#keeps it in a safe zone with less problems for him

[silusvesuius]

n*loth not being able to bag anyone over the (human term) age of 25-30 at most is the only logical and real conclusion to me because it can be just explained away as him wanting to prove and control everything and anyone (Cus he's a man!) but being stuck in that demographic because his unbearable and vile personality is a force that nobody can look past once they've outgrown the possible fear and idolization period of anyone but also n*loth in particular.

[evilminji]

Ooooh~ Drink mix up? >.>

Because! Wes DID, in fact, get that dream job. HAS learned... after many, many hours of "beat about the head and shoulders with an ethics pamphlet by his great aunt", to keep his mouth shut! Family curse of Sight? WHAT family curse?

He doesn't see shit! Mind your business.

What're you? A cop?

Look, he sent Fenton a gift basket. He was a shitty, shitty "I have to be RIGHT and nothing else matters!" Stubborn lil asshole of a kid. He got better. Grew up. No one is there best Self during puberty. He DOES, in fact, regret it.

Which is WHY, he is deliberately ignoring Kent's terrible, awful, paper-thin, "who meee~?" Aw shucks BULLSHIT excuse of a disguise, like it isn't blatantly obvious he's Superman. Yep. Nothing to see here! Nothing but us chickens! Mmmmm, morning coffee! Delicious.

But see, here's the THING.

The Itty, bitty, teeny lil PROBLEM...

Wes grew up in Amity "Totally Not Supernatural Hotspot For Centuries" Park. He is... to put it mildly, genetically? A freak. His biology is ALL fucked up. Everyone's is. And it WAS NOT made better by the Fenton's playing fast and loose with their hell basement. The Ectoplasmic NUKE that was that portal.

There is a REASON his morning coffee? Is COVERED. Contained. Fenton brand, LEAD LINED, specialty cups. The sort that can't be EATEN from the inside out. Eroded after a few uses. They're ugly as sin, but they work. He even ordered a few covers from Star's etsy shop. (Apparently he wasn't the only one who hated how ugly they looked. Good for her though, he heard it was doing well.)

He SAYS this? 'Cause his morning brew is less... straight COFFEE... and more... how to put this? A blend? Brew? Potion, really. Like an energy drink. From hell. Or, partially at least, the Zone. It's the combination of roots, seeds, and a few dried berries. Kinda like a tea, actually!

Tasty. Adds this nice fruity, warmth. A zing. Goes GREAT with the coffee. And it really perks you up... if you are Limnal. If you AREN'T? It'll desolve your esophagus like swallowing straight acid. And that's not TOUCHING the... witch-y, more Seer specific bit of the blend.

That stuff is medicinal. You know, "calm the mind" and "mental clarity". That sorta thing. With a good ol helping of "don't blurt out everyone's secrets, you spacey bitch! For the love of God, those are our INSIDE THOUGHTS!". Which? Really helpful! Infinitely less likely to get decked. It's a family staple.

Poisonous, though.

They're fine cause they've basically developed an immunity to that part, but like? Wouldn't recommend. It's why he NEVER shares his drinks. Food? On occasion. If he PLANS it and knows not to add and interesting spices. But DRINKS? Never. Weston family brews are basically NEVER safe.

Which? Begs the Very Important Question ™!

Who's Coffee Is This?

Cause it SURE AS FUCK AINT HIS!

You never realize quite how fast you can go from "completely calm and kinda sleepy" to "bomb strapped to my chest, primal panic AWAKE" until it happens to you. His coffee was ON HIS DESK. People have passed by. He talked to them. Cups put down and picked up. Lazy early morning. He doesn't even register, really, as his chair crashes to the ground.

He's shouting.

People confused. They don't realize yet. His head whips around, looking for that distinct cover. Before it's too late. Before someone takes that fatal sip. He spots it. Bolting from his desk. Crashing through coworkers, over desks. Chaos and outrage. "It's 'just' coffee!" They cry.

Kent turns, confused. Pretending. Raises his (HIS! Oh god!) cup to his lips, unknowing. Wes SCREAMS a warning. But he doesn't listen. "It's 'just' coffee" They never listen. Curse of Cassandra. God's damn it. This is why his family fucking CONVERTED!

He TACKLES the man of steel.

RIPS his cup away from him, knows his eyes are frantic. How much have you had?! Spit it out! Wes voice ECHOES in the sudden silence. I'm a META, Kent! It could KILL YOU!

And oh, Oh NOW they get it. Or perhaps it is the burn in his mouth that finally registers. He rolls, spits oil slick nebulae that eat away the floor. There is blood mixed within it. It took mere moments. Superman stares, transfixed and horrified, as Wes shakes. He... he should probably get off of him.

He'll move in a moment.

When his legs no longer feel weak from terror.

The news room is in chaos. Lane kneeling by her husband, Perry trying to do damage control. He... he's probably gonna lose his job, isn't he? Wes wants to cry. Protection laws only go so far, after all. And warning his boss about his dietary needs means jack shit, after an incident like this. Beloved as Kent is. Not that anyone likely believed him.

They never do.

And now he's nearly killed Superman.

@hypewinter @hdgnj @legitimatesatanspawn @nerdpoe @lolottes @babbling-babull @mutable-manifestation @dcxdpdabbles

[mattyriddlesbitch]

Mattheo Riddle with a shy girlfriend 🫠🫠

Obsessed with Mattheo Riddle with a shy girlfriend. I got you.

Of course you knew who he was. Everyone knew he was the Dark Lord's son. And you were already so shy, you'd never talk to him.

He never really noticed you until 5th year. He had a class with you and the way the classroom was set up, you two were facing each other, but on opposite sides of the room.

He thought you looked stunning once he first looked at you. He had a major staring problem. Major. The whole class period, he'd be staring at you. You'd catch him every now and again and blush and that only made him want to stare more.

He'd try to find out things about you. He'd look for you around the castle, see if maybe he could spot you reading or studying in the library, or hanging out with your friends in the courtyard, or try to catch you before and after dinner.

He would find any excuse to talk to you. You dropped something? He's snatching it up quickly to hand it to you. Shoes untied? He's come up to tell you. Reading a book? He's asking about it, even if he's already read it.

He'd be the type to try to befriend your friends so he could spend more time with you. You'd almost think he was stalking you or doing this on purpose if he wasn't so smooth with it. He doesn't like lying to you, but he didn't want to tell you he was absolutely doing all of this to get closer to you.

He'd be thrilled when you agreed to go out with him. He's running to his friends giggling and kicking his feet like a school girl.

He'd be so so protective of you. He knew you had a hard time speaking up for yourself, so he'd do it for you.

Someone's running their mouth about his sweet girl? He's showing up to your dorm covered in blood with a smile.

You were shy about physical touch. The first times he touched you made you blush and embarrassed. He loved it, but didn't want to make you uncomfortable, so he'd go slow. Holding your hand or having a hand on the small of your back. He'd work his way up to more. Wrapping his arm around your shoulder, making you lean against him when sitting, giving gentle touches to your face.

When you let him kiss you, he was over the moon. He wanted to kiss you aggressively and passionately, but he kept it soft, keeping his hands on your cheeks. It was sweet and made your head spin.

He'd never push you to do anything you didn't want to do, but would encourage you to get out of your comfort zone if it was safe.

He'd make sure if you're around his friends, that you're comfortable. He'd be attached to you completely. He trusts his friends, but he knows they can be idiots and cross boundaries at times.

He'd always make sure you're comfortable. Once you started becoming less shy around him and he became a safe space for you, he'd always be checking on you in public, holding your hand, brushing his thumb over it to ease your nerves.

The way this man dotes on you isn't even funny. He loves you so much, he just wants you safe, happy, and comfortable.

[paintingwhiteceilings]

❃S/O being drunk/tipsy around Seventeen❃

A/N: So I may have gotten massively drunk last weekend as the region I live in celebrates a specific type of carnival that goes on for five days straight. I might have, maybe, drank a little bit too much during the music festival day and as I was drunkenly stumbling around, I wondered what it would be like to get drunk around svt.

Also, am I the only one who has a K-pop idols I want to get drunk with bias line? Currently, my list consists of Lee Know, Xiumin, Jin and San (to name a few). Just wondering whether that is a normal thing to have or whether I should be concerned about my sanity.

Scoups/Seungcheol

❀ Chances are that if you are drunk around him, so is he. Coups loves a good party on the occasion and isn't a stranger to clubbing. However, where he can hold his liquor and knows his limits, you may have forgotten about yours. Part of him adores your clinginess and finds you adorable; thus, he lets you be your embarrassingly drunk self, laughing at your shameless and less-than-stellar dance moves. As long as you are in the safe, not-too-drunk zone, he will let you have fun and try to match your drinking pace.

❀ However, the moment he notices that you are crossing the line into way too drunk territory, the responsible part of him will kick in, and he will chase you around with water. He will get very serious, going all alpha leader on you and doing whatever it takes for you to take a sip of water.  

❀ No amount of cuteness or begging will convince him to stop his getting you sober plight; you can flirt all you want with him, but once he is concerned for your well-being, it is difficult to persuade him to let you keep on drinking. He is definitely not above cutting the night short either, taking you home instead. If you do as much as refuse, he will throw you over his shoulder and walk out like you weigh nothing. 

Jeonghan

❀ To the poor soul who decided to get drunk around this man, I hope that he will never feel the urge to show those embarrassing videos that he took of you to those around you. Although he will, of course, keep his eye on you to prevent you from getting progressively drunker, he is enjoying you being drunk way too much. He will have his camera out the entire time and instigate you to do something embarrassing that sober-you would very much regret.  

❀ He has an entire folder dedicated to your drunken mishaps, whether it is a five-minute video of you slurring your words as you argue why cows are grossly underappreciated when it comes to favourite animals or you crying as you hug a tree, sobbing that they do not receive enough love. Jeonghan cherishes every single photo and video he took of you being drunk, frequently rewatching them to cheer himself up.

❀ Honestly, it never fails to make you regret drinking around this man because he has no problem using it as blackmail against you. Whenever you try to argue with him during game nights, he will subtly reference one of your entertaining escapades, teasing you that anyone who repeatedly drunkenly asked whether turning a phone on aeroplane mode would give it the ability to fly is in no position to argue with him.  

Joshua

❀ He is so unbelievably gentle with you. The moment he senses that you are getting ab bit too tipsy or borderline drunk, he will make sure to switch to water for himself instead. Although he enjoys the occasional drink, he wants to make sure that he is able to take care of you, letting you freely drink whilst he makes sure you do so safely.

❀ He is genuinely the sweetest, listening to all your drunken ramblings with a fond smile on his face. Whenever you are not paying attention to him, he will secretly switch out your alcoholic beverage for water, cheekily gaslighting you into believing that it is still the same drink by taking a sip himself and pretending that you are imagining things when exclaim it no longer tastes like vodka.

❀ When you guys get home, he will go into full caregiver mode, helping you remove your makeup, making sure that you didn’t forget to plug in your phone for the night and laying out your comfiest pyjamas for you to slip into after a brief shower. He will tuck you into bed after making sure that you drank enough water for the night, preparing a glass of water and some medication for you to take in the morning when the hangover kicks in, before turning in himself.

Jun

❀ The moment you enter your shared apartment drunk, Jun feels torn between laughing at your ridiculous actions spurred by your drunkenness and helping you sober up. Seeing you put your hand in the fish tank as you try to pet your now traumatised goldfish because you felt bad for never petting it before is hilarious to him. He is curious about what else you might do, following you around as you try to do more ridiculous things. He is thoroughly invested in seeing where your drunken brain is taking you next and what else you will get up to if he lets you roam around.

❀ Jun will entertain your drunken childlike curiosity, using it to finally be able to do the totally safe experiments you usually tell him off for. The two of you will engage in a plethora of dubious food experiments, mixing different drinks to find out whether they will taste any good together and go to the supermarket to buy a dozen different ice cream flavours in order to rank them all. Where usually you would scold him for trying to see whether a bath can really overflow, drunken-you would join him in watching the water level rise slowly.

❀ However, he simultaneously will be very caring, preparing a hearty meal to combat your drunkenness. He might not be the best chef in Seventeen, but he can cook up a couple of meals that help with absorbing the alcohol, preparing one of them to help you sober up a bit. He will ensure that you eat plenty of it and drink enough water before you go to bed.

Hoshi/Soonyoung

❀ In no universe is this man not drunker than you are when the two of you go out drinking. Hoshi’s tolerance is so incredibly low that he could get drunk on the smell of alcohol alone. The other members have to babysit the both of you, not even for your own safety but for those around you. He would be the type of person who, when you buy your shots, forgets that they are not his and, in his drunken stupor, take them when you turn around to pay. You are too drunk to notice either, not that it matters much, as you finish most of his drinks on accident, too.

❀ The dance floor is a danger zone when you two step onto it. Neither of you cares much about dancing decently; instead, the two of you have a competition going on who can come up with the most creative, shameless dance moves. The dance battle only ends when one of you accidentally knocks over a slow-dancing couple during an emotional ballad.

❀ The other members will ultimately have to step in, guiding you back home before either of you does something illegal. It is easier said than done; the two of you are so incredibly drunk that you decide to pose and take pictures with random statues you spot on your way home. Once home, they try to get you both to drink water but miserably fail as Hoshi completely breaks down, professing his undying love for you between sobs. The night ends with the two of you in each other’s arms, crying about how much you love each other.

Wonwoo

❀ Considering he doesn’t really drink himself, he will make sure you are not exceeding your drinking limits, babysitting you the entire time. However, where he usually makes sure to stop you from getting drunk the moment he notices you are getting tipsy, he hadn’t anticipated that the dinner with the members would turn into an out-of-control drinking party. When they suggested doing some drinking games whilst waiting for the food, he had assumed they would have gone easy on you; instead, you had lost so many of the drinking games that you were borderline drunk by the time that the food reached to your table.

❀ Throughout the dinner, Wonwoo tries to get you to drink as much water as he can. Your glass doesn’t stay empty for long as, rather than eating himself, he is way too focused on making sure that it is constantly filled with water. You have barely swallowed your food when he puts another piece of meat on your plate, hoping that the grease will help you sober up somewhat.

❀ When the members insist on playing more drinking games during and after the dinner, he initially refuses on your behalf. If you insist on continuing, he will awe the members by taking every punishment shot going your way for you. Unfortunately for him, the members have finally figured out a way to get Wonwoo to join their drinking festivities, using you as bait to get the usually introverted member to drink.

Woozi/Jihoon

❀ As another member who rarely, if ever, drinks, he always tells you to be careful when you do. When you get invited out for drinks with the members, he fully trusts them to keep an eye on you for his sake as he is stuck in the studio, having to finish a song. What he is not expecting, however, is for them to call him at 1 AM to come pick you up, as they may have grossly overestimated your alcohol tolerance. He can hear drunk-you brabble about how much you miss him in the background of the phone call as he talks to the members about coming over to take you home.

❀ With a big sigh, he makes his way over to the pub you guys had been drinking at, realizing that it might not have been the smartest to have the members who frequently drink and have built up quite the tolerance take you drinking. He is not necessarily angry at you or the members; instead, he is disappointed in himself for not having been there with you to ensure you would not go past your drinking limits.

❀ He is incredibly gentle with you when he finally arrives at the pub, scooping you up in his arms, ready to take you home. He will hear no apology on your part or the members, reassuring you that it happens and that although he would like for it to be prevented in the future, he understands that getting drunk happens. At home, he will be so soft as he makes sure to give you whatever you need. He will make sure not to leave your side, helping you shower and giving you plenty of cuddles in bed to make you feel better.

DK/Seokmin

❀ Another member who is probably just as drunk as you are, if not more. He would be getting drunk with you, sharing most of his drinks with you to the point where neither of you remembers which drink belongs to whom. He is definitely enabling your drunk behaviour and perhaps even the cause of it because whenever he picks up his shot of soju, he makes sure to give you one, too.

❀ He will rope you into doing something stupid, putting on one of his infamous skits with you as the second lead. You don’t know where he got a wig from, but he is fully engrossed in his role as Sandra, the woman who is about to be eaten by zombies. Where sober-you would be mortified by his behaviour, you are currently too drunk to care, down to join him as one of the vicious zombies. It doesn’t help that a small part of him still feels embarrassed about his actions and keeps taking a swig of the soju bottle left on your now-unoccupied table, making him progressively drunker as the performance continues.

❀ At the very least, your performance will be enjoyed by a considerably large, amused audience who decide to pay for some of your drinks in appreciation, making it a relatively cheap night out. Neither of you will be able to do much the next day as both of you completely forgot to drink water before going to bed, too busy re-enacting the best moments of your play, resulting in a massive hangover. As a result, the two of you spend most of the next day cuddled up in bed; DK claims that your hugs are the best cure for his crushing headache.

Mingyu

❀ Mingyu sometimes forgets that taller people tend to be able to drink more compared to those who are more vertically challenged; thus, he accidentally got you very drunk when he dragged you to go clubbing with him and the members. That being said, he is not feeling too guilty about it because where sober-you would try to limit the PDA in front of the other members, drunk-you completely forget they exist. Mingyu is on cloud nine when you start to touch him more than usual, thinking he has officially gone to heaven as you hug him close and refuse to let go.

❀ He is giggling uncontrollably, as you are all over him, insisting on slow-dancing to every song that comes on, even if it is to the most upbeat techno song. Although he makes sure that you don’t get too drunk, he will not make any attempts to sober you up immediately either, enjoying your attention way too much. He, for sure, will take at least fifty photos and videos where you are kissing his cheek and drunkenly rambling on and on about how much you love him, saving them for a rainy day. You are the cutest person alive to him, and he seriously considers always bringing you along from now on.

❀ Once home, he will make sure that you are fully provided for, cheekily suggesting to shower together as he is incredibly ‘worried’ that you might slip in the shower in your drunken state. Part of Mingyu is slightly sad to see you sober up when he hands you your tenth glass of water in an attempt to prevent a nasty hangover.

The8/Minghao

❀ There is no way in hell that Minghao is not watching you like a hawk when the two of you go drinking, taking away your drinks when he notices that you are getting a bit too out-of-control drunk. You always try to argue with him when he does, whining that you, the adult, know your limits and don’t need him to babysit you. Thus, to prove you wrong and to get you to stop arguing with him whenever he stops you from drinking, he makes a deal with you; you get to drink however much you want, and he won’t interfere with drunk you whatsoever.

❀ This is how you end up drunk out of your mind at one of the members’ birthday parties, challenging Seungkwan to an arm wrestling match after you had tried to beat a drunk and crying Hoshi in a dance battle without much success. You even competed in Scoups’ and Mingyu’s beer pong competition, making you drunker than you already were. Minghao hovers nearby, ready to jump in when necessary, keeping a close eye on your questionable actions. His phone is in his hands as he quietly films you from a distance, ready to present sober-you with the consequences of your drunken decisions.

❀ Nevertheless, he will interfere whenever you are about to do something too embarrassing; sure, he wants you to learn that you do stupid things when wasted, but he does not want you to be relentlessly teased by the other members for your intoxicated mishaps. Minghao will immediately take you back home and sober you up when he thinks that he has let you go on for long enough and that he has collected enough evidence to prove his claims. The next morning, he will lovingly confront you with reality, regardless of whether or not you are nursing a hangover, after which you agree that maybe, sometimes, he might have a point.

Seungkwan

❀ Seungkwan is honestly one of the best people to get drunk around. Sure, he drinks himself, but the moment he notices that he is getting tipsy, he slows down his drinking. He has had to deal with the members being drunk so often that he has developed successful ways of dealing with drunk people, making him well-equipped to deal with you. The moment you sheepishly admit that you are slightly drunk when you two are having dinner with the members, he will do his famous drunk check, rubbing over your forehead, making you giggle uncontrollably, before concluding that, indeed, you are gone.  

❀ The entire evening, he will treat you like a little kid, listening to your drunken ramblings and providing you with sassy and funny remarks in exchange. He loves that you are laughing even more at his jokes than usual, and he will not miss a chance to elicit another fit of laughter out of you by doing something stupid. Seungkwan is not above embarrassing himself as long as it means that you are entertained.

❀ Honestly, I can’t imagine Seungkwan letting you do anything embarrassing. He will make sure that you sober up a little, providing you with water every now and then, and talk you out of whatever stupid plan you were about to execute. The moment he spots you climbing onto the bar, ready to execute your and Hoshi’s well-choreographed but slightly ridiculous dance routine, he will expertly redirect your attention to something else, making you completely forget about what you were about to do. As funny as he knows it would be for you to embarrass yourself, he knows you would be mortified the next day when you find out what you did the previous night and is fully committed to preventing that from happening. He would never let you do anything you would regret sober.

❀ Still, if you refuse to listen to him or you manage to do something stupid when he is momentarily distracted, he would not let you live it down.

Vernon

❀ Similarly to Jun, he is highly amused by your drunken escapades, curious to see what you will do. Where Jun, however, will join you in your antics, Vernon will mostly observe you, laughing his chair-screeching laugh as he does. He is not going to interfere whatsoever and lets you do whatever comes to your drunken mind, highly amused by whatever you are doing. Unless you are doing something illegal or dangerous, he is letting you do whatever your drunken brain convinces you to do.

❀ Getting drunk around Vernon means providing him with an arsenal of slightly embarrassing pictures that will be stored for later use. His phone is in his hand the whole evening, and he will make sure to snap thousands of images of your intoxicated self as you pose for him. You completely forget about him taking the pictures until he starts using them as stickers and memes in your private chat. Most of his reactions to your messages are you pulling a weird face. It wouldn’t have been that bad if he hadn’t started using them in the Seventeen group chat and as his phone’s background.

❀ As Vernon doesn’t strike me as someone who drinks often, he wouldn’t really be much help in sobering you up and making sure you won’t have too bad of a headache in the morning. Instead of making sure you drink enough water and get enough sleep, he convinces you to stay up late to watch a movie with him, entertained by your drunken commentary throughout, most of which he records. Needless to say, when morning arrives, you wake up with a lot of regrets.

Dino/Chan

❀ Dino is the king of being drunk; the amount of stories this dude has where he is wasted and doing something questionable are too many to count. Of course, he will be drunk with you, and of course, you two will create the best, most amusing drunk story ever. He had tried so hard to take the punishment shots for you whenever you lost a drinking game, not wanting you to get too drunk, resulting in both of you being incredibly intoxicated and hyping the other up to do some questionable stuff. The members tried to supervise the both of you, but you managed to escape when they got distracted for merely a second.

❀ In retrospect, your memories are kind of hazy on what had actually happened that night. In flashes, you remember a couple of rich people inviting you guys along, a boat, a garden gnome and something about a museum. Somehow, at the end of the night, you two end up in a fancy hotel, holding a garden gnome under your arm, all expenses paid, with the staff congratulating you on your engagement as you sport a very cheap plastic ring on your ring finger.

❀ In the morning, the two of you are nursing massive hangovers, utterly confused about where you are and how you managed to get there. Dino sees the thirty-plus missed calls from the members, knowing he is in a world of trouble, and someone mysteriously saved under the name Bob the Magician. The ring is so tight around your finger that you barely manage to get it off. Still, neither of you is planning on leaving any time soon, enjoying the luxury hotel the next couple of days as you try to piece together what transpired that night after ensuring the members that you are not dead in a ditch somewhere.

masterlist

[mixelation]

wait okay i DID fall asleep days ago when i said i would post about this and then was too busy to Blog. but here are some points on the tori/minato au

it is time travel late game plasticity!tori. so just assume she can basically do anything she wants with fuinjutsu (with sufficient time/resources) but she's not a ninja. instead she's just in ame midway through the third shinobi war one day. which SUCKS-- ame is a fucking mess and tori is essentially homeless and no one knows her. so tori's first idea is that she'll LEAVE ame, get to the coast, and then take a boat somewhere with no war. unfortunately this is means crossing through active ninja war zones

the Mood for tori in this is: imagine her muddy and damp at all times. she is floundering around the elemental nations mainly by attaching herself to other civilian groups trying to relocate and, when necessary, scamming ninja. her ability to take down ninja is all over the place, but if she tricks you into making the wrong move, you WILL end up stuck in an unbreakable barrier or dying horribly and she will take your things.

and then the mood for minato is: he's like 19-20, so he's young and more reckless with less direction than i usually write him. he is only JUST now getting an international reputation for hiraishin related shenanigans. he feels dusty and overworked all the time, but also he currently has no strong ties to konoha as a physical place (jiraiya and his genin teammates are rarely there due to war, he and kushina are buddies but not dating, and he hasn't been assigned team 7 yet). so basically he's loyal to konoha but he's not like.... eager to get back or anything. he's fine fucking around in weird corners of the world during his down time. he is basically a Nice Guy but he has no problem with murder as the quickest and easier solution.

the meetcute:

tori is good at what she does but her scams/lies/manipulations obviously don't always work, and failing to trick a ninja can end with dire consequences. she has 'died' a couple times, been imprisoned and moved by ninja and civilian groups AWAY from her goals and had to escape, etc

she is currently having a Very Bad Time. she's been captured by ninja and they're actively harassing/humiliating her. she doesn't have an opportunity to DO anything bout this so she is quite upset

minato shows up and murders the ninja. this has nothing to do with tori's presence-- it's his mission to clear enemies in the area.

minato doesn't care THAT much about helping random civilians who aren't even fire country, but he IS very good and smiling prettily and asking people if they're okay.

he asks tori if she has a safe place to go. she lies and says yes bc she doesn't want to find out what happens if the fucking YELLOW FLASH talks to her for longer than necessary.

but also she is. she is very flustered. she's not used to being saved with no strings attached. he's handsome and being kind to her. she's SO upset

they part ways. tori stomps off into the woods and she's COLD and LOST ALL HER SUPPLIES because she ran away before she could LOOT THE CORPSES.

and! the worst part is!! she keeps having idle fantasies about if she HAD said she needed help and minato? helping her?? WHY WOULD HE HELP HER. how would he 'help' her. she bets it would feel good

she INTENTIONALLY gets herself recaptured while she knows he's in the area just to be saved again. except this time she's a small group of people and he gives the same exact speech and offers help to everyone? he does not seem to recognize her even though she keeps thinking about him? tori NOT special???

tori: okay so he's psychological torturing me tori: guess i should.... kill him....? tori: only if we ever meet again though. tori: which we probably won't

so while this interaction will haunt tori for months, minato mostly forgets about it immediately. however there ARE mounting rumors that SOMEONE has a fuinjutsu master running around. it's unclear which village is responsible for it. jiraiya's investigations indicate it's probably a wandering-nin because the things this person is doing make no SENSE from a 'village at war' perspective, because he's following around tori's wildly inconsistent path of destruction. jiraiya only even cares because a few times she's been forced to leave behind active seals, and they're? insane looking???

so the sequence of events that ends up happening is:

minato is in the same area as tori, because he's helping hunt down this mysterious fuinjutsu user. he ends up chasing a bunch of ninja out of a civilian village because it is, in fact, more convenient to him if civilians like him and let him use their resources. he gives them the same speech he always does about are they okay and everyone is safe now. one of the villagers, a young woman, approaches him and is like "hey can you help with this weird ninja technique down by the river, it's killing the fish?" and minato is like "yeah sure" and he follows her down the river and voila! one of the weird seals he's looking for!

and then? somehow?? he ends up IN the river AND the river is fucking BOILING. he gets out because he can fucking teleport, but he hasn't been spamming his hiraishin as much as he will in the future and he ends up having to teleport pretty far away. he's decently injured because BOILING so he seeks medical attention and doesn't go back for a few days. but when he DOES the girl is gone and the villagers are like "oh yeah we have no idea who that was"

tori: hi sorry, you seem to have not noticed i'm the main character. die horribly, i guess

minato: i think the renegade fuinjutsu user is..... a random civilian? jiraiya: proposterous jiraiya: that makes no sense all of konoha leadership: nope, sounds wrong

so now it's minato's personal mission to refind tori, despite konoha leadership's orders to drop it, because he's 100% sure SHE is the mysterious fuinjutsu user. i don't think it would actually take him that long because he is a highly competent ninja and tori is tricksy but she's also... a walking disaster. (basically, she's good at getting herself out of immediate problems, but she's bad at long-term problems, so she does things like "flee before hiding evidence of insane fuinjutsu" and "gives her name as Cup Noodles to more than one person")

meanwhile, tori is wandering around backwater hot water country like, "i did it. i fixed my feelings on the yellow flash. u_u" and he shows up again like "hello!!!" and she's like "NO FUCK"

the problems minato immediately runs into are:

he doesn't actually have specific orders on what to DO about tori, on account of konoha thinking she has to be some sort of bad ass ninja. the game plan for the mysterious fuinjutsu master is basically just "identify and then report back" and he already did that

he COULD just drag her in and sit her down with a yamanaka, and then probably jiraiya would be like "huh, good work, kid" and he would get another accolade for excellent service he doesn't care about. but, consider: he wants to know WTF is up with her, how her seals work, and also how is she doing them if she's not a ninja

he figures out pretty quickly that they HAVE met before, twice, and she targeted him specifically to try and boil him alive. he's had ninja fixate on him before but.... the disconnect between tori's perceived threat and how close she got to boiling him alive is absurd

he's

he's kind of into it?

so the mood then is: tori is being casually stalked by the yellow flash because he just thinks she's neat. she's wildly conflicted about this because she enjoys his attention way too much, but also, she hates how he makes her feel. she hates that her life is 90% being uncomfortable and terrified of being randomly murdered, and she HATES how minato being around makes all of that go away. she hates that she likes fucking around with fuinjutsu with him. she starts doing stuff that will self-sabotage her own quest to LEAVE THE CONTINENT just to get his attention.

the get-together:

tori gets herself into hot water that makes her go "oh, hmm, i may have fucked up for good this time"

current scenario i'm imagining (some rotating needed): iwa is ALSO onto Insane Rando Fuinjutsu User running around, and they end up grabbing tori and moving her into like. an actual field prison for ninja, in a major iwa camp in one of the smaller countries. the rumor among the other captives (mostly konoha ninja) is that they'll be moved to iwa proper eventually, and tori is.... pretty sure she's actually fucked forever if she ends up in iwa

but! she has other prisoners! who are ninja! and she's like: "look, despite knowing i can do fuinjutsu, they don't seem to have the slightest idea HOW i've been doing it, because i can still make a blood seal whenever" and she gets to be an integral part of an escape plan!

but she gets left behind/immediately recaptured because no one ACTUALLY cares about her and helping her >:(

i might change this but ONE concept i have for how this pans out is that hiruzen's non-asuma child (konohamaru's parent) is one of the captives. so it's a VERY politically important captive who isn't necessarily very badass by themselves. so the mood is like "this person needs to be rescued, but they're not like some A-tier person who can rescue themselves," which is why minato himself gets sent in

tori, while she's being smacked around by iwa leadership for being a part of the escape attempt that lost them their most valuable captive, realizes that she did actually fuck up in attempting to escape, because she HAD a shot at Konoha rescuing her if she stuck with the other captives, but now those captives are free, and no one is coming for her

MEANWHILE, minato has connected witht he escaped konoha-nin and pieced together that tori was with them but they left her behind

minato: oh minato: BRB

and i've decided in THIS au, THIS is minato's "kills 1000+ Iwa-nin in one shot" moment

so he shows up, covered in blood, kills the guy who's been torturing her, and is like "tori, are you okay?" and it's his speech he gives everyone except he's not using his pretty smile she now KNOWS is fake and he's tenderly wiping blood off her face

and tori is just. SO fucking weak to this. you became the most lethal ninja in history? for h e r?! 🥺🥺🥺

and then they make out 😌

i'm not sure how the rest of the story goes. i think minato's preferred way forward would be for tori to go into konoha's employment, but i don't think she'd like that. but also she suddenly is less interested in leaving the continent so now she maybe has to fix some things?

tori: oh you have a genin team now? um unrelated but there is a cave near kannabi bridge with an old man you must kill minato: wh minato: why do you sound like like a wizard giving me a quest minato, a month later, finding Uchiha Madara in a cave: minato: minato: TORI WHAT THE FUCK

but anyway after that when she's like "we have to find a plant guy and kill him too" then minato is 100% on board because she is. some sort of witch?

also she lets him draws a hiraishin marker on her For Safety and he's weirdly horny about it

[i-will-cry-you-a-river]

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Fall: I’ve been wondering, how did you get into writing? You seem like you’ve got such a strong grasp on it. It’s kind of intimidating, honestly. You are way too good with your words, especially compared to us, mere mortals.

Shen Yuan smirked as he typed out his reply, leaning back against his hospital bed.

Shizun: You flatterer! But honestly, I’ve spent way too much time hate-reading terrible webnovels and thought, ‘Well, I can’t do worse than this’. Writing fanfiction was kind of a last-ditch effort to keep my sanity after reading PIDW for so long. And…

He started to hit backspace but hit enter instead. Shit.

It took a minute for Fall to answer. Against his hopes, not without asking about that ���and’.

Fall: “And…”?

Fall: But LOL. I should have known that nothing can beat spite. Not sure if you know - probably you do, since you love PIDW’s world so much -, but there's a commenter, Peerless_Cucumber, who is like that. The angrier he gets, the more eloquent he writes. Barring all the swearing, LOL.

Fall: Shit! Wait. No. Now that I think about it, please, don't check him out! If you two would collaborate, you could take over the world.

Shen Yuan couldn't decide whether to cry or laugh. It seemed, it was a good decision not using his Peerless_Cucumber acc, but it was quite strange to read about himself. Maybe he should tell Fall it was him.

Hahaha. No. Fuck, no.

Shizun: Hahaha, I know about him! Would it be strange if I'd say that I kinda use his long-ass comments/essays as bases for improvement? He is always so detailed with all the problems and issues, it is much better to use those instead of the fan Wiki.

Shizun: So… about the “and”.

Shizun: I used to be quite sickly when I was young. I spent a lot of time in the hospital, and I found out that reading and writing was a wonderful way to forget about the real world. Funnily enough, I'm actually at the hospital rn, turning towards writing once more.

It took a little longer for Fall to answer. Biting into his mouth, Shen Yuan hoped that it wasn't too personal too soon. Shen Yuan glanced at the IV drip beside him, the sterile smell of the hospital room filling his senses. It wasn't that bad.

It wasn't good either.

He wanted to go home. Home had his own bed. Home had his PIDW merch and his favorite pillow his er-ge forbid to bring him to the hospital.

Fall: Oh, shit. That sucks.

Fall: I get that. Reading (and maybe writing, but you may never know) is a safe space for me too. It helps to forget about all the problems in the world, to imagine you are somewhere else, in a better place. Also, I hope you are doing okay! I'm also in a similar situation, so high five bro! (Kinda managed to do something very, very stupid. Did you know that ramen is liquid and liquid does not go well with electricity?)

Fall: On a lighter note, I really think that you are good at writing. You should try to do original work if you want to - you are, like, natural at balancing world-building and character development. I'm kinda jealous, but I've learned a lot just from reading your fic.

Shen Yuan blinked at the screen. It was one thing for random commenters to leave praise, but for some reason, hearing it from Fall felt... different. He found himself smiling stupidly, warmth blooming in his chest. Fall was just so…

He was lovely.

A great “bro”, it seemed. Way to be bro zoned.

Shizun: First of all, don't you dare to

sell yourself short! Not on my watch! You’ve got some pretty good ideas yourself. I can tell from your comments you’ve got a solid grasp on storytelling. Second, what the fuck, Fall?? You okay???

There was a longer pause before Fall replied. Shen Yuan knew that logically, Fall had to be safe, since he could write - they had been communicating constantly for the last two weeks -, but that didn't make it less scary. To know that Fall could have…

To think that Shen Yuan could have died… if either of them died…

They could have never met. It was a strangely disturbing and upsetting thought.

Fall: I'm good, I'm good! Dw!

Fall: Okay, but consider this: I don't think anybody would be interested in what I'd write. What I would like to write about.

Shen Yuan only had one answer to that:

Shizun: I'd read that.

Fall didn't reply for a long time after that, but that was okay. Shen Yuan assumed he needed some time to think about it, and that was okay. He just hoped his friend would realize how much Shen Yuan thought the world of him. He believed in Fall, even if Fall didn't believe in himself.

Shen Yuan, after all, had experience in believing in authors with great potential, who lacked the spine to be themselves and write what they wanted, instead of what the majority of the people demanded.

-*-*-*-

Fall: I've been thinking a lot about SJ and the way you portrayed him handling the Immortal Alliance Conference. It was fascinating to see the parallels. Him killing WY, who murdered those kids to save YQY versus him throwing LBH into the Abyss, believing that he, as a demonic cultivator, also killed all those kids. It was such a great moment! Shocking, because I think we all thought he would not do it since your SQQ wasn't as brutal as Airplane's, but you executed it so well! Oh, I wish Airplanes would have done the same. So heartbreaking! While PIDW created a monster out of SQQ, you created a human.

Fall: I'm also wondering if you plan to make him struggle with that choice later. Like, will he regret it in hindsight?

Shen Yuan considered this, tapping his fingers against his laptop. Fall always asked questions that made him rethink his plans. Actually, he didn't really think that he did such a great job at drawing parallels between the two Conferences, so he planned to switch POVs and continue it from Luo Binghe's, but…

It was actually a great question. The readers already knew about Luo Binghe's experiences in the Abyss more-or-less. Shen Yuan planned to show how staying at a more stable peak affected his physique, but it could be fascinating to explore what happens to Shen Qingqiu meanwhile.

Maybe he could do both…

Maybe-

Shizun: You raised a good question. I think I'll have him grapple with the consequences, it could be interesting to see how things turn out in the mortal world.

Fall: I think you should do it. It would fit your world-building theme… You could make the story feel more real. Like, the world, the characters and their choices have weight, y’know?

Shen Yuan knew exactly what Fall meant.

Shizun: Yeah, you are absolutely right. It was definitely something PIDW was missing - characters suffering real consequences. Even if they did something, be it either bad or good, it didn't really matter, because they either died in the end, or…

Fall: or had sex?

Shen Yuan snorted, typing back quickly.

Shizun: I wanted to say kinky, yet utterly boring papapa, but yes.

Fall: Oh, don't mention it! If I never read the words ‘thrust’ and ‘dangling’ again, it’d be too soon!

Shizun: I hate you.

Shizun: I want to bleach my eyes. I hate those words! And all the euphemisms Airplane use. ‘Flowers’, I get. Even ‘heavenly pillar’ makes sense! But comparing breasts to cow's udders?!?! Sometimes I wonder about Airplane's sex ed background…

There was a longer pause after that. Only his nervous ticks revealed his anxiety over that pause. Was he too offensive? It was not his Peerless_Cuvumber acc, so maybe he shouldn't have been so critical over the papapa scenes? But that was the best part in his friendship with Fall! He felt free to be open, to be himself!

Before he could work up himself, a reply came.

Fall: Maybe he doesn't really like writing sex? Or specifically, hetero sex? Maybe he is…

Shen Yuan stared at the words.

Airplane, his favorite and most hated author might be similar to him?

Maybe.

But…

Shizun: Don't care. I'm gay, and I could write better hetero sex scenes if I wanted to! Sexual orientation is not a good reason to be so bad at something!

Only after he sent the message did he realize that he fucked up. Sure, he might have flirted sometimes as they were talking with each other, but only within the boundaries of a no-homo friendship. But now that he came out in the heat of the moment…

He didn't want to lose a friend.

Fall: Okay, but you are different. You dare to write what you love.

Shen Yuan only realized that he had been withholding his breath, when he could feel himself breathe normally. It was not an explicit acceptance-

But it wasn't a rejection either.

He would take it.

Deciding, he would not bring attention to his accidental came-out, he wrote:

Shizun: If you ever decide to write something, you can also write whatever you wish to. It will be great, I'm sure of it!

There was a break in the conversation, again. He hoped he didn't push hard, since he knew Fall had been pretty hesitant to talk about his own writing in the past, but he hoped his encouragement helped.

Fall: Maybe one day. If I get brave enough to write something worth reading, you’ll be the first to know!

Shen Yuan smiled at his phone, feeling the familiar warmth settle in his chest. He wasn't sure why, but the idea of Fall sharing his work with him first, felt like something worth waiting for. The guy had a way with words, it was obvious from his comments. He was insightful and had an eye for details. Shen Yuan knew that if he ever wrote something he really liked, it would be an instant hit.

-*-*-*-

As the time passed, the day of Shen Yuan’s discharge loomed closer and closer. Which, don't misunderstand him, he desperately waited for!

However…

He had to admit. He didn't really want to leave the Hospital Guy. Sure, he still didn't know much about the guy - not even his name, for fuck's sake! -, but he had grown attached.

Hospital Guy was funny and smart and weird and hilarious. Shen Yuan enjoyed spending time with him, their quiet moments in the garden. He liked talking with/to him about everything and nothing. Hospital Guy was attentive when he ranted about the series he binge-watched between two chapters of PIDW, and they also had the same taste in music! He liked seeing the guy relax, and he loved it even more that he, Shen Yuan, was the reason for his more relaxed state!

He just liked Hospital Guy, okay?! He was just adorable, both inside and out!

So, on the day of his discharge, Shen Yuan mustered the courage to do the one thing he had yet to do: visit the guy's room.

Hospital Guy was clicking wildly on his phone, but the moment he noticed Shen Yuan, he stopped, and focused all his attention on him.

“Hi,” Shen Yuan said, surprisingly shy.

“Hello, Stranger,” Hospital Guy grinned.

“I'm leaving today,” he blurted out. The grin was instantly gone from Hospital Guy's face, turning into an unreadable mask.

It was concerning.

“Oh,” was all he said.

Shen Yuan waited, hoping for something more. A request to stay in touch, disappointment for not continuing their daily walks, or at least a goodbye that felt more meaningful. He waited for something, anything-

But the guy just nodded, his gaze drifting away from Shen Yuan, as if with that, he had already forgotten about the friend he made in the hospital.

Maybe they weren't really friends. Maybe everything was only in Shen Yuan's head.

Maybe he had bothered Hospital Guy all along.

Disappointment surged through Shen Yuan. He’d thought, maybe, there was something there; a connection, a friendship, maybe even more! But the guy didn’t seem to care.

It was as if Shen Yuan didn't even exist anymore.

“Alright,” Shen Yuan said, his voice tight. He would not cry. He would not scream. He would not fight. He would not bother Hospital Guy ever again. “Take care of yourself.”

And with that, he left.

[myrasdiary]

Spiderpunk but he loves staring st you? Normally you wouldn't see him but then you do! And then you ask him and he just chuckles and says "you're so beautiful darling." If itd fine with you?

of course! ty for requesting 🙈

Staring Problem

Hobie landed down on a random rooftop, jumping down from a nearby building and sitting down. He pats down next to him, an invitation for me to join him.

"Wait up!" I laughed, the airy sound piercing through the quiet evening. I followed his lead, swinging onto the rooftop and perching down next to him. We've only been dating for two weeks, and so far it has been utter bliss. He took note of my exhilarated face, a small chuckle leaving his lips.

The sky had transformed into a canvas of golden hues. Streaks of orange and yellow painted the sky, as the sun cast an array of shadows upon our faces. The warmth on my face felt heavenly. "The sun's almost down," I baited my breath, as if I didn't want to disturb the event.

Hobie hummed in response, leaning down to lightly kiss my temple. "Quite nice, innit?" His voice was surprisingly soft. "Never see this type of sky in my dimension."

I turned to face him, intrigued. "Hm? Why not?" I shift my position to hug my legs, tilting my head onto my knees. His lip curved up faintly.

"Sky's too polluted where I'm from, honestly. Can't see shit for most of it." He sighs, looking up at the sky again. "S' a bloody shame."

My face crinkled in sympathy. "That must be horrible." I couldn't imagine not being to see the sunlight, suffocated by a murky atmosphere and diminishing stars.

He shrugged casually. "Oh c'mon now, you ain't gotta pity me." His smile returns. "It's not a big deal, luv. S somethin' I'm used to. Nothin' more." I reach for his hand, interlacing my fingers through his in a display of affection.

"Well, you better enjoy it right now, then."

He's already enjoying it. Of course he is, I was with him. He nods, watching the light saturate into a darker color. "So, tell me more about that college project you're working on, eh?"

A few minutes later, I was rapidly rambling to him about quantum holes and the space time continuum. Hobie had been intently listening, playing with his shoelace. He'd be lying if he said he understood what I were talking about, but it was pretty fascinating to hear. He only began to get distracted when his gaze wandered to my face, watching the way my eyes seemed to light up while explaining the project. Each detail of my features held his undivided attention, his eyes softening as I continued speaking, unaware of his zoned-out state.

He felt that familiar feeling. The feeling he always gets in when he's with me, except it was greater now, fluttering in his stomach and making him feel all warm and safe. The more staring he did, the less he was really listening to what I were saying.

"And I thought that researching this could be great, because we're also dealing with this issue in the society-" I pause for a second, a bit taken aback by the intent stare he was giving me. My brows furrow. "Uhm, is there something on my face..?"

He stays silent for a second, swallowing the lump in his throat. He was afraid that if he spoke too quick, his words would falter mid-sentence. After a moment, his voice was fragile. "You're bloody beautiful, you know that?"

Now I was the flustered one. Redness creeped into my cheeks as I did a double take at his abrupt confession. "I...wow."

He took a deep breathe, snapping out of his state and chuckling at my response. "Sorry, darling. You're just so distracting." He pulls back, staring at me again, with unrestrained affection.

I take a deep breath to calm down my racing heart, trying to act nonchalant. "Well, you're gonna miss the sunset if you keep looking at me like that."

"Fuck the sunset. The view here's better anyway."

A laugh bubbles on my lips, music to his ears. "You mean that?"

'Of course luv. I always do." He wrapped an arm around my smaller frame, and we both turn our heads back to the view, hearts buzzing with joy.

[psychrodraws]

Hello! May I have paldea trio headcannons?

(Or Arvpen headcannons, I need them)

Also yes, I am @indigodiskmybeloved this is my main ;-;

Hell yeah! This is… a lot. I think about this a lot. Way too much. Buckle up.

When Nemona’s with Penny, she’s the one who tries to pull her out of her shell a bit. She loves Penny’s snark and bite, how she’s willing to speak her mind about anything that bothers her, and Nemo doesn’t want to see that side of her be repressed. It’s a struggle, sometimes a lot more than others, but Nemona strives to be the confident hand that Penny can take while she finds her footing in the world. Her sygna suit was a cheerleader for a reason! However, she can find herself needing to take her foot off the gas, so to speak. When Nemona gets a bit too intense, it can make Penny clam up and just try to weather the sudden shift in energy. When Penny first snapped at Nemona to take it down a notch or twelve, Penny thought Nemona might cry- but Nemona was just so happy to see Penny willing to speak up! All of this has had a marked improvement on her confidence! Penny’s been finding herself talking to people a lot more, battling a lot more, even being the one to call her father first! It takes a lot out of her, but bit by bit and day by day, it takes ever so slightly less. Nemona couldn’t be prouder of her.

 But when Penny’s just really, really not feeling it, Nemona has no problem doing something a bit more low-key. She can’t really sit still long enough to just veg out and watch some anime, maybe if it’s a high-action anime, so they usually play video games together. Nemona is… not really that good at them! :D Penny goes easy on her. If the three of them are playing together, Arven does not, so Penny has to keep him down. Regardless, she has a ton of fun with them, with no real regard for winning or losing. Her favorite is Mario Kart, where she plays as Rosalina- tall girl solidarity, she likes playing Smash Brothers as Kirby because he’s cute, she doesn’t really get Minecraft and Splatoon makes her motion sick. Any other games Penny has are either single player or… way too violent for poor little Nemona. 

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

Nemona and Arven, on the other hand, are quite the opposite. Arven can take Nemona’s intense energy a lot better than Penny, so she does NOT hold back. On the one hand, Arven’s grateful for this. He’s touched that Nemona feels safe to be herself around her, and he wouldn’t want to jeopardize that for the world. On the other hand, oh my god she’s so intense dude. Battle after battle, that fire deep within Nemona’s heart in full blaze can make anyone sweat. Of course, all of this has Nemona over the moon. Very thankfully, after about oh, five or six battles, Nemona’s usually down to take a sandwich break. This is a good chance for them to slow down and just spend a bit of time together, without a fifty-feet war-zone of Rock Slides and Thunders between them. Nemona has that Shaggy metabolism, I’m saying it here, that girl can EAT and still stay quite thin.

 Arven loves making his partners food, and puts a ton of thought and care into what he makes them- for Nemo, it’s usually something simple and healthy, well-balanced with lots of protein. A nice BLT with some homemade mayo, or an egg salad sandwich. However, they might not even be done making their sandwich before Nemona’s ready for seconds, but no worries, she can do it herself, she insists every time… and every time, Arven can hardly watch. Throwing together random ingredients with no regard for structure or… taste, stacked way too high on pieces of bread way too small, and she eats the monstrosity just as readily as the first, lovingly crafted sandwich. Nemona and Penny tell him he doesn’t have to bottle up his emotions around them. He chooses to bottle up the emotions this makes him feel. How a girl from such a rich and refined family can have such a… resilient palette is beyond them. Still, whatever makes her happy, makes them happy.

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

alright bastards worst for last Arven and Penny, now that’s one hell of a combination. Things were not great at first, oh man. Their defenses of a nasty attitude and passive-aggressive teasing bounced right off Nemona, she got close to them by being completely immune to their toxins. Arven and Penny, however, felt like an old married couple staying together until the kids go off to college. That changed when one day, they got snippy with each other over god knows what. Arven got up to do some cooking, while Penny stayed on their bed to watch some anime on her phone. They didn’t talk, but merely co-existed. These same mundane thing they’d done a million times before were tinted with a loneliness so familiar they didn’t even recognize it was there anymore- until it wasn’t. They were trying so hard to “make it work” that they couldn’t realize they didn’t need to try at all. Slowly but surely, they came together more and more, not forcing themselves to partake in absolutely everything about the other. Arven didn’t really care for Penny’s weird anime about freaky angels and robots, Penny couldn’t stand the feeling of washing dirt off vegetables. And that was okay! Great, even! Not everything had to be a battle, and if they wanted to do their own thing, simply doing their own thing on opposite sides of the room was enough! 

Of course, they do have plenty in common. Penny was flabbergasted to find out Arven was actually pretty good at video games- “Penny, I’m also a loser with no friends, did you forget?” Some of her cooking anime actually quite intrigued Arven, and Penny’s knowledge of Pokemon husbandry came in quite handy in getting a hold of some of his rowdier Pokemon, like his Scovillain and… really just his Scovillain. i dont ljke her.  Penny found out she kinda really liked baking, being a lot less sensory and a lot more measurement and timing reliant than cooking- the sweets at the end weren’t a bad motivator either. She didn’t even hate going on hikes with Arven, as long as he carried her when she got tired, they got a lunch break at least an hour into the hike but preferably closer to 30 minutes, and they got the trail mix with the peanut butter chips. They can still find each other a bit tiring, Arven’s bottomless attitude and Penny’s razor tongue, but it’s worth it in the end, because deep down, they both really are two sweethearts under a thousand sour shells. 

Oh, and uh, Arven basically makes her anything she wants. Penny has a lot of foods and textures she avoids due to sensory issues pertaining to autism, so the same way Nemona tries to draw Penny out of her emotional shell, Arven tries to draw her out of her culinary shell. It’s a lot of trial and error, emphasis on the error, but Nemona has no issues with whatever leftovers may arise. As you might see from my art, I HC Penny as being a bit fat, because speaking totally neutrally here, it doesn’t make sense for her to be a thin anime moe twig with her lifestyle, like Mr. Poe K. Mon when I get my hands on you I swear to god- sorry. Anyways, Penny can be a bit self-conscious about her eating habits, but of all the things Arven will tease and poke fun at her for, food’s not one of them. Arven will never, never be the reason anyone goes hungry. If all Penny can get down is some reheated spaghetti or a simple PB&J, he has it ready without batting an eye. also Penny being open about being trans made Arven realize he’s genderfluid bite me

Okay and now rapid fire little headcanons:

-None of these idiots are good at kissing they’re all too proud/embarrassed to look up a guide on wikihow

-Nemona has simple pet names, big on “babe/baby.” Penny’s not too big on giving or receiving names, reminds her too much of her father’s nicknames, but Arven gets the “Arvee” a lot from both of them. I made the regrettable and sinful decision to make my Arven Kalosian, so Nemona is his “beautiful Aurorus” and Penny his “little Sylveon”

-Arven doesn’t use she/her pronouns too too often, but is okay with being called their girlfriend, especially if it’s funny. They’re willing to change gender for the bit.

-Penny isn’t a cuddler. Not adverse to it, but not crazy about it. She’s often on one side of the bed while the other two cling to each other like Komala with their logs.

-Arven’s blind in the eye they cover, and doing eyeliner with one eye is very hard. They can do it by themselves, but if Nemona or Penny are there that morning, by god they’re the ones who’re gonna do it.

If you’re still reading dont forget to like and follow ring that bell i post about these idiots and their other girlfriend I invented way too much

[nuctoria]

How would you describe each member of Luigi's harem?

I'm going to note down the members down first so I can follow it along, both good and bad guys will be here instead of just the evil trio and this is based on my opinions. Puppy crushes will be included. We got; Daisy, Peasley, Dreambert, Bowser, King Boo, Antasma, Dimentio (I'm holding back on adding the artefacts that possessed him and give them sentience but you can't tell me they aren't literally sniffing him out through the entire population and hunting him, the Dark Prognosticus did it best) Daisy: we know her, we love her. She is the first love since Luigi got to that world. She learned of Mario through Peach and liked him when he met him but was more attracted to Luigi when they met due to his soft, shy and kind-hearted nature, loving how cute he is but also the amount of surprises he holds. Like how he matches her competitive nature in sports and taught how much more fun it is to plant flowers. And she will never say no to his cooking, she nearly tried to hire him to her kingdom so she could eat and be together with him more but she'd never dare separate him from his brother. If Luigi feels too socially drained she'll either speak for him after he whispers or gives her looks she understands or kidnap him to his place for cuddles and rest.

Peasley: Adores Luigi with all his heart, he feels so lucky to have met him and is always excited when he visits his kingdom to see him. He will boast about him to his people and close connections, letting his name be more known as well as his own heroic deeds. When Luigi does visit, he often asked about any new adventures he's been on or his life in general, smitten by much Luigi appreciates the small things in life and how perceptive he is and it slowly rubs off on him. By now, he knows the most part of Luigi's routine and has things ready for him if he can which Luigi really loves. He loves how he doesn't hide his nervousness and marches on even though he's scared, true bravery in his opinion. Despite how cute he finds it, he still tries to build up Luigi's confidence and be less anxious, trying to slowly help him step out of his comfort zone once in awhile.

Dreambert: he really looks up to both brothers and admires their strength and resilience but he's gotten closer with Luigi due to his calm nature and his basically legendary dream powers that he's only ever read or heard of before. It's stressful and tiring trying to regain and rebuild his kingdom after all these years of being a stone and loosing the Dream Stone to a bunch of coins but Luigi's help and company really calms him down and sets him in a better mood about the whole thing. Exploring the Dream World with Luigi is always so amazing to him and a lovely break from real life problems. When not doing that, they cuddle or nap together in various places and let their dreams merge which helps with Luigi's insomnia. Speaking of which, he is determined to assist Luigi with it so he can sleep normally again after so long, which Eldream and Dr. Snoozemore have joined in as they are interested in how their remedies and techniques would work on the human.

Bowser: ngl, I'm very surprised at how many things I missed between these two but noticed them after the dang movie and this ship skyrocketed. He has proven his power to Bowser plenty of times from saving Mario, battling him in the Dream World, heck Luigi was even about him when he battled O'Chunks for the last time. He has a lot of respect for Luigi and would like to challenge him more to see just what else he's capable of on his own. He also loves how much he cares for his children and tries to spend time with them when he's around, making them treats and keeping them in line when they get too rowdy. Some of his troops also show their own respect to him and try to speak with him when they have free time. He's honestly much happier and more tame when around Luigi but don't feel too safe cause he's still the same Bowser all know and love or fear.

King Boo: I made a whole post of how they are bitter exes and I'm sticking to it. This dude is egotistical, deranged, a ticking time-bomb and he has it all out for Luigi to a more dangerous level each time he's defeated. Not even Bowser got this insane, his schemes are always crazy and over the top but not the way KB does it. After yet another rewatch of LM3 I kinda put myself in Luigi's shoes and was actually terrified for him. Now at the start, KB and Luigi had a good thing going, in all honesty, but the power lust got too much and showed thr signs of insanity more clearly. I think during their relationship, Luigi may still have been afraid of the boos but he warmed up to the kinder ones and brought tons of Boo Candy for them all, those boos now feeling sad that they have to let him be tortured this way from their king but can say nothing about it. Dude needs rehab. But try to catch me not liking this toxic yaoi, cause you won't, the one who does is probably my doppelganger or an identity thief.

Antasma: this is yet another person I've made a post about under your request and have added my own shippy headcanons on. Now, this guy is all about control and careful strategy as we've seen in the game, which got amplified after his betrayal with Bowser. However, now that both stones are gone he starts to gravitate towards Luigi's dream powers who are nearly that of the Dream Stone's and has even impressed the spirit of said stone. This leads to curiosity, wanting to learn more about the plumber himself which made lead to clues on how he even has these crazy powers. Then it turns into fascination and affection. I feel like Antasma is the easiest to rehabilitate, it just needs time and care, which Luigi is capable of. But it can result in a bit of an isolation on his part since Antasma most likely doesn't want most of his enemies surrounding him. While he may turn good, doesn't mean his scary side will change, it will just be used less and in different ways for each person. This can honestly end up being the second less toxic relationship Luigi can have with a villain.

Dimentio: do you guys have any idea what this twink has put me through? Idk what curse he placed on me but ever since I paid attention to him, I've seen far too many evil, murderous, gay jesters from literally every single fandom I know like some portal of hell opened up specifically for evil jesters to come out of. Like, holy shit. Anyways, this guy has a number of crimes under his belt and a special fascination towards Luigi, since unlike the other villains, he actually wants Luigi by his side not for revenge or to drain his power but for the individual himself. At first, he was just another tool to be used, another character to the story, but then he started seeing past that dull perspective of his and realized why both the Dark Prognosticus and the Chaos Heart chose him specifically. He has lived for endless years and his ambitions have made everyone around him dull and the same, but Luigi is an enigma to him, the first interesting person in years and it increased after the defeat. He tried to get close to Mr L who didn't seem interested but he still used his opportunity to at least learn the plumber's hidden side to use it against him. He believes it's not over for the two of them, his perfect world is still waiting to be created by him and dub him its ruler. And what's a king without his queen? I can honestly say that while Luigi may fear him, he's the only villain he actively hates with a passion and won't hesitate to get physical with.

No idea if this is what you wanted but this is what I can provide. This has my own opinions and headcanons on there so take it with a grain of salt. This was honestly fun cause I'm pretty opinionated and I love talking about these freely.

[ghostsbrokenbyfairytales]

The Breakup

Ward glanced at Kirby who was pressed against him on the couch, the latest horror movie they'd been watching had only the credits rolling on the screen. He was debating bringing up everything that had been happening lately, neither of them had really seemed to even have been watching. "Hey, what happened after we told Reggie about Raz? You've been acting off since the lake and I don't know...I know it was a lot to tell him but you just look even more nervous lately...."

kirby was zoned out for most of the movie and was really just enjoying the warmth of the other at that point until the movie ended. “hm?” they hummed looking up at him and gave a small shrug. “oh..” they mumbled, “i um, kind of got into it with someone who i guess was friends with the guy i killed..” they finally admitted as the looked back down.

Ward brought his hand up, brushing it against the fading bruises on Kirby's neck. "This isn't a dig at you or anything, but Christ, what is even your luck," he mumbled softly. Sighing he brought his hand up to brush against their hair, "It was self defense, do we need to see Reggie again or is this guy gonna leave you alone?"

that got a little chuckle out of them. "fuckin, wish i knew." kirby shook their head a little bit, biting their lip as they thought about everything that was said to them. "i don't want to involve reggie again then he's just going to start thinking i'm the problem.." they admitted and adjusted the way they were sitting so they could look at him. "but.. i don't think he's going to leave me alone."

Ward frowned continuing to play with Kirby's hair as they talked. "Why would you be the problem, he knows what happened in that house wasn't your fault. Hell if this guy is friends with that guy he might be just as unstable." Saying it out loud and hearing what Kirby followed up with made him hesitate for the first time. "Between him and Raz...and you're not planning on leaving the Commune are you," he asked softly.

"i don't know," kirby shrugged, "because all i seem to do is attract trouble. between everything's that happened and how i didn't tell him until recently after it's already been a year i don't know if he'd even believe me." they chewed on their lip, really trying to think about their options at this point. "i've..." a short pause, "thought about it but i can't bring myself to do it."

"That's not all you do," Ward said shaking his head before rubbing his face with a sigh. "People get scared to talk to cops, but he seems like a good guy. For a cop at least," he was trying to joke to lighten the mood but wasn't sure where it landed. "It's ok, you've lived there a while...guess I just worry you being somewhere with Raz...but also keep hearing they can go out so maybe it is safer there." He wasn't sure how to feel about that, Harvey still in his mind.

kirby shrugged, "yeah i guess." they'd think about it at least but they had a feeling that might make things worse. "almost four years," they mumbled with a nod, ignoring the part about walking outside cause frankly they'd been dealing with so much lately they weren't even sure that was true. "it's also like.. even with raz i'm still surrounded by a lot of people they're not going to do anything there." they had to take a deep breath though before adding, "the guy... he um, he said he was going to go after people i love because i took away someone he loved."

"True safety in numbers" though Ward didn't sound fully convinced about that. That only felt worse as Kirby continued, his gaze dropping to his hands on his lap as he clenched his bad hand and unclenched it. One the one hand Andrew passing hadn't been something he actively wanted, on the other it meant Ava was relatively safe now. One less thing to worry about. If this guy was as unhinged as he seemed, if he had a weapon like Jae-Sung... "Kirby...," Ward swallowed the nervous lump in his throat, it been a while since he'd called than anything but babe, "What if he decides to go after Ava?"

kirby only nodded but everything felt like it froze when they heard their name. they couldn’t figure out why that stung a little bit. “he won’t,” they said quietly knowing they couldn’t promise that.

Ward was messing with his hands, "You don't know he won't. He already attacked you in broad daylight...I can't....I can't lose her too."

all kirby could do was stay silent. they didn’t know what to say at this point without feeling like they were going to make everything worse. they scooted a little away from him now and stared at their hands in their lap, blinking back a few tears that were threatening to form.

Ward didn't like where his own thoughts were going, "I don't...it's not your fault things are happening like this. But I....I don't know what to do that keeps us happy and her safe..."

that was exactly what kirby was afraid to hear and they couldn't even be mad about them because he was right and they didn't know either. "okay.." they said quietly and quickly wiped at their cheek, "i understand."

There was a part of Ward wishing he could be selfish enough to not care. But other than Oliver he was all Ava had left and she was the last thing of Sammie's he had. He hesitated before pulling Kirby against his side and pressing his lips to the side of their head. "If you don't want to I get it...but if you wanted to swing by the projectionists booth that still be ok....," he mumbled softly, "If things cool off later on...I...I do love you and I don't want you to get reckless just cause of this.."

kirby had to stop themselves from pulling away as ward pulled them into him because they didn't want the comfort at that moment, they just wanted to leave. "i don't... i don't think i can do that i'm sorry." they mumbled, voice cracking as the spoke. this hurt, it hurt a lot even if they understood. they couldn't even promise not to be reckless because of this because they knew themselves. "i think i should go."

Ward pulled back after a second shifting on the couch and swallowing hard again. "It's ok, I get it," and he did. This sucked in multiple ways. "I can go first,"he mumbled softly, "Give you a chance to call someone over or head back to the Commune." Standing up he fiddled with his hands again, "I'll…we'll see each other later. At some point," he said softly before starting to head out.

kirby didn't answer and just looked down at the floor in front of them, they didn't know who to call right now and frankly they just wanted to be alone so the guess this way was better. "okay." they said quietly, not able to look at him as he walked away.

[five-rivers]

First. Previous.

Okay.  Well.  Taking everything into consideration… and emphasizing safety… Going out was risky as either Fenton or Phantom.  Waiting was… safe.  It was safe, but if he had to do it without something to do other than college courses of dubious utility, he'd go nuts.

Besides, it was like a security exercise.  If he could do it, someone else could do it.  Better to be prepared!  Honestly, locking him out was a safety hazard, too.  What if there was an emergency and he needed to go to the Zone (not unlike now)?

And… just because he found a workaround didn't mean he had to use it.  He could find it, then stop.  Report it to his parents.  It'd- it'd be useful.  

A constriction in his chest he hadn't even been aware of loosened.  His shoulders slumped.

It'd still be useful even if he did go through with it.  He'd be exploring.  Collecting new information.  Learning. 

He pushed away from the lab door and, feeling slightly rebellious, flew up into his bedroom.  He kicked off his shoes and scrunched his toes into the carpet, trying to draw comfort from the sensation of home he'd painstakingly worked into his not-quite-a-lair.  Then, he went to his computer and started to pull up all the information he had on the DNA scanner, the lock, and the portal doors.  

If he was going to do this, even on a theoretical basis, he needed to have a plan of action.  He needed to have things to research, to test, he needed to…

… he needed to call Tucker.  

"Hey, man," said Tucker, and Danny resisted the urge to ask him if his voice had gotten deeper again, because even if it seemed that way it probably hadn't and Danny didn't want to make this weird again.  "How did your talk with your parents go?"

"Bad."

"Ah," said Tucker.  "Did you tell them how you feel?"

"I tried," said Danny, flopping dramatically on his bed.  "They're not listening."

"Maybe you should get Jazz to talk to them, after all."

"No," said Danny.  "I don't want to--She has her own things to worry about, and Mom and Dad and I… we need to figure out how to work out our problems.  I was actually wondering, would you help me hack the DNA lock on the portal?  They disabled my privileges." 

There was a long moment of silence, and Danny bit his lip, worried.  

"Danny, dude, do you really think that's 'working out your problems?'  Don't you think that's a bit, I don't know, extreme?"

“I don’t know.  I just need to do something, and they won’t let me do anything.  I feel like I’m stuck and I hate it.  I’d just– I’d just feel a lot better knowing that I could go, if I needed to.  Could you help me get through it?  Please?”

“Okay, okay.  I'll help.  Just let me think about it for a minute."  

Danny bit his lip.  "Okay."

Tucker was silent for a long moment, but just when Danny started to think that maybe he’d pushed too hard, he said, “Just to be clear, you want this to be, like, some way you could get through at any time?  Not something where you just have to get through once at some point?”

“I mean, yeah.  Because, because,” Danny hurried to say, “I’m not necessarily going through without their permission, I just want to be able to go.”

“Uh huh,” said Tucker.  “Well, if you just wanted to go through once, and have it be one and done, I’d say keep an eye on them and wait for them to open the portal, but I guess we’ll have to be more tricky.”

“That’s not hacking.”

“Yeah, but some of the best hacking isn’t hacking at all, it’s social engineering.  When possible, you go around security, not through.”

“Oh,” said Danny.  “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”  It wasn’t too different from some of the things he did when fighting, after all, or when avoiding fights.  

“And you’re better at the mechanical end of things to begin with.  Less stuff to go wrong.”

“Uh huh,” said Danny.  “But I don’t think there’s much mechanical I can do beyond taking apart the lock.  Which I can do, I guess.  It’ll just take a long time and be really noticeable.  Or the door itself.”

“Yeah, how about we table that for now.  Do they have any of their probes still out?  Or anything else that’s kind of on both ends?  I know you can’t do that tech possession digital travel thing in, like, public anymore, because of the Guys in White monitor, but can you do it on your parents’ stuff?”

Danny considered that for a moment, then shook his head.  “They ghost proofed a lot of it since last time Technus went by.  I don’t think it occurred to any of us to make an exception for me.  If they even could do something like that.”  He paused.  “There is the thermos plug.  I still have access to that.  But it doesn’t open unless you put the thermos in and stand clear.”

“Can’t you make duplicates?”

Danny sat up.  “Huh?”

“Can’t you just, you know, duplicate yourself, suck one of yourselves - man, that sounds bad, somehow - into the thermos, and then have the other one of you flush the thermos?”

“That’s…” Danny paused for dramatic effect, “genius!”

“Thanks,” said Tucker, dryly.  “Glad to know I still have it.”

“Of course!  Like you could lose it.”

“Trust me, I can definitely lose it,” said Tucker.  “Hey, if you do try this, maybe write a note for your parents first?  Because you can’t get back through this way.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Danny.  “That is a problem.  But I think it should be fine…”  This wasn’t like the old days, after all.  His parents would notice if he was gone for any significant length of time.  Which was good!  Just… not convenient for slipping away.

“Don’t do anything too crazy, alright?  Wait for Sam and I to come back for summer break.”

Danny smiled and nodded, even though he knew Tucker couldn’t see him.  “I know!  I’m looking forward to it!”

.

For obvious reasons, Danny couldn’t try out the workaround while his parents were still in the lab.  He had to wait until after they came up for a stilted family dinner, and then even longer for them to go to bed.  

But when they did…

He went down to the lab, thermos in hand, and stood in front of the portal.  He rolled the thermos nervously between his hands, staring up at the portal.  If he did this, his parents would be mad, but…  

His eyes slid over to the comm equipment they used during his excursions.  If he got them good data, maybe they wouldn’t be as mad?

On the other hand, then they’d be able to find him.  

He bit his lip.  He could still back out, too.  Make what he’d told himself and Tucker more true.  Go to bed. 

[yesttoheaven]

𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄

pairing: joel miller x f!reader

summary: Who we are and who we need to be to survive are different things, especially when we understand that taking risks to save the lives of those we love is not stupid. Much less a choice.

warnings: language, angst, past trauma, mentions/intentions (not representations) of abuse, lack of communication, mention of death, self-blame, anxious/intrusive thoughts

wc: 2.925

a/n: I just felt the need to write something for TLOU and here it is, I hope you like it! (this story was also posted by me in pt-br on wattpad)

[english is not my first language. I am getting help from google translator and he is not always a good ally, so I apologize for any typos or grammar errors]

[no use of yn]

part l — overthinking

You hated this place.

The world itself was already hateful long before it succumbed to cordyceps, but after the outbreak, the problems multiplied day by day and there was nothing that could be done to change that. You missed normality. You would venture to say that you missed your parents' heated arguments and even your brother tormenting the hell out of you. However, a part of you was relieved that they didn't have to experience the chaos of this new world, but another part of you cursed yourself for simply continuing to breathe. A feeling of "it should have been me" gnawing at your insides with every memory. Everything could be different if all of you hadn't come across some infected on the way. You and your father were never close, but the way he stood up for you that night showed a different side of him. He tried. He fought to keep his family safe as long as he could, but then other infected appeared. One of them grabbed your mother, the screams made you freeze and when something slammed into your side, you figured it would meet the same end as hers, but it was just your brother pushing you out of the way, preventing you from be attacked.

"Are you deaf? I said run!"

Those were his last words, before that infected knocked him to the ground, biting your brother like he was a complete meal. Hours earlier the two of you were playing dominoes on the bedroom floor, laughter filling the room because he was such a bad thief and no matter how many times he said he didn't like you or that you were nothing but an irritant thing, his actions proved just the opposite.

Without your family, you've settled into a few QZ's spread across the country, meeting a few people here and there, but nothing too significant. There were also mean people in the Quarantine Zones, but it was outside those walls that you found the real monsters.

Humans.

Not infected. Quite ironic, isn't it?

In view of what happened, it seemed impossible to believe that there was anything worse than those who were unjustly punished by cordyceps, but of course, human beings can always find a way to make everything even better. People, your own kind, have made you fear for your life more times than you care to admit, and it was on one of those occasions that you met Joel Miller.

Like a deer caught in the headlights.

This is how you felt with the gun pointed at you, specifically at your head. One misstep, the smallest of movements, and this complete stranger had the power to blow your brains out. Not for a second did he falter, standing his ground just a few meters away while he checked his surroundings with trained eyes and ears. The sound of branches breaking under hurried footsteps captured both of your attention, but you were the only one to panic, completely forgetting the situation you were in. The click of the gun being unlocked came as a reminder, curses welling up in your mind for being so stupid.

— You better stay where you are. And keep your arms where I can see them. – He instructed, adjusting the gun in hand as he approached.

Just as you started to slowly raise your arms, the man looked you up and down, a crease deepening between his thick brows. What the hell were you doing barefoot in the middle of the woods, wearing nothing more than a thin white dress that fell just above your knees? Despite your disheveled appearance, your wide eyes conveyed a range of truth, genuine dread reflected in a silent cry for help. You looked like a cornered, helpless animal, but he knew better. How many ambushes had Joel witnessed in the past 18 years? Even children were used to sensitize unsuspecting idiots, so it was not surprising that this time a beautiful woman was taking that spot. He was ready to ask when your friends would show up, but before any words could come out, a tall, slender-bodied man emerged from among the trees, automatically making himself the target of the pistol, but that didn't bring you any sign of relief. Quite the contrary, it triggered fear in you.

— Ah, here you are! – Simon's voice, or at least that was the name he had given it when you first met, made your stomach lurch. The friendly smile plastered on his face fell a few tenths as soon as his eyes found the stout figure behind you and any suspicion that they knew each other was previously dismissed. — Come on, man, put that gun down. Can't you see you're scaring my wife?

Splitting his focus between you and the man who had just arrived, Joel sneered, his chest vibrating with bitter laughter, before he practically spit out the next words:

— I'm the one with a fucking gun pointed to your head and yet your wife is crawling towards me. Are you sure I'm the one scaring her?

Fuck. That was the confirmation you needed to run to him, assuming rather prematurely that he was remotely trustworthy.

— Ungrateful bitch. – Simon hissed under his breath, but loud enough not to go unnoticed. Since the man with the thick southern accent wasn't buying his move, he opted to discard the calm posture, that same posture you let yourself be fooled into and now you can only pray you're not making the same mistake when the guy in the plaid flannel steps in front of you. — Why don't you move out of the way and let me take the girl? You don't want to get caught in the middle of this situation, trust me.

In fact, Joel didn't want to.

All he wanted was to get back to QZ in Boston as soon as possible and fill Tess in on the new deal he had closed, but like the good old underdog, of course he had to be caught in the middle of some shitty conflict and something told him this wasn't going to end well. At least, not when you stepped out from behind him, mustering up the threads of courage to handle the situation on your own.

— I appreciate you helping me, Simon, but... – Your voice got stuck in your throat. It was repulsive to be in that position and still have to thank, but what choice did you have? The one man with a gun wasn't giving any positive signals, you started to assume they would soon come to terms. Men tend to protect themselves, right? That's how it works. Letting out a shaky breath, you continued: — I already put on the fucking dress! See! What else do you expect from me?!

— Come on honey, I fed you! I gave you a roof over your head and a comfortable bed to sleep in, I think you should return the favor, don't you?

You were exhausted and hungry when you found him. He had been kind, stating that he had a small group nearby, they were hunting to bring food to his community, so with a last thread of hope, you just followed him. The consequence came later, when you found out that the 4 men were nothing more than hunters living isolated in an old cabin in the mountains. When Simon showed up with his supposedly dead wife's dress, the disgusting stares that fell on you made your body shudder, but you agreed, thinking it would buy you some time, and that's how you managed to escape through the window. At that moment, Simon barely bothered to reach for his gun before he bolted after you, alerting the others that the bitch was getting away.

— You are a grown-up girl already, you know what you need to do if you want to survive in this world. Just come back with me and I guarantee we'll get along great... – He insisted, as if what he offered was an oasis, your only and best option. Under the circumstances, you were more than willing to work for a plate of food and a warm bed, but what he was proposing… no. Not that. — Your new friend can come too, I'm sure he would enjoy the show. After all, who wouldn't want to get their hands on a little thing like you? This world has taken so much from us, nothing fairer than...

Simon's self-inflicted rant soon turned into an agonized scream as a bullet lodged in his left knee. The noise of the gunshot clouded your senses as you startled gaze drifted over the man now lying on the forest floor. He kept his hands on the wound, pressing, as he writhed in pain, and despite the overwhelming relief you felt at seeing him in this state, a part of you knew that all this commotion would just alert the other 3 hunters and a few infected would follow suit.

— He isn't alone... The others are coming.

Ignoring Simon's protests, you took a deep breath and looked around for the shooter, only to realize that he was already looking at you as he demanded:

— How many?

— Three.

— Guns?

— Probably. One of them has a crossbow.

He nodded and despite his tense jaw, his calmness confused you. Facing them wasn't the wisest thing to do, but from the man's posture, he seemed very inclined to do so. With his head down, you assumed he was focusing on the gun, perhaps calculating how many bullets were left, but that's when you noticed his eyes fixed on his wrist, debating silently with the old clock that resided there, before he uttered with some reluctance:

— There's a car on that side of the woods. – He pointed to the spot. — I don't care what kind of shit you're in, I just want you to go over there and wait for me. Do you understand?

You blinked a few times, stunned by the idea that he had agreed to help you, but it didn't take long for Simon's laughter to fill the silence, followed by acid words, but which, undeniably, filled you with concern. If you went to the car and waited for it, what would happen next? After all, this complete stranger was getting involved in your shit, he would want you to return the favor, right? Would he want to get his hands on a little thing like you too?

Noticing your mind wandering away, he felt the need to verbalize:

— I won't hurt you. – His voice was filled with an assurance you haven't been able to find in anyone for a long time and when new footsteps became audible you used it to run in the direction he had indicated.

Through the trees, you missed the way the man walked slowly towards Simon, who proceeded to crawl under the forest floor, his curses turning to desperate pleas, before a bullet hit his head.

One less.

A ghost of a smile crossed Joel's lips at the thought and he looked for a strategic spot to hide and wait for the others, ready to make sure these motherfuckers never come near you or any other girl ever again.

He didn't know you, but he saved your life that day and even though the existence of a debt seemed alarming, Joel never pressed, never wanted you to return the favor. At that time, after having confided that you were alone, he took you to Boston, believing that it would be better than leaving you wandering aimlessly across the country. Once inside those walls, the two of you would get on with your lives, but it was almost as if fate had other plans. The place was broke shit not unlike any other QZ's you've been to, so speaking to the right people here and there, your path crossed with Theresa Servopoulos and so you found out what Joel did to guarantee a minimally decent stay in that corrupt end of the world. When you expressed your willingness to join them in smuggling, Tess's reaction couldn't have been any different. Her skepticism got the better of her as she surveyed your figure devoid of any threat. You wouldn't put fear into an ant even if you tried, however, some effort combined with your determination could be helpful. It would be nice to have a young face in the business, for so long it had just been her and Joel, but a third wheel was more than welcome at times when things got out of hand – and that happened more often than she liked to admit. It all started with an agreement that would benefit all three parties – Joel, of course, was still against it – but it didn't take long for you to find in the tough-looking woman, a friend for all hours.

Any nostalgic, momentary happiness died from your features as you remembered what happened to her. Or anyone else who crossed your path. At some point, everyone just ended up dead. It was like that with Tess. With Bill and Frank, and most recently, Sam and Henry. That morning still haunts your sleep, but instead of Henry pulling the trigger, it's your bullet that pierces Sam's head. Your mind was playing games with you because of what you would have done. The instant Ellie hit the ground, your hand slipped to the gun strapped to your leg, not really thinking about what came next until Henry demanded that you step back and drop the gun.

"He's my brother!"

Without even hesitating, you were more than willing to kill a child. An 8 year old child. But that was the right thing to do, wasn't it? You could never forgive yourself if Ellie got hurt, but in the first place, could you forgive yourself for hurting Sam? When the shot rang out, you snapped out of your stupor and your eyes met hers, the way she shared her gaze between you and the gun in your hand is still fresh in your memory.

She thought you were the one who pulled the trigger?

Was that disappointment in her eyes?

Fuck! Just a few months ago you didn't even know each other, but now her opinion seems to matter so much. Why?

▪︎

Scrambling along beside Joel through the thick snow, Ellie cast one last look back, watching you with nothing but concern, before turning back to the man.

— She look like shit...

Joel didn't know how to respond, seeing as he had noticed the subtle change in your behavior, promising himself that even though he wasn't very good with words, he would talk to you about it, but his attempts were easily thwarted by you, who seemed to close yourself off around these problems, not letting Joel in. And what was seen as a "subtle change" soon turned into a giant snowball. The past three months had been no less intense, so he had a clear sense of what was plaguing your thoughts, however, discussing that with Ellie was out of the question.

— Why don't you read her some of your bad puns? – He suggested, arranging the rifle on his shoulder and in the same instant the girl's face lit up, shooting towards you.

At the sound of hurried footsteps, your body went into alert, but as soon as your eyes left the icy waters of The River of Death and found Ellie, your worry dissipated a little.

— Did something happen? – You couldn't help but ask, earning a quick nod and a playful smile.

— I got tired of tormenting the old man over there, so all I have left is you. – She laughed, cheeks flushed from the bitter cold only making her cuter. — And I brought this. – Ellie took her little book of puns out of her coat pocket, looking at you expectantly before flipping through the pages. — Alright, here goes... Why was Dumbo sad?

Without having the luxury of waiting for you to hazard a guess, she snapped:

— He felt irrelephant.

— Irrelephant, really? Jesus, Ellie! – This made the young girl burst into more giggles, as you tipped your head back, staring up at the blue sky to hide the big smile forming on your lips, but of course she saw it, feeling proud of her achievement.

— What do you call an alligator in a vest?

— An investigator! – You were quick with that one, earning an almost shocked expression from Ellie, who fluttered around you, kicking up some snow.

The mingling laughter fell under Joel's good ear and on another occasion he would have complained about the noise, but now, he can't help but look at you and Ellie with soft eyes, a far cry from those tired dark orbs.

— All right, smartass, let's see if you get this one right... – Ellie murmured, flipping determinedly through the book's worn pages, and as you waited for the perfect pun, you found yourself staring at the brooding man in the distance, noticing that he had stopped walking to wait for the two of you. — A-ha! Why shouldn't you argue with a dinosaur?

Your brows furrowed profusely at this one.

— Because they are... huge? – You offered with a wan smile and the girl just slammed the book against her face, huffing in sheer displeasure, when suddenly a group on horseback appeared at the top of the hill.

Your first reaction was to grab Ellie and run to meet Joel, who promptly put himself in front of you two, since there was nowhere to run or hide.

▪︎

a/n: I hope you enjoyed it, feedback is always welcome!

[enkisstories]

Out of the rain (pt. 1 of 3)

♪ Yesterday, and days before Sun is cold and rain is hard I know Been that way for all my time ♪

It had been raining the day the planet Arkanis got liberated by the New Republic. But then again, it was always raining on Arkanis, and Arkanis was the only world the little boy knew, so for all practical purposes it was always raining everywhere.

Although living in the Imperial Officers' Academy, the boy was not a cadet. Nor was he part of the staff. In fact, the boy was nothing, and would remain a burden for at least three more years, before he could perform some simple tasks to earn his keep.

Not that he'd spent much time dwelling on his future. There was always yet another floor or stairwell to explore, and in those hours when he got stuffed into a corner as to not get into too many people’s way, the boy overlayed reality with worlds of his own. The drama going on in those worlds was epic, but the boy had already learned not to draw attention, so most of the dialogue he came up with was silent. As a result he was competent at building sentences, but less so at actually speaking the words they were made of.

Armitage (in his head): "Don't wanna talk, ey? Let's see how you like GETTING WET!"

...

Armitage (in his head): "I mean it, rebel-scum! You're getting a shower now! But first I must don my ha... my helmet."

The doors open automatically on the approach of a droid or living being with an academy tag implanted. 

The tag allows the three year old to exist somewhat independently from a very young mother, who has already put the episode that led to his creation behind her and started over, and a father whose best trait is to be absent most of the time. The boy is now getting raised by nobody and everybody at the same time, what has put the cadets under the impression that this rugrat is an orphan given over to the academy as a servant.

No, the giant gate doesn’t pose a problem. But the outside world is dangerous. You never know what you might encounter!

In a quick change of Armitage's make believe scenario, the doll he is carrying isn't a prisoner to get interrogated anymore, but a comrade in arms. Armitage tosses it on the ground and yells "Run!". Maybe the grunt will reach a safe zone, but for the commander things are looking bleak now.

Brendol: "You don't TOSS stuff you need to get rid of quickly, you DROP it. I know I told you before!"

It’s true, the boy can feel it from the way his father has said it. But how is one to remember things or pay attention, when there’s the constant pitter-patter and the flash-flash and the rumble-rumble? There are too many sounds; even after it has stopped raining, the water will go drip-drip-drip from the roof for hours.

Armitage: "Higha!"

Brendol: "Well, at least you're not a chicken."

Brendol: "What's with that silly hat, though?"

Armitage: "For da rain! Against da rain."

Brendol: "No, that's not going to fly. That's a crutch for the weak."

Armitage: "I'm weak. But clever! I know things. Like: Hat wins, rain loses."

Brendol: "And I say the hat has to go!"

Armitage: "WAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Armitage doesn't have many memories of his father smiling and those few don't have Brendol smiling at him. Except for the memory created in this very moment. The smug smile so terribly high above his eyes, while the blood shot  into his head and the world kept shaking, will never leave him.

Brendol hasn't even touched the hat, that he despises for both its function and its flower motive. A good shake suffices to make it slide off the boy's head and get stomped on.

Brendol: "Thank me later."

Brendol: "Aw, what a face. Listen, boy, you're NOT weak. Just young."

The lie hasn't become any truer from repetition. Brendol's little son is a magnet for diseases of all kind. In fact, leaving the kid on a newly discovered planet would be a good way to learn what germs and pathogens were to be expected on that world. Armitage would smile and they'd rush in for the feast.

Brendol: "Nothing wrong with you that catching a cold or two couldn't cure."

And if not... if the disease proved stronger, then better early than after already having shoved food into the frail one for years. But that won't happen. Not to HIM, to Brendol Hux. He didn't sire an inferior spawn and that youngling better remembered that!

Brendol: "Besides, you won't need the hat where we're going. There won't be this constant rain."

Armitage: "NO rain? No RAIN! Let's go NOW!"

Brendol: "We'll go by spaceship and we have to hurry, because our enemies will have caught up with us any minute. In fact, the first shells will drop before we've reached the evacuation zone, so you must..."

Armitage: "Fly, fly, fly NOW!"

Fly above the clouds. There is no rain above the clouds. It only ever pours down, never up. The higher up one is, the safer.

Brendol: He doesn't even listen...

The planet Jakku - temporary haven for the imperial remnant.

A couple of weeks later.

Armitage: I mean, he wasn't lying. It doesn't rain here.

Armitage: "I HATE YOU!!!"

---

Note: Toddler!Hux is the aged down sim I'm currently using. I hadn't expected his eyes to turn out so large. Brendol is played by the Hux-sim I used in the previous save.

[thefoulbeast]

little pathologic roadside picnic au blurb

1752 words. Gen. No CWs apply.

--

The sky darkens over the course of their trek. Slowly but surely – shadows stretching longer and longer until they swallow the trail up completely.

Mule is the first to break stride. Daniil almost runs into his back, so focused he’s been on placing his feet in the footprints left behind the two stalkers. Booha walks for a few strides more before he turns around with an inquisitive look.

“We should have set out earlier,” Mule says thoughtfully, the upper half of his face bathed in the green of the dying sunlight – just another of the Zone’s oddities, the way it warps light, “The night brings many dangers to those who move. Remember Griffin?”

“Let’s set down here for the night, then,” Booha agrees, carefully wading back towards his walking partners.

He throws his bag down with a thud and sits down on it, and Mule follows suit with his own bag, only pausing to pull out a bottle of water from it before he sits down. He passes it to Booha after taking a swig.

Finally, Booha looks up at Daniil – still standing. There is a teasing tone to his voice when he next speaks, “What’s the matter, Professor? Afraid of the grass? I assure you, it is safe to sit down with us common folk.”

“Nothing about you is common,” Daniil bites back, but lowers himself gingerly. His bag is no good for sitting on because of the equipment he’s carrying, but the grass makes for a soft seat nonetheless. This close to the ground the scent of them is stronger – sweet and bitter and cloyingly thick, like an over-steeped tea.

Wordlessly, Mule breaks a loaf of dark flat bread in three and hands each man their share. It’s dry but rich, with seeds and dried fruit, crumbling on the bite like a soft-bake cookie.

“No fire?” Daniil asks for lack of anything better to say. He’s uneasy with the quiet understanding between the two stalkers. The palpability of their brotherhood and the ease with which they share a space he’s only intruding on in this trip.

“No fire,” the Mule confirms, his tone dry. His stoic face looks like carved marble in the dying light, like a statue watching over them – except for his eyes, which shine with a stoic intelligence. A moment passes before he continues, his voice rough with disuse, “The Zone, she – she doesn’t like fire. Doesn’t like being disturbed more than necessary. We are guests here, and we can easily overstay our welcome, Professor.”

“What my dear friend means, is,” Booha takes over, with a refreshing confidence and a lot less dread, “we don’t need fire here. It is summer – the nights are light, short and warm. We will huddle together if need be, rest a few hours until the sun rises again, then continue on our way. We are almost at the edge of the Old Town. Only the bog to get through – and that is tricky even with daylight. A beautiful place, but treacherous, as we know.”

The Mule nods solemnly, and raises his piece of bread as if in toast, “To our brothers.”

“To our brothers,” Booha echoes before taking a bite.

Daniil raises his hand in silent agreement, though he doesn’t understand the toast fully. He’s not used to feeling so left out, so… replaceable. He’s just work to these two. Another fool hunting for what he thinks he needs in the Zone. He doesn’t trust them, no, they have given him no reason to, after all, but he does trust Andrey to not want him dead, which is enough for him to believe they will try to keep him alive throughout the trip.

That, and the fact that he paid only half up-front. Swag might pay well, but it’s rarer and rarer these days, and the sum Daniil offered was nothing to scoff at. The last of his savings. His final chance to prove his theories true.

“You look glum, Professor,” Booha says. He offers Daniil a flask and Daniil accepts without thinking too hard about it – the liquor burns wickedly down his throat, and the taste is one he doesn’t recognize.

“Just thinking about the problems in life,” Daniil says.

“Always too many of them,” Mule agrees. Booha laughs, from deep in his belly. It’s a warm sound, Daniil can’t help but note.

“Let us forget them for now, my companions,” Booha says, “there is no place more beautiful, and indeed no place more dangerous than here. And no better time than now to forget about what lies beyond the barbed fences.”

Daniil purses his lips, a refute ready on his tongue. Unlike some others, he has no room to forget his problems. The university is cracking down on his research, his dear institute, his colleagues and himself. He’s a refugee here in all but name. He has people waiting back at the Capital for his success here, for something to keep them all afloat. How dare this stalker, this lout-

“Forgive me, Professor,” Booha says, suddenly contrite, “I must have struck a nerve.”

And the anger, a second ago incandescent as a struck match, evaporates from Daniil’s heart. He deflates, curling in on himself, ashamed for his foolish rage, ashamed for the fact that his anger was so obvious to the two stalkers.

Get a grip, he chides himself.

Then, Booha claps, chipper again, wiping away the bad atmosphere with his charming smile, “Let’s talk about something else, then. Professor, tell me, when you think of us stalkers, what animal do you see us as?”

What an odd question to ask. Daniil looks the two stalkers over – from their tall stature to the breadth of their powerful muscles, to the keen, cold intellect in their eyes. Their nicknames might be Bull and Mule, but there is nothing herbivore-like about them.

“Something cunning and strong,” Daniil ponders, “Like a tiger, or perhaps an anaconda.”

“There! You see?” Booha claps the Mule on the shoulder, “another one! Why does everyone think so?”

Daniil finds himself curious, “What do you mean?”

“From everything you’ve learned about the Zone so far, which is – admittedly – not much, what kind of animal do you think survives best here? Take your time and think.”

Daniil thinks about the bone charms and the bolts. About the bug traps and the happy ghosts, about the thermal anomalies and… the glaring lack of any real fauna in the Zone.

He could answer like a smartass – either nothing survives here, or just man until he gets unlucky. He bites his tongue. “I don’t know – why don’t you tell me?”

Booha smiles toothily at him, like that’s the answer he’d been waiting for, “As you know, Professor, the Zone is full of danger. It tolerates us, but only when we’re diligent and watchful. Predators – they’re too sure of themselves to survive in the Zone, you see. Nothing threatens them, so they aren’t careful. Take something like a deer or a hare, though – something that lives in constant fear. Something that doesn’t trust its surroundings. That’s the kind of animal that lives in the Zone.”

Daniil nods, and though the words make sense he can’t help but laugh in good humor, “You two are a bit too large to be rabbits.”

“Everything is a little bit bigger out here in the steppe,” Booha retorts with a waggle of his eyebrows.

And – the thing is – it’s an off-hand joke, but it makes Daniil think that maybe- maybe these two stalkers could be… his cheeks colour crimson at the sudden influx of images that enter his mind. He thanks the dusk for hiding the redness of his face. Realizing too late that he should respond to the joke in some way, Daniil laughs awkwardly.

Booha is still looking at him, expression suddenly unreadable. Almost pensive.

“Let’s huddle,” the Mule says into the suddenly strange quiet of the soundless field they find themselves in. They wrestle a bit before arranging their bags so that they’re flush hip to hip. Then, once settled, they look at Daniil expectantly.

“Do I have to?” Daniil asks, heart in his throat.

“No, but you’ll be chilly by yourself,” Booha comments.

“No shame in touch between stalkers,” Mule adds cryptically. His hand is draped across the back of Booha’s shoulders, their bodies turned one to another. Strong lines of long limbs softened by their clothes.

No shame in… Really – does that also mean…?

Daniil approaches timidly. Booha pats his lap, indicating Daniil to lay on top of them both. He all but crawls into their laps, and they in turn wrap their arms around him. For warmth. For warmth.

It doesn’t explain the way one of their – and whose hand is it anyway? He can’t tell, not without looking – thumbs rub circles under his shoulder blade.

The steppe of the Zone is silent, silent, silent. Even what he sees of the grass swaying is soundless and windless. That’s the scariness of it all isn’t it. The expecting of something and coming face to face with a gaping void.

The stalkers’ breath is warm against his neck, and their bodies solid beneath him. For warmth. Daniil feels sweat prickling under his coat, but it’s too late to crawl away from them both.

What wonders will tomorrow bring? What horrors? How much further to the heart? What lies beyond the bog, what lies in the ruins of the Old Town, and what awaits them in the Abattoir?

How did he get here?

Well, it was either this, or disappearing for good. The Zone out East, his last shred of hope. Out into the wide-open planes, beyond the reach of city-dwelling society. He would not have come here for any other reason, he thinks.

But… it’s beautiful. Despite the tension and the sense of some impending doom, the Zone captivates. She is like the ocean, in that regard – awe inspiring and deadly. And they are defenceless against her despite all the gains of humanity. Daniil thinks of his revolver – buried out some kilometres from the barbed fence border.

What have you got there, Professor? Nothing to shoot out in the Zone. Whatever kills is no beast with a beating heart. It will only bring us bad luck – get rid of it.

“I can hear you thinking,” Booha mumbles, his breath ticklish on Daniil’s exposed neck, raising goosebumps, “Try and get some sleep, Professor.”

He doesn’t dare respond to the urging. He can barely keep his breathing in check.

Still, Daniil closes his eyes.

[fensherohair]

The Marauders & The Metamorphmagus Part 6

Words: 1.5k Warning: None (Unless you count pranks) Pairings: Sirius Black/Reader (Eventual), Lily Evans/James Potter (eventual), Remus Lupin/Marlene Mckinnon (eventually) Pronouns: She/Her Contains: OC characters.

The start of the third year had started out like any other. The train ride to Hogwarts had been filled with friends catching up and talking about their adventures over the summer holidays, speaking of things that weren't written about in letters. First-year students hopelessly tried to navigate the tight halls of the train cars to find an empty compartment to sit in and mind their own business. Marlene had all but dragged her little brother with her, doing as she promised and keeping an eye on him. The eleven-year-old was quiet, sitting near the window, only speaking up when pulled into the conversation or asked a question. 

He seemed to perk up a little bit when Sirius entered the already crowded compartment, Regulus following along behind. It was obvious the pair were brothers, both having the same silvery blue eyes and dark curly hair. Both had that mystique about them. Almost instantly Sirius was dragged into a conversation by Allegra, the teenager hoping this would be different this year, although she still had her mind set on becoming a powerful witch, and she had yet to make up for what she'd done to Marlene the year prior. 

Regulus on the other hand had quickly found common ground with (Y/N) of all people, something that seemed to coax the younger Black out of his shell. Marlene's brother Mason, seemed to be brought out of his nervous shell by Isolde and Lily, both asking questions and doing their best to learn about him, if only so he knew if he had a problem he could go to them. Much like (Y/N) seemed to be doing for Regulus. 

"You're drooling" whispered Remus from next to Sirius. The latter had been watching (Y/N) for some time, to the point he'd zone out of the debate going on between Peter and James. 

"He's staring let alone drooling" commented Marlene with a giggle, although she didn't tease him any further. 

"Not staring, gazing" commented Sirius. 

"You were staring" replied Remus, continuing to tease one of his best friends, noticing Allegra had gone quiet now, instead seemingly observing the interactions around the small compartment as if she silently questioned if she truly belonged among them, silently questioning if she planned to be with them for the foreseeable future, or if she could get what she truly desired from the group huddled together. 

"Take a picture, Sirius, it will last longer" voiced (Y/N), a chuckle escaping her after a few seconds of trying to keep a straight face. 

"And it's less dangerous. Won't blow anything up" spoke James, seeing the way (Y/N) cocked an eyebrow as if James had given her an idea. 

"We'll see" she simply responded, a mischievous undertone to her voice. One that ticked Regulus, sat beside her. Soon enough (Y/N)'s hair began to change, something that appeared to intrigue both Regulus and Mason. 

"I'm afraid to ask what that meant" squeaked Peter, as if he was afraid a simple photo of (Y/N) would snap and crackle like the exploding snap cards, or she would put the potion she made the previous year to good use and cause another blast. 

"If you do turn a photo in an explosive device, please do give a kind heads up, so we can get to a safe distance" laughed Isolde, speaking up for the first time, while motioning to Lily, Marlene, and herself. "Might I suggest trying it out on a few miscellaneous items first" commented the muggle-born, throwing a helpful suggestion into the mix. 

"That's not helping" called James, especially when he recalled all the boogy traps from the year prior. Everything from sinkholes to the firepowder in books. On top of that (Y/N) had mastered some difficult spells and caused havoc on the Quidditch pitch. The prank war had served to entertain the school and sway Peeves to (Y/N) side. 

"So the stories are true?" spoke Regulus, his words nonchalant as if he hadn't meant to speak them aloud. Nonetheless, Sirius' cheeks began to heat up, as it became knowledge he had spoken of (Y/N) while at home. "Sirius talks about the mischief and chaos all the time, almost like he's a fan" added the youngest Black, a grin appearing on his features, as Sirius attempted to hide by the magazine Isolde had previously been flicking through. Attempting to hide his reddened cheeks. 

"Sirius and (Y/N) sitting in a tree" started James, as if to add to the embarrassment. Refusing to stop even when Remus kicked his shins and Sirius all but glared at him, in an attempt to will his best friend to shut up. 

"Come on mate, shut up before you make it rain more than Allegra did last year with her singing" exclaimed Sirius, not hearing Allegra huff in annoyance at the comment, a comment she took as an insult almost immediately. 

"K.I.S.S.I.N.G. First comes love ..." continued James as if he had not heard a single word anyone had spoken to dissuade him otherwise. "Then comes marriage" 

"(Y/N), What was the potion you put in James' drink earlier?" casually asked Lily, almost instantly the singing stopped and the deafening silence took its place. 

"Essence of Insanity" replied (Y/N), as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Makes the drinker suspicious of everything, until they think they're losing their marbles" she explained, winking to Regulus, as if cluing him into the joke, Marlene whispering to her little brother, doing the same. 

"That's a terrible joke" squeaked Peter, not catching on to the joke and becoming suspicious of his own bottle of water from the treat trolly. Eying it carefully, as if expecting it to suddenly begin to glow and change color. Remus could only chuckle when James all but jumped up and pressed his face to the window, the rain and thick clouds preventing him from seeing much. The moment James left the compartment to look out the other windows, Peter followed as if to try and talk some sense into him. 

"What was it really?" asked Remus, looking between the girls, quickly suspecting Allegra had nothing to do with the joke at hand. 

"Pumpkin juice" replied (Y/N) with a sly grin and amusement ringing through her voice. 

"Cleaver" commented Sirius. "If he's calmed down by the time we're sent to our dorms, we'll tell him the truth then" he laughed, watching as James ran past the compartment, followed by Peter seconds later who acted as if he too had been spiked with pumpkin juice. 

"Wasn't there a singing potion in Allegra's one" commented Lily, looking to Isolde this time, recalling the younger Smith twin was attempting to brew the simple potion before the holiday. Her reasoning was simple, if Allegra was going to instant of tormenting everyone with her singing, then the potion was needed, to ensure the singing was in tune and did not sound like a hippogriff was being strangled. 

Almost instantly Allegra looked at her drink, before standing opening the small window and tossing her drink from it, before eyeing the empty plastic cup with more suspicion. James by now was saying the windows weren't letting him see anything, much to the confusion of other students. 

"Better get changed, we'll be arriving soon" commented Marlene, sweeping her little brother out of the compartment and offering to take Regulus as well. On the way to the toilet in the car, she grabbed hold of James, sending him back to their small compartment while resisting the urge to slap him silly. A small chuckle escaped her as he regained some of his lost senses. 

"Is it normally like that with your friends?" asked Mason, curiosity ringing through his voice. He could recall Marlene mentioning a prank war of sorts, with (Y/N) being one of the participants, but he couldn't remember the things she'd said that happened. Regulus too had heard of the prank war, but more Sirius's going super fan mode, even now it was becoming increasingly obvious, that his older brother had a crush on the only girl involved in the pranks and mischief. 

"From what I heard, that's a calmer one. Sirius mentioned something about a powder in books and an explosive potion" voiced Regulus, a small smile forming on his lips, as he waited beside Marlene, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket. 

"Firepowder, harmless and hidden in books, both James and Sirius found it among countless others" replied Marlene. "The potion was just an experiment (Y/N) was doing to occupy herself. To say it made a bit of a mess was an understatement. She ended up in the hospital wing for a few days after that" she admitted, although when she thought about it, most of (Y/N)"s chaos had come from the spells she used. "The Patronus charm caused the most havoc. Scared everyone in the common room, including herself" laughed Marlene, recalling (Y/N) had fallen off the back of the sofa. 

"Suddenly, I'm curious what she'll get up to this year" commented Regulus as he entered the bathroom, when Mason came out clad in his black Hogwarts robes, robes that would soon be representing the house they were sorted into. Although Regulus found himself in a bit of a dilemma now. He'd always wanted to be in Slytherin, as most members of his family had been before him. But now he found himself with a wish to follow in Sirius' footsteps and be in Gryffindor. 

Masterlist

[kenobster]

When I was 19yo, I was at a comicon type of thing cosplaying a character I loved. Some guy happened to be cosplaying that character's love interest, and he had already been making me uncomfortable. When he asked me for a hug, I wanted to say no, but I felt that saying no would be considered rude. So I agreed. During the hug, he touched me inappropriately. For a threateningly long period time, he would not let me go. This happened more than ten years ago, but I still remember every detail to this day. The memory brings me tremendous shame. It makes me feel powerless.

Just yesterday, I was walking around downtown on my lunch break. Some man with clearly nefarious intentions attempted to hide behind a pillar and jump out at me as I walked by (I wish I was kidding). Luckily, I saw him ahead of time and moved away from the danger zone. When he jumped out where I would've been, I glared at him to convey that I knew what was going on and that I wouldn't make things easy. He backed down.

Sort of similar but less intense story — a couple years ago, a homeless man, who was shouting violent threats at no one in particular, was walking straight toward me. He was clearly no danger, but I felt uncomfortable with what his trajectory would mean for my personal space. I told him firmly and loudly to "stay back!" The man politely changed direction and left me alone.

Both during and after those two experiences, I was neither scared nor ashamed. In fact, I was proud. I felt like I had the power to keep myself safe. In fact, by yesterday evening, I had forgotten all about the event until making this post reminded me — but my feeling of pride hasn't changed.

In the first situation (the one with the hug), what was most traumatizing was my failure to protect myself. It was not my fault that someone assaulted me, but I couldn't help but blame myself for agreeing to the hug in the first place. In other words, it was not only the act of assault itself that violated me — it was also my perception of my own culpability. In the latter two situations, I wielded my autonomy. I felt successful in protecting myself. Rather than retraumatizing me, those experiences actually bolstered me — because of the steps I took to stay safe.

As a white and decently appearing ciswoman, I'm allowed to protect myself. I'm allowed to shout "stay back!" at a homeless man without facing social consequences. If someone tries to grope me, I'm allowed to punch and kick and bite and scream in order to protect myself. No one will question me.

What breaks my heart is that male sexual assault victims are not allowed to protect themselves. If a man shouts "stay back!" at a homeless person invading his space, he will appear overly violent and aggressive. If a man is groped by a woman, he is not allowed to punch or kick or bite or scream. Not without facing social consequences. Society expects men to endure the same situation I endured with the hug. Society expects men to feel the shame that comes with the perception of their own culpability — not because they're unable to protect themselves, but because society has proven that it won't take their side. Even after the fact, if a man admits to the assault, he is often ridiculed. The man who described being assaulted by Katy Perry a few years ago comes to mind.

I can't imagine the terror of assault from that perspective. To have someone come after you and have to decide whether what they seem to be planning is worth telling them to stop, even at the risk of being blamed or demonized for it. To have to decide whether it's worth physically stopping an attacker when there's a chance it'll make you look like the perpetrator. To have to make those really complex decisions at a time when your body is going into fight/flight/freeze/fawn mode. To have to dread the potential for inevitable comments like "well, what's the problem if she's hot?" It makes me wonder... how many times do they let things go? How many times have they had to let something happen, keep quiet about it, and try to move on as best they can?

Idk what the point I'm trying to make is exactly. I guess — while I'm so relieved to see people reacting appropriately to recent events and calling things what they are, I can’t help but think that no one ever knows how their actions will be perceived during an assault. It's a really brave thing to choose to protect yourself, and even braver to do it when you dont know what the consequences will be. In short, I'm glad we got our response right this time. I hope we get it right next time. And I hope that we can one day live in a world where we get it right every time. That's all, I guess. Let's all try to remember this. ❤️