#is it a young snake or is it one of them tiny snakes we got where i live
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got-eggs · 1 year ago
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There's a snake in there
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lovifie · 9 months ago
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Chapter 1: Bite 🕸️
Ghost x Spiderwoman!Reader
2667 words
You were the new member of the 141, Laswell's own recommendation. But even Price, who would trust Laswell with his life, had second thoughts about you joining. 
You were a scrawny, half-blind, way too young girl. The last person Price would have picked for the team. 
“Let them show you, John. You need her to hack and collect the intel. She can't take a grown man down, but she's a decent shot.”
So he let you join, most of the time you felt like a child; constantly being told to walk close between two of them or it would be the complete opposite and they would tell you to stay hidden taking advantage of your tiny size. 
Ghost was the one that liked you the least, he already worried about the whole team making it back home safe and they were able to fend for themselves. You? You were like a puppy, walking between their feet almost making them fall all the time, and still, you looked fucking delighted to be in the way. Ghost hated how happy you seemed to be all the time, hated how unaware of the danger you seemed to be, and he hated that he was unable to ignore how much he cared you got back safe.
But there was a thing he hated more than anything. 
Superheroes.
The 141 was one of the few task forces that still existed, in many places arguing that they were no longer needed since now there were superheroes. And the hatred the population already had for the military only got worse. 
Plus, even though Simon never joined the military to get famous, it still rubbed him the wrong way when they would go on a mission, fight for days, lose friends, and only for a random superhero to arrive when everything was almost finished and take all the glory. 
He hated them all their life, and he always wondered why people liked them so much when he was home any of them came to save him, his mom or his brother. He always hoped one would save him, but they never did. 
So both Simon and Ghost hated superheroes.
All of them. 
So when they got the intel that a lab was working on creating new superheroes, he didn't need any more convincing and started getting ready.
The five of you walked along the rows and rows of animals captive inside the lab. Luminescent fish, shielded beetles, poisonous snakes, all the kinds. Ready to be experimented with, just for selfish humans wanting to be heroes. 
“Keep walking, kid” Price mumbled behind you, making you peel your eyes away from the different fish bowls and terrariums. “Alright. Kid, you stay in this room and look around if you can find any document or proof. The four of us will go down the hall, there are some lights on, see if we can find anyone.”
You nod, already used to being left alone, and walk around the office, pushing your glasses up when they slide down your nose as you look down at the desks. Lab records of failed attempts, codified names of patients, data of the genome of the different animals they used, by the look of all of them they have been trying for years. Poor animals.
It is at that point, while you are reading the information of the different animals, that you feel a sharp pain in your lower back, right over your ass check. 
“Fuck!” You mumble, the sound reaching the team's ears through the intercom and making them still in their moves. 
You turn around, expecting to see somebody stabbing you. But you are still alone and when you look at the point the pain came from, you only see a tiny spider. 
“Fucking perfect.” You groan to yourself as you slap the spider off your body, but once again it reaches the rest of the team.
“Kid, what the fuck are you doing?” Price asks, the team still immobile waiting for your explanation. 
“Nothing, sir. Keep going.” You say, not wanting to jeopardise the mission. Part of you gets offended by how they automatically keep going without another care, but the actual logical part of you starts to panic because you just got bitten by a spider from a lab that tries and makes superhumans. 
You frantically try to find some kind of information about said spider in the files on top of the desk, almost crying when you find it and read: “Not poisonous.” 
Shots and screams can be heard from the end of the hall and you know you don't have time to read the whole file. So you snatched it, shoving it under your vest, just in time for the first people to come running out. 
“Kid! Don't engage in combat! I repeat, don't engage!” Price's voice barks in your ear.
“Roger that!” You quickly answer, hiding under the desk and holding your breath as people run around you. One of them stopped right beside you and frantically shoved around the papers just like you were doing a moment ago. 
“Shit! Shit! Shit! It's gone! The spider is gone! The file too! FUCK!” The person next to you screams, only adding to your ongoing anxiety about being bitten. 
“Leave it!” A second voice shouts getting closer. “Leave everything and run! They are activating the system! This shit is about to get blown to bits! Run!” 
The second they are far enough to grab the radio to talk to the team. “Captain! They are blowing up the lab! We need to get out!” 
“Take as much info as you can and run, kid! The door is locked, we are going out the other way, we can see the exit! Meet us at pick up!” The Captain quickly shouted back.
“What?!” You ask back. “You were leaving me here?!” 
You can make out what he says, but you stand up to look around. You need to take something with you, even if it is only to hit them with it. 
There is a laptop on top of the desk, so you grab it along with as many files as you can bring. Sprinting to the door, the workers of the lab already out of the place, way more lucky than you. The halls inside are an absolute maze, and the only thing you have to guide you out are the blood marks of those who got out before you. 
Just when you see the outside, the helo in the distance hovering just half a meter off the floor, you hear the beep beep beeeep of a countdown going off. Only managing to put a foot outside of the door, before the blast wave sends you flying forward, your glasses flying away from you. Clutching the laptop as if it were your own life, especially taking into consideration that your “team” would be more worried about it. 
Your ears ring when you open your eyes again, a buzzing sound in the background coming from the helicopter. Gaz on the open door calling your name, enough to get back on your feet and keep running; the man picks you up from your vest and takes you inside before closing the door. 
You leave the laptop on the floor, files scattering around as well as you sit on the floor, back resting against the wall, hugging your legs as you try to get your breath back. 
Gaz is looking at you worried, Soap is beside you tidying up the files, Ghost flying the helicopter and Price is behind Gaz, staring at you. 
You can't help it back look back at him with anger in your eyes, he was ready to leave you behind if you didn't get out on your own and he didn't even tell you. Suddenly feeling like your biggest ally today was the terrorist who told his colleague. 
The ringing in your eyes slowly fades away, the sound of the helicopter sounding more and more clear. 
“You solid, kid?” Price's voice sounds over the rotating blades. 
“Yeah… not thanks to you, though.” You say, mumbling the last part, pissed about it. Price chooses to ignore it, for the sake of the peace. Only giving you a look of “We'll talk later.”
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By the time you reach the base, you are burning up. Every time you close your eyes being harder to open them back up, your whole body feels on fire and you're feeling pain in places you didn't even know you could. 
You should go to the infirmary, but then they would see the spider bite and it would make sense that they would want to leave you behind, or at least that's the reasoning behind your decision to instead go to your room and sleep it off. 
Or at least you would if the pain wasn't keeping you awake, you turn around in bed trying to find a comfy position failing and failing again and again. Still, at some point, it must have knocked you out because the knocking on the door wakes you up. 
The sun is out and the fever seems to be gone, so you stand up, groaning because of the residual pain and walk up to the door, opening it. Coming face to face with Ghost. 
“Morning, soldier” He greets, no kind of emotion in his voice and you can't see his face. “You skipped dinner last night and breakfast this morning, we don't need you any skinnier.”
Just then you take notice of the paper bag on his hand and the water bottle on the other. You try to use the hand that is still holding the doorknob, only to realize that it seems to be stuck to it. You furrow your eyebrow, which doesn't go unnoticed by Ghost; and you point to the table with your other hand. 
“Can you leave it there, please?” You ask, still trying to get your other hand free as you open the door more so he can come in. 
He enters the room, dropping the food on the table and turning to you with crossed arms. “Are you alright?” He asks, still confused with the way you seem to not be able to let go of the door, pulling back with all your body weight.
“Peachy.” You grunt back, your hand finally detaching from the knob and almost sending you to the floor as the door bust open hitting the wall. “A weird cramp, that's all.”
He nods slowly, walking away from the table and closer to the door. “You sure you are fine? You flew quite some meters yesterday… you lost your glasses.” He points to your face
Until he mentions it you haven’t realise because you can see perfectly fine; even better than before when you were wearing them. You furrow your brow, rubbing your eyes as if to get the bad eyesight back by pure force and you look at him, still seeing better than ever. 
“Yeah… they flew yesterday, I'll get new ones.” You say, still confused by it. He nods, telling you about letting Price know so he can give you the money back and starts to walk out of the door, turning back and rubbing his face already dreading what he is about to do. “Oh, and, hey… good job, yesterday.” 
As he talks, he raises his fist for you to bump it. Which only adds to the confusion, he really must feel bad for leaving you behind yesterday. Still, the situation is so awkward it is causing you physical pain, so you bump his fist to get over with it and close the door with your feet when he leaves. 
Once alone in your room, you rub your face with frustration only for your fingertips to get stuck on your forehead. You stay paralyzed for a second, not understanding what is going on and trying to peel your hands away from your face. 
Your skin stings when you try to pull making you whence, understanding that you can't just pull. So you close your eyes, take a deep breath and quickly pull your hands as if you could catch it by surprise. You curse when it obviously doesn't work walking back, knocking the water bottle off the table, surprising yourself when your hands catch the bottle before it even rolls off the table.
Something tells you to look at your phone, and just when you do a message pops up. You focus all your senses on letting go of the bottle and it falls off your hands like normal, making you doubt if you really got stuck before. You look at your phone, using your knuckle to unlock it and tapping in the password to read Ghost's message.
💀: Debriefing in 20’
💀: Shower!
“Rude.” You think, knowing damn well that you stink for coming straight from the mission and spending the night sweating. You type back with your knuckle:
🕷️: rofer thar
“Shit… close enough” You lock the phone and take off your clothes to shower. Once on your underwear, you turn to look into the mirror the spider bite on your hip; only to see that your body is not the same as yesterday's. 
It looks like you gained at least 10 kilos of pure muscle, your biceps popping out, shoulders rounded out by muscle, thicker thighs that you know will not fit on your pants anymore, rounder ass and overall the athletic build of some kind of olympic athlete. 
The only mark on your skin being the bite, even some of your freckles are gone from your skin. The bite, on the other hand, looks terrible. Two little dark purple dots are visible, the surrounding red and angry and little lighting-like red lines go out of it, going up your back and around your hip. 
You take a deep breath and jump into the shower, using the back of your hands to do so, which only makes it trickier. Once washed, you look into your closet taking out the only clothes you believe will fit you. A pair of leggings that sit just a bit too tight and an oversized sweatshirt to cover as much as possible. 
You put on your shoes and walk to the captain's office; to your disgrace, the door is closed and you knock. You hear, as if it was right behind you, a “C’mon in”. But you don't want to risk it getting stuck, so you play dumb and knock again. Ghost opens the door and comes face to face with you again, much closer than in your room and you see his eyebrow furrow 
“Have you gone on a growth sprout in the last 20 minutes?” He asks, confusion clear in his tone. “And are you wearing makeup?”
You realize that the freckles on your face must have banished too, plus the fact that the bags under your eyes seemed to be gone as well last time you checked. 
“No. Must be the shoes.” You answer, walking under his arm inside the room feeling his eyes travel down your body. You sit down next to Gaz, looking at Price as Ghost closes the door and sits down, still looking at you. 
“First thing first.” The captain says clearing his throat. “Great job yesterday, you can work on the laptop whenever you want, kid. And also, good job for the heads-up about the bomb.” 
“You didn't know?” You ask, confused by his words.
He shakes his head. “We were wondering why everyone was running out, we tried to go back to you and the gates were blocked, we were suspicious of it but you confirmed it.”
You nod your head slowly, taking it in.“All set, then, right?” He asks looking at the four others. “If you are still mad you can say it, I don't want my team keeping their thoughts in only for them to explode in the middle of the mission. Is there anything you want to say, kid?”
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munson-blurbs · 5 months ago
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Living After Midnight (Failed Rockstar!Eddie x Motel Worker!Reader) ♫Flip Flopped Edition♫
♫ Summary: What if Eddie and Heiress met well before the events of Living After Midnight? Or, seven-year-old Eddie accompanies Wayne on a trip to New York, where he encounters a special little girl. (1.6k words)
♫ CW: mentions of parental neglect, drinking, poverty
♫ A/N: Part of the Flip Flopped event! Be sure to participate and/or support those participating!
♫ Divider credit to @hellfire--cult ♫ Young Eddie credit to @/fefemunson on Twitter
March 1973
Frantic knocking at 2 AM could only mean one thing: trouble. 
Wayne Munson wiped sleep from his eyes, stretching his legs with a groan. The knocking became louder, accompanied by an all-too familiar bark. 
“Wayne, I know you’re home! Open the damn door!”
Al’s words slurred together, the pounding continuing over it.
“Christ Almighty.” Wayne shoved his feet into worn slippers, the soles scuffed down to nearly nothing. He yanked the door open, unable to mask his anger at this early hour. “What the hell do you–” 
He stopped short, gaze dropping down to the little boy at his brother’s side. Seven-year-old Eddie was just as tired as Wayne; his eyelids drooped and he swayed back-and-forth on the trailer’s steps as his body fought sleep. His pajamas were two sizes too small, and Wayne could only guess that no one had bought Eddie new ones since Elizabeth died. Nor did he miss the child’s bare feet, certainly freezing in the chilly night.
Wayne tried to keep his voice even as he spoke again. “What’re you two doing here?”
Al’s chuckle held more venom than a snake bite, and Wayne grimaced as his brother said, “I got a few errands to take care of. Need you to watch the kid.” Translation: we got evicted again, none of my friends will take me in with Eddie in tow because he’s a liability, and I’d rather get high with them than spend time with my son.
“How long’re these errands gonna take? They’ve got me driving out to New York in a coupla hours.” Wayne only had a few years left until he was too old for trucking and the plant would stick him with factory work, and though he wouldn’t miss the long days and nights on the road, he’d certainly miss the higher salary.
When Al shrugged, Wayne knew any further questioning would be useless. He looked between his brother and his nephew, then at the clock on the wall. He’d need an extra cup of coffee or three if he was going to survive this ordeal. “Yeah, I’ve got him.” He scooped Eddie into his arms, the boy’s gangly limbs going limp as he finally gave into exhaustion. “I’m gonna be gone for three days at least.”
Al said nothing in response, tossing a black garbage bag into the trailer. “That’s all his clothes. Gotta be washed. I’ll be back.”
Then he was gone, leaving Wayne with Eddie in his arms.
“All right, kid,” Wayne murmured, though Eddie slept too deeply to hear him, “we’re gonna get a little bit of shuteye and then we’ll hit the road.” 
He carried Eddie into the bedroom and laid him down on the mattress, resting his curly-mopped head on the pillow. Wayne’s fingers snagged on a knot as he combed them through the boy’s hair, and Eddie woke up with a start. Worry flashed across his pallid face as he failed to recognize his surroundings. 
“You’re okay,” Wayne reassured him. “You’re with me now, alright? Uncle Wayne’s got ya.”
Eddie nodded and fell back to sleep, tucking his legs to his chest protectively. 
Wayne watched him, listening for the tiny nose-whistle that came with each sleepy breath. He stood up, careful not to let the creaking mattress wake his nephew, and padded out to the living room. The couch would serve as his bed until Al returned—if that ever happened. 
Eddie didn’t say much of anything for the first three hours of their twelve-hour ride. An hour in, he said he was hungry, so Wayne pulled into the nearest twenty-four hour rest stop and ordered a burger and fries. The paper bag was transparent with grease, but Eddie gobbled down the fast food like it was a delicacy. 
Wayne didn’t ask how long it had been since he’d eaten. He didn’t think he could handle the answer. 
“Uncle Wayne?”
The sound of Eddie’s voice caught the older man off-guard. 
“Yeah?”
“How come my dad doesn’t work with you anymore?”
Because he showed up plastered no less than five times and got canned, Wayne thought bitterly. After Al showed up in Hawkins without a penny to his name, Wayne set him up with a job at the plant. He knew his brother would let him down, but part of him had hoped that he’d changed. 
He fought to keep a neutral face now as he answered Eddie’s question. 
“Wasn’t a good fit.”
Eddie nodded, smart enough to know that it wasn’t the full truth and wise enough to not pursue it further. 
Wayne cleared his throat. “‘S gonna be a long ride,” he said, “so you let me know if you needa pee or somethin’. Don’t be waitin’ till the last second.”
The sun rose higher and higher, but the conversation stilled. At a few points during the ride, Wayne forgot that Eddie was seated next to him. 
Around hour five, Eddie spoke again. 
“Can we listen to music?”
Wayne nodded, leaning over to flick on the radio. Static poured in, both Munsons wincing at the irritating noise. Finally, a crisp song trilled from the speakers. 
Be so, they'll be so lonely, baby  They get so lonely  They're so lonely, they could die
“This good?” Wayne grinned when Eddie nodded. He sat back in his seat, adjusting the brim of his cap. “Your mama liked Elvis, too.”
One corner of Eddie’s mouth turned up in a sad smile at the mention of his mom, but he didn’t say anything. Didn’t even mention whether he’d heard the song before. 
There were few times in his life that Wayne felt obligated to fill a silence, but this was one of them. “Music’s a powerful thing, y’know. Heals the broken parts of us.”
Eddie scrunched up his nose. “How?”
“Beats me. But all I know is that when I need a pick-me-up, nothin’ works better than my favorite song.” Wayne took his eyes off of the road for a second to look at his nephew. “You got a favorite song?”
“Mmm…this one.” Eddie gestured to the speakers. He was so tired that he may have given the same response to a commercial jingle, but there was no denying the subtle tap-tap-tap of his forefinger against his window, keeping time with the beat. 
“Yeah?” Wayne grinned. “Well, let’s turn it up, then.”
Both Eddie and Wayne were thoroughly exhausted when they finally arrived in New York. Traffic was inevitable, especially once they crossed into New Jersey. Despite a multitude of stops to stretch, Wayne still felt soreness panging in his back and neck after unloading the machinery at a factory in Queens.
Sighing, he glanced at his watch: just after seven P.M. If he was traveling solo, he’d rest for a few minutes in a truckstop parking lot, but Eddie needed a bed. The poor kid had been schlepped around enough with his deadbeat father; he deserved a comfortable place to lay his head.
Wayne remembered seeing a small motel just down the road, the vacancy light burning bright. He looked at his nephew and shifted the truck into ‘drive.’ Spending a couple of bucks that he didn’t have would be worth it if it meant Eddie got a good night’s rest.
Eddie stood beside Wayne as he shelled out the crumpled dollar bills to the man behind the desk. 
“Just the one night?”
“Yup,” Wayne said. “Got anything with two beds?”
The man nodded, plucking a key from the top row. “It’ll be room four. Straight down the hall and on the–oof.” He winced and glanced down. “Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for bed, young lady?”
“I did!” A tiny voice chirped. “Just wanted to say good night.” A young girl, right around Eddie’s age, peeked around the corner. Her eyes widened when she saw another child standing before her. “Hi! What’s your name?”
Eddie blinked a few times, registering that she was talking to him. “Um, I’m Eddie.”
The girl beamed and twirled around, the edges of her yellow nightgown billowing outwards. “Do you wanna be my friend?” She didn’t wait for him to answer before plunging ahead. “My mommy’s gonna read me a story. You should listen to it with me!” 
She laced her fingers with Eddie’s, tugging him along to her room. “It’s about a boy who doesn’t wanna go to sleep, so he imagines a world full of monsters. But not really scary ones. Fun ones. They’re called ‘wild things…’” The sound of her voice tapered off as they turned the corner.
The man behind the desk looked at Wayne and laughed kindly. “Looks like our kids hit it off.”
Our kids. Wayne didn’t want to correct him, and not only because he couldn’t think of an easy explanation for his nephew accompanying him on this trip. “Eddie could use a friend,” he said instead, offering the man a smile in return.
 “Maybe they could be pen pals or something.”
“Yeah.” Wayne nodded, clutching the key in his hand. “Maybe.”
He walked down the hall, passing his room, until he heard the little girl talking again.
“See? I told you the monsters were fun!”
And then, beautifully, a laugh. Eddie’s laugh. Genuine and filled with all of the joy that a young boy should have.
Wayne made a mental note to ask the girl’s mom for the title of the book, vowing to check it out of the Hawkins Public Library as soon as he and Eddie returned home.
In a world where people like the little girl existed, people who had some premonition of those in need of friendship and then doused them in love, Eddie might just be okay after all.
--
taglist:
@theintimatewriter @mandyjo8719 @storiesbyrhi @lady-munson @moonmark98
@squidscottjeans @therealbaberuthless @emxxblog @munson-mjstan @loves0phelia
@kthomps914 @aysheashea @munsonsbtch @mmunson86 @b-irock
@ginasellsbooks @erinekc @the-unforgivenn @dashingdeb16 @micheledawn1975
@yujyujj @eddies-acousticguitar @daisy-munson @kellsck @foreveranexpatsposts
@mykuup @chatteringfox @feelinglikeineedlotsofnaps @sapphire4082 @katethetank
@sidthedollface2 @eddies-stinky-battle-jacket @mysteris-things @mrsjellymunson @josephquinnsfreckles
@the-disaster-in-waiting @eddielowe @hugdealer @rip-quizilla @munson-girl
@fishwithtitz @costellation-hunter @cloudroomblog @emsgoodthinkin
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w2sology · 1 year ago
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can you do a harry dating headcanon pls? thank you!
headcanons are my absolute fave form of writing honestly 🤭
me + you, harry lewis.
summary: what it's like to date harry!
warnings: language, that's about it!
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you guys have been together since you were quite young
probably around 16/17
honestly there could be different stories of how you two got together
harry was always outgoing, especially if it was just between you guys
he brought the energy out of you and it made you love him for all he was
having been together for such a long time, you definitely know almost all there is to know about each other
"she doesn't like tulips as much as she likes baby breaths, so maybe get some of those"
"hm, i don't know, harry's not too fond of buttons so maybe not that top"
introducing you to the boys was one of the most nerve racking things for harry
but he knew that if he loved you, then so would they
play fighting. no doubt.
it could start off with something like harry not giving you the tv remote
and from there it's just... full on wwe
but of course harry goes gentle snd trues not to hurt you
harry loves physical contact between you guys
like when you'd both be laying in bed under the sheets, he had to be touching you in some way
whether it was an arm around your body or his head on his chest, he'd be content with whatever
but there are sometimes where harry's insecure about his clinginess
he doesn't want to come off as too clingy or needy, but he wants to literally live in your skin
and you'd always welcome him with open arms, catering to his needs as well as you could
you two love to spoil the other, not even with just gifts, it could be something like affection, date nights, or something harry randomly came up with
having to deal with harry's random bursts of energy
also having to deal with broken chairs, controllers, and a whole lot more thanks to your boyfriend's game rage
having your own groupchat with the sidewomen and spilling all the goss and whatnot
harry wanting in on the goss
harry becoming one of the girls in the sense that he's always ready for whatever gossip you have for him
forehead kisses !!!! literally yours and harry's brand at this point
you hurt yourself? here have a forehead kiss. you had a good day at work? forehead kiss. you're looking pretty today? forehead kiss.
harry becoming visibly flustered whenever one of the boys mention you on camera
he goes all shy and smiley and shit
and everyone is in love with you two, they see how happy you make each other and honestly that's the most important thing
begging harry to get a pet but also having to school him on how to take care of one properly
baby feverrrrrrrr goes through the roof when you see how he is with olive
it's enough to make anyone's ovaries burst
"look at how tiny her feet are!─── why're you looking at me like that"
"we should have a baby"
"Y/N?????"
going on the most random dates
one week could be the movies the next could be go karting
going on girls trips with his sister, leaving harry feeling betrayed and sad (he hates sharing you)
both of you are the duo that everyone hates to look after when drunk, you're either giggly or obnoxious, but the good type of obnoxious
"they're on their what, seventh drink?"
"ethan, they've been at it all night, that's not drink number seven"
"for fuck's sake, someone cut them off ─── harry! get down from the fucking counter???"
complimenting him no matter what and he never fails to blush
literally just having a good time. you're relationship is so fun.
him using you as a sofa/bed and literally flopping down on you
you never complaining too much because you do the same
bickering non stop but knowing where the line is so it doesn't become a full blown argument
wearing his clothes all. the. time.
"babe, have you seen my beige hoodie─── of course you have it"
accidentally being in the frame of his streams sometimes and his chat going wild
hugs from behind !!!! harry always snakes his arms around your stomach and pulls your back into his chest, he finds those times of hugs much nicer
hand holding is a must, even if just your pinkies are holding on to each other
harry being a little shit and teasing you all the time (both in that way and not in that way)
he has a folder in his camera roll full of pictures of you
never failing to express to each other how much you love each other
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lemon-russ · 4 months ago
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I'm doing super normal and am being very productive today. I did not sleep till noon and then write baby fever fluff instead of work. That would be wildly irresponsible.
...anyway here's some baby fever fluff with Leman. (On my phone so probably not edited or formatted great)
Ao3
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Lemanette Baby Fluff
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“We don't bite our friends-” The Legion Mother of the Space Wolves chided. She picked up the squirmy demi-god as he fussed and tried to sink his tiny fangs into the arm of a laughing Astartes again.
“It's alright, Wolf Mother, Little Russ can teeth on me whenever he wants!” The good-natured Bloodclaw said with a proud smile. She chuckled, cradling the baby to her shoulder and trying to soothe his fussing.
“I don't want him to get in the habit of chomping on anyone he likes, but thank you.” She sighed with a smile, rocking side to side a little.
The baby calmed down and looked up at her from her arms, pouting and looking at her with his fathers blue-grey eyes. She smiled and let out a deep, resigned sigh. She couldn't stay mad at him, he didn't know what he was doing.
She gave a nod goodbye to her sons latest chew toy, cradling the baby to her shoulder and humming a soothing lullaby quietly. She made her way through the tunnels of the Aett to her families little home, a set of rooms and quarters Leman had set aside for them to act as a private dwelling while they raised their pup.
“Leman! He's chewing on the bloodclaws again.” She said with a chuckle as she brought the baby to his crib.
“Well he'd be less bitey if you let him teethe properly.” Russ said as he joined them in the nursery.
She furrowed her brow and frowned. “I'm not letting him chew bones, Leman.” She said sternly.
He pouted back. “Why not? I cut my teeth on bones when I was his age-”
“Again, you were raised by actual literal wolves, Leman. You know that's a way to call someone improper where I'm from? ‘Were you raised by wolves??’” She huffed, crossing her arms. The littler Russ giggled and pulled himself up in his crib, tugging playfully on his mother's hair.
Leman rolled his eyes, “My little love, he is also being raised by wolves. A good femur to gnaw on will get him through the worst of it and sharpen his fangs.” He said, smiling at his sons babbling and bouncing in the crib.
She grimaced. “Ew- no, no, I will not treat my child like an actual animal. I'll get him some teethers from a civilized place, something made of stuff babies can actually chew on without making me think they'll get parasites.” She grumbled, turning to the baby and giving him her hands to hold onto so he could bounce on his pudgy legs.
Leman chuckled, walking up behind her and snaking an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side. He put his chin on top of her head, needing to bend a little to do so, and smiled. He kissed the crown of her hair. “You are so doting on him, my little wolf mother. The pup is half primarch. He probably could subside off snow and rocks.” He murmured, kissing the side of her head.
She sighed, leaning into the hug. “I don't know that, though. I don't know anything about what parts of being a primarch he got…” she pouted, lifting the baby back into her arms and cradling him between them.
Leman ran a gentle hand over his sons fine cornsilk hair. “Well, we know he got some strength when he wants it. And my fangs.” He said proudly. “And we know he heals faster than baselines, like when he got that bump on his forehead, and it healed in an hour.”
She sighed and smiled, pressing her lips to the babys soft hair, making the boy giggle in delight. “That one is very comforting, at least. Though maybe not so much, as he'll probably get himself in enough trouble to rival a baseline boys' antics on a worse scale. I can only imagine the nonsense he could pull if he didn't fear injury.” She chuckled tiredly. “When I was young, my brother tried to sled of a cliff and broke his arm. Imagine how much chaos that would be if he healed the arm in a week? No consequences for little boy insanity?” She shuddered, squeezing the baby closer to her.
Leman laughed gently, kissing her cheek. “Do not fret, my little love, I will teach him to be responsible with his strengths and to not terrify his poor Mama.” He reassured.
She sighed, smiling up at him warmly. “You worry me enough. Now there's two of you. I don't know how I'll handle watching you both bare knuckle brawl monsters in the woods.” She said as she lay her head on his chest.
Leman grinned. “Easily- fret less and trust that I'm not so easy to kill. And Neither is our pup, it seems.” He said, scopping the giggly baby from her arms.
He grinned and held the boy up, spinning him in the air and illiciting a symphony of baby laughs and squeals from him. “Right, pup? You're going to be strong and sturdy like your Papa!” He grinned, his fanged smile matching his sons.
She leaned back against the crib, smiling softly and letting out a sigh. “I can't believe I went through all that work of growing him in my body, diligently building him out of pastries and honey-meat, and all I did was make a tiny exact copy of you.” She smiled as Leman swooshed the baby gently in the air like he was flying.
Leman laughed, his son joining him in sweet musical giggles. “Nonsense! He has your nose. And complextion.”
She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Thats the stuff people say to moms when it's rude to say, ‘sorry, that baby is a miniature replica of your husband.’”
He laughed, pulling the baby to his shoulder and walking back to her, planting a big kiss on top of her head. “Easy solution, my little wolf mother.” He said, rubbing her back and pulling her to him.
She smiled and quirked her head in a question up at him.
He grinned mischievously. “We just have to try for a girl now.” He said with a gleam in his eye.
She laughed, blushing and leaning into his hug. “You're insatiable. I knew you'd want me to be pregnant constantly.” She teased, and he let out a low chuckle that rumbled through his chest.
“I don't remember ever denying those accusations.” He murmured, planting another kiss on her hair.
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diazsdimples · 10 months ago
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WIP Wednesday
Thank you to everyone who tagged me for Sunday and Tuesday, I've been really struggling with writing lately and it's been extremely disheartening but this morning I had A Singular Bean for Frostpunk AU and milked it for all it's worth! This snippet comes immediately after the Buck and Eddie POVs of being found in the cold. Please enjoy!
He suddenly feels responsible for their wellbeing, and maybe that’s why he refuses to leave the kid’s – Christopher’s – side until the rest of the team arrives, Eli carrying the heavy med kit on his back. “I’ll get the man, Eli check the kid,” Bobby instructs, sinking to his knees beside Buck. “What’s the story with them, Buck?” “I got here just a couple minutes before the guy passed out. Didn’t say his name but his kid is called Christopher. He looked super weak, a-and they’re both freezing.” Bobby and Eli share a look over Buck’s shoulder and Eli gets to work on Christopher, checking his vital signs and most importantly, his temperature. Bobby repeats the same process on the father, while Tommy and Sal rifle through the backpack on the sled, checking for any useful information on where they’d come from. “Found the guy’s papers, Cap,” says Sal, walking towards Bobby with a flimsy leaflet in his hand. “Say’s the guy’s called Edmundo Diaz, from Sector 126. He’s ex-military but his most recent job was in a sawmill, he might be useful.” “We don’t save people based on use, Sal,” Bobby responds, his eyes not leaving Edmundo as he speaks. “He’s damn cold, temp sitting around 90 and his heart rate and respiratory rate are a little more elevated than I’d like. Eli, how’s the kid?” “Looking fairly rough, Bobby, we’re going to have to hustle to get them back in time. His temp is at 91 so he’ll be looking at pretty severe hypothermia if we don’t warm him up soon.” Bobby sucks air through his teeth, clearly thinking hard. “We’re a good 16 hours out from the city, 17 or 18 with these two and their gear. Think they’ve got it in them to make it that long?” Eli makes a face. “I really don’t know, Cap. The kid, maybe, but the guy’s temp is a little too low for my liking. Maybe if we warmed them up a little, they’d have a better chance. Did Maddie say anything about being able get the snowmobile team out here?” Buck perks up at the mention of the snowmobiles. The team was sent out a day before Buck’s team was, off on a search for supplies a few hundred miles away but were always on call in case a rescue was needed. Getting them to help would cut their travel time almost in half, giving Christopher and Edmundo the precious hours needed to save their lives. “I- I could ride one back with the kid, if they didn’t want to spare a man, Bobby?” he asks hopefully. Sal snorts from his position by the sled. Buck’s love for the snowmobiles is no secret and Bobby’s spent many a mission patiently explaining why it wouldn’t be safe or necessary and otherwise spoiling Buck’s fun. However, this situation calls for haste and Buck is nothing if not an – ah – efficient driver. Bobby looks thoughtful, before standing up and brushing the snow off his pants. “I’ll give dispatch a call and see if she can reroute them to us,” he says, continuing quickly as he watches Buck light up, “but I will be driving. You need to look after the kid, okay?” Buck deflates a little, but something in him stirs as he turns to look at the little figure in the snow next to him. He’s so young, probably no older than 7, and Buck’s heart breaks for him. He’s too young to be experiencing the hardships of the Winter, too innocent to have to watch his father weaken as they journey to a safer home. It’s like a small fire has been kindled in the pit of Buck’s belly as he shuffles closer to the boy and snakes an arm under his neck and the other under his legs, pulling his tiny frame up so he’s in Buck’s lap. Buck is going to protect this boy with his life.
No pressure tagging @theotherbuckley @hippolotamus @tizniz @watchyourbuck @wikiangela @daffi-990 @thewolvesof1998 @pirrusstuff @cal-daisies-and-briars @kitteneddiediaz @spotsandsocks @jesuisici33 @rainbow-nerdss @wildlife4life @puppyboybuckley @smilingbuckley @disasterbuckdiaz @bucksbackwardcap @fortheloveofbuddie @evanbegins @steadfastsaturnsrings @buckbuckgoose @exhuastedpigeon @housewifebuck @slightlyobsessedwitheverything @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @elvensorceress @babytrapperdiaz @ci5mates @hermscat (let me know if you want to be added or removed from this)
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funficwriter · 1 year ago
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A Wolf and A Snake (Wriothesley x Reader)
Chapter 3: In the Low Gardens
A/N: Thank you all so much for being patient with me! I wanted this chapter to be fun to read, but had so little time to write this week. I just hope I have a little more freedom in the future. Anyways, enjoy!
Synopsis: Being a noble meant that marriage was a chess game, not an affair of love. Unfortunately for the pristine Balthazar family of Fontaine, Y/N has long been enamored with love and sought it out before their priorities. After her grey, boring time of courtesy, she meets Duke Wriothesley, who makes her yearn for the first time in her life, and it's the same for him. Threatened by the idea of losing this first, it seems they'll stop at very little to be together...
Taglist: @yue-caelum, @reyy-chanx, @mis-disaster, @ladyarchiviste, @keigo-hawks-takami-simp
Warnings: Talk of murder/violence/corruption, yandere talk, Wrio gets a lil primal, a few smutty details, does scheming behind the back count as a warning? Lol
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Your parents were not the type to sing, least of all sing to express joy. But whenever they peered at you from the balcony, they looked like they could explode in song any minute. They never looked as jubilant, as proud of their daughter as they saw her, arm linked with the chivalrous and gentle Duke Archandelle.
You supposed any other girl would kill to be in your place. Duke Archandelle hailed from a long and well-respected lineage, and made a fortune for both himself and Fontaine's economy through his commerce. He was rather handsome, had a voice described as 'light honey with mint', and towered over you, the lady he was going to protect with that advantage. Hopefully, for the rest of your lives. On top of that, he was cultured, up-to-date with Fontaine's classical and modern trends, but was no pansy; He was an excellent swordfighter and hunter. You almost heard their voices yelling at you: "You've got the perfect gentleman falling at your feet, and you're not grateful?! How dare you!".
There you two were, in one of your manor's many gardens. This was the highest, prettiest one of all, and had a lovely table among the flowers where you would soon take your tea. Both of you were well-dressed, engaged in conversation (he carried most of it) and took tiny steps to ensure it stayed that way. You looked like the perfect royal Fontainian couple. Add on the fact that Archandelle has decreed himself 'fervently in love' with you, and didn't look like he was going to give up... No wonder your parents were probably even happier than they were on their own wedding day.
'Fervently in love', my ass. If I wasn't so angry, I'd laugh. Maybe with his stupid monologues or my last name's history book... My Wriothesley could teach him a thing or two about love.
"And I say, it was so dastardly for them to write that ending! I mean, to let these filthy 'protagonists' get away with their crimes! I can think of youngsters reading this novel. What will they think? How are we raising them and- My dear, are you with me?".
The funny thing about his tirades was how they can be condensed to the same strand of puritanism, either outrageous or righteous. You barely had to listen and should he feel testy, you had an answer.
"Ah, forgive me, my dear Duke. I was just appalled at the text, to the point where I didn't know what to say. But do know I'm in full agreement!".
He beamed: "Why, of course you are. Your parents raised a fine and virtuous young lady who knows right from wrong.".
Your agreement seemed to have calmed him down. He stopped to take your hand and kiss it.
"One of the countless reasons I fell in love with you.".
Liar!
You wished you could shut him up. As he embodied the peak of your social class, he also had all the ideas you wanted to criticize as loud as you can, but couldn't risk. One of them was this picking on cultural output not based on whether it was good, whether they liked it, but whether it was 'moral' or not. What's more is the power they hold. Should something not be 'moral', that would mean another secret trip to the bookstore for you, before it got fully banned.
Though you couldn't shut him up, you had two tools up your arsenal: The first was thinking of Wriothesley, which made you surprisingly more patient than you imagined. The second was hearing Archandelle be less of a whiner, more of an admirer.
"Say, my Lord, surely you've seen some good plays where this doesn't happen, right? I'm sure we'll all need good recommendations.".
Once again, he beamed, and you could tell he was restricting himself from being too physical. But perhaps he felt a bit more daring, because he put an arm around your waist and carried on walking, while talking about 'good' plays he's seen (which you were sure were total dogshit if it came from him.).
The butler had called you for tea time. It wasn't the day for your favorite dessert, but a quick wink from Agatha, who was passing by, let you know who twisted his arm into bending the unofficial rule. You felt a bit of remorse for not being able to tell her who you really liked, but you decided to do it when you were in a more secure position with Wriothesley.
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Curse whoever decided that falling in love with a half-wolf (or any hybrid, for that matter) was a curse, and bless your own canine lover for using his affinity towards the night to pick this one. The stars shined along with the soft moon, with only a few cloudy wisps passing by. The air was crisp, cooling but not so much that you had to stay in.
The hour struck. Your heart did a leap so brusque, you had to take a deep breath. The clock said it all: It was time.
You picked a simple dress for your rendez-voux; Flattering, but no hassle. Your mother wasn't fond of it, because she thought it didn't 'do justice to your beauty'. Another one of millions of differences between you two, separating her and your father into the loud and showy sun, while you counted the minutes until you could entangle your hand into his under the moon. Though everyone slept, the night was still young... Should you desire it, would more than that happen?
No one could police your desires if you thought of them.
Let him hold me again. Let him hold me securely, claiming me as his under the full moon as his own culture decrees. I'm asking a lot... But please, let him kiss me before Duke Archandelle does and let him scream it out to the world so it could throw me into his arms.
As you made your way down, your reverie was only interrupted when you passed by your elder brother's room. Being married, he split his time between his new villa and your manor. You weren't looking forward to his next visit, especially when he caught wind of your 'engagement' with Duke Archandelle and sent you a long, pompous letter congratulating you as his 'equally prestigious sister, upholding the Balthazar's powerful unions'. Ugh.
In retrospect, perhaps you should have hurried along; Just after you continued, you bumped into a curvaceous figure you knew well (after all, she held you more than your mother) and made an audible "Ow!".
So much for not being caught, least of all by your own hissing governess. Should you be caught, she'd surely get heat for not making sure you were in bed.
"Y/N! What are you doing out of bed? You have lessons tomorrow, don't you?".
As she talked, she pulled you away from your brother's door and the bedrooms of the floor. After all, she was just in as much danger as you were.
"Agatha! Hey, um... I was... I was going down to grab a glass of water. I'm thirsty.".
Forget the fact that you weren't in your sleeping attire and that your voice was racked in nerve. How could you have hoped to lie to her, your true mother figure who knew every inkling of you hiding something on your face? Her quirked-up brows clearly let you know that she didn't buy it, but what really made you want to spill the beans was the slight glimmer in her eyes: She was hurt by you lying to her.
"Really, Y/N? After all those years, you think I'd believe that? I have raised you as my own, yet you act as if I were hired this morning.".
"Agatha, I'm so sorry. Please don't be sad, I'll tell you but...".
You couldn't believe it; You were about to tell someone that you were seeing another man behind your arranged partner's back. It would be one thing if he were some king and your parents were idiots at making their final verdict. But you were seeing Duke Wriothesley of Meropide. You were seeing a wolf-hybrid, a dangerous kind to human beings (even though you'd argue that correlation does not equal causation). You were seeing a prison warden, a polite but hardy, brutish man.
Agatha could sense that your secret was a big one. She ran a hand through your head: "My dear, I've always kept your secrets, haven't I? What is so scary that you would hide it from me of all people?".
"Oh, Agatha, it's not scary at all. It's wonderful and lovely and beautiful. It makes me get out of bed with hope in my heart. it sends me to sleep as the happiest girl of Teyvat.".
Her face broke out into a smile: "By Focalors! What is it then?".
"But I'm the only one who sees it that way! It's not scary to me at all. He brings me all the joy in my life, and yet if anyone found out that would spell the end of me and him! Agatha, why did you have to be up tonight of all nights?".
A moment of silence eclipsed, you wallowing in the realization that you gave her a hint. In both your hearts, you felt that she knew you didn't like Duke Archandelle, as with most royal women. But to go to the lengths of seeing another man... Did she think you had it in you?
"Who is he, Y/N?".
"Duke Wriothesley of Meropide. We snuck by the last two socials, and we were planning to meet up tonight in the low gardens.".
You could see the shock in her face. Anyone would be, pairing you with him of all gentlemen. You couldn't blame her. If anything, you wanted to burst in tears, put your head at her feet and thank her for her tolerance. Rather than alerting even the most insignificant servant in the house, she patted your hand and stayed.
"Does he make you happy?".
"Yes. Happy enough to live.".
"That's a lot of happiness. A level you've always deserved, but if you're honest, only recently acquired. If at last my prayers for your joy are answered and they come in his form, who am I to judge you?".
A small, meek smile made its way on her face. You threw your arms around her shoulders.
"Thank you, Agatha, thank you!".
She helped you up, then looked out of the window. Whether it was at the skies or the gardens below, you couldn't tell nor had the time to ask. She grabbed your hand and continued the way downstairs.
"Let's not keep him waiting.".
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You stepped out, feeling light and relaxed under the cool moon. Then there he was: Your very own prince charming, who was expectantly waiting in front of the garden's backdoor. His ears perked up. Once he saw you, your time of admiration from afar was over. A few loud steps resonated before you felt his embrace engulf you, and at last you were in his arms and everything felt (was) alright.
What made it better was his reciprocation; From the big, dumb smile, to the twitching ears (how cute!) to the feeling of his strong muscles protecting you from whatever misery could strike you right then and there...
"If I told you of how much my heart screamed out for you, you wouldn't hear the end of it.".
He kissed your hand as per usual. You supposed that if you wanted more, you had to catalyze it yourself: "I don't want to hear its end, Wriothesley.".
You didn't have to hear it, for you were still held against him. His heart was beating frenetically, reverberating into your own body.
Only when he looked up and saw Agatha, that wonder dwindled.
"What the... Who are you?".
"Wait, Wrio. She's on our side. She's the only one who supports our romance.".
He let out a small 'oh', trying to relax but with worry clear on his face. Agatha, being ever so talented at soothing, stepped in.
"Greeting, Lord Wriothesley. I am Y/N's governess. Forgive me for being out, I wasn't supposed to know of this. I just caught her by accident, but I promise I won't tell a soul.".
He took a moment before speaking up: "Agatha? Oh, Y/N has mentioned you before. In that case, I'm glad it was you who caught her, and no one else. And thank you for keeping up the secrecy, though it won't be that way forever. I intend to marry her, one way or another.".
"Frankly, anyone who can take care of her and makes her happy is great, in my opinion.".
Her warm, motherly smile has lowered many people's guards. You could tell his worry was fading away, knowing she could be trusted. He nodded one more time, and off you two went. The good thing about the low gardens was the fact that unless someone was close, no one could hear you. It was the 'abandoned' garden per se. While it wasn't as grand as the higher ones, it had many beautiful flowers, a lake, and you could never uncouple your memories of playing hide-and-seek there with Agatha or your friends.
But nevertheless, it didn't stop your displeasure at the fact that you weren't recognized at his yet. You wanted to show all of Teyvat who you really loved, who had the right to call you 'mine'.
"I wish... I wish I could have shown you the higher gardens.".
He squeezed your hand and you looked up to him. You could have died with the beautiful vision in front of you: Did the moon make his piercing eyes glow better, or was that just you?
"My love, there will be a day where we can stroll out in the open, in whatever garden you want. And besides...".
He looked on his surroundings as you kept walking, now linking arms.
"I like the secrecy aspect that comes with this one. It's like... Like our social world doesn't want you to be mine. And yet here and now, you are. Always were, always will be.".
It made you blush. It only got worse when you wanted to tuck a piece of hair, and he caught a glance at the wolf bracelet: "And from the looks of it, you want to be all mine, don't you?".
"Oh, yes. I wear it all the time Father isn't around. I'm sorry if I was morose earlier. It's the fact that I can't stand being someone else's fiancée, especially when I had no say in the matter.".
"Don't beat yourself up. I know well that we're on the same wavelength. I'm already scheming on it, too...".
While you loved talking about being his, you knew that alone wasn't enough. There had to be some sort of plan, some idea as to how he'd get you. And much to your happiness, he wasn't empty-headed to doom you to just keeping your affair, an affair. You leaned close to listen.
"So I'm presuming he wants to marry you because of your family name, yes? Like all other shitty noble marriages...".
You laughed a bit: "That's the one.".
"I already have an investigator to look further into his. Depending on whether he committed serious crime, going above the general corruption that's too often seen and brushed aside, you as his future wife have the right to file for a 'Motion of Marital Worry'. Then the Court could look into how that may affect you, and thus stop you from marrying him even if your father objects.".
This was... Wonderful.
"Why, Wriothesley, I love a man who's proactive! But I have one worry about this plan: Fontaine may be less corrupt than other nations, but there's still crime that's deemed as 'not serious', especially from our class. What if they bribe someone? That's what always happens.".
"Nah, don't worry. I myself am well acquainted with some... Important figures in the judicial system. They'll be sure to look out for such a motion with your name or mine on it. And if the crime is very serious, there's no way they'll turn their head.".
He stopped walking, letting the soft howl of the wind play out before continuing: "And anyways, that's only the first plan. I've got more ideas in case it doesn't work.".
"You really think ahead, eh?".
"If it concerns you? I think about it all the time. Even my sleep is yours.".
All the time. All the time, for me. This union was nothing like the trash your father wanted to force you in. In the other one, you belonged to Archandelle, but contrary to his spiel about love, he didn't belong to you. Maybe not other women if he were 'loyal', but you saw his attitude towards seeing you as a Balthazar, versus seeing you as... You. He really only belonged to himself.
"Don't worry. If he didn't do anything, I'll just make him. If his hand is clean, I'll twist it until it bleeds then yell bloody murder until he's sentenced for life.".
Wriothesley long made it clear, and he kept making it clear to reassure you. His loving gaze, his obsession, his thought of you that went as far as remembering everything you've ever loved or told him (and believe me, it's a lot) said it all: He belonged to you, and you belonged to him, as true love should be.
You stroked his cheek, taking in his eyes as he did yours: "And when you twist him into the wrangled, bloody mess you can make... I'll cheer you on. I'll praise like I'm watching the greatest of theater.".
Perhaps it was the fact that everything has been so dreary, or that the full moon just made people playful, but you broke away from him, your arms brusquely rejecting him and giving you distance. His stunned look hurt you a bit, but the fun you wanted was priceless.
"But Duke Wriothesley, the prince must always fight hard for the one he desires, yes?".
His boot made a quiet crunch as he approached you, and you took a step back. In a way, it was fun, withholding yourself from him as he ached for you. However, he reciprocated your playful smirk, understanding what your intention was. As you stepped back, you did the occasional twirl as your dress flowed with the moon's shine.
Teasing him was so fun: "Aren't I right? Isn't what he desires most, the most guarded and forbidden by everyone else? Shouldn't he be ready to do anything if he loves the princess that much?".
"My... Are you underestimating the limits I'll break to call you my wife? While I try to be calm to avoid prejudice, I have no issue tuning into my violent side if it's for you.".
The string snapped. You turned back and ran off: "We'll see about that, Your Grace!".
How long has it been since you ran? You forgot the freedom, the breeziness it offered.
"I'll make you see, alright!"
But that wasn't where your true excitement laid. It was the quicker, heavier crunching sound right behind you.
Off the wolf went, chasing down his partner. He had the advantage of being fit, and his hybrid blood granting him more speed than the average human. But you were also flighty and you knew the garden better than he did. Whenever he thought he had you, you ran back another corner, and even pulled your tongue at him if he was far enough.
At some point, you hid close to the lake. He had not reached this area yet, so you were safe to catch your breath. If only this could last beyond your couple of hours together! Not even factoring the end yet, you thought of him, smiling and chasing you both literally and figuratively. Only when you looked down to check on your dress, did you notice your legs clenching tight and the sudden warmth, the higher you went...
Perhaps you should have remembered that you were still being chased, ergo had no more time than a few quick breaths. You didn't hear the rustle of the bushes. Before you knew it, large hands grabbed your waist and their owner let out a victorious growl, lifting you up.
"Oh no, the wolf got me!".
"Damn right, he did! Now you're his to devour!".
He wanted to carry on, but a loving state always reduces one to recklessness. He tripped on a pebble, but made sure to switch so he'd take the fall rather than you. Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as he expected.
"Wriothesley, my dear! Are you okay?".
He chuckled at your worried face: "Nah, don't worry. It was way softer than I expected. Hah...".
A crimson blush spread upon both of your faces (but especially yours). It just dawned on you: You were on top of him, like on his body, and the chase excited him in the same way it did you. His red cheeks and the hard poke you felt against your thigh said it all.
"Archons, I... I'm so sorry, Y/N. I tend to enjoy that sort of stuff, running around and chasing...".
"It's okay... I enjoyed it, too...".
The time stopped when you (slowly, yet surely) shook off the awkwardness, as you sat up in his lap. How do you proceed from there? How do you deal with feeling so clueless in what you want? You barely processed that, as you ran a hesitant hand through his hair.
"I really like your ears.".
"There it is.".
His arms tightened around your waist as he replayed the phrase in his head: "I really like your ears.". And you liked his dark attire above all the others'. And you liked his voice and his way of comportment, and by Focalors, you were madly in love with the human and wolf halves of him, never conditionally or pretending some part of him did not exist.
In the midst of this prolonged yearning, you two could no longer wait. He leaned down and sealed his promises with the kiss you've long thought of and saved just for him.
The full moon made its appearance on the lake reflection. The wind rustled the plants around you a bit. Unbelieving that this was actually happening, you pulled him in closer, wishing you could merge your bodies together. Even when you were dipping slower, slower into the ground, you knew he wouldn't let you fall harshly. You knew his tight grip was ever present to protect you from that or any other dangers, and its warmth of love and appreciation was only for you.
And you took in his mint breath, each time breathing in more and more. You were starved for your lover, and so was he, keeping you in his arms and away from a world that wanted you two apart. It already did enough of that throughout the day. The night was yours.
You two broke away, panting and looking into each other's diluted pupils. Sometimes, you couldn't believe how being with him was like having your own puppy. He whispered: "I love you with the marrow of my bones.", before dipping his head into your neck to kiss it. If marrying him, sharing the same bed, meant you could nuzzle your face into his fluffy hair, you had another reason to fight away from your other suitor.
Happy with its softness against your running hand and face, and his sweet kisses, you couldn't help but purr out: "I can't wait until... Until we can do this all the time, whenever we want.".
"Hah... And that time will come. I've already handed so much to the world, I'm not handing you out too.".
He looked up at the sky to tell the time, then chuckled in a morose manner: "Time sure flies by when I'm with you. It's like I lose control over it so easily.".
He made a sad, but true point; For one, you had to head back into your chambers, because dawn would emerge soon enough and you needed time to change, actually sleep... There was also the fact that even if he got onto the active part of taking you from your father and Archandelle (funny, you just remembered his name), your parents would probably want to have you married soon. Time was of the essence, and that essence was short-lived and impossible to take back.
As he walked you back to the backdoor, hands squeezed tight, he leaned in: "My dear, can I ask you for a favor?".
"Of course. Anything for you.".
"Next time you have to meet that idiot your parents call 'your fiancé', look at whether he behaves out of the norm. Specifically, if he's nervous or uncomfortable. Or maybe if he talks more about politics.".
"I see...".
"Nobles who feel like they have something to hide always act like that. Depending on what's found against him, he could be called for questioning. That's enough to cause unrest.".
You laughed: "As with every other noble guy. You'll probably find worse skeletons in my father's closet.".
"The question isn't whether there are skeletons. It's how you use them.".
You liked that idea a lot, enough to make you smirk. Now that you thought about it, there were many 'skeletons' around you, especially those belonging to your father. And now, you were growing into a position where you could use them, where you could be as knowledgeable in the law as Wriothesley and use it to your advantage. Sure, that might get you called 'disgraceful', but you'd be ripping yourself away from them faster, ergo into your lover. And if Fontaine was all about fairness, what was happening to you was unfair. You were just rectifying an error.
"Uh-oh. My mischievous darling is smiling like that of all ways. What do you have in mind?".
"I just liked what you said. It feels a lot like how the world works.".
"It's not far off.".
Agatha was sitting down next to the backdoor. She stood up and bowed, but her smile grew bigger when she caught sight of your intertwined hands. You felt very lucky to have her by your side.
Before bidding goodnights, Wriothesley turned you to him, and kissed you one more time, before stroking a strand of hair from your face: "Dream of me. Let us meet in the realm of sleep and continue this, until we won't have to dream anymore.".
"I promise.".
Much to your heavy heart, you headed back in, and he was off to the nearest teleportation waypoint. The ending of your meetings always brought sadness to your heart, but he worked so hard for a reason; He would rather die than you two not be together. His very passion was you, and you knew that if he was yours, some things had to be done. And you were sure that could happen, starting with the favor.
---------------------------------
"Y/N, you said he made you the happiest girl of Teyvat?".
"Yes.".
"Well, you sure look like that right now! How was it?".
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theforesteldritch · 4 months ago
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my ramblings on transness, intersex-ness, childhood and growing up
i'm four. somewhere around there. i tell my mom i hate my name. i want to change it to robin, i say. she tells me i can when i'm an adult. i tell her i want my name to be robin now, today. not later. i don't get to change my name. eventually i forget wanting to be robin, or drop it, or stop talking about it. either way, i don't ever get to be robin.
i'm five. i feel wrong. i feel out of place in my own skin, i think. i feel like a poor shadow of a girl. i decide i want to be a princess when i'm older. in my mind, to be a princess, i need to wear a dress every day, even when it snows and i have to stuff the skirt into my snowpants to play outside. princesses must feel like real girls. if i was a princess, i would stop feeling like a snake writhing around in my own skin, desperate to shed. i tell myself that. at recess, we play some running game. i don't remember which one. boys vs girls. i don't want to play anymore.
i'm six or seven. i still feel wrong. i've stopped trying to be a princess. i'm off in my own world a lot of the time. i use the classroom scissors to cut tiny holes in the sleeves of my long sleeve shirts or to clip off a tiny chunk of my hair. during carpet time, i try to touch the hair of the people in front of me without them noticing. my best friend tells me she's a tomboy. i say i want to be one too. she tells me im too girly.
i'm nine. i've sworn off dresses. i reject pink clothes and sequins. i'm wearing a hat that covers my hair and the school custodian calls me young man in the hallway. i don't know why i like that so much. i try to fit in with the boys. i play grounders with them every day after school. i don't know why, but they don't like me. they make fun of me. i still play grounders with them every day.
i'm twelve. the girls around me have started growing breasts and getting their periods. they start getting acne and thicker hair on their legs that they shave off. none of these things are happening to me. i ask my mom for a bra. i don't want to be the odd one out. i feel a mix of relief and shame when i get one. now, i can pretend i'm like them. now, i can try to hide the growing feeling gnawing inside me that something's wrong, that i'm a freak.
i'm thirteen. i still haven't gotten a period. my mom is convinced it'll come any day now. she got hers at eleven, i must be a late bloomer. she makes me bring pads to summer camp. they lie unused in my bags. she does this next year, too, and the next. i try to feel normal. i sneak and use my mom's razor to shave the baby hairs on my legs that still haven't darkened and grown thicker like anyone else. i want to feel normal.
i'm fourteen. the girls in the locker room stare at me with funny expressions on their faces when i say i haven't gotten a period after they badger that information out of me. i ask my parents for deodorant, like the other kids. they tell me no, i don't smell enough to need it. i steal my dad's old spice amber deodorant. it smells like how i want to be seen, i think. i read magnus chase. i see myself in alex, how his gender shifts and changes. for the first time, i have a word, maybe, to describe myself. i'm like her, i think. i'm genderfluid, maybe, like alex fierro. i test the waters and come out to some friends as genderfluid, and then a boy. but i find myself still feeling the same itch under my skin. i'm not just a man, or just a woman, maybe i'm both. i go back in the closet.
i'm fifteen. my doctor is starting to get concerned that i haven't gotten a period yet. he orders blood tests. they think the results are a mistake when they see the testosterone levels. i don't have the symptoms that should come with those levels. i should be going through a male puberty with those levels of t, but i'm not. they do them again. it comes back the same. i'm diagnosed with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome. i feel alone, and like a freak. my doctors want me to get a gonadectomy. i push away how i feel like a snake ready to shed my own skin for a moment. i can't search myself for my gender when i'm trying, i'm trying so hard to get through this. knowing that going on testosterone hrt wouldn't work on me, it would break me right now to admit to myself the truth i already know.
i'm sixteen. i'm sexually assaulted by my doctor while under anesthesia for a biopsy of my gonads. without any hint of remorse or even knowledge of what she did to me she tells my mom that my vagina is still very short, but not as short as she thought on an earlier examination. i will continue to see this doctor. i push her assault down. i push this down. i feel like a freak. i feel so alone. god, i feel alone.
i'm seventeen, i'm eighteen. i know now why i feel like a snake trying to shed a skin. i'm not just a woman, i'm not just a man. i'm both and something in between. but i'm too male to be a girl and too female to be a man. i'm not allowed to be either. i cry sometimes. over how unfair this feels. over how i'll never look in the mirror and see myself staring back. i don't know how i'll get through this. i have to get through this. i have to live for the kid who wanted to change his name to robin. the need to live for her weighs me down like atlas holding up the sky. i know that one day, my grip will slip and the sky will fall. but i'm trying desperately to make that day not today.
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that-ari-blogger · 4 months ago
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Duality Of Tone (Follies at the Coven Day Parade)
Let’s talk about tone for a bit.
We’re in a kind of pre-chorus for The Owl House, we’re not in the end game yet, that kicks off with Edge of the World, but we’re gearing up for it.
We’re also not exactly at the start of the series anymore. You could argue that the start of Season Two got the ball rolling with the more dramatic storytelling that characterised some of the series’ best episodes, and while that’s true from a certain point of view, I still think that the show actually gained momentum with Knock Knock Knockin’ On Hooty’s Door and has been spending the after that consolidating what it has before the final sprint.
In this context, I mean dramatic in the sense of one of the two main overarching genres (kinda), the other being comedic. This is the context in which you will hear actors discussed as dedicating themselves to one and breaking the mould when they venture into the other. I will come back to this.
Follies At The Coven Day Parade focuses the idea of choice and the established ending implicit in the magical world genre, but it uses the opportunity to fine tune the show’s tone and mood as a whole.
Let me explain.
SPOILERS AHEAD (The Owl House, Amphibia, Dead Poet Society, Good Morning Vietnam, Good Will Hunting)
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Kikimore is just fun. I’ll talk about how her story factors into the themes in a minute, but I want to come back to a concept I have been discussing for a while, the idea of multiple introductions.
Because, up to this point, Kikimora has been a one note villain. She’s a henchwoman with an abusive boss. Its interesting, but there’s not really been much else to her.
Enter this episode, which introduces her family and the stress that relationship puts on her. You can imply a lot from the one side of that phone call, and it doesn’t seem like the healthiest of relationships.
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I think the fact that Kikimora stands up straighter in response to her mother over the phone speaks volumes. She follows the voice of authority, in this case her mother, immediately. Its instinctive. You can imply a lot about Kikimora's family life from this phone call, but also why she follows Belos so willingly. She has had that hierarchy engrained deep in her psyche from a very young age.
As a side note, is it a phone call? Is it a walkie talkie? The wiki calls them Crow Phones, but Amity has clearly only ever heard Luz say the word “phone” so I’m just at a loss. Are they just crows? Are they a pun that I’m not aware of? I’m so confused.
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Anyway, then we get the one line that sells this character for me:
“Ooh! I cannot believe we are being taken against our will. What sayeth you, fiend?”
This seems like part of Luz’s schemes, right? She seems like the kind of person who would work references to her favourite stories into her plans. But her response says otherwise.
“Uh! That's right! I, Hecate, will whisk you away to my kingdom of mirrors and snakes! (Hushed) Hey, come on. I didn't know I had to prepare lines.”
The fact that Luz’s idea of improvising is just becoming someone else is telling because it shows you that her idea of confidence isn’t in her own identity, its in idolisation and replication. But also, Kikimora out of the blue decided to dish out some purple prose, for no reason. She could have just been silent, but she decided to be poetic. She’s got a hobby, and a personal life beyond what we see.
But then she doubles down.
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Hey, look at that, duality as a theme presented through the cinematography. Kikimora is intimidating and lit from below. You look up at her and that frost effect is awesome. But she's also tiny, relying on the bigger creature for her power.
When I talk about characters being introduced twice, that usually implies a mask being worn or an innate contradiction. Amity, for example, is introduced as “the bully” first, and then expanded into a character with themes of abuse and expectations, which recontextualises her into someone that can change and become better.
The purpose of this isn’t to claim everyone is the exact opposite of how they appear, because with Kikimora, what you see is what you get. Kikimora has complexity, but she is still a henchwoman with an abusive boss. That one note has been expanded into a chord, sure, but it’s not a complex one, and that’s ok.
It does allow Kikimora to engage with the theme of duality that this episode hinges on. Kikimora has to make a decision between her two worlds, and Luz latches onto that because of the events of the previous episode.
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Worth noting, however, is that Luz has completely misinterpreted the conversation with her mother. The mind spell is a fantastic way of literally exploring a character’s psyche, but a flashback can work just as well. Memories aren’t as infalable as people think, especially with an unreliable narrator who focuses on specifics and misses important elements.
The original conversation went like this:
“When you come home, promise you'll stay here. I didn't mean to push you away. I swear things will be different.
“Mom, it's not you, it never was!”
“Promise me, Luz... please!”
“Okay, Mom. I promise.”
Whereas in this episode, Luz only remembers the following:
“Promise me. When you come home, you'll stay with me, and you'll never go back to that place.”
“Mom, it's not you. It never was!”
“Please!”
“Okay, Mom. I promise.”
There’s an ultimatum in Luz’s memory that wasn’t there to start with. Luz is dealing in absolutes, and all know who deals in absolutes.
In all seriousness, Luz has perceived the world as a Boolean variable, either she stays in the demon realm, or she stays in the human realm. In her mind there are only two options.
This is exacerbated by Kikimora, who does live in a world of extremes, because her boss is abusive, and her family is… less than stellar. Luz has projected onto a situation that doesn’t fit her and tried to work that out as a proxy, which doesn’t work.
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Similarly, Riane has, in my eyes, misconstrued things as well. Raine’s last interaction with Eda led to them believing that Eda cannot be a part of the rebellion. They think that either Eda protects her kids and isn’t a rebel, or Eda is a rebel and loses out on her family.
But here’s the kicker: The Emperor directly threatens Luz and King with his villainy. Eda will be forced to join the rebellion later on, so Raine trying to scare her away only postpones the inevitable.
I mentioned tone, and that actually factors into the duality theme that is being presented here.
Luz is so morose in this episode, especially in contrast to the rest of the series up to this point. This is to set up the weight of episodes to come so that they aren’t jarring, but it also reflects how thematically dissonant the ultimatum is.
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Take Amphibia for example. That is a series about growing up and understanding that sometimes you have to let go. Sometimes people drift apart, sometimes you move to a different place, and that’s ok. So, the finale, when the two worlds are separated, feels cathartic. It’s the culmination of the themes.
The Owl House is not Amphibia. It’s a story about human complexity, and the perils of boxing people in. It’s a story about nuance, and the breaking down of categories. It’s a story about finding a middle ground between the real and the imaginary. This ultimatum doesn’t make sense.
Case and point, the duality of dramatic and comedic storytelling it utter bollocks.
It’s a useful tool, don’t get me wrong, but its for external understanding. Its so that an actor or a writer can go “I like telling this kind of story” and an audience can point out their preferences. But in practical terms, storytelling is more of a gradient. There is no exact line that distinguishes each category. Nobody is saying “everything funnier than Toy Story 2 is a comedy”.
As evidence, I present, Robin Williams.
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Dead Poet Society and Good Morning Vietnam both start out as comedies then come crashing down into dramas towards their finales.
The former focuses on the quirky hijinks of what boarding school kids get up to in a critique of British Private School education that all comes to a head with the death of a student and the utter mismanagement of the results.
The latter is about a comedy radio star who witnesses the horrors of war and gradually looses his sense of humour. The Adrian Cronauer that gets off the plane at the start of the film is a very different person to the one we see at the end.
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Both of these stories have clear points at which their tones are changed up and Robbin Williams switches his performance seamlessly.
So, was Robbin Williams a comedic actor, or a dramatic one? Or was he just using tools of the trade from one or the other depending on the situation?
Alternatively, is it possible that he was drawing from the same toolbox to achieve whatever response he wanted at the time?
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Good Will Hunting is both a comedy and a drama, and it doesn’t differentiate the two. Sure, there are moments that are one or the other, with the discussion of Sean’s wife waking herself up with her own farts being decidedly funny and the “your move chief” speech being serious as all hell, but the rest of the film falls somewhere in the middle. And let’s look at those two scenes in a bit more detail.
The joke about Sean’s wife is used to bring the characters together and allow them to empathise. Their friendship is built on humour.
Simultaneously, the speech is all build up to a single, final punchline. It has little moments to keep you interested, keep you entertained, and hint and the meaning, but it hinges on its final words, that’s how jokes work.
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The iconic “it’s not your fault” scene works in a similar way. It’s a building of emotion slowly, gathering your attention as the characters react in different ways, until that powerful burst of emotion and breaking down.
Set up and pay off. That’s all it is.
Maybe the two genres of storytelling aren’t that different at all. Maybe the entirety of genre is a construct. Maybe the world is more nuanced than categorisation would lead you to believe.
I feel the need to cover all my bases here and say that I am heavily biased in the direction of genre being a scam. There is an argument to be made that the duality of performance does exist, and a ton of actors, including some I know personally, use it to great effect to inform their choices on stage. It is a way of understanding a story, and if it helps you, it helps you. I am just one of those people for whom it does not work.
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Linking back to The Owl House, the series is gearing up to get really dark and really serious in the near future, lessening its comedic influence for a while. The ratio of jokes per episode will be a lot lower in the next few episodes.
This reflects Luz’s swing in a different direction. She has been so focused on the dream and adventure, but now that she is dealing with reality, she is grappling with her home, which she sees as more mundane. The humour is used to convey whimsicality, and the “real” world is sapping that from Luz’s life.
I’m not going to spoil the entirety of the series here, because I know some people are reading these posts as they watch the show. But rest assured, this won’t be the last time the series messes around with its tone.
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Belos shows the audience his scar, possibly creating a dilemma by way of Wild Magic having a cost, it could be thought provoking, if it wasn't immediately preceded by the most overtly villainous visual I have ever seen. The show primes you to disbelieve what he is about to say, which I think is neat.
Final Thoughts
I had more to say about this episode than I was expecting. I never really found Kikimora that engaging as a character, so an episode about her was never going to be my favourite. I think she’s fun, don’t get me wrong, but she never really got me to care about what happens to her. And that’s ok. Not every character has to be a big sell. Sometimes you just need a goon who relates to the themes and is written competently. Not everything needs to be amazing.
But, you know who is amazing? Terra Snapdragon. Holy moly that character introduction is brilliant. She has Kikimora and Raine wrapped around her finger, and the amount of malice that Debra Wilson brings to the role is full on Disney villain levels of panache and I love it.
She will get her second introduction much later, but as for what we get now, she is delightfully devilish. She is also set up so clearly as a villain for Willow. The plant magic is the obvious one, but she’s also Willow’s exact opposite, she’s confident where Willow is shy, and she puts people down where Willow is the team support. If season three hadn’t been cut short, I guarantee that would have come up.
Although, I do have a little more in mind that a possible extended season three would cover. Sound off in the replies if you are interested in my hypotheticals.
Next week, I will be covering Elsewhere and Elsewhen, which has more so much to talk about that I’m not sure where to start. So, stick around if that interests you.
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metalgearstranding · 4 months ago
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Revolver Ocelot's Familial Story: an Untapped Potential
I've watched this MGSV review some time ago, and Keiv Review Things mentioned something that I rarely see pointed out by fans or critics of MGS:
"You can have an intricate story with a message about culture, the futility of revenge, and surround that story with inherently interesting characters. But what good is any of that if you don't do anything with these characters? This is a larger issue with this series, but the sheer volume of horrible shit everyone endures only to just gloss over because they got a job to do makes it far more problematic in this game."
It's always been one of my personal pet peeves with Kojima's writing. On the one hand, I love his characters, they're so cool. He allows them to be human, flawed. He doesn't judge them, which I find very refreshing.
What I don't like about his characters, is that he writes amazing backstories for them, but for a guy who's WAY too into tiny details, Kojima doesn't seem interested in exploring the emotional ramifications of those backstories...? Like Keiv said, it's just... glossed over.
In my opinion, the most glaring example of untapped story potential is Ocelot.
(Just a note before I start: I mention the novels and other sources outside of the main games many times. It's a bit of a Schrodinger's cat situation whether everything in those is considered canon by Kojima or not, so keep that in mind I suppose.)
THE (MISSABLE) REVELATION IN MGS3
During the final fight with the Boss, she opens up her suit and reveals a long, sinuous scar snaking down her body. She explains that she was pregnant with the Sorrow's child in 1944, and gave birth on the field of battle to a baby boy. That child was then taken away by the Philosophers. That's an interesting info on its own, but it really only matters if you've heard a very specific, missable codec call earlier in the game.
If you keep calling EVA after falling in the crevice, Snake will ask her how Ocelot ended up with the rank of major despite being so young. EVA says that she heard Ocelot is the son of a legendary hero, that his mother was shot in the gut during battle and gave birth to him right there. EVA also heard that after they stitched her up, the scar was shaped like a snake.
If you paid attention during that call, you can easily put two and two together later and come to the conclusion that this legendary hero is the Boss, and that child is Ocelot. This raises two important questions:
1: Did the Boss know Ocelot was her son?
2: Was Ocelot aware that the Boss was his mother?
Sadly, none of the games offers any answers.
...Unless you speak Japanese that is. And have access to either the MGS3 or Peace Walker novelization, neither of which have been translated into english. Not officially at least. Thankfully, a fan translation exists for both of them.
In the MGS3 novel, before Snake gets to the field for his confrontation with the Boss, we are treated to her inner thoughts:
“The image of Snake came to mind. And the image of Ocelot, young and growing, made her smile. Her Adamska had become a fine young man." (page 296)
This is confirmation that yes, the Boss knew that Ocelot was her son all along. On the same page, we also get an answer to the second question, as well as a new, devastating revelation:
"She tried many times to make Snake leave the area. She failed to do so, but as it turned out, it gave her what she really wanted. It saved her from another plan: to use ADAM, who didn't even know who she was, and it saved her from destruction. (…) Thank you, you saved our family."
Not only Ocelot didn't know the Boss was his mother, but if for whatever reason Snake hadn't been up to the task, Ocelot would've had to be the one to pull the trigger. Such, tasty, tasty potential for drama, tucked away in a novel that probably very few people read...
What about Snake, did he know about the link between Ocelot and the Boss in MGS3? Snake can be a bit dense, so even if you as a player manage to get EVA's codec call and make the connection, there's no telling whether Snake did. There's no mention in the MGS3 novel either, because the codec calls themselves aren't featured in it. The fight in the WIG between Snake and Ocelot isn't in the novel either, so there is no reason at all for Snake himself to draw a link between Ocelot and ADAM since they don't exchange names.
So we don't know for sure if Snake knew, right? Yes and no. You can know for sure if, again, you speak Japanese. In the "Doublethink" codec in MGSV, Snake (the real one) calls Ocelot by his real name, Adam. But according to this post, in the Japanese version, Snake apparently refers to Ocelot as "junior”, as in “son of the Boss". This is explicit confirmation (for Japanese fans at least) that Snake was aware of Ocelot's parentage, and also that at some point, Ocelot himself learned about it, maybe through Snake or Zero.
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN OCELOT, ZERO AND THE BOSS
Speaking of the devil, we learn in MGS3 that he worked with the Boss, but we get to learn a little more about them (and Ocelot) in the novel. This is a conversation between the Boss and Zero (David Oh is Zero's real name):
"Two NSA codebreakers defected to the Soviet Union four years ago. I was never informed by the CIA during my time in the US though. After that, he seems to have been engaged in intelligence work in the Soviet Union. Their codenames were ADAM and EVA."
She knew this. She had the information and waited conscientiously for the reason why no news had come, so as not to fall into the Soviet trap. Zero was somewhat alarmed by her. She paused.
"I'll ask you again. Why did you help me?"
He felt a grip on his heart at the question. It was as if he heard the creaking of a strongsoul that had silently survived a secret fight.
"In the fall of 1944, when you flew to France, you passed a soldier with a baby in his arms at the airport."
The Boss stared at him with an expressionless face. He was convinced that any lie, no matter how trivial, would be discovered. Trembling, he finally gave a slight nod. Sweat was dripping from his temples. She still said nothing. She kept her neck tensed and her eyes closed, as if she could conquer any pain, anger, or fear.
He was truly ashamed because she did not blame him.
It was an autumn night when the Allied landings at Normandy had been a success and the war was set to end early the next year. The military plane that landed in the middle of the night carrying David somehow took a crying baby with it in the turnaround. He intuitively knew the identity of the baby. So, he overlooked it.
She had a bright future ahead of her. As Commander Eisenhower's confidant, there would be plenty of work for her to do in the army and in politics after the war. But The Boss never abandoned her family. So, during the red hunt, David continued to defend her on the witness stand. He had committed a crime.
"...Yes, that's right. I knew that child was going to be your biggest scandal someday."
He didn't even regret it. That boy, little Adamska, would soon be twenty years old.
After all, he wanted to atone for his sins by trying to protect her from the red scare.
There was no hope of forgiveness. Therefore, she had kept Zero away from the Cobra Unit. But if he was truly going to work with her from now on, an apology was in order. (page 242)
The translation is a bit rough (or my reading skills might be failing me, entirely possible lol), but to recap, this passage seems to tell us that Zero crossed paths with baby Adam soon after he was taken away from his mother (and they were taking the child back to the US from what I understand?). He had an opportunity to say something, do something, but he didn't. The communist panic was in full swing at the time, and because of her relationship with the Sorrow, the Boss was suspected of being a traitor. As Zero says, “that child was going to be your biggest scandal”. So to protect the Boss against herself, safeguard the bright future in front of her, Zero didn't tell her what he knew about her son. Zero didn't regret his silence, but he still put himself on the line later on, publicly defending her, even lying to the authorities to protect her.
It's possible Zero might've been keeping tabs on Adam as he grew up, maybe he knew he was working as a codebreaker. Even if had known that, Zero was not informed that he had “defected” however (it's quite obvious the defection was as real as the Boss's, it was just an excuse to send Ocelot as a spy in Russia). It's possible that the higher ups at the CIA didn't trust Zero knowing he was close to the Boss.
This also seems to say that the Boss knew her son was a codebreaker, and that he was one of the two who had “defected”. Maybe Zero told her, maybe not. Either way, the Boss knew enough about Zero's involvement (or lack thereof) that she didn't include Zero in her Cobra Unit.
We know that post MGS3, Ocelot's real allegiance lies with Snake, but otherwise, Zero specifically is who he ends up working for. Ocelot seems genuinely loyal to him until the Patriots dissolved (as a reminder, originally, the Patriots was a group composed of Zero, Ocelot, Snake, EVA, Para Medic and Sigint. Their goal was to make the Boss's vision of the world a reality, but they couldn't agree on what that was supposed to be, so Snake left and Ocelot silently and permanently switched his true allegiance to him). Considering Zero's affection for the Boss as well as possible lingering feelings of guilt, what was his relationship with Ocelot like once he came to work solely for him? Did he just consider him coldly as another employee or did he have warmer feelings for Ocelot because of who his mother was? Could it be possible he thought of him as a son perhaps? I think it's likely that Zero was the one who told Ocelot that the Boss was his mother at the very least. That could explain Ocelot's loyalty to Zero pre-Patriots if he felt an actual kinship with him. Maybe that info was then shared with Snake and the other Patriots once the group was formed, and maybe Snake felt it was a good reason to put his trust in Ocelot from that point on.
THE WASTED OPPORTUNITIES OF PEACE WALKER (AND THE PHANTOM PAIN)
Peace Walker introduces a character with a strong tie to the Boss, Dr Strangelove. She was in love with the Boss, and she wanted a child with her. Strangelove knew the Boss had a baby of her own with the Sorrow, but it's unknown if she knew the identity of that child, where he was, and what he'd been up to.
Could Strangelove have been potentially interested in getting in contact with Ocelot? Had Ocelot been in the game, would he have wanted to know more about his mother from Strangelove's point of view?
What about the mammal pod? How would Ocelot have reacted to it? Would he be disgusted? Sad? Would he see it as an opportunity to talk to the mother he barely knew? The mammal pod was just an AI programmed by Strangelove, with information she gathered from the government or was aware of personally, so we don't know if info related to Adam was in the bank. So let's say there was not, how would he have felt if the pod hadn't reacted to him at all?
And then there's Snake's scar. In Peace Walker, Snake wears the Boss's scar on his chest. The scar from which Ocelot was born. Sure, it was utilitarian in the context, Snake used it to hide a wire saw, but it was still a powerful symbol. Even in relation to the Boss only, Snake doesn't even talk about it, and it disappears entirely later. It's a damn shame, because it was such a good physical manifestation of the emotional scar she left him... But beyond the cool hiding place for his saw, what was Snake thinking about when making it? From what I've seen, a couple people headcanon that Ocelot helped him with it. I really love that idea, it would've made the whole thing a bit much more interesting.
Ocelot not being in Peace Walker was already a wasted opportunity, but then the mammal pod is brought back in Phantom Pain and we STILL don't get one scene, one line even implying Ocelot had any meaningful contact with it.
THE SORROW AND LIQUID OCELOT
There isn't much about the Sorrow in the main games aside from a tiny cameo in MGS4 in which he ousts the ghost of Psycho Mantis.
However, the Sorrow has another cameo in the MGS2: Bande Dessinée digital graphic novel. There are a few story differences from the game, and one of those is an apparition of the Sorrow alongside Liquid's Snake's ghost. He expresses disappointment in Ocelot: "No son of mine would have allowed this madman (Liquid Snake) to take control of his will. No son of mine would've been so pathetically weak."
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the canonicity of whether or not Ocelot inherited his father's powers and was really possessed by Liquid Snake's ghost via his grafted arm still seems to be up to debate in the fandom (we know Ocelot eventually replaces that arm, and uses a combination of nanomachines and hypnosis to turn himself into Liquid). For what it's worth, in the bande dessinée, he does seem genuinely distressed, but we're so used to Ocelot pretending to be what he's not, it's hard to say if he's faking it somehow. If he wasn't truly being possessed by Liquid, it's possible he had started with the hypnosis already, or had deluded himself somehow into thinking Liquid was possessing him. Either way, the Sorrow showing up is so interesting.
"No son of mine would've been so pathetically weak". This is a truly harsh, heartbreaking thing to say to your child. There's always the possibility that if the possession was real, Liquid could've been manipulating Ocelot and it wasn't the Sorrow at all. It would serve his agenda after all, considering the hate Liquid harbors towards his own "father". We don't know much about the Sorrow as a man. All we know, is that despite not being a part of Ocelot's life, he loved his son enough to die for him. The Boss herself was a tough love (you could make a case for "abusive" if you wanted) kind of substitute mother for Snake, so it's not impossible the Sorrow would have been the same sort of man. If it was really him, we can only conclude the guy was an asshole and that Ocelot was better off not having him in his life. If it was hypnosis or a delusion, then that obviously says more about Ocelot than the Sorrow.
Ocelot being absolutely terrified at the idea of being a disappointment to his father would explain so much about him, about why he goes to such extremes to accomplish his missions. It makes you think, why did he end up like this? When he learned who his mother was, was he also told the story of her killing the Sorrow so that Ocelot's life would be spared? He could've developed survivor's guilt from this, leading him to becoming a bit of an overachiever in a way (I'm sure someone actually qualified in psychology could have a field day with this lol). The MGS4 novel implies that Ocelot saw Big Boss as a father figure (that's another can of worm entirely, personally I think the kiss on the cheek in the game itself -among other things- implies something different, but for the sake of the argument, let's say it's correct), so the lengths he goes to to free him from the Patriots would be another example of Ocelot doing everything he can not to be a disappointment to a parental (or authority) figure. All of that adds another layer to Ocelot that could have been very interesting to delve further into.
THE ABANDONED CHILD
Metal Gear as a series happened because Snake and Zero couldn't get over the death of the Boss and in trying to make her will (or what they interpreted as her will rather) a reality, majorly screwed the pooch.
Ocelot is the Boss's biological son, but that connection doesn't directly affect anything else happening in the game. Ocelot was already working for the US government, Snake could've ended up trusting him because of that. We don't even know if Snake DOES trust him because of Ocelot's affiliation in particular. If you interpret the Boss's will as “let the world be”, then Ocelot (and after that Snake) achieved that by destroying the Patriots. But that happened as a result of Zero's actions, that wasn't Ocelot trying to make the Boss's will a reality. So in the end, Ocelot being the Boss's son ends up being just cool trivia. Kojima could've just removed that codec in MGS3 and it wouldn't have changed much in the grand scheme of things.
Part of the MGS message is that your genes don't dictate your destiny and your choices. I guess you can say that Ocelot not sharing his mother's desire for peace is another example of that message, but it's not satisfying to me because Ocelot doesn't decide to do that. He doesn't purposefully rebel against her, he just keeps doing what he was already doing, what he was taught to do since birth. He does that in Snake's interests, and in the MGSV truth tapes he seems to at least support Snake's idea of a nation of soldiers, but is he just going along with it or did he ever have his personal opinion of what the Boss's will was supposed to be and how HE would've actualized it? We don't really know for sure because despite having so much of the spotlight on him in the games, we're given very few opportunities to get to know the man behind the wild cat.
I used to dislike Ocelot in MGSV because I thought he was out of character and kinda boring. I changed my mind entirely when I saw someone point out that Ocelot on mother base with Snake didn't need to pretend and grandstand. He was as close to his true self as we've ever seen him. Even if Kaz's characterization wasn't there to provide contrast, MGSV depicts a much wiser Ocelot than what we see in Snake Eater. It makes perfect sense that he's got a good, calm head on his shoulders, because to play four-D chess the way he does, you have to be in control of yourself. Even when it comes to his “torture fetish”, the way he talks about it in one of the tapes shows that he's actually humane about it (as humane as torture can be I guess lmao). We also see a softer side to him, with the kids, and with DD. Even maybe some good ol' jealousy towards the fake Big Boss's interest for Quiet. Ocelot is a man perpetually hiding behind masks, but he's not an unfeeling psychopath. Which is why it's so frustrating to me that we're denied even the tiniest glimpse behind the mask when it comes to his parents. A couple more peaks behind the curtain to show his vulnerability and humanity would've made an already great character amazing in my opinion.
When I think about all of this, I have to admit that I low key end up somewhat resenting Snake in a way lol He gets so much character development because of his relationship to the Boss, whereas Ocelot gets basically nothing. Ocelot was not raised by her of course, but he met her, he saw the huge influence she had on Snake. SURELY Ocelot has an opinion or feelings about all of that, right?
Knowing what Snake meant for his mother and vice versa, was he ever envious of Snake's relationship with her? Did Ocelot resent his mother for not telling him who she was when they were finally reunited? Has he ever caught himself wishing she could've told the Philosophers to go fuck themselves, and rescue him from them?
Ocelot himself not having anything to say about his mother sucks, but Snake not having anything to say about it either also sucks. A single scene, a single codec call where they could've talked about their relationship to her would've added SO MUCH to the characterization of both Snake and Ocelot.
So yeah. I actually like that Kojima leaves things up to interpretations, that he doesn't always go for good endings, or even satisfying endings. But he created such fascinating characters, I can't help but think he could've done even more with them...
(If you guys have anything to add, know of information I might not know or missed, or a correction to make, my inbox is always open!)
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emerald-cloud23 · 3 months ago
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Genuinely hate what they did with the Serpentine Lore in s4 if I can be honest and ramble my frustrations here? (I go and talk about other Serpentine too)
The Anacondrai, both the dead tribe and the cultists, have very obviously a different shade of purple scales and a severe lack of black/yellow markings and crystals that Pythor has as well as the very different neck and head shape which are all very valid reasons to be disappointed in their designs, I am too. But it gets worse.
S1 shows us how Scales became the Hypnobrai general- he got different markings, got a tail and was the only one who held the staff. There was a second in command (which was Scales' previous rank in the tribe) and each member of the tribe that wasn't the general had legs. Plus, there's about four to five different designs per tribe (depends if you count the leader/general with their clearly shown special markings and tail). There is only one general per tribe.
The s4 Anacondrai lack all of that. All of them have a tail, even Garmadon and Skylor recieve snake tails despite clearly not being the Anacondrai general. This season mentions there's multiple generals in the Anacondrai tribe, yet we're only shown Anacondrai with the tail. Not a single one with legs or distinct designs. The lack of a resemblance to Pythor's markings, colors and head/neck shape is enraging enough but the absolute lack of diversity in their designs is so painful to watch as someone who literally has a degree in media design. They make it look like Pythor, even pre-bleach, like a completely different type of Serpentine while all the others are the same bland carbon copies of each other. They're literally my least favorite tribe because of this and I don't even have any Serpentine minifigures yet (except Crystalized Aspheera, but I'm getting to her later anyway) but even if I did, I wouldn't want to display them. I'd willingly display any Serpentine tribe except the Anacondrai. And that's saying something for someone who finds the designs of the Vermillion reminiscent of guts and thus dislikes them.
On the topic of the Vermillion, why not briefly discuss why there's not a single one of those with a Serpentine tail? Easy: they're the tiny baby snakes that just somehow through Ninjago logic can form human-sized Serpentine that can talk and do everything perfectly. They're basically just the little baby snakes though, and last I checked babies can't take over leadership positions.
Now, a brief look at Aspheera because people don't like that she has the ghost tail in sets instead of the Serpentine tail. And that's also really easy to answer: she's not a general, she's a sorceress. Not a general. Yes, she has a tail in the show but she has a completely different rank from the other Hypnobrai of her time that we know of (btw, I love that Char is in the flashbacks with her (except when she frees Wu and Garmadon), that's so cute imo). Speaking of Hypnobrai, did you pay attention to her in the flashbacks vs. her when she's released from the pyramid? When she's young she has Hypnobrai markings on her head but when she is free she doesn't. Why? I'd say it's like the earlier mention of markings, like how the general has their own distinct markings for whoever takes that spot & that exiled Serpentine (remember, she was to be magically entombed for her crime of overthrowing the king) just lose their markings altogether so you can easier identify those that are no longer a part of the tribe. There, problem solved. And for the question on how she could absorb fire and crystal powers? Simple: sorceress. She ccould've probably used Nya's water in crystalized too, if not for the New Ninja and police coming to lock the ninja up.
Also.. The pyro vipers? They're mummies. I assume they've been long dead even before Aspheera and the pyramids lava 'ignited'/revived them. I've no guess what tribe they could've been from but I definitely doubt that it would be a fire-related one. However, the Hypnobrai evolved physically and changed into the type that we've known since 2012 some time after Aspheera got locked in the pyramid. I also like that we got to see the Hypnobrai no longer being purely blue/grey with some yellow but that there's also some pink and purple ones now. That is, what I would say, a result of the four Serpentine tribes being locked under Ninjago city and uniting in more ways than just "we're all friends now".
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moonstruck-poet · 1 year ago
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Unexpected Surprise
Pairing - Tom Hiddleston x reader!
Summary -
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Warnings -
Tysm for the lovely request anon and sorry it took so long<33 I really hope it was as per your wishes
"Tom? Can you come in here for a minute please?" Your voice called out through the apartment and footsteps followed.
"Yeah?" He popped his head in the bedroom and laughed at the scene before him. His son and daughter sitting on the bed, their hair covered in what look like white snow.
While you stood in front of them, trying to be stern but he saw you biting your lip to prevent laughter. Your one year old boy nestled in your arms, somehow sleeping peacefully amidst all the chaos.
"Now what happened here hmm?" He sauntered inside with a curious expression and looked at the twins, crossing his arms.
"Pillow fight!" They chorused and raised their little arms above their heads and your heart melted.
"Okay," he walked closer to the children, taking baby steps and you understood his next intentions immediately and you stepped back, wrapping both of your arms around your baby.
"Then let's go for a round two!" They barely had time to process his statement before he grabbed a small pillow and threw it softly at the two.
They retorted quickly, standing up and squealing as they joined forces to attack their father making you laugh at the unity.
James stirred and your palm went to cover his ears as you exited the room and went into his nursery, sitting on the small bed.
A smile made its way on your lips as you admired your little creation. The soft curls atop his head similar to yours while his baby blue irises a carbon copy of your husband's. This had been the case with the twins too. They both had inherited your hair and his eyes.
His little fist was holding tightly onto your finger as you slowly rocked him, luring him into a deep sleep though you didn't worry too much. He was quite a heavy sleeper, much like yourself.
You caressed his head, your heart squeezing when he leaned right into your hand. He clearly was a mama's boy.
All of your children were actually. They of course loved Daddy, but could only ever stop crying in your presence.
The door opened softly and in entered your husband. You heard the silence that followed his entrance and knew that Jeremiah and Isabella were sound asleep.
"Hey," you murmured once he sat close next to you, his head resting on your shoulder and his finger touching his little one's cheek.
"Hi," he whispered back and raised his head to look you right in the eye making your breath hitch. Even after all these years, his charm was still the same.
But then you noticed his face falling as he scanned your face making your smile drop slightly in self consciousness as you desperately looked at him for an answer.
"What- What's wrong?"
He shook his head and took James, holding him carefully and placing him in his crib before facing your questioning expression. Then sitting down in front on you, he took your hands in his.
"How are you feeling?" He asked and you frowned the question.
"I'm fine, I feel okay..." You answered back, not sure where he was getting at.
"You look exhausted, my love," he cupped your cheeks, his thumb caressing them as he delivered the statement as gently as possible.
You got up from the bed in urgency, wanting to take a look at yourself. And what Tom said what indeed true. You looked like you've been through a hurricane.
"Christ," you said under your breath, taking note of every tiny change that had occured since the past months. "I look terrible".
"No don't say that," he reprimanded and snaked his arms around your waist, pressing a kiss to your jaw. "What you need, is a nice holiday all for yourself. I want to hit myself for not bringing this up sooner, but you need time for yourself, love".
You agreed with every word of his, but how could it be possible now? With your children still bring too young.
"We don't have time now," you turned around, bringing him closer by the neck.
"Yes we do," he said firmly. "Jere and Isa are almost three and James is young but he's a calm one you know that. And you also know just how much they love their grandparents".
"That's true," you sighed and buried your face in the crook of his neck, not realising just how much you had missed this.
"You need to take some time out for yourself, and I think a nice little vacation is the perfect solution. You're out here taking care of all os us, so it's only fair even that I take care of my beautiful wife".
You laughed softly, your lips brushing against his ear, "Okay".
"Leave the planning to me and go and get some sleep," he kissed your forehead and your heart squeezed at the thought of having such a loving and caring husband.
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The vacation that you had taken nearly three months ago was a well deserved and needed holiday. The coasts had helped your mental state immensely.
And you were currently glowing.
You had also started to slowly go back to your earlier routines. Going for a walk in the morning with Bobby, trying to hit the gym atleast thrice a week, and just doing all the things that you were doing previously.
"Jere!" You called your three-year-old, "Will you get the spoons from Daddy please?"
"Yes!" He answered enthusiastically and ran up to his father, handling the cutlery with care and taking tiny footsteps towards you.
"Thank you sweetheart," you smiled at his adorable expression.
"What's for dinner?" Isabella ran from the living room towards the dining table and sat herself down her designated seat.
"It's my speciality if you please," Tom said in a posh accent, bringing plates exactly how a waiter would making the kids giggle.
Isa gently tickled James who was sitting on the high chair and he squirmed away from her hand, laughing happily.
"Hey stop tickling Jamie!" Jeremiah said playfully, ready to defend his brother but his twin merely poked out her tongue.
You smiled at one half your universe seated right in front of you and the other half soon joined in the picture making tears well up in your eyes.
God your hormones were a real mess today. You felt like crying since the morning.
The dinner was indeed a wonderful affair and currently it was only you and your husband, sitting on the couch and watching Iron Man together.
"No look at him," you frowned upon seeing your favorite character's face fall as he looked at his dead friend.
"You know I think you might love him more than me".
"I do".
He raised an eyebrow and you prevented a laugh, about to retort when your eyes widened amd you slapped a hand on your mouth to rush towards the bathroom.
The sudden wave of nausea had taken you aback and threw up all the things you had ate just a few hours ago.
"Love?" Tom was immediately behind you with a frown on his face. "Oh you okay?" He asked, heavily concerned upon seeing your extremely pale face.
"I- I don't know," you took a deep breath, feeling a lack of oxygen in your lungs. "I feel lightheaded," your hand went to grip the side of your head as you swayed and he steadied you.
"Should we go to the clinic? You need to see a doctor," he murmured, watching as you rinsed your mouth and brushed your teeth.
"No I- I'm fine," you sighed and leaned against the wall, eyes closing in fatigue. "We'll go tomorrow if I'm still unwell".
He nodded, though his forehead was creased with worry as he guided you towards you room. Not even thinking of sleeping until he had made sure you were alright.
The next morning your condition was stable, but it soon fell quickly when you had smelt something that was overly sweet and nauseating making you vomit. Again.
"We should go," Tom whispered as he rubbed your back and you nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Mumma? Daddy what's wrong with Mumma?" Isa asked with wide eyes and Jere was right behind her.
"She's not feeling well, love," he answered and leaned down before them, noticing the way their eyes glistened.
"Mumma," Jere's shaky whisper caught your attention amd you looked at your twins who were on the verge of crying.
"Oh hey no," you said and despite the throbbing pain in your temple, crouched down and they ran into your outstretched arms. "I'm okay, my tummy's just a little upset, yeah?"
"We're gonna go visit the doctor now," Tom added and wiped their tears. "Till then Grandma and Grandpa will be here, okay?"
They nodded and the parents bid them goodbye, once Tom's parents had arrived. James was luckily asleep, otherwise he would certainly have thrown a fit.
The doctor, who was your family physician did some tests, asking about your symptom. All during the process she appeared quite calm while you were unsettled.
"There's nothing to worry about, Mr and Mrs Hiddleston," she addressed the couple with a small smile. "It appears that you are pregnant," she said to you, her face beaming.
"P- Pregnant?" You stammered and her smile fell at your reaction and she excused herself as your turned your head to look at your husband who was equally shocked.
This was really unexpected and not planned at all. You had completed your family with three beautiful children and neither of you wanted another.
"We- We discussed. We didn't-" He couldn't find the words to explain, probably because his mind itself was muddled.
The new wave of emotions hit you hard and tears had slipped down your defenses. You dug your palms into your eyes, not bring able to grasp this entire situation.
It was a huge thing. Maybe would brush it off and say, what's the big deal? But no, of course it was a big deal. A child was going to be entering this world.
"Say something!" Your fingers wrapped around his bicep and you shook him. "I'm pregnant with our child, Hiddleston and you're there just sitting silently!"
"What am I supposed to do?" He didn't raise his voice at all, addressing you calmly but there was an edge to it.
"What are we gonna do, Tom?" You said rather fiercely and looked at him who was staring at you. "What's going to happen now? What the hell are we going to do? We didn't plan this, and had no ideas that this could happen and now I'm pregnant and there's a child inside me and-"
"Hey hey hey," he shook himself out of his trance and grabbed you by the shoulders, trying to bring your mind back from an oncoming panic attack.
"We didn't plan this," he nodded. "But now it has happened, love and I don't think we can do anything now".
"I know!" You said helplessly, "But Tom just think. We already have three toddlers at home and now there's gonna be another in under a year".
He simply paid rapt attention, gesturing for you to continue which made you even more upset for some reason.
"Please say something," you whispered, tears clouding your vision.
He didn't, but instead took you gently into his arms and the emotions flooded out in an instant. His eyes too were glistening but he disregarded that. His sole focus being you. "Calm down, love. I think I know what's troubling you, hmm?"
"I know too," you answered after taking a deep breath and inhaling his comforting scent that was anchoring you.
"Bu we're gonna do everything properly okay? We're gonna be the best parents to our children and this little one that's in there," he said and laid his palm across your lower abdomen.
"Yeah," you nodded, breaths uneven as you tried to steady yourself. "I'm just worried that maybe, just maybe we won't be able to give time to them all, we won't be able to love all of them equally".
"I understand, darling. But that won't happen, ever. We'll make sure of it, together. You are gonna be such a great mum, yeah?"
You smiled, looking up at and seeing the love in his baby blue irises was enough to melt you on the spot.
"I love you, Tom," you said softly, a single tear sliding down your cheek.
"I love you too, so so much," he replied, a smile stretching across his lips as he wiped your tears away, thumb caressing your cheek. "You're my entire world, sweetheart. Don't you ever forget that".
"And you're mine".
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tinydefector · 2 months ago
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Laboratory logs 6
Word count: 2.2k
Warnings: Trauma, hints to human trafficking and Sex Trafficking.
Wooo, it's the weekend, which means more fanfic.
Enjoy how the stories come together.
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Request and ask are open.
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 "Feelin betta?" Rattler asked the smaller speedster. Traxies vented softly against Rattler's plating as he slowly onlines his optics after his emotional shut down. "...A little," he replied at last, voice gravelly from raw-edged sobs. 
 "Why...help me?" Traxies field flickered, "You don't know me. I could be anyone"
A rumbling chuckle answered Traxies. "You looked like you needed it. Ain't no crime in that." Servos rubbed his back reassuringly. "We all get tumbled by life sometimes. Best to lend a hand up when we can."
"Rattler! Fuck sake man! Why did you take off!" A voice over the hill yells, the firm if a human comes into view, he stands there panting, hands resting on his knees. When his eyes land on the blue mech that was pressed against Rattler's side the young man lets out a noise. "Oh my god Rattle really?, hookup right now?" . 
Traxies tenses before head floods his linescand his fans kick on in embarrassment. But the shuttler seemed unconcerned, chuckling softly as he hailed the newcomer. 
"Ain't like that, Tony! Just lendin' servo' is all." Rattler greeted. "Poor mech was tumbled up good." Tony slowly makes his way down to the two mechs, "fuck you have long legs, some of us can't Fly remember!" He huffs out before his eyes move back to the rather dishevelled looking younger mech.
Traixes peered at the man, still rather embarrassed over the situation. "Thank you for checking on me. But...where am I, precisely?" Carefully extricating himself from Rattler's hold, Traixes faced them both. " Kosciuszko National Park, Rattler here was meant to be helping me with plant documentation and seed collection!" He huffs out. "What you expect from me T, those plants are minuscule!. Ain't my fault you fleshies so small!."  Rattler rumbled a laugh, unbothered by Tony's grumbling. 
Traixes cycled a soft vent, anxiety uncoiling as he watched the two bicker, “I outta rearrange your wires, maybe take a crowbar to you!” Tony threatened only for Rattler to laugh loudly while getting treated by the human. 
"What plants were you studying?” Traxies voice is faint, but the curiosity in his optics is rather vivid. “ At the moment, Gentianella diemensis and Brachyscome, but really all of them, collecting seeds for storage and documenting and also just taking notes of what else grows in this area, makes it easier for foraging guilds." Tony hums while taking down notes. Traxies optics lit with interest, Over Earth-based botany.   
"Fascinating! Brachycomes are so diverse in form and colour. Gentianellas produce such vibrant blooms - so much beauty packed into such tiny packages." Field rippling with eagerly with excitement over someone else outside of Brainstorm and Perceptor. 
“Well would ya look at that, got ya Self an apprentice Tones” Rattler chuckled. “ Could I tag along?." Traxies was barely containing the urge to leap up and explore. The shuttler's field pulsed in amusement at the speedster's enthusiasm. "Course you can join, kid. Sounds useful to have extra hands and optics. Just watch your step - some critters out here got teeth meaner than Tony's bark!" 
"Yea and I'm the one who's gotta worry about getting bitten by a Mulga Snake. Cause you know, not made of metal!" Tony shoots back at Rattler. The shuttle burst into hearty guffaws at Tony's backhand comment. "Ain't that the truth! These pede just bounce the fangs right off. You thought - one lil' nip and it's bye-bye Tony Time." He teased down at the disgruntled human. 
"Fuck you Rattler, here I am housing and hiding you from the Government and your war and this is the way you treat me, might just leave you out on the airstrip " He calls out while flipping the mech off. In truth it was all fun and games between the two, neither of them took it to heart. "Aww, you know you love me really! Who else gonna haul your scrawny aft outta snake-infested bushes, eh?" 
"Come on let's get these seeds and photos, I wanna get out of here before tourist start showing up and asking questions, and I'd rather not get pinged for being around you lot, last time you were out you nearly ended up in a scuffle between bots and cons" Tony huffs out while continuing to find the dried flowers taking samples and notes. 
Traixes cast Rattler a sidelong glance, field rippling question. The shuttler responded gently, "Ain't easy bein' mech's on an organic world. Factions clashed here and there; we wanna avoid notice. We keep our heads down, stick to backcountry. Don't want Megatron's attention or lackies on us"
It makes Traxies stop for a moment. The war was over, where were the Decepticons and Autobots fighting on earth?Was it the DJD?, or some other side faction. Did he miss hear Rattler? Questions and unease slowly settle into the pit of his tanks. "Rattler, did you say Megatron?." He inquiries softly.   
Rattler glanced down at the Blue speedster. "Megatron's Decepticons came lookin' for energy way back. Went up against Optimus Prime and his Autobots, nearly got cuaght in the crossfire, it's How Tones and I met." 
 "Megatron, now - he's one pit-spawn mech you don't wanna meet, bits. Ruthless as they come." Traixes cycled a soft vent, studying flora to ground swelling emotions. Worry wells up in him. What time was this Earth year, had he jumped back really far again. Megatron had renounced the Decepticon cause, he was now Co-captain of the Lost Light, how far back had he jumped in time?. 
His spark pulsed a frantic staccato as fear crashed over him. Megatron leading Decepticons - the brutal tyrant had not yet walked his road to redemption. And Traxies was out here without his crew. He needed to get out of here. "Easy there, youngling. Breathe for me now, in and out...you're alright. ain't no Cons to hurt you here."
he choked out, "Time...jumped...how...far..." His spark whirled in helplessness and confusion.Tony spun around seeing the young Mech having a panic attack and quickly moving towards both Rattler and Traxies. “Hey, hey, He's not here can't hurt ya” the human man states while patting Traxies leg. 
"C-Can't stop it... ability… it hurts, please...." He choked on static, struggling to regain control over his processor and the memory. He had only ever felt this fear for Megatron once in his lifetime, but he had been grabbed by Ratchet when Optimus and Megatron ended up in a standoff. 
Slowly, through sheer force of will, He blinks. The sound of the wind over hills, the wildlife of earth disappears and it's replaced with talking, gears, engines and mechanical components. His energy field flickers like a dying flame. He slumped, utterly spent. 
"I'm...sorry. Not meant for time-hopping. Dangerous." He rasped shakily against Rattler's plating, optics dim and blurry. Never had his outlier gifts backlashed so violently. He never had trouble with it when he was younger, but it was only ever little jumps. What if he couldn't return?
Tony's mouth opens and closes, almost stunned at the scenery around them, Rattler holds Traxies close trying to sooth him. "Easy, easy. Think of your happy place, where do you feel happy" Rattler asked, trying to calm the young mech. "Easy Kiddo, it's alright, it's alright" Tony says softly. Their touch almost feels like the memory, similar to when the Ambassador would hug him.
This time he settles quicker, doesn't turn into a sobbing mess he had been when he had jumped to Earth, his optics flickering open, he gazed around also taking in the scenery, reading concern, his optics flicker up to the sky and there they are again, the Two unscared moons staring back at him. Traixes' vocalizer glitched. "Frag I've jumped, it feels like I'm losing control." 
He dared not think what becoming truly unmoored between space and time might drive one to. He needed to get back to his crew, back to Ratchet. But exhaustion weighed heavily on his frame as he slumped against Rattler. 
Rattler hadn't seen this in Millennium, it was Cybertron alive and beautiful as it once was. Tony stands there just looking stunned as he looks around. "Cybertron? But how...my ability, it never brought others along before!" Steadying himself, Traxies met their gazes, "I will get us back, I swear, frag im so sorry!."
"I think it's best if we find somewhere to lay low pits. I haven't seen this place in stellar cycles" Rattler states. "I second that" Tony's eyes watch the movement of such large bots in awe. "Whatever you do, don't put me on the ground!" The young man says quickly while trying to climb onto Traxies leg. 
Traxies’ leans down to grab the young man, helping him to get settled on his shoulder plating 
 "If I can remember how to get there I might know a place, Don't trust anyone, nor the mech we are staying with" Rattler states, he takes an uneven vent, "Ain't safe, not here at least, list of all for Him" Rattler states motioning to Tony. "Once we have somewhere safe then I'll try and get us some Fuel, ya look half offline Mech" The shuttler didn't like being here. He tries to push it away, optics flickering to Traxies. "Outlier?" He asked softly trying not to make a scene of it.  
Traixes nodded, His optics dimmed briefly at the question, but met Rattler's steadily. "Time and space are...difficult for me to fully grasp. Sometimes I slip between - it is not a talent I have mastered controlling, I'm sorry I brought you here." Shame washed his field.
“Ya don't tell anyone, if this Pre-war Cybertron Outlier isn't safe here, it's also best we switch over to Cybertronix, sorry Tony ” he explains and apologies to the human riding on Traxies shoulder. 
“Yea, yea. I get it, just keep me updated so I'm not out of the loop” Tony shoots him a nervous look, not liking The dread of being on another planet,  but he'd deal with it later.  
As they move through the streets a few mech's eye them, watching intensity, Rattler keeps an optic out trying his best to make sure he knows where Traxies and Tony were at all times, not wanting to risk them out here. When he finally leads them to a rather boring looking building, one that Rattler is hoping is the mech he's looking for. 
Rattler hammered his massive servo against the nondescript entry, venting gustily as he warily scanned their surroundings. Please let this rustbucket be home - his plating prickled under the stares, every sense attuned for threats. 
Finally the latch hissed open, revealing the Yellow and purple Combaticon within. His optics brightened in surprise that swiftly shifted to avarice as optics landed on Rattler's bulk. "Well, well! Never thought I'd see your aft round here after the last hoist, you elusive brute." Swindle's calculating smirk widened as he caught sight of the blue speedster and Organic standing rather close to him. 
Rattler growled. "Needa lay low, Swindle, and you owe me. We stay, you keep yaps shut an' servos to yourself. Clear?" He nearly demands while pushing past the mech. His field rippled warning at Swindle who huffed annoyance but stepped aside. His optics focus on the pretty blue bot who nearly sticks to Rattler's side. 
“Cozying up with an exotic beauty now, Rattler? My, my, standards slipping or is there profit to be had? And an organic too, you never fail to surprise!” Rattler rounded on him with an engine-rumbling snarl. “Watch it, Swindle. We stay one cycle, no more. Keep your grimy servos and optics to yourself, you hear?” His field radiated violence barely leashed. 
Traxies shifted closer to Rattler’s bulk, discomfort writ clear in his field despite Swindle’s conspicuous absence of Decepticon branding. This mech made his platting crawl worse than scraplets.
Swindle lifted his servos in a mockery of contrition. “Easy now, no need for dramatics. Yesh, what crawled up your booster .” His visor roved hungrily over Traxies once more before Rattler’s snarl deepened.“One cycle. Then we vanish, and your glossa with us.” Rattler rumbled, all too aware what kinds of “exchanges” interested Swindle most.
The three vanish into one of the back rooms, huddled together.  
Swindle sent out a private notice to one of his clients. // you'll never guess the treasures Rattler just dragged through my doors. A sleek blue speedster, practically untouched - if you catch my meaning. Plus an organic, a real live alien. And i know you have exotic tastes.//  
He sends another ping through. //Rattler's never stayed long. I can have them ready for transport within the joor. Knowing him he's going to do a fuel run shortly//
A response comes through only a few kliks after. //The speedster sounds very much one I would like, it's been a while since we have had a new one. But the organic…I want it alive, it be a lovely little message to a Mech which has been a truth thorn in my side. Have them ready within Breem. And this conversation never occurred, is that clear? I trust our transactions remain as discreet as ever, Swindle.// 
Swindle's engine revved. //Perfectly clear. Credits it is then. My docking bay, one Breem.// He cut the comm. After all, now it was the waiting game. 
________
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kitthepurplepotato · 2 years ago
Text
Shenanigans part 9
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New to the story? Start with Chapter 1!
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Part 9:
Bakugou Katsuki and the case of the Number One.
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Warnings: Swear words, fighting, sexual tension, 16+ for safety as always.
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“Come on, you waste of space, show me what you got!”
Uhm… so… you kinda made a big mistake today and made your boss a tiny bit angry, or to be more exact, absolutely furious.
You ended up in the massive training area and he definitely looks like he’s ready to spill your blood today and end your hero career for good.
How did you end up in this situation?
Let’s go back in time and see.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Bakugou is acting really weird today.
You would think the “weird” is a new normal in this office and it certainly is, but this is a different kind of weird.
Bakugou’s unruly blonde locks are even more puffed up today; his whole attire is messy, like he’s having his second rebel phase.
He is also wearing an eyeliner even though this is his paperwork day so he’s not even in his hero costume, and to be absolutely honest… he looks smoking hot.
Okay, this is definitely not appropriate, but hell, you are not blind. If the guy wouldn’t have the personality of a psychopath, he would be able to get into everyone’s panties in a matter of seconds.
There is no way anyone would be able to say no to him if he would smile sometimes. Also, those pecs? Mate, you want them to squish your face so much, it hurts.
Wait.
Why does it hurt?
“What the fuck are you staring at?!”
Oh, Bakugou is pinching your face and pulling the skin so hard it’s about to rip.
“Your stupid punk face?” You answer honestly; well, half-honestly, as you definitely will not share your thirsty thoughts with your boss. You are sure the conversation would end up with your dismissal. “Didn’t know Green Day has a concert in Japan today. Can I come?” You try to smirk at him while your skin goes back to its original place with a loud snap. With a small whine you stroke your red left side with an offended gaze.
“We have another guest today.” He rolls his eyes, clearly unimpressed by your Green Day joke.
“If this is your way to impress, puffing yourself up might work with peacocks, but it doesn’t have the same effect on humans. You are also missing an important feature; the elegant, colorful feathers.”
“The fuck are you talking about, you Fuckstick?! I look like this every day!” The blonde screams, his face hot and red from embarrassment.
“That isn’t how you talk to a lady, my friend.” A new person emerges from thin air, in jeans from head to toe. Literally. You can’t hide your excitement, when your eyes lock with the ‘stranger’.
“Jeanieboo! Long time no see!” You attack the new visitor with a hug right away.
“Y/N, what a pleasure to see you again!” Best Jeanist mumbles into your hair, smiling proudly. “You both were a pain in the bottom to work with, never listening to my advice, or to be exact, never listening - end of the sentence, but I appreciated our time together anyway.” He smiles, his arms still snaked around your shoulders protectively.
“Okay, how the fuck do you know each other?!” Hisses the blonde, clearly unimpressed by the sudden plot twist; he can’t believe the two people he ‘hates’ the most are actually buddies. How fucking annoying.
“I trained Y/N in her country when she was a teen. She was more vicious than you, Bakugou. I didn’t think it’s possible for someone to be more aggressive than you are but she definitely gave a run for your money, child.” He reminiscences and you can’t help but smile thinking about your old self; you were an actual proper menace when you were young, talking back to everyone and ‘exploding shit’ whenever you were in a bad mood.
“Yeah, I will never forget the quirk nulling bracelet you gave me for my 17th birthday. I still don’t appreciate that, by the way.” You murmur, offended. It wasn’t fucking funny. It really wasn’t.
“Well, you tried to burn the agency down because they were out of coffee.” Jeanist furrows his brows, clearly not amused.
“Oh my god, I want to see that.” Bakugou makes an ugly laugh and you can’t help but pout. You really did not want this fucker to know about that embarrassing story. You will never hear the end of it.
“But…” Jeanist continues. “You are your country’s number one hero for a reason. You grew up well.” He smiles, and while you’re about to get lost in all the lovely memories you had with your favorite hero, a tiny explosion crackles from the palms of the blonde, which takes you back to the present again.
“You’ ok, bruh?” You take a look at the furious looking Dynamight. He looks… kinda red. Weird.
“One?!” He whispers, and shit you not, his whispering is the scariest shit you’ve ever heard in your life. You didn’t think a whisper can sound so threatening, but here you are, ready to fight for your life if it’s needed. “You motherfucking useless piece of shit, you, Number One?! What kind of sick joke is that?!” Dynamight screams like the lunatic he is, you sigh, Best Jeanist stares.
The time stops for a second for all of you.
For Bakugou, it stops because of the sudden jealousy in his heart. He feels attacked, because how the fuck is he not the number one yet if everyone else is only an extra? How is the biggest extra in the world number one if he can barely keep his second place? Bakugou’s whole world just shattered. He feels like someone put a stick into his virgin hole and showed it in him so deep it came out of his throat.
For Best Jeanist, the time stops thanks to the sudden tension in the room; he worked with so many people during his hero career, but he never felt so scared for his life. He’s aware that if these two decide to kill each other right now right here, the whole agency will go down with them.
For you… well… you forgot to mention this really important detail to Dynamight for the sake of your safety, so now you’re not just a nuisance but a threat to his number 2 ranking, and fucking liar. Great.
“First of all, this is why I didn’t tell you. Because you are a pathetic little jealous piece of shit who thinks the whole world revolves around his pretty fucking face and no one can be fucking better that he is!”
Maybe that was a bit too honest. Oops.
“Wow, jealous? I ain’t jealous of your sorry ass! I’m just sorry for your country as it’s full of pathetic fucking hero wannabes, if you are their best.”
This is it. You thought you can’t hate this guy more than you already do, but here you are, mentally disemboweling the fucker and trying really hard not to explode his whole fucking agency on him. Where is that bracelet when you need it?!
“I will fucking murder you, Dynamight.” You sneer, taking a step forward.
“You wanna fight, motherfucker?” He answers right away, also taking a step towards you. Best Jeanist is still frozen in place, probably writing his will in his head, just in case.
“You know what, you bleached haired fuckhead, I want to fight.”
“You and me, training room, now!” He screams and pulls you with him by your arms. “Also, my hair is natural, so fuck you.”
•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Oh fuck. Oh fuckidy fuckie fuck fuck.
You didn’t think this through. Yes, you are the Number One hero in your country and you also have the coolest fucking quirk on Earth, so beating Dynamight’s ass doesn’t sound impossible.
The main problem is the fact that your boss will definitely never look into your eyes again if you do, but he will also hold a grudge against you if you let him win. So long story short, you are fucked, so honestly, it doesn’t even make sense to stress about this right now, as your fate was decided for you the moment Best Jeanist opened his mouth.
“Is this really necessary?” Kirishima tries his best to save the day and has been constantly trying for the last hour, but his words vanished in the air like a cheeky, scentless fart in the wind.
“Come at me, Number One!” Dynamight calls, half naked, and damn, if you die today, at least the view is nice.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
Why.
Just why.
Having the nerd and his lapdog in the office is one thing, but Best Jeanist?
Mr. Katsuki has all the respect for the guy as a hero, but his sense of style? Hell no. Like… fuck that shit.
Mr. Katsuki decides to go all out today, out of spite; messy hair, rebellious clothing and all those shenanigans. He’s still traumatized since Best Jeanist made his hair flat and ugly that last time during UA. He will never forget looking in the mirror and seeing a bad Monoma cosplay looking back at him. It was terrible.
There is another reason Mr. Katsuki is going all out today, but don’t tell him that we know this; Mr. Katsuki secretly plans to show off to the Menace to let her know what she’s missing out on by being a dick.
No, he doesn’t want to woo the Menace; he just wants to show her that he can be sexy like that. That’s it. No other reason. He definitely does NOT have any kind of feelings towards that fuckstick except for annoyance. No way.
It’s true that he has been a little bit concerned when the Menace disappeared into thin air, but it was more about not wanting to do a shit load of paperwork after the death of a staff member than about being concerned about the actual person.
You don’t believe him?
Fuck you, then.
The plan was working. The menace did her best to bully Bakugou for his rebellious look, but he didn’t miss the way she eye fucked him for a few seconds before opening her mouth.
Mr. Dynamight also liked to hear all the embarrassing stories about the Menace’s childhood after getting over the fact that they had the same mentor back in their school days.
But then… things went south. Really quickly.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
“Come at me, Number One!” Dynamight yells, ready to kick the Number One’s ass back to her bloody useless country.
Bakugou is not stupid, he was well aware that the Menace wasn’t just a side kick back in her country. The villain who ended her career was an extremely powerful one. No side kick stood a chance against him, yet the menace fought him for hours before the terrible accident; but Katsuki didn’t even think about the possibility of her being in the top 10 and being the Number 1 hero was even further on his possibility list.
Mr. Katsuki will never admit this even though it’s really obvious, but he’s still not over the fact that he’ll never get to the number 1 spot in Japan until Deku dies and as Deku and Bakugou are friends; he can deny it but it’s true; and he would never want his friend to die in a battle just to be able to fill his desired spot. Being number 2 is really frustrating for Mr. Katsuki. He was nothing but number one his whole life until his twenties, yet here he is, stuck in a certain spot and he was just told that his useless, annoying piece of shit of a secretary is better than him. He’s not gonna have that. Not without a fight at least.
“Bring it on, sparky boy.” The menace grins in her boring ass sports bra and shorts combo. Mr. Katsuki can only hope her hero costume has more creativity to it than this… not like he cares. He definitely doesn’t care, thank you very much. He would rather die than google her hero name, especially after these news.
“Oh, you will regret saying that.” Mr. Katsuki’s hands sparkle, ready to start this game; he jumps closer, his palms ready to explode in the menace’s face, but she dodges gracefully, moving to the other side of the room in a flash; teleportation quirk or just increased speed? Hell if he knows. In only a few milliseconds, he can see a shadow right in front of him, which indicates that she used the same quirk to attack him from behind; Dynamight moves away with the help of his quirk, but he isn’t quick enough to not get hit in the head with an explosion, but weirdly enough, it doesn’t hurt. It also smells like cotton candy.
When Mr. Katsuki looks back, he’s met with a laughing idiot, folded in half; she’s actually crying from laughter. Mr. Katsuki is furious.
“Oh my god, that was amazing.” The menace screams while she makes tiny, magenta colored explosions with her hands. Mr. Katsuki sees red. The explosions leave a baby pink smoke behind, and the cotton candy smell gets stronger.
Dynamight just got absolutely humiliated and he’s not having it. No fucking way.
“I hope your joke was funny enough for you to die for it.” The blonde grits his teeth and goes all out, and for the next two minutes no one can tell what’s happening on the battle field; there isn’t anything but fog and dust particles, loud bangs and battle screams.
Suddenly, it goes silent. As the fog disappears and the view gets clear; and Mr. Katsuki’s grin can be seen from far away as he pushes the Menace to the floor, keeping her pinned down by her hands and legs.
“Number One my ass.” Dynamight grumbles, panting on top of her; usually he would feel really uncomfortable being so close to someone as he is now, but in the middle of a fight, Katsuki doesn’t care about personal space. He won. That’s all that matters.
“You cheated.” The menace pants and her breath tickles Bakugou’s lips in a really uncomfortable way. His heart rate goes even higher, making him a bit dizzy; is she using another quirk? It wouldn’t be a surprise, she used at least 10 different ones during the fight, making her moves unpredictable. Katsuki might have her pinned to the floor now, but it wasn’t the easiest fight of his life. He’s not happy to admit it, but most of the heroes wouldn’t even be able to touch her. If the menace would change sides they would be utterly fucked. It’s not only about her strength, it’s about her intelligence as well; her movements are perfectly calculated and she’s quick and efficient.
The menace is… extremely dangerous.
“The fuck are you yapping about?” The blonde murmurs, his almost whisper resonating in the dead-silent training room; no one dares to make a noise in the building.
“It’s really hard to concentrate when you’re shirtless, you know.” The menace whispers, her eyes looking up and down his torso then straight to his face. “You’re really fucking beautiful, Dynamight.” She smiles and fuck if that didn’t go straight to his d………
He lost himself in his thoughts for only a second but that was enough for the menace to change the outcome of the fight; while he was busy with his internal monologue, the menace freed herself from his grasp and kicked the blonde right in the crotch, where it hurts the most.
The menace is on top of him in only a second and something, probably another quirk, makes him unable to move completely. Fuck.
“You know fights aren’t just about the strength of your quirk, but about the strength of your brain, baby.” The menace whispers into his ears in the most erotic way possible, her fingers scratching his scalp pleasantly as she rakes his hair back with her fingers.
“You cheated and lied. What a shitty way to win.” The blonde mumbles but his voice is shaky from… embarrassment? Want? Is this what Kirishima was talking about? Is this the feeling he lacked until now? Is this his sexual awakening? Is he Menace-sexual? Why is he not mad about losing? Is it because of the way he lost? Is it out of respect? Is it because it was worth it for the fluttering feeling in his chest? Was the menace always this pretty? Why can’t he look away? It might be another quirk. It needs to be. There is no way he’s…
“I never lied. I do think you are beautiful.” The menace answers with a straight face but her cheeks get rosy when she finishes the sentence; she fists a big bunch of his hair on the front, and Bakugou realizes it doesn’t hurt the way it should; it’s painful and pleasant at the same time. He’s definitely done for, isn’t he? “Don’t underestimate me ever again, Bakugou Katsuki.” She murmurs, and fuck, hearing his first name from the Menace’s mouth is thrilling as fuck.
Honestly, what’s happening to him?!
He doesn’t have time to think about that for too long as his head gets smacked into the floor and everything goes black.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
“I feel like I just found a really good porn to watch, but it started buffering right when the action was about to happen.” Someone mumbles next to Kirishima but he’s too busy having an internal meltdown to tell his underling off for speaking inappropriately.
“So… how long…?” Best Jeanist tries to ask a question but Kirishima honestly can’t answer right now; he stands up and runs to the battlefield. His best friend is unconscious for the fuck’s sake, he can’t be bothered about this sexual tension right now. He needs 5 to 7 days to get a hold of his thoughts about this new revelation anyway.
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~
You’ve done it.
You flirted with your boss just to win then you lost yourself in the middle of it when you realized how easy it was to do so. Bakugou was right. You wanted to cheat, you wanted to lie, but right after you said those words out loud you realized they were true.
Your mind is an absolute mess right now.
“Was this really necessary?!” Red Riot arrives at the scene and pushes you out of the way to take his best friend into his arms, probably to take him to the emergency room.
“You know one of us had to be unconscious to win otherwise we won’t back down until we pass out from exhaustion.” You sigh, out of breath and out of words. This was probably the best fight of your life. Bakugou is an amazing partner. You might call him names all the time but he’s intelligent and strong, he can keep up with you in a way no one ever could when fighting. This fight with him reminded you of his other self; the one who’s clever and emotional, the one you kinda fell in love with in only 24 hours. Your mind is a mess, your heart is beating out of your rib cage, and shit, you really need some time alone to get yourself together.
“You know that’s not what I meant.” Oh, so that was supposed to be a scolding for… for what? For flirting? For cheating?
“Whatever.”
You can’t have this conversation right now. Everything is a mess, the world is black and white, the only thing in color is the unconscious blonde in Kirishima’s arms.
You are definitely not ready to look into those eyes after all of this.
Fuck, you can’t wait to go home and hide under your bed for the rest of the day.
…Next Chapter!
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Waaah this was such a pain to write, sorry for being away for so long! Send me a comment with your thoughts, things are getting heated, eyy! I really wanna fangirl about this plot, help me out, will ya? 😂
I hope you like where this story is going, I can’t wait to dig deeper into it!
Kirishima is the best, isn’t he? 😭 such a protective little brother, I love him so much.
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Reblogs are appreciated 💜
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funtomfactory · 1 year ago
Text
A Kuroshitsuji Christmas
A little Black Butler Christmas thing I threw together, enjoy!
Sebastian: *narrates* It was Boxing Day, late 19th century. Just outside of London, UK, lay the grand Phantomhive manor. Its rooftops were decorated with a sheet of white snow, and its windows shimmered with light coming from within. All of the household was in high spirits; the maid, Mey-Rin, was donning some wreath in her hair. Finny, the gardener, had helped to set up real trees inside. They were decorated with candles and ornaments, and proven to be capable of taking a blow, which was proven by the cook Bardroy when he tried to set the Christmas pudding alight. Old man Tanaka was resting near the fireplace and the footman Snake was handing out hot chocolate to everyone. The season had everyone in its grasp. Everyone, safe for the young master, who was sitting cross-legged in a chair near a tree ladened with presents.
Ciel: *shifts in his chair and grumbles* Ugh, I can't believe how much time I've wasted on social frivolities these last few days, I'm horribly behind schedule on my paperwork....
Sebastian: *whispering, while smirking mischievously* Come now young master, this is a special day for us servants. You owe it to us for all our hard work.
Ciel: *sighs* I suppose you're right. Well then... *turns around towards Finny* Finny, would you be so kind to hand out the first box?
Finny: With pleasure, young master! *Finny jumps up and grabs the nearest box* This one is for... S-Snake... Hey! It's from Lady Elizabeth!
Snake: *takes the box from Finny* From Smile's fiancée? How nice, says Webster.
Ciel: Yes, she was pretty thorough with buying presents this year...
Snake unwrapped the box and looked inside. He pulled out a handful of what appeared to be tiny scarfs and hats.
Bard: Are those...
Ciel: Lizzy insisted that she wanted Snake's snakes to wear matching clothing. She insisted it would make them... *twitches his fingers* That much cuter.
Snake: That's a lovely idea! We'll wear them with pride, says Emily.
As Snake tried to fit his snakes with their new ensemble, the young master guestured Finny to hand out the next gift.
Finny: Here you go, Mey-Rin!
Mey: M-My turn?! Thank you Finny!
Mey-Rin unwraps her gift to reveal a lavishly decorated hair clip.
Mey: Oh my! It's stunning yes it is! Thank you young master!
Ciel nods in approval as Mey-Rin tries to put the clip in her hair. Meanwhile, Finny reads the tag on the third present.
Finny: This one is yours, Bard!
Bard: Alright! Let's see what we've got here! *tears off the wrapping paper* A metal cigarette case!
Sebastian: Since you're prone to... Flammable accidents we thought it suitable to buy you something to at least keep your cigarettes safe from anything catching on fire. It would be a waste if you didn't get to smoke them.
Bard: I don't know if that's a compliment... But I'll take it. Thank you very much!
Finny: *frowns at the next present* This one is for... All of us?
Bard: Well then what are you waiting for?
Ciel: Go ahead Finny, open it up.
Finny rips open the box to reveal a stack of Chirstmas hats. The hats are covered in glitter and ribbons. Ciel moans.
Ciel: Lizzy... What have you done?
Sebastian: It would be an insult not to wear them.... *takes one from the stack and puts in on his young master's head, then puts one on himself* Now we're actually dressed for the occasion.
The other servants cheer as they put on their hats. Ciel slumps in his chair, looking miserable.
Finny: Ah, this box is if you, mister Sebastian!
Sebastian: *looks surprised* For me?
Ciel: *smirks* Did you really think you would be spared?
Sebastian: *takes the box from Finny* I... Well thank you!
Ciel: I wouldn't be so quick with the gratitude...
Sebastian unwraps the present. Inside is a calendar for the new year, each month containing a drawing of cats.
Sebastian: Aah... How adorable...
Ciel: *annoyed* And here I was thinking Lizzy would give you something more...
Sebastian: Unsuitable? That thought hardly fits with the Christmas spirit, young master...
Sebastian hugs the calendar to his chest as Finny hands the next gift to Takana.
Tanaka: Ho ho ho...
Finny helps Tanaka open his present. Tanaka got an expensive looking set of tea cups.
Tanaka: Hoh!
Finny: One for you, young master! *hands Ciel a box*
Mey: Oh! That's from all of us!
Bard: Please enjoy it, young master!
Snake: And a Merry Chirstmas to you! Says Oscar.
Ciel has a quizzical look on his face as he opens the package. The servants got him a set of eyepatches.
Ciel: Wha-... Thank you...
Bard: There's no need to be embarassed about receiving a gift young master!
Finny: Now you can match them with your outfits!
Mey: Me and mister Snake picked them especially for you, yes we did!
Sebastian: *has a look of malice in his eyes as he takes out a bright, crimson eyepatch* How about you try this one, young master? It matches the hat....
There was no room for protest as Sebastian swapped the regular, black eyepatch for the coloured one. Ciel's face was barely a shade away from matching the new ensemble.
Finny: Ah, this package is for Mey-Rin again!
Ciel: Wouldn't you want to unwrap a gift yourself first?
Mey: You can't skip yourself, no you can't!
Finny: O-Okay!
Snake: Here's one with your name on it, says Wordsworth.
Finny took the box Snake pointed at from the stack.
Finny: I wonder what it is... *unwraps his gift* ... It's a book!
Bard: *reads the title over Finny's shoulder* "20 Christmas stories and carols, bundled".... With this, you'll be an expert on Christmas before the next year rolls around!
Finny: Thank you young master!
Ciel smiles as Finny stares at the cover, tears in his eyes.
Ciel: I hope you've been practising your reading skills.
Finny: I have! I'm still not that fast, though... Hey... Here's an idea... Could you read us one of these stories tonight, young master?
Ciel: Wha-
Mey: What a splendid idea that is!
Bard: Hey yeah! That would be fun! We've never heard you read something aloud like that.
Ciel: *blushes* And you never will...
Sebastian: Come now, young master, don't be a spoilsport...
Ciel: Why you... *sighs* ... Fine. But only one, and you'll have to work extra hard to do all the cleaning up in the morning.
Servants: Will do!
Ciel: *flips through the book* Hmm... Ah, here's one. A visit from St. Nicholas.
The servants leaned in closer as Ciel cleared his throat.
Ciel: 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care-
Finny: Stockings?
Bard: Yeah some people put the presents in socks above the chimney.
Mey: Really?!
Finny: That sounds fun! Let's hang our socks above the chimney too!
The servants scrambled on thier feet and ran out of the room.
Ciel: Hey! Wait!
After a while, the servants returned, each carrying a sock. Snake's sock looked wrinkled, and Bard's contained a hole. Ciel blinked in surprise, then shook his head in annoyance. The servants hung their socks on the chimney mantle, then settled down again.
Ciel: Could I please continue the story without any interruptions? ... Here we are... The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads, and mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, had just settled down for a long winter's nap, when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow, gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, when, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.
Finny: Wow! Santa really has that many reindeers?!
Snake: Do they all have names?
Ciel: *sighs* I'll get to that in a minute... Now... With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, and he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; "Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN! On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
Finny: They can climb walls?!
Mey: Hush Finny, or we'll never hear the end of the story!
Ciel: As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my head, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
Finny: *rushes to the fireplace, knocking over Tanaka* Santa! Santa are you in the chimney?! But the fire is on! It's hot!
Tanaka: Hoooh!
Bard: Finny! Would you please calm down?!
Snake: You know he's not real, right? Says Webster.
As Bard and Snake tugged Finny back to his place and Sebastian helped Tanaka upright again, Ciel continued.
Ciel: He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
Finny: *sighs dreamily* With a description like that... How could he not be real?
Bard: You can't be serious, right?!
Ciel: This is indeed a rather joyful version of Father Christmas. He has also seen other iterations, though... *smirks impishly*
Finny: *a little scared* R-Really?!
Ciel: Read the rest of the book and find out for yourself... Now where was I... Ah... He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk, and laying his finger aside of his nose, and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose-
There was the sound of something clattering. Looking around with a jerk, the household saw Finny laying on his back on the floor, blissfully asleep, his cup of hot cocoa rolling on the carpet.
Mey: Oh dear...
Bard: He couldn't even finish the story...
Ciel: *snaps the book shut* Well I guess that's the end of it for now then... Sebastian, Bard, bring Finny to his bed. Mey-Rin, Snake, clean away the cups and then it's off to bed. We'll finish the rest of the presents tomorrow.
Servants: *nod* Yes sir!
And so, Sebastian carried Finny downstairs, with Bardroy in tow. They entered thier room and lay Finny down on his bed. As Sebastian pulled him under the covers, Bardroy put on his nightwear.
Bard: I swear he's still just a kid, despite his ridiculous strength.
Sebastian: Kid or not, I'll expect him to work hard tomorrow to mkae up for the ruckus he caused.
Bard: *slides into his bed* Geez, lighten up a bit, it's the one time a year we servants get to taste a bit of magic... Who's the spoilsport now... *turns around and starts snoring*
Sebastian: Magic, hm? *grabs the red duvet from Finny's bed and swings open the window, jumping on the windowsill and climbing towards the roof, the duvet draped over his shoulders*
The cold draft from the open window made its way to Finny, who stirred, searching for his covers.
Finny: Hm? Ah! *spots the open window and scurries over, looking around over the landscape, and spots something crimson* Santa Claus?
Meanwhile upstairs, Snake and Mey-Rin just finished their tasks.
Mey: I know I shouldn't ask, young master, but just how does the story end?
Ciel: *reopens the book and points at the last few lines of the poem* He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight-
At that moment, Sebastian soared from the rooftop towards the trees, guised under a blur of red. Ciel looked in disbelief as the jaws of Snake and Mey-Rin dropped to the floor. A few flors below, Finny cheered with delight.
Finny: Santa! Santa! Bard! Look!
Bard: *Sleepy* huh...? Wha-!
As he flew by the windows, Sebastian shouted.
Sebastian: Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
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xserpx · 7 days ago
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Glokta for the character meme! He was my favorite from The Blade Itself!
How I feel about this character?
He's one of the most iconic characters I've ever read, I think. The way Glokta instantly captures people's hearts is like 90% of why Abercrombie ever became popular in the first place IMO, as good as most of his characters are (like, Glokta isn't in my top 10 First Law characters overall, but he should be the series mascot). The bit where he falls down the stairs in that first chapter is so, so good. I also think the way Steven Pacey voices him in the audiobook, with the lisp in his dialogue and no lisp in his internal monologue, is top-tier narration that adds to the experience. Not only is it a constant reminder of Glokta's disability, but, snake-like, it also makes his dialogue even more sinister.
I also like how Glokta is literally just an employee, shepherded here and there by his annoying boss as you do. In The Blade Itself, he's solving a murder mystery, in Before They Are Hanged he's sent to another city to defend it from a siege, and in Last Argument of Kings he's rigging an election purely for Sult's benefit. That sense of people being tiny cogs in a much, much bigger machine that they have no control over is one of the best things about the trilogy, and the way it gradually zooms out to show more and more of the canvas is spectacular. You realise that even Sult is just a cog himself. And Glokta, for all his disadvantages, still manages to claw his way up the ladder.
All the people I ship romantically with this character?
Ardee and young!Rews. I absolutely love the mutual respect Ardee & Glokta have, and I love the unrequited admiration Rews clearly has for pre-tortured!Glokta in the Sharp Ends prequel. He's so sycophantic it's delightful. There's also a lot of juicy history with Pike/Glokta that could be interesting to reminisce about/explore the implications of. Carlot dan Eider/Glokta is also a great one and would heal him, especially in the BTAH-era, but god Carlot/everyone is my OTP, she's just so incredible and such a survivor she would and should fuck everyone.
My non-romantic OTP for this character
Severard and Glokta is the easy answer, the way they riff on each other is delightful (I guess Frost as well, but he's not as interesting as Severard). There's that one scene with Ferro and Glokta that I totally love, and I wish we got to see more of them. The fact they were both tortured by the Gurkish, and Ferro felt empathetic towards him as a result, is something fairly unique to them at least as far as named characters goes. I also desperately want more of Glokta & Leo. I've never really had an in-law OTP before, but the way they both hate and sort-of-maybe begrudgingly respect each other in deeply fucked up ways is so much fun to contemplate. Leo as the new Jezal, Glokta hating Leo for being both nothing like him and too much like him, Leo desperate to avoid becoming Glokta, Glokta admiring Leo for anti-Bayaz reasons, Glokta's hopes and fears for Savine, Leo's resentment of Savine, Leo's lack of a reliable father-figure, etc etc. Climbing the walls tbh.
My unpopular opinion about this character
Oh boy. I guess my main one is that Glokta is not in my top 10 First Law characters. As brilliant as he is, I think he's pretty one-dimensional compared to many of Abercrombie's later characters. People say that Leo is Glokta 2.0, but really Glokta is the precursor to Leo; he click, tapped, pained so Leo could click, tap, grunt.
I also think people who claim Glokta is self-aware are talking out of their ass. He's self-deprecating for sure, and that gives a veneer of self-awareness, but he's still incredibly arrogant and particularly in AoM Savine pretty much tells him to his face how ironic it is that he essentially wants to become the thing he hates. He's a very smart guy who's good at playing the game, but he lacks the ability to properly soul-search the way that guys like Shivers or Temple or Orso can.
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon?
Hmm... Bit of weird one but I'd quite like for him to have died in TWOC (or even in TTWP, off screen, would have been even better >:D). I think it would've given Savine and the new POVs (and Pike!) more space to shine, and helped the trilogy feel like it had properly moved forward without being in the shadow of LAOK. His appearance in TWOC felt too much like fanservice to me, although that's probably the least charitable interpretation of it. That said, I wouldn't then have the possibility of more Leo & Glokta in-law shenanigans, so maybe he can keep living for now. But Sholla couldn't carve cheese as thin as the ice he's on. Your days are numbered, Glokta. Body found floating by the docks...
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