#i would've had more respect if she'd told him before leaving

[ovwechoes]

Could you do some headcanons for if Soldier and Ana unwittingly picked up a sidekick during their respective vigilante phases? Like, picture if Alejandra from the Hero short was older and after being saved, insisted on following after Jack. How they'd try to shake the kid off their trail, until they somewhat prove themself. Little bonding moments on the field. But then the younger gets too bold and winds up hurt. Could they work past that, or would that be the last straw?

Sorry if this is maybe a little elaborate!! I hope it's in a fun way

Soldier & Ana With an Adoptive Companion: Headcanons (General) I'm happy to write these for you it's a really sweet idea & I love elaborate ideas it gives me a better idea of the direction to take with these things - thank you for the ask and they're under the cut, enjoy! (there's no questions with this post)

I can imagine Ana being the reluctant one, not wanting to bring someone under their wing incase they got hurt, with Jack being the one who's eager to teach them things that he had to learn the hard way.

Ana would've been the one to tell them no countless times, telling them to stop following her every time she saw them in the corner of their eye. Eventually, after some time, she would've set a trap for their follower. Nothing malicious, just made them follow her to somewhere quiet with privacy, waiting for them at a table with an empty chair for them. It would've been her chance to talk to them, understand why they want to be around her, and what will it take for them to leave. In the end, though, she would've ended up speaking to them about what she expects of them if they're coming with her, what to do if they get hurt, and where they're going for the day. Ana never expected it herself, not wanting to put someone else in danger, but her instincts couldn't stop her. They reminded her too much of Fareeha, and deep down she wanted this to be her chance to do what she couldn't before. But, it would take a lot more than just words for Ana to truly trust them and trust that they know how to handle themselves. So, she'd be the type to test them however she could.

Jack, on the other hand, wouldn't need much convincing. He would've said no, expecting them to walk away and leave it at that. He never expected them to follow him still, and wait to speak to him about their eagerness, their admiration for Jack's work in Overwatch, and how they want to learn from the best. Jack would've stayed quiet, listening in silence to their pleas to learn from him. It wouldn't have taken much for him to agree, though deep down he didn't want to at all. Jack saw himself in them, saw his own passion and eagerness in the Army before his enhancements. It made him want to be a father figure to them, almost, wanting to teach them everything that Jack had to learn the hard way through pain and injuries and loss. It was his way of passing his work along too, if anything happened to him that he couldn't see right now. He believes in Christianity too, in my opinion, though not as much as he used to when he was younger. So, Jack would've seen this moment as a way for his God to put him on a path he might not understand at the moment. As though it was supposed to happen, and Jack was happy to oblige to whatever this was.

Ana's main test would be to take them with her to Junkertown, and see how they handle themselves in the face of conflict. If they can't handle the brutality in Junkertown, they definitely couldn't on the battlefield. Plus, she wanted to test their resilience to things going south, their response times, and how well they can cope with failure - she wants to work with someone who's able to reflect on their situation, rather than linger on the guilt and sadness the end result brought about. Their companion wouldn't understand why they were there, in Junkertown's most violent bar, and what could've brought them there, but they were eager to follow and learn from Ana so they agreed to the mission. Ana told their companion that a random man, who Ana didn't know, owed her something, asking her companion to question them in a bar. When they did, it resulted in nothing short of aggression, a violent fight, and with Ana holding them on her shoulder, carrying them out as they groaned from their injuries. They tried to deescalate it once realising it was a test, truly they did, but Junkertown's inhabitants don't like to be accused of things they haven't done especially by someone not even from there. So, afterwards, Ana would've waited for their response, waited for how they reacted. She never expected them to say “next time, I'll make sure we've got the right person before going head in. I'll make sure I've got everything planned out before blindly following what you say". It was the perfect response to her, and it was all she needed to be able to trust their judgement, and she quickly tended to their wounds, explaining the situation with some guilt in her tone. It was a cruel test, but necessary to Ana and a learning experience for her newfound companion.

Jack's test would've been through seeing how their shooting was, how well they could hold a gun, and what their responses would be to landing shots. He didn't want someone by his side who relished in killing things, wanted only to shoot and enjoyed it a little too much. That would be asking for the gun to be turned on him, he believed, but he wanted to use it as a way to test their receptiveness to criticism. If Jack was going to mentor someone like himself, he needed to be able to see how well they responded to advice and critique. It would've been just in a forest close by to where they met, somewhere remote and known for it's hunting. He didn't want to attract anymore attention with gunshots, and it was hunting season, so it made perfect sense. When Jack finally found it, he used empty bottles and cans he found from teens camping out seasons before, lined them up a good few feet away from them, and gave his companion a sidearm after confirming they knew how they worked. It didn't matter if they didn't, he would've been happy to teach them. Jack explained the rules, explained what they needed to do, and watched as they missed their first few shots on the first bottle. It was a learning curve, Jack knew it was, and so he was already preparing his critiques before his companion beat him to the punch. It caught Jack off guard to hear their questions about what they were doing wrong, opening themselves to advice before needing to be prompted for it. This alone would've been enough for Jack to feel they could handle it, but there was still more to come from the test. As requested, Jack offered them advice, taught them the best way to hold the gun in a more stable position and how to line their target up properly. And with that, Jack's companion managed to land their first bottle, with Jack watching to see their response to the victory, to the feeling of landing a target and shooting something perfectly. Their companion just watched, and thanked him for the advice, asking if he could move onto the next target, which was somewhat further away. There was no fanfare, no need to push themselves too far, and they were following Jack's orders as he intended. It was all he needed to let him continue, watching and knowing that this companion would be the perfect candidate to hand over his legacy and his mission if anything happened to him.

Ana and her companion would've bonded over moments in their lives that defined them, like Ana's duel with Amelie, and things that affected their trajectory in life. It's important for Ana to feel as though she can trust someone enough to share things with them, and wanted to understand what lead them here, to this point and at her side. It was important for her, and it would've been the best way for them to bond away from their missions, inbetween tasks and agendas that would've went smoothly with her assistance. Jack, on the other hand, would've bonded with his companion through facts about the world, history especially. He has an affinity for history, loving to learn more about other countries' own history and facts from them. So, it's something he'd find common with his companion and he would spend lengths of time talking about American history whilst they shared their own facts and stats. It's fun for him, but another way he would bond with them (away from the battlefield) is tending to their smaller wounds, making sure that cuts or scrapes or bumps were kept safe from infection. It was his way of making sure they were okay, and the moments were used as learning lessons on how to avoid it, how to tend to their own wounds in the future, and what they could do next time if this happened again. It was the perfect way for him to teach and care for this companion, ensuring that they would be prepared over time in better ways than he was for the brutality of combat.

When something happened to their companion that was more serious than ever, Ana would've responded with guilt and a feeling that she had done something gravely wrong, that this was karma for her own actions in the past. Instead of leaving her loved ones, someone she thought she could count on was about to be stripped away from her, leaving her feeling as though she was Fareeha. It was painful for her, and it was something she couldn't handle in the moment as the guilt and shame overwhelmed her. There was nothing either of them could've done to prevent the situation, and she had to sit with her thoughts as she waited for their companion's surgery to end. Ana expected the surgeon to come back, bloody and draped in sorrow, explaining that they couldn't do more and they were sorry for her loss. When the opposite happened, and she managed to sit by their side as the anaesthetics were wearing off, she considered her options as they slept. Ana wanted to run, leave them behind with nothing more than a note attached to a bouquet of flowers, believing it was her fault. She almost did before they woke up, asked if she was okay, and kept smiling through the pain. It made her feel something she couldn't explain, and the need to run left her, only to be filled with a need to apologise to them. Throughout all the apologies, she was reminded over and over that it's not her fault, it's no one's fault, and that there was nothing that could've been done to prevent it. It's the beauty of combat, they'd reply, making Ana feel more comfortable with keeping them around, and making her realise that she needs to take more control in situations, make sure that at least someone can tell the story if something happened to her. Ana saw her life flash before her when the knife was thrown her direction, before being planted in the companion that stood in front of her, and she realised how little she had done for her companion, and how much was left to do for them.

Jack would've been heartbroken if something happened to their companion, even if the circumstances were similar to Ana's situation. He'd attempt to remedy the situation himself before turning to professionals, ultimately realising that this was out of his depth, out of his level of expertise. He'd try and take them to Angela, explaining that he had no other options whilst dodging the questions of who they were to him and what happened. He didn't want to talk about it, and all he wanted to do was keep them alive, keep them well enough to learn more and figure out what to do next. As they'd recover, Jack would be seen praying at their side, rarely leaving their room out of fear of something happening. It was incredibly hard for Jack, having to leave this in the hands of his God, and doing something he hadn't done in years. When they finally recovered, he'd be sat there, looking as though he hasn't slept in years. This companion was like a son to him now, and he didn't want to put them through more pain than was already felt. He'd offer them a way to out, a way to leave him and would reassure him that he wouldn't take offense to it, wouldn't want to put them through worse than this. His companion surprised him with a statement about this being all part of a learning curve, something he can use to better himself and become just as skilled as Jack. It made him feel more comfortable, happy even if you could say that without Jack denying it. To mask his feelings, Jack would joke that he couldn't shake them off even if he tried, right? To which his companion would agree, saying he's stuck with them now and he'll just have to live with him around now. It was a sweet moment, and it helped them bond even more and show how much trust they have for one another. For Jack, this was the moment that made him realise that his life's not just as fleeting, but his companion's was too, and he intended to give him experiences that couldn't be rivalled by a normal life. It's the least he could do, after his companion saved his life by taking the bullet intended for him.

[tlatia-the-radiant]

Continued from @forgottnseccnd's post here

There were many questions plaguing Tlatia, but there was one that stood out.

Why?

The situation she had been presented with had too many question marks, too many pieces of missing information. Why had Aurelius waited so long? Why did he seem to be in so much pain? Why reach out now? She'd thought that finding the Ursa Major would answer some of her questions, and it did, but only ones like What sector has Aurelius been in all these centuries? and Will I even be able to find him? In exchange, it had offered up even more questions to ponder. Why were there no bodies from the attackers? Why would they leave weapons behind? Why were there no bodies in the hangar, but so many in the Great Hall?

Too many questions. Too few answers. Every footstep just highlighted how strange this was.

An entire Star Fort, garrisoned by Astartes, completely scoured of life. Many were Psykers, but the Sisters of Silence were never called--Krole would've told me if they were. Plus, there isn't a single non-Astartes body-

"Look. Body with flak armour," Xenhuan called.

...nevermind.

"Actually... make that bodies, plural," Xenhuan amended. "There's six of them."

"Died defending their positions, lasguns in hand," Cotaya said, stepping over a decapitated Astartes. "Poor sons never stood a chance. Not on a battlefield like this."

"The Stars were desperate," Citalicue guessed. "Threw everyone they could into combat."

"That wasn't Aurelius's style," Tlatia replied.

"The armor's customized. Not a rush job, either. These were veterans," Xenhuan observed, kneeling over the bodies. She paused for a moment, then chose to continue. "For all the good that did them."

"Show some respect for the dead, Xenhuan," Laura half-chided, half-ordered. "They died defending their position. That's as honorable a death as we'll receive."

"It's still a death," Xenhuan sighed, pushing herself back to standing.

"Don't Guardsmen usually operate in squads of nine?" Cotaya asked.

"Usually, but tell me one thing about this battle that seems typical," Laura countered.

"Good point."

"Let's move," Tlatia ordered. "The day isn't getting any younger."

The team continued on, past more ruined fighting positions and makeshift barricades. A few notches cut into the walls spoke of hidden emplacements for ambushes. The lack of a silver finish and the rough rockcrete spoke of emplacements constructed in haste.

"Stars above, is that a destroyed Rhino?" Nau asked, pointing to a twisted piece of slag with plasma burns down the side.

"Sure looks like it," Laura confirmed. "The Stars Repentant must've set up an anti-armour position nearby."

"I think I see it. Near the banner at the end of the path." Citalicue had been a member of the Scouts before she became a member of the Tecuani, and her eyesight was sharper than a monomolecular edge.

The six warriors gathered around the colossal sword-spear, with the banner of the Second Legion still fluttering in a light breeze provided by the constantly-recirculating air. It was at least twice Tlatia's height—perhaps even more.

"That's a big spear."

Xenhuan was nothing if not observant.

"Look at the bodies," Laura pointed out. "Fighting positions, sandbags, towers... all clustered around this banner. Heavy boltors, multi-plasmas, lascannons, all set up to defend it. The fields of fire aren't clear, though. This was put together in a hurry." She looked at one body--an Astartes, prone, finger still on the trigger, with a comrade beside him with his chest facing the ceiling. Her first thought was of the dead gunner drills the support teams sometimes ran. "Not to mention, bodies strewn everywhere."

"This banner was important to them," Cotaya murmured, looking up at the delicate embroidery that had survived so many battles.

"It was more than just important." Tlatia laid a hand on the auramite shaft, tilted backwards just slightly. "This was Aurelius's personal sword-spear. That banner was the first one made for the Stars Repentant, during the Unification Wars on Terra. He stood here. Fought with it."

"I can see why they fought to the last," Cotaya replied. "Stars... look at this. Chainsword strike cut through ceramite plate. How in the hel..."

"Russ." Tlatia dropped her brother's name the same way she spoke of the Captain-General. "The Emperor's Executioner."

"There's more bodies here than we saw anywhere else," Laura noted. "And the halls beyond here look... barren."

"This was their last stand," Tlatia breathed.

"Why?" Nau asked. "Why here? If this was their last stand, where's the Primarch?"

She cast a glance at Cotaya, kneeling beside the banner.

"I think I know why they made a stand here," Cotaya said. Her voice held an edge of black sorrow.

"Why?"

She held up a small femur. "This isn't an adult's bone--along with about half the bones in this pile."

The conclusion didn't take a genius to piece together.

"Civilians," Citalinue whispered. Her voice rose as she began to count the bones. "Palnakyo Wolves! There have to be at least sixty dead here!"

"More," Cotaya grimly confirmed. "Seventy-two children alone."

The team fell silent as the full extent of the crime hit them like a ton of rockcrete.

"Let's go," Tlatia murmured, voice hollow. "There's nothing we can do for them."

The team continued on.

The market sector, somehow, was more depressing than the Great Hall.

The Wolves had not stopped at killing the Astartes of the Stars Repentant. Decayed clothes, made of both silks and cotton with bleached bones within, were scattered throughout the marketplace, like macabre decorations for the overturned stalls. Torn fabrics fluttered in the breeze. Some trinkets remained, but none would've been worth more than a single Throne Gelt. Everything more valuable than that was gone--stolen, Tlatia assumed. Once again, bolt-shells littered the ground, but there was only a single gun, clutched by the broken form of an Astartes thrown through a shop wall. Xenhuan darted over to check the magazine.

"Empty," she reported.

The Wolves are nothing if not thorough.

With every step, her heart melted just slightly more as a spark of white-hot anger slowly turned into a flame.

Dreadnoughts. I'll inter them all in dreadnoughts, deprived of weapons. They deserve to never feel the wind in their hair or the sun on their skin ever again.

Whatever deity existed, it must've partially heard Tlatia's thoughts, because the next corner the team turned they came face-to-visor with a destroyed Stars Repentant Mark IV Castaferrum-type Dreadnought.

Each and every Astartes only barely managed to avoid recoiling. Citalinue and Cotaya made signs of protection. Xenhuan swore. Laura fully froze.

"N... Norim?" the First Captain whispered.

"You know this thing?!" Xenhuan hissed. "How-"

Tlatia placed a hand on the upstart Marine's shoulder and shook her head.

Laura darted towards the Castaferrum, peering close. Half of the casket was shredded, exposing wires and servomotors and even the mangled pilot within. Melted metal had seared the exposed skin.

"Norim?" she asked, voice wavering. The Dreadnought shuddered.

Every single member of the squad raised their weapons. "Laura! Get back!" Xenhuan shouted, turning up her flashlight's intensity until it was closer to a spotlight. Cotaya hit her boltor's mag-release and swapped in a magazine of armor-piercing rounds. Nau grabbed for her plasma pistol.

"L-LAU-R-RA?" the Dreadnought struggled.

"Norim! It's me! Laura, from the Dawn Legion? By the sun, what have they done to you?"

"LAURA. I... CANNOT SEE YOU."

The First Captain swallowed hard and set her boltor down, wiping away the heavy layer of dust on the Castaferrum's visor slit. Her hands shook just slightly as she reached up and pressed the releases on her helmet, letting her dark brown hair fall freely.

"Can... can you see me now? Norim?"

"I CAN." The Dreadnought's waist rotator joint creaked painfully loudly, echoing off the shattered stone. "AS BEAUTIFUL AS EVER, LAURA."

"Now is not the time, Norim!" Laura hissed. "What the hel happened?"

"THE SPACE WOLVES." Norim said this like it answered everything. "I CANNOT MOVE."

"We'll get you out of here," Laura promised.

"NO. THE PRIMARCH FIRST."

"Norim, we don't even know if he's alive--"

"THE PRIMARCH LIVES. YOU MUST RESCUE HIM."

"I'm not going without you!" Laura growled. "You... idiot!"

"Just end his misery if you care so much," Xenhuan spat, rolling her eyes. Laura turned a glare that would scare a Bloodthirster on her sister, and crouched like a prowling tiger.

"I should shoot you where you stand," she snarled, hand hovering dangerously close to her pistol.

"We are wasting time," Xenhuan argued. Her brow was furrowed. "Put him down--"

Like a flash, Laura drew her pistol on Xenhuan, and Tlatia jumped in between the two.

"Laura! Stand down!" she ordered, before turning to face her other errant child. "Xenhuan--what the hel is wrong with you?"

"If we're going to find your brother, we can't waste our time with broken Dreadnoughts," Xenhuan argued. Tlatia tried to speak, but all that came out was mild shock at her daughter's callousness.

"PLEASE REFRAIN FROM PUTTING ME DOWN," Norim requested.

The Primarch took a moment to compose her words, then spoke. "You, Xenhuan, will leave Laura alone. I will let her explain to you--later--why Norim is important to her. For now, you will drop the topic, and you will not speak of it again until Aurelius is safe and onboard the Dawnbringer."

Beneath her helmet, Xenhuan scowled. "Understood, mother."

"Good. Now--Citalicue, help Laura get Norim moving and functional. The rest of you--with me. We're following Nirisch's directions into the maintenance corridors."

"Right into the Zone Mortalis," Nau murmured, checking her ammunition instinctively. She looked back at Nroim's broken casket and shuddered. "Lovely. Let's go."

[therhythmafterthesummer]

you’ve talked about pregnancy scares before buttttttt how would the situation be different if it was before any of the couple were officially together and the scare was with a mystery man/ex? Also like kitten with an ex (her telling Min probably before that guy), I feel like Chris would find the test box and try work around it gently, and our poorest spicy is just on edge till her next period after leaving her old pack. Also very specifically for ginger, she must have been nesting sooo much right when she left but who’s scent was in the nest? (Was it just here’s or was she incorporating other’s?)

how do you think the boys would react and if those choose to try and help what do you think would happen? Who would be delulu and offer to raise it as their own with them….Christopher?

-🍑

OH MY GOD SDJFHSKDJHFSDFHSDKFHJ

okay okay.... here's what i think (tw for some... non-consensual themes, mentions of abortion and alcohol consumption, and other topics related to pregnancy):

Chris:

so, i imagine this happened in the earlier months of her living at his den. maybe right before she found out they were werewolves, or maybe a bit after.

Chris was helping pretty put away some groceries she bought and saw the box in one of the bags. he recognised it immediately (why he was able to recognise the packaging is another story, but i'm sure you can imagine), and at that moment, all that distress and anxiety he'd been picking up from her scent the past couple of days started to make sense.

he was so shocked to see the box, he was speaking before he could stop himself: "are you late?" right there in the middle of the kitchen. you bet he was mentally facepalming himself after that.

pretty mum, of course, looked surprised, and probably like she was going to burst into tears, which made Chris' heart ache.

she explained that she had to deal with a broken condom situation, that she'd taken the morning after pill, but that she wasn't sure if it had worked, either because she might've been ovulating or because of her weight.

she was, in fact, late, and with every day that passed she was getting more and more stressed. the regularity of her periods fluctuated often, but it had never taken her this long to get her period. so she got the test.

Chris encouraged her to take it, because he could almost feel how this whole thing was affecting her. he figured he would've been able to pick up any shift in her scent if she were pregnant, but with how it'd been tinted with stress these days it was hard to tell, so he genuinely felt like he was in the dark.

while they waited for the results, he joked that "if it's positive, i'll help you raise them, you know??" but when he said it, he knew he meant it. she chuckled and swatted his arm before she sighed and told him that "even then, i don't want it to be... i can't have a child right now... much less if it some guy's..." which Chris could totally respect and understand. he decided to ignore the little voice in the back of his mind that was telling him that she'd be a great mother. he didn't need to tell her that right now, and she surely didn't want to hear ir.

when the results came back negative, pretty just hugged Chris and started crying out of relief. he just tried his best to provide her with some comfort, treated her to her favourite meal and everything.

Minho:

so... when kitten explained to him what had happened he was absolutely livid. it was very obvious, too. but he was trying his absolute best to not make her any more stressed than she already was.

the story went like this: kitten had gone out to a party with her then boyfriend, had a bit too much to drink (more like, a whole lot...) and woke up the next day naked in her bf's bed, sore, just like when you are after having sex, y'know?

when she asked her bf about whether or not they had used protection, he said something along the lines of "it's okay, i pulled out". she tried to convince herself that that was a very normal answer, and that it was okay. obviously, it wasn't.

she was now late and telling Minho this story, sobbing, and he was seeing red, muttering under his breath "i'm gonna fucking kill him". kitten just asked him to not do anything, that right now she just needed his help because she was too scared to do the test on her own, and she honestly didn't trust her boyfriend enough anymore.

so Minho tried his best to put aside his need to beat this man up, and went to get that pregnancy test. the pharmacist was an old lady that made an unsolicited comment on how "you two would make such lovely children" while kitten was paying for her things, which just made her smile nervously at the woman and Minho stare blankly at her.

anyway, fast forward to them both in Minho's flat, looking at the negative pregnancy test and sighing in relief. Minho told her that "you know, Jisung would've taken care of them if this had been positive" to which kitten just replied "AS THE NURSE DURING MY ABORTION, RIGHT???" which had them both bursting out laughing.

afterwards, though, Minho couldn't keep his mouth shut and told her what he thought of her boyfriend. and that the fact that she hadn't even wanted to do this with him was sign enough that something wasn't working out.

she agreed, of course. and that was another one of her relationships down the drain.

Changbin:

we know Changbin and Autumn started getting close after she moved in. so close that one day, right after Changbin had come home, she came into the kitchen like "i still haven't gotten my period. i need to take a pregnancy test. this is eating me alive" and Changbin could definitely tell it was. she'd been laying in her nest every day, for the entire time she'd been home--unless she was eating or going to the bathroom. he could smell it on her scent, too. the distress, that was.

so he was like "okay, then. come here" and he just took her to his room, where he took a pregnancy test out from the back of his closer and handed it to her. Changbin realised just how weird that might've looked, so he just threw her a "look at the expiry date, though. that has been buried in there for a long time".

they both sat on Changbin's bed while they waited for the results, because, in her words, "i can't be waiting inside this bathroom, this is too stressful".

they just sat there for a bit, quiet, until Changbin dropped the "do you wanna be a mum?"

to which Autumn, after a bit of silence, replied "i do.... eventually... but i don't wanna have Hyunwoo's pups. that'd just be another thing he'd try to use to control me, and i just can't have that. i can't go back to that", which Changbin could understand completely.

he didn't really say anything else, just held her hand--probably the first time he had initiated physical contact after she had settled in his flat. for a brief moment, he did entertain the possibility of that test being positive. he imagined how his flat would look like full of toys and baby clothes... and, although he didn't say anything, the thought was... nice. he only wished it wouldn't have been connected to the whole Hyunwoo situation.

the negative pregnancy test had Autumn shouting the loudest "THANK GOD..." and asking Changbin "DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE?? I NEED TO MAKE SURE THIS IS A TRUE NEGATIVE". he did, in fact, have a couple more. which she took, and also came back negative.

Changbin could immediately tell her mood had lifted considerably, and that night, they just cooked a delicious meal together to celebrate.

[erosjournal]

hi i have an idea and if yall wanna hear pls do.

so, me and my friend were talking and talked abt what could've made the heros of olympus series better. mind you, we r now high schoolers, we first read the series in middle school, like 6th grade. also, they are aro/ace (ish, still questioning) and i like to write + i love valgrace.

(BTW IM DOING THE KEEP READING THING BC ITS LONG AND ID FEEL BAD IF U HAD TO READ ALL THAT WITHOUT IT)

so one of the things we decided would've made it more interesting was if piper and jason never ended up together, like at all. ik im a hardcore valgrace shipper, but my friend isn't and we agreed mutually that this didn't make much sense. their whole relationship was built on false memories and one quest, piper pining over him the whole time. we think that also would've enhanced pipers destiny as an aphrodite kid. an aphrodite kid who never dated in the most "important" part of her life, the main part we follow. an aphrodite kid who couldn't get the boy she'd loved. if she'd never dated, it could've really brought out more of the "aphrodite" part of her identity. i'm bad at explaining, but trust. it makes sense in my head. plus, it could show how she's this aphrodite kid who actually is a lesbian yall. which could've been a rlly interesting aspect, maybe some comphet.

one more thing is that whenever jason talks about piper, as his girlfriend, he comments on her physical aspects. as her platonic friend, he comments on her mind. idk if that makes sense, but when reading it, it felt more like how he'd compliment leo, or frank, or someone who was "just a friend".

plus, it feels weird that all of their friends are dating, maybe it could've caused peer pressure? like how leo felt, always being "7th wheel" (idk i came up with that on the spot)

the next thing was if leo and calypso never fell in love. as said before, im a valgrace shipper and they aren't, but we both thought this was an awkward and toxic relationship. the reason why, i'll get into later, but first i wanna talk about why it could've been better in the series.

we think that it could've been more impactful for calypso's side of the story. yes, i know calypso wasn't a great person in mythology, but we have to think of this from both characters perspectives. this is how my friend put it:

it could've been more impactful for calypso since it would've had an ending that was going against the god's curse of her falling in love with everyone on the island, but they couldn't leave. it would've been more interesting of the one person who did save her, was someone she wasn't in love with. the one person she didn't fall for was the person who actually came back for her.

that would've really made things more interesting for her story.

for leo's side, a (not important, but very hugely stated) part of his character is falling for people as a coping mechanism. idk the quote, but sometime in TLH, he talks about how he falls for people who are impossibly out of his league. ok, maybe this doesn't count as a coping mechanism, but it seems to be. sort of like attachment issues, always on the run since the people who did care about him died/left.

i think that it seems wrong (for rick to write, they could never make me hate you leo... with exceptions) for leo to fall for a girl who was "destined" to fall for him anyways. my poor boy. he'd gone through so much yall :(

and to the point of how caleo is sort of toxic, i haven't read much of toa, but i do find that they both cross boundaries.

for example, calling each other names they don't like. i find it VERY disrespectful for leo to call calypso "mamacita". i don't like her, but all girls deserve respect. she also states how she's told him not to call her that, and by the way he reacts, he knows.

similarly to calypso calling leo "leonidas". i don't have much information on this, but i'll link a tumblr post i read on this.

tumblr post on calypso being her own person (extra, not related to before but some other thing to read)

tumblr post on the name thing (read the whole thing, and check out some of the other reblogs, some are interesting, some are just like "f calypso", so just be careful)

one thing, i think i don't like calypso much, but i will not hate her till 1. i've done more research and 2. have more evidence why. i feel it unfair, and i know many people don't like her. i'm also incredibly biased towards leo, so yeah. but, i will give her the chance till i have more information on the subject.

on that note, i don't like caleo. i quite hate it. but for good reason, from what i've talked about. it was just too forced and toxic, and not good overall. maybe it could've been if it was written different, but i hope u understand where i am coming from. ALSO! I AM NOT A HATER BC I LIKE VALGRACE, IF YOU READ ANY OF THIS YOU'D KNOW THAT. im just saying, caleo could've just stayed platonic. just read it all of this + maybe the other blogs before commenting.

MAYBE I'LL WRITE MORE, BU T THX FOR READING

[senbons]

After reading your answer I just realized how you always put Ino there to confirm anything us readers think about their feelings. I remember early in the story when Ino said that he couldn't hate her even if he wants to, and then the last chapter with Inoichi, I was actually a little surprised why is Inoichi suddenly there before he said anything. My interpretation is that Ino told her father about what she sees. I think Ino knew so much because her bestfriend shows so much. It is evolving like you said but it's always been there. I think Chouji saw it too but the way you portray Ino as the third person is so interesting. Oh how I really love this! I have another question tho. Do you really think if Temari agrees with him in the end to just leave, he would leave? That if he knew the choice would be between choosing her or his country, he would have never done any of this? The "I don't have to do this at all if it gives me you" is so cruel I cried like a baby. Do you think he really can do that had Temari said yes?

Ahhhhhh this is such a hard question!!! I don't know!!!!!

Okay so first off, yes Ino and Choji (though Ino more in this fic) are always playing my straight man in these comedy routines. Like, normally, they're the wackier ones and Shikamaru is the guy with everything together. But in my headcanon (and fics) when Shikamaru is the one who is a mess (which I think he always is when it comes to Temari), they're suddenly the reasonable ones who are more of "don't be an idiot just be honest and use your words" you know? Anyway yes yes Ino was there to be the only person seeing sense. I wrote that "he doesnt hate her even if he wants to" like in the initial initial bare bones outline (as a sense of how important the scene was to me). I'm so glad you brought that up and are seeing it throughout more of my stories. it makes me so happy.

Okie dokie hard question. I honestly don't have an answer. I think in my heart (or hope) my answer is No, but more of No because neither of them would've done it. If he thought she'd say Yes, he would've have offered. Ugh no or maybe not! I don't think Temari could have ever said yes. But I also don't mean to take away from his offer. He wasn't making it rhetorically. He was completely serious. He wanted to choose her. He was trying to choose her (or asking her to make the choice because he was too weak to do it on his own).

BUT. Let's say they do run off together. Even if they did make that choice, I firmly believe they would've changed their minds. I do think he genuinely meant it in the moment (and would regret not doing it for the rest of his life) but I also think he couldn't live with that choice. Like later on they will live their lives unhappily because they're not together, but they can throw themselves into their work and be nice people and create a life that is FINE -- not as good as it would've been, but FINE. RIght? But if they chose each other and ran off they'd never be able to continue on. Even if they ran off into the sunset and got a little house by a seashore in a small town, they wouldn't last. They couldn't find even a "fine" life if they felt as though they'd abandoned their respective people. Or maybe put another way: if they choose each other, they betray their people; if they choose their people, they betray themselves.

And both can live having betrayed themselves. They cannot live having betrayed their countries.

So yes I guess -- to answer your question five thousand tangents later -- I do think it's possible they would leave, but I don't think there is any possibility that that lasts. In the end, both will choose their people over each other.

(^and despite the intensity and truth of that statement, in THIS story, I should emphasize that that is kind of a false dichotomy... they are not mutually exclusive despite shikamaru's attempt to make them as such. i think he could choose both, he just doesn't seem to think so)

Ugh okay I'll stop. I think this is my favorite question so far thank you thank you!!!!

[caperingcryptid]

Oh, the Dollmaker knew exactly why she wasn't particularly popular with the latest batch of heroes. It wasn't just a few stains on an otherwise glowing reputation: hers, if she didn't know any better, would make her agree that they should probably lock her up and throw away the key.

More superheroes had caught on to her game, but for the sake of everyone involved, it was vital that she kept on playing the part she'd chosen for herself. The whole "maniacal hero serial killer" persona didn't earn her any fans, but then again, she hadn't entered this business to be fawned over. Unfortunately for her, though, it could make going about her day somewhat difficult.

Like right now, for instance.

She'd gone out to terrorize a bank down on northside, and next thing she knew, she'd nearly gotten an ice bolt to the jaw (unintentionally, if the "oops" that followed shortly after was of any indication). The Dollmaker side-stepped it, ducking behind one of her puppets for cover before chancing a glance in her attacker's direction.

Of course. Standing there, teeth clenched, fists curled tight enough to bleed, was a hero. She could dimly recall seeing that outfit online somewhere, in one of the hundreds of online articles that got churned out every week. "10 Upstart Heroes That Have Won Our Hearts!" "These Inspirational Young Heroes Shared Their Motivations: Number 3 Will Make You Cry."

Who was he? It was on the tip of her tongue. 

"Dollmaker!" The boy cried. There was a slight tremor in his voice, but his eyes were bright with self-righteous justice. "Your crimes have gone on for far too long! This ends now!" 

God, here we go. The Dollmaker snapped her fingers. In one fluid movement, her puppets had taken the rifles from their backs, and aimed them levelly at the hero.

"Go pick a fight somewhere else, boy," said the Dollmaker. She'd taken on the soft, purring croon that she was known her. The voice made her cringe, but hey: if it worked, it worked. "Now would be a terrible place to die, wouldn't it? No..." She waggled her fingers. "Atmosphere." 

For a moment, the hero was a deer in the headlights. To his credit, though, he managed to collect himself pretty fast. He stepped forward, hand readying another ice bolt. 

"Heroes don't back down," he said. A flash of anger lit his face up like lightning. "Bullet Hell didn't back down. Phantasm didn't back down. Blitzfire didn't back down." The air was freezing, now. Even where the Dollmaker stood, several feet away from him, her breath had started to mist.

Snow Fox! That was his name. It was a good thing she'd worked that out now: it would've bothered her all day. She was dealing with Snow Fox. Pleased with her memory, the Dollmaker slowly tipped her head, mask giving nothing away.

"Then," she said, lowly. "I hope you're prepared to fall like them, too."

Everything happened quite suddenly. With a wild shout, Snow Fox brought up a wall of ice. Seeing this, the Dolllmaker let loose her puppets, sending out a wave of bullets that oh-so-conveniently lodged into the wall.

He had the makings of a respectable hero, she mused, what with that strength, and that flag-bearing resolve of his. But for now, he was still a rookie, and prone to making rookie mistakes. He had wrapped up so much of his attention on the immediate threat that he was completely neglecting his surroundings, and, in turn, had completely missed the puppet that had slipped behind him.

You could win a lot of battles, the Dollmaker found, with a good old fashioned sedative.

One needle to the neck later, and the valiant Snow Fox was thoroughly out of commission. The puppet tossed the unfortunate boy over its shoulder and stared expectantly at its master, who waved it off. “Just leave him behind the bar down on seventh,” she told the puppet. “They’ll know what to do with him.” She’d have to make a few calls. Talk to one of the heroes she was in good with, and come up with a story about how they’d swept in to save Fox in the nick of time. Something like that. 

The Dollmaker pinched the bridge of her mask’s nose. At least “attacking a poor young hero” was dastardly enough that she wouldn’t have to go bank robbing today. Probably.  She really needed to treat herself to a vacation one of these days.

You are a well-respected Villain. You caused only necessary minor Damages, you never purposefully took a life, and you made sure to keep a strict Code when dealing with civilians. But for some reason, some of the younger Newbie Heroes seem to think you are Evil Incarnate

[clumsycapitolunicorn]

.

[scuderiamh]

TAYLOR'S VERSION || l.hamilton x reader

pairing: lewis hamilton x reader

request: yes / no

summary: your relationship, as told by taylor swift.

word count: 1.2k

warnings: none

ENCHANTED. four years prior.

she was worlds away from the arena of motor racing. it always has been like that. y/n wolff loved her dad and loved the idea of formula one, but she never wanted to get so invested in the way that it'd weasel in between her relationship with her dad. she knew if she engaged more actively, everything about it would suck her right in. that's exactly what she avoided. she had her own career to keep her busy, one unrelated to cars or anything of the sort. 

but, every now and then, not often, but just sometimes, she'd attend a grand prix. those were always her dad's favorite. his daughter was there to watch the thing he put so much of himself into. of course he was happy.

she didn't typically interact with the drivers all that much. if they crossed paths, she might wave a hello, but not much more than that. she always expected them to be insincere, and those smiles faked -- they were celebrities, after all. what more could she expect?

she was making her way across the paddock, mind lost in its own little world. completely distracted from anything going on in her surroundings. she was only snapped out of her thoughts by bumping into someone. she was quick to begin a muttered apology, until she met the strangers eyes.

an enchanting shade of brown looked back at her, and the smile she was given was nothing short of dazzling.

she recognized him as lewis hamilton, and nothing was insincere about him. not with the way he was quick to say “i'm sorry.”

she would've walked away, knowing he needed his time to prepare for the race ahead of him. but he spoke up.

“you're toto's daughter, aren't you?” it was another way of an unasked have we met?

she returned the smile. “yeah. yeah, i am.”

something about the brief interaction sparkled, leaving her to cling onto the moment. how had someone she had no interest in meeting leave her so wonderstruck?

I THINK HE KNOWS. three years prior.

she started going to races after that.

her father probed her on it, pleased at her sudden interest, yet also baffled. she'd become, more or less, a popular figure in the paddock, the drivers not as pretentious as she'd one believed. she and lando were fast friends; him resembling a little brother to her. she and daniel hit it off well, too. george, of course, had also joined her closer group of friends. max became an unexpected friend, much to her fathers mock-displeasure. but really, she was friendly to at least some extent with the majority of the drivers. and they all had a sense of reciprocated respect for her.

but lewis was different. to her, he was always different. 

did he even know how drawn she was to him? 

she'd follow him anywhere, if he'd asked. his footprints were like her own map, leading where she'd always trail behind. the two of them hadn't gone out, as much as she wished otherwise. the flirtation was nothing if not painfully obvious, though. and not just to both of them -- everyone and their mother seemed to notice. to everyone else, it was only  a matter of time before they'd be seen hand-in-hand.

she wanted to know him. every move he made made her want to know his body as if it were her own. she wanted him, all of him. did he have any idea how much of an effect he had on her?

the excessive hand brushes, the intense eye contact, the shared smiles and the easy conversation...

everything they shared, it all led her to believe one thing and one thing only.

she thinks he knew. 

LOVER. six months prior.

not even the freshness of the new year took down the christmas lights still hanging. who cared? it was their place now. they made the call.

it was only two weeks after their wedding, middle of january. once their relationship started, it went as fast as the cars he raced on. everyone was happy for them, but none could be as happy as they themselves were. they'd almost been nervous to tell her dad about them -- but he'd reacted well. he told them he trusted lewis, even cracked a joke on how he was glad it wasn't max that caught her attention. as any father would have, he gave lewis a threat that was only half a joke.

and it was good, and normal. 

their first dance was to her favorite song. lover, taylor swift. so now as it played through the kitchen speaker as she cleaned, lewis was quick to interrupt her in her actions.

“come on, love,” he spoke, a smile quick to light up her features. he gently grabbed her by the waist, then grabbed one hand in his own larger one and began to sway.

can i go where you go? it always seemed to be the theme of their relationship.

they forgot everything in that moment. all that was there was eachother, in this cold january morning in a home they could finally call their own. nothing but love for eachother as they danced without  a care for anything and anyone else.

as the song came to a close, only then did they remember the friends that had crashed in their living room the night before.

lando and luisinha, right there on the couch. giggling away. it only made the two of you blush.

“that was simultaneously the cutest and most disgusting thing i've ever seen.” lando said, making luisinha lightly elbow him in the ribs.

“shut up, you. it was cute.”

“and disgusting.” he responded, arms crossed.

y/n couldn't put into words how happy the domesticity of the moment made her feel. it was just her and her lover, amongst friends, at home.

like pieces falling into place.

WILLOW. current day.

as lewis hamilton's pregnant wife and toto wolff's daughter, it was fair to say you were just about royalty at mercedes.

the fans were crazy over you, especially now with your baby bump visible. 

you were lewis' biggest fan, always. his biggest, loudest, and proudest supporter. he was your lover, your anchor, your husband and the father of your unborn child.

everything happened perfectly, your relationship nothing short of a work of art.

it all bent to his wind. you were the beautiful willow flowing to his plans, just as ready to follow him anywhere as you were years prior. and your train took him home, you were the thing to fill the hollow void he wasn't entirely aware of until he met you.

you never had plans. you had him.

he was your plan. forever and always. that was the promise the both of you made when you said your vows, and it was one you intended to keep. how could you not? it was him. he'd always have you following him, wherever he strayed.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Thinking about an AU I like to call: None of This Woulda Happened If Adrigami Stayed Together 😌 (I don't have the energy to write it atm so I'm using the tried and true method of Tumblr bullet points)

Adrien decides he doesn't want Kagami to hate him so he just blurts out that he's Chat Noir before she can leave

Kagami's so shocked the akuma can't lock onto her anymore

Plagg thinks this is a bad idea but revealing himself erases any doubt Kagami might've had

She's very understanding but insists he make it up to her

Adrien: 🥺

Kagami: *kisses him on the lips*

Adrien: 😍

He talks to her about how he feels as Chat Noir. Kagami is a very good listener

Adrien encourages her to pursue interests outside Tomoe's approval. He's very supportive of her artistic endeavors

Chat Noir sneaks Kagami out so they can have a proper date without being on their parents' timer

Mr. Pigeon 72 never happens since Marinette doesn't have a reason to show up to Adrien's photoshoot

Adrien ends up exhausted from his allergies since the photoshoot went ahead, leading to a real conversation about how he hates them actually

Kagami encourages him to tell his friends how he really feels about the photoshoots instead of letting them think what everyone else does

Nino takes it upon himself to teach the new rich kid how to act like, well, a kid

Su Han showing up makes Adrien think more about the Guardianship. They talk about Master Fu, Ladybug being the new Guardian, the Order

Which makes Adrien feel guilty about keeping it a secret from Ladybug that he told someone his identity.

After his falling out with Chloe, Kagami states that she thinks Adrien did the right thing and that he isn't responsible for her reaction

Kagami learns what happened the last time Felix was there and insists they keep an eye on him

They overhear Gabriel being supervillain-y to Felix and resolve to watch him closer too (nothing incriminating tho)

Mega Leech and Guiltrip lead into more conversations about their parents. Something that comes up is how Tomoe will listen, sometimes, but Gabriel never does

This helps them better understand the differences in their situations and grow closer

Optigami and Sentibubbler results in their first fight because Adrien insists that everything is fine when Kagami can clearly see that everything is not fine

Glaciator 2 happens because Andre the ice cream fraud doesn't ship Adrigami

Something, something, lesson about how couples fight sometimes but the important thing is to talk to the other person

Adrien admits that he feels like Ladybug doesn't need him anymore

Hack-san starts off almost identically but when Chat Noir gets to the part where he says Ladybug would've told him about Scarabella he trails off guiltily

This gives Scarabella enough time to convince him that she's telling the truth.

Adrien isn't happy about it but they manage to beat Robostus with Scarabella's Lucky Charm

Ladybug and Chat Noir have a conversation about Scarabella and Adrien admits that he told someone his identity

Ladybug is shocked and has a mini freakout before settling into a guilty sort of sadness (cause that's exactly what she did and it feels terrible)

They agree not to tell each other who their respective secret keepers are and part amicably

Kagami isn't upset at Adrien for that like he thought she'd be. Just wondering how it changes things

Adrien's growing (but still fragile) self confidence makes it a little easier to fight Rocketear

The aftermath is messy because Adrien doesn't want to reveal Nino's identity to anyone else but it hurts to keep it bottled up. Especially now that Adrien has someone he can actually talk to about everything

In the end it's Plagg who spills the secret cause he forgets Kagami wasn't there (the geass only affects names so she puts the context together easily)

Plagg says his line about Ladybug being the Guardian. Kagami takes the opposite stance.

Telling Nino the truth comes up as a potential solution but they decide to hold off for now

With the career fair approaching they talk about what they want

Kagami is very much okay with going as far as she can in fencing but does want to branch out more

Adrien... doesn't know what he wants.

She suggests going to the fair together so Adrien can decide for himself

He gets sad again when childhood dreams come up because he doesn't remember having one

Kagami says she doesn't remember her first one either but that didn't stop her from pursuing new dreams

Chat Noir is more focused during the fight so Viperion doesn't learn anyone's identities

Kagami gets tired of hiding her relationship from her mother and after one of Simpleman's blasts she tells Tomoe that Adrien is her boyfriend

Tomoe isn't pleased about being lied to but is accepting of her daughter's relationship

Gabriel can't do anything directly since angering the Tsurugis is not a smart business decision

Adrien doesn't hold Kagami's actions against her since they were influenced by an akuma and is also relieved Gabriel didn't do anything (as far as they know)

Chat Noir saves the world from Tikki's creation. The Ladyblog makes a Chat Noir appreciation compilation, it makes international news, Ladybug is a bit distracted by her kwami (he would be too honestly) but she gives him that smile he's subconsciously started comparing to Nino's, Kagami let's him pick the cringiest anime he wants to watch together. Adrien rides that high for a solid week

This gives Adrien enough of a boost to ask Ladybug if they can talk

(insert scene where Ryuko whisks Adrien off in front of dozens of reporters with the blatant lie that the akuma is after him so Chat Noir can Cataclysm the safe) (I need it okay?)

They meet at the Eiffel Tower and Chat Noir finally tells Ladybug how he's been feeling sidelined and useless.

Ladybug realizes that she didn't think about how all this must've looked like from his perspective but insists he isn't useless even if she needs to call on a different Miraculous to win the fight

Chat Noir insists that he can help her more and Ladybug gets evasive

The discussion heats up into an argument until Ladybug eventually blurts out that she can't let him in because Chat Blanc would happen

Chat Noir listens, confusion turning into horror as she describes the experience until she finally ends with Chat Blanc's line: "Our love destroyed the world."

Adrien is quiet for a moment before he replies with a bittersweet smile: "Well, I guess we don't have to worry about him anymore. I have a girlfriend."

There's shock and relief and a little bit of sadness in Ladybug's expression as she collapses

Ladybug tells him about Rena Furtive and Su Han and Chat Noir is angry about that but he listens

They don't talk for a few days as Adrien lets himself be mad at Ladybug. Talking to Kagami about what happened.

Joining up again, Ladybug decides to tell him more about the Guardianship; how she discovered how to make the magic charms, potion making, what all the other Miraculous do, the identities of all the holders Hawkmoth already knows (for starters)

Eventually the Grimoire pops up and Adrien realizes how important that book is

He makes a plan with Kagami to sneak into his father's office

Plagg opens the safe again and they find the fake Miraculous. Plagg knows they're fake because he's actually paying attention this time

He also notices that the painting is too thick when he phased through it and the secret elevator opens

Adrien finds his mother's body surrounded by white butterflies and hightails it out of their before Gabriel finds him

Adrien breaks down in Kagami's arms before pulling himself back together. Determined to stop Gabriel

Chat Noir decides it's worth the risk and reveals himself to Ladybug because he's tired of secrets and doesn't feel like hiding who his father is from her

Ladybug also revealing herself when she learns Adrien's father is Hawkmoth

They assemble their team of Nino, Alya and Kagami (the three people Adrien and Marinette agreed to reveal themselves to) to plan

Nino gives Adrien a huge hug as Kagami thanks Marinette for being her friend

Alya is relieved 'cause she doesn't have to keep secrets from her boyfriend and best friend now

They launch a surprise attack, throwing Gabriel off balance. His counterattack is effective but doesn't take Rena Furtive into account.

There's a back and forth until Gabriel takes Nino hostage with a sentimonster

Cue Chat Noir power up

Adrien launches a projectile Cataclysm at the amok object, destroying both it and the feather

They each take turns punching him in the face before Ladybug uses her surprisingly straightforward Lucky Charm to take his Miraculous

Gabriel and Nathalie go to jail

Marinette has a bunch of people who she can lean on when Guardian stuff gets to much instead of just Alya. (Nino and Kagami won't take the Order's nonsense lying down either)

Adrien starts the process of making his bodyguard his legal guardian and has a bunch of friends he can lean on when the fallout starts getting too much. With Kagami being the permanent Dragon Miraculous wielder both of them have an expanded support network

Alya and Nino can be the superhero couple again without hiding it from their best friends. Rena Rouge getting to go back into the public eye and Carapace joining her as a permanent holder

Marinette tells her parents she's Ladybug

Nino helps Alya with her biggest project on the Ladyblog to date

And speaking of dates, Adrien and Kagami go on one without worrying about akuma attacks for the first time since... Ever

The future looks messy and hopeful and they, all of them, will face it together

[weakforarwen]

Lancelot was truly Merlin's biggest ally. It's amazing how every single one of Merlin's friends treated him better than Arthur. In The Moment of Truth, Merlin's relationship with Will contrasted his relationship with Arthur in a negative way - Will knew and accepted Merlin, Arthur didn't; in Gwaine, it was Gwaine who protected and stood up for Merlin and treated him better than Arthur did; in The Darkest Hour, while Arthur had Merlin stay up all night to write his speech, Lancelot tried to protect Merlin because his magic didn't work against the dorocha. Gwen overall also treated Merlin better than Arthur and stood up for Merlin sometimes.

The entire show revolved around Arthur and Merlin's friendship, but Arthur's treatment of Merlin was the worst. Underneath it all, we're supposed to know Arthur cared for Merlin the most, but that was only because the writers didn't want to explore Merlin's other friendships - they made Arthur and Merlin's look worse in comparison. This is one of the reasons why Lancelot had to die. Arthur and Merlin didn't even seem as close in this episode because it was clear that, unlike Arthur, Lancelot put Merlin first and accepted him for who he was. When you see Lancelot with Merlin, it makes Merlin look like Arthur's over-indulgent wife or mom, and I don't mean that in a #married way. For all that Merlin disobeyed Arthur, he also let him get away with a lot.

I truly adored Merlin and Lancelot's friendship. He may not have loved Merlin the most, but that was because they didn't have a lot of time together; he treated Merlin better than anyone else did, including Gaius and Gwen. Both Gwen and Gwaine were close to Merlin once, before those friendships were pushed aside for Arwen and Merthur, respectively. Too bad, because these were my favorite friendships in the show: Merlin and Lancelot, Merlin and Gwen, Merlin and Gwaine.

Arthur thought he would die closing the veil, yet he didn't even say a proper goodbye to Gwen. He had a moment with his father (in which he told Uther he hoped to make him proud; doubtful, since Uther would've told Arthur not to die for Camelot when he had knights to do it for him). But all that Gwen got was a hug and cute chin boop. Don't get me wrong, that scene was adorable, but if he thought he was going to die, shouldn't he have told her he loved her and made sure she was looked after? Was he going to leave her penniless? Arthur always told Merlin to look after Gwen, but what Merlin and Gwen both needed was for the rich Prince to leave them a nice sum of money. But, I guess, the closer you are to someone, the harder the goodbye? His father hadn't been truly aware of Arthur, but Gwen would've worried even more. Still, it was a shitty goodbye. Arthur wasn't going to die so the writers didn't even bother... Typical.

Gaius and Merlin's goodbye was lame too. Just a hug, really? Gaius let Merlin go like that? Didn't even ask him to stay? At least Gwen took precautions to protect Arthur. She asked Lancelot, the noblest of knights who had a soft spot for her, to keep Arthur safe... Desperate times and all. Gwen wouldn't have asked that of Lancelot otherwise. It was a bit cruel, and Gwen is not cruel. But, like Merlin, she'd literally do anything to keep Arthur safe (including using a young girl's execution to get to her father).

Unsurprisingly, Merthur had a longer goodbye than Arwen, and while it felt like an actual goodbye, it wasn't particularly touching. As usual, Arthur called Merlin a coward in the beginning of the episode, but, when faced with death, admitted that Merlin wasn't a coward at all, and that, under different circumstances, they would've been good friends (like they weren't already?), etc. etc.... I swear they had that conversation more times than I can count. They're cute but also... exhausting.

Lastly, on Gwen... She didn't go to the banquet to look after Uther, the man who killed her father and nearly killed her more than once? I hope Arthur thanked her for all she did. I hope he appreciated her sacrifice, but I doubt he was even aware of it. He had short-term memory when it came to his father. Nothing Uther did changed Arthur's opinion of him. It was one of the most frustrating aspects of the series, and why Arthur was always regressing as a character.

Anyway, this was only part 1 of The Darkest Hour. I'll rewatch part 2 later.

Wait! I almost forgot to mention that when Merlin fainted, Lancelot was the only one who went to him. Arthur literally rolled his eyes, like, oh, there goes Merlin again, fainting for no reason... Like, what???

[gwaciechang]

Ocean Waves- Harringroveson Bingo 2022

Square: Knifeplay for @harringroveson-bingo

Rating: M

Ship(s): Eddie Munson/Billy Hargrove, past Billy Hargrove/original female character of color

Summary: Billy loses his temper at the best thing in his life, and tries to make it up the best way he knows how, by letting Eddie mark him as his. It doesn't go the way either of them expect. This fills the Knifeplay square of my bingo card.

Warnings: knifeplay (duh), dubcon (past and present, Billy doesn't like what's happening but thinks he has to agree to it or his partner will leave him), drug use (Billy goes to Eddie for painkillers when his father confiscates his), pretense during sex (Billy's previous partner lies to him about how she's marking his skin). If you think this needs any other warnings, please let me know. You can read this on AO3 here or below the cut.

Eddie was out of all of his painkillers, and today of all days. Neil had moved the painkillers the doctor prescribed him again, his physical therapist was out with a cold and the new guy didn't know what he was doing, and construction on the road meant Billy had to take a different--and bumpier--ride back to his house. He needs something, anything, to take the edge off the pain, and so he had gone to Eddie.

But Eddie had been out. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. Hell, Billy would've probably have felt better from just having his boyfriend hold him for a little while, but then Eddie had to go and offer him children's aspirin, like he was some sort of baby, like he felt pity for the fallen king of Hawkins High, and something in Billy had snapped. He'd lost so much in the "fire" at Starcourt, and while he knew he'd been lucky that his life wasn't one of them, he didn't want Eddie's respect to be one of them. So he had slapped the pills out of Eddie's hand, sneered, and told him that if this was all he had to offer, Billy didn't see why he shouldn't go to a flower garden to get what he wanted.

They used to call each other every night. For the last three weeks, it had been radio silence. He should've just sucked it up, taken the pain quietly, and left Eddie alone. This was all his fault. He runs a hand through his hair and lets it fall against the single patch of undamaged skin at his hip.

Well, not entirely undamaged.

He doesn't remember exactly what led up to his decision to buy a the smallest knife Mrs. Byers sold at her store, hand it to Rose, and tell her to carve her name on his hip. It probably had something to do with Neil making him cancel several dates in a row, and making her feel neglected. Whatever the reason, he remembers that it had mollified her to see her claim so obvious on his skin, enough that she was still driving him home from his appointments long after they had broken up. She'd put it a bit further back than he would've liked, to the point where he couldn't even see it in the mirror, but it ended up being a blessing, because it meant Eddie couldn't see it either if they fucked face to face, and honestly, it had hurt a lot less than he expected.

He hadn't felt like rotting hamburger meat back then. He has no doubts that it'll hurt more now, but it can't hurt worse than the gnawing emptiness that Eddie used to occupy. So he gets up, goes to the kitchen, and selects a knife he's never seen Susan use.

Rose raises an eyebrow when he walks out holding the knife. "I don't do that anymore," she says, opening his side of the door anyway.

"It's not for you," he grumbles. "You made that clear enough," he reaches forward and plucks a piece of green pompom ribbon out of her hair before he gets in the car.

"Did you two at least work out a safeword?" Rose asks when she gets in.

Billy rolls his eyes. "I don't need a safeword."

"Everybody needs a safeword."

"We didn't have a safeword."

Rose's knuckles are white on the steering wheel. "We should've had one. I shouldn't have let you use me as a tool to hurt yourself with."

Billy swallows the poisonous reply on his tongue in favor of, "You're right, and I'm sorry I treated you like one."

Rose's forehead thumps against the steering wheel, but only once, because she's a conscientious driver, always aware of what it would look like if the town's one Asian girl got into a car accident. "That's not what I meant," she says finally. "But you never did hear it when I said it. I hope you'll hear it from him," and then she's pulling up to Eddie's trailer, and that's that.

She leaves before he can chicken out, and then his options are to knock on the door or walk all the way back to his house. It's not really a question, because he owes Eddie Munson his pound of flesh, and he's here to deliver. He knocks.

Eddie's face hardens when he sees him, and Billy instinctively tries not to show how badly that hurt. Then he remembers that tonight is all about letting Eddie so how hurt he is. The idea makes him tense. It would make him sweat, too, if he were still capable of that over most of his chest. He takes a deep breath to prepare himself to relax, and when he opens his eyes again to meet Eddie's, they're alarmed.

Quickly, before he can lose his nerve, Billy holds out the knife.

Eddie doesn't take it, doesn't even look at it, just keeps staring at Billy with those stupid chocolate button eyes. God, he's going to make Billy say it, isn't he?

"There's nothing going on between me and Rose, and I want to prove it," he holds the knife out further. "I want you to, uh put your name on me, or whatever you want."

Eddie takes the knife then, but loosely, between two fingers. "Where?" he asks like he's asking how much sugar Billy wants in his lemonade.

"Wherever. Wherever you think will let everyone know that I'm yours, only yours. You," his voice falters. "You should know that, too," he mutters to the ground.

Eddie stares at him for a long time before he finally opens the door the rest of the way for Billy to walk inside.

The second he does, warmth covers him like a favorite blanket out of the dryer. Tension bleeds out of him the closer he gets to Eddie's room, until he collapses, completely boneless, on his stomach on Eddie's bed, because this is where he's meant to be. He belongs to Eddie, who will stake his claim tonight, a much bigger claim than Rose or Karen or any of the people he fucked to have a soft place to sleep that night ever could. Eddie will have the firm hand needed to show Billy his place.

He can't help but flinch when something cold hits his back, but it's just a faint breeze as Eddie pulls his shirt up to expose Billy's back. Billy curls his hands into fists as the knife trails down his back, just enough for him to feel, but not enough for the feeling to be pain.

Billy closes his eyes, and it's worse this way. Every time Eddie's hand stops to trace a mark, Billy braces himself. It makes the raw muscles in his chest scream. But Eddie knows, now, what Billy will let him do. He has to know, he has to know what it means when Billy bares his back like this after giving him a knife.

But baring his back means Eddie can see Rose's name, and Billy feels a burst of cold that has nothing to do with his exposed skin.

"You can carve it out, if you want," he lifts his head so his words aren't muffled by the pillow. He could probably gift it to her on his last day of physical therapy, proof that she doesn't have to care about him anymore.

"Carve what out?"

"The name."

"What name? There's just all these white spots that look like belt buckles, and this mark, I think it's ocean waves, by your hip."

You never did hear it when I said it.

"It's sort of cute, actually, but it's fading. Do you mind if I trace over it, instead of putting my name?"

Billy must answer in the affirmative, because the next thing he knows, there's a burning line on the back of his hip. It hurts more than he remembers, but it's over in a second, and Eddie leans down to kiss the mark he made. His lips burn hotter than the cuts, hotter than the alcohol he dabs over it.

"I like this better," Eddie declares, getting a fresh cotton ball, "branding you with ownership of your own happiness."

I hope you'll hear it from him.

"Draw flames next to it," Billy says before he realizes he's speaking.

Eddie frowns. "I'm not sure I have the skills to do that. Besides, why would-"

Billy sits up to look at him, and whatever expression is on his teary face makes Eddie shut up. "You're my happiness too."

Eddie sputters, looking between Billy and the knife. "Well," he says with more flippancy than his trembling fingers show, "maybe I will, but not with this," and he presses the handle of the knife back into Billy's hand. "Rick will probably let me borrow his tattoo gun if I ask really nicely, and buy some dilaudid off him."

Billy flushes. "You really don't have to-"

"I really do. I have to take care of my happiness, right?"

"Fuck," Billy leans forward into Eddie's chest, this time daring to take his arms with his hands and wrap them around his shoulders. "Then hold me, it'll be enough, do you hear me?"

Eddie's chuckle rumbles from his chest into Billy's. "I hear you."

[wiltingdecay]

"You're about to fall asleep on your feet." Rowan @ Morgan perhaps?

sleepy dialogue prompts

Rowan laughs softly under their breath as Morgan turns her face into the crook of their neck, mumbling something that sounds vaguely similar to "I'm not even tired."

"A mhurnín, you're about to fall asleep on your feet," they chide her gently, their arm around her waist tightening its grip as they lead her away from the dance hall, lights and music fading into the distance. "Come on, no arguing. Let's get you into bed."

Save for another quiet grumble, Morgan falls silent. Her own arm reaches up to wrap around Rowan's shoulders, hugging him close to her side as they walk. "It was good, though, right?" She asks quietly after a brief silence. "We had fun?"

Rowan grins, running their hand up and down the bare skin of her arm to chase away some of the chill the cool night air brings. "So much fun," he agrees, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead. "I never would've come out here by myself. Thanks for inviting me along with you."

The dance hall they'd just left is new, having only opened its doors a few weeks ago, and scarcely a stone’s throw from Rowan's shop to boot. As much as they enjoyed dancing in private or amongst small groups of friends, Rowan still felt a bit anxious about doing so in front of larger crowds. All those eyes that could potentially be on him... initially, he'd shuddered at the thought.

But then Morgan, beautiful, enchanting Morgan, had caught wind of the new establishment, and she'd been over the moon with excitement. Rowan was hardly surprised - she loves dancing even more than they do. Many of the quiet dates they'd had in their respective homes or Morgan's quarters on her father’s ship or secluded parks or the beach at dusk had started, or ended, with dancing in each others' arms.

“I know you’re nervous, η φλόγα μου, but I’ll be there with you the whole time!” She’d told him beseechingly, her jade-green eyes sparkling with excitement as she entwined her fingers with his. “Yeah, there’ll be a lot of people there, but that just means they’re less likely to be paying any attention to us.We’ll just be another couple in the crowd.” Her smile had turned flirtatious, then, and she’d sidled just that little bit closer. “And besides, if anybody does start looking at us, it’s probably just because they’re jealous of me for having a cutie like you on my arm.”

Really, how could Rowan ever say no to her?

The first few minutes after they’d arrived at the dance hall had been nerve-wrecking, with Rowan fidgeting uncontrollably and tensing up every time somebody brushed up against him, but Morgan stayed by his side, his hand clasped in hers.

“Just tell me if you really want to leave and we will,” she’d whispered in his ear. “I won’t be upset.”

He’d considered it, but knowing how much she’d been looking forward to this, he wanted to indulge her in at least a few dances before they left. It was the least he could do for her. The dazzling smile on her gorgeous face as she led them onto the dancefloor was well worth it. Everything else started to fade into the background as they danced together. There was only the lights and the music and Morgan. The rest of the dance hall could have been gawking at them the entire time, and Rowan would have barely noticed nor cared. All that existed was Morgan’s smile, her laughter, her hand in theirs.

They’d danced and drank for hours, stopping only to head over to the restaurant next door to have dinner, before going straight back to the dance hall for the rest of the night. It had been magical watching Morgan dance, seeing her in her element, how happy it made her. Rowan was overjoyed to have been part of it. But no matter how wonderful the night was, it had to come to an end eventually, and Rowan figured it was time for that ending to come when, at around three in the morning, they went back to the bar to get some water and Morgan started nodding off in her seat.

As much as they’d wanted to carry her home straight away, they knew that Morgan disliked being fussed over or being treated as though she were too delicate to take care of herself, so they’d settled for gently coaxing her out the door and offering her their shoulder to lean on if she needed the support.

(Besides, they’re more than a little tipsy themself, and though they’re certainly strong enough to pick Morgan up, they don’t quite trust themself not to accidentally stumble into a wall and smack Morgan’s head off the stone).

Thankfully, the walk back to Rowan’s shop is brief, barely a ten-minute stroll. As much as she’d protested that she could stay awake a little longer, her eyes are barely staying open by the time they arrive outside the door. She snuggles closer to Rowan, burying her face in their neck and breathing deeply as they rummage in the bag around their waist for their keys.

“You smell nice,” she murmurs. “Like...” She pauses, breathing in their scent again. “Like peach cobbler.”

Rowan chuckles quietly, wondering if she can feel the flush creeping up their neck against her cheek. Probably. Maybe that’s why she’s doing it. “Thanks,” they reply, slotting their key into the lock and turning it. “It’s a new soap I made. I can wash your hair with it in the morning, if you’d like.”

He feels Morgan’s lips twitch as she smiles against his skin. “That’d be nice.”

Once the door is opened, Rowan helps Morgan up the steps and into the shop, where she almost immediately collapses into the worn, comfy armchair in the corner. Rowan covers their mouth to hide a mirthful smile as they crouch on one knee in front of her to unlace her shoes, giving the red marks they’ve left on her skin a quick rub with a spark of healing magic to help ease the soreness.

“Are you hungry at all? Or thirsty?” He asks, resting his hands on her ankles ad he glances up at her. She looks exhausted, her make-up smudged from rubbing her eyes and her hair tumbling down messily, but she also looks contented, and comfortable, and still so beautiful that it makes Rowan’s heart swell. “Or d’you wanna just go to bed?”

“Hmm...” Morgan purses her lips in thought, absent-mindedly reaching out to tuck a few stray curls behind Rowan’s ear. “Just bed, I think. Maybe I am a little sleepy.”

Rowan grins up at her, catching her hand and kissing it. “You go on up there if you can manage the stairs by yourself,” they tell her, moving out of her way before starting to unlace one of their boots. “I’ll be with you shortly.”

They watch fondly out of the corner of their eye as Morgan stands, wobbling a little and resting a hand on the top of Rowan’s head to regain her balance, before making her way up the stairs only somewhat unsteadily. Once their boots are off, they leave them beside Morgan’s shoes and go upstairs as well, joining her in the bathroom where she’s at the sink, washing off her make-up in front of the mirror. Rowan does the same, wiping away their eyeliner before removing their facial piercings and giving them each a quick wash before leaving them on the counter.

Morgan finishes up before Rowan does, and busies herself with standing behind him, arms wrapped around his waist and her face buried in the nape of his neck.

“I love your hair,” she tells him, reaching a hand up to wind the curls between her fingers. “It’s so soft.”

Rowan grins shyly, catching her eye in the mirror when she peeks over his shoulder and laughing when she playfully sticks her tongue out at him. “Go raibh maith agat, a stóirín. While you’re there, would you mind taking it down for me? Pins are digging into my head.”

Morgan nods, and seconds later Rowan’s hair falls down from the half-braid crown he’s had it pinned into all night, tumbling down to his shoulders. He tugs the short braid loose as Morgan removes the rest of the pins, tipping them out onto the counter once she’s done. She giggles softly when she looks at him in the mirror again.

“You look so cute with your hair down, Ruadhán,” She whispers in his ear, kissing the back of his neck. “I could just eat you up.”

Rowan snorts, face flushing pink as they turn around, taking her hand and leading the way out of the bathroom. “Maybe later. For now, bedtime.”

They change quickly, Rowan into one of the large cotton shirts they usually wear to sleep, Morgan into a silky blue robe she’d gifted Rowan when they’d started dating, and climb into bed, sinking gratefully into the sheets. Rowan snuggles closer to Morgan until her back is flush with their chest, winding an arm around her waist.

“Goodnight, η φλόγα μου,” Morgan yawns, already sounding inches from sleep. “I love you.”

Rowan smiles, their heavy eyelids sliding shut as they press one last kiss to her shoulder. “G’night, Mórnkan. Love you too.”

[stargazer-sims]

18 - Compatibility

Félix is watching a movie with Sophie when he receives a call from the Nookstone Clinic in Newcrest.

He ignores his phone the first time it rings, because he thinks it's Davian, and he doesn't really want to speak to his husband right now. Things have been tense between them since they returned to Willow Creek three days ago. They'd spent a couple of extra days in the desert after their appointment, sightseeing and exploring, and that had been a lot of fun. Then, they'd made the two-day return journey, which hadn't been quite so enjoyable as their drive to Oasis Springs had been.

They'd arrived home to discover Félix's car missing, and Mrs. Picard in an absolutely disagreeable mood. She'd told Félix that, under no circumstances, is he ever permitted to allow his brother to house sit again. When Félix reached the top of the stairs and opened the door to his home, he understood why.

With apparently no regard whatsoever for Davian's warning not to leave the place in a mess, Ollie had done exactly the opposite. Félix was astounded that one person could create such a disaster in only seven days. Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised, considering it was Ollie, but he was shocked nevertheless.

Every surface in the kitchen and living room was covered with the remains of what looked like a nonstop party. Pizza boxes, chip bags, Chinese takeaway cartons, used napkins, plastic wrap and various unidentifiable bits of trash lined the kitchen counter to such a degree that Félix could barely see the black countertop underneath. The sink was filled with dirty plates and coffee mugs, and empty beer bottles. A blue recycling bag in the corner contained more bottles and way more soft drink and energy drink cans than one person reasonably could have consumed in a week. The living room was equally littered, and the washing machine was full of wet laundry that Félix immediately recognized as the pretty grey floral bedsheets Sophie had given him as a Winterfest gift. He hated to think why Ollie had felt the need to attempt to wash them.

Félix felt like crying. He was terrified to ascend the stairs to the third floor, to reveal the state of his usually pristine bedroom.

As for Davian, he took one look at a teary-eyed Félix standing in front of the open washing machine and declared, "Yeah, I'm out. I'll be at Chloë's if you need anything. Text me when it's safe to come back."

Félix should've known Davian wouldn't offer to help him clean up. "Fine," he'd said. "If you see my brother anywhere, tell him my car had better be back in the driveway by midnight, or I'm calling the police and reporting it stolen."

Ollie must've searched the entire flat to locate the spare set of keys to the car, Félix guessed. That was another reason he was nervous about going up to his bedroom. The extra car key was in a jewelry box in one of the drawers of his dressing table. It was hardly an obvious place. Ollie would've had to go through everything to find it, and Félix doubted he'd been careful or respectful of his things.

"If I see your brother while I'm out, you'll be talking to the police, but it'll likely be to bail me out of jail," Davian told him. "Ollie had better pray to the Watcher that I don't run into him."

"That won't solve anything," Félix had said quietly, but he might as well have been talking to the washing machine, for all the response he'd received.

The task of cleaning had been so overwhelming, he almost hadn't known where to begin. It'd been about two o'clock in the afternoon when he started, and he didn't stop until he was satisfied. Around three in the morning, the place still wasn't as clean as he liked, but he told himself he could put the finishing touches on it later. Exhausted, he'd crawled into bed and fallen asleep almost immediately, but not before texting Davian to ask him to come home.

Davian didn't return until the next day at noon. Félix's car was still absent, though. Ollie still hasn't returned it, and he's been ignoring Félix's texts. He hadn't reported the car stolen, but he's seriously considering it now.

When Félix's phone rings for the second time within five minutes, Sophie pokes him. "Fé, are you going to get that?"

Félix sighs. "I suppose I should."

"Want me to pause the movie?" Sophie asks.

"Yes, please."

Sophie scoops the remote off the end table and clicks 'pause' just as Félix lifts his phone from the floor, where he'd placed it earlier. His heart feels like it jumps a little when he sees the caller ID flash on the screen.

It's not Davian.

He quickly taps the 'call answer' button and raises the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

A woman with an unmistakably Sixamish accent says, "I'm callling from the Nookstone Clinic in Newcrest. May I speak with Félix Blanchet or Davian St-Jean, please?"

"I'm Félix Blanchet," he says, and then whispers to his sister, "It's the clinic."

Sophie gives him a thumbs-up, and stage-whispers. "I'm glad they're persistent."

"My name is Kiva, and I'm the registrar here at the clinic," the woman on the phone is saying. "I understand you recently met with our colleagues in Oasis Springs."

"Yes, that's right," Félix says. "We were there about a week ago."

"And you had genetic screening, to determine your suitability for the pollination procedure. We received your results this morning," Kiva says.

"Are you able to tell me over the phone, or do we need to come in?"

"I can absolutely share your results over the phone, Mr..." She pauses, and then, "Oh, my apologies. The case note says you're actually Dr. Blanchet. Is that your preferred form of address?"

"Yes, it is, but you can just call me Félix," he says. "About the results...?"

"Yes, of course," says Kiva. "Both you and Mr. St-Jean received favourable results. Neither of you show any indication of genetic diseases or abnormalities which could be passed to a future child or children, and you are genetically compatible with each other."

At this point, Sophie is hanging onto Félix and trying to hear both sides of the conversation. It's clear that she hasn't quite caught it all when she asks, "What are they saying?"

"She says Davian and I are genetically compatible," he tells her, and then to Kiva, "Now that we have the results, what's the next step?"

"The next step is the collection of genetic material to be combined," Kiva says. "You will need to come for an appointment for that. The combination process generally takes ten days, and then the implantation procedure can take place. We typically schedule both appointments together, unless patients indicate that they wish to delay the implantation procedure for some reason."

"I see."

"Would you like me to schedule the appointments now, or would you prefer to call us back once you've had a chance to speak to your partner?"

"Let's schedule them now," Félix says. He expects it'll be easier to tell Davian when the appointments are than it would be to ask him when he wants to do it. Knowing Davian, he'd probably leave the scheduling to Félix anyway.

"Okay," says Kiva. "Let me see. "We have an opening for genetic material collection the day after tomorrow, at ten, or we have plenty of availability next week, if that doesn't work."

"The day after tomorrow works."

"Very good, and ten days after that would be.... June twenty-fourth. I can give you June twenty-fourth at nine a.m."

"That's the day after my birthday," Félix says. My thirtieth birthday, he thinks, but doesn't add.

"I see that in your file," Kiva says brightly. "What a unique birthday you'll have this year. Would you like that appointment on the twenty-fourth?"

"Yes, please," he says.

"Excellent," says Kiva. "Everything's all entered into the calendar. You don't have to do anything special for the first appointment. All you need to do is show up with some identification and your health card. Your doctor's name is Zira, and she will give you instructions for the second appointment while you're here for the genetic material collection. Most of the instructions for the second appointment will be specifically for you, as I understand you're the intended gestational parent."

"Yes, it's going to be me."

"In that event, congratulations," she says. "There's one other thing I should mention. Dr. Xara from our clinic in Oasis Springs has made a note in your file that you're interested in our pre-parenting workshop and new parent support group. Is that still the case?"

I have no idea, is what Félix almost tells her. He's interested in the workshop and support group, but he wonders whether Davian will still be willing to do it. When they'd first talked about it in Oasis Springs, Félix had thought Davian was just nervous and overwhelmed. That's only part of the problem, as it turns out.

This morning at breakfast, when Félix casually mentioned something about finally locating the link on the clinic's website that led to information about new parent support groups, Davian's reaction had startled him and left him feeling confused and hurt. It was one thing for Félix to grow their baby, he'd said, but it was a whole other thing entirely to make a public spectacle of it. Félix pointed out that the support group would hardly be public, and besides, wasn't Davian the one who'd wanted to announce it to four hundred thousand people on his SimTube channel only a few weeks ago? Davian said he’d changed his mind, and that maybe they should keep it private. Attending a support group wouldn’t make it not private, was Félix’s rejoinder. Only the group members would know, and they’d all be going through the same thing. It would help them, and perhaps it’d even be fun. Davian, however, did not seem to think talking about babies with a bunch of strangers would be all that great.

Naturally, this’d been the opening act of a huge row which had ultimately ended with Félix shaking all over and desperately fighting tears, and Davian storming out of the flat and speeding off somewhere in his truck.

But, he can't say any of this to Kiva.

"We are still interested," Félix tells her, hoping that the 'we' sounds credible. "Are we supposed to sign up for that right now as well?"

"You can, if you like. We have a couple of groups currently in progress and some new ones starting soon. There is one that begins this Saturday, with two available spots left. I think a new group would be best for you, as you and the other participants would be moving through all the stages of the process at approximately the same time."

"How many people are in the group?"

"Our doctors like to keep the groups small, which is why we have multiple groups. The maximum is eight participants. If you and Mr. St-Jean would like to join the group that begins on Saturday, you will be participants seven and eight. There are already three other couples signed up."

"Are they all men?"

"No," says Kiva. "I believe two of the participants in that particular group are women."

"But, the... the patients are all men, right?"

"I can't discuss patients with other patients," Kiva says. "If you attend the group, everyone will be able to describe their own situation."

"All right," Félix says. "Can you sign us up for that one, please?"

He can hear her typing for a several seconds, and then she informs him. "There, you're registered for the group. It meets here at the clinic on Saturday at one in the afternoon."

"Thanks," he says. "Is there anything else?"

"Not at the moment, unless you have any additional questions or concerns."

"I don't. At least not right now."

"Okay," she says. "I'll let you go, so I can get on to my next call. We'll see you and Mr. St-Jean the day after tomorrow, June fourteenth, at ten o'clock."

"We'll be there," Félix says.

They exchange pleasant goodbyes, and Félix hangs up.

When he puts his phone down, Sophie is staring at him with a look of anticipation on her features. "Well?" she says.

"I imagine you heard most of it," he says. "All the appointments have been arranged."

"Do you think you should've done that without talking to Davian first?"

Félix flops backwards onto the sofa cushions and passes his hand across his forehead wearily. "I'm tired of talking to Davian. If he really wants this, he'll come to the first appointment. If he doesn't, he won't. Then, we'll just forget the whole thing."

"Is that what you want?"

"No. You know that's not what I want," he says. "This was Davian's idea, and he got me into it. Before he mentioned children, I never would've thought I'd want any, but now I'm convinced. And he's behaving like it was all my idea and I'm the one who talked him into it, and now he has to go along."

"Before you left for Oasis Springs, I thought you were both really into it," Sophie says. "You sounded so excited when you were telling me about it."

"I think Dav got scared by everything the doctor told us in Oasis Springs," Félix says. "And I think he's prejudiced against Sixamish people a little bit too, for some reason."

"But, why? They're from another world, but they're still people just like us."

"I tried to tell him that, but he seemed really put off by the doctor we met with. She was so beautiful, and so nice and kind to us, and he sat there the whole time looking at her like she was going to bite him or something."

“They do have terrifying teeth," Sophie says. "I dated a Sixamish guy once. Did you know they bite during sex?"

Despite himself, Félix laughs. "Why did I not know about this?"

"Do you mean me dating a Sixamish guy, or the biting?"

"Both," Félix says.

"Maybe 'dating' was the wrong word," says Sophie. "We saw each other twice, and the lovemaking was mind-blowing, but he wasn't interested in a relationship. He said he just wanted to experience sex with an Earth woman, and I said that was fair. I mean, it's not every day you get to do it with an alien, and I wanted the experience as much as he did.”

"And he bit you?"

"Hmm..." Sophie says. "Not as hard as he'd bite a female of his own species, according to him, but he did leave a mark."

"Watcher help us," Félix says, taking off his glasses and wiping tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. "Does Katie know?"

"Katie and I were in an off-again phase at the time," Sophie says. "But yeah, she knows. Katie thought maybe he just wanted to sleep with me so I'd get him pregnant. I couldn't, obviously, but he'd have no way of knowing we're not built the same way Sixamish women are."

"What?"

"Apparently, it's a thing on their planet," says Sophie. "Men and women are equally capable of getting each other pregnant, but from what I understood, the guys have more babies than the women do."

"That's... really odd," Félix says, because he's utterly lost for words.

"Says the man who's about to get pregnant," Sophie teases him.

Félix covers his face with his hands. "Sophie, what am I going to do? Dav and I had a huge argument this morning. That's why he's not here right now. He promised he'd support me through everything, but he's already showing signs of running off."

"Would he do that, after he promised you he wouldn't?"

"I don't know. He's never broken a promise to me before, but..."

"Come here," Sophie says. She scoots closer to him on the sofa and pulls him into her arms. He sags against her and closes his eyes, as she combs her fingers through his hair. "Davian loves you. If he's never broken a promise to you before, there's no reason to think he'd start now, is there?"

"I guess not," Félix says. "I'm scared, that's all. I literally can't do this alone, and I wouldn't want to, even if I could. I need him."

"He'll come back," Sophie says. "He always does."

"I know, but in the back of my mind there's always the worry that some day he won't. What if this is the thing that makes him leave forever? I don't want to lose him. I don't think I can go on without him."

"You know, when you two first got married, nobody thought it'd last more than a few months," Sophie says. "We all thought you were too much of a free spirit to settle down. Now, here you are, talking like this."

"I wasn't a free spirit," Félix says. "It's only that I never found what I was looking for until Davian came into my life. I love him, Sophie. Before him, I didn't even realize it was possible for me to love someone that deeply. He says he loves me and that he doesn't want to lose me either, and I always believed him, but this past few days... I don't know."

"I think you need to talk to each other," Sophie says. "Like, really talk. I don't know what kind of discussions you guys usually have, but this needs to be serious."

"I know."

"Do you? You're talking about having a baby together. That's a major thing, even for people whose relationships are stable.”

"I know that too, and up to now, I thought our relationship was stable.”

"Look, you know I'm not great at planning, or being responsible, for that matter," Sophie says. "It's why Katie and I can't stay together consistently and try to settle down. But, I know what responsibility is, and I know you can't take it lightly."

"We're not," Félix says.

"Maybe you're not taking it lightly, but you have to know whether or not your man is," says Sophie. "I'm worried about you, chouchou. I don't want you to get into trouble. If you're right and he does decide to leave, you can't get stuck with a baby. If he wants to leave you, let him do it before you involve an innocent person with no ability to choose."

"If it weren't for the baby, I don't think he would want to leave," Félix says. "That's the problem. I want him and I want the baby, but I don't know if I can have both."

"You definitely need to talk, then. No silly stuff and no distractions."

Félix smiles faintly. "We are the distractions."

"Oh, Fé... you're completely impossible." Sophie ruffles his hair, and then leans down to kiss his face. "You know what Katie and I do? We go to a public place that's not too crowded. That way, we can be alone, but not so alone that stuff happens. Maybe the park? You can get a citation for taking your clothes off in the park, so that thought should keep you on the straight and narrow."

"How do you know you can get a citation for that?"

"A lady never kisses and tells."

"I'd say it was more than kissing, if you and Katie had your clothes off," Félix says.

"This conversation isn't about me and Katie, and how we may have got carried away in the hedge maze," Sophie says. "It's about you. About how you and that hot man of yours are going to fix your problems and get back to being the cute, frisky couple we all know and love."

“Don’t call us frisky. It makes us sound like old people.”

“Pardon me,” says Sophie. “Perhaps I should’ve said, you two young sex gods need to settle your differences and get the magic back. Katie and I want to be aunties, but not if it means we lose our brother-in-law in the process. Just make it right with Davian, okay? You can worry about babies once you figure out if forever means the same thing to both of you.”

[lemon-boy-stan]

bts reactions/scenarios - they take care of you when you're drunk (and not dating) these gifs aren’t mine, credits to the owners!

SEOKJIN -

Everyone knew what kind of drunk you were so it shouldn't have been hard for Jin to remember what kind of things you'd get up to; if it weren't for the fact he was more afraid of Jimin knocking up random girls.

Focused on his friend, he let you make your way around the bar, completely unaware of your habits when he heard you screaming.

"You want a go at me?! You want a piece of this sexy ass? Yah? Well, I dare you, please have a go at me! Actually, no, I'm BLACKMAILING YOU! Do you know who I am? You've definetly heard me on the radio, "Seoul's top ten"? Hey! Hey, don't look away, mister... mister Kim Han! Go on, FIGHT ME! Or are you too twink to do it?!"

Seokjin whirled around and made a quick beeline, grabbing your arm. "Oppa!" You shrieked, "he's a assaulting me!" Jin rolled his eyes when you were glaring at the kid - he was barely eighteen and he looked very afraid. "She's really drunk," Jin mouthed to him.

"Come on, Y/N, let's go," it took all his strength to drag you away from the kid's table. Jin made sure to tell Namjoon why he'd ditched but he was positive that he knew why already; drunk Y/N was not something that needed to go on the internet.

"Where are we going?" You giggled, bouncing after him before crying out, "Oppa! Scold the stone, it hurt my little toe!" Jin smiled softly to himself, opened his mouth to say that he wasn't your Oppa, yet, but thought better of it (because he valued his life).

NAMJOON -

Namjoon tucked you in his bed as soon as the eight of you were all upstairs back in the apartment and lied down next to you with a book in his hands, reading, watching you carefully from the corner of his eye, a hot cup of coffee on the side table.

"Hey, Namjoon!" You shrieked, giggling. "Yeah?" He looked over, "you're like, really effing hot." You snickered again but at yourself this time; did you just sensor the word fuck? "You're really effing drunk," Namjoon sighed, trying his best to ignore your words.

He was your best friend and he loved you and now he knew you loved him, too, but he wasn't going to take advantage of you. "You must have a big dick. With all that,,, all that energy! Ha, ha. Big dick ener... ha, ha! Joonie!" You shrieked, grabbing the air, he sighed again and nodded, "I love you, Joonie," you giggled, snuggling into him, "Joonie like the Moonie..." you laughed once more, "I love you to the Joonie Moonie and back..." you sighed happily.

"I wish you really did..." Namjoon sighed.

JIMIN -

Jimin made sure that you were in the front seat with him and that everyone had everything they came with... idiots.

He checked in once and a while to see that you hadn't fallen asleep - because if you fell asleep Jimin would probably have to call the ambulance and then that would start a scene, so.

Hobi and Jungkook were in the boot seats, playing chopsticks with actual chopsticks they stole from the lobby of the bar.

Namjoon was crying and moaning about the pair of airpods he lost, the white screen of his phone reflecting off against the black tinted car window. Yoongi gave all thirty-five of them names and was singing to them goodbye as Namjoon stroked his phone miserably.

Taehyung looked very affronted; a wasted Seokjin was ranting to him about how terrible and how disgraceful Dim Sims were.

Jimin sighed, checking back in on Y/N, who was now currently drooling all over the leather jacket which he admittedly should not have let her use as a "comfy headrest pleaseeeee Oppa pleaseeeee" but she'd called him Oppa even though he wasn't and he supposed his hormones got the better of him.

TAEHYUNG -

Taehyung was walking you home; he did not feel safe leaving you here to wait for him to drive back; knowing your drunken ways you'd probably think he wanted you to chase him and then you'd probably get hit by a car.

So he made sure you followed him on his left side, wishing he had a leash, aish, could you not just walk one way? Did you have to weave in and out of air like you were on a tightrope?

The city had dangerous figures! If he wasn't with you Taehyung was sure that you would probably get abducted or stabbed or something.

YOONGI -

Drunk Y/N was always very erattic, like her ADHD brain but without her meds, she could start catfights just by looking at someone, she could get beaten up just by saying a backhand comment.

Sure, Yoongi loved Y/N's quirky, witty ADHD mind but he didn't like chaperoning her everywhere even though something inside him told him it was for both of their sakes.

So when it came to Y/N and alcohol Yoongi was a very strict person, his sense of fun easily deflated. He'd go as far as locking her up in a room.

Sometimes she'd sneak three more shots thinking he didn't know and he'd sigh, rolling his eyes because he didn't want her to walk off on him.

JUNGKOOK -

If he had his way, Jungkook wouldn't even take you drinking in the first place.

He would've done whatever it takes to keep you at home while the others were out, but apparently Namjoon didn't count his vote.

And now here you were, at a bar, hooking your legs around some random guy. Jungkook saw your neon pink hair a mile away, sighing, he ran up and pulled you back down, "hey! You already have a boyfriend. Me."

"Oh, Jungkookie! I forgot you were here! Oh, sorry..."  Jungkook sighed, pulling you far away from the guy (who looked vaguely annoyed that he'd interrupted before you could do anything.

a/n: yeah, I know they're dating in this one, I just couldn't think of anything else sorry

HOBI -

Who was worse drunk, you or Hoseok? No-one knew. One time the rest of the guys had a very loud debate about it.

Drunk Hobi was just Hobi on steroids, he was way more shrill and annoying. Drunk Y/N was just as bad; but depressed, and would sob at the littlest things.

You and Ho-Seok had never liked each other, the way he got on your nerves set you off.... So when Jimin ran to get Hobi because you were crying you nearly puked from disgust.

That was, of course, until he comforted you and got you sober again, making your respect for him go to 💯

BTS MASTERLIST - REQUESTS OPEN

[elpida]

She'd have never expected it from the man that she'd heard so much carnage over, that he'd be considerate to something as simple as her affliction to touch. Only few ever really knew about it and even then, they'd not been completely respectful of her wishes against it once they knew. He was entirely respectful, didn't try and touch when it wasn't necessary. He didn't grip or take sly touches, she saw the motion of his hands it wasn't a shock when his hands came at her, it didn't elicit shock into her and leave her shaking, it didn't come as a scare. It was a respect she wasn't sure she'd ever recieved before.

The fabric between certainly helped, it really did.. it was skin to skin that got her more. Maybe it was the heat of it, maybe it was the fear that every touch, turned to pain and danger. Eris partly wondered if the coolness of the rain helped make the closeness bearable, but she did stay like that... at least for a few moments. Slowly, very slowly, she was warming to him. He told her to close her eye and you could see it, the moment he thought to lash out and fight against the touch, somewhere so delicate and yet she stayed perfectly still. She barely moved an inch and though she didn't hold her breath this time, it certainly wavered at the contact.

"I wish I grew up like this." What a thing to say, what a thing to wish for. It'd come with judgement, and yet compared to what she'd had? She'd have rather had judgement every single day. She followed and once they were there, she simply had to look under the canal, into the darkness. She had to make sure there wasn't someone there to ambush, because truthfully? It's what she would've done had she doubted someones intentions. It's what she would've done to catch someone off guard and yet here she was, his coat over her head just to stay dry. Either way her suspicion passed, and she sat on a blanket covering boxes. "I have a room, doesn't have to be nice just.. anything with a roof." she wasn't fussy, she wasn't privileged. If anything the bare minimum was more than enough for Eris even though she had ample money to live comfortably.

She watched the approaching hands like a hawk, soft browns never leaving the observation of how close they got and though she didn't flinch this time, there was a sharp intake of breath and a tightened jaw when his hands did rest on her face. She tensed because she knew what she should expect, and it was hard to train her brain to not.. expect it, to not wait for those two hands two turn into a grip around her throat squeezing air from her lungs, or a slap, right across her cheek, maybe even nails digging into her flesh. Maybe they'd wrap into her hair and pull. She could've gone on and on in her mental list. "And what if that brings you disappointment, if it was only to sleep, Thomas?"

You're most vulnerable when you sleep. That was a simple fact she despised, never had to simply.. slept beside anyone. Did he realise how big a step that'd be for her? To allow that momentary vulnerability of being lost in sleep? Even when she did those hours were broken up, never a solid nights rest but plagued by terrors. What about her knife? How would she explain that she always had one strapped to her thigh, and another tucked into her boot? Better yet if she had her hair tied, because then she had three, one neatly tucked into the point her hair would fasten but she didn't wear that tonight, she let her wild auburn hair hand in it's messy spiral curls. "Okay." she agreed. "On my terms? Okay. I'll stay."

It was a short walk back but when they did return, she borrowed a towel and a shirt, took herself to a bathroom to change and dry off.. and hopefully find a place to hide her weaponry. Fuck. What was she doing? Why? She could've said no but she hadn't, and now she was wondering how he'd react to all of her little scars. Infiltrate. Infiltrate meant stealing his heart, it meant being this close... and now she knew that part of her wished she'd not taken this job. Not even for the fact she had to get close to him, more because... she could've done it on her own, avoided every feeling of dread for what would eventually come. She had warned him, had she not? She walked hand in hand with death.. she'd told him that. "I'll be two minutes." she called out.

It felt like she was taking away an extension of herself when she unstrapped the blade from her thigh and started to search for a hiding place. Quietly she lifted the top segment of the toilet, and padded it out with a hand towel before hiding her two blades in there. The other was a tiny thing, almost like a needle but that was all you needed to have in someones throat to end it all. Those two knives, were her safety blanket, and she was riding herself of them.

His shirt hung a little large on her, especially around her shoulders and her middle. It hung just slightly off her left shoulder, and she had to roll up the sleeves. She would've slept in her clothes but they were damp. On a night like tonight where it'd started to come down heavy, you couldn't stay in damp clothing. Briefly she looked at herself in the mirror before her brows pulled to something bad. If they don't want you for it, tell them to find lesser. If she wasn't wanted for the problems, the ill reminders on her flesh, then they didn't deserve a single thought in her brain and could find lesser. She'd liked that, how he'd said it to her earlier and that one little sentence, would stay with her. What he didn't know was that, the one little sentence, was the only reason Eris stepped foot out of the bathroom with her scars so openly on display.

There were many marks, one or two from knife wounds she'd obtained in her career, the worst from a blade, lay across her collarbone, poking out from the fabric of the button down shirt. The worst ones? They were the white scars, circular and there were far more than just the one. They were scattered, one or two on her upper arms and the tops of her legs.. and far more on the sides of her body, her waist. He didn't need to be able to see her flesh there, to know it continued. They were old and long since healed, misshapen with how she'd grown and aged and that was the one thing that gave away they were from her childhood. Cigarettes. They were from cigarettes... and that was why she'd inched away the first time he held one near her. All of those places, every single one, was somewhere that a cigarette had been put out on her flesh, that'd be well hidden on a child. It was sick, it was cruel and it explained every single reason why she was.. as she was. Why she was so untrusting, because someone had already broken every ounce of her trust, before she even knew the word.

"A whore wouldn't have such imperfections.. so if you would like me to leave Thomas, feel free to say,." she didn't speak bitterly, quite softly actually. "I'm no pretty sight, none of this will be easy with me... but if you'd still have me sleep beside you, I will."

It was heartwarming and one of the most precious things he had seen in a while: a woman dancing without caring about how it looked. Without caring that their feet touched the cold grass and that he watched her in full awe. Tommy had never been a man who spread joy, it was more terror and fear that walked with him wherever he went but in this moment it felt like he did something right. Like he really made someone genuinely happy and it was probably the best thing he had ever achieved. “Yeah… you’re doing it better than I ever could.”

He said that lowly and looked at their fingertips brushing along each other what made him raise his hand to make her twirl with their tips touching until he felt the raindrops on his own face and looked up for a moment what made their barely touching fingers loose contact. “Careful.” he muttered as he noticed that she nearly lost her balance, so he wrapped his arm around her waist to stabilize her and made her nearly fall against his chest. Tommy didn’t want to release his arm, but still he did so she wouldn’t feel forced to stay so close against him. If she would though, he knew that this was her choice alone. “You even got your dance in the rain.”

A small grin appeared on his lips before he lifted his hand to her eyes where raindrops were falling from her long lashes. “Close your eyes.” Softly he brushed his thumb along her eyelid and forced himself to look down the hill so he wouldn’t follow his instinct to just kiss her. “And yes… I grew up like this. But the way you dance definitely wouldn’t have embarrassed them like I did.” The rain increased and Tommy had to blink as his face looked up at the sky again. “Come. There’s one last place that will give us cover and might be to your liking.” He slipped out of his own coat and wrapped it over her head. “I don’t want you to freeze.”

After taking their shoes from the ground he gestured with his head and led them back to the secret dock at the canal where they would find some cover under a bridge. Many nights he had sat here cause it was close to his home, close to his pub and office but still no one would search him here. With the time he even stored some secret gin down here and blankets when the night would be colder than expected. Despite the round walls surrounding them, this place made him feel free and the panic of being stuck in a tunnel left him more easily than in his own bed sometimes. “Listen Eris. I know that you probably have a wonderful room nearby to stay but…” Tommy cleared his throat and stepped in front of her after she had sat down on the blanket on top of the boxes standing here.

Eyes lowered down to her wrist that still had his tie tightly around it, a nearly shy smile crossing his lips before he dared to look at her again. “Sleep with me tonight. It can be whatever you want it to be, but… don’t go home alone and let me wait to see that smile again.” Hands carefully closed around her face and waited for that flinch but as he didn’t feel it right away he leaned in and whispered into her ear “Please.”

[sushisketching]

Doing that thing

OC Interview to procrastinate on work

Introduction (IBS)

1. Can you introduce yourself? "Raziel, Uh... One of many commanders of the Pact." He scratches his head, trying to think of other things to say. "The love of my life calls me a salad sometimes. I'd rather be called a feast, but it'll work."

2. What is your gender identity, orientation and relationship "I think I'm a male. I've checked. I..." He looks over at the camera, smiling. "Used to like to tumble with anybody willing. But considering I have a partner now, I don't think she'd enjoy others joining us." 3. Where and when were you born? "28 years ago, in the Grove, supposedly of the Dusk cycle. Though I don't have the brains." 4. What is your weapon of choice and fighting style? "Right from the pod, I could feel the world hum and the tides scream at me. I studied basic elemental magic in the Grove, but travelled to Elona soon after. Picked up a sword and a dagger and they felt right to me. I'm..." He looks away for a few seconds, guilt gleaming. "I'm intensely reckless. I hope that I'm less now so, after everything that I've been through." 5. Lastly, are you happy? "I was born before being forced into the dragon wars, but... now... There's still a threat of them. I've been happy many times, but now it lasts longer with Serafin here." Family and Friends

1. What's your family like? What's your relationship with them? "The answer to that is intensely convoluted. The Pale Tree is my mother, but more of a symbol of guidance than anything. I was born with a pod-sister, her name was once Nyrene, but it's Nyfuse now. When people see me they think I'm loud. Then they meet my sister. Even if she's ridiculous, she's taken a liking to deceptions rather than elements." 2. Have you ever ran away from home? "The Grove is a beautiful and serene place." There's a sense of sarcasm to this. "But yes. Once. Next question."

3. Would you consider marriage or having children? "After the dragons are gone, then I'll consider everything else. And I need to have some secrets. But I can't have children. They scare me as well, so what's the point?" He looks at the camera, saw it shaking with laughter. "Next question." 4. Do you secretly hate one of your friends? "If I hated someone, they could tell. I could tell. I'm bad at lying." 5. Which friend knows everything about you? "Alfuse. My sister's lover is a spy, a thief, after all. But I've told him so many things even before they were together. And... Grayson Embersmith." He looks at the ground, ashamed. "Knew him for a majority of my life, before... Before Orr had happened." Asked by fans??

1. Are you literate? Have you been to school? "I can read and write and talk just as well as the next person. But the first two years of my life were hell, because words didn't sling together naturally for me. If the Priory counts as a school, sure, I've been to a school." 2. The eeriest prediction you made that later came true? "I told Embersmith that one of us would probably die in Arah. Or earlier. I thought it would be me." 3. What is something you were embarrassingly late to realize? "How much I hated to love Serafin. So many fine lines, and I thought with my 20 years of living I'd have figure out the difference. But she's still here. That's a good sign." 4. Do you have mental / physical issues? "I have a lot of scars from our Salvation raid. And a few mental issues. PTSD. That sort. I'd rather not think about it more than I have to. I think the worst memory I have was watching my sister get half-Branded, losing her sight a while back. And other things up there too. There's too much to talk about. Move on. Next question." His eyes are glazed with anger and sadness, hands fidgeting. 5. What is your current main goal? "To live. See the next day. Find rest in this turmoil and chaos. We're still waiting for news about the next dragon to kill." Choices!

1. Drinks or food? "I drink too much water. Maybe being an elementalist has something to do with that, I don't know." 2. Cats or dogs? "I love them both." His mouth tightens, his voice a whisper. "I like cats more." 3. Early bird or night owl? "I love both. I tend to see both. I may not have many brains, but I still have commands to dish out, and reports to check. But if anything, I like it when my dearest is up, and she's usually up late." His wooden skin glows with amber lines looking at whoever's holding the camera. 4. Optimist or pessimist? "I used to look at the world and all its problems and cruelty. After Arah... I'd rather look at the brighter things, see what I can get that's good to me. Embersmith would've wanted for me to look for good things after all." 5. Sassy or sarcastic? "It's all the sass. I am sass. Gotta be brash and bold and hot to be a commander, after all." Have you ever 1. Been caught sneaking out? "I hated night duty. Snuck out right at dusk with my friends and drink the night away. Always got yelled at when I came back to my post, saw a commander lose his mind after us leaving. Those were good times." 2. Broke a bone? "Yes. Tried to climb a tree drunk; broke my arm falling out. Tried to get a dolyak's hide and broke my ankle there. Lost my arm and a leg before. Got stabbed in the chest once too. All part of the job. Except the tree thing. Don't try to climb moving oakhearts while drunk. Awful idea." 3. Received flowers? "After Claw Island, I got flowers for respects to my mentor. I barely knew them, but she... was a very kind sylvari. And after Arah, for Embersmith. I hated getting those things. Didn't think I deserved to be there, after all, I played a part in their deaths." 4. Ghosted someone? "Once, when I was infused with too much magic. Sometimes being one of Aurene's champions causes me to lose control, usually after a nightmare. One time I tried casting a small curse to make someone's skin turn blue, but rather they turned transparent. We fixed it later though." 5. Pretended to laugh at a joke you didn't get "Too many times. Political parties are jokes. The real joke is when they go stumbling up to me when drunk and ask me why I'm drinking. They seem to misunderstand my age?" Whirrrr done ok bye