#i’ll definitely keep learning but most importantly feeling and letting those feelings go through me

[malikson]

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[givemeallyourpenny]

The travelers in Octopath Traveler are fascinating for many reasons. The reason that has me awake well into the night right now is the differences between characters of the same class and how different game mechanics tell you a lot about their respective personalities. Keep in mind while reading that it has been many months since I beat octopath 2 and I’m only halfway through octopath 1.

This is most easy to see with two of the classes that seem to change the least, Hunters and Warriors. Both keep the same magic element, or lack there of in the warrior’s case, both keep most of the same utility moves, both still heavily favor martial abilities. However both use their weapons very differently.

Let’s start with the warriors. Olberic and Hikari both favor their swords in cutscenes, you could say it’s their signature weapon, and use their spears as a backup in combat. It’s interesting to note this is opposite how these were used in history. Where they differ is how they use those weapons. Hikari uses his sword for quick strikes and complex maneuvers while using his spear for powerful thrusts. Olberic uses his sword for strong sweeps and cleaves while keeping his spear for fast and random jabs. Hikari’s main sword skill works mechanically very similarly to Olberic’s main spear skill.

This reflects their relative personalities well. Hikari tackles his problems through quick and clever action while Olberic is more straightforward and blunt in his approach. To borrow some trope terms Olberic is more like the team Big Guy while Hikari feels more like a Lancer. Both of these men would say you can learn much about someone by how they wield a blade, and they’re definitely right.

Then we come to the hunters H’aanit and Ochette. First let’s highlight their similarities: they both use the exact same elemental attack, Thunderbird, and no other magic, both favor their bow over their axe, they have some of the same utility abilities, and both fight side by side with captured monsters. And that’s where the similarities end, but even their similarities already show differences. H’aanit only has skills tied to her bow while Ochette at least has one ability for her axe. And then there’s their capture abilities which change so much between the games it’s honestly hard to think of them as the same thing, They have completely different feels and trying to describe that would take a few paragraphs on its own so I’ll stick with their bow skills for now.

At first glance they seem to have the opposite skills than you’d expect. The impulsive and energetic Ochette carefully picks her targets with Precision Shots, while the Stoic H’aanit makes wild volleys. But dig deeper and this makes perfect sense. First these styles fit the ones who taught them very well, both were taught by a master with the opposite personality as themselves. However there is also the fact that H’aanit’s speed shooting style of archery, one that sacrifices accuracy and damage for stager potential, requires far more experience and skill to effectively pull off. It makes sense then that the barely teenage Ochette wouldn’t go for it.

There’s honestly so much more to unpack with this. Some classes completely change which element they use, some use more magic skills while some use more weapon skills and others still use more utility skills. Some change their unique mechanics at a fundamental level, and have access to different passive abilities. And all this isn’t even touching on how the Octopath 2 cast simply has more mechanics to work with.

In conclusion I am a giant nerd who enjoys coming up with story and character driven reasons for changes likely made to enhance gameplay experience. But more importantly mechanics are an important tool for characterization and we should pay attention to them. In any case I have so much more thoughts about this and hopefully now so do you!

[theghostnugget]

I watch a lot of psychology stuff on YouTube (for reasons I will not explain lol) and so often I hear something (especially stuff relating to trauma and unhealthy coping skills) that makes me need to pause and think about Hiei.

My poor boy went through so much shit and had no time to process cause he was forced to fight for his life every single day (there was no time for him to sit down and evaluate “ok that was a shitty thing, how do I cope/how do I move on”).

This post’s length got away from me so…

By the time the series starts he is deeply entrenched in the unhealthy coping skills he had to develop (trust no one, they’re all going to abandon you if they don’t outright betray you - never address you emotions out loud or even in your own head because that distraction will get you killed - love is just a crutch for the weak who can’t fend for themselves that’s why I don’t even want it - etc etc). He doesn’t even realize that he has a support group and a safe space to start to unpack because he has no idea what those things look like. Then comes the process of actually unpacking which he has no fucking clue how to do because he never had healthy coping modeled for him. And he doesn’t even think he can ask for help because he a) doesn’t believe anyone cares enough to help and b) he’s still not completely sure they aren’t playing the long game to get him to lower his guard so they can stab him in the back

I think the reason he leaves for half of season 3 is he subconsciously starts to recognize he has trauma he can and should process and that terrifies him. He has no clue how to start and he knows it’s going to get worse before it gets better and most importantly: he’s found ways to make his poorly executed shit work. Anger and lashing out and self-loathing aren’t helping him in the long run but he can’t tell because they’ve been the things keeping him alive so far - and if he does learn to let those go, what the hell is he gonna find underneath?? What if there’s nothing? What if he’s even more miserable than before?? Then he’ll have to confront the idea that the world isn’t screwed up, it’s just him - he’s truly broken and there’s no hope of him ever being happy. So he chooses the devil he knows and actively chooses to walk away from something that has the potential to heal him

There’s this quote from Just Between Us (an excellent YouTube channel that I definitely recommend) that’s something along the lines of “a miserable person gets to live with the hope of one day being happy while a happy person has to live with the fear of one day becoming miserable” and I think that sums up Hiei’s thought process pretty well - he’s terrified of being happy because it doesn’t last but at least, if he’s miserable, he can hope for the abstract concept of it

It used to bug me that Mukuro was the one to pull him out of his bullshit when the only reason he trusted her enough to let her in was because he was already starting to trust Yusuke, Kurama, and to an extent Kuwabara (and I have so many feelings about why his antagonism towards Kuwabara is also rooted in his shitty mental health but I’ll sum it up to this - when you’re traumatized and miserable, you start to hate everyone who’s not miserable because why the hell does he get to be happy and coping with this shit while I’m spiraling out of control here). But I think it boils down to, he feels too broken to really open up fully to people he thinks are stable - (He’s too wrapped up in level 20 mental illness to realize that they’re all coping pretty poorly {except Kuwabara - he’s best boy and he’s killing it}) - but he meets Mukuro and she’s a disaster just like him, she’s been through so much but she still manages to cling to happiness - she’s him 1 or 2 steps into healing (which gives him hope) but she’s still close enough to his level that he feels like he can open up for the first time without the fear of judgement

This post is so rambly and all over the place but if I didn’t express these feelings I felt like I would die so… thanks for reading?

[flightfoot]

Perspective From Another Timeline

Thanks to my betas @steelblaidd and Izzybusy!

I ADORE @buggachat new Bakery Enemies AU. This idea just kept on swirling through my head, I had to write it! This is set between parts 13 and 14, so after Adrien meets Alya and Nino but before Marinette starts sympathizing with him. AO3

---------

“You okay?”

Alya shook her head, trying to clear it. “I’ll be fine. I’ve weathered worse than that - we both have.”

Nino grinned at her. “True that.”

Alya smiled at him fondly, remembering Heroes Day. It was a bittersweet memory, with her having been turned against Nino and them both being akumatized. 

But they had fought to protect each other as best they could. She’d seen Prime Queen’s footage, how Carapace had struggled to get her to fight against Dark Cupid’s magic, how he’d only given into despair after she’d given into akumatization. 

“What did that blast do to us?” Nino wondered. “Everyone else the akuma blasted just disappeared. Why’re we still here?”

Alya’s brow furrowed. “I dunno… hold on, let me check to see whether any new info on the akuma’s been uploaded.”

Pulling out her phone, she tapped on the Akuma News Alert app.

An error message popped up, telling her that she had no internet connection.

Puzzled, Alya checked her phone’s other settings. 

No wifi - no wifi even recognized, much less connectable - no cell service, no connection to the outside world at all.

She glanced over at Nino. “Hey, you got any signal?”

Taking out his own phone, he quickly checked his connection. He shook his head. “Not a single bar.”

Frowning, Alya looked around. “Maybe all the cell towers were taken out?”

Everything looked intact though, no sign of any destruction at all.

Something else caught Alya’s eye. “Hey Nino, what time should it be?”

Nino blinked. “Well I mean lunch just started so it should be a little past noon-”

He glanced around, noticing the long shadows and the pinkish-orange of the evening sky.

“-which it clearly is not anymore,” he concluded.

Great. “Guess Ladybug and Chat Noir must’ve taken a while to defeat the akuma,” she said, putting her phone away. “Hopefully my parents aren’t too worried. They like me to text them just after an akuma attack, but right now…?” she gestured to her pocket.

“My folks aren’t as worried,” Nino said. “But they still expect me back home before the sun goes down. They’ll be getting nervous soon.”

Alya let out a small sigh. “So much for playing Super Penguino together.”

“Hmmm…” Nino’s eyes gleamed. “You know… it’s not night just yet. And I’m sure my parents would understand if I was a few minutes late because I grabbed a bite to eat.”

Grabbed a bite to eat? What was Nino hinting at…?

Alya looked around at their location more closely.

Wait… that blast seemed to have carried them to that one park, the one near-

Alya grinned. “I think my parents will forgive me for not calling in if I bring them fresh-baked treats from the best bakery in Paris.”

---

*ring ring*

The scent of freshly baked bread wafted through the store. 

Instantly Alya felt her shoulders loosen up, releasing tension she didn’t even know she’d had. There was just something so warm and comforting about the bakery.

Of course, a lot of that was due to the people running it. Good luck finding more friendly, caring people than Marinette’s parents. Sabine often checked up on anyone who seemed to be struggling or upset (and ready to protect them if they were - Alya had seen the video of the time a TV crew decided to invade Marinette’s privacy), and Tom was basically a giant teddy bear in human form.

But neither of them were manning the counter today.

Instead a young woman stared back at them.

A very familiar-looking young woman. 

“Marinette?” Alya asked cautiously.

The woman stared at her for a minute. “Alya?” she finally asked. “What happened to you?” She paled. “Did a new supervillain attack? Is that why you and Nino are younger?”

Huh. Weirdly scared reaction from Marinette. They’d all gotten used to supervillains by now. She’d expect an older Marinette to take them in stride even more than the current Marinette.

Hm… an older Marinette, a different time of day, and Marinette not seeming to know about the latest akuma attack? 

“Marinette… what year is it?” 

Marinette blinked for a moment. Her eyes widened.

Seemed Marinette understood what she was getting at.

She told Alya the date.

Her hunch was right. “We’re in the future,” Alya breathed.

A wicked grin slowly spread over her face. 

Five years was a long time. A lot of things could have happened. A lot of information could’ve come to light.

Like Hawkmoth’s identity.

Or more information on the Miraculous.

But most importantly right now-

She leaned in close to Marinette, making sure to keep her voice down, just in case someone else was around in the back. “So did you ever get together with a certain blond-haired, green-eyed model?”

“Uh… what?” Marinette asked, looking puzzled.

Alya snapped her fingers. “Adrien. Did you and Adrien finally get together? Ooooh, if you did you’ve GOTTA tell me how the confession went! Or, no, wait, don’t tell me, I want to get the deets at the time. Just let me know how long I’ve got to wait, girl!”

Marinette just stared at her, slack-jawed. “Adrien… like ADRIEN AGRESTE?!” she said, her volume rising with every word.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up. “Um… yes…?”

She’d thought that Marinette would be glowing about finally getting together with her crush, or dejected about still not being able to spit out what she wanted to say to him, downcast over him rejecting her, or maybe even infuriated because he mistreated her and they subsequently broke up.

(The last one was VERY unlikely though. After the Felix debacle, she’d learned to have a bit more faith in Adrien’s good nature.)

Shock at the concept of dating him? Not something she’d anticipated.

Footsteps echoed from behind Marinette.

So one of Marinette’s parents must’ve been in the back-

Adrien popped his head around the corner.

Seemed both he AND Marinette had aged well. 

Not that Adrien looked all that different. Taller, definitely, maybe with slightly messier hair and… were those earrings? They looked good on him.

“Hey dude!” Nino waved at his best friend. “What’s up?”

“Uh…” Adrien said, scratching the back of his neck.

“WOW those outfits really take the years off, huh?” Marinette said loudly, shoving them out the door. “Make you look smaller than usual. Well we better go talk about plans later okaybye-”

She promptly slammed the door behind them, physically pushing them away from the bakery.

After Marinette had dragged them a good distance away, Alya finally got over her shock, turning around and glaring at her. “What was that about?!” she asked Marinette indignantly, hands on her hips. “You know me, I wasn’t going to spill anything to him. That’s why I was talking so quietly! Why’d you have to do that?!”

Nino frowned, seeming more concerned than annoyed. “Adrien looked really hurt by that. Not cool.”

“There’s nothing to spill!” Marinette protested, gesticulating wildly. “I only met him for the first time two days ago!”

*record scratch*

Two-

Two DAYS ago?!

Ok, hold up.

“Adrien joined our collège class the day after I did! He sits in front of you in class! What’re you TALKING about?!”

“Uh… no…?” Marinette tilted her head to the side, befuddled. “I think I would remember that, even if it was a few years back.” 

Alya let out a bark of laughter. “Yeah, no kidding. He would be uh, difficult for you to forget. Heck, even if your memory was erased, you’ve got so much stuff revolving around him, I couldn’t see that lasting long.”

Marinette blushed. “Why do you think I have a crush on him?! He’s HAWKMOTH’S SON!”

“WHAT?!” Alya and Nino yelled in unison.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated Hawkmoth a couple years ago,” Marinette explained, pulling out her phone.

A moment later she held it up, showing a blog post from the Ladyblog.

Oooh, that’s a nice graphical design. I’ll have to look into updating my site, Alya thought.

Turning her attention to the picture, she squinted. “Hey, can you enlarge the photo?” She asked.

Marinette complied, enlarging it and turning her phone sideways, letting it fill the entire screen. 

Gabriel Agreste being led away in handcuffs by the police, with Ladybug and Chat Noir in the background. Ladybug looked satisfied, with maybe a twinge of melancholy, but Chat Noir…

He stared vacantly ahead, seemingly not focused on anyone or anything, a smile on his face - but the most forced one she’d ever seen.

“What’s wrong with Chat Noir?” 

Marinette frowned, looking troubled. “I don’t know. He seemed really, really upset when Hawkmoth was defeated. It was a tough battle, bad enough that neither of them have returned since, but that doesn’t explain why-”

She trailed off, lost in thought. 

A moment later she looked up, meeting Alya’s eyes.

Immediately she waved her hands around, trying to ward off… something. “I- I mean, that’s what I read on the Ladyblog and what I could piece together from video footage, it’s not like I was there, NOPE. I was huddled in my room the entire time. Not like I have any insight into what Chat Noir was acting like during the battle, not beyond what any other civilian would know! That would be ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!” she let out a few forced guffaws.

Alya’s eyebrows flew up.

O...Kay…?

Maybe Marinette had been following Ladybug and Chat Noir during the final battle and hadn’t wanted anyone to know? She’d wondered whether Marinette might have a thing for Chat Noir, but her crush on Adrien dwarfed any feelings she might have had for him. Plus it’s not like Marinette would actually know Chat Noir, unlike Adrien.

Thinking about Adrien…

“He must’ve been devastated,” she murmured. Marinette looked at her questioningly. “Adrien, I mean,” Alya clarified. “Having your father turn out to be a terrorist? I can’t even imagine.”

Marinette buried her face in her hands. “Not you TOO,” she said, her voice muffled.

Nino slowly started edging his way behind Marinette.

“What’s your problem with Adrien?” Alya asked. “Did he do something?”

Marinette glanced away. “Not… exactly… I just… I’m afraid that it might all be an act. That he might’ve been helping Hawkmoth secretly, and… and even if he wasn’t before, that he might just be biding his time, waiting until he figures out who Ladybug and Chat Noir and then BAM!” she slammed her fist down on her other hand. “He takes them out, steals all the Miraculous, frees his father and rules Paris FOREVER!”

Alya reached out towards Marinette tentatively. She collapsed into Alya’s arms. 

Hugging her tightly, she sang a soft nonsense song, rubbing small circles in Marinette’s back. 

She’d done this a few other times since she’d met Marinette, though she’d never thought she’d do it underneath these circumstances.

Whatever these circumstances actually were.

Did everyone have amnesia or…?

“Do you have any big memory gaps?” Alya asked once Marinette’s breathing had calmed down. “Especially from five years ago?” 

Marinette shook her head. 

She’d shelve that theory for now then. More likely it was…

“An alternate timeline, huh?” Alya said.

Marinette looked up at her questioningly.

“That’s what I think this is,” Alya explained. “I WAS thinking that maybe there’d been some sort of mass amnesia, but if you don’t have any memory gaps - and trust me girl, with how involved you were with Adrien, there WOULD be memory gaps - that seems unlikely. I’m betting this is some sort of alternate universe, one where Adrien never got to go to school.”

“I still don’t get why you think there’s something between me and Adrien!” Marinette said. “I mean sure, he’s pretty, but did I really fall for him just for that?” 

Alya shook her head. “Actually, you hated him at first. Chloe’d been bragging about how he was her friend, and with that on top of you catching him trying to remove the gum Chloe’d planted on your seat and mistaking it for him PLANTING the gum… well… both of us just assumed he was a spoiled rich bully, just like Chloe. Luckily that turned out not to be the case.”

“How’d that misunderstanding get cleared up?” Marinette asked. “And how did your Marinette jump from that to crushing on him?”

Alya grinned. Marinette had ranted about this moment to her SO. MANY. TIMES.

“School let out later that day. It was raining and Marinette had forgotten her umbrella, so she hung back a moment, long enough for Adrien to approach her. At first she looked away from him, not wanting to acknowledge his greeting. But then he told you - told her I mean - that he hadn’t done it, promised that he’d just been trying to take it off with such sincerity that she had no choice but to believe it. He opened up to her, even though she’d been shunning him just moments ago. And finally he gave her his umbrella, just because he could. Because it was the kind thing to do. She’s been a goner ever since.”

The Marinette in her arms looked away. “I can see why she might have developed a crush on him. But I still dunno whether I trust him.”

“I don’t know whether I have anything that could convince you on that,” Alya admitted, “especially since this is probably a different timeline, and for all I know he could be evil here. Just make sure that you’re judging him on his own merits, okay? Not who he’s associated with. Not his fault he has so many crappy people in his life.”

“I’ll… take it under consideration,” Marinette said reluctantly. 

Marinette looked from side to side. “Where’d Nino go?”

“Oh, he snuck back into the bakery several minutes ago.”

“WHAT?!”

---

Nino opened the door to the bakery, letting out a small sigh of relief. He really wanted to check in on his best friend, and judging by Marinette’s behavior, she wasn’t exactly keen on him or Alya chatting with Adrien.

Thinking back on what he’d just heard, he frowned. 

He wished he could say that he’d never have suspected that Gabriel was Hawkmoth.

That he didn’t think Adrien’s old man could ever be capable of such evil.

But he knew better.

The guy threatened to withdraw Adrien from school and isolate him from everyone else at the drop of a hat, paid little attention to his son when he was at home, and was a very negative influence on his life in general. He might have been grieving, but… so was Adrien. He needed the only parent he had left.

And instead Gabriel had chosen to respond by becoming a supervillain and terrorizing Paris, endangering his own son in the process.

He really wished he’d gotten to hit Hawkmoth with his turtle shield more. At least he got to relish the smack he got in.

“You’re back!” 

Nino looked towards the voice.

Adrien walked closer to him, a tentative grin on his face. “I didn’t think you’d return so soon!”

“I had to come back to talk to my best friend,” Nino said.

“Best friend?” Adrien asked, blank-faced.

Oh, right. According to Marinette, Adrien hadn’t joined their class. She hadn’t even met Adrien until recently. 

Had some sort of memory-wiping akuma attacked? Wouldn’t have been the first time. 

“Do you know who I am?” Nino asked, pointing at himself.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh… well I know you’re friends with the Ladyblogger and Marinette, and… sorry, that’s it.”

He looked really apologetic, like a dog who’d ripped up a bunch of toilet paper and acted guilty about it once caught.

Hm. If it had been a memory-erasing akuma, maybe he could jog Adrien’s memory…?

And even if it wasn’t, he wanted to let Adrien know that someplace, somewhere, people cared about him. If Marinette’s reaction to him was any indication, he’d need that reassurance. Being looked at with suspicion, having people run from you just because of who your dad was, thinking that you might’ve been involved in his crimes… he couldn’t imagine.

“You joined our class the day after Hawkmoth first attacked,” Nino told him, pulling out his phone.

Adrien shook his head, looking confused. “Uh… no? I wanted to, I REALLY wanted to go to school, but Father-”

He cut himself off, looking away.

“Marinette said the same thing,” Nino told him. “That you hadn’t enrolled in our class, that she’d only met you recently. I don't know what that’s about, whether everyone’s memories were wiped, or an akuma messed with the past, or what.”

Come on, come on, where was it- ah!

He clicked on a photo, one taken a few months ago, holding his phone up so his friend could get a better look.

Adrien squinted for a moment. His eyes widened. “That’s-!”

Nino nodded. “Our class photo. The official one, anyway.” He chuckled. “I liked our unofficial ones better.” Swiping to the side, he showed the new ones the class had taken at the park. 

Adrien’s jaw dropped more with every new photo. He let out an involuntary bark of laughter at the one of himself, Nino, Kim, and Juleka posing. “I- I always wanted to mess around like that at photoshoots,” Adrien said. His voice trembled slightly. “But I wouldn’t be able to get away with it. And that’s mostly fun when you can share it with friends, at least share the picture, and I- I couldn’t. Chloe wouldn’t have appreciated it, and L-”

He cut himself off, shaking his head.

“Luka?” Nino asked. 

He didn’t know why Adrien would know Luka and not anybody else, but he seemed the most likely option.

“Uh…” Adrien scratched the back of his neck, looking away.

Hm, he’d have to see if he had- ah!

“You played in Kitty Section too, with Luka, Rose, Ivan, and Juleka.” Nino explained, clicking on the video. 

Adrien’s hands shook as Nino handed him the phone, watching the mini-concert.

“I- I was allowed to- I got to-” Adrien’s voice quavered. 

“Not at first.” Nino grimaced, remembering how bummed Adrien had sounded when he called him. “Your old man said that Agrestes were soloists, and that we were all bad influences.”

“HE was the bad influence,” Adrien said. A current of anger, of venom ran through his voice that Nino had never heard before. 

“Well I already knew that, even before finding out he was Hawkmoth,” Nino said, making a face. “Dude needed to chill out.”

Adrien snorted. “If he had any ‘chill’ he wouldn’t have decided that becoming a supervillain was the best way to heal my mother.”

Oh.

So THAT was why Gabriel had done it.

He’d just thought it was standard ‘I’m an asshole and want to rule the world while being a jackass to everyone in my life’ behavior.

(He still wasn’t going to rule out that being a factor.)

Nino put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder sympathetically. “At least he’s gone now and you’re free, right?”

“Right,” Adrien said. He didn’t meet Nino’s eyes.

“Not you TOO,” Marinette had said, burying her face in her hands.

As if she found it exasperating that Alya sympathized with Adrien. As if she had expected differently. 

Those worries she’d voiced as Nino had been tiptoeing away, about Adrien helping Hawkmoth, about him lying in wait, biding his time… Marinette probably wasn’t the only one to have that concern. And with Adrien’s face being as well-known as it was...

“You AREN’T free, are you?” Nino asked, eyes wide.

Adrien sighed. “I was as surprised as everyone else when I found out who Hawkmoth was. That someone who’s caused that much harm, that much trauma to this city, lived in my own house.” He clenched his fists, digging into his jean’s fabric. “I could barely believe it… no… I didn’t WANT to believe it.”

He took a deep breath, steadying himself. “I- I only remember snippets from right after his arrest. The police chief talking to me. Riding back to the station. It’s all a blur. Everything felt like I was processing it underwater. It was all so blurry and muffled. Even- even then, though, I could feel everyone’s accusing stares.” “I understand why, don’t get me wrong,” he cut in hurriedly. “Who wouldn’t be suspicious of the son of the terrorist who’s been making everyone’s life miserable for the past four years?” Adrien almost panted with exertion, his eyes wild. “And- and it was happening in my own house! Underneath my nose! I should have KNOWN! I could’ve stopped this!” 

Reaching out, Nino pulled his friend into a hug. 

Adrien stiffened for a moment, before melting into his embrace.

“It’s his fault, not yours,” Nino murmured. “Remember that, dude. He was the adult. He was your parent. Your ONLY remaining parent. I’ve met the guy. And I’ve heard you talk about what he’s like. If you had investigated more?” Nino shuddered, thinking about the disproportionate punishments the bastard had enacted. “And knowing he was HAWKMOTH on top of that? I’m kinda glad you didn’t. Yeah, maybe you could’ve ended things sooner. Or maybe he would’ve hurt you more before you had the chance. I’m just glad you survived.”

“I-” Adrien’s throat sounded tight. “I’m- I’m glad I survived too.”

They stood there for a moment, Nino feeling Adrien’s breath go in-and-out, his heartbeat racing, until it gradually started to slow.

*ring ring*

Adrien and Nino broke up their hug just as Marinette burst through the door, Alya on her heels. She skidded to a halt in front of Adrien - but not quite in time, sending her careening towards the floor.

She never made contact.

“Woah!” Adrien shouted, catching her in his arms.

Nino detected a hint of pink to Marinette’s cheeks before she abruptly sprang to her feet.

“So, uh,” Marinette said awkwardly. “I’m guessing Nino talked to you about some stuff. I mean, of course he talked to you about stuff, because that’s what talking is about. What- what I mean is, what were you two talking about?”

“I wanted to show him how much we care about him,” Nino told her. “Especially since with this… amnesia?”

“I think it’s an alternate timeline,” Alya said. 

“Especially since in this timeline,” Nino continued, “it really doesn’t seem like he had anyone.”

“I had a couple other friends,” Adrien told him quietly, giving a melancholic smile. “But I lost contact with them right after Hawkmoth’s defeat.”

Noticing Nino’s frown, he hastily added, “they didn’t abandon me or anything! They were online friends. One moved somewhere without internet reception, and the other... we never knew each other’s names. But we talked all the time. We chatted, laughed, defeated villains together…”

“In the video games we played, of course!” he added after a moment. He chuckled fondly. “We played as a team. Together, we were unstoppable, no matter what our opponent threw at us.”

Adrien swallowed. “But in the aftermath of Hawkmoth’s defeat, with all the turmoil, with everything that happened… I lost my means of contacting her. I- I don’t know whether I’ll ever get to see her again.”

“We’d promised to meet up after Hawkmoth’s defeat,” Adrien said. His voice cracked. “That- that once it was safer in Paris, we’d finally tell our names.”

His eyes dropped to the ground. “Instead, we lost each other. Maybe for good.”

“I know what that’s like,” Marinette said. She sounded strangely distant. “I had a friend like that too. I cared about him. A lot. Maybe… maybe even as more than a friend.” She said the last part haltingly, as if she’d only just admitted it to herself. “He- he wanted to know who I was. For me to know who he was. But- but I couldn’t do that. Not in Hawkmoth’s Paris. I already cared for him so much it ached. If I was closer to him than that- if I’d accepted his rose- I’m- I’m afraid Hawkmoth might’ve used the strength of those feelings against me. That I could’ve gotten akumatized, or he might’ve, and if we knew who each other was, knew WHERE the other one was… I just… I couldn’t accept that we might be sent to hurt each other.”

“We talked while the final battle was raging,” she continued. “He seemed really upset, more angry than I’ve ever seen him before, but… also kind of sad. I wanted to know what was wrong, but there wasn’t really time to press him. And after that battle he just… disappeared. I knew there was going to be some sort of disruption, but- but I’d thought we’d have more time to talk beforehand, that we’d be able to exchange new contact information. We were cut off before we had the chance.”

“I- I think of him every day,” she said quietly. “Wondering how he’s doing. He was always so positive, no matter what life threw at us. I hope that wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he hasn’t lost that positivity, that optimism, the ability to see the best in the world and in others.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to know you cared for him so much,” Adrien said, giving her a warm smile.

Marinette blinked, giving herself a small shake. She turned to Alya. “I dunno whether you’ll remember any of this after the Ladybug in your time restores anything, but on the off-chance you do, is there anything you need to know?”

“Oh!” Alya pulled up some footage. “You told me who Hawkmoth was, but what about Mayura?”

“Mayura?” 

“Who?”

Alya snapped her fingers. “You know, the Peacock Miraculous wielder, the one summoning the sentimonsters! Did she not exist in this universe?”

She pulled up part of the fight against Mayura, the sentimonster Ladybug, and Hawkmoth.

The video ended, she took another glance at Marinette and Adrien.

Marinette seemed to be in shock, staring straight ahead.

Adrien frowned, thinking. “I’d wondered for a long time how Father managed to hide his supervillain activities from Nathalie, considering she was around him most of the time. I thought maybe she was just really good at never asking questions.”

He grimaced. “Looking at that? I’m betting she didn’t ask questions because she already knew the answers.”

“You think Mayura’s Nathalie?” Alya questioned.

He nodded. “Unless something’s different in your universe. My father doesn’t have a lot of associates, and the way he acted around Mayura there, how he was willing to pass up a chance to fight Ladybug for her Miraculous in exchange for catching her… the only people I can think of who he’d do that for are my mother and Nathalie, and mom…” he trailed off.

“I- I didn’t even think about that,” Marinette said guiltily. “I remember reading something about Gabriel having a secretary, but I didn’t think about her much beyond that.”

“Maybe you could ask this universe’s Alya to post something on the Ladyblog, telling Ladybug and Chat Noir she has a lead on who Mayura is?” Alya said. “I mean, I know they haven’t shown up in ages, but maybe that’s just because they haven’t had reason to.”

Marinette winced. “I… really don’t think that’s it… plus Ladybug and Chat Noir never said that someone was helping Hawkmoth. Mayura never appeared, at least in public. I don’t know what we can do about this right now, especially without proof. Maybe if Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared, but…”

She sounded doubtful. Alya was beginning to think that the final battle was even worse than Marinette had alluded to.

She hesitated a moment, before turning to Adrien. “I- I think I owe you an apology. I thought you might’ve been helping Hawkmoth, but… well… I was just judging you by who your dad was. You’ve been nothing but sweet and kind.”

Adrien smiled at her, though it was slightly strained. “It’s fine. I’m used to it. A lot of people in this city have suffered at Hawkmoth’s hands. I don’t blame them for being scared, or angry at any reminders of him.”

“That doesn’t make it RIGHT,” Marinette said heatedly.

Nino nodded. “Dude just because something’s done to you it doesn’t mean it’s justified, or that it shouldn’t be made better. Like with your old man forbidding parties. I didn’t let that stop me from bribing your bodyguard into letting me and the other guys throw a party at your place for you!”

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “It kinda escalated though. I think half the guys at Paris were partying in your room by the end!”

Alya gave Nino a sideways look. “And ONLY the guys because they ditched us girls while we were planting trees with a lame excuse. Seriously if you’d said you wanted to throw a party for Adrien while his dad was away, you could’ve just told us!”

Nino winced. “Yeah, my bad. At least we got to have fun there for a while before the akuma attack.”

“Akuma attack?” Adrien asked, eyes wide. “But I thought you said Father was gone!”

“He was- OOOOOOOH.”

“Yeeaaaah I don’t think he was actually gone,” Alya said. “You threw a ‘secret’ party in Hawkmoth’s house, WHILE he was still at home.”

Adrien gaped at Nino. “How’re you not DEAD?!”

Nino chuckled. “Lucky I guess?”

*twinkle twinkle*

A familiar red mass flew towards Alya and Nino.

Adrien’s eyes widened. 

“Behind the portrait!” he blurted out, just as the two of them were enveloped by the ladybugs, spiriting them off to whence they came.

It was silent for a moment.

“Do you think they heard?” Adrien asked Marinette.

“I hope so,” she said, looking off in the direction the ladybugs flew.

She turned to him. “I was planning on setting up some hang out time with Alya and Nino later this week. If you’re not busy… would you like to join?”

His smile told her everything she needed to know.

[chemicalpink]

If it’s alright with you could you do an astrology post about how bts would flirt with a person they were attracted to?

So.. god I really hate disclaimers because I like to believe that we are all reasoning people, plus there’s a general disclaimer on my page BUT I know for a fact that people don’t read that (those same people won’t read this one anyway).

Disclaimer: This analysis/reading is based on my experience and knowledge of astrology, it is not meant to be the absolute truth, as BTS are real people, and astrology can only capture so much about multidimensional humans that have had past experiences and cultural approaches amongst other things, it does not have to resonate with you since this is in no way related to anyone reading it (unless you are a member of BTS in which case, get out of here lol ) This is just for entertainment purposes.

OKAY NOW THAT THAT’S OVER by default, Venus and Mars could give us an insight into their love styles, but I’ve already got reading about those here, here, and here 

We are going to use those BUT I’ll focus on their EROS (if you want me to do actual research and post a full love life analysis for each member, let me know in my ask)

SO BASICALLY THIS IS BTS’  FLIRTING STYLE ACCORDING TO THEIR VENUS, MARS, AND EROS. 

Kim Seokjin ʕ��˘ڡ˘ςʔ

I feel like a dad joke to tune into the other person’s humor is his way to go.

His Eros in Scorpio points to someone blunt in his approach, so something along the lines of overly flirting pick-up lines.

His Cancer Mars points to his overall romantic self so if Kim Seokjin is flirting with you prepare to live a drama scene where you feel like the only person in the world.

His Capricorn Venus reinforces the fact that this man is straightforward when flirting, and is very VERY selective as to who they approach.

So all in all, these three placements tell me that Kim Seokjin is a man that loves the fact that people are so multidimensional and he is here for it! he wants to know everything about the person he decided to approach because this man’s standards are over the top and he knows it. 

There's a lot of talking involved while getting to know each other, although he drops facts about himself here and there along with some funny storytimes, he will make it all about you.

A gentleman at his finest, drop you by your house, make sure you’re not cold, that you’re enjoying your food, that you’re comfortable.

This man’s way into your heart is ultimately his actions + his humor.

Min Yoongi  /ᐠ｡ꞈ｡ᐟ\

He’s... silent. Kinda shy, okay very shy, unless you gave off a great vibe, you’re not getting past awkward introductions and anxious small talk.

If you make it past introductions(because let’s be real, this man’s standards? impossible to fulfill), you’re in for a ride.

His Eros in Capricorn makes him crave to connect in a physical sense, even if it’s just hand-holding during dates, funny enough, this placement is the hardest one to make him open up so.. he’s not talking much about himself.

EVEN FUNNIER his Aries Venus points to someone bold and confident, which I can totally see him doing, the first move if he sees someone that plays into his idea of perfection.

Idk why it just strikes me as he knows what he wants from people, he’s not afraid of a challenge and chase, and his boldness as well as need for physical touch, makes him a great candidate for a fun short term, especially since his Eros signals that he pretty much values work more than love life.

Yoongi is... very much handled by his ego self, so he might be aloof at times, it has to do with his terrible high standards, a somewhat fear of intimacy and love for his work that keeps him from any type of social life (because he values work too much), but this man is also very romantic, and a great listener, as it is told by his Cancer Mars.

It’s all a matter of getting through his hard skin to get to the mushy Yoongi he doesn’t let many people experience.

Jung Hoseok ʕ♡˙ᴥ˙♡ʔ

This man loves a challenge, the thrill of the chase, not very healthy if you ask me but hey, you do you.

Playing hard to get will most certainly interest him. As well as letting him help you so he can “save the day”. This is all according to his Aries Eros. 

True to his Eros, his Aquarius Mars makes him be the biggest fan of flirting, and he obviously succeeds, thanks to his huge charisma and wittiness. 

LISTEN- THIS MAN as oblivious to affection as he is, can flirt with a whole group of people at once.

Free-spirited and quick-witted people are his cup of tea since it makes it easier for him to keep the flirting flow going.

I know I’ve said it many times before in this post, ISN’T IT FUNNY his Pisces Venus points to him being shy and awkward but cute, which I think pretty much describes Hobi, minus the shy.

So all in all, Hoseok flirting magnet, he is all smiles and will fill your heart with cute stuff and funny things, also, KING of not giving off mixed signals, he doesn’t even have to say a word, he flirts with his whole body.

KIM NAMJOON “φʕ•ᴥ•oʔ

THIS MAN BEING AN EROS IN LIBRA MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. He has a more traditional sophisticated way of flirting, kinda like courting.

It also makes him very giving, up until the relationship is off-balanced, then things end, so yeah, he likes to give, but he also likes to receive just as much. 

Also, very much into intelligent refined people. 

Just like Yoongi and Jin, he has a Cancer Mars, which only heightens his leaning towards traditional love and courting.

He will be devoted even when flirting, wanting to know everything about the other person, even on the first date, just- very very soft Joonie.

Lowkey, as poised as he is, his Scorpio Venus will give everyone a run for their money on terms of flirting. This man knows whats he's doing and how much he affects the person he is flirting with.

He’s just- so used to flirting and connecting with people that he doesn’t have an outcome in mind, just finds flirting fun and exciting.

Basically, Namjoon is a man that knows what he wants and how to get it, but flirting stages are just so common to him, he does it out of boredness, not that he doesn’t want to connect with people, quite the contrary, he finds people so amazing, it’s just- flirting doesn’t have an endgame for him.

Might I dare to go as far as to say, Kim Namjoon might end up in a relationship by accident just because he didn’t know when to end his constant flirting. 

PARK JIMIN  •᷄ɞ•᷅ 

His Eros in Pisces makes him one of the more emotionally passionate of the bunch, to an unhealthy state, in which he may manipulate himself in order to satisfy the other person. 

There’s a lot of thought going into dates, small gifts “because they reminded me of you” and a lot of cute stuff. Very Very passionate.

He has a Scorpio Mars, so as much as he is passion-driven and very much into cute stuff, and believing that he should 100% merge with the other person, he knows what he’s doing when he flirts.

Different from Namjoon, Jimin doesn’t just flirt for funsies, he entertains the idea of love when flirting, future plans, meeting the parents, he can just see it all.

AND he also has a Scorpio Venus so he is definitely aware of all his flirting and how he affects the other person, especially since there’s a lot of sex appeal going into it.

Not so much a mystery himself, but he tries to be the perfect fit for all. Which might ultimately hide behind this perfect partner facade. 

This man doesn’t just end up in a relationship by accident, this man falls in love on accident.

KIM TAEHYUNG ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

We’ve got another one in love with the thrill of the chase.

Tae also has Eros in Aries, so there’s a lot of playfulness involved in flirting, from banter to playfully shoving the other person aside.

Might also be into dates where he can compete with you, like arcade, or something that he disguises as competition but he knows beforehand he’ll win.

Someone tell him it’s not healthy to crave impossible relationships, anyway, he’d love to be the shinning armor in his love story.

He has Capricorn Mars, which makes him have an honest, practical, and straightforward style of flirting.

The vibe check is real, so unless you pass it with flying colors, do not expect to be flirted with.

Although, his whole aura screams social and flirty due to his Aquarius Venus, which involves a lot of charisma and a great sense of humor. 

Just like Hobi, Tae can flirt with a bunch of people at once without even trying.

JEON JUNGKOOK  ₍ᐢ ̥ ̞ ̥ᐢ₎ ♥

Flirting for Jungkook is more of a mental game than an emotional one, according to his Eros in Gemini. 

Now listen, the nerdier, the better. But you would have to approach him first, as much as he enjoys the idea of talking to people, he doesn’t really do it that well.

Just like Jimin, he has Scorpio Mars, so in line with flirting being a mental game, he knows his game plan, his moves, he knows how people will react to them, he knows what he wants, and more importantly, how to get it.

He very obviously knows about his sex appeal and uses it as an advantage, even though at first he’s kinda awkward about it.

Much like Namjoon, he enjoys flirting so much that he doesn’t even need to have an endgame in mind. He likes to hear people talking about their passions and loves it even more if he learns a thing or to about it in the way, but his awkwardness comes through when he doesn’t really measure that most of the time when you flirt its because you’re interested in pursuing a romantic relationship.

His Libra Venus also plays the part, since it signals him being flirty and witty without even trying, just a man, his beauty, his charm, and his charisma. 

He’ll do anything possible to make you feel like you matter, even going as far as daring to hold your hand just because (which is a great pointer t know if he is really interested or just flirting bc he can)

Ultimately, his flirtation serves as a means to cheer themselves and other people up.

[baekhyyun]

I'll Always Love You

» pairing: huang renjun x reader

» genre: break-up au, MAJOR angst,

» rating: pg

» word count: 443

» warnings: none

a/n: it really has been awhile since i've wrote something and of course it had to be angst. LMAOOOO i've been too swamped with school to write, but this fic has been in my wips folder for over a year! so please enjoy!!!

Renjun could see it, no, he could feel it. The sparkle that you had in your eyes when you looked at him wasn’t there. They have been gone for awhile, was he just realizing this now? He definitely wasn’t, he knew and it was breaking his heart. He just played dumb in hopes those sparkles would return and were no fluke. Days became weeks, weeks became months and nothing returned. 

He tried his best to take you on dates, give you things you liked, shower you more with love, but all failed. Renjun knew he couldn’t keep you by him for longer than he had. He had to let you go, he had to face reality and suffer through the pain that the girl he adored with heart slipped through his fingers without a word.

There has to be another way to get her to love me again.

Let go, she deserves better.

The constant battle that his heart and mind faced took a toll on him. He knew the right answer, but still tried to push through the hardship you both were facing. The lack of emotion and disinterest coming from you grew more. Those long nights staying up watching reruns of Friends, talking about nonsense, cuddling, sharing secrets are now these nights consumed by darkness.

Junnie, look I brought us some goodies for tonight!

Jun, would you rather finger size toes or toe sized fingers?

Oh how the mind was cruel, every little thing reminds him of you. All the memories that you both created are just reminders of how happy and perfect your relationship was. If he could turn back time to avoid this bitter ending he would. He would do everything differently for you.

Dance with me Jun, I’ve always wanted to dance in the rain.

You’re going to get a cold ___, get back inside dammit!

The long awaited ending is here, Renjun had to save you, but most importantly himself. All these conversations are becoming the last goodbyes. His luggage is lined up by the door, ready to depart with a broken man pulling them along. You took everything from him, every ounce that he poured into the last months of your relationship. 

In the end, Renjun knew that he didn’t regret anything. He fought for you and did his best. His relationship with you was something beautiful that he would forever cherish. You showed him immense love and vice versa. Your relationship together will be a learning experience for one another for the next person who makes those butterflies appear. 

“I’ll always love you ‘til the day I die,” he whispered to the closed apartment door.

Copyright © 2022 baekhyyun. All rights reserved. Please do not repost on any platform or translate without permission.

[thevalleyisjolly]

Hi there! If you feel up to it, would you be willing to expand a bit more on the idea of white creators creating poc characters who are ‘internally white’, especially in a post-racialized or racism-free setting & how to avoid it? It’s something I’m very concerned about but I haven’t encountered a lot of info about it outside of stories set in real world settings. Thanks & have a good day!

Hey, thanks for asking, anon!  It’s a pretty nuanced topic, and different people will have different takes on it.  I’ll share my thoughts on it, but do keep in mind that other people of colour may have different thoughts on the matter, and this is by no means definitive!  These are things I’ve observed through research, trial and error, my own experiences, or just learning from other writers.

The first thing I guess I want to clarify is that I personally am not opposed to a society without racism in fiction.  It’s exhausting and frankly boring when the only stories that characters of colour get are about racism!  So it’s a relief sometimes to just get to see characters of colour exist in a story without dealing with racism.  That being said, I feel like a lot of the time when creators establish their settings as “post-racial,” they avoid racism but they also avoid race altogether.  Not aesthetically -they may have a few or even many characters with dark skin- but the way the characters act and talk and relate to the world are “race-less” (which tends to end up as default white American/British or whatever place the creator comes from).  Which I have complicated thoughts on, but the most obvious thing that springs to mind is how such an approach implies (deliberately or not) that racism is all there is to the way POC navigate the world.  It’s definitely a significant factor, particularly for POC in Western countries, but it’s not the only thing!  There’s so much more to our experiences than just racial discrimination, and it’s a shame that a lot of “post-racial” or “racism-free” settings seem to overlook that in their eagerness to not have racism (or race) in their stories.

A quick go-to question I ask when I look at characters of colour written/played by white creators is: if this was a story or transcript I was reading, with no art or actors or what have you, would I be able to tell that this character is a character of colour?  How does the creator signal to the audience that this is a character of colour?  A lot of the time, this signal stops after the physical description - “X has dark skin” and then that’s all!  (We will not discuss the issue of racial stereotypes in depth, but it should be clear that those are absolutely the wrong way to indicate a character of colour).

This expands to a wider issue of using dark skin as a be-all-end-all indication of diversity, which is what I mean by “aesthetic” characters of colour (I used the term “internally white” originally but upon further reflection, it has some very loaded implications, many of which I’m personally familiar with, so I apologize for the usage).  Yes, the character may not “look” white, but how do they interact with the world?  Where do they come from?  What is their background, their family?  A note: this can be challenging with diaspora stories in the real world and people being disconnected (forcibly or otherwise) from their heritage (in which case, those are definitely stories that outsiders should not tell).  So let’s look at fantasy.  Even the most original writer in the world bases their world building off existing things in the real world.  So what cultures are you basing your races off of?  If you have a dark skinned character in your fantasy story, what are the real world inspirations and equivalents that you drew from, and how do you acknowledge that in a respectful, non-stereotyped way?

(Gonna quickly digress here and say that there are already so many stories about characters of colour disconnected from their heritage because ‘They didn’t grow up around other people from that culture’ or ‘They moved somewhere else and grew up in that dominant culture’ or ‘It just wasn’t important to them growing up’ and so on.  These are valid stories, and important to many people!  But when told by (usually) white creators, they’re also used, intentionally or not, as a sort of cop-out to avoid having to research or think about the character’s ethnicity and how that influences who they are.  So another point of advice: avoid always situating characters outside of their heritage.  Once or twice explored with enough nuance and it can be an interesting narrative, all the time and it starts being a problem)

Another thing I want to clarify at this point is that it’s a contentious issue about whether creators should tell stories that aren’t theirs, and different people will have different opinions.  For me personally, I definitely don’t think it’s inherently bad for creators to have diverse characters in their work, and no creator can live every experience there is.  That being said, there are caveats for how such characters are handled.  For me personally, I follow a few rules of thumb which are:

Is this story one that is appropriate for this creator to tell?  Some experiences are unique and lived with a meaningful or complex history and context behind them and the people to whom those experiences belong do not want outsiders to tell those stories.

To what extent is the creator telling this story?  Is it something mentioned as part of the narrative but not significantly explored or developed upon?  Does it form a core part of the story or character?  There are some stories that translate across cultures and it’s (tentatively) ok to explore more in depth, like immigration or intergenerational differences.  There are some stories that don’t, and shouldn’t be explored in detail (or even at all) by people outside those cultures.

How is the creator approaching this story and the people who live it?  To what extent have they done their research?  What discussions have they had with sensitivity consultants/readers?  What kind of respect are they bringing to their work?  Do they default to stereotypes and folk knowledge when they reach the limits of their research?  How do they respond to feedback or criticism when audiences point things that they will inevitably get wrong?

Going back to the “race-less” point, I think that creators need to be careful that they’re (respectfully) portraying characters of colour as obvious persons of colour.  With a very definite ‘no’ on stereotyping, of course, so that’s where the research comes in (which should comprise of more than a ten minute Google search).  If your setting is in the real world, what is the background your character comes from and how might that influence the way they act or talk or see the world?  If your setting is in a fantasy world, same question!  Obviously, avoid depicting things which are closed/exclusive to that culture (such as religious beliefs, practices, etc) and again, avoid stereotyping (which I cannot stress enough), but think about how characters might live their lives and experience the world differently based on the culture or the background they come from.

As an example of a POC character written/played well by a white person, I personally like Jackson Wei and Cindy Wong from Dimension 20’s The Unsleeping City, an urban fantasy D&D campaign.  Jackson and Cindy are NPCs played by the DM, Brennan Lee Mulligan, who did a good job acknowledging their ethnicity without resorting to stereotypes and while giving them their own unique characters and personalities.  The first time he acted as Cindy, I leapt up from my chair because she was exactly like so many old Chinese aunties and grandmothers I’ve met.  The way Jackson and Cindy speak and act and think is very Chinese (without being stereotyped), but at the same time, there’s more to their characters than being Chinese, they have unique and important roles in the story that have nothing to do with their ethnicity.  So it’s obvious that they’re people of colour, that they’re Chinese, but at the same time, the DM isn’t overstepping and trying to tell stories that aren’t his to tell.  All while not having the characters face any racism, as so many “post-racialized” settings aim for, because there are quite enough stories about that!

There a couple factors that contribute to the positive example I gave above.  The DM is particularly conscientious about representation and doing his research (not to say that he never messes up, but he puts in a lot more effort than the average creator), and the show also works with a lot of sensitivity consultants.  Which takes me to the next point - the best way to portray characters of colour in your story is to interact with people from that community.  Make some new friends, reach out to people!  Consume media by creators of colour!  In my experience so far, the most authentic Chinese characters have almost universally been created/written/played by Chinese creators.  Read books, listen to podcasts, watch shows created by people of colour.  Apart from supporting marginalized creators, you also start to pick up how people from that culture or heritage see themselves and the world, what kind of stories they have to tell, and just as importantly, what kind of stories they want being told or shared.  In other words, the best way to portray an authentic character of colour that is more than just the colour of their skin is to learn from actual people of colour (without, of course, treating them just as a resource and, of course, with proper credit and acknowledgement).

Most importantly, this isn’t easy, and you will absolutely make mistakes.  I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that you will mess up.  No matter how well researched you are, how much respect you have for other cultures, how earnestly you want to do this right, you will at some point do something that makes your POC audience uncomfortable or even offends them.  Then, your responsibility comes with your response.  Yes, you’ve done something wrong.  How do you respond to the people who are hurt or disappointed?  Do you ignore them, or double down on your words, or try to defend yourself?  Just as importantly, what are you planning to do about it in the future?  If you have a second chance, what are you going to do differently?  You will make mistakes at some point.  So what are you going to do about them?  That, I think, is an even more important question than “How can I do this right?”  You may or may not portray something accurately, but when you get something wrong, how are you going to respond?

Essentially, it all comes down to your responsibility as a creator.  As a creator, you have a responsibility to do your due diligence in research, to remain respectful to your work and to your audience, and to be careful and conscientious about how you choose to create things.  It’s not about getting things absolutely perfect or being the most socially conscious creator out there, it’s about recognizing your responsibilities as a creator with a platform, no matter how big or small, and taking responsibility for your work. 

In summary:

Research, research, research

Avoid the obvious no-no’s (stereotypes, tokenization, fetishization, straight up stealing from other cultures, etc) and think critically about what creative choices you’re making and why

Do what you’re doing now, and reach out to people (who have put themselves out there as a resource).  There are tons of resources out there by people of colour, reach out when you’re not sure about something or would like some advice!

Responsibility, responsibility, responsibility

Thank you for reaching out!  Good luck with your work!

[jvnluvr]

my genshin relationship headcannons!

featuring: xiao, diluc, kaeya, & zhongli! (reader doesn’t have a specified gender, you can decide that for yourself :)

spoilers are mentioned during zhongli headcannons!! please do not read if you have not completed the archon quests for liyue. 

author’s note: i really wrote this more for myself but i decided to post it anyway to share it with all of you. reminder: these are just my headcannons. you might think differently of them and that’s your opinion. anyways, please enjoy this piece of fluff! if you want me to write headcannons for any other male character, please ask and i’ll try my best. i’m going to make this a series :)

• xiao doesn’t understand the concept of love. but he does find it terrifying. how could two humans share that bond? when he realizes that he feels more than just nothing when he’s with you, he freaks out. he’s not himself, and you start to take notice of that.

• when these feelings for you start to emerge, he’s washed over with an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness. over you. he feels the need to protect you, even when his brain knows your completely fine. you know how to fight after all.

• he can’t help it, however. xiao will always ask you to leave the fighting to him, because there’s this one little voice stuck at the back in his mind that tells him that something bad will happen to you. when he realizes you mean more to him, he just can’t afford to lose you. not when he’s lost everyone else.

• “let me protect you, please?” he feels a bit embarrassed asking this, but he’s very serious about it. he’s always there when you are fighting. he wants to help you. and he usually never wants anything to do with humans. because he’s afraid to hurt them. but he’s more afraid to hurt you. you’re so precious to him, more than anything he has ever encountered as an adepti.

• when he confesses, it’s not even a confession. xiao doesn’t know how to love. cut him some slack. he would probably say something like; “let’s be together.” i don’t know. you don’t know how to comprehend what he just said. you guys are already together? like literally. but when you ask the meaning behind his works, he gets all flustered. “how do you not understand? love, that word. that’s what i feel for you.... stupid.”

• after he confesses, and you guys are together, be ready to take it slow. xiao is new to all of this, and most of the time won’t understand the gestures of affection you provide to him. but later into the relationship, he realizes his love language is indeed physical touch, both receiving and giving. he secretly loves it when you cup his face with both of your hands. it makes him feel relaxed. for giving, he likes holding your hands or giving you head pats.

• there’s a certain fondness that forms when he holds hands with you. it’s warm, a feeling that xiao isn’t used to, because all he has felt is the cold. if you don’t touch him for a while, he gets upset, but more so confused. why did you stop? did you not like it, or are you scared to touch him. surprisingly, he would approach you about it. “why are you being distant? did i do something to upset you?” he cares about your feelings, so he asks with caution. when you hear this, your face betrays you as you start to smile widely. now xiao would be both flustered and confused. “hey! why are you smiling that? dumbass, you find this funny, don’t you?” you can’t help but laugh after that. poor boy needs his daily affection and physical touch, don’t forget to give it to him.

• when xiao calls you, he would always call you by his name. he didn’t understand nicknames of affection in a relationship, so one day when you call him with such, he’s confused. “are you calling me? why did you call me like that?” you get flustered and try to brush it off, but he grabs you and you can see the blush dusting his face. “i like that, can you do it more often?” he’s quiet about it, but you never the less agree. he also picks up on it and often calls you by saying ‘love’ or ‘sweetheart.’ of course, these names are reserved for when the two of you are in private.

• dates with xiao would be a rare occurrence. as much as he loves to spend time with you, he has his own duties and he can’t abandon them. this is one thing you have to understand if you were to be in a relationship with xiao. he can’t have you clinging onto him all the time when he has things he needs to fulfil. when you guys do get to spend some time together, it would be exploring out in the wild. i think xiao finds this very comforting. it’s nice to see the world when it’s not in chaos. you both would walk hand in hand, probably picking some qingxins and mist flowers. and i could definitely see you both just watching the sunset from the balcony at wangshu inn. 

• xiao needs to sleep with you every night. he has nightmares quite often, and your presence subdues those nightmares. if you don’t sleep with him for one night or more, his nightmares get worse, sometimes involving you in them. this causes him to become more overprotective. there would be a night where it got so bad that he started crying. it was just a couple of tears, but the sight genuinely broke your heart into pieces. he didn’t know himself as to why he was crying. he should be used to this, and more importantly, he let himself become vulnerable in front of you, xiao had this perception that he wouldn’t allow you to see him like this, but after he said that to you, it’s safe to say that you both had a long talk that night. after this incident, he allows himself to express his feelings more to you.

• overall, your relationship with xiao really changes him. and i mean in a good way. he’s learned to become more expressive with his feelings and he’s found love. even way later into your relationship, it still baffles him how he found someone like you. on your end, you’ve learned to be more calm and understanding. it would be amazing to be able to experience a relationship like this with xiao. he’s more than happy to stay with you for the rest of your life.

• a relationship with diluc would seem impossible at first. he’s always so busy with work, and he seems to ignore basically everyone. diluc thinks that social interaction is a waste of time. people don’t understand him, and it would be a waste to try and explain why he is the way he is. not that he really needs to though. the only way i could see a relationship happening between you two is if he sees you fighting or if he saves you during a battle.

• if he sees you fighting, he takes notice of your skills. he’s fascinated to say the least. once you finish off, you see him gazing at you from afar. you get nervous, because diluc is staring at you with such an intimidating stare. in that moment, you don’t realize that it’s his usual face. so you start to walk towards him. he sees and he also gets nervous so he just stands there awkwardly. (he thinks he looks awkward, but really, he’s just crossing his arms.) when you get close to him, he suddenly mutters out, “um, your fighting skills are good.” you just stop dead in your tracks and start blushing because you didn’t expect him to compliment you. so you just a utter a small thanks and dash away from him. he thinks that he scared you off, so he gets angry with himself.

• if he saves you during a battle, i can see it being very romantic. it’s a big battle, and the enemies just keep coming, your body is starting to give up on you, and you have dozens of scratches on you. since your so tired, you lose track of your surroundings and get a deep gash somewhere on your body and you fall limp. diluc is just ‘passing by’ and he senses the hillchurls and mages so he runs in your direction. when diluc sees you all helpless, struggling to fight off the mages, he’s filled with a strong fighting urge. he takes out his claymore and finishes off the rest of the enemies for you. you find yourself leaning against a tree in order to get a grip, but diluc just carries you all the way back to monstadt. like casually. you pass out midway through the trip and you wake up feeling all warm and in a nicely lit room. but as you try to get up, you’re pushed back down by someone. you look to your side to see diluc sitting in a chair. mans been taking care of you the whole time you were unconscious.

• when he realizes he has developed feelings for you, he tries to push them away. he tries to convince himself that he doesn’t want it, that it will be a waste of time. really, he’s just trying to list out all the bad things. but as it keeps piling up, soon it’s starts to spills. and all of his feelings and emotions spill fast. he tells you quite early on that he likes you, but you happily accept and reciprocate his love. from then on, diluc completely changed his demeanor around you.

• nicknames with diluc would be also be reserved for when you two are behind closed doors. he wouldn’t want someone like kaeya hearing him say such things. he’s not embarrassed about your relationship, but he hates how kaeya or anyone else will keep nagging at him for it. but he calls you so gently with the sweetest names. i personally think he would use ‘darling’, ‘sweetheart’, ‘my love’, or ‘my little dove.’ i think diluc would appreciate small compliments like calling him handsome or something of that sort. he gets very flustered when you call him by an endearing nickname. not to say he hates it though.

• diluc loves kissing you. of course, he wouldn’t allow himself to do so in public, but when the two of you are alone, he gives your forehead kisses and kisses on the cheek because he can’t help but find you so adorable. he gives short kisses to your fingers because he finds them so soft. compared to his rough hands from handling a claymore, he loves the feeling of your hands. vice versa, you love how warm diluc’s hands are. this is expected, handling a pyro vision, diluc always keeps you warm, especially when the two of you explore dragonspine together. he secretly adores it when you come to him when you feel cold, and he’s more than happy to warm you up.

• diluc is an amazing chef, and no, i do not take criticism on this. i believe that diluc would have picked up his culinary skills from his father when he was younger. and even now, working in the wine industry, he had decided to keep learning. so diluc would always cook you meals, whether it be after a long night of expeditions or early in the morning. it’s quite the sight to see, when you go downstairs into the kitchen to see him making lots of delicious dishes.

• since diluc is so busy, dates would most likely never happen. even if he is free, he doesn’t see the point in going out. so instead, dates would be at home. it would include snuggling together on the couch watching movies, or making things together, and this could be anything you want it to be. on very rare occasions, and i mean very rare, diluc tells you to get dressed up because he’s taking you out for dinner. in all honesty, he probably feels a little bad that he doesn’t take you anywhere, so he tries to compromise. 

• diluc loves it when you lay your head in his lap and vice versa. he enjoys combing through your hair with his fingers, no matter the length. he also like doing your hair, whether it be braiding it or adding any accessory into it, including flowers!! you guys would definitely make flower crowns for each other. he diluc likes it when you play with his hair because it makes him feel warm and comforted. he sometimes just takes your hand and puts it against his hair because he wants you to run your fingers through it. you can’t help but slightly giggle when he does so.

• diluc can be very overprotective and controlling. he doesn’t want to cage you or restrict your freedom, truly. but he is quite terrified of what could happen to you out there. he has already suffered the consequences of this cruel world, right in front of his own eyes. he doesn’t want to lose someone who means so much to him, not again. this would be the main reason you two argue, but you both understand each other’s point of view so you make a compromise.

• all in all, diluc is so in love with you and it’s an amazing experience. you both take comfort in each other’s presence and it really shows diluc that it’s okay to not be so vigilant and distant. he melts around you, so please, just give him the love he has long been yearning, and you will find yourself in many interesting and surprising situations.

• beginning a relationship with kaeya would be so unexpected. he’s not looking for love, he’s merely there just to live his life. i believe that kaeya thinks that love is not meant for him. kaeya is the type to self sabotage his own relationship, intentionally. he doesn’t mean to hurt the other person, but he doesn’t want them to love him, so he makes them hate him. he’s fine with it, simply because he’s not up for that. when you come into the picture, he goes through a rollercoaster of emotions, and he does try to fight it off. but of course, everything does come crumbling down eventually.

• how do you and kaeya meet? it’s a meeting at the tavern, one kaeya somehow remembers well, despite being drunk. you’re just sitting there, but he’s across the room, sitting there and thinking how you are indeed the prettiest thing he has laid his eyes on. does that make him go over there and start flirting with you? absolutely not. he knows all too well about how it’s gonna play out. so he keeps drinking. you however, take notice of the drunken man. his gaze is not at all subtle, so you decided to make the first move. 

• he’s taken aback to say the last. he didn’t expect one to just casually walk up to someone who’s in the knight’s of favonius. you ask him what he’s doing getting all wasted when he clearly has work to do, but he merely responds with; “none of your business.” kaeya doesn’t mean to be so rash, but he knows the outcome. you persist however, and that’s what catches him. he finds himself indulging in the conversation, and it doesn’t matter how much he wants to resist doing it, he can’t help but learn more and more about you. 

• he plays hard to get. you would think it would be kaeya who goes after his partner, but it is quite indeed the opposite. you don’t mind the challenge though, in fact, it makes you want him all together even more. he eventually grows more and more fond of you, and he confesses behind the closed doors of his office. it’s a rare sight, kaeya blushing profusely as he pours out his feelings. of course, you happily accept, and from then on things change for the better.

• ah, a relationship with kaeya. where do we begin? since you two met at a tavern, it’s only fitting if you two go to said tavern together. it depends on you, if you’re a heavy drinker like him, he would gladly enjoy the two of you getting wasted together. if you aren’t the type to drink, he really pays no mind. he still takes you out with him anyways. one could call it a date of sorts. he would also offer that you could come along with him on expeditions, missions, or other affairs. this however, is only if you bear a vision.

• this brings me to my next point, and it is that kaeya, just like his brother, is very protective of you. it shows in the way he always brings you along with him, wherever he goes. he’s already lose his family, and even though diluc is still there, their bond is distant. he already let his walls down around you, so another person who he cares for deeply leaving him might just absolutely shatter him in the worst way possible. of course, he doesn’t wanna cage you freedom, that is never his intention. but sometimes he can’t help but lash out at you. and at those times, it can get pretty serious. he always sincerely apologizes for his actions.

• kaeya is such a flirt, and it’s canon. the spark in your relationship would never fade because this cheeky man is always spewing compliments at you, one after another. he enjoys it so much, it’s written all over his face. and he especially does it in public. a man is trying to flirt with you? well kaeya is there to steal the show. all you can do is giggle and play along because it’s just so fun. he loves to see your face light up in happiness which is why he keeps doing it. 

• it’s no hidden fact that kaeya is a captain for the knight’s of favonius. if you see where i’m going with this, kaeya is a busy man. and he hates it. trust me, he much rather be getting drunk in diluc’s tavern or doing absolutely anything instead of working. but he has to do his job, so he’s gone more often then you would think. of course, he much rather be with the love of his life, but duties still call his name. he tries to make your time together very memorable, whether it be doing something crazy or something small. kaeya’s actions speak a lot to you and he always tries to finish whatever he has on his list as fast as possible just to be able to see you again. <3

• this man loves learning about you. the more you tell him, the more fascinated he is. kaeya finds everything about you, your past, your personality, everything so intriguing. he could just sit there and watch you talk for hours because you just look so adorable talking about yourself. if you see yourself rambling a lot, you might apologize for talking so much, but what does kaeya do? this man will just kiss you and tell you: “keep going darling.” even if you try to keep talking, you just keep getting flustered, stumbling over your words and kaeya just starts to laugh at you being an adorable mess. and then he’ll kiss you some more. wholesome moments. <3

• he loves seeing you in his clothes!! definitely the type to purposely leave his clothes out just so you can steal them. he’ll sometimes let you take his jacket, just to see how good you’ll look wearing it. if you don’t get the hint, he’ll straight up tell you to get your ass in his shirts. you shouldn’t even complain. kaeya has an amazing scent to him, so just relax and drown in it. if you could design clothes he would love to wear some pieces you could make! he’s so in love with you please send some help.

• all in all, kaeya would die for you. he loves you so much and he always remind you of it in his own special ways. he never thought it was possible to love someone this much, but here you are. be patient with him, love with him, do everything with him, it’s amazing to see what you two can do together. 

• zhongli would be the best partner. he has experience, and he takes the relationship slow. this is because he wants to learn about you. he wants to take the time and see what your likes and dislikes are. zhongli is so genuinely in love with you. you get flustered when he asks sometimes but he just doesn’t understand why you feel that way. “i just want to get to know you better, my dear.”

• zhongli would take notice of you strolling around the harbor. he has a lot of free time of his hands, and it doesn’t take him long to notice how you sit nearby the flowers or helping the people around you. he would invite you for a small chat with tea, and you would simply melt at his gentleness. these occasional gatherings would become more frequent, and he would become closer to you, eventually developing feelings for you. you couldn’t help but share them back.

• zhongli addresses you so endearingly it makes me burst into tears. he would definitely call you ‘my dear/dearest’, ‘my love’, or ‘darling’. it’s always said in a gentle voice, that you have to turn your head towards him. he doesn’t mind calling you affectionately in public, but he does ask for your permission. if you agree, he says in a quiet voice in public, usually when he’s worried about losing you in the crowd. if you aren’t quite familiar with such names, he would reserve them for when the two of you are with close acquaintances.

• zhongli loves holding hands with you. chances are, his hands are quite larger in comparison to yours. (even if your hands are bigger, he loves them the same.) he loves feeling the warmth of intertwined hands. he’ll hold your hand everywhere, it’s kind of how he shows his protectiveness over you. also expect a lot of headpats. it’s a habit he’s developed from dealing with people younger then him. (ahem.. hu tao..) 

• further into your relationship, zhongli would come clean about being the geo archon. he trusts you, and he doesn’t want to hide anything from you, otherwise it slowly eats at him until he finally gives up and confesses. the way you take this information can have an effect on your relationship. he trusts you, but if you betray that trust, and start to reveal his secret, he will have no choice but to ‘take care of you.’ 

• dates with zhongli are very.. informative. the guy will keep talking about anything honestly. it’s an old habit, but you don’t mind. it’s relaxing to hear him ramble about such topics. he notices that when he gets carried away in his story, you’re sitting there staring at him with a soft smile. he gets nervous, but that doesn’t mean he loses him composure. expect for the two of you to stroll around liyue harbor or the guili plains. the date will mostly just consist of grasping the scenery of liyue or maybe eating out in a restaurant. it will most likely be in a private setting, since he is so well known in the harbor, he doesn’t want anyone interrupting while he’s with his partner. 

• but more than anything, zhongli loves staying at home. like diluc, he will show his affectionate manners in the comfort of your house. it’s adorable, really. the saying “actions speak louder than words” really sticks by zhongli. he’ll show his love for you in many ways, no matter if it’s cooking a meal for you, helping you with chores, or just sitting together in each other’s presence. you both discover new things together, and it really does warm zhongli’s heart. 

• he never wants to see you upset. no lover would want this, but it hits zhongli in a different way. if he sees even a little tear forming, he gets very worried. zhongli always wants you to be happy, as cheesy as it sounds. if you are quite sensitive or cry quite a bit, it’s no need to worry. zhongli will always be there to wipe your tears away and comfort you. i can imagine during night if you were to breakdown and cry, he would just take you in his arms and cradle you, telling you that you’re so strong fot pushing on: “you’re okay my love, shh i’m here for you. i’m always gonna be here.” i’m crying oh god. never be afraid to let your emotions show around him, he’s always gonna be there.

• zhongli carries a lot of burdens. being the oldest out of the archons, he has quite legitimately seen everything. it’s painful to live with the thought of having slaughtered thousands, maybe millions of people. being with you subdues that burn by a good amount. if anything, he learns to be forgiving from you. not only to other people, but also to himself. he’s also learned to not be so uptight with everything, since it’s quite hard for him to let his guard down around people. 

• truthfully, zhongli would have never thought it was possible for him to love someone as much as he loves you. even if he knows you will soon leave him, it’s overshadowed by the love he holds for you. zhongli is a very intimate lover once you get to know him, so during your relationship things are always lively.

[trampohlena]

Okay, so after last night’s episode I would just like to say that Supercorp IS Endgame. I’d also like to point out the various reasons as to why Kara and Lena are not only soulmates but true twin flames.

For those reading this post who have never heard of the term twin flame: “A twin flame is your own soul, shared across what appears to be two physical beings. It’s one soul, split into two bodies.” -Google’s definition.

For those who are spiritually inclined and have a proclivity for indulging esoteric philosophies; Lena and Kara are ABSOLUTELY twin FUCKING flames 🔥🔥🔥!!

Here are the reasons why:

1. Their drastically different childhoods that resulted in remarkably similar trauma.

Both Kara and Lena have experienced great loss throughout their life. Both mourned the death of their parents, and life as they knew it, at a very early age. Both were shipped off to a foreign land, forced to leave behind everything they knew, in hopes for a brighter/safer future.

Albeit, Lena got the shorter end of the stick in regards to unconditional love, but both were given a second chance and a new start...and yet, they still never fit in, or felt like they truly belonged.

Although they individually have dealt with said trauma in different ways (Lena by pushing away those who try to get too close, and Kara by holding on tightly to those she holds dear) both of their actions are motivated by the same subconscious fear that they HAVE never and WILL never TRULY belong. All while yearning for a sense of “home”.

2. They are opposite reflections of each other; true “mirror souls”, if you will.

Physically, aesthetically, economically, and emotionally—they are complete “mirrors” of one another.

Kara is strong, physically powerful, cut from marble, all hard edges and sharp lines—except for her face. Lena is clearly not as physically powerful, she is soft, all curves, and exudes the grace of the Devine feminine energy—except for her face, which is hard edges and sharp jaw lines. You see what I’m saying?

Aesthetically and economically go hand in hand of course. Lena’s exorbitant wealth is evident in her high-end designer appearance; whereas Kara’s aesthetic is more humble and grounded, and prioritizes comfort over “fashion”. (Let’s admit it. Some of Kara’s fashion choices have been questionable. She clearly rocks the chinos and button-downs better than anything else in that eclectic closet of hers she refuses to come out of 😏)

Emotionally...oh honey. Do I need to say more? I won’t say much but I will say this: Kara is the sun and Lena is the moon. They compliment each other in a way that ensures the world keeps turning.

3. Their individual strengths are the other’s individual weakness and vice versa.

Goes along with the aforementioned “opposite reflection” point above but I’ll expand a bit further in regards to their specific personality traits.

Lena is predominately analytically driven, whereas Kara is emotionally driven. Lena is good in crowds, Kara is not (overwhelmed). Lena is introverted, Kara is extroverted. Lena is detail oriented and has the memory of an elephant, Kara is clumsy and as forgetful as a Pisces (but hey, she has a lot on her plate and barely any free time to balance it). Lena eats like a rabbit-bird-hybrid and Kara eats like a garbage disposal. Kara loves giving and receiving hugs and other forms of physical affection whereas Lena does not (UNLESS it’s from Kara, of course). Etc. Etc. you get the picture.

4. Now this one is the DEAD GIVEAWAY. Undeniable, irrefutable PROOF that Lena and Kara are twin flames.

They are LITERALLY completing what is know as the Twin Flame Journey or the Twin Flame Union.

The stages of Twin Flame Union are roughly as follows:

1. Yearning for “the one”. I think every human being that believes in love experiences this whether it’s throughout their entire life, or only their adult life until they meet this person but yeah. You get it. Kara has always wanted that “Wapow!” moment.

2. Glimpsing/meeting “the one”. Whether it’s only for a short moment, an extended meeting, or perhaps merely locking eyes with them as you pass each other by...you feel immediately connected. There is an instant soul recognition when meeting them, so much so that you could have sworn you’ve met them before or that it’s as if you’ve known each other your whole lives.

Remember when Kara met Lena? And she was gaga-eyed over Lena? Or when Lena felt so comfortable around a new acquaintance that she granted an almost stranger unbridled access to her office? Or how about when Red Daughter flew to America (the country she was taught to hate), with no recollection/memories of Kara’s relationship with Lena (again, the woman she was taught to hate), all because she felt PULLED to do so. And then when she did meet Lena she looked at her and practically drooled over her as if Lena was a double XL cheeseburger with extra special sauce from Big Belly Burger? Like, biiiitch 👀

3. Falling in love. Need I say more? Fine, again, I will. You CANNOT tell me that there is no way in hell that these two morons are anything BUT in love with each other. That’s a lot of double negatives and I appplogize so let me reiterate for clarification: THEY ARE IN LOVE AND YOU CAN’T CHANGE MY MIND!

And at this point is it so freaking BEYOND platonic love, the show cannot explain it away or sweep it under the “just close friends” rug. No. Kara used her Fifth Dimensional Wish (she literally could have wished her entire planet didn’t explode) and she said “make Lena not mad at me, I’m sad 😔” 👀. Mmmkay. Not to mention Lena picking Supergirl over Jack, her former lover. Or the plethora of other times Lena chose Kara/Supergirl over everyone else she knew. Mmkay.

4. The fairytale relationship/friendship. Lena has finally found someone she can depend on, be vulnerable with, support her without judgement, trust with her life etc. and Kara has finally found a true best friend, not her sister, not Kenny who she didn’t realize was her best friend till after he passed? And now he’s not dead?? But her one true best friend that she felt she didn’t need to be neither Supergirl, nor Kara Danvers, but rather Kara Zor-El around (despite Lena not knowing that little tidbit of information).

They were each other’s best friend. Each other’s person. They were happy.

5. Outer Turmoil and Inner Purging—Supergirl and Lena fight. Lena still does not know that Kara is indeed Supergirl and does not pick up on the brewing tension between herself and Kara.

Kara of course is riddled with guilt and her relationship with Lena becomes strained. This outer turmoil creates inner purging by bringing out negative traits in each other. I.E. Lena hiding kryptonite and also Kara asking James to spy on her. Shit gets messy but they still try to make it work.

6. The Runner and the Chaser/Separation Stage—Tensions mount between the two and Lena FINALLY learns about Kara’s secret. And she has a choice to make. So what does she do? She runs. Not physically but emotionally. She completely withdraws from not only Kara and their friends but also withdraws from herself.

She literally experiences cognitive dissonance and becomes someone she is not. Someone other people made her believe she was on the inside, even though Kara knows that it isn’t. And so, Kara chases her.

Lena becomes the runner and Kara becomes the chaser as they navigate this separation stage.

Continuously running and continuously chasing.

7. The Surrender and dissolution stage—they’re fucking done. They’re tired. They’re exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally after all the bullshit they put each other through as well as all the bullshit Lex and the Phantom Zone put them through.

They come to an impasse in regards to Lex and realize the only way to defeat him is to work together, as a team. (El Mayarah anyone?)

They surrender to their emotions and to each other as their egos dissolve and their souls expand after having learned invaluable life lessons. The major one being: THEY CANNOT LIVE HAPPILY WITHOUT EACH OTHER!

8. The last stage that we have yet to see but we fucking better or else I’m gonna January 6 the CW studio building—“Oneness”.

This time, I’m not gonna say more.

So, in conclusion: Supercorp is Endgame because Lena Luthor and Kara Zor-El Danvers are the literal definition of a twin flame, soulmate connection. They are the same soul, manifested in two physical forms, for the sole purpose of expanding their soul’s consciousness.

They deserve to be happy, they deserve to be together. Not only does their union parallel some of the greatest love stories throughout history, i.e. Romeo and Juliet, Darcy and Bennet, Superman and Lois (duh) it would also break the curse of generational karma and illustrate to anybody who watches the show that the only person who defines who you are is YOU. Not a name, not a legacy, not society’s expectations, YOU. And most importantly of ALL...it would showcase that love truly does conquer all.

I rest my case.

TPTB, make Supercorp Endgame or kick rocks ✌️😘

Sincerely,

An empassioned fan with way too much time on her hands.

[loveyhoneydovey]

best friends to lovers au with Amado

Note: I just binge watched Narcos Mexico again, and this was the result. i got carried away so this is kind of long, but honestly at this point I think everyone's used to my long ass headcanons💀 hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. also, this is unedited

All my stories are written with a bisexual reader of colour in mind, but anyone is more than welcome to read them

Warnings (please lmk if I missed any): death, blood, mention of guns

your friendship begins after you save his little sister from being snatched

one day, his baby sister had managed to rope her bodyguards into taking her to a little corner store after school to buy candy

you found yourself at the same store while on your way home. since it was Friday, you thought you deserved a little evening to yourself with some cheap alcohol and some of your favourite candy.

you were reaching for the last pack of your favourite candy when a small hand bumped into yours. that’s when you first spotted a little girl who couldn’t have been over 7 years old in her school uniform. you noticed the two armed men around her and you were smart enough to know not to ask any questions. you weren’t blind, you knew the city was full of people somehow connected to the cartel, and you weren’t trying to get yourself killed.

for a second you both stared at each other with a look of uncertainty, until you smiled at her and handed her over the pack.

“gracias, señora”, the smile on her sweet face managed to erase any disappointment you were feeling. her bodyguards spotted her as she had managed to briefly run away and were about to make their way to her, when suddenly they both violently collapsed on the ground.

the ringing in your ears made it difficult for you to figure what was going on, but the pool of blood that was beginning form around them made you realize they’d been shot. the people who just killed them were most likely after the girl and you understood you would for sure end up as collateral damage if you did not act now. that’s when your fight or flight instinct finally kicked in. you grabbed the girl’s shaking hand and made a run for it through the backdoor. you weren’t really thinking it through, but you were praying you’d find a way to escape.

you two ended up making a run for it and going to a nearby store, where the owner let you hide. Luckily he knew who the girl was and he was able to call for help

at first you didn’t know who “help” was, until a bunch of SUV’s pulled up and started to retaliate against the initial shooters

you didn’t remember much of what happened after the bullets started flying for a second time, but you’d always remember the moment that you first laid your eyes on the man in black. you could distinctly recall the aura of confidence his presence exuded. he looked like someone you wouldn’t want to fuck with

you soon learned the little girl’s name was Lucia, and she was the daughter of one of Amado’s close friends who had passed away and left her with him. he was taking care of her and treating her like a little sister more than a daughter

a friendship began to form between the two of you and soon, you became the bestest of friends. his chill, laid back personality worked well with your chatty energetic one

your friendship basically consisted of the two of you bickering like an old married couple

lots of roasting, this man has NO pity lksdnfjr, but it's okay because you’re able to dish it back

teasingly calling him “old man” to annoy him and him saying you’re responsible for all his grey hairs

you telling him that’s a lie because Lucia’s responsible for half of them

now can you imagine you and her teaming up against him. you definitely play a few pranks on him

him getting back at the two of you when you least expect it. because in case you didn’t notice, that seems to be his m.o. 🐸 ☕️

but most importantly, you’re each other’s person. you’re both able to talk to each other about everything and anything without feeling judged

he’s a great listener and always asks if you’re looking for advice or if you just want to rant

he is protective!!! and I mean actually protective, not controlling or overbearing

i’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, he respects you enough to understand that you’re capable of making your own choices. so if anything is bothering you, he will offer his help, and if you decline it he trusts you enough to be able to handle it alone

now if you ask him for his help...👀 you won’t be disappointed. someone has been inappropriate with you in any way and won’t back off even after you told them to? oop now they’re suddenly dead. natural causes or accidentally of course😌

omg he totally takes you on trips with him sometimes to keep him company

maybe even introduces you to Pacho when you’re in Mexico

Pacho being able to see that you two are into each other

ok honestly I think Amado would know you’re into him before you two would get together

like this man is super attentive to details, he might be silent but that’s because he’s busy observing

and the feelings are mutual, but he doesn’t let you know that until you confess

i have a feeling Amado would literally tease you into confessing, cause he can be such a little shit sometimes

he’d do the most to make you blush

and eventually he would break you and you’d just be like “I LIKE YOU OKAY?”

jnfedcnsd this asshole would be like “yeah, I know” while having the biggest shit eating grin on his face

you’d stare at him silently for a minute because you didn’t know what you wanted to do more, kill him or kiss him

your anger would’ve won if he hadn’t decided to wrap an arm around your waist while gently tilting your chin up with the other

i mean how could anyone resist those eyes

definitely asks if he can kiss you first, but he has a feeling he already knows the answer

you just press your lips against him instead of a verbal answer

i can imagine the two of you getting lost in the moment, finally completely belonging to each other after dreaming about it for so long

then an exasperated little voice would interrupt you, “finally”

Lucia is prolly your biggest shipper don’t even get me started

[nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice]

Ok modern zuko would be an expert at breakdancing and sokka would be the guy who just bi-panicks whenever he does

(whoops, my hand slipped and I accidentally wrote a modern au headcanon turned zukka karate au one-shot) 

Okay but consider this instead: Zuko doesn’t know how to dance for shit and has horrible rhythm, but he is a GOD at martial arts. He’s been doing some type of style since he was a kid and is a full black belt by the time he hits high school. Martial arts was always something he excelled at, but it was also something that made him feel more secure. It was something he could work on to help him protect himself from his home life, even if it wasn’t enough most times. He specifically excels in weapons forms (I’m thinking twin sais) and you DO NOT want to spar with him. Because he may be skinny and shorter, but he’s quick and can hit hard at just the right spots. 

When he was younger he was obsessed mainly because he felt that belt rankings and trophies from competitions were a way to prove himself to his dad, but when he moved in with Iroh (who encouraged him to keep it up and was so proud of how talented and passionate he was about it), he basically used it in place of talking about his feelings. He didn’t talk about his home life or the shit Ozai did, instead, he put all his energy into his black belt levels, learning new weapons forms, and eventually into teaching new students as a junior instructor. 

At school, he’s awkward and asocial and just doesn’t have the energy for people. Zuko has little patience for asshole classmates who ask intrusive questions about his scar or spread rumors about where he got it. He eats lunch in his English classroom and would be a complete shut-in if Iroh didn’t get him to work part-time at the Jasmine Dragon. But in the dojo, he’s focused and is able to direct his energy into improving his forms and teaching younger teens. 

One of his newer students transferred from a different dojo after moving from a different state. He’s actually a freshman at Zuko’s high school but it’s not as if Zuko really interacted that much with him. This kid, Aang, is as talented and dedicated as he is, but has a long way to go to learn all the new katas. Zuko’s been dubbed the ‘scary’ trainer at the dojo. He’s the serious one who will yell if someone is goofing off and everyone’s seen that he has no problem using full force in a demonstration (little kids love him and he’s super nice to them, but he teaches the 12-15 age range). Plus there’s that scar, which doesn’t make him the most initially welcoming person. But this new kid Aang just latches onto Zuko immediately. He says hi to Zuko in the halls at school and works on his katas outside of regular practice times. At first Zuko thinks this sickeningly positive kid is annoying as crap, but warms up to him. He likes that Aang cares about martial arts and isn’t nice as a show, he’s just genuinely nice. 

And maybe he sees Aang hanging around school with a sophomore girl and her brother who just might be in Zuko’s calc class and English class. 

And maybe Zuko thinks this guy is insanely attractive and somehow incredibly funny even though most of his humor consists of the worst puns imaginable. 

But obviously, Zuko hasn’t attempted to ever actually talk to this guy. The most that he could classify as ‘talking’ to the cute, funny guy on the robotics club is the one day in English class when he had to respond to someone’s dumbass comment about Macbeth with what ended up being a ten minute spoken essay about obvious motifs and symbolism. To which Mr. Puns and Ponytail was very obviously paying great attention to and even gave Zuko a smile and thumbs up for. 

Zuko knows it’s pointless to engage. After all, he’s a senior and he doesn’t have any friends anyway. There’s no point in making any this year. Crushing on this guy from the comfortable position of the other side of the room is totally good enough for him. Totally. This is fine. He’s fine.  

Besides, he’s got competitions and if he doesn’t secure the regional championships this year he’s never going to get the chance after he goes to college. And he’s got his kids to train. Aang in particular is gearing up for his first debut into this area’s tournament. 

The tournament’s in October and usually, Zuko focuses on his own matches and performances, but Aang really wanted him to watch his set. So on this day, he stands on the sides of Aang’s zone instead of obsessively going through his katas in a corner.He’s not going to be able to watch the whole set because it overlaps with his own weapons portion, but he stands on the side and gives Aang a reassuring look that, ‘don’t worry, you’ll do great, you’re a talented kid,’ when his student looks over to him nervously. 

And wouldn’t you know it? Aang brought some friends to come watch. And one of them is Mr. Zuko’s Big Gay Crush. 

“Oh, hey Zuko,” are the words that come out of this guy's mouth that give Zuko a near-stroke. And damn if this guy’s eyes aren’t blue and pretty and he usually wears his hair in a ponytail at school, but now he’s wearing it down and Zuko wishes he could take screenshots with his brain because holy moly. 

“Hey.” Is the best that Zuko can get out of his dumb mouth. “You’re Sokka.” 

“Aang invited us to come watch,” Sokka nudges his head to indicate the ‘us’ includes his younger sister, who Zuko doesn’t know the name of. “How do you guys not get heatstroke during these things? It’s like a million degrees in here.” 

“Oh the gi’s pretty cold, I mean, it’s got air and stuff.” 

Zuko decided right there that he would be completely fine with being struck by lightning. Of course, that’s what his stupid brain would come up with. Of course, that’d be the thing he’d say in front of one of the smartest guys in his class. 

They watch Aang perform his set for the judges. Zuko recognizes that Aang took his advice when he said that he wasn’t putting enough force into his hits. He’s never seen Aang be as, well, aggressive isn’t the right word, but he’s definitely putting more power into his form. Zuko wouldn’t admit it, though, but only part of his attention was for Aang at the moment. The other part was for Sokka, who was smiling bright and pumping his fists when Aang completed a row of kicks. 

The small part of Zuko’s brain that wasn’t being taken up by watching Aang or trying to act normal around his crush noticed the clock on the wall indicating that the weapons portion would be starting in five minutes.  

“I’ve got to go do a thing so I’ll just, um, go do that now.” 

“Are you competing too?” Sokka asked. 

To this question Zuko just holds up his sais and raises his eyebrow as if to say ‘it’s a tournament, what do you think?’ Because yeah, he knows Sokka’s super smart, he’s seen him churn out calc answers at the speed of light and noticed his name on the robotics club awards update on the school’s website, but he’d also seen Sokka eat 5 packs of fundip at once on a dare and unironically wear a ‘women want me, fish fear me’ t-shirt for most of junior year. Somehow he had managed to fall for the smartest dumbass on earth. 

“Oh yeah, right.” Sokka eyes the sais and then looks right at Zuko’s face, “Aang says you’re really good.” 

Zuko decides that thinking about Aang talking to Sokka about him was something he didn’t need distracting him during his set. That was something he could anxious about later. 

“Hopefully good enough for those five assholes,” Zuko replies, gesturing to the panel of judges in the weapons section of the gymnasium. To his shock, Sokka laughs. It’s a nice laugh, too. And Zuko really hoped he could blame the blush that was one-hundred-percent creeping up his face on the lack of AC. 

“You know, you’re pretty funny man,” Sokka tells him. Zuko has no clue how to take that compliment, but he really does need to go. 

“Right,” he grins nervously and shifts his left foot around to bounce away, “well I have to go do my thing.” 

“Good luck!” 

That’s where Zuko thinks the beginning and end of his interaction with Sokka would be. 

The weapons portion thankfully goes by age. And since Zuko’s one of the youngest competitions, he gets to go first for his sai katas. This is what literal years of training have prepared him for. At regionals last year, the second advanced kata got him placed high enough to qualify for states. This is what he’s good at. He tells himself that a thousand times before starting his set. 

There’s not a thought in his head as Zuko goes through the form. The sais glide through his fingertips with every jab, block, and hook. The imaginary opponent doesn’t stand a chance. He’s cool and competent and graceful. It’s therapeutic in a sense. There’s enough adrenaline to make Zuko feel like he’s worth something, but more importantly, he knows he’s nailing this. Whatever the judges say about it, he knows that he’s perfected this form after practicing it at least a thousand times over three years. 

The judges agree with him. He’s the first competitor of the weapons portion but there isn’t really a doubt in their minds about who’s going to place. 

Zuko zones back in to the gym after bowing to the panel. He walks off, feeling lighter and letting a satisfactory smile take over his face. 

He expects the hug from Uncle and the proud smile from Sensei Piandao, but what he doesn’t expect is to see Sokka, eyes wide as globes, staring at him from the other side of the mat. 

Because what Zuko doesn’t know is that the second he turned his wrists in his first form during his hooks, Sokka’s brain went into Full Bi Panic Mode. 

And Zuko thinks the one conversation where he couldn’t talk like a human and wanted to die for most of it would be the only time Sokka would decide to willingly talk to him. Zuko is dead wrong. Sokka, in fact, has decided that this, this is the guy his Disaster Bi Brain has decided to latch onto. Sokka’s brain and all his squishy feelings have apparently decided to attach to this aloof kid with the scar who reserved his voice for eloquent, impassioned speeches about dramas and was apparently an actual god with weapons. Sokka decides that Zuko could roundhouse kick him in the side and he’d thank him. And right now Zuko’s looking at him with a dumbfounded expression, prompting Sokka to remember how to function so he can go over to congratulate Zuko and maybe ask if his dojo provides a free trial. 

So yeah, that one conversation ends up decisively not being the end of anything. 

[alkaysani-archived]

You had an assigned seat next to them at a wedding for a mutual friend. + andromaquynh

oooh thank you for the patience on this kayla! this also has some joenicky in it, i hope you don’t mind!! you can also find it on ao3 here

the setup

“Nicolò, I am so happy for you.” And Quynh was, to the point that she couldn’t stop grinning that her face hurt so much. And her lovely Nicolò smiles at her, and leans into her arms, pressing close and she squeezes him tight, burying her face into his shoulder. “The ceremony was so beautiful! I can’t wait for the reception—” she starts, and Nicolò pulls away then with a smile, then a slight grimace.

 “I’m sorry again for the mix-up. I know I said you’d be with my Nona, but then my aunt showed up, with my uncle, and—” Nicolò rushes out, and Quynh just snorts and squeezes him.

 “It’s one table over, and it’s going to give me a chance to get to know Yusuf’s friends,” she says, just as said man wiggles his way in between the both of them, an arm on each of their shoulders.

 “Oh you’re going to love them, Quynh. They’re almost as terrifying as you,” Yusuf tells her, with a small kiss on her forehead that makes her feel warm. He glances at Nicolò and finds her best friend staring at his newly minted husband with the softest look in his light eyes, a small, crooked smile on his face.

A look of utter adoration. She couldn’t be happier for him. Quynh puffs up her chest and tugs down her suit jacket with a proud smirk at being called terrifying, nodding.

 “Maybe I’ll meet my match,” she says with a grin, making a soft noise when her ring catches on her shirt, missing the sly wink Yusuf gives his husband, before looking down at her hands, and reaching over to help. “Here, don’t tug,” Yusuf says softly, and Quynh drops her other hand to let the man do his thing. In the four years she’s known Yusuf, she’s learned the two most important things that she can learn about the man:

 One, he loves Nicolò with everything that he has, and has loved him since they started competing for study space at the library in their last year of college, that more than once have ended with Quynh making her way to campus to pull them apart. It reminded her of all the times she’d have to pull Nicolò by the back of the shirt when they were so much younger, away from any fight that he was willing to get into. Except that time, he didn’t end up dating them, or eventually marry them.

 And two, Yusuf makes everything he touches, better. That included his art, his writing, the people that he helps through his voluntary outreach, Nicolò’s life as a whole, especially his relationship with his family, Quynh’s appreciation for her job as the lead art curator at the university museum, and now delicate chiffon shirt, that her ring is most definitely stuck on. How did she even manage that? Yusuf takes his time, making sure not to tug and ruin her shirt, and Quynh waits, impatiently, because that’s who she is, and Nicolò moves to wrap an arm around her shoulders, squeezing.

 “Keep still, Quynh.” “No. I can just pull it, and if the shirt is ruined, take it off.” She definitely can. Quynh has a cropped, black tank underneath that’d still look great with her dark red suit.

 Nicolò makes a soft noise the same time as Yusuf lets out a soft “Yes,” and puts up the ring, smiling at her then. Her shirt looks completely unharmed. “No need to for a wardrobe change, though I still think you’d kill it,” he says, giving her the ring, that she slips through her finger with practiced ease.

 “Yusuf, do not encourage her.”

 “She’s not gonna be with Nona anymore, beloved,” Yusuf says with a wave of a hand. “I’m sure her new table companions would appreciate it,” he says, and Quynh squints at him then. What did he mean by that?

 “Either way, Quynh looks lovely. And her shirt is fine, so there’s no need to change,” he says, taking her hand then and pulling her along. “Come on, we need to get to the venue now. I’m sure they’re all waiting for us.”

 ***

 Quynh gets to the table at the reception hall first.

 The rest aren’t there yet. According to Yusuf, they couldn’t make it to the ceremony, and are looking to celebrate thoroughly when they all get there.

 “Have you met them before?” Quynh asked Nicolò softly, just before he left her, and Nicolò just gave her a smile, and a nod.

 “Remember those few years after college when Yusuf was away? When he was still volunteering overseas?” he asked, and Quynh nodded, remembering the two years after their graduation that Yusuf had left. “These are the friends he made from that. So, I’ve only ever met them when I was on video calls with Yusuf, and then when they’re on with Yusuf now. They’re still doing the same thing, even after Yusuf came home.”

 Came home to Nicolò, to build a life with him. When Yusuf had first left, Quynh had been angry, because how dare did Yusuf leave Nicolò to do this? To do good work, yes, but she was home to see how sad Nicolò had been, even though he himself was doing his own good work back home. He had missed Yusuf something terrible, and was never angry at the man. “He misses me just as much, for we love each other just the same,” Nicolò would always say to her when she’d get too upset. Still, it didn’t stop her from reaching out to Yusuf once or twice, asking him to consider coming home. And all he ever said was that he was working on it. And he did, and now he keeps his voluntary outreach at most, at a national level.

 “They’re good people then,” Quynh said, after a beat, and Nicolò smiles, nodding. “I think you’d get along with them, you know. You have something in common,” he replied, and Quynh blinks, tilting her head, just as they got to her seat. He smiled, and kissed her forehead.

 “They told him to come home to me, then helped him do it.”

 Yeah, that’s definitely going to be a plus on Quynh’s book.

 She’s fiddling with her ring and turned on her seat, conversing with one of Nicolò’s aunts when she hears the chairs on her table move behind her. Particularly, she feels the chair beside her move, and so she turns. And finds a tall woman pulling out the seat, in a sleek white suit, her dark hair stark against it. Quynh stares up at her and her breath hitches.

 Fuck, this woman is gorgeous.

 “Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” the woman says to her, and Quynh blinks, wondering if she had said her words aloud, her face heating up, a smile creeping across her lips.

 “Smooth, boss,” she hears, and she glances at a tall blond man looking at the woman with a shake of his head, slipping into his own seat with a snort, a black man sitting beside him, then, flashing Quynh a bright, gleaming smile.

 “Her name is Andromache, and she’s got no filter,” the man says, reaching over the table to shake her hand. “Lykon,” he says, nodding.

 “Quynh,” she says softly, taking his hand into a firm shake. The first man smiles at her then, taking off his sunglasses. “Booker,” he says simply, and Quynh gives him a soft nod, before turning back to the woman, standing up now.

 “Andromache?” she says, voice soft, and the woman smiles, tilting her head.

 “You can call me Andy,” she says, extending her hand to her, and Quynh smiles then, taking her hand, and shaking it.

 “Quynh,” she says softly, and smiles when Andy starts to seat, and she does the same, facing her completely now.

 “You’re Nicky’s best friend,” Andy says, and she feels her back straightening at the fact that she knows that. “Joe tells me you’re scary,” she says, and Quynh tilts her head before leaning over, raising an eyebrow.

 “Only when I have to be,” she says, and Andy smirks, then laughing.

 “Oh, I love a challenge.”

 Damn. Quynh joked about finding her match, but this definitely feels like she has. Andromache feels different, already. She commands the room, but more importantly, she tugs something in Quynh.

 Probably her loins.

 Andy smiles at her then and winks at her, and Quynh feels like she’s going to melt into a puddle.

 Most definitely her loins.

 “Ugh, I can’t believe Nile wins the bet,” Booker groans, after a moment and Quynh turns to her then, Lykon laughing and already taking out what looks like a 100 Euros. Quynh raises an eyebrow.

 “What bet?” “The bet that Andy was going to make a move on you the moment she saw you in person. Joe’s been hyping you up since we met!” Lykon exclaims, and Andy shakes her head then, rolling her eyes.

 “That’s why Nile’s taking over for me, because she’s smarter than the two of you combined,” she says, before looking back at Quynh. “Nile’s going to be here in an hour or so. She’s finishing a call with her mom and brother,” she says with a smile, and she sounds soft-hearted at the whole idea. Quynh feels like she’ll like this Nile too.

 However, that’s when it hits her what they had just revealed. This has been a setup. She then looks over to where Yusuf was, currently holding two of his nephews in his arms, dancing around with them, while Nicolò rocks their baby sister in his own arms gently, conversing with their mother, Yusuf’s cousin.

 “That little shit,” Quynh says with pure affection in her voice, and when she looks back at Andy, she’s grinning, extending her hand gently to her.

 “This was a setup!” she gasps, and Andy just smiles at her still.

 “You interested?” she asks, bluntly, and honestly? Quynh adores it.

 She takes Andy’s hand then and nods, squeezing it, letting herself be tugged forward, standing with her then.

 “I most definitely am,” she says, and Andy smiles, before nodding to Lykon and Booker, who both stand to flank them. Lykon snorts, putting up a fist for Booker to bump, Andy and Quynh looking at the two of them now.

 “The al Kaysani-di Genova setup, complete,” Lykon says, and Booker nods, as they bump fist.

 “One for the books.”

 Andy snorts, and shakes her head, but Quynh can see that she is fond, and happy as she turns back to her.

 “Good,” Andy says with a soft smile. “I can’t wait to get started, but first, introduce us to your best friend?” she says, grinning. “They’ve no idea we’re here yet,”she reveals, and Quynh grins, then she’s moving back to go the other direction. Lykon and Booker make a soft confused noise, but they still follow, and Andy looks at her then.

 “Where are we going?”

 “We’re just going to go around. Go from behind, scare the crap out of them,” she says, and they all cheer in glee at the idea, but all Quynh can see then is Andy’s beautiful smile as she throws her head back in laughter.

 “You’re something else, Quynh,” she says, and Quynh laughs when Andy starts to take off her heeled boots, just as Quynh’s start to take off hers.

 “Seems like you are too, Andromache,” Quynh says, smiling at how easy her name rolls off her tongue. She squeezes her hand, before letting go, taking her shoes and leaving it at the hallway, before re-entering the banquet hall through the other door, Andromache right behind her.

 “Booker, Lykon, flank,” Andy says.

 “Got it boss,” Quynh hears, and she sees Lykon and Booker moving forward, still hidden and honestly, she’s impressed.

 Quynh looks back at Andy then, and smiles.

“Our first mission together?” she says, and Andy smiles, iridescent and beautiful even in the low light.

 “The first of many, Quynh,” Andy says simply, nodding.

 “We’re just getting started.”

[eyayah-oya]

Return to Me

Clone Ship Week | Day 6 | Post-Battle - @cloneshipweek

Cody/Rex

Rating: G

Warnings: mentions of Point Rain, canon typical violence, disgustingly cute happy ending

Ao3 link

           Geonosis was just as awful as every vod had ever described. It was hot and dusty, of course, but Cody didn’t really care about any of that.  It was the number of brothers he’d lost on the way to Point Rain, the hundreds more killed by the bugs and their weaponry, on top of all the droids that seemed to come in never-ending waves.

           Cody and the rest of the 212th were going to join General Mundi and the 21st Nova Marine Corps on the other side of the planet while Rex and his men worked with Gree and the 41st under General Unduli.  They would be taking on the enormous droid factory the next day, and Cody would not be able to help any of them.  He would have his own mission to run.

           There were hundreds of vod’e all over the fortified base they’d managed to find and set up camp in.  Brothers from all four battalions mingled and shared increasingly exaggerated stories.  Cody had spotted Corporals Fives and Echo talking to some boys from the 21st, and he’d seen the medics fussing over the injured vod’e and generals.  But there was no sign of Cody’s cyare.

           “Lieutenant!” Cody called to 2nd Lieutenant Jesse of the 501st.

           Jesse snapped off a sharp salute.  “Sir!”

           “At ease, Lt.  Have you seen Rex around recently?” Cody asked.

           Thinking for a moment, Jesse slowly nodded.  “I think I saw him over by the remaining gunships, sir. He was talking to General Skywalker about half an hour ago.”

           Cody nodded and clapped the trooper on his shoulder. “Thanks.  Make sure you take some time to rest, Lt.  We’re in for a rough campaign.”

           “Of course, sir.  You do the same and see if you can get Rex to sleep, too.”

           As Cody walked away, he chuckled to himself.  Little brothers were getting uppity.  At the start of the war, there was no way any trooper, let alone one from a different battalion, would have talked to him so casually.  It was a testament to how well the men of the 501st were relaxing around their Jedi and learning how to be something besides soldiers.  It was nice.

           Cody prayed to whatever gods watched over clones bred for war that Rex hadn’t gone back up to the Resolute already.  He needed to see Rex and make sure his cyare was alright. Too many vod’e were walking wounded, and even more were severely injured or dead.  As much as he knew it was a real possibility, Cody did not want to ever consider a reality where Rex marched on ahead of him.

           “Hey, Commander!” Commander Tano chirped from out of nowhere.  She smiled up at him with bright eyes that hadn’t been weighed down by war yet.  She still had hope and Cody prayed that she would never lose that.  Yet another thing he prayed for to unknown gods.

           “Hello, Commander.”  Cody dodged a pair of vod’e carrying a crate full of supplies and glanced down at Commander Tano.  “Can I help you with something?”

           “Jesse said you’re looking for Rex?  I know where he is!  But we have to hurry before my Master pulls him away again.”

           If Commander Tano was willing to help him find Rex, Cody was definitely not going to say no.  Especially after the massacre they’d just faced.  “Thank you, Commander,” he said, warm affection warming his chest briefly. “I appreciate it.”

           Commander Tano waved away his thanks.  “It’s no problem.  I get it.  Master Skywalker practically ran to Master Kenobi’s side as soon as we got here, and I know Jesse went to go find a batchmate of his from the 41st. Sometimes, you just need to make sure everyone’s alive.”

           “That is very wise, Commander,” Cody said.  He really shouldn’t be surprised, but in his mind, the Commander was just so young.  She shouldn’t have insights into how war worked, and why they needed time to recuperate after a bad battle, if only to reassure themselves that their loved ones made it out alive or to mourn the ones that hadn’t.

           There were far too many mourning vod’e.

           “I have a great teacher,” Commander Tano said with a warm smile.  “Rex said you taught him a lot of what he knows and he’s been passing some of that down to me.  It’s helped me in some tough situations, so I should be thanking you, Commander.”

           “No thanks necessary, Commander,” Cody managed to say without choking or giving away his emotions.  Not that it probably mattered since Jedi were attuned to the people around them.  Only General Kenobi had ever thanked him for anything, and Cody was convinced that his General would thank Ventress after she stabbed him with her saber.  Karking di’kutla jetti.

           “Anyway, Rex is over in that tent, hopefully taking a nap. Coric was threatening him earlier with sedation, so he might have followed through on that threat.”

           And with that, Commander Tano skipped away, most likely to terrorize some poor shiny who wouldn’t know how to deal with an overly friendly shiny Jedi Commander. Cody privately wished he had a holo of their flailing.  It would provide some good laughs in the future.

           Cody strode over to the tent Commander Tano had pointed out, and knocked on the frame.

           “Come in,” Rex called and something inside of Cody’s chest loosened.

           He undid the fastenings and stepped inside, taking his bucket off immediately.  Rex was sitting on the cot, a datapad in his hands, likely going over the initial casualty reports for the battle.  Most importantly, he was very much alive.

           “Rex,” Cody gasped out with a strangled breath.

           Rex jerked at his voice and then a second later, Cody had his arms wrapped around his cyare, breathing him in as he held on as tight as he could.

           “Cody!  You’re okay!” Rex said.  He pulled back to give Cody a sharp look.  “You are okay, right?”

           “Yes, I am.  I didn’t end up getting injured.  That was purely my General,” Cody said, trying for some dry humor but it fell flat in the face of their combined relief.  “What about you?  I heard you got thrown off a wall?”

           “Karking Fives and Echo,” Rex growled.  “General Skywalker and Ahsoka caught me, so I wasn’t hurt.  Nothing beyond a few bumps and bruises.”

           Cody ran his eyes over Rex’s body, as though that would tell him if Rex was hiding any injuries with the armor in the way.  Once he verified that there wasn’t any gaping hole or crack in Rex’s armor, Cody dropped his helmet to the ground and pulled Rex into a bruising kiss.  His cyare responded eagerly, clinging desperately to the hard, sharp planes of Cody’s armor.  There was no finesse, no sweetness in the kiss.  Just pure, heady relief and a desperation to prove that they really survived.

           Rex gripped Cody’s hair tightly with one hand, the other wrapping around his waist to pull him as close as their armor would allow. He sucked on Cody’s bottom lip and gently nibbled before letting go and pressing his head against Cody’s in a soft keldabe.

           “I was so worried when we heard that most of your gunships went down, including General Kenobi’s.  You’re usually flying with him.”

           “We decided to split our forces.  It was a really close call a few times, but we made it.  We both made it,” Cody answered.  He was shaking from relief at having Rex in his arms, alive and unharmed.  Nothing would ever be able to beat that heady feeling of overwhelming gratitude to whatever gods were listening.  They’d listened to at least one of his prayers today.

           “Stay alive tomorrow,” Cody demanded after a moment of just breathing each other in.  “That factory is going to be really dangerous.”

           “I know.  Gree is a solid vod, though.  He’ll have my back and I’ll have his.  Plus, we have the Jedi to help keep us safe.”

           Cody very carefully didn’t think about the many times General Skywalker had gotten men killed by doing something reckless or stupid. The R2 droid was not important enough to sacrifice his padawan, Rex, and three other men to General Grievous.  Out of four, only Rex and Denal had made it back, and Commander Tano had nearly been killed by Grievous when she kept Grievous from killing Rex, all for a droid.  Cody was skeptical, but he also had faith in Commander Tano and General Unduli and her padawan.  They’d protect the men while Skywalker handled whatever crazy idea he had.

           “We will be safe,” Rex said, giving Cody a shake. “While you’re off with the Marines, you should talk to Bacara.  They’re out of contact with most of the GAR.  Only Neyo and Jet can get through the blockades to deliver supplies and intelligence to Nova.”

           A frown carved the worry lines on his face deeper as Cody absorbed that information.  “I’ll talk to him.  See what we can do,” Cody swore.

           Rex nodded.  “Good.  He’ll keep you alive.  Bacara already told me he’s planning on sharing all of my embarrassing ARC training stories to you while you’re on campaign together.”

           Cody grinned.  “I’ve been trying to pull those out of Neyo, Keeli, Thorn, and Thire for ages now.  And Bacara’s the one to spill the beans?”

           Rex grumbled and buried his face against the crook of Cody’s neck.  “He said I don’t have enough blackmail material on him to keep him from blabbing. He also said I don’t scare him because, and I quote, “I’m as terrifying as a sleepy baby nexu cub buried in a pile of nip”.”

           “That—is strangely accurate,” Cody choked out, laughing at Rex’s offended growl.  “You’re a little prickly, but everyone knows you’re just a softy.  I mean, you’ve been teaching Commander Tano what I taught you?”

           His cyare shrugged.  “She’s in the middle of a war, and she doesn’t have the training we do. I don’t want to see her die when I could have prevented it.  Nor do I want to see my vod’e die because she makes a bad decision.  I’m giving her all the tools she’ll need to be successful and survive this war.”

           “You’ve adopted her.”  Cody couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before.  Rex had always loved with all his heart, as evidenced by the numerous vod’e who loved him unconditionally.  Of course, Commander Tano would have made the list.  “If she’s yours, then she’s mine, too,” Cody said. “We’re in this together.”

           Rex finally peeked his head back out from where he’d hidden it against the small sliver of skin on Cody’s neck.  “Really?”

           Cody didn’t hesitate.  He nodded and bumped their foreheads together.  “I promise.”

           For the first time since their first kiss, Cody had the amazing opportunity to see Rex completely and totally flustered.  He blushed bright red, sputtering and coughing as he tried to find something to say.

           It took a few minutes for Rex to completely compose himself and then it was Cody’s turn to be flustered.  “Are you asking me to be your riduur?”

           “What?” Cody spluttered.

           For a second, Rex faltered.  But then he squared his jaw and firmed his spine as if he was facing the worst of odds in a battle.  “We are one when together.  We already do that, and have done that since we were cadets.  We are one when apart.  At this point, I don’t think there’s anything that could separate us, even when we’re fighting on opposite ends of the galaxy.  We share all.  We tell each other everything.  You said it yourself.  What’s mine is yours, too.  We will raise warriors.  We are raising Ahsoka together, since we share all.  Not to mention all of our men that we’ve both trained since this war started. If that doesn’t count, I don’t know what would.

           “So, are you asking me to be your riduur?”

           As Rex laid out each point, Cody found himself agreeing. He and Rex were already married, they just hadn’t said the vows to each other yet.  And honestly, there wasn’t a better time than now.  Cody would rather be married to the love of his life for a few hours, then never have married him and watched him die in battle.

           “Yes, Rex of Torrent.  I am asking you to be my riduur,” Cody said, determination in every cell of his body.

           Rex lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Cody, bringing their foreheads together.  “Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde,” Rex swore fervently, his whole heart bared for Cody to see.

           “Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde,” Cody echoed the vow, offering Rex his heart with every breath.

           They shared the same space for a moment, pressing into the keldabe more firmly before their lips brushed together.  Like a firework had been set off in his bones, Cody tugged Rex into a passionate, over-whelming kiss that stole their breath away.  He could feel his heart swelling with the amount of love he felt for Rex, bursting out from behind the dam he kept on his emotions most days.  It rolled over him until the only thing he could think of was that Rex was alive, in his arms, and that they were now married.  What more could Cody care for in that moment?

           Eventually, air became a necessity, and they broke away from each other to breathe.  Rex gave a soft chuckle.  “You do realize that means you’re going to have to adopt Ahsoka, too, right?”

           “YES!  I get two dads AND Cody has to call me by my name now!”

           “Shh, they can hear you, Soka.”

           “Oops!  Everyone scatter!”

           Cody laughed.  His heart couldn’t contain the joy he felt, and he would carry that joy throughout the war as a hopeful flame for when they could all have peace again. But in that moment, he had all night with his riduur, and Cody planned on making the most of it.

[heyitssmiller]

Frosted Windowpanes: Part One

The Christmas Fic is here! Featuring Logan the lumberjack, Leo who owns a diner, and Finn who was just trying to have a quiet, uneventful holiday (lol). This was supposed to be a oneshot, but y’all know I’m too long-winded for that, so it looks like we’ll be having at least one more part for this story!

@donttouchmycarrots Thank you so much for proofreading/encouraging/being such a wonderful, wonderful friend. I don’t think I’d still be writing without you and iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou 

@lumosinlove​ Again, thank you for such wonderful characters! And for creating such a wonderful, welcoming fandom! I never thought I’d post my writing where people could read it, but then I met y’all and here we are! You guys are amazing! Happy Holidays, everyone! <3

Part Two is now up!

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It's that time of year When the world falls in love Every song you hear seems to say

- The Christmas Waltz

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Piercing, bitter cold greeted Logan as he stepped outside for the first time that day. The kind of cold that made the entire body tense up and the breath hitch. It was a quiet early morning, with a stillness that only freshly-fallen snow could bring. Logan took a second to pull his toque further down over his head as he grabbed the chainsaw by the door before heading out to the truck, passing the sign with red, clean lettering that read Tremblay’s Christmas Trees.

“Took you long enough, sleeping beauty.” His sister, Noelle, teased from the driver’s seat of the beat-up truck that barely started most mornings.

“It’s too early for this.” He grumbled back, sliding into the passenger’s seat as the truck reluctantly spluttered to a start.

“The faster we get done out here, the faster we can go deal with customers.”

“That’s not exactly helping.”

Noelle laughed as she drove back into one of the fields, parking the truck at the far end. “Come on, it’s not that bad. They ask to buy a tree, you help them pick one out, take their money, and strap it to their car. Easy.”

They got out of the truck, grabbed the chainsaw from the back, and headed towards their first tagged tree. Logan grabbed the tree around its trunk to stabilize it while Noelle powered up the chainsaw, putting their conversation on hold. She crouched down to start cutting the base of the tree trunk, creating a notch before starting the back cut. Logan waited until the tree felt unstable before giving the tree a gentle push in the right direction and removing his hands. The tree hit the ground with a thud.

Noelle took that as her cue to continue their conversation. “Don’t pretend to be all grumpy and stoic. I know you like some of our regulars.”

“Some being the key word here.” He replied, grabbing the tree trunk again and beginning to drag it to the truck. Noelle just gave him a look that clearly said I see right through you but didn’t comment as she looked for the next tagged tree.

Logan heaved the Christmas tree into the bed of the truck and shoved it into one corner; he could probably fit one more tree alongside it before he started stacking them. He stood up straight, turning his head to watch the sun rise and peek over the tops of the trees, bringing rays of light and warmth with it.

Leo basked in the warmth coming from the oven as he took out a fresh batch of croissants, a welcome reprieve from the weather outside. He quickly put the next tray of pastries into the oven and transferred the baked croissants onto a plate, where he let them cool just a little before drizzling them with honey. He hummed along to the Christmas music playing on the radio as he worked on getting the diner ready to open in a few hours. He started the gumbo, red beans and rice, and jambalaya, letting them simmer on the stove before whipping up his fried chicken batter and breading so that it was ready whenever he needed it. Next was the cornbread, which was made from scratch and poured into muffin tins to create the perfect individual servings. Coffee was brewed, quiches were placed in the display window, waffle batter was whipped up and sitting in a bowl on the counter.

Leo was arranging croissants into a basket when the back door opened, letting all the cold air in and a small flurry of snow with it.

“Good morning!” Nate called as he came around the corner, shedding his coat and hat. Leo honestly wasn’t sure what he’d do without Nate. Running his own diner was hard – it was even harder when he’d moved to a different country, not knowing anyone there, and kept afloat with barely anything but his optimism and his confidence in his cooking. Nate was the first person he’d hired when business actually picked up, and he’d been there ever since. He had a real knack for cooking and managed to make every person that walked through their doors feel welcomed.

“Headed out to the farm?” Nate asked when he saw the basket of croissants and the large thermos Leo was filling with coffee.

“Yeah.” Leo said, grabbing coffee creamer and sugar and shoving them into his coat pocket after he slipped it on. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Nah, I can hold down the fort while you’re gone.”

Leo smiled as he grabbed his hat. “Thanks. There’s croissants in the oven, but they’ll be done as soon as that timer goes off! I’ll be right back, ok?”

Nate gave him a look. “No you won’t.”

“No, I won’t.” Leo agreed with a laugh. “But I’ll be back before morning rush.” He said as he braced himself and opened the door to be greeted by the frigid Canadian winter.

Even after a year and a half, he had a feeling he’d never get used to this weather.

He made a beeline for his car, quickly getting behind the wheel and cranking the heat as high as it would go. He put the car in drive and slowly pulled out onto the road, keeping a firm grip on the wheel and his eyes on the road. He knew he was probably causing a traffic build-up behind him, which made Leo feel a little guilty. He’d driven through hurricanes countless times, but snow? Black ice? He was absolutely terrified of that. So he took his time, eventually turning off the main road and driving until he reached a sign with red lettering and a Christmas tree lot. There were handmade wreaths and garlands, and white Christmas lights strung up over the rows of trees for sale.

Leo put the car in park and grabbed his stuff, breath hitching as he faced the cold winds again. Marius, the head of the Tremblay family, was at the checkout counter, writing something down on a pad of paper. Once he looked up and saw Leo, he smiled broadly. “Hey, Nut!”

“Good morning.” Leo replied, raising the basket and thermos in his hands. “I come bearing gifts. Coffee and croissants.”

“You know you don’t have to do that.” Marius said as he gave Leo a stern look. “I’m sure you’ve got other things to do.”

Leo shrugged, opening the basket and offering them to the man. “I like doing this. Y’all work hard and have ridiculously long hours. And you work in this weather. I feel like you could use a little warmth.”

“You and your southern manners.” He grabbed a croissant anyways, taking a big bite. “Your favorite’s still out there bringing some trees in.” He said, motioning to one of the groves to the left. Leo could faintly hear the sound of a chainsaw in the distance.

“I don’t have favorites,” Leo protested as he set the thermos and croissants down on the table, even though it was clearly a bald-faced lie. He thought of evergreen eyes and a gorgeous laugh and a smile that left him breathless. He blamed the redness of his cheeks and ears on the cold. “I like all of you equally.”

“Right.” Marius said, dragging out the vowel. He was smiling, though. “He’s lucky to have a friend like you, you know.”

Leo had to force his smile to remain steadfast. Friend. That was all this was ever going to be, no matter how much his heart yearned for something more. He needed to learn to be content with that – it wasn’t fair to Logan otherwise, or to himself for that matter. He could be a good friend and leave it at that. It was still better than not knowing him at all.

“I think I’m the lucky one.” He said, only then remembering the sugar and coffee creamers in his coat pocket. He fished them out and set them on the counter next to the thermos. “I do have to get going, though. I’ve got the breakfast rush to deal with.”

Marius waved him off playfully, grabbing another croissant. “Go on, then. I’ll try to save some for the rest of them.”

Leo laughed at his antics, breath clouding in the air. “I’m holding you to that.”

Marius watched him get in his car and drive off very slowly with a chuckle. Damn southerners. He looked down at the coffee creamers and sugar, knowing Logan was the only one in the family that used them, and started speculating.

He heard the rumbling of the truck as it came in, the back loaded to the brim with trees. Noelle and Logan’s bickering could be heard before the truck’s engine got turned off, which was saying something. Marius grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee. He was going to need it.

“I mean, come on. Back to the Future is clearly the superior 80s movie. It’s definitely better than Top Gun.”

Logan closed his door, staring at his sister with a combination of horror and disbelief. “How dare you. Those aren’t even in the same genre!”

Noelle looked over at Marius right as she was about to start her counterargument and spotted the pastries and coffee. She grinned and abandoned Logan at the back of the truck in order to beat him to the food. One croissant was immediately shoved into her mouth as she grabbed another and then reached for a coffee cup one-handed. Marius snorted and grabbed it from her, filling it with steaming coffee.

She groaned. “Lolo, your friend needs to stop by more often. Fuck, this is good. If I wasn’t in a committed relationship already, I’d ask him to marry me.”

“Please don’t call me that.” Logan said gruffly, but his words were betrayed by a smile. He looked down at the pastries, eyes soft and smile dopy.

Marius knew that look. More importantly, he knew his son. And everything fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

“Maybe Logan should ask, instead.” He teased, although a part of him was completely genuine.

Logan choked on his first bite of croissant.

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“Finn!” June shouted as soon as she flung the door open, throwing herself into his arms. Finn laughed and hugged her back. Two seconds into his visit and he knew this was going to be the best way to spend the week before Christmas. He hadn’t seen June since they graduated college and, even though they kept in touch, it wasn’t the same.

“Four years is way too long.” He said as she let go. “Let’s not go that long without seeing each other again, ok?”

“Deal.” She replied, grabbing his bag for him and leading the way inside. The apartment was warm and cozy and lived in – there were books on the coffee table and a large pile of mail on the counter and a few stray dishes in the sink.

Finn loved it.

Heather, June’s fiancée, smiled in greeting and stuck her hand out to shake. “You must be Finn.”

He had originally thought it might be a little bit awkward, meeting his ex-girlfriend’s fiancée, but Heather seemed kind and welcoming and unperturbed about the whole thing. He shook her hand and returned the smile. “Heather. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh god.” She laughed, shooting June a look. June just winked and leaned over to check whatever food was in the oven.

“All good things.” Finn promised, letting Heather lead him to the guest room. It was as happy and welcoming as the rest of the apartment. As soon as they were out of earshot, he continued, “I’m really happy for you guys. She’s happier than I've ever seen her.”

“So am I.” Heather said wistfully as Finn set his bag down. “Bathroom’s through that door if you need it.”

“Thanks.”

When he rejoined the group in the living room, he noticed something: a distinct lack of Christmas decorations. June used to love decorating her college dorm room for the holidays – she went all out with little things she bought at the Dollar Tree and a miniature Christmas tree from Walmart. They used to get the tree together every year. It was strange that she hadn’t continued the tradition.

“No tree?” He asked June, surprised. She shrugged and scooted over on the couch to make room for all three of them.

“Haven’t had the time. I’ve been so busy at work and Heather’s been traveling for conferences. It’s not the same when you have to decorate by yourself.”

Finn hummed understandingly. He knew the feeling. “Why don’t we go get one now? Do you think some places are still open this late?”

Heather and June looked at each other, seeming to have a telepathic conversation. Finn watched on in amusement as they communicated with raised eyebrows and narrowed eyes and shrugs until they apparently made up their minds.

“Tremblay’s is probably still open. They’ve got the best trees, anyways.” June explained, turning to look at Finn. “But I’ve got to stay here and make sure our dinner doesn’t burn.”

“And I’ve got to stay here and supervise June while she uses the oven.” Heather added. Finn laughed, remembering too many times June had burned herself while using the rickety old oven from the 1970s that still lived on in their dorm building.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Finn teased and ruffled June’s hair. She just rolled her eyes and didn’t even bother trying to smooth it out again. Ruffling hair was one of Finn’s main ways of showing affection – she knew it would just get messed up again. Finn fished his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his navigation app. “I can go get the tree, if you want. You said the place was called Tremblay’s?”

“Finn, you really don’t have to-”

“No, I want to!” He cut in, standing up from the couch to grab his coat. “I didn’t bring presents for you guys because I’m so bad at gift-giving, so this can be my Christmas present.”

Heather hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t mind?” She asked, glancing at June again. “We can always go out and get a tree tomorrow.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be back soon, and with a tree!” Finn said as he reached the door, turned to give a cheery salute, and headed out to his car.

After a frankly terrifying drive through narrow back roads and potential ice hazards, Finn followed his app to a little tree farm off of the main road. There weren’t many cars there, thankfully, and it still looked open. The rows of white lights hanging above the trees were all lit and glowing, snow was falling at a slow, sleepy pace. It looked perfect, like something out of a dream.

And that was before Finn saw him.

The man working the front counter.

Finn raked his gaze over the man and swooned. Wavy brown hair, bright eyes, shoulders and arms so broad and built that it seemed like they were about to rip the plaid shirt he was wearing. With a nametag that stated Logan, he seemed like a rugged, Canadian, lumberjack dreamboat. Finn swallowed, making his way to the counter and the absolute vision behind it while he focused on not tripping over his own two feet.

“Hi,” Finn managed, trying not to get lost in evergreen eyes. “I’d like to buy a tree, please.”

“What type of tree would you like?”

Oh, the accent.

Finn was screwed.

“Uh…” Finn trailed off, looking at Logan and struggling to find words. “A Christmas tree?”

“Spruce, pine, or fir?” When Finn’s expression turned more confused, Logan smiled in exasperated, awed delight. Who drove all this way for a tree and had no clue what they were looking for? Most people at least had some idea. But not this one, apparently. Those big, Bambi eyes were lost and absolutely adorable.

“Do you have a size you’re looking for?” Logan asked, receiving a more perplexed look.

This was too funny. “Do you know anything about what kind of tree you want?”

“A pretty one? But not too expensive. Or too tall. Or heavy – I’ve got to get it up a huge flight of stairs.”

Logan couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer. He leaned forwards against the counter and laughed, eyes squeezing shut and shoulders shaking. Finn watched with a smile of his own, taking in the way his eyes crinkled at the corners and the contagious nature of his laugh. He felt like this – this right here – was the only thing he wanted to do for the next several hours, especially if he was the reason for the laughter. He thought of that song he could never remember the name of but heard a lot on Tiktok that said, “oh no, I think I’m catching feelings” and never related to a song more in his entire life.

“Ok,” Logan said when he’d finally caught his breath. “Ok, I’m going to pick one out for you, how’s that sound…?”

“Finn.” The redhead supplied with a laugh of his own. “And please. I have no clue what I’m doing.”

“Clearly.” Logan stepped around the counter and led him towards a group of trees. “These are Douglas Firs. They last a long time, smell great, and they don’t take a lot of trimming or maintenance. They’re also pretty cheap since they’re so common.”

Finn looked from the trees to another group of trees a little ways off. “They all look the same.”

“Who’s the expert here?” Logan teased, shooting him a look over his shoulder as he walked from one tree to the next. Finn trailed after him eagerly, watching calloused, muscular hands trail along the needles of the trees.

“We can go look at the Fraser Firs, if you want, but I really think one of these is your best bet.” Logan continued, stopping in front of a mid-sized tree. “How about this one?”

Finn looked at it, then back at Logan. “What do you think? Since I clearly don’t know anything about trees.” That drew another smile from Logan, which made Finn vow to himself to make the brunet smile like that again.

Logan dragged the tree out from the rest of the group and looked it over. “I think it’s a good one. Good shape, healthy. I sure know how to pick ‘em, eh?”

Eh. How adorably Canadian.

“Sounds good. It’s not even for me, so my input doesn’t really matter a whole lot.”

Logan sent him a confused look. “So you went out at nine o’clock at night to get a Christmas tree, and it’s not for you?”

“I don’t even live in this country.”

“What?”

“I’m visiting friends that live here, and they’ve been traveling or too busy to decorate like they normally do, so I decided I’d get the ball rolling and find them a Christmas tree.” Finn shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Not only was he stunning, he was thoughtful to boot.

Logan clearly had a type.

“That’s nice of you.” He removed the tree from its stand and started lugging it to the counter, watching the redhead trail behind him yet again out of the corner of his eye. When he reached his destination, he set the tree down and found Finn staring at him with a look of awe on his face. He bit back a smile. “How long are you staying?”

Finn was silent for a second, as if in a trance, then snapped out of it with a little shake of his head. “Huh?”

That smile he was holding back broke through. “How long are you staying in town?”

“Oh. Just for the week, then I’m off to spend Christmas with my family back home in New York.”

“A New Yorker, huh?” Logan asked as he bagged the tree up, attempting to do the accent and making Finn laugh. “This must be quite the change of pace for you.”

“You have no idea.”

Finn’s stomach growled, making his eyes widen and his cheeks burn in embarrassment. It must’ve been loud enough for Logan to hear because he turned back around to face Finn and quirked an eyebrow. “Hungry?” He asked, then told Finn the price of the tree. Finn handed his card over.

“Yeah. Haven’t had dinner yet.”

“I, uh, I know a place.” Logan said, playing with Finn’s credit card before meeting his eyes and quickly adding, “If you’re interested. I haven’t had dinner either.”

Finn grinned, not even trying to hide his excitement. The only thing he’d wanted when he left June and Heather’s apartment was a tree. Now he had a potential date with this gorgeous, witty guy? Yes please. “Yeah?”

Logan shared his smile, leaning forward against the counter and looking up at him through dark, dark eyelashes. Finn’s heart fluttered. “Yeah. Sounds fun to me.”

“Great.” Finn said, unsure of what else to say and suddenly feeling a little awkward. Was he supposed to wait for him to finish his shift? Were they driving together? Where was this restaurant?

He needed to text June.

Shit. She had been making dinner when he left. But he’d already agreed to dinner with Logan. But it would be so rude to not spend time with his hosts. But he would regret it for the rest of his life if he didn’t go on this date.

He pulled out his phone as Logan ran his card through the system to text June.

To June: Sooooo there might be a change of plans. Some hot guy is my acting tour guide for the night and I won’t be making it home for dinner. But I promise I have a tree and I will be back eventually.

It only took June a few seconds to respond.

From June: Damn. You go, Finn.

He laughed under his breath, then pocketed his phone. When he looked up, Logan was looking at him and holding his card out. Finn grabbed it and shoved it into his wallet, which he pocketed. “Ready to go?” Logan asked, grabbing the trunk of the tree and preparing to drag it again. “I can drive, if you want. We’ll strap the tree to the top of your car and then head out.”

“Works for me. Do you need help with that?” Finn motioned to the tree. Not that he minded the view – quite the contrary – but he felt bad not doing anything.

“Want to grab the netting towards the top? We can carry it instead of dragging it.”

Finn grabbed the netting and followed Logan’s lead as they both lifted the tree and started carrying it out to Finn’s car, Finn giving directions as they went. Getting the tree to the top of the rental car was a struggle, but they managed and strapped it down.

They hurried to Logan’s car and shut out the cold as quickly as they could. Logan started the rickety old pickup truck that smelled strongly of Christmas trees and took off down the road at a much faster pace than Finn would ever dare to drive these roads.

“I have a feeling you’re going to love this place.” Logan said as he turned right onto the main road, accelerating a bit more. “Pretty much everyone does. It’s not very Canadian, but you can’t beat the food.”

“What defines a restaurant as Canadian?” Finn mused, looking over at the driver. “Maple syrup? Poutine?”

“Watch it.” There was no heat in Logan’s voice, so Finn didn’t take it to heart. They slowed down and pulled into a parking lot of a diner simply called Leo’s. The outside looked a little rundown, which made Finn a little apprehensive, but the windows were all fogged up from the temperature difference between inside and outside, which was always promising.

Logan turned the car off and shot Finn an excited grin. “Ready?”

Finn couldn’t tell if he was excited for dinner with him or just the food. Hopefully it was both.

The inside of the diner was… eclectic. The walls were a faint yellow, but there were splashes of deep purple, green, and gold in the decorations on the walls. Mardis Gras, Finn realized as he spotted some masks hanging on the wall. The food smelled amazing – warm and spicy and savory. Behind the baked goods on display counter stood a young kid with a cleaning spray and a rag, wiping down the counters. He looked up at the bell that signaled the door opening and instantly recognized Logan. He sent them a smile before turning his head and shouting towards the direction of the kitchen, “Leo!”

There was a loud clang, followed by a muffled curse. “Be there in a jiffy!”

Finn looked to Logan in confusion. “Was that a southern accent? Like American south?”

“Leo.” Was all Logan said, a happy smile on his face.

“You guys can go ahead and sit down,” The kid at the counter said. “I’ll bring some menus.”

“Thanks, Nate.” Logan led the way towards a booth in the front corner of the dining area and sat down facing the door. Finn sat opposite him, accepting a menu with thanks. The menu consisted of southern U.S. staples – biscuits and gravy, grits, red beans and rice, fried chicken, etouffee, jambalaya, po’boys, fried catfish, cornbread, the list went on.

“So is this guy from Louisiana?”

Logan wasn’t even looking at the menu, he was watching every nuance of Finn’s expressions as he took everything in. “New Orleans, born and raised.”

“How the hell did he end up here?”

“He had an uncle who owned this place and left it to Leo when he died. Originally he was just going to fix it up and sell it before going back home, but two months led to a year and he’s still here. Doesn’t seem to be planning on going anywhere else for a while, either.” Logan suddenly perked up, looking at something over Finn’s shoulder. “Here he comes.”

Finn swiveled in his seat and stopped dead in his tracks.

Tall.

They were both greeted by a dimpled smile as Leo approached their table, flour or powdered sugar – Finn wasn’t sure which one – all over his apron and a dusting of it in his fluffy blond hair.

“Hey, Logan. See you’ve brought company!” His accent dragged sweet and slow like molasses, so very out of place this far north. But it was refreshing, like a breath of fresh air or the sun coming out from behind the clouds after a week of rain. As he got closer, Finn realized what he’d thought to be flour in his hair was actually a gray streak. And wow, were his eyes blue.

How was everyone here so attractive?

“Finn, meet Leo. Leo, this is Finn.” Logan said, smile never leaving his face as he looked between the two. “He’s new here.”

Leo arched an eyebrow. “And you brought him here?”

“You do have the best pie in town.”

That got another sunny smile from Leo. “Damn right I do. But dinner first. Can’t go on spoilin’ your dinner with pie.” Those blue eyes turned to Finn, causing his breath to hitch just a little. “What’ll you have, sugar?”

Finn simply wasn’t going to survive this night. Was this a dream? That would explain all the attractive guys – the probabilities of something like this happening in real life were slim to none. He pinched his arm harshly. Not a dream.

What the fuck?

Finn realized he still hadn’t answered and was just staring at the blond. He cleared his throat and quickly averted his gaze to the menu, not really reading anything but grateful for something else to look at besides the two guys in front of him. “Um… what would you recommend?” He finally asked, grateful that he could get his vocal cords to actually work.

Leo hummed, thinking about it. “Personally I really like the muffuletta, if you’re looking for a sandwich. Definitely the gumbo if you’re in the mood for soup. I do make a mean fried catfish, too.”

Finn wasn’t sure what exactly a muffuletta was, but he ordered it. Logan got his usual, whatever that meant. Leo wrote down their orders and gave them one last smile before retreating to the kitchen. They both watched him go, then Finn whipped back around to face Logan.

“Is he real?”

Logan just laughed, leaning back in his seat. Finn panicked for half a second, terrified that what he’d said was the worst possible thought to voice on what was potentially a first date. But Logan didn’t seem to mind. He just looked back at the kitchen with a soft smile Finn hadn’t seen before.

“You know, I ask myself that a lot.” He said quietly, as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. And Finn finally understood.

He was in love with Leo.

The sound of a record scratching filled Finn’s head.

Wait.

That didn’t make any sense… because Finn was ninety-five percent sure that Logan had been flirting with him all night.

Hadn’t he?

They made small talk while they waited for their food, and Logan was pleasantly surprised at how… easy it was. He normally didn’t like small talk and didn’t share personal stories with strangers, but here Finn was, pulling stories out of him that he normally wouldn’t share on a first date.

Was this a date? Logan couldn’t decide if he wanted it to be one or not. One hand, this was definitely the most fun he’d had in weeks. On the other hand, Leo. He sent a glance towards the kitchen window before focusing back on Finn’s story about one of the parties he and June went to back in college. There was lots of alcohol, mattresses, and a roof involved. Finn’s storytelling included a myriad of different expressions, all of which Logan found endearing. The wrinkle of his nose when he talked about drunk frat boy antics, the way he got all soft whenever he talked about June, the laughter lines around his eyes when he told a funny anecdote.

How was it possible to be so cute and yet so hot at the same time?

And how had he met two guys who fit into both of those categories?

Nate brought their food out while Logan was in the middle of a story about the time he’d found a squirrel in one of their trees and got attacked when he tried to relocate the thing when Nate came back with the food. Finn had the muffuletta, which was apparently meat and cheese and some sort of olive spread or something – Finn had no idea, but it looked and smelled amazing. Logan had a bowl of red beans and rice in front of him, but he was waiting to see Finn’s reaction to the food before starting his own.

Finn took a bite of the sandwich, then his eyes widened almost comically. “Oh my god.”

“I know.” Logan said, getting a spoonful of red beans and rice.

“Where has this been all my life?”

“Just wait until you try the pie.”

Finn didn’t speak again, he just ate. The food clearly took precedence over any possible conversations. Logan couldn’t help but agree. Finn ate like a man who hadn’t seen food in a week, finishing the sandwich in record time. He leaned back in his seat when he was done, letting out a happy, content sigh. “Holy shit. Is everything on the menu that good?”

“Pretty much.”

“And he hasn’t been on the Food Network yet?”

Logan grinned. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“We should tell them to get up here and try this food.”

“Y’all, I don’t have time for the Food Network.” Finn jumped a little as Leo reappeared with two slices of pie. “I appreciate it, though. You liked it, huh?”

Finn looked up at him. “I kind of want to come back every day I’m here.” And he meant it. He wouldn’t be coming back just for the food, though.

“Well, I definitely won’t stop you.” Leo said with a dimpled smile. Finn barely held in a dreamy sigh.

Dimples.

“Why don’t you join us?” Finn asked, scooting over to make room for the blond. But Leo just shook his head with a rueful smile.

“I wish I could, but I’ve got twelve pies that need to be made.”

“Twelve?” Finn asked in mild horror. “When do you sleep?”

“The chocolate crème pies are in high demand, especially around the holidays. But it’s fine, I don’t mind it. I’m just glad I've got business.” Leo seemed to be ignoring the sleep question, which was never a good sign.

“You look tired.” Logan noted, face muddled with concern.

Leo laughed softly, but didn’t seem to take offense. “Thanks a lot, darlin’.”

Logan broke eye contact and pushed the residual whipped cream around on his plate. Finn hadn’t even realized he’d started eating, but he quickly followed suit and fuck, was that good.

“I just meant you need to take care of yourself, that’s all.” Logan mumbled into his plate without looking up, almost as if he was afraid to see the cook’s response.

“Says the guy who works even longer hours than I do.” Leo teased, causing Logan to roll his eyes.

“That’s because it’s almost Christmas and I work at a Christmas tree farm. It’s only temporary. We’ll be back to normal by the end of the week.”

“Well, good. You deserve to sleep in for once.” Leo said, taking a step back towards the kitchen. “But I really do have to go. Those pies won’t make themselves.”

“Do you want help?” Finn asked hopefully, He honestly couldn’t think of a better way to spend the night than baking with these two. Being given instructions in a thick southern drawl, helping Logan make pie filling, trading stories (and maybe kisses) while they waited for the pies to be done.

But Leo quickly dashed his dreams. “That’s sweet, honey, but I think I’ll be faster on my own. I’ve got a system that makes it pretty efficient. And I don’t give out my recipes to just anyone, you know.”

Oh, but I’d love to be someone to you.

Logan also looked disappointed. “We should get going, then. Don’t want to keep distracting you.”

“At least you’re a welcome distraction.” Leo said with a wink before he turned and disappeared into the kitchen. He let the door close behind him before backing up to lean against it, tilting his head back to rest against the wood and closing his eyes. The happy façade dropped in an instant.

Because Logan was out there, on a date with a guy. A handsome, kind, funny guy who would have absolutely no trouble sweeping Logan off his feet.

And that guy wasn’t Leo.

.

Finn flopped dramatically onto the couch back at June’s apartment, muffling a scream into a poor, unsuspecting pillow. June looked up from her book with a laugh. “Well hello to you, too.”

“I’m in love.”

“Oh?” Heather asked from her spot cuddled up next to June.

Finn turned his head sideways to open one eye and look at the two of them. “With a lumberjack and a cook.”

“Ah,” June said knowingly as she dog-eared the page she was on and closed the book. “Beware the lumberjacks. They’re known to be irresistible. Alright then, which Tremblay was it?”

Finn cocked his head. “What?”

Heather smiled as June tilted her head back and let her run her fingers through dark brown curls. They were so cute it was almost sickening. “There’s four of them: three sisters and a brother. Which one did you fall for?”

Finn couldn’t have held back the smile that crossed his face even if he tried. “Logan.”

June groaned. “I get it. Holy shit, those eyes.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t know he cooked, though.”

“No, the cook was another guy.” Finn sighed as he twisted to lay on his back and stare wistfully up at the ceiling. “Leo.”

“The southern one with the diner?”

“That’s the one.”

“Damn, O’Hara. You do know-”

“They’re head-over-heels in love with each other? Yeah, I got that.” Finn stretched his legs out to rest on June’s lap. “But I’m also pretty sure that was a date. And that Logan was flirting with me.” He sighed again, covering his eyes with his arm. “I’m doomed.”

“Always so dramatic.” June teased. “Just date both of them.”

Finn froze, his mind going completely blank. “What?”

“Date both of them.” She repeated, unfazed. “Polyamorous relationships are a thing, you know. Who says you can’t date both of them?”

Finn moved his arm away from his face to stare at her. “Huh.” He finally said, mind kicking back into gear. That sounded… perfect, actually. Only a few hitches. Did Leo even like him? They’d barely talked to each other. Finn could see Logan being ok with the whole dating two people thing, seeing that he was flirting with both of them, but what would Leo think? And the other hitch. “I’m only for a week, though.”

“Then you’d better act fast, lover boy.”

“I’ve got a question.” Heather piped up.

Finn looked at her and raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to ask her question.

“Where’s the tree?”

He could probably see it from their front window if he bothered to stand up, still strapped to his rental car. “Shit.”

[robininthelabyrinth]

Hi! If you're doing promts, how about one where gender expectations where inversed: the laws of heritage still follow the male line, but the social expectation is that the sect is under the wife control, and with a strong expectation that there must be a wife - single heirs whose parent die are pushed very strongly for mariage.

“The elders have started talking,” Nie Mingjue said as Lan Xichen poured tea for him. His hands were folded in front of him, fingers tight and knuckles white even though he was in the safety of the Cloud Recesses – Lan Xichen wasn’t sure he’d seen him at anything less than tense since his father was murdered.

It was a good reason to be tense.

“What about?” he asked, since his uncle seemed to already understand and was nodding gravely.

“My marriage,” Nie Mingjue explained. He didn’t drink the tea, which was rude but, again, understandable. “You know my father ruled as sect leader after the death of my mother, and Nie Huaisang’s as well – the wife rules the home, everyone knows that. But all my father’s wives died, and in the end they let him run the sect himself for a while so as to let us grow up untroubled.”

“Unusual, but not unheard of,” Lan Qiren interjected. “I understand he had finally resigned himself to searching for another wife now that you were old enough.”

“He was. And now I’m bereaved of a father, and my heir is my brother – I have the three years of mourning for a father’s death, but then I’ll need to get married.”

Lan Xichen had always thought it was a bit of a strange rule: the idea of growing up in a sect, learning all about it, and then having to hand over control to some stranger from another place, seemed truly absurd. But it had been established as a measure of safety, to prevent war, and it had mostly done it – no one wanted to risk a fight with someone who might in the next generation rule their sect for them – so he supposed his ancestors knew what they were on about.

“Okay,” he said, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of it. Nie Mingjue was only three years older than he was, and while fifteen had once seemed ages away, he knew he wouldn’t be ready for marriage in so short a time. At least Nie Mingjue had three more years before he had to actually do it. “Congratulations?”

Lan Qiren lifted his eyes to the ceiling while Nie Mingjue snorted in pained amusement. “The elders want to set up the engagement now, even if the marriage won’t be finalized until then. And I’m not marrying one of Wen Ruohan’s sons!”

“Certainly not,” Lan Qiren agreed. “It would be inappropriate, given your questions about your father’s death.”

It wasn’t questions, it was outright accusations, but the Lan sect had to keep their neutrality.

Lan Xichen looked between the two of them, the discomfort growing stronger as he realized that Nie Mingjue had come all this way to try to find – to find an alternative. Wen Xu was married already to some distant branch cousin (no one approved, but Wen Ruohan didn’t care), but Wen Chao was the only one who was Lan Xichen’s age, and other than Jiang Yanli, who was already engaged herself, he couldn’t think of any other options that were old enough. 

But…while he liked Nie Mingjue very much, they were good friends, Lan Xichen definitely didn’t want to marry him.

Nie Mingjue must have noticed his expression because he shook his head. “You’re the heir,” he reminded Lan Xichen. “You have to stay here to prepare your sect for your wife.”

“Right,” Lan Xichen said, relief flooding him. And then he realized – “Wait. You mean –”

“Wangji is too young to marry now,” Lan Qiren said simply. “But not in three years.”

“I want to ask him first,” Nie Mingjue said before Lan Xichen could say any more. “If he doesn’t agree, I’ll think of something else. But the Lan sect’s support would be very useful right now, so I had to try.”

Lan Xichen thought of the stars in his brother’s eyes every time he looked at Nie Mingjue whenever he came to visit, that old crush of his from childhood not having fully faded away.

“I think,” he said dryly, “that we’ll be able to work something out.”

-

“You’ll need to marry, of course,” Nie Mingjue said, releasing Lan Xichen from his embrace.

Lan Xichen was still clinging onto Lan Wangji, unbelievably happy in retrospect that his brother had married out before the Wen sect had attacked – he didn’t want to think about what stubborn Lan Wangji would have done, whether he would have insisted on staying and fighting…what they might have done to him.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Marriage,” Nie Mingjue said. “The word we’ve gotten from Gusu is that your father is in a coma, not dead, but the doctors don’t see much hope, and that means you’ll be sect leader next. With the Lan sect weakened by the Wen attack, it is critical for you to establish an alliance with another sect to help bolster you.”

“In addition to the support you will have from us,” Lan Wangji added, and Nie Mingjue nodded in agreement. They were a good match, it turned out – Lan Wangji’s steadiness was a good balance to Nie Mingjue’s hot temper, they were both highly principled and zealous in their pursuit of justice and righteousness, and it turned out that they were both…passionate.

Very passionate.

Lan Xichen hadn’t needed to know that about his brother.

“Right,” he said, and exhaled. He hadn’t even had time to rest, but there wasn’t time to rest – not with the Wen sect acting the way it was. “So not Nie Huaisang, then.”

He’d toyed with the idea a little – Nie Huaisang had at least something of the right sort of views. The values of the Lan sect were careful contemplation and kindness, and if Nie Huaisang was lacking in the former then he was rich in the latter; someone more martially inclined than him would be miserable in the Cloud Recesses. Besides, that way, Lan Xichen’s children would be cousins to the Nie sect twice over.

But his brother and best friend were right: what he needed now was an alliance.

More than that: he needed to signal to the world that the Lan sect would not be trampled underneath the Wen sect – that it would continue, that it would persist in pursuing its values without hesitation, that it wouldn’t discard its ancestral ways all in favor of something more aggressive.

Marrying a Nie, however mild-tempered, would be the wrong gesture.

“I have an idea, actually,” Nie Huaiang interjected. “Not quite as good as me, of course, but possibly more to your taste.”

Lan Xichen was already running through names in his head, but no one was coming to mind – he would need to do as Nie Mingjue did and ally with a Great Sect rather than a small one, the circumstances required it, but…“Who?”

“The young mistress of the Jiang sect, Jiang Yanli,” Nie Huaisang said promptly.

“But she’s…” Lan Xichen’s voice trailed off.

“Exactly,” Nie Huaisang said, and smiled. “Her engagement was called off, and that means she’s free.”

“She’d be a good fit for you,” Nie Mingjue agreed. “I’ve met her a few times at the Discussion Conferences in Yunmeng: she’s kind and caring, thoughtful, but also insistent when she needs to be.”

“Would the Jiang sect agree? Madame Yu had always intended for her to marry into Lanling Jin, and she was most displeased when the engagement was broken –”

“She gave her husband authority to negotiate in her place, and he used it,” Lan Wangji pointed out. Do not gossip about other people’s families, he meant, and Lan Xichen nodded in acknowledgment of the well-placed chastisement. “She sees the situation as well as we: Qishan Wen against the world, Qinghe Nie against Qishan Wen, and Lanling Jin trying to play both sides...it is not a good look for them. I do not think she will refuse your suit at this time.”

Jiang Yanli, Lan Xichen thought, rolling the thought around in his mouth to savor it. She wasn’t the most beautiful, but he never cared much about that. No, more importantly, she was kind and caring, with a sweet sense of humor – and an excellent cook. All things that would fit very well in at the Cloud Recesses.

“All right,” he said. “How do we do it, given the circumstances?”

“I’ll go to Yunmeng myself,” Nie Mingjue volunteered, and glanced over to Lan Wangji for approval – Lan Wangji nodded. “I would need to anyway, to discuss the state of politics. I’ll bring your suit with me, and if Madame Yu approves, she - and the Jiang sect - will be committed to helping you regain your home.”

“Wouldn’t do to send a bride to a place without one,” Nie Huaisang chimed in, and Lan Wangji nodded again, this time to Lan Xichen.

“Okay,” Lan Xichen said, and smiled. “Let’s ask.”

-

“Honestly, I think it’ll work out very well,” Lan Xichen told Nie Mingjue, who was pacing again. “Everyone supports it - no one wants the tension between the Jin sect and Nie sect to continue.”

Jiang Yanli chuckled. She was sitting next to him – he had his arm tucked around her shoulders, which they both liked – and she leaned her head against his shoulders. “A-Chen, I think he’s more concerned about his brother’s happiness.”

“Of course he is,” Lan Xichen said. “I was just saying. And anyway, it’ll work out well in that way, too – there’s nothing Nie Huaisang likes more than spending money, and, as the heir to the Jin sect, Jin Zixuan has plenty of that.”

That even got Nie Mingjue to laugh.

“He does like that, I’ll grant you,” he said, settling down next to Lan Wangji. “And underneath his façade of uselessness, he’s actually quite bright – in a contest of scheming wits, I would bet on him over every single one of those treacherous dogs in Lanling.”

“Probably better than me,” Jiang Yanli agreed, looking a bit rueful at the thought of her past engagement. “I would have let them step all over me if I thought it meant we could have some peace.”

Peace was something the Cloud Recesses – now in the process of rebuilding – had in no short supply, and Lan Xichen was pleased that he could offer his beautiful wife exactly what she most desired.

Well, except for the matter of ensuring the safety of Wei Wuxian after he had established himself as Yiling Patriarch, but Nie Mingjue and Lan Wangji’s unexpected offer to have him join their sect as a concubine – an offer that Wei Wuxian had been, reportedly, thrilled to receive – had taken care of that lingering concern.

“Now there’s only A-Cheng left,” she added. “I’m amazed he didn’t get engaged ages ago.”

“Yunmeng Jiang was hurt too badly,” Lan Wangji said, and Nie Mingjue nodded.

“Who would have married him then? The Jiang sect needed to preserve its independence long enough to show that it could even properly host a wife,” he agreed. “It wasn’t like the Cloud Recesses, where the sect was intact, if scattered – he had to rebuild it almost entirely.”

“But who can he marry?” Lan Xichen asked. “If he doesn’t marry one of the Great Sects, he’s at a disadvantage to the rest of us.”

“And there are no children left,” Jiang Yanli said, frowning a little.

“That’s not quite true,” Nie Mingjue said, and shared a glance with Lan Wangji. “We sent him a suggestion a little while ago – a way for him to build ties with the Nie and Jin sects.”

“Nie and Jin?”

“I had a deputy by the name of Meng Yao,” he said. “Now going by Jin Guangyao.”

Lan Xichen brightened. “A-Yao? What a wonderful idea! Do you think he’ll agree?”

“I think Meng Yao would love to be in charge of a sect,” Nie Mingjue said dryly. “He doesn’t have the training for it, of course, since he wasn’t raised inside the sect, but that’s something that can be remedied with a small expansion of the household.”

“Having a concubine must suit you very well, da-ge,” Lan Xichen teased. “Since you’re already recommending it to the rest of us.”

“Not us,” Jiang Yanli said primly, and he pressed a kiss to her cheek in confirmation. “Who were you thinking?”

“Wen Qionglin – one of Dafan Wen, the branch that defected during the war,” Lan Wangji said. “Wei Ying said he helped rescue Jiang Wanyin from the Lotus Pier, so they have a connection already.”

“He has the training, but he’s toothless,” Nie Mingjue opined. “Meng Yao won’t feel threatened by him, and Jiang Wanyin…could probably stand to have two calm people by his side.”

“He could,” Jiang Yanli agreed, a little ruefully.

“It would be good for A-Yao, too,” Lan Xichen said. “I sometimes find he’s a bit better at mimicking gentleness than actually recognizing it, and having someone sweet by his side would make him feel needed…doesn’t Wen Qionglin have an older sister, though? What about her?”

“After marrying Wen Xu, she deserves to have a wife, not be one,” Nie Mingjue opined. “She’s courting a very nice girl from the Jin sect – what’s her name again?”

“Luo Qingyang,” Lan Wangji said, and he looked unusually smug about it. “Also called Mianmian.”

Wait, that Mianmian? The one Lan Wangji had been so irrationally annoyed at for flirting with Wei Wuxian all those years ago?

So much was explained.

“That’ll be good,” he said instead of commenting. “That way we’ll all be one family. Won’t that be wonderful?”

“Until the family reunions, anyway,” Nie Mingjue grumbled.

“Don’t you mean Discussion Conferences?” Jiang Yanli said, lips twitching.

“Oh no…”

[bibliophilea]

Just a Flesh Wound - Ch. 2

Sorry for the wait on this chapter! I’m not sure when I’ll get to the next chapter, but I do intend to phinish this phic!

For @littlebadger.

ao3 | ffn

1 >2< 3 4 5 6

Danny's not doing so well.

It took Tucker, Sam, and Danny four hours to catch those cat-snake-ghost things — tassel-whatsits, he'll have to ask Sam what they're called later — and everything would have been fine if Valerie hadn't butted in, screaming about vengeance and death and whatnot.

Now, three hours later, Danny still hasn't managed to shake Valerie off his tail, and Tucker knows he must be tiring. None of them have gotten a break in seven hours, and it'll only take one slip up before Danny's got a hole in him they can't patch up, or Valerie takes him to her secret lair to do who knows what, or turns him over to Vlad, or—

Don't think about that.

"Remind me again why I can't just shoot at her, Tucker?" Sam growls. She's got Danny and Valerie in her scope, but her finger is very pointedly not on the trigger of the ecto-bazooka.

Tucker lists off his fingers. "One, because you might hit Danny. You're good, but not that good. Two, because you might hit Valerie, and Danny wouldn't like that. Three, because you'll blow our cover, which could blow his secret identity, and who knows how she'll react to that. Four, because—"

Sam sighs in frustration. "Alright, alright, I get it, Tuck."

"Hey, you asked." He raises an eyebrow.

"I know. It's just—" she growls. "I hate that we can't do anything! We can't even direct him to safety because she keeps getting in the way! She's going to hurt him if we can't get her off his tail or distract her or something!"

Sam throws her hands in the air, then flinches as one of Valerie's shots goes wide, hitting the parking garage across the street behind them. Dust kicks up from the impact, and it rumbles ominously. She's lucky that building's condemned, Tucker thinks, and the road workers are on break — otherwise she might hurt someone when it collapses—

Wait.

"Or something," Tucker mutters, before grabbing his binoculars and searching the sky for Danny and Valerie. He catches sight of them as Valerie shoots again, this one barely missing Danny and hitting the condemned parking garage again. It kicks up dust and debris, clouding his vision before Danny darts away again.

"What did you say, Tuck?" Sam asks.

"Or something! I've got an or something!" Tucker exclaims, dropping the binoculars so they hang from his neck. He fiddles with the Fenton phone in his ear, switching it from listen to talk and listen.

"Danny, we need to collapse the building."

"What?!" Two different voices ring out — Sam's beside him, and Danny's in his ear.

"Dudes, just trust me! We collapse the building, kick up a ton of dust you can hide in—"

"Then you can transform and stay invisible while we point Valerie away from you — Tucker, you're a genius!" Sam declares.

"But guys there's — there's people in there and — ah! Shit! — we can't just—"

"Dude, chill. It's the parking garage on the corner. The building's condemned. Just fly low so Valerie shoots at the base. We'll help take it down!" Tucker turns to Sam. "You ready to use that bazooka?"

Sam's grin is feral. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Danny doesn't speak, but he dives down to street level, goading Valerie into following him behind the condemned building with a stuck out tongue. Tucker runs along the street, Sam close behind, taking a good look at the condemned parking garage for the first time. There are no glass windows save for the four corners that hold the stairs and elevators. Most of those windows are gone, now — destroyed by ghosts or by ghost hunters or by kids looking to throw rocks at something that would break without consequence. It doesn't matter now — the building itself is half collapsed, huge chunks of concrete taken out of it as if from an explosion, leaving the broken steel rods within bare. What remains could collapse at any moment, and no one save the dead dares tread there.

He's glad the building is half-collapsed already — it makes finding the main supports keeping the rest of it up that much easier. He's so glad he took that engineering class.

"See that pillar over there?" Tucker asks, pointing into the collapsed side of the parking garage. "Take that one out first."

"On it," Sam says, readying the ecto-bazooka. With careful aim, she fires. The green-tinted ammo sails through the air, exploding against the pillar with a blast louder than a firework. The parking garage rumbles, and some of the lower floors cave inwards. As the greenish smoke clears, they see that half the concrete on the support is gone, the support itself bent inwards.

Sam's grin widens, and Tucker feels himself grinning with her. After hours of fruitless brainstorming, they can finally help Danny escape Valerie's rage!

Together, they destroy more supports, Tucker guesstimating which ones would help the building cave inwards, Sam expertly taking them out one by one. Tucker hears Danny's taunts and Valerie's screams of rage in his ears, and the sounds of impact and rumbles of the parking garage when Valerie's shots hit the building. Dust begins to fill the air. And the parking garage slowly, surely, begins to topple inwards.

Tucker has never seen a building collapse before. Not in person. He expected the dust and the noise, but he never expected there to be so much of it. He turns away as the dust comes billowing towards them — rips the Fenton phone from his ear as it emits a burst of feedback from the collapsing building and curls over himself — feels Sam yank him behind a concrete barrier and they huddle together, unable to see anything beyond the dust or hear anything beyond their less than controlled demolition—

"—can't hide forever, ghost!"

Tucker doesn't know how long it's been —two minutes? Five? Ten? — when he hears Valerie's voice over the buzzing in his ears. That's not good. Valerie should be gone by now. Danny can disappear and fly as a human, but not for long, especially after seven hours of non-stop fighting. He stands up from behind the concrete barrier, and sees Sam do the same out of the corner of his eye.

"He went that way!" Sam shouts and points.

"Inviso-Bill stole my PDA!" Tucker shouts.

Valerie pauses in the air, turning to look at them. "What?"

"Ph— Inviso-Bill stole Tucker's PDA!" Sam shouts.

"He went that way!" Tucker shouts and points.

Valerie shakes her head, growling in frustration, and points at Sam. "You. Uh, citizen. Just tell me where he went."

Sam nods, covering Tucker's mouth. Tucker resists the urge to lick her hand. "He went that way." She points down the street. "Towards the beach."

Tucker pulls Sam's hand away from his mouth.

"And he stole my PDA! My poor Jessica!" He throws his face into his hands, lamenting the loss of his PDA. He remembers when Technus stole and took over his poor PDA, and he sniffles a little. Every good lie has a kernel of truth, he's learned. And it's more important than ever that he sells this lie.

"Ugh, whatever, Fo— uh, citizen, who I definitely don't know. Um. Thanks for the tip." And then Valerie flies away, down the street at first, but steadily rising until she clears the rooftops. She then changes her bearing, disappearing behind the library.

"Man, I thought she'd never leave."

Tucker and Sam jump. They look down to see Danny sitting between them, slumped against the concrete barrier. He looks wiped. His eyes are closed, head lolling against the barrier. One leg is bent, foot resting against the curb. The other is outstretched, slightly elevated onto the sidewalk. His hair, skin, and clothes are stained gray with dust — if it weren't for the sweat beading down his face, Tucker would say he looks like a ghost. Not an Amity Park ghost — rather, a ghost from one of the movies. Quiet. Unmoving. Dead.

Then Danny opens his eyes. Piercing blue reflects the sky above, before turning to Tucker and Sam. He smiles lightly, and then raises his arms. "Help me up?"

Tucker and Sam grab his arms, heaving him up to a standing position. He sways for a moment — then the leg that was outstretched buckles, and he leans hard into Tucker with a grunt.

"Woah, dude, take it easy," Tucker says, adjusting himself so he can take on Danny's weight.

"I'm fine, Tuck. It's just—" he hisses as he gingerly places his foot on the ground, leaning further into Tucker. "Just a flesh wound."

Tucker sighs. "I know, man. But we still gotta check it out." He takes a careful step with Danny onto the sidewalk. "Sam, any luck getting a ride?"

Sam nods, typing into her phone. "I'm texting Mahira — she might ask questions, but more importantly, she won't tell mom and dad."

"Cool." Tucker's about to say something else when a soft snore snuffs against his ear. He looks down to see Danny, leaning his full weight against Tucker, eyes closed and nose snoring in his ear. Tucker smirks softly, rolling his eyes, then adjusts the way he's holding Danny, scooping his friend up bridal style. Danny would never let him carry him like this were he awake. Asleep as he is, he snuggles into Tucker's sweater, pressing his cheek to Tucker's chest. Tucker's smirk softens into a smile.

When did Danny get so light?

He walks slowly, taking his time, letting Sam walk ahead of him as he stares down at his best friend. He's still covered in dust, his hair matted with it. Bruises have begun to form on his arms and face, and are peeking out from beneath his shirt. Between the tassel-whatsits and Valerie, today has done a number on him; and it's barely noon. Despite this, his face is more peaceful than Tucker's seen in a long time. Free of tension around his eyes, free of the constant frown that normally burdens his face. Danny deserves this, Tucker thinks.

Click!

Tucker looks up to see Sam holding up her camera, a smirk on her face.

"Hey!" Tucker shouts, but then stops himself when Danny stirs.

"Shush, you," Sam sings out, turning back around. "You don't want to wake him up!"

"No fair!" Tucker whines, only just loud enough for Sam to hear. Sam chuckles and smiles back at Tucker, then runs ahead to the corner where the SUV is waiting. That must be Mahira.

Tucker picks up the pace, but only just, careful not to wake Danny. He lets Sam answer Mahira's questions; he figures Sam'll fill him in on her excuses later.

He looks down again at Danny, and can't help the small smile as Danny snores against him.

Sleep well, buddy.