head to her again.

"I'm sorry." She repeated, louder this time. Her small, but rough, calloused hands took one of yours into hers, fingers caressing your own blemishes, trailing her fingertips on the lines of your palm as her intense gaze never left you. You could feel it. The guilt. "I'm sorry that I hurt you, L/n-san... I should've been more considerate with how you feel... I should've taken the hints... Is-is this why you didn't come here? To my estate?" 

You hesitated but gave her a nod in the end.

Her gut twisted, hand trembling lightly against yours. You could've died because of her. "I'm sorry." She said once more, then again and again. Shinobu closed her eyes as her tears began to run down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way, Y/n... I-I thought- I just- I'm so sorry."

You didn't know what to say, but your heart clenched at the sight before you. The usual composed, calm, and smiling Shinobu just broke down in front of you, begging for your forgiveness. Both of you misunderstood one another, but it led to both of you getting hurt. You squeezed your hand against her's and she choked out a sob. 

Relief; is what you felt. You're relieved that Shinobu didn't hate you and that she liked you. You're relieved that she regretted everything she said, that she felt immense guilt for what she had done. She blamed herself, but you didn't. You blamed yourself, for the most part, if you just had spoken up to her, this would've never happened.

She wouldn't have to worry over your near death.

But you were glad she let herself be vulnerable to you. You were glad to see the woman you dreaded to see again in a new light. She wanted to get a reaction from you didn't she? She pushed you to talk to others. It was her way of trying to help you without revealing too much of her feelings.

Yet her words stung your heart. This has been going on for months so you can't just ignore everything she said. She had been too cruel, unfair, and inconsiderate. You didn't know where you got the sudden confidence, maybe you just needed to cry it all out and tell Shinobu how you felt. You wanted to take back the control of yourself, not your emotions.

You wanted to forgive her, but couldn't, because it hurt. So, the right thing to say is—

"No." You said flatly. "I don't accept your apology."

Shinobu could feel her world plummet to the ground and crush her into oblivion. Of course, she should've seen it coming. She hurt you. Gosh, she's such a fool. You wriggled your hand out of her's and suddenly she felt cold and empty like your touch was the only thing that was grounding her to reality. 

She could only nod at you, her face fell as she made a move to walk away. To leave you. You grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "But you could earn it," You stated, pulling her back to you, "For my forgiveness." That made her smile return to her face. Soft and relieved, genuine. She took a chair and sat near your bed, your hand into hers. She refused to let go.

"I will do my best." She vowed, planting a small kiss on your knuckles. Her cheeks burned. "Starting from here. I'll nurse you back to health, I'll make the Butterfly Estate as comfortable as it can get. For you to feel at home, for you to trust me to let me help you again." 

Her voice was small and shaky. Vulnerable. To you, for you. Your heart swelled as you squeezed her hand. 

You wanted to forgive Shinobu. You didn't want to reject her. Not when she regretted everything, not when she was so eager to earn your forgiveness... Not when she gave you her most genuine smile. You planned on forgiving her, you were about to immediately do so, but you held yourself back. 

Her words stung. They were heavy and you aren't sure if you'd recover quickly from them, even if she said she did it because she chose that method to show she liked you. Your confidence was almost shattered beyond recovery. It was unfair to you, and she understood that. You didn't want to get into a relationship with her when you still felt like avoiding her. When you still felt too weak for her. 

Both of you can wait for a time when you've forgiven her. 

You wanted to apologize too, but you stopped yourself. It probably would make her feel worse.

"You're worse than Tomioka-san," You said instead, out of the blue. Shinobu's eyes shot up to yours, shocked. That was a first. She could hear the teasing tone in your voice, which left her baffled. "I think he got the gist of what flirting is, but you on the other hand," You whistled while you gave her an unimpressed look, "That was horrible."

The corners of Shinobu's lips curled up. You never gave her a reaction to satisfy her, but now you're showing her your real colors. You weren't sure yourself as to why you did, but it felt natural. After crying, admitting, and talking to Shinobu, your chest felt lighter. You felt like you can breathe easier. Confident. It wasn't much, but you felt so happy for yourself. 

"Ah, so this is how you are when you're not so shy, hm?" Her smile widened when she saw you smile back, rubbing at the back of your neck with reddening cheeks. 

This felt natural. It's probably why it felt a bit easier to be yourself. You're shy, but when it comes to close people, you're more open. Shinobu has spoken to you a lot, she took care of your injuries and would often ask how you're faring every time you meet. 

It didn't strike you how much she cared until now. Damn her and her teasing. 

"I'll stop with the hurtful words, Y/n... If that's what you want." 

You let out a small laugh, wincing when your abdomen began to hurt. Flashing her another smile, you intertwined your fingers with hers, features softening. "You? Not teasing? It'd feel unnatural. Just don't go too far, okay?"

She nodded, leaning against your touch when you cradled her face with your hand. "I promise," She muttered, closing her eyes, "I don't want to hurt you anymore."

You beamed at her. 

✦ Thanks for requesting, anon! this actually got me writing it quickly bc i really like it~ also SHINOBU 💜💜~!! So i JUST realized you asked for HCS not a Oneshot IM SO SORRY ABOUT THAT SO I HOPE YOU STILL LIKE IT~ also sorry I kinda?? went too far on this?? HUDSKADS I HOPE ITS OKAY ANON ,, this the longest one I've ever written for a oneshot >~< have a good day/night everyone~!

[airlockfailure]

Axe and Ahsoka (and Anakin is here as well) Some Head-canons

My shift yesterday started in the pre-dawn hours so I got to see the total eclipse of the moon, but it also means I'm alone at work for a solid two hours before any of my co-workers arrive. We aren't allowed to have cell phones and the computers can't access music/radio sites so one's brain must keep oneself entertained.

So I'm thinking about clone pilot Axe, and how he's ten inches taller than the rest of the clones. How did he avoid decommission? He'd be so expensive for the Kaminoans, rigging gear in a larger size, customizing everything down to his nutritional intake, not to mention in the field he's a sizeable target compared to other clones.

I don't know how the droids' targeting AI works, but my HC is they're programmed to scan for life forms, and lock on heat signatures. This is partly why in my fics the cooling system in the clones' under armor is so important. Usually, larger people have a more body heat because it requires more energy to keep them alive. That makes Axe even more of a target.

So, my head canon is that this height discrepancy didn't make itself known until he was already trained. A mutation that didn't activate until his final growth spurt in the clone equivalent of his late teens.

This means, instead of adjusting for his specific needs, Axe is forced to go without those needs being met. He eats the same as the rest of them, and is therefore malnourished early on. He has to cram himself into a tiny cockpit made for people ten inches smaller than himself. His suit and armor don't work right to protect him from g-forces because he's bigger, his heart works harder, his blood travels farther. So my head canon is that Axe has much more wear and tear on his body than the rest of the pilots. His joints, his organs, especially his cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and I think his brain would suffer to an extent that he's likely using oxygen tanks made for normal clones, not giants. So he either runs out faster then the others, or is never getting enough air (either in his lungs or to pressurize his armor). *Don't question the space/atmospheric flight dynamics here, I don't actually care that much about the differences. Star Wars treats space too much like atmospheric flight for me to go the opposite direction. It's also more dramatic to treat space flight like atmospheric flight. SHHH I'm having fun, things don't need to be realistic. It's okay.

And all of that leads me to this: the person Axe relates to most among the 501st ends up being Ahsoka. She's too short for the ships. In my head canon the Jedi have to suit up for flight the same as the clones, because while a Master might be able to use the Force to correct blood flow and respirations, I don't think a Padawan could.

Of course, in my AU, Ahsoka is already a Jedi Knight (similar to Barriss Offee), working with Anakin until the 501st splits.

But she's too short for the ships, she has to stretch to reach the controls, she has to adjust to getting too much air, her suit not fitting her properly. (Because Sidious wants the Jedi to suffer damn it, the Republic already spent enough credits to make these things, they aren't spending more to accommodate the Jedi. What do you meant the Jedi are compassionate, good people and want to fight alongside their men and not from the safety of the Venators? Just kidding, Sidious knew they would do exactly that and intended to make it suck in so many ways.)

So of course Anakin overhears Axe and Ahsoka talking(complaining) about their mutual struggles in opposite directions, and being the hack mechanic that he is, he makes alterations to Axe and Ahsoka's bombers. Are these alterations safe?? More than likely not. Do the alterations extend to their suits? Sort of, but Anakin's ability with textiles while there (you think a slave from Tatooine doesn't know how to mend/alter clothes????), isn't as honed as it is with mechanical things.

And because everyone gets the same food, Ahsoka gives her extra to Axe. They usually eat together whenever they can. And Axe goes with her when the 501st splits into the 501st and 332nd.

So yeah, all that to say I think Axe and Ahsoka are good buddies and no Axe doesn't die, what do you mean?? Haha. Ha.

I need more coffee.

[charlieslowartsies]

So... any HCs you want/can share about the Security Breach cast?

lmao how long u got, buddy.

Here's what I've decided are some headcanons/general notes that will be of use in the knight guard au. Relatively spoiler-free, but here's a read more juuust in case ;)

Glamrock Freddy: Y'know how in the knight guard au, Freddy's the leader? Mr. Go-To, always respected, third-in-command when Mike/Goldy ain't around? No one respects Glambear. He doesn't know anything different, even though he does know he's missing his right hand bunny.

Personally I very much enjoyed how I could subvert the 'every freddy needs a bonnie' thing I built up in Last Shift. Security Breach certainly provided me with a lot of plot to turn that theme on it's head and ask myself 'how will these characters react in this universe after enduring this?' Hint: not great. :D

He's the oldest in age among his peers, but damn if he isn't a middle child when it comes to...everything.

Gregory: Absolutely wild child. Mad lad. Prolly been lurking round the Pizza Plex for a while, but who knows frankly. Some minor clues lead me to believe this while playing the game. Hiding places I stumbled across had piles of children's clothes like...little nests were made. Def needs socialization among his peers, no should trust the Glamrocks to help him with this. Freddy's his favorite, though he doesn't understand why Freddy doesn't stick up for himself more. Thankfully, Gregory sticks up for the both of them enough >>; taking eyes and what not...

Doesn't trust adults quickly, if at all in some instances. Especially older males in authority positions. (As they are so often in roles such a police or security.)

Not allergic to peanuts but dislikes them so much he fibs and tells people he does have an allergy to avoid encountering them...

Poor reading skills, but a quick leaner when such lessons are taught to him in a way he can relate to. He prefers being read to, though it's been a long time since he had that kind of luxury. Acceptable math skills, and would enjoy science class if he were actually enrolled somewhere. History, however, is boring.

Fascinated with robotics. It's a good way to connect with him--because even if he sees Glambear trust you doesn't mean he'll be the same.

He is absolutely willing to take someone down with him in defense of his Freddy.

He reminds Max of Alexander and Arthur in several ways.

Vanessa: She needs this job. She can't afford to screw it up. She doesn't care if she's called 'the bitch', or if she's 'too uptight and too intense.' She's got a job to do and she expects full cooperation from all parties.

Suffers from migraines. More frequently, but then...., stress, right?

Doesn't believe in the supernatural, it's all just a bunch of hocus pocus, yanno?

Forgetful, but she can hide it well.

Roxanne: Designed off the Foxy line, but is her own 'beast' if you will. She shares many similar traits with that line, from her immense passion in performing down to her nasty competitive streak.

Glamrock Chica: Spacey, but not to the point of danger. Unlike Chica, she has no grace or skill in the kitchen area, and was never given proper outlets to quell her chomping desires.

Montgomery Gator: Didn't get where he is today without stepping on a few toes, but so what? Everyone loves him, and that's all that counts...right?

He's been falsely accused of something, but he's never had proof to inform otherwise--and no one in the band would believe him anyway.

Glamrocks in general:

Not haunted. Kooky as hell though. Carry a lot of the Toys original base programming, with a few minor exceptions.

They perform on a giant ass stage for a couple songs, and then either disperse across the pizzeria it seems (Roxy goes to her raceway, Monty has his golfing, Chica's got her jazzercise...thing...) etc! Sure. Cool. Then they go 'home' and 'home' is a giant glass box, sectioned off so the PP can make more money. Hell, even their production time seemed to be quarantined.

Compare that to the Fazgang who live on a stage together--hell, even Foxy's Cove is within ear shot for a reason.

And just...I dunno raising anything in an majorly isolated setting is a bad idea.

The Glams have NONE of the Fazgang's tight knit, family camaraderie. Bonnie and Foxy fight like once a day but at the end of closing time they're still brothers and they all love one another. The Glamrocks...don't have that sort of connection in my mind. They won't for Lies Within.

Sundrop:

He used to collect lost and found items and leave them on the security desk in the Daycare center. But when he spotted them in the trash the following days, he stopped trying to help.

Rambles. A LOT. Refers to himself as 'we' sometimes, usually when he's warning others, but does so covertly.

His nyctophobia is pretty severe, for obvious reasons. Avoids the theater and naturally dark places, usually refusing to go near their entrances at all.

Not super reliable, but he does care for kids and wants them to be happy. He's easily distracted but if given patience Sunny can prove very useful in certain situations.

Kinda reminds Mike of his best friend--and do NOT tell his best friend that.

Moony:

A little over zealous, even when repaired/reset. Tends to need someone stronger whose rules he'll adhere to, even if he complains about it.

He more loathes than fears bright light, since he knows he won't remain out and in control when it's too bright.

Whoever designed him used some bits of the Funtimes' schematics.

DJ MusicMan:

Sees through his many Mini-DJs that are scattered around the pizza plex. He's very attached/reliant on them, since he can't fit many places.

You can get on his good side by playing some jams he likes, or if you have clearance from the Mini-D's.

Well it's 1:30am and I was supposed to be in bed an hour ago. RIP Char's sleep schedule, g'nite!

[lazykcdoodler]

Thoughts on Louie and Della's Relationship + which of the triplets is my vote for Most Likely to hold any sort of longterm grudge against their mom (and why it would be Huey)

I was looking through the Della Duck tag in my blog, when I came across some discourse about the Della-Louie relationship dynamic that I reblogged a while back. I was reading thru the comments and saw someone's HC about how S3 Louie might still hold a small grudge against Della for stealing the Spear of Selene.

And I'm like, no?? If any of the kids in S3 and beyond would hold any sort of substantial grudge against Della for taking the Spear, it would obviously be Huey.

Wait, why did I think that-

Then because Huey's not explored enough, I had to take a step back and think about why I thought of him as the most likely candidate.

First, to work thru my thoughts on Louie and Della's relationship, and why he's less likely to hold a grudge against her in the long run. To start things off, he and Della already had their big clash and make up in the S2 finale. Remember this?

Their small arc in S2 did important things for their character development. That's not to say that they'll never argue again, or that they won't ever have problems. I can certainly see Louie using the Spear as ammunition for a future fight, if things came to that. But Louie and Della have other traits in common, aside from sharp scheminess and their tendency to think that they're the smartest people in any room.

Louie and Della are communicators. Yes, they're both sly and manipulative. But their success in that department comes from their ability to understand people. Dewey might've inherited Della's impulsiveness and natural charisma- but his inclination toward dramatics, his need to be well liked by others, and his desire to stand out among his family and peers, all mean that Dewey is more likely than Louie (but not Huey) to keep secrets and his personal feelings quiet. Della and Louie? Much less so.

It took Louie less than a year to voice his insecurities about his capabilities as an adventurer to Huey. When their mom came back to the Manor, Louie voiced his personal concerns in the very same episode. Louie is a crier. He complains a lot. He's an excellent orator. By far, Louie is the easiest triplet to read as a character, because his thoughts and his intentions are made known to the audience very quickly.

On Della's side of the equation, it's strongly implied throughout the series that she served as the emotional translator between Donald and Scrooge. Don't get me wrong; Scrooge and Donald love each other very much, and they understand each other in a way that very few others do. But when wires get crossed and either of them clam up on their hurt feelings (or fight about other things to avoid the elephant in the room), Della comes in to mediate. She voices whatever the other person won't say out loud. But that deserves its own post.

Regardless of any trouble between Louie and Della, I'm sure of three things. 1) Della and Louie love and care about each other, 2) Della is trying her hardest, Louie doesn't like getting into fights, and he admires passion as a trait in other people, and 3) in spite of everything- despite how agreeable Huey is, or how Dewey's such a momma's boy- out of the boys, Della's relationship with Louie is probably the healthiest in the long run. When it comes to his feelings, Louie is the most emotionally honest triplet. If he beats around the bush, it won't be for long.

While Dewey and Della ride the same wavelength (which causes its own problems), she grounded Louie in Timephoon and said those infamous words because she's been in Louie's place before. She knows what scheming and selfishness got her and her family, and she doesn't want Louie to do the same thing. Because she knows she was harsh- and she knows she might've been too harsh, since she just began learning how to be an authority figure- Della is probably less confident with her ability to handle Louie properly. Which means she's more likely to go to Donald for help with Louie's issues, far more often than she might for Dewey and Huey. Louie will always let Della know where she stands with him. And while she won't take his shit, Della will listen and reciprocate his emotional honesty with her own.

Huey is not good at emotional honesty. Don't get me wrong, he's great at helping other people. But unlike Louie, Huey is as emotionally transparent with his insecurities as a steel bear trap.

So. Why Huey? As I mentioned above, he and Della have stuff in common. They enjoy video games and exploring. They're both outdoorsy. Della is giving this her best shot, and Huey's a kind kid. They get along fine, so obviously things must be fine. Right?

Rrriiiigggghhhhtttt. So, why do I think that Huey's the most likely of the triplets to have any residual resentment toward Della for taking the Spear?

Dewey admired Donald's commitment to his family, but he had to learn to respect him. Louie respected Donald's passion and work ethic, but he had to learn to admire him. Huey never had to learn any of that; Donald has held Huey's respect and admiration from Day 1.

Huey's uncle has a terrible temper. He's easily misunderstood by others. He's the hardest worker on the planet, but he's often underappreciated. Huey can relate. This intrinsic understanding is the root of Huey's longstanding admiration and respect for Donald's character and Donald's efforts. Despite their pre-series financial insecurities, Donald successfully raised three boys on his own while providing them with a relatively middle class lifestyle. Despite everything, Donald is rich in the love of his family and friends.

When it comes to Donald's difficulties with public society, out of his brothers, Huey is the most empathetic to their uncle's plight. He might not be a father of three, but Huey holds the best understanding of the responsibilities that Donald undertook on their behalf.

And therein lies the rub.

Huey Duck is the Responsible One. He works hard, takes his duties as the eldest triplet very seriously, and helps Donald wherever he can. Whether by serving as a vocal translator during a bank transaction, taking charge of his siblings when their uncle is away, or speaking in Donald's defense when his brothers call him boring or lame, Huey tries to makes things easier.

Della probably did some of those things for Donald when they were younger, and vice versa. I'm 99 percent sure that Donald has been teaching her how to AdultTM since she got back from the Moon.

(Because her impulsiveness got her stranded for 10 years).

Huey and Della love each other. They get along great. They have plenty in common. But Huey Duck is by-the-book, and naturally inclined toward hard work- just like his Uncle Donald. Della ripped up the book, took a shortcut, and had to learn to become hardworking the hard way. Huey Duck is the Responsible One. Della had to take a crash course in becoming a Responsible Authority Figure after Louie's scheming almost erased the family from history.

There are many reasons to admire Donald, but his ability to wrangle the three of them is probably near the top of Huey's list. If Donald wasn't responsible before the SOS Incident, he certainly learned to be. Huey has his own lifetime of trouble dealing with Louie's cons, Dewey's impulsiveness, and their collective recklessness and disregard for Huey's work and Huey's passions. They're difficult and infuriating, but Huey tries. And whenever Huey tries, his respect for Donald probably rises. Because Donald isn't their sibling- he's their uncle, their guardian, their first parent since the day the triplets hatched. While the triplets probably had honorary family in their lives long before they met Scrooge (apparently, Mouseton and Duckburg are very close to each other), Donald was HDL's only parent for 10 years.

Because Huey's mom was reckless, and got stranded on the Moon.

At least Huey knows where Louie and Dewey got it from. (It's bad enough, coming from them).

But Huey Duck is the oldest. He needs to be a figure of strength and capability. He needs to be a leader, needs to provide support, needs to be a good role model. His family relies on him for that sort of thing. Mom's been through a lot. Uncle Donald has been through a lot. Huey spent ten years watching his uncle go through a lot. Huey needs to set an example. He's the oldest- which means he needs to extend a hand, make an effort, and bury any proverbial hatchet even if it kills him a little.

(Huey wants things to run smoothly. Huey doesn't want to be a burden for others. Canonically, Huey locks away a lot of his own problems and internal anxieties...until his control slips. Huey hates it when that happens).

Let the record show that I love Della Duck. She's one of my favourite characters. I love how hard she tries, and she's come amazingly far. I'm sure Huey appreciates her efforts.

I'm not saying that canon Huey holds a grudge, or that he secretly resents his mom. I just think that out of all the triplets, he's who I'd pick as the most likely to do so. And unlike Louie and Dewey, Huey knows how to hide certain thoughts and feelings successfully. Huey can be anxious, but he can't be mean (he's already weird and nerdy, he can't afford to be mean). Huey has spent his entire life honing his control over his less...socially acceptable emotions. (Hello, Duke). If Huey has grudges about Della and the Spear or anyone and anything else, I have faith in his ability to hide those negative thoughts for a long, long time.

Until he can't.

[synesindri]

here are a bunch of hcs & thoughts on lucifer supernatural and gender (early seasons focus)

regarding lucifer: 

[my assumption, as with all angels, is that lucifer has little to no innate sense of having a gender]

lucifer’s opinion of human gender was shaped in broad strokes by such things as the first humans (i.e. probably genesis 1&2 type stories) and lilith being the first demon (i could probably speculate about this for 20 minutes but will not for the moment)

some aspect of the former might include a concept like "the woman is persuasive to the man, who trusts her," as that's a genesis 2 moment and exactly the pattern of lucifer approaching nick and sam 

there are lots of reasons lucifer could have chosen sarah and jess as introductions to nick and sam...possibly there's some amount of affinity there for being perceived as having the feminine role (whatever that means to lucifer) in intimate contexts even while leveraging it to obtain the masculine role lucifer will be adopting to face the world by taking male vessels. that gets a little gospel of thomas-y for me, where (re)unification of Man and Woman is good (e.g. "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, [...] and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female; [...] then will you enter the kingdom") 

something something sources that don't relate to spn at all but that involve fem-presenting lucifer/lucifer-adjacent figures

something something i continue to feel that both jared and mark played lucifer with more stereotypically feminine mannerisms than sam or nick, which, if true, is probably fair to read as being just how lucifer is, in-universe, rather than a deliberate feminine presentation. so if lucifer is looking for parallels between Itself and gender roles, It is probably not trying to match feminine gender expression and would be more looking for which gender expressions more closely resemble how lucifer presents instinctually

regarding spn generally: 

woman in white tropes (good edition): women's role in spn is often as an idealized figure from the past to motivate men to do stuff/be sad/etc. comfort lost (or uh. paradise lost, if you will) kind of energy. mary and jess primarily, but many others along the way too. lucifer positioning Itself as a woman in white maybe says something about lucifer's self-concept as someone the universe lost, and whose loss made the universe less kind, less stable, less safe. women in white are characters to be missed..."don't you miss me, nick? don't you miss me, sam? don't you miss me, michael/god/literally everyone else ever? look at all the bad stuff that happened because you lost me...look how sad and angry you have become because i was gone" 

something about nick!lucifer's just-some-guyness with the height and the outfit etc makes him seem more similar to the winchesters than if lucifer was walking around with like...literally anything at all to make him more visually distinct from them. there is nothing about nick's appearance that otherizes lucifer from the main characters in any way, though. in dreamspace lucifer being jess is a bid for familiarity, and i would say that in physical space lucifer being nick is also a bid for familiarity too. he could be some guy they've known for years, based on what he looks like. he's like them! "hello, fellow men" vibes. even cas is more visually distinct because of his white-collar-worker lewk and slightly smaller stature. lucifer is going all-in with making himself seem like he Belongs among the mains

aggressors in spn: male characters do more violence because there are more of them, but spn has plenty of violent female characters too. i would argue that feminine aggression in spn is often more insidious and creepier than masculine aggression. using sam as an example, sam is the target of a lot of women on spn being really creepy to him (the woman in white ghost from the pilot episode, the rich lady at the party in ghost ship, becky, meg in born under a bad sign, lilith...ruby doesn't fit the pattern but i guess you could throw ruby in there if you wanted to). idk if it's really fair to claim that there are distinct patterns for men's women's aggression on spn, but to the extent that i can identify them, lucifer's aggression fits both the men's patterns (maybe bloodier, maybe more physically involved, righteous, revenge-based) and the women's patterns (cold, manipulative, sensual/sexual, consent is more of an overt concern)

woman in white tropes (neutral edition): spn's woman in white archetype is introduced as being a type of ghost, so that's always the callback when they put actresses in white dresses. lucifer's choices to be sarah and jess specifically lean especially hard on the ghost thing, since they’re both dead. ghosts are characters who can affect the world, but who don't really have agency at the same level as living characters. they're on set paths, and they affect the present mainly because they're still trying to affect the past. lucifer as woman in white is stuck in the past, and can affect more masc characters primarily because of their reactions to her, rather than because of doing things herself. looking at lucifer played by any actor this way, not just while sarah or jess, is kind of interesting!

to be continued? there’s definitely more but i have to do other stuff now :(((

[wutheringmights]

I just read the newest chapter and I loved it! ♥ ♥ ♥ I was wondering if you had some hcs about the engineer that you could share?

Awww I'm glad you like it! I just spent 5 minutes trying to figure out what "HCS" meant before realizing I'm a tired idiot who can't read lol

But yeah! I got some headcanons for the engineer/Spirits I can share!

These headcanons are a mix of things I generally believe for any iteration of the Hero of Spirits and a few things exclusive to CTB. It's pretty obvious which are which.

Technically this is slight spoilers since most of this is not mentioned in-story, but Warriors is a such a self-centered asshole that I'm not sure when I can get him to explicitly ask about Spirit's backstory lol

This got super long and kind of just became me talking about Spirits's entire backstory, so enjoy:

Spirits is sixteen during the course of Spirit Tracks, mostly because that was the vibe I got from him when I first played the game (I made him younger for CTB)

He's not descendant from Wind (who I maintain disappeared instead of settling in New Hyrule); instead, he's Aryll's great grandson

His family name used to be Outset, but when everyone who originally immigrated from Outset island took on that last name, they changed it to Aryll to reflect the family matriarch

So Spirit's full name is Link Aryll, though there is a branch of his family that uses Macaryll instead

The Aryll/Macaryll family is huge; everyone has at least six aunts and uncles on all sides of the family and they can trace back how they are related to Aryll

"I'm Grandma Aryl's third son's second daughter's fifth child." -someone Spirits is related to, probably

He actually never met his great grandmother; she died before he was born.

Spirit's dad was full-blooded Lokomo while his mother was Hylian; his mother passed a few months after he was born after never truly recovering from childbirth while his father died in a fishing accident when he was eight

He went to live with an aunt and uncle who owned a general store; their relationship was polite at best. The aunt and uncle told Spirits upfront that they intended to give the store over to his cousin when he was older so Spirits needed to come up with his own life plan

Spirits didn't necessarily mind since he never wanted to work in a store for the rest of his life, but the ultimatum made it clear that they didn't care for him like a son

To this day, their relationship isn't strained and he doesn't hate them. But whenever they meet, he's overly polite; they're more acquaintances than family

He's cool with his cousin though. They have different interests so they aren't best friends, but they're okay.

Spirits also always had his spirit-sensing abilities. It's really like a sixth sense to him, as normal and automatic as seeing and hearing; he actually didn't realize this wasn't normal until he was a little older

His abilities at this point are limited to sensing vague ideas of a person's spirit (if they're light or dark, etc.), and seeing ghosts (which are really rare. You have to have a lot of power yourself to become one)

(Note: I'm not the only one who headcanons Spirits as having spirit sensing abilities; if you know who can up with the idea, please let me know so that I can tag/credit them!)

The elder of his village told him that select Lokomo had minor spirit sensing abilities, and those who did were traditionally made elders of their villages; being more of a follower than a leader, Spirits adamantly dismissed that idea and refused to be trained on how to hone his spirit senses. He also never learned any of the religion behind it

Which was a little worrisome since his abilities are way stronger than most

Besides, he's always liked trains and it's been his dream to travel around the kingdom as an engineer; being some town's elder would get in the way of that

Anyway, Spirits had to pass a written exam before being accepted as an apprentice engineer, so he's very studious and has a lot of drive (pun unintended?)

He went to live with his Uncle Niko during his apprenticeship in another town; Niko isn't related to him, but he's been a friend of the family for so long that everyone secretly thinks he's actually related to someone and they just forgot who

Niko is his real family, hands down. Those two are as thick as thieves and bring out the wild side in each other

A preteen Spirits used to think Niko was a little lame and kind of embarrassing, but now that he's older, he's all for Niko's weird old man-ness and has even picked up on some of his weird old man-ness himself

That being said, they're both disasters. Neither can clean or cook or do any kind of housekeeping and their shared house is cluttered with Niko's art projects and Spirit's half-finished tinkering

Growing up, Spirits had no idea he was related to the legendary Hero of Wind; Aryll died before he was born, but even in life she was filled with too much grief over her missing brother to discuss it often. Within the family, being related to the Hero of Wind is a rumor at best.

Of course, Niko knows but keeps it a secret from Spirits; once he got back from his LU-adventure, Wind told Niko about the curse of the Hero's Spirit. Then he went missing post-New Hyrule's founding, which really drove the terror of the curse home. Niko thought he could keep Wind's family from falling victim to it by not inadvertently encouraging them to follow in Wind's footsteps

So Niko kept it a secret

And obviously, that didn't work

Spirits' quest to save New Hyrule resulted in him realizing that he needed to embrace his Lokomo heritage and get a handle on his spirit powers; Anjean gave him a little training during his quest but afterwards he traveled around the kingdom to find as many people as he could with abilities like his

They were all really excited to teach him what they knew, especially the religious aspects of the abilities; Spirits is still not the most religious person, but he at least understands and embraces the cultural significance of what he is able to do

This is where he learned how to read a person's Spirit to get an idea of their life experiences and the kind of person they're like; he can also detect where a person is without having to put much effort into it

At Zelda's encouragement, he also got more sword training from the Castle Guard. She offered him a place among them, but he turned it down in favor of remaining an engineer. He still helps around as a swordsman when he can and will act as Zelda's body guard

Speaking of which, he and Zelda are 100% in love. Their relationship started out as puppy love but over the years as matured into a deep connection built on mutual respect

When he's working on designing new engines or parts for his trains, he occasionally brings his drafting materials to the castle gardens so that he can work alongside Zelda; sometimes she falls asleep leaning against his arm and he has to be careful not to shake her awake as he works

Whenever she need to go anywhere in the kingdom, she rides in his train and teasingly criticizes his conducting; he takes a lot of pride in his conducting, but he lets her get away with it since her critiques are objectively hilarious

He keeps a tiny pictograph of her taped to his dashboard

But there's a bit of a problem with their relationship, and it's that he doesn't know if he wants to be the prince consort or not. He does love her, but that would mean giving up being an engineer in favor of being stuck at the castle all of the time

Plus, he's doing great as an engineer; he's saving up to open his own garage that produces his own train designs

Eventually, he leaves for the War of Eras

His experiences with Warriors leaves him more sure than ever that he doesn't want to be the prince consort, resulting in him ending his relationship with Zelda shortly after he returns home

It hurts for a long time to be around her since all of his old feelings keep coming back, so he keeps his distance for a long time; it takes a few years for him to go back to hanging out with Zelda as friends

But now she's approaching marriage age, and he spends a lot of time when he's on body guard duty super jealous of these princes and ambassadors from foreign kingdoms who try to court her

But again, he knows he can't be in a relationship with her so he respectfully and silently pines over her (I'm just a sucker for pining, okay?)

Okay, more random headcanons that are a little less sad

Spirits likes super spicy food, but since he can't cook to save his own life, he just eats whatever he can get his hands on

He's super dirty all of the time, just the epitome of scrappy; there's always a smear of oil somewhere on his person

He actually really hates bathing and only keeps his curly hair in check to comply with train safety regulations

He's really polite and a little shy, but once he loosens up, he gets talkative and personable

He's also very contemplative; he likes conducting so much because he gets to spend long stretches of time alone with nothing but his thoughts

His trauma/stress response is to shut down; he goes quiet, loses energy, and sleeps for longer periods of time

He tends to gravitate towards socializing with people who are older than him, which gets him labeled as being no fun by his peers (despite having someone as cooky as Niko for a uncle)

Post-adventure, his best friend is Linebeck III. They're drinking buddies. Neither can really explain why they even like hanging out as much as they do

(I just like the idea of Linebeck accidentally getting attached to one kid and his whole bloodline getting forever tangled with Wind's; they're bros for multiple lifetimes)

Not only is Spirits good at designing and building new machinery, but he's great at tinkering; he can fix almost anything and will buy broken things on purpose just to have something to fix

No one really knows he's a hero; he doesn't like the attention and, at his request, Zelda did her best to keep his involvement with Malladus a secret

Because not many common people know about his adventure and records of New Hyrule are very rare, he's considered in Warrior's time to be a forgotten hero; some scholars believe that a Hero of Spirits may have once existed, but if he did, no one really knows who he was or what he did to serve the bloodline of Hylia

[fenristheorem]

Hi! First of all, I just wanted to say that I fell in love with your writing and the way you analyze the characters. Now, there is something that has been on my mind for some time, since I found out that Huang Hua can feel other people's feelings, I just imagine that she found out how Lance started to develop feelings for the Guardian. The secret looks he gives her, the restlessness he feels when she enters.

Hello! Thank you so much for the compliment! ❤

The request wasn’t exactly formatted in the way of the typical ask, so I wasn’t exactly sure if you were requesting this as a hc / scenario or just commenting for a discussion, but since my page is primarily writing requests I can only assume it’s a request lol.

I’m not entirely sure what Huang Hua’s special power exactly is to be honest. Some people say it’s the ability to read souls, or sort of read minds, or emotions, things along those lines. I have a general idea that she can read someone’s inner heart, energy/aura, and true intentions, which sort of combines many of those ideas as well as your ideas in the request, so I’ll be writing with that in mind. I hope you don’t mind! It won’t really have much of a difference on how I write this as the general idea (how it’s used) is the same.

~ Under the cut ~

Huang Hua’s observations as Lance falls in love with Guardienne:

Huang Hua, of course, observed Lance during his years of change at the guard. He certainly did become someone different; wiser, more resilient, more composed. She knew him once before his years of being Ashkore, but if asked, she would say that she would like this new Lance better. His actions have humbled him and made him wiser, and he has a more realistic perspective on life now. She’s not pleased with what he’s done in the past, but she realizes that sometimes someone can be their own worst enemy, and if they rise above that and don’t give in to living their life in self-pity, they can become even greater than they once were and provide greater things than they once could have. It seems like this was one of those cases, so instead of holding his past against him, Huang Hua lets him thrive in his new era and provide what he can for the guard.

However, there was one thing that always bothered Huang Hua about Lance: it was nothing but work with him.

Even prior to being Ashkore, Lance spent very little time to himself. He would take care of himself, of course, but aside from the occasional friends or acquaintances, or the occasional one night stands (I don’t think it’s confirmed that Lance had a lot of one night stands, but looking at Valk’s history we can say it’s probably true), he didn’t really spend much time to himself.

This still holds true in this new era, but Huang Hua understands his reasoning better. Even so, everyone needs a bit of a break sometimes; a time to wind down and de-stress. She’s mentioned this once or twice to him when he seems to be carrying the weight of the guard on his back, and he says he’ll keep it in mind... but never really does anything different.

This changes when Guardienne emerges from the crystal.

Immediately, Huang Hua picks up that Lance is high strung and stressed - although he hides it very well (after all, a soldier shouldn’t be easily visibly stressed out right?) - at her presence... but there’s something else, too. Something... deeper. Admiration? Respect? ... Fear?

And even deeper than that seems to be some other sort of distress... Longing?

This genuinely shocks Huang Hua.

Lance, the destroyer of Eldarya, is scared of Guardienne? Sure she saved the world and put up a good fight, but physically she’s completely out of shape now! A great warrior like him has nothing to fear now!

Except, she’s aware that Lance knows the art of warfare much better than her, and he knows personal things about himself that she doesn’t know, even despite her abilities, so perhaps there’s something she’s overlooking or can’t see.

As leader of the guard - with the ability to learn about some of the most private areas of someone’s life by simply wishing to know - she’s basically promised herself to not use her ability unless necessary.

But Lance being terrified of Guardienne is a valid call for her to use this ability to monitor him, right?

Huang Hua has roughly mastered the art of balancing work and her personal life, so she carries on day to day life with little issues relating to this. She knows how to not let this effect the guard, and knows how to hide it so well that nobody would know that anything is going on, so she allows herself to indulge in the sudden mystery that is Lance and his emotions.

And then she realizes just how deeply Lance feels emotions, and just how influential they can be, and it nearly takes her breath away.

All of the emotions flooding through him at once; the regret, shame, sorrow, anger, and even fear, all have a special place in him. They’re always so consistent, and so overwhelming. For a while, Huang Hua wonders if it’s these emotions that drive him in general.

Yes, this is not the first time she's looked into his inner being to know him better - after all, looking into him is how she knew it was safe to release him back into the guard to train new recruits - but this is the first time since then that she's bothered to truly observe him again, and she's shocked by what is revealed. Huang Hua did not know that Lance still carried the burden of his past actions so heavily upon his heart.

But every once in a while, when Lance and Guardienne aren’t feuding with each other, Huang Hua sees the dark cloud of those horrific emotions clear away, and something... wonderful happens.

Lance holds a tender spot in his heart for Guardienne.

Beyond all of that fear, and anger, and sorrow for everything that’s happened to him and because of him - including what Guardienne went through - is a soft spot for the woman he hurt most.

Huang Hua nearly gets whiplash from the sudden realization.

And then she gets curious, perhaps more curious than she should have been.

How long has that been going on for? Did he feel this way before the final war? Is this another reason why he kidnapped her and ran to Memoria? ... Would he have even have been able to feel this way back then?

Huang Hua has never been more interested in someone else’s relationship drama.

She takes to observing his actions over time, trying to decipher what he does for what reasons, and then finds that when he’s not doing things out of responsibility, he tries to make things a bit easier for Guardienne. He keeps his distance, sure, but if there’s anything subtle that he can do behind the scenes to help her, he typically does so.

On occasion - when Guardienne isn’t paying attention to him - he’ll observe her as Huang Hua observes him. She can’t read his thoughts, but she can at least guess what’s going through his mind by the emotions that flood through him, and a common emotion she’s picked up on is cautious hope. 

Hope for what? That Guardienne will manage to fix a future mistake he fears making on accident? That she’ll someday forgive him, or move past looking at him and always seeing his past actions? That perhaps someday they can actually be close with each other?

As much as Huang Hua understands why Guardienne is so persistent on being cautious about Lance, she can’t help but hope that one day soon she may relax around him and trust him, perhaps even grow closer than just co-workers or friends.

After all, the savior of Eldarya and destroyer of Eldarya in love? That’s a story of impossible odds, tragic stories, and bending the world’s rules that people write legends and stories about! But it’s also a symbol of hope and faith; that if Eldarya’s savior can one day look past the actions of Eldarya’s destroyer and fall in love with him, then who’s to say that anything is in vain? Who’s to say that moving forward alongside one’s past enemy - despite their past wars - is a fate hopeless and filled with inevitable hurt? Their story could be passed down through legends, and teach important stories to future generations. Among that, she would be a good influence on him! She knows how to relax and spend time with friends, and knows how to stand up and fight and hope for the best even in the darkest times. If the sky were to fall in their future, and their loyalty lie with each other, Guardienne’s hope and faith could be the sole driving force for Lance to perform wonderful miracles. He has the strength, stubbornness, and resources to do so, he just needs the faith.

And then Huang Hua realizes he does have hope and faith... but it’s invested in her.

Guardienne - just like for everyone else - is a representation of hope, but in different ways for Lance than with everyone else. He’s aware of the possibility that she may never be able to see past his former actions but he still works hard regardless, and not to impress her or make anything up, but because he knows that that’s what she would want from him, even if she has her doubts about him.

The Phoenix begins to see a side of the Dragon that she’s never seen before, and she doesn’t know if she approves or disapproves.

Lance begins to work even harder in Guardienne’s presence, and this concerns Huang Hua for a while. He works himself hard enough, how is it possible that he can still give more? Doesn’t he ever get stressed? Will this somehow kill him from overworking? And yet, as she continues to observe him, he still manages himself just fine, and now he’s even more driven to protect Eldarya. 

These observations carry on for a long time, and as time continues on, Lance manages to sort out his emotions a bit more, identifying exactly how he feels about Guardienne and learning exactly what pleases her. He does his best to provide what he can for Guardienne, in all aspects of life. However, Huang Hua notices that Lance continues to keep a distance from the Aengel.

This makes her wonder; why is he being so cautious with her? Surely they’ve calmed down to each other by now?

But a small look at how Guardienne is feeling makes her realize why Lance is still keeping away from her; she’s still scared of him, and Lance can sense this.

The Phoenix gains a deeper sense of respect for Lance.

He loves Guardienne, and craves to be closer to her, but notices subtle gestures that she may not even know she does that tell him she still can’t fully accept being around him. Despite his want to be closer, he respects her need for space, and Huang Hua has a feeling that he would keep doing that for the rest of his life if that’s what Guardienne needed. However, even while knowing that she can’t stand to be around him, he still works hard with her in mind.

His loyalty to a woman who can barely stand him nearly makes Huang Hua swoon. This is not a common thing with people, others rarely have this deep of a sense of loyalty to one person - especially someone they hurt who keeps pushing them away; they usually just split up in time - but Lance is firm in his loyalty and persistence for Guardienne.

And then Huang Hua starts to catch him displaying subtle physical signs of his interest. Perhaps he’s decided it’s time to push the boundary? Was he really willing to take the risk of upsetting her?

His eyes will linger on her, no matter where they are, only looking away when he feels as though he’s at risk of being caught. He’ll try and stay physically close to Guardienne when he can, standing close to her side, and on occasion when he leads her somewhere he’ll touch her gently, even if for a moment. He’ll place his hand on her back or shoulder for a few heartbeats, guiding her in the direction they need to head in, and he’ll take her arm softly when he pulls her aside from somewhere to talk to her. Guardienne’s reaction really depends on her mood. If she’s irritated or is feeling threatened, Huang Hua observed, she’ll pull away from him, possibly even snapping back with a blatant statement of “don’t touch me!”. Lance remains calm and collected, but Huang Hua is aware of the jolt of pain that thunders through him when she rejects him, as that same jolt ripples through her as she observes his emotions. However, he never holds it against her, and almost seems to be expecting this sometimes.

On the other hand, every once in a while when Guardienne is having a good moment where she seems to be more trusting of Lance, she’ll allow him to touch her for longer, and Huang Hua could swear she could pick up some sort of... longing, or perhaps disappointment, from her when he pulls away.

And during these times, there’s something that happens between them when they touch. A tension seems to crackle in the air, so thick that Huang Hua is sure that they can see it, and is shocked that no one else can see it. But how could they? No one else has her powers.

This tension is what sparks Huang Hua to become truly invested in their possible relationship. Most of the time Lance and Guardienne don’t seem to know what to make of their relationship, but Huang Hua knows there’s something there that can’t be ignored. Sometimes she finds herself thinking to Guardienne “Oh, kiss him you fool!” when Lance is being particularly tender with her, laying all his tragic emotions bare in front of her as they talk about a harsh topic for him, or when he tells her that he’s glad she talks about important things with him every once in a while, even if it is hard for him. Guardienne didn’t seem to realize that this wasn’t a common thing with Lance; he wouldn’t lie about his emotions, but he was very evasive with talking about his past. To get him to talk openly about his past and have him openly admit his regrets was a rare sight - not because he didn’t like to admit his regrets, but because he felt it wasn’t relevant anymore. It was seven years ago, and he had clearly changed since. He regretted his actions, he wished it never turned out this way, he tries to keep it from repeating in the future; what more needed to be said about the subject?

In this time, Huang Hua begins to realize just how deep his emotions for her run.

Lance had a respect for Guardienne, for every part of her, even when she screwed up a bit or caused a bit of chaos, even if he was angry with her. He admired her stubbornness and diligence at defending the guard and Eldarya, and her optimism even in the darkest hours always had a tendency to shake him to his core and snap some sense back into him. Huang Hua began to notice that his emotions on him pursuing her reflected her emotions during dark hours of their story; it wasn’t over until it was over, and as long as there was a possibility that something could change for the better, that possibility should be sought after.

The Phoenix begins to understand why Miiko once had such intense feelings for the Ice Dragon. Even though so many things have happened to him and because of him, he refuses to be held back or muted. He still allows himself to be who he is at heart, and doesn’t care if others like his personality or not. He had confidence in himself, even after the terrible things he’s done. Lance knew very well the extent of his abilities, and was aware that the most important thing about those abilities were how they were used. He had committed atrocities, sure, but he was confident in himself now because he knows he’s not using his strengths for wrong anymore. He has chosen to fight for good, he can see clearly now, and his loyalties lie with the guard, and, overall, with Guardienne.

However, Huang Hua picks up another emotion as she observes Lance over time, and she’s unsure of if it comes from him, or from herself because of what's beginning to be revealed to her about him.

Some sort of hollow loneliness pierces her chest every once in a while as she watches him. He doesn’t have close friends, he doesn’t pursue any other women, and he doesn’t allow himself much time to relax. Lance is a ghost that drifts around the guard, searching for some true place not within the responsibilities, but within the people he protects.

His past makes him hard to relate to, his perception vastly differs from most faeries, and his emotions are a deep well of running water, constantly shifting and redesigning who he is in any given moment, and yet he strives to find his own place within the guard, not as the Leader of Obsidian, but as Lance; the Ice Dragon, the man, the deep ocean of emotions and history who may very well never find a home among a people he can truly call his. Still he remains the same person inside, but always he is adjusting for the outside world, and he had yet to find someone who would risk unraveling his constant adapting to truly know the man underneath.

But everyday he rises to that challenge, brushing off the echoing thought that perhaps he doesn’t belong among these people - that perhaps he may never find peace here at the guard - because he knows he’s best fit for this responsibility. He can protect these faeries better than anyone else could, and his morals lie first with that, and second with his own fantasies.

Even so, Huang Hua doesn’t miss the hollow echo in Lance’s soul as he watches the guard celebrate, or witnesses close friends embrace each other and confide in each other, and she realizes that Lance doesn’t truly feel at peace here, not at all - not among the people who he’s betrayed and become an outcast from. He feels no peace at all among these people, they are not his people... but perhaps, when he looks at her - Guardienne - within her hope he finds peace, and someday, perhaps, he may find peace, a home, within her arms. 

Was it possible that, even as Ashkore, he felt he felt he could find solace within her? Some opening within the dark clouds that overshadowed his existence for him to strive towards?

Did Lance believe that Guardienne made him a better man, even more so than he already is?

By mere chance Huang Hua managed to piece together everything she knew of Lance and his relationship to Guardienne, and she came to realize that there was something between them for a long time. It was deep, and complicated, and was never able to be pursued until now. The Dragon’s emotions for Guardienne ran deeper than any of Eldarya’s oceans, farther than the furthest mapped points, and was purer than even the Aengel’s powers. 

Lance was truly in love with her. Not her powers, not her history, he fell in love with a woman who moved something within him that no one has ever touched before.

The Phoenix almost begins to feel guilty over time.

There was something there for a long time. Did Guardienne know this? Did she need a wake up call in order to realize what was happening before her? Was Huang Hua supposed to intervene and help get their relationship going?

If only she knew...

I shouldn’t interfere with this, Lance would feel violated and Guardienne wouldn’t trust me ever again...

But isn’t it a shame to let them possibly waste their life away not telling each other how they feel, or giving this a chance?

Stress eventually invades Huang Hua throughout her days, even when she's not around Lance and Guardienne. The Dragon and the Aengel, in time, grow ever closer, ever more comfortable with each other, and may even be expressing signs of interest for each other! But no one is doing anything about it!

But no one can see the deep roots of their feelings like Huang Hua can, and she's nearly certain that Lance and Guardienne will continue to tip toe around each other in a fearful dance of figuring out where they fit into each other's lives, never daring to test deeper waters in fear of hurting the other and sparking off another bout of painful emotions that may haunt them, and the guard, for years.

It's very possible that their relationship could change the guard and Eldarya - positively - forever, so doesn't this give Huang Hua some right to try and push them together? But romantic relationships are so personal, especially ones as special as this. A unique relationship like theirs shouldn't be interfered with, it will bloom in time if given the right opportunity... but what if Huang Hua can create the right opportunity!? But that's still interfering in their relationship!

Without even knowing, the emotional toll of observing and pondering over Lance and Guardienne's relationship does begin to take effect on her, and Huang Hua's own partner, Ewelein, is the first to notice and call it out.

The leader of the guard then needed to decide if she was willing to indulge her partner, someone completely unrelated to the matter, in her almost stalker-like tendencies of observing the simmering relationship between the guard's resident Dragon and Aengel.

Eventually she breaks and admits to the Elf that she's been observing the inner worlds of Lance and Guardienne as of late, and has realized just how much of a mistake and a blessing it's been.

The first thing Ewelein jumps to is the fact that it's an invasion of privacy, something that - of everyone in the guard - the leader especially should not be partaking in. Huang Hua doesn't really fight back on that idea; she knows it was inappropriate, she should have just approached Lance and asked if he was alright.

"But of course he would say that he's alright! Maybe a bit unsettled, but come on, at the end of the day nothing shakes him for long, and to him that translates to he's alright!"

Eventually its clear to Ewelein that regardless of how Huang Hua came to be in this position, she's trapped in it now, and feels very passionately about the possible romance brewing within the guard, to the point where it truly is stressing her in possibly unhealthy ways.

Ewelein does her best to comfort Huang Hua as she spills everything that's been revealed to her, starting from the beginning of when Lance and Guardienne were still fearful of each other, to the most current moments of when they've been relying on each other, talking civilly, and even possibly shyly flirting. The Elf is quiet and attentive all throughout, knowing that - even as she's surprised in many ways as well by the things time has revealed about Lance and Guardienne - her shock and emotions couldn't begin to rival what Huang Hua has been feeling for the past endless days that she's been observing them.

“I can’t believe it! This is love that stories are written about, that changes worlds and changes people. And he’s hiding it so easily!”

"But would it be right of you to intervene? This is their story, not yours."

"I know, but couldn't this be good for the guard, too? And possibly even Eldarya? And as the leader of the guard, shouldn't I try and do what I think could benefit us?"

"You first started observing Lance under the excuse that it was for professional reasons, to make sure that he was alright to remain in power and carry out his responsibilities despite her presence, but we both know you did it for selfish reasons, too. You were curious as to why Lance felt what he did about her, and now you have your answer. However, you kept observing them after that, even going as far as reading into Guardienne's responses to Lance. Is that professional at all? And instead of invading her privacy, don't you think she would have told you the truth of her fearful emotions for Lance if you asked her heart to heart?"

Huang Hua lowered her head and avoided her gaze.

"You've gotten your professional answers and now you've seen into a very private portion of two people's lives. None of this is professional anymore, so you can't act professionally on it. You need to treat this as what it is; intimate, personal, and something that should be respected, not exploited. I know it would make sense to try and get this to help the guard, but really, there is no guarantee of that. What if they got together and then broke up a while after? What would the message be then, especially if it were known that you set them up together? My advice is to stay back and let this develop in time. Sometimes when I'm with a patient there is nothing I can do for them, sometimes leaving the body alone to heal itself is the best thing to do. I think this is a case where that rule should be applied. The best thing you can do is let them figure out their relationship in time. You can support them, but do not influence them."

Huang Hua knows Ewelein is right, and forever appreciates her partner listening to her thoughts. If Lance and Guardienne's relationship were to be true, they needed to figure out what they meant to each other in their own time.

So Huang Hua follows the Elf's advice. She bites her tongue and hides the fact that she’s witnessed almost every moment of him falling in love with Guardienne, vigilantly awaiting the day where Lance decided to emerge from the dark and shake the guard’s history for a second time.

Goodness this took a while to write, but I'm very pleased with the results! I think I got a good idea of Huang Hua's reaction and how her reaction developed in time in response to Lance and Guardienne growing closer, especially since I don't think her reaction would begin and end within one day of realizing what was going on.

Thanks for asking!

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[tenthgrove]

Hey! Could I request hcs for la squadra finding out that their teammate has been an impostor all along? I.e. their whole existence is made up, every memory from their past they told are fake, etc. And to make it extra interesting, how about they did it to hide in plain sight from Passione? Maybe they're an unlucky standuser who accidentally got too close to the boss so they're hunted, forced to use their camouflage stand to hide. And where better to hide than with the ones who shall kill you?

(Y/n) Is Sus

La Squadra x Reader (GN), Platonic/Romantic, SFW

Formaggio- If one thing's for certain it's that Formaggio would have been the last person to realise that a teammate of his was living under a false identity. He generally takes his teammates for granted and trusts them regardless, so hiding the truth from him is hardly a difficulty. The truth leaves him shocked and betrayed, but he's one of the more forgiving of the group. After all, you may have joined the team to save your own skin, but befriending them was still a choice. That was all genuine. You're still the person they grew to love.

Illuso- Formaggio and Illuso are alike in many matters but this is not one of them. It can take Illuso months to warm up to a new member, and even with the older ones his bond isn't as tight as it is among the rest of the team. He may even bring up the idea of you being an imposter as a joke once or twice. For obvious stand-related reasons, there's a fair chance Illuso will be the one to discover your lies. Whether or not he supports you is entirely dependent on how close you were before. For the average new member, he'd be happy to turn them out any day, but on the odd chance you have become friends, or even lovers, he will defend you.

Prosciutto- There was always something about you. A sense of nerves that didn't quite line up with normal newbie stress. He put it to one side, though keeping a watchful eye on you, and eventually, his suspicions were proved right. But it was far worse than he ever feared. Of everyone in the team, he is the most likely to become physical with you in response to the truth. You've humiliated him, dishonoured him and his team as a whole. He should despise you, he should kill you, but why does he feel this urge to protect you? It isn't right, it goes against all his principles, but he cannot bring himself to turn you in.

Pesci- You know you probably could have told him you were an imposter on day one and he wouldn't have minded. He never asked for this sort of life and he's sure you didn't either. As long as you coming here wasn't anything malicious against them, he doesn't mind. If anything, he admires your bravery in taking such a bold approach to hiding; he would have just ran. But when the others find out who you are, Pesci is terrified. What's going to happen to you now? Everyone says giving you away might prove necessary, but he despises the idea. He is among the first to speak up for you.

Melone- Something just didn't add up about you. As routine with all newcomers he questioned your backstory scrutinously, and while you had answers for all his questions there was something... wrong about the demeanour with which you answered them. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. When the truth came out he was... unsure of himself. He mostly sat out of the debate about how to respond. He hopes, deeply hopes, that a positive solution for everyone can be found, but he knows things don't always work out like that.

Ghiaccio- He doesn't believe it at first. He is convinced he must have heard things wrong, or this is just some baseless rumour blown out of proportion. But it's not. This is happening. You betrayed them. He doesn't even care so much about the fact you're an enemy of Passione, more just that you lied to them. That's not what squadmates are meant to do. Ghiaccio takes his anger out on you in the fullest, insisting you be 'dealt with' to put an end to this charade. Even though you are ultimately spared, he regrets these words for a long time.

Risotto- He's very angry with himself for not seeing this sooner. Risotto is meant to be impenetrable. You shouldn't have been able to infiltrate his team like this. Regardless, he has a matter to deal with now, and in that matter is a problem. He still sees you as a member of his team. He shouldn't, but he does. And as a member of his team, he still feels as though he needs to protect you. He cannot, no matter what he wants, let you come to harm. Risotto is still angry, and confines you to the basement until a solution is found, but you will not be harmed. He hopes you can tell this.

Sorbet and Gelato- Well, isn't this a bit of bad luck for you, huh? As it happens, Sorbet and Gelato have been spying on the boss' activities for a while, and they know about your little... well, connection, to him. They day they great you by your real name you nearly choke. But don't worry, they aren't going to give you away. After all, they're technically traitors to Passione as well so it would be hypocritical for them to out you. And besides, alerting Risotto to the truth would only reveal their own crimes. They're going to keep quiet. You continue to be nervous around the pair, that is, until the news leaks to the rest of the team. They get up, and categorically persuade the group to spare you. It seems they really are your allies after all.