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sweetsaladpainterranch · 1 month ago

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An Indecent Proposal

***

You had shown up to the Hazbin Hotel as a party of two, having been 2 months pregnant when you were killed. You resembled most of your human features except for a pair of tall velvet ears and a small tail that has a mind of its own. You were a deer demon which made you constantly cautious about everything and anyone that happened to cross your path. Especially so now as you knew that both the freakin Princess of Hell and The Radio Demon resided at this hotel, but you had seen the tv interview a few weeks before and it made you think that maybe she was different. Having only been in Hell about a month beforehand, your constant nausea had kept you from even attempting to brave the outside of the tiny box apartment you lucked into.

Thus, here you were, knocking on the giant ornate front door and listening to the incoming stampede, you nearly backtracked down the entrance steps. However, before you could decide to bolt, a blonde whirlwind swept you inside and into the bright lobby harboring a circle of demons already. Once the introductions had been made, you took off the large overcoat you had been wearing and were met by shocked expressions.

"Oh", you tried to explain, "yeah, apparently when you're pregnant in Hell you get terrible cold flashes. Ironic right?" Also, you needed to conceal your condition from any freak who might see you as a two-for-one meal.

The only response you received was the continued open-mouthed and wide-eyed looks from your new house (hotel?) mates until Charlie finally piped up.

"It's already so late. Why don't we take care of the tour and paperwork tomorrow so if you follow-"

"How in the underworld did a sinner get pregnant??!", Angel practically knocked Charlie over as he burst towards you in a frenzy of questions about your pregnancy and recent death. It was pretty obvious after your fall into Hell that reproducing only worked for Hellborn kind. (Usually).

You sat heavily on one of the lobby couches and rubbed your aching, swollen feet as you began your backstory.

Your previous life wasn't as exciting as being a slick thief or an edgy serial killer but you enjoyed your job as a maid for a beautiful estate in the countryside of Savannah, Georgia. At least until you caught the eye of the mansion's owner and were immediately (threatened) convinced to become his side chick for the next few months while the lady of the house was away in Atlanta. As if that wasn't enough of a stereotype, a maid doing her flipping boss, you were soon knocked up and surprise surprise no one was particularly excited.

"You naughty pixie!", Angel interrupted, "My kind of girl." He smiled widely at you with a wink but Vaggie slapped him on the back of the head and encouraged you to continue.

You explained that your boss was highly expectant of abortion, but you were not going to give up the only piece of blood-related family you'd ever known. However, when you said as much as your boss' wife strode into the conversation and (guilted) invited you on a walk through the nearby willow grove. Oh boy...you had a terrible feeling but it was the 21st century, so the worst that was coming was a few insults about your promiscuity and being fired.

Turns out your gut was on point. Not even a mile into the woods you heard a pistol's slide snap back and you only had time to catch the sneer on that bitch's face before you took off. But you were never good with coordination so you fell almost immediately. Dammit! Luckily, the rich mess also had on incredibly inappropriate heels for hiking through the countryside. Which came in handy when she stood over you and began to, honest to Lucifer, monologue and you took the chance to kick her right in the old southern starfish. She fell and tripped herself, right over the side of the tall hill she had lured you to. What wasn't so lucky was that she still had that fucking gun, which decided to go off right when she whacked her head on a tree. You were shot through the heart (yes like the stupid song) and spent your last moments clutching your belly and sobbing how sorry you were that you couldn't protect your baby.

***

The room was silent for a long moment as the gang mirrored each other's teary gazes and only then did you notice a slight and growing, static feeling in the air. After a while, Charlie spoke through her sniffles, "YOU POOR THING!! Vaggie Quick!" (Sob Sob) "We gotta give her the most comfy room we have!" Nodding, Vaggie scrambled for your suitcase and Husk for your bag while everyone else practically tried to crowd-surf you up the stairs while continuing to cry and whimper soothing affirmations.

However, the sudden elevation and excitement triggered your nausea, which forced you to begin looking around for a bathroom while gently prying the guiding hands off of you. God, can someone turn down that radio? The static is becoming irritating. They didn't seem to catch your ears pin back in discomfort or the flush traveling up your neck and you began to fold in on yourself reflexively as the urge to puke became overwhelming.

Fuck! You're about to vomit in front of strangers. How embarrassing.

But before your knees hit the tile of the lobby, you were swallowed by darkness(?) and found yourself in a large, red bathroom on a very plush bathmat. And then the nausea demanded your attention once more and you fully lost your stomach contents into the, blessedly, close toilet. After a moment you needed time to catch your breath and collect yourself before figuring out just where the Hell you were. Suddenly a large hand landed on your back and very gently smoothed out the wrinkles in your sweater as static once again tickled your senses.

Your protective deer instincts kicked in immediately and you tried to spring to your feet but, instead, wobbled over and nearly face-planted into the sink.

"Easy there, darling.", a static yet gentle, male voice cautioned as you were steadied against its owner and took notice of an earthy scent wafting from him.

You jerked your head up as your ears pinned back on instinct and nearly fainted on the spot at the realization that you were so close to the one and only Radio Demon. Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck!

He was wearing a wide smile and a red suit (almost as sharp as his smile) that matched the red of his hair and watchful eyes. The same large hand rose to try and cup your cheek but froze when you let out a small panicked bleat. He seemed to take a hint and stepped away from you before pointing towards the open door behind you, which you backed your way towards.

You were nearly out when you felt the familiar cramping sensation within your stomach and lost your footing once again. And just like the last time, the red demon caught you easily and the princess carried you out into what looked like a large study. More of his earthy musk caught your attention as he carefully placed you onto a plush chair in front of the fireplace. Relaxation began to take the place of the fear you felt in the wake of his smell and the warm seat. "Who are you?", you finally asked.

He smiled a bit more naturally and answered as he took the chair next to yours, "Alastor, my dear! It's quite a pleasure to meet a fellow deer demon and a lovely doe at that!".

He offered you a cup of tea, "To settle your stomach, darling.", and you wondered if this was really the big bad Radio Demon. He chuckled at the blush crossing your face and continued, "Forgive my sudden actions but I felt that you were becoming a bit overwhelmed by my compatriots and brought you somewhere quieter."

He gestured around the homey room with pride, "I don't usually allow others here but I have a special place in my heart for a doe in distress." He placed a hand on your knees and you leaned further forward to capture more of his relaxing scent. If you could make a candle out of it you definitely would. His eyebrow arched upward knowingly at your small smile to yourself and he withdrew his hand.

"I quite enjoy your scent as well, dear. Though I wonder if it'll change once you have your fawn."

The mention of your baby sobered you up from the haze, "Why? I've never been so relaxed by anyone's smell before. Yours is almost like taking a sleeping pill and I don't understand why I'm suddenly so affected by yours."

Alastor chuckled a bit before answering, "It's pure instinct, my dear. There aren't many deer demons in Hell so I'm not surprised if I'm probably the first you've come across. As an expecting doe, your body and mind crave a male for both protection and to relieve certain complications during pregnancy.", his voice dipped into a low volume at his last remark, "I'm also assuming that you came here to seek refuge for a safe birth,.but I wouldn't be shocked if your instincts told you to come find me as well."

"I- wait what?? No, I saw Charlie's commercial and thought it'd be safe here."

"Safe?", Alastor laughed darkly, "Everyone knows that this is my territory and my presence alone nearly made you faint. Yet you say you came here, to the very home of the Radio Demon, because you thought it'd be safe?"

"Well, I had heard that you'd be here but-", you stuttered to a halt in your thoughts as another wave of irritating cramps crept through your abdomen. You wished he would lean closer so his scent could relax you again.

"Not to worry, my darling. I surmise that the doe within you drove you to seek out a strong buck to finally relax enough to begin nesting in safety. The protective environment of the hotel is merely an additional bonus." He laughed again as he took your hand in his and you could once again bathe in the smell of fresh nature.

You sat back once the cramps, which were suddenly coming on in closer increments, began to subside and you thought about his theory. You had only possessed animalistic qualities for a few months but you were certain that you weren't under such strong inner control from them. Another cramp spread over your stomach and you let out a frustrated huff that received an amused chuckle from Alastor.

"Do you know why I'm having these weird cramps?", you asked dryly because his smug face said he was waiting for you to ask.

"Indeed I do!", he smiled, "You see now that you have found a buck, your body can begin to calm down and focus on the child instead of stressing about its environment." He placed a hand on his puffed-out chest like a knight in shining armor.

"Okay and?"

"A deer's gestational period is only about 7 months, which means that your body needs to expand more rapidly than a human's would. So, those small pains are simply your womb growing but they will even put as long as you are around me."

"How do you know this? There are not exactly any OBGYN offices down here." You should know since you had hoofed it all over Pentagram City to check in on your baby.

"I've been around deer since my early days above ground, though you are certainly the first pregnant sinner demon I've ever encountered. Very unusual."

"So I've gathered.", you answer. Still holding your lower stomach, which was just big enough to make your pregnancy known. "You said that a male deer could help with complications during pregnancy? Does that include these growing pains because they're getting worse."

Alastor once again withdrew himself slightly from you with a static-filled, heavy sigh and looked towards the green flames of the fireplace. His grin tightened and his grip on the chair's armrests made the wood groan as he seemed to need a moment to collect his thoughts.

You waited as your anxiety began to grow once more, which seemed to draw his attention because he turned to you with a soft gaze. "Yes, I can help with them.", he said slowly as if this conversation pained him, "but in a natural sort of way. Not with pills or any useless confection like that." He had gotten up pace in front of the fire while he continued, "Even without that coat, I could smell a mate-less, pregnant female immediately and I'm sure you could notice me as well because cervids can connect more easily through the senses."

He swallowed loudly, clearly uncomfortable.

"Alastor?", you asked hesitantly, "What are you trying to say?" He stopped in front of you suddenly and stared straight into your face, "Just like a relaxing hormone is released within a doe when she smells a strong buck; another stronger hormone is released when the male gives her an orgasm."

The room went silent and you were suddenly aware of a dull ache within your body that has been growing since you met Alastor. You were pretty sure that your whole face was as red as a cherry tomato and you looked away. Neither of you spoke for a while and you both looked away from each other in the uncomfortable silence. Until another more harsh cramp racked through you and you let out a small sigh at the discomfort which made Alastor step towards you with a clear of his throat.

"Listen dear, I have no plans of forcing myself onto you but unless you leave my vicinity, your body will continue to react to my presence here as it acclimates itself.", he knelt in front of you and moved your face to look at him, "If I'm honest, I'm not usually willing with such things but it seems that I cannot escape the reaction my body is having to yours either." Your breath caught in your chest and your blush was now definitely spreading down your body. His touch was nearly electric and his voice was so soothing that you couldn't believe you were ever afraid of this man.

But you needed clarification, "What exactly are you offering?"

"I heard your story downstairs from the shadows and I promise to find that bastard and make him a guest on my radio show. Though, I know of an influential man taking advantage of a young woman and, then, casting her away when the consequences come calling." Alastor spoke with such intensity that you were taken aback and wondered who important to him was done as you had been. "I can also respect the strength of a mother who fought for her child till her last breath despite the odds.", he genuinely smiled again as he seemed lost in thought for a moment.

***

Alastor hadn't lied when he said that he had smelled you as soon as you entered the hotel and he was almost pulled towards your sweet, airy scent. As he listened to your pitiful story from his shadow behind your chair, he quickly noticed that you also expelled a flowery yet slightly acidic smell as well. His entire body tensed with a flair of static as his instincts told him that was an unborn fawn he was smelling. He immediately sent his shadow to retrieve you once he saw that you were overwhelmed by the excitement of the others.

You were so small, your belly barely showing, as you tried (and failed) to get away from him in your panic. When you let out such an adorable little bleat of fear, he thought he'd propose there and then. Propose?! The thought nearly knocked him off his feet as he poured you a cup of tea as an excuse to sit down. Well, he supposed that it was a reasonable reaction since he didn't perceive another's scent marking on you and you're body was clearly tightly stressed from the lack of a mate's aid.

And fuck, your sweetly acidic aroma was beginning to become overwhelming as his throat started to tighten and a weight settled on his lower abdomen. He doesn't remember the last time he had gotten so worked up over a female. How long has it been since he's seen a doe demon in Hell? Maybe 2 decades? The cramps would only increase and become more aggressive if something wasn't done. He remembered, from his life, pregnant does roaming that starved to death because their mates had been killed and they couldn't fend for themselves during their growing pains.

And you reminded him so much of his dear mother. She, too, had been caught in the web of a rich pervert and left to fend for herself and her unborn son, but she also resolved to make it on her own. With her own truly humbling strength and determination that he saw echos of in your eyes.

Yes, you were lovely and he wasn't going to let you face this alone, though he was sure you could. And it wouldn't be so bad to have a woman's touch around his life.

***

"Alastor?", you called his name again and his ears perked up before his eyes returned to yours.

He took in a long breathe and began, "I'm trying to make a proposal, darling. Become my mate and in turn, I will see to it that you and your fawn have everything that you could ever want.", he materialized a black ring with a beautiful red stone laid within it and red antlers sprouted over the ring's circumference.

You were absolutely dumbfounded. You had just met this man, yet he wanted to be mates like that? "W-what?! What are you saying, Alastor? You would mate with an already pregnant woman and raise another man's baby? Why?!" You couldn't get your mind wrapped around the proposal at all. That's just not what your experience with men lined up with, no.

Alastor still had on his bright smile and continued to hold out his ring that would seal the deal, "My dear, you have no idea how you have affected me in just the small amount of time you've been here. You are strong and magnificent.", he cupped your face with his free hand, "and I will admit that I don't usually find myself having such feelings for anyone but it would be the mistake of both my lifetimes if I did not see that you are both mine."

***

I had the idea of how a pregnant doe would respond to Alastor a while ago and wanted to feel it out so when better to do that than when stuck in bed, sick from covid lol

I'm on pretty heavy cold medicine so if it doesn't read well we can blame the meds lol 😆

#hazbin hotel #alastor the radio demon #hazbin alastor #alastor x reader

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epicbuddieficrecs · 2 months ago

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Weekly Recap | January 20th-26th 2025

On time this week, woohoo! And less thsan 40 days until season 8B !!

Special mention to all of @tizniz's drabbles that I've been reblogging, which you can find on her tumblr or on ao3 at E & E: A Buddie Drabble Collection !

Let me know if I'm missing a tag for someone!

Complete

home is where you've called my name by atlasblue85/ @atlasblue85 (Post-S8E8: Wannabes | 3K | General): Buck plays a game with himself. It goes something like this: for every house Eddie outright rejects, he adds an item to his list of why Eddie shouldn't move to El Paso. He doesn't know what the threshold is, that magic number that will make him finally speak up and express his thoughts to Eddie, but until he finds it, this is how he's coping. They're up to nine so far. Nine perfectly good houses, nine reasons Eddie shouldn't go.

you're a dog (i'm your man) by withmeornotatall / @chronicowboy (Dog Shelter AU | 3K | General): "Hey." He turns around, leans against the doorframe, tries to look casual. "Maybe, only if you're free of course, you could come round and let Chris pick out a band aid for you tonight. Don't want you bleeding out before you can get your Spider-Man band aid." Buck lights up like the fucking sun. Oh no. Eddie has one rule: never take a dog home. But he thinks Buck might be worth the risk. (OR: eddie is a dog trainer with patience, buck is a shelter worker with more bark than bite)

🔥 My Mouth Don't Move When I'm In Too Deep by taegyungie (PWP, Semi-Public Sex | 7K | Explicit): But here’s the thing: Eddie’s taken giant mouthfuls of life and chewed every last one of them up. He’s taken enough, he’s still taking enough - he doesn’t want to be the one to ask for it. All he can do is offer himself up, over and over, and hope that Buck will finally get the hint and dig his claws into what’s been his from the very start.

🔥 Five Years by aubrey_writes (Blip AU | 8K | Mature): Buck gets blipped. Eddie's left behind. A love story told through what Eddie did in his absence.

Liminal Space by ameliahart (NDE, Getting Together | 8K | Teen): Eddie Diaz dies on a sunny afternoon in January. It seems fitting, he thinks, that it should happen like this: trapped beneath three floors of a collapsed apartment building, a piece of rebar through his right lung, and his eyes on the love of his life. Because of course Buck is here with him, watching horrified as Eddie’s love and life bleed out around him.

Buck, Bedbugged and Bewildered by writedontfight (Post-S8A AU | 8K | Explicit): Buck gets bedbugs, so he's staying at Eddie's until they're gone.

🔥 everything you need (put all you need in me) by jaekyu (PWP, FWB | 9K | Explicit): Eddie imagines it. The faux-domesticity of grocery shopping with his best friend and full-time fuckbuddy, filled up with come like a jam donut or something. It would be kind of ironic. It would be definitely, wholeheartedly, totally erotic.

My boy only breaks his favorite toys by paleredheadinascifi (Amnesia, Post-S8A | 10K | Teen): Eddie wakes up five years in the future. It turns out five years is all it takes to ruin a friendship and run your life into the ground. Or, Eddie gets hurt and his apparently now ex-best friend Buck hops on a plane to El Paso. They figure out what the fuck happened together.

🔥 Firelight by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Post-S7, Monster Eddie, HOH Buck | 61K | Explicit): When, in the worst of missing Christopher, Eddie suddenly finds himself having literally turned into a monster, Buck - who is also dealing with a newfound hearing loss diagnosis - is willing to do anything to protect him. Even from himself. OR: Eddie is a creature from Swedish folklore, feat. HOH!Buck

WIP

Kiss Me Once Cause You Know I Had A Long Night by I_still_dont_understand_13 / @sherlockcrossing (Prompt collection | 35/? | 23K | Teen): 100 kiss prompts.

35. 44. A goodbye kiss, but neither of you can quite let go

🔥 An Angry Blade by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Post-8x05: Masks, Cursed Buck | 1/6 | 8K | Mature): Buck finds out that the curse of Billy Boils is VERY real, and far more complicated and dangerous than he could have expected.

🔥 Gentle On My Mind by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Shannon Lives, Buck/Eddie/Shannon | 12/? | 76K | Explicit): In which Shannon lives, tells a lie, and sends hers, Eddie's, and Buck's lives down a very different path.

🔥 Doe & a Drop of Golden Sun by ohstars/ @oh-stars (Canon Divergent, Dad Buck | 8/? | 37K | Teen): Buck doesn't mean to keep secrets from everyone, but he also can't talk about the pain he experiences on a day to day basis. With his nine-year-old living across the country and his custody limited to one monthly visit, Buck doesn't know how to share this part of himself. How does he tell his team of six years that he's had a kid this whole time? How does he tell his sister? How does he tell his Edd-- best friend? It's fine. The universe isn't going to give him a choice in the matter when the worst thing imaginable becomes his reality.

Podfic

Sunlight is Fire (Burning is a Matter of Degrees) by Favourite_alias // fic by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Incubbi Buck, FWB | 1-1.5h | Explicit): In the wake of Buck's leg injury, Eddie learns that his friend needs some unusual methods to help him recover. Eddie's willing to do whatever it takes to help Buck, and it's not like this could make his quiet pining any worse, right?

Bed Sharing Concerto in Monsterfucking No. 3 by Favourite_alias // fic by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Werewolf Eddie, Human Buck, Only One Bed | 10-20min | Explicit): Buck has the worst fucking luck. His only consolation here is that Eddie’s with him, so at least he’s not alone in a cabin with no Wifi, no central heat, no cell service, and no proper winter gear. The water works, the pipes haven’t frozen (yet) so at least he can get briefly clean. He’s so focused on scrubbing the day away that it’s not until he gets out and heads into the bedroom that he realizes— There’s only one bed.

A Chorus of Howls by Favourite_alias // fic by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Werewolves, PWP | 10-20min | Explicit): Buck is running through the woods. He’s on two feet, four, two again, dodging around trees, kicking up dirt, leaping and landing hard. Behind him, sometimes, he thinks he can hear another set of feet—a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, black on black, shadow on shadow— There. There. He can smell his pursuer’s blood and he runs faster, fast as he can. He’s not going to lose. His blood is up and running and so is he.

Duet for Two Monsters by Favourite_alias // fic by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Werewolf Eddie, Succubus Buck | 20-30min | Explicit): Buck’s been meaning to tell Eddie for a while, now. Especially now that they’re both single again. He needs to tell Eddie, because he’s pretty sure—he thinks he’s sure—that Eddie loves him back. And he won’t be intimate with Eddie without telling him. Of course, it’s a bit hard to start that conversation, on a logistical level. Hey so I have horns and a tail and feed off people’s orgasms, fun, right?

🔥 [Podfic] Buddie, It's Cold Outside by diazaster287 // fic by terranobis (Christmas, Hallmark AU | 1-1.5h | Not Rated): Big City businessman Evan Buckley travels to a small town Christmas Village in an attempt to save his personal and professional life, but when he meets the local father Eddie Diaz, he finds that he just might get the greatest present he could ever ask for.

#epic buddie fic rec #buddie #buddie fic #buddie fic rec #buddie fanfic #buddie fanfiction

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pixeltwix · 4 months ago

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Life After Divorce for Emma May

For awhile now I’ve struggled to figure out what job Emma May could’ve taken up after the divorce as for so many reasons this is SUCH a messy topic.

Firstly, do y’all ever think about how the only reason Fiddleford was even going to Gravity Falls in the first place was to secure more money and provide a better financial future for his family (something he’d always dreamt of doing) only to then lose his memories, leaving the family in shambles, and ultimately leaving them in a worse financial situation with Em as a single mom?? Cause I think about this ALL the time-

To me it only makes sense that Fiddleford would marry someone just as lovely and sweet as him, but also someone who is tough enough for both of them. Let’s all nod our heads and agree that Fiddleford is a pushover and a major people pleaser. Most of his kindness to Ford is him outwardly wanting validation from an old friend he admirers because otherwise he feels useless and unintelligent. Ie Fidds whole, ‘I’m the builder, if I’m not building something than I’m useless’. So when he becomes too exhausted to build and Ford grows frustrated with this he tries to make up for it with gifts etc :,). That paired with some chronic anxiety is a recipe for a man who needs someone who can understand that and is willing to help him- his wife. mutually patient and kind as he, is happy to be that for him.

Regardless as far as her career goes, smart as she is, I don’t see her as book smart? Rather people smart? Emma May knows how to talk someone up, knows how to make a deal, knows how to defuse a situation, and could probably sell someone their own shirt off their back. Perhaps that could stem from the cult background I explain here and here, but regardless she’s witty in conversation and great at pretending she’s an expert on something she’s never heard of.

Naturally I thought sales would be a good place to put her, maybe rise the ladder that way? One of those late night tv marketers? But it didn’t feel like enough? The 80’s were a prime time for women to put themselves into the workplace, incredibly toxic as the environment was for them it didn’t stop women from being excited to be there. Ironically it’s the perfect time to divorce? Even if she didn’t want to, after the giant homicidal pterodactyl robot it sort of felt like a, ‘even if I still love my husband, if I value me and my sons life, I have to do this’ sort of thing

After taking that into consideration I thought ‘honestly bigger is better’ so I brainstormed harder to figure it out. And after a few lengthy rabbit holes I believe I figured it out. While Fiddleford acts as sort of the Bill Gates of the Gravity Falls universe I thought ‘who’s someone else deeply recognizable in Americas pop culture, but tv related?’ And then it hit me, ‘oh my god what if Emma May acts as the Oprah of the Gravity Falls universe? The Emma Dixon Show?’ (In the sense of a beloved tv personality that unexpectedly rose to great fame in the mid 1980s) The-match up felt perfect enough and a mid 80s timeframe feels realistic too as it gives her those three years to struggle and figure something out to provide for her son.

But also hi hello, I needed Emma May to peruse some sense of tv fame for the sake of her last name becoming a synonymous one. Considering I have no idea where miss Emmaline Butternubbins wound up after the fall of Billville (or hell if she’s even alive some twenty odd years later) but I love the idea of Emmaline recognizing the name ‘Dixon’, seeing the similarities on tv between Emma May and what she remembers of young Madeline, and wanting to reach out. Mainly out of fear that Ciphertology is rising again and she wants to talk some sense into her, sure, but once they meet or get in contact and Em couldn’t be further from that?? She’s relieved. Plus the two can bond over the absolute madness of the cult (also Emma May gaining a mother figure that isn’t Fiddleford mom? I love Bobbie Jean, but Em needs even more maternal support)

Also also?? I always envisioned Emma May as the type of gal to be super into photography. She just loves taking pictures of memories, people she cares about, and stuff she likes.

So this especially grew once she had Tate, the kid naturally being used to getting his photo taken for scrapbooks, and he loved being photogenic

But once his mom becomes a tv personality he begins to detest the public eye and the cameras of others

Its a hatred he keeps to adulthood especially, having zero tolerance for anyones cameras (other than his moms polaroid camera) pointed towards him

#gravity falls #emma may dixon #fiddleford mcgucket #tate mcgucket #the book of bill #book of bill #gravity falls fandom #gravity falls fanart #gravity falls oc #oc #fanart #young fiddleford #ciphertology #bill cipher #emmaline butternubbins #fiddemma #gravity falls thoughts #gravity falls analysis #ford pines

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vodika-vibes · 7 months ago

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Something Goes Bump In The Night

Summary: Months after you find Fives on Kamino, you and he start looking for answers as to why he's alive.

Pairing: Wraith! ARC Trooper Fives x F! Twi'lek Reader

Word Count: 3659

Prompts: Fixing each other's clothes, "Shut the kriff up and eat your shitty ration bar." and "You make me feel safe." "You really shouldn't"

Warnings: Violence, Fives attacks the reader without meaning to, the word sex is mentioned twice in regards to the reader doing Spoogle (space google) searches, Reader is described as a blue-skinned twi'lek with ear cones.

A/N: So, this story is brought to you by the many, many, many pictures I've seen of Fives with a y-incision. Also, I played around with wraiths a little bit. Because I wanted to.

In the months that Fives has been living on your ship with you, you’ve come to learn a few things about him.

A, he’s something of a perfectionist. You’re much more of a “good enough” type of person, especially when planning jobs, but he gets all bent out of shape if you don’t have a whole plan from infiltration to escape.

Ironically, he doesn’t seem to have a problem with improvising if the plan goes wrong, which is more confusing to you than you’d like to admit.

B, he’s messy. Since he was a soldier, you thought he would be a neat freak. But he’s not. He’s careful about ensuring his mess doesn’t get in your way, but you’ll find his datapads and models strewn around your ship rather than consolidated in a single place.

C, he’s clingy.

Look, your ship is small. Tiny. Built for one person and an astromech, maybe. It’s certainly not built for an adult man who is built like a brick wall and another person (namely yourself).

So you quickly sussed out that you and Fives were going to have to share a bed. It was a little weird, that first night. You’ve never shared a bed with anyone before, after all.

But the following morning you woke up with him curled around you, his arms tight around your waist. Like a giant, clingy blanket. And, despite what you said to him that morning, about him being clingy, you’ve grown to enjoy it.

Your family isn’t really the “touchy” type, and Fives curling around you every night is the closest you’ve had to a hug since you were a child.

Which…is depressing, if you think about it too hard.

So, you don’t.

There are other things you’ve noticed about Fives, things that you make note of in your tablet, but would never mention to him. He has moments of extreme violence, never directed towards you, but towards other people.

He’s fiercely protective of you, to the point of murder.

And he’s afraid.

He’s so, so afraid of finding out what the Kaminoans did to him.

You rest your chin on the palm of your hand and watch Fives move around the kitchenette with an absent sort of interest. He’s always hungry, Fives. Most of your money is spent on making sure there’s enough food on the ship for him.

“You’re staring,” Fives notes as he sits at the bar across from you.

You shrug, unconcerned, “I’m thinking.”

“Oh, is that why I was smelling smoke?” He teases something unnatural and inhuman glittering in his eyes. It should scare you. It should. But this is Fives.

How could you be afraid of Fives?

“You know me,” You joke back, “My brain is just three tookas on a treadmill—”

He grins at you, a lopsided smile that’s actually insanely attractive. It’s really not fair. How dare the Kaminoans choose Jango Fett as a template and not some ugly bounty hunter?

Wait…you’re getting distracted.

It takes you a moment to put your train of thought back on track, “I’m thinking,” You say as you point your ration bar at Fives, “We should hit up Jedha.”

He pauses, his spoon halfway to his mouth, “Why?”

“They have a collection of weird shit. Maybe they know what’s going on with you.”

Fives lowers his spoon back to his bowl and taps the rim of his bowl thoughtfully, “Are you sure you want to steal from Jedha?”

“Steal?” You press your hand to your chest in mock offense, “Fives! I do not steal! I merely…borrow things.”

He points his spoon at you, “And tell me, moonbeam. Have you ever returned anything you’ve borrowed before.”

“I returned your shirt!”

“Yeah. Because we live together. And you kept the sweatshirt.”

“I look amazing in your clothes.”

“You’re a twi’lek, you’d look amazing in a paper bag.”

You point at him, “That is a harmful stereotype.”

“Uh-huh,” He actually takes a bite of his oatmeal, “Remind me, what did you do for a living before you decided to become a thief?”

“I am a recovery expert—”

He raises a single brow and you huff and cross your arms, “I may have, possibly, been an exotic dancer. At a club that only hired twi’leks.”

“Thank you for making my point for me.”

You narrow your eyes at him, “Anyway. I think Jedha will have some of the information we need. Or, if nothing else, they can point us in the right direction.”

“I thought you decided that I’m a zombie.” Fives asks.

“Well, I thought so. But I’ve been doing some research online—”

“Oh boy.”

You glare at him, “I’ve been doing research,” You repeat, “And aside from a, truely concerning, number of people who would be okay with fucking a zombie, I have determined that you can’t be a zombie. Because you’re too smart.”

“Can we rewind to the point where people want to fuck zombies?”

“No. We can’t.”

“Come on, moonbeam,” He grins at you, “What did you see?”

This time, you pout at him, “Shut the kriff up and eat your shitty ration bar.”

“I’m eating oatmeal,” He counters smugly.

You reach across the table to steal his bowl, only for him to smack your hand with his spoon, “Rude!”

“Make your own oatmeal! I’m not sharing.”

“I let you sleep in my bed!”

“Our bed Moonbeam.” He wraps an arm around his bowl protectively, “Anyway, you were saying about Jedha.”

You mournfully eye the ration bar in your hand, and then shove it to the side, “I think you’re a spirit of some kind.”

“I’m solid.”

“I don’t know, Fives. This is why we need help!”

He watches you steadily for a moment, and then shrugs lazily, “Alright. We go to Jedha. You want to go set the heading?”

“Yeah, yeah.” You spin on the chair and hop to your feet to head to the cockpit. Then you pause and step around the bar to wrap your arms around Fives from behind. You rest your chin on his shoulder for a moment, “We’ll figure it out, Fives. I promise.”

You see a small smile out of the corner of your eye, and his hand lightly presses against your cheek. I know. I trust you. You’ll figure this out. His touch seems to say, and you tighten your arms around him for a moment, before you release him.

“Right. Jedha! Hopefully, the Empire hasn’t destroyed it yet. Or, if they did, they didn’t destroy the information.” You mumble to yourself as you leave the room.

Fives scowls as he looks around Jedha. They’re too late.

Nothing is left standing.

He glances at his moonbeam and feels the stirring of rage at the look on her face. She looks crushed.

He swallows the rage with difficulty, there’s no one here to lash out at. There’s no Empire here. No pirates. No Cartels. Just him and his moonbeam. A gentle breeze washes the scent of her over him, and it helps quell his anger enough that he’s able to speak.

“There might still be something left.” He offers.

She turns to look at him, her wide eyes glassy with tears, “How can you say that? There’s nothing left!” She gestures to what was once a bustling city at the foot of the temple. “They…destroyed everything.”

He’s going to kill the Emperor. And all of the Admirals. And probably everyone who’s ever worn an Imperial uniform.

How dare they make her cry.

Fives takes a deep breath and lightly sets his hand on her shoulder, “Don’t give up hope yet. We haven’t actually looked yet, have we?”

She sniffles and wipes her eyes, “Do you really think we’ll find something.”

“Well, if we don’t then all we lost is time.” Fives replies logically. He smiles at her when she turns to look at him, and gently adjusts her headwrap, pulling it down over her earcones.

A tiny smile lifts her lips, and she presses her hands over his, “I suppose there’s no harm in looking.” She murmurs, she scans his face for a moment and then a small furrow appears on her brow, “I upset you. I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head, “Not your fault. I’m controlling it.” One of his hands falls so the backs of his fingers brush her cheek. “I suppose this ruins the plan we made.” He gestures to the ruins.

“Well…makes it moot, I suppose.” She replies as she tears her gaze from his face to scan the former city. “...do you think anyone got out alive?”

“I’m sure they did.” He lightly squeezes her shoulder one more time, “It looks like there’s a path through the ruins, shall we?”

“After you,”

He flashes a small smile and starts down the steps with his moonbeam hot on his heels.

It takes time for them to work their way through the ruins. They have to backtrack several times after stumbling over roadblocks that Fives determines are too unsafe to climb over.

Eventually, they make it to the former temple.

There are several openings and Fives checks all of them, before bringing her to one in the back, “According to the schematics, the archives used to be on this side of the temple.” He explains, “This opening should be the easiest way to get there.”

“Alright. Are you going first or do you want me to?” She asks.

Fives shoots her a look, “When have I ever let you go first?”

“Never, but there’s a first time for everything.” She grins at him, and he shakes his head before he smooths his hand over her head.

“I’ll go first, you can come after me when I tell you it’s safe.”

And that’s exactly what happens, Fives lowers himself down on the rope and makes sure that the area is safe, before shouting up that she can join him.

She descends the rope much faster than him. But then, his moonbeam is a thief, so she knows ropes a little better than he does. Fives makes sure that she’s secure on her feet before he looks around.

The Temple really is little more than a ruin.

Honestly, he doesn’t expect to find anything useful here, but he has to look. If only to keep her from feeling guilty.

“Alright. So the Archives were that way,” Fives nods at a collapsed hallway, “But I think if we go this way we’ll be able to find a way around.”

“Sounds like a plan,” She replies as she steps towards the opening in the wall that Fives indicated.

He stops her with a hand on her chest, “Why don’t I go first, see what I can see. Make sure that there’s actually a way through before we start poking around.”

“I can help, Fives.”

He chuckles and lightly kisses her forehead, “I know you can. But I’d like you to stay here. Maybe make a map?”

She blinks, “Oh! That’s a great idea!”

“I’m full of them.” He counters with a grin.

“You’re full of something, alright.” Fives’ grin widens. The fact that she’s sassing him means she’s slowly getting over seeing the aftermath of the massacre.

Good.

He hates it when she’s sad.

It should be illegal.

Fives waits until she pulls her headset out of her pocket and slips it under her head wrap, and he doesn’t move until he hears the familiar crackle of her comm coming to life in his ear.

“Alright, moonbeam. I’ll call out directions as I move.”

“And I’ll mark them on my tablet.” She finishes with an agreeable nod as she sits on a rock, “Just be careful. Just because nothing has killed you yet, doesn’t mean nothing will.”

“I’ll be careful. I promise.”

An hour later, his moonbeam’s comm crackles to life, “—Who are you?” And Fives’ blood runs cold.

He never considered that someone else might still be in the temple. He never considered it, so he didn’t look.

“Wait, what are you…Hey!” There’s a sharp squealing noise of her comm being destroyed.

And that’s the last thing that Fives remembers.

You try to back away from the men that are slowly circling you.

Try being the keyword here, as there are five of them and only one of you and they have you completely surrounded.

“Who are you?” One of them, the leader most likely, demands as he aims his blaster at you.

“Who are you?” You counter, pulling bravery from…somewhere.

“I asked you first.”

“I was here first.”

“Do you always talk back to people pointing blasters at you?” Another man asks.

“Yeah, Pretty much.” You swallow hard. Fives is coming. You know it. Maybe if you get these men to leave you won’t have to witness the massacre that is Fives lost in a rage. “You should probably go.”

“Is that right?” One of the men, holding a snipe rifle (which seems excessive to you) asks sarcastically.

“My partner—”

“So you are not alone.”

Fuck.

Kriff.

“It’s fine.” The last man says, “We still outnumber them.”

“True.” The first man stares at you through his helmet, “Wrecker, tie her up.”

“Got it, Hunter.”

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Wrecker? Hunter? Those are clone names.

That or really bad call signs.

“...you’re clones?” You yelp as you take a step back.

The men pause, and then helmets come off and they move so that you can see them properly.

“We might be clones,” One of the men, paler than the others with cybernetics on his head, says coldly, “But you’re a graverobber.”

You ignore his words, staring instead at the handprint on his chest plate. “You’re Echo.” You say numbly.

He falters, “How can you possibly know that?”

“Oh Force, you’re Echo.” You whisper. “You! You have to put the weapons down! You have to!”

“Why should we do that?”

“Fives is going to kill you.” You say bluntly. Matter of factly.

Echo’s face twists, “My brother is dead.”

“Yeah, he got better.” He doesn’t believe you, and slowly you take a step away from him when you hear, what sounds like, wailing. Goosebumps rise on your skin, and your lekku twist in discomfort. They can’t hear him.

They won’t hear him until it’s too late.

And Fives—

Dear Fives. Sweet Fives. Kind Fives.

He’ll never forgive himself if he kills his brothers.

And so, when the wall bursts open revealing Fives in a deadly rage, his form constrained by his armor, you know what you have to do.

He lunges at Echo, who is closest to you, and is the most obvious threat towards you. And you lunge forward as well, placing yourself between Echo and Fives.

“Fives! STOP!” You shout, spreading your arms wide to shield Echo as best as you can.

He can’t hear you. You know he can’t hear you.

But you have to try.

A strong hand wraps around your throat, and Fives slams you to the ground as if you weigh nothing. Pain blooms across your back and the back of your head.

Something sharp pierces both of your shoulders, and you bite your tongue to stifle your scream of pain. Though there’s no stopping the pained tears rolling down your face.

You’ve always been a baby about pain, it’s fine.

Slowly, painfully, you reach up and pull Fives’ helmet off, allowing it to fall to the side. His eyes are blank, there’s no recognition in his gaze, and his teeth have grown to the fangs that always appear when he gets like this.

“Fives,” You speak his name calmly and clearly as you reach up and gently press your hands against his icy cheeks, “Fives. It’s just me. It’s just your moonbeam.”

Slowly the wailing subsides to a level that doesn’t make you want to claw your ear cones off, but his hand is still around your neck, and your vision is starting to spot.

“Fives,” You repeat his name, “You need to let go.”

His grip tightens, and you gasp for breath. It’s getting hard to stay conscious.

“Fives,” You rasp his name, “Safe. No danger.” Your hands are still pressed against his face, but you’re starting to lose consciousness. Force, you hope he doesn’t kill you. That will destroy him.

Just as you’re about to pass out from lack of oxygen, his grip around your throat loosens and you start coughing. There’s sharp pain as the nails in your shoulders retract, and Fives collapses on you, unconscious and human again.

You wrap your shaky arms around him, “It’s okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.”

“What the fuck?”

Suddenly you’re reminded that you’re not alone, and you blink, hazily, up at Echo. A stricken, horrified, looking Echo. “It’s fine.” You say, “Everything’s fine.”

It’s a lie. A horrible, awful lie.

But you have to believe it.

You have to.

Fives wakes up slowly.

His head hurts, his entire body hurts.

It takes a moment for him to remember that someone was threatening his moonbeam and his eyes snap open.

He’s about to sit up when a gentle hand cards through his hair, “Easy there, Fives.”

He blinks at her, twice, and then looks around. They’re on the ship?

“I thought…what happened to Jedha?”

“We’re still on Jedha, just back on the ship.” She says smoothly, though her voice sounds rough. She’s wearing one of her sweaters, though the shoulders look bulkier than normal.

He sits up, slowly wincing in pain. “What happened?”

She opens her mouth to say something and then hesitates. “Nothing important.” She finally says, and Fives knows that she’s lying to him.

Memories flash in front of his eyes, faster than he can keep track of.

But he sees her, tears streaming down her face, his hand around her throat. His name, calm and collected, falling from her lips.

He reaches out with a shaking hand to lightly grab the collar of her sweater, and he tugs it down.

There, stark on her pale blue skin, wrapped around her throat is a hand-shaped bruise.

His hand.

“What did I do?”

“It was an accident.” She says lightly taking his hand in hers and allowing the material of her sweater to hide the injuries from him, “It was an accident and it wasn’t your fault.”

“I tried to kill you.”

“It was an accident,” She repeats.

“What else did I do?” He demands, “Tell me.”

“I have a few…minor stab wounds.” She says with a sigh.

“Minor? Or all the way through.”

“It’s not you’re fault.” She repeats, “Not any more than any other time. You can’t help what you are.”

“A monster?”

She moves so she’s sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands moving to cup his face, “Fives, I’ve never thought that.”

“You should.”

She sighs and gently strokes his cheeks, “With help from my new friends, we managed to get into the archives, and I found a lead.”

He stares at her, “A lead?” Fives repeats, feeling as numb now as he did the day he woke up on Kamino.

“I think you’re a Wraith. Or a Wraith adjacent.” She explains, “We have to go to Zakuul to learn more.”

“Zakuul.” He feels like Echo, repeating everything that she’s saying. “You should leave me here. Where you’ll be safe.”

“No.” Her answer is immediate, “No. Fives, I’m not afraid of you.” She smiles at him and brushes a curl from his forehead, “You make me feel safe.”

“You really shouldn’t.”

She sighs and leans in to press her forehead against his, “If it helps, someone else will be traveling with us from now on.”

His gaze snaps to hers, and he feels the stirring of jealous possession burning in his gut.

“Don’t be like that,” She chides lightly, “You’ll like this one.”

“I doubt that.”

“I’m hurt, vod.” Fives jolts at the familiar voice and turns his gaze towards the doorway, where Echo is leaning against the frame. He has a small smile on his lips, though there’s something sad in his gaze.

“Echo?”

“Rex told me you died.”

“I saw you die.” Fives counters.

“Yeah well, looks like we both got better.” Echo jokes lightly, “I’m going to be hanging out with you two for a bit.”

“That’s…” Fives pauses, “Because I tried to kill her.”

“It was an accident.” She repeats, and Fives is sure that she’s going to say that a lot in the coming days.

“Because you’re my twin and something is wrong.” Echo walks over and lightly rubs Fives’ head, “Come on, did you think I wouldn’t help my little brother?”

“We were decanted at the same time.”

“And yet, Rex says I’m older.” Echo grins, “Now, baby brother,” He ignores Fives’ glare as if it’s not even there, “You need to rest.”

“Me? I’m fine.”

“Fives,” His moonbeam says his name in a sigh, and Fives frowns at her.

“I’m fine! You’re hurt.”

“You both need rest,” Echo announces, “I am going to do some research on where this Zakuul place is, and then we’re going to comm Rex for a bigger ship—”

“What’s wrong with this one?”

“It’s too small for three people. Hell, it’s too small for two people, and I refuse to share with the pair of you.” Echo says bluntly, “Anyway. You two rest, and I’ll handle everything for a bit.”

And then Echo is gone, allowing the door to snap shut behind him.

The bedroom is silent for a moment, and then Fives jolts when his moonbeam crawls over him and squishes herself between the bulkhead and himself, “There, now we can rest.”

“...you really don’t hate me?”

She releases an explosive sigh and pulls him down so she’s able to wrap herself around him, her head tucking under his chin, “How could I hate you? You’re Fives.”

And somehow, without her saying it, Fives hears exactly what she means.

I love you.

How could he not? He feels the same way.

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bri-licious08 · 6 months ago

Text

◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ⊹ ࣪ ˖♡The Heart Knows♡⊹ ࣪ ˖

⊹ ࣪ ˖Bakugou x Reader⊹ ࣪ ˖

Contains: Some cursing, aged up characters! 3rd years in U.A. , other than that it’s nothing but fluff :) Happy reading! /^~^/

◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜

Bakugou Katsuki wondered the halls of U.A. He walked these halls every day during the week. From going to class, the restroom, training grounds, cafeteria, the school’s gym, and the support course class. Not once has these halls ever felt different to him, different in the sense of being bare, empty or dark, scarce or lonely. But things changed, and that scared him. His life was great, he was doing great with being the greatest, but now he felt far from it. This feeling was foreign and new and he hated it. He was frustrated to no end only because he couldn't explain to himself let alone anyone why, how, or what he was feeling. He just didn’t know.

What he did know, was they started because of her. Y/n, L/n. Known for her beauty and wits, strength and grades, personality and skills, quirk and talents, she was well known within U.A. let alone the streets of Japan as an upcoming Hero. He knew that, she knew that, hell everyone knew that. Maybe that's why it made it even more difficult to be around her. The fact that everyone wanted to befriend her, talk to her, and know her. There was something special about you that everyone wanted to see, including him. Of course, he wasn't the only one, and that's what aided in the difficulty of things.

For some odd reason, Bakugou always found you, sought you, heard you. How or why he couldn’t tell, he just did. Oh, the class lost sight of you at the mall, there you were at the pet shop a few stores behind, how did they miss you? In a giant crowd at the ice rink, he peeked over a bunch of heads until he found you rather quickly, zooming through the extras trying to learn or just skating decently. Walking by the common room of the dorms, he heard you gossiping about some character from a stupid romance manga you were gushing about with Mina. Later that day he looked up the character name and found out the name of the manga.

For Christmas he happened to get you for the Secret Santa crap everyone decided to do this year, seeing how you all lived with each other and it was your first Christmas together. Of course, he bought you the new volume that was just released last week. Before he purchased it he made sure you hadn’t bought it yet through Kirishima. He also got you a basket of your favorite snacks, (he asked Kirishima who asked Mina, again) along with a soft cozy blanket with your favorite anime character. He always heard you talking about them. He considered watching that anime, but lately, he’s been too busy with life to sit down and watch it.

His spending wasn’t in vain as he watched your smile brighten to something he could only describe as bright, causing his pupils to dilate as he watched you smile. Ironically it was Christmas which supposedly made everything about the holiday “Merry and Bright”. But it was odd. Odd how his face heated so much and he wasn’t even close to the heater. His whole body went hot as his back straightened quickly. His palms grew sweatier than normal as sweat dripped down his forehead. A lump suddenly formed in his throat as he watched you jump excitedly around the room, holding the basket he gifted close to your chest. Oggling it with stars in your eyes as you squealed in absolute glee.

He looked down at you as you expressed your absolute glee about his gift and he couldn’t help but smile at you. Not smirk, smile with his dilated pupils and a faint blush on his cheeks and the tips of his ears. He believed that that moment, the way you looked up at him after jumping around happily, wide-eyed and lips slightly parted, doe innocent e/c eyes staring up at him, long curled lashes batting slowly at him, pink lips parted for a second before widening into the widest, brightest, happiest smile he’d ever seen, he believes that that moment, that exact moment was when his views of you changed.

At first, you were a nobody, a classmate, then an acquaintance, then somewhat of a friend, and now, his gift for a long holiday during the winter seemed to have sparked something between you two, but what was the cherry on top was your gift to him. A black scarf with two orange stripes crossing into an X as it started from the top and ended at the bottom, along with a rare limited edition golden All-might figure, and two small black beads? Yeah, beads. He looked at you confused as he took the beads out of their small case, which was velvet black and had an orange X on it too.

He peered down at you puzzled, but your warm smile, made him nod his head in thanks. Your small hand carefully grasped his, as your other grabbed the case and opened it revealing the beads once again, carefully taking them out and putting them in your palm. You then looked into his eyes making him hold his breath. What were you doing? Were you going to knee his face? Slap him? What? He then realized you had put the beads in his ear as he heard a slight ringing sound that made him hiss.

“Sorry! Wrong button!” You apologized as you tapped one of the beads in his ear and all went silent, but not too silent. This noise sounded different.

“These are special kinds of hearing aids. I had Mae Hatsume help me develop them. I had originally asked her to make grenade silencers for your grenade gauntlets, but it was taking much longer to make than we realized, Kirishima had told me that you mentioned your ears ringing sometimes during training or a fight or class and I'm guessing it was because of your explosions, so I wanted to help you with that. Your silencers are still being made, but Hatsume and I made these hearing aids for you, for the meantime. Well she made them I just designed it. They work to block out loud noises but still allow you to hear anything and everything else. They just reduce the loud noise of explosions and such. I-I umm, hope I didn’t offend you with these gifts. I just thought, that maybe, they would help, and you would appreciate them... I don’t know what you like, but, I feel like you would have liked to receive something useful rather than something that would collect dust, I just bought the Allmight figure as a failed backup... Oh! And I made the scarf myself! My grandmother helped me sew it. I-I hope you like them Bakugou! Merry Christmas!”

That moment was the moment that changed forever. Since then he has followed you around like a lost puppy. You guys hung out 24/7. Like peas in a pod. You both became known as best friends to your classmates and the school. You were always seen together. Never one of you was ever without the other, and he’d grown very used to that. Did you want to go to 7/11? Okay, let's go. Want to try a new restaurant that opened up downtown? Let him grab the scarf you made him, it's a little cold out. Going to a family barbeque, he was invited without hesitation.

Although he was nervous about meeting your family, it ended up being a success. (meaning him beating all your little cousins in Mario Kart and your father and uncles in pool). He had to attend one of his parents' god-awful fashion shows, you're coming with him. You always had to be there, and he was okay with that. Your time together ended up being a normal thing, it was weird when you guys weren’t together. For the both of you.

At first, he just thought that the both of you spending time alone in each other's dorms playing video games or watching shows on Netflix was just a friend thing, you guys were just friends. He said it over and over and over.

“ Heyyyy kachannnn, you and Y/n huh? Somethin’ special goin’ on there? Huh? Huhhhhh?” Denki nudged Bakugou, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Of course not you dunce, she’s just a friend you moron,”

He convinced everyone including himself you were just a friend. And of course, you were. Everything you guys do is something all friends do! Nothing special about it. That was until he experienced firsthand and realized that you’re both High School students, attending school, training to be heroes, but you attend a HIGH SCHOOL. Teenagers in school, of course, guys were going to be after you. So why was it a shocker when some stupid extra tried to fucking confess in front of him?!

Okay, maybe not in front of him, but in the empty hallway after school hours? Didn’t this moron know you both walk together? Doesn’t this fucking idiot know he doesn’t have a slight chance with you? This guy’s probably 5,5, he’s got black hair that has a lot of dandruff, which makes it look like he has lice, but it's probably from all that gel he has on. He’s got pimples on his forehead and one of his ears looks bigger than the other.

Okay, Bakugou isn’t normally that much of an asshole but come on! This guy’s arms aren’t even close to the size of Bakugou’s waist, and his waist is TINY! He couldn’t help but wait back in class 1-A and overhear what you were going to respond with.

“Huh? You- like me? I’m sorry but I don’t even know you?” You said innocently but truthfully. You were right, you didn’t know this moron, but common, couldn't you just reject his sorry ass already?

“What if you get to know me?” Is he serious? Like hell, Bakugou would let tha-

“Hmm. I’m sorry but I don’t think so. I don’t have time to go on dates right now. I also would have to turn down your offer because I don’t feel like I’d reciprocate your feelings even if we did get to know each other, have a good rest of your day though!”

“B-But, please! Tell me this, does your heart already belong to someone?”

Uh oh, now his heart was racing, much more with fear than curiosity.

“That’s my secret to hold and to keep, sorry. Bakugou, you can come on out now!”

“W-What?” He breathed a mere whisper out in shock and surprise.

“Hey Bakugou!” The girl smiled brightly at him. The kind of smile that would make any man or woman swoon over.

“H-Hey, umm, how did you-”

“I just knew, plus your massive arms and shoulders were peeking out from behind the trash can Bakugou, you’re not exactly a small person,” You giggled, placing your delicate hand over your mouth as you giggled.

You looked absolutely beautiful. Bakugou’s only wish now is to continue to make you laugh and stifle your giggles for the rest of your lives. Bakugou blushed at your comment.

“A-anyways, let’s get a move on. 'M starving,” He grumbled as he began to walk past you.

Catching up with him you began conversing with him on the walk to the dorms. The two of you entered and headed to the kitchen where he began to cook food for the two of you. It’s been a normal thing that began after Christmas. The two of you then ate a wonderfully delicious meal. After eating and cleaning up you both headed up to your dorm to study per usual. Once you both entered you flopped onto your bed as Katsuki took a seat on your desk chair and turned it to face your bed instead of the desk, as you both always do. You started up another conversation but after a while noticed that your blonde-headed friend was quiet. To quiet.

Your brow quirked up in interest and confusion as you studied him. His brows furrowed, and his lips formed a small pout as his hands gripped his notebook and pencil tighter than usual. You observed him closely, noticing the difference in his usual expression most would see as his normal cranky self. But to you, you knew something was bothering him.

“Bakugou,” You called his name softly, catching his attention.

“Hmph.” He grumbled as his eyes glared at his empty notebook paper.

Your brows furrowed more as your concern for your blonde friend grew.

“Katsuki.” His ears perked at your call of his name.

You could swear you saw them twitch like a dog when called on. He visibly stiffened at your call of his first name as he gulped, causing his Adam's apple to move beautifully. His red ruby eyes stilled as they stayed locked onto the notebook in his hands. His body felt hot and cold at the same time. Nervous. He was nervous and he couldn’t understand why. Katsuki Bakugou was no coward. No pussy. Not one to succumb to fear or nerves but with you, sweet and wonderful you, seem to be the only thing that can make him freeze with just a call of his name.

“Hmm,” He responded, choosing to hum rather than to speak knowing his voice would fail him. Why was he so, why was he acting like such a moron. He’s always been fine before. Able to pull his shit together around you. When did this happen? When did he become such a loser around you? He had a guess...

“Are…Are you okay?” Your soft voice asked, he swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes flickered up to the bottom half of your seated body and retreated back to his empty notebook, afraid to make eye contact with you.

“ ‘M fine.”

“Are you?”

“Why you naggin’ me,” He growled as his eyes snapped up to meet yours.

Your beautiful e/c ones. He inaudibly gulped as his sudden annoyed confidence faded under your gaze. Your concerned and saddened eyes broke his stern and aggressive wall. His lips parted to say something but his voice failed to word anything. To be fair he didn’t even know what he wanted to say. What to say?

“L/n-”

“Are you upset with me?”

“Huh-what-?”

“Are you mad at me?”

“What? No, why would you-”

“Then do you hate me? Did I annoy you?”

“What?! Of course not- No you didn’t-” “Then what did I do? You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. You can leave you don’t have to stay with me,”

“L/n hold on-”

“I’m sorry if I annoy you by dragging you to study with me,”

“L/n easy- just let me talk-”

“I’ll stop bugging you if you want. I won’t talk anymore,”

“Y/n!” He called your name firmly with a louder tone. His hand had flown to your face as it covered your mouth.

His face was close to yours as his eyes honed into yours. Soft pools of ruby waters danced in his irises under the dim lights of your desk lamp and fairy lights around your room. You swallowed the lump of nerves caught in your throat as your eyes widened at his action. The space between the both of you was small, your bodies so close you could feel his body heat. His firm yet soft gaze sent shivers down your spine and throughout your body.The sound of his throat clearing was loud within the quiet room causing you to snap out of your little daze.

“Why’d you freak out on me huh?” He asked softly as he removed his hand from your mouth slowly.

He moved to sit down on your bed comfortably. His feet planted on the floor as he hunched his body and titled his head slightly as he looked to his right side at you. With your legs crossed and a hunched back, you turned your head to the left to speak to him.

“I-I don’t know. You’ve just been acting weird today. You’ve been quiet. It worried me.” You answered in a hushed tone. Your eyes were looking down to avoid eye contact.

You heard him scoff a slight chuckle as your eyes flickered up to see his small smile and his eyes dimmed to a soft gaze. Your head perked up slowly at this newfound expression with curiosity.

“You’re an even bigger idiot than I thought you were.”

“H-Hey!”

“Y/n, how could I ever hate you?”

“Oh, I-I don’t know…”

“It’s not possible. You annoying me or upsetting me is most definitely possible-”

“Hey! Asshole-”

“But- hating you can never happen you dummy.” He smiled softly.

Your heart began to beat faster than it ever had before, and you’ve been through multiple wars against villains, and even then your heart had never beat as quickly and harshly as it was now.

“Never?”

“Tch. Ya heard me the first time nerd.” He smirked. His response caused you to giggle airily.

“Well, if that wasn’t the problem, then what is it that’s made you act so, weird?”

“So bein’ quiet is weird?”

“Noo but you being quiet is.”

“Well, it’s gonna stay that way.”

“Aren’t I your best friend?” you smiled like a Cheshire cat.

“Yeah, but that’s the-” Before he could finish his sentence a knock was heard at your door causing you both to look towards the noise.

“What bad timing,” You murmured as you hopped off your bed to go and answer the knock.

“Wait- just let it-”

Before Bakugou could finish his sentence you opened your door to reveal a tall redheaded male smiling down at you nervously.

“Hey L/n, you got a minute?” Kirishima Eijiro. His strong tone was undoubtedly recognizable.

It caused Katsuki to stiffen at the sound as he hid behind your closet wall, blocking his view of the two of you and vice versa.

“Uhh,” You started as you turned to see Bakugou missing before turning back to Kirishima.

“Y-Yeah sure,” You stuttered as you stepped out of your room to speak to the male properly, closing your door softly behind you.

Katsuki quickly yet quietly moved to the door as he pressed his ear against it, trying to eavesdrop on you and the redhead's conversation.

“What’s up?” You asked.

“Uhh, man I don’t know how to ask this… Would you like to go out with me?” Kirishima muttered before he spat quickly. Shutting his eyes as his shoulders stiffened nervously.

“Oh, is the Baku-Squad hanging out?” You asked innocently and obliviously, not understanding what he was asking.

“Huh? O-Oh! No, no I mean. Uhh- I would like to take you out…Just us…Like- like a date..” The redhead blushed as his hand scratched the back of his nape nervously.

At the realization, your eyes widened. All thoughts and concerns of Bakugou left as red alarms blared off inside your head. What.Was.Happening. After what felt like forever you closed your opened mouth to salivate the dryness of your throat and lips before opening it again to respond to your close friend before the sound of your door clicking and swinging open interrupted you.

“She’s busy,” A gruff voice bellowed as a hand grabbed your arm and swung you back into your room. The red-headed male blinked rapidly a few times in confusion at what just happened.

“Ow, you dick, that hurt!” You shouted as you stumbled to the floor of your room from the sheer force Bakugou threw you in with. The blonde brute just rolled his eyes as he leaned against the wall of your room, crossing his arms over his chiseled pecs.

“You can’t date him Y/n,” He muttered. His blonde spiky locks cascaded his eyes as he looked towards the ground, avoiding eye contact.

“W-What?” You asked because you missed what he said.

“You can’t date him…”

“O-Oh, you mean Kirishima?” He didn’t respond, just barely nodded his head once, still avoiding eye contact.

You then got yourself up and off the ground as you slowly and carefully pulled your desk chair to face you as you sat down on it. Your eyebrows creased as you noticed Bakugou’s avoidance of eye contact.

“And why can’t I?” You asked meekly with slight confusion in your tone. You watched as he gulped and his body stiffened. He’s been doing that a lot tonight, something he never does.

“Alright, I’m tired of this. If you’re just gonna play dumb every time I ask you something but tell me what I can and can’t do you can just leave Bakugou,” You asserted, arms crossed over your chest and your face held a stern expression.

At this Katsuki lifted his head quickly to meet your gaze. His mouth parted as his eyebrows creased more with worry in his eyes. What was he doing? You were right. He had no right to prevent your happiness with other males, so why was he doing this? You are his best friend and so is Kirishima.

You both are amazing people and truthfully, you both would make such a great couple. Your chemistry on the battlefield would be incredible let alone your relationship. You both would set the couple standard and he could already picture the billboards of Japan plastering your bodies hugging lovingly with a giant “Japan’s Perfect Hero Couple” printed above your heads. The thought made his head dizzy and his heart constrict painfully.

He was finally understanding that he didn’t want you to have that with Kirishima or anyone but with him. He wanted to be the one jumping from building to building by your side while out on patrols. He wanted to be saving people with you as a perfect duo. He wanted to watch movies in private with a tub of your favorite ice cream to share. He wanted to get you your dream dog and cat for your birthday. He wanted to share his dreams with you as soon as he wakes up and vice versa. He wants to share every Christmas with you and be each others personal Secret Santa for the rest of his days. He wanted this feeling of loneliness when he's not with you to go away and be filled with just you. He doesn’t want these stupid extras to share any of this with you because he-

His eyes widened. His heart stopped for a second as he finally came to a realization. You’re not just a friend. You never were just a friend. Katsuki Bakugou had been in love with you for two Christmases. Two whole years. He followed you around because he loved you. He made mental notes of your favorite things because he loved you. He treasured the scarf you hand-made him because he loved you. He kept his lock screen that you jokingly changed to the both of you posing up as a badass hero duo that you both took in professional side kick photo shoots because he loved you.

Katsuki fucking Bakugou had been in love with you for years and he never realized it until some boys started to try and take you away from him. He needs to make a reminder to smack himself later for realizing so late like a dumbass, but for now, he needs to tell you before he ruins his friendship with you.

“I’m in love with you,” He voiced.

Your heart stopped. Your body felt like it was on fire and your eyes widened larger than they ever had before. Your skin tingled and your face grew hot. What? What did he say?

“What?” You asked in a hushed tone, not quite sure if what you heard was correct.

“I love you,” He repeated softly, his gaze as soft as when he sleeps. The tips of his lips creak into a smile barely visible.

If anyone were to see him they’d see him loom calm for once, but you, you could see it clear as day, and that ever-so-tiny smile was just about one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen. He looked absolutely divine. Your dim room lighting aids in his godlike features.

This boy whom you’ve know for a few years became your everything in mere seconds, and I’m not just talking about this second. Since before your first Christmas together, this boy had been a stranger, then a friend, then a crush, then a crush within a best friend, and now, he’ll be your everything if you let him, because he so desperately wants to be.

“Don’t play with me Bakugou,”

“I’m not. ‘Dya really think I’d just go up to anyone spoutin’ this shit? I’m not a sappy guy everyone in this god damn world knows that, but fuck Y/n, you make me unable to think properly when I’m around you,”

“Is that why you think you’re in love with me?”

“No. I know. I’ve been knowing. Just been an idiot not realizing it sooner,” He muttered the last bit lowly yet still audibly.

“ ‘M sorry…” He murmured as his hand slowly and carefully not to startle you, came up to gently clasp your hand in his.

His carmine-colored eyes gazed at your hands joined together. His fingers imprinting the feel of yours and engraving into his mind for if you reject him and his feelings, at least he’ll have this in his mind for the rest of his lonely days. You wouldn’t allow that.

The sound of your sniffles causes his head and eyes to snap back up to meet your precious e/c ones. He immediately took notice of your teared-up eyes as he visibly grew stressed.

“Hey, don’t cry. Please don’t cry. Why’re you crying?” He tried comforting you gently as he spoke ever so softly.

His rough palms met your pillowy cheeks as his thumbs reached to rub at your bottom eye socket, trying his best to soothe you.

“ ‘M not crying,” You murmured as you placed your hands on top of his that cradled your face.

Your eyes gazed up into his. The silence was so loud yet quiet. The atmosphere was no longer anxious but tranquil. Finally, finally you had this boy who held your heart all this time.

“I’m in love with you too…Dummy,” You smiled softly at him.

He scoffed playfully as he inched his forehead to meet yours. He gazed into your eyes and just felt a spark. He leaned forward to get a better angle to press his lips onto yours. His heart and head were no longer in a battle with each other, cuz from the start his heart knew. It was always you…

“Aaaaand with that, my job here is done,” the manly red-headed male grinned as he backed away from your dorm room door. Humming a happy tune as he placed his hands behind his head and walked triumphantly down the hall…

◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི ྀི◟ ͜ ◞ ྀི◟ ͜ ◞

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I hope y'all liked this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you liked this one you also might like another story of mine called “The Dare”. It can be found on my master list! Thank you for reading my story and if you liked it please let me know! I love feedback and it’s what motivates me to write more stories for y'all to enjoy! If any of y'all would like to see me write a specific kind of trope and story line please give me your ideas of what you’d want to read! Thank you and please come again! /^~^/

#bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader fluff #bakugou fluff

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theresattrpgforthat · 10 months ago

Note

hi!!! i really love Dream Askew but can never find anyone to play. maybe because the GMless mechanic is intimidating, idk. can you recommend other games with similar themes of queerness and community?

THEME: Queer Community

oh my god, you have no idea how easy this one was, this is my shit.

Bump in the Dark (Revised Edition), by Jex J. Thomas.

It's 1994 in the region of the fictional Ontonagon Peninsula known as "Iron Country," a belt of mining towns barely clinging to life. These towns are surrounded on all sides by the Sylvan Wilds, a forest known for old-growth pines and strange happenings. All of Iron Country seems to be teeming with the supernatural, a fact those in power would like to conceal.

You are a hunter, and you’ve promised to keep regular people safe from the horrors in the darkness. You will investigate the strange happenings going on throughout Iron Country, attempting to put the pieces together and stop the monsters before people get hurt. Will you be able to stop the malevolent forces before their power grows too strong to contain? Will you stand strong with your found family and community or will you sacrifice yourself to spare the ones you love? Will you be lost trying to find solace wherever you can?

Inspired by media like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-Files, Twin Peaks, Supernatural, and more, Bump in the Dark: Revised Edition is a game of supernatural mystery and action-packed showdowns with regular folk caught in the middle. It's a game about chosen family, protecting your community, and standing up to the forces (mundane and supernatural alike) that want to tear down all you've built.

Bump in the Dark first caught my eye because it is all about monster-hunting, and monsters always make me perk up a little bit, but it also caught my interest because it marries the Theorize roll from games like External Containment Bureau and Apocalypse Keys with the Forged-in-the-Dark system, which, if you’ve followed my for any length of time, you’ll know I am a very very big fan of.

However, the game is also set in a place that feels abandoned and forgotten about by the powers that be, with the monsters acting as active opponents that threaten Last Pine’s ability to take care of itself. Your characters are all professional monster hunters, but you’re also a family, likely borne of necessity more than anything else, and that feels very queer to me.

Bump in the Dark is currently funding for it’s revised edition on Backerkit, but you can also find it in the TTRPGs for Palestine bundle!

Extreme Meatpunks Forever, by Sinister Beard Games.

"In the beginning, there was meat. A decaying chunk of flesh from a dying god, hurtling through the void of space, thousands of miles wide. A million eyes, a billion hands grasping for purchase against nothingness itself. This is where we live.

EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER is a tabletop roleplaying game where you’ll play as a gang of queer antifascists in a strange place called Meatworld. Spinning through space on the screaming corpse of a dead god under the glow of an absent sun, the people of Meatworld harvest its flesh to make their technology.

That tech includes meatmechs, giant flesh suits you can pilot. You’ve got one of these mechs, which is just as well, because Meatworld is full of monsters, old gods, a land that wants to eat you alive and so, so many fucking Nazis. You’ll play to bash the fash, explore the weirdness that is Meatworld, attack and dethrone god(s), solve mysteries like a gore dripping Scooby Gang, deal with trauma, and if you’re lucky, make out with your friends.

Extreme Meatpunks Forever is a game that includes high action and combat alongside your attempts to make connections with each-other. It’s a PbtA game that draws from games such as MASKS, Thirsty Sword Lesbians, and Monster of the Week, which means that even though you’ll be fighting fascists, you’ll also be pushing each-others buttons, revealing the most vulnerable parts of yourselves, and heavily making out. If you want drama, action, and more drama, you want Extreme Meatpunks Forever.

Under Hollow Hills, by Meguey & Vincent Baker.

There is a traveling circus under the Hollow Hills. It travels by moonlight, small wagons creaking in the night silence. It travels lost roads, where fireflies and whisps hover to watch it pass, where goblins peer down from their treebranch perches, and owls. It travels the night world and the day world, fairyland and the living earth, and places otherwise, and no border can keep it. It has mysteries to pose, drama to perform, it has music, juggling, acts of death-defying peril, pratfall comedy. It has dangerous secrets to tell.

Step up, step up. Come great, come small, come revelers all!

Many of the roles of Under Hollow Hills feel like they are defined in relation to each-other; for example, the Crowned Stag is who they are because of who their parents are and who they have authority over. This game also expects much of what you do with each-other to matter; will you confront someone in order to get them to change their behaviour, or draw them out in order to understand how they are feeling?

Your identity in Under Hollow Hills is also defined in relation to something; the seasons. When it is Summer you are expected to have one presentation and set of pronouns; that presentation and pronouns may differ in Winter. This means that the role that you provide is much more constant than anything so easily changed as gender. Since your role is more permanent, this also means that character progression isn’t really expected in Under Hollow Hills; rather, the community that you participate in (the circus) is designed to grow and change. Under Hollow Hills creates subtle connections between players that encourages them to play with power, vulnerability, and identity, and I think that’s really beautiful.

Mutants in the Night, by Orion D Black.

It's the year 2044.

Mutants have been struggling to survive since humanity divided in two, 10 years ago. They now live in Mutant Safe Zones; rundown slums and ghettos surrounded by mighty walls, to placate humanity's fear of the unknown.

The law stands against them. Enforcers stand above them. Opportunity stands before them.

Mutants are such a poignant metaphor for all kinds of marginalization. On top of that, the Crew aspect of Forged in the Dark games give your characters a reason to work together, as well as a common goal, which is why I think they work so well at giving you a community that you can care for.

I’m also interested in games that ask questions about community in a world that is not perfect - just like in Dream Askew, the characters of Mutants in the Night live in a world that at best, does not care about them, and at worst, desires to harm them. If you want a game that provides no easy answers and overwhelming odds, you might be interested in Mutants in the Night.

Dungeon Bitches, by Dungeon Bitches.

In Dungeon Bitches, the world is harsh and cold. “Polite” society has left you with no place, so you’ve struck out to find one of your own. Out into the dark cracks and forgotten margins. It’s not an easy life, but at least it won’t be a lonely one.

Dungeon Bitches is a game about queer women banding together. It’s about trauma. It’s about community. It’s about pain. It’s about survival. But most of all, it’s very gay.

This is a PbtA game that provides randomly-generated dungeons meant to freak out and push your Bitches to their limit, and therefore also push them closer together, demanding that they figure out how to talk to each-other and work together if they’re going to survive. This is a game about community forged in hardship, with plenty of ways to explore intimacy, whether that be sexual or non-sexual.

The creators of this game have a number of supplements to allow you to play the game in various settings, including Death Spiral (dieselpunk body-horror), Crooked Mile (90’s grunge), and The Wounded, Hungry & Forgotten (monsters).

Moonlight on Roseville Beach, by R. Rook Studio.

Queer pulp meets cosmic horror! It's 1979, and you're spending the summer working in Roseville Beach, the queerest little town on Rose Island. You might have come here looking for an escape, some fun, a little extra money, or even love, but now people are seeing phantasms, strange animals—and stranger old gods—wander the woods, mysterious monoliths appear randomly, and that strange music is coming from somewhere.

As a setting, Roseville Beach is a queer community on a small island, and because it’s a queer community, it’s kind of ignored by law enforcement. This means that your characters are the ones responsible for investigating the strange things happening around the community, as well as protecting their family and neighbours from whatever is lurking out there.

Characters are built from tropes, with customizable backgrounds that take the form of pick lists (and I love a good pick list). Each character also has their own specific problem, like the the Scandalous’ scandal, or the troubles associated with being a Shifter. Your session zero is also expected to be rather generative, with special strange events set up for each character that also give you a skill or ability. If you like pulp stories and tensions that are specific to the community you live in, you’ll want to check out Moonlight on Roseville Beach.

You can pick this game up as part of the TTRPGs for Palestine Bundle!

Also…

Of course, I’m also going to drop a quick plug for my game, Protect the Child, which is full of metaphors about queerness and found family. I've been ruminating on themes like marginalization, parenthood, and children's rights for this one, and so far the play-testing has had some really positive feedback! (Rules update coming out later this month!)

You might also be interested in some of the submissions to the Hot Mutant Summer Jam that ran last month!

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past

Here, There, be Monsters!, by Wendi yu.

Exceptionals, by Bramble Wolf Games.

Turn, by Beau Jágr Sheldon.

Yazeba’s Bed & Breakfast, by Possum Creek Games.

Those Of Us Who Know Better, by C.J. Linton.

Apocalypse Keys, by Rae Nedjadi.

Past Recommendation Posts That Kinda Fit the Vibe

Make It Gay

Post-Apocalyptic Community

*Romanticizes the Monstrous*

Genderfuckery

Lycanthropic and Transsexual

Urban Monsters

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #dnd #asks #indie ttrpg #queer

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professional-spectator · 3 days ago

Text

Hey there, it's IDK! I usually stick to writing in the third person, but I thought I'd try something a little different this time. If you want to imagine yourself as the reader, go right ahead! Though, fair warning, I've never been the best at those kinds of stories, haha.

The character in this story is someone I came up with, an OC who's in their mid-twenties. They're a total fangirl at heart, can be a bit of a crybaby, and sometimes struggle with self-doubt. They actually have a name, but they can't quite remember it—there's a reason for that, which you'll discover later on when they get a new one.

I'm a huge Cyno fan and proudly main him in the game, so of course, he's going to be a part of this story! I absolutely love Sumeru, and I feel like there aren't enough fanfics set there, especially ones that focus on Cyno. I'm still deciding whether to make this a series, so please let me know what you think!

Okay, here's the little disclaimer and a heads-up: I don't own Hoyoverse, Genshin Impact, or anything related to them.

And a big thank you to @arn9tails letting me use their Genshin size difference AU as the basis for this fanfic. The idea that Teyvat isn't scaled to Earth but is actually much, much larger really fascinated me—it's a pretty scary thought, isn't it? I also really liked the idea that people from Earth aren't resistant to it, which is what sparked this whole thing.

Also, just a quick heads-up: this story touches on some serious and sensitive subjects. It's inspired by SAGAU (Self-Aware Genshin Impact Alternative Universe), isekai themes, different isekai worlds, creation myths, and fanfiction in general.

Alright, let's dive into chapter 2 and see what adventures await our dear Oc!

Chapter 2 Mao:

The air inside Dori's counting house was dense, saturated with the aroma of mora. Surrounded by imposing stacks of chests, she meticulously calculated her earnings. Each rhythmic clink of gold coins served as a victorious anthem to her prosperity. Despite her small size, Dori commanded significant influence in the world of trade, her mind constantly devising plans for even greater wealth.

Her most recent endeavor involved the trade of "Mini Humans." These beings, barely a third the size of a typical Teyvatian maybe less, they had a unique susceptibility that Dori readily took advantage of. She quickly discovered that Teyvat's natural magic overwhelmed them. Upon entering this world, their minds became clouded, making them easily manipulated. Clearly originating from beyond Teyvat, their inability to resist made them... versatile. A particular chemical compound guaranteed the compliance of even the strongest among them. After all, they were undeniably attractive companions, and the temptation to profit from their unique qualities was too strong to resist.

As expected, Dori's business practices were not always entirely above board. Her involvement in the black market had drawn unwanted attention from the Matra. To minimize the risk, she implemented strict screening protocols, protecting herself, her staff, and her customers from potential consequences.

While owning "Mini Humans" was technically against the law in Sumeru, it posed a relatively small problem. However, transporting them presented a different issue. As long as the paperwork was in order, the transportation remained perfectly legal.

A knock on the door interrupted her concentration. "Ma'am..." It was one of her servants, his voice tinged with worry.

"The bulk of the merchandise has been successfully delivered to Liyue. However, one of the Mini Humans seems to have been lost somewhere in the desert..."

Dori sighed, a brief flash of irritation crossing her face. "What a shame," she muttered, more to herself than to her servant. "It wouldn't last long out there... Oh well, there's no point in worrying about it..." After all, they were expendable.

Elsewhere in Teyvat.............

I poked his ridiculous, giant iron-clad abs with my uninjured arm. "Hey!" I yelled, but he didn't even react.

Here I was, completely stuck. Trapped in my own private Cyno-pocket prison, nestled within the folds of his absurd jackal cloak. It was a situation I never could have conceived of, not even in my most outlandish fantasies.

"Let me out..." I kicked him, a feeble attempt to free myself, but he remained unresponsive. From what I could gather, he had been walking for miles, completely oblivious to my predicament. A knot of panic began to form in my stomach. It felt like only a short while ago I was at an anime convention with my two best friends, laughing and having a great time. Then, in an instant, we were transported to Teyvat, a fictional world brought to life, where everyone was a giant. I recalled the disorienting fall, being essentially abandoned, and then the unexpected rescue by Cyno, which had only led to this – being stuck, utterly and completely stuck, in his pocket.

"Let me out!!!!!!" I screamed, my voice echoing faintly within the confines of the cloak.

I thrashed, a desperate attempt to escape the confines of Cyno's pocket, freedom seeming so close. For a heart-stopping moment, I thought I'd made it, tumbling down the folds of his cloak. But then, his hand, quick and sure, caught me.

"Behave..." The word rumbled from him, a deep, resonant sound that sent a shiver down my spine. I swallowed hard, my gaze drawn to his face. The anger etched there was unmistakable, a silent warning. All I could manage was a quick, submissive nod.

The predicament was absurd, utterly unbelievable. Yet, there I was, inexplicably trapped. Hours crawled by, each one a testament to my bizarre reality: I was stuck inside the pocket of my fictional husbando. But this wasn't the Cyno of my imagination, the one I had jokingly vowed to marry should the opportunity ever arise. No, this was a nightmare version, and my carefully constructed dreams were now crumbling around me like ancient ruins.

Panic threatened to overwhelm me, but I fought it back, clinging to the fragile thread of hope that this was all a dream. It had to be, right? I could hear Cyno's voice, muffled and distant, as he spoke to someone. The sound was strangely comforting, yet it did little to alleviate the growing dread that gnawed at my insides. My mind, however, was a million miles away, lost in a desperate search for an explanation, an escape, anything to break free from this surreal prison..

Without warning, the world tilted on its axis. One moment I was standing, the next I was being hoisted into the air by the back of my ridiculous Soul Society cosplay robe.

"Yes, this is exactly what I need you to look at," Cyno's voice boomed, a deep rumble that seemed to shake the very air around us.

"I think its arm is badly broken..."

A new voice, laced with curiosity, broke in. "A miniature human? I've never seen one before. Why didn't you bring it to the Akademiya?"

I recognized that voice. It was Tighnari.

Tighnari. Even hanging upside down, swaying like a pendulum, I couldn't help but appreciate his striking appearance. His pale skin, the chin-length dark green hair with black roots and light green streaks framing his face, and those light eyes that seemed to shift between shades of brown and green. And, of course, the large, pointed black ears and the fluffy tail with its two-toned dark green. Under different circumstances, I might have been completely mesmerized, but dangling between the Matra's fingers wasn't the best way to show my appreciation.

"Hey! A little warning next time would be nice..." I managed to croak out, my voice strained as I stared down at the table, which seemed miles away.

"This one speaks?" Tighnari commented, his tone more clinical observation than actual surprise, as if I were some newly discovered insect.

"Hey!" I snapped, the word sharper than I intended. I was tired, hungry, and now, thoroughly annoyed.

"Look at me! I'm not some creature. I'm a human being, and I demand to be treated like one..." My voice, though small, held a surprising amount of anger.

My remark, sharp as it was, did little to dissuade Cyno. He simply deposited me into the waiting hands of Tighnari.

"It's not mimicking? Hmmm," Tighnari muttered, his brow furrowed in thought as he examined me. "I was under the impression that mini-humans aren't intelligent enough to be self-aware or possess abstract or conscious thought." I found myself unceremoniously placed on a table, becoming the subject of their detached scientific discussion, as if I were some fascinating, albeit inanimate, specimen. A rather undignified position, to say the least.

"Hey!!!!" I screamed, my voice a tiny rebellion against their clinical observation.

Tighnari, his voice a soft melody of apology, gently set me down on the table. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend..." he murmured, his words doing little to soothe the raw feeling of exposure that washed over me. I felt like an object, placed on display for all to see, and resentment began to simmer within. I clung desperately to the tattered remnants of my dignity as Cyno stood nearby, a silent sentinel with arms crossed, his gaze scrutinizing me with unnerving intensity.

"Look! What the hell is going on?!" I screamed, the sound echoing in the suddenly cavernous space. I was inexplicably transported into the vibrant world of my favorite game, a world now distorted by the fact that everyone, for some unfathomable reason, towered over me like giants. The dread was a cold hand squeezing my heart. I felt possibly sold, commodified, and now taken by my favorite characters, who seemed to be regarding me first as an animal, then as a person.

Tighnari, the playable Dendro character, was every bit as capable as his in-game persona suggested. He carried himself with the stern authority of the Chief Officer of the Forest Rangers, the same authority he used as Collei's mentor. Despite his sharp intellect, he always preferred the solitude of Avidya Forest to the stuffy academic circles of Sumeru Akademiya. Now, he exchanged a knowing glance with Cyno, a silent communication passing between them.

"Hello," Tighnari finally said, his tone softening, becoming almost gentle. "I'm Tighnari, Forest Watcher of Avidya Forest. My duty is to protect the rainforest's ecosystem and ensure the safety of its visitors and the animals that live here. I assure you, I meant no offense. You clearly have a story to tell. Perhaps you could start with your name? What is your name?"

I opened my mouth to answer, to offer some explanation for this bizarre predicament, but the words caught in my throat. A chilling realization washed over me, cold and paralyzing. I couldn't remember my name. The memories of my past were intact, vivid and clear, but the simple identifier, the word that defined me, had vanished into the ether.

"I can't remember..." I stammered, the words barely a whisper, panic clawing its way up my throat.

Tighnari's emerald gaze locked onto mine, his magnificent, verdant tail swaying gently behind him, its size holding me spellbound. "Hmm?" he inquired, finally breaking the heavy silence. "You've lost your name? That is indeed a precarious predicament."

He reached out a gloved hand, presumably to assess me for injuries. Yet, despite his benevolent intentions, the gesture triggered a surge of anxiety within me. I flinched, instinctively swatting his hand away in a fit of panic.

"Don't touch me..." I mumbled, my patience wearing thin. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Cyno, ever stoic, seemingly plotting something, though his intentions remained unclear. I scrambled backward, desperate to put distance between myself and Tighnari, only to stumble over a wet cloth. Before I could regain my balance, Cyno swiftly and unsettlingly restrained me, pressing the large cloth firmly over my nose. The world began to spin, the edges blurring as darkness consumed me. Their escalating argument was the last thing I registered before succumbing to unconsciousness.

"What the hell, Cyno?" Tighnari's voice, laced with sharp disapproval, cut through the haze.

"It was being difficult," Cyno retorted, his tone suggesting a genuine, albeit misguided, belief that he was being helpful.

"It's obvious this person is distressed. That's not how you approach the situation..." Tighnari sighed, his frustration palpable.

A wave of grogginess washed over me as I surfaced from sleep, the unpleasant sensation compounded by the realization that I was drooling. A familiar throbbing had taken root in my head. As my eyes fluttered open, I noticed something else amiss: my clothes. They had been changed. Looking down, I found myself adorned in a distinctly Sumerian style. It seemed I was still trapped in this bizarre, giant-sized version of Teyvat. A glance at my left arm revealed it was swathed in bandages and encased in a cast. Looking at nearby hand mirror which seem huge to me, I examined my reflection. "Great," I muttered, my voice laced with sarcasm, "I look like Sumeru Barbie."

From nearby, the murmur of voices drew my attention. Cyno and Tighnari were deep in conversation.

"You want to open an investigation? I agree; I've found the trade of these 'Mini Humans' to be quite strange. This one is either in its normal state or is abnormal..." Tighnari's voice echoed, each word a hammer blow to my fraying sanity.

"I'm not abnormal!" I exclaimed, the words bursting from my lips before I could stop them, feeling completely overwhelmed. The full weight of the situation crashed down upon me: just hours, or perhaps days, ago, I had been attending an anime convention, blissfully unaware that I was about to be kidnapped and brought to this giant version of Teyvat.

"You're abnormal!" I retorted, the accusation perhaps lacking force given the circumstances, but born of pure, unadulterated panic.

Tighnari wasn't angry, not exactly. He prided himself on his patience, but the crossed arms suggested it was dwindling as he assessed the scene before him. "I realize you're frightened and upset," he said, his tone conciliatory as he gestured calmly, hoping to ease the mounting tension.

"You're damn right I am!" I shot back, consumed by fury. I likely resembled an irate kitten, flushed and puffed up, one hand balled into a tight fist. All I wanted were answers, but my threats were proving useless, especially with Cyno standing nearby like a silent, gathering storm. He seized the back of my collar and lifted me as if I were a misbehaving feline. I didn't dare meet his gaze, paralyzed by the deep resonance of his voice.

"Finished?"

Fear washed over me, and my body went completely still, the fight completely gone.

Tighnari's ears twitched, a telltale sign of his annoyance. "Cyno, really..." He looked utterly weary. "You can't simply intimidate her into compliance."

Cyno appeared genuinely perplexed, cocking his head slightly. I honestly don't believe he understood how frightening he seemed. "Oh? Am I?" he questioned, his voice still a low rumble.

I stared at him, wondering if he was truly this unaware. Before I could answer, he released me, the unexpected drop sending me tumbling onto the table with a loud crash. I screamed, more startled than hurt.

"Oww..." I yelped, clutching my injury arm where it had struck the table.

"Sorry..." Cyno mumbled, his voice still lacking inflection, although I thought I glimpsed a hint of something in his eyes. Tighnari, however, looked as though he'd reached his limit, as if he were imagining a long escape to a distant land too.

A sharp pain flared through my arm as I gripped it, my eyes lifting to meet the towering figures before me. "I'm alright..." I managed to croak, the words sounding weak even to myself. Cyno and Tighnari, characters ripped straight from the screen of my favorite game, stood before me like immense statues.

Summoning what little bravery I could muster, I stood my ground and demanded, "I want some answers."

"Why are you both so huge? And why are you talking about me as if I can't understand you? I'm not stupid," I pressed, my voice wavering slightly despite my attempts to remain composed.

Tighnari hummed softly, his hands coming together thoughtfully as he frowned. Then, Cyno's serious voice broke the silence.

"We are not large; you are simply small. According to Tighnari's analysis, you don't seem to be under any magical influence, nor is there any sign that you have been altered in any way," he declared, his red eyes fixed on me.

Tighnari nodded, his pointed ears flicking. "That's right. Based on the data I've gathered, I can only deduce that this is your normal height," he confirmed, his gaze intense.

I wouldn't consider myself a genius, but I had always assumed that if Teyvat were real, it would be similar to Earth—the same size, a planet in space within the habitable zone. Clearly, I was dead wrong. I hadn't been shrunk or anything like that. I was still me; it was just that Teyvat was a much larger planet, a land of literal giants.

"Huhhh!" I gasped, the sound escaping my lips in stunned disbelief. The sheer magnitude of it all was overwhelming, my mind struggling to grasp the implications.

I squeezed my eyes shut, a knot tightening in my stomach. "Wait!" I blurted, my voice barely audible. "Are you saying this is your normal size?"

I pinched myself again, desperately hoping it was all a strange dream. The sharp sting, however, only confirmed the unbelievable truth: I was awake. Earth, and apparently Teyvat—the world from my favorite game weren't to scale. The realization hit me with alarming clarity: all the Genshin playable characters, the NPCs, even the creatures, were enormous. I was the size of a doll in their world.

A fresh wave of questions washed over me. "Wait," I stammered, my voice trembling slightly. "Earlier, you seemed surprised that I could talk. Why?" I was genuinely afraid to ask, but Cyno, his towering form looming above me, answered regardless.

"From my understanding," he said, his voice deep and resonant, "your kind is nonverbal. You're more akin to animals than people."

His words sent my mind reeling. The giant treasure hoarders at the anime convention, being herded into a pen, Dori's unnerving examination... A horrifying truth began to dawn on me. Humans from my reality were being abducted from Earth and brought here as... I didn't want to consider it, but the implication was clear. As pets. The thought sickened me, a wave of nausea rising within me.

The wave of nausea preceded the onslaught of memories, threatening to overwhelm me. It had been barely two weeks since my impulsive wish to bring Teyvat to life, driven by a longing to see Cyno and my other favorite characters in reality. But, as often happens with wishes, the outcome was distorted. I found myself reduced to the size of a doll, a mere plaything in a world of giants, with Cyno and Tighnari towering over me like ancient deities.

My voice, a faint squeak, trembled as I managed to ask, "How… how are people of… my size typically regarded here?"

Tighnari and Cyno exchanged a look, a silent exchange I couldn't interpret.

"They're treated no differently than a cat or dog… supposedly easier to manage. At least, that's what I've heard from merchants traveling from outside Sumeru," Tighnari finally replied, his gaze unwavering and unsettling. "I've also observed that you possess some, though minimal, resistance to the mana of this world."

My face flushed with embarrassment, and not of the romantic kind. He examined me. Had he done so while I was unconscious? The thought was invasive. I could only assume Tighnari was also responsible for the pristine green cast on my fractured left arm. It was even possible he had dressed me, like a child with a new toy. I teetered on the brink of a panic attack, not because I was infatuated with Tighnari, but because he had, however unintentionally, treated me like an animal. This was not the comforting game world I remembered, the one I had so carelessly wished into existence. The reality of Teyvat was far from idyllic. Mondstadt was understaffed, Liyue struggled with poverty, Inazuma was technologically backward, Sumeru dealt with racism, and Fontaine… Fontaine seemed to have a human trafficking problem, judging by Lyney and Lynette's stories. Natlan was built upon the bones of dragons, and Snezhnaya was becoming increasingly militaristic, if the Fatui were any indication. I was small, insignificant, and powerless. Even knowing Tighnari meant no harm, I felt utterly vulnerable.

"Woah…" He noticed my distress, his brow furrowing. "Relax… Are you alright?"

But I wasn't alright. I was hyperventilating, the fear and terror I had been desperately suppressing now crashing over me. All my guilt, all my regrets, came flooding back in that instant. I was drowning in a full-blown panic attack.

Tighnari never meant to cause distress, but the words seemed to lodge in his throat. He now understood that this "Mini Human" had been affected long before her encounter with Cyno at the ruins. He had inadvertently upset her.

"Just breathe," Tighnari said softly, extending his hands with caution. However, she flinched, her small face contorted with fear. Tighnari had always been perplexed by the "Mini Humans." They materialized out of nowhere, sold by merchants, their backgrounds shrouded in mystery. Sumeru had outlawed their ownership and trade within the Dendro nation, a law he strongly advocated.

Cyno, ever perceptive, sensed that something was wrong. He lacked leads in his current investigation, and this encounter seemed like a valuable opportunity. Clearly, a grave injustice was occurring.

Panic still gripped me as Cyno's hand closed around me, lifting me into the air. I stiffened, new sobs escaping my chest.

"You can cry," he said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion, "or you can take action..."

For some unknown reason, his blunt words jolted me into action. Enough was enough.

"Stop manhandling me! I don't like it," I cried, struggling to get out of his grip. To my surprise, he released me, placing me on the table.

"I know you don't mean any harm," I said, wiping away my tears. "This is terrifying. I was with my friends when a group of huge Treasure Hoarders showed up and literally threw us into sacks. Then, I was in some kind of enclosure, sprayed with who-knows-what. I fell out of a crate in the desert, was chased by scholars, patched up, and dressed up like a doll. I'm not okay," I finished, breathless, the words spilling out in a torrent.

"I apologize; I crossed a line," Tighnari said, his expression of sincere remorse causing me to feel a twinge of sympathy for him.

The words caught in my throat, but I forced them out. "I'm sorry," I managed to say, desperate to make it clear that Tighnari wasn't to blame.

His ears drooped slightly. "No, no, you have every right to be upset. I've only made things worse..."

Cyno, ever stoic, fixed me with an unwavering gaze. "Question: where do you come from?" I told him about my origins, a world called Earth, a city far removed from the verdant forests of Sumeru.

His brow furrowed, a rare display of contemplation. "Is that so? Why are you... how should I put this... sane? As I stated before, all the Mini Humans I've encountered are nothing like you."

"I don't know..." The truth felt like a hollow echo within me. I wasn't special. A flimsy theory flitted through my mind – a brief stint as a beta tester for some unreleased feature, or perhaps just countless hours spent in this digital world. But it was nothing concrete.

"Hmm, either way, this is something I can't overlook..." Cyno's words hung in the air, heavy with implication. I knew his fight against the criminal underworld was a never-ending battle, a hydra where each victory only spawned new challenges.

Little did I know, standing there in the dim light of the forest watcher hut, that I was about to be swept away on an adventure unlike any I could have imagined.

"For now," Cyno said, his gaze piercing and sending a shiver down my spine, "you're my only lead."

The reality of the situation struck me with such force that I was left reeling. "Huh?!" I exclaimed, glancing down at myself, feeling utterly ridiculous.

The thought lingered, a heavy burden weighing me down. "How am I your lead in this...?" The brief thrill of adventure had vanished, replaced by an overwhelming desire to wake up. I longed to escape this bizarre nightmare and return home. My parents needed me. Trapped between the imposing figures of Cyno and Tighnari, I felt utterly helpless, as if I was suffocating.

Cyno's voice broke through my panic. "You're the only small human capable of coherent speech, and the only one who knows their origin..." His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I was a vital piece of evidence, a crucial element in his investigation. The stark realization washed over me: escape was impossible.

I wish I could say the case was simple: I went home, saved Lottie and Jamie, and that was that. But no, life rarely offers such straightforward resolutions. It was far from easy.

"Mmm, we can't keep calling you the mini-human. It's a pity you can't remember your name," Tighnari said, his tone a delicate balance of sweetness, kindness, and underlying sternness. If I wasn't currently the size of a doll and reeling from a recent trauma, I might have found myself swooning. Honestly, though, I couldn't bring myself to care what they called me. Deep down, I knew I wasn't going home. I had failed my parents, failed Lottie, and failed Jamie.

"Oh, I know..." Tighnari's voice pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. He held up a book, comically large in comparison to my diminutive form. "Pick a name..."

I couldn't muster any enthusiasm. The letters swam before my eyes, meaningless symbols on a foreign page. With apathetic resignation, I pointed to the first set of words my finger landed on.

"Mao... does that seem okay with you?" he asked, his gaze searching mine. I simply nodded, the weight of my failures heavy on my tiny shoulders.

"Yeah..." I whispered, the sound barely audible.

That day, whether I was ready for it or not, a new identity was thrust upon me, reshaping my very being. It was as if the threads of my past were severed, leaving behind only a blank canvas for a new life to be painted upon.

The name I had carried since birth, the one I had never truly embraced, seemed to fade into the mists of time, lost forever since I first arrived in this world. It was a shedding of skin, a metamorphosis into something unknown.

And now, I am Mao...

To be continued maybe ??

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misc-obeyme · 1 year ago

Note

omg okay this was originally going to be an ask about what you think the ring of wisdom may look like because i wanted to try and hunt something down that was similar to buy (mc has both the ring of light and ring of wisdom by season three I think, and i own the ring of light irl)

BUT THEN i went on the wiki and found out it's made of brass and iron, and also learned that u treasure created the ring of light look since it never appeared in canon (i can dream of them making the other half but unlikely as Solomon is a side character, sad)

AND THEN i was reminded that Michael gave the ring of wisdom to solomon so he could control demons more easily and not have the giant strain. But why give it to him? Why this specific sorcerer? Why aid in that?

So now I'm in a rabbit hole of wondering WHEN solomon got the ring. And if it was after the brothers fell, did Michael do it on purpose? Was he aiming for solomon to become powerful enough to even control the seven of the brothers? AND HOW DID HE FIND SOLOMON AT ALL? I have so many questions now

- ✨ anon

Hmm well if I remember correctly, Solomon gives MC a ring when they become a full fledged sorcerer, but I didn't think it was the Ring of Wisdom that he gave them? Perhaps I misinterpreted that part??

(Side note, I'm almost glad they aren't like to make Solomon's Ring of Wisdom just because OH THE TEMPTATION.)

Anyway, the question is how the heck did Solomon end up with that ring in the first place??

Oh, friend. You have unlocked a CC Solomon Theory because I've thought about this a lot.

I'm going to put it under a read more because of OG and Nightbringer spoilers!

We know almost nothing about the Ring of Wisdom. I can't remember if it's been mentioned in Nightbringer at all. And there may be more instances of it in OG that I'm not remembering. But here are two of the relevant parts:

This is from Lesson 2-2 of OG. He says he used it to create pacts with the 72 demons. Now, it's obvious that Asmo is one of those 72 demons, which means Solomon wouldn't be able to make a pact with him until after Lucifer & co fell. However, I don't think that means that Solomon didn't start making all his pacts before they fell.

This is from Lesson 29-5 in OG. And he says that Michael gave him the ring at a point in his life when he was lost, etc.

What does that mean? Is that before or after Solomon met Barbatos?

Now, there is also a part in Nightbringer where Solomon says that he met a friend back when he was locked up in the basement. He says that his new friend's family came to get them, but that they would come back from time to time and talk to him. He promise the friend he would be a good sorcerer so he could protect humanity.

What if that was Michael?

If it was, maybe Michael gave him the Ring of Wisdom around this time. Maybe Michael did it because he wanted to help Solomon protect humanity.

But this is also the story Solomon couldn't tell MC entirely. He stops part way and says he doesn't have the courage. Which means something else happened then, too. Probably something bad.

So I dunno, this is just a theory. But it could explain why Michael gave Solomon the ring to begin with. If it happened before the brothers fell, his motivation could have purely been to help Solomon protect humanity.

Of course, it's possible that wasn't Michael at all and was actually someone else. In which case we would be back to square one with the question of why Michael gave Solomon the ring.

It would be rather sinister if Michael gave it to Solomon after the brothers fell for the sole purpose of Solomon being able to control them.

It makes sense that Michael would need a human for this because he can't make pacts with the demons himself. But maybe Solomon didn't want to do what Michael wanted him to do and therefore decided to do his own thing instead. He only has a pact with one of the brothers, so he's not exactly going through with that idea.

If Michael is Nightbringer, this could explain why Solomon said that Nightbringer made him who he is. At the same time, it's pretty clear from Solomon's conversation with Nightbringer that he disagrees with Nightbringer and is kinda defiant.

But if Michael is Nightbringer and he's always wanted to control the brothers, that could explain why Nightbringer wanted MC to make pacts with all of them. Perhaps by creating pacts with the brothers in the past, MC has strengthened their pacts with the brothers in the future, too. That could make it easier for MC to control them, especially to control them all at once.

Which is kinda the point of the Ring of Wisdom. As you said, it's meant to allow someone to control multiple demons without it being as draining on the body.

Unfortunately, I still feel like I don't have enough evidence for any of these theories to say for sure that I think they're right. I kinda always thought Solomon's friend was Michael because to me that seems like the scenario that makes the most sense and fits with the Ring of Wisdom situation.

But in the end, I'm hoping they will reveal more about this part of the backstory. Even if I'm totally wrong, I would still very much like to know why Michael gave Solomon the Ring of Wisdom. Because that feels like a really big deal and so far all they've done is just kinda mention it briefly.

ANYWAY well you see I spend too much time thinking about this stuff. But I also have many questions! Here's hoping we get the answers soon!

#like if they wanna give us more questions that's fine #but they gotta at least answer some of these from freakin' lesson 2 of the OG #because we have been waiting LONG ENOUGH #obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me solomon #obey me michael #obey me spoilers #✨ anon #misc answers

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wheredostarsgowhenyoudie · 1 year ago

Text

Once upon a time when employees are being interviewed at SI:

Interviewer: So what is it like working for Iron Man?

Employee A: Oh! Easy question. I like that. It is an honor, you know. It's what I thought when I joined, and it still is now. But also, I did not expect that SI is a place where we are allowed to prioritize things like family. Like last time, I left my phone on silent at my desk cause I had to go to a meeting. My kid at home was having an emergency and I couldn't be reached. But apparently, Friday, Mr. Stark's AI, keeps track of phone vibrations so she made the report and someone came to notify me. I didn't even know there was a protocol for that. Turns out my daughter was having her period for the first time! And I'm a single father so I had no idea what to do and I was panicking. Next thing I know, an SI nurse came and apparently she was sent by Mr. Stark to walk me through how to help. Apparently, Fri also caught my panic rumblings and triggered 'YOU ARE NOT ALONE PROTOCOL' or something. (*laughing*) The next week, we received an official email introducing a new department called Human Care. They encourage everyone to reach out if we ever find ourselves out of our depths on non company emergency matters.

Interviewer: How long have you been working here?

Employee B: Eight years, two months, six days and counting.

Interviewer: What's the weirdest thing you've witnessed here?

Employee B: (blanks out)

Employee B (struggling to think): Ahm. Really? Just one? Er- That's a tough one. Maybe that one time they set up a room for everyone to try lifting Thor's hammer? Or wait, no, maybe that time there when flying roombas were everywhere following Mr. Stark and reminding him to eat? Or when a villain came via the vents but before he could come down, Hawkeye accidentally hit him with pepper spray? I don't know, man. Weird things happen a lot. We're used to it by now.

Interviewer: Do you feel safe working here?

Employee C: Yeah. The avengers live here. But to tell you the truth, I think Happy Hogan and his black tux team of agents scare all the potential bad guys away. I heard rumors that Black Widow personally trains them. Like, I know two of them. Jake, for instance. He's like a giant, and he is intimidating but I saw him crying one time and when I asked him why, he just said Mr. Hogan.

Interviewer: Which avenger have you met?

Employee D: Oh, I've met two of them. Captain America and Thor. It was odd but one time, they were in the cafeteria and carrying trays of food and I do not mean just one each. Nope. Like, a ton! Like they're feeding an army. But it makes sense. Can you imagine the workout? With bodies like theirs? And the battles they go to? Man, if I have to save the world from aliens, I'll probably need the same nutrition.

Interviewer: Which avenger is the kindest?

Employee E: Ahm...We all know they're all badass. But kindest, I think Spider-Man. Last Thursday, it was raining, and then Spidey suddenly came all wet and holding a box and I'm gonna quote him now. He said, "Friday, can you please ask Mr. Sam Wilson Falcon sir to come down? The shelter is close and I have a box of puppies and I really, really want to bring them up but Mr. Stark is gonna ban me from the lab again."

Interviewer: Aww. So what happened next? What did they do with the puppies?

Employee E (grinning): Falcon came down, alright. But he came with Iron Man who zoomed past everyone to drag Spidey to the penthouse. I am not sure what I heard but he was muttering about oven toasters and frozen spiderlings? In the end, aome employees volunteered to take care of them. But I believe two of them are at the avengers' floor. We saw Mr. Stark ranting about puppy paw paint marks on his armani.

Interviewer (gasps): Oh my. Was he mad?

Employee E (ends up laughing): Mad? Try grunting fondly? Peter really likes those puppies. Mr. Stark tried to act like he hates them but really, he adores everything about the kid, puppies included. He even had custom made collars with avengers logo made for them.

Interviewer: I'm sorry? The Winter Soldier was asking directions to where?

Employee F: The Lego Store.

Interviewer: How would you describe the workload? Do you still get work life balance?

Employee G: I guess it depends. I work in R&D and we're all nerds there. So like, we're typically busy but it's play for us. Some days, we're really cramped with work, mostly when deadlines are nearing or sometimes, we're just really in the zone, we do not want to stop. Peter activated 'NIGHT NIGHT PROTOCOL' for that. Had Fri lock us out of the lab and we had no choice but to go home or nap at the sleep wing. And would you believe? After the product launch, we got emails on mandatory vacation leaves with bonus to spend! Like, who does that? So yeah, it's cool working here.

And then, there was this:

Interviewer: How does it feel to be the heir of a multibillion dollar top green tech company?

Peter (stares quizzically, dumb-founded): Uhhh-....Look, sorry, I think I'm in the wrong room. I'm not- Maybe you got the wrong questionnaire? I'm just an intern-

Interviewer: Oh. Wait. Is it top secret then? Sorry, I was told of your identity as Mr. Stark's kid so I thought I could ask. But if you're not comfortable-

Peter: WHAT!?? Who said that? They're probably just joking.

Interviewer (chuckles nervously): Ms. Potts did actually.

Peter (freezes): Oh.

Suddenly the door opens and Tony walks in.

Tony: Hey kid, and Ms. Carrenland. How's the interview going? Thought I'd drop by for moral support, you know.

Peter (looks torn, but excuses himself to go to Tony): Uhm, Mr. Stark, can I talk to you for a second? Look, sir, ahm, I think there's been a misunderstanding. The interviewer asks me how it feels to be your heir. Like that's real. I don't-

Tony (has his brows rising to his hairline): Kid. Peter. Breathe.

Peter (groans and sighs embarrassingly): I just didn't want to lie! They mistook me for someone else. It was a misunderstanding!

Tony (smirking): It's really not.

Peter: What?

Tony: Kiddo, I was the one who gave Pep the approval to sign the questions. And really, you've been managing the R&D department and shadowing Pep at management for a year now. You never wondered why I make you do that?

Peter: Oh.

Tony: Yup. Genius child here.

Peter: I just wanted to help. You seem stressed out with the Avengers' work and dealing with the government. I thought I could lend a hand. I didn't- I don't expect you to- I'm not worth that, Mr. Stark.

Tony (scoffs): I beg to differ. Look, I'll be honest with you. Even if you aren't interested in the company, it's still gonna be yours. Look around you, kid. Do you think I let just anyone go around with a free pass at my tower? You have a room at my home. This place is your home, as where as everywhere else that I own. Plus, it's another motivation for you to take care of yourself when you go out as Spidey. Imagine all our employees. They need you, kiddo.

Peter (mumbling softly): I'm just Peter Parker.

Tony (smiles and pats his shoulder): And that is why I chose you.