#it's been so long and it seems i forgot the effect the mask has on me

[silverselfshippingchaos]

OHHHH HE'S BACK... THE MASK IS BACK... JESTER IS BACK...

[zomboivex]

Small morning ramble about Rui.

These are all basically opinions so feel free to disagree but tbh I don’t really wanna hear it

This dude is never breaking his curse.

Nothing in the game hints to that even being an option for him. He, himself, doesn’t really talk about breaking his curse. He seems to have accepted that this will always be his life (and if my thoughts are correct, boy will it be a long life).

The reason Rui is such a fascinating character to me is because he’s coping with the fact that he will always be this way. He’s always going to have this curse and he’s trying to accept and live with that.

In the recent chapter where we actually see his curse go into effect - his reaction isn’t like Lyca’s (who was devastated at the seemingly betrayal of acceptance) but he was very much defeated and numb. He’s seen this reaction before. He’s been treated as a monster before. He wasn’t shocked by the reaction he got for draining a life. He was numb to it. He stood there, seemingly unable to let go as he was called a monster.

But see what I love about Rui is that

He has so carefully crafted himself to be reliable to others. Listening? No problem, he’ll let you talk about all your problems and don’t worry for one second about any of his (serious) issues. Of course, he’ll complain about his captain or Moby. But- that’s normal stuff to complain about. He tries soooo hard to make himself seem like a normal guy by flirting, joking, complaining about normal things. Then he listens to others, will do endless tasks (like gardening, cleaning up the house, running a bar, trying to run a bed and breakfast type situation, taking care of the duties Ed doesn’t or straight up refuses to do), and generally he keeps his own emotions locked deep down.

Hell his fucking stigma is a benefit to others! Even if ‘temporary’. He can still take away your pain and exhaustion??? That’s- pretty fucking helpful. And it sums him up so well as a character.

He does everything for the comfort of others. Even if temporary. Because he knows anything he does will immediately be disregarded the moment someone sees his curse in action.

Despite this, Rui pretends to always be cheerful and positive. Even if deep down he’s hurting so bad. And there’s nothing anyone can really do about it. He wears the mask of someone who’s cheerful and reliable and steady. Because what else is he supposed to do in his situation?

God I seriously love him so much as a character. I’d write a more cohesive thing for him but I want a few more Rui crumbs before I fully commit to writing a character study on this tragic fuck.

Tbh I wish I still had access to my old tumblr but I forgot the email and password I used to set it up lol so I can’t pull my character study of Narancia from over there onto here but shhhh

Anyways!!!

I struggle with writing Rui as intimate with others not on account of his curse (because there are no-touch ways around that and I wish more people would focus on that aspect ahem me- I’m more people ) but because this guy would never allow himself the chance to be intimate with others on account for what he is. It’s not from fear of touching them (though that poses a problem for fucking sure) but because he doesn’t feel he deserves this.

Okay I’m gonna stop rambling because I have so much to say but also I’m feeling very unwell today LMFAO

[feartoxinjelloshot]

I would love to know some backstories of the Rogues in your Batman AU

this is a very broad question considering how many rogues i have in my au, so i'll start out by linking some of them which i have elaborated on before to various degrees, and if you have further questions about them feel free to ask specifically:

POISON IVY

SCARECROW - SCARECROW - MORE SCARECROW (his backstory is kind of convoluted and scattered around. i get a lot of asks about him)

BLACK MASK (somewhat outdated - i intend to update it at some point)

MAD HATTER

KILLER MOTH

NINA & DEIRDRE

CALENDAR QUEEN

PROF. PYG

and here's the cliff notes on some obvious players not mentioned above - again, if you want more specific elaboration, or anyone else i forgot, feel free to ask:

THE JOKER: i guess this is a bit of a spoiler if you like ambiguity, but i've said it on this blog many times already so there's really no point in being coy about it - the joker in my au is an extra-dimensional eldritch creature who, quite literally, eats chaos to survive. it possesses the body of an ACE chemicals employee named Jay Doe after it influences them into jumping into a vat of acid where "the veil between worlds is thinner in that unstable substance" (per writing of mine). the joker is obsessed with the balance between comedy and horror that generates the "food" it needs to survive in our dimension. very few people in-universe are aware of the joker's origin or the true extent of its abilities. it is a genuinely unlikable creature bur very lonely at its core, as it is the only one of its kind on earth and cannot easily exit back to its old dimension. Jay Doe's soul is still around, though kept separate from the body via storage in the joker's personal pocket dimension, the "funhouse" (mainly used for storage to enable looney-tunes esque physical gags, but can be put to much more sinister use. this funhouse is also where the joker puts jason todd.)

HARLEY QUINN: Harleen Quinzel was a fairly average woman who made a comfortable salary at her job working as a psychiatrist at Arkham State Hospital. She was also deeply miserable. The constraints of the cookie-cutter life and career path she was forced into by the expectations of her controlling mother and other adults around her instilled a pervasive repressed need to escape from her own life and "do something wrong". She encountered the joker during one of his on-and-off stints in captivity at Arkham and immediately - and unwillingly - became infatuated with the sense of unique nonconformity he seemed to embody. The following affair between them was less about the joker's manipulation and more about harley grasping for power in the only way she knew how (through the joker did inarguably have his own part in it, because he liked harley and saw her as a potential cure for his lonliness). Eventually it culminated in her own descent into the same acid vat that had "transformed" Jay Doe, but rather than possession, harley emerged with a... heightened sense of clarity about herself and the world around her. The acid also had some malignant effects on her, gradually causing her skin to rot and fall off her body. She compensated by sewing herself back together with colorful patches of fabric. I wrote a rather long fanfic about harley and the joker's relationship (and following breakup) for 2023's nanowrimo, which sadly has not been released yet because i am still editing it. hopefully one day soon it will reach the public.

THE RIDDLER: The riddler's conception is a little fuzzier than other backstories I have, because I'm still working on it, but the main gist of it is that Edward Nygma (born E-------- Nashton) spent many years essentially singlehandedly raising his younger brother, William Nashton. They lived alone with their father (their mother having left the picture years earlier) who was a chronic deadbeat, physically abusive, an alcoholic for good measure, and altogether put very little effort into raising his own children. Edward was a very strange child from the get-go and over time and circumstance his asynchronicities developed into a compulsive need for control and structure. He turned to his most genuine talent - puzzle-solving - and put it to work where it seemed most logical: computers. Edward became a very dedicated and effective hacker, largely by his methods of viewing code as a literal cipher or riddle that he had to untangle to "win". He gained a genuine reputation for the obscure and highly guarded databases he was able to gain access to, which generally served to inflate his ego. Meanwhile, two things: one, the more stress he was put under, the more his obsessive worldview began to take over other parts of his life, especially interpersonal ones - especially his interactions with his father and other antagonistic figures in his life. he became convinced that if he could "solve" the "pattern" of their behaviors, he could escape their abuse or in a sense control them. Two, these insecurities expanded to target his deeply protective instincts over his little brother, who around the time Ed was, say, sixteen or so, in a completely random accident, got hit by a car while crossing the street with Edward (who was spared) and later died from his injuries. Edward's father blamed him for this event, despite Ed having no possible control over the situation. The trauma of his brother's sudden death caused Edward's psychological state to degrade quickly and devastatingly. He began to devote his "puzzle-solving skills" largely to esoteric coping mechanisms, and expressed that if he could "find the pattern in the world around [him]" he could prevent an accident "like that" from happening again, to anyone, ever. His obsessions later expanded to focus upon the Batman, who at the time was less of a public figure and more of a local ghost story - the ultimate mystery for Edward to solve, and prove everyone else wrong, and finally win.

CATWOMAN: Selina Kyle's backstory is fairly straightforward compared to the above tales and hasn't been tampered with very much since its original conception. She grew up very poor and in an unhappy household; as a child she spent a lot of time with her kid neighbor Effy Lynns (later Firefly), who was also in a bad familial situation, and they began to view each other as siblings. As adults they moved into an apartment together. Selina was never very well off, but scraped by working odd jobs over the years, most notably a job at the local animal shelter, which she was genuinely happy at - unusual luck for her. She liked it so much, in fact, that she was trying to save money up to finally finish her degree, so that she could start to pursue a career as a veterinarian. During this time she also lived in an apartment above a chain pharmacy. Her "criminal" career was kicked off when her she learned that her downstairs neighbor, an elderly woman who she was fairly close with, had been denied by insurance to receive insulin due to a gap in coverage and, as she couldn't afford a trip to the emergency room, was in danger of dying. As she lived right above a pharmacy, Selina saw the workers going in and out every day and knew what the code to the back door was. She also knew which breaker would turn the power to the security cameras off. Well, her neighbor was too grateful to really care about where she got the medication from, and Selina asked for nothing in return, except to call if she needed help again. Was it against the law? Sure. Was it a crime? No. Selina never faced any consequences for her actions that day, and was instilled with a (perhaps unearned) sense of confidence - she had learned how easy it was to steal. Her ambitions expanded somewhat worrying quickly, though she resolutely stuck to ethical targets - chain stores, corporations, and eventually the homes of the ultra-wealthy. If asked, selina would say - truthfully so - that it was a genuinely good-hearted attempt at redistribution of wealth. What she was less willing to admit was that there was a significant element of adrenaline-seeking and even kleptomania to it that she wasn't ready to confront in herself. She was doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons. The only harm, she supposed, was to herself.

FIREFLY: Like I mentioned in the previous entry, Firefly is the eventual vigilante identity* of Effy Lynns, Selina's adopted sibling. Effy worked for many years in an oil refinery to make ends meet. It was hard, grueling work and the floor workers were treated badly in many respects. One day they were involved in a factory explosion that left them with third degree burns on the right side of their face, neck, shoulder and chest, along with blinding them in that eye and reducing the hearing of that ear. It was later made known to them that the accident was only allowed to occur because of the gross negligence and poor working conditions of their wealthy supervisors. They were also let go by the factory due to not being able to work any more, putting them in financial strife. Understandably, this series of events was a snapping point for Effy, and, inspired by Selina's nighttime activites, they adopted a fire-themed vigilante persona to enact public revenge against the corporate conglomerates that were ruining theirs and other people's lives. Effy's backstory is fairly vague and subject to change, since it's more recent than the others and therefore less developed. I haven't decided if their suit is their own invention or if they collaborate with some other source to design it.

*"Firefly" is actually just their full first name. Friends and family call them Effy more often. They start to embrace use of their full name when things go off the rails, though it only becomes known to the public after their (hypothetical) eventual apprehension.

MR & MRS FREEZE: Victor Fries and Nora Selvam met at a scientific convention in England in their twenties. Both of them had immigrated with their families in their teens, Victor from Russia and Nora from South India. They clicked immediately and were married a year later. Their story together doesn't deviate very far from typical batman canon, with the notable exception that in my version of the story, Victor is the one with an incurable terminal illness. Per usual Victor and Nora work together to attempt to push forward the research on Victor's illness, moving to Gotham somewhere in the process. Over time they both get more desperate, facing their own respective demons: Victor becomes desolate and even suicidal, hopeless as to his own future; Nora becomes erratic and fixated, determined to prove her husband wrong and save him. She takes unreasonable risks for the sake of the research and Victor does nothing to stop her. Victor poses the idea of putting himself in cryostasis until a cure can be invented, not really believing in the idea, mostly just wanting to die in the ice. Nora, though, latches onto the idea and begins working on designs for a stasis machine. She overworks herself to the point where she can no longer recognize dangerous flaws in its internal structure. When the machine is "complete" she has Victor come to the lab and offers to demonstrate the effects of the pod on a butterfly for him. He accepts, curious, and she does, but upon the subsequent unfreezing of the butterfly, it lies cold and unmoving. Frightened and demotivated, they get into a heated, emotional argument, which distracts them fatally from the stabilization alarms sounding on the cryostasis machine. The world turns white. When Victor returns to consciousness his skin is blue and bruised, like a frostbitten corpse, and every breath feels like ice stabbing through his lungs. The lab is encased in an explosion of unmeltable ice, kept supernaturally cooled by the malfunctioning power core of the machine. The lab becomes the only place that Victor can survive in without a cooling suit. The ice in the room is so thick and deep that he can't even see Nora's body inside. But she's in there, somewhere. She has to be. Right...? (Somewhere overhead a butterfly flaps by the skylight.)

TWOFACE: this is another story that is subject to change in the future, because i haven't decided on the exact details, but, Harvey Dent grew up with a physically and emotionally abusive father and an absent mother, as per much of his usual canon. He met Bruce Wayne when they were children and despite going to different schools, coming from different family backgrounds and living very different lifestyles, they made fast and inseparable friends with each other and were joined at the hip for much of their teenage years, even going to college together later in life. As his childhood progressed Harvey became increasingly and uncomfortably aware of "another him" in his head* - an alter, though he had no idea what that was at the time - who called itself Alastor**. Alastor served as Harvey's protector, facing their father's physical abuse instead of Harvey. Harvey was deeply ashamed and resistant to the idea of self-perceived mental illness and did everything he could to feign "normality", i.e. pretend that Alastor didn't exist, or at least that they were the same person. Bruce, being so close to him, had something of an idea that there was something going on with Harvey that he didn't know about - but Harvey was extremely resistant to the idea when Bruce attempted to bring it up, so he left it alone for a long time. Alastor did not have this hesitancy, Thus Bruce and Alastor met and knew each other to some degree without Harvey's knowledge. Despite his generally antagonistic views of almost everyone outside of the system, Alastor developed a begrudging "tolerance" (fondness) for Bruce as Bruce would treat him well in a general sense, having no reason to resent him, especially in their youth. Harvey's adult life also generally follows typical canon: he went to college with Bruce (and a young Thomas Elliot) where they remained close until Bruce suddenly dropped out and effectively fell off the earth, leaving Harvey to complete his studies and attend law school alone. Harvey nor Alastor ever really forgave Bruce for his disappearance and even when he reappeared in Gotham several years later, there was an awkward wedge between them. In his law career Harvey saw significant success, graduating from public defense to assistant DA to District Attorney at an admirable speed. His willingness to call out and prosecute the corruption in the city led to targets being put on his back, but he wasn't deterred and eventually started a campaign for mayor, promising to help make the city into something better. His campaign - though controversial - was ultimately successful. Unfortunately, the attention he attracted by his political outreach included that of a career criminal called the Joker. The Joker, being purely an agent of chaos, did not care about Gotham's politics by any means, except where they were funny to him - and watching Harvey Dent grapple his own brain for control was very funny indeed. Having been entranced by Harvey for several months, the Joker decided he was going to make a laughing-stock of him, on the day of his mayoral inauguration. The Joker broke into City Hall and, with a generous measure of spectacle, tied Harvey to a chair in front of every news camera he could find and ripped the left side of his face off. The Joker's abilities allowed this to be a largely harmless, albeit very painful, process. Harvey's career as mayor was over before it had begun. He escaped, humiliated and panicking, into the depths of the city, where he was not seen again for several months.

*Harvey probably has several other less distinctive alters, but Alastor is the most significant one and the one Harvey is most capable of recognizing.

**I wanted to give harvey's alter a name that wasn't just an altered version of harvey's own name. "Alastor" was taken from a fanfic i read a long time ago and have since hopelessly lost track of. Per google: "In Greek mythology, Alastor is an epithet of the god Zeus, meaning "avenger" or "defender of men". Alastor was also the name of a spirit or force that punished wrongdoing and upheld fairness. The name also symbolizes memory, as it conveys the importance of not forgetting wrongs." In canon, I imagine harvey read about the epithet in a book as a child and was influenced by it. Thus, i suppose Alastor is technically an introject.

[amazingmsme]

Don’t Be Silly

AN: can’t believe it’s already been a full week & I just about have all of next week fully written & ready to post as well! Here’s some wolf 359 fluff for y’all to enjoy, so let’s hear it for day 7! But first, quick question: can an ai be ticklish? Idk but Eiffel’s about to find out

Eiffel was a talker. Honestly, he could talk about anything if only there were someone willing to listen. Back home, few people cared to listen to his ramblings. Minkowski and Hilbert cared even less. And he didn't even want to try with Lovelace...

Hera wasn't like the rest of them. She would happily listen to him all day, and call him crazy, but he didn't think her interest was forced. No, she had a natural curiosity about her that drew her towards him like a magnet. She often kept him company as he rambled to the empty abyss of space, unsure if there even were any "dear listeners" out there.

She liked listening to him talk. She's surprisingly learned quite a lot from him. About earth, mostly. She supposed it was natural to miss your home when you're so far away from it.

He liked telling her about the things he missed. She didn't quite understand why, as he always seemed melancholy after their talks. But he would speak with such fond excitement, so it must bring him some joy to express his longing.

Today, he was talking about the weather of all things.

"Yup, you really don't know what you have until it's cruelly stripped away from you. But I miss it all. Yes dear listeners, I never thought I'd say this, but I miss allergies! I miss the cottonwood in the spring, in all its shitty, fuzzy glory and I miss the fucking ragweed! I want to go outside and sneeze my ass off and squint at everything I look at because it's too damn bright and I forgot my sunglasses because it was supposed to be cloudy and it's sunny out of nowhere!"

"That... doesn't really sound fun."

"Yeah, well, it's not. But it's at least real," he lamented, fiddling with a knob that did nothing. Or if it did, he wasn't aware.

Hera's breath hitched, and she hoped she could mask it as just a glitch. That was odd. She felt that. It wasn't the first time she could "feel" in a sense. She was deeply connected to her electronic mechanisms and coding, and she would definitely feel if something damaged either. She has sensors all around the ship: in the walls the ceilings, the equipment, she even has a few exterior sensors along the sides and docking bays. She'd felt that odd tingle shoot through her wires on a few rare occasions, but it had always been fleeting. Minkowski pressing random buttons on the motherboard to see what they did, Eiffel fixing a dent too close to a sensor, Minkowski clicking and dragging the mouse across the screen... If she could, she would've shuddered at the thought. She tried to focus on what he was saying.

"And they're always right! I don't know how, but every damn time a patch sprouts up, it rains! Guess that's where they got the name though, right?"

"What?"

"The rain flowers," he clarified, tapping his fingers on some buttons. Truth be told, most of the buttons and dials in the coms room were for show, like the decorative smoke stack on the Titanic. The real controls were localized to a single panel, and she had always assumed they had no effect on her. Now, she was glitching out as she fought the urge to laugh.

"Right, right," she agreed, wishing he would just stop twisting that knob.

Of course, she could never be so lucky.

"I tell ya, there's nothing like a good thunderstorm, a rocking chair on an enclosed porch, a cigarette and a cold beer. I really mean it, that is paradise. You can take your sunny beaches with all that fucking sand, I'm a doom and gloom weather kinda guy. But don't get me wrong! I'd literally kill to be on a nice, secluded beach-" he rambled on wistfully, dreaming of all the places that were better than here. She was having trouble focusing when his other hand tapped the empty keyboard, all the while he still played with that fucking dial-

"Wow, okay, glad my heartfelt longing is so funny," he sassed, seemingly out of nowhere. Then she realized, with subsequent horror, that he was giggling. What the hell was going on with her? She needed to get a grip, or maybe a systems reboot, have Minkowski check her wiring, whatever it was, she'd do that later. It took more effort to stop laughing than she would like to admit.

“N͞-͓̫̬̞ͩͮ́n͚̓̃͆̇͘͞o̲̮̼͍̿̀͠, I wasn't laughing at you!" She glitched slightly as she spoke, which wasn't exactly out of the norm for Hera, but it did make Eiffel pay more attention to what she was trying to say.

"Yeah? Then what's so funny?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. Well, at least he'd stopped fiddling with that stupid dial.

"Well, I, uh... Ï̶͈ͣt̵͖͌ͧͥ̎̀’̆͘s̨̯ hard to explain," she struggled to come up with a straight answer.

"Yeah, yeah," he brushed her off, rolling his eyes.

"I promise I wasn't laughing at you!"

"Oh sure, I believe you!"

"Eiffel!" she whined, catching a glimpse of a smile. "I really wasn't! It's just... I don't know, maybe I have a wire loose somewhere." That seemed to make him concerned, which was the opposite of what she was going for.

"Are you okay? It doesn't hurt, does it?"

"No, it's nothing like that," she was quick to put his worries at ease. "But I'd appreciate it if you stopped messing with that control panel."

"Why? This one doesn't do anything," he back talked, purposefully pressing down on a few buttons. "See? Nothing happened!"

He didn't receive a response. Hera was too busy focusing on containing her laughter, but her lack of a response only served to pique his interest.

"Hera? You there?"

"Mhm!"

His smile looked... different somehow. He thought for a second before finally speaking, "Hey so I've got a question. And I've just been dying to know... Can an AI be ticklish?"

The question threw her off guard, and a short giggle slipped out. "Whahat? N-̭͎́n͊͞o, that's impossible! Come on Eiffel, d-̝͈̑dŏṅ̮’t͓͕͌ be silly."

"See, I'm not sure how impossible it actually is. I mean, you're pretty advanced-"

"Why would an AI even be ticklish?"

Eiffel shrugged. "I don't know, why do you feel pain?" Hera scoffed, and okay, yeah, blunt question.

"Probably to alert me to the well being of the ship. But that serves a purpose!"

"Maybe this does too," he taunted, reaching over to twitch the dial and she couldn't help but shriek.

"Eiffel! Dohohon't!"

"I knew it! You are ticklish! You know, they probably programmed you like this so we'd have some form of entertainment up here."

If she could, she'd be blushing right now. "They did nohohot!" she insisted. The worst part was that she really didn't know why, and that sounded like a cruel, ironic punishment they'd inflict on her. Sure, give the rogue AI the most embarrassing human weakness.

Except... she wasn't entirely sure it was a built in punishment. What if they had designed her specifically to feel more human? Or was it truly just the way her sensors reacted to certain input?

"No no, I can see what they were going for! It's like a video game!" he chuckled gleefully, continuing to play with the extra control panel.

"Shut up, noho it's not!" she scolded. He added his other hand to the mix, pressing buttons and flipping switches. She squealed, and the lights began to flicker.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Just think of all the fun you've been missing out on!"

"Ahahahactually I haven't been missing out ohon anything," she sassed before a loud squeal burst from her speakers.

"Well I have! I've been curious about this for months!" he exclaimed, continuing to press the buttons randomly.

Months? No, he wasn't serious, he was just saying that to mess with her! He would've asked as soon as the question entered his mind, like today. If he thought she was ticklish, he would've tried something long before now. But then she remembered all the times in the past few weeks where he would press random buttons, flip switches and pull levers at random. He even willingly offered to do repairs on some severed wires, and he made sure to take as much time as possible. She was able to brush off her reactions then, claiming it just pinched a little. Had he known the whole time?

"Wait ahaha second, Eiffehehel did you know?" she accused before he sent her into another giggle fit as he slid the faders up and down on the board.

"I just wanted to test it out and see-"

"You sneaky little bihihitch!"

"Eh, I've been called worse," he shrugged off the insult.

"Why dihidn't you tell mehehe?" The sincerity of the question made Eiffel pause.

"I... thought you knew?"

"How would I know?"

"Uh, because you can feel it," he deadpanned. Hera really wished she could roll her eyes.

"Well, yeah, but I didn't know what it was! I thought it was like... a bug in my system or something!"

"Oh it's a bug alright," he grinned devilishly. "A tickle bug!" To make his point, he pressed as many buttons as he could with his left hand and turned the dial with his right. Hera squealed, and she didn't even know her voice box went up that high.

"Eiffel! Ihihi'm serious!"

"Alright, I'll stop. For now," he added cryptically, but true to his word, he retracted his hands.

Hera panted for "breath," even though she didn't technic need to. But Eiffel understood the need to compose yourself, and didn't call her out on it.

"You're insufferable!" she finally said, amusement still clear in her voice.

"That's what they tell me," he proudly agreed. "So? What's the verdict?"

"Huh?"

"What're your thoughts on... all that," he gestured vaguely with his hand. She really wished he'd stop moving his fingers like that.

"Oh! Um, w̋ͩ-w̵̷̝el̥̺̏l͍, it felt kinda like my whole system was getting shocked, and I'm pretty sure I've never laughed that much before," she began to explain shyly.

"I didn't hear you say you hated it," Eiffel probed a little deeper.

"I̺͙̯ͦ͛̌ͧ-̲͖̭̝Ì̡-̘̣̈́͡͠I̵̜͗͆ͩͪ͜ d̈́ͨ̑̍̊̿̀i̘̳dň̰̯̯́’̭t͟-" Hera glitched slightly, and she started over. "Hate is a strong word." He didn't say anything else; he didn't have to. He just smiled and shook his head.

Hera found herself stuck halfway between excitement and dread for what the future held in store.

[shi-daisy]

Mutual Obsession

Hello everyone! Welcome back to WaveWave Week! I'm excited to be seeing everyone's awesome creations and ready to bring ya some of mine. Today we have some fluffy smut that Tumblr writing limit made me cut a lot off, but hey it was still fun to write. Hope you all like it!

WaveWave Week- Day 1- Obsession

Mutual Obsession

Shockwave didn't know how he ended up in such a situation but he wouldn't dare question it anymore.

The day was meant to be spent working in the lab, but here he was, lying on his bed as Soundwave used his tentacles to keep him pinned and writhing in pleasure.

No one had known of his obsession with the former gladiator, but he'd been craving an interaction like this for millennia.

It started as a mere curiosity of course. Soundwave was the only one to match their leader in physical prowess and he had the trust of the mech. He wasn't just strong however, Soundwave was also intelligent. Upon his return he'd heard from the others how clever Soundwave was and even saw him in action in the field. Yet, the strong and smart mech did not seem to want any more power nor recognition. He silently took note of everything that happened on the Nemesis, did his duties, and kept silent. It was fascinating to see, and soon Shockwave's fascination for the mech grew.

He thought this was just scientific research, that once he found a logical explanation for Soundwave's silence and his formidable skills he would be satisfied. But soon he found himself staring at him for much longer, enjoying the man's presence even if they were just going over files or discussing strategies.

He longed to spend time with him, to see him without the mask, to place his hands upon the body he'd studied and grown so fascinated by. Or maybe just hearing his voice would be enough. Maybe that would satiate this growing need.

Things came to a head as the purple-haired man was clearing up the lab before Soundwave arrived. Apparently, the Autobots had done a number on Lazerbeak and the poor bird needed a check-up. Despite not being a veterinarian he knew enough to check the critter and spend some time in the spymaster's company.

"Their distress is mostly mental, the wounds are surface level and shall heal in a few days, for now just keep an eye on-"

Before he could finish the sentence the bird escaped his grasp, smacked a shelf above them which caused him to get covered in a clear chemical, and flew out the door. Soundwave stopped him from chasing Lazerbeak. He probably knew just where he'd go.

Shockwave nodded and went over to the lab sink to try and wash the mess over him. He was lucky the chemical wasn't acidic. 'Just what did I get on myself?!'

He wouldn't have to wait long for the answer, as it only took a few minutes for effects to kick and his pale skin to turn red and warm to the touch, Shockwave felt a surge of heat take hold of his body and internally cursed. Hoping that Lazerbeak didn't spill the aphrodisiacs he used on the prediction lizards for breeding.

"I don't think anyone has kept such detailed information of me since the senate."

That deep rich voice nearly made him faint. He turned around to see Soundwave studying some files he found. His files, that Shockwave was supposed to be put away before he got here yet he forgot.

The spymaster still had his mask on but turned to look at him. A mischievous emoji was smirking as he put down the files.

"I…didn't think you'd ever read that."

"I'm glad I did," Soundwave said as he walked towards him.

Shockwave instinctively backed into the wall, Soundwave cornered him there, placing his hand upon his face, brushing away the purple locks that covered his eyepatch, and looking at him directly. "Do you have any idea how badly I've wanted to taste you for all these centuries?"

Had the chemicals not made him turn red he would've blushed even more after hearing that. "You've been obsessed with me as well?" Shockwave asked in his haze.

Soundwave chuckled, it was a gorgeous sound. "You've never noticed? If not for my duties I would spend my days chasing you from dusk to dawn."

He smiled feeling a little lightheaded. Soundwave picked him up and carried him to his room, adjacent to the lab. The spymaster locked the door before gently sitting him down on the bed.

"How do you feel?"

"Happy but also like I'm overheating," Shockwave admitted.

Soundwave nodded. He probably knew what was in those chemicals from the looks of it. "I shall take care of you then."

Shockwave gasped upon hearing those words. He didn't expect the spymaster to take off his mask. His hands trembled as he reached for it, and quickly removed it.

He was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. His dark blue hair fell perfectly upon his face, his eyes were deep purple and he had full lips that looked like they were made to be kissed. The only unusual thing about him was a large scar across that gorgeous face. It went diagonally from his left eye to the right side of his chin. Shockwave didn't care, that he had a scar, though he worried about how his beloved got such a mark.

"It was during my days as a gladiator. We didn't have good medical care…Is it a problem? I can put the mask back on."

"Don't you dare! You're even more beautiful than I've ever imagined."

Soundwave smiled, relieved to hear those words as he crashed his lips against Shockwave's. They fell backward on the fluffy mattress as the scientist gently yet desperately tried to undress the spymaster.

"So eager. I love that about you."

"What else?"

"I love your wicked mind. Don't know how far we would've gotten without you." Soundwave told him as he undressed him. "I love your voice, it's rich and soothing but authoritative. Makes me want to be at your mercy." He whispered in his ear as Shockwave shivered. "I love how gorgeous you are. Primus, you're an absolutely beautiful man."

Shockwave blushed intensely at those words. He never considered himself an attractive man, but if Soundwave said it, maybe he could come to believe it.

Once he was laid bare underneath the spymaster, Shockwave could feel the intensity of his gaze as he summoned the trendiest that he had used in battle. "Your notes mused of what other uses I had for these, want me to show you?"

He could only nod as he felt Soundwave's tentacles slowly wrap all over him. One was around his neck, two of them around his legs prying them open, another was waiting at his lips, eager to be let in, and the last one would prepare him before Soundwave fucked him.

The spymaster chuckled, desire overtaking his gaze, as he groaned in delight at the view before him. He marveled at the sounds that left the scientist's mouth, even if he had it full. The red eye had been shut, as Shockwave was in pure bliss, enjoying what he'd craved for so long.

Even without the aphrodisiacs, he would've been insatiable. Soundwave really knew how to make him scream. He could only grip the sheets as the movements got more erratic and the spymaster began kissing down from his neck to his chest.

"Tell me Shockwave, is this your first time?"

He gasped at that question. Shockwave didn't think it was so obvious. Soundwave smirked as he retracted his tendrils and took the scientist in his arms.

"What an honor to be your first."

Shockwave sighed. "What about you? You know what you're doing, who came before me?"

Soundwave was taken aback by the question, still, he chuckled and pulled Shockwave close. "Those were mere faceless nobles that wanted a gladiator for the thrill. You'd be the first I claim willingly. The first one I'd make love to."

Shockwave wrapped his arms around Soundwave's neck. "I'm sorry you were hurt like that. I'll make sure to heal that ache, and make you feel good."

True to his word Shockwave kissed him deeply as Soundwave entered him in one thrust. The discomfort was menial since he'd prepared him well, yet he was gentle in his movements.

He kissed Soundwave's pretty face, his neck, and his chest, and he ran his hands gently all over him not leaving an inch untouched. "This. I've wanted this for so long. You don't know how badly I've wanted you!"

Soundwave kissed him again, leaving markings on the scientist's neck. "As have I darling. From now on you're mine, now and forever."

"Yes!"

He lost count of how many times they did it, but when exhaustion took over, the sun had set down and all he could do was lay down by the side of his dear spymaster.

"Satisfied?" Soundwave asked with a flirty grin.

"Very much so. You?"

"Mmm, I'll be fine until tomorrow."

"And here I thought you were a controlled professional man."

"There's a lot you know about me darling, but a lot more that you don't. And I can't wait to show you. And to savor you as well."

Shockwave smiled. Satisfied to know that the object of his love and obsession was finally at his mercy. He looked forward to the hours of kisses and study that awaited them.

[quodekash]

um. so.

I noticed this ages ago and promptly forgot about it, but when Win takes off his shirt at the start of episode 6, you can see a mark or bruise of some kind on his shoulder.

and win is always sleeping in class. He was late in episode 6 because he overslept. He wore the wrong uniform, was probably rushing to get ready due to oversleeping. We don’t know much about win’s life at home, apart from the fact that his dad wants him to continue the family car business thing (unless I’m remembering incorrectly but I’m pretty sure it’s something along those lines). his family doesn’t want him to peruse music. That could have detrimental effects on his mental (and therefore also physical) health and well-being. And there’s a bruise on his shoulder…

I’m not at all a professional of any kind in these matters, nor do I have any personal experience in anything like this, so hopefully someone with more knowledge/understanding than me can correct me or agree with me, but it seems a lot like there could be from some kind of ab*sive situation??

Or at least there’s probably some kind of problem with Win’s mental health, cos running late, getting dates mixed up, wearing the wrong uniform, really only having one group of friends that you’ve known for years, constantly starting fights to defend yourself and your friends, being so defensive it’s honestly showing signs of vulnerability/insecurity, “I actually feel like I exist today”, constantly appreciating words of affirmation to a deep level like you’ve rarely ever been told that you’re good enough… it all kind of points to some kind of brain… thingy.

In my eyes, as someone with adhd, I think Win probably also has adhd? The running late and sleeping in class and not really vibing with school (and a whole bunch of other stuff) are very reminiscent of adhd, so that could be why his family potentially doesn’t like him/treat him well

I’m not explaining this well, hang on.

the way I see it, Win is a kid with adhd. He’s never really worked well with school, it doesn’t agree with him. He finds himself constantly running late, always getting distracted, his focus narrows in on this one thing, and suddenly it’s 4am and he needs to go to sleep. So he’s constantly oversleeping, running late for school, and zoning out in class so much that he decides he might as well sleep in class because either way he won’t listen to the lesson so he should catch up on missed sleep while he can. And because of all this, his home hasn’t really felt like a home. His family constantly berates him for things outside of his control, continually yelling and screaming at him for being so unorganised, for being so late, for being so hyperactive. And maybe that anger is brought out into the physical world, is let out onto Win. And not just that, they want him to pursue something he doesn’t enjoy, something that isn’t his passion, and they don’t want him to enjoy the one escape he has, the one place he can go to feel safe and included. He starts masking his symptoms when he’s at home, making him even more exhausted cos masking is so freaking tiring, so whether he sleeps well at night or not, he still needs to nap in class. He spends as much time at the music club as he can, practicing as long as they’ll go, to avoid returning home to the screaming. His friends allow him to be him, they let him release his pent-up emotions, they make him feel a warm happiness he doesn’t experience often. These people stick by his side, day and night. If anyone says anything against them, he takes a stand and speaks up for them, he starts fights because that’s the only thing he knows how to do. During the beach trip, he just seems so… happy. Content. We never see him napping during the day. There’s never a moment where he’s yelling and defending and fighting. He’s friendly and chill and collected and alive. He’s not exhausted from masking, day in and day out, because he doesn’t have to around this group of people. He’s safe, as long as he doesn’t have to be at his house.

As for the inevitable fight… I’m not sure what it’s gonna be about, but Win probably explodes because he’s been having a lot of stuff building up at home that he hasn’t told anyone about, or because a lot happened on that particular day, or something along those lines.

idk if anyone will agree with any of this but it makes a lot of sense in my mind and I think it explains a lot, so I figured I should share it.

[owlbelly]

found an 80s hardcover of Cabal in the thrift store & grabbed it because i had completely forgotten i'd ever read it (which tells you something!!!) & thought "oh yeah i love Nightbreed, i should really read this one"

truly incredible how much the movie is just exactly the book, except you get a little more interiority for Lori & more interesting descriptions of the monsters - i love the practical effects & costuming in the movie but they just couldn't pull off what Barker actually wrote. but oh man this story in either form just epitomizes my love/hate relationship with the dude's work. it's got so much potential. it's so, so bad. Cabal (1988) / Nightbreed (1990) spoilers ahead

i mean come on: queer monster misfit sanctuary vs. the "real monsters" of policing & carceral mental health systems (that enable & provide cover for sadistic humans)? fuck yes. vivid descriptions of wild genderfucky polyamorous kinky mystical creatures living in their huge necropolis? all day long please

but Clive's brilliance is only matched by how much he sucks so we get an incredibly bullshit portrayal of mental illness (what's Boone's deal? we'll never know. it doesn't matter, it only matters that he's Beautiful and Tortured) & a fairly confused sense of the moral standing of various characters/systems. like. are at least some of the Breed not also sadistic killers? what exactly makes them better than Decker or the cops - is it just that they admit to what they do & they're more sexually liberated? would Decker have been accepted if he came to them looking for belonging? also are we meant to think Decker is "mentally ill" - and what does that mean for the narrative - or is the Mask literally a separate entity & does that make him/it a Breed-type monster too?

Boone calls Ashberry a monster (non-pejoratively?) for being secretly some kind of trans ("a crossdresser" but there are some other vague gestures towards gender stuff, Clive doesn't know or care) & then Ashberry, who has been trying to stop the massacre, appears to genuinely want to accept himself & join the Breed, but when he comes into contact with Baphomet (who should recognize his gender stuff!) he gets rejected & fucked all the way up instead. why?

the queerness in this story is all over the place but critics seem weirdly obsessed with a queer reading of Boone/Decker, which i just don't see at all - in the movie there's NOTHING backing that up, in the book there's some bits of narration around them being "like lovers" in terms of their mutual dependence/obsession - but Boone & Lori's very straight relationship is pretty centered! i would be super interested in a queer and/or trans reading of Lori, who actually has some dysphoria (around looking "sweet") & thinks about herself when she's jacking off (iconic...), i just don't think there's anything interesting going on with Boone. obviously the Breed as a whole are a queer allegory & in the movie & background of the book, there are some obviously queer people/relationships, but honestly why tell this queers vs. the straight world story by focusing on an apparently straight, extremely lackluster "tortured man & devoted woman" romance??

and good lord the sex scene. the reason i remembered i HAD read it is that the phrase "he threw his fuck up into her" was burned into my mind & activated me like a sleeper agent when i read it again. honey no. also Boone ejaculating on Baphomet's severed head...oh Clive.

the funniest thing i'm taking away is that i forgot that Boone is supposed to be a bewitchingly gorgeous man with a face no one can resist & the guy playing him in the movie looks like THIS

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

Jesus Christ, "Rugged, I can't believe I forgot the term and I love. That's the best way to describe Diablo. That's why I like him, or one of the few details with his design. The later ones are usually "Clean shaven" in a sense. And it's been a long time since I watched Prey. I would assume Feral has some "Hairy" parts or anything. I think Diablo's just stuck with me because of that back hair. You can legit brush that shit or something.

But yeah, again, we more and fuck, I realized I made the fuck up by saying "Harry" instead of "hairy" I now realized what I did wrong. But yes, more Yautja that look rugged. It makes them seem more I guess real. But yes, the sweaty stuff too. I would assume being under that bio mask in hot conditions isn't always the best. Again, Stan Winston praise and how he made the Predator feel alive with the effects.

I'm so glad you reblogged this because this is perfect. I always appreciate you liking my edits or posts.

You know what I like about Diablo's design in the original Predator? The Jungle Hunter, that's who I'm talking about. I've been thinking of making this silly post and you...thirsty Yautja lovers may like this.

There's this one aspect I love about Diablo's design.

It's the fact HE HAS HAIR. Like BODY HAIR.

Sorry to use statues but they are meant to be very detailed and accurate to his look. But I'm being legit. Like, and this is something I've noticed with maybe almost every Predator after Diablo. That none of them have body hair. And I only noticed this years ago that Diablo has like a big chunk of it on his back.

Sorry to use the McFarlane figure as a reference. But I've noticed that for years and it stuck with me. Like, the idea this dude has chest and back hair. And the others feel like...I shouldn't say naked. Should I call it body hair?

Like...we don't know Diablo's age. I assume he's an Elite and he's been around for a long while. If he was human, I envision him being a 50-year-old who's been hunting in Central America for years. Like, that kind of age range near Dutch's team. Even though Dutch is 39 during the film but still.

This is such a silly aspect I wanted to talk about. Because I have this silly post I put in my drafts concerning my own Predator/Yautja. But it's some spoilerish stuff. Yet the idea Diablo has body hair like...this dude is MANLY. This is strangely something I want on more Predators/Yautja.

Wait, maybe I should count Greyback because they essentially used Diablo's design. Fuck, I sadly don't think so. Or a little, it's hard to see. And I don't want to use figures as a reference because those are usually reused molds. But trust me, Diablo is a harry dude.

Anyway, hope you people who are thirsty may like this detail. Unless you already knew about. You folks will likely laugh at this post or find it confusing. But seriously, it's something I wanted to speak about. It's not a huge detail. Or maybe it is.

[gentil-minou]

Adrien's Lesson in Kuro Neko: Realizing Who He Really Is

Once again I am here with my nonsense to discuss how not only was Kuro Neko great for giving us insight into our heroes and their character, but it also allowed the characters themselves to learn something valuable about themselves.

In this ask about the episode I mentioned that Adrien's lesson was this:

Make Adrien see that he is more than his mask and that neither are him but that he is the sum of many parts and worth more than he thinks, a direct sequel to Lies and Desperada.

I talked about Marinette's lesson here, but in contrast Adrien's is a lesson many of us knew for a long time but that he never seemed to realize; that neither of the masks he wears are who he truly is. That much is obvious, but it also came a long way in challenging some of the cognitive distortions that have been plaguing him this entire season (and honestly probably since before we met him). We also learn here why Plagg is the best kwami for Adrien, because in addition to showing Adrien unconditional love he is also pretty much his therapist (and this comes from an actual therapist, he pulls a lot of therapy strategies and I will explain djkfhds)

I've mentioned before how in Desperada Adrien falsely internalized the idea that his only worth to Ladybug is as Chat Noir. Then in Lies, he reaffirms that idea in the artroom scene by splitting himself into separate persona, believing that one is more him than the other.

Maybe when I'm clowning around...I'm really me.

It seems almost like Adrien's depression has always been there but was held at bay, until a catalyst to set it off. Throughout Lies, we start to learn that Adrien doesn't even like himself as Adrien. In Truth, we hear this from Adrien after he and Ladybug defeat the akuma:

Truthfully, it's only with you that I have so much fun.

I mentioned in my Adrien has Clinical Depression theory but I forgot to elaborate but this is a huuuuge red flag for me as a clinician, because it implies that Adrien's one source of joy is his time with Ladybug. It's something we often see in depression: over-reliance on one person or one thing is not a good thing and it can often put a lot of strain on the relationship, because if that relationship goes sour it can have a drastic effect on the depressed individual and the other person.

Which brings us to where we start in Kuro Neko. He and Ladybug have been having major communication issues that unfortunately play on his worst fears. And that's part of the reason why he doesn't join the heroes when they're fighting. He has talked himself into believing that he's unneeded and unnecessary to the fight, that he is replaceable.

Putting the rest under a read more because this somehow became longer than my Mari post oops I guess I should have seen this coming.

It's almost like he's waiting for his worst fears to be confirmed, like he's readying himself for it. When I wrote about Marinette having Generalized Anxiety, I mentioned her having frequent cognitive distortions and we can see Adrien has been falling into thinking traps all season. In this episode alone I see mindreading (assuming LB doesn't need him), filtering (focusing on feeling left out as opposed to why more heroes might be helpful), personalization (thinking he's useless when they win without him), and probably more that I'm missing.

(This is why I can understand why Adrien stans feel he's being mistreated this season. They are deeply empathetic with Adrien's plight and feeling what he is feeling. Therefore, it makes sense that when Adrien is feeling excluded, his fans will feel anger on his behalf. That's a sign of good writing in my opinion, because you are supposed to feel what the characters feel, but I digress.)

This is also why he acts the way he does when he does meet up with Ladybug, asking if she's angry to get some sort of a reaction and for her to say something that reassures him how much he's needed (and she kind of has a right to be, given he's missed a few other battles and the one at the beginning of Ephemeral he never explained and he was definitely needed for that one). But Mari isn't a mindreader and Adrien is unfortunately talented at masking his emotions and true thoughts, so she isn't going to give him a favorable response.

So they have their argument, where their lines get crossed and Mari having no idea why he's been acting this way, and gives Plagg his ring. Because to him, all the cognitive distortions he's been dealing with have been confirmed in this moment and he makes a drastic decision because he has hit rock bottom.

This also plays with the fears he has around his father, where Garbage doesn't give him any time and treats him almost as an afterthought. That's why this is the first thing Adrien thinks of: because this is unfortunately what he's grown up learning. He doesn't realize what a healthy relationship looks like, because to him he only knows the twisted love his father shows where his love is conditional and relies on being useful. His worth is determined by how much others need him, and his distorted thinking traps have led him to the wrong conclusion that he is not needed.

Ladybug loves him, but since he only knows what it is like to be spoken to and never heard, he doesn't even really bother trying to explain how useless he feels. His father has just ingrained that sense of uselessness deep into Adrien, who's internalized it to the point where it's what he truly believes. Now he thinks he's useless as both Adrien and Chat Noir, and so he gives up.

Then we get to see my personal favorite part of the episode, a full blown depressive episode (no joke I squealed and started smiling like an idiot dskjfhds)

He removes all reminders, lies awake at night and stays in bed all day, lies about feeling alright and hides himself from others, sequesters himself in his room and avoids school (Adrien! Chooses! To Stay! In his room! And not go to school!), ignores the literal theme park in his room to play video games without actually enjoying himself. Just a mind-numbing activity that requires little brain power, just something to pass the time.

But luckily at that moment Plagg arrives, and I know that we have been praising Plagg for being the MVP of this episode but I don't think folks realize just how incredibly he was because he pretty much single-handedly brought Adrien out of his depressive episode. Take a look at how Adrien changes after Plagg comes back.

His expressions change in that scene alone, he changes his clothes and spends his night doing things and actually participating in the world. As I mentioned here, Adrien venturing out into the world was behavioral activation for him but Plagg effectively does the same thing here by encouraging Adrien to create and doing something new. This is more behavioral activation and that is so awesome to see here because as a therapist this is what I try to do everyday with my depressed clients and seeing this play out on screen is wonderful because now I can point at this scene and go "see~!" with my clients and ahhhh im so happy!!!!

Plagg says he tricked Ladybug into a plan for the Chat Noir but what he also did was effectively trick Adrien into getting out of his depressive slump by giving him something to do. Which is great because he's doing something!!!! He is actively pulling Adrien out of his depressive slump!!!!!! A million camembert for you Plagg, because who knows what might have happened without him.

(Seriously the kwami even uses reflective listening and legit therapeutic techniques I can't believe I have to say this but I think Plagg is one of the best representations of therapists I've seen in any media dfhjdsjkf)

Plagg gives him back his hope. For an optimist like Adrien, that's what he needed most.

And Plagg also knows that the one person Adrien is NOT is that perfect, serious model boy his father thinks he is, and that's what he tells Adrien to act like.

What he's also doing is encouraging Adrien to challenge his distorted thoughts by literally putting them to the text: If I act like someone I am absolutely not, I will finally be useful to Ladybug. It's myself that's the problem. So I will prove it.

But as we and Adrien both learn, that is absolutely not the truth.

And when Adrien acts like someone he's not, it's all wrong. He and Mari's partnership is all disjointed, yes, but it also doesn't feel right to him. And it's because of all the times we've seen him, this is where he puts on the biggest act of them all. He's acting like who he thinks his father and what his distorted thoughts tell him his lady wants (though she proves to him by the end that Cat Walker isn't at all what she wants.)

He does everything perfectly, the way he thinks the perfect hero in Ladybug's mind would want him to be, and he gets proven wrong. Similarly, when I work with clients on challenging their distorted thoughts we look for evidence that proves or disproves it (and most of the time, there is always enough evidence to disprove). That's what happens here for Adrien; he gets evidence that Ladybug doesn't want the perfect hero, she just wants him.

Actually, the best way he saved the day was by doing something Adrien would have done. He returned the child's kitty. The perfect hero Cat Walker would have waited for Ladybug's order, she wouldn't want him to run off. He wouldn't have acted on his own. But Adrien, both in and out of the mask, has shown again and again that above all he is compassionate and he does what he knows he needs to and reunites the kid with their kitty.

He's also able to help Ladybug when she spirals, something that Chat Noir is the best person on the job for. (Allow me to plug my Puppeteer 2 agenda here sdkjfhds). That scene where he's backdropped by the moon is another one that is more Adrien than Cat Walker, if you look at the smile he's showing that is not at all like the professional smile he showed earlier. It's the compassionate one that he shows as Adrien and Chat Noir, and that is why Marinette blushes. Here he's dropped the ruse, for a moment letting his real self shine.

(I do have some qualms about some of the dialogue here but I am saving my judgement of that for when the french dub comes out)

And of course we have the lesson Adrien has been working to build all season, said by the number one therapist Plagg (Portuguese to English translation):

Adrien: Your grand plan didn't directly work, Plagg

Plagg: Are you kidding? It was even better than I'd planned! See you later, serious cat. Finally, we'll get to be the cool cat again!

Adrien: And what if I can't? What if I can't go back to being the old Chat Noir?

Every word there was meaningful. Plagg was right all along: Adrien isn't the serious cat, and he needs to stop those distorted thoughts from telling him that. His compassion was what saved Ladybug and that little kid, not his ability to follow protocols or directions. It's the cool cat he's always been.

And Adrien is of course a little scared and nervous about it, but Plagg reassures him with the most important lines of all.

Plagg: Relax! Be yourself, and he'll be back in two cat jumps!

Adrien: But, does that mean that Chat Noir is my true self? Deep down?

Plagg: You are not Chat Noir! But you're also not Adrien! You are both of them! You are the perfect and successful son in everything you do, but you are also Chat Noir who wants to live your life and have fun! One doesn't exist without the other! I'm glad to have you both back!

Again, I have some issues with the exact wording but the message here is clear. At the end of the day, Adrien is Adrien, in and out of the mask. Despite what his worries might say, he is not useless at all. And it doesn't matter what type of mask he puts up front, it's the person that's at the center of it all. He is both, and after all this time I think Adrien has finally learned to see that too.

The very last scene mirrors the one in Hack-san because once again, Adrien is being vulnerable. But he's still showing one more cognitive distortion (minimization) where he is focusing on what he is doing wrong instead of what he needs from Ladybug, but at least she's learned this time how he's been feeling. There's still some tension at the end, which tells me that there might be some more that needs to be resolved between them. But at the very least, Adrien is beginning to finally see his true worth, not just as Chat Noir, but as himself.

[jamespotterthefirst]

Umbrella (Ethan x MC)

Book: Open Heart, Book 1 Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Lilac Allende) Word count: 800 Rating/Warning: T/Slight Language  Prompt: #96. “I brought you an umbrella.”

Premise: Dr. Ramsey always looked as though he was trying very hard to ignore her. It turns out, he pays more attention than she knows. 

A/N: Thank you, anon! Sorry it took so long! This takes place pre-PITA/ Miami. 

“You should go.”

“I can stay.”

“Your shift ended hours ago. Don't set yourself up to become a hopeless workaholic.”

Lilac snorts.

“You're one to talk. When was the last time you worked your regular hours without going over, Dr. Ramsey?”

Ethan summons an impassive mask. Inwardly, he's impressed with her unparalleled wit and silver tongue. The corner of his mouth twitches in amusement. Despite all of this, he crosses his arms, fixing her with a chastising look.

“I'm serious. Go home and get some rest. I can handle it from here.”

Her own amusement flickers off at once,  like the flame of a candle. At once, she regards the sleeping form on the hospital bed. Naveen, looking small and frail, breathes peacefully in his sleep. Ethan follows her gaze, feeling the same horrible stab that has become customary every time he sees his dying mentor.

“I'll watch over him,” Ethan assures her.

“I know,” Lilac returns quietly, unable to look away from the older doctor. “I just hate leaving him like this.”

In the subsequent silence, Lilac releases a quiet, steadying breath, mindful to keep it from his notice. Ethan did notice, his senses hyper aware of her in the small room. Everything about the brilliant, caring intern beside him captures his attention so determinedly, even in her absence.

As though sensing his gaze, she slowly turns to face him, green eyes locking with his. Their effect on him makes itself known in the dip of his stomach. Heat blooms up his neck, settling at the tops of his ears. His pulse quickens, becoming an irritating thundering beat against his hearing.

Lilac bites her lower lip, her brow furrowing in thought. With a brief flash of panic, he wonders if she somehow knows what he’s thinking.

Her.

More often than not, he’s thinking of her.

Luckily for him, their attention is stolen away by the patter of rain against the window, growing fiercer and more insistent by the second.

“Shoot. I forgot it was going to rain,” Lilac comments.

“I'll drive you.”

She shakes her head at once, giving him a reassuring smile. “Thank you, Doctor, but I'll be fine. I’m only ten minutes on the T.”

Ethan knows better than to argue against her. “Still, it’s pouring out there,” he says as he glances out the window. “Stop by my office on your way out.”

This makes her pause, the skeptical look on her face entirely too endearing.  “I’m almost scared to ask why.”

“I brought you an umbrella.”

Lilac blinks.

Then blinks again.

“You said you have a bad habit of not checking the weather before you leave every morning,” he explains. “You rarely know when it’s going to rain and always forget to bring one.”

Ethan’s proclamation seems to stun her even more. After several, agonizing seconds of silence, he begins to wonder if he was wrong in saying anything. Then, with a start, she seems to recover.

“You remember that?”

“I do.”

“I said that to Bryce months ago in the staff lounge,” she continues. “You were getting your coffee, looking like we were annoying the hell out of you.”

“You were.”

This much was true. The suave way the surgeon had leaned against the refrigerator, his muscular arms crossed across his chest for Lilac to notice had grated on Ethan’s nerves. The charming smile Lahela shot her as he taunted her had made Ethan grip his mug with so much force, he had been surprised it hadn’t shattered. Back then, he had attributed his irritation to the fact that his coffee machine had been broken.

“Anyway, it’s on my desk.”

Lilac considers him for a moment, her lush bottom lip caught by her teeth in that maddening way. She seems to decide something as a devious, coquettish smile illuminates her face.

“You’re being nice.”

“What?”

“You’re a kind, considerate boss despite the ‘fuck off’ demeanor you give all the interns.”

“I am not–”

“Too late. You’ve revealed your true colors, Doctor Ramsey. The whole hospital will know by tomorrow morning.”

Ethan rolls his eyes and she laughs at the reaction.

“I just don’t want my top intern to willfully die of pneumonia. We are far too short-staffed as it is.”

An impressive eye roll paired with a winsome, amused smile is the last thing Ethan sees as she heads for the door. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Ethan watches her go, allowing the repressed smile to finally break through. It lingers long after she is gone.

“A rare Ethan Ramsey smile,” a weak voice comments from behind him. “Maybe miracles do exist after all.”

Ethan schools his features back to his default impassive expression as he turns to face his mentor. Naveen’s eyes are half open, as though his lids are far too heavy to open all the way. They still manage to shoot Ethan a knowing look.

“That Doctor Allende is a delight, isn’t she?” the older doctor asks in a casual tone.

“I can’t imagine what you mean,” Ethan returns dryly.

“I haven’t seen you smile like that in weeks.”

[wolferine]

Heart Skips a Beat - Part 2

Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Summary: Natasha faces her worst nightmare when a rescue mission goes wrong…

Warnings: Violence, blood

Word Count: 1837

Part 1

Tags: @blkmxrvel @blackxwidowsxwife @marvelwomen-simp

When Natasha sees your eyes close, she finally comes back to her senses. She squirms away from Steve, crawling under an ambulance and making her way towards you. She ignores Steve telling her to stay put and doesn’t hear Clint telling police officers the direction the bullets came from. All she can think about is bringing you to safety.

The ambulance engine is still running, causing its underside to reach temperatures that make Natasha feel like she is hiding in a furnace. She holds her breath from the fumes as she crawls to the front of the vehicle, throwing her arm out and reaching for your hand.

“Y/N!” she screams. “I’m right here! Hold on!” Her fingertips brush yours and she grabs onto your wrist tightly. You’re bigger and heavier than her, but the adrenaline gives her strength. With a massive heave, she drags you under the ambulance. You smear through the puddle of your own blood and it soaks through the back of your shirt. 

There isn’t even enough room for her to lift her head, but she grabs onto both your arms, digging her elbows into the ground and crawling backwards. “I got you, Y/N. I got you,” she pants. But the lack of space and your deadweight make it impossible for her to pull you all the way through, so she backs out from under the ambulance. “Steve, help me!” she shouts.

“Move!” Steve says to her, although his shoulders are too broad to fit in the narrow gap. However, his arms are long enough to reach both of your hands, and all it takes is one big tug for you to come sliding out from the ambulance. 

Your eyes fly open suddenly, awakened by the agonizing pain coursing through your shoulder like a lightning bolt. You scream, and as much as it makes Natasha’s heart hurt, she’s glad to see that you’re still alive. 

“You guys need to get out of here right now!” Clint yells. “Take the ambulance!”

Steve pulls you into a standing position and wraps his arms around your waist, lifting you onto his shoulders effortlessly. You flop over him like a ragdoll, pain pulsing in your stomach when you bump against his chest.

BOOM.

A bullet shatters the sideview mirror of the ambulance.

“Go, go!” Natasha urges, putting herself between the danger and you and Steve. Steve runs with you to the back of the ambulance and flings the door open. There is no gurney, so Natasha helps him lay you on the floor and climbs in after you.

“Stay with Y/N. I’ll drive,” Steve offers, going around to the front. “Clint, we’re taking Y/N to the Quinjet! Hold the scene down!”

“Copy that!” Clint is just as concerned for your safety, but he knows you’re in good hands. Steve jumps into the driver’s seat and throws the ambulance in reverse.

BOOM.

The windshield explodes.

“Let’s go!” Natasha screams, ducking her head.

“Hold on!” Steve backs into a sharp U-turn. The tires screech as they find traction on the road to accelerate forward.

Natasha practically lays on top of you to prevent you from rolling around. From a shelf, she grabs a handful of gauze packets, tearing them open with her teeth. She rips your shirt open and presses the gauze first to your shoulder, then another to the side of your stomach. You’re completely soaked in blood and it continues to pump out of you with each heartbeat. Your face has faded to a sickly pale. 

“N-Nat,” you whisper, trying to move but pinned down by the pain. “N-Nat—”

“Shh, it’s okay,” she comforts. “Just keep your eyes open for me, okay?”

You see the blood smeared on her face, her neck, and her hands, too delirious to remember that it’s yours. “A-Are you h-hurt?” you stammer.

Natasha wants to laugh and cry at the same time. You’re so in love with her that even in the face of death you don’t even think about yourself. “No, I’m fine,” she says, grabbing onto your hand and interlocking your fingers. She looks over at Steve, veering through parked cars and roadblocks. “Can we hurry it up a little?” she asks in panic, even though she knows he’s driving as fast as he can.

“I’m trying!” Steve swerves around a fire hydrant and the sudden movement jolts everyone in the ambulance. Natasha presses down on you too hard and you grunt in pain.

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “We’re almost there. We’re almost there.”

Your vision fades into fuzzy shapes and blurred colors. Even breathing seems to be too much of a task for you. Steve parks behind the Quinjet and comes around to help carry you in.

“Do you need me to go with you?” Steve asks as he lays you across the back seats of the Quinjet.

“No.” Natasha shakes her head. “Stay and help Barton.”

Steve doesn’t even try to argue. “We’ll find who did this, Nat. I promise.” He goes to the controls at the front and presses a few buttons. “The coordinates for the Tower are set. You’ll autopilot all the way there. Just make sure to update the medical team on Y/N’s condition.”

“Thanks, Steve.”

“Everything will be okay.” He places his hand on Natasha’s shoulder for a moment before jogging back to the ambulance. As soon as he’s off the Quinjet, the door raises shut and the engines blast on. You’re several states away from New York, but at the speeds the plane can travel, you should be there in minutes. You just have to hang on until then.

Natasha leaves your side only to grab more gauze, pressing it against your bullet wounds to slow the bleeding. She rolls you to your side so there’s no pressure on your front or back, but grimaces when she sees that your back looks as bad as your front.

“N-Nat,” you try whispering again, but she is quick to shush you.

“Not now, okay? Just stay awake for me, Y/N.”

You’ve never felt so weak before. It feels like you were hit by a bus and ground up by its tires. Your mind processes in slow-motion—probably a side effect of the blood loss—and you already forgot how you got into the Quinjet. But the physical pain isn’t your greatest concern anymore. You just don’t want to lose your fight and leave her.

Natasha fits an oxygen mask around your face and the cool air is comforting, but you know your time is ticking away. You don’t notice the Quinjet hiss to a landing or acknowledge the team of doctors suddenly hovering over you.

“We’ll do the surgery in room six!”

“Prep a blood transfusion!”

“Two gunshot wounds from a large-caliber gun!”

The doctors move you to a gurney and wheel you off the Quinjet. Natasha holds onto your hand as they take you to the surgery room, but a doctor stops her from entering with you.

“No, Romanoff. You gotta stay out here. We’ll take it from here.”

Natasha doesn’t fight back, letting your fingers slip through hers as you disappear behind the doors.

***********************************************************************

“Any updates?” Clint and Steve finally arrive a few hours later, but you’re still in surgery.

“Not yet.” Natasha paces the kitchen anxiously. Although she found the time to wash your blood off her hands and face, she hasn’t changed out of her uniform yet.

“Nat, you should get cleaned up. Y/N isn’t going anywhere,” Clint says.

“I know, I just…I want to be there when—” She can’t finish her sentence, falling into Clint’s arms and crying into his shoulder.

“Y/N is a fighter, remember?” Clint says, rubbing her back.

“But the amount of blood—”

“Super soldiers don’t go down easy,” Steve reminds her. “Y/N will pull through. And besides, you’ll be there to help with the recovery.”

Natasha nods, pulling away from Clint and wiping her face. “I’m sorry I froze when I saw Y/N get shot—”

“What are you apologizing for?” Clint asks.

“I don’t know—I put you all in danger because I couldn’t get myself out of the way—” she hiccups. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Steve assures. “In fact, you were the one who dragged Y/N to safety, remember? I couldn’t fit under the ambulance and Clint was just sitting around like a duck—”

“Excuse you,” Clint interrupts, and Natasha smiles thinly.  

“So, did you find who did this?” she asks.

“Uh—” Clint and Steve look at each other awkwardly. “Natasha, we—”

“Did you find them?” Natasha repeats with more force. Clint motions for Steve to explain.

“That’s the thing,” Steve says. “We don’t know who did this. We scoped out the whole area with the police. We went out more than a mile, but we couldn’t find anything. No shell casings, nothing.”

“Oh, so you’re telling me a ghost shot and tried to kill Y/N?” Natasha scoffs.

“No, we…” Steve tries to find the right words. “We think it was a setup, maybe like a hired assassin or something.”

“Who would want to kill Y/N?” Natasha asks.

“That’s what we need to figure out.”

Natasha knows you have a lot of baggage from your past, particularly when you were forced into illegal covert operations by the government. But it’s been a long time since then. You became your own person and changed your life for the better. Unfortunately, not everyone sees the side of you that Natasha and the Avengers do.

When Clint and Steve leave to shower and change, Natasha finally does the same. She dresses in clean clothes and curls up on your shared bed, inhaling your scent through the pillow and blankets.

Sometime later, Clint visits and knocks on the door. “Hey, Nat? Y/N just got out of surgery—” He doesn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence and is almost run over by Natasha as she hurries over to the medical bay. She doesn’t know which specific room they’re keeping you in, but it’s like she’s drawn to your very presence and finds the correct one instantly.

You lie upright in the bed, propped forward with pillows so there’s less pressure on your back. Your right arm is in a sling and your entire torso is wrapped in bandages. An IV drip leads into the veins on your hand, while a blood pouch sends blood into the vein inside of your elbow. You have an oxygen tube up your nose and looped around your ears.

“I heard the doctor went a little overboard on the anesthesia,” Clint says from behind Natasha, startling her. “You know, with the super soldier serum and everything. Y/N will probably be out of it for a while.” Natasha walks to your side and kneels, gently taking your hand. Your skin is clammy and colder than normal, but your pulse beats strongly.

“I’ll be here as long as it takes.” Natasha raises your hand, mindful of the wires around your wrist, and kisses your fingers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Click here for Part 3!

AN: Thanks for the amazing support from everyone! Definitely didn’t think I’d get that kind of response, but I’m extremely grateful for you all. The next part will reveal the identity of the shooter, so I hope you’ll stick around for that. :) Peace out!

[arielxlazarus]

I almost forgot about that fanfic appreciation week, but I wanted to at least do something for it! So here's a rec list for some of my favorite fics in the one piece fandom!

This list is not at all exhaustive btw (there's still loads of other fics in the fandom that I love), so please don't feel bad if you weren't included! Also if anyone wants more recommendations from me, you can check out my bookmarks on my ao3!

Who Knows (what could happen) by Chromi

Rating: T

Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: For as long as he could remember, he had wanted to set out to sea as an adventurer. His father, unfortunately, dictated that he was to follow the family tradition and become a doctor instead.

Following a lifetime of hurt and sorrow at the hands of his family, he eventually breaks free and takes to the sea alone - determined to keep it that way. Fate has other ideas in store for him; fate crosses his path with Portgas D. Ace's, a brand new pirate.

And what does he hate more than pirates?

Nothing.

Or: from Sixis to the Moby Dick - the lives of the Spade pirates.

First Time by Chromi

Rating: E

Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: "Because it is Ace, and it will only ever be Ace, that he wants to see like this, and he wants to be responsible for unravelling him down to his core and loving him to his very center."

In which Ace and Deuce go all the way for the first time.

@chromiwrites

Seabound by AnkhPosts

Rating: T

Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Ace is a selkie, making one of his periodic stops on land to catch a breather and get some ridiculously tasty human food, maybe see some sights if there are any. His pelt is safely hidden, he'll stay a day or two at most and be on his way.

Deuce is a mer, alone on the sea and traveling as he pleases for the first time in his life, and while he might not be terribly interested in actually interacting with humans it's hard not to see them as fascinating.

Ace meets Deuce. Deuce meets Ace. Neither knows the other isn't human.

@ankhposts

Death is only the beginning by Chizyk

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: “Ankhreshet?” he whipped his head round at the sound of a raspy voice so fast he almost got whiplash. He could feel his body going completely cold as he saw the mummy’s empty eye sockets staring right at him.

@chizyk

I'm Still Here (part of a series) by theprodigypenguin

Rating: M

Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace (also Izou/Sabo later in the series)

Summary: "When I do die, don't bother burying me in that empty grave. Put my body in a boat and set me out to sea. Let me sleep eternal on the ocean that my father loved so much; because before everything else in this world, I am a child of the sea, and when I die, I want to return to it. Put me in a boat and set it aflame so I can go down in the same fire I lived."

Forget-Me-Not Fall by theprodigypenguin

Rating: M

Pairing: Izou/Sabo

Summary: “Most of the nobles I’ve met tonight look meticulously put together. They look like they were built to portray a certain image paralleled a hundred times over. People who were copied and pasted. Flawless clothes, flawless faces, flawless makeup, flawless hair.”

“Not me though,” Sabo stated, and Izou hummed.

“It’s comforting.”

“Huh?”

Izou met Sabo’s eye. “Everyone else in this place hides their worst attributes with a mask they modified to fit their faces. They don’t seem to comprehend that those perfect masks only make their worst characteristics more pronounced and defined.” His expression was terribly gentle as his eyes wandered across Sabo’s face. “It’s comforting to be approached by someone not trying to be something else.”

Sabo tilted his head. “How do you know I’m not manipulating you like some common Goa aristocrat?”

Izou smiled. “There are a few reasons.”

@theprodigypenguin

A Light To Guide You Home by TheSkyIsMyHome

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: In a world that despises mutants, Ace lives purely to protect his little brother.

Until the flames inside him find their perfect match and opposite, and he doesn't know what to feel anymore.

The Phoenix's Mate by TheSkyIsMyHome

Rating: E

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Marco is a handsome man. Ace really can't be blamed for being attracted to him. Nobody minds, either.

But Marco isn't always a man. Ace still loves him regardless, and his sexual urges are catching up to that fact.

Marco indulges him, but he might just find himself enjoying it more than he thought he would.

@evvazi

ASL in Red (series) by Kereea

Rating: G-T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law (both asexual), Koala/Sabo, Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired Shanks/Benn Beckman, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante/Aokiji | Kuzan, Roronoa Zoro/Sanji, and several other minor ones

Summary: In an alternate universe, forces conspired to put Ace, Sabo, and Luffy in the care of the Red Hair pirates as children.

The Grand Line would never know what hit it.

Mates (part of a series) by Deubatty

Rating: E

Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Deuce just wanted to go searching for plants! A nice walk in the woods. Except, he ends up becoming the mate to a very persistent naga

His First Mate The Mermaid (part of a series) by Deubatty

Rating: T

Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Instead of finding another person on Sixis, Ace finds a mermaid

@masked-writer

Being Human by MaiKusakabe

Rating: E (no smut)

Pairing: None (heavy focus on the platonic relationships between Marco, Whitebeard, and the rest of the crew as they form)

Summary: The line that differentiates human from object appears to be clear, but sometimes it blurs to the point where it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins.

The Unknown Devil by MaiKusakabe

Rating: E

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Ace hadn’t expected his last week of imprisonment before his execution to be any different from all the years preceding it. Then again, he hadn’t expected to have Marco the Phoenix as a cellmate for that week, or that Marco’s presence would shake his bleak world so much.

Ripple Effect by MaiKusakabe

Rating: E

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: After the incident with Shanks, Garp didn't take Luffy to Dadan's, unaware of how much that would change the life of his other grandson.

@maisstories

To Build a Home by endlessblankpages

Rating: G

Pairing: None (heavy focus on the platonic relationships between the ASL bros and the Whitebeard Pirates)

Summary: The ASL pirates are used to being accused of crimes they didn't commit. But when they're accused of destroying a small village in the New World, it sends them hurtling toward a deadly confrontation with the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard. The results are not what they were expecting.

Persistence & The Impossible (part of a series) by dragonsfall

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: In order to keep himself from losing his job, Ace takes on an impossible story. Get an interview with the ever-elusive Phoenix. Guess he might as well kiss his job goodbye.

Self Discovery (part of a series) by dragonsfall

Rating: E

Pairing: Izou/Sabo (sort of, it's technically masturbation)

Summary: Sabo has been waiting for a day like this for a while but it doesn’t go quite how he planned it.

@clockworkpanic

A Breach of Intention by Depths

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: It was unspoken, but some pirate crews and mermaids had an unspoken solidarity. Pirates throw their enemies overboard, and the merfolk will take care of them.

mer!ace au

@leviathiane

Running on All Sixes by lunarshores

Rating: E

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace, minor Izou/Thatch

Summary: The Whitebeard gang might be one of the most influential in the city, but to Marco they're just his family. Though he sometimes wishes they'd just leave him alone, especially when Izo's playing matchmaker, and Ace is his usual oblivious self. When a brother betrays them, they'll have to fight to show why no one ever messes with their family.

nothing is impossible with you by lunarshores

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Five times Ace and Marco accidentally mixed their flames on accident and one time that was entirely on purpose.

@lunarshores

I Want You to Look at Me by shockandlock

Rating: E

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: One night, Marco is missing from dinner, so Ace decides to bring dinner to him. He's surprised to see Marco wearing glasses and now he can't stop thinking about the way he looks. Now with additional chapter(s) including more miscellaneous MarcoAce PWP!

To My Dear Fire (part of a series) by shockandlock

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Living in the city is a new thing for Ace. After being raised near a cozy coastal mountain town through his childhood, it's definitely a change of pace, but it doesn't help when he loses his new job after an unfortunate encounter with actor Marco Newgate. He just wants to live-- and meet his long time pen pal, Phoenix.

Marco knows that being an actor is hard, so he takes the little things when he can: writing his pen pal (and honestly one of his best friends) Fire Fist, flirting with the cute new waiter at his favorite café-- not that he has a chance after a disaster on social media. But maybe fate really does give him a second chance when Ace shows up at Four Emperor Studios...

@shockandlock

Uncharted Territory by silverwolf_fox

Rating: E

Pairing: Masked Deuce/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: This was by far one of Ace's most ridiculous ideas.

When Deuce keeps getting flustered everytime he tries to dominate Ace, they created an opportunity where he didn't have to be afraid of messing up.

Now he's free to do and try whatever he wants...

...so long as Ace doesn't wake up.

Watching the Sunrise (part of a series) by silverwolf_fox

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Many years have passed since Rouge gave up her life for her son’s...except she didn’t die, but she thinks Ace did. Living her life on Baterilla, she’s mourned each and every day until the morning she receives his bounty poster. She sets off immediately to find him, but finds their meeting isn’t as easy as she’d imagined.

@the-devil-fruit-tree

never shall i forget, how you climbed out of a dream by siojo

Rating: T

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: “Kaido,” Ace smirks, flames burning around his feet as he shifts in preparation for Kaido’s next attack, already trying to decide what he’s going to do in response. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? You’ve seemed to have been enjoying yourself here.”

“I thought you would be smarter than this, Portgas. You’ve never tried to fight another Yonko before, your bounty won’t matter much when you lose.”

Ace barks a laugh, his teeth bared in a facsimile of a grin, “You must have missed out on the brawl I had with Big Mom after she sent two of her daughters and a son for me to consider marrying. This is a bit more personal than that.”

@wordsdrippinginink

Reborn in Fire by aerle

Rating: M

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Fireman Marco has earned the nickname 'the Phoenix' by saving numerous people from a certain death. After an accident however, he has to relearn to walk and gets a new job as arson inspector at a different fire station. There he gets confronted with a boy from his past, now all grown up and gorgeous.

Three's a Crowd, Four's a Double Date by aerle

Rating: M

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace (main), Izou/Thatch (secondary)

Summary: "We're not dating," Marco said definitively. "That we're sharing a bed tonight is a total coincidence."

@aerle

Universal Dive by EmpressKira

Rating: M

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Ace had been making his way through the city to go to one of his favorite cafes. Well, that was until this hole ripped in the sky and some pirate fell out with the flaming bird guy following. Getting targeted, he is dragged into a different world with pirates and everything defying the reality he is used to. Will he make it home? Will he go back when the time comes?

@empresskira

Blue moon (series) by de_Winter

Rating: T-M

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Urban fantasy AU, werewolf Marco and witch Ace

Red Velvet by de_Winter

Rating: E

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: Ace already knew their routine by heart, just from observing them for a couple of mornings when he had early delivery, and from Izou’s daily long winded—and probably sexually frustrated—rants. Big Blond would come out of the bakery wearing a shirt too tight for him and too thin for the weather as soon as he was done setting up the tables inside the storefront, holding a take out cup and a small box in his big hands. They looked really, pleasantly big from where Ace was standing, and he honestly wished he wasn't standing that far away.

@dee-de-winter

We'll Look Back and Laugh at Ourselves by JuHuaTai

Rating: M

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace, minor Gol D. Roger/Portgas D. Rouge

Summary: Between his new boyfriend and his workaholic boss, Marco felt like he was surrounded by family issues of the father and son dispute variety. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Or maybe he should've listened to the office gossip more. Maybe then he'd figure it out sooner.

Gratitude of the Phoenix (part of a series) by JuHuaTai

Rating: M

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: [Based on 'The Crane Wife' Folklore]

One day, he saved a bird from freezing to death in a trap. Then, a stranger saved him from suffering the same fate, and a request to stay for one night turned into having someone to fill the void left in the small cottage and in his heart ever since his brothers left.

These two incident doesn’t seem to be related to one another, but they both changed Ace’s life in ways he could never have imagined.

Watashitachi wa Roger kaizoku desu (we still stand proud) by stereden

Rating: T

Pairing: None (heavy focus on Buggy, Shanks, and Crocus)

Summary: The Roger Pirates disappeared after their Captain's death, and were happy enough to let the Marines forget about them.

Until the Marines decide to execute their Captain's son, that is.

@stereden

This Bites! by Xomniac

Rating: M

Pairing: None (heavy focus on a main character oc and the strawhat pirates)

Summary: Sea Kings, sea-sickness, sunburns, a 95% genocidal Navy and more than a million and one other assorted ways to die. It's official: Being inserted into an anime sucks ass... Buuut I guess it could be worse. I mean, look on the bright side: At least I'm sailing with the future king of the pirates.

A Fortune that Never Grows Old by imperialmint

Rating: E

Pairing: Marco the Phoenix/Portgas D. Ace

Summary: It's one thing to get butterflies in your stomach when you seen an attractive person but it's another thing entirely for Marco to want to stomp out a courtship ritual and lay foundations for a nest when he meets the navy's new (hot) secret weapon.

@imperialmint

Most of the authors on this list have many other excellent one piece fics I'd definitely suggest checking out! Enjoy your reading and try to show them all some love if you can!

[nemeseos-noctua]

Hi! Could i request hcs for Diluc and Xiao with a reader who is shy? Thank you!

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: xiao, diluc (separate) x gn!reader

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: a few swears in diluc’s! (it’s like one or two)

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒: this is actually my first tumblr post.... ive been super busy with school, sports, and other stuff. sorry! ill try to write more in the future! (constellations has been doing everything so far since i still dont know how tumblr works lol)

also, these are stupid long... and for what.

adventuring was a lot for you to process

okay, so maybe having your own Benny’s Adventure Team was not great while traveling through Dragonspine and Liyue

too many of everything

you ended up getting really beat up.

after passing through Mingyun Village, you could see Wangshu Inn and decided to stay there until you were healed up

you always found comfort in the night sky, so you went out there every day

It was your fifth night staying at the inn before you saw a short male standing on the balcony where you would usually be. Strange. You’d never seen anyone like that before.

You seemed to have caught him off guard when you started to approach him since he jumped a little. 

Taking a closer look at his face, you studied it a bit. He had golden eyes and dark teal hair that seemed to frame his face perfectly, accompanied by lighter streaks of the same colour.

Pretty... you thought, completely entranced by this strange man (boy?). 

“Ah, sorry. I’m probably disturbing you... I’ll go now...” 

He blinked. 

god he’s in love

not even romantic love but he loved you like the past adepti

xiao would see so many couples over the years that he’s been at the inn and absolutely hated them, but this?? 

okay it’s a different type of love but damn it felt nice

You started to turn and walk back to your room before hearing his voice.

“Stay.” 

STAY??? WE MOVING KINDA FAST BUT ALRIGHT PRETTY BOY !! 

On the outside, you were cooler than a cucumber. The inside? Chaos. Millions of thoughts raced throughout that little head of yours. 

“Only if you’re fine with it...”

Turning back around, you took a few steps forward before noticing that he wore a lot of accessories on him. One of them being a mask that resembled one of the Vigilant Yaksha’s in that one book you read as a kid. Probably just a fan or something.

You reached the balcony, taking a spot next to him while also keeping some space between the two of you. Leaning on the balustrade (the railing of a balcony), you rested your head on top of your arms.

A comfortable silence was placed in the middle of the two. A silent breeze blew, adding to the mellow mood. 

“What brings you here?” the pretty stranger suddenly inquired, gaining a small jolt from your serene state. “Did I scare you? My apologies.”

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing...” You lifted your head to look out at the lands of Dihua Marsh. Seeing Dragonspine in the distance gave you a chill. Those were not the greatest memories. The small movement didn’t go unnoticed by the boy.

“You’re an adventurer?”

“Oh... yeah, I am... I’m not that experienced yet, though...” 

for SOME REASON... this man felt even more inclined to protect you

you still had a fair amount of bandages wrapped around your limbs, so it was clear that you were injured

GOD IF HE COULD JUST HUG YOU RIGHT THERE AND THEN

but he did not.

he has restraint.

he is a good boy.

“I met a traveler that wasn’t very experienced either.” This fact shocked you. So he has been here for a while... but why hadn’t you seen him before? Does he just... disappear into thin air..?

the answer is yes

he does indeed do that

but that’s besides the point.

“Oh... that’s nice...” 

It was getting late. The moon was starting to lower back down and the lids of your eyes were getting heavier and heavier by the minute. You let out a yawn, but it was muffled by your head being buried in your arms once again.

“You should go get some rest.” You hummed. 

Then, a thought popped into your head.

“If you don’t mind me asking... what’s your name?” 

Even though you weren’t facing him, you could feel his piercing gaze on you. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all, but gave you a feeling of protection.

“Xiao.” You mouthed his name to yourself silently. It was nice.

“Goodnight, Xiao. I hope that we can do this again soon.”

“Goodnight to you...”

“(Y/N).”

“...(Y/N).”

you were a cryo catalyst that tried to fight against some cryo slimes alone

hint: that was a bad idea

my favourite elemental reaction was immune!

literally... you couldn’t even do anything to them

and you were getting beat up. 

badly.

for plot convenience you were at the lake next to Dawn Winery

“Shit...” 

At this point, you’d been fending these slimes off for around a quarter of an hour now and you were getting tired now.

Your dumbass tried to drown them in the lake but forgot that they immediately froze any moisture underneath them. You tried attacking them but everything you could do was inflict the freeze effect (against CRYO slimes). 

You literally could not do anything. Time to get frozen to death!

“Burn!”

WHAT???

Suddenly, a big fire bird swept up the slimes that had been occupying you for the last 20 minutes or so, effectively taking them out. 

At this point, the only thing that kept you standing was your adrenaline, which quickly ran out as you dropped to the ground in exhaustion. You let out a sigh, finally free from those damned slimes. You will have your revenge one day... just not today.

While you were resting on the ground, your saviour had been standing there, watching you calm down. And so you looked up to be greeted by probing crimson orbs, which definitely startled you.

Your saviour was.... Master Diluc. Master Diluc Ragnvindr, wealthiest man in Mondstadt. Him. In front of you. 

“OH! I, um, Master Diluc! What brings you here?” 

‘WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE??’ HE LIVES HERE THOUGH?? 

“I was taking a stroll around the winery and happened to see you in your own predicament.”

You attempted to stand up, though your legs failed you as you only flopped back onto the dirt. 

diluc doesn’t wanna admit it but that was unbelievably stupid, cute, and endearing

okay and what if this emo boy doesn’t like people

he still has feelings too >:(

“I’ll stay here with you so you won’t get attacked again. So relax.”

Mans was telling you to “relax” while you were in the presence of a literal typhoon here. He was so brooding and scary-looking all the time that you couldn’t even try to relax.

A few minutes pass and the sound of water rushing was the only thing keeping you two company. 

It was nice to enjoy nature, but the tension between the two of you was still higher than ever.

To break this silence, you had tried to stir up some small talk.

“The weather is nice today, huh...”

He grunted, which seemed to be a regular response of his. You started to notice this after a few questions like “how’s your day been” or “have any plans today?”

Not that you were genuinely interested. You bet that he could tell that you were trying to make it less awkward by responding at all, but it just didn’t help at all.

You were probably sitting for a good 10 minutes before deciding to stand up again, in which you were successful. But could you walk back to the city?

That was debatable.

You definitely felt and looked unstable, so being the gentleman he was raised to be, Diluc reluctantly bent down and slung your shoulder over his.

The height difference between the two of you was pretty big, so he ended up just carrying you to his place. As goofy as it looked, it got the job done.

― riri ✨

[codename-adler]

Death of Heroes

Because not even Neil can outrun the ephemerality of men.

Renee is the first one to go. 

Nearing sixty but never reaching it, she is outlived by Abby and Wymack. At least Stephanie Walker is waiting for her at the gates of Heaven, but for the rest of her Foxes, the loss is heavy.

It’s cancer. Leukemia.

It started with the bruises from her sparring matches with Andrew not healing very well. Then not at all. After decades of maintaining these monthly meetings, of keeping her body healthy, Renee finally has to give it up. She knows something is wrong, and she knows that these sessions won’t be of any help, now.

Then the extreme fatigue starts. Still, Renee doesn’t do a thing about it. Or at least, she lets life go its own course. She looses weight, which she already doesn’t have much of. But then the nosebleeds begin, and it’s no use telling Allison to stop worrying. The diagnosis is unsurprising, yet still shattering. And it’s not a good prognosis either, but it’s still not bad enough for the doctor to give up the Five-Year survival plan.

Renee has to speak up. Ally, I don’t want to do this. She has to put her foot down. Allison, my love, it’ll be okay. I won’t get better, you and I both know that. But it can be okay. It can still be good.

Renee doesn’t get treatment. Renee doesn’t tell anybody, except Andrew. Because Andrew knows, somehow, that she made a terrible, irreversible choice. Because Andrew only deals in truths. Because Andrew is Andrew, and just as he needed her all those years ago, she needs him now.

A little more than six months pass, with less and less outings from Renee and more and more excuses from Allison, and Renee gets sick. Really sick. It starts like a regular cold. Then it looks more like the flu. And suddenly it’s pneumonia, and respiratory difficulties, and lung failure. She’s in that hospital bed, wearing that gown, breathing in that mask. Renee finally nods to Allison, giving her consent.

Ally makes the call.

Only Andrew and Dan make it in time.

Renee Walker goes out like a light.

The Foxes, who had once upon a time been used to murders, life-threatening schemes and acts of extreme violence, had never really known Death itself. The simple, yet inevitable fate of human lives. Of going quietly into the night. It’s all so quiet. So anticlimactic. It’s so quiet, too quiet, too heavy with silence. This time, there is no one to blame, no one to punish, no one to take responsibility.

It’s just life. It’s just death.

Wymack and Abby can’t believe that one of their Foxes, on of their kids, left before them. Renee’s Korean roots made her look barely a day over forty, which made it all so much worse. Renee’s death takes a toll on every single one of them. Because it’s Renee, the best of them. Because all her papers are in orders, her will to date, her wishes known; just as when she was alive, she leaves no chaos behind her.

There is nothing and no one to be mad at, except life.

In the cemetery where Stephanie Walker is buried, Andrew buys a large lot of land. (Large enough to one day welcome all the Foxes) The tomb is moved over there, and Renee’s name is added. A tree is planted above her scattered ashes. It’s very small, very fragile, but with the years, it grows strong.

For the first time, the Foxes realize that, despite going through Hell and back in their youth, they are not immortal. There is nothing to be done about that, but it hurts. It hurts to lose their angel this way, so soon, so suddenly. It hurts to lose, period. It feels like a failure, like giving up. They lost her. They lost.

But somehow, they gained something else they might never know about. Renee might have been the only religious one among them, but that didn’t stop her from becoming their Guardian Angel. Because somehow, from then on, the Foxes were spared.

Let me show you.

Just as Bee had a few years before Renee, Abby, then Wymack, simply die in their sleep, no fight, no agony. None of them have to see another Fox go before them. They don’t have to go through that indescribable ordeal ever again. They are spared the pain.

Then decades pass, enough for the remaining Foxes to grow very old, and live very long. Not infinitely, but long enough.

Matt is the next one to go.

Matt has worked hard all his life, both mentally and physically. It comes to no surprise, then, that arthritis chose to invade his body. For the first few years living with the diagnosis, natural medicine and osteopathy are enough to keep the pain at bay. It doesn’t stop Matt from doing anything. He babysits his 9 grandchildren with Dan every week; he goes on roadtrips with Dan every summer; he goes on a light jog with Dan every day.

It’s just that one day, it’s not enough anymore. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the pain becomes too much for Matt to do his day-to-day activities. And really, the pain, he could take; it was an old friend, a familiar feeling, almost like a sixth sense.

It was the mental toll of it all that he couldn’t take. To have to say no to seeing his grandchildren. No to driving around endlessly and aimlessly for hours. No to waking up in sync with Dan every morning, and no to their routine, and no, and no, and just- not living.

For the first time in a long time, Matt doesn’t want to do this anymore.

But he does, still. He smiles, and he lies, and he tries to will away the pain.

It all comes down to one afternoon, when he takes his painful walk of the day around the neighborhood. There are three little kids playing Exy in their driveway, when suddenly a ball escapes their racquets and rolls down in the street. The smallest kid runs after it, runs and runs and runs, without looking. Kind of like Neil, Matt thinks to himself before his body acts of his own. The kid doesn’t see the car, and the car doesn’t see the kid. Matt sees both.

The BMW is going way over the limit, its sleek black sides reflecting the sun too brightly. Despite his pain, despite his age, despite his now slow reflexes, Matt leaps. He screams at the kid to stop and turn around, to let the ball roll away, but to no avail. 

Matt pushes the kid away in time for the car to hit him instead, and only him.

The rest becomes a blur, but the final verdict is as such: broken hip, shattered leg, probably won’t walk ever again, even with surgery. The doctors and surgeons warn Matt that with his age, his pre-existing condition, and his drug history, surgery might kill him. But Matt refuses to be bedridden for the rest of his already miserable life. Dan knows that. She knows that he has to try. Knows that he might not pull through. She also knows that Matt wants to go, has wanted to for a while now. 

She calls Neil. She calls Allison. From there, all the Foxes are bound to get the news. Matt promises to wait until their arrival before going into surgery. In the meantime, the nurses start a morphine line, after warning the couple very strongly about the side effects and the risks. But Matt is in pain, terrible pain, and it’s a compromise to wait for his Foxes. It takes about a week for all of them to come to his bedside, with Nicky being last, coming all the way from Germany. Neil and Allison barely leave his room; Dan doesn’t at all. The others take turns, leaving as much space for Matt’s kids and grandkids as their hearts can allow.

The open spot for Matt’s surgery is on a Friday.

Matt Boyd does not make it to Friday. 

The morphine is too heavy on his heart. It was a possible outcome, not as alarming as the upcoming surgery, but... Matt had secretely wished to go ever since and- maybe, up there in Heaven, someone heard him... 

Dan and Matt had had a mutual understanding, that it was okay, but it doesn’t make it any more easy to let go. 

Two months into Matt’s departure, Allison moves in with Dan. She walks her through every stage of grief. She grieves all over again herself, too. But they make it.

Same goes for Andrew with Neil. Neil doesn’t know loss like this. Death like this.

And yet. And yet. Deep, deep down, Neil is scared. That after all his years of running, and fighting, and lying, he won’t get that peaceful ending Matt was granted.

But Neil lives.

And Nicky leaves.

A few months after Matt, he and Erik simply stay in the States. They say it’s because they want to be close, because they don’t want to miss anything, because they don’t want to risk a Fox leaving without a chance at saying goodbye. Because Nicky misses his Aaron and his Andrew.

Which are all valid and true motives. It’s just not the whole truth.

Nicky has dementia. Alzheimer’s, to be precise. Diagnosed about a year ago. It’s not bad yet, but- It’s the endless back-and-forth between the house and “der Supermarkt” because Nicky forgot what he drove there for in the first place. It’s forgetting words in all the languages Nicky speaks. It’s freaking out at all the Germans speaking German, because Nicky sometimes believe he is still living in America. It’s not finding the Columbia house and panicking when Nicky can’t get a hold of Andrew or Aaron.

It’s hard, it’s heartbreaking, it’s terrifying, but it’s manageable.

Once Nicky and Erik settle back down in North Carolina, they both wonder how long it’ll take before the twins figure it out, because there is no way Nicky is telling them, but he also knows nothing can get past his twins.

And he’s right. Between Aaron’s acute knowledge of Medicine and Andrew’s reknown lie-detector skills, it takes about 14 days for them to take Nicky hostage and demand the truth. 

As the year comes to an end, Nicky’s dementia doesn’t seem to progress that much. He seems to escape the worst. He doesn’t forget anyone. He doesn’t become aggressive, doesn’t go missing, doesn’t lose any function of his body. Without looking too closely, Nicky is simply getting old. 

The twin girls he and Erik adopted get to move back in for a little while, having lived in the U.S. all their lives and seeing their parents fly to Germany after their retirement. They know, too, and try to make the most of it. They are lucky. They are so lucky. Nicky is a miracle patient.

In the end, though, it’s Nicky’s body rather than his mind that gives out. Once you reach a certain point in time living with the disease, but without the general complications of it, eventually the brain has trouble managing all the organs of the body. So instead of forgetting to eat, or forgetting names and faces, sometimes your brain doesn’t remember how to make your heart beat. Or how to make make your lungs breathe.

Nicky Hemmick stops breathing in the middle of the night, after having wished his twin daughters goodnight, texted his other set of twins goodnight, and kissed his husband goodnight. Nicky had thought, then, that it was indeed, a good night.

Just as he had remembered his Foxes until the end, he was remembered by them as the big-hearted lover that Heaven had just gained as its new angel.

Too soon after him, though, it’s Allison’s turn. 

It’s not that she’d simply been waiting around for the day she could be reunited with Renee. She just didn’t understand why her Foxes kept leaving, and why she was still stuck here without her other half. 

She didn’t just wait, though. She helps Dan out with the grandkids, and sometimes the grown-up kids too. She volunteers a lot. She gives back to the Columbia community, and all around the world. She travels to places she’s never been, places that remind her of Renee, but are void of painful memories. She empties their bucket list, and much more. The last thing Allison has yet to do, the only thing left to do, is mending her relationship with her parents. Or parent. Singular. In spite of everything, including the death of her husband, Francesca Reynolds was still standing strong at the head of the Reynolds empire. 100 years old was nothing when you lived in spite. 

In a twisted way, Allison believed that maybe her mother was the last piece she needed to mend before she was allowed to go. That despite being gone for years, Renee was still there somewhere, looking out for her and making sure she didn’t have any regrets. 

So Allison accomplished the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the impossible. For the first time in decades, she flew back to the Reynolds estate and spoke to her mother. In person. 

It was not the emotional reunion Renee might have hoped for, but it was a reunion still. That was more than enough for Allison. They didn’t talk about the big things. The important things. But they talked. They talked. And they scheduled another talk. 

Back home with Dan, Allison embraced her friend and let the tears fall. She was grateful for her friend, but both of them knew that these were not the arms Allison wished to be held in. She went to rest a bit before dinner, and she tried to imagine how it would feel like to have Renee hold her again.

For someone as loud, as present and as strong as she was, Allison Walker slipped quietly from time. 

When Dan found her, she could only smile tearfully. She played with her hair one last time as she called her Foxes.

Allison left Dan in charge of her finances, and so she took over her charity duties and went above and beyond to honor her friend’s memory. Her sister.

Dan thought she would be next. She wished, she hoped, she prayed to be next.

She wasn’t.

Kevin was.

He might have been the biggest and hardest loss to weather. It wasn’t a feeling that could be explained. As painful as it had been to lose Renee, and Matt, and Nicky, and Allison, losing Kevin was... the great and terrible 10, as they’d say.

Kevin should have died way sooner. His liver should have given out because of all the alcohol it had endured in Kevin’s youth. His heart should have given out because of all the stress it had faced for most of Kevin’s life. All the bad things that could happen with old age should have happened to Kevin, but they didn’t. They didn’t. 

Death came knocking one day, and politely asked him if he would please follow them, and Kevin simply took it as a sign that his time was up.

That day, Kevin had felt a numbing pain in his chest all morning long. Used to little injuries here and there, he hadn’t thought anything of it. And he certainly wasn’t about to worry his doctor of a husband... 

However, as the sun reached it’s highest in the sky, Kevin couldn’t really hide his pain any longer. He had lain down on their couch for a bit, but he couldn’t seem to get back up. It was too exhausting. So he called for Aaron, as loud as he could in the state he was. 

As Aaron stumbled into the living room, Kevin tried to use his softest voice to inform his husband of the situation. Aaron immediately called an ambulance, and when the vehicle took them both away, he reached for his phone again to make, once again, a terrible call to their Foxes. But through his oxygen mask, Kevin reached out to grap his wrist and whispered, with difficulty, just Neil... just Andrew...

Because here’s the thing: Kevin loved his Foxes, and his Foxes loved him back. Immensely. 

He loved them so much he had married one, with another one of them as best man (Neil), another as his husband’s (Andrew), and yet another one as their celebrant (Renee). 

They loved him so much that it was only short of worship by a hair or two. And Kevin knew that. He loved Dan like a sister. And by extension, he loved Erik like a brother, too. And he loved all the Foxes’ children and grandchildren like his own, despite never being a parent himself. 

But Neil and Andrew... There were no words for what they were to him. He knew that he wouldn’t have to talk them through it. He knew they would be the only ones strong enough and close enough to hold Aaron up in case it all turned to shit the moment he passed the hospital doors. 

And being the History nerd he had always been, Kevin had written letters, a long time ago. To his Foxes. Most of them had left before him, and so he could never give them their letters, but Dan, and Erik for Nicky, could still have those letters. Kevin poured everything into these letters. It had taken him years, ever since Renee’s departure. He wrote, and threw away, and started again, until he got it right. Nine letters, for his nine Foxes. Andrew knew about it. He’d give Nicky’s and the upperclassmen’s to Dan and Erik, and they’d understand. Kevin didn’t want them to be there, at the very end of it all. He just wanted Aaron. And Neil. And Andrew.

Those three had letters waiting for them, too. Andrew would hand them over a month later. But he would never open his.

Andrew and Neil arrived just before 1 PM. Kevin was hooked on all sorts of IVs and still had the oxygen mask on. His heart monitor was beeping very, very slowly, erratically. He was still Kevin Day in all his gloriousness, but he was much more Kevin, their beloved Kevin.

On one side of the hospital bed, Aaron never let go of Kevin’s hand. On the other side, Kevin removed the mask and weakly motioned for Neil to take the other hand. But Neil was stunned. Frozen. So Andrew came up behind him, and held Kevin’s hand. 

It would be the first, and the last time.

Just as Neil finally sprung into action and went to put a hand on Kevin’s shoulder, feeling his wiry muscles and his fragile bones underneath the hospital gown, Kevin closed his eyes. 

The heart monitor began flatlining.

Neil looked at the monitor, then to Kevin. He looked at Andrew, then back at Kevin, and then at Aaron. His eyes couldn’t stay focused on one thing. He was still hoping. He was still refusing.

Aaron lowered his head. Kissed Kevin’s hand.

Andrew held on tighter to Kevin’s other hand. Gripped the back of Neil’s neck.

Kevin took Death’s hand, which felt a lot like Aaron’s, and Andrew’s, and Renee’s, and walked away.

Aaron unplugged the monitor. And called it.

Time of death: 13:01.

It took exaclty one month, day for day, for Aaron to leave as well. They called it the Broken Heart Syndrome. On the surface, Aaron had held it together. But Andrew knew. He saw. That he was losing him as well. 

Some could say that, by handing over Kevin’s letter, Andrew killed his brother. But those who would say that didn’t even begin to understand the complexity of the bond between twin brothers. Especially not the Minyards. 

Because what Andrew really did, with that letter, was gifting Aaron with relief.

Peace. Quiet. 

Love. 

Aaron could exhale, now. He would see Kevin soon, now.

And so in the same room, in the same bed as his husband’s, Aaron Minyard forced Death’s hand and demanded to see Kevin again.

And then there were three.

Dan lived for so long that she started to fear outliving her children. She felt old, so old. In her head and in her heart. She did not believe in a God, but she often found herself praying to someone, anyone. She did not believe in angels and demons, but she often wondered how long they would keep her from Death.

So she waited. For the days to go and the nights to pass. She barely ate anymore. She barely moved. She was only feeling okay when she slept outside, in her chair in the backyard, the sun shinning on her beautiful face. She could sleep for hours there, surrounded by her lively garden. The wind swayed her skirts, the trees whispered in her ears. It was okay.

And at the same time, it wasn’t. 

She was tired. She was lonely. Even Erik, a couple of years ago, had gone to rejoin his husband. Neil visited her at least once a week, but he still had Andrew. He couldn’t understand, nor could he stay away from him for too long. He would miss him too much.

Every year she celebrated another birthday, and every year she blew her candles wishing they were her last.

And at last, her wish came true.

Dan was expecting one of her kids to come by in the afternoon. The Carolina sun was shinning quite hard on her, so she had placed her chair in way that let the sunlight hit the back of her head, turned away completely from her house. Her daughter knew exactly where to find her when she arrived, and so she didn’t wait for a response to her presence before making her way down into the garden. She had called her mother multiple times, and had assumed she was sleeping when she hadn’t answered.

Dan was not sleeping.

Dan Wilds had left this world, the sunlight pouring down on her like the radiant goddess that she was.

Being one of the last Foxes, it took a day before Neil and Andrew got the news of her death. They don’t get involved in the funeral preparations, but they show up. And that’s enough. 

People don’t really bother them anymore, so they can bid farewell to their Captain in relative peace. They come by Dan’s house aftwerwards, too, and help her kids out with everything. Yes, even Andrew. 

Dan’s death makes them reflect the most.

About the Foxes. About each of their departures. How they all lived a good and long life. How they all died a good and quiet death. 

They think about how they were always the ones nearing death, always fighting to stay alive. About how they died a million deaths before the age of 18.

They think about how they are the last ones standing, even after everything. 

They survived. They lived. 

(They loved)

Neil and Andrew should not have gotten this far. They should not have lived this long. They shouldn’t have. But somehow, somewhere above, someone has watched over them and made sure that they didn’t get the ending they should’ve had, but the ending they deserved.

Neil and Andrew don’t really want to die. They don’t really want to live on either. But they take every day that they are given, to be with each other, to mend their hearts still, to breathe. 

They take every breath they can.

They wonder who will leave first. Who will have to say goodbye and stay behind, who will have to wait. 

It’s a fear neither of them had ever thought they’d have. Not like that.

And it’s only a matter of time before they get their answer. They are, after all, getting very old. It is both a blessing and a curse.

After decades of partnership, Neil and Andrew still go to bed the same way they did when they were eighteen. Both facing each other, their hands joined in the middle, their nose a breath apart.

After decades of peace, Neil and Andrew still wake from sleep at the slightest abnormality.

Which is why the minute Neil Josten gives out his last breath, Andrew awakes.

Neil’s hand in his is still warm and his skin is still soft. His hair, although completely white for quite some years now, still have that bronze glow to them. They’re still curly, and soft to the touch. Andrew passes a hand through them before resting it on the back of Neil’s neck. 

He looks at Neil like it’s the first time, tries to memorize every detail of his beautiful face. He rubs circle in his skin, and takes in everything that was, that is Neil. His husband. His junkie. His rabbit. His pipedream. His lover. His love.

Andrew doesn’t move from their bed. 

When he has finally spoken everything that he feels to Neil, from the safety of his mind, Andrew moves closer to him so their foreheads touch and noses align. He takes Neil’s lifeless hand again, and kisses it. He sets their hands back down, between the two of them, and looks at Neil one last time.

And slowly, Andrew Minyard closes his eyes, forever.

[yourmidnightlover]

i totally lost the ask bc i forgot to put it in my drafts, BUT i remembered which prompts were requested.

this one was kind of a challenge, so i LOVED it.

MINORS DNI

kiss list #5: kissing as an interruption

smut #8: mirror sex

fluff #5: “you smell really nice”

CW: fucking in front of a mirror (duh.), unprotected sex, penetrative sex, fingering, hate sex?, it’s kinda enemies to lovers. *let me know if i missed anything*

it had been yet another new years celebration at rossi’s mansion. another new years where spencer’s pining over what seems to be so untouchable, unattainable. you.

for what spencer would recall as ages, but was actually 3 years, he has been in love with you. he’s in love with the occasional nose scrunches. he’s in love with the way you gently bite your lip when you’re in concentration. he’s in love with your voice, the gentle, soft sounds it produces. he’s so in love with you he can’t say a thing.

in fact, he’s never said a thing to you.

ever.

over time, you had developed a theory that spencer reid simply didn’t like you. at all. he would stare at you until you would look at him, making him break his eye contact. he would never even say a word to you unless it was a random statistic or for a case.

but that was just because spencer was nervous. how was he supposed to approach a girl like you? just walk up to you and say hi? no.

while he’s dressed in a suit and mask, thanks to rossi’s masquerade themed party, he notices a woman waltz in with a beautiful gown, her eyes and the top of her face covered my a matching mask. spencer knew all eyes were on this mysterious person, and he couldn’t help but feel drawn to them.

still, he couldn’t approach her.

or could he?

he was wearing a mask. why wouldn’t he be able to?

she wouldn’t be able to recognize him.

and maybe he needed this girl to help him get over you - that train has clearly left long ago.

using all the courage he could muster up, he approached this woman with a feigned confidence.

once he had gotten closer to her, he had realized she must’ve been there for a while, the faint smell of alcohol wafting from her breath when she greets him.

“hi!” she says with a smile wider than he’d seen in a long time.

“he-hello,” he stutters already, suddenly wondering how he’d manage to maintain confidence long enough to even talk to you.

“my name is - shit,” she stumbled over her dress, effectively falling forward and latching onto spencer’s arms to secure herself.

“what a lovely name,” he chuckled as a blush grew on his cheeks.

“no! shit isn’t my name,” she giggled as she let her head rest on his chest. “wow, you smell really nice,” she says as she let herself be overwhelmed by his scent.

“oh… thank you,” he whispered. “you smell nice, too,” vanilla, he thought.

“you’re cute,” she pulled back enough to poke his cheekbone with a smile. “like a model.”

“you-i’m not very cute when standing next to you,” he tried to be smooth. “that wasn’t very good,” he laughed at himself. “i-what i meant was that you look… you’re very beautiful.”

“you can’t even see my face!” she argued, the smile remaining on her lips. “but thank you.”

“it’s no problem, truly,” he whispered softly.

“wait,” she suddenly seemed all-so-sober as the next couple of words left her mouth. “are you spencer?”

“wha-yes?” he nodded his head slowly.

“what the hell?!” she whisper-yelled before pulling him into the nearest room, which happened to be a bathroom. “what the fuck, reid?!”

“what? what did i do?!” he argued, not sure where anything went wrong as he took off his own mask.

until she took off her mask.

shit.

“y/n?” he mumbled, already knowing the answer.

“yes, y/n! fuck, reid!” she sighed exasperated.

“what’s the problem here?” he stepped back while she tried to compose herself.

“what’s the problem? what’s the problem?!” she scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “the problem is that you fucking hate me and decide to flirt with me at a party! what? you have to wait until i look presentable to want to even talk to me? i actually respected-no, i looked up to you before i came into the bau. i had read your manuscripts and theories and your inserts in newspapers. i was wanting to meet you once i finally realized my hard work had paid off, and i had made it into the bau. but no! the first day i met you, you wouldn’t even say fucking hello! it’s such an easy word! hel-lo! there! i just did it!” you chuckled once more, about to explode again. “god, i didn’t think adults could be as petty as you’ve been. you refuse to even talk to me unless it’s absolutely necessary. you only fucking stare at me until i look your way. why don’t y-“

and his lips were on yours.

in a moment of weakness, or maybe strength, spencer was able to face his fears of actually kissing the girl of his dreams.

and you let him.

at first, you were surprised. the shock was evident in the way she tensed up. spencer was about to pull away, accepting his defeat, before you finally kissed him back. your hands cupped his wrists that were firmly planted on your face as you inches your body closer to his own.

“i don’t hate you,” he breathed into your mouth as you both heaved for air that had been lost amongst the heat. “in fact,” he placed his leg between yours, noticing how a whine had left your lips, “it’s quite the opposite.”

“reid, please,” you tried to grind yourself down on his leg.

“ah-ah,” he chuckled. “if we’re doing this, you’re calling me by my first name.”

“spencer, come on,” you argued with the man, he finally obliged and rose his knee to meet your center. “fuck.”

“you like that? i can make you feel much more than just this,” he growled in your ear.

“please, anything,” you sighed, placing a kiss below his ear.

“come here,” he removed his leg, and in an instant it was replaced my his hand trailing up your leg, underneath your dress. “someone’s excited,” he announced once he felt how wet you were.

“shut up,” you sighed, gently biting down on his shoulder to keep yourself quiet.

“what was that, princess? did you tell me to shut up?” he teased, feeling you nod against his shoulder.

“‘m sorry,” you cried as his fingers entered your heat, quickly thrusting in and out. “oh my god, yes.”

“yea? maybe this’ll teach you to not tell me to shut up, huh, princess?” he chuckled against your ear as your body began relying on spencer to keep you upright.

“wha- oh my god, i’m so close,” your nails began digging into his clothes back as he drew you closer to your finish.

and right before you were over the precipice, he took his fingers out of your heat. a whine left your lips as your body chased his touch, bucking towards him for some type of relief.

“don’t tell me to shut up,” he warned once more.

“please. please,” you whined. “i’ll do anything, please, just…” you began kissing on his neck, gently sucking marks where your lips had been.

“what do you want, princess?” he asked, his hands trailing over your waist.

“you. please, i want you so bad,” you huffed. “please, inside me.”

“you want me inside you?” you nodded eagerly, pulling at his shirt before he pressed his lips back to yours.

he twisted the two of you so you were pressed against the counter, his front to your back.

“so, so bad,” you wiggled your ass so you could feel the bulge that had been forming in his pants.

“lucky for you,” he began unbuckling his belt, “i want this just as bad,” he let his hard cock rub along your folds before entering you.

“oh, shit,” you cursed under your breath, holding onto the counter for stability.

“fuck, you’re so tight,” he groaned in your ear before pulling almost all the way out, his tip only inside before slamming back into you.

“spen-spencer,” you gasped out as he set a ruthless pace of slamming into you.

“what is it, sweet girl? you need more?” he saw the pathetic excuse of a nod from your head and reached his hand forward to grasp your hair rather than rub your clit. “too fucking bad. if you’re cumming on my dick, you’re coming from that alone.”

when he yanked your hair back, a pornographic moan was ripped from your throat. you were able to look yourself in the eyes as the man who you thought hated you was fucking you into oblivion. you were more than grateful that the alcohol had worn off so you could remember this moment forever, although not as good as his own eidetic memory.

“you like watching me fuck you, princess?” he lent down in your ear to whisper. “you look so fucking good like this, don’t you think?”

“ye-yes,” you sighed before he let his forehead rest on your shoulder, allowing his hips to plow into you at a relentless pace as his other hand snakes between your legs to pull them further apart.

“there we go,” he chuckled at the deeper angle he was able to reach, places that were untouched inside of you. “you gonna come?”

“please, oh my god, please!” you broke eye contact with him in the mirror to take a breath before he yanked your hair back.

“then fucking do it,” he growled in your ear. “come all over my dick, baby.”

“oh my-fuck!!” he felt your pussy fluttering around his member as he fucked you through your orgasm, helping him near his own.

“shit, so fucking good,” he moaned in your ear. “where do you want it?”

“inside. inside, please inside of me,” you begged him once more.

“want me to fill you up?” he looked up to see you looking at him with pure lust… and maybe something more before he came inside of you.

as he fucked his cum back into you, the both of you could hear fireworks going off in the background.

“happy new year, spencer,” you chuckled before he pulled out and fixed your underwear.

“happy new year, y/n,” he smiled before gently grasping your face and pulling you in for yet another kiss.

here’s to a happy new year and many more with what you’ve come to find is the love of your life.

[votederpycausemufins]

All my knowledge is of hermitcraft and the stuff people have written for the Hermit!Tommy Au but I kept having this idea and needed to write it. I also think i got a bit out of character halfway through because it was supposed to be short, but i vibed with it too much so now it’s long and maybe not 100% accurate but it’s still angst followed by fluff.

also @petrichormeraki wanted me to tag them when i posted this.

Tommy had been with the Hermits for a while now. He hadn’t really kept track of when he first arrived, but it had at least been a few months. Otherwise, time was a mess. The Hermits has all but legally adopted him and all the joy that came from them caring for him made time seem to fly by.

Doc was fun to be around because while Tommy was perfectly fine never going back to the SMP, the way the man acted gave Tommy a small bit of familiarity in a good way to his past life.

He likes hanging out with False, mainly for sparring. Never anything deadly, but even if there wasn’t a need for Tommy to constantly look over his shoulder, it was good to keep from getting too rusty.

He doesn’t really hang out with Zedaph as much as Zedaph hangs out with him. Normally the Hermit would come out of the blue with something new for Tommy to try. Flicking levers over and over for something that would normally be as simple as using a furnace just became fun for Tommy, especially if he had energy pent up.

Xisuma is someone Tommy doesn’t run into much, but the fact that he doesn’t is something Tommy finds comfort in. Even as the server admin, the man is very down to Earth. Nothing like Dream ever was.

And then there’s Grian. Tommy got along with all the Hermits fine and of course there were some he preferred over others, but Grian took the cake for him. When he first showed up, Grian was the one to give him a place to stay at his old hobbit hole. Professor Beaks had been left there and still used to the SMP and scared for his life, Tommy hid the pet bird as leverage for his own safety. When Grian found out, he mostly shrugged it off, but the tens of chickens in the hobbit hole the next day was proof of retaliation.

Tommy didn’t understand the underwhelming response at first, but responded in kind, using the eggs from the chickens Grian had left to egg the Hermit’s base. When the builder nearly broke the door to the hobbit hole, Tommy grabbed his axe, ready to fight for his life, but was taken aback by the cheerful look on Grian’s face.

After that, Grian had practically taken Tommy under his wing. He showed Tommy how to build more effectively with cobble, eventually managing to get the teen to have some variety. Grian also brought Tommy along on his various chaotic endeavors, leaving behind chickens, mycelium, and possibly some missing doors.

The two chaotic red wearing Brits got along so well that they sometimes spent entire weeks together. Because of that, Tommy was all too aware that the Hermits participated in MCC as well.

It made sense. A few of the Hermits vaguely recognised him when he showed up in Hermitcraft and a few of them looked familiar to Tommy. That had made him feel a little safer since now these people weren’t complete strangers, but it did complicate things. Every so often, the portal to MCC would open and the Hermits participating would go through. The closest Tommy would get to the portal was just before the Hermits left, occasionally giving a ‘Good luck Grine!’ or something similar to Grian as he went through. But after that Tommy stayed as far away as he could manage.

The portal there led to MCC. And from there, there was a portal that led to the SMP. If Tommy could get to Hermitcraft, others could too. And that idea was terrifying, no matter who it was. Dream was a worst case scenario, but even if it was Tubbo. Tubbo had exiled him, and even if they were still on good terms after that, Tommy could have visited at some other MCC, but he didn’t, and that idea likely wouldn’t go over well, especially since otherwise, people probably thought he was dead and Tommy didn’t care to correct them.

But compared to all those other times, today was very different. Today Tommy wasn’t at the sidelines to help send off the other Hermits, he was one of the ones being sent off. They had taken every precaution. Mumbo had rebuilt his Spookification chamber for Tommy with some alterations, specifically removing the firework method of alteration. The teen was also dressed for being on a team with Grian as the Cyan Creepers, so his familiar red and white shirt was missing. But under Tommy’s costume, he still kept the chain necklace holding his compass. He refused to part with it, though made sure he would be hard to access to keep from glancing, knowing at the championships, it wouldn’t be spinning wildly anymore.

With a comforting pat on the back from Grian, he and the other Hermits walked through the portal. The crowd of people that were on the side almost immediately overwhelmed Tommy, making him think that it was a bad idea all over again, but the sight of the two other team members for the Cyan Creepers reassured them, especially as they lined up for the cameras for some fun and silly times. Then once the games began, he was too focused on winning to think of much else.

Before long, the championships were over. They had come in fifth, which was a bit disappointing at first, but on the other hand, it was still pretty good and kept the spotlight off of him. When dodgebolt began, Tommy stood next to Grian, but with a crowd of people, a good game, and no perfect place to sit, the both of them wandered for a better vantage point.

At one point, Tommy managed to push his way right up to the edge of the viewing ledge. It was the perfect place for a while until the action moved, causing everyone to decide it was the perfect place. Enough people moved nearby that Tommy was worried about falling into the pit below, and he almost did before someone pulled him back.

Tommy was ready to thank whichever Hermit or even other player helped him but the words died in his throat when he faced the person who grabbed him. He knew that mask and neon green color. And there was no reason for him to help Tommy unless-

“I finally found you!” Dream spoke. He raised his voice to be heard over the crowd, but not too much to draw the attention of others. Tommy froze as he definitely heard the words. But there was no way for Dream to know, he didn’t look at all like normal.

“I-I’m sorry.” Tommy tried not to stutter, hoping just the situation of being grabbed would excuse it. “But I don’t think I’m who you’re looking for. I’m new here. Unless you’re greeting me for being new.” It was something he prepared before in his mind after Grian brought up the possibility, but it felt sloppy putting it to use.

“Oh don’t lie Tommy. I know it’s you. I guess you got lost, but it’s okay, you can come back now. I got rid of the exile for you. Aren’t you glad?”

Tommy was glad for the mask that covered Dream’s face. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see Dream’s actual expression. “How did you-” He started to speak, but Dream cut him off, poking Tommy’s chest, right where the compass was.

“Weren’t you paying attention to the teams? Tubbo got put with me. And between games he just happened to glance at his own compass. And wouldn’t you know it, it led me right here.” Dream held up the compass that belonged to Tubbo. It looked damaged, and it was recent. Tubbo likely didn’t want to give the tyrant admin the compass, but lost it to Dream anyway.

“Give that back to Tubbo!” Tommy shouted at Dream, trying to snatch it from him.

“Feisty now, aren’t you? We can take care of that when you come back. I’ll also give it back to him if you come with me.”

Tommy froze. There was no way he was going back, but what could he do? Everyone was focused on dodgebolt, and he didn’t want his appearance to have caused more trouble for Tubbo.

Tommy glanced at the crowd one last time before reluctantly nodding. Dream grabbed his hand in a painful clench and dragged him out of the crowd towards the SMP’s portal to leave. However, just before reaching it, Dream stopped. Tommy, who had been looking back at the crowd, hoping someone would see what was going on, turned towards the portal to see Grian standing in front of it.

“Heya, where do you think you’re going. MCC isn’t over yet. Dodgebolt it still going on.”

Tommy expected Dream to just push past Grian or even give some sort of retort, but the actual reply was shocking. “Uh, n-no, just… have to head back early. Th-the game delays made things run over. A-and we’ve got to get b-back for… something else. Don’t w-want to be late for that.”

Dream’s words made Tommy so shocked he forgot to breathe. Dream was scared, no he was terrified. And he was terrified… of Grian. Tommy looked back at the Hermit who stood unflinching in front of them.

“Really? I could have sworn that you were here when I arrived, and that kid wasn’t. And he definitely came from a different portal. I know since I was keeping my eye out for my teammates. So why’s he going with you?”

“I uh…” Dream struggled, struggled, to give an answer, letting Grian continue. “That’s what I thought. C’mon kid, let’s go back to the crowd. You can stay with me until it’s over then I’ll help you find your portal back.”

And Grian took Tommy away without any retaliation from Dream. Tommy was left in awe. Grian wasn’t even an admin in Hermitcraft but Dream was terrified of him. It was amazing! But at the same time, it made Tommy spiral a bit.

When everyone returned, Grian had made sure Dream left before the Hermits and Tommy did so Dream couldn’t watch Tommy leave. Tommy stuck to False’s side as they walked through the portal, Grian being the last to come through as he continued to act as a guard. When he tried to comfort Tommy after his run-in with Dream, he understood when the teen responded he just wanted to go home. The championships were exhausting enough without a scare like that.

The next day, Tommy hung out with False. And then Zedaph, and then Doc. Grian noticed immediately, but didn’t pay much mind to it. He noticed since Tommy had spent a full week only hanging out with him, so the sudden absence of the boy was noticeable, but it made sense that he would want to hang out with the others.

After that, Grian didn’t pay too much attention to the lack of Tommy until he ran into him while stocking the barge. Tommy had been buying something at the store when Grian flew in. He nearly dropped his diamonds in trying to leave in such a hurry that it finally concerned Grian. The builder started visiting other Hermits Tommy tended to visit and ask about him. No one really noticed much other than Tommy dodging any questions about him possibly going to hang out with Grian.

Grian decided to leave it alone, and he was definitely going to, but after another run in with Tommy, he threw that decision out the window. Grian normally wouldn’t have done this, but after trying multiple times to just talk to Tommy and being unsuccessful, the builder had to essentially corner the teen.

Immediately, Grian regretted it. Tommy was trembling, obviously scared, holding a sword in his hand. He carefully tried to point out that Tommy didn’t need to have his sword out, but instead of just putting it away, Tommy just threw it on the ground, also throwing down his other gear. Grian had heard of Tommy doing this before with the other Hermits, so he immediately recognised what was going on and dived to grab the gear. It scared Tommy more, but Grian wanted to make sure nothing ended up destroyed.

“Tommy, calm down, I just want to talk. Did I do something wrong? I mean, obviously I must have, you look scared out of your mind every time I’m around you. But I can’t think or anything I did and I don’t want this to keep happening. So can I know what’s going on?”

Tommy didn’t speak for a while. He just looked defeated and terrified. Grian called in some of the other Hermits to come help Tommy calm down, though at first it didn’t help. But over time, Tommy finally did stop looking so terrified and they moved to somewhere he would feel less cornered. It took more coaxing after that, but finally, Tommy explained himself.

“He’s scared of you. Dream is… actually scared of you.”

“Yeah, I’ve killed him once or twice. Plus my full name is Lord Grian Dreamslayer, so it’s kind of in the name.” The builder tried to say it as a joke, but it didn’t seem to lighten the mood.”

“He’s the admin and he’s scared of you. And you… I’ve been hanging out with you.”

Grian nodded. “Well yeah, we do fit together well. ...Did he say something at MCC to make you think I didn’t like you?”

Tommy shook his head. “N-No. You’re right, you’re fun to be around. But dream likes… liked messing with me. And tried to train me. And I hang out with you more than I had with him, and I’m more like you. I-If you’re somehow more powerful than him-!” The rest of the words stopped in Tommy’s throat, choking him up. Stress was nearby and gave Tommy a careful hug for comfort, which helped him a little.

Grian waited a little bit for the tension to calm slightly before he spoke. “I don’t know exactly what Dream has done to you. You’ve told us a lot, but you obviously haven’t told us everything, and telling us isn’t the same as experiencing it. But let me tell you that I’m not going to do what he’s done to you. I remember how you were the first day we found you. And I see how you are now- well, how you were a few weeks ago- and I’m happy. Happy because you’ve been happy. You’ve been safe and cared for here and it shows. I don’t want to force you to be anything, I want you to be you. Sure, I’m powerful enough to kill Dream, but I’m not going to use that power on you. I’m only going to use it around you if it’s to keep him away from you.

“And! And! It’s just because of how your server is. Here we can go to the end. We don’t have a set amount of lives. We build massive structures and sell totems for a single diamond each. We fight Withers for fun and make farms with them. We farm just about anything you can think of. And Tommy.” Grian paused, making sure Tommy was paying attention. “You may be from somewhere far off that none of us old Hermits have seen, but now you’re here. And new home or not, that makes you a Hermit too. Sure you can be like me. Or you can be like False or Doc or Scar or Mumbo. But so far, you’ve been pretty you. And that you is a Hermit.”

Tommy took a few moments to process it, but the message seemed to get through to him. With that, Grian stood up with a smile. “Now I get that you probably don’t want to hang around me much right now. It makes sense. Maybe hang out with some other Hermits and learn some new stuff to get your mind off of things. Plus, I also did some talking around looking for you, and got you this.”

Tommy’s eyes practically sparkled as Grian placed down some music discs. He greedily grabbed the treasures and stuffed them in his inventory, looking up just to see Grian flying off. Taking on Grian’s idea, Tommy decided to go with Cleo and try to wrap his head around those armor stands again. While he wasn’t a pro, he did manage to make one scene of the hermits all holding weapons and surrounding an armor stand in lime leather armor. Grian was right. He was a Hermit. And he wasn’t going back. At least, not permanently, he thought, clutching his compass. Maybe, there would even be another Hermit like him.