#i was always super excited to read this story and i'd place her as close to me as possible during story hour so she could hear

[femvaylin]

I think I need to go work with kids for a while. Pick up a couple of shifts. I keep having dreams where I gently guide young children through life and teach them life lessons.

[earthnashes]

MORE GARGYOLES AU BAYBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I'm holding watch parties on my community discord for the Gargoyles; we're still on Season 1 but even then it's really helping give me some contextual clues I need for building the AU into something more sustainable. I'm super excited to get into Season 2; we'll be finishing off this season next Thursday before we continue on! :)

But ye! For this drawing; an experiment that went a little outta hand, but I'm glad it did. I really like the look of it; giving it some level of polish without resorting to coloring. I've always liked this sort of effect but rarely do I ever do it myself, but I think I'll have to do it more because it was far less time consuming to do! :>

So ye! More lore and brick work is being laid out for the AU, and once again I've written a short story to go along with the art!

For those of you who'd rather skip though, I placed it under the "Keep Reading" line, and for context for everyone here are some AU notes along with a TL;DR summary of what's happening here:

-AU explores the concept of "what if Demona was set onto the path of Redemption?"

-TL;DR for this image: Takes place a few nights after this. Demona confronts Elisa after her talk with Angela. To everyone's surprise it doesn't go south.

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

By all accounts Elisa thinks she should've expected this.

Especially with the life she's chosen for herself: top-rate detective with the highest arrest rate and cases solved on the force. In direct contact with Gargoyles-- literal living legends-- on a daily basis and what that typically entails, from revenge plots to sudden trips through the very fabrics of time. Enemies from all and every side, from supernatural to plain old human to the not-so-human and zealous occult.

And traveling Central Park alone in the dead of night? By all accounts, she should’ve expected this. Yet she still wasn’t prepared for the ambush.

One second she's halfway through the tunnel under the bridge. The next? Shoved face-first into grimy, soggy stone.

The taste of iron is sharp on her tongue as her teeth cut painfully into her lip on impact. It distracts her just enough before she finally zeroes in on the claws closed tight around the nape of her neck, another set digging hard into the leather of her jacket at her pinned wrists, easily piercing the material and biting into skin. She barely has time to gather her bearings before a familiar voice is hissing hot against her ear.

"You are not as clever as you think, detective."

Elisa's heart nearly beats out of her ribcage. "Demona," she breathes, alarmed but by no means surprised. It's been months since the last attempt the she-demon's made against her. Once again, Elisa curses allowing her guard to fall; she should've known it was only a matter of time before Demona struck. No matter how long this sudden bout of tremulous peace has gone.

"What do you want."

"That's exactly what I want to know," Demona drawls, pushing Elisa further into the rough stone. There's a seething sneer in her voice. " What are your intentions with Angela?"

Elisa pauses, her unease giving way to her confusion.

"What?"

Demona responds by gripping tighter, the tell-tale rumble of a growl behind her words. "You know damned well what I mean. It's no coincidence Angela has come to me so freely. Not if it meant lowering my guard; you're up to something." The gargoyle shoves Elisa none-too-gently against the stone again, her threat stark and clear. "And I don't take kindly to the thought anyone using my daughter like she's some sort of plaything--"

"--I'd never--" Elisa starts, offended, but she barely gets a word in before she's cut off with her own agonized grunt. Demona's bodily grinding her into the wall, the rough scrape of stone chafing at the skin of her cheek. She can barely breath with how hard the gargoyle pins her, straining for breath as Demona snarls at her, long teeth clacking dangerously close to her eye.

"Liar!" She barks, and Elisa hears how her tail cuts through the air as it lashes. "It's all you humans are ever good for! Weave empty words into pretty things, only to strike when your back is turned. Angela told me herself what you said, and your words ring hollow. You and I both know you don't believe any of it. What's your game?"

"So Goliath is right, then?" Elisa huffs in lieu of an answer, stilling herself and going mostly limp in Demona's grasp. Her common sense screams at her to struggle, to find an opening and break free... but her gut tells her stay put. Her father always told her to listen to her gut when it spoke, and it's never steered her wrong before. So she breathes in as much as she dares and forces each of her muscles to relax, to appear as little a threat as possible in her position.

Not too hard to do considering the circumstances, but it takes several breaths for her heart to stop trying to burst from her chest. Nor does it really erase the glower overtaking her face.

"Is that it? Angela shouldn't be anywhere near you. Shouldn't be allowed to choose for herself and that it was a mistake to even try to talk to you?"

"By the moon we glide under, I despise you, detective!" Demona hisses, and Elisa doesn't need to see her to know her eyes have begun glowing hot red. "I'm no fool; you view me a monster. You have absolutely nothing to gain from encouraging her to see me. Nothing. So why? What do you want with her?"

"Is it really so hard to believe I care for Angela?"

"Yes." Yet there is some degree of hesitance in Demona's voice when she says it, something Elisa nearly doesn't catch. As if the she-demon almost believes her own answer, but not entirely. There's enough evidence with Elisa aiding her old Clan-- never truly for her own gain -- that brings question to her conviction. "Humans don't do anything unless they gain something in return. You are either after her, my life, or something else." Demona allows Elisa's arm free to rake her claws against the stone of the bridge. It gives way easily as if nothing but dirt, leaving deep divots in a clear display of a threat. "Do not make me ask again."

"Then you're right," Elisa replies easily-- or as easily as her position allows-- and of all the responses she could've gotten Demona doesn't expect that. It's clear in how much she loosens her hold on Elisa in apparent surprise, no longer choking her so much as simply holding her in place now. Elisa's instincts flair then; demand she elbows the she-demon in the belly and get distance, yet even still her gut urges her: stay put.

"I do have something to gain. Angela's happiness."

Elisa doesn’t expect her words to have any real effect. Readies herself for Demona to snap at her again. Force her against the unforgiving stone, have her taste her own blood again, maybe even work up the nerve to inflict the bodily harm she always threatens. This is probably the closest she's gotten in a long while.

But Demona does… nothing. Simply a presence behind her. One simmering with barely held anger and confusion and the weight of her own paranoia. But still as stone—listening-- all the same.

Stay put.

Elisa takes in a shaky breath.

"She's miserable, you know. When the clan speaks ill of you," She breathes quietly, surprising herself with the gentleness in her own voice. "Goliath explicitly forbids her from ever trying to talk to you. He thinks you're a lost cause." It’s not hard to think of Goliath’s demeanor in those moments; regret, sadness, guilt, traces of betrayal and anger whenever he speaks of his ex. He's long since given up on reaching out to Demona.

"And maybe I did too, once. But now, I--"

The look on Demona's face when realizing who Angela was flashes through her memory. The shock, quickly replaced with unbridled joy and hope. Something Elisa was unsure Demona could feel up until that very moment.

"--you could've left us to die by Thailog's hand. You could've ended all of humanity with just a press of a button. But you didn't."

Elisa doesn't mention the sudden lack of schemes against all of mankind. She doesn't mention the abrupt disinterest in attacking the Clan. She doesn't say anything about how--even after all this time, even now-- she is still alive, when Demona has had ample chances to rid herself of her. Elisa is no slouch: she's proud enough to admit she's held her own against Demona a fair number of times. But there were times where only her keen eye and years of training caught the very slight hesitance from Demona when she was all but helpless.

"I don't think you're a lost cause," Elisa says unwaveringly. Nothing in her voice gives way to any underlying uncertainty she has. To the questions she burns to ask—why? What changed? -- but won’t. Not yet. "I have my reservations. But I don't think it's anyone's place to make that decision for Angela. Nor do I think it's fair to rob you of the chance to prove to her you're more than your past."

Elisa hesitates for just a second before she says clearly into the silence of the night, compelled by Demona's uncharacteristic show of restraint: "...I-I don’t think you’re a monster."

I never thought you to be.

The thought comes unbidden, and it catches her off guard at how honest it is. She doesn’t put it to words, only remaining in place and holding steady. Waiting.

Demona still doesn't say anything. Doesn't really do anything at first, but there's a very clear shift in the air, subtle as it may be. Elisa's instincts are no longer in overdrive, no longer in high alert of danger. Somehow  --even in Demona's sharp grasp-- there is no more danger to be aware of.

It's in the way the gargoyle's silence turns contemplative and not a raging storm cloud. In how she suddenly doesn't dig so hard in Elisa's jacket, tucking the tips of her claws safely against the leather and not into delicate skin. The intent is no longer there.

Demona mutters something to herself, low enough for Elisa not to hear what she says, but even with her keen senses it still manages to surprise the detective when the gargoyle simply... moves away.

It's by no means gentle. She abruptly drops the human without any sort of care, allowing her to crumple under her own weight when she finally touches ground after several minutes being held aloft. But the principle still stands.

Demona let her go.

"…I don't believe you," She grunts in a voice filled with scorn, but the usual bite is missing. Elisa allows herself a moment to rub at the scratches and welts those wicked claws left behind. She clears her throat before she chances a glance at the gargoyle and finds her back turned to her.

"I'm not asking you to," Elisa says softly. She eyes the gargoyle warily. "And I still don't trust you. But I do trust Angela. She saw something worth her time in you; the least I can do is support her... and be there if it blows up in her face."

When Elisa finds the energy to stand, she musters up a warning glare at Demona, stance cautious but no less filled with promise. "Don't make me regret it."

The threat behind it is barely veiled, and it must be the right thing to say, because Demona only barely casts a glance her way. Her eyes are hard to read. And despite it, Elisa can see the smallest hint of something in them when forest green sweeps over her, foot to face, the faintest upturn to the corner of her mouth.

"Then we are on the same page."

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

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

For some extra context:

-Demona is referring to how Elisa told Angela that she does actually believe Demona isn't pure evil, or a threat to her. Elisa doesn't trust Demona at all, but she recognizes that something has shifted in the gargoyle, and she knows she would never hurt Angela, so she sets aside her own doubts and encourages Angela to seek her mother out. I have plans to draw and write this interaction in the future so we have more context in this regard!

-Elisa strikes me as the type to be able to see things in varying shades of gray: Goliath isn't wrong in his reluctance to allow Angela near Demona, but she honestly doesn't think her heartless or a completely lost cause. Especially after she learns some of Demona's past

-Demona would never admit this, but she does actually respect Elisa. Much to her chagrin. Unlike most humans whom she barely bats an eye toward, she sees Elisa as her equal in prowess and intelligence, and she hates that she does, but she'd be a fool if she ignored it.

The further I get into the show I'll expand on this idea, but that's it for now. :)

[epicmilly]

SHE'S SO CUTE! inspiration struck and she poofed into existence i love her sm <3 i think i'm naming her renna! stormlight sona kinda?? at least her features are based off of me :D (wish i had cool eyebrows) backstory + id under the cut!

renna is half thaylen and half herdazian! her dad is a traveling merchant and while he was traveling he met this girl in thaylenah. they fell deeply in love and wanted to get married, but her parents wouldn't let her marry some rando merchant, so they got married in secret and they had her!

him being a traveling merchant and all, he only got to see his wife for a few months, not able to meet his baby daughter until awhile later. he went on, continuing his trade route, and after a year he was finally was able to come back to thaylenah to meet renna, who was about seven months old at the time. he found his wife living with her closest friend, as when her parents learned she was pregnant and had eloped with him, they pretty much disowned her and kicked her out.

he lived with her and her friend till renna was about two, both the proud parents of the adorable kiddo, till his saved up money was about gone. he got all packed up and ready to continue his job as a traveling merchant, but claiming she had to stay in thaylenah his wife stayed, giving him their daughter to raise.

he raised her on the sea, traveling from place to place and only staying for a few months in each area. renna does know her mother from when they stay in thaylenah, but they aren't super close. they do both love each other though, and she can tell that her parents love each other as well.

now about renna! she's super fun and quirky, with an upbeat personality. she's sixteen and loooves reading and sailing, though she dreams to settle down one day and have a family of her own, but she wishes her kids to have parents always present in their lives. she secretly dreams to be a scholar as well, though her father doesn't make enough money for her to be able to go to a good school. in her free time she paints, gardens, or has her nose stuck in a new book of fairy tales. she's also super outgoing and loves making new friends! she has at least five in every place she's ever visited, and is always excited when they go somewhere new or somewhere she hasn't been in awhile so she can catch up with her friends and make more of them!

oh and she's also an edgedancer but i haven't thought much about how that relates to her story yet.

now onto her outfit inspo!! i used the stormlight rpg character creator to look through all the details on the different races before deciding that i'd be either thaylen or herdazian due to my physical features, and her physical features are literally me, while her outfit is a mixmash of thaylen and herdazian fashion. the details and the sleeves on her dress are based off of the thaylen fashion folio in words of radiance (i believe?) and the dress+corset are based on like those cute medieval western dresses that girls wear in taverns and stuff idk i just googled it lol. it's supposed to be ranch vibes because that's what the herdazians wear.

[lastontheboat]

Fandom creators self rec game! Choose five favourites from your own creations (and tell me why, if you like!), then pass on to at least five other people. I'd love to hear what you're proudest of.

Thank you @tackytigerfic for providing me an opportunity for navel-gazing! I enjoyed reading about your own favourites; I find it super interesting to see what other creators value about their works.

Per my last letter (I hope you choke on it)

This is my favourite completed fic for a number of reasons:

1. I had always wanted to try writing an epistolary

2. I had always wanted to try collaborating on a fic with a friend

3. The writing process was an absolute joy

It feels like a distillation of many of my favourite things, but unlike many fics the creation process didn't involve tearing my hair out trying to make it do what I wanted. Whenever I'd get stuck, I'd just close the document and go to bed, then when I woke up the next morning @fluxweeed would have added several new scenes that set my brain on fire. It was an absolutely magical experience for me, and I'm extremely fond of the end result. This is probably the fic of mine that I've re-read the most, and it delights me every time!

Podfic of Stop All The Clocks, by firethesound

I've got a lot of podfics to choose from, but this is one that I'm particularly proud of. The original fic is imprinted on my soul, but the thing that sticks with me more than the actual plot is the sensation of reading it and feeling my heart break over and over.

Making podfics is a very personal craft for me. It's an investment of my time, and I generally choose ones to record that I strongly associate with a particular first-time reading experience. This was my sixth large podfic project, and I really wanted my reading to amplify the heartbreak that's already present in the text. It was a much more emotional recording and editing process than most of my podfics, but it's also the only one I've listened to entirely after releasing it.

I'm extremely fond of every listener who has taken the plunge and commented about their experience of it, and completely understand everyone who has been like "I don't fuck with that fic. You couldn't pay me to listen it."

body electric

This is the first fic I can recall writing that was entirely driven by a feeling. I remember being consumed by the idea of that spark between Harry and Draco, of them needing to feed it and hold it but being unable to act upon it. I was between jobs and had a lot of time to myself, and I wrote this fic in a fugue state over the space of two days. I had never experienced a writing process so feverish before, and I don't know if I will again.

I also need to shout out the beta feedback I got from @zaharya on this one, whose very insightful comments about the passage of time in the second chapter led to me adding a bunch of my favourite lines to it:

“I want to bend you over this table,” he says, panting now. “I want you under me, here in my workshop. You’ll leave here and every time you smell wood shavings you’ll think of me.” “I already do,” Malfoy says, his voice cracking.

Podfic of If The Fates Allow, by saras_girl

I spend a lot of time listening to audiobooks these days, and I really appreciate being able to consume so many stories while driving or cooking. For me, recording a podfic is about giving others the opportunity to experience some of my favourite fics, and trying to capture some of what they mean to me in my voicing.

saras_girls fics hold a very special place in my heart, and this one is my absolute favourite of hers. As a podfic, the biggest challenge here was dealing with the ensemble cast—it stretched the limits of unique voices I could do without them sounding forced, but it was also exciting trying to keep the voices consistent across 25 chapters.

the spirit is willing (the flesh is weak)

This is the newest fic that I finished (the only one so far in 2023), but I haven't made too much noise about it on here because it's attached to my alt account. This one started out as a concept that wouldn't leave me alone (Bill/Ginny fuck or die), but it's also another data point in my exploration of what it's like to write smut.

I still don't think it comes naturally to me, whatever that means—I'm much more comfortable keeping my writing to Teen, but I'm very satisfied with how this fic achieves what I set out to do with it. It was a stretch, but a good stretch!

[sawtastic-sideblog]

As of right now I've only read/listened through chapter 31 of Mist and Fury and have had time at work to dissociate and think about it. Here's some thoughts on the some characters.

Please keep in mind that these are my opinions and I would love to hear others' thoughts on the characters as well as long as we don't spoil anything past what I've read.

Anyway here we go:

Feyre: she's complex and simple at the same time. I like how she's more trusting of Rhysand and how well she's fitting in with the Inner Circle. I'm excited to see what powers she posses and how well she can master them.

Rhysand: I have loved him since day one. We love a bad boy. The way he helped Feyre during the trials, the way he was so quick to send Mor to yoink her from the spring court when Tamlin locked her in and she literally encased herself in darkness. I love that he is so kind and selfless when it comes to his people. His sacrifices during Amarantha's reign of terror were made for his people. He loves them all and he cares deeply for them. And he cares for his Inner Circle even more. The bonds he has with each of them. The fact that he buys jewelry for Amren just because. I can see him and Azriel and Cassian being in a boy band. I'd pay the $3 I have to my name to see that. But it's the way he cares for Feyre that makes me lowkey swoon. He's kind, he's patient, he gives her the choice of what she wants to do, he treats her as an individual and not as a prisoner or as property. He wants feyre to succeed, to be able to protect herself, he wants her to be who she is unapologetically. She doesn't have to dress up or plan things. She just has to be herself and that's enough for Rhys. He treats her as if shes his equal. As of right now I fully believe that the mating bond clicked into place for Rhys but not for Feyre just yet. This man truly has me in a chokehold. Also the boy bands front man/ guitarists.

Cassian: where to begin with him? I love this man so much. He's funny. From what I can tell he has/had a thing for Mor. I joked about him Mor and Azzy being in a throuple. I do think he has a thing for Nesta. He's obviously a great fighter and I like the way he's training Feyre so far. I hope to see more of him in the future. Also he's the drummer with chaotic energy who always ends up wearing at least 3 bras that had been flung up to the stage by the bra wearing fae.

Azriel: sweet boy. A baby. He's quiet and shy and obviously likes Mor which just adorable. I want to hear more of his story. I just hope he's happy. He's the boy bands quiet bassist but has the voice of an angel.

Mor: lowkey gives me Alice Cullen vibes and we love her. I think she's a great friend to Feyre and the friendship they have will last forever. She's smart and apparently very powerful and just like to have fun. We love her and her goofy little attitude.

Amren: I'm a little weary of her but I think she's a badass. "Vampire fae" as I called her to my friend. She knows what to do to get the job done like giving Feyre the necklace to get through the Prison. Plus she is kind to the locals which is a bug plus. Her story is super interesting and I can't wait to hear more of it.

Tamlin: I loved Tam in the first book and I get that he's gone through trauma with Feyre Under the Mountain but that does NOT give him the right to treat Feyre the way he did. In a recent post I called him something along the lines of a fucking asshole which is true because he is. He never listened to Feyre's needs or wants. I get that he loves her and doesn't want to lose her but the way he treated her, pushed her away while trying to hold her close, is what broke her and made her leave. That being said I still love this character but he has fucked up so bad in my eyes that I don't think I can go back to loving him like I did. I'm so mad at him. Like all that respect is gone. Like Tamlin, baby, you're a little be delulu. I truly hope he can redeem himself.

Lucien: I will die for this man. He was my absolute favorite in the first book and I get that his loyalties lie with Tamlin but he did try to stand up for Feyre. That has redeemed him a small amount. That being said. He is still my sweet baby angel.

Bonus:

Alis: a servant who isn't afraid to speak her mind and won't put up with anyone's bullshit. She took in her nephews. A queen. No notes. I love this woman with my whole heart.

[spaceratprodigy]

OC Questionnaire

Thank you for the tags @bokatan @the-lastcall 💖💕

[ Faith and Iris OC Questionnaire ]

👇🖤 Maril Fun Facts! 🖤👇

Legal Name:

💙 – "The name's Maril Highwind, daughter of Cid Highwind!"

Nickname:

💙 – "Well, I don't got an official nickname per se.. Papa Cid and everyone called me all sorts of things growing up. I think my favorite is when Papa calls me his little starlight tho."

Gender:

💙 – she/her

Orientation:

💙 – bisexual and probably somewhere on the ace spectrum

Star Sign:

💙 – "I'm not sure when my real birthday is. Papa says it was late March when he found me so we always celebrated the day he took me in." Maril taps her chin in thought. "I think that would be Aries, yeah?"

Height:

💙 – "I'm 5 foot 6 without shoes!"

Nationality:

💙 – n/a

Favorite Fruit:

💙 – Maril smiles and looks at the floor. "I've never seen one myself, but I've heard all sorts of stories about paopu fruit. They say if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined and they'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what. Isn't that just dreamy sounding?" She twiddles her fingers while bouncing her leg. "I suppose the question was more referring to fruits I have tried, huh.. I really like citrusy things I suppose! They're pretty yummy!"

Favorite Season:

💙 – "Funnily enough, I never really thought about my favorite season until I visited Twilight Town for the first time!" A smile flashes across Maril's face, fond memories filling her mind. "Traverse Town was always kind of the same and Hollow Bastion, well.." she trails off, thinking about home. "Anyway," she moves along "summer in Twilight Town was unforgettable and really meant a lot to those I met there. For the experience alone, I think I'm a big fan of the summertime."

Favorite Flower:

💙 – hydrangea, morning glory, sunflower

Favorite Scent:

💙 – "Papa would get a good laugh out of me saying something like oil or grime, but it's true! I already love being a gummi ship mechanic and all the smells of my shop remind me of growing up and Papa Cid teaching me everything he knows!" The excitement in Maril's voice pops, her smile radiates so much warmth, it's hard not to join in. "I have a certain fondness for ink, parchment, wood, and the smell of dusty old books as well. Reminds me of my other favorite teachers! Merlin taught all my academics and we mayyy or may not have dabbled in magic." She winks. "Geppetto taught me how to read blueprints and design gummi ships!" Maril puckers her lips and looks away in thought. "My newest favorite scent, gosh, it has to be all of the delicious food cooking around Twilight Town! I've never smelled anything so good in my life!"

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate:

💙 – "Hot Cocoa!"

Average Hours of Sleep:

💙 – "Papa always said I needed my full 8 hours! But.." she taps her fingers "sometimes nowadays I stay up a lil later than I should. I just get so excited to work on projects!"

Dog or Cat Person:

💙 – "Both are super cute! If I had to choose one, I think I'd have to go with dogs? Between you and me.." she leans in close "I think a crow would be a wicked cool animal friend to have!"

Dream Trip:

💙 – "I kind of miss Traverse Town, but I doubt I'll ever be able to visit it again outside of my dreams. I love helping Papa and everyone rebuild Hollow Bastion tho, I know how much their home means to them and how important it is for them to be back. Aerith told me it was once called Radiant Garden, and gosh, it sounds like it was so beautiful in her stories. I can go on and on about all my favorite worlds that I'd like to visit again. Twilight Town, 100 Acre Wood, The Grid–" Maril caught her breath and a wave of sadness glazed over her eyes. She blinks hard a couple times. "I've heard stories about other places I'd like to visit as well.. Tink keeps telling me about her home world, Pixie Hollow she says it's called! I think that's where we'll go next!"

Favorite Fictional Character:

💙 – "Technically speaking I did meet Pooh Bear in that old book of Merlin's, so I think Pooh would count as a storybook character?" Maril thinks hard about the cast of characters she's met in her life and the complicated nature of some of their existences and meetings. "I have.. I have another answer.." her voice softens in a way rarely heard by others. "It's.. I don't know.. I suppose there's some debate about how real some others consider him.. but.. Tron.. my dear friend, Tron.."

Number of Blankets They Sleep With:

💙 – "Oh golly, at least 2 or 3 usually I would say! I love being warm and cozy!"

Random Fact:

💙 – Maril fell in love with gummi ships growing up, all thanks to Cid! It became her dream to be the best gummi ship mechanic across the stars. Besides learning from Cid and Geppetto, she also became Chip and Dale's apprentice when she first sets off from home. As the story progresses, she helps make advancements in other gummi tech beyond the gummi phone. Kind of related but I won't get fully into it now: when she finds out what CLU did in The Grid and is forced to face Rinzler, she becomes very devoted to attempting to save him and fix his code.

open tag to anyone who wants to jump in!

[codenamehazard]

.:Breaking the Shackles:.

.:InFAMOUS: No Man's Land Chapter 1:.

Hey guys! This is the first time I've posted a proper story onto here, so I am both nervous and excited to share it with you!

Since we probably will never get an InFAMOUS game that takes place after the evil ending of InFAMOUS 2, I figured why not throw my hat into the ring and have some fun with it?

Huge thanks to @rogueshadeaux for helping me out. She's a super talented writer and has her own InFAMOUS story, InFAMOUS: Erosion. Check her out, she's awesome and I have been learning a lot from her guidance.

I don't know if this is needed, but I'm putting it here anyways. MAJOR SOILER WARNING!

The story is from Cole's point of view, so be aware of that.

Buckle up and enjoy the read!

The night sky was clear, save for the odd cloud that passed overhead. The wind lazily blew as the fire before me crackled and popped. I warmed my calloused hands and closed my eyes, letting out a sigh. It had been a couple of weeks since I splintered off from the army I once begrudgingly led. A couple of blissful and quiet weeks of pure freedom.

It is in these times of quiet that I am able to think clearly, able to work out and make sense of all that happened over the past god knows how long. It’s hard to keep track of time when the only thing you can look at is the rising and the falling of the sun. I tossed a piece of splintered wood onto the fire as I began to think back. Think back to where it all began.

To when the shackles of the Messiah were forced upon my neck, arms and legs.

—-

I remember the day I became the Beast. After all that happened, all the pain, John just… Gave up and thrust his powers onto me. It was overwhelming, every nerve-fiber alight. The sensation was… Indescribable. It was heaven and hell all at once. It was… Incredible.

It’s a real shame that this buzz had one hell of a hang-over, the responsibility that John now shirked onto me. The task of raising up the next generation of Conduits. A burden I was now forced to bear, an expectation of greatness. Gee, doesn’t that sound fucking familiar?

In the beginning, everything was… Okay, I guess. I didn’t want to lead, never did and never wanted to, but who else would these people turn to? To them, I was their savior. I cured them of the plague that was ravaging their bodies and gave them powers, of course they were gonna look up to me. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to. I had to be provider, protector, teacher, mediator and all the lovely bullshit that comes from being a glorified baby-sitter of grown ass adults. I never sugar-coated anything; if they couldn’t follow me as I am, they won’t follow me at all.

God, and I thought dealing with Kuo and Nix butting heads with each-other was a real headache…

The only thing that made this hell tolerable was the fact that Kuo wasn’t riding my ass all the time, most likely thinking I’ve “turned a new leaf” and I'd suddenly become a changed man. I couldn’t help but scoff at the stupidity of it all, but who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

It wasn’t as bad in the beginning, the small group of fledgling Conduits all indebted to me was easy enough to manage. I could stay on top of everything and make sure they didn’t kill each-other while still having a tiny sliver of time to care for my own needs. Over time, as the numbers grew, so did the headache. It seemed like there was always something that needed my attention and if I ignored it to let them sort it out like adults, Kuo would be oh so helpful and “remind me” to go take care of it. I couldn’t get a moment’s peace, more and more I found myself unable to care for my own needs.

It. Was. Hell.

The responsibility of a savior, the nagging of Kuo, the neglecting of my own needs- God it felt like college all over again. My parents bore down on me when all I wanted was the freedom to do as I wished. A hunger started to grow inside, a need that I sated greatly when I had taken over Empire City and made it my own. A hunger for destruction, a need to take what I wanted. This hunger only grew the more I suppressed it. Every now and again, I would try and sate my hunger: toying with enemies, letting loose with my powers, instilling fear into those who followed me, but every time I tried, that icy bitch would get on my ass. If anything, she seems to be much worse than she was before.

It’s easy for her to say. Easy for her to bark at me from her pedestal and scold me, she’s not the one sacrificing anything and she thinks she has the right to judge me? HA! She abandoned her morality when faced with her own mortality, what high ground does she even have? She doesn’t have a fucking leg to stand on.

While infuriating as it was, as much as I wanted to leave, I felt like I couldn’t. I hated this role I was forced to play. Again and again, I was found in the role of the errand boy. Even with my choice, my choice to go against the “destiny” that Kessler groomed me to have, the greatest act of defiance I have ever committed to finally, finally free myself from this vicious cycle. All I seemed to do was to swap one set of chains for another. The breaker had been tripped and I was done!  I wanted to be free!

Yet, I couldn’t be free, as without me… All of my hard work would go to waste. I was the only one who could awaken these dormants, the only hope that some people come out of this alive. Without me, these people would die. It was a burden I didn’t want, but it was one that must be shouldered, one I was forced to bear. These shackles I must wear until the end. This was fact, whether I liked it or not.

That is… Until one day.

The small army of fledgeling and newly fledged Conduits and I had gone through Lawton, Oklahoma. I had leveled the city down to the ground and awakened the Conduits within, but I had noticed that there were… Less Conduits than I thought would in a population of around 90k or so. This had spooked Kuo a bit, making her frantic. She believed that the reason for the lower numbers was due to the Ray Field Plague picking up steam and starting to kill faster. A reasonable train of thought. I would have believed it to be the why had there not been something else that I had noticed before Lawton. Something that had been starting to gnaw at the back of my head.

While Kuo was too busy harping on about me not keeping every Tom, Dick and Harry in line because… Oh I don’t know, I’m only one person. I had been paying attention to what was around me and I had started to pick up on some interesting… Discrepancies, if you will. The kind of disturbances that only Conduits could make: scorch marks with no true source to be seen, areas that looked damaged by various elements with no cause, a slight echo of energy in certain spots. These oddities reminded me of the damage I caused back in the beginning, those two weeks in Empire when I was trying to figure out my powers on my own. It made me start to wonder. Was there something else going on? It couldn’t be another Beast or someone running around with a third Ray Sphere… Could it?

The thoughts only continued to grow as I traveled westward. More signs of Conduit activity, but no Conduits in sight or any signs of an activation method. I started to ponder heavily, was it possible for a Conduit to activate themselves?

I got my answer as I traveled deeper through the Great Plains.

It was there I saw them, the “missing Conduits.” I stood in shock as I watched as two small gangs of super-powered humans clashed. Powers of all kinds and creeds striking and igniting the area with colors and damage. If that wasn’t enough, these Conduits weren’t rookies either, the way they used their powers reminded me a bit of the gangs back in Empire City. They had experience.

They had been awakened long before I came. Now the pieces were falling into place as I gawked at these… Free-Ranged Conduits as they fought. For what, I didn’t know, but all I knew was it looked like one hell of a party and I wanted in. That feeling, that urge, my hunger, it now burned hotter than before. I was about to rush down before I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

I turned my head and let out a low growl when I saw it was Kuo, stopping me. “Leave them be, Cole. It’s a good thing we figured out the mystery, but we still have a job to do. There are still people who need you.”

We? HAH!! There is no we. The only time she ever lifted a finger was either to bitch at me or when I had to twist her arm to actually get her to be useful and actually help for once. I pull my shoulder away from her touch. “Don’t touch me, Kuo.” I had hissed out at her before continuing onto the next city.

That day, that moment… It never left me.

I continued to see these Wild Conduits as I traveled on. Seeing how free they were. Able to live their lives however they saw fit as they roamed in roving gangs, taking what they wanted, doing as they pleased. Having the freedom that for years I have been starved of. How they turned the Great Plains into a post-apocalyptic playground. Absolutely lawless. Seeing them made my blood boil. They got to be free while I was stuck in a cage. Such thoughts made me grow bitter and even more resentful than I already was. Even nature was reflecting the mounting rage. The clouds darkening and rumbling with thunder as the storm in my heart builds.

I slipped into my old Empire City habits, no mercy, no care. Why should I? It’s not like the world ever gave a damn about me, the only people who ever did are dead. Kuo only cared when I was doing the things she wanted me to do and the people I commanded didn't give a shit either. The hatred burning and gnawing away at my chest like a rabid animal, demanding I do something, anything, to let it free. To sate my long suppressed needs, to take care of myself for once, just as I had done before. I started to do just that, little by little. My attacks on cities became more brutal, my training and sparring more harsh and unforgiving, my temper growing shorter. The relief I felt was welcomed, but short-lived as soon afterwards; the screeching icy harpy would be at it again. Bitching at me, screaming at me, interrogating me, undoing all of the progress I made. One step forward and ten steps back. It doesn’t take a genius to see the obvious, I was a ticking time-bomb. All Kuo was doing was adding more gunpowder to the mix and shortening the fuse.

It was only a matter of time before I blew a gasket, and that day came sooner than anyone thought.

It was only two short weeks after that moment, I remember it well.  A pained scream rang out as I had thrown a pair of Fledged Conduits onto the ground, having beaten them senseless. They were getting into an argument about something; what it was, I didn’t give a shit. If they wanted to fight so much, I'd give it to ‘em. Now the two lay in the dirt, battered, bruised and pleading for mercy. I was about to knock them out when I heard the ear-piercing screech of that ice bitch. I felt the temp drop as she teleported over.

“What in the HELL do you think you’re doing??” She screamed indignantly at me. I turn my head to look at her, my eyes glowing with fury.

“What does it look like I’m doing? Dweedle Dee and Dweedle Dumbass wanted to have a scrap, I just gave them what they wanted. Is that a problem, Kuo?” My voice dripped with venom as I said her last name.

“What in God’s name has gotten into you? I shouldn’t have to tell you not to take your anger out on these people!” Her voice was like a fork on glass, piercing and painful. “You're a leader to these people! You can't just beat the shit out of them just because they piss you off!”

My face curled into a snarl as I walked up to her, I could feel the electricity in my arms building up as I got closer to her. “I can’t fucking win with you, can I?” I growl at her as I loom over her. “If I do something, you’re bitching and if I don't do something, you’re bitching! So which is it, huh? Do you want me to do something when these idiots act up or do you want me to let them sort out their shit on their own?” 

“What I want you to do is to be responsible for once in your life!” Kuo screeches out. “These people rely on you, Cole! You can't just do whatever you want! You saved them, you must protect them! It's your duty!” Those words. Those fucking words. It felt like my blood was replaced with hot plasma hearing the pure and utter audacity she has. She was a hypocrite.

A crash of red lightning overhead as I finally snapped. That’s. It.

Before she could speak another word, I raised my hand and unleashed a torrent of electricity dead center in her head. The force of the shock sent her flying backwards as the crimson glow of the bolts changed to a color I haven’t seen, a hue I had missed.

Black and red.

I walked over to Kuo as she laid on the ground, her eyes looking up at me dumbly. I could see it in her face, she was gobsmacked. She tried to get up to shout at me again, her hands forming the tell-tale mist that she was going to fire back a volley of her own ice, but I shocked her again before she got the chance. She writhed in pain on the ground as I stared at her, electricity arcing off of my arms and thundering rumbling above us. She slowly tries to get to her feet as she gets control of her body.

“Cole! Have you lost your mind??” Her voice screams out, full of fear and indignation.I couldn’t help but to scoff. 

“Lost it? No Kuo, if anything. I have found it.” I growl out with a sneer. “I’ve put up with your bitching and hypocrisy for far too long and I’m done.”

Kuo looks at me with that stupid shocked look, like she hadn’t known this had been a long time coming. “Are you giving up?” She gasps. “Wake up, Cole! This isn’t something you can-” I zap her again before she can utter another word. 

“No! You’re the one who needs to wake up, Kuo! It must be real easy barking demands and telling people what to do while you get to sit on your ass. Not even lifting a finger to help unless I force you to help me.” My voice dripped in malice and hatred as I got into her face. “It’s so easy to yap and bitch while not having to do any of the hard work or make any sacrifices.” I can tell she wanted to say something, but she seems to have enough sense to shut up, especially since the Beast is staring her down.

“What? No retort? No backtalk? Good!” I snap. “It’s high time you shut up and truly listen to me for once in your damn life.” I could feel eyes around me as I could feel the others coming around and spectating in fear. “They way you talk and act; you think being a leader, being a messiah, is a walk in the fucking park. You’re not the one sacrificing. You’re not the one bearing the weight of everything on your shoulders, having to neglect your own needs and go against your very nature because there’s always somebody who needs your help.” I could feel the static building on my skin as my mind rushed with thoughts of the past. Of all the moments I had been denied the ability to choose my path. “ You never had to deal with the pain of being forced into a role you never wanted, the feelings of being an animal trapped in a cage.”

“But, Cole…” I hear the harpy’s voice speak up, much meeker than before. “John gave you those powers for a reason, you have a duty to fulfill, a moral obliga-” I hold my hand up and she shuts up again.

“Oh no, don’t you even think about going there with that “moral obligation” bullshit. You don’t have a leg to stand on!” I hiss out, teeth bared. “You’ve always been like this, Kuo. You act all high and mighty but when it came down to the wire, you sold your soul to the devil. You’re no better than me, but at least I’m not a hypocrite like you.” I spat out those words as if they were acid in my mouth. “I know I’m no saint, I never have been and you’re a fucking idiot for even entertaining the thought that I had become a changed man after John shrugged off his responsibility onto me.”

“Look! I get it!” Kuo squeaks out. “You were hesitant to take on this responsibility, but I was trying to help you! Regardless of whether you wanted to be a leader or not, you are now! You have to step up to the plate and be better!”

Was she serious? Was she that dense? Did she not hear anything I said?? “Oh, you don’t like how I do things??” I snarl as I grab her shirt. “You think I’m such a terrible leader! You think being a messiah is so easy, Why don’t you try it!?” Venom dripped off of my words as I growled. “You think you know how to be a better leader, be my fucking guest!” I pushed her back, knocking her onto the ground. “I’ve had it with you, I’ve had it with all of this. I’m done.”

I turned around and began to leave, leaving Kuo in the dirt as terrified onlookers watched me. Hearing Kuo stand up and reach to grab my shoulder, I turned around and unloaded several thousand volts of “fuck you” into her. It wasn’t enough to kill her, but it was enough to hurt like hell. I wanted to make sure my message to her was loud and clear, I was done playing nice.

I stand up on a rock to address the crowd of onlookers. “I’m taking my leave of this hellhole.” I stated, my voice firm and matter-of-fact. I wasn’t going to pussyfoot anymore. “If you want to continue to follow me, I won’t stop you. That’s your choice to make. Just know that if you do, I’m not gonna hold your hand anymore. You sink or swim and you take care of your own shit like adults.” With that, I step down and I walk out into the open plains.

I walked, then I ran, then I sprinted. I could hear Kuo’s voice calling out for me, but I didn’t pay it any mind. My body was filled with adrenaline as I made my mad-dash towards the very thing I have been denied time and time again, like a wild animal broken out of its cage. Freedom.

I ran out into the wildlands and I never looked back.

—-

The fire was starting to dim as I slowly came out of my moment of reminiscing. I had been on my own for a couple of weeks and it was goddamn heaven. I was now doing what I should have been doing from the very beginning; whatever the fuck I wanted. The shackles of the messiah were finally broken and I revel in every second of pure freedom I have. For once in my entire life, I was now truly a free man. I answered to nobody but myself.

I tossed a piece of wood onto the fire to give it a little bit more fuel before I looked out onto the horizon. My lips curled into a genuine smile, the first time in forever. Endless possibilities now at my feet. My eyes catch sight of a small band of roving Wild Conduits and my smile turns to a grin. What lay before me was a lawless world, full of people just as lawless as I.The world before me was a chaotic Eden. Ripe for the picking and now it was time for the Beast to come and play.

I just hope, for their sake, that they’re ready for the storm that is now coming. After all, it wouldn’t be much fun if I broke my new playmates, now would it?

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Hi, sorry to bother, but I've been following and reading you for a while now and you sound like the right person to ask for some advice about an idea I had a while back for a story with Kakashi and Gai as the (almost) main couple. More specifically I'd like to ask you if you have headcanons regarding Kakashi and Gai as parents. Briefly explaining, I have this story in which I explore the relationship between the two of them a bit, including the Team 3's involvement as basically Gai's adopted children (albeit in a way that is very hidden and impossible to publicly admit and acknowledge, for bureaucratic reasons and archaic laws) This by extension also includes Kakashi seeing the team grow up, very closely, and being a part of it from time to time; with the three "students" as spectators to the emotional swing that was the relationship between Gai and Kakashi. There's a lot going on, perhaps even too much, in this story. The past of the two, their respective parents' past, distant relatives and more. Among them will be Lee's wife, namely Metal's mother. A woman from a village of criminals, forgotten by the law and the gods, who has a history as a mercenary, assassin-for-hire with very gray morals and a fairly traumatic past, as well as somewhat Mary Sue-like relatives (I apologize, but I've tried to give her a great deal of flaws, to compensate) And her and Lee's relationship is surprisingly strong. She adores him, not afraid to express it, she thinks he's unique and precious. A divine miracle. Despite this, she's afraid of ruining him and being a curse to him, so wishing to see him safe and happy all the time pushes him away a bit. (In a sort of parallelism between this relationship and the one of Kakashi and Gai.) And after this unnecessary rambling, my actual asking is, do you have any headcanons for this kind of scenario? What might Kakashi think about this woman and her relationship with Lee? And Gai? And how could they be as parents? And Lee and TenTen as siblings? Apologies again for the annoyance and thank you very much for your patience.

There is no annoyancw! I love answering questions involving headcanons.

Also, bever apologize for a Mary-sue like character. Heck, Boruto is a thing and he’s what I would call a Gary-sue. It’s not for me personally but as long as there are actual character flaws it can still be a lot of fun and even if not, it’s just fun.

You make your character’s how you want.

As parents i think Kakashi and Gai would balance each other out really well

Gai is hands on and exciting. He plays with the kids (sometimes a bit too rough) and trys to make himself always available

Kakashi is a little more hands off but still very much there. He prefers reading with his kiddo and teaching them, and leaves the play to Gai who has a lot more fun with that. He’s also super patient and calm, where Gai is a bit more impatient and pushy at times.

These trait can clash, but the two of them work together and talk about important things like what they want for their kiddo, appropriate punishments, etc so they have a really tight well figured out parental system.

Tenten and Lee i’d say are the siblings who often roll their eyes at each other (tenten) and don’t know the meaning of ‘personal space’ (lee). They can often devolve into arguing but would also kill for each other without hesitation.

What Kakashi thinks is it’s not really his place to have an opinion on Lee’s relationship.

His goal isn’t really to interject into anyone’s relationship, but to see the people he cares about happy. As long as Lee’s wife makes him happy, Kakashi is happy.

As long as she is good to Lee, Kakashi is supportive. He might offer advice once in a while if he feels she needs kt (like he tries to do with Sasuke regarding Sarada) but otherwise is just happy to see them happy.

[thewidowsghost]

Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 1

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

(Y/n) stands in the kitchen of her mother and step-father's apartment, making the bean dip Smelly Gabe liked so much.

(Y/n) fixes her gaze on the counter but then she lets out a yelp as something hits her in between her shoulder blades.

"Hurry it up, girl!" Smelly Gabe snarls.

"Yes sir," (Y/n) murmurs.

A few minutes later, Gabe stalks into the kitchen, takes the dip without so much of a thank you.

(Y/n) fixes her gaze on the shoe on the ground before she moves to her room. She climbs into her bed, getting under her covers. (Y/n) turns, facing the wall.

She closes her eyes, falling to an uneasy sleep.

(Y/n) watches, disconnected from the others in the dream, as one of her brother's teachers turns into something that reminded her of a demon, or something similar that she'd read books about. The woman had bat wings, claws, and a mouth of yellow fangs.

Then (Y/n) looks around, her eyes widening in shock as she sees her brother holding a bronze sword.

Percy swings the sword, the demon exploding into yellow powder, vaporizing on the spot.

A hand on (Y/n)'s shoulder has (Y/n) jolting awake. "Honey? Are you okay?" Sally Jackson asks.

Catching the wide-eyed look of horror on (Y/n)'s face, Sally wraps her daughter in a hug.

(Y/n)'s breathing steadies, and she breathes in her mother's familiar scent - chocolate, licorice, and all the other things she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central Station.

"Did you get all your work done?" Sally asks softly, her thumb brushing over a slightly visible bruise that had appeared at the base of the back of her neck.

(Y/n) hums in reply.

. . .

The next day, (Y/n) is once again lying in her bed, not wanting to have to deal with Gabe throwing more shoes or glass bottles at / near her.

. . .

Percy walks into the apartment, dragging his suitcase behind him, hoping his mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe is in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blares ESPN; chips and beer cans are strewn all over the carpet.

Hardly looking up, he says around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's my mom? (Y/n)?"

"Mom's working," Gabe says. "The girl's in her room. You got any cash?"

"That's it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

Gabe had put on weight since the last time Percy had seen him. Gabe looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He has about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp.

"I don't have any cash," Percy replies.

Gabe raises a greasy eyebrow. Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which is surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he says. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looks at Percy with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he says. The guy just got here."

"Am I right?" Gabe repeats.

Eddie scowls into his bowl of pretzels. The two other guys pass gas in harmony.

"Fine," Percy says. He digs a wad of dollars out of his pocket and throws the money on the table. "I hope you lose."

"Your report card came, brain boy!" He shouts back at Percy. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"

Percy slams the door to his room, which isn't really his room. During school months, it is Gabe's 'study.' He doesn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loves shoving his stuff in Percy's closet, leaving his muddy boots on the windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne, cigars, and stale beer.

Percy drops his suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home he thinks.

Gabe's smell is almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.

Percy sits, lost in his thoughts.

Then he hears his mom's voice, "Percy?" She opens the bedroom door, and his fears melt. "Oh, Percy," she hugs him tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas."

Sally had brought Percy a bag of 'free samples' the way she always did whenever he'd come home.

The two sit together on the bed. While Percy attacks the blueberry sour strings, she runs her hands through his hair, demanding to know everything that he hadn't put in his letters. She doesn't mention his getting expelled. She doesn't seem to care about that.

Percy tells his mother that she is smothering him, but secretly, Percy is really, really glad to see her.

From the other room, Gabe yells, "Hey, Sally - how about some bean dip, huh?"

Percy grits his teeth. My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should be married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.

(Y/n) pads into Percy's room, and the dark haired boy brightens at the sight of his younger twin.

"I've got the dip, Mom," (Y/n) says softly. Sally gazes at her daughter for a moment, her gaze sad.

"Wait, (Y/n)," Sally says, and (Y/n) turns back to face her mother. "I've got a surprise for the two of you," she says. "We're going to the beach."

Percy's eyes widen. "Montauk?"

"Three nights - same cabin," Sally replies.

"When?" (Y/n) asks, looking excited.

She smiles, "As soon as I get changed."

(Y/n) can't believe it. Mom, Percy, and I hadn't been to Montauk in the last two summers because Gabe had said that there wasn't enough money.

Gabe appears in the doorway behind (Y/n) and growls, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

Percy wants to punch him, but he meets his mother's eyes, and understands that she is offering him a deal: Be nice to Gabe for a little while; just until she's ready to leave for Montauk.

"I've got it, Gabe," (Y/n) says.

"Sorry, honey," Sally says, looking at her husband. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes get small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," Percy mutters. "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," Sally says evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money."

(Y/n) turns to face Gabe, smiling as kindly as she could. "What if I make a seven-layer dip that'll last the whole weekend?" she asks. "Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."

Gabe softens a bit, then turns back to face Sally. "So, this money for your trip . . . it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

"Yes, honey," Sally replies.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe scratches his double chin. "Maybe if the girl hurries up with the seven-layer dip . . . and if the boy apologizes for interrupting my poker game."

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, Percy thinks. And make you sing soprano for a week.

"I'm sorry," Percy mutters. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important power game. Please go back to it right now."

Gabe's eyes narrow. His tiny brain is probably trying to detect the sarcasm in my statement, Percy thinks.

"Yeah, whatever," Gabe decides; he goes back to his game.

"Thank you, Percy," Sally says. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about...whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

For a moment, (Y/n) can see anxiety in her mother's eyes, but then her smile returns, and (Y/n) figures that she must've been mistaken.

. . .

An hour later, the three are ready to leave.

Gabe takes a break from his poker game long enough to watch (Y/n) and Percy lug the bags to his car. He keeps griping and groaning about losing her and (Y/n)'s cooking - and more important, his '78 Camaro - for the whole weekend.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," Gabe warns Percy as he loads the last bag into the car. "Not one little scratch."

Like I'd be the one driving. I'm fourteen, Percy thinks.

Watching Gabe lumbers back towards the apartment building, Percy gets so mad that he does something he can't explain. As Gabe reaches the door, Percy makes the hand gesture he'd seen Grover made on the bus, a soft of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over his heart, then a shoving movement towards Gabe. The screen door slams so hard it whacks him the the butt and sends him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

. . .

(Y/n)'s POV

Our rental cabin is on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It is a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There's always sand in the sheets, spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea is too cold to swim in.

I loved the place.

Mom, Percy, and I had been going ever since Percy and I'd been a baby. Mom had been coming even longer. She'd never exactly said, but I know why the beach was special to her.

It's the place where she'd met my Dad.

As we get closer to Montauk, Mom seems to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turn the color of the sea.

We get there around sunset, open all the cabin's windows, and go through the usual cleaning routine.

Mom, Percy, and I walk on the beach, feed blue corn-chips to the seagulls, and munch on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples Mom had brought home from work.

I guess maybe I should explain all the blue food.

Gabe had once told Mom that there was no such thing. They had had this fight, which had seemed like a really small think at the time, but ever since, Mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes, mixed blueberry smoothies, bought blue-corn tortilla chips, and brought home blue candy from the shop. This - along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano - is proof that she isn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, just like Percy.

When it gets dark, we make a fire. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom tells Percy and me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents had died in the plane crash. She tells us about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Eventually, it seems that Percy gets the nerve to ask about what is always on our minds whenever we come to Montauk - our father. Mom's eyes go all misty. I figure she would tell us the same things she always did, but neither Percy or I ever got tired of hearing them.

"He was kind, Percy," Mom replies. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle too, like you, (Y/n)." Mom says and I soften. "You have his black hair, Percy, and you both share his green eyes.

Mom fishes a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you two. He would be so proud."

I wonder how she could say that when I'm the girl who cowers from her stepfather. The girl who hides in her room to get away from said stepfather.

"How old were we?" Percy asks, pulling me from my thoughts. "I mean . . . when he left?"

Mom watches the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But . . . he knew us as babies."

"No, honey," Mom replies. "He knew I was expecting twins, but he never met you. He had to leave before you were born."

I try to square that with the fact that I seem to remember . . . something about my father. A warm glow, maybe a smile.

Percy and I had always assumed that our father had known us as babies. Mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt that it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen us . . .

I feel angry at my father. Maybe it is stupid, but I resent him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry Mom.

"Are you going to send me away again?" Percy asks. "To another boarding school?"

Mom pulls a marshmallow from the fire.

"I don't know, honey," her voice is heavy. "I think . . . I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want me around?" Percy says and I flinch, avoiding both his and Mom's gazes.

I glance up to see that Mom's eyes had welled up with tears. "Oh, Percy, no. I - I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

"But you never send her away," Percy says and I look up, eyes wide with surprise.

Mom looks at Percy, eyes wide with shock.

Finally she says, "I have to keep both of you away from each other as much as possible. I thought you'd finally be safe."

"I tried to keep you as close to me as I could," Mom says. "They told me it was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy, (Y/n) - the place your father wanted to send you two. And I just . . . I just can't stand to do it."

"Our father wanted us to go to a special school?" I ask.

"Not a school," Mom replies. "A summer camp."

My head spins. Why would my dad - who hadn't even stayed around to see me and Percy be born - talk to Mom about a summer camp?

"I'm sorry, (Y/n)," Mom says, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I - I couldn't send you two to that place. It might mean saying goodbye to you for good."

"For good?" Percy asks. "But if it's only a summer camp . . ."

Mom turns towards the fire, and I know from her expression, that if we asked any more questions, she would start to cry.

Word Count: 2413 words

[sleepysnk]

Hello there, hope you're doing fine! I absolutely love your blog and the way you respond to requests is so sweet that made me ask for one as well! So, um, I love Zeke, especially his backstory. Is it possible for a scenario during the period when Zeke was a Warrior candidate / when he just got the Beast Titan between him and a girl his age who was also a Warrior candidate? He was such a sweet kid and I'd love to read something in your style! Thank you so much in advance!

aww this is so cute ���! i want to mention before i write this that it does start of with Zeke as a child! and so is reader! they will end up being a bit older as the scenario goes on. i hope you enjoy ♡.

Zeke x Fem!Reader: Remember Me

Warnings: HEAVY spoilers to the manga

Zeke was quite the social kid. He always was nice to everyone, and he was super sweet. His warrior training had just started, and he was pretty excited for this new opportunity. He had made a few new friends from it, and he was determined to get what he wanted.

One day, he had met a girl in the warrior program. Her name was (Y/N), she had pretty (h/c) hair, and these sparkling (e/c) eyes. Zeke would always play with her. They lived fairly close to one another, so he would come to play catch or hide and seek with her.

"Zeke! Throw the ball over here!" the young girl yelled as she jumped up and down.

He laughed a bit. "Okay! Heads up!" he replied and tossed the ball to her.

(Y/N) caught it and giggled a bit. "Yay! I caught it" she said and smiled.

Zeke came over to her, and looked at the ball. "Yeah you did it (Y/N)!" he said and looked over excitedly.

She smiled at him as she gave him back the ball. "Throw it again! I want to play!" she said and went back to her spot on the grass.

He ran over to the other side, and threw the ball over to her. "Catch!" he called and watched as the ball landed into her arms.

The young girl smiled as she caught it. "I did it again! Zeke!" she yelled and jumped around as she held it in her hands.

He rushed over. "High-five (Y/N)!" he said and held up his hand.

She high-fived him and nodded. "We should play everyday! We should play a new game" she said and smiled.

He nodded. "I would be down to play a new game" he replied and looked at her with excited eyes.

"(Y/N)!" the girl turned around and saw her mother waving over to her. "Come inside! Dinner is ready!" she called.

(Y/N) looked over at Zeke. "I have to go, maybe we can play tomorrow?" she asked and nodded.

He smiled. "Yeah sure!" he replied and looked at her.

That's when (Y/N) gave Zeke a hug. "Thanks for playing with me" she said.

Zeke felt heat rush to his cheeks. "Of course!" he replied and smiled.

She broke the hug and ran towards her house. Zeke had gone home. What the two didn't know was that, this would have been the last day they would see each other. For a pretty long time.

The next day, (Y/N) came outside and didn't see Zeke in their usual spot. She waited and waited, but he never showed up. Where was he?

"Mommy, did you see Zeke?" she asked and looked at her mother.

Her mother knew the reason. "No sweetheart, I haven't" she replied and continued doing laundry.

(Y/N) felt sad that day. She never knew what happened to Zeke after that, she also never got the titan she wanted either. Unfortunately for her, she was just another Marleyan who was rejected.

Zeke, even as young as he was, felt something for (Y/N). From the day they met in the Warrior Program, he felt something different about her. Unfortunately, he had to let her go, he had a mission to complete. It was hard for him to forget about (Y/N), he'd ask if he could go see her, and he'd be scolded and told no.

As she grew up, (Y/N) forgot about Zeke. She pushed out all of the memories, and she couldn't even remember who he was. From time to time, she'd remember someone from her childhood, but she couldn't exactly remember who it was.

Even as a child like Zeke, she felt something for him too. When he left, she sort of just pushed it away, but she knew deep inside that she had some sort of feelings for Zeke.

Years went on, and now she was a woman. She was 22, and didn't really do much around Marley. The Warrior Program was still going on, and sometimes she would visit to help out the other children who are now in her place.

Zeke was older now too, he sort of forgot about (Y/N) as well. As he got older he pushed out the memories, and now she was just a stranger to him. He was planning to come visit Marley, and see how the Warrior Program was going now.

Fortunately for the two, they were at the same place at the right time. (Y/N) was where the kids trained, and Zeke was on his way there. Zeke was with Reiner discussing everything that's gone on for a long time.

"So... we still need to get Eren?" Zeke asked and looked at him.

Reiner nodded. "Yeah.. we have a plan though" he replied and crossed his arms.

Zeke walked into the training area. (Y/N) turned around to leave, when she ran into his chest.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry" she said and looked up at the person she bumped into.

Zeke looked down at the woman, and suddenly his mind began to play memories. He knew this woman from somewhere, he began to have a flashback. He was a child?

(Y/N) couldn't help but notice how familiar the man looked. From his blonde hair, to his colored eyes, she knew him.

"Uh.. Zeke?" Reiner said and broke him out of his thoughts.

Zeke looked at the woman. "Do I know you?" he asked and nodded.

She nodded and blinked a bit. "Um.. I don't know, but do I know you?" she asked.

"What's your name?" Zeke asked and looked into her (e/c) eyes.

"Um.. (Y/N)? Yours?" she replied and furrowed her brows.

That name. He knew her name, that was the girl he knew as a child.

"(Y/N)? Do you remember me? My name is Zeke, we were friends as kids" he asked.

It all hit her at once. It was really Zeke! The boy who left when she was a child.

"Zeke? Is it really you? I never thought I would see you again" she replied and smiled a bit.

Zeke guided her outside and Reiner followed. "(Y/N)... I'd thought I would never see you again either" he said and looked down at her.

He admired those features she had. She definitely grew up, and she was still as beautiful as she was.

"What happened? Where did you go that day?" (Y/N) asked and nodded.

He sighed. "It's a long story" he replied.

He then explained everything that happened. He told her that he inherited the beast titan, and he had to leave her. He didn't want to though, he didn't have a choice either.

She felt bad in the moment, she thought for a long time Zeke just hated her. "I'm sorry for never coming to you. I tried asking to see you, but I was scolded" he said and looked at her.

She nodded. "It's okay, I never understood at the time, but I for sure do now" she replied.

"(Y/N), I don't want to ever lose you again. You were my closest friend, and I don't want to leave" Zeke said and held her hand.

She felt a blush spread across her cheeks. "Zeke, I don't want to lose you either" she said and smiled a bit.

He smiled at her and looked at her. "We should catch up, there's a lot to discuss" he said.

She nodded. "I'd love that" she replied and grinned widely.

[damerondala]

I'd like a ship please! 🥰

I'm a petite woman (she/her) with some curves. Long wavy hair. Gray eyes. Shy at first but once I know someone, I don't have an off button. Get super excited about things I'm passionate about. Love to sing and dance. Loyal and defensive. Love kids. Hobbies would be reading and writing. Super emotional person.

I'd prefer a clone trooper 😍 either our normal trooper boys or the bad batch.

My love languages are quality time and gift giving/receiving.

Ideal date would just be spending time getting to know each other. Maybe warm drinks and a nice walk.

I'm alright with NSFW but I'm a big sucker for fluff!

Thank you! 💜

hi kelsey! thanks for requesting, i think you may be surprised by this one but just hear me out

for your ship i pair you with...

hardcase!

i know he is a bit different than you, but i think it would absolutely be an opposites attract sort of trope with you two!! he thinks it is absolutely adorable how you are so shy but once you two get to talking and he sees how fun you are it is just like instant heart eyes from him hahaha he likes sharing a quick fun dance with you at 79s but also yearns for those slow, barefoot, romantic dances in the kitchen. don’t get me wrong, he always tries to get you out with him and his brothers for a night on the town but if you aren’t in the mood, he is glad to stay in, listen to you read while you both have your yummy warm drinks of choice in hand. just happy to spend time with his gorgeous kelsey 

~

His weight against your chest is never unwelcome, but the way his body sank into you with every passing sentence made it a bit difficult to pay attention to your story. You slowly closed the book, mindful to keep your thumb marking your place. Your unoccupied hand brushed against his cheek. “Maybe we should get some sleep, baby.” Hardcase jumped up from his spot nestled on you, blinking purposefully, trying to prove that he was still awake. “No! No. ‘M listenin’.” You laughed at his dramatics, knowing full well this man would be asleep in minutes if you continued. 

“Alright. Whatever you say.” Your sentence was punctuated with the crane of your neck, leaning down to peck his tattooed head. Continuing on with your story, your suspicions proved to be true, his body becoming even heavier than before and soft snores coming out of his parted lips. You smiled at how peaceful and... quiet he was right now. It was nice, watching him sleep so sound; no worries of the war painted across his face. With one final kiss to his forehead, you set the book down and snuggled up with Hardcase, each of you falling into a deep sleep. 

~

200 follower celebration!

[whitestaghere]

I'm here - Edmund Pevensie x reader (Chapter 8)

Here's chapter 8! Hope you guys are enjoying reading this❤️ thank you for all your support! I appreciate it a lot.

Song :- Electric Love by BØRN ⚡

Y/n's Pov

Breakfast.. was awkward.

And when I say awkward I mean, really awkward.

From the small glances, blushes and smiles exchanged between Edmund and I, to Peter sending occasional smirks in both our directions and Susan and Lucy letting out giggles here and there. Just us being completely flustered.

Lucy had told me to talk to him to which I had stared in horror, thinking of the million ways I could embarrass myself in front of him.

I was just too shy.

The shyness actually increasing the more Peter shot me teasing looks everytime I'd try to look at Edmund.

"So, y/n.." Oh great.

"Yes Peter?"

"How's your morning?" he wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I cleared my throat, "umm well its umm.. it's good. And you?"

"Oh yes. Splendid. How about you Ed?"

Ed looked like he was going to pounce on Peter. He shrugged in reply, catching my eye for a second. But honestly speaking, that second felt like an hour. It felt like time had stopped. It always did. Of course when it's him.

He turned attempting to hide the blush that began to run across his face. That, obviously not going unnoticed by Peter and I.

After waiting for a while, Peter decided to break the silence, "alright then.. I suppose we ready ourselves now, to get y/n home." He sent me a warming smile which I gladly returned.

One by one everyone left the room, that including Edmund of course. Him sending me a shy smile and disappearing into his room.

Timeskip >>>

Peter's Pov

Mind sickening.. that's what it was.

Not searching for y/n's house.. but the awkwardness in the air. Let me emphasise that. IT WAS SO THICK. The 'couple in progress', being the cause of it.

I had noticed all the failed attempts since we left the house.

How Edmund tried to go up and make conversation with y/n, only to chicken out the next second. Y/n on the other hand, speed walking away from him.

At this point, Edmund was staring her down like a hawk. Literally.

We had been walking for a while now.

Y/n remembered how to get back rather well, just not so clearly. So we had to stop a couple of times for her to familiarise, or ask about.

Susan, Lucy and y/n walking infront of us while Edmund and I were following closely behind.

I eyed Edmund again. Yes. He was in his own world. It was rather amusing to see him like this.. but at the same time, a part of me just wanted to smack some sense into him and get him to man up.

Walking closer to Edmund, I attempted to nudge him, but instead elbowed him. A little too hard. My bad.

"ASLAN!" he shrieked, earning a bunch of looks in our direction. The girls looking back at us in alarm too.

Edmund's ears turned a bright red. "What was that for?!" he scowled at me.

"I'm sorryyy!!"

Rubbing his side he sighed, "well.. what did you elbow me for?"

I rolled my eyes. Sassy pants. "I wanted to tell you, to you know.. go talk to-"

"Guys, I think we're close now!" y/n exclaimed grabbing Edmund's attention immediately.

"Later," he mumbled. I sighed watching Edmund proceed after them.

"Really? Are you sure?" Lucy questioned, with a slight tone of excitement.

"Yes, I'm sure! It's all clear now.. I remember running out from..." she dragged, "HERE!" she picked up her pace and took a turn down a road ahead of us.

We ran after her, only to see her standing in front of a house with her eyes wide open and her mouth slightly parted.

"Is this it?" Lucy ran upto her, grabbing onto her arm in the process. The excitement evident on the two's faces when they looked at eachother.

She turned back to me nodding her head with a look of excitement, "I'm home.." I motioned for her to proceed in response.

She slowly made her way to the doorstep. Standing there in silence for a while, she placed her hand on the doorknob trying to open it. Only, she turned back in frustration.

Y/n's Pov

I walked upto the doorstep. Taking in a breath I placed my hand on the doorknob.

It's locked. I furrowed my eyebrows. I don't remember locking the door behind me that day.

Finally Edmund spoke up, "what's wrong? Is this the wrong house?"

She shook her head, "no, no.. its just that.. its locked? I-I don't remember locking it the day I left."

Susan looked at me in confusion.

Edmund now coming beside me, "maybe there's someone inside?" he rang the doorbell.

No response.

Ugh. Was I wrong? Oh no. As if I hadn't given the Pevensie's enough of work already. I couldn't be more stressed. My mind was literally everywhere. I couldn't focus. A stray tear leaving my eye, I quickly wiped it away. Not wanting the others to see.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked at Edmund he smiled at me softly, "it's okay love.. don't worry, I'm here" He pulled me into his arms.

He stroked my hair gently. I layed my hands on his chest, pushing him away, "Edmund, I'm so sor-"

The door opened, "Y/N?!"

I widened my eyes in shock, "Y/F/N!!!"

Pulling away from Edmund's hold, I faced her completely only to get tackled into a hug.

Edmund backed away with a laugh.

"Oh my God! Y/N!! I was so worried! Where were youuu?!" she pulled away from me scanning my entire body.

"I.. umm it's.. it's a long story love.." I looked behind her and into my house. "When did you get here??"

She looked at me in confusion and widened her eyes in realisation. She laughed, "well, I had gone with my parents on a sudden family trip. I couldn't text you sooner because I the signal was just terrible. But when I was finally able to get better connection and texted you, I didn't get any replies."

Ah yes... I had left my phone at home.

"I got super worried since you weren't picking up my calls nor answering my messages. So since I had come home yesterday.. I decided to you know.. come by today, only to find the door unlocked and you nowhere to be seen."

Oh the guilt. Not only had I troubled Edmund and his siblings, but also my best friend.

"Gosh I'm so sorry I worried you. I-I'll explain everything that happened.. just- just give me a minute."

I turned around to face the Pevensie's, "I'd like you to meet my friends, the Pevensie's.. Edmund, Peter, Susan and Lucy, this is my best friend y/f/n.."

Y/f/n sent them a small wave, which the Pevensie's gladly returned.

"W-would you like to come inside?" I asked hoping they'd say yes.

Lucy jumped in excitement tugging at Peter's shirt sleeve, "can we?"

Peter smiled at her softly, "as much as we'd love to, I suppose it's time we go home." Lucy's smile dropped. "Mother is coming home today remember? So, another time for sure?" he looked at me.

Honestly I was a little disappointed. But he was right.. they could always come by. I nodded my head giving him a smile. Peter gave me a warming smile in return.

I looked at Edmund clearing my throat I began, "I owe you all a lot.. thank you so much for getting me home. I'm not just saying this, I mean every single word. I truly appreciate everything you've done for me the past few days. You're welcome to come by whenever." He gave me a soft smile, nodding.

"Your welcome. But you really don't need to thank us, it's what friends are for," Peter ruffled my hair.

"Can we come by some time Pete? We don't live that far apart either.." Lucy turned to him giving him puppy eyes.

"Of course we can Lu.."

Lucy squealed running upto me and into my embrace, "come by and visit us too, will you?"

"Definitely Lu," I swung her a little in my arms. We pulled apart breaking into a fit of giggles. Susan giving me a hug right after.

I finally turned to Ed.

Cue the blushing.

He gave me a soft smile, "I- umm.." he cleared his throat looking around nervously. Probably unsure of what to say.

I couldn't help but giggle. Cute.

He furrowed his eyebrows, a playful smile forming on his face, "what's so funny?"

I shook my head, "oh nothing.." I fought back the urge to laugh. Going upto him I pulled him into a hug, "you don't have to be so nervous you know?"

His chest rumbled with laughter, slowly wrapping his arms around my waist. He laid his chin on my head. "I'm going to miss you.." he whispered.

"This isn't goodbye silly," I slapped his arm gently letting out a laugh.

"I know, I know.. its just.. it's not going to be the same at home without you."

My heart fluttered at his words. Of course I'm going to miss living under the same roof as him, "well you heard me before.. you can come visit whenever."

He hugged me tighter humming in agreement. Finally after what seemed like an hour, we pulled apart.

"Well then, we'll be off now," Susan smiled at me. "It was nice meeting you, y/f/n."

"You too.." Y/f/n shook hands with them, going back inside. We bid eachother goodbye.

"Come visit us soon!" Lucy yelled. I laughed, "see you soon Lu!!"

Edmund gave me a small smile, waving his hand at me. I sent him a soft smile in return. Turning to face my house I sighed.

Wish there was a little more to it than that.

Just as I was about to go back inside, I heard footsteps behind me and soon I felt a hand grab onto my wrist.

Turning around I met those eyes. Those eyes that I always tend to get lost in.

"Edmund what are yo-"

Everything happened so fast I couldn't even process what was happening anymore.

He cupped my face, placing his lips on mine. Cue the sparks of electricity. Just like how we shared our first kiss. But this time, it was just us. It was as if time had stopped around us.

He snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me closer until there was absolutely no space between us. I wrapped my arms around his neck, slowly running my hands through his hair.

He sighed into the kiss, tilting his head a little to deepen it. The kiss was slow but passionate. Passionate enough to show me how he felt the last couple of days.

I couldn't believe this was actually happening.

Eventually we pulled apart catching out breath. Leaning his forehead against mine, he let out a laugh.

"Well that was..." I began.

"Amazing," we said in unison.

I giggled.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that.." he pecked my lips once again.

"Let me guess.. since yesterday? If I'm not wrong, I remember you kissing me back then too," I teased.

At this his face flushed a bright pink

"Well that was not how I wanted it to go initially.. I wa- oh you know what I mean!" he snapped jokingly.

I laughed.

"Y/n.." he cupped my cheeks once again. "I know it's only been a couple of days. But I honestly have never been so happy. Each and everytime, just one look at you and I'd be smiling like.. like oh gosh I can't even find the words to explain," he let out a low laugh shaking his head.

I couldn't stop smiling.

"I want to be here for you everyday. To listen to your worries, to make you happy. I want you to know, I'm always here for you, no matter what."

His gaze softened, "I really, really like you y/n.. heck no, what am I even saying? I'm so in love with you y/n! W-would you let me court you?"

I nodded my head at the verge of crying happy tears. He picked me up hugging me and slowly swinging side to side.

"I love you too Ed.. I really do," he showered my face with kisses and finally placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

"I can finally call you mine.. you don't know how happy I am right now."

"I bet I do.. trust me, I'm just as happy as you are," I giggled.

He rolled his eyes playfully, nuzzling his head in the crook of my neck. Placing a kiss there, "Eddd that ticklesss!" I whined.

Our moment interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

We pulled apart only to see Peter smirking at us. With Lucy and Susan staring in awe from behind.

"It was about time," Lucy giggled.

"Ooh I didn't know their was a couple amongst us.." y/f/n entered the scene curious to know what was taking me so long.

"Oh Aslan..." Edmund sighed.

"Guess we're going to have to deal with two Peter's now," I laughed. Edmund raised his eyebrows. "Well, as long as you're with me, I'll learn how to deal with it," he winked at me. "Always," I nodded my head, "and forever" he mumbled.

"Oh my God, when did Ed get so cheesy?" Peter groaned in the background.

The others laughed. While Ed nuzzled his head back into my neck, me stroking his hair.

Well, I guess that marks the end to this series. I really loved writing this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you for all the love and support guys❤️

Feel free to send in requests!

@graciehams

[atsuwiee]

hello! I'm here for the matchup and congrats on 600 followers!! sorry if this was too long 😅 thank you in advance! ❤️

pronouns: she/her

mbti: istp

enneagram: 9 and secondary is 5 I think

likes: cats, otome, story-based games, savory food, manga, anime, webtoon, music, fluff (writing genre), writing

dislikes: insects, dirty places, packed places, swimming, horror, super sweet desserts, misunderstanding troupe

love language: acts of service, words of affirmation (?)

personality: I'm laid-back and casual, I like to think I'm friendly but I'm not out there making friends left and right (I'm awkward if left alone with strangers or non-close friends). I have a close circle of friends, because I tend to not make any effort to keep a relationship when it's in it's early stages and I'm a dry person (I do try to not be super dry with my closer friends doe(?) I laugh really easily, be it the worst joke, as long I get it. I'm a little late of social media and trends, to the point sometimes my friends called me old. I'm bad at comforting someone because I'll worry if what I say is too cringy, cliche, or fake. Most of my advice are not sugar coated and realistic, I usually add "it's up to you in the end" in case I accidentally ruin their lives.

• I'm lazy and easily unmotivated, and easily bored also, I've never really liked someone before other than 2d people. I'm in the middle of expressive and not expressive, sometimes I add "lol" at the end of my sentence to not sound dry. I mostly go unphased by compliments and just say 'thanks' but if you keep going, you'll be seeing my face a little red.

• I'm actually a little emotional when it comes to anime, manga, and stuff entertainment stuff. I'm a realist, and good neutral the last time I checked. I get super enthusiastic about something once I start it but after awhile (if I stopped or finished it) I get like indifferent about it? like I don't get the same excited feeling at the start.

• I'm not very trustful and it takes years for me to fully trust you to even help me play genshin when I can't, I rarely meet new people and friends so it's not that bad. I'm super forgetful, it's funny and really frustrating when I'm trying to find something, and sad. I'm passive when it comes to arguments and don't really react much, but my blood is boiling in dramas, webtoon, etc. I guess that's why I don't really prefer drama genre, they make me too angry and frustrated.

• I care a lot kinda, but I'm always embarrassed to show it a little lol, since I'm scared they'd tease me and stuff and I'd go red. I'm interested in a little of everything but I'll mostly lose interest halfway through or when I get bored of it.

- 🎃

i match you with... malleus draconia!

you kinda give out a diasomnia vibe(?) and i thought of malleus would be a nice match with you.

i feel like you won't really be easily bored with him since there's a lot of things about him, also going to see the gargoyles with him- he'll try to make it less boring lol

maybe he wont relate to your interests that much but he'll make an effort to try and watch the shows you watch or try to read the stuff you like.

also notices how you get worked up when your reading your webtoons or watching anime, he thinks it's adorable :^D

i hope you liked this<3 !

[sambergscott]

i'd wait forever and a day for you

summary: post-trying // jake is on an undercover mission and amy thinks she’s pregnant. 

(you should read this just for the last line tbh)

Her period is late.

At first, she attributes it to stress. Jake is on a major undercover operation and while she is an incredibly proud, supportive wife, she knows how dangerous the situation is. He’s a great cop -- one of New York’s finest, in both senses of the word (...he’s hot) -- and he was so excited about getting this assignment. And she’s excited for him -- really, she is. But with updates filtering through to Captain Holt at a snail’s pace, it’s impossible not to worry about him, where he is, what he’s doing, whether he’s safe. Her cycle was shot to hell when he was in Witness Protection in Florida and it is entirely possible that history is repeating itself. 

Four days pass, Jake is still undercover and her period still has not arrived. She tries to blame Hitchcock’s God-awful Zika cologne disrupting her cycle again until she remembers that both Hitchcock and Scully have been off work all week with food poisoning. She even Googles why is my period late?, quickly closing the tab and deleting her browser history when the first result that pops up is pregnancy. 

There’s no way she’s pregnant. She refuses to even consider it for a second. 

Despite her absolute certainty that her uterus is as empty as it’s always been, when Rosa invites her for drinks with her new boyfriend, Amy opts for a non-alcoholic beer. 

“I’m driving,” she explains at Rosa’s raised eyebrows and swiftly changes the conversation. She finds out that Rosa’s boyfriend is a mechanic and they hit it off when she took her motorbike in for repair. She talks about Jake, about how he’s her favourite person in the entire world and how much she misses him (A Lot). He asks her what it’s like dating a cop and how to deal with the person you love putting themselves in danger every single day, which makes Rosa blush. Amy has never seen her blush before. 

“It’s difficult,” she says truthfully. She hates seeing her husband hurting and being thrown in prison for crimes he didn’t commit and having guns pointed at his head. It’s why she instated the short-lived ‘no dating cops’ rule, before Jake kissed her and she decided screw it. “But it’s worth it. When you really love them, it’s worth the pain. Every second.”

“That’s what I thought,” he responds, looking at Rosa the way Jake looks at Amy. 

She finishes her drink (which is so not as good as its alcoholic counterpart) and gathers her coat and purse. “I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it. See you Monday,” she directs at Rosa and “it was nice to meet you” at her boyfriend, who she has a feeling might be sticking around for a while. 

She opens up her Messages app and types out a full paragraph to Jake about how she met Rosa’s boyfriend before him and how he’s really nice and makes her blush! Rosa Disz!!! Blushing!!! She adds a gif of Jonathan Van Ness saying “can you believe?” and is about to click send when she realises his phone is on his nightstand where he left it before his mission and puts her phone back in her pocket in dismay. 

Once home, she gets changed into one of his NYPD t-shirts and climbs straight into bed, crying herself to sleep. 

She wakes up bright and early the next morning, a feat that is made significantly easier when there is no super cute husband to snuggle with. She showers, pulls on leggings and one of his plaid shirts and gets started on her Sunday Chores. Dancing around the apartment and pretending the mop is a microphone stand is a lot less fun on her own and she overcompensates, making herself dizzy and throwing up in the toilet she just cleaned. 

Without thinking, she finds herself at the bodega on the corner, staring at the selection of pregnancy tests. She grabs three of the safest looking ones and bites her lip when the guy congratulates her as she pays. She’s wasted hundreds of dollars on pregnancy tests thus far and she knows she’s definitely wasting money on these ones too. She doesn’t need congratulating for making poor financial decisions and being bad at making babies, but she thanks him anyway. 

Back at the apartment, she dumps the paper bag on the kitchen counter to deal with later. She makes a cup of tea, calls her mom and fills in The Times crossword. The paper bag screams out to her the entire time. 

Reluctantly, she removes the boxes from the bag, fully intending to put them away in the back of the bathroom cabinet, out of sight. 

A niggling voice tells her to just open one and find out. 

She has the box open and the test in her hand when her phone buzzes with a text from Holt informing her that Jake is safe and the mission is going well. 

She drops the test like it burnt her skin. 

Jake. She can’t do this without him. If she is pregnant, she’d never forgive herself for finding out without him, for stripping him of that moment they’d been dreaming of forever. 

She’s waited this long, she can wait a few more days. And she’s probably not pregnant anyway. 

She ends up waiting two more weeks. 

It’s torture. 

She’s throwing up almost daily, crying in the break room for no apparent reason and her damn period has still not come. All symptoms which could be explained away by a lack of Jake Peralta and stress (due to missing the aforementioned Jake Peralta). 

Rosa corners her in the ladies bathroom and asks if she wants her to run out for more pregnancy tests.

“I already have some at home.”

“And?” She prompts. “Did you take them? Are you pregnant?”

“I don’t know.” She tries to play it off as no big deal, but Rosa knows her pretty well these days. 

“You’ve been trying for nearly a year, there’s a chance you are finally pregnant and you haven’t taken a test?”

“I can’t -- I want to -- Jake --.”

“Oh,” it dawns on her. 

“Yeah,” Amy sighs. “I’ve been staring at the tests every night but I just can’t. Not without him.  He’d be devastated.”

“He would not be devastated if you were pregnant, Amy Santiago.” 

“You know what I mean. He’d want to be have been there. I want him to be there.”

“I guess he needs to hurry the hell up and catch the bad guys then.”

He must have heard her because, hours later, the elevator door opens and there he is, exhausted and still in his weird undercover clothes, with the biggest smile on his face. 

She practically throws herself at him and, yeah, maybe she kisses him in a not-very-work-appropriate way and maybe some of the perps in the holding cell wolf whistle and maybe Charles is crying, but he is home and she can finally take those pregnancy tests. 

Holt allows her to clock out early (she makes a mental note to buy him a glass of Charbonnay the next time they go to Shaw’s) and Jake excitedly tells her all about the case, barely taking a second to breathe.

“Sounds fun, babe,” she says when he gets to the part of the story when he handcuffed the bad guys and then made out with this super hot chick in front of all his co-workers. 

“It was awesome,” he confirms. “What about you? What have you been up to? I missed you so much.”

“Aw,” she smiles, rubbing her hand over his thigh as he drives, “I missed you so much, too. As for what I’ve been up to, I’ve mostly just been kind of sick.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm. I... um... actually think I might be pregnant.”

He swerves suddenly, nearly crashing the car. Ignoring the cars around them honking, he focuses on his wife. “Pregnant?”

“My period is nearly three weeks late, I’ve been throwing up and I’ve been extra emotional,” she debriefs him. 

“Right. OK.” He takes a deep breath. “Have you taken a test?”

“I bought three but I couldn’t take them without you. It’s kind of been killing me.”

“Yeah, I bet,” he laughs, pulling over in front of their apartment. Neither of them move. “We should probably take them now.”

“Yeah,” she agrees. 

“You nervous?”

“Yeah,” she says again. She’s lost count of how many negative tests they’ve seen, how many times she’s felt that familiar crushing disappointment. The thought of going through it all over again... 

“I understand. We can wait, if you want. Or we could rip the band-aid off, let the scab bleed all over the place. I’ll hold your hand.”

There’s this reassuring look in his eyes that she’s seen a million times over from back when they were newly-assigned partners and he was reassuring her they would solve a tough case to that time on the roof of 397 Barton Street when he said he always knew she was going to be his boss to his speech at Hitchcock’s (second) divorce party when he told her that they are a family and that they can take whatever ‘next step’ she wants because as long as they’re together, he’s happy. 

Because it’s him, she nods. “Let’s do this.” 

The wait for the timer to go off seems longer than ever. She squeezes his hand so tight she thinks she might cut off the circulation, but he doesn’t complain, just keeps talking about how they’ll be fine, no matter what the result. 

The timer eventually goes off and she picks up the test and starts crying immediately. 

Jake hugs her tight and she can feel him crying too and this is so crazy and insane and good. 

“We’re having a baby,” he says in awe and it’s the best thing Amy’s ever heard. 

“We’re having a baby!” She repeats, half-laughing, half-crying. 

She yelps as he lifts her up and spins her around their tiny bathroom before kissing her tenderly. 

“I can’t believe this,” he exclaims when he pulls away, rubbing his hand over his face, “can you?”

“Nope.” She grins, kissing him again.

[helmes-deep]

I'd love to hear more about why you love Marianne/Brandon and Sense and Sensibility in general!!

Oh my word, yes!! :D :D I also wanted to let you know that I’ve also been thinking of sending you some Austen-related asks as well, but I think your askbox is disabled?? If you don’t want to be sent asks, though, that’s okay, too; I’m okay with chatting as well, I was just wondering since you sent me this one!!

First off, I probably really like Marianne and Brandon together mostly because of how well Alan Rickman portrayed him, lol. His expressions of quiet pain, grief, and unrequited love were just so on point that I was amazed and actually quite impressed by how well he portrayed Brandon’s reserved, but quietly passionate, lovesick nature—it was also the first time I’d realized that he was actually quite talented and an accomplished actor (and I grew up this whole time knowing his existence as Snape, lol). His lovestruck expressions are just SO GOOD!! Like when he sees Marianne playing the piano for the first time or when she thanks him for saving her. Alan Rickman doesn’t have to say a word, but you can see everything happening to Brandon through his expression and eyes. His portrayal of Colonel Brandon is one of my favorite cinematic portrayals of any Austen hero—if not my absolute favorite of all time. I just loved how Rickman portrayed Brandon having so much passion for Marianne, despite it not being overtly dramatic or in-your-face. In terms of the books, Marianne and Brandon actually aren’t my favorite Austen couple, but in terms of cinematic adaptations, the 1995 version is my ultimate otp. 

On an additional note, I’m also a sucker for the “unworthy/lowly guy loves popular/pretty girl” trope in relationships, and I also loved the angsty pining that was happening between Marianne and the Colonel, lol. I just LOVE that angsty drama, lololol. I also think that Marianne and Brandon’s dynamic is also a lot more interesting than Elinor and Edward’s—Marianne and Brandon have a lot more of the “opposites attract” type of thing going on, and moreover, Marianne matures from being in a relationship with Brandon, unlike Elinor (though, to be fair, I guess the point of Sense and Sensibility is that Elinor is more mature from the get-go, so perhaps that’s a moot point, but I still think that there’s so much more to explore in regard to the “opposites” dynamic between Marianne and Brandon than there is to Elinor and Edward).

Secondly, Sense and Sensibility is not my favorite Austen novel. It probably ranks as fourth or fifth?? on my Austen reading list?? (First is Persuasion, then Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and then maybe Sense and Sensibility or Northanger Abbey; I haven’t read Mansfield Park yet :v) It’s very plodding with how little action/dialogue there is and how much we read about what’s happening in the characters’ heads instead of actually getting to see it happen (in a way, this is fine since it seems like Sense and Sensibility turned out to be more introspective, but I prefer more action in my reading :dd). But Ang Lee’s 1995 portrayal is perfect, imo. Granted, I haven’t seen another film adaptation for Sense and Sensibility, so I don’t really have anything to compare—and I do wonder if my opinion of the film would have been different if I’d read the book before seeing the movie—but the movie does so many things well from beginning to end, imo, that I don’t think my opinion could’ve changed that much if I’d experienced the book first. The book Sense and Sensibility is a bit like Emma, imo—a story that plays out much better on screen than it does on the page (unless your only option at the time is to read it :p). I love the story, plot, and all the casting (Edward kinda annoys me in the book with how reserved he is and he kinda still does in the movie, but Hugh Grant—as much as I kinda don’t care for him, lol—plays his super-reserved and shy ways very perfectly, imo). It just summarizes the original’s story and spirit so well, imo, with all of the drama and dialogue and romance and longing, etc. that you’d expect and want to have from any Austen or period film 👌👌

In regards to Marianne and Brandon, I love how the 1995 adaptation does a much better job of Marianne coming to the realization that she loves him. On the smallest level, perhaps I am just a tiny bit disappointed that I didn’t get as much Marianne and Brandon interactions in the book as I’d hoped, but I still think the movie does a much better job of outlining Marianne’s growth. I don’t quite agree with Austen’s sentiments that you shouldn’t be as boisterous or passionately driven as Marianne is at the beginning of the book, but what I do like about her arc in the 1995 version is that she comes to the realization that true love isn’t always excitement and fiery passion—sometimes it’s just quiet, steady care from the person you love, and most importantly, it’s always there for you to support and look after you (I think maybe if Austen had come up with that lesson at the end of the book, it might have held up better over time—certainly in ours, I think—but I get why she compared and contrasted the things she did, considering her time period). This progression that we get with Marianne’s developing feelings for Brandon in the film are so much better than the book’s, imo, where Brandon and Marianne barely talk to each other or get any interactions at all (I think Brandon maybe says one line to her in the entire book??). The book’s ending just seems extremely rushed with how Austen pretty much jammed all of Marianne’s closing development into like three large paragraphs. I honestly think Sense and Sensibility’s ending reads very rushed when you compare it to Austen’s other stories, imo—at least in regard to Marianne’s arc. I was really surprised by how quickly Marianne’s story ended, considering how much time and care she gave to Pride and Prejudice’s ending (which I read before S&S). It almost seemed like even Austen was getting tired of how long this book was dragging along and decided to just end it fast because none of her other books seem to have that kind of quick/snapshot end development, imo. I suppose you could argue that Sense and Sensibility is more of Elinor and Edward’s story than it is Marianne’s, and that Marianne’s situation at the end of the book is kind of her “punishment,” which I get, but still MARIANNE AND BRANDON ARE MY OTP AND I WILL NOT HAVE THEM DISRESPECTED LIKE THAT, LOL the terribly rushed ending just seems so out-of-place for Austen, imo. So yeah, that’s why I love the 1995 film version more than the book, lol, and from all the cinematic adaptations of an Austen book that I’ve seen so far, it is probably my favorite 💗😊

[nikosomething]

Heyyyy! I'm back again. Sorry it took a while to send this ask! Mmm I'd choose the lan sect cuz I need some form of structure in my life lol. I'm not too bad with rules either. But I'd definitely hate their food. I eat wwx levels of spicy and hence I'd like to join the jiang sect haha. Also, their sword forms look nice? YASSS We'd LOOK SO GOOD! 💙🖤 ooh I like what you read. I like reading pining, arranged marriage aus, crack fics, post canon fics, missing scenes, I like canon divergence aus that concentrate on characters other than wwx and lwj. I also like fics with sad endings haha. (1/4)

I'm a big multishipper, too! There's no ship that I don't like? My favorites would be wangxian and sangcheng though. I'm always up to reading these two ships, but I'd read anything really. I feel yah, I do. I can't pick a junior either. I love them all dearly but I tend to get bored if lan jingyi isn't there in junior fics? I need Jingyi to be a major part of the fic if I'm to like it haha. (2/4)

I loooooove Asian cuisine. My favorite is Indian! All that spice, you know? I hope you ate good food since you made yourself hungry answering that lol. Your answer about the seasons is so detailed and beautiful? I love?? Mmmm my favorite season is the rainy season. It's the best. I love the melancholy, the cold and the sound of water tapping against the windows. I'd rather stay at home than venture outside in the rain tho! Winter is the most comfortable time for me, really. I hate the summer! I love the cold and end of the year is my favorite time! (3/4)

Now questions! Have you read any other mxtx works? Also, if you could change one thing is mdzs, what would it be? Do you have any post canon wangxian headcanons? Oooh, what's your favorite wangxian moment in CQL? General questions- do you celebrate Christmas? If you do, are you excited and how do you celebrate? Do you drink coffee or tea or neither or something else? What other shows have you watched except CQL this year? Aight, that's so many questions haha. (4/4) See you soon- 🐰

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Heyyyy my dear bunny! I missed ya! But don’t worry, life gets busy sometimes, so take all the time you need <3

Whoahhhh so cool that you can eat intensely spicy food!! I am trying to get used to spicy stuff, but I got a looong way to go haha I detect every gain of pepper or chili or whatever so I am only making slow progress, but I do enjoy spice - up to the level I can take without ending up all red and teary-eyed haha I enjoy good food a lot, too. I like to have some variation so I’d probably be unhappy if I had to only ever eat the Lan cuisine, too hahaha

Ohhhh arranged marriage, people keep recommending it to me - I shoudl really give it a go at some point! Any good fics you wanna recommend? And omggg sad endings!!! Whoah, I bow to you! I’s always pick a happy ending but then again the ending has to fit the need of the story, so I suppose if a happy ending would feel forced then pls gimme a sad one, perhaps even one we can all learn from And yessss, there are so many amazing characters in MDZS I totally get why you’d wanna read about them!! <3

Ah Sangcheng! It’s quite the popular ship I feel. I think it’s cute and a close friend of mine really loves them, too. I bet they’d be excited if I got into that ship as well haha What do you love about Sangcheng? (sell it to meh hahaha, get me hooked) JINGYI!! Yes, he’d the spice we need in the junior fics! He is just so much fun! I think all of them together make such a perfect and well-balanced mix! Perf flavour hahaha What’s it with all the food references here. Am I mildly thinking about food again? Whaaaat Ohhhh Indian!!! (here we go again w the food hahaha) Damn I love Indian food! I cant take the spice so I always go for the noob dished, but they are amazing,t oo! What makes you hate the summer? Do you dislike sweating? You make it sound so cozy ahhh, I am happy we get to spend your fav season together, then, my dear bunny!! I love these timeless days between christmas and the beginning of the new year. It feels like everything is catching its breath and makes whatever you can think of become a bit more possibe

MXTX-related Questions

So far I haven’t read any other works of MXTX, but I think I wanna get to the one with the demonic guy in red and the white soft one next. What was it called? Heaven something? Now TMI tells me ‘City of Heavenly Fire’ which is absolutely not helpful. Uhm.. I could look it up, but then u wouldn’t witness my absolutely entertaining struggle of trying to make my brain work. The Scumbag Self Serving System (did I get that one right) is the first novel if I am correct. And then there is the Heavenly Helper... No... uhm Mysteries of Heaven... Heaven’s Helping Hand... I don’t think it’s getting any better here. I even watched the Donghua trailer wtf why can’t I remember hahaha... Voices of Heaven (that sounds like an American Singing Contest) Okay... imma look it up now.  HEAVEN’S OFFICIAL BLESSING! that one. I was so close Have you read any other works? <3

If I could change one thing in MDZS, what would it be? I would want for XXC and XY to not die, thank you. But then again how about non of my baes die? Okay, lemme try again, to get an impressive and seemingly deep reply... Have Meng Yao realise what kind of a horrible butt his dad is early enough to prevent most of the bad things that happen. I am not sure - but what’s your idea on this one?

My favourite WangXian moment? In CQL it’s the one where they are both at the Cloud Recesses, watching the snowflakes dance through the air. Their bond feels so deep there! Or the one where they are at the lantern thing and WWX get’s LWJ the bunny lantern. Just... the pure happiness. Or the one where they are bold husbands and run away from Carp Tower. Is it even humanly possible to pick just one moment?? Which one is it for you?

General Questions

Do I celebrate Xmas? Yes, I do! I go to my mom’s place for Xmas, where we have dinner and then her boyfriend puts on his super old, super old and worn-out Santa clothes (which is very endearing, cause he is always having the time of his life). Then he hands us our presents which are gathered under the decorated Xmas tree and we have to cite a poem or sing to earn each present. Afterwards we all unpack together, excitedly thanking each other, have dessert and then watch a movie or a video of our past christmasses someone put together It’s all very wholesome. How about you?

Coffee, tea or something else? I like Moccachino, cause it’s an amazing hybrid of coffee and cocoa!! It’s best with coconut milk! That kind of coffee makes me feel all cozy and comfy, but I handle it like a treat. I only drink one, while a close friend of mine drinks several cups of milky coffee a day. I also love cocoa, but I drink it like others drink espresso. I tiny highly concentrated cup. No more. Like a shot of chocolate hahaha I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but sometimes I crave it. As for tea, I looove herbal tea! Peppermint and Fennel Caraway Anise are amazing. Also freshly brewed ginger tea. And green tea with jasmine/flower blossoms or white tea. Big love for these. All of which without sugar so the flavour comes out to speak of its very own beauty I also like mate tea to keep me awake! Otherwise I love water or - omg - freshly pressed apple juice! The! best! Try it if you aren’t allergic! AHHHH that is honestly THE TREAT for me. Rare treat. I don’t even have it once a year. More like every four years or so. But dang. The. best. How about you? <3

Which shows have I watched this year? Many. Lots of cooking shows (on Netflix), cause, you know, food. xD By now I probably know almost all of them. There was a time when I was thoroughly up to date with ALL cooking shows on Netflix. One of my big dreams is being wealthy enough to hire a cook. To cook for me every day. Yes, yes. Otherwise lots of Asian shows. I can recommend:

Hotel Del Luna (omg, do urself a favour, judging from what I know about your taste I think you will like it a lot) also The King Eternal Monarch (good one, very good one)

I also watched Eternal Love and Eternal Love The Pillowbook, which were okay, but they aren’t my favourites Cinderella and the Four Knights was sweet Accidentally in Love was fun but has some major plot holes in my opinion I enjoyed She-Ra Who Are You moved me quite a bit ahhhh Extraordinary You was quite the ride, too!

What are your 2020 shows?