#rather than actually watching something new

[tossawary]

Recent "Star Trek" reboot universes have really tried to sell me on three different romances for Spock with other TOS characters whom he did not have romantic relationships (at least not positive ones) with in TOS, which makes it particularly annoying when some fans try to squirm away from the idea of ST ever doing a future reboot or remake in which Spock/Kirk are explicitly queer.

Like, "But it's not in the original! They want to be faithful to the original!" really, REALLY does not pass the "I think you might just be discomforted by queerness and you should work on that, rather than making appeals to the authority of textual accuracy to avoid being called a homophobe or transphobe" check here. Because it's not as though these reboots care about perfect faithfulness on pretty much any other front. We'll accept that the costumes and special effects get updated to move with the times, we'll accept wildly different characterization choices that essentially give these characters new personalities, we'll accept new timelines that change the entire political map of the galaxy, but you as a fan draw the line at "What if this character was bisexual this time?" Really???

To be clear, I am not trying to dunk on Spock/Uhura, Spock/Chapel, or Spock/T'Pring here, I am merely trying to illustrate a frustrating double-standard. TOS Uhura does notably flirt with Spock several times! I see it! I remember TOS Chapel's feelings for Spock being one-sided, but I also don't think it's a bad thing to try to update TOS's more misogynistic writing choices regarding female characters. TOS T'Pring did... kind of try to kill Spock because she didn't want to marry him, but again, I don't necessarily think it's immediately a bad thing to try to explore her as a character and her betrothal to Spock. It's fine! It's fine by me to explore new takes in new AUs.

It's just that none of that evidence from TOS for those relationships holds much of a candle to whatever the fuck Kirk and Spock had going on to inspire The Premise. "Amok Time" is an Experience. There's only so many times that Kirk can say something like, "The cost [of abandoning Spock] would have been my soul," before you want to put your face in your hands. They are taking shiny pebbles from TOS and trying their very best to sell them to me as the basis for romantic relationships in reboots, sure, while they are standing in the shadow of Spirk Evidence Mountain (TOS).

(Yes, I have seen the recent "Unification" short film. Yes, I enjoyed it. No, I will not consider Spirk "officially canon" until all plausible deniability for the squirmy folks has been completely, explicitly destroyed by a HUMAN kiss onscreen.)

And okay, I must admit, at the moment, I don't actually want Spirk to eventually happen in "Strange New Worlds" now that they've finally met. I'm mostly indifferent to their Spock and Kirk actors, personally, and the writing for every canonical romantic relationship in both SNW and "Discovery" so far has gotten a solid "well, they certainly are standing next to each other" from me. (Yes, even the gay marriage in "Discovery". I just haven't been into it so far.) I think the writers would fumble Spirk if they tried it in this specific show and then annoying fans would use the fumble as "evidence" never to try to do Spirk or queer retakes on other TOS characters ever again, or as "proof" against other queer ST in other shows characters generally.

I'm mostly just mildly annoyed that I have to keep watching Spock specifically, famously read by many people as a queer man, be straight and messy about it, especially when there has not really been a significant queer relationship onscreen in SNW yet, unless you count M'Benga's daughter Rukiya and her glow cloud friend named Debra, which I personally don't, honestly. I'd like an onscreen relationship with a main character with zero plausible deniability. There's definitely nothing yet that comes remotely close to the screentime that Spock/Chapel, Spock/T'Pring, and Kirk/La'an have all been given so far, unfortunately. (Sulu is not here yet. Scotty has just shown up. If Scotty gets to make out with a guy next season, or Uhura or Ortegas gets to make out with a lady, without it being part of some god-like-being's fantasy world, then I may be satisfied.) (Also, yes, I am aware of queer characters and relationships in other "Star Trek" shows, thanks. I very much enjoyed Mariner having her incredibly silly breakup with her girlfriend in "Lower Decks".)

"Star Trek" is one of those properties where some people's double-standards regarding romantic interpretations of the original series really jump out. "They can't do Kirk/Spock because they want to be faithful to the original!" Get real.

[cosmerelists]

Cosmere Villains: Ranked By How Much You Could Trust Them To Babysit Your Child

As requested by anon. :)

You need a babysitter for your kid, and for reasons unbeknownst to me, you can only entrust your child to a Cosmere villain. But fear not: this list will aid you by ranking how much you could trust said villains with your precious child.

[Big Spoilers for villain actions throughout! I'd steer clear of any characters from book series you haven't yet finished. However, there is nothing from Wind & Truth previews]

1. Taravangain [Stormlight]: Your child has...slightly better than even odds of being fine

Taravangian is one of the few villains who actually did order a group of children be put to death--remember when he was highly "intelligent" but the child choir was bugging him so he ordered that they all be killed? Not great credentials for a babysitter! On the other hand, his subordinates did talk him out of child murder, and presumably his subordinates would also be there with your child. So your kid probably wouldn't be executed by royal order!

...But I'd maybe stay away from Taravangian.

2. Miles [Mistborn Era 2]: Not the worst choice

If I remember Miles correctly (and I hope so, because I'm not really checking), he's the sort of villain who would have been one of the protagonists in Mistborn Era 1. I mean, his whole thing is that he wants to do what's right and stand up for the downtrodden through loads of murder, which--good resume for Kelsier's crew, am I right? I think your child would probably be fine--seems pretty safe to be strapped in a baby harness against the chest of an unkillable dude. Let's just hope he's not being fired upon by like seventy constables while babysitting.

...Maybe ask him to stay in your house for the job.

3. Hrathen [Elantris]: Are you willing to convert?

I believe Hrathen would actually take very good care of your child. He's a competent guy and doesn't want to cause any harm for harm's sake. On the other hand, you probably won't be paying him money--rather, I'm guessing he's gonna ask you to convert before he'll agree to watch your child.

So: Pros: You child is safe and healthy. Cons: You're a follower of Jaddeth now.

4. Crow [Tress of the Emerald Sea]: Not worth the price

The moment Crow has your kid, she's 100% blackmailing you into committing murder. That's just her MO. You're better off paying your neighbor kid $20 at that point.

5. The Sorceress [Tress of the Emerald Sea]: Uh...her literal thing is kidnapping

Come on, the Sorceress only knows how to do three things: kidnap people, curse people, and build hugely phallic rocket ships disguised as towers. I'm assuming you don't want your child to be kidnapped, cursed, or taught that all tall buildings should be inherently phallic. I'd steer clear of the Sorceress.

6. Odium, original vessel [Stormlight]: Pretty good choice!

What's promising about original-flavor Odium is that he likes to make agreements and will not only keep that agreement but also adhere to its spirit. All you need to do is get Odium to agree to keep your child safe, and Odium will do that!

Now, will Odium ask for something in return? Naturally. Will it be more than a cool $20? Yeah. And will your child be returned to you spouting some nonsense about how they must abandon all negative passions and become unchained? Well, yeah, but they're five. You can probably distract them with some Boo's Clues and they'll forget all about Odium's brainwashing.

All in all, not a terrible choice!

7. Odium, [spoiler-y] vessel [Stormlight]: Well...are you a really good lawyer?

Odium as represented by his new vessel will also keep to the babysitting contract--exactly as written and no further, loopholes fully exploited. So unless you can write an ironclad babysitting contract, you may return to find that sure, your child is physically safe, but they're now the face of a shady baby food company being used to smuggle exotic car parts across state lines. And nobody wants that.

8. Denth & Tonk Fah [Warbreaker]: Take them at their word

Denth & Tonk Fah will definitely tell you that, as mercenaries, they can't be trusted with a small child. Denth will say this in such an offhanded and charming way that you will definitely feel compelled to tell them, "Don't be silly! I know my child will be safe with you two."

Don't do it. Your child will NOT be safe.

Keep looking.

9. Telsin [Mistborn Era 2]: Not a great idea

Best-case scenario, being a good babysitter is somehow an important skill to Autonomy, in which case Telsin will in fact give it her all. You'll come back from your dinner & movie to find that your baby has a Harvard PhD and is mayor of a small town.

But more likely than not, if Telsin wants to watch your child, then she has nefarious plans that involve murder and world domination, and that's probably not the future you want for junior.

10. Straff [Mistborn Era 1]: No

Hahahahaha no.

Just no.

11. Lord Ruler [Mistborn Era 1]: Will immediately hand your kid off to his subordinates

The Lord Ruler is not gonna babysit your kid. He's gonna hand that child off immediately to his subordinates, the obligators. Your best-case is that the obligators also hand your child off to their subordinates, all the way down until your child ends up with a skaa servant who actually has some semblance of human love still in their heart. Worst-case, you find your child sitting on a dusty floor playing with spikes you hope are just rusty.

I'd recommend choosing a different babysitter.

12. Moash [Stormlight]: Not worth the risk

It's not like Moash is just evil for evil's sake or anything, but we know he doesn't have an issue killing innocents (RIP Teft) and he is currently trying to suppress his conscience wholesale. Now, if your child cannot be used in any schemes, I don't think Moash will hurt them for no reason. But if they CAN be used for schemes, then your child might be dropped off a tall tower to distract Kaladin or something. Best-case scenario, your child is returned to you safe & sound but has been given an Evil Baby Makeover (exactly the same outfit as before but it's black now).

I just don't think its worth the risk.

...Evil Baby Makeover might be kinda cute, though.

[luvismenu]

chap: 11 — don't wanna be too much ✎ ,, index

“so why do you wanna hang out with me?”

you glance up at the man sitting across from you, his raised brow suggesting curiosity rather than suspicion. he takes a sip of his coffee, waiting for your answer.

“huh?” you say, caught slightly off guard. “oh. well…” you trail off, scrambling for a reason that doesn’t sound too rehearsed. “you seemed cool to talk to.”

his brow furrows briefly before his expression shifts into something resembling surprise. “really?”

you nod, taking a sip of your coffee to avoid his gaze.

“didn’t you call me annoying in our first year?” he asks, his tone light, but his words make you freeze midsip.

the liquid burns your tongue, and you flinch, coughing slightly as you put your cup back on the table. “that was ages ago,” you say, trying to wave it off with a smile.

he leans back in his chair, one corner of his mouth lifting in amusement. “yeah?”

“you’re not annoying, jason,” you say quickly, your tone earnest as you meet his gaze.

his brows relax, and the surprise fades into something closer to amusement. “okay,” he says simply, his lips quirking up into a small smile.

he believes you.

thank fuck.

it’s not like you actually want to hang out with jason.

the day after jungkook ended things—well, not officially, but enough to leave you enraged—you decided to go find him. you thought maybe you’d apologize for overreacting. you didn’t want to admit it, but maybe you’d let your emotionls get the better of you.

you wanted to tell him that; you don't wanna be too much.

but as you made your way to his class, rehearsing what you might say, you saw her. a woman you’d never seen before, standing close to jungkook. too close.

your steps faltered, and your stomach twisted as you watched her lean into him, laughing at something he said. you couldn’t hear their conversation, but you didn’t need to. the way he smiled at her.

it told you everything.

anger bubbled up inside you, sharp and overwhelming. you wanted to walk up to her and pull her away from him, demand to know who she was and why she thought she could be that close to him.

but then you caught the way he looked at her, like she was the only person in the room, and that anger quickly turned to something else.

something heavier.

he’s moving on, you thought bitterly.

he’s really fucking moving on.

you knew you were a bad communicator. you’d accepted that a long time ago. but deep down, you thought—no, you hoped—that he’d wait. at least for a little while.

he didn’t.

it's okay.

it's fine. whatever.

if he could move on that fast, so could you.

and that’s how you ended up here, sitting across from jason, pretending to care about what he’s saying and convincing yourself that this will even the score.

jungkook is stressed.

why are you so against talking about what’s going on? he wonders, running a hand through his hair.

all he wanted was to clear the air, to talk about how things between you both don’t feel “casual” anymore. you’ve noticed it too. he knows you have. but every time he tries to bring it up, you shut him down, insisting everything’s fine.

it’s not fine.

it's not fine at all.

and now you’re walking around with some new guy?

who the fuck is he?

he's never seen this guy before and honestly, he wants to beat the shit out of him.

over the last few days, he’s seen you laughing and smiling with this stranger, and it burns him up inside. every time he’s tried to approach you, you’ve brushed him off, your indifference leaving him more frustrated than ever.

and so he decided;

if this is how it’s going to be, i am not backing down either.

that’s how he ended up here, walking into the café with mia by his side. truthfully, he doesn’t know her well. she approached him a few days ago for help with some classwork, and he didn’t think much of it. it wasn’t like him to turn people away; besides, it seemed harmless.

but now?

now it feels like the perfect opportunity to play along wih whatever game you’re starting.

“jungkook, can you get me something sweet to drink, like you?” mia’s voice is sugary as she leans closer, whispering the last two words on purpose.

jungkook forces a polite smile. mentally, he sighs.

this is too much, he thinks.

mia’s is not someone he would date, not even close. if things were normal between you and him, he wouldn’t have given this moment a second thought. but they aren’t normal, and he’s had enough of feeling like he’s the only one who cares.

if this makes you feel something and makes you want to talk to him, so be it.

just as he’s about to respond to mia, he catches sight of you in the corner of the café.

you’re with him.

that fucking guy with that stupid fucking grin.

you’re sitting there, coffee in hand, looking right at him.

his jaw tightens as your eyes meet, and for a brief moment, it feels like the rest of the room fades away.

then you glance at mia.

jungkook sees the subtle shift in your expression,, the slight frown, the way your lips press together, his eyes catching the way your fingers tighten slightly around your coffee cup, your jaw clenched as you stare. his chest tightens, but he raises a brow at you instead, daring you to react.

you roll your eyes, turning your attention back to your coffee.

he scoffs under his breath.

so stubborn.

“of course,” he says, turning back to mia with a bright, deliberate smile. “something sweet for someone sweet.”

mia giggles and nods, oblivious to the silent tension crackling between you and him across the room.

what the fuck is he doing?

is he seriously with that woman right now?

in the same room as you?

you can see him talking to her, leaning in slightly, his expression relaxed like he doesn’t have a care in the world. and the way she’s giggling at whatever he’s saying? it’s really irritating you.

your hand tightens around your coffee cup, and for a split second, you imagine marching over there and giving her a piece of your mind. or worse.

maybe that’s an overreaction.

maybe not.

but it’s exactly how you feel right now.

“is everything okay?” jason’s voice pulls you back to reality.

you blink, turning to look at him. his brows are furrowed slightly, concern etched into his features as he glances between you and the direction of jungkook and mia.

“yeah, yep, everything’s fine,” you say quickly, forcing a smile that you hope looks convincing.

“you sure?” he presses, his tone soft but skeptical.

you nod, taking a sip of your coffee even though it doesn’t do much to settle the storm inside you.

but when you glance back toward jungkook, you catch his eyes on you.

he’s watching.

you notice the way his jaw clenches, his fingers tapping lightly against the table as if he’s holding himself back. a small frown forms on his face, the kind that could almost be missed if you weren’t paying attention. but you are.

your pulse quickens, the tension in the air wrapping itself tightly around you. still, you refuse to look away.

instead, you smile.

just slightly, a curve of your lips that is meant to get under his skin and turn your attention back to jason.

“so, what were you saying about your project?” you ask, your tone deliberately light, pretending not to notice the way jungkook’s gaze burns into you.

jason raises a brow, clearly sensing the sudden shift in your focus but continues, “oh, right. i was saying it’s been tricky, but i think i’ve figured out a solution.”

you nod, leaning in just a bit closer to him, giving him your full attention, or at least the appearance of it.

from the corner of your eye, you see jungkook shift in his seat, his expression darkening as mia says something to him. he doesn’t respond right away, his gaze flickering back to you and jason.

good. let him stew in it.

you’r not even sure why you care so much, but the sight of him with her acting so casual had set something off inside you. and now, you weren’t about to let him have the upper hand.

jungkook sees you, sitting across from that guy, listening intently to whatever he’s saying, a soft smile playing on your lips. his jaw tightens, and his fist clenches slightly against the table.

he hates this.

hates how easily you seem to have moved on, hates how that guy can make you smile like that, as if nothing between you and jungkook had ever mattered.

are you really going to act this way instead of talking to me? he thinks.

“oh! is it all over my face?” mia’s voice pulls him back, her tone overly sweet as she gestures to the bit of cream on her lips.

jungkook glances at her, clearly unimpressed. she could easily wipe it off herself, but it’s obvious she wants him to do it.

he mentally rolls his eyes, annoyed by her theatrics, but then his gaze shifts, catching you glancing in his direction.

without thinking, he reaches out and wipes the cream from mia’s lip, forcing a small smile.

“there,” he says, his voice neutral.

mia giggles, looking at him through her lashes as if he’s just done the most romantic thing in the world. jungkook barely notices her reaction; his eyes are already flicking back to you.

he sees the way your expression hardens just slightly, your shoulders stiffening before you quickly turn back to the guy in front of you.

his chest tightens, and he has to fight the urge to get up, to pull you away and demand to know why this all feels so messed up.

instead, he stays where he is, his hand dropping back to his lap as he forces himself to focus on mia. but the irritation bubbling inside him doesn’t go away.

because right now, he doesn’t know what else to do. he’s tired of second guessing every glance, every word, every interaction. if seeing him with mia stirs something in you, then maybe it’ll push you to say what’s been left unsaid.

he steals another glance in your direction.

you're frowning.

good.

let it bother you.

because watching you with that guy; laughing at his jokes, leaning just a little too close, makes something ugly twist in his chest.

is this jealousy? he wonders.

are you feeling the same way he is?

he doesn't know. but if this is what it takes to finally make you break the silence, then fine. he’s willing to play along.

but the truth? the truth is that he’d drop this entire charade if you’d just look at him the way you used to. if you’d just talk to him, even for a moment, and stop pretending like everything between you two hasn’t changed.

he exhales sharply, forcing himself to focus on mia’s chatter as he heads to the counter. but his mind is elsewhere.

on you.

you're on his mind a lot.

it’s frustrating, really. no matter how much he tries to distract himself, whether it’s with mia’s empty conversations or the endless tasks piling up, his thoughts always circle back to you.

he wonders what you’re thinking right now. if you’re still smiling at whatever that guy said, if you’re still glancing his way when you think he’s not looking.

he wishes he was in your mind too, even just a little.

but the way you’ve been avoiding him, the way you seem so at ease with someone else, makes him doubt it.

and that doubt? it’s what drives him crazy.

on the other side, watching jungkook with that woman. watching him talk to her and make her laugh like that?

it drives you crazy.

a/n: wow 4 owiu updates this week, isn't that crazy? (i am sleep deprived) and also yay we're halfway through the series aaaaa!!! this chapter was a last minute thing lol i didn't wanna write but here we are (also, i am hoping to finish owiu asap hehe)

📜 series taglist: @deepikhaprakash @rjooniesdimples @wombatkitten127 @hoseokteardrop

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[kalpeavaris]

Cyn - Creature/Furry AU - [Lore Post]

Worked at the Elliott Manor as a maid, was fairly shunned and often avoided by other Workers due to her appearance and clumsy behaviour. Often reprimanded by the Elliotts for her attitude and way of working, with Tessa encouraging Cyn & making sure she was kept on the estate.

Smaller than any of her siblings (who she does not know, sadly) or most Civets due to malnourishment during her younger years.

Tessa was actually the one to bring Cyn from the labratories she worked at into her home, as Cyn was being used as a "lab rat" for several testings due to her Albinism.

Cyn was the first and only person to come into direct contact with the sample of the "Absolute Solver", a mutated and self-aware Virus strain similar to Rabies or CWD (chronic waste disease).

Tessa brought the sample home in secret to hopefully continue working on cracking its code in her freetime, which is how Cyn found it while cleaning her room.

Due to Cyn's weak immune system the virus took hold of her fairly easily, nestling inside of her brain & being able to speak to her.

Thanks to the Solver's self-awareness of being a virus and its abilities it found the task of manipulating Cyn and using her as host to (hopefully) spread itself in the future fairly easy.

Over time, the Solver convinced Cyn that Tessa & her family were the Ones responsible for her being infected with the "sickness", convincing her to kill everyone on the estate on the night of a very important business meeting / gala event.

After wiping out the entirety of the Elliott family and their guests, Cyn fled the estate to Camp 98.7 where she hid and the Solver slowly started to mutate her body, taking inspiration from several animals and creatures in order to form the "perfect apex" for its plans.

The Solver deemed Cyn's fragile & rather weak appearance and demeanor as "not functional" for its plans, hence the rapid want to transform her. Using its abilities it had the upper hand and ability to change every aspect of the Civets outer appearance, almost shattering her mind while doing so.

What was left of Cyn during the story was... a chimera, all and nothing at the same time, made from parts the Solver deemed "useful" for the future plans it had on its mind. Horns for offense, wings to soar the sky, legs capable of running on both two and four legs, powerful jaws and teeth to kill, scales to protect the body - it saw her as imperfect, each change a desperate try to make her into something that could be deemed "perfect". Wielding the sword she had used to kill the Elliott family, she was ready to go to war for the Solver... albeit unwillingly. The Solver, appearing to her as a huge, grotesque hyena, was always there in the back of her mind (literally), steering her every move. It only allowed Cyn to move by herself when she was alone, often watching and belittling her for having issues to move and coordinate herself in this new body of hers. After the Solver arc and its destruction, Cyn was able to gain the upper hand over her mind - which took alot of time and help from other people (especially N and Uzi). She was capable of changing some aspects of her body "back" in some sense, however, alot is irreversible.

Was able to change her face slightly (removed the scaling on her snout, made it more cat-like with a more rounded appearence) & her ears rounder, similar to how they were as Civet

Made the wings way smaller as she dislikes them. Can't remove them entirely, but them being this small works. She hides them under clothes when she wears them.

Made her tail resemble her old one more with a more rounded tail tip & fluffy appearence.

Walks on both 2 and 4 legs, but due to her changed anatomy she involuntarily prefers 4 legs.

Whenever she walks on 2 legs she has to use the cane, as it's difficult for her to keep herself stable.

The Solver had used her body for so long that it became almost impossible for Cyn to act on her own - when she was possessed, it was like she was watching from a seat in her mind while the Solver moved her.

The first few weeks after her freedom was regained she almost didn't move at all without being told to or prompted by Uzi and N, not out of malice or to annoy them, but simply because she just... didn't know she had to move by herself. She was so used to someone else doing it that she forgot those instincts.

This also applies to her speaking - it was mostly the Solver speaking through her, so Cyn forgot her own voice and got kinda freaked out when she first heard it. Thanks to all the physical changes her voice also changed ALOT - from soft and timid to almost rasp, growly and deep.

Despite her looks she's still very timid. Way more extroverted than her former Civet-self, but still withdrawn from Strangers. When she first met Uzi properly she was kinda taken aback by Uzis extremely outgoing persona :']]

Bit Uzi once during an episode of flashbacks when Uzi assumed her to be conscious and came closer without warning, which resulted in Cyn biting off her arm (don't worry, Uzi gets a sick robotic replacement B]]) Uzi apologized profusely for the incident, while Cyn did the same for hurting her - fell in love at the first arm amputation /j

Found her confidence again thanks to Uzi dragging her along on her way to love herself.

[astra-ryuusei]

"Awakening the Sleeping Giant" p2

people seemed to like the first post so have a little more :)

might put it on ao3 later or something

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

The language barrier is a problem, Ulchtar finally decides once they touch down, and his new friend seems to agree.

He’d hit a snag in trying to describe where to go when he realized the Giant had been asleep for longer than English had existed as a language. Thankfully, gestures seemed to be more-or-less universal, so he was able to get across the idea of where to go eventually. They’re currently nestled in a cave somewhere in the Scandinavian mountains. It’s a remote place, especially after the alien attacks in the area a few years back. But he knows that this isn’t a permanent solution.

They need to learn to communicate before the inability to do so gets them both killed.

Which is why they’re now taking turns scratching out a massive diagram on the cave floor with sticks…Well, a stick and a small tree. They’d been trading words back and forth for a good two hours now. As best as he could tell, the Giant’s language was actually quite simple—consisting mainly of nouns, verbs, descriptors, and modifiers to those two things. It wasn’t particularly elegant, but it was versatile enough.

They’d started with things that were easily drawn-out or mimed: things like “person,” “me,” “you.” There was sort of a pronoun system, and the Giant…seemed to be a “he,” or an equivalent. Then they’d tried to build from there—he’d figured out some of the verbs, and how to phrase things as a question, and from there the two of them had hit it off. Now he was trying to get the guy up to speed, because everything would be a whole lot easier if they knew what was going on.

“So…[me-category-] human.” He points to the crude little figure of a human he’s drawn, and the Giant nods along.

How to explain the war…? “Humans [-planet-creation-positive-] Earth.” He points to the rough map of the world they’ve drawn out, then to the Giant’s rather detailed drawing of a kaiju. “[Planet-creation-negative-] Earth.”

They lean down a little closer to the drawing. “Quintesson,” he says with what sounds like outright distaste. Ulchtar’s a little taken aback by that.

“[Question.] Quintesson [-them. Name?]”

“[Name-positive.] Quintessons [negative-negative-negative.]” They confirm. Okay, triple negatives, so this guy hated the damned things just as much as anyone else. Maybe it wasn’t just Earth under siege…?

“Quintessons [motion-inside] Earth…[creation-negative] humans.” He’s painfully aware of his limited vocabulary, hoping it’s enough to get the point across. The Giant seems to pick up on the intent, tensing up just a little.

He continues. “Humans…[Eyes-positive-you. Humans-creation-negative, desire-negative.] So... [negative-brain-do-positive-you. Creations-do-similar.]” We found you. We didn’t want to die. We studied you. Tried to make things like you.

The Giant whirls towards him at that, picking him up to hold him at eye level. The grip is just tight enough to hurt, just enough to feel like a threat. “[You…complete-negative-me?]”

Ulchtar waves his hands in front of his face frantically, mortified. Oh, he’s really fucked up this time. He didn’t realize the Giant remembered getting taken apart like that. “[M-me-do-negative! Complete-positive-repeat!]” He sputtered. I put you back together!

It wasn’t technically a lie. He hadn’t exactly done it out of the kindness of his heart, but it wasn’t a lie.

The glare softens just a bit, the grip relaxing. He's not in immediate risk of death anymore.

They keep talking for a few hours, until it gets too dark to really see what he's doing anymore.

He hmms, trying to think of the right words…

“Uh…” He points up at the sliver of sky above them. “[Sky. Light-negative. Me-vision-negative.]”

“[…Recharge-you? Eyes-positive-me.]” He was offering to keep watch while Ulchtar slept, he mentally translated.

He nodded, fumbling mentally to figure out how to respond to that. “[…Gratitude-positive.]”

Then, another thought occurred to him. “[You. Name. Question?]”

The Giant paused for a second at that, wings drooping just a little bit. “[…name-knowledge-negative. Memory-negative-negative.]”

…oh.

Ulchtar can’t help but feel a little bad for asking now. He tries to shift the topic a bit, pointing to himself. “[Me. Name.] Ulchtar.”

That gets a tilt of the head. “[You. Name. Sound-similar…Star-sound-positive-positive-pitch-positive?]” In this language, the name and the phrase do sound kind of alike, actually. He laughs at that.  

“Star…scream? [Desire-name. Name-sound-positive-positive-positive.]” He adds three positives for emphasis, because it does sound way more badass than “Ulchtar.”

The ground shakes just slightly, and he realizes the Giant is laughing.

Don't get too attached, he reminds himself. They could betray you any second. He's just as dangerous as these Quintessons if he wants to be.

“Oh, knock it off…” He curls up on a relatively comfy-looking patch of cave moss, bundling himself up in some extra clothes in lieu of anything warmer. The cave’s warmer than outside, but still a bit chilly even with the ambient heat from the Giant’s engines heating it up.

It doesn’t stop him from eventually slipping into sleep.

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

The mech with no name shifts his weight just a little, trying to get comfortable in his hiding spot among the mountains. It’s not much—just a little nook in the rocks where it’s tough to spot him—but it’s better than being out in the open, as badly as he wants to stretch out his wings and fly again.

He doesn’t want to put the human—Starscream—Ulchtar—in danger.

Ulchtar’s the only companion he has in this world right now, after all.

So he’s probably going to stick with him for a bit—in no small part because he really doesn’t know where else he’d go. Most of his memory is long since corrupted, throwing him all kinds of errors whenever he tries to think back to before.

He knows, in broad strokes, what he is. He knows he’s a mechanical lifeform. He knows he’s a shapeshifter of some sort. He knows he can fly, and is probably designed to explore space. He knows what the parts inside of him are—what a spark is and that he needs to drink energon to survive. He knows the Quintessons want him dead.

But he doesn’t know who he is. His name. Where he came from. What his own species is called…

Does he have a species?

This whole world was filled with organic life, and nothing else—it was clear that the other machines he’d seen in that laboratory weren’t alive, but rather artificial constructs. They resembled him, but only superficially. He can’t feel their sparks, let alone any sort of EM field—something even the organics of this world have, albeit very faint ones.

Which leaves him with a very frightening question.

Am I alone?

His internal clock is telling him he’s been on this planet for six million years, trapped in stasis.

Surely someone must’ve looked for him, right? One of his kind, maybe? Surely six million years would’ve been long enough for a search party to find him.

If nobody had ever come looking for him, then…then either there was nobody left to send, or he’d mattered so little that nobody had ever bothered to remember him.

He wasn’t sure which hurt more: being alone, or being nobody.

Something wet drips onto his face.

Terrible time for rain, he thinks to himself.

But when he looks up, there’s not a cloud in the sky.

How odd…

He brushes it away, trying not to think about the question hanging over his head.

The night after that is largely uneventful, up until he notices a strange blue-green light on the horizon.

He pokes his head through the entrance. Was dawn supposed to come this early? Was it usually that color?

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

When he’s exhausted, Ulchtar is a pretty heavy sleeper.

That said, the fact that the Giant doesn’t wake him up when he moves away is still damned impressive. No, he only wakes up when it starts getting cold again. Still groggy, it takes him a few seconds to realize his vanished from his spot—something that makes him snap awake instantly in a panic.

He looked up towards the surface. Had he been abandoned? Was the Giant going back to—

Oh.

He sees his companion’s winged silhouette just beyond the mouth of the cave, illuminated in blue and green and violet.

He’s staring at something.

Ulchtar creeps closer, and quickly understands why. There’s an aurora snaking across the sky in full force above the mountains, and the Giant watches in wonder.

His wings twitch when Ulchtar draws near, as if sensing him somehow. “Starscream [recharge-positive?]” He asks. It seems like the nickname is sticking.

“[Recharge-positive],” he agrees. It’s another half-truth; he was sleeping fine until he got cold.

The Giant points up at the aurora, looking very confused. “[Occurrence. Name. Question?]”

“Aurora borealis.”

“[Common-positive? Threat-positive? Question?]”

“[Common-negative. Threat-negative.]” Ulchtar assures him.

He seems to relax a bit at that. “[Eye-similar…sky-heat-positive-light-positive.]”

“Yeah, kinda…” He really does not have the vocabulary to explain how the hell an aurora works. "The sky set itself on fire" is as good an explanation as any.

They nod along. “[Vision…positive-positive-positive.]”

That’s a lot of words to say “it’s pretty,” Ulchtar thinks to himself with a little smile, but jolts when his friend’s wings suddenly flatten against his back, an expression of…something like recognition on his face.

“[Name. Me. Memory-negative-now-positive. Sky-heat-positive-light-positive!]” He puts his hands together and looks to Ulchtar almost expectantly, as if he wants him to try translating this name too.

"...Skyfire," he decides after a few seconds.

The look "Skyfire" gives him at that...He's trying his best not to get attached, to do his best impression of a chessmaster moving his pawns around, but by God, if push came to shove he would kill for that smile.

[shes-an-artist]

My Snowman and Me - Bucky Barnes fluff

summary: you and Bucky have a snow day

 Warnings: fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff and you guessed it, fluff

A/n: So I may or may not have gotten everything accurate but there's more fluff in here than I wish to admit. And it might have been a litter longer than needed, but what the bloody heck, who cares, have some fluff.

You had never seen so much snow in your life. True, you'd seen the pictures of New York during Christmas time, but you'd never actually BEEN there. And it was worth every moment.

And your boyfriend was there too. 

Not that he wasn't absolute boyfriend material, and he was. Or is, however you wanted to put it. Bucky was a perfect gentleman. 

Tony had texted you earlier that morning, saying that you and Barnes could have the day off since everything was going smoothly at the Avenger's tower. You immediately bolted to Bucky's apartment down the hall and started stamping on his door. 

"Bucky Barnes! Wake up!"

When his sleepy face appeared in the crack of the door, you smiled. 

"Hey, doll." He mumbled, looking rather shaken from his evident sleep. "Whats wrong?"

"I wanna go outside. We have the day off." You showed him your phone which displayed Tony's text. Bucky rubbed his eyes and looked at your phone before looking back at you. "Baby, it's 20 degrees outside."

"So? C'mon, there's a reason you have a jacket!" You pouted, taking your phone back. "I wanna build a snowman!"

"Right now?"

"Yes, Bucky. Right now."

"Oookay. Lemme wake up first."

"Dress warm!" You called before he shut the door and bolted back to your apartment. You wolfed down a bowl of baked oatmeal before making one for Bucky when he got there. Your baked oatmeal was crunchy and creamy, not that mess of tasteless glop normal oatmeal was. Plus your threw in some brown sugar on top of it before you warmed it up. 

After eating you hurried to layer up, a next-to-skin shirt, your thermal leggings, a cotton t-shirt, a pair of jeans, your wool socks, your combat boots(compliments of Bucky) and your white jacket with black gloves. You were tugging on your hat just as Bucky knocked on the front door.

"It's open, Bucky!" You called as you started to lace up your boots. 

He walked in and leaned against the doorway, his hands shoved into his pockets. "You look warm enough to snuggle with."

"Hey, patience, soldier." You stood up, smiling. "You'll get some later. I got you some oatmeal." You squeezed by him, grabbed the bowl and set it in the microwave.

"Thanks, doll." He rested his chin in his hand as he sat on the counter, watching you move through the kitchen with fluid steps. "You're cute." 

You touched your face, sure that your blush could be seen a mile away. You spun around, trying not to look flustered p, but you evidently failed when he broke into a grin.

The microwave stopped you from making a remark as you set his breakfast in front of him. "Eat before I say something silly."

"Yes, ma'am."

He finished off his oatmeal, watching the entire time. "I still think you're cute."

"James Buchanan Barnes." You couldn't hide your smile as you crossed your arms. "Flattery will gain you nothing."

He stuck his tongue out which made you hide your face again. A giggle erupting from your core.

"James!"

"What??" He slid off the bar stool and put his bowl in the dishwasher. "Now are you going to show me how to make a snowman or not?"

You straightened up, fixing your collar and before you knew it, you were both downstairs making a snowball apiece to see how far you could throw it. 

"Ready?" You raised your eyebrows, your competitive spirit rising. 

"Anytime you are," Bucky returned the glance before gazing out over the white blanket that hid the trees that peppered the courtyard. Oscar and the old man were back inside already, but there was a number of younger kids and their parents playing in the snow. Apparently they had decided to make one giant snowman, and they had made pretty good progress so far, with a massive ball on the bottom, about four feet high.

"We'd better throw over in that direction," you pointed to your right, toward a less populated area in the courtyard. 

"Good idea." Bucky nodded. "Wouldn't want to get pelted in the back of the head by the Winter Soldier."

"Noooooooo." You tried to sound serious, but you both knew you weren't fooling the other.

"And no using the metal arm either."

"You know I can't throw left-handed." 

"Just a precaution." You closed your eyes as you finished rounding off your snowball. 

Bucky said nothing but shook his head, you were glad he hadn't cut his hair before winter set in. You had to convince him to wait til spring to do so. 

"Okay, if we get it past the fountain."

"Five dollars says you don't." He grinned at you. 

"Deal." You returned the grin. "After you, good sir."

Bucky made a show of looking like a baseball pitcher, the frown, the look of concentration, everything. You snickered before he let the snowball loose. It sailed over the courtyard and burst into powder against the light post next to the brick wall.

"Impressive." You smiled as he backed up. "But I know better than to compete with that."

"There's still five bucks on the line."

"Yes, yes, yes," you stepped forward, weighing the ball in your hands. You looked outward and hurdled the ball over the fountain, but it barely made it ten feet past it before it fell into the blanket of snow.

"You owe me five dollars, you swindler." You spun around to face Bucky, his eyes rolling back into his head, and his arms crossed.

"Whatever. Okay, so I was wrong."

"C'mon." You smiled tugging his arm into the snow. You were so glad for the boots he had got you, they were definitely keeping your feet dry and warm. You let him go and flopped into the bank of snow, the top layer fluffing up and the next layer making you grunt as it was harder than you thought. But you didn't care. You giggled as you pushed yourself up, but Bucky wasn't beside you. You looked around and spotted his dark figure holding a small child up as they put the orange nose on their rather tall snowman. When they stuck it in firmly, they clapped and cheered, turning to see Bucky's reaction. He made a gasping noise and set them down, making sure they were steady on the lumpy snow.

"Thank you!" They said in an enunciated voice as they waddled away. Bucky straightened up and walked back to you. 

"Are you comfy?" He bent over you, his hands shoved into his pockets. 

"Mmm, if you were down here too, just maybe." You tried to look innocent. 

"But it's cold down there."

You muffled your laugh with your mittens, completely sure your cheeks were red. 

"C'mon," Bucky laughed and hauled you to your feet. "Build me a snowman."

"On it, sir." You began to ball together a large lump of snow, patting the looser parts into place. 

You rounded it to around two feet tall, making sure it was solid before rolling another ball from the snow. 

"Sit on that." You pointed to the second ball. 

"What?" Bucky tilted his head. 

"You heard me, soldier, sit on it, please." You repeated with a grin.

"Yes, boss." He smarted, lowering himself onto the snow, resting his chin on his hand which was propped up on his elbow. "Now what?"

"Now get off."

"Whats all this on off stuff??"

"I had to compact the snow, how would you do it?" You shrugged, finishing off the ball and picking it up to place on the bottom ball. 

"Touché." He shrugged.

"Almost done. Ah, shoot!" You slapped your hands on your sides, shaking snow off.

"Whats wrong?"

"I didn't think about the eyes and the nose..." 

"Don't move-" he tapped your arm before disappearing across the courtyard, bending over a bed of rocks that the kids had dug up from under the snow. 

"Haha!" He returned victoriously, holding up two rocks about the same size. "For you." 

"Thank you, Bucky." You reached up and pecked him on the cheek, but you could see his cheeks flush red before you turned and began to make the top ball, or the head. "How about you hang onto those? Wouldn't want them to run off."

"Noooooo," he imitated you, pocketing the rocks.

Ugh, why did he have to be so sweet? You laughed inwardly, gingerly picking up the top ball and setting it on the center of the middle ball. 

"Tada," you stood back, admiring your work. "Now, you put the eyes in."

Bucky looked at the rocks in his metal hand and held them out to you. 

"No, no, you can do it. You're helping me." You smiled, shoving your mittened hands into your pockets. 

"Okay," Bucky shrugged and popped the rocks into the snow, shoving them just far enough to secure them. 

"Now, the nose...." you muttered, looking around. "It's not a reasonable snowman without a carrot nose.."

"I can't pull a carrot out of thin air." 

"Dang it."

"Shhh, Steve can hear a flea swear."

You snickered, the image of Captain America screaming through a magnifying glass, "LANGUAGE!" appearing in your head. 

You and Bucky looked around, you knew you didn't have a carrot in your apartment, and neither were you about to walk four blocks to the grocery store just for one carrot-

You were about to give up, but the small child Bucky held earlier was tapping on his pant leg. He looked down and crouched to the child's level.

"Yes?"

"Here." They held out a tiny carrot, a small bite taken out of the end. "Snowman needs nose."

"He obviously does." Bucky nodded. "Do you want to put it up there?"

"Uh-huh." 

"Okay, here we go." He picked them up again, carrying them gingerly to the snowman and made a booking noise when they poked the carrot into the snow. 

"Tada!" He looked at the little boy.

"Ta- da!" He tried, enunciating more and looking to you for approval.

"I love it!" You smiled, clapping.

Bucky set the boy down and let him wander back to his family. 

You watched as he did, snuggling up to him. "You're too sweet."

"What?" Bucky looked down at your when you looped your arm through his. 

"I said you're too sweet."

"I think your hallucinating." He smirked.

You shook your head, looking back to the snowman. "He's a little lopsided, but he'll do."

"And I'll bet you'll watch him when the snows melts and just wave goodbye." 

"I just might do that!" You laughed. "It'll be like loosing a family member!"

Bucky just rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face indicated his amusement.

You stifled your yawn for the fifth time as you and Bucky walked through the lit street, the Christmas lights had been up for a few weeks now, but you hadn't been able to really enjoy them. Missions and SHIELD business, all that junk.

Bucky seemed to be mesmerized but the display, his eyes scanning everything he could take in. A smile grazing his lips every time he glanced at you.

"You like it, Bucky?" You held his metal hand, knowing it was probably cold from the extended time in the cold. Not that he complained. 

"It's gorgeous. But you outdo it all."

"Aww..thank you." You ducked, hiding your blush. "You just looked so far away."

"It's been a long time since I've seen Christmas." He rumbled, your boots crunching over the snow. 

"Mm, do you remember it?"

"Vaguely. Just the feeling, I guess. The smells, some of the tastes, nothing more."

"Did you guys have a tree in Brooklyn when you were growing up?"

"I..think so? I'm not sure if we did or not."

"That's okay," you assured, squeezing his hand. "I have a tree."

"I'd like that," he smiled at the ground. 

You smiled as you both paused at a window, the glass was a little foggy but inside was one of those ceramic villages decorated like an old town for Christmas. The train chugging around in a circle around the edge of the white cloth that was laid for snow on the side table. It was almost magical how nostalgic this was. 

You looked at Bucky who was utterly fascinated by the little houses and shops spread before him, the hand painted little details on the roofs, the tiny people in and out of the street. 

"I really like these little things," you commented. "They really just make Christmas the way it is."

"Look," he pointed through the glass, there was a small building with the Avenger's symbol on it, and on the outside were tiny figurines of the team, Stark, Thor, Cap, Natasha, even Banner and Clint were there. 

You and Bucky shared a glance and burst into a laugh. "We'd better not let them live this down."

"Oh, no, no." Bucky shook his head, his smile making your heart swell. To see him happy and smiling meant the world to you. "Not on your sweet life."

"At least they didn't include you, that would have been cruel and inhuman."

"What?? Hey, I have a key role in the team, young lady. What are you talking about?" He grinned, his tone playful. You snickered and bumped his shoulder as you kept walking down the street. You were glad he could take your mild banter, you used to have to walk on eggshells when it came to teasing. But it was one of your love languages, which he soon learned and even sassed back every once and a while. He had a sense of humor somewhere under that stone wall he had built around his mind. You just had to chip through with a little kindness and patience and simple human companionship.

 You felt his metal arm squeeze harder, the metal plates shifting down the forearm.

"You cold?" You slowed your pace and looked at him. 

"A little."

"You wanna go home? I'll make hot chocolate."

He seemed to turn your offer over. "Okay."

You smiled as you both turned around and began to head back to the apartment complex 

Apparently while you were both gone(and it probably happened the previous night, you just didn't notice) but your apartment building was showered in lights and a massive wreath hung where the building split into two parts.

"Oh, wow--' you breathed, awe overtaking you. You felt the chill as a warm tear traced it's way down your cheek. You hurriedly brushed it away, this was not a Hallmark movie for Pete's sake--

Bucky drew you closer to his side, his presence making it all the better. This was probably the first real Christmas he'd spent in his hometown. HYDRA wasn't on his back, Steve was here, no enemies(at the moment) and most importantly, he thought, he had you. He knew better than to ask since he probably knew the answe- 

"Can I stay over tonight?" He slowly asked.

"Of course, Bucky." You smiled. "You know I'd never turn you away."

He was silent all the way to your apartment. He was always quiet, but when he rarely spoke, he was going numb quickly. Had you dragged him outside and brought on past memories? Was he about to have a flashback...?

"James," you started as he shut the door behind you both after you walked inside the warm apartment. "I'm sorry if I made you remember things you don't want to remember, I know you don't really like the cold, and I don't blame you, but-"

"Shhh." He right hand came up and touched your chin, his finger barely coming in contact. "Baby, I'm okay. Honestly? If you hadn't been there the whole time, yeah, I might have gotten scared...and ran off. But I have you. You're my rock, you make everything better."

You could have sworn you melted right on the spot.

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't showed up." 

"Thank you, James." You smiled warmly, you hand coming up and grasping his. 

"Now about that hot cocoa."

"On it, Sergeant." You made a salute and strolled into the kitchen, turning the small radio you always kept on the counter to the AUX setting and plugged your phone it, starting the playlist you always had for soft moment or just background noise.

Bucky settled onto the bar stool and watched your movements as he always did, it was a habit he'd made after being 'assigned' to you. As the Soldier, he'd watch your movements carefully as you'd move around the kitchen while making your dinner and his. He inhaled the scent of cinnamon as you sprinkled a little into the mix before shaking up the bag and pouring it into the ceramic mugs that stood on the counter. You looked up and met Bucky's eyes, a smile breaking out on your face as he stuck his tongue out. 

"Would you stop, James? I look like a teenage girl when you do that."

"Do I look like I care?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, what am I going to do with you." You sighed with a smile, leaning against the island while the water warmed on the stove behind you.

He smiled at you again, his gaze turning to the radio as an older song came on.

"You listen to 40's music??"

"Etta James is not 40's, Bucky."

"The song is." He slid off the stool and came around the island to your side. 

"What?" You looked up, his frame much taller than yours seemed to demand something. "You want to dance?"

He nodded, his metal hand finding your soft flesh one. "Uh-huh."

"Okay." You gently let him lead, his hand pulling your middle close to his, your feet practically on top of his as you both glided over the wooden floor of the kitchen, the song was low enough that you could hear Bucky's heartbeat through his shirt. It was fast as you guessed, yes the super-serum made his heart-rate higher than normal, but you were not a serum. You made his chest fly away when you touched him or even whispered his name.

"Bucky, the waters ready." You mumbled into his shirt, your warmth just now taking the biting pain rom his arm.

"But you're busy."

"Bucky." You knew better than to push away, but you reached over and turned off the burner before you boiled all the water away. 

When the song ended, you felt his kiss on your forehead, his hand fingering through your hair.

"I love you." His whisper nailed you to the floor. He'd never said that, not out loud at least.

"W-what?"

"I said I love you."

"I..I love you too, Bucky." You breathed. His fingers traveled to your neck, gingerly falling behind your hair and resting on the back of your neck. 

"I really don't know what I would do without you." He admitted, his eyes soft.

"I'm here, James. I'll always be here."

You felt his weight shift as he forced himself to pull away to let you get the warm drinks made, his eyes always following your movements. 

"I should have put the blanket in the dryer..." you mumbled as you carefully pouring the still-steaming liquid into the mugs, putting a spoon in each to stir.

"But I have my personal space-heater." You smiled at Bucky while you pushed his mug across the island to him. "Would you like marshmallows?"

"Please." He said softly. 

You poured three marshmallows in your own mug before plopping three in his mug.

"More?"

"More."

You dropped in three more. 

"Thank you." He shyly smiled, taking a long slow sip of the warm drink. His features brightened as he warmed, his left shoulder became less tense and his fingers seemed to tingle.

"You want to move to the couch?" You stirred your marshmallows into the drink so they dissolved.

He nodded, his tiredness showing through. He wasn't active today, but you could tell he didn't sleep long last night. The bags under his eyes were getting smaller each week, though.

You watched him very carefully lower himself onto your couch, his hand immediately finding the large blanket you always kept there. You smiled as he silently patted the cushion next to him, inviting you over, 

"I'm coming, soldier," you smiled. He did this a lot before he went to Wakanda. You never understood why the Soldier was so...docile toward you when he was so aggressive toward others. Was it something as small as your presence, was it your similar need for healing?

"Hey," he tugged on your sleeve, pulling you from your thoughts, "you look far away."

"Sorry, thinking again," you nestled against him, your legs tucked under the blanket as his hand found your hair again. Even though he had a need for other warmth, you could immediately feel his heat through your small space. 

"I love my space heater." You giggled, bumping the side of your head on him.

"Space heater, really??"

"Don't deny it, you're like a fire."

"Love you too, I guess." He smirked as he took another drink. You knew he was playing. You looked out the window to see the lights across the city. You felt safe and secure, like there wasn't a horrid world out there that would take your mind and your very being away. Maybe it was going to be okay.

As long as you had Bucky and he had you.

It was gonna be okay.

Thank you for reading! <3 ~ Sandy

Dividers by @strangergraphics, credit to @embbarnes for inspiration.

Part of @buck-star's Fluffy Winter Event.

[yellowrabbitfurry]

Waow I actually wrote something again?? Yippee!!

@ancha-aus this isn’t the one I’m writing for your little Nightmare AU, but I figured you’d like to know my character’s backstory ^^ (please tell me I’m not weird 😅)

no beta we die like the human souls

Meetings 

Soft sniffles rang out through the darkness, another night of sadness and hurt. 

Nightmare clutched his book as he sobbed quietly, clinging to his only source of comfort.

Dream had been convinced to stay at the village again, leaving poor Nightmare all alone once more.

Not that he held it against him; it was probably much more comfortable down there. Sometimes he wished he could go too.. but even if he was welcome down there, he couldn’t leave the tree. 

He couldn’t leave his mother unguarded.

But it was so cold, and everything hurt so much. He just wanted it to stop; for the pain to go away.

Why wouldn’t the pain go away?

He didn’t know how long he sat there crying; he didn’t exactly have a way to measure time. Not like it mattered.. he was always there.

But eventually, and without warning, he was brought out of his tears. 

There was a little cough, causing him to flinch and look up. 

There was a person- a rabbit. He hadn’t expected it, not so late in the night. 

He sobbed and drew back, frightened by the new arrival. 

The bunny seemed to be a bit older than him; maybe younger than his usual bullies, but Nightmare was still scared.

He was holding something too. Night couldn’t see it well in the dark, but it was easy for him to assume it wasn’t good.

The small rabbit just stared at him blankly, seemingly uncaring about his pained sobs. He stood there like that for a moment, before tilting his head slightly as he finally spoke,

“My mom said to give this to you..”

He paused, and when he wasn’t given an answer, he came closer. 

He put the object on the ground, which Nightmare noticed (now that it was closer) had a rather pleasant smell. 

The bunny knelt down before the shaking skeleton, a look of slight curiosity in his big blue eyes. Not pity, and he didn’t seem to feel bad. He was just.. curious.

The young rabbit attempted once more, getting a bit closer to Nightmare as he spoke in his quiet little voice. 

“Why are you crying..?” He asked, his voice almost monotone and unfeeling.

But when Nightmare, still hurt and scared, only flinched and pulled away from him? 

That’s when he started to understand. 

This wasn’t an “I need to cry” like his sister often had- something was wrong. 

His ears perked a bit as he became more alert, reaching his little paws hesitantly towards the crying skeleton as he made an attempt to console him.

“Hey.. what’s wrong..? What happened..?” His voice was much softer, a bit more sweet. A learned behavior; it was just how his mother did it.

He didn’t touch, having observed how Nightmare flinched when he got close. Just offered his hands.

“Are you hurt..?” He questioned, his big blue eyes watching for any change in behavior.

Nightmare looked up at him from the little ball he had curled into, frightened and confused at how the bunny was acting. The only person who acted like this towards him was his brother.. what was happening..?

He un-tensed slightly, giving a small nod as he stared at the rabbit. He was watching for any sudden movements.

However, when the bunny only tilted his head and watched him back, he uncurled.

His body was still tense, his book held in front of his chest like a shield. 

However, the bunny took it as a sign of trust, and reached his hand out a bit further. His face was still blank, but Nightmare could feel his intent wasn’t bad, as odd as that was.

“Can I see..?” he asked softly, his head tilting once more, as if it was his only way of showing emotion.

Nightmare was hesitant, remember how he was hurt just today. There had been a rabbit among his assailants, too..

But this was a genuine offer of help. He wasn’t really the best at healing himself, only able to get the injuries Dream might see. 

He wasn’t used to it at all but.. he needed this.

He gave another timid nod, sheepishly taking the bunny’s hand and putting his book down.

The bunny didn’t give any sign of acknowledgment, but immediately reached forward and pulled up Nightmare’s shirt, revealing his skinny frame.

The small skeleton squeaked out in surprise at the action, not expecting the sudden movement at all.

Though the rabbit didn’t seem to know nor care how odd he was acting.

His eyes were immediately drawn towards the left side of Nightmare’s ribcage, where several of his ribs were cracked and busted. 

Some of the injuries were old and halfway healed; reopened by the recent attack. 

It looked really bad.. Nightmare could even see a bit of anger stirring in the bunny’s eyes. 

The small rabbit reached a paw towards the injury, but stopped as Nightmare flinched back. They looked at each other for a moment, sharing a look of understanding.

Though Nightmare didn’t like it, the bunny had to touch it. 

Even if it hurt a little..

The small skeleton gave a little nod, and the bunny continued his advance.

He placed a gentle paw on the injury, and looked back up at Nightmare before continuing.

He closed his eyes, and Nightmare suddenly felt a warmth spread across his ribcage. 

The skeleton looked down to see a soft green glow fill the cracks, originating from the bunny’s paws. 

The pain slowly faded, along with the wounds, just leaving the marks on the surface. It didn’t seem all the way healed.. but it was much better than before.

The small rabbit pulled his hands away, and opened his eyes to see Nightmare staring right back up at him, big lavender eyes wide wonder and curiosity.

The bunny stared back, unsure how to react to the gaze. Though he knew he shouldn’t stare for too long.. so he spoke once more.

“Do you.. feel better now?” he questioned in a soft voice, though his face still held the same blank, curious look from before.

The little skeleton just stared up at him for a moment or two longer, before silently nodding and reaching his little hands forward and grabbing at the bunny’s jacket and leaning against him in a sort of hug.

“Th- thank you..” he whispered, clinging like he was scared to let go.

The action confused the bunny a little, but he didn’t press. It didn’t really matter, so he didn’t care all that much. 

He gave Nightmare a small kiss on the head, something his mother did as well, and just let him cling as much as he wanted. 

The action surprised the little babybones, as he’d never gotten a forehead kiss before. 

But he didn’t say anything.. it felt kinda nice. 

After a while of staying like that, though, Nightmare pulled away. 

This was just such a curious situation; he didn’t understand it. 

And that thing the bunny brought smelled so *good*- he needed to understand what was happening.

The little skeleton was silent a moment longer, before finally asking the question on his mind.

“Uhm.. what is that..?” he asked, his voice quiet and timid, “the thing you brought..?”

The rabbit tilted his head, confused by the question. 

“It’s a strawberry pie. My mother asked me to bring it to you.” 

Nightmare looked very perplexed by the answer he was given, and even a little upset.

“Why..?” He asked, as if he never expected to be given anything in his life, “why would she do that..?”

The bunny was even more confused by that reaction. Didn’t people love the tree guardian? 

Why was he so confused?

“Why not?” He questioned, before realizing that there was something different, something he hadn’t realized before.

He had only met the little skeleton who guarded the tree once, in town. But he remembered his whole color scheme had been gold and yellow; even his eyes were a brilliant golden-yellow color. 

This little skeleton, however, had lavender eyes. He was a completely different skeleton- were there two guardians?

“Are you not Dream?” He asked, though it was blunt, and really more of an observation than a question. 

Though, blunt or otherwise, the question made Nightmare immediately much more upset.

Of course, this was for Dream. Why would anyone want to give him anything?

He gave a little sob and shook his head, looking like he was going to start crying again. 

But the rabbit continued to surprise him.

“You can still have it.” He said, pushing the pie closer to Nightmare.

He was already here, and he’d technically done what he was told. Why should he go find Dream now?

Nightmare hadn’t expected it- why would he? It was the first time anything like this had happened, of course he was shocked.

He looked down at the delicious smelling pie, definitely on the verge of tears.

Why would the bunny do this? Why would anyone want to do this for him?

He looked back up, trying to read the other boy’s expression. Surly he must have some ulterior motive- he had to.

“Wh- wha..?”

“I already did as I was told,” he explained, talking as if it truly didn’t matter, “I was supposed to bring it to the skeleton who lives under the tree, and that’s you.”

It was true, both Dream *and* Nightmare lived under the tree- even if Dream basically lived in the village half of the time at this point..

“It’d take to much time to try to find Dream, wherever he is,” he continued, “the pie would get cold. So you can have it.”

Nightmare still couldn’t believe what he was hearing.. but the rabbit didn’t sound like he was joking. He didn’t exactly seem capable of such a thing.

It felt far too unreal, but.. well, Nightmare didn’t want to be rude. He thanked the bunny, taking the pie and looking down at it. 

He didn’t feel very hungry at the moment.. he’d eat it later.

He looked away, feeling a little awkward. 

What was he supposed to say? Nothing like this had ever happened before.

He tried to gather his thoughts and maybe mumble a thank you, but he was cut off prematurely by a gust of wind blowing through. 

The cold air bit at his bones through his thin clothes- stars, he hated fall. The only thing he hated more was winter.

Well, that wasn’t true..

He clutched his shirt as he shivered, despising how helpless he felt against the cold. His mind wandered to how warm Dream must be in the village..

But before he could get lost in those negative thoughts again, he felt a coat get draped over his shoulders.

He looked up to see the rabbit giving him his little red-brown jacket, leaving himself in just his dirty overalls.

His eyes widened in confusion, glancing down at the jacket and then back up at the bunny. His golden yellow fur swayed in the wind, though he didn’t seem bothered by the cold.

“Wh- what..?” Nightmare mumbled in question, mostly to himself. But the bunny still heard.

“I have fur,” he said simply, “I don’t need it.”

Nightmare looked at him dumbly, not believing what he was hearing.

He could see the rabbit shivering slightly- it was obvious the fur didn’t keep him completely warm. 

What did he get out of this? Any of this?

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Nightmare confused yet grateful for his strange new company. 

He was about to ask for the bunny’s name, but he was beaten to it.

“So, if the other skeleton’s name is Dream,” he started, sounding curious, “what’s yours?”

Nightmare deflated a little at the question. He used to really like his name.. but the villagers made it seem like something bad, so he was a little embarrassed.

He couldn’t just not answer, though..

“I- it’s Nightmare..” He said softly, glancing away from the rabbit.

The bunny didn’t seem fazed, however. In fact, he almost looked happy.

“I’m Terrence.” He introduced himself, giving the little skeleton a slight smile.

Nightmare couldn’t help but smile back, feeling a little warm. Nobody but Dream usually smiled at him.. did he really, truly have a friend now? 

“Terrence..” he repeated, smiling a little wider, “it’s nice to meet you, Terrence.”

The bunny was quiet for a second, ears perked up, before he spoke once more.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

End.

[ashcherryash]

Plus it felt like they were trying to get rid of Eddie as a character as quick as they could, while throwing in an excessive amount of plot threads they could use for spin-offs, all edited together poorly and paced horrendously. Never have I watched a movie that was that long and yet had that little actual plot and/or substance to it. How did they even do that? Don’t even get me started on the various plot hole messes and unfired Chekhov’s guns that never got addressed. And in the end they leave Eddie with literally nothing: his ex-fiancée is married to someone else now (and neither show up in this movie), he’s not doing journalism anymore it appears, he has a year long gap in his life because of a symbiote and being on the run, and the whole reason he was apparently going to New York in the first place (Spider-Man??) doesn’t even exist in this universe. There’s a mention of some judge he has dirt on that got him kicked out of New York, but why? For what? I don’t even know if I can go to the comics to get what’s going on there, and the movies are done so there’s no way I can figure that out from them. They literally left Eddie with nothing but memories, what is he supposed to do now? He literally has nothing but himself! It’s not even just an open ending where you can imagine what he’s going to do from what you’re given, you’re given nothing but a terrible montage set to Memories by Maroon 5 and a poorly framed shot where he says “I won’t forget you buddy” or something like that. What even?! This is so frustrating since Eddie Brock is such an important character to me (especially since reading the comics), and it really does seem like Cletus Kasady’s wishes (for him to forever be alone) came true, which is a really disappointing and crushing way to end things, and just generally dissatisfying, because what was all this for then? If he can just walk away alone again, unable to even talk about it, to try to take down some judge or something? What’s the point? Of course Venom and him could never last forever, Venom is literally an alien who has to eat brains to survive, butI would have preferred for us to be shown him figuring out his new life in a montage (rather than the Memories montage) so we could at least be left with an ending that felt like one. Hell, I would’ve even been fine with Eddie dying if they’d made it satisfying story wise, but instead they managed to ruin one of the few okay bits of the movie (the ending fight) by smashing together some empty feeling ending that just made me frustrated and confused to the point my tears of grief from the past scenes turned to tears of laughter and anger. How did they mess it up THAT BADLY?!

DO NOT WATCH VENOM THE LAST DANCE IT IS NOT WORTH IT I AM FULL OF PAIN AND REGRET. HOW DID THEY MESS IT UP THAT BADLY. HOW. AN IMPRESSIVELY BAD JOB. WHAT EVEN WAS THAT. AND NO IM NOT JUST MAD ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS THAT OCCURRED AT THE END (SPOILERS) LIKE THE WHOLE FILM IS JUST SO PERPLEXING TO ME WTF HAPPENED.

[divorcedfiddleford]

and you may say to yourself: "my god! what have i done?" and you may tell yourself: "this is not my beautiful wife!" and you may tell yourself: "this is not my beautiful house!" and you may ask yourself: "well, how did i get here?"

time isn't holding up, time isn't after us, time is a pony ride! (images described in alt text)

[ducktracy]

"posting this because i NEEEEEED this on my blog" is probably going to be the caption for 95% of the Shin-chan stuff i post BUT IT IS NO LESS TRUE BECAUSE OF IT. Masaaki Yuasa is quickly becoming one of my favorite animators and i want to have easy access to ogle at his work at any time. and i hope for you to do the same! so here's his animation for Ending 3 of the show from 1993

[jullbnt]

I found the dragons' heads a bit weird as well when I first saw them up close but I got used to it and now I find them rather endearing ^^

It's not weird to fixate on their eye placement, it makes sense! But to me they are giant guardian spirits that are neither prey nor predator and watch over Hyrule from the skies, so it makes sense that they would need to see in a wide circle around them?

You are perfectly allowed to prefer the ones from SS haha! I actually didn't mind their bodies and robes (I thought they were a nice touch too), but I've always been bothered by their faces and voices.

I think the sea drying up could actually be in favor of Lanayru (or Lanello if you prefer!) being the Water Dragon, because it would make sense for the Goddesses to choose a guardian with the power to protect the province from desertification. Then the dragon would get sick and die the way Lanayru does in SS, which would cause the climate change, and by reviving him/her Link could later allow the region to flourish again. I don’t know I think it would make sense!

I’ve also been thinking that this could explain the swap in BotW. The Water Dragon could move to Lanayru after SS in order to make the land greener and bring back the sea (becoming known as Naydra by the time of BotW), while the Thunder Dragon would replace her in Faron and turn the forest into a jungle (and later be known as Farosh). That would explain why Lake Floria looks the same as the one from SS with a different climate. But maybe I’m trying too hard to make this work, I don’t know.

(Also I tend to believe that Hylia is the Goddess of Time, but that's another debate!)

Even if Rauru only believed Hyrule was a legend he could have said so ^^ "I named my kingdom Hyrule because of the old legends that speak of a land blessed by the Goddesses… ", something like that!

A continent might be an exaggeration, in fact I usually think Hyrule would be as big as a few European countries put together. I just like to imagine that Link would travel for months during his quest ^^

It was never clear to me why exactly Zelda was struggling in BotW, but whatever its intention was I think the game showed that she was wrong to prioritize technology over religion. People always blame Rhoam but he was right in the end, the only thing that could save the kingdom was Zelda’s sacred power coupled with Link’s abilities. The guardians even caused more destruction than Ganon himself! It's almost like there could be a message there about technology/modernity vs. religion/tradition, but maybe I'm going too far or this wasn't intended.

Yes I think they should not be called Sages! It wouldn't change the fact that you can beat Ganondorf without them but then I wouln't care about it as much as I do!

I agree with you on the lack of magic, and the technology in TotK sometimes doesn’t even look like it belongs in a fantasy universe (the fans, wheels and rockets look so ugly/modern and out of place to me).

You're so right about freedom in games! I miss discovering new items or powers along the way and the sense of progression it brought. It also allowed for more puzzle variety instead of using the same four powers all the time, and could open new areas on the map that weren’t accessible from the start (for example it was so satisfying and exciting to finally be able to enter Gerudo Valley in OoT after being stuck at the bridge for most of the game).

Stories also need some sort of linearity in my opinion. TotK's story would be better if Link wasn’t able to learn about the Light Dragon before doing anything else or didn’t withhold that information from other characters for the sake of the silly "fake Zelda" plot.

Yes being able to defeat Ganon and Ganondorf from the start definitely cheapens things, especially in BotW where Link wasn't able to do it 100 years before with the Master Sword in hand. If he can do it barefoot with a stick after being awake for only a few hours, it kind of makes his old self look bad!

Not only did Nintendo create a precedence about the Master Sword being needed to fight Ganon/Ganondorf, but they also showed it on the taspestry in BotW and Link was chosen by the Sword for the purpose of defeating the Calamity, so it feels really wrong that you can beat the game without it.

I agree that the Triforce of Power's abilities haven't been clearly defined (same for Wisdom and Courage), but I think we can assume it would be the biggest source of power in this universe (after all it's a fragment of Din's power). It also seems to make its bearer nearly impossible to kill, since in OoT Ganondorf has to be sealed in the Sacred Realm and in TP he survives his execution thanks to the Triforce. Then it's unclear what exactly happens but he doesn't die until the symbol fades from his hand.

Yes that's just my take on Minish Cap, maybe I need to think a bit more about how it can fit. But even the map is unique, it really feels like it's own thing.

Glad you like Promenade! It's a nice word indeed ^^

Hi, sorry if this is a bit rude. 😅 I guess that I was just wondering. How would Jabul Waters, Zora Cove, & Crossflows Plaza be named in French?

I'm trying to give Jabul Waters an interesting name that works to go with my hc & I came up with "Jabuleaux." And Google Translate tells me that Crossflows Plaza would be Place des Flux Croisés. And, I'm seeing that Anse is the term to refer to a cove &, if that's true, then would Zora Cove be Zoranse? At the same time, somewhere else, it said that Anse actually means beach.

And, I believe that a town by a swamp would have cher, quier, bren, brin, or Hor- in it?

I'm sorry if this is weird... 😅

Hi! Don't worry it's not rude or weird at all! I offered to help and I'm happy to do so :D

Did you check the official French translations? I had a surprisingly hard time finding the French version of the map online so here's a screenshot I took myself:

Jabul Waters = Eaux de Jabule (this one only appears when I zoom out)

Zora Cove = Baie Zora

Crossflows Plaza = Place de l'Estuaire

In case you didn't know the Zelda Wiki often lists names for places or characters in various languages in the "Nomenclature" section of its pages. It's very helpful especially if you're searching for the original Japanese names. If we look at at the different names for Crossflows Plaza we can see that a literal translation from Japanese would be something like "Exchanging Place". I checked the Jisho dictionary and it seems to be an accurate translation, though "Place for Cultural Exchanges" would be more meaningful.

It's not exactly a good name in English so it makes sense that the localization team would come up with something like Crossflows Plaza instead, which in my opinion does a very good job of stating that this is both the place where the river meets the sea and where the two Zora tribes traditionally meet each other.

Other European languages all settled for variations of "Estuary Plaza" ("Place de l'Estuaire" in French), which is fine but looses the "cultural exchanges" aspect of both the original name and the English translation.

I've been trying to come up with a French translation of "Crossflows Plaza" but it's not that easy. To me "Place des Flots Croisés" or "Place Flots-Croisés" would sound better than "Place des Flux Croisés", but I still find it a bit weird ("flot" meaning flow, tide or stream). "La Croisée des Flots" is another option if you agree to get rid of Plaza/Place (it means "the intersection/junction of streams"), but I don't think it works very well as a name.

You could also mix words to create a name the same way it was done in English, something like "Place Croiseaux" (croiser/cross + eau/waters). If any of my French speaking followers is feeling inspired, please share your ideas! :)

(I just thought of "Place Cruciflot" and found it too funny not to mention 😆 maybe it sounds too much like crucifix)

In French we also have the word "confluence" that has the exact same meaning as it does in English: either the meeting of two rivers or a gathering of some kind. So to me the most obvious translation would be something like "Place des Confluences" or maybe "Place Confluence", as it would preserve the dual meaning, but it's not very fancy or creative. Maybe we could simply change the spelling to something like Place Konfluans, the same way "Village Côtier" (Seaside Village) is spelled "Village Kothié" (Seesyde Village). But it doesn't look like a French word anymore so I'm not sure that's something you'd like.

As for Jabuleaux, it can work but I prefer the official translation "Eaux de Jabule". Same thing for Zoranse, we would say "Anse Zora" or "Anse des Zora". The official French translation is "Baie Zora" (Zora Bay), which I think is more appropriate given the size of the sea inlet (in my understanding an anse/cove is a small baie/bay and isn't very deep). I think maybe it should have been bay in English as well instead of cove, but I might be wrong! Also I believe "anse" isn't used as often as "baie" and might be confusing for most people, so I would go with "Baie Zora".

I'm not sure where you found this information about swamps and town names? I didn't find anything to confirm it but I might not have looked in the right places.

French towns are often ancient and their names can derive from other languages such as Celtic, Occitan, Flemish, or regional dialects, so that's a very difficult question and I'm not sure I can give you a satisfying answer ^^

I still did a little search and found an Old French word for swamp, "palud" or "palu", that still appears in some town names such as La Palud-sur-Verdon, Saint-Pierre-la-Palud, Lapalud, etc. (today we say "marais" or "marécage"). You might be right about "bren", it could be something like muddy in Gallic.

There's also "vign" or "mign" (from Celtic), as in Mignéville or Lévignac, or l'Île de Migneaux on the Seine river (this one's in my city!).

Near where I grew up is a town named Hazebrouck, it literally means "hare swamp" (brouck/broek = swamp in Flemish). For a bit more French flavor you could maybe use -broucq or -breucq instead of -brouck.

I think the vast majority of French people have no clue about all of that (I didn't except for the last one and it's more Flemish than French), so I'd say don't oversweat it ;)

And that's all! I hope you'll find this helpful ^^

[bigcryptiddies]

It might just be that I’m a little dumb but I feel like jjk has the most convoluted ability system to the point where the creator can have their characters explain what’s happening every single time and yet I don’t understand it even once

[magiefish]

THEY DID THE METACRISIS AGAIN.

AND THIS TIME HE'S NOT EVEN SAFELY CONTAINED IN HIS OWN UNIVERSE!

AND THEY MADE THE FIRST BLACK DOCTOR PLAY SECOND FIDDLE TO A WHITE ONE AND

OH MY GOD TAKE THAT BOYS TARDIS AWAY FROM HIM GODDAMIT I WANT TO WATCH HIM

DIE

[cupiidzbow]

youtube is showing me things right up my alley rn. this is an hour long

[xtinyslip]

"which is it parker? you do or you don't care? i assure you she has been attending meetings frequently with him at the hospital. i couldn't miss it with my smug bastard of a brother reminding me i'm not invited every chance he gets." it was happening and she didn't know why it was even important to her that he knew, that he was aware. it just was. it was important. cee had always stood by the fact that she could trust her gut and her gut was telling her that something was very wrong there. "well, it takes a strong person to be able to handle what comes with being that closely associated with me…" was she paying him a compliment? honestly, with the feelings that were bombarding her system. she didn't really know what she was supposed to be feeling? anger? hurt? sadness? it was such an overwhelming blur of them all, she didn't know what to do with that. "the room isn't here." almost like she had to say it to remind herself that it was silly to be afraid when it couldn't be here. it wasn't here. right? despite being absolutely ashamed and horrified that someone else knew about all of that. there was also a weight that had been lifted that she didn't even know she was carrying. some one else knew, this wasn't all on her anymore. "… i work harder than should be humanly possibly for him and i don't know why i bother because it's never enough but i can't just stop." up till this very moment with him, it never even occurred to her that it didn't have to be like this. it had been like this for as long as she could possibly remember and that came with a strong sense of ; it would always be this way. "well, apparently i do deserve that. it's… it's handled. it's fine." was it? no, and his pure honesty in that moment had broken through any defense she had left and it was very clear from her expression that it was not handled. that it was the opposite of fine. even if the change in subject was dire, she was glad of it. enough about her and her father. "i couldn't --" she stopped because she realised how true that was, that she couldn't hurt his daughter… but why? she didn't even know her… or? "for now it may not be the worst for everyone to believe you think i did. hm? till we figure out what actually happened?" referring to them as we had come so naturally, she hadn't even picked up on the fact that she'd said it.

"if that's true… i'm sorry you had to be witness to that. i can't imagine it being all that pleasant. hm?" she wasn't even fighting the fact that he had been there now. she just couldn't fully commit to the idea he was because even though everything was telling her he was. she didn't remember yet. everything he was saying had only been granted permission to enter her head once and never again. simply because it felt like a silly little girls dream and not something she would ever actually be able to pull off. "you do know he would rather hear news of my death than ever let that happen?" she had not only heard his words, they had sunken into her and that was why she had to try and dismiss them because she gave them anymore strength. could she really do it? did she really want too? her head was spinning. "AND YOU THINK THAT I'M NOT AFRAID?" the silence from her that followed was because she couldn't believe she'd admitted that out loud but it was true. the truth was that how he made her feel scared the shit out of her because… without him, she knew she'd never feel like this again. she didn't know how she knew it but she did. "i suppose i will have to watch you slave away and make me a new one so i can know for sure?" being difficult for the sake of it? maybe, although her tone didn't hold the coldness it had before. honestly, if anything, at a push… one could say she might have even been teasing with him, even if she was deadly serious about him baking her a fresh one. "p, you can save it. you know i will never let you have THAT win over me. yes? FOREVER, SHALL BE FOR TOO SOON." no, she didn't mean a word of it and honestly, she wasn't sure she was even trying to be all that convincing. she hadn't even realised she'd used the nickname that she had for him. it had come across naturally. it had felt right. cecilia didn't know where this need to stay with him had come from but it was by far one of the strongest feelings she had ever felt. why couldn't she bare to let go of him? her grin couldn't have been bigger. actually, had she ever smiled this hard? she didn't think so, she had never felt that warm ache in her face from grinning for so long like she did right now. cee didn't think she could get any closer to him but even with that, she was trying, she was trying to make sure there wasn't any distance between them at all. even the tiniest bit would have been too much in that moment. pulling back for the briefest of moments she held the sides of his face in her hands, shit. what was this she was feeling? it couldn't be love. still, before she could do that to herself and let herself go there she was crashing her lips against his again. @fcdcdmcmories

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT SHE DOES OUTSIDE HERE, OKAY? IT'S NOT MY BUSINESS. WE'RE NOT TOGETHER AND HAVEN'T BEEN FOR A VERY LONG TIME. and you.. that's.. that can't be true. she'd never be in any kind of business with him. she hates him." right? and he knew that, because they had talked about it before and why would she need him, when she had her own hospital? that didn't make any sense and right now, it was just giving him a FUCKING HEADACHE. he didn't want to think about that. couldn't, when she was here. "... i don't know what made me different. why you kept me around for that long. i still don't - to this day, but.. FOR A WHILE, IT WAS... US. OR I THINK SO." shaking his head a bit. he didn't know why, but he couldn't be angry at that anymore. no. not at that - not when he knew how much it had took for her to tell him the first time around. "it's no test. you told me. it took a long while, but.. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE WAY YOU REACTED WHENEVER HE CAME AROUND.. IT WASN'T NORMAL. IT WASN'T OKAY. and one day.. you just told me. just like that. about how it started when your mother died. how.. you were just a kid. how everyone saw but no one cared enough to help. they all just left you with him. HOW.. HOW ALONE YOU FELT WHEN HE PUT YOU IN THAT ROOM, especially when all you wanted was for him to care, even for just five minutes. about.. how you always wanted to leave, but.. just didn't know how. that you were horrified of him. tired. suffocating. your words, not mine. i- it was.." clearing his throat, as he looked away. he shouldn't feel like this about her, but.. it was having some fucking human decency, wasn't it? who was he kidding? it was more than that. "no matter what happened between us after that, it.. it made me sick to my stomach when i finally learned the truth. still does. no one deserves that. ESPECIALLY NOT YOU. and even now.. i.. i'd never tell anyone. i never have, never will. it's not my story to tell." maybe he should have, but it wasn't right and that was not the kind of man that he was. and knowing what it had taken for her to gather thee courage to share that with him? no. "you did before. the night of the games. i.. i guess that's why i was so.. quick to believe it. fuck. you really didn't do it? i.. she must have known. she must have known that i was going to.. that.. my heart was elsewhere and.. that's why she lied. FOOLED US ALL. i.. i believe you." what had he done? the things that he had said that night - the things that he had called her, how he had treated her- good god, he could have cried there and then. it wasn't fair. how quick had he been to just.. TURN ON HER, WITHOUT KNOWING THE FULL STORY? what was the full story, anyways? who had lied here? tiffany? because she was the outsider - the one element out. he wasn't ever going to believe it had been laney, but-- no.

he couldn't. not his daughter's mother - not his oldest and best friend. that couldn't be. "no matter what, i.. you can trust that i'd never tell anyone anything. especially not him. I.. YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS," how did she not know this? what the hell had happened to her after they had.. fought like that? "but.. i was there for most of it. i saw. i was there.. after. i think i may know what he did to you better than anyone alive." shaking his head. "you could if you wanted to," how did he know that? "i have a feeling all you'd need to do was want it enough. to be able to stand up to him. to leave it all behind. all you need to do is want it enough." how the hell did he know that? he didn't know but the words felt right. perhaps because he believed in her. perhaps because he... knew. maybe? "of you! i'm.. i'm afraid of trusting you again. i'm afraid of.. all of it. okay? this - us - it's never been a good thing in the past. WE'VE BEEN EACH OTHER'S RUIN MULTIPLE TIMES. YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS BUT I DO. IT'S NOT.. WORTH IT SO.. YES, LOOK AWAY. LOOK AT ANYTHING BUT ME." pretending to be angry wasn't even easy, especially when he could already feel his hands shaking at the thought. if she did? he was.. how long would it take until he snapped and gave in? "oh, now you're just being a fucking brat. you know i know you like it, right? I KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE." he could have glared at her, but.. it wasn't like it had been before. he could pretend to be angry and maybe, he was, but.. but.. "i don't think you know me all that well to say that. i'll win. I HATE YOU EVEN MORE, YOU INSUFFERABLE WOMAN. when we back down there.. you leave and you never come back. got it? we don't see each other again." stay. stay with me. he pulled her up against him, deepening the kiss, at the same time that he wrapped his free hand against the back of her neck, pulling her closer to him. even closer. it was impossible to hide how much he was grinning against her lips. damn her. / @xtinyslip

[joocin-thebox]

I have come to the conclusion that I shall just take my headcanons for g5 and put them in my au and get my OWN characterization for them! Huzzah!