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[winksasleeplesseye]

File #008 - This Much is True

City of the Dead

Pairing: Leon Kennedy x OC

Warnings: Slight mention of death

Word Count: 4.4k 

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Amara, Leon, and Ada’s first steps were to gather all that they could from the NEST lab. Correction, Amara and Leon’s first steps. As it turns out, being knocked off a platform by Annette Birkin into piles of trash doesn’t bode well for anyone, most of all Ada. 

A piece of shrapnel embedded itself in her leg and Leon had to be the one to bandage her leg, so now it was up to the two of them to retrieve a sample of what Ada called the G-Virus. 

Walking to the entrance of the lab made Amara realize how many leagues above her all of this was. Everything from the ceiling to the floor shines like a new penny, all the colors in this place were muted, Umbrella opting to stick to going full super evil corporation with all the black and white. 

Just about the only thing in this place that had even a hint of color was the splash of an almost blood-red in their logo plastered behind the front desk’s wall. Something about it all creeped her out. 

Amara had never really actually seen a place like this in real life, in movies? Sure, but they always were far enough removed from reality that one could never think they’d really exist. This really is some sci-fi bullshit. 

“If this place doesn’t scream evil, I don’t know what does,” Leon seems to read her mind. 

“Took the words right out my mouth.” 

First goal? Get the G-Virus. Second goal? Pilfer any info left that she can get her hands on from the computers. Maneuvering around the front desk, she fiddles with the mouse waking up the computer. She wasn’t only a sharpshooter on the Bravo team, she was the communications specialist…at least she could put her skill to good use again. 

Her fingers skirt across the keyboard, she’s not usually one for hacking but considering the computer is password protected, she needed to get in somehow. 

Umbrella11. UmbrellaCorp98. EvilPeople1. 

Those are just a few of the passwords that she tries, just for fun because they clearly don’t work. Guess hacking is the only option. She cracks her knuckles briefly. 

Leon comes behind her, looking at the screen as she began to work. “Since when did you become a hacker?” 

“First computer I ever played with as a kid was an Apple computer, computer classes were sparse on base but I took all the ones I could,” She explained, continuing typing. 

“That doesn’t explain how-” 

“Lots of curiosity, Leon.” She had hacked into the FBI and CIA databases once or twice before on a dare from Chris, Rebecca, and Forest one late working evening, it took her a good twenty minutes to calm them down. Then, they eventually tried to find the more silly documents about UFOs but had no luck.

“Won’t Umbrella know you’re hacking them?” Leon sounded a little more than distressed. For the first time in the whole evening, Amara is more than confident in something. 

“I could hack the government’s servers with the goddamn president’s computer and they wouldn’t know who did it. Relax, rookie. Who would they even send to stop me? A boogeyman?” 

“I wouldn’t push your luck around the monster magn-”

“Done.”

“Done?” He looked back at the screen, eyes widening as the email interface popped up. Their eyes both scanned every detail they could take in. “I’m impressed.”

“You’re welcome,” She smiles before getting up from the desk chair.

The emails detailed various correspondence between each scientist, and each section of the lab, all working on something different in what reveals itself to be a sprawling facility. 

The G-Virus was in the West area. So, West area they’ll go. 

Amara couldn’t help but marvel at the advanced technology and what had to be millions of taxpayer’s dollars that went into this underground labyrinth. Impressive. Leave it to Umbrella to build a monstrosity like this. 

As they moved deeper into the East wing of the facility (because of course, nothing is ever just easily accessible), Amara couldn’t help but notice the remnants of what she could only assume was disaster littering the halls. Mutated creatures, sickening amalgamations of flesh, skulls, and greenery that would arise, abandoned equipment, and corpses of scientists were all a bone-chilling sight. 

“Why would you ever need to hack anything?” Leon asks randomly, holding his gun at the ready for anything in this place. The area, the greenhouse she assumes, certainly had become overgrown with vines, they practically burst from the seams of the ceilings and floors. If the zombies weren’t bad enough, now they were wrapped up in dangerous flora. Fun. 

Amara briefly glances at Leon, noticing his focused expression. “STARS needed to know who we were dealing with, it was purely professional. Not like I’m stealing money or anything.”

“That’s fair.”

“Why? You gonna lecture me about patriotism or something, Mr. Kennedy?”

“After all this bullshit? I’m the last one to lecture.”

There’s a comfortable silence between them after that.

The silence unfortunately makes Amara more hyper-aware of the wound she waved off earlier. Every step, every vibration from the bottom of her shoes up to her waist made it hurt a little more. In fact, her legs had become a little more unsteady as time wore on. 

There’s a particular tingle in Amara’s muscles that seemed to be spreading. She’d likened it to the prick of needles on her skin or when an acupuncturist pressed those microneedles under someone’s skin or even the momentary loss of blood flow from applying too much pressure to a limb. 

Only problem? None of those were happening at the moment. That scared her more than anything, more than the zombies, or even the gross creatures she’d been fighting with Leon all night. 

She never considered herself one to get anxious about her health, every visit to her doctor gave her a clean bill of health, the standard for a woman in her line of work and her age. 

Hell, she barely ever got a cold but this gash, slash, wound, or whatever it was…is beginning to sting.

Damn it, why doesn’t she just tell Leon? 

It really, really scared her to admit that she may or may not turn into the very thing they’re trying to fight. A monster to be taken down. A mindless thing only craving flesh. That devastated her more than she wanted to let on because that would result in Leon having to eventually be the one to take her out of her misery, and she couldn’t quite accept that reality yet. 

That and the drive she still possessed, the rage of all that had happened—she couldn’t just die having failed her friends, failed the city she’d grown to love, failed in her purpose to be someone to be proud of.  Especially in a world that seemed determined to crush her under its heel.

So, she pushed down the pain once again. They needed to get that sample, and just maybe she could fight whatever is ravaging her body long enough to get out of there alive. 

Leon took the reins on solving the puzzles and passwords, he’d been more watchful of her since that encounter and a more stubborn part of her wanted to remind him that, goddamn it, he didn’t need to but the more in pain Amara relented, telling him she was fine and opting to look through all the computers they came across. 

One, in particular, threw her right back to the night she’d learned of everything. The emails were vaguely familiar to her. 

August 23, 1998

From: 89912309@mutemail.com 

To: jvalentine@aol.com; credfield@aol.com; stars@aol.com

Subject: TIP / Illegal Activity at Umbrella Corporation

You don't know me. Have to make this quick. They might be monitoring.

I’ve been working for a few months as a researcher at Umbrella Corporation facilities underneath Raccoon City. All sorts of NDAs I am very much breaking right now but seriously, fuck these guys.

Terrible things are happening here. Don't understand it. Don't believe half the things I saw.  Colleagues talking about viruses of some sort, creating something that is a perversion of every natural law I know. People are being hurt and Umbrella is making money.

It needs to be exposed.

Dated August 23. Two days before Amara got a call from Roslynn. Before Mayor Harris’ press conference. This is–was John’s computer.

Amara hadn’t seen this email in the files. She saw John’s correspondence with other researchers, questioning the morality of it all, but this one was hidden in folders deep on the desktop. They must’ve intercepted this one quickly, at least he had the sense to keep a backup. 

John’s logs echo the same as the files she’d found in his home office. Talks of test subjects in different trials and their reactions to “chemicals” that resulted in gruesome side effects. 

A beauty cream or medicine doesn’t exactly make your flesh rot off the bone, does it? Just reading about it made Amara’s gag reflex come in full force, but she also could attribute that to whatever flows in her veins.

Opening up the email interface once more, Amara decided to compose something to hopefully someone or someones that could use this information. Attachments and all. It’s what John would want her to do, she’s sure. 

September 30, 1998

From: 89912309@mutemail.com 

To: jvalentine@aol.com; credfield@aol.com

Subject: Don’t waste this.  (Attachment) 

Hopefully, these things find you both well, and find you by an internet cafe. 

Here’s hoping this information is enough. 

She hits send, powering down the computer. That was simple enough for them both. Though, this was assuming Jill already left the city as they planned. 

The East wing housed even more monstrosities if that were possible.

NEST was really living up to its name. Well, the name that Amara christened for it. As far as stupid lines, she didn’t have Leon beat though.

A nest of insanity. 

That made Amara briefly smile to herself again, stupid jokes made the world go around after all.

“How’s the side?” Leon asks, for what felt the billionth time. 

“Leon–” 

“I know you you’re hurting–”

“Please, drop it!” Amara snapped but instantly recoiled at the harshness of her own words. She hadn’t so much as risen her voice like that all evening. Until now, that is. “I didn’t–I’m sorry, Leon…I just want to get this over with. The sample is within reach. Don’t worry about me.” 

“I–fine. But at least let me put some of this medicine, I’m not budging this time. Fair enough?” 

This time, Amara, running on fumes, actually lets him help her.

“Absolutely fair. If it’ll help ease your mind,” Somehow, Amara finds the strength to push herself up on a nearby counter. 

Leon pulls out the said medicine, carefully pulling up the fabric of her shirt. This is probably the second time in the evening that their shared proximity made Amara’s head spin. The first was the hug he gave her earlier. Nobody had handled Amara quite like Leon was, he was gentle and meticulous about cleaning the wound in a way that didn’t have her wanting to wince at every touch. Her mind also couldn’t help but think that he was pretty good with his hands. 

His handling could be said for just about everything between them this evening, both of them seemed to be in sync. It kind of reminded her of Jill and Chris in a sense, those two seemed to be unstoppable when paired up. Amara definitely would’ve recommended Leon for a spot with STARS. Zombie outbreak, notwithstanding. 

“I care about you, more than I should,” he said softly, his eyes conveying a message of true worry that broke her out of her thoughts. 

The words of what she felt towards Leon formed more and more as the night wore on so her next sentence came to her easily.  

“I care about you too.” Leon stands back to full height, placing his left hand in hers and stroking her face with his right hand. “Seems I’ve got my own knight in shining armor, haven’t I?” 

“We’re not out of the tower yet, come on,” Leon pulls away, but gently helps her off the counter.

After readjusting her shirt, she surveys the room. Another lab, nothing special. All the necessary equipment for working with hazardous chemicals and viruses but her eyes happen upon a face…her face on one of the nearby monitors. Had she not glanced around, she might’ve missed it. 

“What the hell?” Her feet carry her over to said monitor. Leon is immediately puzzled by her movement. 

Her headshot from S.T.A.R.S.

She knows it is because she remembers that burgundy-colored shirt. It got stained not even five minutes later with juice Jill gave her that day. Her hair was also way shorter. The staff photographer told her, “You look great.” Though, Amara knew she kind of was running on three hours of sleep that day. 

Upon closer inspection, a file that is extensively detailed is laid out before her. These people needed to learn to close their tabs. Doctor Li seems to be the one that headed up her file. 

NAME: Amara Moore

AGE: 21

BLOOD TYPE: O- 

NOTES: Subject’s blood is fascinating. Her blood type already made her a perfect candidate for blood donation but studying it further has proven it fruitful.

Subject’s blood is predisposed to mutations. Not to mention, her blood response is exciting, implanting her blood with different antigens proved Wesker’s theory correct. 

It’s only a matter of time before we can fully acclimate the subject to what Doctor Wesker wants. How we’ll do that is anyone’s guess. 

That’s when it clicked in Amara’s head. Wesker stole her blood that very day. There was a blood drive that day outside the station, something that was an annual thing and part of the RPD’s community outreach. 

They tested her blood.

He wanted her to survive Spencer Mansion. He wanted her alive for this. Did he know this outbreak would happen? He wanted her to get infected somehow. The world could’ve fallen out from beneath her feet at this moment.

Shit. She’s infected…

…with what?

How could that be possible? That thing slashed her, not bite her. The answer is right before her eyes, yet she can’t process it. Her eyes felt like they had been looking at everything and nothing on the screen.

“You alright?” Leon asks, breaking her eyes from the screen. 

Something in her is screaming to tell Leon now. Tell him this but she stays silent.

“I’m good, just gathering more stuff for the authorities. Mind-boggling.”

“Oh, okay, you just…acted like you saw a ghost or something.” They walked away in silence, passing through a red-tinted fluorescent hall that sprayed out steam against them. More than likely to sanitize whoever walked in and out. Then another, these were blue-tinted. 

Amara examined the room with a slow sweep. Did this place not have one area in it that didn’t look straight out of a sci-fi film? Tanks line the wall, floor to ceiling, cylindrical tanks were what their technical name was. The liquid inside was clear but it was what was inside the tanks that were a little more…horrific. 

Lights inside the tank lit up weirdly misshapen, mangled body parts. One of them contained a form that only had red, huge yet beady eyes on the grey surface of it. Another looked like a set of hands, the last not even remotely resembling anything Amara could recognize as a life form. 

To the left, was their Holy Grail, which they all fought all night to get to. Ada called it G-Virus. 

There it sat, the last vial to sit within the container. 

Leon grabs it without a second thought, “Huh, that was easy.”

Amara’s gut reaction is to hit him in the arm gently. “Don’t say that, you’ll jinx it!” 

“Ouch! Easy with that arm!” 

“Please, I barely grazed you,” A weight lifted briefly for Amara. “Now let’s get the hell back to Ada.”

Just as they reach the other side, inching closer to freedom from this awful place, something crashes through the ceiling. 

Somehow, that thing that put her in this predicament is still alive. Amara rolls her eyes, she was less afraid of it, just more annoyed than ever actually. Does anything die in this fucking place? 

“You again?” 

“Your ass, again?” 

Leon and Amara both aim their guns, ready to go another round with this thing. 

“Move! He’s mine!” Annette visibly limping from some unknown injury, runs between them. “This has to end.” She loads a white, small gun with something. 

“This has to end.” One shot. 

“Sorry, William. You left me no choice.” The second shot is what seems to incapacitate the monster. A monster she called William? Amara and Leon cautiously approach it, though she wouldn’t dare touch it. The smell emanating from it held a pungent, irritating scent.  

It had grown exponentially since their last encounter, more pulpy, fleshy, and sinewy limbs and bits than she’d like, and yeah, certainly still more disgusting. An uncomfortable shudder rolled down her spine just thinking about the fact that she now has the same blood of this thing infecting her veins. 

“You called this thing William, why?” Leon asked Annette, kneeling close to it. She shook her head, looking over the creature that lay before them all. 

“It shouldn't have been like this,” she spoke, though it sounded less like a response to Leon, and more like an observation. “It’s Umbrella’s fault, this whole mess.” 

“You realize that you’re Umbrella too, right?” Amara raises a brow, she found it hard to give the woman the benefit of the doubt. 

Leon questions her more. “You saying you weren’t involved in this?”

“Yes…but we never meant for this to happen!”

“Tell us everything, right from the start.” 

And she does. Starting from the night that a team of soldiers came to retrieve the G sample from William, bloodied and in a rage having injected himself with G to go after them, all the way up to this very moment. Amara can’t help but find herself more intrigued by the developments, not in a good way. Leon seems to put two and two together, probably having found out more than Amara did in their time apart within the sewer facility. 

“So, you made this monster.” 

“We never intended this to happen.”

“You can spin this any way you want, you’re still responsible.” There’s no time to even react as William reawakened, thrashing about so swiftly that all Amara remembers is Annette, the momentum, and then it all goes black. 

Amara finds herself practically embedded into the wall, leaving a dent in its place. She must have passed out briefly. She opened her eyes slowly, letting out a choked cry when her brain registers the pain in her side and back. Someone had to be looking out for her because somehow her back isn’t broken. 

Leon, coming up from a lift, rushes over to her, “Amara, Jesus, are you okay?” 

She gazes up at Leon, vision blurred slightly at the edges but Leon is the clearest thing she can see. 

“You’re beautiful.”

He tries to fight a smile, albeit the worry on his face is more evident. He shines his flashlight briefly into one of her eyes. “And you’re concussed.” 

“No, it’s a c-clear, reason thought…or maybe my vision is a bit blurry.” Amara flashes him a stupid grin, trying to mask the pain. To be honest, that hit knocked all the air out of her lungs, and taking in breaths kind of…hurt. 

She definitely didn’t want to mention the fight earlier and that wound. The last time she looked at it underneath her shirt is when Leon applied the medicine, it looked disgusting but now she can feel it searing through her abdomen, it was a strange hot, and cold sensation. That thing had gotten her twice now. 

“Let’s get you up now, huh?” 

“Yeah, yeah…but I may have to take you up on that offer I offered earlier.” 

Leon doesn’t even hesitate, holstering his gun and carrying her like a bride on her wedding day. She wanted to remind him of the gunshot wound in his shoulder but it was hard to think with the throbbing pain her whole body was producing. “I’ve got you.”

“My hero,” Amara coughs out, still trying to lighten the mood. She just really needed some air to enter her lungs again. 

“We’re going back to the lab.” 

“But-“ Annette. Amara wasn’t the only one hurt, that monster crushed the former–she remembers that much, at least–, a sickening squelch as it squeezed her between its claws, tossing her aside much in the same way except Amara knew it had to be fatal. She called it William. 

Without Annette, what could possibly be done for her? 

Leon went as quickly as he could while carrying her, damn near stumbling against the door to the infirmary as it slid open. He put her down gently on the other cot, Sherry still occupying the other one. 

Claire must’ve left to get the medicine she needs. 

Amara notices a screen near the bed lights up, the readout on it seems to have scanned her. An infrared picture comes up on the screen. A robotic voice reads out what inevitably she didn't want to tell Leon. 

“G-Virus detected in the host.” He was frozen, eyes darting between the screen and her for any sign of deceit. He found none.

“Amara, why didn’t you say anything?” He asks, but Amara didn’t so much as twitch a muscle, Leon frowned. “Shit.”

“There has to be something here…an antidote maybe?” Leon asked her, a crack in his voice she’d never heard before. He asked as if Amara had the answer but she was just as stumped as he was. She wasn’t exactly resigned to her fate, but without Annette, there were no answers. 

“There’s…s-something…” Speak of the devil, Annette barely hanging onto life practically crawls through the doorway. “It’s where–where you found that sample.” 

Annette holds something in her hand. 

Sherry’s medicine. 

Claire comes in not even a moment later, helping Annette as best she can to get near Sherry.

Annette takes a few heaving breaths, “If you want to survive, you’ll need the anti-viral but it won’t eradicate it all…”

“That’s something, right?” 

Oh, Leon, so hopeful, so determined. It’s probably why Amara understands why she likes him so much. He’s unwavering in wanting to help, even if the odds of that happening are slim to none. 

Claire helps Annette a little more as she fights with everything to speak, “Only problem is…hasn’t been tested, it may not work now.”

“Then why–” Amara’s voice is cut off, not even realizing she’s halfway on the floor until Leon has her by the arms. 

“Shit, Amara,” Leon places the back of his hand against her forehead. She’s hot and cold at the same time, she already knows that’s what he’s feeling. “You don’t feel good. Why didn’t you say anything?” He asks her again, desperate to know. 

“I’d rat-rather save the trouble, especially when it feels like I’m dying.” No use hiding it. She was possibly going to die and there was nothing he, she, or anybody could do about it right now. Tragic.

Miscommunication is a uniquely human characteristic that would eventually drive us all to the brink of insanity but Amara didn’t want to give Leon false hope until she knew for certain there was something that could be done. If that anti-viral didn’t work, she’d at least be happy in the knowledge that Leon could be the one to get this info out if she couldn’t. 

Umbrella still deserved to be exposed, especially knowing what they had done to her. 

Her body finally starts to realize that sad fact, so she lies down on the cot. 

In another display of tenderness, Leon runs a hand over the top of her head. “I’ll get the anti-viral, you stay here and rest. We’ll make it through this, all of us.” 

A nasty feeling wrenched in Amara’s gut. Maybe some of them will. 

A burning, almost stinging sensation hits her eyelids and all the events come crashing hard on her body. Rest doesn’t come easy but it came anyway for Amara. 

Both Leon and Claire go in separate directions. They both had their priorities. 

Leon wanted to be angry. But, he just couldn’t. Seeing Amara’s face and the screen that revealed what he inevitably already knew worried him more than anything. 

In fact, he was more worried that Amara wouldn’t make it. A bullet wound is easy to recover from. A virus that turns someone into a zombie, or even worse what Annette’s husband had become? Not so much. 

If there’s one thing he can get right tonight, it’s helping her. Failure wasn’t an option. Not again. He’d already failed Marvin, failed the gun shop owner and his daughter, and now Amara? No, he co-wouldn’t let that happen. 

Time was running out and he needs to get that virus out of her, he needs to help her if not for his own sanity, his conscience. She kept pushing him off, telling him she was fine…like she wanted to waste away and save him the trouble of noticing. 

The thing was…is that he noticed her long before he got here. That brochure, the one she called stupid earlier in the evening, had given him pause on the second read-through. He barely skimmed it the first time but out of boredom, he looked again. 

He did envision a more cool, suave introduction for when he originally was meant to arrive, but that didn’t exactly pan out, did it? 

Leon wasn’t exactly ashamed…okay, maybe a little– to admit he looked over the team photo as he packed up everything to come here–she was just as pretty, just as sweet as he imagined–even now as everything went to hell in a hand basket, a smile ignited in him as he remembered the photo.

Right now, she didn’t look so good and it scared him. That same face, full of joy in the photo was a stark contrast to what she looked like now. 

He should’ve pushed harder, sooner; had he kept the pressure on her, she wouldn’t be in the position she is now. 

It was an easy choice to find the anti-viral. Way better than the alternative of having to choose to kill her or letting her suffer in silence till a painful end. Amara may have wanted him to be the one to pull the trigger but he refused, he couldn’t let anyone else die. Frankly, besides saving the city, he couldn't care less about anything else. 

He needed her to be okay. 

[nova-rogue]

okay i need everyone's help

if you don't know HSR please feel free to vote based on vibes bc i am desperate and all homies are welcome to vote idc if you follow me you can vote ily anyone can vote ily

the run down is i technically need Kafka as a unit bc she's banger for a Damage Over Time (DOT) team and i have everyone else already for the DOT team

i want Feixiao bc she's pretty and badass and a fox lady (and i love foxes!!)

if you vote feel free to reblog & explain ur choice in the tags (:

[liamastatine]

i've been on a streak of drawing for 3 or so days this is great like actually this is awesome

[milksnake-tea]

giggling so bad we matching (its literally just me and myself)

[aromanticasterisms]

iansan relevance right off the bat let's fucking go

[violetsareblue-selfships]

good morning!! <333

[shima-draws]

I WAS gonna do commissions today but then I saw how the weather was all dark and gloomy and the house is cozy and warm and it’s a perfect day for curling up on the couch and playing Genshin for 6 hours straight........yeah

[thedeadthree]

🖊🖊 + Hinata and Nadezdha 👀

HIIII MARI ANGEL <3 I hope ur doing well and had a lovely day/holiday!!!! THOSE ARE MY GIRLIESS <3 i missed them sm u know? i also FINALLY at last finished edgerunners (i started it a bit back and finished it at like 4am this morning asjknkd so good oh my god IT HURTT but it was the loveliest u know?) and i missed the babies <3

SEND A 🖊 + I WILL GUSH ABOUT MY OCS

🖊 - so funny story, but the man that hinata and oda were sent to zero on behalf of her great grandpops s*aburo..... was actually the man who ordained their wedding sansknksd. SO he was a priest right and one popular with the corpos that were employed by 'saka in NC. well, he started speaking ill of the company and selling company intel to their rivals when the employees would go to confession. so like..... he had to go u know? blah blah talk ill of the corp u get zeroed etc etc. they devised a genius plan to have him marry them, when she says "you may kiss the bride" they do of course buuuuut they also zero him in the process while he's distracted.. and they did just that! and it worked! hinata and oda yank out their mantis blades and the deed was done <3. every great wedding ends in someone getting flatlined right?

🖊 - so this second one will sort of be what i think in theory how she’ll be in phantom liberty? so if this is a post game thingy hideo (her charge and her and odas adopted son bc SOMEONE has to and it sure ain’t his brother yori sjzjhzhx) will be ceo as his brother is to step down and is put on house arrest in a time out bc of the coup ksjzjxhxh. if vika ends up having to take on ‘saka again it may mean that the besties turn into adversaries which would BREAK my heart but also be absolutely EHEM *nova* if the white widow and worlds coolest cyberninja faced off u know? ORR if it’s like during the main story i mean the besties in a spy thriller would so be siiiick u know? oda supporting the wife from the tower in the plaza like “thats my wife” ❣️😌 etc etc!

🖊 - YAY MARI U SAINT U I ADORE U SM I’ve been wanting to scream about her for literal years slzkxjxj she’s been around for a WHILE living in the head along with vika rent free with luxury room service <3 she was like a blob of like ✨vibes✨ like with the red aesthetic and the red hair for YEARS until i found the perfect fc and name? a little lore into her design color and symbolism is a HUUGE part of her character development and design? the way as growing up she wore a lot of neutrals and it was deliberate as she wished to be as out of sight as possible? then it was as if a switch flipped following a near depth experience in a deep dive into what was the pre data crash net. red is passionate it’s power it’s so much more and all what she wished to be. she became the red queen and faked her charismatic nature until she forgot where the old nadya ended and the red queen began. for the version of her she conveyed to the world and her true nature became one and the same. <3 lilith killed eve the day she became the red queen.

🖊 - OO okay this’ll be the fun one.. for this one we will be discussing! nadyas………. “lovers.” shes got three in her character arc that hold the most meaning to her both good and bad. those would be: y*orinobu (HUUGE) johnny (VERY) and r*ache (VERY and also painful!). if i for sure need to do a deep lore dive essay into the meaning of people in her life especially these three. but in essential the tropes to best depict them are for sure “mutual obsession inevitable downfall” for yori and nadya. “right person wrong time and rivals to lovers” for her and johnny. and! pain pain and suffering “tragic doomed lovers” for nadya and rachie <3

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

a/n : WAAAHHH another event organised by @queenpiranhadon THE QUEEN HERSELF !! this sm fun, hope yall enjoy !! lovely banner was also made by @queenpiranhadon IS THERE ANYTHING SHE CANT DO OMG.

modern au, fem reader, merman shoto, maybe ooc shoto but ehh were havin fun, shoto is very touchy, mute shoto for plot, shoto iq too handsome for his own good, shotos a prince, shoto is very inlove w reader but its all inoccent, shoto n reader are both in their 20's, reader has a dog ! fluffy fluff fluff, sorta cliffhanger, theres a lot of stuff not mentioned bc i like romance and nothing else, little hints of soulmates, falling in love quickly the events don't play out exactly like the fairytale but it's inspired !

walking on the beach is supposed to be relaxing. and usually, it is. there’s nothing you enjoy more than the sounds of the waves crashing and the wind howling in your ears. inhaling the sea air as max digs into the sand, barking out happily at every new big stick he’d found.

except this time, it’s not a big stick. but a big..person.

a human. person. unconscious you hope, you pray, sprawled out in the sand with clothes absolutely torn to shreds.

so yeah, not very relaxing.

it's been a few minutes since your dog had barked for your attention a little further down the beach. you'd happily giggled at first, thinking your dog might've an extra long stick for you to throw him only for you to see what looked like hair from your field of vision. and then an arm, a leg and now here you were.

anyone's first instinct should be to call an ambulance, of course he could be injured ! so with a start, you grab max by his collar to prevent him from licking off the handsome--you feel a little bad for gazing at him while he's unconscious/dead but you have to be honest--stranger's face off, and pull out your phone to call emergencies.

you look back down to check on him one last time only for him to be wide awake.

"oh, shit !" you squeal with a start, landing right on your ass from your crouched position over him. the man is unmoving at first, but gets up with a light groan. you want to help him, you really do, but you feel like someone's glued your butt to the floor.

this man you thought was dead seconds ago, about to call the ambulance for, has awoken. looking around aimlessly before his eyes land on you. he looks almost..entranced by you.

yet all you can think about is how gorgeous he is. a part of you still feels bad about it.

then he's a hair away from you and you can't breathe. you squeak embarrassingly loud, shooting up to your knees.

"um !" you gasp "hello..?" you back up a bit but he pays it no further mind continuing to blink at you. "are you okay? um--do you need medical assistance ?" from what you can see he doesn't look injured, so you're relieved, but you still want verbal confirmation.

except all he does is open his mouth a couple times before immediately closing it again. you blink at him and he blinks back at you.

"do-are you..okay ?" you ask tentatively, the man is unresponsive and you're seriously getting freaked out. "i- it's okay, we'll get you some help, lemme just.." you readjust to finally move and call emergencies, but something stops you.

a very cold hand is wrapped around your arm. you squeal at the chill, dropping onto your ass in front of the man. again. you don't want this to become a recurring thing at all.

finally the man gives you a response..sort of. he graces you with a shake of his head. his hair flows around softly and some water droplets fly off at the movement. he doesn't want you getting him help ?

"no ?" your eyebrows furrow "you..don't want help ?" he shakes his head again. you can tell he's trying to convey something but he can't seem to get it out. you wonder why he won't speak, and then you realise: he must be mute.

and now it's starting to make a bit more sense. you still wonder why he doesn't want paramedics involved. and you're mind races again, maybe he's a criminal on the run ?!

you blink, being brought back to reality by the handsome man who's sopping wet, freezing cold yet it barely seems to faze him with his grip still on his wrist. freezing to the touch yet you barely feel it with his eyes on you like this. he points to himself, then raises his thumb up. you're so lost in his eyes it takes you a moment to realise what he's saying.

i'm okay.

somehow, the man ended up staying at your house.

you know nothing about him, not his name, his age, though he looks about your age. you don't know where he's from or why he was in the state he was in but somehow he's ended up coming into your home.

you let him look around your house to his hearts content. this man is the epitome of strange, he seemed curious of everything in your house, even the dry clothes and the shower you offered him.

after explaining to him how your shower works, and he'd changed into fresh new clothes, the biggest tracksuit you could find, you find yourself currently looking at him watching tv, seemingly entranced. you've got half a mind to warn him about sitting too close to the tv since he's sitting right in front of it on the floor, but you decide against it

you know nothing about him, but he seems not to know anything..at all.

you don't know sign language, you have no idea how to communicate with him, you wrack your brain, scratching at your head with a huff. the sound seems to alarm him and he turns to you with a cute tilt of his head, you can somehow guess he's trying to ask you what's wrong, his eyes seem to be clouded with worry. you feel your skin heat up.

"i'm alright, thanks." he seems to understand. he nods, it seems his attentions gone from the tv to you as he keeps inspecting you. his sudden rising from the floor causes you to jump a little, eyes wide as he sits down next to you and softly bounces on the couch. he seems surprised by the softness of it as he bounces a couple more times and that does manage to get a giggle out of you.

he looks up at the sound and his eyes are fixed to yours again "nice huh ? i bought that when i first moved here." he nods, focused. it gives you the confidence to continue even though his intense gaze makes you a little anxious. "i slept on this for a while before i was able to actually buy myself a bed." you giggle, suddenly overcome with nostalgia. you'd moved to your small town about a year and a half ago, you were still young, freshly graduated when you decided to leave it all behind. your big bustling town, you're family and everything that you knew. you thought it was time for a new start, as big as your hometown was it felt extremely suffocating. you needed something new.

the first few months were a struggle, something to get used to. but you'd managed. you'd found a yourself a nice job with a nice pay. some nice neighbours and nice coworkers and the sweetest little (?)english sheepdog. said dog had gotten quickly attached to your unexpected guest, excitedly jumping all over and licking him. your guest though startled at first didn't seem to mind. even placing his hand on top of max's head as if to pet him and being surprised by the softness of his fur. he seemed to like soft things.

you shake your head, deciding to focus on your guest. who's eyes have not left yours. you don't know if you can get used to that. "so um..where are you from ?" he perks up at your question. grabbing your wrist so he could softly pull you over your window to point outside where you'd found him. his skin is considerably warmer now that he's not drenched, it makes your cheeks tingle how easily he grabs at you.

"uh, no that's not what i meant," you chuckle nervously, but he's adamant. shaking his head and pointing outside again. towards the sea. the sea ?

"the sea ?" you ask incredulously "you came from..the sea ?" he nods, almost excited that you'd figured it out..the sea ?

okay, there could be a rational explanation for that..maybe his boat got lost at sea..sure it was plausible, but that's never happened in your quiet little town. everything about this man was unusual.

at your doubt, the man's eyes widen just a bit. and it looks like he gets an idea because he starts pulling you over to your bathroom. you're trying to reason with him and get him to slow down, but he seems intent and set on getting to your bathroom.

"hey, what're you--ah !" you cover your eyes quickly when you notice him taking off his clothes, heart speeding up as you squeak "wha-what the hell are you doin' ?!" then the water starts running, and then nothing. you're curiosity peeked, you glance at him through your fingers and don't see what you'd expected. instead you see..scales? and a tail ?

and then your hands fall from over your eyes, and you fully see it. the mix of white and red scales, they shine underneath the light of your bathroom.

a tail.

the man you rescued from the beach has a tail and isn't a man at all.

you've got a merman in your house.

shoto is running late.

usually he's on time, but it seems the universe was against him today. his father had held him back with an endless lecture that seemed to drag on. he'd been more on edge, so to speak, since his son's coronation was approaching, a day he was absolutely dreading and everybody seemed to be on his back about it.

his sister had also held him back earlier. just for a chat she'd claimed, except shouto could tell it was a clumsy attempt to try and get some type of answer out of him, of why he's been sneaking off so often. she had lamented to him about her worries with his fascination of humans and their strange inventions. fuyumi was the only one he'd confided into about his collection of strange objects from the human world. tossed into the sea or scavenged from shipwrecked boats if he was feeling a little risky. however, what had started off as an innocent interest started becoming dangerous, in his sisters eyes, as he slowly started rising up to shore. closer and closer to humans.

she'd warned him to be careful, that humans were dangerous. shouto knew of the tales that were told about humans since he was young, of the unspeakable things they did to his kind. of course he did, but he just had a feeling not all humans could be like what he was told. as usual, he waves her off with the promise that he'd be vigilant as he swims off again.

he hopes he makes it in time.

someone calls for him suddenly and he stops in his tracks, the voice sounds familiar and he recognizes his fluffy haired friend izuku swimming up to him, shoto is tempted to ignore him. but it'd be mean, and unbecoming of a future king of the seas, so he waits for him to catch up. izuku midoriya was his one and only real confidant, his family had worked for his ever since they were both young and even if he was technically his servant, he could confidently call him his friend.

"hello, izuku." shoto greets simply, izuku quickly returns the greeting, before looking around to make sure they wouldn't be heard.

"were you going up to shore again ?" he asks nervously. shoto hums, nodding softly "i am." izuku stiffens, his fins flicker nervously.

"i-i don't know if that's the best idea.. i mean, your coronation is coming up and your father is even more on edge than usual-"

"what he doesn't know won't hurt him. which is why i'm expecting you not to tell him anything."

"of course not ! but his majesty is..." izuku cuts himself off, looking off to the side "i fear he's getting suspicious of your..activities?" he explains, wording it as best he can. shoto holds back the groan bubbling up in his throat: so many worries piling up and so little time.

it's unbecoming of a future king, but shoto decides he'll worry later.

"i'll think about him later." the disdain in his voice is palpable, but izuku being used to it doesn't react. he knows the relationship between the king and his son has been more than strained ever since the queen disappeared. some say she simply vanished, or left of her own volition, while other whispers claim she was instead captured by humans.

but after her disappearance the queen was never mentioned again, neither was the princes older brother, touya, when he disappeared not long before his mother did. the mere mention of them was forbidden, it was wiser to act is if they never existed in the first place.

izuku shakes his head and quickly swims up to follow the dual haired prince, who'd started swimming off in front of him.

both men finally rise up to shore. izuku hides besides a rock protruding from the sea floor while shoto decides to be a little bolder, peeking up to his chest from where he's perched up on the rock as well.

"ah ! shoto, you shouldn't !" izuku warns, but he simply shakes his head "it's fine, no one's here at this time of day." his eyes never leaving the sand in front of them, surveying the area like a hawk. he purses his lips. maybe he had been too late after all. he'd have to wait until tomorrow.

until he spots a mass of fluffy grey and white hairs. both he and izuku shrink back at the sound of a loud booming bark, shoto not as far sunk as izuku. then his gaze locks on to someone walking along with the furry beast.

a human.

the green haired merman has half a mind to warn his friend they should make their leave, however the young man is unmoving, seemingly entranced.

shoto breathes a sigh of relief, you've shown up at last.

it's usually at this hour that you walk along the beach with your companion. shoto's been watching you for a little while now and he's determined a routine. some days you stay longer than usual, but he's content to see you anytime, all the time. you're fascinating, the way you move around with those..legs of yours is something he can't his eyes off of. and you're breathtakingly beautiful to him, though is his father were to see you he's sure he'd think otherwise. he'd been told humans were hideous beasts, but he's never seen anything in all of the seas as beautiful as you in his years of living.

izuku snaps him out of his trance, urging him saying they should be on their way back lest the king get even more suspicious of both their absences. he wants to keep looking at you, forever if he could. part of him even wishes he could walk along the sand with you.

but he retreats after a final look to you, and dives back down towards his home, so far away from you.

he wished he'd never went back home though, when his father had decided to get on his last nerve yet again. constantly nagging, constantly berating him like he knew any better. lecturing him about how his behaviour was unacceptable for a future king.

he knows that, he's heard it all before. as he swims further and further away from home he wishes it could all just stop. this future king talk, the coronation. he wishes it could all just fucking cease.

and he wishes he could be with you above all else. you'd understand, you wouldn't nag him about his duties. hell, you wouldn't even have to know, you'd just see him for him. and that's all he wants.

if only, he wishes.

until he's being lured away by some sea creatures who for sure mean trouble, but they've intrigued him with promises of making his wishes come true. when he's suddenly faced with the sea witch, he knows he should get away and fast, making a deal with her was not advised if you cared for your own life.

..and yet, she says she can give him what he truly desires. and what he desires is a life where he doesn't have to gaze at you from afar. where he can only dream and wish for if only's.

and he can't turn back now.

it takes a lot longer to get used to the fact that you have a merman in your house. you've been glued to the tv in shock for an hour, not processing anything happening on it while the merman in question casually watches, munching on some candy you'd offered him when you'd first made it home.

it's funny, if you think about it a little bit. you're friendly with your coworkers yet not a single one of them has ever been to your house before. and now you've got a fucking mythical sea creature in sitting on your couch eating watermelon candies.

truly hilarious.

you catch a peek at him from the corner of your eye, you're surprised by how easily he's entertained, especially since he's only looking at an informercial but you think you can understand why now. why he seemed so confused, and maybe this was also why he can't talk ? but he could understand you perfectly.

god, your head hurt.

there's a weight against your skull and when you look up from your lap, the merman has his head pressed to yours. you hold back a squeal, because you are beyond tired of embarrassing yourself in front of him, a harsh intake of breath leaves you. he tilts his head at you, you've gotten good at de-cyphering what he means in the two hours you've known him. you sigh.

"i-i'm alright..thanks" you speak sincerely, his shoulders relax but he doesn't lean very far away from you, visibly comfortable being so close to you. "i'm just..in shock..i had no idea mermaids even existed..!" you chuckle, then quickly cover your mouth "merman, sorry !" he doesn't seem to mind, shaking his head with a barely there smile. it's a faint pull of his lips that could've been missed but you'd caught it and your heart hammers in your chest--were all mermen this pretty ?!

"well..um, i bet seeing a human up close like this is pretty surprising too ?" he nods and you laugh. "is it what you expected at least ?" he nods again, but it feels..softer, more personal. like it was directed at you and you only, for some reason. the close proximity between you both seems familiar.

you're everything he expected and more.

"do you..have a name ? ah !" you catch yourself quickly, running off to your room, not before telling him you'd be right back, you barely see him nod with widened eyes. you pull out a random book you left unfinished for..you don't remember how long now.

if he understood you speaking, maybe he could understand how to read ?

it's a possibility and you lose nothing by trying.

you're back next to him and place the book between you both, he leans in closer, inspecting the words on the page with an unreadable expression.

you tell him your name, and start spelling it out with the letters on the page. you hope it works, that'd make it a whole lote easier if it does, so you ask him for his name.

it takes him a second, but soon the dots start connecting, and he slowly points to five different letters

s-h-o-t-o

"shoto.." you sound out, you look back up at him. his face is soft and the small smile on your face makes you smile too "shoto ?" and he nods happily "it's nice, i like it." you admit, his eyes shine brightly and he points to you and nods. you think he's saying he likes your name too, so you thank him with a giggle and your hunch his confirmed when he smiles just a little wider, the corner of his eyes crinkling.

seriously are all mermen this pretty ? it's a little unfair that more mermen don't show up in town.

but you think even if they were to suddenly appear, you'd like shoto the best.

shoto seems to have superhuman abilities, besides the not being human part..

in only a week, he's learned how to write and you've been communicating by passing notes and using a white board you'd gotten him while you were out shopping, you figured it'd be easier and a little less confusing.

he's been here for two weeks now, and it's been fun. so fun in fact you forget he's not human with how easy he's adapted into your life. he goes shopping for and with you sometimes, he loves watching and he likes to take walks with max, the both of them being inseparable. you'd be a little jealous if it wasn't so damn adorable. you're still enjoying your break from work and shoto makes it much more enjoyable, it's nice to have someone else around for a change.

you've..talked, about a lot of stuff with shoto, but one thing he will not talk about is himself, and you've decided not to pry. especially because you hate seeing the conflicted, sad look on his face. he talks to you about his kind, and his friends, but never too much about himself. you don't pry, but it surprises you that even mermaids have baggage.

"is there anything you wanna do today, shoto ?" you wonder if he ever gets bored, he doesn't say anything about it, but you know you're not all that entertaining..maybe you'll take him go kart racing.

shoto stops petting max to grab at his white boards, quickly scratching something down.

can i watch a movie with you ?

your heart stutters. every time you suggest an activity for him to do he always adds you in it. it's stupidly endearing and makes him cuter than he already is.

"but don't you wanna do anything else ? " he tilts your head for you to continue "like..aren't you bored ? i know i don't do anything interesting...you don't wanna do something more exciting ?"

he blinks, and writes down something on his white board that has your mouth go dry.

i like doing anything because you do it with me.

"o-oh.." you mutter, fiddling with the texture of your couch, picking at it softly "that's nice.."

after a moment of quiet he presses his head to yours, as affectionate as ever to get your attention, you blink up at him holding up his whiteboard and a smile forms onto your face.

movie ?

you let him pick this time.

"if you want to be able to live with your beloved.. you must manage to do one thing.."

a kiss. a true love's kiss.

shoto has seen a lot of kisses in the few weeks he's been with you. he remembers the first kiss he'd received was when your elderly neighbour had knocked at your door thinking you were home while you were at the grocery store. she must've thought he was your mate, because she'd congratulated him and told him to treat you nice because you're a very sweet and pretty girl, which he'd intensely nodded at. she'd grabbed him by the shoulder and softly pressed both her cheeks to him, and you'd explained to him that she had kissed him as a sign of politeness. a common human courtesy.

he'd seen kisses on tv, kisses on the street, but none of them compared to the description of a true love's kiss. none of them felt fitting enough.

something on tv catches his eye. the movie has gotten to the climactic scene, a new term he'd learned. and the main love interests are desperately clinging to each other. their lips are touching, but it doesn't look like the kisses he's seen before..strange.

it confuses him, so he taps your shoulder and writes his thoughts down.

what are they doing ?

you clear your throat, your eyes widen. your eyes are so pretty. "they're kissing, shoto.. we've seen that before right ?"

but it looks different.

you hum in thought "well, i guess i can put it like.." you purse your lips in thought, you look so cute when you're deep in thought. "they love each other a lot, so being away from each other made them..um, do that. it's 'cus they care about each other alot..i think."

love..

have you done that before ?

you splutter as your eyes fly across the whiteboard, shoto shuffles so he can sit closer to you. you don't move away, you smell so nice.

"n-no..i don't think i've loved someone enough to.." you whisper, gaze flying from him to the small space between you both.

the sound of the white board dropping to the floor doesn't alarm you, neither does the way his hands slowly reach towards your cheeks. he does nothing but run his hands across your cheeks for a while, simply gazing at you. he presses his forehead to yours and you feel his breath his your face, your eyelashes flutter as his head softly bumps against yours. his nose nuzzles against yours, you're so soft.

you don't have to read anything to know what his eyes are asking you silently, you nod anyways.

shoto doesn't exactly know what love means by humans standards, but by his standards and the little he knows he thinks this might be it as he presses his lips to yours. it's not as desperate and dramatic as on tv, and there's no melodramatic music playing in the background.

but he loves this, he loves you.

you pull away when he presses you back against the couch, and suddenly something feels different. your chest feels warm. you feel loved.

"that..was nice..woah." you breathe, and shoto nods, mirroring the smile growing on your face. what you don't expect is for him to open his mouth and speak.

"it was.." he hums, your eyes are the size of saucers and he huffs out a light laugh "do you think..i could do that again with you ?"

you nod, in a trance, but as he leans in you grip his shoulders. he blinks up at you

"..wait, how long were you able to talk ?" you're unblinking, and it makes him chuckle lightly.

"just now." he answers simply, before you can ask more questions he stops you "i will explain later, i promise." he nuzzles his nose to yours "but for now.." he kisses your cheek "i'd like to learn about this..love feeling.with you." he kisses your other cheek, always adding you in "will you let me ? "

you're willing to let him do anything as long as he does it with you, as long as he keeps adding you in like you're the only one that matters, you want to keep mattering to him. and you want to learn more about your feelings too.

so you laugh, and with a smile, you pull him back into you.

a/n : eeeee i loved participating to this event theheheh ! tumblr quit deleting my drafts but i still had tons of fun ! hope yall enjoy reading MUAH MUAH !!

taglist ! : @queenpiranhadon @starieq @lovelyiida @lady-ashfade @angels-fantasy

@seonne @sweetnans @vexis-world @2melamoo2 @tootiecakes234

@4evapika

[vamphrrr]

Hi!! i loved your tough love fanfic of clarisse! so i decided to ask if you can make a clarisse la rue , (aphrodite child) reader, but she’s not some normal teenager… she’s a princess if you get what im saying??? lets say that aphrodite dated a princess and had a child with him before she left, and so that’s where reader grew up, no one knew that the reader was a princess u til she told clarisse, she was really worried clarisse was gonna hate her but clarisse is like “Woah me mad at you? no way” and clarisse supports her! (Including some kissing, flirting, it would be super nice if the reader was shorter the clarisse probably up to her chest like in the tough love fanfic!)

notes ; omgggg this is so cute!! i’m so glad u liked my last fic i was nervous about posting 😭. also i’ll be making clarisse call reader princess too now knowing SHE IS ONE! they’re already dating in this. i used the same banner bc i’m too lazy to create new ones based on plot LMAO. i wrote this so soon but sometimes if anyone requests it might take me a couple of days bc of school and stuff! think i went a little overboard with this one. i should probably start counting how much i write lol.

%% are you mad?

in which your super attractive girlfriend finds out the secret you’ve been hiding from her for so long. also, she accidentally meets your dad.

— clarisse la rue x f!aphrodite!reader

warnings ; reader has doubts, tall & buff clarisse / short reader (again), flirty!clarisse flirty!clarisse, a little angst?, kissing, two swear words, flustered reader (oh how the turned tables), ooc clarisse? (i’m never sure if i write her right), one suggestive thought in the first paragraph (nothing happened tho!). a little too much background i think… too much father, did my daddy issues come out? made reader’s dad a king bc plot reasons, maybe more emotional than requested srry😭

You couldn’t believe you were doing this. Sneaking off from your girlfriend’s warm bed in the middle of the night. For a minute, you wondered how’d that look to anyone watching. A girl hastily running from a cabin that she very obviously did not belong in, a long shirt —it was Clarisse’s— accompanied by small shorts, (which were not visible might you add). Oh and how could you forget, you were barefoot. Who’s bright idea was that? Oh, yeah, yours. Why?

Gods were you cold. Should’ve brought a jacket, you thought.

The bottom of your feet hurt, stepping on rocks and sticks and who knows what else would do that to you. Next time, you would definitely bring hiking boots or something. And a jacket. In the forest, you were far away from anybody that might disturb you. Pulling Clarisse’s shirt up until your shorts were visible, you dug your hand inside the pocket, meeting with a drachma. You approached the round well, splashing water mist being met with sunlight from below, creating a rainbow.

How? It was the middle of the night. Why was the sun inside? You decided not to think about it.

This well was old, dirty from not being used much. See, not many people knew about it. Apparently, it was for those that needed to talk to somebody reallyyyy privately, that’s why it was hidden in the forest, only appearing at night. You weren’t sure how that worked, but you stumbled upon it a couple of years back when you were being chased by wood nymphs for being out at night. They found you, obviously. Punishment was not escapable and you ended up having to clean the stables the day after you got your nails done. Yuck.

Now here you were again, this being the only place where you could speak to your father without anyone finding you. It’s not that you were embarrassed of him per say, it was that you really didn’t want anyone to know that you were a royal. I mean, how ironic was that? A daughter of Aphrodite, a Princess? Forget it. You’d get made fun of for the rest of your life. You especially didn’t want Clarisse to know. She was your girlfriend yes, and this was something very important that you needed to tell her about, but you weren’t sure how’d she react. You knew she wouldn’t make fun of you like others would, but you didn’t know if dating a literal Princess was too much of a deal breaker for her.

Being with a royal was too stressful, there was so much that they’d get criticized for and so little people that they’d be accepted by. Your dad was a King with many past lovers, Aphrodite included. The people loved her, I mean, who wouldn’t? But then she was gone, disappearing the same night she gave birth to you. Your dad knew of her, of this. He knew she’d be gone by the time the sun rose. Yet, he did nothing. Who was he, than just a mortal man? He could not stop a goddess from leaving.

He got with others after that, your dad had a lot of love to give. Maybe that was something that attracted your mother to him. Public lovers were not taken well, the people respected the King, sure, they just didn’t respect his partners. Constant judging, constant eyes following their every move, constant hatred being thrown, constant stress on their shoulders. In the end, they could never take it. Running away or completely disappearing seemed to be something they all had in common. Your father had to give up on love, small secret romances blossomed for a while, but never enough for it to go public.

That is why you were so scared to tell Clarisse of your status. She was smart, she’d realize being with you would not be worth the hassle. She’d leave you just like everyone else left your father. Clarisse was the love of your life, you don’t think you’d be able to handle it if she left.

You threw the drachma in, calling for the rainbow goddess to let you see your father.

“Dad,” you said, once the back of his head was visible.

He jumped, turning around. “Oh! My dearest daughter, you scared me.” He laughed a bit, looking at you with such soft eyes it almost made you cry. “Why are you Iris messaging me at this hour? Isn’t it time for you to be resting?”

You swallowed, a sudden knot appearing in your throat. “I just needed someone to talk to.” Playing with the ring around your finger that Clarisse gave you for your one year anniversary, you choked out. “I have this amazing girlfriend, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me here at camp and—” You stopped talking, taking a small breath, not noticing the familiar figure of Clarisse standing a couple of feet behind you. “—and I’m scared to tell her that I’m not who she thinks I am. That I’m not this girl that just so happens to be a daughter of Aphrodite. I love her so much and I want to tell her about you. I want to bring her to you in person because I want the two people I love the most to meet. But how do I do that when I haven’t even told her I’m a Princess and that the only way you two could meet is if I took her to our royal palace?”

Your father widened his eyes, not expecting his little girl to burst out her feelings just like that. He sighed, glancing behind your shoulder. “If this girl you love so much really loves you like you do her, she wouldn’t care about your status.” Staring at who he assumed was your girlfriend behind you, he continued. “She wouldn’t care that you hid this from her. Instead, she’d try to see it from your point of view.” Moving his eyes away from Clarisse, he looked at you, eyes squinting in light mischief. “You should tell her, she’ll understand. I love you.” Is all he said, before he was gone.

You’re left staring at a rainbow, your dad nowhere in sight. Suddenly, a branch broke from behind you. Turning around quickly, heart beating rapidly, you’re met with the eyes of your girlfriend. You immediately let out a gasp, not knowing she was there.

Clarisse speaks up. “You’re a Princess?”

You felt your mouth dry up. With wide eyes, you respond. “Please don’t hate me! I didn’t know how to tell you!” Walking closer to her, you reached your hands out, grabbing one of her own with both of yours. “Please, you have to understand. I didn’t want this to ruin us.”

She stayed silent.

Silence was haunting, especially coming from Clarisse, someone who was always provoking people and boasting loudly everywhere. You gulped, with lips shaking you asked, “A-are you mad?”

She lets out a huff. Was something funny? Was she annoyed? Angry? Did she not care at all? Those were the questions running through your mind. You’d find out the answers soon enough.

“Woah,” she shook her head, letting you see the slight amused smile on her face. “Me? Mad at you? No fucking way.” She reached her free hand towards your face, moving away the strand of hair that fell slightly over your eye. “It just… surprised me s’ all.”

You let out a breath, relaxing and putting your head against her chest. “Thank the gods, I thought you were going to break up with me or something.”

Reaching out again, she placed her forefinger below your chin, raising your head to meet her eyes. “How could I ever break up with someone so beautiful?” She leaned down, your lips grazing against each other’s. “Why would I leave when I can now be your knight in shining armor?” Closing the distance, your eyes fluttered shut. Butterflies were in your stomach just like the first time you two ever kissed. Without your lips separating, she put one arm around your waist, the other grabbing below your thighs, hoisting you up.

“Ah!” you screamed, separating your lips, not expecting it.

Clarisse smirked, seeing you get flustered. “You don’t have any shoes on.” You pouted, putting your arms around her neck so you wouldn’t fall while she walked back (not that she would let you fall off in the first place). “Didn’t think I’d notice, did you, princess?” Teasingly, she used the pet name, now knowing how much truth was behind it.

You whined, pressing your face against her neck. “You’re so unfair. I’m supposed to be the one flustering you.”

“Awe, the princess is mad,” she cooed, letting her lips touch the tip of your ear. “You want me to get on one knee and apologize?”

Clarisse laughed when you let out a loud groan, hitting her lightly on the chest. Smiling, she knew the only way she’d ever leave you was if she was six feet under. And even then, she’d find a way to get back to the land of the living just to be by your side.

The only things heard in the dead of night were the grasshoppers, chirping their little melodies into the darkness. That was until you muttered sleepily, letting out a yawn. “I love you.”

Clarisse repeated after you. “I love you.” Feeling your eyes fluttered close, she followed it with an almost silent “goodnight.”

Now that you were asleep, she felt panic slowly rise, steps quickening to reach the Ares cabin faster. She could only think about two things now.

Holy shit, she’s a Princess. Oh my gods, I met her dad.

[court-jobi]

Backpack Privileges

((banner by me! I don't own Horikoshi's characters/stories))

Pairing: Bakugou x reader (biker! Pro-hero reader, some afab pronouns used)

Words: 3.2K

Rating: T+ (language, bc obviously)

Warnings: Pro-Hero Bakugou/Pro-Hero Reader, cursing as a love language, fluffy flirting and teasing, mutual pining, YEARNING, grumpy/sassy sunshine, give me soft Bakugou

Summary:

You loved sunset drives, and have teased your coworker here about the thrill that even a simple beach drive can bring– enough to corral him into making plans to accompany you sometime and see for himself. Plans anyone else with eyes and a working knowledge of chemistry would call a ‘date’… but clearly neither of you could toughen up and call that what this is. But the fact remains that you of all people convinced the Katsuki Bakugou-the man behind ‘Dynamight’s mask- to go on after-hours ride with you. And he's looking real nice in that helmet...

A/N: Bikertok has me in a chokehold on this one, babes. Meant to be read as gender-neutral as possible, but if you're like me and are itching for the idea of a fem!biker pro hero catching Kacchan's eye, then buckle up, buttercup~

It's been a minute posting, and my first fic back is for a new fandom? Who am I??

For my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Read on AO3

“First time going for a drive,” you got comfy on your seat- a bit closer to the throttle than you’d  normally be, “Nervous at all?”

“Tch, what do I have to be nervous about? You're not planning to wreck our asses, are you?”

“Suppose that brings us to safety first~” you muttered all the same and passed your rider -Katsuki Bakugou, the man behind ‘Dynamight’s mask- a helmet. He looked it distastefully while you donned yours: a steely blue that matches your current choice in quirk-fueled mech you're both about to set out on. 

“How's this damn thing supposed to fit?!”

You flipped up your visor to him, as you affix your -now backup- helmet to your jaw. 

“That's my newer one. The strap’s on the bottom– other side. Other other side.” Cheeks pushing up and all but confirming a smirk underneath, you poked fun at his expense, “I made sure to remove some of the crucial safety padding inside to make room for that hair of yours. Couldn’t bear to muss that up, yeah?”

A light growl emanated from him as he forced the thing into his head.  You'd done no such thing, of course. But even still, he flipped up the visor to glare at you, only to watch you bat your eyes at him then shut it back into place just as fast. 

The Bluetooth pairing between your helmets failed to hide his soft threat, 

“Shut up, angel eyes..”

 Heard that. 

As casual and in-control as you feel right now, you can't help but hold some nerves yourself… but not about the ride ahead of you. Piloting any kind of bike, car, or war machine that you could manifest with your quirk left you sitting right in the driver's seat and in your element. You loved sunset drives, and have teased your coworker here about the thrill that even a simple beach drive can bring– enough to corral him into making plans to accompany you sometime and see for himself. Plans he agreed to, and showed up ten minutes early to honor. Plans he even texted you about first thing this morning, as if you'd forget.

Plans anyone else with eyes and a working knowledge of chemistry would call a ‘date’… but clearly neither of you could toughen up and call that what this is. 

It's far too fragile and new of a thing to call it that, what you two have been feeling. You pull to each other like a magnet– both on and off the field. Maybe after some 100km/h winds and a healthy adrenaline boost, the sights from Mustafu Bay Bridge can break the ice where your banter and teasing couldn't. 

The constant hum of your quirk warming your body coupled with anticipation of Bakugou mounting the bike behind you brought your hands to drum absently atop the center hub of your bike– right where a gas tank would normally be. 

Now to see what he does with his hands. 

“Now we’re gonna take the freeway up here,” you call back to him, visor still up so he copies to see you better, “but I won't start drifting till you're cool enough with the feel, alright? Just lean into me, nothing shaky. No sudden moves.”

“Yeah yeah yeah.”

“You’ll tap me here if you need me to ease up?”

“Yes, mother.”

You smirked, adjusting your side mirrors, noting how he just flattened his hands on his thighs, aside yours. 

“--And you might have to get fresh with me eventually, ‘Dynamight’. It gets fast…”

“Eugh– none of that.”

You chuckled, but grasped his wrist to show him the inset handles he could hold onto instead of you, if he’d rather. Either way, he'd have to lean forward onto you to reach them at some point. 

But he'd learn that soon enough, because at his chiding for you to ‘get on with it already’, you heeled at the kickstand, pushed off, and forced his chest right onto your back with a grunt. 

This was going to be fun. 

The sky was just now starting to turn its lovely colors from behind the cloud breaks, but light poles and power lines still cut into the view down here by the business district. 

“YOU CAN’T POSSIBLY BE DOING THE SPEED LIMIT, ARE YOU?! EVERYONE’S PASSING US!”

Squinting at his yell over the road noise, you gave the pro hero some grace but also assured him firmly, 

“Call me cautious, hon, but I'm getting up to speed for my ‘backpack’s sake, not mine. And I can hear you just fine. The mic will pick you up~”

“... Oh.”

Giggling yourself, you revved up a few ticks and noted how he held firm to the handles. The first couple lane changes he acclimated like a champ, which gave you confidence to finally reach the top permissible speed. Maybe you could risk another five over, once you got out of city ordinances with those darned speed bump monitors… 

In a few clicks, you'd reach the offramp to the beach expressway, so you checked your mirrors for Bakugou’s face. The helmet he wore was tinted, but not fully opaque like yours. You could see his wary brows as he had his sights locked down onto the passing dashes of your lane, willing you to stay within them while silently stewing over it. 

“You good back there?” Your voice carries through assuring, but with a level of calm to prove to him all was operating fine. 

Brought out of his head, Bakugou flitted his gaze ahead, then down to where you'd tilted your head. Proving you were listening. 

“Yeah. M’good.”

He squeezed his arms in a little, to answer back. A step in the right direction. 

“Knew you'd be a natural,” you praised, earning a proud roll of his arms, “now we’re gonna make this loop, so just turn in with me, like you did before.”

“Got it.”

Rounding the exit, Bakugou admittedly might have pushed his lean too much  at first– not accounting for how much you lean and how much he weighs, so he immediately righted himself with a stiffness. Thankfully, you slow on every one of these to level out the overcorrect. And hey, at least his surprise caused him to latch that left arm around your waist, so that was… not unwelcome. 

Straightening out to the road, he reluctantly returned his hands to where they once were, but settled his posture  down onto your back comfortably.

He truly was doing well. Bakugou takes to new challenges with eagerness that betrays any hesitation. You count on him talking a big game to give you an ease in expectation for most missions you've provided support on. It's cocky, but confident, and oftentimes not without a good bit of truth and experience to back it up. When he calls out to you on patrol, it might be loud and proud, but it comes from a place of valuing teamwork- never once making you feel unappreciated for your services. It’s something he even confessed to you that he had to intentionally learn before entering the workplace. 

‘You shoulda seen me in high school. Pretty much a bully. Y’can't operate as a team that way all the time, though. But here I am- I'm on track to get top ten on the leaderboard according to Jeanist. “Even assholes can get the job done sometimes”– which, YES, is a compliment, by the way! Seems he’s finally thinkin’ better of me and given’ me some respect!’

Gee, can't imagine you being a hothead at all. 

Tell of his talent and accolades are well earned, you have to agree. To the asshole comment, you weren't so sold. Sure, he was harsh and pointed with just about anyone who throws a contrary opinion at him. Bakugou's reputation preceded him for not being the best to gel with.

But for all that bravado, the minute you teamed up after your first joint mission at the agency, you noticed how he cut the edge with you. Most times, he may growl and grunt at worst, but Bakugou usually spoke to you pretty even-keeled. Careful, you might call it. Wouldn’t call it ‘friendly’, but kind enough for you to choose to stick around him: make the offer to him for some company, talk through your routes together under the guise that you need a fresh set of eyes, even seek him out after hours when he opened up the invite to you to come for dinner and drinks with some alumni friends of his. 

…gentle enough for you to get a soft spot for the pro hero you'd have bet six months ago would’ve blown your head off without a second thought. 

Now, that same hero carries his head higher behind you. He’s not obsessed with watching the road anymore, taking comfort enough in your driving so he could watch the flock of geese pass over your left, with a hand rooted on hip for support. 

The thought warmed you, yet you didn't dare speak and break his bubble. Even pros deserved time to hit pause and just clear the head with a drive. That’s just what you loved to do, too.

Your chosen destination was mere minutes away now. Finding yourself slowing and cutting over to the beach access road, Bakugou’s grunts grew uneasy along with the bumps in the road. For a split second you think you should have warned him to ‘watch the rocky bits’, but like all things, he's a trooper and didn't say a word. 

Sliding onto the packed down sand, you adjusted your bike’s wheel type by sense alone to add a bit more traction in order to drive smoothly. With a low hum of acceleration, you were off in no time back to a comfortable speed: ocean to your left, sky ahead, dunes shielding you on your right from the rest of the city nightlife. You leave treads in your dust, but they are soon washed away as the incoming tide chases you. 

It’s here on familiar terrain that you sit up a bit more relaxed, free of asphalt and multi-lane traffic. Most folks must be out having dinner plans, so the beach is yours until the night beach walkers arrive. Flipping your visor up, the wind immediately hit your lashes, but the smell was incredible. Always was. 

You heaved a cleansing breath happily, reveling in the smooth thrum of the bike beneath you- perfect conditions and company. 

“Honest truth? I could get paid pennies for my transport work for all I care,” you confessed over a cry of some gulls, “--as long as I have enough time to get away for views like this.” You swung a relaxed arm out to the waves foaming alongside, “This–  is worth more than all the big bucks.”

You felt Bakugou’s hum on your back before you heard it. He mimicked your gesture too, making waves through the air as childlike as you could picture. From your rearview, you caught him smiling across the sea to the horizon line. 

He agrees with ease, “Yeah. Sure is a sight,” 

“Worth the wait, huh?”

Bakugou centered back, checking for you in the rearview mirror. With a little jerk of his head (a swallow), that gentler, gravelly voice he kept for you answered back, 

“Definitely.”

That sweet spot flipped in your stomach, even as his brows firmed up again and flicked one up at you,

“Bout time, I mean. You were holding out on me.”

There it was again: that pathetic pulse in your chest at his brand of teasing. 

Taking a breather from the constant exertion of your abilities, you cut all energy off to the fueling of the mech- letting it coast to a full stop after boosting up the ramp to the fishing overlook. It took you a couple manual strides of your feet to get you close to the edge before kicking the locking gear in place. 

Bravery you typically reserve for villain encounters and public speaking is summoned from your lips. You’re proud of yourself, but no less jittery inside,

“Tell ya a secret.”

“Oh yeah?”

You took off your helmet, but dare not look back. 

“If I ever take a hiatus from hero work,” you share, “I wanna figure out how I can drift on water. I already started making some notes after that Support Course workshop. Imagine how sick that'd be, right? Could do a lot of good with that. Hybrid water rescues, marine chases..”

“--If you don't get nabbed by sharks first,” Bakugou fired back with his helmet off now to match.

You had to laugh at the danger he presented, 

“Really? A quirk-ridden world and a villain presence more prominent than any generation before ours– and the idea of sharks scares you?”

Bakugou caught your stare defensively, “Sharks? Hell no! Death by sharks? What a dumbass way to die. I'd rather go out with-”

“--with a bang. Of course you would.”

To your sassy quip back, Bakugou simply smirked, laid a boldly set foot on either side of the bike to steady himself– and absolutely tickled the daylights out of your sides. 

After a decent punishment, you only settled your shrieks as he switched from assault to detainment, pulling you tight to his chest. 

He’s not actually offended; not by the way he’s locked his hand solidly around his own wrist to keep you in place.

“Got a smart mouth, you know that?” Bakugou snarked in your ear.

You do consider yourself a decent personality hire, after all. 

“I think it makes me fun at parties~”

“...You’re a good driver though.”

Even softer, you give a work of thanks. Bakugou doesn’t say more and doesn’t let go.

The sight of the sun finally started slipping out of the skyline, a wash of gold and pink and orange surrounding you both. At this time of year, the last bit of  setting sun isn’t enough to warm you through, even outfitted in leather and thick cordura. The only bits of exposed skin you showed were where your jacket opened to flash your shirt collar, and the tops of your hands your gloves couldn't cover– hands Bakugou was currently keeping warm as he comfortably held you. At rest for once, you wonder. 

“This is.. really nice,” the blond shared after a few centering breaths. 

From your angle, you couldn't really look back to see him. You tried, but his grip tightened slightly, so you sensed he was likely holding you this way on purpose. 

Giving in, you agreed and laid back. After all, you didn't think he got this sentimental unless he was truly relaxed– a marvel itself. 

Letting out a soothed breath yourself, you leaned inward, towards his neck, “Really is.”

“Mean it, y'know.” He tried again, “Not just gettin’ us out here. You're…  really damn good at your job. The agency’s lucky you’re the one who’s always there for pickups. I almost ate it with that landing last week, if you hadn't caught me in your– truck bed– tank.. whatever that  speed demon thing was you made–”

‘Inst-Transit’ was quite the desired quirk for heroes in evac-centered roles, like yours. What set you apart was the ‘razzle-dazzle’ you offered in that you could make your own custom vehicles; not just manipulate current cars to your will. No two were truly alike and could be altered even in the moment; the vehicle you set out at the start of the mission could very well have morphed over the course of the operation and come out completely different by the end.

Years upon years taught you all manner of land mechs to model your rides after, months more to change them mid-mission to accommodate transporting heroes four times your weight– plus any civilians you pick up along the way.

“-and can't forget how you caught up to that runner in just two blocks, too. Damn.”

For Bakugou to compliment you meant more than surface-deep flattery. He knows the inner technicality of how you perform. How you think. His words carry weight.

“Well, that’s awfully high praise. You’re not just trying to keep me in your good graces so I take you back to the office safely?”

Your ‘backpack’ bristles, but doesn’t shift away to let go, 

“M’tryna compliment you, dummy.”

Bakugou’s trademark temper sufficiently tested, you eased his embarrassment.

“Oh then, my apologies. Thank you~”

This satisfied him enough to take another cleansing breath of salt air. You studied the railing with particular interest, 

“--honestly, I'm just flattered you said yes to this.”

Bakugou tips his lips close to your crown, speaking more to your hairline than the space over your shoulder, “D’you think I'd say no to you?”

“I.. didn't know what you'd say,” you reasoned, “I mean, you are incredibly nice to me. We work decently together. I normally just consider myself lucky to be in that portion of the populace who you don't wanna blow up, and just roll along with it, but… this sorta thing… outside of work? The more I look at it, it’s– not just taking a break like we do all the time. I dunno. Could be reading things wrong, but it– definitely feels more and more like a-”

“A date.”

“Well… yeah.”

“... do you wanna call this a date.”

Your position was brutal- not being able to look at him. But looking down in your few moments of thought gave you your answer:

Bakugou’s thumb was caressing that little pocket of skin at your wrist. His pride’s keeping his mouth shut, but his powerful hands are silently swiping. Nudging you to ‘please say yes’. 

He needed you to simply say the word, it seems. 

“...I sure hope so, ‘Mr. Dynamight.”

Above you, your pro hero hid his reaction– but not the smile in his voice, 

“Katsuki. When it’s just you and me.”

A fluttering exhale left you. Upon hearing his first name (soon to be added to as your phone contact by a comically horrendous candid you already have of him), you’re now content to just rest against him; out of sight and up against his built chest. 

“N’I guess that means only one thing left to seal the deal, then.”

Before you could ask what that meant, Bakugou chipped your chin up and into place for him to set a firm, doting kiss to your forehead– before asking, 

“Hungry?”

Sufficiently charmed and encouraged at how the night’s going, your smirk turned much sweeter now, “I could eat~”

Crimson eyes softened at your sated reaction, proud of himself no doubt.  

“You get us there, I'm paying. No buts.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Your helmets donned, you set your sights further down the beach for the least populated popcorn shrimp stand you could manage, and backed up the bike with careful steps. 

Bakugou held onto your hips easily now… 

“Hey,” Katsuki called through the helmet, “Whatm’I supposed to call you when we’re off hours, huh?”

You shook your head, still beside yourself that you have the ‘Lord Explosion Murder God’ at your heels and hanging on your every word:

“I think if you call me anything other than ‘dummy’, I’m gonna assume you hate me!”

That got a belly laugh out of Katsuki.

“HAH! ‘Pretty Thing’ it is.”

[66sharkteeth]

Weekly thoughts! Episode 186. We're back!

And uh. Sorry if that panel is a spoiler to anyone bc I'm pretty sure like 70% of you aren't aware City of Blank came back this week so there's your incentive to go read the new ep.

I'll try to talk about the actual episode first before my ~feelings~. The panel above is definitely one of my fav in the entire series. Though a lot of people seem confused and even think that the gas made him...grow.. bones??? It's just dissolving his blank space.

Like it's been elaborated, the blank space will act like a scar. A lot of times it'll go away if the injury heals enough that it doesn't need it (like Rex's torso injuries), but in Jericho's case, his wounds were so extensive, it stays there permanently, since he has literal exposed bone and muscle from his injury. As for his injury, I think a lot of people have forgotten he got caught in an explosion. So uh... Ya know Gus from Breaking Bad or Two Face from the Dark Knight? Yeah, that happened. And the blank space has just been holding him together.

Anyway, for the rest of the episode... The mixed opinions on Claude are fun, but I am glad some people recognize he's not completely utterly evil and stupid. I saw one comment say he's on the side of what's best for Jericho, not what Jericho wants, and that's the best way to put it. You can still call him stupid and evil if you want, that opinion's still valid, but I do personally agree more with those sympathizing with him who recognize he's just trying to protect the first person he's ever cared about. Overall I'm happy with this episode which is kind of why I'm sad about it yet again lmao

It is always definitely a bummer to come back after a huge cliffhanger and still see the number of comments lower than ever. I'm trying really hard to not feel like it's a failure on my part. Unfortunately I did know this would happen, as comics always lose a chunk of their audience any time they go on a break but usually at least get some of it back with promotion and banners. But unfortunately my break wasn't long enough to get any of that (which I was aware of going in) but I just needed that break so bad. Here's to hoping it doesn't put too much more of a hole in my wallet.

[merakiui]

hi mera, i dont really have anything important or spicy to say bc my brains fried (maybe someday ill say smth of import) but ive been starting to work full time at my job and my favorite thing to do is come home from work and read your blog. even if im not part of the fandom like genshin. all your blurbs and hcs and stories are like a breath of fresh air after dealing with customers all day. your new rollo blurbs are living rent free in my mind as i fold shirts. anyway never stop writing, youre fantastic at what you do and thank you for creating amazing fanfic ❤️❤️❤️

💕, pot roast brain anon

ps i got malleus in my free masquerade pulls i used for rollo and i was so mad. the beloved boy came home 23 pulls later. i got malleus AND rollo in the same banner like. twst is pranking me at this point.

ʚ(꒦ິ ꒳꒦ີ )ɞ♡ pot roast brain anon!!!!!! Omg this is so sweet,,, thank you so much!!!! ONE MILLION THANK YOUS IN FACT!!!! I'm happy you can find enjoyment and comfort in my blog. I hope your job is going well and that no pesky customers will give you trouble!!! ✨✨ the Rollo love only tripled after I got his card, so there will likely be plenty of thoughts for him in the foreseeable future. He's so fun to write for... I have an endless well of ideas for him. orz

Σ(°ロ°) the enemies in the same banner........ Rollo saw that Malleus came home to you and knew he had to arrive promptly to prevent you from falling for the whims of that mage. >:(

[jeonqkooks]

isn't it romantic? | myg (01)

ENTRY ONE: Me Before You

⟶ SERIES MASTERPOST

Many things in life have a polar opposite: left and right, night and day, yin and yang, you and Min Yoongi... Hopeless romantic meets gloomy cynic. The only thing you seem to share is a magazine column but even then, you still can’t seem to understand how Yoongi can be called ‘The Love Doctor’ when he is the antithesis of everything love represents.

pairing: yoongi x f!reader; side/past taehyung x f!reader

rating: 18+ (minors dni)

genre/warnings: coworkers to lovers, magazine writers au, fluff, angst, eventual smut; central themes of cheating (not between yoongi and oc), swearing (a staple in this household 😗), one bit is a lilllll suggestive?, mentions of drinking, i think that's it hmmm, barely edited bc u know how we do

word count: 5.1k

note: this is the yoongi brainrot speaking !!! the banner for this entry is one of my all time favorite pics of him and i will find a way to use it in everything !!! but erhm yeah iir is officially starting and i'm very curious to see what y'all think about it 😗 please like it haha jk no i'm serious please like it it's my baby

— as always, i’d appreciate any thoughts or comments you may have, and please drop a like and/or reblog if you enjoy reading ♡

I waste my breath on a prayer, you don't care, I was never a part of your plan, You can't make a God of somebody, Who's not even half of a half-decent man.

I Burned LA Down - Noah Cyrus

Half your life, you hated blue.

You often associated it with so many bad things - loss, betrayal, loneliness. The great big storm. The end of life.

Most of the pigtails-wearing girls in your class disliked it because it was often a boy’s color. You hated it because of a stranger on a beach.

Then you discovered Blue Side (as ironic as the name was), the magazine that everybody and their mother was reading. There was this column - the Love Maze (as corny as it sounded) - that had your 15-year-old self hooked from the first article you read, “Flirty Pickup Lines to Text Your Crush”. It gave you a nice little distraction from the reality of your fucked up family.

You’d get home from school and dive right into it. You could count on the maze for a new article every day, covering all kinds of things - cute little quizzes, daily love horoscopes, relationship tidbits…

You started reading it religiously because it was stupid, and fun, but it was more than that too. They covered real-life stories of actual people, which you’d never really thought about. For the most part, it was tedious. Rekindling with an old flame whilst grocery shopping, accidentally spilling coffee on a stranger who then asked you out on the spot, etc. Things like that. You found them so… unremarkable. 

But then it went beyond that, when they told their stories looking back on years and years after that first happenstance. How there was love in the mundane. How there was love every single day, even on the bad ones. How there was a spark that two people cared for and nurtured into a warm fire that never burnt out.

How there was love.

How there was always love.

To you, that was magical. It was something you’d only ever heard about in fairytales when you were a kid.

You still remember the exact moment when it all changed for you.

You met Kim Taehyung during your third week at Blue Side, where you were a wide-eyed assistant editor who somehow wiggled her way into a position there, and he was an effortlessly charming graphic designer.

Admittedly, the first time that you two had ever talked, wasn’t under ideal circumstances. You were tucked away behind the office building, nails digging into your palms at 3PM on a sunny but freezing afternoon, willing your tears to stay where they belonged. You’d felt severely underqualified, like you were only flailing about, trying to keep your head above water but something kept pulling at your feet, not stopping until you were at the very bottom. People always talked about how your early 20s were the most beautiful and freeing years, when you could truly live and feel your youth blossom all around you. But that just wasn’t true. Those were the loneliest years of your life.

Taehyung had found you then, while he was out for a quick smoke break. He could’ve made a lame excuse and left, or simply pretended to not notice you were even there, but he stayed. He approached you and asked what was wrong. He offered you words of reassurance and encouragement even though you were nothing but a stranger to him.

You were touched by his simple act of kindness and his endearing smile. Maybe it’s because you’d never been offered much kindness throughout your life that his small gesture seemed like everything. In a way, it was everything. He looked like the kind of fairytale love that you’d only seen in movies, only read about in Love Maze. To this day, a part of you still thinks that you fell in love with him the very second he asked, “Are you okay?”

The timing felt right.

Taehyung felt right.

He, too, was like the sun in the middle of a cold and isolating winter.

You remember the color of his sweater, and it was then that you realized blue didn’t have to be so bad after all.

[15:39] You: what r u doing tonight?

[15:45] Tae ♡: probably just head home after the gym. play a couple matches with Jungkook. hope i don’t die boiling water for ramen and hit the hay early

[15:46] Tae ♡: miss you :(

[15:49] You: thanks

[15:52] Tae ♡: mean

[15:53] You: lol 😇

[15:54] You: i miss you too <3

[15:56] Tae ♡: can’t you come back earlier?

[15:58] You: there’s only a week left. you’re a big boy, u can handle it :)

That was a lie. You were already on the train when you sent him that text, bouncing your leg all the way back to the city at the mere thought of surprising him with your early return. You’d taken a leave from work to visit your family, spent some time somewhere quieter, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

You watch as the scenery passes by, fast-paced like you’re in a montage. The rest of forever is right around the corner. You wish you could skip to your happily ever after and not have to rewind the tape ever again.

When the diamond on your ring finger catches the sunlight coming from outside the window, you allow yourself a blissful sigh as you gaze at the jewelry adorning your hand. But if you’re being honest, it doesn’t fit anymore, at least that’s what you’ve noticed over the past month. It’s a little loose now, not quite noticeable but you can still make out the slight difference if you concentrate hard enough. You should get it resized soon, maybe later this week now that your schedule has cleared up earlier than expected.

Three weeks is a lot of time to spend around only your family, you realize. You thought you could do it - seeing that you hadn’t been back in a while - but the second you stepped foot into your childhood home, you remembered what a dysfunctional household you had.

It was nice while it lasted, which wasn’t very long. You did all you could, bit your tongue and tried to suppress that unresolved anger until it eventually became too much to handle. Your mom has always been a complainer. Nobody likes talking about it, but she’d bring up the same old shit almost every day even though you all know what happened. Your dad would just sit there and listen as she berates him in front of you and your sister, and you suppose he keeps quiet because there’s really nothing to be said in his defense. It was his crime, and this is his punishment.

Sometimes, you wonder why dad still stays. Sometimes, you wonder why mom still lets him.

You just wanted to go, even though this was supposed to be home. You want to leave every time you visit, and it’s a haunting feeling that keeps following you around your whole life. Why is home always a place you want to leave?

When you arrived back in the city, the first place you went to was Taehyung’s apartment. You lounged about, enjoying the much needed silence after two whole weeks with your family, killing time as you waited for your fiance to return from work.

You thought about you and Taehyung, and how your wedding was only months away but this was still his place. You wondered why you hadn’t moved in yet, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying on his part. Even though you spent most days of the week at Taehyung’s, you still had your own place.

Twenty minutes before he was usually supposed to come home, you ordered from his favorite restaurant, so he would have a proper meal once he was back, instead of half-assing his dinner with flavorless ramen like he’d planned. 

But Taehyung didn’t come back, and the food has been cold for hours now.

You glance at your phone again.

11:02 PM.

No new notifications.

The last message you sent him was around 8:30 - just a simple Whatcha doing? - but he hasn’t replied. 

There’s a small part of you that goes into a dark place, and you physically have to shake off the thoughts. Taehyung has never given you a reason not to trust him, but still, the wandering thoughts can’t help themselves. Is it insecurity, or paranoia? Or have you been programmed to be skeptical after everything that’s happened?

Maybe he’s just caught up with work. Maybe the guys at the office had last minute plans. Maybe Jungkook showed up unannounced and dragged Taehyung into one of his shenanigans again. There’s a lot of reasons to explain why he isn’t home when he said he would be.

You wait for him. Sometimes, waiting is all you can do.

You don’t get any indication of life until some time after midnight, when the door opens and you hear him stumble into the hallway. The first thing that escapes you is a sigh of relief - relieved that he’s home, safe and sound, and not out there somewhere doing things you would really not even let yourself imagine. You sit there on the couch, shrouded by darkness, now even more committed to making him squeal out of his skin after (unintentionally) making you wait for hours like that.

You carefully listen to the sounds coming from down the hall, trying to time when you’ll jump up and shock him.

There’s his shoes dropping to the floor carelessly. There’s some shuffling as he moves about, navigating his way through the dark. There’s a light thud, the sound of something hitting the wall softly.

A sharp intake of breath. His familiar groan, muffled. A whimper, feminine.

Your mind instantly blanks, and that nervous breath from before has suddenly found its way back into your lungs, growing in size until you stand up and say, “Tae?”

Somebody shrieks, and it’s neither you nor Taehyung.

When he switches on the lights, you don’t know what to focus on first - your fiance with his shirt unbuttoned, red lipstick smudged around the corners of his mouth; or the woman next to him with her back against the wall, hair disheveled, one strap of her pretty blue dress pulled down.

Huh.

If this was what you wanted, then you suppose you succeeded.

Taehyung stares at you, eyes blown wide, mouth opening and closing dumbly as he searches for words. “Y/N, I-” he stutters, “w-what are you doing here?”

You’ve seen this exact moment in movies, read it in books and online posts on the Blue Side forum from people seeking advice. You witnessed your own mother go through it when you had just learned how to read. 

Your nails dig into the palm of your hands as you steady yourself. You’re not sure what your face is showing, if it’s even showing anything at all. You’re being pulled apart in every direction. Things that you felt as a child are things you never wanted to feel as an adult. It’s not until now that you finally understand why mom hasn’t gotten over it, even though it’s been decades. This is the kind of hurt that chases you wherever you go, never relenting until it makes sure it has a home deep within your bones.

You inhale a shaky breath, and take a step back when Taehyung starts approaching you. “Y/N, I’m so sorry,” he says, his voice cracking on the apology. 

You don’t want to hear any of it. You don’t want to be here anymore. For the second time today, you’re leaving home. For the second time in your life, home is being taken away again.

Somewhere in the back of your head, a tiny voice echoes, There it is.

You run out of there, feeling like the ceiling is going to collapse on you. You hear him call out your name, but his voice drifts further and further away as you move. Taehyung isn’t even following you. The faint scent of whiskey on his breath follows you out, but not him.

You keep moving until you’re out on the street, until you can’t even see the building anymore. You shiver from the chilly air, and the influx of emotions that threatens to make you burst. Lightning cuts across the night sky, flashing bright for a split second before everything dulls into darkness again. The forecast said it was going to rain tonight, you recall. Your phone in your bag vibrates the whole time, but still, no one follows you.

Your feet slow to a halt when the first drop of rain hits the ground. You’re not even sure how long you were walking, but now that you’ve stopped, you notice the shiver is gone. You’re standing completely still, and that those seismic waves in the center of your chest from earlier are nowhere to be found.

Oh. You’re doing it again.

Heavier drops start to dampen the earth.

You don’t know where else to go.

Not your own apartment. Not now. No, it’s too empty there.

Maybe it’s a sign from the universe, that you’re just undeserving of a place to belong.

You open your phone to find his name on your screen, next to the words (7) missed calls. You ring up the only person you can, and when she finally picks up, you say, “Can I come over?”

Even when your voice cracks, you don’t cry. The earthquake never comes.

Sohee takes you in like the good friend she is. You’re grateful that she was someone you could count on to always have your back at work, who then turned into one of your best friends outside of the office too.

She gives you some clothes to change into, and doesn’t question anything when you ask if you could spend the night. Though, you have a feeling that she knows who this is about. She leaves you alone to get some rest, but it’s probably because she has work in the morning too, and it was already 1:30AM when you interrupted her peace and quiet with the call.

You don’t sleep a wink that night.

Instead, you think about your mom, and how she must have felt when she found out about your dad’s infidelity, time and time again. It’s true what they say, children really don’t know a lot about their parents. 

How did she feel when she first found out? You can’t imagine what it must have been like, going through all of that while having two kids to think about too.

You feel bad that just yesterday, you’d been so annoyed with her that you cut your trip short.

Outside Sohee’s windows, the sky cries, like it’s grieving in place of you, its tears drowning the earth in waves of sorrow. For a moment, you consider stepping out there, to feel the rain on your face and in your hair. But in the end, you stay inside, where you’re sheltered and dry.

You don’t realize that the sun has risen until Sohee knocks on your - well, her - door. 

She cracks it open gently. “Babe?” she asks, tentative like you’re a cornered animal, ready to bolt at any given moment. “Are you up?”

You lie in her bed, feeling so foreign in your own skin. You reckon your eyes must be bloodshot from the lack of sleep. You haven’t even cried once.

“I’m alive,” you tell her, as you stare up at the ceiling. There are no stars here, just plain cream-colored paint.

“Okay,” you hear her say, then she pauses for a moment, clearly not knowing how to proceed. 

Sohee approaches you, sits on the bed, and gives you a smile. She pats your hair, and it reminds you of your sister. “You wanna tell me what’s wrong? I have some time before I meet Namjoon for breakfast.”

You sit up, reaching for your phone on the bedside table. It’s been switched off since you got here, and when you turn it back on, a flurry of texts light up the device until the screen lags. Messages from Taehyung, asking where you were, begging you to tell him if you were safe.

You open the texts to show him that you’ve read them. That should be enough of an answer.

You test the words in your mouth for a moment. “Taehyung cheated on me,” you say, thinking that if you verbalize it, it would be real and you would finally feel bad. That it was just a delayed reaction, that you were just too in shock to process anything. You want to feel bad, but it doesn’t work.

Sohee’s eyes widen almost comically. “Are you fucking serious?” she asks in disbelief, half because of the nature of the news itself, and half because of how calm you are.

“He cheated on me,” you repeat and still, nothing surfaces. If anything, it backfires. You can physically feel yourself doing it again - shutting down. “I caught him last night.”

You’re not sure what’s wrong with you. This isn’t a normal person’s reaction after they found out their fiance was cheating on them.

But.

It is a you reaction. 

You keep doing this, even when you don’t mean to. You ran away last night, and you’re running away now. Your body shuts out every negative emotion until you feel nothing at all. It’s stupid that you do this, and it’s stupid that you don’t know how to stop doing it.

Fight or flight, and you choose flight every time. Every single fucking time.

You wish you could give Sohee something, anything would do. Scream, cry, go back to your apartment to set fire to all of Taehyung’s belongings. Anything would be better than this complete lack of emotions you’re showing. 

You watch her face as it happens, things that you should be feeling but aren’t. She’s mostly shocked, angry, but not hurt. How could she? She wasn’t the one being played for a fool. You wish you could ask her to give you some of that anger, even if it’s only a fraction.

You don’t see Taehyung again until two days later, when he shows up at your door. Even when he’s standing in front of you, words spilling from his lips like prayers instead of apologies, you just feel… empty.

You let him inside, and the second that the door closes behind him, you fill up with unease. All your walls are up again, your system on high alert. Everything in your body is telling you that there’s an intruder in your space. Your feet are ready to bolt, just itching to get out of there Go, your head says, you’re not safe here.

Taehyung approaches you, tries to hold your hand, but you just shrug him off. The man in front of you visibly deflates, and despite the way his face falls, you don’t soften. 

The first thing he asks you is, “Why didn’t you cry?”

“What?”

“You don’t look like you’ve been crying,” he points out. “Did you cry?”

Reluctantly, you admit, “No.”

Then he just stares at you. When his judgmental gaze holds yours, you feel guilty. Guilty that you’re not mourning the death of this relationship. Guilty that you’re just letting it go, but the truth is you don’t have any fight in you. You don’t see the point in trying to salvage what’s no longer alive.

“Do you even love me?” His voice is hard when he asks this, like he’s trying to keep his anger at bay.

“Of course I love you,” you say, but it lacks conviction. You both know it. The words sound so flaccid coming out of your mouth.

But you love him.

You do.

Did?

“Then why didn’t you cry?”

How do you tell him that you can’t? That you don’t know how?

How do you tell him that if you could, you would reach inside and claw out your feelings like digging for water in a desert. 

What the hell is wrong with you? This isn’t a high school crush, or a casual summer fling.

You two were supposed to get married, for fuck’s sake. You were supposed to spend the rest of your life with him. If there’s anything that could make you break through those godforsaken defense mechanisms to let the hurt in, it should be this.

“Did you kiss someone else just to see if I would cry?” you ask. Your voice is even, and you can see that it makes Taehyung more frustrated than he already is.

He grits his teeth, exhaling. You notice his blue sweater, and you stop him before he can say anything else. Obviously, it looks a lot more worn than it did back then, but over the years you’ve always found it endearing. It’s the first memory that you have of him. It was always something you could cherish.

Now, you can’t even bear to look at it.

It’s then that you realize it doesn’t matter what answer he gives you. Yes? No? It genuinely doesn’t matter. There is nothing that can make you see him the same way ever again.

You run your thumb over the ring on your finger, twisting it for a moment to memorize the feel of it. It’s the last thing that ties you to him. “You can have this back,” you say, handing the piece of jewelry back to him.

When a relationship ends, especially for a reason like this, people tend to think it’ll go down in a kdrama-esque fashion - crying, slapping, throwing water in the other person’s face. But that’s not what this is. It’s not cathartic; sometimes the end of a relationship is just a fizzle, doesn’t even make it to a fullburn. It might be unsatisfying, but it happens every day. It’s not always a pivotal point; sometimes it’s just a point.

Taehyung stares at the object in his palm. “That’s it?” he asks in disbelief. “We’re breaking up?”

“What else is there to do?”

“You’re not even gonna ask me anything? Who she was, how it started, how long it’s been going on?”

The other morning, Sohee had asked you to elaborate after you told her what happened, but there was just not that much to tell. You were there. He brought someone else home. End of story.

It was enough for Sohee to call him every name in the book and curse his entire bloodline though.

You suppose that’s a reasonable reaction. Taehyung cheated. You never thought he was a person capable of doing that. Three years of your life, down the drain. There’s nothing left to save.

“Okay,” you shrug tiredly, like you’re just having a casual and dull conversation about the weather. “Who was she? How did it start? How long has it been going on?”

Your name comes out of his mouth, sounding like a scoff. “Ask it like you mean it.”

“But I don’t mean it,” you say. “What difference does it make? Knowing doesn’t change the fact that you still cheated on me. You know what I’ve been through and you still fucked it up. You did the worst thing you could ever do to me.”

“Fuck, I know that!” he groans, throwing his hands up. “I messed up badly, and I’m sorry. Y/N, I’m so fucking sorry. I will never deny that what I did wasn’t wrong. But have you ever stopped to think that maybe you’re to blame for this too? You never want to admit that it could be your fault too.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me. I keep having to put up with your baggage.” Then he shuts right up, barely even makes it through the last syllable before he’s squeezing his eyes shut for a second, clearly realizing that out of all the things he could’ve said, that was grossly out of line. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean th-”

And now you’re getting angry for the wrong reasons.

“You cheated but somehow it’s my fault, right?” you snap. “Boohoo. Sorry that you’ve had to put up with me all these years. I’m such a burden, right? Fuck you, Taehyung.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“I think you should leave.”

You think it’s the steel in your voice as you say this that makes him stop arguing. 

He holds your gaze for a moment longer. You’re someone who tears up when you see stray dogs, who cries alongside the fictional characters in your favorite show. And yet, as you watch your own fiance leave…

The door clicks shut as he exits your life, but everything he said stays behind, clings to your walls and festers like mold.

The second you step onto the floor, everyone grows quiet. Lively chatter turns into hushed whispers. People go back to making their morning coffee, side-eyeing each other in a way that’s not meant to be very subtle.

You quietly make your way to your desk, all the while feeling the nosy pairs of eyes on you as you walk. You don’t know how word got out, but you were sure that everyone would know eventually. You just didn’t expect it’d be this soon. Sohee would never do that to you, and you highly doubt that Taehyung would go around broadcasting his infidelity. 

As you set your stuff down, you make eye contact with the new intern who sits a few spots away from you. You haven’t had the chance to talk to her much, but she’s a nice girl. She gives you a small smile in greeting, and even though you know she doesn’t mean to pity you, you can still see it in her eyes.

A minute later, Sohee comes up to you. “Hey, babe,” she says, leaning on your desk with two plastic cups in her hands. One iced latte and one mango smoothie. She puts the yellow-colored beverage down and nudges it toward you, a little lackluster and unlike her usual playful self.

“Thanks,” you say, taking the smoothie with a smile, commenting, “Interesting morning so far. Never thought I’d ever be the subject of office gossip.”

“Yeah, about that. Do you know who was Taehyung’s… uhm… y’know?”

It’s okay. She can say it. You can handle it.

You already feel nothing, and there’s nothing you can even do to rectify it. Might as well lean into it, right?

Or maybe you should just go to therapy.

“No,” you tell her. “I didn’t want to know.”

“Well, uhm, now that the whole office knows, I think you should hear this from me first…” Sohee bites her bottom lip as she gauges your reaction. When you only sigh and give her the go-ahead, she continues, “It was Yura from Marketing.”

“What?”

“Yura from Marketing. You know the one. Brought muffins for the whole office on her first day? A little too bubbly for my taste. But yeah, she was at work the other day and suddenly burst into tears at, like, 10AM, and that’s how everybody found out.”

Of course. Even though people here are surrounded by celebrity gossip on the daily, nothing beats the good old-fashioned office affair. Why bother with celebrity gossip when you have front row seats to live drama unfolding ten feet away?

You take a sip of your smoothie, swallowing down the inkling of irritation that tickles the back of your throat. “Well,” you say, “I’m glad the downfall of my relationship is like a circus animal for them to gawk at. Can’t wait until they move onto the next big thing.”

“Honestly, it might blow over sooner than you think. The Love Doctor is back today.”

“What?” Your ears perk up at the mention of his name, glancing up at her in surprise as you put your drink down. “Doesn’t he work at the Paris office?”

“He used to work here. We joined around the same time. Then he transferred to Paris a few years ago. Nobody even knows why. One day he just upped and left.”

“Why didn’t you tell me he’d be here? I didn’t have time t-”

“Calm down, sweetcheeks, I only just found out,” Sohee chuckles, holding a finger against your mouth to shush you. “We all know you used to have a major lady boner for him.”

“I do not.” You don’t even know what he looks like, just his name when it appears in the byline of an article. “I admire him.”

Which is true, you do admire him. He’s your own version of a freaking rockstar. Though, you have to admit that Love Doctor is a huge cliche of a nickname, and significantly reduces the scope of his brilliance. The way that man writes makes it seem like he’s experienced lifetimes and is now here to pass on his wisdom. 

He doesn’t feel like a mere magazine writer like yourself. There’s something in his words that turns you inside out, makes you experience things that you’ve never even gone through. He flows like poetry, and leaves you stunned every time.

Okay, maybe you do have a lady boner, but for his brain.

Which… is probably something you should never say out loud.

Someone walks in then, a man you’ve never seen before. He looks around your age, if not a couple of years older. He bypasses all of the other desks without saying anything, not a single Hi or Good morning. He doesn’t look like the type to speak if not spoken to.

Then he walks over to where you and Sohee sit, and sets his bag on the empty desk next to yours.

You look at Sohee, and she just shrugs.

It can’t be him. Surely, it’s not…?

“Min Yoongi,” she says in greeting.

Oh, it is.

He spares her a nod before he looks away again. “Sohee.”

Is that the Parisian way? Is that how people normally greet someone they haven’t seen in years? Sohee and him were only colleagues, but still, the least you could do is pretend.

You’re not one to judge a book by its cover, but c’mon, seriously? Were you wrong for expecting the person who writes about love in its most raw and beautiful form to look… not like Grumpy Cat personified? It makes you even more fucking intimidated. And he’s going to be sitting next to you? The fuck?

As he sits down, you blink, still a bit dazed, not sure how to process this. Sohee gently pushes you forward, which makes you nearly stumble right into him. You turn to her with a glare, but she just motions to him, mouthing ‘Go on.’

You clear your throat, wiping your hand on your pants before you hold it out. “Hi, I’m Y/N. It’s so nice to finally meet you,” you say, trying to sound as professional as you can. “I’m really looking forward to working with you.”

He glances at you, and reaches out to meet your outstretched hand in a barely-there handshake. “Yoongi.”

— all rights reserved © jeonqkooks. reposting, translating and/or modifying is not permitted by any means. [posted 07.05.2023]

[frootiest-loopdee-doo]

Working on a fun cool FOP New Wish au ask blog! Lots of horror and fun silly stuff. There are two sides to the plot, A & B.

A plot is Peri, Dev and somehow Dale is here.

B plot is Hazel, Cosmo and Wanda.

This AU/Ask blog is going to be hosted on a separate blog, and have a recommended 16+ rating for dark horror content, slight suggestive content (With adult characters and no NSFW/Explicit content tho I promise!), triggering content and I’ll add warnings when needed. Any posts with darker content will have a warning banner and cut so that no one on the character tags sees it by accident. To be honest, my target audience is other adult horror likers who grew up with kid’s show inspired horror like in the MLP, Steven universe, Invader Zim fandoms etc- but I made it 16+ bc i think 18+ would imply this is something that this definitely isn’t.

Think darker 2019-2020 Steven Universe ask blogs kinda when it comes to what kind of content to expect. I��m not gonna hold back too much!

You can ask either Hazel, Cosmo, Dev or Peri questions, and if it’s a question directed at someone else they can relay that question to that character.

For example, you can ask Dev a question meant for Dale and he’ll answer it, or you could ask Hazel a question for Wanda and she could ask Wanda for an answer. You can ask questions directly targeted at any character, but Hazel, Cosmo, Dev and Peri will deliver your questions basically.

Hazel, Cosmo and Wanda, the B plot, are answering questions while trying to understand the consequences of [EVENT] and figuring out how this effects their magic.

Hazel got caught up in the same mess that Dale and Dev did, but didn’t get snatched up by Peri as she’s

A:Not his godkid and

B: Cosmo and Wanda protected her and got her to safety- though a little bit late (not as late as Dev tho- sob).

However, Hazel’s proximity to the [REDACTED] hasn’t left her without unusual symptoms. She just didn’t [REDACTED] like Dev. She’s definitely more in control on her end of the plot, unlike Dev and Dale who are pretty much following whatever Peri does at the moment.

Dale is literally only here because he was injured and dying and Dev freaked out so Peri just grabbed him. Lucky Dale? Maybe not. Peri is a little evil here, not really a villain- but definitely darker Peri here!

Anyways, back on earth, Hazel, Cosmo & Wanda have to navigate the effects of what happened after the battle. I’m being vague bc this all gets revealed through the ask blog and I don’t want to spoil anything before a I drop the plot.

Now here’s a little request for help, I’m watching some FOP lore vids and watching seasons 1 & 2 of FOP completely to refresh my memory, but I don’t have time to re-watch the series. If you know any good sources for FOP lore, and maybe something with a list of all the most important episodes to watch please let me know. I want this to line up with previous lore as much as possible, so I’m not dropping the AU until I’m confident that it’s pretty consistent!!!

Any help is appreciated!!!!

[vechter]

thoughts on girldad dick grayson? god it holds such a special place in my heart i could talk about it for agess! also i think dick wanting to start a family eventually but his life always being too "unstable" is really interesting. dc had SO MANY opportunities to give this man a daughter but its only canon in elseworlds! i dont wanna take away from roys whole shtick but dick having daughters would be such a fun direction to go in if its written while. like he would definitely mess up and have a lot of problems but he would love with his whole heart. a fic ive always wanted to read is a different ending with sophia or even dick getting to keep the grayson desert baby and raising it like ahhh chewing on my nails.

also any headcanons on dick + rose + sophia or dick and olivia desmond or the grayson desert baby? BASICALLY ANY HCS OF DICK WITH A DAUGHTER(S) AAA.

ur gonna wanna kill me for this but in most of my imaginings before n52, a biological daughter is not in the cards for dick. one of my fav headcanons for dick is long-term consequences of being at ground zero during chemo (briefly talk about this here). so, a possible consequence for that is sterility. i need him to have crazy feelings about being the last flying grayson.

but to answer your question properly, i think dick adopting a girl could be soooo interesting if done by someone other than taylor (olivia desmond who). just look at how hard his dynamic goes with sophia tevis.

if we veer into headcanon territory for this:

one of my fav ideas would be dick keeping in touch with sophia after blüdhaven got nuked (briefly talk about this here). possibly during the one year later arc... maybe he takes sophia to new york with him (instead of his no stakes arc of being on yachts with tim & bruce lol). he doesn't send her to boarding school immediately and instead, they spend time trying to recover from the shit-show their lives have been recently.

oooh, maybe a rlly fun arc where sophia gets past her hero worship/crush and properly considers dick's role in what happened to her family... which wars with how much she knows he cares about her (how he visited her at the halfway house, how he saved her from chemo, how he made sure she healed from the radiation). shared grief over how their fathers loved them but often failed them.

you can have some great rose stuff here too. instead of joining the teen titans, she follows dick to new york and ends up becoming a regular presence in his shitty little apartment where she bullies dick about how he lives. she gets to know sophia and comes to care for her. maybe a kidnapping plot where she's the one who saves sophia from some mobsters who didn't get the tevis family memo.

a lot of bullying from the og titans (esp donna and roy who are also in new york) about dick essentially parenting two teenage girls. at dick's insistence, rose hesitantly reaches out to people she sort of let down during her evil era but only after she pulls an uno reverse on dick saying she'll only do it if he does it. she mocks him a lot by calling him 'renegade'. it never fails to make sophia laugh who calls him 'crutches' occasionally too.

sophia eventually joins a public high school in new york. dick and rose make rlly embarrassing banners for her graduation only for sophia to mock them saying wow look at how much you care... aren't you embarrassed?

also, i love the desert baby arc soooo much but i think the weight of dick saving this little girl + all the costs he bore to make that happen... is much more impactful if he never meets her again. maybe he does occasionally check up on how she's doing (is she loved? is she safe?) but only from a distance. the people who adopt her often get random tidbits of information about raising a meta-human and the family collectively refers to dick as their guardian angel.

i would be remiss if i didn't mention mar'i grayson bc she had me hooked with just that cameo in titans '99.

ur right anon... dick should be a girldad.