#i'm mildly overwhelmed in a good way and I love that people are actually interested in the boys too

[fidgetspringer-art]

I just saw your oc art and it is SO SO GOOD i was wondering if you write anything about them or if you have any other form of media??? i would love to learn about them

Thank you so much!!

I do write about them a lot, but I very rarely actually post any of it, cause i'm not that skilled of a writer :') I do have one work with Noah in it up on Ao3 Here. And if i ever post any of my other writing it'll go on that account!

They also each have their own bio posts in the archives on this account, Noah's Here and Martin's Here. Aside from that I mostly rant about them in the tags hahah!

But also I love talking about them, so if anyone wants to know more, just send me an ask on here and i'll happily ramble about them, and I might do a sketch to go with it!

You can have an ancient Outlaws AU sketch I never did anything with :] <3

[marley-manson]

Honestly I think the scene in Paradise Found where Xena hallucinates herself snapping Gabrielle's wrist is one of my favourite moments of the show.

Like first of all the aesthetics and vibes of like 4/5ths of this episode (let's not speak of those painfully bad fiveish minutes) are immaculate, and that scene is beautiful, in an incredible and effective contrast to the horrific action on screen and Xena's deteriorating mental state.

But mostly I just love the unabashedly, disturbingly dark depiction of Xena. The sequence is framed as what Xena wants in that moment. "I'll show you what I want," is what she says. She wants to lash out, she wants to cause pain. There's the whole magical aura causing her dark side to like, gain strength of course. This isn't her average day-to-day state of mind, certainly not with Gabrielle. But the episode begins with Gabrielle pointing out that Xena enjoyed her latest fight, and wondering what's more important to her - the good she's fighting for, or the fight itself? And like, the whole point of this episode is to depict Xena's "dark" sadistic side as the most significant part of her, the core of her being, essentially. It's extra heightened here, but it's still ever-present elsewhere.

There is a significant part of Xena, a dominant part, even a driving part, that wants to hurt people. She harnesses that part of her to do good, but the show is sometimes wonderfully stark in its depiction of her darkness, and what it could lead her to do without Gabrielle's, and her own, tempering judgement.

Like, it's such a harsh little scene. It's sudden and intense and scary. And it's just so fucking gratifying to watch a show with a female protagonist who's allowed to be genuinely frightening, without even needing to change. Where the moral of the story is that yes, part of you is frightening, and potentially dangerous to those around you, but that part is still important.

The part of her deep, deep down that wants to hurt Gabrielle when Gabrielle mildly annoys her is necessary. One assumes that without a magical influence drawing it out, it would be a fleeting, easily dismissed wisp of a thought, rather than an overwhelming, hallucinatory urge. A moment of dumb, irrational emotion channeled into a later battle for good, or a workout, or hell, sex, maybe. But the seed is there, and the show revels in it, sans moral judgement. I mean, even in this very episode Xena's darkness is what saves the day. The show tells us that this is what makes Xena a hero. Her sadism doesn't need to be conquered, it needs to be harnessed and thrust in the right direction. And even more than that, it's something we're meant to enjoy about Xena, part of the core of what makes the show entertaining.

And it's great when it comes out in lighter scenes too, like a cupid's-arrow-influenced Xena sparring with Draco and full on backhanding him as foreplay, or telling Ares she likes the look of him impaled on her sword, or just when she grins as she improvises an entertaining way of fighting 10 mooks; and it's great when it comes out in dark but still action-oriented scenes, like her command of the Athenians in The Price, or her assault on the village in Ties That Bind, or even the Gab-drag.

But when that sadism comes out in a genuinely shocking, grotesque scene of disturbing, abusive, petty violence edited like a moment from a horror movie... well there's something a little extra delightful about that, to me lol. Even if it didn't actually happen, that image of Xena is so powerfully illustrative and interesting and, as far as I'm aware, virtually unique to female heroes in the way the urge behind it is still ultimately framed positively, and I adore it to pieces.

[bloodcoveredgf]

do you have any tips for someone getting into horror who can't handle gore well/is there any way to get used to fake gore? i tried watching midsommar and even though i kept reminding myself it was all fake i had to turn it off after the cliff scene, and it just sucks because i feel i'm missing out on so many great movies.

hi!! omg i understand that because believe it or not i actually used to feel similarly and would struggle to enjoy movies with intense gore / especially on certain days / moods and occasionally still will but its mainly due to the fact i have autism and have days where i have high empathy that causes me to be upset/overwhelmed/overstimulated really easily by gore and people having intense negative painful experiences in general so its a little different but!! i feel like after awhile of watching sooo many movies and working my way up by watching mildly gory films and camp horror that had gore but it was on the sillier side like the first three evil dead films for instance i started to Really Really love and appreciate gory horror and it became easier to handle and also appreciate!! i started seeking out really gory films and grew an appreciate and love for them too :) i also have a big interest in practical effects and sfx and love to think about how people achieved and worked on those gory parts of any horror im watching and even watch behind the scenes of that which makes it really awesome and exciting to see it. also still yucky and disgusting and horrific at times but i also started to realize that i like that horror makes me uncomfortable sometimes and being uncomfortable and disgusted is a big part of what horror is supposed to and Trying to make you feel so thats where my appreciation and love for it grows!! :] i think its okay to have boundaries and to feel like something is too much and i want people to prioritize their well being but also sometimes being uncomfortable and grossed out and disturbed is why life is so beautiful and exciting!! its good to not be comfortable 24/7 in my opinion but thats also just like... how i live my life personally.. not saying thats how you gotta but things like that helped me! but also you can search out films with not a ton of gore or no gore at all which isnt super duper hard actually and i could recommend some if youd like i actually did on my blog recently!! also if it helps you can go on doesthedogdie.com before watching a movie and it will usually tell you how severe the gore is + if theres specific things that take place in the movie like 'does a head get smashed?' or 'does someone burn alive?' etc etc etc and itll tell you yes or no! it also lists a bunch of other content warnings too and that could help maybe to not only know what youre getting into but to be more prepared to see it or even skip past certain bits where it is, sometimes people will even list timestamps so you can look out for those!!

[twunny20fission]

Books of 2023

Here are the books I read in 2023, with some thoughts on each

"Westside Lights" by WM Akers. A very good book, and a bittersweet ending to a trilogy I loved.

"Mighty Nein Origins: Fjord Stone" by Burke, Wyatt, Critical Role. A somewhat hollow, but fine entry in the series. Non-fans would get nothing from it, I imagine.

"Mighty Nein Origins: Nott the Brave" by Maggs, Critical Role. One of the best, if not the best, in the series. Pretty and well-constructed.

"The Light Fantastic" by Terry Pratchett. Loving all the Discworld books. This had strengths and weaknesses...not disappointing, but didn't blow me away compared to what I now know is ahead.

"Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins, Vol 3" by Mercer, Houser. Honestly, I don't really remember what happened in this book. The show and the books and the other show all seems to politely ignore each other. It can be maddening.

"Sandman Book 4" by Neil Gaiman. This one seemed to wander until it didn't. A satisfying entry in the story. Not the highest highs of Sandman, but still exemplary.

"The Adventure Zone: 11th Hour" by Clint, Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy and Carey Pietsch. Not my favorite arc, and adapting it must have been a beast. It was mostly successful. Art is always outstanding, the writing was...I'll say C+/B-?

"Cruel Shoes" by Steve Martin. I love Steve Martin's writing. His plays, novellas, and his book "Born Standing Up" are among the best things I've ever read. "Pure Drivel" is another thing I've read, somewhere middling. But Cruel Shoes (published when Steve Martin was a world famous comedian and entertainer, and therefore probably didn't have A. much free time and B. many people telling him 'no') - to put it mildly - sucks.

"Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever" by Nick de Semlyen. I wanted it to go deeper on certain things. But in retrospect, I think it did a great job at what it set out to do. Solid book, and a great thing to check out for those interested in Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray... and to a disappointing degree, John Candy and Rick Moranis.

"Ghost Light Dark Ghost" by R K Johnson. My dad wrote a book! Actually, this is the second one he's had published. It has...issues with the editing. He's one of the smartest people I've ever met, and has written and communicated thousands of pieces over the course of the last 40+ years...but he needed an editor. Some of the typos or fragments are just jarring. Still, I'm very proud. And it's a great story with outstanding characters.

"The Night Marchers & Other Oceanian Stories" by McDonald, et al. I kickstarted a thing that tells folk tales as anthologies of graphic tales. They are middling at best. This was one of the better collections.

"Vision: The Complete Collection" by King, Walta, Bellaire. I'd wanted to read this for a while, and I was not disappointed. Vision (of the Avengers) creates a wife, son, daughter (and eventually dog.) Things go haywire. Things get dark. Things get thought-provoking. Very cool, and I liked it a lot.

"Straight Lady: The Life & Times of Margaret Dumont, the 'Fifth Marx Brother'" by Chris Enss & Howard Kazanjian. I really wanted this to be better. Once it got into her career, the overwhelming weight of the Marx Brothers broke the momentum of talking about anything else. It spent more ink on the movies they made without her than it did on the movies she made without them. There are other books about them. I love them. This book was supposed to be about HER.

"Tamamo the Fox Maiden and Other Asian Stories" by Various authors and artists. This was in the same series as the other "cautionary fables" books. It was fine. Pretty good, but rarely great.

"Equal Rites" by Terry Pratchett. It took a while to get going. There were a lot of things happening, but no stakes or real conflict until about 2/3 of the way through the book. Then everything was rushed. Still smart and funny, but it could have been better.

"Danger and Other Unknown Risks" by Ryan North and Erica Henderson. I will praise both these creators to the moon & back. This book was creative, fun, smart, weird, and exciting.

"The Secret Lives of Color" by Kassia St. Clair. A cool book of featurettes on color: pigments, ideas, histories, etc. Extremely cool. One of those books I think I'll enjoy going back to. It's whimsical, yet grounded in facts.

"The Book of General Ignorance" by John Lloyd. A book to accompany "QI." There is a strong possibility that some of these things have since been disproven (book published in 2006.) But it was fun.

"Mighty Nein Origins: Mollymauk Tealeaf" by Jody Houser, Taliesin Jaffe, and more. This is the best in the 'Mighty Nein' series BY FAR.

"This is How You Lose the Time War" by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone. It is considered standard practice to spoil as little of this book as possible when discussing it. This was a lovely, exciting, engaging, and beautiful book. No more to say right now.

"Nixie of the Mill-Pond & Other European Stories" by McDonald & Ashwin. This is the curse of the completist: even when you are no longer enjoying yourself, but press on. The sunk cost fallacy had be with this series. I kickstarted one, added-on the others, and by godorwhatever, I was going TO READ THEM. The writers didn't have to DO anything! The stories existed. Just tell them well. And almost every time, they BLEW IT.

"Camera Man: Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century" by Dana Stevens. Well-researched, well-written, and fun. Not a perfect book, but worthwhile.

"Stardust" by Neil Gaiman. Fun, smart, and a quick read. Don't think I'll ever need to revisit.

"The Woman in the Woods and Other North American Stories" by Various Creators. I had to finish. This one was probably the best? I would recommend none of them.

"Usagi Yojimbo Book 5: Lone Goat and Kid" by Stan Sakai. At one point early in the year I thought "I'm going to re-read some good-uns this year. Maybe over the summer." It didn't happen. Maybe next year. This is the only thing I read this year that I'd read previously. Usagi Yojimbo is extraordinary. This is not the best in the series, but it's still better than almost everything else out there.

"Mort" by Terry Pratchett. Not my favorite, but still great.

"Parasocial" by Alex de Campi & Erica Henderson. According to my self-reported ratings-at-the-time system, this was the highest-rated book of the year. I think that holds up to rating-now scrutiny. It is relentless, beautiful, important, and unlike anything else out there.

"Captain Carter: Woman Out of Time" by Mckelvie, Cresta, Milla, Arciniega. It was good. Could have been better. This is a comic that I think wanted to be a movie. I'd pay to see it.

"Illustrated Al" by "Weird" Al Yankovic, et al. I wanted it to be good. The fact is, most of the songs don't work as comics. It's fan art. Some of it is okay, most of it is mediocre, and one of them was truly great.

"Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, Vol. 1" by Kelly, Carnero, Lanzing, Erofeeva. It was clunky but entertaining.

"Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, Vol 2" by Kelly, Carnero, Lanzing, Erofeeva. Better than the first volume. Engaging, even. But didn't truly grab me.

"The City We Became" by NK Jemison. I don't know that it was a "masterpiece." Maybe the concept + hype set my expectations too high. It has a lot of great factors, but elements of it didn't slide into place perfectly. I'll check out the next one when I can, so it didn't fail.

"The Yiddish Policeman's Union" by Michael Chabon. This was a book a lot of people were talking about ~15 years ago. I never really knew what it was about. Briefly, it's a detective story (I'll say more in the hard-boiled tradition than the noir) in an alternate world where displaced Jewish people settled in Alaska during and after WWII. But the story itself is in the 2000-2010s. The majority of this book is describing people and places. The story itself doesn't take long, but it feels like it does. It has a pulp-detective feel that I enjoyed. The slang was a hurdle. But once I got used to it, I was able to feel very plugged in. The last 100 pages or so felt problematic (no spoilers) and a little rushed. It suffered from that phenomenon I see a lot: it's like the author only has so many pieces of paper left and begins racing to make sure they get things wrapped up before they have to go buy another ream. That's the best way I can explain it.

Moon Knight: the Complete Collection (2011) by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev. Very cool story, with elements of Moon Knight (and Echo) I was not aware of. There were some weird layout choices and trip-up dialogue moments that made it more confusing than it needed to be. But it was fun, smart, emotional, and cool.

Metrics!

Total books: 34

Total (non-graphic novel) pages: 4374

Total pages: 8105

Highest-rated: Parasocial

Lowest-rated: Cruel Shoes

Very Glad I Read It Award: This is How You Lose the Time War

Honorable Mention: The Secret Lives of Color

Glad It's Over Award: (four-way tie) Nixie of the Mill Pond, Night Marchers, Tamamo the Fox Maiden, Woman in the Woods

Disappointment of the Year: Cruel Shoes

[starryeyedrookie]

The Pancake Predicament (Ethan x MC)

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Ethan x MC (Evelyn Long)

Word count: 808

Rating: Teen+ due to some mildly suggestive themes

Category: Fluff

Summary: Evelyn guides Ethan through the art of pancake making

A/N: Hello, hello! I’m finally back with a new fic after having not written one since July.😬 This one is a little on the shorter side, but hopefully it’s the start of me getting back into writing. Thanks to everyone that’s stuck with me and to all the new people that followed, I hope you all enjoy reading❤️

In the soft, orange glow of the morning, a small figure tiptoes across the room, pillowcase in hand.

Reaching the other side of the bed, she carefully tries to place it over the head of the sleeping giant.

“Shhhh… it’ll be over soon,” she whispers.

“Mmmmm…. huh? Evelyn wha-”

“Aw, Ethan. You wrecked my plan. You weren’t supposed to wake up yet.” She sighed, slowly removing the pillowcase from his head.

“Your… plan?” He inquired, rubbing his tired eyes.

“Mhm, my plan.”

“Okay, why did your “plan” involve putting a pillowcase over my head?”

“Because I was trying to kidnap you! I’m pretty sure pulling up with candy in a white van wouldn’t work, so I thought this would be the next best thing!”

“Evelyn. We live together.”

“I know, but I was trying to make things interesting.”

“Come here.”

Climbing over Ethan onto the bed, Evelyn lays down in his outstretched arms.

“What did you need me for on this fine morning?”

“I was thinking…” she started, carefully tracing a finger over his chest, “that I could teach you to make pancakes today.”

“Me? Pancakes? You already know that I can’t make those.”

“Which is exactly why I’m going to teach you. Since I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve always found it so strange that a guy that can make a fancy Georgian Stuffed Chicken can’t make and fry a simple little pancake batter. I suppose Nigella didn’t teach you well enough.” she laughed, knowing she caught his attention with her last comment.

“I refuse to tolerate any more Nigella slander,” he replied sitting up, “Let’s go.”

Before Ethan could even finish tying his robe, Evelyn took his hand and lead him to the kitchen.

“Surprise! I already separated and measured out the wet and dry ingredients for you so it's one less thing to worry about,” she said as she moved over to the counter. “I also have blueberries and chocolate chips to put in mine, but if you're already overwhelmed, you can leave them out.”

“Okay, let's start. So I just whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla in this bowl and then add the mixture to the flour bowl?

“That's the way! Man, I should have my own cooking show.”

“I'm done. Do I put some oil on the griddle?”

“I like to use butter. It gives it a richer flavour.”

“Alright. Are you finished? The griddle is hot now.”

“Yep, I'm all done. Let's spoon it on!”

“How long before we flip them?” Ethan inquiries coming up behind Eve and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Haha, as soon as they’re golden.”

“Mmm… so, how much time do you think we have?” he whispers in her ear as he turns her around.

“Not enough for whatever you want to start.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he replied, hastily placing her on the kitchen island and settling between her legs.

“Ethan!”

“Shh… let me take care of you.”

Leaning her back on the counter, he gently slides his hand up her leg as he kisses her forehead down to her lips.

“Ethan… something smells li-”

“Yes, something smells lovely. You used that shampoo I told you I liked, didn’t you?” he smiles as he moves his hand to unbutton her top.

“Yes, Ethan. But something smells like it’s burning!”

“What?!”

Turning around as the smoke alarm went off, Ethan rushes to assess the condition of the pancakes while Evelyn opens the door to let out the smoke.

“See? I burnt the damn things. I told you I couldn’t make them.”

Closing the door as the alarm shut off, Eve slowly walked over to where Ethan was staring helplessly at the burnt cakes.

“You were doing well until you decided to get distracted.” she remarked, motioning at her unbuttoned top.

“It’s not my fault that you’re too distracting for your own good.”

“While I appreciate the compliment, we should clean these off and finish the rest of the batter. This time I’m going to make sure you don’t get distracted.”

As Ethan pours the rest of the batter and flips the pancakes, Eve finishes setting the table.

“See, you did it!” she exclaimed as Ethan brought over the steaming hot cakes and maple syrup.

“Yes, yes, mission accomplished I suppose. Though, I do think I deserve a reward for accomplishing such a major feat. Maybe finishing what we started earlier…”

“Haha we’ll see. We have to see if these actually taste good first. We’ll take a bite together one three. One… two… three!”

Taking a bite, Ethan closes his eyes as he savours the rich, buttery flavour.

“Surprisingly, I think these are the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

“I’m proud of you, you know that?” she smiles, taking his hand.

“I know. Just like how I’m proud of you. Thank you for your help.”

“Anytime.”

Taglist: @mercury84choices @quixoticdreamer16 @a-crepusculo @josiesopenheart @headoverheelsforramsey @mm2305 @adiehardfan @schnitzelbutterfingers @potionsprefect @natureblooms24 @genevievemd @writer-ish @jamespotterthefirst @sophxwithers @liaromancewriter @choicesficwriterscreations

Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed❤️

[thefanficmonster]

I'm so happy you like the idea! Your first three words are: Rattle, Candlelight and Corset.

Oh this is gonna be interesting 🤭

Regretting

Pairing: Chris Redfield x Female OC (taken in by the Winters family as a daughter of theirs basically)

Warnings: Swearing (No Spoilers for any games don’t worry😊)

Genre: Romance, Fluff

Enjoy the mess my brain’s produced. Love, Vy ❤

“I have several questions surrounding this bullshit event!“ Gwen shouts from inside her room where she’s been getting ready for the past hour with the Captains of the BSAA keeping a watchful eye outside her door, making sure she doesn’t get any ideas of running away.

“I have as many as you do, trust me on that one.“ He replies, readjusting his tie. He hasn’t found himself in a three-piece-suit in a long time, all’s been soldier get-ups, bulletproof wests and combat boots. Truth be told, it’s not that he doesn’t want to dress nicely, he’s just rarely had any occasions worth dressing up for. Lord knows he’d be at home in this very moment, seated on the couch with a cold beer bottle in his hand. So to make the truth truer - he actively avoids places and events that would require him dressing up. It’s simply a hassle in and of itself, but dealing with the people at the even - that’s what he’s most bothered by.

“You cannot expect me to believe that’s the truth!“ Gwen shouts again, the sound of shuffling accompanying her voice. 

“Leon said it was important, Jill backed him up and you know I rarely get a say when the two of them partner up to support one another.“ Chris says, sighing while reaching for a cigarette before withdrawing his hand, remembering he didn’t take his pack with him on purpose. Claire says he needs to break the habit little by little so, in order to give her peace of mind, he does try whenever she’s looking. However, when she turns away, he’s quick to light a cig, almost as quick as a dying man getting connected to life support.

“You, Leon and I have very different definitions of the word ‘important’.“ She sasses back, her voice now being the only sound coming from the room which is a sign Chris cannot decide the meaning of - is she almost done? Is she starting over with everything? Either way, he doesn’t mind. Running late to the gala the mayor’s throwing is not particularly bothering him, he actually prefers it.

What’s been bothering him is the fact that he’s found himself impatient of something else. Impatient of seeing her - not that he’d ever admit it. Him and Gwen have been friends for quite some time. Well, they did get off on the wrong foot, but were quick to arrange a relationship alike a friendship and function without wanting to gauge each other’s eyes out. Somewhere along the lines they became actual friends without even noticing.

Gwen Winters had every right to be suspicious of Captain Chris Redfield. Not that she was always wary of him or anything - seeing as how him and her ‘parents’ are friends, she never thought twice about the guy. However, when she expressed interest in joining the BSAA and earned herself a scoff from him, she was rather pissed. Being the main chemistry project of an asshole with a saving-the-world complex back in Raccoon City, it’s safe to say she got some above average strength to her name. And that’s putting it mildly. Being rescued from that lab by Leon and getting taken in by the Winters family, she’s developed her own hero complex, the need to save those who can’t save themselves always dwelling within her.

And so, despite the amusement Chris showed when she brought up the idea, she became a BSAA soldier. 

“I think we established that on your very first mission, soldier.“ Chris chuckles, recalling that first mission he was so opposed to, mostly because Gwen was tagging along at her request and the allowance of Leon. He was very fucking afraid they’d have to carry her dead body out of there but the action was quick to turn the tables on him - having Gwen save his life more than once. What surprised him most though was her humbleness about it. She didn’t rub it in or nag him about having proved her point. She was just glad they had all made it out in one piece and that struck him with a whole new intensity. Almost like a wake up call.

The door beside him suddenly swings open, causing him to abruptly straighten up from his leaning position, shooting a look at the doorway from which emerges Gwen. Or at least he believes it’s her. Had he not known she was the only other person in the house at the moment, or had he seen her passing by on the street he wouldn’t have recognized her.

And he’d have every right not to: this must be the first time she has worn a dress since prom - if she even wore one then - and the same probably applies for the make-up she’s put on. It’s not much or anything, in fact the only reason he’s noticed it is because he’s so used to seeing her make-up-free face. So much so, he’d recognize even a drop of foundation if she applied it. And oh boy, is he whipped by the sight. He can lie all he wants and to whoever he wants to, but he cannot lie to himself. Especially not when his jaw has fallen to the floor, his eyes have grown wide and his heartbeat has picked up noticeably.

If Ethan could hear at least half of what Chris is thinking at the moment, he’d be as good as banned from the Winters home forever.

When Gwen’s eyes meet her Captain’s, she can’t help but smirk, “What is it, Cap? I exchange the bulletproof vest for a corset and you suddenly don’t recognize me?” She asks, raising a teasing eyebrow.

He knows it’s wrong, for so many reasons: He’s her captain, she’s his soldier; She’s an adult but he’s still significantly older than her; She’s the ‘daughter’ of a friend of his, to make matters even worse - It’s so wrong yet he can’t get the thought out of his head. It’s not just now, it’s something he’s been struggling with for quite some time. He’s constantly haunted by her: the sound of her laughter, her smile, that focused frown that appears every time she is looking at a map or a new case, analyzing its every detail, the twinkle in her eyes whenever she gets told she’ll be going on a mission and that same sparkle growing brighter when she returns from it having successfully completed it.

It’s all overwhelming, and in the nicest, wrongest way possible.

“Honestly, Winters, seeing such a shift does rattle a person. Especially when I haven’t seen you out of a soldier’s uniform for years now.“ He comments, his eyes traveling up and down her body on their own accord, despite his best attempts at keeping his gaze on her face.

She laughs, “Can’t really go to training in a dress and high heels, you know. If I had more opportunities, the dresses in my closet wouldn’t be covered in spiderwebs.“

“Duly noted.“ He smirks, offering the young lady his hand as he leads her down the stairs, “I could help you out with that.“

She frowns, pausing mid-step, “Oh no, no, no no. If what you have in mind is a bunch of charity events, you better get that thought out of your head. A bunch of rich assholes drinking champagne, really not my scene.”

Chris chuckles offering her his arm as they walk out the front door to where he parked his car upon arriving at the Winters home, running into Ethan, Mia and their five year old daughter, about to head out for the night. He won’t complain about the lecturing he received, he deserved it after all. It’s a miracle the two even agreed to let Gwen accompany him, not that they could stop her either way seeing as how she’s an adult woman who’s more than capable of making her own decisions.

“No, no, I know you hate those events. I do too.“ He says, oddly timidly as the two get seated in the car. “I was thinking more along the lines of...“ He contemplates how to say it without making the rest of this night awkward, or mess things up with Gwen in any way. She means a lot to him and he’d hate to lose her over his complicated feelings he wishes he could control. “Dinner under candlelight, maybe?“

He’s as stiff as a boulder, tense and expecting something, anything. Literally anything, even outright rejection would be better than silence. Regardless of her answer, he’s gonna regret this move later when Ethan hears about it and goes to kick his ass.

Out of the corner of his eye, he catches the slight shake of her head, a blush evidently appearing on her cheeks, visible even in the dim light in the car. A small smile graces he features as her hand travels to his which is nervously resting on the gear shift. “Sure, I’d like that.” She says, her smile growing wider.

There’s that same twinkle - the sparkle in the eyes of a soldier willing to fight for the greater good, putting everyone above herself. And, on his hierarchy, she’s number one.

“I’m glad.“

Chris Redfield has regretted many things in his life and will probably regret even more in the future. However, he was a fool to think he’d regret this decision - one look at Gwen’s eyes and all regret was erased. All ass-kicking he might receive for it seems more than worth it, looking at it from the perspective of this very moment.

Then again, Captain Chris Redfield has never been a stranger to a little ass-kicking.

Thank you so much, Anon for this super fun challenge! I hope to receive more three words to turn into fics cause I really enjoyed this experience 🥰

[azurevi]

on land where we can touch the moon (2/?)

PART 1 PART 3

A quick note- this is pretty messy. I'm planning as I write, so there'll be information scattered across the words, and it may be overwhelming...kinda. I have added a little note about what happened in this chapter in the end. This series is also up on ao3.

There is, naturally, a reason Azul was stuck with the name 'The Sea Merchant'.

It wasn't a bad name, and there was no hint of degradation in it. It just wasn't particularly suiting. Azul wasn't a merchant. He wasn't even a shopkeeper. He was just invested in a little magic, and this hobby of his got leaked out somehow. 

His magic was certainly something. It's A Deal allowed him to confiscate another person's valued quality in exchange for their wish. Anything could come to life as long as the deal was equal.

Only the drunk and people in desperate need of help ever went to him for help. After Azul had started mastering his magic, he reckoned that it hadn't been used to its full potential. If the person on the other side of the deal failed to meet the requirement, Azul could take even more from them without suffering any loss. 

And so he sugarcoated and exaggerated his words, put up the most professional smile he could manage. For a few weeks all was well. He'd gained himself a melodious voice, splendid flexibility and a ton of unique magics, but nothing great ever lasted. He was soon exposed as a scammer and his notoriety was whispered among the streets, passed on and on until every family warned their kids not to ever run into him. And Azul, with his fame and prosperity wilting under the gossip and points of fingers, was forced into giving up his success.

He had been in hiding ever since.

He could never understand how something as atrocious could happen to him. If it hadn't been for the sneers and isolation in the entirety of his childhood, he wouldn't have grown up hating everything and everyone around him that called him ugly, unwanted, repulsive. It should've justified his desire for revenge.

Instead, God decided that his suffering was not anywhere close to enough and kicked him down the cliff where he was crying for help.

That being said, Azul was grateful to have Jade and Leech sticking around after everything. The two of them were also unpopular among others, so they eventually got close as a tight-knitted trio.

"No you didn't," Jade said firmly. 

"I did, Jade. I did," Azul sighed, "They were dying, Jade, I couldn't just let them die,"

"Well, you should've."

"Don't be so uptight. Azul was doing the right thing, wasn't he?" Floyd winked. "So. Were they good-looking?"

"What?"

"The human. You must've saved them for a reason,"

Azul hated how Floyd's words implied that he would never do good unless there was something in it for him, but one could never lie in the face of truth. 

"I just didn't want to let them die. It was their birthday,"

"What does that have to do with everything?" Jade asked. "You went above the water. You saved a human. You were almost caught. You could've died up there, you know. How did you even manage to breathe?"

"I just… did." Azul said, twirling his tentacles in nervousness. Jade was entirely disapproving of his actions, while Floyd on the contrary seemed to be mildly intrigued. 

Everything still felt like a fever dream. All the fireworks and cheering and explosion were still vividly scorched into his mind as if they'd been put on repeat. The splendid colors, light giggles and- 

And those beautiful eyes of yours. The way your hair flowed in the night sky with ease, how you laughed like tomorrow was promised and your life had been planned out before you, a clear and untainted path to success. Azul couldn't decide on whether he was jealous or amazed.

"Well, you better hope they didn't really see you, or that they forgot about it. If the humans come down here to hunt us down-" Jade couldn't even bear to finish the imagination. He simply shook his head in dismay.

"I swear I saw someone! I couldn't have just been washed ashore!"

"Apparently, you were," Jack said, stroding with large steps that had you panting to keep up. "Near-death experiences do things to our mind, your majesty,"

"That may be the case for others, but I'm sure I was conscious," you retorted. "I woke up to a pair of pale, azure eyes, then in a blink they were behind the rock. If it hadn't been for you-"

"I apologize for worrying about you, your majesty."

You bit your tongue. Fighting with Jack always ended with him being passive-aggressive and you stepping back reluctantly. Plus he was as stern as a rock. Almost nothing could move his belief.

Shouting and grunting could be heard from inside the medical room where Ace, Deuce and Grim were being tended to.

Jack flung open the door, and the three stumbled to get into the blankets and put on a excruciated expression.

"I see you're all healed up," Jack said. Ace hummed lowly and slapped his forehead with the back of his hand. 

"I'm at death's door, commander. It pains me to say this, but I might need to take more days off,"

Jack was quiet for a while, and you could almost see a drop of sweat sliding down Ace's forehead.

"And you, Deuce?" Jack challenged.

"I'm traumatized," 

"And Grim?"

You arched your brow, at which he shivered in fear. "I- I'm feeling fine already,"

"So it's just Ace and Deuce, right?" Jack said. Ace and Deuce nodded their heads so hard they could fall off.

"Alright. Your health is of utmost importance to us, so I'll contact the Raven Healer…"

"The what?!" Deuce's voice croaked.

"The Raven Healer. Surely you've heard of him. He's best known for being able to treat any diseases, both mentally and physically,"

You were sure there were sweats rolling down Ace's cheeks now. "But- but doesn't he heal by using bizzare mediciness…?"

"Oh yes. His magic is what makes him such an infallible doctor. You two seem to be in a lot of pain. I'm sure he'll free you of your suffering."

You turned sharply towards the door and stifled a laughter. 

"That's… not very necessary…" Deuce's voice faltered word by word. He was fully aware that he'd already lost. "You know what, commander? I think I can dive back into work right this instant!"

Jack smirked smugly. "Splendid. And you, Ace?"

The two of them stared at each other so intensely there seemed to be sparkles between them. Finally, Ace gave in. "I'll start work tomorrow,"

They didn't even wait for Jack to walk completely out of the door to whine. They looked fully healthy, even more energized than you.

"Anyways, did you find your saviour?"

You sighed. Ace and Deuce were still skeptical about your 'story', which you'd corrected to 'experience', but at least they were open-minded. 

"No clues. I've had guards patrolling about every two hours. Nothing has yet to happen,"

They eyed each other uneasily, then back at you with a worried face. Before they could make assumptions, you defended yourself. "No, I'm not sick. My head's not concussed,"

"Well," Grim scurried to your lap. "Perhaps your saviour doesn't wish to be found?"

That'd be unwanted. You would wish for anything but to create troubles for your lifesaver. Nonetheless, you knew you wouldn't be able to sleep without sending your gratitude. 

Alright, there might be a selfish motif. You were admittedly curious about those light, pensive eyes and silvery, gleaming hair under sunlight. All these unknown were like a gravity pool, pulling you deeper and deeper into the mystery.

"Well, you ought not to lose hope," Ace patted your shoulder casually, like you weren't the princette of the kingdom he was serving for. "Maybe you'll actually run into him. Fate has a weird habit for setting unexpected traps."

It wasn't so much love as a tender curiosity, but the line segregating them was so flimsy that one's got to mix them up at some point.

Azul found himself in such a dilemma. He couldn't decide whether it was attraction or nosiness that he was feeling. Either way, it's got him hooked like a drug. Something beautiful had finally entered his life like light piercing through a thick fog of ink, and it was possessive. Azul had a feeling that it wouldn't go away until it had drained him of his mind.

The door to his room was thrown open and Azul had to hide the peeled petals and green stem in a jumble. He had been chanting 'they love me, they love me not' for the past hour. To his luck, Jade and Leech didn't seem to have noticed his haste expression. They were both panting when they swam inside.

"What's wrong?" Azul's first instinct was that something had gone south.

"There-" Floyd wheezed. "There's a sta-"

"There's a fallen statue in the Coral Maze," Jade finished the sentence. "People are fussing over it,"

"Okay," Azul eased back into his bed. He'd already lost interest at 'Coral Maze'. It was at the centre of where the majority of sea creatures inhabited. Nothing could make him go anywhere near civilization and its hubristic aesthetic again.

Or so he thought.

"No- you don't get it. It's a statue of a human that sank along with wreckages of a big ship, and it's made of gold,"

A statue made of gold.

He recalled it now. It was supposed to be your birthday present. The consternation of what followed the present revelation had been so intense that it'd washed the memory of the statue out.

"We just thought that it could be the statue you mentioned in your story, you know? It looked really grand…" Floyd sighed.

Azul wanted to get up and swim over right there, right then, but he knew he couldn't. What would others say to him the moment they saw the shadows of their tentacles crawling on their pure and oh-so royal ground? What accusations would they throw his way? How many children will be led away from him like he was some man-eating, brutal abomination?

Not to mention the unforgiving rage he'd evoked in trying to scam them in the past. Dishonesty was highly criticised in their high-class society. It was as if they were saints that had never done one thing wrong. Bet they'd never even stayed up past midnight.

"You ought to come take a look!" Floyd suggested. A casual, friendly proposal.

"No," Azul snapped. "No, no. I'm not going there,"

"They're planning to use the gold," Jade said. "You know how they are. They see one thing from the ground and start screeching in pain,"

They were going to use your statue. The statue that was perhaps the only thing that was related to you, the one way to never have to forget about you again in case that you never met again.

And to imagine the effect it'd add to his collections! A big gold statue in the centre of his grotto, accentuated by the sparkling of other jewelries. It'd be complete.

"I'll sit on it," Azul decided. He was not to act rashly, lest he walked one step wrong and brought upon himself misery and misfortune. If he really was to pay a visit, he would act in secret. Perhaps in the veil of the night. 

"Just don't act alone, okay?" Jade said. Azul nodded despite not paying any mind to him.

In the dead of the night Azul decided to sneak out. Alone. It was a mistake, really. Azul couldn't stop thinking about your statue, and by the time he realized how absurd it was, he'd already gone to the Coral Maze.

There was nary a shadow except his own. Still, it was much lighter than where he lived even at night. The distorted image of the moon waved from above as Azul made his way through the many identical corals. Then he finally found your majestic statue standing solemnly in the centre. The only beauty in the water.

It was a sight for sore eyes. White, pure light reflected off the gold and created streams of gleams onto the ground. That someone would ever find it to be disgraceful was incomprehensible to Azul. Something like this deserved to be put on display in the museum for all to see.

There was no radiance on your face and no splendid colors in your eyes. It was merely a fraction of what you were. Nonetheless, it was enough for Azul.

"Who's roaming there?" an alerted voice asked. When Azul turned, he saw a silhouette looming from outside the Coral Maze, holding two anglerfishes in hands and waving them in the water.

Panic was the only thing Azul felt as he hid behind the statue, struggling to keep his tentacles out of sight. The light stayed right in front of him for a while before skimming away.

Azul grabbed the statue and swam, pushing his tentacles through the water as hard as he could. 

"Wait there- oh goodness!" 

There were several voices now, mumbling and inquiring. Then light was casted upon his flitting figure and there were bemused gasps before someone yelled, "Seize him!"

Azul was out of breath. He wished he excelled in fitness but instead he was stuck with incongruous tentacles that would never cooperate at the most needed times.

A hand grasped the end of his tentacle but slipped off. He kept the statue tight in his arms, as if his life depended on it. He could tell that they were near now, and was trying very hard not to imagine the gruesome outcomes.

Someone grabbed his tentacles. He faltered and was pulled back despite protests.

"Keep him in place!" another person yelled as the crowd moved to keep Azul fenced in.

Azul couldn't see anything. Everything was a poor mixture of shadow and distaste and sneers. He was probably going to die right there.

"I can't believe you have the guts to come back, Ashengrotto. After all the things you've done!" someone spoke up.

"Yeah! How shameless of you!”

"And he's stealing our properties now! Imagine how desperate he is,"

"You guys don't even want it!" Azul said.

Some guy lurched forward. Azul cowered backwards.

"It's disgusting, yes, but it's still gold." he said as if it was a completely just thing to do. "It landed on our ground, so it belongs to us. On the contrary, you don't have the rights to lay your filthy hands on it. What more do you want to steal from us?"

"I'm taking this because none of you understand the beauty of it!"

This evoked a negative reaction from the crowd, but words could never be taken back. Azul could feel his heart pounding like a prisoner hellbent on escaping. He had to escape. No more of this degrading gazes. No more of the points of fingers.

"Beauty?" the guy scoffed, and for a moment his face scrunched up and he was ready to spit out rage, but then it softened into a smug smirk. "I guess only ugly understands ugly, huh?"

Azul's head throbbed.

"It doesn't justify your actions, ink-blasting thief. Hand that piece of trash over right- uff!"

He was flung deep into the water until he disappeared into nothing but a black dot. People around Azul immediately made way as they fled in screams and wails. His tentacle was still tingling with the impact, but he couldn't quite feel it. Even if he did, he couldn't care less as he skyrocketed to the surface of the water. He blinked and blinked, but his eyes were still blurred by what would be mixed into the seawater eventually. 

He'd had enough. Heard enough, seen enough. If he'd spent one more second down there he would have suffocated to death.

The familiar freshness of air welcomed him the moment he broke through the water's persistence. The land wasn't far ahead. He swam towards it as if it was his sanctuary. 

There was a man sitting on the rock, face hidden under the hood. Azul considered retreating. He had no idea what would happen to him if he was spotted, but nothing better would happen if he were to go back. So he continued swimming and crawled onto the cool soft sand, only letting his head be seen by the man as he hid behind yet another rock where he placed the much valued statue.

He seemed to be asleep, chest heaving up and down at a steady pace. Just as Azul started sliding out, the man raised his head and looked straight at Azul.

They were a pair of humming, white circles, seemingly void of any sentiments. The man had a mask on that shielded his face except for his tightly shut lips. Two crows were staring right at him with the same uncanny manner.

"You've finally arrived," the man said.

Probably the humans had been searching for him. Azul decided to keep his mouth shut.

"I've been hearing your calls…" he tilted his head. "You can come out. I know what you are,"

Azul still hesitated. But he was much closer to the ocean than to the guy, so he slowly let his tentacles into light.

The man remained calm, not a bit taken back by the revelation.

"Well, I've been hearing your calls…" he resumed.

"I never called out to any humans,"

"Not literally. But you have been calling out a lot," he smiled amiably. "You have to know that it's especially hard for me to hear from creatures undersea, so if your wishes managed to reach me, it means you're pretty desperate,"

"I think you have the wrong person," Azul said and started retreating.

The guy sprang up and his crows curled up together beside him. "Wait- I should introduce myself first. I'm the Raven Healer,"

Azul pondered for a while. "That doesn't explain anything except for the crows,"

"You lots haven't heard of me?" he frowned so deep that his brows and eyes were a cluster. "You guys are really secluded,"

That was when Azul finally realized that he knew about them. About all the lives and creatures that inhabited the deep sea.

"And I mean no harm to your realm. My only target is you," he smiled again, this time at an ominous angle.

"Well, I'm quite famous in this realm. I heal people for a living, whether it be physical or emotional needs. Anything you need, I can grant you,"

That's not very different from Azul's magic. 

"Sometimes, when someone is really desperate for a change, their thoughts can be heard by my crows. And you, Azul Ashengrotto…" his smile dropped a bit and his eyes drooped. "is particularly distressed,"

"Alright. It was nice meeting you," Azul nodded respectfully. The man didn't seem to be harmful. If he fled right now, he could probably throw him off.

The Raven Healer stilled, then burst into piles of blatant laughter. "No, no. I've been looking for you, don't you get it? I'm here to grant your wish!"

I'm here to grant your wish. Like how Azul'd promoted his business as the Sea Merchant.

"I understand that you've been suffering quite a lot, and that you want a change. But nothing ever comes without a cost… I'm sure you can understand,"

The healer stood up, the material of his greatcoat fluttering in the wind. He made his way freely to Azul, who could only freeze up as he inspected the statue with great interest.

"The heir to the throne! I see why you're desperate now. They're a real catch," the healer then looked down at the outstretched tentacles without a word. Azul prayed in his mind that he would turn away from them.

"Well, here are my terms. I will grant you a pair of legs in exchange for your magic,"

Wait, what?

Azul was pretty sure the Raven Healer was just imitating him now. A great figure appearing out of the blue to answer your hopes. The catch was that the figure would always take away your most important thing. It was never a fair deal, Azul was aware.

"I don't think you need my magic," Azul breathed.

"Why, I do!" he exclaimed. "Collecting magic is a splendid hobby of mine! It is because of all these magic that I am such a renowned magician,"

He was obviously lying. His smile couldn't reach his eyes, and the orbs where his eyes were supposed to be were humming like a hazard label.

"I think I'll be just fine," Azul hurriedly brought the statue to his chest and started sliding away.

"...How are you going to survive?"

"What?" Azul swiveled, exhausted.

"Up here. With your…" the healer wiggled his fingers.

"I'll find a way,"

"No you won't," the healer protested. Azul looked up to the sky, took a deep breath and decided to entertain him. 

"Why so?"

"You're gonna cause ruckus. Chaos. People are not especially used to seeing half-man half-octopuses roaming their land," he said honestly. 

Despite knowing all this, Azul still considered his word rude. There was a thin line between blunt and disrespectful, and he'd just crossed it. 

"There won't be anyone dealing with you, will there?"

"...I suppose not-"

"Exactly! I am your only hope!" he exclaimed once again, throwing his hands up in the air like a dramatist. "Unless you want to go back?"

Azul glanced at the serene water. He knew that down there, the mermaids and mermen must be panicking over what'd just happened.

"You can't hold onto that statue forever. If you really wish to stay here-"

"I just came, Mr. Healer. I'm not going to stay,"

"Yet. Come on now," he groaned, as if he was the one exasperated. "I know you want it. You need it. So what are you waiting for? You're never going to see all the beauties in this world in this state!"

He was right. Agonizingly right. He couldn't just walk around as an octopus. It would be like a stain on a quaint painting. Moreover, now that he was here, he couldn't just give up the chance to find you again. It's not like the ocean would welcome him anyways.

As if hearing his thoughts, the Raven Healer reached his hand out, "Deal? Your magic for a pair of legs. It's a fantastic trade if you think about it,"

One second. Two second. Azul didn't wait until the third to act on it. The moment their skin touched, Azul felt a stream of warmth coursing through him, rushing to his throat, where he choked up a luminous blue orb. It was within the healer's fingers within seconds.

"And your legs," he rummaged inside his pocket. There seemed to be numerous tiny objects inside as he dug around. Finally, he pulled up a thumb-size bottle and handed it to Azul.

He downed the slimy liquid inside under the healer's encouraging nods, and almost gagged at the sensation. "Guh! What the hell is-"

His tentacles started glowing a bright yellow, bright enough to attract people in this dead of the night. They started to shrink until they completely disappeared, and a pair of human legs replaced them.

He couldn't believe his eyes as he stretched around and surveyed the changes on his body. It took him quite some time to adjust to it, but he was surprisingly good at it. The fabric of the pants that came with the gift fluttered against his 'flesh' like a mother's caress. He felt normal, for once. Not some ugly monster that preyed on innocent kids. Not a marginalized criminal. Not even a wicked fraud. He was just a human wanting to explore the world.

"Three days," the Raven Healer said.

"What?" Azul was too joyous to pay real mind.

"If you can't find the most beautiful thing after three days, you will dissolve into sea bubbles,"

Azul stilled as he comprehended his words, then he started to chant no in his mind. He'd fallen for his trap.

"You didn't mention it at all!" Azul yelled. "Refund! You're scamming me!"

"The pot's calling the kettle black now. How comical," the healer giggled. Azul's heart dropped to the bottom.

"Consider this your own medicine. It's not like you're completely at loss over here!"

"Wait!" Azul reached out to grasp his fainting figure, which had become an opaque vision. 

"We shall reunite in three days. Until then, enjoy."

All that was left was the crashing of the waves and songs of the crickets. Bathed in the glow of the moon, Azul finally came to the conclusion that he'd fucked up.

Life never stopped to give him a break. There were haste footsteps nearing from behind. Azul instinctively retracted his tentacles, but forgot about their absence and tripped instead.

"Yikes! That was a nasty fall. Are you okay?" 

Looking up, two formally looking men were standing above him, one with crimson hair and another navy. There was a sword attached to each of their sides.

"Yeah. I-I'm fine," Azul cleared his throat and stood up.

"Are you homeless?" The redhead asked and was immediately hit by his companion.

"You can't go around asking people whether they are homeless!" he scolded, then turned to Azul brightly. "You must be in search of shelter! Please follow us!"

"That isn't any better," 

"Shut up," the blue-haired snapped with the same polite smile. "Come on, Mr…?"

"A-Azul. Azul Ashengrotto,"

"Yes, Mr. Ashengrotto. We can't have you catching a cold out here,"

Despite his friendly facade, Azul could see underlying motives lurking beneath. But clueless that he was, he didn't have a choice but to follow suit towards the castle-like building in the far distance.

"Your majesty will be pleased to see you," the redhead murmured, but Azul couldn't quite catch that.

"What was that?" he asked.

"It's nothing," was all that he received. "Just that you'll surely love the place."

Conclusion : Azul had once gone around scamming others with his unique magic but was busted and had been further criticised since. The Raven Healer is obviously Crowley, and his magic will be further explained in next chapter.

[toonytoodles]

Random fun fact time! Ft. OCs! (Repost because I added more/ edited a lot of stuff)

Avery -

- Sneezes like a kitten, and most of the time she accidentally uses her fire breathe when she sneezes, so watch out

- Sleeps on a rock

- Is made uncomfortable by actual dragons, it's just... too weird for her...

- Has a strange and inexplicable extreme fear of eels

- Reacts to fear by singing/humming/speaking very loudly, and also by running and screaming (basically, how markilpler acts when playing horror games? yeah that)

- At least once a week her dad has to help her brush through her hair, he says they should get it cut but she absolutely refuses

- Owns a few pairs of gloves- most of which look nearly identical. Some are for different days, some pairs are for bedtime, and some are for special occasions, but she also has some different types and styles of gloves for different events

- Loves the holidays, dislikes the weather that comes with it

- Absolutely hates people touching/messing with her tail, even if it's by accident she gets kinda mad. That's hers- don't touch it. (Emma's the only exception to this simply because it can't be avoided- although Emma does try to touch it as little as possible)

- Slightly allergic to pollen

- She has a clicking-like purr

- If you scratch under her chin she'll purr and relax, but if scratch a certain spot on her neck she'll sleepily fall over

- Adopted as an egg and raised by her human father and fairy mother

- Has a Scottish accent 

- Works as a Glazier (glass blower) and makes potion bottles, also helps with making the potions, and occasionally costumer service and boring stuff like stocking/inventory

Emma -

- Plays with hoodie strings and/or hair when upset or nervous (it happens often, her hoodie strings are sorta worn out)

- She's a big fan of animals! Especially bears, puppies, and unicorns, she thinks they're adorable! When she was younger she used to like dragons quite a bit too

- She's a protective friend and big sister, and she's a little over protective over people she cares about

- Tends to read into things; if your tone or demeanor is slightly different she begins worrying that something's wrong or that she did something. She also tends to believe that no one actually wants to be her friend or wants to be nice to her, but that they're only being nice because they're afraid of her or pity her.

- LOVES HUGS!!! Absolutely loves them, hugging other giants, hugging people smaller than her, getting hugs, giving hugs, she loves hugs

- Once accidentally ate a fake candy cane decoration, off someone's front lawn, because she thought it was real gigantic candy, left out for giants (she was like four, so it made sense to her then, but she still gets made fun for it a bit by her family)

- Loves snow and winter

- Her favorite color is probably blue

- Is surprisingly good at sneaking up on people, for someone 30ft tall she's quiter than most borrowers

- Is the second oldest of five kids, her older brother Rory is 23, her younger brother Richard is 15, and her youngest sisters Aroura and Tiana are 6 and 8, and they're all pretty close

- Her dad is a size shifter, and so are Richard and Tiana, the rest of the family are giants

- She's ambidextrous

- Very cautious of her surroundings

- Hates surprises/being scared

- Bi-romantic and ace

Sofia -

- Can write without looking at what she's doing

- Only wears slip on shoes or shoes with Velcro/zippers, she never learned how to tie them, she couldn't figure out what to do with her head or look at what she was doing

- She's an artist! She likes to paint!

- Has a hard time saying "no," so when she says it, she means it

- Hates surprises and people sneaking up on her

- Has a pet python named Albert

- Probably the only person on the planet who has worse anxiety than Emma

- Don't call her "Soph" or "Sophie," and she gets mildly annoyed when her name is misspelled

- Typically uses right arm to carry head and left hand for everything else

- Has a weird sense of humor

- Has a million stuffed animals, has like 20 on her bed, but Rupert the blue bunny is her favorite

- She has an enchanted scarf that allows her to wear her head when needed, she doesn't usually use it because she's not used to it & it gives her anxiety (she's scared of the scarf falling off/being taken off unexpectedly) but she has it and uses it on occasion, mostly at home

- She doesn't let anyone else hold her head, it seriously freaks her out, her dad is the only exception, but Avery held her once for a group photo (her body took the picture)

-She loves singing and has a soft beautiful voice but is too shy to sing around anyone 🎶

- She was bullied when she was younger and doesn't like to talk about it, she already gets emotional easily and those memories hurt

- She loves Avery's jokes and has a bit of a weird sense of humor

- She's adopted, she lives with her human father (another fun fact, her dad is one of Avery's parents best friends!)

- Unlike Avery, she wasn't adopted as a baby, she was about 6-7ish when she was adopted

- Loves vegetables

- Gets embarrassed easily

- Doesn't go out of her comfort zone, she only does stuff when Avery basically forces her to

- She really likes Emma, but is also sorta scared of her sometimes, she's just scared of people and being looked at, so she can be a little overwhelming without meaning to be, it's nothing personal and she knows Emma wouldn't hurt a fly, she's just scared of people and sometimes Emma is a lot of person

- Doesn't want Emma to hold her (Emma respects it, although sometimes they work it out to where Emma can give her a gentle hug)

-Her favorite season is fall

-She loves rabbits and frogs, but won't admit she loves horses (there's a stereotype that all dullahans love horses, she won't give in)

-Hates confrontation

-Loves vanilla cake

-Hates strangers and people she's not comfortable around being anywhere near her

- Pansexual

- Sorta has a voice claim, but it's weird and sorta difficult to explain?

Andie -

- Has a French accent (picked it up from dad)

- One of my only OCs to have a voice claim

- Plays the flute

- Mean, selfish, and self centered, but somehow also a good person

- Sings sentences sometimes

- Scared of turtles

- Works as a bard/waitress at the family tavern

- Unfortunately she is heterosexual

Andy -

- Somehow didn't pick up their fathers accent

- One of my only OCs to have a voice claim

- Plates the lute

- Genuine and kind hearted, but also a bumbling moron

- Dreams of being a song writer, wants to be a professional musician

- Works as a bard/waiter at the family tavern

- Bi, but prefers women

Clementine -

- A book worm

- Likes to sing

- Practices magic, knows a few interesting spells

- Sometimes her and Avery fight over magic usage vs. potion usage (they know it's a dumb fight, but they don't care, at this point it's a joke)

- She's a white tailed deer

- She has great hearing, and is usually very aware of her surroundings

- She wants to be a magic professor as an adult

- Demisexual, pan, but prefers men

Pond-

- Elementals don't really have gender, she chooses to present as female and use female pronouns

- Can't "see," but rather senses vibrations, since she's made out of water she doesn't have eyes, but based on other senses she can get around just fine

- She can't smell either

- Doesn't care for romance

- Has 4 pet fish she keeps with her, named Karl, Frank, Phillip, and Fish

- She has a baby sister, Brook

- She's odd and can be off putting unless you know her pretty well, then her weirdness is sort of endearing

- She can tell her friends apart by the way they walk and their gestures, and of course their voices, but really has no idea what any of them look like, she knows their species and the normal traits of those species, but not much outside that

- She doesn't eat or drink

- Smart, but sorta reckless

- Sorta hard to hug :( but the others still try

Sapphire -

- Has minimal size shifting abilities, but prefers to be her true size, she loves sitting on her husband's shoulders or in his pockets (She's about 5ft in her bigger form)

- Used to be an adventurer, at one point she was a pirate

- Met her husband on one of her adventures

- Has a Scottish accent

- She has a sword her size (no it's not a toothpick or a toy or anything, she has an actual tiny sword) 🗡

- Makes potions for the shop and deals with customers

- Grew up outside of Tradeskeep, her and Kal retired from their adventuring career and settled down there

Kalvin -

- Used to be an adventurer/ mercenary

- Huge, ripped, has all kinds of scars, but his 4" tall wife is scarier than he his, he's basically a teddy bear

- Makes potions, does restocking, inventory, and doesn't as much anymore, but makes potion bottles

- Has scars/tattoos from various adventures

- Used to have dragon scale armor, he once saved a village from a dragon, but has sold it and no longer tells the story, he now claims it was a bear

- He's a great dad ❤

- Loves ale & meat, but not as much as his girls

- I cannot overstate how much he loves his family, he LOVES his wife and daughter, like a LOT, it pretty much defines who he is, he's a family man

- Met his wife while on a quest

- He used to be a nomad while adventuring and getting paid for jobs, he'd wander from town to town, until he settled at Tradeskeep and put up a shop

Ok so i know that's a lot, but it's there for anyone who's interested in all that ❤ I have other facts too, so if you wanna know any more just look around on my blog or send an ask, Q&A for OCs are open, and I'm open to art/writing requests/ideas! ❤

[harusha]

I just saw your post about PJ and I'm wondering, do you have any book recs?

On mythology specifically or overall? I’m gonna do both since I’m not sure. Also sorry for the relatively late reply, I had to think about this, and I just got back from dinner.

The Count of Monte Cristo- Fantastic page turner, and a genuinely good “revenge” tale. It’s actually one of the first of that kind (or at the very least, one of the most popular ones). It’s also a book that a lot of people cite as the one that changes their mind on classics as “boring.”

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Somewhat of a controversial pick (both because of its subject matter and because it’s often “required high school reading,” ie “boring” to a lot of people.)

Huck Finn is an exceedingly complex character, and his friendship with Jim is really good. Pay attention to what Huck Finn does and says; he’s an unreliable narrator due to how he was brought up, his age, and his illiteracy. There’s also a lot of symbolism and other literary devices at play in his character (ex. notice his fixation with death and how it colors how Twain writes him). It’s very much a book I recommend if you want to study the unreliable narrator as a trope, the  Naïf version of it.

As a side note, it’s very poignant because of how Huck learns to condemn his racism. One of the messages you can get from this book is “If this uneducated poor white boy can learn to overcome his prejudices, so too can someone who has been educated, has money, etc.” It is a brutal condemnation of racism (though you do have to consider the time period, the “lens” of which you have to view through.)

Lolita- Another controversial pick, and one I’ll upright say as a lot of trigger warnings attached (google the summary, and you’ll see what I mean).

Beautiful prose (some of my favorite in literature actually) and a monster of a protagonist. When you read this, remember how Humbert Humbert is framing it. He is telling his tale to a court; he is unreliable and will frame events to make himself appear sympathetic. One notable factor of the author’s skill is how often Humbert gains the readers’ sympathy despite the atrocious subject matter. I personally felt viscerally uncomfortable reading his thoughts, and this is one of the few books that has ever made me feel that way. I didn’t fall into the sympathy trap, but look at any discussion of the book, and you’ll see what I mean.

I also recommend this author’s (Vladimir Nabokov) other works.

Franz Kafka’s literary works- Kafka is one of my favorite authors because he really showcases the isolation (both due to WWI, technological advancement, and the “beginnings” of modern capitalism) of the beginning of the 1900s, and he’s one of modernism’s premier authors. His works often deal with the themes of isolation, judgement, and outcasts. 

In particular, I’m fond of “The Metamorphosis” (cliche pick I know) and “In the Penal Colony.” The former is a short story so quick read if you just wanna try his writing style + it’s very influential (See Part 1 of Tokyo Ghoul for one example).

Also know that Kafka had a very strained relationship with his father and a conflicted relationship with his religion. I recommend reading “Letter to his Father” first to get an understanding of Kafka’s psyche to truly get pass the “nonsensical” nature of his works. It, like the title says, is a letter he wrote to his father, but his mother never delivered it.

If you want even more info on Kafka to understand his works, I recommend Kafka: Judaism, Politics, and Literature which covers a lot more (and in more succinct words) than I can on his works and life. As a fun fact, Vladimir Nabokov also placed him as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. On Kafka himself, he thought he was a failure of a human being and writer, and now look at him. He’s up there in the Western Canon with Shakespeare.

Paradise Lost + Paradise Regained- If you’re interested in Lucifer (or Samael if you subscribe to that theory), this is a must-read. Beautiful, haunting, and with a very charismatic figure in Lucifer. Alongside the obvious Divine Comedy, this work has influenced the portrayal of Lucifer and Hell quite a bit imo. Namely, the “sympathetic” portrayal you find in works such as Supernatural. It’s also an epic poem so it’s best listened to imo rather than read.

No Longer Human- Osamu Dazai’s work if you’re into that one show. An incredibly depressing book that’s often thought to be semi-autobiographical. It’s a haunting book that I don’t recommend for prose, but for the mood it evokes. I don’t recommend this unless you’re in a decent state of mind.

The Catcher in the Rye- Mildly controversial pick in that you either hate Holden or love him. It’s a book where you have to be in the “right” state of mind to appreciate Holden. For example, the period of moving away from home for college  This work deals with societal isolation and human loneliness and features an unreliable narrator.

It’s just a very particular feeling you have to be experiencing to appreciate Holden. I think anyway.

The Epic of Gilgamesh- Not super fancy or a reinterpretation of whatever. Just the oldest known written work of mankind. I like it a lot, but I like Sumerian myth so YMMV. It’s still missing a few tablets last I checked, but still a good read.

Also the related Enuma Elish, you get the creation myth.

Vampire Chronicles- I recommend the first three or four so books honestly. Afterwards, Anne Rice just goes off the rails. Prose is pretty, and Lestat is a terrible person but fascinating to read about. I am partial to Armand though tbh.

Dracula- I think this is another page-turner. I certainly enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s as scary as it would be in its’ published time period, but it is a classic Gothic horror. The unabridged version may look intimidating, but like Monte Cristo, you’ll sweep through it rather quickly.

“A Rose for Emily”- One of William Faulkner’s short stories. I think it’s a lovely piece and showcases the Southern Gothic (crumbling house, decaying and failing tradition and the southern nobility, etc.) There’s a theme of decay and time passing throughout this work.

As a side note, I actually enjoy Faulkner a lot, but he’s a difficult author imo. It’s not as apparent in this work, but more so in Intruder in the Dust (the first racial thriller) and especially The Sound and The Fury.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof- A play that deals with repressed homosexuality (maybe, it depends on how you interpret Brick’s dialogue and actions), loss, and denial. I quite like it a lot, and Tennessee Williams actually was gay (was because he’s dead and all). I read it, but tbh I feel like it would be better watched if you can find a performance on Youtube.

The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde’s most well known work imo. I enjoy the prose and the themes of corruption and indulgence present throughout the novel. There’s also a lot of allusions to Faust in it if you’re interested in that.

Peter Darling-a more modern choice but it features a trans and gay protagonist. Part of what I enjoy is how it’s not browbeaten into you that the protagonist is trans. It’s interwoven into the character where it’s an important part of him, but to where it doesn’t overwhelm his entire character. However, this is a novel where I feel the beginning and ending are great, but the middle is so-so. It’s a retelling of Peter Pan.

The Tain- Focuses on Cu Cuchulain and his cycle.

Poetic Edda- A must read if you’re interested in exploring Norse myths outside of Marvel. It’s basically a collection of tales.

Arabian Nights- Scheherazade is one of my favorite female figures from literature. She’s daring, clever, and particularly resourceful. It’s a frame narrative sort of tale so you technically won’t be seeing her as much since she’s telling each story, but it’s a lovely piece and perfect for a bedtime read because of its collection of tales. A lot of them have been referenced in media and related as well.

The Book Thief- Classic YA novel rec. It’s set in WWII and one of the novels that really showcases what YA could be. Basically a classic gem in the rough pile.

John Keats- He’s a poet, but I love his poetry because of how haunting and dark it can get; he often deals with themes of mortality.. Ode to Nightingale is particularly good.

China’s Four Great Classical Novels (Journey to the West, Dreams of the Red Chamber, Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms)- I decided to clump them here since this is already super long. Each one is incredibly well-known in Asia (and obviously China), and you can find allusions everywhere to these four novels. Each novel is rather long and expensive though (I paid like 40 USD for each set). Journey to the West follows Sun Wukong, unarguably one of the most well-known figures in literature (at least in the East; he’s super influential, but somewhat less so in the West; keyword somewhat). Dreams of the Red Chamber has some very pretty poems, but it’s often thought to be the semi autobiographical work of the author (it deals with the rise and fall of his family and the dynasty).

Daiyu’s flower poem is one of the most memorable for example.

The blossoms fade, the blossoms fly,  the blossoms fill the sky. Their crimson fades, their scent dies out,  and who is there to pity?  Drifting threads gently twist together  and float past the springtime lodge;  Falling willow floss lightly sticks  and strikes the lady’s window drapes.

Water Margin is a bit “bawdier” than the other ones imo, but it’s a good tale and has many notable figures and scenes. On Three Kingdoms, it’s the one I’d recommend to start with if you’re interested in military intrigue and battles.

I also have a Goodreads where I organize everything by shelf if you prefer to look at that. I do need to update it though tbh.

https://www.goodreads.com/Mahariel

[mysticnfantastic]

Okay, so on a happier note than my previous request. If requests are still open could do a scenario with RFA + V and Saeran (and maybe also Ray?) holding hands with MC when she suddenly flops to the ground and makes them carry/drag her because she doesn't want to go somewhere (like to the hospital for a checkup cause she hates hospitals or the grocery store cause of social anxiety or something)? I'm really curious about how they would react.

Hi! I hope this’ll  be good! It’s cute!

Jumin:

Jumin is a responsible man.

He makes sure to attend all meetings, check-ups and the like when he must, and is used to everyone else doing the same.

And it is because of this that he is rather shocked to see your (seemingly childish) reaction when you refused to go to the hospital

At first, he tries to convince you bluntly, not understanding where this is all coming from - you just….flopped in the middle of his apartment.

When you refuse to get up, he sighs, and tries to ask you why you’re acting this way, and will try to listen to you as you embarrassedly admit how you feel too anxious to go, and how you have had some pretty bad experiences in hospitals, which made him feel for you, of course, but he also knew you’d have to go for your check up to make sure that you were healthy…

So, he’d probably make a deal with you - he’d have private doctors come to you to check you, instead, and he’d be there by your side the majority of the time.

Zen:

It was so random, he couldn’t have ever expected it.

You two were just...walking through town when he mentioned how you’d need to go shopping with him, and you just...flopped.

It was really strange and he had honestly no idea how to react, but he crouched down beside you, super concerned, thinking you had a seizure or something, panic in his (beautiful) crimson eyes

“MC!? MC, are you okay??”

Finds it NOT funny when he realises you aren’t actually hurt, but also relieved as fuck.

You shake your head though when he asks if you’re actually alright, and it makes him concerned, as he helps you to your legs, glaring at people who gave you two weird looks.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his voice fully laced with worry as he looked into your eyes, pulling you into a nice alleyway for some privacy from prying eyes.

You explained your feelings and concerns and anxiety to him, trying not to get upset, to which he smiled reassuringly and kissed your forehead in a gentle manner only Zen could manage.

“That’s okay - I’ll be with you the whole time, okay? If you feel too overwhelmed we can leave and go home.”

Despite this, you refuse, and so he picks up you in his arms and literally carries you to the shops, it gains A LOT of attention.

Yoosung:

Gods save this precious bean, he has NO fucking idea what’s happening.

You were both just hanging out at the park, when he remembered how he needed to go to town and pick up some important things, and asked you to go with him, to which you responded by flopping facedown into his bed, saying something that got muffled under the pillow.

You hadn’t ever really..done anything like this before, so it was...interesting…?

So damn confused, is that a ‘no’, then?

You’ll sit up on his bed, and sadly explain why you /really/ don’t want to go to buy anything with him, the social atmosphere being suffocating to you.

He’ll nod, somewhat relieved it’s nothing too major, and he promises that you needn’t go, and that he can and will go by himself.

You feel bad just...waiting at his dorm whilst he goes to do errands all alone, but when he comes back he brings you back candy to cheer you up.

Saeyoung:

You were just hanging out at his house, sitting on his bed as he sat in front of his computer, typing away.

Eventually, he pulled away from the illuminated screen, smiling at you (like the dork he is) and then pouted when he saw your pale face.

You had been ill recently, and it showed.

Sighing softly, he tried to smile regardless, standing up and walking over to you, when he sat down beside you on the bed, he declared you had to go to the doctor.

Queue you immediately (and dramatically) falling into his lap face-up, hand on forehead like a prima donna.

He’s surprised, but chuckles lightly, shaking his head at your childish endeavours.

“Come on, MC, don’t be like this.”

You shake your head, refusing to go.

He sighs, and tries to make a deal with you - if you agree to go to the doctor, he’ll get off that forsaken computer and spend more time with you when you get better.

V:

Usually, you were quite calm and easy-going, and that made this situation so much more confusing for this poor angel.

He stated that the two of you needed to go to the supermarket to buy some groceries, and your reaction was highly unusual.

You didn’t really even say ‘no’ you just...fell onto the floor, lying on your back, looking up at him with a pout.

V.Exe is not responding

He has no idea what the actual hell just happened.

“...M...MC? What are you doing?”

The humiliation suddenly hits you and you get up off the floor, blushing softly and explaining your dislike of being in public due to your social anxiety.

He’s still mildly confused as to why you felt the need to fall onto the ground to tell him that, but he understands what it feels like to be anxious, and just tells you to make a list of the things you want him to buy.

Jaehee:

The two of you were in town, holding hands as you made your way past the buildings, when Jaehee mentioned how it’s about time for you to go and make your annual medical examination

And you responded by...suddenly going limp and literally falling on the ground, much to her shock.

Thankfully, you weren’t in a busy part of town, but it still gained someone unsavory looks.

“MC!? What are you doing…? Get up from there…!” She’s slightly panicked but also embarrassed by the glances from passersby.

She helps you to your feet, though she does glance you over to make sure you aren’t hurt, worried about what caused you to do that.

When you explain the problem to her, she sighs in disappointment. “Really, MC?”

Disappointed Mom Mode

“You’re going to have to go get checked, but I suppose I could make the appointment with you if you’d like.”

Saeran:

It was the day of your doctor appointment, and you really hated the doctor.

Something about the doctor just...caused a deep discomfort within you, and you absolutely loathed it. You weren’t even /that/ ill…!

Unfortunately, Saeran begged to differ, calling you out for how you clearly needed to go.

You could tell her was becoming frustrated with how childish you were being, shaking your head like a five year old and refusing to go get yourself checked out.

When he tried to get you to stand up, you went limp and fell onto the bed, low-key freaking the poor boy out with your sudden limpness.

“W-What?...MC! Get up!”

You jokingly say ‘not unless you carry me!”

MUCH to your shock you feel him suddenly lifting you up in the air, into his chest like a princess, “Damn, you’re heavy.”

You know he’s joking, but you still playfully hit his chest in an ‘offended’ manner.

He chuckles softly, as he carries you through the town (and the two of you recieve many gazes of awe and confusion as you do so)

Ray:

Ray and you were in the garden, technically on a date.

And it was then you remembered you had a ‘one on one meeting’ with the Saviour.

Immediately you felt the anxiety within you, and you bit your lip, and unfortunately Ray noticed your internal distress.

“Everything okay, MC?” His voice was so full of love and concern.

“I...have to go see the Saviour in a little while.”

Ray’s face was confused - why did you seem so immensely concerned by it?

“I...suppose I am slightly anxious, haha…” you exclaimed, biting down on your lips harder. It intimidated you, and honestly this entire situation was so unusual and odd for you.

You were clearly very hesitant on going, and before you could really say anything else, you felt him princess-carry you to where your meeting would be taking place.

Hope this was good, it took ages and also confession: Mod Ama has long-ago deleted the app (B/c it took too much space and generally I b r e a t h e d this game, and it was...taking way too much time from my busy ass life, BUT i have read A LOT of fanfiction from the Saeran/Ray route, and also I wiki’d shit like hell, and so the Ray scenario is just…..something I made up so don’t shoot me pls.

- Mod Ama 

[istheresomebodywhocanimagine]

Oh okay! Well I guess to ship me with them you need to know about me lol I'm quite short with short dark hair and really dark eyes. I love reading books and comics, watching movies and tv shows. I'm also really into sports and I can't go a day without drinking tea. A lot of my friends say the only time I talk is when I'm being sarcastic but idk haha anyways thank you so much!!

GOSH i’m so sorry this took five yrs

but i’m here now!!!

anyways ship below the cuttttt!!!!

For Queen, I ship you with Roger Taylor!

Although you’re quiet, I think that would contrast quite perfectly with Roger’s outspoken nature. Although he’s not always a talker, his tendency to speak up in most situations only highlights your contributions when you do choose to pipe in. As a result, the rest of the band thinks you’re the second funniest thing around. First is John Deacon - even he thinks so, let’s be honest.

Your sarcasm is what drew Roger to you in the first place. Both of you happened to run into each other outside of a pub at around mid-afternoon one time. 

You worked at the pub, tending bar, because as a bartender, it was always important to listen. You were good at listening - you’d rather hear other people talk and then give a good, witty piece of advice, rather than talk someone’s ear off.

Although you’d briefly seen each other before when he played gigs there, he’d never got the chance to come over and talk to you. Tending the bar was simply too hectic.

Roger had approached you when he saw you hanging up posters for upcoming shows. He thought you were quite a cute little thing when he’d first seen you months ago, short and sweet but still alluring with your dark hair/eye combo. And he was never one to shy away from a girl he felt interest in, so when he saw you, he had to come over.

“Smile? Who’s that?” he asked when he saw the poster you were currently tacking up. Although your back was to him, you faintly recognized the soft, Cornish voice that drifted into your eardrums, and you rolled your eyes playfully as you turned to face the drummer of Smile himself.

“Ha ha. Has anyone ever told you that you’re a regular joker?” you teased, handing him the box of tacks as you tried to reshuffle the posters in your hand and find the one for another local band.

“Actually, no,” he laughed, holding the box for you as he shifted his weight to one foot, standing with his other hand casually resting in his pocket.

“Really? Personally, I’m not shocked,” you replied without missing a beat, finally finding the poster and grabbing a few tacks from the box in his hand before starting to put the poster up directly above Smile’s. 

The space left on the board was minimal, and far above your head, so when you started to struggle to reach the top, Roger chuckled before reaching over your head and nicking the tack from your fingers, then tacking it up himself.

“Thanks,” you laughed softly as you pushed a very short, stray lock of hair out of your face. Turning to face him again, you noticed he was a bit closer than before, but you had nowhere to go and didn’t really feel like backing down from his friendliness. You honestly found him attractive, and had been hoping secretly that he’d try to talk you up one day. Now, your wish was coming true.

“No problem. Say, are you going to be tending bar tomorrow night after the show?” he asked, leaning against the board and flashing you a charming smile as you rolled up the remaining posters that you’d have to tape up in the surrounding blocks.

“Tomorrow’s my night off. Why?” you asked, raising an eyebrow as you reached for the tacks in his hand. But he retracted it, refusing to let you take it, and you squinted a bit as you tried to figure out what angle he was trying to take.

“No, don’t worry, love, I’ll carry these for you. After all, you were the one who gave them to me.” He had a point, so you shrugged and started to make your way back into the bar, Roger following you into the entrance and continuing on. “How about we go out after the show? You and me, on the town. My treat.”

Your cheeks flushed a bit as you registered that Roger was asking you out. But you kept trekking into the bar, walking to the office and letting Roger in as you went to find the tape, giggling to yourself. “Are you asking me out? Do you even know my name?”

“Sure, I do, Y/N. When you see a pretty bartender, you ask for their name. Duh.” He was grinning toothily at this point, a mischievous look about him, and you raised an eyebrow before sighing playfully and snatching the tacks from his hand, replacing it with a roll of duct tape. 

“I suppose that can be arranged. But you have to help me put the rest of these up.”

That next night, you had a whirlwind of a time, and ended up crashing at Roger because of how sloshed the two of you had gotten. But he slept on the couch like a gentleman, and when you realized he wasn’t just trying to get a petty fuck out of you, you started to entertain his advances more. Then, before you knew it, you were his girlfriend.

And Roger was an angel of a boyfriend - any time you were feeling like staying in, he’d be there in a heartbeat with a cup of tea and a new book he’d bought for you.

“I saw it and thought of you,” he said cheerily, handing it to you as you sunk down into the couch with your steaming mug of tea. Blowing on the surface on the liquid, you couldn’t help but smile as you took the book from his hand, and he returned a loving smile before he seated himself next to you, getting comfortable and wrapping his arm around you. Drizzly rain pattered against the window of his flat, but the sound only relaxed you further.

Sitting your tea on the side table for a moment, you snuggled up close to him and pulled a blanket over the two of you as he watched the TV, which he’d turned to one of his favorite game shows.

A domestic scene like this was certainly not one you’d ever expected to see Roger in. As you grabbed your tea and opened the book to page one, you couldn’t help but smile to yourself as you felt Roger’s hand weave through your hair, just brushing through it barely and absentmindedly as he watched the game show.

When you’d first seen Roger, he was practically shirtless, on stage, beating his drums like an animal, singing his heart out, and all else. But now, he was here, cuddling with you, so serene it made your heart swell.

Just so your heart wouldn’t burst into a million pieces from how happy you currently were, you leaned up and pressed a few gentle, affectionate kisses on his jaw, then returned to your reading with a content heart as a smile crossed Roger’s face.

“What was that for?” he asked, gently tugging on your hair to get your attention. And you blushed, just a bit, overwhelmed with fondness for him, but you couldn’t be gushy right now or you might melt, so you chose the coy approach.

“Return the favor and maybe you’ll find out.”

And for BoRhap, I ship you with Gwilym Lee!

What a sweet boy. And somehow, he looks so innocently devilish doing that. 

ANYWAYS

Yes, I know, height differences. But Gwilym loves that you’re short! Your height was actually indirectly what had led him to meeting you in the first place. 

You were seated directly behind him at a rugby match, a very important one to you AND him - your favorite teams were playing, coincidentally opposite each others, and of course you got sat behind the most obnoxiously tall fan of the other team’s fanbase.

But you weren’t going to be rude about it - in fact, it seemed like he was just there to have a good time. He was drunk, but not aggressively or annoyingly so. He was just too god damn tall, and he seemed painfully unaware of that.

After about 15 minutes of watching the back of his head, you sighed, quite audibly. Your friends had left a couple minutes ago so they could go to the stadium’s bar, so you were alone with your beer you’d got on your way to your seat, and staring at the back of this guy’s head.

When you noticed that he had an empty seat next to him, you jumped at the opportunity. Even though you weren’t exactly the bold type, this game was important to you, and if that meant you had to bother a Welsh fan for a seat, you were all about it.

Tapping on his shoulder, you grabbed your beer as he turned around to look at you, a look of genuine confusion smeared across his unbelievably handsome face. He was quite a looker, and you mentally smacked yourself for getting into this situation without planning first.

“Hi,” you laughed a bit awkwardly, nodding to the seat next to him. “Is that seat taken?”

“Er, no, my mate couldn’t make it,” he replied slowly, shaking his head as the confusion slowly wore off. But there was still a trace of it left as he raised an eyebrow at you standing up and grabbing your things. “Why?”

“Want to know the truth?” you asked, tossing your coat and purse down on the bleacher floor in front of the open seat next to him. When he nodded, you took a sip of your beer before handing it to him. “Would you put that in the cupholder, please? And if I’m going to be frank, it’s because I didn’t buy a ticket to this match to watch the back of a Wales fan’s head, however nice your hair is.”

That got a laugh out of him, and he sat your beer down in the cupholder in front of him before holding out a hand and helping you over the back of the seat, only getting a mildly questioning look from his friend to his left. Once you’d successfully gotten over the chair, he turned his helping hand into a handshake, looking down at you with an amused smile as he easily towered over you.

“My name’s Gwilym. What’s yours?”

“Y/N,” you replied, shooting him a sweet smile before giving his jersey a pointed look as you dropped his hand. “Hope you guys are ready to get your shit handed to you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. You want to put your money where your mouth is?”

His team won. You should have known, but when he wagered a date on the game, you couldn’t say no. And when he took you on that date, he only made a few jokes about how much of a shitshow your team was that day.

And when he managed to drag you to a Wales match that wasn’t against your team a few months later, he was presented the perfect opportunity to ask you to be his girlfriend.

“I get that you’re from there, but why continue to support the team if it’s genuine garbage?” he asked laughingly, amused by the playfully sour look your face had taken on. Once again, he was reminding you of how sorely your team was performing this season. The only way to make him stop was to start pouting, after which he’d apologize profusely and promise not to be a big bully anymore.

“I came out to this match to have a good time with you, Gwil, and I’m beginning to feel a bit attacked here, truly.”

“Aw, come on, I was just teasing!” he whined, nudging you with his shoulder as you stared up at the scoreboard and refused to look at him despite the smile playing on your lips. They were doing the routine halftime kiss cam, and you watched as a cute older couple gave each other a chaste peck on the lips.

His arm then wrapped around your shoulder, pulling you into his side, and though you were faking being mad at him, you still let your head rest on his shoulder as he squeezed you a bit. “Don’t be mad at me, sweetheart. I promise I’ll buy you a beer if it makes you feel better.”

“You better,” you mumbled, still looking up at the scoreboard, and to your surprise (and admittedly, excitement), you suddenly saw a Welsh man with his arm around a young woman with dark eyes and short dark hair, who was leaning on him. 

Yep, you guessed it. It was kiss cam time.

“Gwil, look,” you murmured, pointing up to the scoreboard/jumbotron, and a blissfully unaware, smiley Gwilym looked up to the scoreboard just to be met with his own expression.

“Oh shit,” he blurted out, immediately taking on an embarrassed look as he laughed at his own obliviousness. After glancing between you and the screen, he nudged your head gently with his shoulder. “Suppose it would be a good time to ask you if you’d fancy being my girlfriend.”

“Are you joking?!” you choked out, your head flying up so that you were staring at him with a flabbergasted, ecstatic expression. “Yes, yes! God, it took you long enough!”

With that, you quickly glanced at the kiss cam before grinning widely and taking Gwilym’s face in your hands, planting a big, affectionate kiss directly on his lips. It wasn’t a sloppy kiss, and there wasn’t anything too racy about it - it was pure joy, and the way Gwilym pulled you closer for a moment while he kissed back was enough to make your heart race even faster than it already was.

When you pulled away to a few cheers around you, you gave a wide grin to the camera before looking back at Gwilym, who was absolutely pleased with himself as he kept his arm firmly around you, waving for the camera and giving your cheek a quick kiss.

As the cheers died down, you giggled and rested your head on his shoulder again, completely content with what events had just transpired. But, of course, you weren’t letting him off that easy.

“I haven’t forgot about the beer, you know.”

“Of course you haven’t, love. Wouldn’t expect any less of you.”