#like is it really worth it for him to be HM?

[kryptznnn]

♡/♛- Patience

✗♡✗♡✗♡✗♡✗♡✗♡

✗♡✗♡✗♡✗♡✗♡✗♡

➸ INTERESTS; -pro-hero!katsuki bakugo (26) x f!quirk-less reader (23)

➸ BACKGROUND; -During pro-hero 'Dynamite's term within the top 3 heroes of the country, it was made aware by his agency that he needed assistant around. He hadn't appreciated the gesture really, as he hates being followed let alone babysitting, but he wasn't ready for you to enter his life.

➸ WARNINGS; - wc. 4.9k, romantic curiosity, tension, personal of interest, mentions of weapon, weapon usage/firing, dead body, mentions of an attack, paparazzi mentions, slow burn, etc.

➸a.i; - made this fic off of the original voting for which storyline to work on, also trying a slightly different style hm!! works are piling up on me now but i’ll try to publish them all asap!!! xoxo

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡

Katsuki sat in his office, checking the time nonstop as he waiting for his newest employee to arrive. It’s not as if she was late, he just had other things to do and needed her here as soon as possible to give the rundown of his day to her. Honestly there was no need for him to even do so, he just wanted to spark a conversation with her to see what she was like.

He’s surprised that his firm and agency had caught him on a good day for him to actually agree to this. They had brought up the idea to him before and each time he declined it, saying he didn’t need someone he had to chase after and protect just so they could be his little errand boy.

This time when they asked however, they had selectively agreed and chosen one specific woman who stood out over all of the other candidates. She was quirk-less, but had the most perfect combat abilities which already had Katsuki somewhat intrigued. She had also excelled in one of the most challenging universities within the country and graduated with her master's in business and accounting at just 21 years old.

The more his agency serenaded the girl and placed her on a pedestal the more intrigued he was, you had proven your worth to them prior by telling them of your special hobbies. Somehow hearing about you and your talents he became less irritated for the day, finishing off his patrol duties without going insane.

He was relaxed to say the least for the rest of the week, until Monday had come back around and it was time to meet you. He was calm, keeping his composure as he remained seated, flipping through your files in the sand-colored folder in front of him over and over.

He would always stay on the cover page for the longest, looking at your picture. He kept his finger on it for a while before flipping the next page and letting his mind wander. You looked good when you let your hair down on your shoulders, and even better with that small soft smile you had.

Maybe if he was able to make you laugh or smile, he could see if it was better in person than in that tiny photo they saved for him. He wasn’t weird, or cared for you, he hadn’t even known you let alone ever spoke to you before, he was just curious.

“Good morning Mr. Bakugo” he heard a voice call from afar as the doors opened to the door. He was snapped out of his thoughts and picked his head up, closing the folder he was looking through as he saw you.

He took his time examining you and your appearance, like for instance this time your hair was pulled into a slick back. It was almost as if the picture hadn’t been as accurate as possible of your facial features, or beauty. Plus, you were wearing glasses, that threw him off a little, thinking of you as a little nerd now.

He got up slowly and made his way over to you before extending his hand out for you to take it. Your hand was much smaller than his he noted, before placing it back at his side. He had tried his best to shake your hand as gentle as possible before speaking.

“Katsuki’s js’ fine, and ‘s nice to formally meet you Y/n L/n.” He spoke in a professional tone, achieving an impressed smile and look from one of his clerks in the agency from behind you. He took a step back and ushered you to take a seat by the table where he was seated prior.

You thanked him kindly and patted down your dress pants before sitting in the seat opposite to his. He sat down and opened the file of you before speaking again.

“I’ve read your stats; I’m impressed that someone like you would come here to help someone like me.” He stated, flipping through the pages again before looking up at you, you hadn’t smiled nor shown any sign of anything else other than professionalism.

He wasn’t sure if he liked it or not, after going over your file, especially your photo for an entire week he had already placed his own version of you in his head. From your resume it had said you were very outgoing and bubbly to say the least, he didn’t feel any of that energy as of now, he felt like he was talking to stone.

“Thank you, I’m sorry what do you mean by someone like me sir?” You asked, he didn’t even think of his answer because he already knew what he was going to tell you. Your tone repeated in his head, you hadn’t broken eye contact with him nor moved an inch, perfect posture and smooth skin, it’s as if he was getting answers to the questions, he asked himself about you for weeks.

“Talented, you have potential t’be a hero of your own if ya really wanted.” He stated looking back up from your files and in your eyes, you only blinked and nodded, he hadn’t even cracked a smile out of you. In all honestly it would’ve been ridiculous if he was getting upset or frustrated over something small like this, but he had to see it for himself.

“Thank you again, but as you may know from my resume already, I don’t have the capability of being one as I’m quirk-less, and I’d rather just stick to one person than multiple.” You stated, making the last part sound like a joke slightly, or at least to him it must have been because he caught a small smile escape your lips before you spoke again.

“It seems as if all of your old colleagues have extra assistance except for you, and your agency had spoken about how much of a challenge you’d be, so I’m willing to give it a shot. I’m always up for a challenge when I have nothing to lose.” You spoke, pausing for a moment before opening your mouth to speak then closing it again, maybe adding on about how great the pay seemed to you wasn’t a wise decision.

A challenge, he hated those, he hated challenges because of the amount of time and effort they take. He was already a busy man with thousands of priorities, deadlines, meetings, etc. He was thankful to say the least out of the two of you he could already tell who was going to be doing more work they actually enjoyed.

He went over ground rules and his preferences, he wasn’t supposed to be a teacher to you, let alone a babysitter. If you were to take notes or ask him questions, do it at a convenient timing, like now instead of later. His patrolling hours start from 7am at earliest to 11pm being the latest, so all three meals for the day would be covered under his shifts. He was surprised to see you grab a pen from your coat jacket pocket and grab a blanket piece of paper beside you, scribbling as he spoke.

He had mentioned how he would’ve had several pages and charts of his daily routines and extras printed and given to you, but you politely declined his offer. You told him it was better for you to take notes of your own as they were easier to follow and you’d remember it by heart if you wrote it, he only nodded and continued.

“ ‘Nd I also go to the gym on the weekends or days whenever my patrol shifts are covered from 9 to 12.” He finished, you shook your head as you wrote the last bullet point down as he watched you underline the times he had said before speaking.

“No time at all for any wife or kids, you’re always busy. How do you manage to get in enough sleep sir?” You spoke, now placing your pen back in pocket before taking the two sheets of paper and aligning them together.

A wife? Kids? He thought for a moment, he had always wanted to be married, let alone have a family of his own. Maybe it was the pressure of his parents taunting him about it, or seeing his friends go through the processes and being invited to their weddings, but he had never actually tried to place himself out there.

He considered it a waste of time, like all things love takes time and as he’s mentioned a thousand times, he doesn’t have time to waste. A man that’s too busy can never be too busy for love, except if that man is Katsuki Bakugo. His agency had also brought up the idea to him, having someone on his arm would make him look good to the press and could get his numbers high.

He hadn’t fancied the idea of having a date just for more popularity, he was popular enough and honestly the flashy paparazzi could kiss his ass some days. He would like someone by his side because he genuinely cares for the person, not because he wants to make himself look better for fame. He couldn’t care less if millions would look his way if the woman, he’d want to spend his life with was there.

“Maybe I’ll die alone, ain’t no problem with that.” He responded, completely disregarding your second comment. You raised a brow slightly and looked up at him, trying to search his face to see whether he was serious or not. You might as well had died trying to figure it out, he has a fucking poker face.

“You shouldn’t say that sir, have hope. If you make time for it and prioritize it like the other 30 things in my list, you should be fine.” You spoke, nodding and smiling at him. Your smile was slightly larger than the last one you gave him; he took note of that. It seemed everything you did he took note of, as if he was your assistant.

He only hummed in response, now standing up and escorting you out as it was time to start your first day. Thankfully for the two of you, you had both eaten breakfast and could start as soon as possible as you strolled downtown.

You stood off to the side of your new boss as he stood off too patch a radio to his shoulder before turning it on. You took the time to now fully examine him and take in his figure, he was much taller than you, regardless of the fact you were wearing heels.

He was probably around 6’3, when you thought of your other friends and family members that were over 6ft and made the comparison in your head, he was probably taller. He was fairly built too, maybe over 200lbs if you were to make a proper estimate.

He also was good looking, you couldn’t lie he was attractive, which is probably why you made that remark previously of having a wife. It’s surprising how he hadn’t gotten with anyone yet, not even a girlfriend. He was in his mid-twenties and from what you could tell from the other heroes that were his own friends they're in happy relationships.

So, the problem wasn’t that he couldn’t get any girl, he definitely could, he just chose not to. He might be difficult to deal with at times, but at least he was respectful and responsible, well to you that is. You had only just got to know him around an hour ago, so it isn’t as if you two were perfectly in sync already.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡

It was now a little afternoon, ‘lunch time’ as Katsuki mentioned, and had also added in the detail of his favorite spot to eat. As you made your way there you were unaware, he was still following you from behind, you recited the name of the meal he had given you before making your way inside. You had never been to this place before, let alone anything like it, so you just decided to take the same as his order.

What you didn’t expect was for everyone inside to immediately start screaming and rushing out as they saw him. Asking for autographs and saying how much they loved him, pulling out their phones for pictures and everything.

Right, he’s a pro-hero, and in the top 3 at that, he wasn’t even just a hero, but a celebrity too. He had told you about him having certain modeling skills and experience and having shoots every once in a while, that his agencies had applied him for.

This was something you had to get used to, fangirls, paparazzi, and screams. It was your first day, you can’t get overwhelmed and go insane so easily. You took a deep breath as you paid for the orders and received them shortly after, pushing past the crowd before something caught your eye.

More like someone had caught your eye. Right across the street from the store a little boy was crying, calling out for his mother while he wiped his tears. You quickly made your way over to him and placed the bags of food down on the side before bending down to his height, ignoring the fan-girling behind you.

“Hey buddy, what’s wrong?” You asked a slight frown on your face as you spoke to him. He wiped his nose and sniffled harshly as his eyes were watery. You looked into his eyes for a minute, they were so strange, different in a way you hadn’t seen before.

Maybe it had to do with his quirk, but it wasn’t something usual. The color of them were so light it was practically glass or a sort of white marble, and it gave you chills. The sort of chills that were telling you to back away from the situation, but he was just a child, so you shrugged off the feeling.

Until you realized you were so terribly wrong to underestimate it. He had only continued to cry more before running off into the deep alleyway behind him, and stupidly without a second thought you chased him down. You called out to him attempting to find him as you could hear him repeat the words of ‘hide and seek’.

It’s as if every alarm in your head was ringing profusely as you went in deeper to find him, practically circling yourself in attempts to find him. You paused as an unfamiliar scent had hit your nose sharply, it was something like tainted meat or roadkill, but much stronger.

It wasn’t until you had gotten goosebumps quickly as you heard small child like giggles from behind you. You quickly turned around and placed your dominant hand behind your back, reaching for the pistol you had always carried with you. Quickly grabbing it with a firm grip before the laughter became louder and deeper.

The child had now come out from the shadows before you, or at least it’s one of many forms. It soon transformed into a large bird-like beast, with the claws and teeth of a sort of creature you were sure only existed in myths. As it quickly lunged towards you with a loud shriek you drew your weapon and fired 4 times.

You had aimed for nothing but two areas, the head and its heart. Thankfully it had worked because as the beast was just inches away from your face it had dropped dead to the floor. You sighed in relief and laughed to yourself for a while, completely unfazed by the screaming and scatters behind you.

“Guess who’s not bulletproof, dumba-“

“Y/N!” You heard Katsuki shout from behind you, you turned around quickly keeping your lips sealed as your statement was cut off, grateful you hadn’t cursed in front of him. He quickly ran up to you, examining your figure.

“Heard gunshots. Are you injured?” He asked, raising a brow as he looked up and down at you. You only spun around slowly to show your unfazed body and clothing before flaunting the pistol in your hand. Then you pointed at the shriveled-up beast behind you as it bled out.

Katsuki looked at you then the scene wide-eyed before bringing a hand up to his under eyes and dragging it down. It was barely your first day of training and this happened. Especially while he wasn’t around to handle the matter, and who even gave you a pistol to begin with?

He let out an exasperated sigh before reaching over to his radio and patching in. He made authorization aware of the situation and that the threat had been neutralized with no casualties as all civilians were safe, after he received confirmation, he let go before turning back to you.

“You’re lucky I don’t decide to just fire you right now.” He stated, now walking off into the entrance of the alleyway, you quickly made your way beside him ready to plead your case.

“Excuse me? I was just doing my job sir. That thing attacked me first and I saved all of your little paparazzi princesses. Respectfully if you were on point instead of being distracted you wouldn’t have a reason to be mad at me.” You stated professionally, now placing the weapon you had back in its proper place, scoffing under your breath slightly as you turned to the side.

He had hardly tuned into what you were telling him, he kept replaying the entire scene in his head from his view. He was crowded by hundreds for less than 5 minutes and everyone ran off after hearing gunshots. He had counted it and replayed it over and over, 4 shots.

4 bullets aren’t what someone or something would fire if they were trying to send a warning or fight. Those are killer numbers, execution even, and he knew that. So, when his eyes had followed your figure walking over across the street to help a little boy then disappear to hear gunshots his stomach dropped.

So many things rushed in his mind at that very moment, you were quirk-less, which meant you were practically defenseless. Yes you had your skilled martial arts training and enhanced combat, but that was nothing in a gun fight. He didn’t want to fire you for running off or killing a villain, he wanted to fire you because of how reckless you were.

Being reckless and tracking havoc was his job, literally. He was being paid to do so and took a liking to it because he didn’t have to worry about anyone else other than himself, but with you it was different. He wasn’t sure why, but even though he had only officially known you for a few hours he felt as if you were now his responsibility.

Like how he would care for his nieces and nephews from his friends, or his aging parents. If anything had happened to you he wasn’t sure what he would do with himself, breaking the news to his agency would be horrific, and don’t even get him started on telling your family.

As he stood beside you, he placed his hands in his pocket. He only turned his head to the side to glance at you, blinking thoughtlessly before turning his head back as he heard sirens approaching. He hadn’t planned on answering your response, there was no need too. It had barely been solid afternoon and so much had happened already.

“You’re never supposed to leave my side, ‘ts your job, or else we’re both in trouble.” He only responded before making his way over to the parked police vehicles, making you furrow your brows. As your stomach rumbled slightly you had remembered leaving the food off to the side by a table nearby.

You quickly made your way back there to find the food and drinks still in perfect condition. You clapped to yourself and muttered a quick ‘yes’ before scooping them up and making your way over to Katsuki as he had left everything in the hands of the police.

He wasn’t sure what it was, whether it was the food or if you had seen something that caught your eye, but the energy you were giving off just minutes ago was completely gone. You were cheerful, you were smiling, finally after so long of his curiosity eating him up he got to see your smile, with your teeth.

You quickly handed him his share of his drink and bag of food as you kept yours, that cheerful smile still on your face. He thought he was crazy honestly, because as you two went to sit out for a while to open your food and dig in your smile hadn’t left.

He felt a small smile creep up on his lips as well, or maybe it was a smirk, who knows. Whatever it was made his lips curve up and if he hadn’t known any better he would’ve smiled as cheerfully as you, maybe smiles are just contagious.

“Does food make ya smile that hard all the time?” He asked without shame before taking a bite of his sandwich and pointing to your face with his index finger. You paused and looked at him with a raised brow before thinking to yourself. You soon nodded in response to his question as you unwrapped your sandwich.

“Yes sir, it’s one of the many things in this world that I know won’t fail to boost my mood.” You joked before looking over to Katsuki, who only wore an understanding expression on his face as he nodded. As you began to eat your meal you were surprised by how much flavor it had, and you had honestly enjoyed it thoroughly.

For a price so small and a sandwich so large from a place you had never even heard of before it was amazing. You savored it and even asked yourself if you should save some for another day or eat it all today. In the end your urges overcame you and you ate it all in one sitting with Katsuki, who just watched you in silence.

You ate like a rat was his first thought on you. You took rather smaller bites than him and chewed quickly, covering your mouth as you did so. Maybe he was the one who ate weird most of the time, but you were so polite and professional, it’s as if you were having a damn conference with the sandwich.

He only shook his head slightly as he looked off before finishing his food and drink as you did too. As you cleaned off your lips softly with pats and swipes you reached into the inside pocket of your tuxedo pocket. This time the opposite one of the primary that had carried your little fancy pen this morning.

You pulled out a tube of lip-gloss before applying it onto your lips and quickly putting it away as you rubbed your lips together. As the two of you walked Katsuki had only caught a glance of what you were doing, ceasing your actions before placing your thumb up to underneath your bottom lip and swiping a small bit of access lip-gloss.

He turned his head back and focused on the path ahead of him. Whatever shade that was looked good on you, it wasn’t the same one that showed in your photo from your files. It was if he had a little checklist on you from on file to off file, and as of now he had several things written and checked off, one of them now being ‘she carries a weapon on her at all times incase’.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡

As night was quickly approaching, Katsuki made it well aware to you that your time for today was up. As his night shift was about to begin and that’s where more of the dangers had come out, so it would be best advised if you went home. You only nodded and thanked him for the day, he walked you over to your vehicle parked in the parking lot of his firm before you drove off.

No matter for either of you it seemed that the days events hadn’t left your minds. Surprisingly enough before you left you had told him if he ever needed anything to contact you, and he didn’t hesitate too. As soon as you had gotten home and showered before preparing something for you to eat again, he was quick to text you.

Even though the number was unidentified and sent as numerous numbers and dashes you could tell who it was. You smiled to yourself slightly as you pressed 2 minutes on the microwave to your meal before checking your messages.

[XXX-XXX-XXXX : I’m just checking in to make sure you arrived. There was a report of something happening in your area.]

[You : Thank you! All’s good here, I’ve been home for a while, I’m getting something to eat now]

[XXX-XXX-XXXX : Okay]

Your smile soon turned into a quick off putting slanted state as you read his reply. It said he was typing for a while, but that’s all he ended up saying. You thought to yourself before typing another response to him attempting to get a reaction.

[You : Thank you for checking up on me, and I really appreciate your care today ☺️]

It had said he was typing, you turned your attention away from your beeping microwave as you watched the bubbles float in the bottom left corner of your phone for a while, maybe a minute, before just disappearing. As you waited you also took this as the perfect time to actually save his number within your contacts, only to come back and see nothing.

You only groaned to yourself as you placed your phone down, now giving your attention back to your beeping microwave before opening it and removing your food, placing it down to earth before thinking off to yourself.

As you finished your food you quickly placed the plate in the sink and cleaned up a bit, preparing everything for tomorrow. You also took the time to reload your pistol, just in case you had to use it again. Eventually you were ready for bed and drifted off to sleep after a long and harsh day.

You were awoken at around midnight to a text notification from your phone, wondering who could be texting you so late. As you perked your head up and reached for your phone you dimmed the brightness on it before reading the notification.

[K. Bakugo : You’re welcome, you weren’t bad for your first day as my assistant. We’ll see how you can handle tomorrow. Goodnight]

You smiled softly as you read the message, placing a hand over your lips cheekily before placing your phone back down. You turned around and got comfortable again before dozing off.

Maybe today wasn’t so bad after all.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡

୧⋆Current Masterlist⋆୨

*coming soon*

✴🕷 please do not copy, plagiarize, edit, or translate any works submitted by me. all works are originated and all other pictures used within those works are online images. thank you!! @kryptznnn

[machveil]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCUh0ooIc9z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

trying to hide cheating on your diet with the 141

oh my gosh haha

Kyle is definitely the first the to notice - he won’t necessarily say anything, but he’s caught on to how you’ve hidden sweets in the crisper under all the vegetables. you don’t even know he knows, you think you’re little plan is going great! only… when you pass Kyle you’re pretty sure you saw him pop one of your chocolates into his mouth? hm, maybe you’re imagining things

Johnny is clueless, the last to find out. he really only snoops through the fruit and vegetables he likes - strategically placed at the top of the crisper. all Johnny knows is that you’ve been eating according to your diet in front of him, and hey! he’s so proud of you that he’s snuck you a treat bonnie, isn’t he nice? a snack won’t hurt, he’ll even indulge with you

Simon and Price figure it out after Kyle does.

Simon just had a gut feeling to dig through the fridge - something nagging at the back of his mind telling him something was off. yeah, he found your sweets almost instantly. one thing with Simon, he thinks he’s funny, and he is. so what does he do? replaces your sweets and treats with sugar free alternatives, he does it when you aren’t home so it’s a surprise. it’s worth it when he walks into the kitchen and sees your nose scrunch, your chocolate suddenly not tasting as sweet as you remember it being

Price was trying to prep some ingredients for dinner and found them. the first thing that goes through his head is how homemade treats would be better - you’d know what’s going into your body. so Price helps you bake some healthier treats, chuckling while pout. he turns the other way, pretending he doesn’t see you snacking on the chocolate chips he set out. one last hurrah with some chocolate wouldn’t hurt he supposes

[skele-bunny]

Thinking about Aether and Dew baby...

This follows Calida's timeline!

CW - Pregnancy, Mentions of past Traumatic Pregnancy (but this is a fluff post!)

It's been a good few years, now. Calida now a rambunctious teenager, the ministry settled down while there's no tours for a good while. It's comfortable! The topic comes up one night, Dew settled in the bed with Aether on their day off together;

"Firefly?"

"Hm?"

"Promise you won't bite me if I ask something?" An eyebrow raise but Dew promises. "How would you feel about another baby?"

"Another?" Dewdrop sits up a little, resting more on the headboard as he grimaces some. "I dunno, Aeth... Calida's was rough as is. I had her early, and all the complications, and just the mental side of it? I'm not sure... Why?"

"Just been thinking, that's all. Maybe something in the air, all the babies I've been helping deliver with the siblings. I dunno either. Just thought, maybe, it would be nice to have tiny feet running through the den again."

Dewdrop just chews his lip and nods, eventually going into silence before going to the bathroom suddenly. Closes the door and stares at himself in the mirror for a bit, so many thoughts racing. He doesn't realize how long it's been until Aether knocks to check on him, Dew opening the door and looking up, holding his breath.

"Okay."

"Okay, what?"

"Let's have another. But on my conditions."

"What- Oh, okay! What's your conditions?" Aether can't help his tail wagging.

"We're gonna go talk to my therapist and double, triple, fucking quad check that this isn't just a breeding thing for you... A-and I only want you, or Phil, or- or just that really nice midwife you introduced me to at the Halloween party, Alexa... If... If I get pregnant again. No one else."

Aether just nods, taking Dewdrop's hand, leading him back to bed. "Those are all reasonable. I can call for an appointment in the morning. Sound fair?"

"Yeah... Sounds fair."

It's about two months worth of sessions, both privately and together, making sure that YES. They want this! Dew is mentally ready for this again, Aether isn't in some kink phase, etc. They even talk to Calida who's more than excited about a little sibling! Dewy gets off his testosterone and starts taking supplements, and circles his first heat for them to start trying. They keep everything quiet for a while, and even more months of failed attempts to conceive. It's about month four when Dew wakes Aether up, sitting on his lap with two positive pregnancy tests.

They're SO fucking excited but keep their expectations mellow. Dewdrop's health has much changed since Calida, plus they don't know if the egg will fully stay intact. Still, it is exciting for Aether to smell how fruity Dewdrop is. Constantly scenting him to see if there's any changes but also to cover the smell around the others. Every night Aether has his eyes full of stars and a gentle hand on Dew's stomach, whispering to Dewy what he sees, how small it is, but still so full of fluids and cells.

Two months, they agree to tell the others. It goes as they expect, excitement and extra affection, a ghoul pile that even Copia makes time to join.

"Have you started thinking about names or anything like that?" Sunny is laying her head on Dew's thigh, smiling SO wide.

"No, not just yet. Things can still change so we're waiting at least until near the end of the second trimester."

"Makes sense," Swiss chimes in. "Does Calida know?"

Aether is the one to laugh, leaning over. "That girl scared the birds away from how excited she got. She was the first to know."

Now, Dewdrop wouldn't trade Calida for the world. But he wishes he had this gentleness when he was expecting her. The kindness and a huge pack so that he doesn't have to strain and try to keep up, that he knew early, how accommodating everything's been. There's times he'll just hold his stomach and look in the mirror, so much deja vu of when he did it in hotel bathrooms while on tour. Speaking to Calida and telling her she was going to be the light of his life, and now he's doing it again. Just another piece for a puzzle he didn't know wasn't completed yet.

He's put on bed rest once more, too many high risks going on, and he starts eventually experiencing... Symptoms.

"What do you mean they're weird?"

"They're just fucking weird, Aether! Just, okay, tickle me."

He blinks. "You hate being tickled."

"I know! Just do it!"

He shrugs and does a little wiggle of his fingers before attacking Dew's sides and armpits. Listening to him squeal and laugh, grimacing and eventually - the TV turns on. Aether is staring at it while Dew catches his breath.

"See? Weird fucking shit! If I sneeze the lights turn on and off, when I get headaches my phone's battery dies, and like... It's so strange!"

Aether whistles a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh we're so having a quint."

"Huh?"

Aether looks him dead in the eyes, but a big goofy smile. "You're having magick surges. Little bit is reacting to you, and quintessence is a hell of a thing. Starts while still in the womb, my mother in the pit had almost the same things happening. Less technology and more of like, levitation. We're having a quint!"

Dew blinks before breaking into cries. "Woah, woah! What's wrong, my love?"

"I'm gonna look like a fucking watermelon you ass-wipe!" Hitting him softly but still crying.

Poor thing isn't even six months yet, but he looks like he's eight! Mumbling about his feet hurting, his legs more swollen than normal, cravings that are insanity to even be thought of. It's when he's in the nursery, tying ribbons on the crib when he gasps at a feeling, holding his stomach... It happens again.

He doesn't even get the full trill out before Cumulus and Mountain are RAMMING into that door.

"What's wrong?!"

But, he's smiling, beckoning them over. Takes both of their hands and puts it on his bump, shushing them every time they try to ask. There's a kick and their eyes go wide, Dew just as much. It's much softer than normal kicks, but that's to be expected from the egg sack still around them.

Then, finally, a gender reveal. Expecting a tiny little girl, Aether excited as he's always been a girl dad, adjusting some of the things in the nursery to match her.

"Teddy."

"Hm?"

Dew is playing with a tiny onesie, keeping his eyes locked on it. "What do you think of the name Starshine?"

"Starshine?"

"Yeah," his thumb going over the embroidered star on the onesie. "For our daughter."

Aether hums, thinking it over a little before he nods. "Yeah... Yeah, I like that."

He makes it to full term, after an agonizing day and a half of his water being broken and no dilation. Clutching to Aether and Mountain, Alexa between his knees to help course their daughter out. Mountain's fur is sticking up from the amount of electricity from Dew holding him, then with how hot he is. There's a bit of a power surge at the final push before the lights come back. Dewdrop sobbing as he dead weights against the two, staring at the ceiling but ears completely focused on Starshine's mad cries as she's cut from the sack.

Good god they though Mountain was furry? That poor girl is gonna need haircuts WEEKLY. Aether and Dew laughing a bit as they're holding this purple blob of fur, some soft white on her belly and in her ears. Hair blonde, just like Dewdrop's.

Mountain congratulating them and helping Alexa clean up a little while the new parents again bask in the afterglow with their new daughter :3

[imthepunchlord]

I don't think anyone was happy with how Gabriel's whole arc was handled, so I am curious what people prefer on what should've been done or could've been done instead.

[lala-blahblah]

I will never make this because it would be for an audience of one (me) but ever since reading "If we Were Villains" (story about serious drama kids in college who perform shakespeare and deal with a murder) I have been entertaining the thought of a crack fic crossover with High School Musical The Musical The Series where the staff decides they will no longer put on shakespeare after the tragic accident that happened at Thanksgiving, because Shakespeare plays would only increase the tension and drama. So they hire Ms. Jen who decides their spring play will actually be High School Musical (which exists in the 90s in this universe) and it ruins the vibe so much that everyone gives up on being dark and mysterious because they're universally pissed at Ms Jen for making them learn choreoraphed basketball dancing.

[ailichi]

Liam Gallagher knew well that the way he sang was tough on his voice and it must have been so deeply frustrating to have people saying oh he’s only the singer. yes, he was. the singer is sort of important, and he knows what he’s about. his characteristic tone is an over-engaged voice and a trained singer would never do that but it’s Liam … he knows where he sees beauty and he goes for it. the fact that he can go from that voice to his very pure head voice and back down again, flawlessly, consistently, is unbelievable vocal control. and then people, well-meaningly, say his voice is ‘raw’ as a compliment, well. his voice is unique. because he made it that way :’)

[batsplat]

hiii your weekly sete ask:

wow his 2005 season was really Cursed affggghjk. like what do you mean he’s 7th with 7 retirements (more than that years top 4 combined) but also is the only guy aside from valentino in top 7 to not finish lower than 5th place…..

valentino was the curse really worth it being runner up to capirossi and melandri TWICE and in a row (joking)

haha... yeah... 'retirement' in motegi... definitely wasn't so eager to seal the title at honda's home race that he made an ill-advised overtake attempt on melandri and cleared them both out... two completely unrelated dnf's... haha...

anyway!! yeah!! valentino would make that trade with you all things considered - always got on well with capirossi, with melandri admittedly you have the whole drama of melandri thinking valentino switched up towards him... but tbf you do have to say valentino was impressively dogged at keeping melandri's first win at bay for as long as possible. the six races valentino doesn't win that year are estoril (very wet, kinda just settled for second), laguna (unfamiliar with the track and would never be one he really liked, finished behind the two americans who knew the track well), motegi (crazy how we'll just never know how that dnf happened... oh well let's move on), sepang (a bridgestone-dominated weekend, sealed the title there though), turkey (hampered by a poor start) and valencia (my god is he mid there, also he tried to smash himself up before the race which I swear he does like. repeatedly at that specific circuit. guess he knows he has the off season to recover)

the way the curse shakes out is that for the rest of sete and valentino's careers, whenever they both finish a race valentino is ahead. not a single exception! not one! but the thing is, right, sete's actual finishing position of seventh in the championship in 2005 is extra cruel because it... just is not representative of how competitive he was that season? this is where it becomes useful I have my 'curse tally' notes... 2004 we've already covered, 2006 is more depressing than fun (how is your luck so bad your ambulance crashes into a bus fifty metres before the hospital entrance), but 2005? oh yeah that sete season is fucked. do you know who won the best qualifier award that year?

narrator: he did not win his home race on sunday

you can also read the qualifying prowess from the average grid positions, and it's not even particularly close. sete averages 2.82 for the season, ahead of valentino at 4.12 and hayden at 4.29. he bags five pole positions, exactly as many as valentino. his average finishing position when he actually makes the chequered flag is 3.6, the third best that year behind vale's 1.44 and melandri's 3.5. unsurprisingly, 2005 is the only season this century where the strongest qualifier does not win a single race. that just isn't a thing that happens!! it shouldn't happen!! this is not a man who was suddenly slow. he also hadn't been particularly crash-prone in his previous honda seasons... one dnf in 2003, two in 2004... and seven in 2005. a nightmare

which raises the question... okay, not winning races is one thing, but what the fuck happened to sete? if you're not just slow all of a sudden, how are you suddenly dipping from p2 to p7 in the championship standings? so. *cracks knuckles* *gets out notes* let's go one by one and tally up exactly how sete's season went wrong (parentheses used to indicate grid positions, e.g. 'g2', and finishing positions, e.g. 'p2')

jerez (g2/p2): after a feisty start, sete leads the entire race up until three laps to the end - when valentino executes his overtake and looks all set for the win. but valentino makes a mistake on the final lap that lets sete back past, and he's frantic in his attempts to correct the error... it looks like sete might have this one won, until valentino steals it from him at the last corner, barging him aside with one foot off its peg. (more on the final lap here.) valentino's victory, immediately controversial, is followed by various post-race theatrics as the spanish crowd voice their displeasure and valentino rubs it in their faces. on the way to the podium, valentino breaks the fourth wall to mock sete for clutching at his shoulder - which he is then forced to walk back in estoril as it turns out sete had actually been injured (clips here). more on this, from broadbent's 'ring of fire':

(details of the gresini/zerbi dispute included below the cut)

estoril (g2/dnf): an increasingly wet race - conditions in which sete has always been excellent in (first 500cc race was won in the wet too). sete's shoulder is still injured from the jerez collision and he'd crashed that weekend already, but he leads comfortably at the start... it's always tricky to be in the front in those conditions and he ends up crashing out of the lead in lap 16 out of 24. would valentino have been so comfortable settling for the podium if sete had still been in the race?

shanghai (g1/p4): another wet race, this time at a new circuit. perhaps sete's confidence was dented by estoril, or perhaps he just wasn't quick enough in the conditions. he doesn't get the ideal start from pole, though he briefly runs ahead of valentino - before vale overtakes him and disappears into the distance. for most of the race, sete runs second, until eventually wildcard jacque overtakes him. with a few laps to go, sete's suddenly losing speed... it looks like he's dealing with some kind of mechanical issue and he's shaking his head down the straight. on the very last lap, his teammate melandri overtakes him for the final podium position. after the race, sete said he had already felt on the warm-up lap that something was wrong with his tyre, and that it was all he could do to minimise the damage and coax the vibrating tyre to the end

le mans (g4/p2): sete had won the two previous races at this track, beating valentino on the final lap in 2003 and extending his championship lead in 2004. this year, both sete and valentino get quite a poor start, and exit the first few corners seventh and sixth respectively. valentino starts his charge to the front before sete does - and sete's progress stalls for a bit when he makes an absolute hash of one of the chicanes. eventually, valentino is on the rear tyre of his teammate edwards, but takes his sweet time overtaking him.... sete hunts them both down, firing in lap records as he muscles his way to third, and valentino is quickly informed of just who is catching him. valentino overtakes edwards, but edwards quickly gets him back - which opens the door for sete, who slips past for second. the three once again converge and valentino eventually manages to get sete back. edwards runs it a little wide and valentino squeezes past, with sete able to take advantage of the open door to get through too. they quickly gap edwards and as sete stalks valentino, the commentators hype up the prospect of revenge, of 'payback time'... valentino takes a new circuit record on the final lap to hold sete off. he extends his hand for sete long enough that sete eventually acquiesces - in doing so affording valentino a courtesy his rival had not extended to him at sepang the year before

mugello (g2/dnf): this time last year, the first public cracks of the valentino/sete relationship were just starting to show. but a fight for victory between the two of them was not to be this time round. sete keeps p2 off the line; after some opening lap scrapping that includes a valentino overtake, sete is still in p2. then his teammate melandri rudely forces him wide while overtaking, so that sete briefly drops back to fourth - before muscling his way past capirossi and into third. he tussles a bit with biaggi... but ends up crashing on lap five. it already feels like curtains on any championship aspirations

catalunya (g1/p2): before the weekend, valentino says he believes melandri and biaggi, not sete, will be his main championship rivals. sete starts on pole, with valentino likewise on the front row. valentino gets a somewhat poor start... by the end of the first lap he's back in the mix at the front. the first few laps are frantic, with melandri leading most of them and making his teammate's life, uh, unpleasant - but eventually both valentino and sete make their way back and break away from the field. soon after, sete gets past valentino and leads the race. for a while, it looks like he's breaking away from valentino just a little... eventually, it becomes obvious valentino has just been biding his time. with three laps to go, vale eases past down the main straight into the braking zone of turn one, and immediately proceeds to destroy sete's circuit record on dying tyres. he wins the race fairly comfortably from there

assen (g2/p5): juan martinez, sete's crew chief, is taken ill on thursday with a migraine. he recovers to come back to the box on saturday, but unsurprisingly the team is on the back foot as a result. (remember, martinez used to work for valentino, and he is someone valentino explicitly blamed for what happened at qatar 2004.) sete starts reasonably well from the front row, second early on behind his teammate melandri before eventually falling behind hayden. meanwhile, valentino has gotten a typically atrocious start and gave himself a bit of work to do. sete eventually makes his way back past hayden - but unfortunately lets valentino through too. at the end of the seventh lap, valentino gets past sete at his beloved final chicane. after that, valentino goes on to win the race while sete languishes in fifth

laguna seca (g13/p5): sete executes a strong comeback ride, besides losing a duel to biaggi which I suppose is a new low. but the main thing I have to bring in at this juncture is one of my favourite sete's moments. this is from broadbent's 'ring of fire' again, in the context of the re-introduction of laguna to the calendar and the discussions around that. just remember that valentino has been tormenting sete for like, over half a year, and sete has not lashed out at valentino once publicly. but here... he finally snaps - and takes it out on the real enemy: marco melandri

quick friendly reminder that melandri was sete's teammate that year

donington (g2/dnf): the race is held in truly appalling conditions. sete - who, remember, was a known wet weather specialist - takes the lead early on. he crashes on the third lap, one of ten riders not to finish the race. after wobbling about in the front-running pack for most of the race, valentino eventually takes the lead before pulling comfortably clear. he mimes playing the violin while crossing the line; this was interpreted by some as mockery of his less fortunate rivals, which valentino refuted

before the race, valentino took another opportunity to twist in the knife:

"when I see gibernau I always want to arrive in front of him" uh huh

sachsenring (g2/p2): valentino had quite a few problems with his bike that weekend, with a tricky build-up to the race. initially, hayden gets the holeshot, as valentino starts piling up the pressure and sete gets stuck in traffic. but the race is red flagged - and while hayden again gets the holeshot at the restart, valentino quickly disposes of him and sete soon does likewise. sete swiftly overtakes valentino ("'take that', said sete gibernau, 'I mean business'" says one of the commentators) and leads from there, with valentino in hot pursuit. for a few laps, valentino ends up behind hayden - and once he gets past him again, he's seven tenths down on sete with six laps to go. valentino closes in and on the very last lap, sete goes wide into the first corner, letting valentino through

always thinking of the suggestion valentino was intending to overtake sete at exactly the same place he had been overtaken in 2003 (from here):

brno (g1/dnf): despite the summer break in between (where sete reportedly did a lot of training), this might as well have been a direct continuation of the previous race. sete leads out front as valentino determinedly muscles his way into second place so as to not let sete escape. on the very first lap, valentino overtakes sete - in a section of the track where sete was planning to overtake capirossi if capirossi got the holeshot (more on how forthcoming sete was being to the commentariat here and here, icl when I replied to those asks I didn't remember quite how bad it was). on the third lap, the two exchange a few overtakes, and then it's sete in front. valentino makes a mistake to give sete a bit of breathing room and almost let the pack swallow him up, but he escapes again to get on sete's tail. around halfway through, valentino takes the lead - and then, with just over four laps ago, valentino deliberately slows down and practically invites sete to go past, before slotting back in behind him. valentino takes the lead at the final chicane of the penultimate lap, setting the stage for a final lap showdown, except sete is beginning to lose touch... and then he slows down. sete has run out of fuel

japan (g7/dnf): all eyes on valentino - who starts from eleventh for his first matchpoint race - as he starts making his way through the pack. on the first lap, valentino's already made his way past sete for sixth. tragically, all footage of the race after this point was erased so we will simply never know what valentino got up to after this point in time, but sete reportedly crashed on lap eleven. "gibernau's wretched season continues, when will it end for sete gibernau... it's almost a year now since valentino rossi put that witch's curse on him at qatar and said he would never win another race, you've got to wonder..."

sepang (g2/dnf): as the riders storm down to turn one, sete and hayden make contact and barely keep their bikes upright - sete is knocked down to sixth. valentino ends up right behind him on the first lap once again, but gets stuck behind him for a little longer as sete works his way past hayden... before sete and nakano go down when the former attempts to overtake the latter on lap two. "sete gibernau's appalling season continues...." - sete begins to walk off before sinking to his knees in despair

qatar (g2/p5): back to the place where it all started. sete deploys some feisty riding to keep that second place off the line against both valentino and hayden. he takes the lead from capirossi on the third lap and valentino takes advantage to immediately force his way into second - ready to exert pressure on his enemy. but sete builds up a healthy advantage as his teammate melandri increasingly puts pressure on valentino. melandri and valentino exchange overtakes as sete's advantage ebbs and flows, eight tenths at one point while his two rivals tussle. could this really be the "resurgence of sete gibernau"? with six laps to go, valentino shows his front wheel to sete, but it gives melandri the opportunity to get past. as valentino attempts to return the favour, melandri cuts off his nose and causes valentino to almost run into the back of him - payback for motegi, which makes valentino run wide and almost fall back into the clutches of hayden. it looks like it will be a fight between the two gresini riders for the win as valentino is 1.2s back, but he quickly claws his way back into contention and is helped by the gresini duo scrapping. and when melandri has another go at sete, sete runs on into the gravel... "the man who has cracked once again is sete gibernau" "and I'm sure both marco melandri and rossi are smiling under their visors" from the commentary team - valentino snatches the win once again, with sete finishing a disconsolate fifth

phillip island (g3/p5): so much for another front row start, with sete getting battered around to fifth through the first few corners and quickly being pushed down to sixth by his teammate. from there, it's an unspectacular ride to fifth, as valentino claims another victory

turkey (g1/p4): another start from pole, but melandri gets the jump on him from the start. sete puts pressure on melandri and eventually gets back past to take the lead...... and then goes wide and runs it into the gravel. he recovers from sixth to a painful fourth. "you can just imagine valentino rossi grinning, can't you, behind his visor, when he saw that happen"

valencia (g1/dnf): once again, sete starts from pole.... surely, surely he has to win one of these? valentino starts from fifteenth on the grid, which you'd have to say is as good a chance as you're going to get to catch a break from the man. sete is shuffled down to third on the opening lap but is right on the tail of melandri and hayden, setting the field's fastest lap on lap two. on lap four, sete slows down... "and the spaniard's wretched season could end in the only possible way, another disappointment at his home round and yet more misery for movistar" - an engine failure. his teammate escapes out front while sete works through his grief on the side of the track

so, having assessed the evidence in an appropriately scientific manner... well, yes. sete was kinda fucked. you have plenty of bad luck, you have races where he's simply not fast enough, you have races where valentino forces the issue and beats him in a straight fight, and then you have quite a few races where sete makes a clear 'unforced' error. it's not even necessarily the crashes that are most painful - with sachsenring, qatar and turkey standing out as real low points, times when he feasibly could have had valentino (as well as his teammate, who he also dislikes) beat. his wet weather dnf's will also have been a bitter pill to swallow, as well as valentino's lovely habit of snatching circuit records as he pulls clear from sete right at the end of races. and all the while, valentino is happy to taunt him with his failures, reminding sete again and again of how he is no longer the challenger he once was. all the while, the narrative of the curse gathered momentum, ever more likely to make its way back to sete. with every failure, the pressure grew. there's got to be at least ten races where sete on pace could have been in victory contention, five races where he bags pole, fourteen front row starts... not a single actual win. and that's how you put together a curse, kids

here's the gresini/zerbi dispute:

Movistar Honda team manager Fausto Gresini sent an open letter to the media on Thursday night in response to a private letter sent by FIM President Francesco Zerbi to MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Sete Gibernau following last weekend's clash during the Jerez race. Mr Zerbi´s letter had invited the riders to reflect upon the incident, and to remain as positive examples for all MotoGP fans - asking them to fight fairly and without will of revenge. The FIM President also wrote that he didn't see any infringement to the rules, but stressed that this kind of situation shouldn't be repeated. The comments made by Gresini were: "I fully agree with President Zerbi about the fact that sportsmanship is the most important thing. There's no room for bitter feelings between two great riders, but in the meantime, I'm still perplex." "In this letter, Sete and Valentino are treated equally as if Sete had some responsibility in the facts, and I can't agree with that. I believe there is a contradiction when the FIM president writes 'there isn't anything to reproach you for from a legal point of view', and then warns that what happened in Jerez must not occur again." "It means that we're still far from a situation where all have equal rights, in a sport as dangerous as ours," concluded the Italian manager. [here is the presidents response]: Dear Mr Gresini, I should not respond personally to your open letter given to the press, but through the intermediary of my lawyers; however, considering that I subscribe to the rules of courtesy and that I believe private life is a right that no-one can deny, I am not going to enter into a controversy - an easy one given the ridiculous arguments in your letter. The only thing that I want to stress and which, as a man, mortifies me is that I am mistaken in my judgement of men. And that I say on an individual level far more than on an institutional level. With much bitterness, Francesco Zerbi FIM President NB: I am sending this letter to the press because your employee, by violating all principles of education, more so than of law, did not hesitate to betray the confidence that had been granted to him.

like "with much bitterness" why is everyone in this sport so dramatic. what was everyone on this year

[chiropteracupola]

sometimes you start to wonder what the historical record for the guys you made up looks like in the fictional world where they existed. and then you make some fake documents about it.

[moth and compass is a collaboration with @natdrinkstea!!!]

[michaelectras]

in my head midam have three kids and none of them look like adam

[waywardsalt]

oh yeah i’ve got a bunch of loz aus that i haven’t really talked about. a few of them are listed and slightly explained in this poll and explanation reblog but i haven’t gone out of my way to actually list the aus i have and really explain them. so that’s what this post is for. here are some... decently simple explanations of my major aus and what they're generally about

i have two kinds of aus: original aus (loz aus that are set in their own kinds of worlds with their own stories and twists on character roles) and then crossover aus (we all know how this works i just mash loz and a thing i like together)

original aus: (many currently dont have actual titles, so the titles will often just be concept shorthand)

in the court of the crimson king/crimson king au: probably the most developed and closest to being written out. it's got one of the longer premises; set in a industrial-esque hyrule city, following linebeck as the main character, as the adoptive older brother of link and aryll, living with them and their grandmother as the only one able to reliably make money to pay for rent and food, leaving every other week to do jobs, but he moonlights as the 'demon of the gray moon', a masked persona he'd created as a child that had long since become a city-wide urban legend, anonymously taking unsavory jobs from whomever can contact him and offer pay, often working directly for bellum, a childhood friend, the one who enabled and trained him to become the demon, and one of five anonymous leaders of the city. linebeck effectively lives a double life, and tries to stay out of too much trouble to avoid drawing attention to himself or making his adoptive family worry, but he gets dragged into more and more danger as bellum becomes curious about the identities of the city's other leaders, and linebeck falls in love with a man named ganondorf, suspected to be one of those other city leaders. ive got a few posts related to it already: this one being another vague concept descriptor, this one being an actual scene i have written out.

'gimmick' au: i cannot explain the gimmick without spoiling the au. put simply, in this au, hyrule as a whole has been at war for ten years, every race and kingdom taking sides in a conflict that seems to be going nowhere. link joined the hylian army young, and has made his way up the ranks to become trusted by queen zelda herself, and things in the war take an interesting turn as he and zelda discover a new faction, unaligned with any particular kingdom and with unknown motives, and zelda decides to set out to the different parts of hyrule, link and a chosen group of trusted allies in tow, intending to try negotiation one more time before things take a turn for the worse.

sci-fi/space au: the fun one that probably would need to be done in a visual medium. it takes place in a solar system of a few planets, link growing up on the planet hyrule and occasionally traveling to the others as a knight specializing in investigating and taking down dangerous bounty hunters, working for zelda as a friend. he and zelda uncover a plot by the yiga clan to accumulate a number of highly dangerous research and weapons held by each species as they aim to resurrect a demon to wreck havoc on the solar system- the b plot being about the top bounty hunters in the solar system screwing around, eventually colliding with link and zelda's a plot as it begins to involve them.

murder mystery(?) au: one of the older ones, maybe one of the oldest that i still stick with. this might actually be one of the first ones i tried writing. the plot begins when zelda returns to hyrule city years after her father- the former mayor- was murdered, finding that he has been replaced by ganondorf and that while things seem fine enough on the surface, random and organized crime run the show, and she begins a private detective agency as 'sheik', a masked young man, and with the help of impa, and old friend and confidant, she moonlights as sheik and uses her daytime identity as zelda to help chip away at some of the city's biggest problems and finds herself drawn into a long string of murders that appear to be anything but random violence.

ruined hyrule 1: i have two au’s with the premise of hyrule being ruined. neither of them have more specific names yet. this one begins with the majority of greater hyrule's population having long since locked themselves in hyrule castle town in order to escape the increasingly dangerous wildlife. zelda, a young girl at the beginning, becomes curious about what lies beyond the city walls, and makes friends with many other children within this sheltered hyrule, and as they grow up together, aim to eventually venture out into the wilderness to see what may have caused the outside world to become so incredibly hostile.

ruined hyrule 2: the other ruined hyrule. set in a devastated hyrule, roughly ten years after the royal family was killed, link failing to save them or hyrule in the time since. he now resolves to set out and indiscriminately destroy every demon that plagues the ruined hyrule, meeting and bringing along various allies, each of which has been uniquely affected by and have different lived in this altered, dangerous shell of hyrule.

modern (school): i also have two modern aus. this one isn’t plot driven, just a concept i have, would work best as little vignettes or something. essentially just the idea of a group of loz characters hanging out together in a modern high school (or college?) setting.

modern: this is the one with an actual plot. follows the general idea of zelda characters living in a modern world only for the typical legends to begin resurfacing and heralding dark events. plot specifics are murky, but that's the general idea.

dark mage: this is the au that where the seas meet the sands takes place in. basically just ganondorf x linebeck shenanigans in this alternate hyrule while actual plot sneaks up on them. named 'dark mage' mostly because the initial idea behind this au was that linebeck would learn magic.

horror au: doesn't have the best name, and it's ended up just being a personal sandbox for me. constantly changing, with the cast and setting often altering if i find that something isn't working or sticking. it's an au i've considered (and even briefly tried) writing in the past, but it's still too fluid, and writing horror effectively is difficult. it's a fun au, though.

mecha au: spawned because i watched neon genesis evangelion. a lot of this au's basic concepts can be found here: x but the short version is that hyrule is being besiged by massive monsters, but each race has created their own mechs to combat them. link is just a farmer who happens to have a strange knack for being a mech user, so is brought in by zelda as a gamble to bolster their chances, and he is tasked with working with a new and less-than-trustworthy crew to help fight those monsters.

'amnesia link' au: an au that sprang up in about a day and hasn't gotten too far since. basic premise being that three years prior to the story, link and a group of allies has faced off against ganondorf and, despite their best efforts, lost, with link being presumed dead by their enemies. now, link has woken up from his coma, his memories gone and hyrule taken over, and, with guidance, must once again travel across hyrule, aiming to rediscover his allies and try to face ganondorf once more.

A quick list of crossovers: I won't explain these in length, since they can range from having their own plot to just being a fun mental concept. So, the things I have made crossover aus with are:

Warrior Cats

Batman

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Persona 5

Pokemon

(there are other, smaller ones, these are just the ones i consistently pay attention to)

So! These are the majority of my legend of zelda aus, some of which I may write, some of which just exist in my mind for fun, all of which I wouldn't mind talking more about if anyone is curious!

[villainsidestep]

fawniel thoughts hour….

[honestlyvan]

In 2018, Quinn Curio made a video essay talking about storytime youtubers, and the cottage industry of people who only exist to criticise the content put out by storytime creators. It's an excellent overall video, but my main takeaway from it at the time was that when you're drinking deep from the well of dunking, it's easy to start dehumanising your target and... essentially getting high off your own supply. The other points -- about how many of these animators had broadly done nothing more than make art in a genre the critics didn't care for -- are also good, but the observation that this kind of "slime ranching" serves to gratify the critic primarily, and it's actual usefulness as criticism is limited by the context.

I'm not trying to make a direct comparison here -- I don't really watch HBG but I did watch this video and I think he did the best he could to impart an anti-slime ranching message to the video -- but the response to the video does, when it's not sheer schadenfreude from people who have carried hatchets for a long time, hit a lot of the same high notes what the appeal of something like storytime critics is. The easy hit of "at least I'm not that bad" is very tempting and sometimes genuinely necessary if you're low, if your self-esteem is truly garbage.

But I did also watch little hoots' video on the dirtbag left like an hour after release and I do kind of... wonder if the urge to find emotional release through "righteousness" isn't kind of inherently reactionary, and how that plays into a general contempt for compassion and giving grace that is inherent to any hierarchies. (After all, hierarchies aim to calcify -- with too much fluidity between classes they will not function as effectively). I wonder if there isn't something inherently sinister about our tendency to absorb criticism of other people from the perspective of the critic, rather than absorbing it from the perspective of a potential target of such criticism.

Because criticism, social pressure tactics, mobbing and dunking aren't primarily tools of the powerless. They're not primarily power wielded by those with little to no social clout to wield them. There's a reason the "twitter reply guy" is such an enduring fixture of the pantheon of people on the internet whose opinions we almost wholesale discard. And the people with no integrity to speak of are, let's face it, not as affected by them as we would like them to be, because the opinion of any given segment of the total population of people they can have influence on doesn't super matter to them.

At the very least, I think what OP is describing is our tendency to want to individualise the problem, and solve it by Getting Rid Of the Bad Ones (against a nearly inexhaustible supply of new Bad Ones), when this is largely a matter of incentives. When is your integrity worth less than the money being a grifter could bring in? (Have you ever even been rewarded for your integrity?) When is the social validation from your peers more than your repulsion towards socially aggressing against the outgroup? (Have you ever been rewarded for aggressing?) When you say "well I would never do something like that", who is that I you're talking about?

i think the thing that is specifically bothering me about the conversation about the new hbomberguy video ("live your life in a way so that hbomberguy doesn't tear into you for 3 hours", "hbomberguy has figured out how to death note someone through video essays", "oh new hbomberguy video [incredibly dense paragraphs of text] i now despise james somerton") is that it really feels like people aren't paying attention to what hbomberguy was actually saying. like, as much as he wanted to make people aware of the plagiarism issue, he also very explicitly did not like the fact that he might even remotely have a financial incentive to make those sorts of videos. and rather than the last video, which was a "get mad about this" call to action, hbomberguy spent this whole video sympathizing with the people who were directly out indirectly affected, and wanted the focus of people's attention to be on uplifting small queer creators

but also, negativity drives engagement so i guess it's to be expected.

[snapbackslide]

can i say something

[a-passing-storm]

mmmmmmmm

[screampied]

you don’t really realize you’re growing old with satoru until you spot a grey tress inside the roots of your hair as you’re looking in the mirror. the thing about marriage and life itself was that time really doesn’t stop—for no one. as you entrap the lock between your fingers, you murmur out to satoru with a cheeky grin. “satoru baby, c’mere.”and as he’s lying in bed with a wrinkled nose, he reads some book titled ‘three men in a boat.’ as he flips a thick page, his cerulean blue reading glasses crook down the bridge of his nose before he turns his attention toward you.

“yesss, honey?” he rubs his eyes, bringing a palm up to his growing stubble. as he got older, you noticed how he moved a bit slower. satoru was still fit as he aged, but he’d have a bit of a waddle whenever he walked. it was cute—how his limbs were getting more and more fragile, but he was still labeled as the strongest despite his inevitable aging.

he makes his way behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. the two of you make eye contact through the mirror that reflects you both, a happy married couple. “look, we’re finally matching now,” and his face softens once you bring the silvery colored strand up to his view. ‘matching,’ because his hair was naturally a snowy white . . almost similar to the strand of hair you just showed him.

although as the years progressed, satoru was growing ashen grey streaks too.

“i guess we are,” he replied in a gentle tone, his hands remaining on your hips. satoru’s touch was always gentle and ginger. he presses his lips near the back of your nape before letting off a soft sigh. “you’d look pretty with white hair, actually.”

“prettier than you?” you hum, glancing at him through the mirror. satoru towers over you as he holds you, the band of his wedding ring grazing against your hip.

again, you watch as the corners of his lips crease into a smile. a toothy genuine one where his dimples show.

“haha, veeeery funny,” and as he buries his face into your neck, he deeply ponders to himself for a moment.

to think . . how much time has passed, out of all the countless tiresome battles he’s had to face—

all those years at trying to keep the world safe and now, he could finally relax. having his arms around you gave him a peace of mind, and in the end it was all worth it because at the end of the day, satoru gojo—the strongest, came back to you. you were his personal safe haven and he was yours.

“but honeyyy,” he yawns with rosy pouty lips, shifting his chin up to rest against your left shoulder. satoru starts leading you toward your side of the bed. “ ‘s pretty late, let’s getcha back to bed, hm?”

“okay,” you mumble, already feeling your eyes starting to get heavy again. satoru’s still got his burly arms wrapped around your waist as he leisurely guides you back to bed. he was clingy, and that never changed. satoru gojo’s always been clingy ever since the two of you met. as he pulls down the cover for you to enter, you crawl back in and he gets beside you.

satoru slings an arm around you, pulling you close as his hooded eyes starts a staring contest with the swaying wooden ceiling fan.

it’s moving slow. . just like time was.

whenever he was with you, it felt as if time stood still. and as the both of you cuddled against each other with your head resting against his beating heart, he sighs. it’s a content happy sigh, and satoru’s hands find their way near the top of your head. his thin fingers maze it’s way near your soft grey growing strand before he leans in, giving the crown of your head a goodnight kiss. “mwah,” and he watches as your eyes briefly widen before glancing away, growing sheepish. “get some rest, my love. i’ll be here when you wake up. promise.”

you nod, too drowsy to reply and he pulls you closer. satoru’s heartbeat was steady and slow, and each pulse that bested against your ear made you felt more and more protected. as he holds you firm and close, a hand of his softly caresses your forehead—brushing against the soft hairs that cling onto your skin.

as your breathing starts to relax and your eyelids finally close, he realizes you finally drifted off to sleep. satoru exhales lowly, almost forgetting to take off his reading glasses. as he places them near the nightstand, he lies back down, giving your sleeping state once last glance.

“i love you,” he whispers against your ear before reaching for the pearled lamp switch. “so much.”your head nuzzles against his chest and he assumes that was your non-verbal way of saying it back, even in your sleep. cute.

the only sounds that could be heard were the faint tick tocking of the grandfather clock that stood near the hallway and your soft breathing as you deeply slept. satoru feels a smile tugging against his glossed lips yet again, but this time it’s different . .

it’s not the same smile from when you showed him that you were graying, it was a more genuine smile that was satisfied at everything—primarily at life. satoru’s long crystalline lashes gradually flap shut as he smiles to himself, a thumb brushing against your forehead. all those battles was worth it in the end, because right now, he’s at the only place he wanted to be . . with you.

life wasn’t a competition, but satoru finally felt at peace, true peace—and that peace was being in your presence. he wasn’t one for believing in good endings, but maybe this particular one wasn’t so bad.

“i . . won.”

[lxvvie]

It's official: Simon is bloody fuckin' losing it.

He doesn't even know how the fuck he got here. Well, he does, he just... fuck if he knows.

Simon remembers your conversation. He supposes. Not really. He just remembers the topic coming 'round to sex, and he may or may not have revealed that it's been a minute since he's been fucked silly or had a good wank, shit, something to take the edge off in a way his daily cigarette consumption can't.

He'd be lying if he said it was a blur from there. You offered to 'help' him out. Simon's eyes were probably (read: very much so) bugging out of his skull, you had caught him off guard, but ultimately... he said yes.

He said fuckin' yes. It wasn’t every day that a pretty thing such as yourself showed interest in someone like him.

Which leads him to his current predicament.

The wall's the only thing keeping him upright. One hand is propped up against it, and the other, well... it's busy. He's stroking himself, taking the edge off, and fuck, he never thought a wank would feel this bloody amazing.

Of course, he's never had an audience before, and what a gorgeous one it is.

There you are, crouched in front of him, pretty eyes looking up, watching him touch himself, making him feel so self-conscious, making him feel so sexy, and fuck. There you are, lips close but never touching, hands soothingly massaging his tense thighs, tongue yearning to taste and Christ, he wants you to. Taste him, sweetheart. Make him feel good, hm?

Make him cum.

Fuck, he can only imagine how he looks right now. Simon's face is hotter than the goddamn desert, he's making noises he didn't even know he could make, and he's aware of everything, nothing, and only you at the same damn time.

But no, you just had to be a fuckin' tease. Just had to whisper how handsome he looked, how good you would look with your pretty face covered in his cum. Just had to whisper how you know it's been so long for him, there would be more where this came from, and to say your name. Say who's doing this to him.

And fuck if he doesn't grunt your name out. Simon was never the religious sort but he'll be damned if he didn't believe in you.

You dare to lick the head of his cock, dare to tease him even further, and Simon is a goner.

"Cum for me, Simon."

Acknowledged. Fuck, you're beautiful.

He just came but it doesn't stop those pretty lips from fully enveloping the head, doesn't stop you from milking him for everything he's worth, and shit, he's trembling all over. What the fuck are you doin' to him, sweetheart?

If he's not obsessed with you at this point, Simon doesn't know what the fuck he is.