#idk which of these to use haha

[electrikworm]

Helping Hands

Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Wrecker

Tags: Back Pain, Massage, Fluff, Established Relationship

Summary:

Once again, Wrecker is plagued by back pain. Padmé isn't just going to let him suffer and has found a way to potentially aid her partner.

Word count: 4,174

Read on Ao3

Sighing, Padmé slips off her boots before she tracks dirt into the Marauder. Whilst some mess is constant with this squad, Padmé knows Tech won't hesitate to berate even her when it comes to making the ships floor unnecessarily muddy.

Padmé's not someone who enjoys being inactive, so if there's a mission that she's got information on, she won't hesitate to join. This mission had come from intel she'd gained from a fellow member of the senate, so of course Padmé had to get involved.

She'd been on the Marauder with Clone Force 99 for almost a week now, though it's far from the first mission she's had with them. She'd long since been on enough missions with the squad for them to actively include her in their crazy plans, which suits Padmé very well.

True to the Bad Batch's 100% success rate, this mission had been a success too.

Though that is far from the only reason this squad is Padmé's first choice for missions. Padmé knows plenty of competent and strong fighters, many other clones that could do just as good of a job. But since the first time she'd fought along this batch, she'd stayed in contact with them, grown attached to them.

The preference naturally grew stronger when Padmé ended up spending more and more time exchanging calls and messages with the squads demolitions expert, Wrecker. A fondness grew between them, resulting in them officially beginning to date a couple months ago now.

Of course, this isn't information they share freely. Clones barely classify as living beings by law, something Padmé's been trying to change with the help of a few other members of the senate, so dating one isn't exactly encouraged. They are first and foremost property of the republic. Padmé was horrified to hear all the ways they're reminded of this in day to day life.

Wrecker luckily has good brothers, none of which will disclose information on what's happening between him and Padmé. They've over all been very welcoming towards her in that regard too, minus some quips from Crosshair.

Just as Padmé's about to look around for her partner, Wrecker's large hand is placed on her shoulder. Smiling softly, he leans down to catch her lips in a kiss. The slight bump in Wrecker's lip from the scar on his face is familiar, the stubble an indication that he hadn't had time to shave that morning. After breaking the contact, Wrecker lingers close to Padmé, forehead rested against hers, breathing a little heavier then he usually does.

The way Wrecker winces when he straightens the way he stands doesn't go unnoticed. Discomfort has been radiating off of him all day, and since Padmé's certain Wrecker's baring no injury worse than bruising, it has to be his back causing him issues again.

She's about to point that out, when Hunter exits the refresher, freeing it for someone else to shower. As much as Padmé insists Wrecker use to sonic first, she still ends up doing so before him. Sonic showers are fast, but Padmé tries to hurry the process further.

As soon as she's out and in fresh clothes, Padmé tries to talk with Wrecker again, only to be interrupted by Hunter wanting to discuss the mission briefly. Once they're done, Wrecker is the one showering. With sight, Padmé sits down on a chair at the navcomputer.

She's been thinking of ways to help Wrecker with the aches and cramps he gets, and has been meaning to try something out. It took ages for Padmé to even learn of the muscle pain that torments her boyfriend, that not being a fact about himself Wrecker likes to share or admit to.

Padmé spent a considerable amount of her free time looking up and asking around about back pain relief, picking up a couple promising sounding massage techniques. In combination with the heat patches the batch stock for these instances, Padmé hopes to get Wrecker feeling a bit more comfortable.

Wrecker exits the refresher dressed in lose civilian clothes, fabric looking soft from usage. Padmé enjoys what Wrecker looks like in his armor, but this is better. The harsh look of his armor conveys the strength housed in his large body well, but this outfit mirrors the softer parts of Wrecker's personality. The fact that Padmé can sometimes catch glimpses of Wrecker's stomach or lower back when he stretches only factor into that preference slightly.

Getting up, Padmé strides to Wrecker's side, taking hold of his hand. She makes sure not to stand too close to Wrecker, so she doesn't have to look up at a bad angle. “How's your back?” she asks, leaving no room for Wrecker to distract from the problem at hand.

He shrugs. “S'fine,” Wrecker says, looking anywhere but at Padmé. He's a terrible liar.

“Doesn't look fine,” Padmé says firmly. Wrecker hunches as his lie is pointed out, shrugging again. “There's something that might help that I'd like to try.”

Wrecker meets her eyes at that, lifting his free hand to wave her off. “No, no, you don't have to do that. I'll sleep it off,” Wrecker protests.

Padmé uses her free hand to cup Wrecker's cheek and he leans into it immediately, just like he always does. A barely audible sigh escapes his lips, soft expression making Padmé's heart clench.

“I won't make you do anything you don't want to, Wrecker.” Padmé trails her thumb across his cheek bone and the scars that line it. How much Wrecker trusts her on his blind side moves Padmé every time she experiences it. “However, all I want to try is a massage and I really think it could help. I promise I won't do anything without letting you know about it first.”

There's a chance Wrecker's declining Padmé's offer due to the fear of unfamiliar medical procedures he'd picked up on Kamino. Padmé's barely heard a fraction of the stories, and she can already see why Wrecker distrusts medical situations.

Wrecker shakes his head. “S'not that, I trust you,” he says, placing a hand over Padmé's one resting on his face. “But we're all tired, and I don't want to keep you from resting.”

“Would have been silly of me to offer if I didn't intend to do what I said I would,” Padmé says, smiling up at Wrecker.

Rubbing a thumb over Padmé's knuckles, Wrecker nods. “Alright, but only if you really don't mind.”

“I don't,” Padmé reassures him, just able to press a kiss to the side of Wrecker's jaw if she stretches upwards. Using the hand she still has in Wrecker's, she starts pulling him towards the batch's sleeping area.

The sleeping racks the Marauder has to offer aren't much for comfort, nor are they particularly wide. When Padmé joins the batch on missions nowadays, her and Wrecker usually opt to sleep on the floor. There's a lot more space to spread out and it's just as comfortable as the rack.

Reluctantly letting go of Wrecker's hand, Padmé gets the blanket they sleep on, as well as the one use to cover themselves, out of storage. They'll only need the first for what Padmé's planing, but she doesn't want to do a lot more before they sleep anyway, so she might as well prepare.

In the time Padmé takes to arrange the first blanket on the floor, Wrecker's gotten the pillows. They're flat and on the hard side, but do their job well enough. They're the same gray so many GAR issued pieces of equipment are. It's easy to tell that the squad must have picked most of these blankets up along the way somewhere, their varying colours contrasting to the pillows bland gray tone.

Padmé's glad. She's seen the GAR issue blankets before and they feel horrible.

Voicing a quick thanks to Wrecker, Padmé gestures for him to sit on the blanket. “Take your shirt off,” she says, not waiting to watch if Wrecker does so.

It doesn't take a lot of searching for Padmé to find the green glass bottle she'd stowed in her personal belongings, after all, she'd hardly packed much.

“What's that?” Wrecker asks as Padmé sits next to him, tilting his head slightly. He has his arms crossed in front of his chest as he sits there shirtless. Despite running hot, the slight chill on the Marauder must be affecting him.

“Massage oil,” Padmé answers as she unscrews the bottle's lid. She holds it out to Wrecker. “Tell me if you like the smell. If you don't, I'll find something else to use.”

Wrecker takes it from her carefully, leaning forwards to smell the contents. Padmé purposefully picked a subtle scent, a blend of citrus with a faint herbal note. Hunter and Tech react badly to intense perfumes, and Wrecker doesn't particularly like them either.

Thankfully, Padmé seems to have made a good choice, as Wrecker smiles and nods. She really doesn't know what she would have replaced it with if he didn't like it. Tech's got plenty of oil for work on the Marauder's engines and his contraptions, but it smells bad and leaves stains. Padmé also isn't all too keen on smearing cooking oil on her boyfriend's back.

“Lay down then,” Padmé says, putting a hand on Wrecker's bicep. Before doing as asked, Wrecker leans over far enough to lightly bump his head against Padmé's, making a smile cross her face.

Wrecker settles on his front, head cushioned on one of the pillows and his arms. He pushes himself up briefly to look back at Padmé, smile on his lips.

To better reach the broad expanse of Wrecker's back, Padmé decides to place herself with a knee on either side of Wrecker, sitting on his butt. That gets a laugh out of Wrecker.

“Is this okay?” Padmé asks.

“Completely fine,” Wrecker answers, hints of his amusement still present in his voice.

Padmé allows the oil to pool in her palm, hoping to warm it somewhat before spreading it across Wrecker's back.

The multitude of scars stick out against the warm tone of his skin, a wide variety of them littering Wrecker's back. Padmé's heard the story behind a good amount of them. Some Wrecker tells gladly, usually tales of the missions they've been on. Others, Wrecker is less proud of, most of those being small, circular puncture marks and neat, regular incisions.

Padmé's never pushed Wrecker to share the story behind those, but he'd divulge bits and pieces of their origin ever so often, usually when he isn't feeling particularly well. They come from his time on Kamino, and all of the batch share similar scars. No member of the squad sees them as honourable, the marks acting as a source of shame and disgust.

The scar on Wrecker's face continues down his neck and shoulder, enveloping most of his left shoulder and spreading down his arm and across his shoulder blade. The skin looks twisted by the injury, alternating between being raised and grooved. The scar tissue is thick and knotted. Padmé knows from experience that it's harder to the touch than the surrounding skin.

Wrecker had laughed when he told Padmé that the explosion tore such a large chunk out of his shoulder, that you likely could have seen bone. If it hadn't been for all the blood, that is. Padmé was horrified by the information, and Wrecker's brother's didn't quite share his enthusiasm either. Looks of fear, guilt and shame ghosted across their expressions as they listened to Wrecker tell the tale.

The more time Padmé spends observing Wrecker move and lift things, the more obvious it gets that he favours his left arm, never putting quite as much weight on it as his right.

Padmé makes a note to pay special attention to that spot when she gets to it.

“Tell me if anything makes you uncomfortable or hurts,” Padmé says as she places her hands flat on Wrecker's lower back. He nods in response.

With even strokes, Padmé spreads the oil across Wrecker's back. He hums appreciatively, almost trying to arch off the floor to lean into Padmé's touch.

“Feels good,” Wrecker comments as Padmé runs her hands across his skin.

A short laugh escapes her. “Love, I haven't even done anything yet.”

“Still feels good,” he sighs. As endearing as Wrecker's appreciation of close contact with Padmé is, how surprised and overly grateful he reacts to it doesn't speak well of his past partners and interactions with people other than his brothers.

Once the oil is evenly spread, Padmé brings her hands to Wrecker's upper back, placing her palm flat to his skin and her other hand on top of the first. Increasing the pressure slightly, Padmé begins moving her hands in a circular motion.

Wrecker releases a low groan almost immediately, making Padmé smile.

“Good like this or can I go harder?” Padmé asks, trying to see Wrecker's expression from where she's sitting. All she can tell is that his eyes are closed.

“Kark,” Wrecker groans, “you can absolutely go harder.” Padmé laughs softly, doing as asked.

Just then, someone clicking their tongue in annoyance behind , makes Padmé jump. She whips her head in the direction of the noise, somehow managing to not interrupt the circles she's rubbing into Wrecker's skin.

Crosshair's standing there, resting a hand on his tilted hip and lazily holding a toothpick in the other. “You know, this is only marginally better than what I thought you were up to based on the noises you're making.”

Padmé scoffs, amused by the attempt to get a rise out of her. It's far from the worst innuendo she's heard in the years she's spent in the public eye. “Can't have been that misleading if you felt comfortable walking in on us,” Padmé responds.

“Yeah,” Wrecker agrees, “shut up, Cross.” He starts sitting up a little, only to quit halfway, clearly deciding to prioritise leaning into Padmé's touch over getting back at his brother.

Crosshair sighs loudly, rolling his eyes, but doesn't make any further comment as he disappears back into the cockpit.

Padmé continues the circles down Wrecker's back, along the right side first, then switching to the left. Reaching the lower back, she eases the pressure to keep it from getting uncomfortable across areas not protected by ribs. Padmé spends a little more time focusing on areas near Wrecker's hips, knowing it's a problem spot for him as well.

Wrecker's positive response is consistent, a mix of soft, pleased noises and thanks. She's careful not to put too much pressure on Wrecker's scarred shoulder with this move, paying close attention to how Wrecker reacts.

When she's done with both sides of his back, Wrecker tries to sit up. Padmé places her palm flat on his back to stop him. Of course he could easily push past her, but Wrecker doesn't, halting his attempt to get up at the touch.

“I have other things I could try, if you like,” Padmé suggests, trailing her thumb along a scar originating from a blaster bolt.

“Really?” Wrecker asks, twisting to look at Padmé, almost making her fall from her place sitting on Wrecker.

Padmé nods, delighting in the sweet smile that spreads across Wrecker's face. He settles back down, resting his head on his forearms. He mutters something Padmé doesn't quite hear, followed by him thanking her again.

She begins circling her thumb along Wrecker's back, slow steady movements. A content sigh comes from Wrecker, clearly enjoying this just as much as the first move.

Padmé's half way up the right side of his back when Wrecker's posture changes suddenly as he tenses, hissing under his breath. Drawing her hands back quickly, Padmé leans forwards.

“Everything alright?” she asks, hoping for a honest answer. It's clear something she did caused Wrecker pain.

Wrecker is quiet for a moment. Padmé expects him to try and argue that everything is fine. After another few seconds of nothing, Wrecker finally answers.

“That spot just hurts,” Wrecker answers, “but you don't ha-”

“Then I'll be more careful around it,” Padmé interrupts Wrecker, cutting him off before he ends up trying to apologize to her for experiencing pain.

Padmé goes over the spot again, much gentler this time. She spends some time trying to ease the tension causing that particular knot, unsure if it actually works.

“Better like this?” she checks in, Wrecker not having reacted at all to the second attempt at tackling that soreness.

He nods, humming affirmatively.

Wrecker points out a few more trouble spots as Padmé continues, each being carefully focused on. Padmé's unsure if the previous technique hadn't sparked the discomfort or if Wrecker simply hadn't voiced it, but she's glad he's doing so now.

By the time Padmé moves to the next step, Wrecker's practically melted beneath her. His breathings evened out, having become deep and slow, and his shoulders lack their usual tension. The only reason Padmé's sure Wrecker hasn't fallen asleep is the occasional groans and sighs he releases.

Padmé's nearly overwhelmed by the need to lean forward and press a kiss to the back of Wrecker's neck ever so often, only stopping herself because she'd get massage oil all over herself and it would interrupt her work.

“You seem extraordinarily good at this.”

For the second time that day, Padmé is scared by one of Wrecker's brothers, this time Tech, who apparently didn't feel like announcing himself. Clearly he spooked Wrecker too, who's up on his elbows, glaring back at his brother.

“Tech,” Padmé exclaims, “don't sneak up on us like that.”

“Apologies,” he says, looking a lot like he isn't sorry, and in fact, had done so on purpose. In the corner of her eye, Padmé catches Wrecker rolling his eyes before laying back down.

“Do you need something?” Padmé asks.

“Ah, no, I do not,” Tech answers, “I merely wanted to check in on you. It's a good idea, what you're doing. I believe it has the potential to really help.” He gestures at Padmé's hands on Wrecker's back as he speaks.

“Already is helping,” Wrecker mumbles into his forearms, finishing off with a content sigh. Padmé can't help but smile.

“Oh, and I brought you this,” Tech continues, holding out two of the heat patches Wrecker usually uses for his back pain.

Padmé thanks Tech before returning to tending to Wrecker's back.

Balling her hands into fists, she runs them along Wrecker's back, away from his spine and down towards his hips. Tech comes back a little later, depositing a towel next to where Padmé's placed the heat patches. It'll be useful to have that when she's trying to stick the patches to Wrecker's skin. The oil would likely hinder their adhesion.

When she's thanked Tech again, he's off, just as silently as he'd appeared the first time.

To finish off, Padmé rubs her hands across Wrecker's back firmly for a couple minutes, enjoying how completely at ease he seems. His body is almost entirely slack beneath Padmé.

When Padmé gets off of Wrecker, he seems almost disappointed at the loss of her weight on him. Before Wrecker can try moving or look what she's doing, Padmé shuffles closer to his head. From her new position, she has much better access to Wrecker's scarred shoulder.

Warming up a little more oil in her hands, Padmé takes a moment to just look at Wrecker. He's tilted his head so he can look up at Padmé, eyes half lidded, soft, relaxed smile on his lips. She takes this opportunity to lean down and kiss Wrecker's temple.

“Feeling alright?” Padmé checks in.

“Feelin' great,” Wrecker sighs, laughing softly. Padmé's heart aches with fondness for him.

With the utmost care, Padmé starts massaging Wrecker's shoulder. With the way he's laying now, Wrecker has his blind eye and deaf ear up, yet he's still completely relaxed as Padmé works her fingers across the thick scar tissue lining his left side. She's honoured he trusts her so much.

Sitting like this would have been ineffective for working on Wrecker's back, but Padmé really enjoys the immediate feedback of not only hearing the noises Wrecker makes, but his facial expressions too. There's next to no tension remaining in his expression, a lot like when he's sleeping peacefully. Padmé ends up having to disturb the way Wrecker lays to gain proper access to Wrecker's upper arm. He doesn't seem to mind, easily allowing Padmé to take hold of the limb. Seeing as Wrecker tends to get his fists involved in combat and their enemies are more often than not droids, his knuckles take a lot of punishment on the daily as well. Like so often, dark bruises are spread across them. Padmé plans to pay some attention to Wrecker's hands as well, but she'll wait until her hands aren't covered in oil any more. Before finishing off, Padmé lets her fingers trail up the scarred side of Wrecker's neck, kneading the skin. Wrecker leans into her touch as much as he can, consequently making his neck a little harder to reach. Padmé doesn't want to correct him, finding it sweet. Wiping her hands on the towel, Padmé cleans most of the oil off two spots on Wrecker's back, one on the lower half, the other on the upper. Placing the towel aside, Padmé unpacks the heat patches, applying both to Wrecker's skin.

“There,” Padmé says, smoothing the patches down, “done.”

She's about to offer to look at Wrecker's hands next, when, as soon as the words have left her mouth, Wrecker's arms are wrapped around her. Releasing a surprised yelp, Padmé is pulled into Wrecker's embrace, ending up laying next to him, with his arm and shoulder draped across her.

Before Padmé can make a point of telling Wrecker that she wasn't entirely done, Wrecker's started pressing kisses to her face. Along her nose, forehead, cheeks, no part is spared in Wrecker's demonstration of affection. Padmé is overcome by laughter at the soft sensation of Wrecker's warm lips on her face.

“Wrecker!” Padmé exclaims. “I still want to look at your hands.”

“Said you were done,” Wrecker says, wide grin on his face as he's propped on his elbow above her.

“Please?” Padmé's already turning in Wrecker's grip, holding her hand out in preparation to receive his. There's a smile in the sound of Wrecker's voice as he sighs dramatically and agrees.

He settles on his side, draping the second blanket across both of them before doing so. Padmé takes Wrecker's large hand in hers, inspecting it carefully.

Years of scar tissue cover the knuckles, smaller burns and cuts having left marks on the rest of his hand as well. The bruising is still fresh and will likely darken even further over night. Padmé starts rubbing her thumbs across Wrecker's palm.

She doesn't get far before Wrecker kisses the top of her head, distracting her. Padmé tries to ignore it, but Wrecker keeps shifting his hold on her, leaning his head on top of hers or kissing any spot he can reach. It's making progress very slow.

“Wrecker,” she sighs fondly, “you're being very distracting.”

“Then it's working,” Wrecker says with a small laugh.

Padmé shakes her head, suppressing laughter as she turns to give Wrecker a look. “Come on.”

“You've done enough,” Wrecker says, resting his forehead against the top of Padmé's head, “can't we just sleep?”

Padmé sighs, but Wrecker's hands can wait. She is feeling rather tired, especially this close to her furnace of a boyfriend. “Alright, later then.”

She takes the opportunity of Wrecker shifting to embrace her better to connect her lips with his in a slow kiss. She presses close to Wrecker, allowing their legs to tangle. Padmé absent-mindedly runs a hand across the arm draped across her chest, feeling very comfortable. She has to push away the thought of having to sleep alone soon again.

“Thanks Padmé,” Wrecker sighs, “I'll make it up to you soon.”

“You don't have to, my love,” Padmé smiles. She's been trying very hard to make it clear that she isn't going to hold anything she does for Wrecker against him or demand compensation. That hasn't quite gotten through to him yet.

“Want to though. You need to relax more too.” Wrecker runs his fingers through her hair gently as he talks.

“Some other time, Wrecker,” Padmé says. “Just sleep now.”

She can feel Wrecker nod as she closes her eyes, letting her body go slack against Wrecker's. Padmé wakes far more rested when she sleeps next to Wrecker, and knowing that makes falling asleep just that bit easier. Wrecker's shared with Padmé that he feels the same.

There continues to be barely an tension in Wrecker's body, seemingly entirely at ease. It makes Padmé feel quite pleased with herself, knowing she managed to help at least a little with Wrecker's recurring back pain. In the face of that achievement and the comfortable position Padmé's in, all her other worries are far away as she falls asleep.

[miku-meeku]

haha chat you wont believe what i got myself into haha

[doctorsiren]

he’s mad she ratted him out

[gilbirda]

hot take but we as a society need to be more comfortable about discussing "icky" parts of history, and even telling the side of the "bad guys"

hear me out

history is written by the victors, and will be heavily biased. The defeated will be painted as evil, deviants and/or like they have always been "the bad guys".

Reducing people to "the bad guys" does a huge disservice to the opportunity of learning from the past, because it creates a distance between the modern reader and the actual events, it creates the comfortable position of "I'm not like the bad guys, so i will never make their mistakes"

I think is important we understand how and why people believed in something, and where did things turn a certain way. Yes. Even "the wrong side". Even the nazis. Even those people you are thinking about, whoever they are.

Because you are not immune to propaganda and it's so so so so important to understand what happened and how did we get to those points before we fall to the same techniques again and again.

"Learning from the past" isn't deleting the ugly parts or cringing when someone brings up war. Thinking otherwise is a huge mistake and precisely what someone who wants to make the same mistakes wants you to think.

[sysig]

You're still standing off to the side. Somehow, center stage has shifted from under your feet without you realizing, and you're standing in the wings, performing to no one.

Starring Role (Patreon)

[queenlucythevaliant]

Okay gang, here's a silly little game. I've assembled six teams of blended Narnia and Tolkien/LotR characters. Here they are:

For bonus points, tell me in the tags where you're going on your road trip, who has what role (driving, snacks, aux) on the road, and what you'll stop off and see along the way

[relaxxattack]

every time someone calls moirallegience just an alien qpr i wilt a lil like YEAH thats more or less the CLOSEST human thing but its also Literally Not That. like a qpr is fundanmentally not romantic and thats not even going into moirails whole Actual Purpose of calming ppl down. its just. aughhhhh pisses me off i see the confusion but, as aformentioned, aughhhhh

OH MY GOD THIS HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME TOO.... but i don't want to get petty at the people in my notes always saying "moirails are QPRs!" because in some ways that is the closest human thing so it's hard to be mad...

i think there's definitely some overlap in some ways. but NOT because moirallegiance and qprs are the same at all really, but INSTEAD because both relationships can be outside of popular human norms.

you know... like any relationship.

like the only reason the two really have overlap is because they are both committed emotional partnerships that aren't required to involve sex? that should be true for all romance, even if it's not the norm right now.

they're both just romances* that are unconventional to human norms, which makes people view them as the same thing when they're not.

i think the REAL issue here is that humans insist on using human words to understand things that are just, fundamentally, alien. can't we just appreciate alien romance for being... alien romance?

no, moirallegiance is not platonic, it's romantic. it's just romantic in a way you don't understand, is all. that doesn't invalidate that romance.

*in generalization, most QPRs are not romantic, because they are made up of aroaces who are life partners in a non-romantic way. however i want to disagree with you that none of them are romantic, because that is up to the partners in question.

[spotaus]

Hey! The ask!! Lets see if i can manage to type everything i thought about in the time i got my break!!

So. I got thinking. (This was also a half baked drabble idea but didnt feel like making it a full one so you are getting the idea like this!! >:D)

We spoke about how Killer would be guarding Nightmare in the raid where Dream manages to steal him.

The problem is. If Killer can still move this guy WILL throw himself at Dream to save Nightmare. Meaning that Killer has to be mortally wounded. (Also works with why Nightmare rushes to shield his older brother)

So we got Killer just laying in whatever room Nightmare and him ahd been in. Probably slowly bleeding out.

On one hand. You can have the Knights run in right after. But then what is stopping them from splitting up, one part staying with Killer and one part rushing after Dream? And it has been YEARS since Dream last visited the castle. He may not remember everything quite right.

So... in theory. It should take more time for the Knights to get to Killer. But Killer is mortally wounded.

So. In comes!! Ccino (my beloved).

Ccino had been going towards killer and nightmare after helping the servants and maids evacuate or go to the bunker.

He gets there to see Killer pretty much laying there dying on the ground, Nightmare no where to be seen.

What does he do?

Ccino's crisis management skills activate. He wants to find Nightmare but he has no clue of where Nightmare went and he has no way to fight whoever took him. Killer is in front of him actively dying.

He goes to Kilelr's side.

Killer, the romantic idiot, probably realises he is fucking dying. So maybe he is like. Maybe i can confess? (Add some extra angst and make it that the hit was by either his neck or spine or soul. Making him unable to communicate)

Ccino is trying to keep the wound closed but he has no healing magic. He doenst even have first aid kit on him beyond the bare minimum. What does he do?

Well... he knows there is one being still in the castle. He does a little prayer and asks for help.

For Killer? Killer is slowly falling unconscious. He tried to confess but cant speak. He cant even apologise for failing everyone and losing Nightmare. At least Ccino is here in his last moments. He isnt alone. So he falls asleep.

Maybe some warm light guides him. A familiar voice that was once a friend? He tries to follow only to be stopped. Stopped by something sharp and pulling him down. Back into the darkness. It feels like when he fell into a bush. The way those thorns prick his bones.

Killer at first tries to follow the image of his friend (were they his friend? They saved him right? So why shouldnt he follow them?)

Only to hear so soft. So quietly from the darkness. 'Please dont let him die...'

And that sounds like Ccino... so Killer follows that voice. Goes into the darkness and it feels as if he traveled through a overgrown forest with sticks and stuff all pulling on his limbs.

And he wakes up. His skull in Ccino's lap as Ccino keeps the wound closed and did the best first aid he did. Moments later the Knights rush in to assist.

(Yes. The tree pulled Killer's soul back to the living side while the memories of chara were trying to pull killer into oblivion and get him to die)

Okay that is all. I wanted to get that out of my system.

Okay. Hi. As always, losing my everloving mind over this. Gonna make a Cut so it's easier to scroll hehe-

First off, you are SO right about Killer fighting till he physically can't move. I think that the combat between Dream and Killer is actually decently drawn out, because Dream is kinda in a frenzy (Storm growing outside + just obliterated Cross as far as he knows) and as a mostly long-range attacker it was stupid of him to try and fight Killer alone in a confined space. Killer's fast, and has a lot more to lose if he loses this fight (Nightmare is still hidden but low key stuck, and Dream is very adamant about ending his life) so he gets up close and personal for a while and lands quite a few solid attacks. However, Killer has also heard about Dream. He saw the distress on his little face when Cross admitted who had sent him and why. How Nightmare refused to send an assassination party to end things prematurely. This is Night's brother, so Killer won't kill him. As much as he wants to.

This leaves him at a direct disadvantage, and anytime he backs off to recoup Dream shoots arrows at him. (I also think he took a couple on purpose, because where he'd hidden Nightmare was the trajectory and he couldn't block it fast enough). And then, I like to think that when Killer gets in really close one time, Dream summons his blades, the ones he was still a novice with. But! One of Them peirces Killer's outer ring of his soul, and Dream jabs upwards (kinda using his other hand on the hilt to have more force) and wedges it into Killer's spine just past his ribcage. When Dream does this it his the magical equivalent of a vein, and when he shoves Killer away and off his blade, the other can only stay upright for a few stumbles before he teeters and falls onto his back.

Soul out in the open, covered in wounds (I like to think Dream's arrows peirce and burn), and now bleeding and seemingly paralyzed, Dream pulls out his bow again, ready to shoot Killer straight in his target soul. But, he's still selfish, and he wants to monolgue a bit, curse Killer (who he believes has been controlling his brother for so long) and shoots his hand, then a gash in his neck from a well-placed arrow, until he can see that dusty layer rising on Killer's bones signaling it'll be a slow death.

But, when he finishes cursing out Killer, is ready to fire the final shot? Nightmare had been hiding in a wardrobe, when Killer had stopped talking he'd gotten worried and peeked out against his better judgement. Now, with the scene, he rushes into the crossfire and, like we've discussed, the arrow ricochets off the mask and knocks it off, revealing Night in his teen form.

And it's a quick pleading, a desperate little plea from Nightmare not to kill Killer, or hurt his knights or the people. To just stop. And Dream, after his moment of shock + probing Night's emotions to find this really is him, scoops him up. His intention was to finish Killer off, but the storm outside roars louder and he can feel a strong emotion hurrying his way, so he decides to retreat. Killer should bleed out anyways.

And now finally to your point!!! Ccino is absolutely the best option! The Knights have no idea what's happening inside, and all they can. Do to help is keep Blue and Ink occupied. Cross is down for the count and looking rough, and they just have to trust that Killer got Night out or somewhere safe. Ccino? Ccino finished his part of the job, efficient af, and is rushing to go find Nightmare and Killer. He doesn't know Dream got in, he doesn't know quite where they'd be, but he can kinda sus it out based on carnage and wet steps in the halls where *soneone* got it. If they did, Killer would probably be stalling with Night nearby.

And like u said, he gets there and finds Killer actively dying, and crisis management kicks in! Ough everything about this moment is so perfect... Ccino never learned medicine, and has no healing magic, so he can only make Killer a little more comfortable and put pressure on his wounds to try and stop the bleeding. And he *sees* that soul injury. No matter how well he staunches the blood flow with his apron, that would surely kill him without treatment. And Killer seems to still be conscious, but barely. He's fading. And silent, which is deeply eerie and Wrong.

And good gods. Killer wanting so so bad to confess because, he's gonna die anyways so he wants to get it out, but he Literally can't say anything?? Wauhh!!!!!

And Ccino reaching out to the Veing in the castle... praying, begging for Killer to be saved, because Ccino refuses to leave him alone, and also refuses to lose him. Killer was Night's first knight, the most important person in that kid's world (Ccino doesn't count himself). All the Knights rely on Killer for guidance and support. Ccino needs Killer in his life, this idiot, this criminal, is somehow one of his favorite people in this castle. Please, please, please don't let him go. Keep him here until help arrives. *please*.

And the Castle obliges. Not only is Killer the one who protected Nightmare, the prince who is restoring this land, but Killer is one Ccino values. Ccino is here, stopping his wounds, begging for help to save a life. He hasn't done that before.

And!!! The description from Killer's perspective!!!!! For all intents and purposes, it seems the warm friendly voice (Chara!!!) Should be the one he follows. It's gentle, beckoning towards a soft glow, it's peaceful. And then the tree's method of getting Killer back is to snag him. Darkness, unpleasant contact that stabs and pricks and scratches. It's not nice, it's not subtle, it's dragging him back into pain and agony of his injuries (even if it's not immediate). But Killer doesn't fight because he hears Ccino! Even if he doesn't process that it's him, it unlocks something in his core that makes him decide to take the hard route and push back through that dense forest until he's back to the living realm. Still on death's door, but alive!

Oh I love this visual so dearly, frothing at the mouth about it....

And ofc the aftermath. Dream couldn't find the main entrance, so he snuck out a servant's door and signaled from outside that he was ready to go. The militia (I think the guard was busy holding off militia members from entering the castle walls) retreats first, scattering into town and Rogers demands no pursuit, hold the walls strong. Then Blue and Ink narrowly escape by simply using Ink's magic puddles, appearing somewhere else in the city through a big enough rain puddle. (Though, miles out they're still dodging the occasional lightning strike).

Only after they're too far off do the knight rush back. Horror's got Cross (in critical condition due to a blow to the side of his ribs+spine but ultimately stable) and Dust leads the way to search for Night and Killer, also following the trail Dream had left, and... they find Ccino and Killer. Killer is very very much limp in Ccino's lap, they're basically sitting in a pool of Killer's blood, and Ccino upon spotting them rapidly tells Dust to go find a healer and bring them here. Immediately.

Horror sets Cross nearby and focuses his efforts on trying to help Ccino put pressure on Killer's wounds but he can't do much either.

But, y'know, the healers who have magic for it are able to stabilize him (they are flabbergasted that he's not dead) and Cross is alright too. Dust + Horror go searching for Night. Nowhere to be found.

[maespri]

replaying omori (been 3 years good lord) and i guess this makes me an evil aubrey apologist but honestly the fact that she got shit for acting the way she does in the real world is lowkey crazy. like if i’m grappling with an unbelievably heavy deal of grief and have been for the past four years and suddenly my old annoying friend and his quiet buddy come barreling back into my life by provoking me inside a church (the only place i have found that allows me to feel some semblance of peace) in front of the entire town, effectively embarrassing me, ruining my day, and getting me shunned and banned from said church… i would’ve splattered blood on the walls of that church dude i’m just saying!! i’m just saying!

[vrieseasees]

Hey hi 👋

I love the cookies in cookie run kingdom so I had to take a jab at making some (a couple more to come soon ig) -w-/

[whiskey-tango-matcha]

not to brag, but my therapist told me today that i did incredible during our emdr session, which means i get an A for the day in therapy, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve 🙂‍↕️😌

[paimonial-rage]

what are they like in a relationship? For diluc

do you have headcanons about them? for xiao

[Character Analysis Ask Meme]

What is Diluc like in a relationship?

The day you found out his feelings, he didn’t approach the matter like most men in Mondstadt. He didn’t smile, nor did he meet your gaze. If you had to be honest with yourself, it seemed as if he wanted to be anywhere but here with you. Yet even with his stiff expression, he asked if you would meet him on the veranda privately. There, with the sun setting from behind and a slight dusting of red upon his cheeks, he then requested permission to court you. 

It doesn’t take you very long to notice how awkward he is in his courtship of you. Whenever you walk side by side, he always keeps a respectable distance. He does not reach for your hand, nor does he hold you close. Still, you can’t deny he’s earnest. Every meeting greets you with a bouquet of flowers. Every parting leaves you with a kiss upon your hand. 

It takes you a bit longer to see through his cold exterior. How his frowns when you speak are only in frustration due to not knowing how to respond in a way that’ll make you smile. How his eyes tend to follow you when he thinks you are not looking. How he turns away to hide his smiles when you do something that warms his heart. 

You come to the conclusion that even though he left his past behind him, he is a knight through and through. Never having been in a relationship before, he lets propriety dictate the way he acts toward you. It’s so incredibly stiff and awkward, you can’t deny that. And yet, when you look in his eyes, all you can feel is warmth. 

-----

Xiao Headcanons

Self-focused

Though many of the workers at the Wangshu Inn attempt to create a calming atmosphere for Xiao, there’s nothing he hates more than silence. Many people would not expect it with the young adeptus, introverted as he is. How would they know that the worst times of his life were spent struggling to survive on his own? And the best? When he closes his eyes, he can still hear them—the melodious voice of Sister Bonanus, the loud and rambunctious teasing of Brother Bosacius—his family. Sometimes, on the worst nights, he finds himself drawn to the edges of Liyue Harbor to let the sounds of life and living draw him to sleep.

Relationship-focused

Though you may have realized it before entering into a relationship with him, it only becomes even more noticeable after that Xiao isn’t one to express his needs. Oftentimes, it’s only until after he’s fully withdrawn himself that you realize something may have happened that caused him undue stress. It takes you time to realize that it’s not because he’s upset with you or that he doesn’t trust you; it’s simply that he does not wish to inconvenience you with his problems. It’ll take time and patience before he feels truly comfortable relying on you during his weakest moments.

[edennill-archived]

Perhaps unusually for the Silm fandom, I don't even like Morgoth as a villain.

I mean he's essential for the story Jirt is telling but idk, take Star Wars and Palpatine and he's just over the top so far it's almost hilarious, and just the right amount of intimidating, yet Morgoth mostly freaks me out.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

☔

☔Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

oh boy do i hahaha

firstly is a Reading The Books fanfic - i even have a doc filled with ideas, such as whose pov it is each chapter, which chapters I'd do, who I all want to be there, ect ect.

There are a lot of really good RRverse reading the books fics out there, but none of them have really been able to truly capture the system of the gods we see in ToA (besides fics written by ToA fans, such as Gods' Eye View or The Human Within The Sun.)

Furthermore, besides ToA fans, nobody ever does ToA in their reading the books series - for various reasons. I just really want a reading the books series that drags the broken system into the spotlight for everyone to see, and ToA is the ultimate straw to break the camel's back for this.

plus, I know people are fond of making the gods like a happy-ish family (especially with the demigods) but let's be real here - it's way more fun when we lean into the canon implications that the gods compete with each other, and do to a point essentially treat their kids as commodities (with exceptions, at times. no god is perfect in the rrverse).

plus plus, the ToA fandom has cooked up EXCELLENT theories and I think a reading the books fic would be a GREAT way to bring all those ideas to life! Such as the twins being aware the di Angelos' are Hades's kids, and that's why Artemis is so pushy with Bianca joining the Hunt! Or Estelle being an omen of the end of times - a secret Apollo keeps to himself post-ToA, and perhaps the revelation of Estelle's existence kickstarts the #REVOLUTION like it does in the fic Over The Palisade!

you all know how I love to dig into characters, and this would be the PERFECT fic to do that.

but that's not going to happen anytime soon lmao - these fics are time-consuming, and require lots of time and dedication, neither of which I am equipped to handle at the time.

perhaps years down the line I will. we shall see <3

(and ofc...another wip would be the revolution fic. but that's still marinating in my head. what i DO know for certain is we will have official caleo break-up (aroace leo and aroallo calypos my beloved), solangelo quest, lots of nods to the mythology, the return of another oracle (eheheheh), and ofc political mechanics. it also starts before my fic The Art of War, and continues on through all the fics after it.)

(i also have some changes planned for those fics...but you won't see them until the revolution fic ahahahah)

[skitskatdacat63]

those 2011 pics remind me of hard the McLaren race suits used to fuck, I loved the vodafone era suits so much 🥹

YES AGREED!!! I love the Vodafone McLaren livery, literally peak!!!!!

Thank you for sending this ask bcs now I get to talk about 2011 in particular. There were these special Saturday race suits and they're all so pretty!!! Hugo Boss did a design competition to celebrate their partnership with McLaren and different artists made different designs for the Quali days. They're so beautiful 🥹🥹 Why can't they do anything fun like that now???? I digress, I went through all the Qualis and compiled pics of all of them!!

[mintjeru]

"veil" redraw for valentine's day!!

open for better quality | no reposts | original under the cut | shop open!!