#i never know what to tag this hhhh

[eyelessfaces]

I'll be the silence ringing through and through and through

santiago garcia x reader

summary: if santi had it his way, he would be back home, with you, his mouth on your neck or something of that kind– it would have been possible, a few months ago. or in some alternate universe where he hadn’t fucked it all up. in short; santi wants you back.

warnings: mentions of a breakup but no reason is mentioned, alcohol consumption

tags: f!reader, exes to lovers, inevitable angst, fluff

word count: 1.7k

masterlist | taglist | ao3

updates blog: @eyelessupdates

happy new year!!!! randomly dropping a santi fic to start it right hhhh

fic title is from the song "heart to heart" by fiddlehead :)

reblogs and feedback are extremely (I cannot stress this enough) appreciated!!

If Santi had it his way, he would be back home, with you, his mouth on your neck or something of that kind–

It would have been possible, a few months ago.

Or in some alternate universe where he hadn’t fucked it all up, and where he would be holding you by the waist and kissing your cheek instead of having to watch you from afar, scrutinizing every littlest movement of yours while he was slumped in Frankie’s couch, like an hermit, feeling helpless, the neck of his beer being the only thing to kiss his lips tonight.

Maybe it was just the alcohol, maybe everything would seem way less dramatic tomorrow, save for the hangover headache – but no, scratch that, he wasn’t even drunk, just barely tipsy, so no, tomorrow won’t be better.

It must be the sight of you laughing at another man’s joke then, probably.

Was he hitting on you? Was he just a friend, like Benny, Will and Frankie were to you? 

He shouldn’t care; that wasn’t his business, that wasn’t his problem. Not anymore. Not that he had been the kind to carefully observe your every movement any time you talked to another man back when you were together. He had never really been of that kind, he trusted you.

Except here, right now, it was his problem. For some reason, it felt like it was, and even more than before, when you were still together.

Because now that you didn’t love him anymore, there was nothing to stop you from doing anything with that man.

Would that man fill the hole Santi had left in your heart? Would he make you happier than Santi ever had? 

Probably. He was probably a good man, would be a good boyfriend, wouldn’t fuck everything up. Would probably even marry you, and he’d be damn right to.

“He’s gay” Will snorts, plopping down next to Santi, giving a small pat to his chest. Santi’s gaze finally departs from you to turn to his right, where his friend has settled next to him.

“Good to know, but I‘m not interested in him,” Santi jokes, looking down at his half full beer. Half empty.

“That, I know.” Will cocks his head to the side, a more serious expression over his face as he brings his beer to his mouth. Santi’s gaze darts back to you and that man talking, a sick feeling filling his stomach as he sees you smile and shake your head frantically just the way you used to when he would come up with a shitty joke. “I’m like, eighty three percent sure she’s still in love with you.” Will speaks again, nudging Santi’s knee with his own.

“Seventeen percent of what?” Santi chuckles, more convinced that the rest of that percentage is the most important part.

“Seventeen percent of, you still fucked up, man.” Will says, patting Santi’s knee before getting up from the couch, already. “I’m not good at math dude, but all I can tell you is, it’s worth trying again!” he declares over the music, pointing at Santi before disappearing through the crowd. 

Easier said than done.

Santi sighs, bites the inside of his cheek as he runs a hand over his few days old stubble. 

He had never had any issue talking to people with ease, but for some reason, the idea of talking to you tonight seemed like the most intimidating thing he ever had to do in his entire life.

But god, did he want to look at you in the eyes again. To have you make that focused frown whenever you were attentively listening to someone. To see the way your lips curled up into a smile when you could pre shot a joke, and the way you still pretended not to know what the punchline was, and still ended up laughing.

Santi smiles to himself, finishes his beer, and when he looks up, you’re not in the crowd anymore. Then Benny joins him when he goes to the kitchen for a refill, and you happen to slip out of his mind for the time being. 

—

The air is crisp, compared to the smothering heat inside. It tickles your cheeks, the tip of your ears, it hits every exposed area of skin, the sweat over it now feeling ice cold.

It’s all you needed and wanted, so you shouldn’t complain.

You walk back and forth along Frankie’s porch, the overwhelming feeling of the slight tipsiness and the fast beating of your heart simmering down, and you lean against the wall, taking a deep breath. 

You turn at the sound of the door opening beside you, the loud, previously muffled sound of the music now clear, ending up face to face with the one person you did your best to not go talk to all night long.

“Shit, sorry. I’ll go” Santi apologizes, still firmly holding the doorknob, starting to go back inside.

“No, no, it’s alright” you say, inviting him to stay with you. “I didn’t privatize the porch” you joke, giving him an awkward smile.

He chuckles as he tentatively steps outside, closing the door behind him, leaning his back against the wall beside you. Neither of you say a single word for a while, then he looks over at you, and you can feel the weight of his gaze on you. “I assumed you wouldn’t wanna see me.” he finally declares, making you scoff and shrug.

“I actually don’t mind,” you say, looking over at him. He’s now looking ahead, a small pinched smile over his lips. He runs his tongue over his bottom lip before looking back at you.

“I feel like an idiot.”

“Fair enough, you are one.” you immediately sigh, looking away. His gaze is too heavy. “I loved you.” the knot inside your throat tightens only after you pronounce the words, thankfully.

He swallows hard, a shiver running down his spine. It’s not the cold air’s doing. He stares deeply at you, watching you doing your best not to look at him.

“I know.” 

The atmosphere hangs heavily as the awkwardness takes over. The silence lingers, punctuated only by the sounds of the night around you. 

He pushes himself away from the wall, taking a step closer and turning to look at you, forcing the both of you to truly establish eye contact for the first time tonight.

"I fucked up, I know," he admits, his voice low and filled with remorse. "But I never meant to hurt you." he shakes his head. “Ever.”

You blink, your gaze tearing from his. "You did anyway," you reply, your tone tinged with a mixture of bitterness and sadness. The memories of the pain he caused are still fresh, wounds not fully healed. 

He runs a hand over his stubble, a nervous habit you remember all too well. "I know I can't change anything that I did, but I want you to know that I'm sorry."

Your eyes meet his own again, searching for sincerity. "It doesn't fix everything," you say, your guard still up. 

He nods understandingly. "I just needed to tell you, and to let you know I haven't stopped thinking about you."

The vulnerability in his gaze begins to chip away at your defenses. Despite the hurt, a part of you softens. "Santi–”

He cuts you off– "I've been thinking, and you know I don’t do it often” he jokes, scoffing. “And I realized how much I lost when I let you go." 

A wave of internal conflict washes over you. Your past relationship is a heavy burden you’re carrying, and you’re not sure you should grant him your forgiveness, yet there's a glimmer of something in his eyes that translates his genuine desire for redemption, and there’s some part of you that craves everything you had with him.

“Please,” he starts, his gaze chasing yours as he softly holds onto your wrist. “Please give me a second chance”

His plea hangs in the air, and you can feel the sincerity in his touch. The warmth of his hand on your wrist is a rough contrast to the chill in the night air. You sigh, and look away, torn between the pain of the past and the possibility of a different future. The silence stretches painfully, and you can hear the faint sounds of the night around you – a distant car passing by, the rustle of leaves in the breeze.

A shiver shakes through you, the brown of his eyes seeming deeper than usual, softer as he silently begs for you to say something.

“Second and last chance” you finally declare, refusing to give up on everything you’ve done to try to get over him, yet indulging in everything you’ve ever wanted since you’ve been apart. 

He nods silently, his hand leaving your wrist to settle at the juncture between your neck and shoulder. “Okay. Alright. I won’t need another one” he promises confidently, the frown over his face eventually softening. You smile as his thumb gently rubs over your now cold skin.

“Alright, but you gotta kiss me for it to take effect” you tease as you break the tense atmosphere, readjusting your position onto your feet and placing your hands at either side of his neck. His skin is warm, and you feel his muscles contract under your hands when he laughs.

“Good thing I’ve been wanting to do it all night long” he smirks before leaning in and pressing his lips against yours, smiling as you sigh into the kiss. This is it; you feel complete again. 

He tastes of booze, and his light stubble slightly stinging when he moves are surprisingly pleasant. Your hand shifts to rest at the back of his neck, feeling his scar here, his own hands pulling you closer at the waist where he squeezes lightly when you run your other hand through his short hair.

You pull away only once it becomes necessary, the lack of oxygen making you all giddy though you’re not sure it’s just it. Santi is still holding you close as he presses his warm lips over your forehead, laughing when a shiver runs through your spine and makes you jolt. 

“Alright” he declares as he strips himself of his jacket, pulling it over your shoulders.

“You already pulled this trick on our first date” you scoff, looking over at him. A sly smirk grows over his face as you adjust the jacket over your shoulders.

“...And it worked, didn’t it?”

—

reblogs and feedback are extremely (I cannot stress this enough) appreciated!!

triple frontier taglist: @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @mystinky-butt @anightshift @whatthefishh @alexxavicry @grxywindd @campingwiththecharmings @mintgreen24 @dameronshandholder @spider-starry @jakecockley @cocodiem @spxctorsslxt @luxisluxurious @dowbastan

[lavender-bundle-blithe]

BSD + Pokemon Pt. 2 (Guild + Special Division + Extras)

Yo. I'm back. XD And I have moreeeee as well as some extra folks

Guild

Fitzgerald: Persian (Three words. Rich man vibes. Anyways.)

Louisa: Noctowl (Basic, I know, but it just feels fitting for her. Not to mention, the Pokemon twists its head 180 degrees to increase intellect, similar to Louisa able to use her ability to its fullest as long as she's alone in a private room. That, and owl, and she uses a quill to write. What's more to love? [sidenote, it's actually a pretty big birb, this birb's at least 5". *it's taller than me by an inch or two.*)

Margaret: Altaria (Margaret's ability is basically wind, Altaria might be the closest thing to something related to wind/the sky. And to be honest, I'm kinda proud of this one. I thought Margaret's was gonna be hard, but each time I keep thinking back to flying Pokemon, fluffy cloud birb came to mind and just "done. dusted. stop here, that one.")

Hawthorne: Aegislash (Not my best, once again. Given Hawthorne's ability and his person, I couldn't really find one best suited. Not to mention his ability is quite specific. So I had to go with the fact he could use his ability as bullets and a shield. Offense and defense? Why not change the bullet part to a sword? and boom, Aegislash.)

Twain: Swellow (At first I was gonna go with Talonflame, but then I saw Swellow. And then I keep running into more bird Pokemon. The only reason I stuck with Swellow was because [looks back at bulbapedia] yada yada yada- "It never misses its targets". Compliments his ability well.)

Steinbeck: Arboliva (Terrifying olive tree and the only one I could think of that could fit Steinbeck's ability. Siderant: I ran into these guys when I first played Pokemon Violet, and it was so ANNOYING. I hit it. It hits back. Harder. AND THEN IT SELFHEALS. "But Lavender, you could just run-" It was a trainer battle.)

Lovecraft: Tangrowth (Going with Lovecraft's... [looks at bsdwiki] uh- hm... non-ability, with him able to use his tentacles, Tangrowth does the same with their vines. And similar to the tentacles able to regenerate, Tangrowth losing their arms doesn't trouble them.)

Herman: Wailord (*Gestures at Moby Dick* Need I say more?)

Poe: Corvisquire ([ . . . ] Look it was either going to be a raccoon [Zigzagoon], a cat [none fit the "black cat" aesthetic except maybe Litten], or a bird [Corvisquire or Murkrow]. My guy already has Karl, he could be the Zigzagoon at default, and there are no Pokemon related to books hhhh, so he gets a bird.)

Lucy: Gothorita ([inhalesss] [exhalesss] My first choices was Banette. [looks at Q]. My second choise was Magearna. [looks further down this post]. Then I see Dollive. [Looks at Steinbeck's Arboliva]. Of all that I can manage through skimming serebii's national pokedex, I came across the Gothita line. At first, I felt bad that it was sort of a last ditch plan for Lucy, but looking at the two together, they sort of compliment each other? Maybe? And yes, Gothorita specifically.)

Special Division

Ango: Reuniclus (Just like Mori, I had trouble with this one, but in which aspect. His occupation or his ability. In the end, I grabbed a small aspect of his ability where it does quite the mental strain on him, and this Pokemon line [or rather the second evolution] has that brain aspect. Other than that, though, I have thought of Klefki [for some reason???], Munna/Musharna[what is with these pokemon-?], or just any psychic-type Pokemon.)

Tsujimura: Darkrai (Now I know what you're thinking. "WHY GIVE HER SOMETHING OVERPOWERED?" Well, not only is Tsujimura's ability Yesterday's Shadow Tag something similar when it comes to shadows and Darkrai *is* shadows, but the thought of it comes to the fact that she got her ability through her mother, just like Kyouka with Demon Snow. The idea of someone having such a powerful ability/Pokemon in their hands but is ultimately nerfed due to the fact they're inexperienced, or in Tsujimura's case, unable to control it.)

Taneda: Espeon (Don't know much about the man, but his ability lets him know the nature of another's ability upon its activation. So my guy rolls an active perception check. And of all that I've seen that could "sense intention" were either Raltz/Kirlia, Lucario, and Espeon. And I was tempted in choosing Espeon not by bias, but that they passively have perception check running [odd words there, friend-]. And ye owo)

Extra

Mushitarou: Phantump (Ignoing the Pokemon's pokedex and the implications of a Phantump coming to be, the little guy just keeps reminding me of Mushitarou's little ghost buddies of his Perfect Crime ability. So have the little guy. It he.)

Ayatsuji: Magearna (Yup, pulling these guys up. Again, I don't know much of the other light novels, but I knew enough by the fanwiki. And one thing in particular I noticed besides Ayatsuji being a detective was that he likes ball-jointed dolls. So, Magearna! And to be honest, this Pokemon was what I had in mind to give Lucy but... yeaaaahh that went well-)

Kyogoku: Ghastly (I went all out, 'cos I pulled up articles for this one. Not only is Kyogoku's ability "Possession Drop" said to be of a Yokai Possession, I went to see about Pokemon that are based off on Yokai. And it says here that Ghastly are based off from "Onibi" or just souls that turn into small flames that wander, detached from their bodies. And reading about Kyogoku, it makes sense. Oh, and that generally ghost-type Pokemon are capable in possessing people.)

Next up will likely be DOA and the Hunting Dogs with a few more extras weeeeeeee

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Wifi my beloved I have another idea 🤲

Bless the anon that said Legacy would collect stones and rocks and sea shells cause i present to you

Jewel maker! S/o

Hhhh it's such a neat concept I brainstormed a little

From the back of Ajax's mind, Legacy has long been familiarised with your jewellery shop. It's small and tucked in a cozy little corner of Liyue. You make everything by hand, spending hours and hours molding wire and metal (??) into pretty shapes. Unfortunately, that leaves you with very little time to go out and find the best materials yourself, something Legacy's instincts say is very important, so you most likely buy the materials you need.

Nuh uh. Not on Legacy's watch.

He goes out and finds the prettiest crystals and gems and what he recognises as the rough materials of what you use to make your jewellery, just to see the way your eyes light up in shock, then delight.

Now I can't help but wonder what jewellery you'd make for him and Ajax. 👀 Like imagine how pretty moth would be with his armor adorned by gold and glittery jewels, as ethereal as dangerous... And childe deciding that, oh, you gifted him something you made with your own hands? Oh he's never taking it off that's for sure.

(Also imagine proposing to Ajax and Legacy instead of the opposite sksksksk)

oooHHHHH this is so!! cute!!!! i'm a lover of unique pretty jewelry so this is right up my alley :D

Legacy also knows how exhausting your work is, spending hours squinting at tiny, shining components to craft the perfect pieces for your customers. on good days, you're merely fatigued- on bad days, your head thuds with pain and your eyes hurt so much that you can barely see. so your Abyssal moth monster sneaks out while you're at work, searching high and low for all that glitters, every type of rock and stone that you can use in your art. he's not alone- Zhongli usually tags along with him, showing Legacy how to identify the highest quality crystal and cor lapis, occasionally even bringing along the mischievous funeral parlor director, who's all the happier to hang around an intimidating-looking Abyss creature. sometimes Legacy feels the presence of an adeptus or two, the amber he finds unusually pure and vibrant, even glimpsing the far-off aura of the Conqueror of Demons, watching him from far away, and Legacy happily ambles back to your shop at the end of the day, arms full of rough gemstones

you blink in surprise when Foul Legacy pushes the door open and deposits the jewels on your workbench, after he's sure you've put all your tools away. he chirps proudly, rolling a chunk towards you to inspect, and after a moment of shock your face splits into a delighted grin, flinging your arms around Legacy as he rumbles joyfully. you're sure to base some of your next collections off of him, incorporating elegant moth-ish patterns with a splash of stars here and there, gold and silver and deep, rich hues. he trills in delight when he sees the bracelets, necklaces, and earrings you've made, watching you design them from over your shoulder, occasionally nudging your cheek to remind you to rest. his claws wrapped around you give you the perfect opportunity to measure them, discern his ring size so you can make measurements for the sketch on the very last page of your notebook, a custom pair of rings etched with stars, one smaller than the other- one for Ajax, and one for Foul Legacy- for when you finally work up the courage to propose

[green-alien-turdz]

This is long as fuck my god sorry in advance,,, also it's 4am and my first language is not English so this my be kinda incomprehensible ,

Sorry I may or may not have stalked this account and filled half the posts I've reblogged w a shit ton of ranting in the tags even more than once IM SORRYYY it's just that you're art makes me feel SO much things bc the way you portray the kids genuinely resonate w me really deeply w the scars and implied things and the fucked up rooms and hhhh I LOVE IT

Also I wanted to say that I can't even explain coherently how seeing you portraying these heavy things as eds and the sh and just all the heavy stuff so casually w also admitting more than once that you base a lot of these headcanons on your own life and struggles make me so happy bc that's always one of the things I've always been ashamed about, like whenever I find comfort in a character I immediately start to hc them w MY heavy stuff and see them that way completely but I'm scared of portraying it through my art bc ppl are always like "why would you want to fuck them up so badly" "why do u have to put your sh n ed stuff and mentally ill shit in these innocent things" and I feel like I need to justify it in other way than "yeah it's just that me getting comfort from them means me seeing myself in them and seeing my flaws in something I love, so naturally I need to put it there for my own comfort" bc it's just too selfish or smth. I know It might sound really really silly and dumb but YOU do it so well and so seemingly unbothered that you just make me want to say FUCK YALL and do It anyway so AGHHHH SORRY FOR THE ABSURDLY LONG RANT ANYWAYS I LOVE YOUR ART SOSOSO MUCH !!!

Bro, for someone whose first language isn't English, you got that shit down, mf your english is impeccable. And I saw the reblogs, I literally don't mind, I'm glad you gained something outta it. Art is literally soul healing, even if it's dumb south park fanart - never be afraid to do what is gonna comfort you. I really hope that things are gettin a lil better in your life, from the rants it sounds pretty rough. I fuckin believe in you, man, n I really wish the best for you. If you ever need someone to talk to, my PM's are open to anyone. Thank you for bein so nice. Please take care of yourself

[sp1derph0ne]

✝︎ WELCOME TO MY BLOG !! ✝︎

⊹ Hola hola! I usually just draw anything I take interest in, my friends, and myself! Nothin' too special pfft-

✧─── ･ ｡ﾟ★: .✦ . :★. ───✧

⊹ My name is Jack! I also use a few other names,, such as Lorenzo/Enzo, Zombie/Z0MB13, Angel, Blitzø, and you can even call me Darkie/Dvrkie too!

⊹ I am Non-binary! Please use He/They/It for me. I do not use any feminine terms whatsoever.

⊹ I am pansexual and happily in a relationship!

⊹ Woah! Looks like you accidentally found Jack Walten-- aaa please don't tell the news! /silly

⊹ hhhh-- I struggle with readin' tone, please use tone tags! : D

⊹ Okok… I know you people out there, and it sucks that I have to mention this, mostly because this HAS happened before -- DO NOT MAKE ANY COMMENTS, JOKES, OR ANYTHING ABOUT DARKIE X OSWALD… I simply draw them together because that is ME and my COUSIN. I genuinely never thought I'd have to say this.

...I have no idea who ArtisticSpaceStudios is what are you talkin' about.... /silly

NO CAUSE WHY DOES SOME OF MY OLD STUFF STILL POP UP WHEN YOU SEARCH THAT UP ON GOOGLE THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. . .. .

anyways... uhhh heres these i suppose?

EXTRA STUFF!

low-key got nothing else to talk about . .. . . . so take these!

GO FOLLOW MY SILLY COUSIN @dollietoon THEY'RE SUPER-DUPER EPIC! : D /nf

[yichens]

get to know me 🌻

got tagged by zey @thasorns a long time ago ♥ thank you and sorry for taking a while! i think now is a good time to do this tho bc am avoiding things haha

-

do you make your bed? - every morning. obsessively. i think i might've forgotten to make it only once or twice in my whole life haha

what's your favourite number? - 3 (tho i don't really have a favourite)

what is your job? - currently studying so no job. was working at a gas station last year part-time and did my internship at the children's literature institution last fall tho

If you could go back to school would you? - really depends tbh. i am still in school, technically, but if i had to go back to primary school – which i consider the most school a school can be – then not really. not even if i miss some of the ppl from there

can you parallel park? - in theory yes. i have a driver's license so i should know how to parallel park lol but if you told me to do it rn? probably no

a job you had that would surprise people? - uuh i've only ever had odd summer jobs but i worked in parks for a couple of summers and then "worked" as the lights technician at a smaller theater a couple of years ago which i considered personally really random

do you think aliens are real? - might as well be

can you drive a manual car? - yeah. in theory. learned to drive manual but i never really got the hang of it...

what's your guilty pleasure? - umm. idk? can't really say.

tattoos? - nope. but would love to get one of those watercolor flowers or something like that

favourite colour? - (pastel) purple and baby blue

favourite type of music? - anything really but i listen to a lot of indie, usually slower songs. melancholic, deep, dark. it's quite a change compared to how i used to listen to a lot of house and dubstep/nightstep at some point :'D

do you like puzzles? - absolutely adore them. i do not know anything better tbh but i rarely have time or space for those bc i now only want to do the big ones

any phobias? - not really but i freak out over centipedes

favourite childhood sport? - basketball. and badminton! tho i still adore that

do you talk to yourself? - quite often yeah. mostly without even noticing and sometimes it feels embarrassing if i realize that someone heard me hhhh

what movie(s) do you adore? - rurouni kenshin, the whole series. the yin-yang master: dream of eternity. the handmaiden. brokeback mountain. dew the movie. fast & furious movies. pirates of the caribbean (og trilogy). am probably forgetting a huge amount but these are the ones i've watched several times

coffee or tea? - tea. i cannot stand coffee

first thing you wanted to be growing up - i think it was either a vet or a police officer

-

tagging: @hils79 @jimmysea @icouldhyperfixatehim @i-got-the-feels @ongsasun @ongsasuns @moonkhao @chinzhilla ♥

[slicedmayonnaise]

Okay, Slice n Dice, I'm gonna rant, enjoy :3 (good luck)

When I first started reading WTE I was in an, "I'm not too big a fan of modern aus" mindset, and decided not to read it when I first saw it (Ford's top ten biggest mistakes).

One day, I was sitting on the floor, my third cup of iced coffee in my hand and Markiplier's rdr2 playthrough on my laptop and I thought to myself, "I wonder what WTEs about.." So I went back to good ol' ao3 and took a deeper look, aka read the first few chapters, oh my god did I regret not reading it sooner. I have a hard time immersing myself in stories because I get distracted so easily, but I was so immersed in the entire thing, that I could finally see in my tiny brain what was happening and it made me love the story even more.

After WTE I read BAE....hhhh I loved BAE....I ACTUALLY CRIED AT POINTS IN THOSE STORIES </3

Anyway, after WTE I didn't stop thinking about it, kinda just stared at my wall for half an hour looking confused, ik I'm going to do that exact thing once Washed Up is done, and I ain't complaining.

It actually took me a bit to read Washed Up too, after WTE I needed a break because I couldn't find any stories that matched how good it was, and for some reason, I didn't look at Washed Up which was literally created by the same person </333333 (I'm a little dumb)

When I'm hyperfixated on smth I get hyperfixated on things in that smth (like Javier) and I got hyperfixated on WTE (but I didn't draw fanart, which disappoints me) so that's another reason I didn't read Washed Up right away, I actually read WTE twice.

So I FINALLY started Washed Up and yeah that was the best thing I've ever done. Actually, this story might be one of the best fics I've ever read, I just absolutely love the slow burn that wasn't too short to be like, "What just happened?" and wasn't too long to make me get bored of the story, but in every chapter, I might've asked, "are they gonna kiss?"...

And the characters, omg, I actually didn't expect Vincente to turn out how he did, I love this version of him. and Eddie.......hhhhhhh Eddie.......I love Eddie...AND FLACO, WHEN I WAS READING THE TAGS I GOT SO SURPRISED THAT BRO WAS IN IT THAT EVERY TIME A NEW CHARACTER WAS INTRODUCED (without knowing their name ofc) I WAS LIKE, "Flaco?"

My reaction to when he showed up was priceless.

Okay, this rant went really off track-

I love how you sort of mixed like rdr canon into the story, but with your own like twist, yk, which is pretty much what the whole story is but you get what I mean (I hope-)

And Javier..oh poor Javier, he really won't like water now, or boats...sigh poor Javier </3

THE GIRLS TOO, I AM SO GLAD THEY WERE SAVED!!!!

Okay, this is getting really long I don't want to overwhelm you.

But just know, I love your story so much, I wish I had given it a chance right away because now it is one of my favorite things ever, and I hope you will write more in the future, speaking of the future I'm so excited for that spinoff with Flaco and Eddie.....so excited...

But thank you, for opening my eyes to a surfing au that I never expected to like so much, it didn't make me want to start surfing but that's okay cause I'm afraid of oceans.

AND I SWEAR I WILL DRAW WASHED UP FANART, I NEED IT IN MY LIFE, I JUST NEED AN IDEA, AND THEN WE'RE LOCKED IN!!!!!!

Okay, this was so long, oopsies-

THANK YOU <33333333

I was literally smiling like an idiot the entire time reading this oh my god. My cheeks hurt from smiling. I may or may not have also cried a little. Thank you thank you so so much oh my god 😭😭😭 <3<3<3<3<3<3 like idek what to say

I'm so so glad you like my fics and the way I write and like just thank you so much for all the feedback like idk what to say just thank you so so much. You have just made my entire year if not my entire life <3<3<3<3<3<3 thank you thank you!!!

[seasidesandstarscapes]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @strangethings-everywhere !!! thank you so much friend!!!!

How many works do you have on AO3? 167

What's your total AO3 word count? 414,347

What fandoms do you write for? Currently TBITB (obvs), but I've written for The Witcher, Newsies, Star Wars, and a whole lot of other fandoms shdfjskl

Top five fics by kudos? Lost in the Wild - 754, Running With The Wolves - 668, burning from the inside out - 633, The Ties That Bind Us - 528, Dire Straits (?) - 514 (jeez witcher was a wild time lmaoooo)

Do you respond to comments? I try to!!! but when i switch fandoms i tend to forget about my prev fics ;v;

What is the fic you wrote with the angriest ending? Angriest???? idk i guess.....one of my newsies fics where i left the ending ambiguous lol

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? So many of them, I don't like Main Character Death and my ship neeeeds to have their happily ever after

Do you get hate on fics? Not really? I got one that seemed like hate but i think we were just both confused lol

Do you write smut? ye

Craziest crossover? Two Chinese movies that are not at all popular in America. Idk how to even explain it unless you give me a good hour

Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't think so????

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, but if someone wanted to, i'd be more than fine with it!!!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes!!! some of it will never see the light of day, but it's been fun!!! especially when i forget the premise and my co-writer has to be like "wtf man" lmao

All time favorite ship hhhh i really don't know.....i guess at the end of the day...i'll always come back to baze malbus x chirrut imwe cause they're my space dads

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Lol uhhhhhh mainly it's just starting it, which is some kind of mer au for tbitb

What are your writing strengths? ???? idk....Making sure i don't use too many adverbs??? lol

Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I wish I could, that would be so cool ;v;

First fandom you wrote in? probably some kind of youtuber fic idk lol

Favorite fic you've written? hgajfdksl Right now it's been the Bobby/Don Hockey Fic, man that one was a good time

There's no 20th question so i'm gonna make one up: If you were forced to write only one genre for the rest of your life (like James Patterson lol) what would you want it to be?

tagging @seaofolives @kjxlll and @borealopelta !!!

[vwritesaus]

      Grief is a funny thing, and it works in many ways.       For some, it harrows the soul for years and years, and ultimately makes one bitter, like Tatiana Blackthorn. It’s sometimes a dull, pounding ache deep in one’s chest, choking them despite them still breathing. Other times it’s a shroud, a veil, a piece of cloth covering a person like one does a birdcage, shutting the world out in favour of darkness and despair. And sometimes all it does is stay stagnant for a long, long time, growing and growing like a snowball rolling down a hill, until it reaches a tree and smashes into a million pieces.       For Thomas, especially in the past few weeks, grief has been a driving force to keep busy. It’s gnawed at his heart, his soul, but he’s shoved it aside in favour of making himself useful. To do anything, anything, humanly possible to spare anyone else being torn into jagged rags by these sharp shards edged with ice. He’s like his father, in that way. Perhaps he’s unconsciously picked up some habits from him for Gideon, in his worry and grief over his son’s sickly status as a child, never sat still.       And Thomas hadn’t had ample time to grieve for his sister. Barbara’s death came too suddenly, too soon. Belial’s antics to rule their world and Tatiana’s plot of revenge and malice made sure of that, eating into any sliver of a moment where he could’ve sat down and thought about his older sister; where he could have gone to Idris with his family, held his mother’s and Eugenia’s hands, and sat in silence with his father, head on his shoulder and eyes staring out the window at the demon towers of Alicante.       Now, however… now he has all the time in the world to grieve. For Barbara… for Christopher.       And for the first time in his life, Thomas doesn’t know what to do, or what to feel.

remember when i was crying over writing a fic about christopher's death in thomas's pov in hope of finding some closure? this is that fic

it hurts—fuck, it hurts—but it needs doing. thomas & co.'s grief in cot was only touched upon in regards to kit's death (and others'), and i wanna expand on it as much as i can. so heads up, this is gonna be a big puddle of feelings and very thomas-centric, but not just with his own mourning. bc thomas is thomas, he'll always go for healing other people first: alastair, gabrily, anna, sophideon... just to name a few :') this b o y istg

anyway, i mentioned this is a mutlichap, so here's a small preview from chapter 1. i'll mostly likely post the full thing tomorrow, and if not then, the day after - in which case, i'll just post another snippet haha xD i've just got the one scene left to finish hhhh

also this isn't beta-read so excuse any glaring errors/my waffley style prose lol

~

tagging people who might be interested (and those who i know have read cot lol): @drunkonimagination @astriefer @ferrari-go-vroom-vroom @ibrushmyteeth-donttellanyone @claritywithclary let me know if you’d like to be added to or removed from the tag list!!

[devilrose]

6 Questions/ Get to Know You tag

Tagged by @babyblueetbaemonster​ (thank you! and sorry for taking two months to get to this hhhh)

RULES: Answer the questions then tag some folks you want to get to know better/catch up with.

Last song: Denise and I are listening to the Half-Life soundtrack.

Last show / Currently watching: Still rewatching all of the Detective Conan anime... We’re just at the part with Kir and Eisuke. That part is one of our favorites, but damn... what wasted potential...

Currently reading: nothing in particular, besides, all our books have been boxed up in preparation for moving.

Current obsession: I guess I’m on a Sonic the Hedgehog kick. We just beat Team Sonic Racing. I do have plenty of criticisms but overall it is fun. Now we’re playing Adventure, which we’d never played before. It’s a much wilder game than I would have ever expected. I don’t know whether it’s extremely creative or just straight out deranged. Also Big the Cat is so cute :< he deserves better than how the fandom treated him back then.

Tag: @vablatsky @organicgold @altairattorney @farfromdaylight @disjunkt @loires. If you want, no pressure. How are you all doing? :D

[kari69a-deactivated20220420]

tag 9 people you’d like to get to know better

tagged by @mightyoreo ty babygirl <3

1. 3 ships: ever given, me and my gf 😌 (hehe), the ever given

2. first ever ship: julian and lena from the delirium trilogy by lauren oliver... girl i was going thru it

3. last song: laura by charlie parker. currently getting to know charlie parker tunes for my tap class so i can improvise better. gotta say, the man can doot doot

4. last movie: raw (2016). i <3 cannibalism as a trope. the real horror is how you never know your fellow man babey!

5. currently reading: juuust finished rouge by mona awad (if i was loosey goosey about hating red before, i'm solid now). currently chipping away at chromophobia by david batchelor

6. currently watching: doctor who (w christopher eccleston) cuz i had the dvds and no idea what else to put on

7. currently consuming: refrigerated pickles. they fuckin slap. something about ephemerality... girl youre not shelf stable? me too we're a perfect match

8. currently craving: a burrito with purple cabbage and goat cheese from my fave vegetarian mexican restaurant.... hhhh

anyway!! tagging some peeps now:

@femmepathy @spades8th @3000s @gluten-free-pussy @gorencrusher @knee-stockings @killallcops69 @judgejudyofficial @sylladextrous @officialsquaremom @bubsaroni

[dcjokerhs]

8 shows to get to know you

i was tagged by @arrysa-clair so... thank u huney /p ^w^

Katekyo Hitman Reborn: 🎵HELLO MY LUVELY HELLO MY HUNEY, HELLO MY RAGTIME GALLLL!!🎵 This wasn't the first fandom I wrote fanfic for, but I just,,,, YES!! 100%!! YES!! Because this shounen I Binged because of 1 CardFight! Vanguard/KHR crossover and THEN I WAS INVESTED, and now I am The Biggest Simp... It was also the fandom where I had to admit that I'm a filthy filthy multishipper so... OOPS, GUESS I CAN NEVER UNDO THAT!!!

Bagpuss: 🎵Bagpuss, oh Bagpuss, soggy-old-cat puss, wake up and see this thing that I bring, wake up, be bright! Be golden and light! Bagpuss, oh hear what I sing.🎵 THIS SHOW!!! THIS SHOW IS MY LOVE, MY BLOOD, AND NOW ONE OF THE LEAST-KNOWN SHOWS, EVEN THOUGH IT'S BLIMMIN GREAT (apart from one episode that suddenly comes to mind because HHHH IT WAS MADE IN THE SIXTIES AND THE OBJECT WAS A PAIR OF BOWING MEN) But think, like, Toys coming to life to check out this neat little thing their owner's brought, using songs, stories and poems to tell what the thing *really* is, working together to fix or clean the object, then moving it into the window "So anyone who had lost [the object] Would see it, and know it was found" AND THAT ENTIRE SHOW!! I LIVE FOR!!! If I need to sew, or if I'm sick, or even if I just don't want to watch much and snk into a pile of plushies, I can pop this show on, and listen to a soggy old pink and white cat, a raggedy old bookend, a toad with a banjo, a music box of mice and a well-loved doll explain why a small cushion is really the seat of the boney king of nowhere's throne. I Am Soft.

Thunderbirds/Thunderbirds Are Go: THIS SHOW, THIS SHOW I WROTE FANFICTION FOR BEFORE I EVEN KNEW WHAT FANFIC WAS!! I still even have the cute li'l notebook it was written in, now sans cover, IT IS UPSTAIRS IN A BOX AND I WAS SO YOUNG my handwriting was a full 2cm/0.8inch TALL, SO EACH PAGE WAS BASICALLY 5-7 LINES OF WIGGLY TEXT, because of course the paper doesn't have lines, and MY WRITING WAS SO CUTE AND SIMPLISTIC I WANT TO SQUEEZE YOUNGER-ME'S CHEEKS!! And then younger me made it have a crossover with Lazytown, because I was a sucker... AND NOW WE HAVE T.B.A.G, AND CHCGHCG I WAS ECSTATIC, my dad and brother less so, BUT I LOVE IT, and now I am back on my thunderbirds bs. /lol

Tantei Gakuen Q/Detective Class Q: I adore both the anime and the live action for this one. They may have slightly different stories, but they're still both quite powerful, and very fun, but also able to talk about some topics in ways that make me tilt my head a little, like the idea of an area cut off from the outside world, finding peace within the smaller things, or, from the live action, how far one person can go in search of freedom, and how that can then be framed by others during the uncovery of that story. Also! The cases!!! They can seem so complex, yet, then the answer will turn out so simple, and I absolutely adore that! ^w^

Gravity Falls: IDK what it is, but the idea of some kids just having fun, finding something, then having fun solving the issue, or going hrough an experience, and then supporting each other on the other side, getting the support of their chaotic family.... HHHHHHHH /pos. I am Very Soft. Also, fxghxfcghcfgh, Bill and Dipper's Entire Dynamic brings me life. Jesu Maria.... AND THEN I REMEMBER THEY'RE 12!! THEY CAN'T EVEN OWN A BANK ACCOUNT YET, SOMEONE GET THESE KIDS THERAPY OH MY GOODNESS!! bUT!!! SOOS!! YEEEEEE!! idk ok NEXT ONE!

School Babysitters: I may not be able to handle children irl, but the stories between the kids, the way the students handle caring for the kids, THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE CENTRAL DUO!!! HAS MADE ME CRY!! SO MANY TIMES!!! ARARARARARARARARA!!! I LOVE THEM!!! HHHHH!!

SCOOBY DOO! WHERE ARE YOU?/SCOOBY DOO, MYSTERY INCORPERATED!: My first crush was Daphne. I didn't realise it was a crush, I was just like "yeah, the others are pretty cool... But Daphneee..." And Nowadays I go "oh dearheart, Oh Sweetie" BECAUSE, HAHA, SHE IS STILL A FICTIONAL CRUSH, THIS WOMAN IS A COMPETENT QUEEN, tho some shows they make her a little mean, AND THAT'S WHY SB:WAY AND SB:MI ARE MY FAVOURITES, because Daphne is Adorable-- OMG I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THE baby version of scoobydoo, oh my goodness that was adorable, though THE FACT THEY DECIDED THAT THE YOUNG VERSIONS WERE JUST WHO THE CHARACTERS ARE FROM BIRTH WHEN CGJHCHJCGJCGHJ YOU CAN'T TELL ME VELMA WASN'T THE CHEEKIEST BABY! YUHUXFH\OEW7SZDUFIYFWZPS9OUFZHRXDC8ZOSEYRHFNRICKUJFZBXED!!!!!

And last, but ne'er least: CUTE HIGH EARTH DEFENSE CLUB LOVE/BINAN KOUKOU CHIKYUU BOUEI-BU LOVE! That Show!!!!! THIS SHOW!!!! AAAA!!! Think, like, Genderbent Magigirl anime, but, again, Genderbent, and it's so cute, and funny, and yet it SOMEHOW, SOMEHOW, DESPITE BEING THE LIGHTEST THING SINCE FREE!, I AM a total mess mum plz come and pick me up i will cry from CUTENESS ISTG!!!

Gods, picking out stuff was so hard, but so fun, because I had to say "No" to Dream SMP, I had to turn down shows like the Katrielle Layton Anme because I ONLY GOT TO WATCH THAT ONCE, AND I AM SO SALTY 'CAUSE THAT WAS SO CUTE!! But then, hhhhh!!! /vpos /lovinglyfrustrated. Other shows skipped are Ouran High School Host Club, Free!, How to Keep a Mummy, Merlin, Dr Who, M.I.High, Good Omens (Good God do I love Good Omens), Love Stage!! aaand Marginal Prince.

Anyway!! Tagging!! I have no clue!! UUUUUUUUUHHHHH

@captaindragonsgold @snailraffle @slytherinroyaltyblogs @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars @silverdrip

^w^ Have Fun! ^w^

[werewolf-femboy-maid]

ok im getting pretty drunk but this is like a cured im happy with my life but slightly sad it didn't work but like im so glad I listened to my mom and made the most of my happy healthy body she gave me and worked so hard for and hhhhhhh *CRIES VERY DRAMATICALLY. ERY VERY DRAMATICALLY*

HHHHHH I love her so much she taught me everything she's the realest bitch in the show, shoutout to my mom she's so fuckign awesome. I love her so much

hhhh basically im trying to not have a baby but really there was a sale in liquor and it was pretty good and it was a cheap sale so that's good

but anyway. I think the breakup phase will probably last a month.

oh shit I have to go upstairs before my dads meeting is done god forbid he sees me crying about how much I appreciate my mother and asks me what's Wong :")

oh this is what ive been listening to btw with that on sale mojito :)

and this is what im listening to rn

omg I cant live with these men I have to escape with my mom I love her so so much omg I cant imagine the indescribable pain she went through omg. omg. omggg........ omg... omg she deserves everything. omg im really sorry me and my bf didn't work out. I really wanted it to work. but she's right. you marry someone. you marry their family. I do not regret anything, I am simply crying because that is what nature demands. my eyes, too, must piss. but yes

oh fucking shit I just noticed im out of booze. whatever im pretty cronked. I just know that im gonna be ok. even if im a little sad for about a month or two or three. that's it. I don't need to worry about anything else. im gonna be ok. these people wont breathe on my neck if I choose not to let them. im gonna be ok ok

ok I talked to my dad its ok were good

bleh he just finished his meeting and I thought I documented that here but it was on my letter of resignation (breakup letter)

anyway were good

anyway im sufficiently drunk for now. I think I'll do fun things like change my cat litter and harvest okra

oh btw here is my funny things about how I felt about my mom a few minutes ago

anyway very sad humans are ALL bad and evil and bad and just never get involved with humans :)

bad and evil and very bad and evil but my mom is pretty chill she just want s to play match 3 games and eat yummy food that's all she ever wanted omg:"(

I hate humans so much

fuck I cant add any more tags because idk how on desktop

wait nvm I tried again and its working

ok so basically I was thinking about the "mama" scene from the thing... uh neon genesis Evangelion. it was so fucking sad. I cant even. omg Asuka you poor fucking bitch. fuck.

[depoteka]

i was tagged some time ago by @ameliepoulain to post my receiptify! thank you so much!! but i have no idea what i've been listening to, it's so random hhhh

and @springsteens tagged me to answer 15 questions. thank you dear <3

were you named after anyone? nope, my parents just liked the name

when was the last time you cried? yesterday looking at sophia loren asdfasdf

do you have kids? nope. i've never even had a boyfriend hhhh do you use sarcasm a lot? probably often. i don't know, i don't think about it what's the first thing you notice about people? mostly clothes and just general vibe? what's your eye color? green-ish. rather dark i suppose

scary movies or happy endings? happy endings please, i'm scared of scary movies </3

any special talents? not really! i can crochet some nice clothes for dolls tho

where were you born? poland what are your hobbies? music, movies, crochet mostly. i'd love to get into more diy stuff like embroidery for example!

have any pets? yes, i have a black cat 💕

what sports do you play/have you played? none. of course i played all sorts of sports during pe classes at school but i've never done anything outside it. the only ones i've played for fun are badminton and table tennis how tall are you? 162 cm which is 5'4 in feet i think?

favorite subject in school? english (as a second language ofc). i also quite liked history dream job? when it comes to things connected with my degree probably film/literature translator. but in my mind i'm a beautiful woman married to an old hollywood actor just for publicity so the press leaves him alone. or a voice actress in movies/documentaries. i just know i could be the second krystyna czubówna

[ao3feed-danganronpa]

go make all your excuses, go say all your goodbyes (but take a look in the mirror, it’s the hardest one you’ll ever find)

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/E9wV1An

by delightfullydiscordant

Xander's mind raced as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

And then, as if playing a cosmic prank, another stray petal joined its kin just as Xander coughed.

Words: 5302, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 5 of they’ll never know what we did together

Fandoms: Danganronpa: Despair Time

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M

Characters: Xander Matthews, Teruko Tawaki, J Rosales, Charles Cuevas, Whit Young, Arei Nageishi, Min Jeung, Eden Tobisa, Ace Markey, Levi Fontana, Rose Lacroix, Hu Jing, Arturo Giles, David Chiem, Veronika Grebenshchikova

Relationships: Xander Matthews/Teruko Tawaki, Teruko Tawaki/Xander Matthews, J Rosales and Xander Matthews, Xander Matthews and J Rosales, Charles Cuevas/Whit Young, Whit Young/Charles Cuevas, J Rosales/Arei Nageishi, Arei Nageishi/J Rosales, Ace Markey/Levi Fontana, Eden Tobisa/Min Jeung

Additional Tags: Angst, Suffering, Pain, BAMF Xander Matthews, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Not Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt, Emotions, Unresolved Emotional Tension, J and Xander friendship real???, Charwhit - Freeform, Xanruko, jarei, This entire class needs therapy, CONFESS TO HER ALREADY YOU MORON, Hanahaki Disease, AU of an AU, Apologies For The Inconsistencies In My Made-Up Timeline, he/they Whit my beloved, Bad Decisions, Shit Meet Fan, can I make one happy xanruko fic? No., xander suffers, J Is At Her Limit, Xander Matthews Has Bad Coping Mechanisms, how tf did this get so long so fast, do not expect all chapters to be this long hhhh

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/E9wV1An

[crowbarstodd]

Course Of Nature (3)

Chapter Summary: Marinette doesn’t hate Robin, Chat and Nightwing have basically adopted each other, and the kids finally get to hear something about The Light from the secretive adults. Rating: Still G Word Count: 2,532 (it increases with every chapter ooft) Pairing: Daminette

Prologue | One | Two | Three | Four

When she was seven years old, Marinette was grounded for the first time. It was nothing big; no television for a whole day, but the events leading up to it stuck with her as she grew.

It was early spring and the bakery her parents ran had been up for only four months, bringing about a slew of changes her younger self was hardly prepared for. One of the worst of which (worst being subjective to the temperament of her seven-year-old-self) was the plum dacquoise.

Dacquoise was typically made with hazelnuts and almonds, a delicious combination in their own right. But the addition of the tarty fruit taste of fresh plums was heaven on her tongue.

Plum dacquoise was her favourite cake — her favourite dessert. It was, in the Dupain-Cheng household, her cake. So when she found her father baking it one morning, she let herself dissolve in delight like sugar in water.

The plum dacquoise sat on the bakery display case, and not once did her parents offer her a slice. Instead, as 7pm rolled around, they gave it to Mrs. Bisset in a pink box, tied shut with a white bow.

Marinette cried.

Her cake was in the hands of some evil stranger and her parents smiled as the witch exited the bakery. Exited the bakery with her cake.

She didn’t understand, and her parents didn’t understand her anger, not until she lobbed a plum at her own father’s head, shrieking her head off the entire time.

“I didn’t realise, sweetheart,” her father said, holding her tight in his arms, both apologetic and drained. “But you have nothing to be jealous about.”

They still sold the cake, it would be silly not to when it was undoubtedly a bestseller, but they did rename it ‘Marinette’s Dacquoise,’ and she was content to settle for that.

(Her parents, however, weren’t and promptly sent her to her room and told her not to even think about asking to watch Totally Spies when she was naughty enough to throw a fruit at her dad.)

————————

Marinette didn’t notice the nail marks on the palms of her hands until Alya pointed them out during class the next day. “Girl! She gasped, running a smooth thumb over the blistering marks, “what happened?!”

She had got a well of bad excuses to offer so she faked a laugh and offered the easiest one. “I guess I must have gotten too stressed about designing and managed to do this without realising.”

Alya shot her a look, one that made it obvious her best friend knew she was lying, but wouldn’t ask out of respect, and the fact that she had her own secrets, leaving Marinette to stew in guilt and whatever other feelings her inevitable zone-out introspection uncovered. Coming late at least had the perk of avoiding questions and over-thinking. Not that she was excusing her usual temporal tendencies, but kwami she really could have had a pleasant morning if she just let herself sleep in again.

The indents on the inside of Marinette’s hand were a faded pink, and if she was careful, they would be gone within the next three days. Stupid Robin. Sure, he didn’t press his nails against her skin, but if he hadn’t been so infuriatingly overbearing, she wouldn’t have hurt herself thinking about him. No, not thinking — fuming about him.

Alya’s focus on her new injuries was abated when Nino walked into the classroom, complaining loudly to a mildly bemused looking Adrien. “And all he does is get mad at LB. That’s so not cool man. I mean, at least I heard he did anyway.”

Interest peaked, Alya inserted herself into their conversation. “Who gets mad at Ladybug?”

“That new hero,” Nino frowned, “Lark or whatever — the bird one. I heard he’s like, mad rude.”

Marinette raised her brows at his words. He’d patrolled with her and Robin earlier in the week so she knew that he knew Robin’s name. She wasn’t sure if his sudden forgetfulness was to enforce his civilian cover, but she had a feeling he was at least slightly motivated by spite. Robin hadn’t been kind to him at all, reacting to all his friendly advances with harsh words and cold looks.

Adrien placed a placating hand on Nino’s shoulders as they sat. “Maybe he just seemed rude. Nobody’s really met him yet, and he might be nicer than you think.”

It was pretty typical of Adrien to try and play peacemaker, but this time Marinette winced, knowing that they were the complete wrong words to say. “I’m just saying what I saw!” Nino insisted, “but that new hero shouldn’t be wandering around Paris. He’ll cause more Akumas than he’ll stop.”

Alya leaned forward and tapped on her desk, looking far too used to Nino’s rant. “Watch what you say,” she warned. “Ladybug probably picked him like she picked most of the new heroes, I’m sure she wouldn’t choose someone for no reason.”

Alya’s argument was presented with mild boredom, as if she was repeating an argument. Marinate figured she probably was, seeing how Alya and Nino knew of each other’s identities. and she tried not to feel bad knowing she’d caused two of her friends such grief all while resisting the urge to bang her head on the table. Yeah, in no universe would she pick someone like him.

“No way,” Nino said, “Ladybug hates him!”

Marinette defended him without thinking. Sure he was controlling and arrogant, and they were more like tectonic plates on a collision course than actual partners, but she didn’t hate him. “Maybe it’s because you don’t know a lot about him yet,” she suggested. “Besides, how would you even know if Ladybug hated him?”

Adrien nodded as if she had made a very good point, which she would have if she didn’t know exactly why Nino thought Ladybug would hate Robin. Poor Carpace had been caught in the middle of a particularly turbulent screaming match between herself and her new bird-brained companion, and had suffered from their tempestuous personalities the most. Yeah, she felt a little bad pushing him into the corner like this, but her stomach stirred, unsettled, the more she heard Nino talk bad about Robin.

“He might turn out to be a really good guy,” Marinette continued. “If he was so bad, why would he waste his time helping people?”

Truth be told, Robin was the opposite of a really good guy. He was terrible, and yet Marinette found that it gnawed on her when someone other than herself was spitting insults about him behind his back.

It’s because she knew him, or at least knew him the best out of the Parisian heroes, she thought. (On some level, she was aware that this was probably not the only reason for her discomfort, but she wasn’t particularly keen on exploring that certain part of her brain, so she shoved it aside and left it alone with all her other, more minor issues.)

Marinette was more than a little relieved when Miss Bustier entered the room, timely as ever, calling for class to begin.

Six heroes sat cross-legged around a small, round tea-table, and all Marinette could think was how the whole situation felt like a set-up for a joke.

Across from her was Batman, sipping tentatively from Master Fu’s ceramic cups, struggling to fit more than three fingers into the handle. It was unsettling to be in his presence, more so now in the stifling silence than the first time they’d met when she and Robin had been a second away from hurtling furniture at each other. The whites of his mask blocked out his eyes completely, the same as Robin and Nightwing, though with Batman it looked far more threatening, making him appear like some sort of spectre or creature of the night. (A cryptid, the stranger part of her brain supplied.)  

Marinette took the quiet moment as a chance to finally inspect her new allies’ outfits. She recognised some materials used; the very obvious skin-tight kevlar that Nightwing and Batman preferred, durable and bulletproof. (When was the last time she’d even seen a gun in Paris? They were removed probably a month after the first Akuma, she’d genuinely forgotten they were real concerns outside France.) The inside of Robin and Batman’s cowls were Nomex or something similar, though upon closer inspection she realised that the capes didn’t look quite so loose or light, appearing firm for some unknown reason. Marinate itched with the urge to ask what material and fabrics they used.

She mapped their costumes out in her mind, imagining how she’d sew kevlar together, black and dyed blue to form the abstract shape of a bird, or how she’d construct the shape of Batman’s helmet (did it even have a specific reason for being bat-shaped?) with a styrofoam head of her own design for there was no way a typical store would sell a bat-shaped bust.

“We’ve decided to work with the League on this situation,” Batman announced, pulling her from her thoughts, finally breaking the silence with a small ‘clink’ as he set his cup down. “We’ll be working in units to dismantle The Light player by player. The Miraculous holders of Paris and the heroes assigned to Gotham will be working against Hawkmoth and Queen Bee. Do not attempt to engage with other major players, the League has it handled. Further instructions will be given at the appropriate time.”

He said it as if he expected them all to accept it. Marinate didn’t even know what The League was. If she was sure of anything, it was that she was sorely disappointed, as the announcement had killed any chance of her working with Wonder Woman in the future. Unless the Amazon unexpectedly moved to Gotham? Was that even allowed?

It didn’t escape her notice how Robin absorbed the new orders quietly, accepting it with a simple nod like some sort of soldier, though he was very obviously scowling, as if offended by something Batman had said or done.

Nightwing groaned at the announcement, slouching in his seat. “There’s no chance of you telling us about the other teams is there?”

“The more you know, the more dangerous it is if you get compromised,” Batman grunted. “Focus on your mission.”

Master Fu hummed in agreement, refilling teacups as though this was a quaint Sunday tea and not an official hero briefing. Marinate admired him for it.

“When you say Miraculous holders of Paris…”

“Yes,” Master Fu said, answering her unfinished question, “we will be needing help from at least three other heroes. I’m sorry Ladybug, but this time I took the liberty of choosing them.” He opened his palm to pass over three miraculous’.

From her peripherals, she spotted Robin lean forward slightly, obviously curious, but still too stiff to be clear with his emotions. Chat had no such qualms, invading her private space so he could have clear view of the jewelry. He spluttered out a surprised squawk, turning his head to watch her reaction, then turning it back to the jewellery, oscillating rigidly like a broken fan.

In Master Fu’s palm, three miraculous’ sat, gleaming softly as the metal reflected the yellow lights of the living room. The turtle and the fox were unsurprising, expected even. It was the bee that had shocked both herself and Chat into silence.

“Queen B?” Marinette asked, disbelieving. “Are you sure Master? I thought it was unsafe for her to continue?”

Chloe was stubborn at best, and though she’d taken steps to improve since she’d first become a hero, she really wasn’t somebody Marinette would trust to save the world.

Master Fu hummed, taking his time to respond to her questions as usual. “It took a lot of deliberating,” he admitted, “but we need her tenacity.”

She took the Miraculous’ from his, still unsure, but trusting of his judgment. “If you really think so…”

“Woah, so they all have different powers?” Nightwing’s voice broke through the cotton building in Marinette’s head, and she took a moment to admire his vivacity. It was easy in their line of work to fall into sullenness, but he seemed energetic and friendly beyond belief, she couldn’t help but grin.

Yeah, he would be great for her Kitty.

“Sure thing,” Chat said, “Except for Ladybug, she has two abilities, and Paris would be lost without her wielding them.”

She shoved Chat’s shoulders lightly, though it was obvious that she was pleased with his compliments. “Paris needs the cat too,” she said, speaking frankly. “The best offense a miraculous could provide.”

“Definitely seems like it,” Nightwing agreed readily. “The cat is the best one for sure.”

More delighted at his praise toward her partner than offended at his obvious disregard of her, Marinette beamed at his words, glancing at Chat to discern his reaction. Her partner was staring at the older hero as if he had hung the moon himself and declared it belong to Chat.

“You really think so?”

“Of course I do.”

There was something else there, something that Marinette was missing, but she couldn’t find it in herself to pry when Chat was glowing so bright he outshone the sun.

“You really are the best,” she said instead of asking. She wasn’t totally sure what they were on, but her friend more than deserved the reassurance she often forgot to give him, and now was as good a time as any.

Robin tutted loudly, fuse blown by something that had happened during the exchange, though she didn’t know what, storming off. He was polite enough not to slam the door, knowing he was a guest at Master Fu’s house, but Marinette didn’t miss the way he pressed harder on his steps on purpose so that his stomps were heard loud and clear.

Marinette recognised the heated exit; the wordless anger and the need to attract attention. It reminded her of plum dacquoise.

The silence that followed was tense and confusing.

“Sorry about him,” Nightwing said, though Robin was neither his fault or his responsibility, at least in Marinette’s mind.

Master Fu and Batman had left sometime in their conversation, Jasmine tea cold indicating that they were long gone (there was no way Master Fu would ever let tea turn cold in his presence) and Marinette appreciated the small victory. At least there was no adult to lecture them about whatever it was that just transpired.

Chugging the rest of his tea, Nightwing stood. He worried his lip, obviously concerned about Robin, eyes flickering from the door to Chat. “I have to go get him,” he said.

It was Chat’s turn to patrol that night with his new partner, which was the only reason Marinette let herself say, “I’ll go.”

Unwilling as she was to do it, she wouldn’t quit until she’d calmed him down or sent him home safely. (Not that she knew where he lived, but he’d be fine in a tree of sorts, he was a bird after all.) Something told her he wouldn’t settle for a simple re-naming, or anything simple at all.

End Notes: Someone’s jealous~!

Hope you guys liked this chapter! The next one is gonna be a bit of a monster though it will feature a splash of Tikki, Tim and Alya, and more civilian Mari. I feel like this story is taking so long to fully set up, I want MariDami to be friends already but hhhhh,,, development. 

I sort of wanted to pick Deathstroke or Ra’s instead of Queen Bee so it’d be more personal but she just worked better with the plot that I wanted to write so rip.

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