#it is the responsibility of the adult that would groom me to be a decent fucking person and not groom a minor.

[sumeruin]

I can tell you live in the U.S because only an american child would lack this much common sense.

And no you aren't in the clear. You are allowed to write yes. You can write in private and no one will ever know, but this is a public platform. Posting explicit content to the internet as a minor is against the law. Not to fucking mention the legal liability you put others at risk for interacting with you.

You arent creating a safe space to cope. Youve only gone and put a target on your back as a potential child to groom. Aswell as given many quick access to other such blogs. Youve created a space that hids child groomers the best out of all of them. Any one of the people who interact with you could be a child groomer masquerading as a "safe adult", or even another minor.

The safest way for a child to be on the internet is to be invisible. But all you kids do in your quest to have a voice or say in matters you are too young to have a say in, in your need to be on a moral high horse and enact your online rebel vigilante justice, Is make it easier for minors to be found and targeted.

Let me rephrase.

You are a child. It is not your job nor responsibility to create a "safe space" for such a sensitive and dangerous topic for your age. It is not your job nor responsibility to fight back against stigma over teens having sexual desires or using fiction to cope with trauma. It is not your job nor responsibility to carry the burden of reassuring others that they are normal or okay.

All you are doing right now is putting yourself and others in danger. You and every other minor on here openly claiming to be a minor. It is "safe spaces" like this that get targeted. Especially on an anonymous heavy site like tumblr.

You do not understand or care about the consequences of your actions because you do not believe any except that which you choose to imagine exist. You think its not that deep but it is and ive seen it happen far too many times before.

You aren't being smart, or brave.

You're being stupid and selfish plain and simple.

baby i have no clue what you’re talking about

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for not putting "minors dni" on my nsfw/nsft blog?

I've been thinking about this for a while and I don't know where else to get people's opinions on it without getting myself blacklisted. (this ask contains abstract discussion of sexual content and grooming)

I (24nb) have this nsft blog where I'm honestly just getting my footing, figuring out how/if to organize it and how/if to interact with similar blogs beyond liking/reblogging their posts. I'm on the ace spectrum and have mostly been using the blog as a safe space for myself to explore. that said, the posts can be pretty nasty, and there's a decent amount of hard kink. I currently don't make any of my own content. it was never really meant for other people's consumption, but I'm kind of branching out?

nsft blogs make more extensive use of dni lists than any other area of tumblr I've experienced. i have complicated feelings about dni's, but because of the context I feel like yeah state your boundaries. the most common one by far is "minors and ageless blogs dni."

I cannot stress this enough: I do not intend to interact with minors on this blog in any meaningful way. likes and reblogs do not feel like meaningful interactions to me, they feel like we looked at the same picture and said "yeah." I screen everyone for dm's and would never dm with an ageless/under 18 blog, and I'm happy to block anyone if their tags or comments make me uncomfortable. I do not want to have sexual interactions with these people. but if they're just looking at the same content as me, I feel like that's fine. many teens lead sexual lives and it's healthy for them to have places to explore while they figure themselves out. I also guarantee they can find other sexual places on the internet which are way more of a risk to them than looking at my loosely curated monsterfucker posts.

I get that a lot of people have this dni because they don't want to feel like they're grooming someone, but the thing about dni is that it puts the responsibility on the other person. in a lot of situations that makes sense, but in this case, I really believe the responsibility's on adults to make sure they don't groom kids, not on kids to not get groomed. I'm happy to do my part in not interacting with them.

is it naive of me to think I can run a blog like this without hurting anyone? is it naive to think I won't get blacklisted by other blogs? aita? thank you for reading and voting

What are these acronyms?

[caddy-crystal-queen]

So...looks like I have a new Fandom full of folks that need slapping. Which is a shame because I really like this. Now keep in mind, I don't know all the details about this as I learned about this literally a few hours ago, and I never really interacted with this individual. So forgive me if my knowledge of the situation is skewed or limited.

That being said...

On today's episode of who in what Fandom needs to be slapped, i present to you all the Call of Duty fandom...for literally everything...but most prominently how it treats each other...

My history and feelings with CoD are very...complex to say the least. As a propaganda piece, I absolutely fucking hate it. Yes, the CoD games, all of them, are military propaganda. Whether you believe it or not, this is the truth. However, having seen firsthand what the military does to someone (my father) I have no intention of ever joining the military, much less for fictional dudes.

However I do find the characters intriguing. The last game was a total shitshow though (RIP Soap, you never did get to juju on that beat...). But like with most things on this blog, it's not the thing itself I'm taking issue with.

It's the fans.

Yep. That shouldn't surprise anyone.

You people make this Fandom so God. Damn. Fucking. Unbearable to be in. From fucking up characterizations, to flat out racism in regards to certain characters, and especially what I'm about to bitch about today: and that's how you treat each other. I'm about to go over two situations in which this is very prominent. But before I do

(SLAP! CLEAN...IN THE FACE!) STOP. FUCKING. HARASSING. INNOCENT. PEOPLE! ENOUGH! Be an actual adult and take responsibility for your shit!

So earlier this year, a couple months ago as of writing this, a young man killed himself on tiktok live because of allegations that he was grooming a sixteen year old. He was bullied, harassed, and treated like absolute garbage by you people over shit that turned out to not even fucking be true. But whether or not it was true, poor Inquisitore most likelt knew that his reputation would be forever soured. Pair that with possibly a lot of mental health issues (I didn't know him personally but I'm sure he had problems) and well, I'm sure you all already know what happened. I believe this was back in September, I know it was before Halloween, but yeah we all felt the impact of his death. You did that. Whether you want to believe it or not, you all did that to that poor young man who it turned out didn't do anything to anyone.

Now for the situation I heard about this morning and that's the situation I've heard about in regards to a writer who went by Puff. I'm afraid that history is repeating itself already only this time it's a minor who's being attacked. First of all, I don't know this individual personally, I followed them for their self aware AU and just the general positive vibe they gave out. I never interacted with them though, I did like to see their posts because they seemed like a general decent person. I did not know they were a minor until all this stuff came out. Now apparently they were facing harassment for interacting with MDNI/NSFW stuff. This is a tricky situation in my opinion. I don't control what people write. I don't control what people interact with except for regards to my own content, regardless of whether or not I write smut (I generally don't because I'm on the ace spectrum and I'm bad at it but that's neither here nor there).

However, and it's a big HOWEVER, you have no. No. No. NO right WHATSOEVER to promote the bullying and harassing of an innocent person! It's the same thing that happened to Inquisitore, just the other way around. I get blocking minors, especially if you don't want them interacting or reading your stuff. I'm all for blocking them, or whatever it is you need to do. What I'm NOT for is the blatant bullying and harassing messages being sent to a child to either delete their entire account (which puff did, by the way) or even some saying they should kill themselves. Seriously...what in the hell is wrong with you people? How would you, as a minor child, who wanted to make content for other people, feel if someone sent you or someone you love a message like that? Enough is enough! You are not in fucking high school anymore, this is Tumblr. If you're an asshole, you deserve to get called out for being an asshole!

Call of Duty fandom, all of you, stop telling people to kill themselves. Just ..seriously. it's not cool. It's not funny. It's not edgy or whatever cool fucking term you think it is. In the words of Ghost of all people: "Actions have consequences".

And sometimes that consequence can be someone's life, with their blood on your conscience. Stop. Be better.

[wednesdaysviolet]

Why I left the Wyler Fandom:

1. Racism: the way people have discussed Wednesday/Tyler as a ship honestly is reflective of internalized racism not to mention one work in the tag having a title with severely racialized connotations. Someone came in my ao3 inbox accusing Wednesday of moving “too fast” with Tyler— fyi, accusing women and girls of color of being “fast” to mature sexually or romantically is a tired and blatantly racist talking point. I also reached out to an author on here privately with sources about their racist fic title and they promptly ignored it and never changed it. 💀

2. Plaigiarism: when it was one time it was one too many. now that it’s happened again I honestly can’t even wrap my head around it. I confronted the author directly about properly giving credit and they told me that giving credit was equivalent to promoting said work they used as a template. This is nonsensical. Not to mention while this discussion was still up and while the author still had their indirect, disrespectful attack on the original author in their authors notes, people were supporting said plagiarized work publicly. Does no one value artistic integrity???? I’ve considered orphaning my works in leaving the fandom but decided against it specifically because I don’t trust anyone to not use my works as their “blank canvas” and claim the foundational elements of the story as their own. FYI you cannot put “this author accepts constructive criticism” on your work and then delete said constructive criticism. Lmfao.

3. Including non-con as a fictional ship and staying silent about a literal sexual predator being in the cast. I mean, do I have anything more to say about this? Zero care concern empathy consideration whatsoever for sexual violence survivors. No denouncement of Percy Hynes White whatsoever. Xavier still being included left and right in stories. EW!!! That guy belongs in PRISON!

4. Zero loyalty to anyone even people that you consider “friends”: people I once considered my friends using my personal triggers against me and featuring them in their work with no trigger or content warning 🚩🚩 people supporting works that were plagiarized from their “friends” works 🚩🚩

6. General Clique-y Behavior and the creation of vapid Echo Chambers: full grown adults acting like they’re high school, referring to being proven wrong on things as “drama”. This is not a soap opera, this is real life and real people are getting hurt by your actions but it doesn’t seem like anyone actually cares.

7. Erasure of Tyler’s History of Abuse: Tyler is very explicitly groomed/abused in Wednesday and while changing aspects of the storyline within an AU are totally okay and within the author’s right, there are still people who write for Wyler claiming they don’t trust Tyler and his intentions. There are also people whose works feature Tyler himself as an abuser/rapist/groomer.

8. The frequently used excuse aka myth that fiction is fiction and incapable of causing harm in real life: this is widely debated in academia but the general consensus since the mid-80’s has been that for darker themes like suicide, murder, sexual violence etc there should be a sense of liability in what gets published and in the hands of young people especially. The British Journal of Social Psychology published in 2011 scientific research that violent fictional written word was in fact relational to readers’ actions and beliefs in real life.

Believe it or not as human beings we have a responsibility to be decent to other human beings. It’s clear that when you act in favor of truth, integrity and social justice it will get you ostracized. So I’m out :)

I’m grateful that I’ve been able to maintain anonymity throughout my time in this fandom and have not let any of this affect my real life. Compartmentalizing has allowed me to move forward whereas a few years ago this kind of situation would have driven me off a cliff. <3

[xtrablak674]

We Have History

My niece is coming to the city this weekend. She is twenty-three and lived with her mother in Florida for most of her life. She still lives in Florida, but now lives with her boyfriend, I think. She is her father's oldest child and this will be my first time meeting her.

I am not going to say I have let myself go this winter, but I haven't made a huge effort to look like anything much because I didn't have anything or anywhere I needed to go looking like much. I had started my yoga a week ago but then stopped it, I can't remember what broke up my routine, but now it seems I need to start up again. I will never lose any significant weight in four days, but I can start things like exfoliating and moisturizing so my skin will look decent for our weekend meeting.

My hair will need to be washed and retwisted, I am overdue for the former my seborrhea having built up again. I would have preferred a few weeks notice so I could have gotten myself together, but I can work with what I have. I still need to find a look that is comfortable and appropriate for whatever we are meeting for.

I am amused at people not asking for what they want I am sharing our DM's regarding her trip.

"You know I'm coming to New York Friday night?"

"I don't know how I would know that" (As I am not Miss Cleo)

"I had it on FB but I will be there Friday to really early Sunday with my boyfriend."

I can't avoid being a smart ass. (with my Starfire meme) But I didn't want to leave her out on a ledge so I went on.

"I'm waiting for something else. Because I know you're grown and know how to use your words. Sharing your travel plans isn't saying much. I have been in Florida dozens of times. #😏

"I would like to see you on my visit up there. I guess I forgot to mention that in my first message LOL."

Kids today, don't know how to ask for what they want. And I wasn't going to let her off the hook. She is an adult, she pays her own bills and socializes with whomever she wants to. It was important for me to get her to say what she wanted. I understand it was possibly difficult for her especially with a family member she hasn't met, but I felt it very important for her to stand in her truth and ask for what she wants. It's a very important life lesson, that if she hadn't learned before she will learn now.

It is important to ask for what you want because you have a 50% chance of being turned down. My general policy is to always just ask because you never know they might just say yes. When you learn how to ask for what you want, you will become bolder in what you ask for.

Then I was forced to address the elephant in the room when my niece sent me this message.

"I'm supposed to meet up with my father as well. I've gotta contemplate some places I'd like to see and make it a twofer."

The last time I saw her father, the person I refer to as former brother, was at my other former brother's wedding where he couldn't find it in his heart to come over and say hello to me. My Aunt Mary said I should have gone over to him, to which I responded I had traveled to the town he lives in not the reverse, I feel very strongly he held the host responsibilities not me. I am not going to rehash this event because I already wrote about it in [LAST COMMUNICATION WITH MY BROTHER] which is the letter I finally sent to my brother explaining to him how my treatment at his wedding well over a decade ago made me reticent in general about weddings.

This was my first time seeing him after emailing him this letter to which he never replied ergo the name of the entry. The groom also didn't greet me and I was met with open hostility by my first cousins, there is no digital record of me attending this wedding because I wanted to forget it. It also marked my decision not to interact further with my mother's family including the two I had shared a womb with. I want to be with people who celebrate me not tolerate me and since nobody on that side was ever really invested in me it would be no huge loss. The only thing that saddened me was not seeing the children, but my self-respect was worth more than being disabused constantly.

My relationship with my niece prior was once she was eighteen I would message her a happy birthday I deliberately waited till she was of legal age as to not have any signs of impropriety on my part. My former brother said, but this is your niece and I told him I do not know her mother and her mother doesn't know me, it would be inappropriate for a grown ass man to be talking with a minor. Between eighteen and twenty-three we went through a yearly ritual of happy birthday and her thanking me. I never pushed her beyond birthday wishes.

One year she had shared with me she had an interest in the playwright [Paula Vogel]. I was so excited I had done a play with Ms. Vogel during my internship with the Circle Repertory Theatre, I had an old program and sent her pictures to show her proof that I had indeed worked on the play and had known Ms. Vogel as much as a young stagehand intern could. I was maybe a little too excited, but I didn't know this young woman I was so eager to find a way to connect with her.

This year I couldn't find her on G+ so I went in search of her on Instagram and FB, it began innocently enough I wished her happy birthday and then told her I would like to send her a book for her birthday a book I had read that I thought she might like. This began a phase of us interacting more sharing little memes etc. I sent her a friend request on FB she accepted and now here we were meeting for the first time finally. But as her uncle I didn't want to put her in a situation where she would be uncomfortable or awkward esp with her boyfriend around so I sent her this message:

"If you didn't bring him up I know I wasn't. Your father and I have history. But for the record, I am very proud of the man he has become. It's up to him if he wants to share you with me. I'm fine being unsupervised with you and your beau. I live in BK so I have much more flexibility than he does."

I was anxious about sending her this message. Up until this point even through all of the birthday wishes and the more recent communications I never once bought up her father. I felt it would be remiss and unfair to her for me NOT to inform her of a conflict and allow her to choose how to proceed. She is a young adult she knows her mind and her heart, but I did not want her first interaction with me to be laced with tension and hostility that had nothing to do with her. Let me be clear I do not know how my former brother feels because unlike his daughter he didn't use his words, but silence speaks volumes and you can make whatever assumptions you like from his non-response.

She replied:

"I understand that. And that's not a problem at all. I'll give ya a time and place tomorrow."

I replied simply, smiling.

"Cool beans."

[Photo by Brown Estate, Comic Panel by George Perez, Screenshot of Ms Cleo]

[lakesbian]

see here, but also:

yes brian respects his father. this does not change that his father treated him poorly & brian outright acknowledges him as someone "not meant to raise a child alone." the fact that brian feels necessary to go "well he wasn't abusive, but..." is an indicator that his dad was Not Great for him. but this is all irrelevant--how much someone retains bigoted rhetoric they're taught by their parents doesn't depend solely on how much they like that parent. being steeped in an environment for your entire life will psychologically impact you regardless of whether or not you like the people creating it. alec hating his father really does not change the reality that his reward for getting his powers & beginning to use them to hurt others was being pushed into sex w/ adult women as a material prize. it doesn't change that he grew up seeing women treated as combination maids & sex toys (+ Mean Annoying Bitches to him before he was given sexual access to them) and being explicitly groomed to follow in his father's footsteps.

"human brain vs lizard brain" this is simply not how brains work at all in any way

alec's siblings were not a support net. via WoG, his older siblings were complicit in pushing drugs & hypersexual behavior onto him, and this bit in 14.1 (take a shot every time i mention 14.1 in an alecpost):

“Ouch,” Cherish layered on the sarcasm.  “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do.  You’re delaying me, so I have less time to work with.  Why don’t I get started?  Let’s talk about your first kill?  Gang member, a kid.  You used him to kill his boss.  His older brother, in fact.  Because daddy wanted you to.  Then dad ordered you to kill him.  But you didn’t make it fast, did you?  You made him stab himself with a fork, over and over, and over…” “Keeping in mind that I was hanging out with you and the dirty old man and our brothers and sisters.  Nature and nurture, I was kind of fucked on both fronts.  It was a matter of self-preservation to keep you guys entertained, and that was the sort of thing you liked.  Sorry, like, present tense.”

makes it clear that they were also very explicitly responsible for coercing him into the whole "turning into his father" thing under threat of harm to him, hence the "matter of self-preservation." as for his younger siblings, the vast amounts of "them literally trying to kill each other" makes it exceptionally clear that their dynamics are extremely splintered and violent--vasil siblings were used by heartbreaker as weapons against each other & tools for bringing each other into line. there's quite literally a line in ward where some of the younger heartbroken talk about having "won" because they have genuinely functional and caring relationships w/ each other & decently happy lives despite heartbreaker's attempts to turn them against each other. he wasn't friends with them, he practiced his powers on them. there was zero possibility of a support net, particularly for alec, who would've been both suffering abuse at the hands of his older siblings & abusing his own younger siblings to struggle for some level of self-preserving status in the household. the fact that he has been deeply, fundamentally lonely for more or less his entire life is integral to his character. there's a reason his power is the ability to force people to help him--it's the power of someone who has never had a support net, and sees no route to gain one but through force. "alec had sort of a support net" is like. a statement i would say about alec if i was posting about alec on opposite day. brian and aisha actually demonstrate consistent both-ways fumbling attempts to care for each other and alec his siblings were just in there beating the shit out of each other for the last bag of chips every other day 😭 literally the most we hear him talk abt his siblings is him being like "ooooouh i hate that Bitch Cherie and Everyone Else Sucked Too. And I Had To Change Stupid Diapers."

if you think about it it's really funny that alec is less misogynist than brian

[furiousgoldfish]

Was I neglected as a child? Checklist

Bold if you experienced it, italicize if you're not sure. If you read a line and it rings true for you, but you think 'that's my fault because I never said anything', bold that line! This is about your experience, not blame assignment. (tw for painful content ahead)

Physical neglect

I couldn't count on having clean and decent appropriate clothing every day.

I couldn't count on having decent meals every day

It was my responsibility to make food/assure there's clothing even at a very young age, or there would be none

I couldn't count on being taken to a doctor when I needed it

I was not receiving proper vaccinations/medications as a child

I was not taken care of for my injuries, flu's, fevers, or health issues

I was left alone and ignored when sick

I felt guilty, ashamed and/or scared when sick

Nobody noticed if I was injured, sick, or scared of something that was happening to my body

It was safer for me to keep my sickness/injuries/medical fears to myself

I felt it would bother everyone, or make everyone mad with me if I admitted to being sick, hurt, or scared about my well being

I had to take care of other kids as a child, so my physical well being felt like an afterthought, it was something I was supposed to take care of myself

If I was taken care of physically, it was used as a blackmail later, I would be required to allow myself to be controlled as a return 'favour'

My medical issues were neglected to the point where they turned into long-term issues later

Emotional neglect

I haven't felt it was safe or welcome to open up to my parents or caretakers as a child

I was not encouraged or supported in expressing my emotions or experiences

I was not encouraged to speak about my passions, desires, or what I wanted from life

I was repeatedly attacked, shamed, ridiculed or manipulated with any private information I would share, forcing me to learn to hide

I was not welcome to speak unless I was somehow entertaining or giving out vital info

It was communicated to me in subtle or direct ways that it doesn't matter what I want or need, and that nobody cares

I was shamed and accused for wanting/needing attention

I was not receiving supportive or warm physical attention as a child (encouraging pats at the shoulder, affectionate hugs, being stroked in approving/affectionate way)

I felt uncomfortable receiving physical attention from my parents as a child because it communicated ownership and non-consensual enforcement, rather than approval and pride

I felt completely alone in any hardship and pain as a child, and knew nobody would stand by my side

I didn't feel safe asking for help, explanations, reassurance, comfort, physical attention or to be listened to

I felt like a burden if I wanted for someone to hug me and tell me it's all going to be okay

I was never comforted or reassured after crying or having a breakdown

I would get ignored, laughed at, humiliated or punished for crying, breaking down, or exploding in rage

I was taught that what I feel is irrelevant, and I would do better to stop expressing it

I was taught that expressing any painful emotion would get me nowhere, and it was better/safer to hide it

I spend hours crying or breaking down in pain/terror/stress/anxiety/catastrophizing alone with no comfort and nobody who cared or wanted to hear what I was going thru

I was to take the role of comforting and emotionally caretaking for my parents, or other children

Psychological neglect

My parents didn't notice I was depressed/anxious/psychologically unwell

My parents failed to provide me with a diagnosis for adhd, autism, or similar struggle, and I had to live and deal with it all on my own

My parents failed to believe me I was mentally ill or struggling with any kind of disability or trauma, leaving me to endure it all on my own

My fears about my value, or my future, were only intensified by my parents behaviour; I never felt reassured and secure in my current living conditions, and even less my future ones

My parents failed to acknowledge my sexuality, gender, world view, and pretended it wasn't there

My parents failed to notice I was self-harming

My parents failed to notice I was engaging in other self-destructive activities that could have, or did, cause long term damage to my life

My parents failed to notice or do anything about changes in my behaviour that signalled trauma (becoming aggressive, clingy, dissociated, numb, closed up, bed-wetting, nightmares)

My parents failed to notice I was missing school

My parents failed to notice I was failling into addictions

My parents failed to notice I was suicidal

My parents failed to notice my suicide attempts

Lack of protection

I was unsupervised for long periods of time as a small child

I was exposed to physical danger as a child without my parents noticing or reacting to it

I was exposed to physical danger and physical violence, by my parents

I was exposed to pedophiles and child predators as a child and was never warned, protected or removed from their influence

I was introduced to pedophiles and child predators by my family members

I was never given protection from bullies, or any unfair treatment during my education

I was never given support or comfort after being hurt by a stranger or a peer

I was bullied/abused/sexually assaulted by another child, and nobody noticed

I was bullied/abused/sexually assaulted by a sibling/neighbour/relative/teacher/peer, and nobody noticed/nobody stood by my side or tried to protect me

I was groomed by a predator (who could even be a family member) and nobody protected me or stopped it from happening

I was exposed to and groomed by a cult, and nobody seemed to notice, care, or help me get out of it

I was not given the knowledge to recognize a sexual assault on me, or grooming or any other predatory behaviour from strangers or other adults

I never felt protected from any outside danger, or felt like I was worth protecting; instead I was taught to feel guilty and ashamed for getting hurt at all

If you have bolded more than 4 of these, you have experienced neglect, and you were forced to struggle alone thru experiences that you were not meant to handle or survive on your own. Neglect is the type of abuse that will have the most disastrous consequences on your trust in people, your relationships, self worth, feeling of community, and will ensure that everything you were put thru is unexpressed, unresolved, and weighing down on your life. You did not deserve to be neglected like this, and none of the above is the result of your behaviour. You were not supposed to be put thru any of this alone, much less as a child.

[bokettochild]

The Worries and Woes of Heroic Hair

Y'all were busting out hair headcannons before I left, so I saved a few and wrote a fic for them.

Featuring:

Pre-maturely grey Twilight

Curly haired Legend

Long haired Four

(As well as a reference to long hair Sky)

Warriors had gained the unfortunate title of ‘pretty boy’.

In a group of beautiful men and boys that literally sent women swooning, no matter what world they were in, he’d somehow been labeled the “pretty” one. Never mind he was more mature looking than half of their number. Never mind that Legend and Hyrule looked like a pair of porcelain dolls hand painted by a master artist. Never mind that Wild literally had half of his world falling heels over head for him. No matter how many women in the War of Ages had gushed about the adult Hero of Time (much to Mask’s annoyance). And sure, let’s just forget that Wars had heard not one, but two princess’s complimenting Twilight’s ass.

Yeah, okay, he was the pretty boy, sure.

Maybe that was because he was the only one in the group that actually had any understanding of a little thing called personal hygiene! Honestly! Had no one introduced the vet to a bathtub when he was younger? Or Wild to a hairbrush? And Hyrule... oh Hyrule...

Honestly, it was a pain, trying to not say something to his brothers that might be taken as rude or offensive. At least his own two boys were a bit better. During the war he’d pounded some sense into their heads after scrubbing their ears clean enough that they could actually hear him when he spoke, and Time and Wind both showed some (although not much more than the others) level of personal grooming, even if it was the basic wash and brush that Wars had required of all of his soldiers.

The others though? He had been beginning to think they might be hopeless, but then he’d had a chance to do something about it.

“Wars?”

“Hmm?” Bright blue darted up from the journal Warriors had been writing in, meeting Wind’s pout with a soft chuckle at his baby-faced brother. One day, Wind would be as grizzled and scruffy as his grandfather (would be his grandfather) but for now he would take him time teasing the kid for his baby-face. After all, it wasn’t like he’d be getting another chance to get revenge on the man who’d teased him up to his wedding day for his “lack of masculine charm”.

“My hair is knotted. In the back.” Wind didn’t even bother waiting for a signal, instead just plopping down in the captain's lap and dropping a brush by his knee. And really, with how the war had gone, Warriors should have expected that.

Any injury that impeded movement meant Wars was helping his two boys with whatever was needed during the war, and near the top of that list had been brushing hair. Broken arm or sprained wrist or whatever Hyrule had diagnosed it as (he’d been a bit too wrapped up in helping hold Wild still so he and Legend could treat the kid’s crushed hand to hear the healer’s final word), he was always happy to help the younger hero sort out his problems.

At least Wind let him help, instead of sending him scandalized looks and rude signs at the mere mention of a bath, like Legend did, or simply darting away like Hyrule.

“Wind,” Sky frowned slightly. “You didn’t have to disturb Wars, any of us would have been willing to help.”

The sailor cocked a brow, leaning back into his touch as he worked over the knot with nimble fingers well accustomed to working through tangled golden curls. “Says the Hero of Eternal Bedhead.”

Crystal blue eyes darted up to messy bangs. “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes.” Sailor and captain deadpanned together, matching grins on their faces as they stared at the Skyloftian.

“Oh feathers.” Sky huffed, running his hands through his hair and looking at the two expectantly. “Is that better?”

Wind snorted. “Sky, you need a hairbrush for your bird’s nest.”

“But,” Sky cocked his head like a confused puppy. “I don’t have a bird’s nest?”

“He means that your hair is a mess.” He chuckled, pausing in his work to pat the ground at his side. “Here, I’ll do you next, ‘kay?” And bless Sky for being a patient and reasonable person, because at the very least the Skyloftian just sauntered over easily and sat hot-cross-buns on the ground beside him, watching lazily as he worked at the sailor’s messy hair.

“It’s not that bad,” The Sailor huffed. “You can’t honestly be taking this long.” The kid wasn’t fooling him though, Wind was leaning into the touch, almost slumped against his chest in a boneless pile of teenager.

“You’re dry as a desert.” He scolded softly in response, rubbing some of the bristly hair between his fingers. “I’ve told you salt water dries your hair out, you need to take care of it or it’ll never grow out properly.”

Wind shifted awkwardly. “I didn’t have time. I did try, I mean it! It just... We’re always so busy and...”

His hands were already reaching for his pack. “You’re lucky mine dries out too. I’ll need to get more in the next town, but I think this oil can last us both long enough to get you some again.”

“Oil?” Sky frowned thoughtfully. “What for?”

“Split ends and dry hair.” Came the practiced answer as he rubbed the substance in question over his hands and began to card it through the sailor’s parched curls. “I suppose you could say it’s like with birds. They have to oil their feathers to stay healthy, right?”

“Oh! Okay, yeah, that makes sense.” The Skyloftian mulled over the concept for a moment. “We need to do that to our hair?”

Long fingers stopped mid stroke, royal blue blinking slowly in the clueless sky child’s direction. “Oh, you poor, clueless bird-boy you, your hair must be parched!”

Wind’s giggles shook them both, but Sky simply looked hurt. “I try. How was I supposed to know?”

Fingers slick with hair oil curled to point at the other hero. “I am massaging this stuff into your thirsty scalp right now. Wind, move.”

The sailor tumbled, giggling from Wars’ lap, leaving Sky to stare down at the captain’s crossed legs. “I’m- Warriors I am not sitting in your lap.”

“I don’t expect you to.” Brush in one hand and bottle of hair oil in the other, Warriors moved to stand behind the Skyloftain. “Just stay right there and let me work, and I swear if someone else tells me to my face that they’re not taking care of themselves- Sky! Look at this!”

The Skyloftian shifted, trying to look for only a moment before huffing. “Warriors, I can’t see the top of my own-”

“When’s the last time you trimmed this?” Brittle tips crinkled under his fingers as he stared at the mess that was Sky’s hair. “Your split ends are horrible!”

“Crimson usually trims it for me.” Came the softly mumbled response, and Wars had to hold back an affronted squawk at the words.

“You’re entrusting the care of your hair to a bird? Sky, my lovely, my dear friend, my brother, what the actual Ladies?”

“He does a good job!”

“If you call this rat’s nest a good job! Honestly, it’s no wonder Legend finally agreed to let you cuddle him, he must feel right at home with this mess!”

“Ouch.” Sky huffed, crossing his arms loosely and pouting.

“That aside,” He began working the first knot out, fluffing Sky’s hair lightly in his fingers. “It’s a good color, nice volume too. Have you ever considered growing it out? Without the split ends?”

“Huh?”

Caramel hair parted easily in his hands, springy and soft despite the brittle ends. “You’d look fetching with long hair, Chosen One. My, imagine what Sun would say if she saw you!” Sky stiffened as the soldier ducked down, voice lowering and eyes glinting with mischief as he whispered in his friend’s ear. “If she wasn’t already swooning at seeing you again, she’d be dizzy at the sheer beauty.”

“Wars!” Long ears twitched, tellingly red as the Skyloftian battled a fierce blush.

But the captain was already lost in his rant, taking pleasure in making Wind continue to giggle as Sky whined softly in protest at his teasing. “I can see it now! You arrive fresh out of battle, sword in hand and hair whipping in the wind, cape swirling like the wings of the goddess herself! She sees you. Your eyes meet. You shoot her one of your dashing smiles and she stumbles back, breathless, and you have to dart forwards to catch her before she swoons away altogether, so bedazzled she is by your handsome visage!” He flourished with a smile, letting oiled locks fall over Sky’s eyes with a laugh as the Skyloftian blushed brighter, not bothering to shift his bangs and instead hiding behind them, trying and failing to hide a pleased smile.

Wind didn’t stop giggling until Sky had had to punch the captain in the leg to make him finally cease the teasing.

“Smithy,” Twilight’s laughter rung through camp as he brushed long bangs out of the smithy’s eyes, the younger hero still smushed against the rancher's side sleepily, headband askew and half hanging in his eyes. The boy’s hair curtained his face, falling back into place the moment Twilight lifted his hand again, producing rumbling laughter form the farm-hand. “Four, you- when in Ordonia’s name did you last trim your hair?”

“’s not that long.” Came the murmured reply as Four pressed his face further into Twilight’s side, nestling closer with an irritable huff. “Leave ‘lone, Twi.”

The smithy might have denied it but... his hair really had grown out.

It wasn’t really that apparent with the headband keeping it back, and Four was decent enough at keeping his hair out of his face. But headbands, no matter how trusty, didn’t stay up forever, and when one was as active as a Hero of Courage, it wasn’t uncommon to find one’s self with their hair swinging loose in battle. Not that most of them minded, Wild kept his hair tied carefully and Legend tucked all of his under a hat, meanwhile the others all had shorter locks that, other than the swishing of their bangs, mostly stayed out of their faces.

Four on the other hand...

Four’s headband had fallen loose into a mud puddle, and until he was able to clean it the smithy had been walking around like a sheepdog, bangs fluffing into his eyes and making the shortest hero huff in an annoyed manner as he kept swiping his bangs aside. Unfortunately, they weren’t long enough to tuck behind his ears, only to hang in his face and send him stumbling over and into all sorts of things with sharp yelps and soft swears as the hero closest to him would have to offer a hand or scoop up the small smithy again.

Wars didn’t say anything, but when Four finally approached him one evening, eyes flickering icy blue as he dashed his bangs out of the way and tugged at the scarf draped around the captain’s neck (the others’ favorite way of getting his attention he had found).

“Hey there, smithy, what’s up?”

“Cut them.” Four huffed, pushing the loose hair back again only to have them drift back over his glinting eyes, and then, as if an afterthought, he tacked on ‘Please?’.

Royal blue darted up to Sky, who smiled on the edge of the campfire, a knowing look in his eyes. “Did Sky tell you I could help?”

“No. I figured that out myself. He just... pushed me.”

Laughter bubbled up in his chest. “Ah.”

“So, can you help? Or do I need to wander around looking like a Mogma?” Sky could be heard muttering across the camp at that, and Four’s ears twitched as he huffed, clearly having taken offense at whatever had been said.

He nodded, a bit unsure why Four glared across the fire at Sky, but willing to help. Oh goddesses, was he willing to help; Four’s hair bugged him nearly as much as Wild’s did, and he had been dying to fix it for the smithy. He wasn’t sure what Sky had said, but he was thankful for the other knight’s willingness to aid him in his battle against poor hygiene, and if he could turn another hero with the power of a good haircut, well! “Anything you have in mind? Just what you had before, or...?”

“Bangs.” Four dropped down hot-cross-buns, just like Sky had the other day, in front of him, arms crossed and expectant as he huffed at his long bangs.

“Right.” His brush and scissors were already sitting at the ready as he reached out to gently push the hair out of his friend’s eyes. “You good?”

“Annoyed.” Four sulked. “I can’t see anything and Twilight has been called me a sheep-dog.” Accurate. “I just want my hair short again, but the last time I cut it, it looked like I was attacked by a cat.” The smithy shivered, clutching at his sleeves as he shook his head, hair falling back into his eyes as he did so. “I just let it grow after that, but the bangs bother me if I can’t push them back.”

“Noted.”

Four’s hair was a bit silkier than the others’, but similarly brittle, although that was likely due to the heat of the forge rather than sea salt and extended time in the sky. He didn’t even bother asking about oiling the locks as he worked, brushing out all of Four’s hair with care and sectioning out the bangs with the same amount of agonizing detail Legend put into his paintings or Wild put into his cooking.

“Hair cut?” Twilight called from across camp.

“You could use one too,” Four huffed, unmoving save for his eyes darted to glance over his shoulder. “Your hair is beginning to look like wolf ears, rancher. Wolfie might take offense that you’re stealing his look and come maul you.”

Chuckles sounded around the camp, Legend wheezing lightly while Time and Wild shared a look. Wars didn’t know what that was about, but he smiled as he worked, humming lightly under his breath as he clipped a bit here and a touch there, releasing the hair to stare at it, adjusting it a bit, taking another section in hand and snipping it, and repeating the whole process.

Four was still as a statue the whole time, occasionally humming along to whatever tune happened to be on Warriors’ mind at the moment, but otherwise as poised and picturesque as a statue as the captain worked over the smithy’s blond locks.

This close up, Warriors was beginning to wonder why they never met any lovely admirers of the smithy, Four was certainly not lacking in the looks department, and had the kid lived in his time he’d find himself having to beat off girls with a stick. Honestly, how was he the pretty boy here?

“Nearly done?” Came the patient hum, and he snapped himself back to reality as he brushed Four’s bangs back into place, trimmed and tidy, along with the rest of his short hair.

“Yep.” The scissors finally came to rest in his lap as he whisked away the cloak that he’d used to catch the trimmed hairs. “My, my, smithy, you almost look as if you were going courting! Legend, lend a man your shield for a tick, would you? Four needs to see his new cut.”

The veteran rolled his eyes, but the shield was offered readily enough when Four trotted his way over, and while the smithy looked a bit surprised that Wars had bothered to braid most of his hair out of the way during the cut, he didn’t look at all displeased.

Wars counted that as a win.

He’d run out of oil a few days ago, and already his hair was beginning to frizz in this thrice-forsaken heat.

Being born with curly hair was nothing of the blessing his mother had made it out to be, no matter how she liked playing with her ‘baby boy’s’ hair. Of course, his beloved liked it too, but he was going to chalk that up to being a woman thing, curls were a pain if they weren’t on kids, especially if they were eon him.

Thank Hylia that Lilith had taught him to straighten it all out, he would have been driven half out of his mind if he hadn’t been able to control it on his way through basic, and the teasing would have been so much worse than it actually had been.

As was, the captain was only too happy when they next came to his Castletown, and after he’d made sure the others were settled in the castle with his cousin, he’d gracefully made his exit and headed out to the town. Getting through the streets was a pain, his armor and scarf giving him away as the hero and practically inviting the whole market to start competing for his attention, along with the hundreds of shoppers who surged close with questions and thanks and admiration. Not for the first time, Warriors found himself thankful that he handled crowds better than many of his fellow soldiers, and even if all the attention was a bit much, he wasn’t overwhelmed like poor Wild would have been.

Oh heavens, the day they finally figured out how to explain the portals and heroes nonsense to the public to excuse the sudden aging of the Hyrulian Hero’s child, Wild was likely going to have to start wearing a hood or something when they went into town.

The dye shop was a way into the market, and it had taken quite the bit of fancy footwork to avoid stepping on anyone as he’d answered questions and received thanks from the enthusiastic, if not slightly push, people of Hyrule. If he closed the door of the shop after him with a sigh of relief though, that was between him and Gyssel, the shopkeeper.

“Back again, Link? Same materials as the last time?”

“If you please.” He nodded with a smile. “Though I might have a bit of a glance around, I’ve a friend in need of a few things.”

The old woman nodded with a chuckle. “Right then. Oh, and if you see those two lovely gents who popped in here earlier, would you be willing to lend ‘em a hand? Poor dears looked lost as two minish in a fairy pond when they stumbled in here, but I’ve been batting a thousand with the customers all day and haven’t had a chance to pop over and offer help. You know the shop same as I do, so, if you have a moment, could you check in on them while I wrap your things?”

“Of course.” He nodded, smiling his best as he moved towards the back wall.

The other voices in the shop were mostly those of tittering ladies and mischief making pranksters, all too young and too high to belong to the ‘lovely gents’ that Gyssel had been speaking of, and it wasn’t hard to trail the rumble of a man’s voice to the back of the store where the hair dyes were. He grinned as he rounded the corner, but froze when he found himself face to face with a startled, and maybe somewhat abashed rancher.

“Twilight?”

“Warriors?”

“Shit, Wars is here?”

Royal blue darted down to meet the snapping violet of the veteran. “Legend? What are the two of you doing in here of all places? Are you lost?”

“No.” Legend huffed, foot tapping agitatedly at the floor as he gnawed his bottom lip, a sure sign of awkwardness if one knew the vet.

“What are you doing- oh.” Twilight’s face faded from confusion to understanding. “You’re the city boy, of course you shop in joints like this.”

He cocked a brow, hands coming to rest on his hips as he stared down the two other heroes. “Says the guy who’s been wandering around looking for something long enough the owners worried. Honestly, what could the two of you even need?”

Midnight and violet glanced warily at each other, and to his surprise, twin flushed lighted his friend’s faces as Legend had crossed his arms and Twi had rubbed at his neck.

“Hair dye.” The rancher admitted softly.

“And shampoo.” Legend had tacked on.

Warriors let his eyes blow wide an overdramatic gasp sounding in the small corner of the shop as he rested a hand on his collar. “Why, vet, you don’t mean to tell me you’re planning on actually taking a bath, are you! My heavens, what next? Will Hyrule somehow produce a wedding cake in time for Time and Malon to announce they’re having a baby?”

“They’re what!?!” Twilight yelped, sounding, ridiculously, like a dog that has just been kicked.

“I’m teasing, rancher.” He chortled. “Trust me, if Time knew of such a thing, he wouldn’t have shut up about it. Miss Malon’s still trim and terrifying as last we saw her; I have little doubt.” At the rancher’s breath of relief, he shook his head. “Honestly though, soap? Vet, last I checked-”

“It’s hot.” Legend interrupted, avoiding meeting his gaze by rolling his eyes.

“And?”

“And in case you didn’t know, our resident vet is a-”

“Don’t say it!” Legend huffed, glaring at Twilight and tugging his blue cap tighter over his head.

Come to think of it, Legend hadn’t taken the baby-blue cap off in ages...

“Is a what?”

Twilight looked down warily at the seething veteran, face twisted up between a playful grin and a wary frown, as if he didn’t yet know whether he wanted to tease and face the vet’s wrath or hold his tongue and avoid making a scene.

“Look,” Warriors sighed, glancing between the two country boys with a sigh. “I won’t tease at all, alright? But the sooner you own up to whatever nonsense you did to yourself, the sooner we can find you what you need and get ourselves out of here.”

The flush on Legend’s face darkened, eyes darting down as the vet shuffled his feet, and Wars found himself being reminded that for all the vet’s snark and sass, he really was as much of a kid as Wild and Wind were, just more accustomed at having to act otherwise.

Thin fingers rubbed at the rings on the vet’s pale hands. “Well, you see- that is- augh!”

Something inside him blossomed with warmth, a smile stretching across his face. Golden Three, Legend really was just an awkward teenager, wasn’t he? He even stumbled over his words when he was embarrassed, just like Time used to. Of course, Time had been twelve and Legend was nineteen, but that was beside the point.

“So-” The vet was nearly pouting as he struggled with his words, fingers rubbing steadily at his rings as he avoided Wars’ gaze. “You know how Ravio has curly hair?”

“Yes.”

“And you know how Ravio and I are- uh, each other's- reflect-”

A laugh bubbled out of his throat unexpectedly as he reached out to ruffle what could be seen of the vet’s frizzy bangs. “You’re a curly top! Why didn’t you say sooner?” Legend glared at him with a huff, but violet didn’t shift to indigo, so he knew it was all just an act. “Wind and I are too, I was actually in here to get some things for the two of us, and Sky too. I can help you as well if you don’t mind, just let me-” He motioned to the blue cap that was pulled snig down to Legend’s ears.

The vet huffed, but reached up to finger the blue fabric. “You won’t laugh, right?” Stern eyes met his own.

“Of course.” He smiled reassuringly.

Legend’s gaze searched his face for a moment, wary, but open, and even if it made him uncomfortable (the odd glint of gold at the edges of the vet’s eyes was a bit unsettling) he withstood it until Legend nodded, seemingly to himself, and pulled off his cap.

Pink curls spilled down to the vet’s shoulders as a bright blush colored pale cheeks. Twilight didn’t make it any better by reaching over to ruffle the vet’s head, chuckling soft and warm and surprisingly fond as Legend hissed back at him.

“Can I- that is- do you mind if I touch? I can help you find what you want better if I know what you need.”

A stiff nod.

The pink hair was just like fairy-floss, but less sticky (still dirty though) and he had to remind himself what he was doing once he got his fingers in it. A quick check at the texture and ends of Legend’s hair, as long as a quick check of the scalp and roots told him all he needed.

“Whatever dye you used to do this messed you up, vet. Honestly, I don’t know what you were thinking, but you’re dry as a mulduga’s arse. Did you bleach your hair before dying it or something?” There was a murmur in reply, but not anything he could really make out. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said that’s me natural color.” Legend huffed, tensing under his hands. “I bleached it blonde a few months back, but no, I didn’t dye this shit, it just happened.”

Twilight, very unhelpfully, giggled.

Warriors blinked. “You have pink hair?”

“Yes.”

He fought the chuckle that built up in his chest, but it did little good as he ruffles the frizzy curls and let Legend replace his hat. “Alright then! Well, I’d avoid bleaching again if I was you. The pinks out and it’s healthier if you give it a rest between dyes. I have to admit though,” He settled his hands on his hips and looked between the two other heroes with a smirk. “I never took either of you two as the sort to dye your hair.”

“Throws off the guards.” Legend huffed, tugging his cap back over his hair and making Warriors wince. Ah yes, Legend’s Hyrule’s guards.

“Fair enough. I can find you something to help with the drying out and dye damage. Twi though...” He frowned, stroking his chin in thought. “Why do you even need hair dye? Trying something new?”

Now it was the rancher’s turn to look embarrassed, rubbing at his neck and ruffling his hair. “No, actually. I jist need- rather- want? I guess? I-”

Legend huffed, patting the rancher’s arm in a rare show of compassion. “He’s been greying early and it’s making him self-conscious. I told him we could look for a dye to hide it, since he didn’t want to go about stealing Time’s position as the resident Old Man.”

Oh. Well, that made sense. “Right! Fair enough. So, you want your natural shade, yes?” At the rancher's nod he pressed on, clapping his hands as he listed what they needed. “So, hair oil, some dye, and shampoo for Legend, preferably meant for damaged and curly hair. Anything else?”

Even though the two shook their heads, they all walked out with a bit more than what Warriors had listed, but despite the fact that Legend complained about it all, no one seemed to mind too much when he pulled the three of them together after the others had gone to bed and helped show them had to use the various toiletries without making too very much of a mess. It cost a pretty penny to get them all sorted, but Legend was clean, Twilight was a brunette again (the silver streaks were rather fetching though, and he’d made sure to make sure Twilight knew that before they dyed it all away) and Wind and Sky had what they needed to prevent their hair drying out again.

And even if it made a sizable dent in his wallet, he’d refused to be paid back. It was worth it anyway, since now he and Legend both had straight hair again (and the vet had actually washed!).

He could see now why Wild and Hyrule liked playing with their respective mentors’ hair though, it was almost addictive.

Time took one look at the three youngest and groaned, and Warriors almost echoed the action.

“What were you three even doing?” His now-eldest huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh as he tried not to look at the three teens, all of which were covered in mud and grass stains, and only looking slightly remorseful, despite their horrid clothing and scraped faces.

Had it been anyone but Wild and Wind, Wars would have sat back and watched as karma paid her long overdue visit to the mischievous mask-loving hero, but since it was his kids that caught up in paying back the silver in his own hair, Wars had to stand with Time and try his very hardest not to chuckle at the sight before him.

It took no trouble at all to picture Mask sitting, unrepentant, amid the other youngsters, a challenging look on his face as he dared the captain to even try and ground him for running off again.

“We were exploring.” Hyrule grinned sheepishly, rubbing at the mud that had dried on the side of his neck. “We um-”

“We fell in a swamp.” Wild snorted, wrinkling his nose and shaking some gunk from his hands with a pout. “Even I think we stink.”

Time’s lips twitched, brows struggling to remain in a scowl as he answered, voice wavering with a hint of laughter that made Wars smile to himself. “Is that so, Cub?”

“We smell like boko guts.”

“Or boko crap!” Wind cackled, the only one not soaked in swamp goo but instead spattered with ordinary mud that came from likely tripping and falling in the dirt from laughing too hard.

“Bathe.” Time chuffed, shaking his head fondly. “All three of you. Rivers there and I’m sure Wars has soap aplenty to help.” Hang on, what? Time’s eye met his own, blinking- winking? with a bright and shit eating grin. “Have fun with you sons, dad.”

Oh Ladies, Karma messed up again, didn’t she?

“Mask, I swear-” He growled, glaring at his- was Time his eldest now? His middle child still? The youngest since he’d been the last to join the family?

“Don’t, you’ll set a bad example.” The overgrown forest gremlin chuckled, walking away with a condescending pat of the shoulder.

Some things really never changed, huh?

“Right then.” the captain turned to glare stillness back into the three youngsters, two of which were already trying to sneak away, and the third- of thank Hylia for Wind, the kid was standing at perfect attention with a smirk on his face that screamed ‘I’m the eldest and I’m about to watch my little brothers get scolded and I’m going to enjoy every second of it’, snotty little salt-bathed brat. “Jump in or I punt you.”

Hyrule and Wild exchanged a look, a sure sign of danger, and both sprinted in opposite directions.

He huffed a laugh. Amateurs. Mask and Wind had run him ragged during the war, but once you’ve fought to pre-teens on the daily, there's nothing a pair of teenagers can pull on you that will truly surprise you or throw you off. It was the work of moments to have Wild slung under one arm (wolf pups, honestly, Mask was the same way) and Hyrule by the back of his collar (Wind’s customary position).

“H-how?” Both boys stammered.

“Experience, mud moblins.”

“Do I weight anything to you?” Wild stammered, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

The grin on his face was easier than usual in situations like these, but then again both teens had given up fighting against him sooner than the last two had ever done. “Hardly. You’ve always been a lightweight.” And with those words he promptly administered a light kick to Hyrule’s lower back, knocking the kid floundering into the stream, and following up with a well-practiced toss that send Wild rocketing in after.

Wind, already stripped down to his shorts and standing waist deep in the water, raised his hands with a shit eating grin. “Six out of Ten, Wild.” The little sea monster called to a spluttering Wild as the kid surfaced, only his face peeking above the surface as he treaded water with a pout. “You need to work on your form, but otherwise- ack!”

A wave splashed up from Hyrule’s direction and Wild sent an appreciative grin the other boy’s way while Wind’s grin melted into a playful one, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Oh, that’s it! You’re just asking for trouble now! Never start a water battle with a pirate, you two, you won’t like how it ends!”

Another, mischief filled, glance was exchanged and both feral heroes descended on the young sailor. It was like watching cucco’s descend on a bokoblin, and Warriors watched with laughter bubbling in his chest as he stripped off his gunk-stained tunic, courtesy of the mud-covered boys he’d wisely decided to pick up, and moved on to his chainmail. The sound of the three youngest heroes' shrieking and shouting sweet music to his ears as Time and the other older heroes made camp just off of the riverbank, teasing each other and generally messing around.

“Wars, why are you- are you joining us?” Wild cocked his dripping head with a curious look as he watched him.

The undershirt slipped off easily as he waded into the stream’s center. “Of course, you two got me muddy too after all, and it’s not like I trust y’all to actually clean up by-” At the slowly spreading grins on the faces of the three, the captain realizes his mistake. “I don’t trust you all to clean up properly, so I’m-”

“Warriors said ‘y’all’!” Wind chortled, eyes glinting madly as a grin stretched over his face. “Oh boy! Just wait ‘till I-”

“Slip of the tongue.” He clipped back, hands settling on his hips as he stared down the three teens. “You tell Twilight about this and I will personally wash your mouth out with soap.”

“You’re the one who said it!” Hyrule pointed out.

“And whoever tells the rancher is committing a verbal atrocity that will only lead to far more in the future.” He huffed. “No one tells, you hear me?”

Wild looked between the others, brows furrowed and lips pursed as he took in Wind’s triumphant grin and Warriors’ scowl. “What’s wrong with saying ‘y’all’?”

The captain staggered back dramatically, hand on his chest and a horrified expression on his face as he stared at his son. “No! Never say that word! That word is an abomination!”

“What word?” Hyrule cocked his head, eyes glinting knowingly, but the captain failed to recognize it in time.

“’Y’all’!” He spat with contempt. “We do not say ‘y’all’ in this house! ‘Y’all’ is a cursed word and the next person who says it is-” - ‘Is on Mask watching duty’ was his go to consequence, but that wouldn’t exactly work right now; Time was a bit old to actually need a supervisor- “is on clothes washing duty with Legend.” He settled on at last, choosing the chore that everyone except, surprisingly, the veteran minded.

“Say the man who just said it four times in a row.” Wind teased, darting out of his grasp with a wide grin.

“Wind! I was trying to see how many times I could make him say it!” Hyrule huffed, pouting at his brother adorably.

“I still don’t get it.” Wild grumbled. “It’s a word? There’s nothing wrong with it as far as I know, ‘y’a-” The captain’s hand was clamped around the kid’s mouth before he could finish his sentence.

“Let's just not.” Warriors huffed; he was beginning to mourn Twilight’s mentor position at the moment. Fortunately, Wild was willing enough to still in is hands and not push the topic, unlike the other two who just egged each other on with ever widening grins. “Right.” He rolled his eyes. “First one with a clean face gets the strawberry scented soap; go.”

Silence fell as nothing save splashing rang over the stream as faces ducked beneath the water, all three boys falling for his favorite trick of all time. Heck, even the old man would probably still cave to the offer of strawberry soap, even now that he was an adult, and Wars couldn’t blame him at all; strawberry scented bubbles were the best bubbles and Twilight and his goat-milk soap could go sniff a skunk if they wanted to contest that.

It took hardly any time at all for all three to emerge, fresh faces and glowing, three sets of eyes al sparkling up at him as a warm chuckle blossomed in his throat. Naturally, he gave the promised soap to all three, citing the ‘I can’t tell who finished first so you all win’ excuse that Grandfather had taught him ages ago.

Wind dutifully set about scrubbing himself clean, and in the meantime, he guided the less experienced duo. “Take so much,” He dolloped a generous potion into Hyrule’s cupped hands. “And rub your hands together, yes, just like that, work it up to a nice lather and just scrub it all over. Take care you get the smelliest bits first so you don’t run out of soap before you get there, yeah?” Both forest children nodded, dutifully following his instructions as he moved to help scrub the traveler’s sopping curls.

It was an easy pattern to fall into, scrubbing the two heads with especial care to remove any sticks and twigs he found along the way. Hyrule was the easier of the two, but Wild held still better while he worked, almost melting under his fingers as he messaged suds into his son’s long locks, a light smile playing over both their faces as he worked, content to sit in the cooling water of the stream as the sun began to set, hands buried in his kid’s long hair as he worked out mud and filth and who knows what else.

Rinsing the sweet-scented bubbles started out innocently enough, but Wars was given a front row seat to watching an accidental splash descend into a full-on war on the water as he scrubbed his own hair clean, and well, if he joined in once he was finished, well, someone had to show Wind that he wasn’t the only hero with some experience on the water.

Wars sighed as he watched Time stirring quietly on his bedroll.

Honestly, his middle kid (he’d finally settled on letting Wind retain his position on oldest, since there was no way Time could be the eldest brother with his gremlin behavior) was something of an idiot. Oh, he loved all three of his boys dearly, but Time was an ass and everyone who knew him well knew it (except maybe Twilight, but that guy was an ass too).

Time hadn’t been sleeping recently, and it was easy to see in the dark bags around his eyes and the almost drifting expression on his face at nights. It was for lack of trying either, the kid- man? - the hero would settle down on his bedroll every night same as the others, but even with sharp eyes shut tight and blanket pulled to his ears, the ‘Old Man’ couldn’t lie still for more than thirty minutes, constantly shifting and fidgeting on his bedroll even as the other heroes steadily dropped off to sleep.

It was just the two of them now, the captain on watch and their leader trying to pretend he was asleep with a scowl on his face.

He was scratching again.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” war clapped his hands against his knees and pushed himself p, staling over to stand over the largest of the bedrolls and staring down at the lump within. “What’s up, Sprout? You normally snore like a hinox all night long, what’s eating you?”

A single blue eye stared up at him wearily. “If I knew, I would have killed it by now.”

Oof, bad night then. “Do you have any idea what it could be?” He was already settling down next to the group leader’s head, hands reaching to grasp Time’s own and bring them down from where he was, likely unconsciously, clawing at the sides of his face.

“No.” Came the frustrated huff.

“Missing Miss Malon?” He suggested, running his fingers through short blonde hair thoughtfully, mind miles away in a two-story house at castle town as he fell into the all too familiar trap of playing with one of his boys’ hair.

“I thought so at first, and while I do, it doesn’t usually stop me from sleeping.” Time grumbled, staring up at the night sky with pursed lips. “It’s not nightmares or visions either, if anything my dreams have been normal for once.”

“Anxiety perhaps? Are you worrying about the others? Twilight, maybe? Wild?” At the questioning glance he received he shrugged. “Kept me up enough nights, even if you two were there. A bad thing happens once and you're not likely to forget it.”

“Hmm.” Time hummed, leaning unconsciously into his hands and settling on his bed-roll, shoulders falling lax as his single good eyes fluttered softly. “Maybe.”

Whatever it was, it wasn’t bad enough that War’s fingers didn’t put it to rest, and time was asleep in mere minutes, soft snores rumbling over the camp as the captain continued his ministrations, eyes and ears sharp and alert for any disturbance near in within the camp, but body relaxed as he kept the steady rhythm of his fingers through short and silky hair.

When his watch was over though, and it was time to wake the veteran to take his, Wars found himself stuck. Time's fingers were curled tightly in his blue scarf, the man’s head resting easy against his thigh, and any motion small of subtle, would likely send majestic blue fluttering open again with an exhausted air.

Ah well, time to be creative.

Legend grumbled, as usual, at being woken by having his feet touched, and the captain echoed his discomfort as he wrings is sore and likely sprained hand. Time was still asleep though, so there was that at least. Now just to figure out how best to position himself so he could sleep.

Soldier’s experience won over logic, and Wars was asleep in seconds, leaving the camp under Legend’s watch and Time snoozing blissfully at his side.

[maybeeatspaghetti]

Hi! This may be a bit rude but I swear I'm just very curious. I've seen quite a lot of people saying that your Whizzvin fics (the dirty ones) fetishize gay couples? I'm confused about it, to be honest. Do you have anything to say or defend about this?

I got a very rude ask about this about this a month ago, which I answered then, and I’ve pasted the important parts of my previous response below the cut.

Since people seem to have a continuing issue with my writing stories of this nature, let me please direct you to the legacy of Dirk Vanden, a pioneering pulp erotica author called “the godfather of gay erotic fiction.” In queer literary theory, he is held in high regard, as he insisted on including graphic sex scenes in his novels because it was so rare to see gay sex of any kind depicted in works of fiction at the time (1960s and 1970s). It spawned, then and now, open discussions about sex and sexuality, freely disregarding the unspoken rule that sex in literature was reserved for heterosexual couples (and even then, it was really only hinted at, and not usually explicit). He changed queer literary theory in a way that embraced raw, sexually explicit literature as a way to build up queer identities.

Dirk Vanden wrote explicit gay sex scenes in a time that was not very accepting, consequences be damned, and thus changed the very landscape of what gay fiction was allowed or supposed to be. Those of us who write gay erotica (fanfiction or otherwise) now do so in the shadow of authors like Dirk Vanden and many other gay erotica authors of the 60s and 70s, who wouldn’t settle for being told gay sexuality was not decent enough to be written about.

So when you have an issue with me writing sexually explicit stories about fictional characters, you also then have an issue with the authors who recaptured gay identity and gay sexuality in literature as more than just campy or tragic. Back then, there was no in between. Gay characters were the butt of every joke or they were tragic, doomed to die in the end. Gay erotica novels—also called “stroke books” because, well... I think it’s clear—took themselves seriously because literature had no place for gay sexuality. For a long time, these novels were bought and sold in secret, and printers would churn out books and then quickly dismantle themselves to evade the authorities, since the sale or distribution of adult materials was illegal until 1973. The world looked at gay sex shamefully; the one place it was joyful, and not shameful, was within the pages of those books.

So, really, it just boils down to: if you’re going to say that writing explicit sexual stories is inherently negative, you’re trampling on the legacy of the people who wrote explicit gay sex scenes as a positive expression and affirmation of gay sexuality, and you’re also ignoring gay erotica’s revered place in queer theory. By regarding it at shameful or inappropriate or unacceptable now, and going after authors who write erotica (smut, slash, whatever you want to call it), you’re undoing all the strides authors like Dirk Vanden managed to take to make writing gay erotica permissible. We may as well be back in the 1960s. 

Please take some time to learn about the history of queer literature before attacking authors for engaging in a type of writing that was pioneered as a way to lift up and celebrate gay sexuality. Please. Come on. If we don’t know what came before, how are we supposed to continue moving forward?

What I posted a month ago: 

*Trigger warning for mentions of rape*

As I’ve spoken about before—if you haven’t had the chance to look through my blog—I am asexual. The way I explore the boundaries of my sexuality are through writing, and it’s also none of your business, but since you feel entitled enough to judge and throw accusations without knowing me, I’ll elaborate.

Do you have any idea how terrifying sex is for me? How upsetting it is? Knowing I don’t want to have it but desperately wanting to be a part of it somehow, and then, furthermore, feeling alienated from both the LGBT community and the rest of society because 1) asexuals are not considered queer enough for the LGBT community and 2) our entire society revolves around sex and people just don’t get how I can possibly have zero sexual urges. People look at me and say I can be “cured” if I just have enough sex or have sex with the right person.

Writing stories about sex allows me to explore sex in a safe way, without having to be involved with the actual, physical side. I like to explore the deep emotional connection sex builds between two people because sex is often the most intimate thing two people can do together. Fetishization is the reduction of people to objects—dehumanization—and writing characters in a demeaning or degrading way. I hope I never do that in my stories. I want my stories to be representations of positive sexual encounters—emotionally, mentally, and physically—because a lot of what we see in the media (and in porn) is not always positive or healthy. And, furthermore, because my sex education was so bad (as is many, if not most, people’s) I also try to write my stories from a position of realism, so that if anyone takes anything away from my stories, it’s healthy sexual practices—the importance of consent, the use of lube, etc.

I’d also like to add that when I was a child, I was targeted and groomed by a pedophile, and my friend was groomed and eventually raped multiple times by the same man. Pedophiles sexualize and fetishize children; I think I know a thing or two about what fetishization is and how harmful it is when real people are fetishized. That, in addition to being asexual (and people like to fetishize asexuals in rape-to-cure scenarios)—it’s no wonder I have a complicated, tempestuous relationship with sex. Writing sexual stories about two consenting fictional adults as a way to explore my own sexuality and heal myself is, in my opinion, nobody else’s business but mine (and hardly comparable to the very real fetishization and trauma I have experienced in my life). And I share my stories online because it’s cathartic.

I’m sorry you feel the need to judge and police the way I think about and approach sex, and the way I express and explore my sexuality in a way that is safe for me to do so.

[firespirited]

tw: extremism, anti semitism, hate crimes, searching the guy will get you a whole array of horrific torture details.

In wierd and not entirely surprising coincidences the Jewish Museum of Belgium killer is, well was, a kid who was part of the local band of yobbos who hung out on the stairs in our building (Dad regularly took a bunch of sneak photos just in case we ever needed to involve the police but never came to that. Downstairs neighbours would unleash the german shephards and various illegal teargas grenades if stuff got bad). Sis got out the photo albums when she saw his childhood bio and sure enough there’s a tween kid who’d occasionally hang out with the older crew with the exact same face while visiting family while in foster care. He wasn’t part of the first or second wave of radicalised teens and young adults who came back from “a trip abroad” with newfound conviction and hard eyes (al quaeda). Nah he got into petty theft, graduated to carjacking/holdups then slowly got groomed into the ISIS death cult while in jail. He got a life sentence in belgium and is waiting second sentencing for isis related crimes in france. He’s barely human at this point but they were just. dumb. kids. I mean they yeah were assholes who would grope and threaten me and kick my dog but they were just neglected angry children with no prospects and no-one who cared about them: ripe for being recruited, just like other kids from my hometown got groomed into gangs or nazi shite or both. People who act like this happened because they were bad seeds or some nonsense have no idea the kind of pull a friendly interested adult can have on vunerable teens. There was an algerian boxer in the building who got a bunch of the kids back in school and into various martial arts, they got apprenticeships with his network of friends then technical jobs (if you can take a car to pieces in twenty minutes, chances are you make a decent mechanic LOL) and a few went to business school. Then you have the vulture bastards looking for future brainwashed soldiers. Like sure there are personal choices and absolutely there is personal responsibility but we can’t act like this wasn’t somewhat preventable: society failed to protect or give any hope to a bunch of children, told them they were lost causes by the age of 7-8 so of course gangs, the military or far worse took advantage and a small percentage of them were broken into rage-fueled anti-social personality automatons.

My nextdoor neighbour ten years ago was an eager gullible angry 10 year old child of alcoholics who’s now doing hard time for baiting a gay man into a fake date with a friend and beating him with a crowbar, his lil brother who we got into fulltime boarding school is doing fine. I am never going to get over the whiplash of ‘just radioactively toxic to humanity’ person who also was a kid in need and seeing both on the same face. maybe that’s where belief in forces of evil would help? I don’t know. It’s horrifying. Childhood girl friend is in a racist biker gang, others are christian traditional wives. anyone else have a wierd sort of survivors guilt?

[littlemisssquiggles]

Okay, so I was joking around about Cinder with a friend who is very much into Kingdom Hearts (I guess you're familiar). End of the story, I quote: "Aaaaaaand in the end, it turns out she's Summer Rose's nobody, yay!!" Which actually brought me to an idea and I wanted to hear your thoughts about it. Do you think it is possible that Cinder is somehow connected to Summer Rose and if so, how? I'd be very interested to read your thoughts on this.

Hello again Mizu. Hmm, that’s an interesting question but I think I’ve got a decent answer that can best give my point of view on this subject. To be honest, I never considered the possibility of Cinder being connected to Summer Rosebefore. I always figured that Summer happened prior to Cinder joining Salem’sranks. But since you brought it up it makes me consider an alternative to my initial perception.

Do I think it is possible that Cinder is somehow connected to Summer Rose? Well there is one way I can think of. The only way I can fathom Cinder having an unknown connection to Summer if she was her murderer. 

What if…Cinder Fall was the one who killed Summer Rose?

Alrighty, now this is the part where I ask you to hear me out as I explain how this works so saddle up pilgrim and allow this squiggle meister to take you on a wild ride down headcanon lane.

What if…at a very young age, Cinder murdered Summer Rose on behalf of Salem? 

Here’s how I think that could be possible. Since we’re not quite sure what Cinder’s true age is, I’m gonna take a wild guess and assume that Cinder is the type to possibly be in her late twenties but still appears young enough to pass for a young adult of 17-18 years old. I can even use myself to vouch for this cause I’m nearing my thirties and I can still physically pass for ten years younger than I actually am. So let’s say this is same case forCinder.

So for the sake of this hunch of fine, I’m going to peg Cinder at being about 27 years old. That places her about roughly 10-11 years older than Ruby Rose.

Keep that in mind. It was mentioned by Yang in V2 that Summer allegedly passed away when Ruby was still too young to comprehend death. It was also stated that Summer passed away around the time Yang discovered the truth about Raven’s existence and had set out with Ruby in a wagon to find her. In her back story, Yang described Ruby as still being a toddler at the time. So at best, let’s say that Ruby was around 4 years old when Summer died. A child is considered of toddler age when they’re between 1 and 4 years old according to Early Stages of Childhood on Google Search.

Why am I bringing this up you might ask? Well like I said, the only way I canpicture Cinder being connected to Summer Rose is if she was the one responsible for killing her or at least played a significant role in her death.

Going back to my hunch, if Summer died when Ruby was about 4 and assuming that I’m correct about Cinder being about 10-11 years older than Ruby, that would make Cinder about 15 years old when she killed Summer.

This fits perfectly for what I had in mind since 15  is a significant age in RWBY since Ruby Rose was that age  when she first encountered Roman Torchwick (and by extension Cinder herself) when she challenged him on the rooftop before running into Glynda Goodwitch who ultimately took her to meet Ozpin.

15 was the age when Ruby met and firstly impressed Ozpin enough to encourage him to allow her to attend Beacon and train to become a huntress despite not meeting the required age. 

15 is the age where Ruby first started her journey towards achieving her goal of becoming a huntress—a valiant hero who protected the innocent just like the ones in the stories Ruby indulged in as a child. The same stories that were read to her by Yang and before her, possibly even Summer herself.

With that thought in mind, imagine if…15 was the same age Cinder began her decent into become the power-hungry killer we know her to be. Imagine if 15 was the age Cinder was when she took her first life and claimed her first victim—-Summer Rose.

What if…15 was the age when Cinder officially solidified herself into Salem’s ranks and the murder of Summer Rose was part of her sort of initiation process.

I’m not entirely sure how long Cinder has been affiliated with Salem as herapprentice. However I wouldn’t be too surprised if Cinder was found by Salem at a ripe age—possibly when she was just a teenager. Just an impressionable little girl like Ruby was who had her own set of ambitions and desires that she was uncertain she would ever fulfill given her harsh upbringing. At least, before she was discovered by a wicked witch who took pity on her and decided to groom her into her perfect successor under the promise of gaining the power she needed to make all of her wishes come true.

This is why I always liked the analogy of Salem being a twisted version of the Fairy Godmother in Cinder’s Cinderella story.In the original Cinderella fairy-tale, the Fairy Godmother used her magic tohelp Cinderella in attending the royal ball where she ultimately got a chanceto meet the prince with the two falling in love afterwards. 

Thus the Fairy Godmother played a part in making all of Cinderella’s dreams come true. Yet here we have Salem who, just like the Fairy Godmother, possessed magical powers but rather than sharing her magic with Cinder just as how Ozma shared his magic with the first Maidens. 

Instead Salem groomed Cinder to take power from others. She sparkedthe girl’s megalomaniac tendencies and fed into it, ensuring that others payedthe price for Cinder’s greed (or is it gluttony? One or both of those deadly sins). 

This is also why I really like my Grimmoire/Red Queen Cinder Fall headcanon where Cinder grows powerful enough to overthrow Salem after she gets defeated and cleansed of her darkness through the combined power of Ruby and Oscar who share the God of Light’s light within them. This is why I like the twist of Cinder eventually turning on Salem as the monster she helped create; draining her of all of her magic and taking it for herself. Such sweet karma right there but…that’s only my theory for now.

Anyways, again for the sake of my headcanons, I’m going to theorize that Cinder was probably 14-years-old when Salem first found her. 14 when Salem took Cinder under her wing and 15 when she killed Summer Rose—fits well enough for this squiggle meister and her theories.

14 is another significant age in the RWBY narrative since it could now tie Cinder to Oscar in a sense.

 Think about it. If 14 was how old Cinder was when she was discovered by Salem and had her destiny rewritten by the wicked witch then it can parallell how Oz first met Oscar at the same age and how his fate was drastically changed too due to their sudden chance encounter.

Going with this idea, 14 was the age when Salem whisked Cinder away from her old unhappy life to change her destiny and grant her the power she desired. Cause even at such an impressionable age, let’s assume that power was something Cinder had always desired for it’s something she never had. Let’ssay, in the past Cinder used to believe that power was something you were born with. At least until she met Salem who taught her that power is something that could easily be taken away given the right tools.

My theory is that Salem first lured Cinder with the promise of granting her thepower she desired but before Cinder could get her wish, Salem put her through a single test, not to see if Cinder was worthy of power like the young girlpresumed but her drive. If Cinder wanted power, Salem wanted to see just howfar the girl was willing to go to achieve it. How far was Cinder willing to let herself fall for the sake of changing her fate or something to that liking?

Hence the encounter with Summer Rose. The theory I’ve been building up to is…what if… Summer was Cinder’s test from Salem. She wanted her to kill Ozpin’s current Silver Eyed Warrior. The incentive was if Cinder proved she could successfully kill a Silver Eyed Warrior (presumably the last known one at the time) then what was stopping her from killing a Maiden, right?

I think before going after Summer Rose, Salem put Cinder through the ringer—making her endure rigorous training in hopes of making her strong. At first the girl struggled but she ultimately proved Salem’s assumptions about her resilience when she persevered and conquered all challenges thrown in her way, fueled by nothing but her blood lust and hunger for power. 

To Cinder, there was nothing she would not do to get what she deserved. To get what it rightfully hers. Even if she had to claw it out of her victims, she will take what is hers and this is what Salem needed to see from her.

Similar to how Cinder gathered and worked with Emerald and Mercury to take down Amber, what if…long ago, a young 15-year-old Cinder Fall worked beside a younger Hazel Rainart and Tyrian Callows in facing Summer. 

Although, Tyrian and Hazel were instructed by Salem to not interfere. Since this was Cinder’s test, the two were only instructed to support her if things got out of hand and even if Cinder ended up needing the two to restrain Summer, the strict objective was that Cinder was to kill Summer. No one else.

This wouldn’t be the first time one of Salem’s forces ambushed a Silver Eyed Warrior. We saw it with Maria when she was ambushed by Tock and her crew. We also glimpsed this even with Amber when Cinder ambushed her with Emerald and Mercury’s help.

I can even picture Cinder first fighting Summer alone and getting overpowered by her almost instantaneously due to her superior experience in combat as a seasoned huntress. I pictured Summer downing Young Cinder but upon realizingthat her assailant was a girl—just a child, Summer forfeits the fight by sparing Cinder’s life. 

Since Summer was both a Silver Eyes and a mother with two daughters, I doubt she would have the heart to kill a young girl even if she was her attacker. I’d like to think that Ruby gets her good-natured heart and righteousness from her mother and as fans saw with Raven in V5, this could similarly prove to be a thorn in Summer’s side in the face of the wrong people. 

Let’s say…Summer choosing to spare Cinder and walk away was a bold move which enabled her to let her guard down long enough for Hazel and Tyrian to intervene.

Long story short, Tyrian poisons Summer with a toxin which disrupts her mobility. And despite doing her best to combat the poison rushing through her veins, her efforts proved futile especially against Hazel who used his brute force to disarm Summer. 

Similar to how Emerald and Mercury forced Amber to her knees before Cinder, Hazel did the same to Summer. The juggernaut of a man forced theolder Rose to kneel in front of Cinder. Tyrian, then mockingly grunts forCinder to complete her so-called ‘test’ unless she wanted Hazel and him to holdher hand through that as well, much to the girl’s embarrassment.

In a nutshell, Cinder basically stabs Summer repeatedly. Picture it like Cindertrying to kill a chicken but rather than going straight for the kill she keepsavoiding the one area that would end it all and just proceeds to gut the thinggruesomely over and over again while it hollered in agony.

That’s kind of how I pictured it. Cinder knew she had to kill Summer but she just kept stabbing her only in places where she knew she’d lose blood but wasn’t an instant kill. She didn’t go for the heart.

At first she boldly attempted to laugh off her hesitance by claiming she wanted towatch her victim slowly suffer. However Cinder fooled neither Hazel nor Tyrian.Both men noticed her resistance to kill Summer but while Hazel showed sympathy in a sense, Tyrian continued to mock Cinder. Undermine her. Make her feel every bit of humiliation she used to feel from her past, triggering her horrible memories of her previous life. Unbeknownst to Tyrian, he had unintentionally given Cinder the push she needed to make the kill and she goes to stab Summer right in the heart to end her.

This is where I’m afraid my hunch may have to deviate a little bit to feed into twopossibilities I have. The running theory in the FNDM is that Qrow was the one who either found Summer Rose dead and already killed or Qrow was responsible for killing Summer due to his semblance.

Speaking for myself here, I mostly ran with the idea of Summer dying to protect Qrow. 

The idea I had is that Summer wanted to go after Salem herself against Ozpin’s wishes. Fearful that she would do something stupid, Oz tasked Qrow to follow Summer when she went on her supposed ‘final mission’. He never told him why since at the time Oz was still keeping the truth about Salem. All Oz told Qrow was that he was worried that Summer might do something irrational and dangerous that might result in her death and that was all the motive Qrow needed to go after Summer.

Unfortunately for Oz, Summer kind of foresaw that he would try and stop her despite already making up her mind for her sacrifice. So let’s say Summer fed Oz false information on when she was leaving for her mission. By the time Oz sent Qrow to find Summer, she had already long left for her mission. This is where my point deviates:

Either Qrow discovered Summer already killed with the identities of her assailants still a mystery or…Qrow found Summer on death’s doorstep; again with Cinder and her forces already left her for dead. 

Qrow tries to rush Summer to the nearest village for help but…of course; luck wasn’t on Qrow’s side that day. Summer’s killers were smart enough to lure her out to a secluded area far from the awareness of a people. 

Summer had been completely alone. Killed in the middle of nowherefar away from human aid. And the kicker is that she either died alone and was later found by her dearest friend and old teammate— Qrow or she died in the arms of her friend Qrow while he tried to rush her to help but was too late.

Meanwhile the identity of Summer’s killer was never learnt. Even if Cinder was Summer’s true killer, neither Qrow nor Oz nor any of the other members of the Inner Circle would know this. So in a sense, Cinder would be left with ties to Summer Rose that could be later revealed in the story for shock value. Buuuuut…that’s only if it’s canon.

I will admit his though. For Cinder to be revealed as the killer of another important person in Ruby’s life then I think that could easily be used as the final straw to break Ruby.

Cause let’s wrack up the list. In terms of those affiliated with Ruby, Cinder wasresponsible for killing off Penny and Pyrhha who were good friends of Ruby. Cinder also killed Ozpin who throughout V1 and V2 was shown to be the teacher/mentor character that Ruby bonded to the most.

To have Cinder be connected to the death of her mother too would be veryinteresting. It can give Ruby an incentive to challenge Cinder now. Before,Cinder was the one with the beef against Ruby. I would say that instead ofSummer Rose, Cinder is the antithesis to Ruby. The only thing is that Cinderhas no true connection to Ruby at all. We know Cinder has her vendetta againstRuby for taking her eye and all that. But what does Ruby have against Cinder?What does Ruby have as a motive for her to challenge and desire to defeatCinder?

Not much. Sure you can call out what happened at Beacon and the death of herfriends and mentor as good motive however that’s more deep-rooted in Ruby’s ties to Salem. Not Cinder. 

The one with the direct beef with Cinder is Jaune since Cinder killed Pyrhha—his former teammate and closest confidant. Unlike Ruby, Jaune has a reason to directly challenge Cinder which we already saw him do in V5.

There is a reason for Ruby to wish to challenge Salem but not so much Cinder. Yet here we have Cinder going after Ruby. 

I guess as another idea it could be interesting to see Cinder giving Ruby an ultimatum to force her to face her. Hence why I’ve gravitated towards the idea of Cinder possibly kidnapping Oscar and using him as bait to lure Ruby out to fight her and Neo for V7.

I say Oscar over any other one of Ruby’s closest comrades since I have a feeling that V7 may attempt to push Ruby and Oscar’s budding friendship on a stronger level than we’ve seen with them in previous seasons. I’m expecting these two rosebuds to grow closer in Atlas.

Not to mention that in an odd way, you can say that Oscar is somewhat theembodiment of the three people Ruby lost at Beacon. He embodies Penny since similar to Penny, Oscar is often seen as being less of a person than he already is since he’s currently a vessel for Ozpin/ Ozma’s soul.

Ruby is the one person to always treat Oscar as his own person and despite knowing the truth of what he is (and who he might become), she still genuinelylikes Oscar as the farm boy that he is and cares about him as him; NOT just another life for Oz to live.

Oscar embodies Pyrhha because similar to her, Oscar was dealt a tricky choice that he had to choose between as part of saving the world. It wasn’t something he initially wanted to do but rather something he had to more or less accept. Istill feel like there are more moments and choices that Oscar will be forced tomake going forward toward Atlas and this would place him in the same awkwardposition Pyrhha had to endure at some point. Another reason why I think Oscarembodies Pyrhha is cause I haven’t given up on my headcanon of him joining upwith JNR to revive Team JNPR. Still holding onto that vehemently.

And lastly, Oscar embodies Oz cause…well…he shares a body with him. He is meant to be Ozpin’s successor soon inheriting all of his powers in addition to all his mistakes and responsibilities towards humanity. 

So yeah, Oscar embodies Pyrhha, Penny and Ozpin—three people affected by Cinder whose deaths still hold weight on Ruby. Ruby saw both Pyrhha and Penny die before her very eyes. More than that, she failed to arrive in time to stop both of their deaths. 

So if Oscar is unfortunately placed in the same scenario, not only would it mean Ruby reliving the same nightmare of failing to save her friends but Cinder targeting Oscar can bring to light Ozpin’s death as well.

I guess when I explain it like that, it does look like Ruby doesn’t need Cinderto be connected to her to fight her. Not to sound like the big KH nerd I indeedam but…Ruby’s friends are her power. They are her strength. Their love andsupport is what helps her light shining. However Cinder singlehandedly killedthree of Ruby’s friends while she failed to stop her.

I believe this will be the next step in Ruby’s development. I think Ruby needs torelive a moment like what happened at Beacon to have some kind of closure at long last with what happened to Pyrhha and Penny cause as we saw  from V6, it still haunts her psyche. She almost couldn’t summon her powers because of it and you can’t convince me that that’s not going to come up again in V7.

As Jinn rightfully put it, she might have been able to help Ruby that one that time and provide her more time but that’s not gonna happen again. Ruby will need more mental training in summoning her powers (hence more work for Maria to do thankfully) and this is good because it can help her get to the root of what gave her her block in V6. 

Meaning she will have to talk about Pyrhha and Penny. Especially Penny since she was the first friend Ruby failed to help and saw die. And being in Atlas, the home of her former friend is bound to bring that up. ESPECIALLY if my theory about Atlas manufacturing multiple Penny robots and selling them to the public  throughout Atlas becomes a thing. 

Ruby never truly talks about how much Pyrhha and Penny’s deaths affectedher (out of the V5 dojo scene) but we saw how much it still does from the V6 finale. She still is haunted by that stuff and it would be interesting if her friends’ deaths are also connected to her repressed nightmares of her mom’s death.

I dunno. I guess what I’m really trying to say is, I don’t necessarily need forCinder to have a connection to Summer Rose for her to have a connection to Ruby by extension. However I will admit that Cinder being revealed as Summer’s killer who murdered her when she was only 15 as a test given to her by Salem is an interesting concept.

It checks off everything. It can parallel how different and somewhat similarCinder and Ruby were at that age. Heck if the Writers wanted they can even show Cinder being similar to Ruby at 15 but because of her upbringing and how Salem trained her, Cinder turned out the way she was which leaves us as theaudience with the lingering question of…if Cinder and Ruby were so similar atthe same age, does this mean that Ruby could have easily turned out just likeCinder if she went through the same tragedies as her and vice versa?

This can also be an interesting way to further emphasis why Cinder despises Ruby so much—perhaps Ruby reminds Cinder of who she used to be. The weaker part of herself she killed and discarded in order to become who she is now and wants to become and all that jazz.

That’s not a bad idea. But…as always these are just ideas. 

And with that, I think that’s it. That’s all folks XD

This was originally going to be a short answer but…pffft, who am I kidding here? XD You should know how I roll by now, right? Better stop jibberjabbing while I’m still at 4 pages of an answer in MS Word XD

For the most part I hope I answered you well enough Mizu. As always please let me know your thoughts on my thoughts and in the meantime, take care fam.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[furornocturna]

More Werecat AU

Because I have no restraint, and here I am sharing more of this. Now this is for the context of the story I plan to write for this idea. It still stands that anyone else who wants to use it and take their own creative liberties for the mythos is still free to do so. Feel free to also use my ideas below if you wish so long as you credit me. ANYWAYS

There are indeed other supernatural entities that exist out in the world. The focus will be on Werecats and their rivals, the more well known Werewolves, for the story

Werewolves = most powerful and most primal under full moons, weaker but most lucid under new moons

Werecats = strongest and most controlled under new moons, most primal and destructive under full moons; there is no abject “weakness” under any moon or night conditions as cats in this world are a bit more in-tuned with night activity than wolves are, but with the drawback of werecats being a greater disadvantage during the day than werewolves if the members can voluntarily control their transformations

The most sacred lunar phenomenon to Werecats is the Lunar Eclipse, also known as Harvest or Blood Moons from the crimson coloring. It is the one time a full moon grants a Werecat more power than a new moon, and it not only “supercharges” their abilities under its light for the duration but will also grant an overall “upgrade” going forth if the ritual is performed right. Conversely, solar eclipses have a similar supercharging effect on werewolves to no benefit of Werecats, which greatly detriment it instead (lunar eclipses have no beneficial effect on werewolves as well as greatly detriment their power), but no solid ability upgrade ritual is known as solar eclipses are rarer phenomenon to perform such

Werecat abilities include powerful fangs, heightened strength, speed, stamina, durability, dexterity, senses; in addition they also have heightened agility/flexibility, hunting skills, smell/sight/night vision/hearing, sharper claws, and longevity superior to that of werewolves; both have a partial accelerated healing factor, which is augmented by their saliva, and as werecats constantly groom themselves with their tongues, the saliva layers on their coats provide additional shielding/boosted healing effects

Werewolves vulnerable to wolfsbane, silver, the usual; Werecats can be mortally injured by gold (burning them akin to how silver is to werewolves) and electricity (which is why Joxter is wary of Hattifatteners and is both horrified and impressed by hearing about Snufkin’s encounters with them); while catnip is not fatal, it is an egregiously potent drug that causes intense highs, and if used recreationally, is to be done so in a safe, controlled environment and for at least one (capable) party to be sober to reign in any unruliness – valerian leaves/roots, silver vine/matatabi, and Tatarian honeysuckle wood will also produce such effects (Joxter can at times be very loose with this ‘rule’ on his own, but is very firm about safety when letting Snufkin try them because they can be addicting and while it would take an absurd amount, Werecats can still die from overdoses, especially young ones); mountain-ashes/Rowan trees are harmful/deadly to werewolves, but is symbolic and sacred to werecats, who as vagabonds in nature can utilize the “wayfarer/traveler’s tree” in a multitude of ways; Werecats are also particularly vulnerable to supernatural poisons/venoms, like the poisoned claws of Fennoscandian werewolves or basilisk venom

Full-fledged and fledgling Werecats by default have two additional feline transformations apart from their “humanoid” forms (in Joxter and Snufkin’s cases, they’re referred to as “mumrik forms”); these transformations are a domestic-sized cat and the “hulking ass cat beast”. Joxter’s forms have a rich, deep pure black coloring and icy blue eyes, his cat form the size of a small nightstand while his beast form is at least ten feet tall. As a fledgling, Snufkin’s are both considerably smaller. In fact, until he becomes a full-adult at 100, his cat form will be a spotted brown kitten and his beast form, while still much larger is still kitten-sized that is dwarfed by his father’s with slightly darker shades. Also while transformed, Snufkin’s brown eyes become a striking gold.

With magic and lunar eclipse rituals, Werecats can obtain other additional transformations that are separate or enhance the qualities of their default transformations. For example, being able to switch fur patterns/colorings or coat thickness, height, muscle and bone bulk for greater brute strength or speed, or have another transformed disguise if another is too recognizable/is being searched for. Joxter has obtained at least a dozen over the course of his lifetime.

Joxter is old. Like, pretty damn old. Like several centuries to maybe a millennium or two old (he sorta lost count after 600). Where Joxter is in his life, there isn’t much else that would invoke a transformation without him willing it outside of full moons, high emotional/adrenal responses, and a third-party magical influence (but even with that last one, Joxter’s developed a decent willpower resistance towards the majority of what he would encounter at his present stage) that his total experience hasn’t allowed him to overcome

Snufkin on the other hand, as a new fledgling, has a LOT more involuntary transformation triggers than he won’t have the control to prevent yet for some time. Alongside the aforementioned of what will cause forced full transformations in Joxter, Snufkin will be vulnerable to them via most nights were the moon is visible during any phase, and even during new moons when Werecat forms/powers are the most stable will not be able to avoid full-transformations at first. In addition, uncontrollable partial transformations are an issue both day and night during the waxing lunar cycles (though to a lesser extent, also waning if he’s emotionally high-strung during it), and whenever he slips deeply into more feline instinctive behaviors, which also are more prominent and hard to curb as a fledgling. Think how adolescents start producing a hella lot of hormones as they go through puberty.

Around the time of the fic, Snufkin over the course of a month leading up to his actual birthday (he doesn’t remember the real date and Moomin insisted on picking out a day for them to celebrate it, which turns out to only be a few days earlier than the correct date) starts having the partial transformations and heightened feline mannerisms (for the latter, he’s showcased those traits all his life, but they’ve been more subtle and inhibited prior to this point minus his “newborn kitten years” [age birth-6yo] that he doesn’t remember until after reuniting with Joxter). This latest birthday is when Snufkin becomes “of age” in Werecat terms (between his early to mid twenties), where his kittenhood ends and enters the fledgling or “adolescence” stage begins, starting with his Werecat transformations first emerge. So yeah, Snufkin ends up going through two puberties more or less.

Werecat ‘coming of age’ early adolescence is MESSY and DANGEROUS for anyone who doesn’t know how to train the new fledglings to use their newfound abilities. Joxter may not know much about how Snufkin has changed over the years, but by the scents young kiddo gives off around other people, Joxter can at least tell he has friendly relations with a lot of the valley denizens, and takes Snufkin because if he doesn’t isolate them from the others, there will be carnage and someone will get hurt. Joxter does not want his son to hurt those he cares about in his uncontrollable primal states or live with the guilt of learning he hurt someone when he was in unsound mind after regaining awareness. So he more or less ends up kidnapping him the eve of Snufkin’s birthday after discovering him while Joxter’s travels brought him to Moominvalley…and struggles to keep said-son-who-doesn’t-know-he’s-my-son quarantined somewhere secluded until the worst of the adjusting is over and Snufkin learns control

So yeah, that’s what I have so far. Hope you like!

[plus-size-reader]

Duty and Honor

Robert Baratheon x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1587 words

Warnings: none 

Summary: Reader is Robert Baratheon’s best friend and has been all his life but their world is changing. Robert is to be groomed to rule in his father’s place, leaving the reader behind...even though he loves her. 

———————————————————————————————————

Robert had responsibilities, and things that people expected him. He didn't have the liberty to frolic around the woods or play with street children in the village, not like you.

You had been his best friend as a child, and no one knew him better. There wasn't a moment he didn't spend with you, and if anyone ever tried to question that, they'd be met with a rude awakening.

If ever either of your parents needed to find one of  you, they simply had to look for the other because you were never apart. You both liked it that way, and had no intention to change that.

There was a lot of running around the woods and horse back riding together, filing your evenings with laughter and comfortable silence. Neither of you considered that it would ever come to an end, or that the world would pull you apart, until it did.

Robert was his father's firstborn heir and they were grooming him to rule in the event of his fathers death. That replaced evenings of laughter and fun spend together by the river with days and nights of studying and training.

...and it wasn't only Rob's responsibilities separating you two. You had things you should have been doing too, it was just that if you didn't feel like quilting or cooking, no one could really force you.

While Robert became more straight laced and serious, falling in line with his parents plans nicely, you rebelled against your mothers ideas of what you life should be like. You got so bad that some nights, your brothers would have to go out in the woods and search for you after you didn't come home on time.

You were wild and free, it was something that Robert had once admired about you, before they took him away. As far as you were concerned, Rob would still be by your side if it wasn't for his parents forcing him into his role.

His father was a healthy man, who would probably live a long life, and you were angry with him for treating you in such a way. You felt like they had taken your best friend away and it was only natural for you to be upset by that.

You did the only thing a woman in your position could do, and ignored Rob, hoping that would prove your point. It wasn't really meant to upset him, though it did. All you really needed was a break from him.

It hurt you to imagine your relationship never being the same, because Robert was the most important person in your life. It didn't matter though, there was nothing that could be done to stop it. Robert was the next in line to rule and the hurt feelings of one little girl wouldn't change that.

You should have known. That was how the rest of the people saw you, just a delusional little girl who wouldn't have much value at all if it wasn't for the prince who somehow decided she wasn't useless. You were nothing more than a pawn in a game, and that was all you would ever be.

You wished that you could say you accepted it...that you could move on and let your parents marry you off to a stranger like all the others but you just couldn't do it. No one would ever mean more to you than  he did, and there was no use trying to replace him.

For the most part, you two didn't come in contact with one another anymore, which was just as hard on Rob as it was on you. He made it a few weeks, not seeking you out but before long, he was losing his mind.

It was as if some part of him was missing, and he knew exactly where to find it. It wasn't an exact science, but there were a few places you were likely to be. The woods were his best bet, and he couldn't wait any longer to find you.

So, with a few problems from his teachers and guards, Robert left the building on quick feet and mounted his horse, rushing down the streets until he broke the cover of the trees.

He was sure he'd find you there but after hours of searching, there didn't seem to be anything for miles, except for more trees. Without a shadow of a doubt, you should have been there, and yet, you weren't.

Deciding to take a break, the prince got down from his horse and sat on a rock which was covered with a dusting of fresh powdered snow. The area was well kept and beautiful, and it wouldn't have surprised Rob if you spent a lot of your time here when you were stressed.

The area itself seemed to breath and it was peaceful, and so different from inside the castle walls.

Admittedly, Robert was tempted to give up, and and go home but just as he thought about climbing in his saddle and returning to town-an acorn fell from above him, hitting him atop the head.

All he had to hear was that familiar giggle of yours to know who was responsible for the assault, but more than angry, he was glad you were there. There was a reason he was so sure you were there, with this being your favorite place in the world.

"What in seven hells are you doing?" he hummed, craning his neck to get a better look at you, only to find you perched in a tree high above his head. It had always amused him to see a lady of your size and status scale a tree but you had a passion for it.

You simply shrugged at his question, beginning your decent down the branches. You didn't have a problem proving to him that you were just as fun and free as you always had been, not that he ever doubted it.

There was a time when you'd dared Robert to climb the tree beside you as children. You smiled fondly, remembering the memory as you made your way back to the ground. He'd made it half was up to where you were now, and made a misstep, a misstep that consequently sent him tumbling to the ground.

He'd broken several bones in one of his arm. You remembered his mother being so cross with you that she wouldn't even look you in the eye at feasts, even though you were but seven years of age. It wasn't your fault he wasn't that good of a climber, which was not something you should have told her.

By the time your feet hit the ground, you'd went through the entire series of events that had happened in that tree all those years ago. Robert could see the shine of those memories in your eyes, and smiled, cocking his head to the side.

He had no idea what you had on your mind, so he asked...though he wasn't sure if he wanted the answer. "What are you thinking about?" he wondered, curiosity shining in his dark eyes as he watched you.

There wasn't all that great an answer to his question, so you did you best to find something he would like. "You, as a young boy" you allowed, sitting down beside his rock, your dress sitting in the snow delicately.

That answer seemed to amuse the young man, who let out a belly laugh as he grinned down at you. "There's no point in amusing yourself with the past, I'm right here in front of you little one" he teased, using that old nickname you hated so much.

You had never liked it but something about it seemed out of place right now. You two were adults now and if Robert was going to act like a king to be, he was going to have to give up such childish things.

"You're in front of me now but what about the last few weeks, I've hardly seen you" you grumbled, folding your arms across your ample chest as best you could, though it was becoming more and more difficult with your tight corsets.

You were painfully aware of how childish you were acting, and how foolish it must have seemed but you didn't care. You missed your best friend and you wanted all his attention, not that you were going to get it.

Rob understood what you meant. You two were connected and nothing would ever change that. "Oh, I know little one...but you have to understand, my father needs me" he explained, telling you the same thing he'd told you a thousand times.

You knew that he didn't have a choice but that didn't make you anymore upset than usual, taking his hands in your own. You were needy and wanted his attention but that didn't mean nothing could be done to stop it.

"Please Robert, I understand, duty and honor, right?" you groaned, realizing once again that nothing you said or did was going to change the fact Robert had responsibilities.

You were just going to have to understand that, because there was no other choice.

All Rob could do was nod. Duty and Honor above all things for the man who would be king. There were no spoils like love in a world like that, but if Robert was honest...he did love you, more than he ever had another person on this earth and eventually he was going to show you just how much.

[mister-tom-a-dildo-lover]

Strive Pt. 20

{PART 1} {PART 2} {PART 3} {PART 4} {PART 5} {PART 6} {PART 7} {PART 8} {PART 9} {PART 10} {PART 11} {PART 12} {PART 13} {PART 14} {PART 15} {PART 16} {PART 17} {PART 18} {PART 19}

Pair: Tomarry

Rating: M-E(depends)

Tags: Mild Language, Homosexuality, Sexism, Obsessed Tom, Time-Travel/Dimension-Travel, Teacher/Student, Eventual Romance, Teacher-Harry, Grey!Harry, MoD(sort of), Death!being,

A/N: I forgot to add the Tumblr version of this chapter months back!

The very first day where he was no longer a Hogwarts student, Tom found himself perusing the library's Restricted Section. As he was now free to come and go as he pleased since he was legally an adult as well as a new member of the staff, he decided to get in as much study time as he could while he had the chance. And that meant research.

There was a limit to how many books he could remove from the Restricted Section at once though. And that was one. A single book was allowed to leave through one person at a time no matter who it was, just as a precaution. It was definitely a bit of a setback but Tom was just grateful to even be able to get to the books in the first place without someone interfering, so he wouldn't dare complain to anyone about it or they might think him too immature to handle the responsibility and may ban him. Also it would no doubt have Potter angry and Tom didn't want that.

He had full use of any of the school owls and he got a first hand look at who was caring for them. Hagrid. The boy was being groomed to be the perfect groundskeeper and often times, Tom would see him thumping along behind Dumbledore as they went on walks of the grounds. Tom made sure to avoid those places once he memorised their schedule well enough. While not necessarily feeling hatred toward the boy, he was angry at Dumbledore's insistence upon pampering him and favouring his precious Gryffindors all the damn time.

Dumbledore didn't seem to have a life outside of Hogwarts which was exceedingly annoying. He was always around even when he shouldn't be. Others like Slughorn, had homes to get to and living family to spend time with. And friends to see whenever they wanted. Apparently, the great Dumbledore had none of that save for a brother who lived in Hogsmeade and didn't like him all too much, which Tom found to be amusing, and a couple men here and there who rarely visited the school.

The paragon of Light and goodness wasn't even liked by his own family and could count his number of friends on one hand. Now if only Tom knew the reasons behind such things, then he'd be able to use the information to his advantage.

Being able to stay at Hogwarts also meant that he was free to go to Hogsmeade whenever he so chose, and found himself travelling down now and then either for the scenery, for a stroll around the bookshop, or for a Butterbeer because even Tom had to admit that they were delicious. And without the stress of having to posture for his fellow Slytherins, he felt more calm.

His absolute favourite thing however, was whenever he and Harry - he'd given Tom permission to call him by name since they'd officially be coworkers come September! - sat down for tea. And tea was never just tea. It was talking. Either about Defence, Grindelwald's War, World War 2, or their different opinions on controversial topics.

Harry also felt that the wizarding war was ridiculous. He held absolutely no respect for Gellert Grindelwald and explained exactly why.

The symbol the man used was that of the Deathly Hallows. The items belonging to The Necromancers Three. A myth told that Death had gifted the very objects to the brothers when they'd cleverly evaded a gruesome death at the being's hands. The one to gather all objects was supposed to become immortal and the Master of Death or so the legend proclaimed.

Grindelwald had perverted a simple story from Britain's roots. He used the symbol of the Deathly Hallows to spread fear and hatred across the European Continent. Enough for people to misunderstand what it originally was meant to mean. And while he was slowly trying to take over, he was also searching for something precious to him.

The odd attacks and the strange behaviour he'd been exhibiting for several months now, was finally explained.

According to Harry, the man was searching for the most powerful wand in existence. He truly believed it existed and was murdering people left, right, and center just to get his hands on it. And he wanted the Elder Wand as much as he wanted the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak. He wanted immortality and was causing a ridiculous amount of strife just to get it.

Tom's method had been better if he was to be so bold as to claim. The ritual had hurt of course, but it had been quick and easy enough to perform both times he'd done it. No unnecessary bloodshed involved. No more exertion than a flick of the wrist and the drawing of Runes.

But Gellert had blinded himself by his own greed. Yet he also proved how selfish he was. As Tom had noted months before, he wasn't doing this to help the wizarding world. Grindelwald wanted to rule over everyone. He wanted them all to bow down, magicals and muggles alike. And that was why Tom thought his idea was stupid.

He was also incredibly bitter over his hand in Hitler rising to power because the man and his following had put Tom through some hell as a child and he hated them all!

Tom couldn't wait for Harry to just finish Grindelwald off for good. He was waiting for it, but knew he had to be patient if he wanted to win that bet he'd participated in.

But slipping the idea into their conversations was easy enough. Especially since Harry was already angry at the Dark Lord's actions. It would take one truly terrible thing to make him go after Grindelwald personally.

Other things they talked about were magical creatures. Harry was very adamant that they deserved rights, especially those with a level of sentience. He had read the recently published Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newton Scamander, and found himself siding with the magizoologist on many things. He then happily explained some of his experiences with magical creatures.

House Elves, Dragons, Gnomes, Thestrals, Basilisks, Cornish Pixies, Dementors, Boggarts, Acromantulas, Merfolk, Grindylows, Demiguises, Phoenixes, and so much more. He'd come to understand them and felt that just because each could be dangerous, didn't mean they deserved to be killed off and sold for potions ingredients. That just because some were considered Dark, didn't mean they were evil and must be eradicated.

The man was a firmly Grey wizard and Tom had to be honest when he said that he'd met no one as split down the middle as Potter.

The only thing that annoyed him about his stay at Hogwarts, was Dumbledore's presence. Everything else was perfection!

Tom stared down at the stationary in his hand. It was a light shade of blue and the script was golden and glittering. He didn't read too much into that for his own sanity.

It was an invitation to dinner. With the Potters. Charmont and Ella Potter to be precise. And the invitation had been given to him by Harry, who had been lightly flushed as he handed it over while saying, "Ellie wanted me to give you her letter. She said you needed some new correspondence."

Lady Potter wanted Tom to come to a dinner she and her husband were having. A dinner that was, according to her letter, just between them and Harry, and Tom if he decided to come.

And the difference between being invited to a Potter's home, verses being invited to a Malfoy's home, was that the Malfoys had a negative agenda no matter what. Ella Potter actually seemed like a decent person and while she had been a Slytherin in her youth, she'd willingly married a Gryffindor and let him mellow her out.

Also, while she certainly had an agenda as well, it most likely had to do with her attempts to match Tom and Harry together. So such an agenda worked to his benefit and wasn't being done with malicious intent. She wasn't planning on using him later, he was certain. And he couldn't find it in himself to believe that Charmont Potter had a manipulative bone in his body. The man had a reputation for being generous and a bit naive.

So with all of this in mind, Tom decided to put his quill to the parchment and write out his acceptance of their hospitality. This could also be a chance for him to learn more about Professor Potter and it would be foolish to pass it up. This would give Tom the upper hand over everyone else and establish a more secure connection between he and the man he most admired.

And because Tom coveted attention and information and things others didn't know because they would put him above them, nothing would pass from his lips to his followers. They didn't deserve the privilege of knowing Harry Potter like Tom would. Tom liked to keep his most treasured possessions close and any knowledge about Harry Potter was to be kept unlock and key in his own, impenetrable mind.

He was welcomed with wide smiles from the Potters and a shocked look from his… coworker. Harry obviously hadn't known he would show up, and Tom was thrilled to be a surprise.

The man was also attired in the most fanciful robes Tom had ever seen on him. Potter didn't often resort to magical clothing, preferring more freedom of movement in the newer, more modern clothes being introduced through various trade agreements with other nations. He was most likely dressed so well for the Heads of his House.

"It's so lovely to see you, Mr. Riddle," Ella said with a smile. "I've been dying to pick your brain over certain topics. This is my husband, Charmont."

Charmont was a messy-haired brunet with blue/green eyes, a sharp jaw, and a charming smile ironically. He was the same height as Tom at 186 cm, and came across as a kind individual upon first glance.

"Good to know you," the man said with a calm smile. "My Ella has had many a thing to say about your first meeting. I do hope you and our Harry get on well enough, yes?"

Tom plastered a not so fake smile on his face, genuinely pleased to speak about his former professor. "Harry is a diamond in the rough, sir."

Said man sputtered, his face taking on a lovely shade of pink.

"Come! Come! Dinner is being served as we speak and I want to get all the details from Mr. Riddle!" prompted Ella, shooing them toward one of the many open rooms off to the right of the grand, marble foyer of Potter Manor.

Dinner was a lavish affair. Not as pompous as something a Malfoy would host, thank Merlin, but still proper as expected of a Pureblood family. Though there were no veiled insults being thrown around and no one seemed to be trying to outdo another.

Tom had been asked every possible question under the sun, and occasionally Harry would be called into the conversation to give his input on certain topics. Ella seemed endlessly fascinated by whatever Tom responded with, and constantly sent Harry knowing looks that he seemed to pointedly ignore in favour of his wine. And he ended up drinking a lot of wine as a result.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle is such a unique name," said Charmont at some point near dessert. "It makes you sound mysterious and I find it to be fitting."

His smile became a little more forced. "The other children in the orphanage mocked me for it. Marvolo isn't a muggle name and they said it only made me weirder. I have come to dislike my name. Tom is bland, Marvolo is too strange, and Riddle sounds very..." He couldn't even finish his thought. He hated being connected to that piece of filth.

Ella smiled with understanding. "I know all about hating your given name, Tom. My true name is Avariella and I despise it. Sure, it means 'woman of great strength' but it sounds atrocious to my ear. Thankfully, Charmont was very understanding and adopted my nickname easily," the woman said, aiming a dazzling smile at her husband who smiled back with just as much affection.

"I like both of your names," Harry interjected quickly, pouting. "Names that make you think twice. Interesting sounding in my opinion. A sense of strength to them."

Ella beamed and Tom flushed lightly, looking away from the man's imploring, green eyes. Harry Potter had this odd affect on him and it wasn't fair!

"I apologise for my aunt's curiosity this evening. Ella tends to like to talk and she takes issue with not knowing enough of anything," Potter said with a small but mischievous smile that made Tom's heart flutter abnormally in his chest. "She means well."

"She is good company," Tom decided to say. "I like her." He was shocked at how true it was. The woman had been very interesting to speak with and she was very sly as she managed to drag Harry into the conversation by somehow finding a similarity between he and Tom for her to comment on.

Tom had learned that his former professor loved green. That he once Apparated when he was a child. That he could regrow his hair immediately if it was ever cut too short. And sometimes he would change his teacher's appearance whenever they annoyed him. Such as turning someone's hair blue for criticising how he did his homework.

During his childhood, Tom had done similar things, and it had been refreshing to hear that Potter was very much the same. Tom used to hate it when anybody did the exact same thing as him. He had always had the desire to be unique. Finding out about magic had been in both parts amazing and terrible because it meant he wasn't the only one and he wasn't as special as he thought he was.

This kind of attitude followed him well up until this point in his life. He liked being able to do things others couldn't. He liked knowing things others never would, or would have to rely on him into order to learn. And yet when he found out that him and the man he admired most were a lot similar than at first glance, it made him feel... dare he say, tingly inside.

He'd somehow gotten an invitation to return to Potter Manor in the future for their small celebration for Harry's birthday which was coming up on the thirty-first of July. Exactly six months away form Tom's birthday.

He had to think about the gift he should get the man. Potter had given him Slytheirn's Locket for his birthday. He'd found one of the only things remaining from Tom's family's history and had returned it to him instead of keeping the priceless artifact for himself. Not many people would ever do such a thing. How could Tom possibly top that?

Harry liked Quidditch, so a broom would probably work. At the same time he was a Potter and they had money. Anything Tom got him could be easily acquired on his own if he didn't already have it. Tom had to be unique.

A/N: Making up for forgetting to post this on Tumblr before uploading it on AO3 and FFN back in August.

[drewandhardy]

#cluecrewquestionnaire             

1. What is your favorite Nancy Drew game and why? Ghost of Thornton Hall! My Nancy Drew Holy Grail. This game just does everything right. The backstory of the Thornton family is beautiful and terrible and is the backbone of this game. The cast of characters are amazing. Clara, Wade, Harper -- all tragically complex and interesting. I’ll even throw Frat Boy Colton a bone here and say he added something to the story. Harper is straight up modeled after Helena Bohnem Carter in every role ever (though she most closely resembles Bellatrix Lestrange, probably). I absolutely loved hunting through the graveyard and reading old books to find out more about this family, their past, and this bizarre little southern island they live on. (Side note: Do tiny pieces of real estate like this exist off the coast of Georgia? Okay, I have consulted GoogleMaps and it appears they do. Making a note to visit.) The setting is just gorgeous, in the dreary, creepy way you would expect it to be. It reminded me of the abandoned town of Spectre from Big Fish. In fact, the whole thing has an eerie but beautiful Tim Burton-esque vibe to me. You have some amazing spaces to explore, including locked doors and hidden tunnels to boot. Puzzles are on point. Every puzzle in this game is going to help you advance the plot; nothing is sending you on benign errands. This was just seriously an awesome game. It’s the first ND game I’ve played in the Blahunka era, and it really opened a door to some of my other series favorites.

FIN, DDI, SPY, and TRT probably round of my top 5. 

2. Have you played all 32 games in the series? If not, which ones haven’t you played? If yes, which one did you play first? I played MHM first, back in the day. Nothing like a little Abby seance to turn you on to a series. 

Though I’ve been play since I was a wee baby jr. sleuth, I really rediscovered the series about 3 years ago. Still haven’t hit some of the more clunky sounding ones: White Wolf, Venice, Twister, Ransom, Medallion (started it but I can’t get through this gd game). I also still haven’t played DED or ASH but definitely looking forward to those. 

3. What is your favorite line from any character in the series? Because I’m fresh off of SPY, I’m going to say “Be good. Be a little bad.” 

4. If you could change the ending to any game, which one would it be (no spoilers, though)? Less jet packs.

5. Which game is your least favorite, and why? I mean, SCK is obviously not the biggest thrill, but damn I really hated fucking Castle Malloy. I thought I was going to love this concept: An upcoming wedding at a dilapidated castle in Ireland, where the groom suddenly goes missing?! SIGN ME UP, I SAY. But I really ate my words. This game is such a tedious slog to get through. Kyler, the bride in question, sits on her ass reading her damn book while you go on a wild goose chase for her husband. (Wild goose chase is hardly even figurative: there’s a damn chase-sheep-give-them-mohawks puzzle for christ sake.) The puzzles are long, and you frequently have to hunt down several missing pieces before you can even start said puzzles. The ending has to be some of the most bizarro, half-baked writing the Nancy Drew series has ever seen. Not to mention, the final sequence was one of the most infuriating things I’ve ever experienced (and I’m not even certain that this is hyperbole). I blew myself up approximately 35 times before - in a fit of rage - I Googled what nuanced methodology I needed to master in order to simply lift a bottle. 

6. Which character is your favorite? Why? Oy, probably Dagny. But give me dem Hardy Boys any day. Also, Hilda Swenson. And Renate (CAP). And Viv (DOG). I tend to enjoy the old eccentric ladies. 

7. Which character is your least favorite? Why? I’m pretty sure Holt Scotto (DDI) is part of the alt-right, so.

8. How do you feel about the whole Nancy/Ned vs. Nancy/Frank situation? Do you ship her with someone else? Who, and why? Patiently waiting for Nancy and Frank’s love story to arise in MID. 

9. Do you have any fun headcanons about any of the games or characters? DAN is based off of The Devils Wears Prada. 

10. If you could visit any of the locations of the games, which ones would they be and why?

That absolutely wild underworld set in LIE (someone explain why you build an elaborate set UNDER the stage instead of on it...)

Dry Creek (SHA)

Thornton’s bouge island

All the cool Pacific Northwest locations in DDI -- lighthouse, island, whale cave, etc

Wickford Castle

Royal Palladium 

The Train

11. Did you read any of the original Nancy Drew books? If yes, do you like them? If no, would you consider reading one? I have not! But absolutely. Someone recommend the best one to me!

12. What is one thing any good detective can’t live without? Locked shit.

13. Which game had the best soundtrack? I really liked the Irish-y jig music in DDI and HAU. 

14. What is one thing you wish HER would’ve included in any of the games (a conversation, interaction, location, feature, etc.)? I want a decent explanation of what happened in past-Germany in CUR. As in, we know who’s responsible for the monster games in present day, but they sure as shit weren’t alive in the olden days. 

15. Do you have any ideas for a future game? What is it? Maybe a game base around the witch trials or something?

16. How long does it take you to finish a game from start to finish? Depends! Replays I can usually do in a single sitting, but first plays will take me a few days. 

17. Did any of the games scare you? If yes, which ones? If no, why? Hell yeah, MHM scared the shit out of me when I was little. That “I see you” is like straight out of the Chamber of Secrets. Now that I’m an adult, some of my scariest thoughts are routed in my family falling apart. GTH and SAW and SPY definitely get to me in a psychological way. Thanks Blahunka, you twisted human.

18. Why did you join the Nancy Drew fandom here on tumblr? I have no real-life humans to talk these things through with, so thank you for being my internet humans. 

19. What is your favorite Nancy Drew joke (from in-game or even floating around the internet)? In game, it’s gotta be the mom jeans shade from SPY. On the internet, all of the “It’s Locked” puns. 

20. Who is someone in the clue crew you’ve always wanted to get to know? All of ya!

21. What are three unpopular opinions you hold about the games? 1. CUR is overrated. 2. LIE is underrated.  3. Lukas > Jane Penvellyn any damn day. I love playing Monster and hate playing damn “Go Dig.” 

22. Do you have any fun theories about any of the games? I really think that if Blahunka stayed on, we would have gotten a Nancy/Ned break up at some point, and then a Nancy/Frank relationship later on. 

23. Who was your favorite animal character featured in the games? Whale friend from DDI. 

24. Do other people in your life know about your love for Nancy Drew? Yes! I’m constantly trying to get others to play!

25. How long have you been playing these games? Since about 2001. 

26. What’s your favorite in-game backstory/history?

Ballad of Dirk Valentine and Francis Humbert; it’s truly the beating heart of SHA and the greatest love story in the series history. 

The random hilarity of all Jake Hurley’s famous friends in TRN (he’s basically Tahani). Like, they seriously worked the Lincoln Assassination into this shit?? It’s amazing. 

TRT, but more for the Wickford story than for the Marie Antoinette story. (When I played this as a child, I became obsessed with Marie Antoinette as a result of this game. I was too young to realize how ridiculous it is that Marie Antoinette’s tower was mysteriously in Wisconsin. I’m now too old to see through that ridiculously convenient pothole.)

Mickey Malone, his bombass girlfriend Vivienne, and his cool speakeasy. 

Everything about the history of the Thorntons. 

27. What is your favorite cut scene? Oh my god that damn junk shop in CRY. WHY WHY WHY.

[goldenchildkatsuki]

AFTER FOLLOWING THE PINK STRING

For the Camp Kacchako Secret Server Swap [@kacchako-server]

Writers note: 

Happy server appreciation week!

This is a piece I've written for the Camp Kacchako Secret Server Swap. Using the prompt "We're not friends, but we're not not friends".

For Milk. I hope you enjoy.

Word count: 6.920

AO3 link: (x)

Bakugou gripped a fist full of sheets and pulled them over his head. He wiggled his legs, crawling closer to the wall side of his bed. Eyes shut tightly and hunched into himself. He refused to answer to his father.

He heard the floorboards near his bed creak and the presence of his father looming over him.

"Katsuki, let's not be difficult now, shall we? We're going to be late," his father pleaded as he put a hand on the lump of covers and shook him lightly, "I can guarantee it's going to be a lot of fun," the smile he had on his face melted into the tone of his voice.

No matter how endearing his father tried to sound, Bakugou couldn't imagine a birthday party for a ten-year-old being ‘a lot of fun'. Therefore he would much rather stay in bed and sleep in until decent hours of the day. Until three or so.

Why did his parents have to be so difficult? Yesterday was one of his rare days off and he spent it back at home with the few middle school friends he could still stand. And of course, it got late. They hadn't properly spoken in what seemed like a lifetime. There seemed no end to their conversations, everyone had something to say and he bet that at the end of the night not everything was said.

At the moment he was desperately avoiding a social gathering running on five hours of sleep. His parents were more than aware of that, weren't even upset about him coming home late since they understood the circumstances, or so he thought. Somewhere in the middle of the night his parents changed their mind and didn't even think twice about letting him lay in and bringing a piece of cake back from the party.

Bakugou knew if he kept clinging to his covers and grumbling blunt responses his father would've eventually given in to his stubbornness.

"Katsuki Bakugou, when I come into that room you better be in a goddamn dress shirt or we're going to have a problem!"

But his mother wouldn't.

He rolled his eyes, threw his covers off his head to look at his father who was awkwardly cackling into his hand.

"How mad will she get if I wear the shirt and get back into bed?" Bakugou asked, seriously considering it.

His father's cackling turned into full-on laughter. "On a scale from one to ten? A nine."

"Masaru!"

The two boys both jumped and tensed up.

"Stop dawdling around, that boy should've been up and ready fifteen minutes ago! Do you want us to be late too? God, it's too early to have a headache!"

The man stood up and patted his pants clean. "Make that an eleven. Katsuki, for the love of everything, just get dressed." His voice now more desperate than endearing. He rushed out of the room, trying to calm his wife down as she continued yelling their neighbors out of bed.

Now the slightest chance of him having a quiet day, with the house all to himself, was completely gone. Accepting that there was no way out of this, Bakugou dragged himself out of bed and walked to the chair at his desk. His mother had laid out clothes for him, they were items from his father's latest collection and God was it too fancy for the occasion.

His mother was still trying to impress her sister huh?

That was realistically what all this was about. His mother trying to outshine her obnoxiously well-put together and practically overly-wealthy sister. And since they were very responsible adults -- and also parents -- they couldn't just put their rivalry to rest by screaming in each other's faces and yanking at each other's hair. No of course not. As the very responsible adults and parents they were they had to keep the fight things out by hosting lavish parties, bringing the better dish to serve at them, bragging about their family's achievements, and always go to every family function with husband and kids looking clean-cut and obviously arriving on time at so said function.

Bakugou lifted up the parts of his outfit one by one.

"Really? Fucking suspenders?" He mumbled to himself.

Face twisted with disgust, he released a clothing item from in between his two fingers and reluctantly shuffled to the bathroom. In the shower, he almost fell back asleep again as he was resting his head against the wall instead of properly showering. A loud bang of a door being slammed somewhere around the house forced him to yank himself out of his tiredness. Bakugou then quickly finished up, dried himself and got dressed.

He pulled at almost every part of his outfit coming down the stairs now feeling the discomfort he sensed when he first saw the outfit laying on his chair. Bakugou met his father putting on a necklace around his mother's neck as she was rambling on.

And occasional ‘yes, dear' and ‘it'll be fine, honey' came from the man as he struggled with the tiny chain.

"…I couldn't believe she didn't tell me Yu had found the time to come home. We're going to look so awful when we have nothing for her!"

Bakugou stopped adjusting his tie and looked up. "Wait, Yu is coming?"

His mother sighed. "Yes, now try to find a card in the office. That's the least we could do."

With not a single complaint Bakugou did as he was told, his spirits now much higher. It had been a while since he had seen his cousin Yu. He had seen Mt. Lady more than enough, since the up and coming heroine was climbing through the ranks like crazy. But it had definitely been a stupid amount of time since she ridiculed him until they were fighting like children on the playground. How annoying she could be, she was the only one he would even consider talking to at family gatherings. Yu was the closest thing he had to a peer in the family. Bonus points because she was the only one in the family beside him that couldn't get more bored by extravagant parties. And besides talking shit they could talk about interesting things such as heroics and the tv shows they both happened to watch.

As he looked for a card in one of the drawers in the office he caught himself smiling. Things were not going to be a snooze fest after all. Amidst the countless amount of papers and stationary Bakugou found a card and brought it back to his mother who was now pacing up and down the kitchen. His father stood in the hallway, jingling his car keys. It seemed like he couldn't have come back any sooner because both adults were extremely on edge. Bakugou handed his mother the card and a pen and walked over to his father to wait for her to write something too incredibly cheesy into it. In a matter of seconds, she was done and rushed her family out of the house and into the car by violently waving her hands around.

The drive was long. Long enough for him to take a nap, but the forty minutes of shut-eye barely did anything to him. Made him even drowsier when he got woken up by his father. When Bakugou opened his eyes he was already surrounded by festivities. Big silver and blue balloons everywhere, flags and garlands decorating the high, fresh cut, green hedges. In the front garden children with eyepatches and swords were chasing each other and getting their fancy attire dirty by falling over and rolling in the grass.

Bakugou stepped out of the car and wiped the drool away from the corners of his mouth. His mother noticed and walked over to him, way faster than a woman in heels, in gravel should. She straightened his collar and slicked his hair back as much as she possibly could. Too tired the fight off the woman's grooming he simply scowled at her. When his mother was done she took him by the shoulders.

"What are we going to do today?" She asked like she always did before any social event.

"Behave and enjoy ourselves," Bakugou answered her.

His mother nodded, "And what are we not going to do?"

"Compliment Aunt Takeyama's food. Only eat half of it and then throw the rest in the trash."

The woman smiled and patted her son's shoulder. "That's my boy! Alright, let's get going," she walked over to her husband, clamped to his arm and started walking to the open front door where his aunt was standing. Bakugou buried his hands in his pockets and dragged his feet behind his parents. He turned around to roll his eyes at his mother putting on the most plastic smile to greet her sister and talk about how beautifully she decorated the whole place. Only turned back around when he heard his aunt call out his name.

"Oh Katsuki, you get more handsome every time I see you!"

Before he could come up with an answer that wasn't along the lines of ‘fucking spare me woman' he got smothered by Takeyama, who wagged him from to side as she did. Loosely he wrapped his arms around the woman's back. When she stepped back she ruffled through his hair.

It was like he was in a damn petting zoo.

Bakugou shut an eye as the woman was rough with his hair and it made her laugh.

"Mitsuki dear, what did I say about doing unnecessary things to his hair? You're taking away some of his charm!" Takeyama leaned closer to Bakugou. "They love making you a walking advertisement for the design company don't they?" Before Bakugou could even make a face she stood up straight and laughed until she had to wipe away a tear.

His mother was definitely not going to be in a good mood the whole day, the way her left eye was twitching meant danger and that anyone that valued their life should stay as many miles as possible away from her.

It probably took her all her might but without saying a word to her sister she walked into the mansion, dragging her husband along with her by the arm. Bakugou sighed at the sorry sight of the adults and followed them into the house. The inside of the mansion was packed with people, mostly children. Small, hyperactive and loud children. For fuck sakes, he knew it was a pirate themed birthday party but was it really necessary to run around the house screaming ‘Arrr!' and ‘yo ho!', almost stepping on his feet in the process?

This has got to be one of the worst parties they have ever been to. Bakugou now understood the adults that would groan and say ‘I need a drink'. It seemed like there was no other way to actually enjoy this mess anyways. When he saw his mother come across a family member she actually could stand he decided to part from his parents and go to the kitchen where Yu most likely was, downing prosecco's like it was her twentieth birthday.

Bakugou waded his way into the kitchen, snatching a very fitting, pirate-themed snack from the island and shoving it into his mouth. He pushed through the mass that was standing around the food and almost fell into the other end of the kitchen. Trying not to curse he put his heel back in his loafer and looked up. He followed the legs of what seemed to be a girl. His eyes kept trailing from the outskirts of her white dress, up to her red band around her small waist to her collarbones. He felt his cheeks and ears getting warmer as he sized the girl up. When he reached her face he choked on the saliva he had to swallow down.

"Uraraka?!"

"Bakugou?!"

The girl almost dropped her glass of orange juice out of her hand, a bit spilling over the glass and onto her hands. Bakugou luckily shot forwards and could just about catch the glass with her. His hands covered hers and as soon as he realized that his skin was in direct contact with hers he took three large steps back.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He yelled at her.

She put her glass down on the counter behind her and wiped her hands on a dishtowel. "What am I doing here? W-w-what are you doing here?" Uraraka stammered.

A question as simple as that he couldn't answer straight away. Bakugou was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she was standing right there, in his aunt's kitchen. He didn't even know Uraraka that well, how was it possible that she was invited to a party his family was hosting?

Bakugou knew he always wanted someone his actual age at these kinds of things but did it really have to be her? Someone he only knew because they had mutual friends? Which was the only reason they came into contact in the first place.

His friend Kirishima had stayed in good contact with his middle school friends, unlike Bakugou. One of those middle school friends happened to be Ashido Mina, who attended an all-girl hero school. Kirishima often dragged Bakugou along with him when he was meeting up with her. If it was for the sake of helping Bakugou be less antisocial or if it was for emotional support as he was sure Kirishima had some kind of crush on the girl, he had no idea. But almost every week, he stood there in the arcade that met in the middle of their schools.

And sometimes with Kaminari who also managed to get himself roped up in the mess. But most of the time the guy was too busy talking to the girl at the gift shop or the guy waiting tables and Bakugou was left alone with the friend Ashido dragged along with her; Uraraka Ochako.

When that occurred more than anyone wanted, Uraraka made an attempt talking to him. But they could never hold up a conversation. The longest conversation they had was about school and that lasted about a solid three minutes. Truth be told, Bakugou didn't care to pay that much attention to her to keep up the conversation. During their awkward small talk, Bakugou would mostly glare at Kirishima, inaudibly demanding him to hurry up trying to woo Ashido.

Because of the lack of attention he paid to her he barely had an idea who she was exactly, but he sure as well knew she wasn't a relative.

But Bakugou still had to ask.

"Don't tell me we're-"

"-No!" She cut him off. "Definitely not!"

"Then what are you…?"

Out of nowhere Bakugou got gripped by the wrist and dragged back through the mass of people. He tried to pull away before he stumbled over his feet but the grip was strong. He prayed to God it wasn't his mother making him meet several people he didn't have any interest in. Once out of the kitchen he got pinned to a wall.

"Finally, I was looking everywhere for you!"

"Yu, what the fuck? You know you could just fucking pardon me, you know, like a normal person?"

The girl dragged one of the cabinets in the hall opposite him, pushed a couple of things aside and jumped on it. She let out a satisfied sigh and swung her legs in the air, letting her feet take a break from the ridiculously high heels she was most likely forced to wear.

Bakugou couldn't help himself from laughing at the sight.

He huffed. "I see you're also having a great time."

Slowly the heroine lifted her head and stared angrily at him. "Are you kidding me? I'm having an awful time! Have you seen these?" Yu pointed at her heels. "Mom is making me run around in those hellish things and take care of this party turned into a freaking daycare."

Bakugou folded his arms and smirked at his cousin. "You can say ‘screw that' now that I'm here. What do you say we go trip up some kids and bet on which aunt is going to get inappropriately drunk first?"

To his surprise, Yu's expression didn't clear up. Instead, her glare turned a frown. She groaned as she rubbed the heel of her foot. "I wish I could say ‘screw that' but mom says if I don't help the party go smoothly she's cutting off my extra funds. Do you know how quiet it has been lately? I have barely done any hero work this month. I need every penny I can get."

The boy was about to counter his cousin, not taking Yu's moaning or her mother's threats seriously but stopped himself from speaking as he heard the furious clicking of heels above the loudly speaking guests.

"Goodness, where have all the raspberries gone! And this white wine isn't cold. We need ice. We need more ice! Yu!"

Bakugou was about to swallow his words. He recognized that tone all too well. To the guests, it might sound like it's nothing harmful. But relatives from his mother's side could hear it. The menacing undertone that was hidden underneath a voice as sweet as honey.  His aunt really wasn't screwing around this time.

Yu flinched, jumped back on her feet and crawled behind Bakugou. The gigantification hero trying to make herself small behind him, how ironic. When the violent clicking of the heels faded and no one called her presence out, she went to stand in front of Bakugou.

"I have to take care of that as well? I can't take it. I still have an entire freaking treasure hunt game to host. I need to get people to play, I need to make teams, I need…" Slowly Yu's gaze drifted from Bakugou's eyes to over his shoulder. Bakugou followed her eyes and saw her looking at Uraraka who was still standing at the kitchen counter.

"Wait, do you know that girl you were talking to earlier?"

"Hah?"

Bakugou's cousin didn't even wait for him to confirm before waving the girl over, hissing at her as if she were a cat in an attempt to lure her over. Bakugou looked up at Yu as if she had gone mad but she ignored his perplexed face.

Uraraka peeped around the corner, wrapping her fingers around the doorpost of the kitchen. "I'm sorry, were you calling out for me?" She asked.

Takeyama nodded and took a few steps back, taking in the two. She pointed two fingers at the pair.

"Are you two friends?"

"Friends?" Bakugou and Uraraka raised their voice in unison.

They both stumbled over their words, taken by surprise by Takyama's forward ways.

"We're not!" Bakugou answered.

"I guess we are," Uraraka spoke over him.

The two turned their heads towards each other and got red in the face. Normally Yu would've been on the floor laughing, clutching her stomach and gasping for air after seeing Bakugou embarrassed like that but she kept staring at them, desperately waiting for them to elaborate the miscommunication.

Bakugou furrowed his brow. "We're not friends," Bakugou said, more asked, trying to confirm with Uraraka.

"Erm, actually we aren't friends no, but we're also not not friends. We have mutual friends so I thought I could refer to you as, erm…A friend," she explained whilst scratching the side of her head.

Bakugou blinked at Uraraka, trying to make sense of what she had just told him. Takeyama seemed to think that the girl's explanation was more than enough to continue her scheming. Satisfied she clapped her hands together.

"Right! I'm going to put you two in a team for the String Treasure Hunt. Man, if mom sees I got mister grouchy pants over here to participate then she'll be over the moon!"

"Grouchy? That's rich coming from you. And who says I want to participate anyway?"

Yu put on her one in a million menacing grin and loomed over him like she loomed over tall buildings in the city when fighting crime. She laid a finger on his chest and pressed down. "Because I said so. I already did you a favor by putting you in a team with a lovely girl instead of…"

She tilted her head towards the living area where children were screaming, tugging at each other and wiping their grubby hands on the tablecloths.

"Now you're going to go on the hunt. Oh, and I dare you to get difficult with me," she cackled maniacally. "I dare you to get difficult with me after all this anger I built up after running around in these stupid shoes for hours, see where that will get you."

Bakugou kept glaring at Yu, hoping that it would somehow change her mind but the woman was seriously dead set on getting him to play along. In the corner of his eye, he saw looking at the two, quietly fidgeting with the lace that hung over her white skirt.

He sighed deeply and then pushed Yu's finger off his chest. He did know better than causing a scene at a party, especially in front of someone who was only now really getting to know him. If he would bite back at Yu like he normally would then his mother won't let him hear the last of it.

"Fine."

Uraraka's face lit up a little and she flashed him a modest smile. "Maybe it'll be fun."

The boy clicked his tongue and pushed past the two ladies and lazily waved at them as he walked off. "Let me know when you're done, I'll be mentally preparing myself in a corner," he said to his cousin expecting for the preparations to take a while but the heroine managed to put pep in her step. Yu was strutting around the mansion faster than he ever imagined she could with all those blisters. Bakugou felt like he hadn't sat down for a minute or Yu had already dragged him off a chair in the sitting area.

As he tried to struggle against her grip, his cousin took him to the living area where different color strings were strung around, forming a vibrant spiderweb. The kids had taken off their eyepatches and ogled at, what Bakugou had to admit, the impressive game Yu had set up. Pretty good for someone that actually couldn't give two shits.

Uraraka was just as impressed as the kids were, fawning to Yu over the ‘amazing set up' with the lightest blush on her face. The girl had to be careful, she had no idea how quickly praise could go to Yu's head. As a matter of fact, it was already happening. Bakugou could tell by the way she laughed the compliments off.

"Can we start already?" Bakugou interrupted the two girls.

The kids chimed in, erupting in cheers. Immediately Yu's mood soured.

"Alright!" She shouted above the noise. "Little pirates."

Bakugou cocked his eyebrow at her.

"I'm going to keep it simple. You and your sailor buddy are going to hunt for treasure. Pick a string. Follow it and the first person to get to the end will get a prize."

Yu was barely halfway through her explanation or the children were already grabbing onto the string with the color they admired the most. She let down her front and blew the stray blonde strands out of her face as she glowered at the overexcited children. Bakugou shrugged and reached his hand out to grab hold of a string only for it to be slapped away.

"Ow! What the hell?!"

His cousin handed him a pink string. "You two are getting this one. It's a little more complicated so you don't win," she explained. She then noticed that the children had already started the hunt, without her start signal and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Now, just go," Yu said before falling on the couch behind her.

Bakugou wrapped his hand around the pink string and looked back at Uraraka who tried to check if his cousin was okay.

"Let's get this over with," he told her.

After giving one quick look back at Yu, Uraraka nodded and followed him as he followed the string. Though their start was a little delayed they kept bumping into children. Children that had taken the game too seriously and cursed ‘like sailors' at him for getting in the way of their hunt. Bakugou had to bury his nails into the palm of his hand to control his urge not to kick those brats into next week. Faster he started pulling at the string and he managed to get out of the web and sea of annoying children, relatively quickly. No one's paths crossed with other hunters anymore and in a matter of a few pulls, Bakugou and Uraraka found themselves completely separated from any string but their own.

When Yu she was going to make it a little more complicated, she was really wasn't fucking kidding. It was absolutely ridiculous. They had been to almost every corner of the mansion's gigantic first floor and as if it couldn't get any more stupid they actually managed to end up outside.

Uraraka had sensed that he was becoming tenser by the minute and has said a few things here and there to lighten the mood. What she exactly said Bakugou couldn't make out because he couldn't hear it over his own complaints.

"How did she even have the time to go all the way to here?!"

"We're so fucking far out I can barely hear people talking, this is stupid!"

"Who even needs this big of a garden?!"

A string of curses escaped his mouth as he saw the string disappear into a high hedge. He tugged at the string and felt like they weren't close to the end, there were at least a couple of meters left to chase. Upon finding that out, he had run out of patience.

Playtime was over.

Fuck strolling, he was going to dash to the end, even if he had to yank Uraraka with him.

Bakugou aggressively pushed his body through the hedge. His right foot touching a small ledge which he then too confidently slipped too far ahead. His heart skipped a beat as he fell through the hedge and saw that beneath him was the old pond, disgustingly green from the lack of maintenance. Bakugou squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the impact of the water as he came to terms that there was no way he could twist, turn or step to regain his balance.

Suddenly he felt pull at his arm, so hard it could've popped his shoulder out of its place and he got pushed with his back against the hedge. Bakugou had only opened his eyes for a second but just in time to see Uraraka fly face first into the pond and get indulged entirely by the green algae.

"Damn it!" Bakugou barked and jumped into the water without thinking.

With his arms, he waved around to find Uraraka in the thick sludge until his lungs shrunk small. When he started to get lightheaded he jerked his hair out of the water. Hurriedly he tried to fill up his lungs again, with the palms of his hands he cleared his face and upon opening, he saw the girl standing right in front of him.

The adrenaline slowly left his body and he stood up straight, the water only going up to his chest.

"I also thought it was deeper," Uraraka reassured, giggling when she did.

Bakugou looked around him. The water felt even more disgusting than it looked. His clothes were definitely ruined. More importantly, so were hers. She should've just let him fall in. That's what he would've done in her case. Only now it hit him how he hadn't been the most fun person to be around.

Like him, she had most likely been dragged here against her will and put in the middle of a bunch of snobby lunatics. Even dressed exceptionally nice only for it to go to waste because of his impatient ass.

You would think all her efforts had gone to waste. But she still looked particularly appealing. Which was kind of baffling, honestly?

Bakugou wasn't blind. He had noticed her alluring features before.

But the fact that they were still able to shine through underneath all that yuck she was covered in?

Yes, it really was baffling.

He reached his hand out and took the lily pad that had been sulking on her head. Bakugou watched his own movements and he slid the lily pad off her head and her giggling faded. Thankfully she bowed her head a little. He noticed more things were stuck in her hair and reached out again to get a few things out of her hair that was already starting to tangle. Careful not to pull any of her hairs too hard he continued to pick out the pond's dirt.

After some time she lifted her head making his fingers slide along the frame off her face. Her eyes met his and he noticed the bright gleam in them.

"Thank you, Bakugou."

Bakugou could feel a violent tug at his heartstrings which sent the fibers in his body into a panic. He turned away from her and went with his hand through his wet spikes.

"It's like she forgot how she got in here in the first place. Isn't she going to get mad or something?" He whispered to himself against his shoulder.

The girl waded closer to him and cocked her head. "Did you say something there?"

"I said we should get out of here." Bakugou lied.

Together they started wading out of the waters of the pond. Bakugou lifted himself back up the thin ledge carefully stood up. He then lent a hand to Uraraka and helped her out. Both of them were leaking guck and looked and smelled like wet dogs.

"Can we maybe..?" Uraraka questioned, gesturing to her clothing.

"Get a towel? Of course, I'm not trying to catch a cold either." Bakugou mumbled as he took out his dress shirt from within his shirt and wrangled the water out of it.

He led the way back from the neglected parts of the back garden to the side of the house. Bakugou was well aware that if he entered through the big slide doors and dirtied Aunt Takeyama's marble floor his mother and his aunt were going to join forces to scold the hell out of him. So he chose to go through a back door instead. Behind it a staircase that would lead to the second floor.

Bakugou opened the door and stuck his head around the corner, making sure it was actually an abandoned corner of the house as it was supposed to be. Fortunately, it was and he sneaked Uraraka to the second floor with him.

He hadn't been on the second floor for a hot minute. The last time was when he was half his age and he had to sleep over at his aunt's house when his parent's company was starting to really thrive and they had to go abroad to some sort of Fashion Week. Since then, obviously, a lot had changed. Somehow the interior had gotten whiter and the family added more unnecessary expensive interior.

"Wait here," he told Uraraka.

Bakugou looked down at their feet and saw that they were already starting to create a puddle on the white floorboards. Since they couldn't be gone for too long he couldn't have the water all across the second floor which he then had to clean up. He waited for her to nod at him and then went on the search for the bathroom, which had proven to be more difficult of a task then he anticipated. For some reason, it looked like that they somehow added doors to the second floor. Impossible of course. But the illusion sure sent his mind spinning. Bakugou kept opening doors hoping that he didn't have to walk around for much more and just stumble upon the bathroom.

Eventually, he didn't find what he was looking for, but it was good enough. He found the washing room which also served as a storage room for the towels. He grabbed two of the largest towels he could find, threw one over his head and the other over his shoulder. With a relieved sigh he turned out of the laundry room and saw that the second floor was empty.

"Uraraka?!" He hissed.

God damn it, so he wasn't imagining the echo of floorboards creaking and doors opening. As he tried to make his feet light as feathers he tried to rush over to the spot where he left her. Halfway Bakugou came to a halt as he noticed an open door and saw Uraraka sitting on her knees. He squeezed himself between the small slit the door and the doorframe and slowly put the door in its lock.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!" He tried to keep himself from yelling as he crouched down next to her.

Uraraka held up a disc cover of a game in front of his face. "I can't believe they have all "The Hoodlums" games here! These are classics!

Bakugou shook his head as if he had to wake himself up from a dream before he could even try to come up with a reply she showed him another game.

"Hoodlums: Sin City. Hoodlums: The Last Bullet. Hoodlums: Burning Skyscrapers." Uraraka continued to ramble on as she flashed the disc covers in front of his face.

When she wanted to go into the box again to search for another game he lowered her hand. When he touched her it was as if I lightbulb lit up above her head. She had now realized what she was doing and understood that this was in fact, very strange.

Uraraka dropped the game she was holding and waved her hands in front of her face. "I'm sorry I-! I have a habit of wandering off, especially since I have never been in a house this big before. I never meant to actually go into a room. Oh and I swear I'm not making excuses for myself by saying it's a habit! I…Erm…Can you forgive me?"

She clapped her hands together and bowed, peeping through her lashes waiting for Bakugou to answer.

Damn, that girl didn't speak too much but when she spoke, she rambled. Again, he could barely get what she was saying. That didn't matter, however. There were other things that needed explaining.

"Wait, you actually know about all these games?" He asked.

Uraraka sat up straight again and blinked at him. "Y-yeah?" She then raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think came up with the plan to go to the arcade in the first place? I knew Mina was going to drag me along to hang out with Kirishima so I had to make sure I was going to get dragged to a place where I could at least have a little bit of fun." With the last breath she had, she blew the bangs upwards.

"But you never play any games in the arcade," Bakugou remembered.

Uraraka lowered her shoulders and let out another puff of air. "Because it's never really fun to play them on your own."

The boy opened his mouth but was then quick to close it. He stayed silent as Uraraka peered at him, confusion on her face.

Could she give him a moment? He had just now found out how much of a fucking dumbass he was. He didn't think of himself of that much of a clueless, socially-inept idiot but damn did he prove himself wrong. It made him wonder why she didn't drown him in the pond right there and then.

"…You wanted to play with me, right?"

Uraraka breathed out a laugh, "Yes."

"…But I didn't pay attention."

"Erm, unfortunately not."

That's it, the girl had gone through enough shit for one day. Bakugou took the towel off his shoulder and threw it over Uraraka's head. She pulled at the ends and wrapped herself in the towel properly.

"Come on then, let's play," Bakugou casually said.

"Huh?"

"I said let's play. Any game you want but don't complain if you fall behind." Bakugou heard Uraraka snort as he went underneath the tv and checked if the old console they needed to play the old school game with was still intact. When he confirmed it was still working he looked for two controllers and handed one to her.

Uraraka handed him "The Hoodlums: Sin City" one of the best games of the franchise. If he had to be honest, the release of that game was probably where the franchise piqued. The girl indeed had taste.

They went to sit with their back against the couch sitting in front of the tv. When they went onto the loading screen they both let out a satisfied sigh as they got hit by all kinds of nostalgia.  The two turned their heads to each other and Bakugou let out a small chuckle. He started a new game, set the game to two players and went onto story mode.

Bakugou put his controller on his lap and cracked his fingers. "Like I said, don't complain if you fall behind."

"Sure."

Did he sense a little sass in her voice?

Turns out Uraraka was sassy with him and rightfully so.  Watching her play the game was like watching a tutorial on Youtube. Hell, he started wondering if she didn't have anything to do with developing the game she was so familiar with it.

Bakugou knew the thought was silly but again, he couldn't help but ask.

"So, what do you parents do?" He decided not to beat around the bush.

"That's a little strange to ask especially since we're mid-shootout," Uraraka kept her eyes on the screen, biting her bottom lip as she hurriedly kept moving the joysticks around and clicking the trigger. Watching her sent shivers down his spine for some reason.

"My parent's have a construction company. My dad actually helped rebuild part of this mansion. Mister Takeyama was actually very grateful for that. They became friends I believe. When mister Takeyama heard my dad had a daughter he invited my parents and me over for the birthday party, not knowing that I was more than one and a half times older than the birthday boy."

Bakugou just hummed. No daughter of the developer of the game then. That did not explain her stupid amount of skill but it did explain how she ended up here.

He could tell that after answering his question that he should probably not ask anymore since she had leaned almost all the way forwards she was trying to concentrate that hard. Besides, he was slacking anyway. Later on, he realized that he couldn't be doing that. He had forgotten how tense the missions were the deeper you went into the story. It asked for a surprising amount of energy to defeat the gangs and their bosses that were getting tougher and tougher.

Uraraka had started to reach her limits he had noticed. Her back was back against the couch and her body was slumping. As they progressed through the story he gradually felt more of her body weight against his shoulder. Their bodies have gotten hot after sitting in the same place for so long and their heat was starting to merge together. The hottest areas on Bakugou body were his face and his shoulder, which Uraraka had now rested her head on. Between loading screens, he would peep at her from behind the towel he still had on his head.

She had stopped biting her lip and was now sort of pouting. Her cheeks were rosier than usual and one was squished against his shoulder. Her lashes batted slowly as if she could fall asleep any second from now.

Bakugou didn't dare move.

As soon as the loading screen disappeared Bakugou pressed pause and Uraraka took a while to react. Bakugou jerked his chin back a little to look at her.

"Let's take a break. I don't want you feeling asleep now."

Uraraka hummed and took her head off his shoulder. Bakugou got a thought, it shot through his mind lightning fast.

He actually didn't mind having her so close to him.

Uraraka yawned and held her hand lazily in front of her mouth, tears formed in her eyes and for some reason, it made the corners of his mouth twitch.

"You kinda suck you know?" She continued to yawn.

"Just because you play too good for you own good." Bakugou fired back.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder, propped up her knee and rested her chin on it.

"You're fun to game with though." She whispered as if it were a secret that she was a little ashamed to even tell him.

Bakugou eyebrows perked up. "Oh?"

"Mhm."

"Then we should play games together more often." Bakugou made sure to look her in the eye as he told her that. He watched the drowsiness slightly disappear from her face as she took in what he said.

Uraraka leaned forwards. "Really?"

"Yeah…Isn't that the type of shit friends do?"