#she doesn't have to be fully healed and balanced but at least she can at least rest and get to a place where she can be more open

[booasaur]

Station 19 - 6x08

[moony7drac]

Innate/Unconscious magic

As promised on the previous post, where I was asked to give some headcanons for my Koopalings, here is some more! This time it's just focussed on one singular thing for each of them, instead of random things for random Koopalings.

(Innate magic is a type of magic that you are born with.)

None of these things are stuff that they had to (consciously) learn. They don't use this on purpose, it just… happens. Nor are any of these abilities really strongly noticeable. It only becomes noticeable once you really look for it. (Ludwig and Iggy, with a side help from Kamek, eventually try to investigate this, but it took them years to even get some vague suspicion of any of them even having something like this).

Ludwig can learn stuff way faster than anyone should be able to. This is mainly with music related stuff. He learns songs faster, and is able to play an instrument correctly a bit faster than others. (He still needs to put time into learning it, as it isn’t a “He tries once and immediately excels at it”).

Iggy can make (small) wounds heal faster, and bruises disappear faster. This happens when he bandages the wound, or puts a healing salve (made by himself, but he unconsciously put some of this healing magic in it), on a bruise. Much like with Ludwig, this isn’t a “snip of the finger and it’s healed”. It’s just that where a bruise should stay for 2ish weeks, when tended to by Iggy, it is almost completely gone after 1 week.

Lemmy’s talent for circus type tricks and his flexibility, don’t come from just his naturally flexible body. His innate magic helps here, too. For instance, when he jumps, he seems to be floating/stay in the air a bit longer than he should. (Even for someone his size and weight, it’s a bit longer than he’s supposed to). His balance also seems to be much better than that of anyone else. (Especially Larry’s, as he gets dizzy faster than the others. This has sparked the joke that Lemmy took extra balance, leaving none for Larry in the end).

Roy is able to spot weak spots in his opponent during fights, almost like it’s a sixth sense. There are a good couple of weak spots with every fighting style, but he’s able to spot them within seconds. Especially with those that know about the typical weak spots in their fighting style, and protect those spots. Roy can spot the ‘new’ weak spot, and is able to relativity quickly hit there.

Wendy is amazing with fashion, and especially making fitting clothes for people. They seem to always fit exactly the way they’re supposed to, and use the exact right colour for its wearer. Of course, if given blue fabric, she can’t turn it pink or so. But when given dark blue fabric, and the commission to make a suit for Ludwig, it will have the perfect dark blue to compliment her oldest brother, and seems to be a perfect fit for him.

Morton has become a god at cooking. It took some time, as everyone has to practice to become good at stuff, but he is way too good. Everything he makes always seems to have the exact amount of correct spices, and even seems to cater a bit to everyone’s favourite taste of the dish. (For instance, with regular soup, Iggy will taste the carrots more, while Roy tastes the meatballs the most).

Larry has a goddamn high animal handling. He can get along with animals pretty much within 5 minutes (if the animal isn’t actually out for blood or such, of course. But it doesn’t matter all that much between a kind animal, or a shy one with Larry.) Ludwig and Iggy haven’t been able to prove yet that Larry can actually talk to animals or not, but Larry has promised that if he somehow can, that he himself doesn’t even know it.

(Junior is a fully draconic Koopa, and doesn't really have much magic abilities. Or at least definitly not to the extend that any of his siblings have, and therefor doesn't have any innate magic).

[honestlydarkprincess]

fic stats meme! 💌

rules: give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words.

tagged by @loserdiaz, @hippolotamus

this isn't completely accurate because i forgot to do flat view so this is only for the stats of my 911 fics

most hits

christopher diaz has two fathers and no one can tell him otherwise

Christopher just wanted to make a Father's Day card for his Buck. He doesn't understand why Ms. Flores is being so mean!

second most kudos

we're gonna be okay, kid

The last thing Buck is expecting is to be woken up from his ill advised mid-morning nap with a call from Christopher's school, telling him that Chris is sick and should go home. He can't leave his favourite kid to fend for himself so even though Eddie might get mad at him, again, he's on his way to pick up Chris before he can even think about it.

third most comments

with you is where i wanna be (take me home)

“C’mon, Buck. Let’s go.” Eddie said, coming up behind him and clapping him on the back. 

Buck cracked one eye open and turned to look at his best friend. “Huh?” 

“You’re coming home with me,” Eddie replied, not even looking at Buck as he opened his own locker and started pulling out things to shove into his duffle bag. “You have spare clothes and everything else you need to spend the night already at the house. I’ll bring you back here tomorrow so you can get your car.” 

Buck hummed in answer, too tired to come up with words for a proper reply. 

Or, the one in which Buck is too exhausted to drive himself home so Eddie takes him back to his place. Includes Buckley-Diaz family fluff, pining, and sleepy cuddles.

fourth most bookmarks

yours and mine equals ours

At the 118's annual Fourth of July BBQ, Ana is supposed to be keeping an eye on Christopher while Eddie grabs them some food; however her attention is on the fact that Eddie doesn't trust her the way he trusts Buck. With her preoccupied, she doesn't notice Christopher losing his balance until it's too late. Christopher has a little fall and Eddie has some realizations.

fifth most words

i'll take the road that leads me back to you

Post-Lawsuit AU. 

Buck's finally back with his family but nothing is the same. The people he considered his family could barely look at him, the man he'd fallen in love with was ignoring him and dating some teacher. 

He decides he needs some time away, maybe some space will finally let them all heal. Will he come back? Will the 118 be able to finally move on and forgive each other?

fic with the least words

to be okay

Every morning is the same. Buck wakes up, and doesn’t fully breathe until his phone is in his hand and the message thread with Bobby is open. After Bobby has replied and Buck can breathe again knowing that Bobby is okay, he texts Eddie and Christopher.

tagging: @bigfootsmom, @lovebuck, @monsterrae1, @housewifebuck, @madneyporchengagement, @theyarnmaidstale, @barbiebuckley-han, @barbiediaz, @diazblunt, @transbuck, @wikiangela, @princessfbi, @911onabc, and @alyxmastershipper

[joysmercer]

June 2013; pre-uni anubis reunion/grad party at the millington residence; nina and joy.

____________

"you look like hell."

nina nearly drops the beer bottle she'd been nursing in shock. it's nearly 3:30 in the morning; she had assumed that everyone else had more-or-less passed out hours ago, leaving her here alone. but now, joy stands in the doorway, the pale stream of moonlight from the window revealing dark circles under her eyes that rival nina's own.

to her own surprise, she gestures up to the couch she's leaning against. "come sit," she says.

joy hesitates, then nods and comes to join nina on the floor, grabbing a cushion as a backrest and folding her legs neatly before her. even in exhaustion, everything about her is careful, calculated. nina's always simultaneously greatly disliked and heavily admired that about her.

"wanna swap?" joy asks. nina stares at the juicebox (undoubtedly taken from alfie) being extended towards her. "i could use something stronger, and like i said earlier, you look—"

"i'm fine," nina says on-cue, but grabs the juicebox and hands over her beer anyway. she takes a sip and immediately makes a face. "ew, grape."

"no tradebacks," joy smirks, but says nothing more.

they sit there in silence for a while, the ticking sound of a faraway clock their only other company.

nina's almost forgotten that the other girl is even there when joy's voice suddenly cuts through the stillness: "do you think things would've been different if i never left?"

"if you never—?" nina asks, and then it hits her. "oh."

she can feel joy stiffen besides her. "it's not like i forgot," nina adds hastily, "but i didn't know you, you know, before. so it feels less like you came back, and more like you just, y'know, came."

"so you ignore the fact that i knew everyone and everything before you even set foot in this country."

"that's not what i meant."

joy sighs and leans back against the couch, her eyes shut. "i know. i know."

"but i do, sometimes. think about what could've happened, i mean," nina says, mostly to cut the awkwardness but partially because it's true.

"do you think…do you think things would have been different?"

she knows joy isn't asking about the cup, or the mask, at least in the broad terms that outline the obvious answer to that question—that no, nina would have still gotten the locket one way or another, she's sure of it, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that her status as the paragon would have also been found out eventually.

she looks up to the balcony above the foyer, where the boys are asleep. fabian is in one of those rooms, or, at least, she thinks he is—she hasn't actually seen him since their reunion, if you could even call it that.

she had loved him once, and he, her—but neither of those things lasted. she had hated the girl next to her for that same reason, and vice-versa once again, and now here they are. but it's more complicated than just that, because there was also the other girls, whose protective streaks were never meant to be activated in tandem, and the boys, desperate to prove themselves for reasons they themselves couldn't quite explain, and the others, who always knew there were secrets in the house and covered for their friends without question.

the fact of the matter was that joy leaving disrupted a fundamental balance, and nina's arrival only moved the fulcrum farther away from where it started, and the cracks that resulted from all that would probably never fully heal.

"yes," nina answers. her eyes meet joy's. "we would have been happier. eventually, anyway."

"i think—" joy pauses. "we would have been good for each other. good to each other."

the words hang heavily between them, an apology, a confession, and a simple statement of fact all rolled into one.

joy hands back the bottle. it's empty. nina turns it over in her hands, feeling the smooth glass under her fingers. it's so fragile, so perfect. nina impulsively throws it across the room.

joy gasps and covers her ears as it lands in the fireplace and shatters into a million pieces they can't see. nina smirks. joy smiles, then giggles, then roars with laughter, and then nina joins in.

because, in the end, it's the only thing they can do.

[nyaseoki]

My Picks for Theme Week: Thundercrack Carnivale!

Astrape ~ The Queen of Currents

Ever since Astrape's ability awoke, when she was but a hatchling, she has been lonely, because while she can modulate the lightning strikes surrounding her somewhat, she cannot ever fully suppress them. Leading other dragons to avoid her, out of fear. It didn't take long for her to become resentful of their behavior, even though she could not rightfully fault them for it, and so she struck out on her own at a very young age. Choosing a self-imposed solitary existence, rather than being aware of other dragons avoidance and fear. She did manage fine on her own, but she wasn't happy, not until she found a companion in Larona, the Electric Nymph being one of the very few creatures unafraid and unharmed by her abilities. The Nymph remained with Astrape most of the time, but she always liked to explore their surroundings, coming closer to settlements than the dragon was comfortable with. On one such occasion she met Najiba, the chief of a clan living close by Astrape's usual hunting grounds. The chief expressed an interest in not only Larona's, but in Astrape's, well being. The fate of a dragon so young, shouldn't have been so lonely, and she asked Andros to try and find a way for Astrape to join their - or any other clan - without fear of harming another dragon. The Lost Mage finally managed to find a solution. Using the arts he acquired during his travels, he enchanted a vial to absorb the errand lightning strikes. As long as Astrape wears the vial, she doesn't pose a danger to other dragons; The lightning strikes still look intimidating, since they haven't disappeared, but only changed their target to strike the vial. Some dragons are still hesitant to come close to her, but most of them have lost their apprehension, and Astrape's heart has started to heal in the company of her old companion, Larona, and new friends.

Notori ~ A Tempest Reborn

Notori is still young, at least this incarnation of him is. His essence, however, has been tied to this world for longer than any dragon can remember. Gathering storms on the horizon are but a small tendril of his will, the young dragon is akin to a god, though he would never claim this title for himself. Not in this life. In lives gone by he has ruled, has served, has been worshiped and has been forgotten time and time again by all but two souls: Candra and Kirave. The pair, a force of nature in their own right, has followed him throughout the ages. At times as vassals, at times as servants, at times as parents and guardians, but in most lives as true friends.

Nareena ~ The Blue Current

Nareena is a born Shadow Dragon, but she always had an inclination towards another element; her true nature is more closely related to lightning, and she has found her way to a balance between her origin and her aspiration. No one thought her inclination unnatural, just impossible to achieve, and it was impossible, until Quetzalli took an interest in her conundrum. She put all of her skill in finding a way, and recruited Micaela to aid her in her endeavor, until they finally managed to develop a way for Nareena to find a connection to another element. A stunning merging of technology and magic allows her to channel another element with the aid of her cane.

[themist-underground]

What's your opinion on bamon friendship if you would call it that ?

I haven't read the books but I think it's a shame that their relationship isn't the same in the tv show. From what I heard of the books they have a special sort of connection, share a kiss or two, and I think he respects her and he's a better friend?

In the show well, short answer I don't really like it, it's inconsistant and I'm not convinced of their friendship. Sometimes he's the only one who even thinks of her, but a lot of time she's not a priority for him (his number 1 priority is Elena), at best she's a second choice for him.

Longer answer under the cut:

Longer answer

Don't quote me on this, because I watched the show on and off while it still aired on tv, so it was a long time ago. I didn't watch season 7 & 8, just some scenes. So my knowlege of tvd is not extensive :-)

What I like:

They share some cute moments. In season 6, I liked some of their banter and dynamic. I think the actors have moments of chemistry, they help eachother, and went through a lot together.

There's too much things unsaid and unexplored. But that would be a lot to ask for a 2009 cw vampire show.

What I dislike:

From what I remember, in the first season Damon harass Bonnie, who is just a young teen, he attacks her and rips her throat (!), he's constantly in her face. There's little we know about how she dealt with that trauma. Especially when Sheila dies and there's no one to protect her from him and other threats. In tvd, young humans have to deal the consequences of vampire actions, and Bonnie is singled out, because she doesn't have time to grieve and heal.

What I dislike about Damon's character:

Somehow he changed from the bad guy in the first seasons to lead romantic character. But he didn't have a clear redemption arch. He's just always forgiven, the bad has done (killing, harassing, manipulating, lying...) is magically forgotten and forgiven. He's tortured but he doesn't re-evalute himself.

Something that bothers me in their characters building or lack of:

It has a lot to do with the show's disregard for POCs and Bonnie's mistreatement. As well as the show's runner blatant favoritism for Damon.

It bothers me that we know a lot of Damon, his past life, his emotions and torments, his motives, his dreams and ambitions, his relationships, but we know too little of Bonnie. For most of the duration of the show, her scenes are few and far between and are quite short. Even with Kat Graham did a lot with the little she had, she just doesn't get to be a fully fleshed character. It's like she's not allowed to have negative feelings towards her friends or normal reactions, like grieving, resentement, healing, setting boundaries. There's a lack of balance and equality between the two characters. I think it's why I'm not convinced of their friendship. If she was "allowed" to do be, it would be so much more interesting and complex and belivable that she choose to befriend him.

Bonnie's moral compass is really strange (something I don't completely understand).

What I dislike about their friendship/ how they wrote it in the show:

It's not that they don't have a friendship but it doesn't seem healthy to me. He might grew respects that she stands up to him, and respect the amount of her power, but he also calls her useless when she is powerless...There's lack of trust and honesty and mutual respect... There's no way around it, TVD has a problem with not making its main male characters not abusive. Bonnie is loyal to a fault even though she's used as a plot device. And like everyone else Damon uses her magic. Even though it's dangerous for witches to push their magic too much, they can die. Which she did at least twice. He belittles her when she doesn't have her power. During season 6, he calls her useless all the time.

Also, there's some weird dynamic where she's supposed to be special for Damon, like his best friend, but when you pay attention he lies to her, when it's convenient for him. Like when he wants to get Lily's back, even though she's a dangerous reaper. He doesn't care about the consquences on human lives. It's selfish. She's in the middle of what Damon wants and need. The writers did that again, with Kai spell linked to Bonnie and Elena, which makes Damon resent her for being alive...I remember one of the show runners saying the only reason Bonnie is alive is because Elena is dead. So by convinence.

The show runner's were adamant about not giving Bonnie too much limelight or romantic partners even though it's a show about vampire / occult romance! I'm not a Bamon shipper or enthusiat but they were popular and the actors seemed happy to have more scenes together. Maybe that's a second reason why I think there friendship looks "strange" or ambiguous? I think other viewers, especially poc ones, will agree, that the way Bonnie is treated just hurts :(

[black-rose-writings]

I am currently working on a short story (probably 1 or 2 chapters once it's all done - I do have it mostly figured out, I'm just not happy with the pacing and Wylan - there are some other details I'm not sure on, but those are the big ones).

Working title is "Seven for a secret" (reference to the crow counting rhyme). It's a Crows centric-story, obviously, and I'm planning on shifting POVs, though mostly told by Kaz, Nina and Kuwei.

The premise is two-fold. One, all the Crows are Grisha and two, Kaz is Aleksander's son (I have had several discussions with the lovely @stromuprisahat about it and you can find pieces of it in her Kazimir Aleksandrovich AU tag).

Pretty much entirely show-verse, though padded out with the backstory details and worldbuilding from the books.

So, Nina and Jesper remain pretty much unchanged, save for some minor adjustments to put Jesper closer to his book counterpart (and also account for the 10 years added to his life) and Nina to an actually competent spy and Grisha who knows her shit. Kuwei is also mostly the same(he didn't ask for any of this shit), and he is the least aged up of the characters, being around 19.

(I am largely basing the Crows' ages on their actor's current ages, as they do largely feel appropriate)

Kaz, as mentioned above, is Aleksander's son, and he is roughly 30 (though he is treated as looking younger) and he's a shadow summoner. I don't fully have the backstory of how he happened figured out and it's not entirely relevant to the story. His backstory remains largely unchanged, though after Jordie's death, he does end up getting in touch with Grisha, who know Aleksander - they know of each other and have exchanged some letter, but do to the litaral wall of shadows between them, they have never met in person. Kaz recieved both regular education and some Grisha training from Aleksander's contact and only ended up joining with the gangs when he was in his late teens. He was still affected by the plague, due to being weakened by wasting sickness.

Inej is in her mid 20s. She is a Squaller, though it is not known about her. She met Kaz after she managed to run away from the Menagerie, when she was about 15, at which point, he arranges for her to not have to return. Though she does recieve some Grisha training in secret at this point, she mostly relies on the two talents she is natural at and does without much effort - sound manipulation and helping her balance. She avoids the more public use of her powers, for both money and safety reasons.

Wylan is around his mid 20s and he's an Alkemi, for pretty obvious reasons. There aren't too many changes to his backstory, save for adding 10 years to his age and the adventures he had in that time. Wylan was kicked out slightly later and his dad is somewhat more reasonable without the power-trip of holding the fate of the world in his hands. I have not quite figured out how to write him, so he is mostly the sticking point right now.

And now, for Matthias. I'm still not decided if I should fully commit to him being an adult and season Drüskelle or only age him up a little and keep him an initiate. He is a Corporalnik in this story (he's untrained, but leans more to the Healer side in his natural talents). He is aware that unusual things happen around him, but he attributes them to miracles or blessings of Djel, rather than being Grisha. He has a very good intuition for where people are (through his Corporalki sense), is very liked by animals (subtle and unknowling manipulations of their bodies), seems to heal faster than others and never gets cold. He also has a natural talent for syncing his heartbeat to the heartbeat of others, making him near unfindable for Heartrenders (unless they specifically can recognize his heartbeat). And I am absolutely planning to have a scene where Nina lists all of that to him, in the assumption that he knows what he is and is just a traitor and then realizing he genuinely doesn't know what she is talking about.

It is still very much WIP, but I do have the bones and it should be shorter than the other thing I promise yall before S2 came out.

I am also still open to short story prompts and ideas.

[batmanshole]

If you had free reins over a new batman cartoon adaptation, how would you go about it?

oh god. oh god. anon yuo are about to enter an unskippable cutscene. i love you.

SMILEEESSSS okay so :-) it would be like. multiple seasons. okay? like we're going LONG HAUL on this bitch. it would follow my personal canon of events (mostly post-crisis pre-flashpoint w some modifications and inclusion of a tiny bit of rebirth stuff) and i can't explain how i'd like the art to look but i can picture it.

i'd want it to be very... balanced. like i'd want parts to be dark, but there could still be opportunity for fun. i'd want a lot of focus on motive, on why, on emotions. and maybe not even explicitly you know!! like just. character study stuff.

i want it to show off complicated relationships, where people hurt each other and no one is right or wrong and there's anger where there is love too. and that's not just like the "bat family" in here. i want to explore bruce and harvey/two face. i want to explore bruce and harley and healing from trauma. i want the joker to only be relevant for a few seasons before they start paying attention to other villains.

i think the series begins with bruce in his early days as batman. he's already become batman and has been going at it for a while (we don't need another origin story. there's too fucking many.)

and while i do want to focus a lot on the robins, i don't want it in a WFA-style thing.

i don't know how to explain it but they wouldn't be living all together under one big roof. things happen. people fight. people are outsiders. they try to kill eachother. you know? not everyone is happy together.

other misc. things i wanna include:

barbara stays in her wheelchair 4 ever and is dykey with babs

jason is never fully reintegrated in the family. and if he has to be, it's after a LOT of time and work, and would only come at the end of the series, so there's no awkward jump from villain to Beloved Family Member like there sometimes is in some comics.

running gag of tim drake being lame as fuck. also robin branded skateboard that he falls off of

spoiler rolerskates. enough said. also steph has curly hair

duke has better hair than the fucking. bullshit they give him in 90% of the comics.

damian and talia being visibly brown. NO GREEN EYES!!!!!!!! and they get to interact with their culture in a normal way and people are consulted on this.

bruce is jewish. he has a bat-themed menorah. this is never explicitly mentioned but it is present in the background.

cass' disability is portrayed well. she doesn't speak normally or use sign language but her own way of communicating.

clark is there sometimes!!! they have a thing going on but it never becomes official, not because i don't want them to, but because bruce is shit at communication.

bette cameos. idk how she'd fit in with the timeline i just want her there.

duke and jason being assholes to eachother but like in a way where you're like oh ueah these guys are brothers.

dick and damian being best brothers/father and son ever

DISCOWING CANON!!!! OR ELSE!!!!!!!!! and mulletwing too.

steph takes over as nightwing at least once.

talia written better than 99% of comics have ever written her.

the joker makes a comment about liberals at least once but even the other villains seem sick of his shit

riddler pronoun pin

[whichuniverseisthis]

Very early post because today I'll be out the full day again and I don't want to risk posting tomorrow. Beware of spoilers!

First - Vs Starly

Previous - Vs Dialga & Palkia II

Next - Vs Dialga & Palkia IV

Last - Vs Dialga & Palkia VI

Chapter 76 / Chapter 413

I know I'm pointing out the obvious, but Ice is not exactly supereffective because they're Water and Steel type too. But I get that in context they don't really know them, so if they "look like Dragon types", it must mean they're at least partially weak to Ice.

To me, this is one of the coolest shots of this final fight. You can literally see Palkia cutting through space, it's amazing.

And Dialga turning back the time to heal itself and using the power used to hit was super smart.

I love how the manga doesn't give a shit about the legendaries who can't be captured because they must "keep the balance". And I also love how confident Dia and Pearl sound as they decide they'll either defeat or capture them.

Action moment. Props because I can understand what's happening at all time. Also, is Diglett using Stone Edge??

Love that after she sees the hurt gym leaders, her first thought is that Dia and Pearl could get like that too. They love each other so much.

This is maybe the only thing I never fully liked about this arc. Gym leaders giving free Pokémon to Platinum for no apparent reason. I can still get over Candice and Volkner, but what bond does Gardenia have with her to decide to do it?

Oh wow, I never noticed how ready to fight Palkia Platinum was after it hurt her new Pokémon. It's so funny.

And this is why everyone in the trio was necessary for this final fight. As I said earlier, Dia and Pearl right now are fighting solely with intuition, but with Platinum's help they can gain actual knowledge to find the weak spots and defeat Dialga and Palkia.

Yeah, I hadn't realized it, but he disappeared halfway through the previous chapter, when the trio gets to Spear Pillar. Also, I love the distorted columns leaning on them.

[myfanfic-urfantrash]

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost (...But I Am Very Lost.) - [6]

Kazuha & GN!Reader

CW- Injury mention.

A/N- I literally rewrote this so many times it's ridiculous. I think I will end this after 10 parts at least but idk.

-------

The next few weeks were filled with the same daily routine: Wake up to see Kazuha, be blessed by the Kazuha, forfeit mortal possessions to Kazuha-

A lie of course, your life isn't that simple. But it is simple and you did establish a routine with Kazuha. Seeing as you were still very injured and were very much in a foreign land with not a mora to your name Kazuha- in all his graciousness- decided to stay by your side till you were in a much more stable condition physically and most definitely financially.

So every morning Kazuha would wake you up, assist you with getting ready, help feed and dress you as necessary and taught you the basics of the common currency and language while you did your physical therapy.

His hands hovered beside your waist as you stepped carefully down the inns hallway towards the balcony overlooking the river. Your balance wasn't the best still but it was definitely better compared to a few weeks ago when you first arrived in this world.

Even if you already knew the basics of how mora worked and have seen much of the languages and script of teyvat the way Kazuha described them was very poetic. Probably because he does so much poetry, definitely not because you're obsessed...clearly not.

You wonder when you'll stop feeling this way about him but you figured there's no harm. You do treat him normally even if you have your moments of adoration, and he doesn't mind it he's made that clear that he finds it more amusing than anything harmful.

Kazuha steps before you sliding open the door to let you through, watching over you as you wobble towards the benches. For such a small inn it sure is of great quality, you think hand stroking the furniture yet again admiring the craftsmanship.

"Are you a fan of wood working? I've noticed you're rather fond of examining the inns structure and the furniture within."

You hum to yourself. It's not so much you're a fan of woodworking but rather seeing and feeling objects you've only seen through a screen is something else. But you won't tell him that, at least not directly, wouldn't want him to have some sort of mental crisis now. So you nod before getting distracted by a few finches landing on the balcony railing.

"I just haven't seen stuff like this before, well not in person at least. Same with the finches."

Kazuha hums lifting a hand towards the little blue and yellow birds that hop happily. Surprisingly yet not one of the blue ones hops onto his finger and he kneels before you guiding the little bird onto your own fingers with a smile at your wide eyed expression.

ITS SO CUTE YOUR GONNA DI-oh it flew away...

You pout and your ears are blessed once more by his soft laughter.

"I hope you do not find it rude bit it sounds to me as if you have lived quite a sheltered life, and if not more of an isolated one." You have no idea my guy.

"Perhaps when you are well enough, I can show you much more that this world has to offer. If you are willing of course." You have never wanted to say "I DO!" so fast but you nod instead not trusting yourself to be chill.

"Then it is settled. When you are well again I will show you more of Liyue and perhaps, more provided nothing prevents you from traveling across the sea or farther inland."

He raises a hand before you can speak up.

"It's kind of you to worry but I will be fine. Should Captain Beidou need me she knows how to find me. I've already informed her of our current situation." Aw you wanted to meet her. And such a thought must have shown on your face because laughs again.

"You will meet her soon, perhaps even within the next month, her ship should be docking for supplies and by then your injuries should be fully healed." He takes your hand in his and closes your fingers over a little blue feather.

"There is much to see and many to meet but they are not going anywhere. So take your time and recover well."

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[ 1 ]  /  [ 2 ]  /  [ 3 ]  /  [ 4 ]  /  [ 5 ]  /  [ 6 ] / [ 7 ] / [ 8 ] / [To be continued...]

[secretariatess]

ATLA, SW, PJO, and DC/Marvel for…all of them (or at least Arvek, Kylin, Amelia, and Rovyna)?

All of them would be quite the task, XD.

Arvek: ATLA- Firebender. SW- A political leader. Unlikely to be Force sensitive. PJO- Zeus's cabin. DC/Marvel- Force field/shield powers. The more he steps out of his father's footsteps, the more he comes into his own, which can be a controlled kind of aggression (thus firebender). It's kind of hard to break him out of the leadership role, because that's how he was raised- that was the expectation he was given, and doggone, he will do it of his own accord (thus, a political leader, without Force sensitivity, Zeus's cabin). Despite upbringing and expectations, power hungry he is not, and being the eldest of four brothers, he feels the weight of keeping them safe, especially when they became disregarded by their father. While it burns more fiercely for those close to him, there is still enough for those who are supposed to be under him (force field/shield).

Kylin: ATLA- Waterbender, one who had learned with river and pond water and not ice water of the caps. SW- Likely a Jedi. PJO- He would fit better in the Artemis cabin, but that's an all female cabin, of which he definitely is not, so I think the next best thing is Hermes. DC/Marvel- Power of speaking with animals. Born and raised in the shadows of the trees of the Veil Forest, he grew up with a closeness of nature and its life source, water. Especially after becoming a Ranger, adaptability was necessary for survival (waterbender). In addition to the expectation of becoming adaptable, the Rangers follow a strict code regarding protection of the forest and the civilians (Jedi). The work of a Ranger not only protects the animals of the Veil, but hunts them as well, in order to keep a balance in the ecosystem, whether from overpopulation or invasive species. Speed and traveling are requirements for such work. (Artemis, but being male, Hermes). Kylin has an affinity with animals and enjoys working with them, even if he currently denies himself that pleasure (speaking with animals).

Amelia: ATLA- Nonbender. SW- Honestly, she'd probably live with the Ewoks. Not Force sensitive. PJO- Like Kylin, there's a problem with the closer match, which is Hestia. But Hestia doesn't have a cabin, so the next best thing would be Demeter's cabin. DC/Marvel- The power of sleep. Despite her proclivity to accidentally kidnap princes, Amelia is more inclined for a simple life, working with her hands (nonbender). She would like to stay out of politics, ironically enough, but will taken action if deemed necessary (living with the Ewoks, not Force sensitive). She loves keeping a happy home, even if she lives alone, delighted when she receives guests and hoping to give them good hospitality while they're there. Due to several circumstances, she prefers to grow her own food, glowing when it is complimented (Hestia, but with no cabin, Demeter). And sometimes, the hospitality she provides, along with a healing touch here and there, she is able to provide her guests with a good rest (sleeping powers).

Rovyna: ATLA- Earthbender. SW- Spy, high chance of Force sensitivity. PJO- Aphrodite's cabin. DC/Marvel- Charm. Ambitious and looking for ways to move herself forward, she is fully prepared to wait until the time is right to make her move (earthbender). Given her previous status before marrying the Crown Prince, she knows the times to speak, and the times to stay quiet and listen for information that might benefit her, or those she supports, all while being unnoticed. Self taught, she's been underestimated before (spy, Force sensitivity likely). She's highly aware of the fact that she's beautiful and desirable, keeping herself well groomed and as presentable as a queen could be, knowing full well she can use it to her advantage. Even though she can prey on those taken in by appearance and will do so if necessary, she herself does not find appeal in shallow relationships and prefers -even if not admitted- something deeper and more meaningful (Aphrodite's cabin, charm powers).

Thanks for asking! ^_^

[icharchivist]

Aaaaaaa tysm for blogging the FEs!

I'm so happy Ragazzo got some catharsis at last and I like that he's not immediately better and they take some time for him to recover from his intense trauma. It makes it feel more serious. Hell, him not knowing what to do with himself now that he's out of that toxic situation seems really realistic. It's been a lot and it's pretty much all he's ever known. Poor boye. Time for head pats.

But I can rest easy knowing he's surrounded by positive influences and can focus on getting better.

Meanwhile, Mari and Meg are just so iconic! Both individually and together. Wishing them nothing but the best!

Kudos to Mari for knowing what she wants and being laser focused on her goal.

you're welcome!! it's my pleasure!!!

Yeah fully agreeing on Ragazzo. It's messy, he's not fully healed, he's not fully reasoning about how fucked up the whole thing was, but he's making so much progress still, and it's interesting to see this balance. like you say, it's more serious, also more realistic?

He was abused by his parents and he never had the time to process how fucked up it was, because since he only ever wanted to be loved by his parents, the way Ferdinand took him in afterward just made him seek out the warmth he wanted on conditional requirements, and therefore didn't make him question why he couldn't get this warmth to start with.

He knows Ferdinand fucked him over after he cut his arms off, but everything else is still hard to process. he still sees things as hierarchies, as having to obey strict rules to get by, so in a sense his brain still works on the abusive mindset that he has to answer to someone to make his place worthwhile, and that punishment can happen if he steps out.

having to learn both that there's no hierarchy in life, and that actually, he deserved better all along, is something that's hard to process for him, but he's getting there, babysteps.

The crew is there to support him, especially his fellow accordants. (even though he's not one anymore).

And i did really like that he was acting so weirdly detached when the kid was speaking about his abuse, i think it has a very realistic edge that he's still struggling to process what's normal and what isn't, especially with the FE actually? showing that if he questions it it triggers flashbacks and it makes him unwell? this is a nice detail but it really helps anchoring Ragazzo into a very realistic and messy PTSD that he's working with now.

But at least he's also starting to realize that he doesn't want people to go through what he went through and that it's a good reason already to look forward and make his own path

i'm just really touched by his story. It was a bit unsettling to see him a bit distached from the abuse at first, but i do think it was done well enough that it felt like he just is processing all of it at his own rhythm. He's still new at this whole recovery thing after all.

As for the girls, LMAO YEAH they're always the same and it's always a blast. Meg is her intense self, Mari has her eyes on the prize, and it's always a delight to see them bounce of of each other. wishing them all of the best!

[fruity-fruition]

YESS!! I've always loved the idea of niigo sekai growing nature as a symbolism of their healing! I've always imagined a field of flowers instead of forests and trees, though. Especially with Mafuyu, who's more blossoming into her own person rather than growing in the mold she was forced to be in.

For Tsukasa and An, they already knew who they were since they were kids. They just had to delve into it more and find meaning to it instead of just proclaiming. For example, Tsukasa's growth is him actually uncovering what it means to be a star. An more so has to find out more about her motive too, she has to figure out more of herself through her singing. They both had found their passion, they just have to grasp the nuance of it.

Strong willed, hard headed, stubborn, reliable and sturdy. That's why I think a growing tree fits the Wonderland SEKAI and, extension if we're following your every-sekai hc, Vivid street SEKAI.

(this links into all the members as well btw:

Rui already knows his passion, he just needs to accept and believe in himself

Nene already knows her dream, she just needs to overcome her fears and trust her abilities

Emu already knows her goal, she just needs to find how to balance her whimsy while still keeping the spirit of the park alive

Toya has fought tooth and nail for his passion and identity, so he's gone through the process of finding himself

Kohane follows Toya too, finding herself before they properly formed the SEKAI. So now she has to learn she can move up from there

Akito...I'm going to be honest, I don't know much about Akito but I DO know he's struggling with his self-worth, but he has a set goal and a really REALLY firey determination. So he's already got an identity, just obstacles to fully realize it)

Mafuyu doesn't have any of that. Mafuyu doesn't know who she is at all, and even her dream of writing and producing songs, she shoves down because it didn't fit her mother's image. Her whole arc is about her finding herself outside of her family's expectations, and she can't GROW if she hasn't even planted her seed. So that's why I think the Empty SEKAI would be a field full of flowers, at least at first. It's to symbolize Mafuyu slowly learning who she is and what she's willing to sacrifice for.

But I don't think it'll just be vast fields, since Kanade and Ena fit more into my previous saying of "found themselves, but is growing"

Mizuki fits more with Mafuyu here, imo. Since she's STILL discovering herself and she keeps pushing down her needs and whatever secret she holds. I think until she learns to embrace herself fully, she hasn't found what she needed to. So I really imagine Empty SEKAI being a mix of a nice field blending in with calm shade, y'know?

I don't know how coherent this one is I'm so sorry but it's a seriously nice addition to my post!! This is actually really sweet and I might actually implement it into my canon.

(I don't know how to put this into L/N and MMJ, since both their SEKAI is indoors more or less, but I'll figure it out later)

The great ol' headcanon that Wonderland SEKAI was created when Tsukasa was a kid but he somehow deluded himself into thinking it was one of his make-pretends/accidentally forgets all of it

I have a very VERY specific headcanon, where Tiny Tsukasa was terrified of the future and what's to come, so Kaito brought him to the middle of the SEKAI's empty field, and helped him plant a seed. Tsukasa, obviously, couldn't wait for it to grow and asked if it would grow faster because it's in the SEKAI.

Kaito just winks at him, and tells him it still takes time. When asked how long, he just responds with "it'll know when it's time to grow"

This not only comforts Tsukasa in a weird way, having something to actually look forward to in the long run instead of dreading the possibility of tomorrow, and also telling Tsukasa that it's always going to be uncertain. And that's okay actually.

Then bad stuff happens, which led to the Wonderland SEKAI being abandoned for a good few years.

The tree doesn't grow. Not for a long time, not even after the SEKAI was recovered.

Especially since the SEKAI now carries the dreams of 4 instead of just 1.

It only grew one day, when Tsukasa learns how to rely on others, when Rui learns to accept himself fully, when Nene learns to place more trust in her abilities, when Emu learns to not keep her friends at a (metaphorical) arm's length.

They were all in awe of the beautiful, flourishing tree that spawned for seemingly out of nowhere, but just accepted it as another quirk of the SEKAI.

But Tsukasa gives Kaito a smile, and Kaito just knows that Tsukasa at the very least remembered this

[not-ur-normie]

Cristal witches, aka Sasha making headcanons for the world of Eldarya

I have this idea since forever at this point, so I figured it wouldn't hurt a fly to talk about it a little. It comes from years before when I wanted my OC to not be human but some kind of magic creature, so here we go.

English is not my first languange, so I am apologizing in advance.

Note: Throughout the post, the timespan is after the Blue Sacrifice, but I will talk about that too later on.

Who are cristal witches?

Cristal witches are witches who hold power connected to maana.

The bigger maana surronds them, the bigger their powers get

The reason they are called cristal witches is because they can form a connection with the Crystal

They are creatures with big potencial to play big roles in Eldarya, but that is exactly the point where things go wrong

More about witches

Most cristal witches are women, it's really rare when a male is born and inherits magical power, but there are cases when it happens

There were never any worry about them dying out, since the genes are VERY strong

When a male and female cristal witch have a child who is also one, they turn out way stronger then the others who only have one parent being one

Don't get me wrong, one parent makes the kid already strong as it is, but two parents are just a whole new level

Cristal witches all have tattoos, all in different colors. Most of the time the colors don't have anything to do with the powers they can hold, but lighter colors indicate lighter powers, meaning: lighter colors can't use magic that requires bigger maana usage, like black magic, or healing magic

(If you play the game, you sure know the voodoo outfit, I based the tattoos on those tattoos, so you can see the colors if you google it)

Since cristal witches are a heavily mixed community thanks to the overload of women, there are times where kids inherit both of their parents specific genetics

It's rare tho, because of the witch genes mixing up with other races' is not that common

But when it happens, it always gains attention

Cristal witches are not just cristal witches because they are connected to the Crystal, but because they literally have crystals all over their body

These crystals are mostly small ones and has the color of the tattoos

They are really human-like, so if they can hide their tattos and crystals they can perfectly blend in, which did come handy at some point

Their lifespan is about 150-200 years

They are able to open the portal to the human world

(here you can see the children of my OC [Chrystal] and Ezarel, who were lucky enough to inherit both of their parents genes, so they are witches with elf ears.)

How did they live?

Back then cristal witches lived in small communities, mostly small villages, but there where some communities living a full nomad life

Since they live so long, there were not many of them to begin with

These smaller communities lived close to each other way back then, but the nomad communities started to move around after a while

These are highly spiritual communities, especially that they are fully able to communicate with the Oracle if they wish so

They had special type of education, where witches were learning to use basic magic, while non-witches who lived with them learned alchemy

They had strict rules, that everybody needed to follow, they weren't allowed to use their power randomly

They needed to get an approval to use magic that requires more manna than your basic magic, and also to use dangerous or risky magic

If somebody went against this rule more than 5 times, they got their magic taken away

They choose new leader every year, although if a leader was good, they sticked with them and kept on picking them

The leader was not leading alone, although they made the final decisions

There were many smaller position available next to the leader, which are also chosen by the other witches

Overally they are really pieceful, so the conflicts are not that common

Cristal witches are able to do many things with magic, but it takes a lifetime to gain a really controlled power, so older, well-educated witches are highly respected and the leader was chosen from them most of the times

Some really strong witches are even able to bring back people from the death, but only if they're right there when the death happens

The Blue Sacrifice

The reason that Cristal witches were never part of the council that planned out the Sacrifice was that the races forming the council agreed that Eldarya could need them in the future (and they were damned right)

Before the Sacrifice taken place, witches were not that strong than after it happend

I imagine it the way, that once the sacrifice was made, Eldarya alone had more maana than when the two worlds were one and since witches' powers are mostly maana based, it made their powers grow way stronger than before

(I hope this makes sense lol)

Where things went wrong

As I mentioned before, they are creatures with big potential

When the Blue Sacrifice went wrong, the races in Eldarya needed the witches help the most

Almost every community, town, villige, whatever had at least one witch living with them to help out whenever there were high need

The problem is, that there was always high need; as we know Eldarya was in trouble

With the help of the witches it was easier to go for supplies to the human world, although only those communities could do this who had stronger, more experienced witches

There were even witches who were able to cast spells and make the field able to grow some edible plants

And this is exactly where things went terribly wrong

Since cristal witches have a high value, there were many who hunted them or tortured them for their powers

Why? Well, I know all the above reasons would be enough, but there are more to it

Cristal witches' blood is able to make the lifespan of whoever drinks it longer

And not just that, but it can completely function as food, it stops hunger for longer periods of time (weeks, sometimes months, depending on power) and makes the immune system 100% healthy

It was also used for really expensive medication

You know what else is really valuable? The tears of witches.

It can fasten healing and was used for many medication as well as their blood

But only tears that hold heavy emotions count, since the tear drops turn into little crystals

These informations spread real fast after a while and witch hunts became so serious that at one point several communities started to think that it would be better to sacrifice them as well so maybe Eldarya could gain its full balance [the Guard of El also wanted this, just in case you were curious]

Witches would've 100% sacrificed themselfs if they got asked by the time the Blue Sacrfice happend

But after all the terror they went through, their trust was completely broken

They did not want to die for all these selfish folks wanting to murder them, not thinking about their race for a single second

So one day they completely vanished

Nobody knows how exactly, the common guess was that they opened the portal and moved to the human world, giving up on their magic

I mean everything was better than dying for your murderers

After the vanish

Of course, not all of the witches vanished, but the witch communities that lived together

Those who lived in certain places helping out stayed there

Back then the Guard of El had a witch with them too

Sadly, they got scared of her possibly gaining control over the guard, since she was very much loved... So they decided to kill her [yes, they wanted to sacrifice her, and then killed her, way to go]

The last known cristal witch was a male, living with the Fenghuangs, but he died just before The Origins' story starts

But... Are they really all gone?

Okaaaay soooo I bet there are stuff in this which doesn't exactly fit the story and/or I remember incorrectly, but it is what it is.

On the very first art you can see my OC named Chrystal. Well, she arrives to Eldarya the same way Erika did in the original story, the main difference is that she turnes out to be a cristal witch and this fact leaves the guard in a numb shock. Suddenly the only living cristal witch is with them and that is changing their situation entirely.

I am sure I will write down Chrystals story with illustratons and whatnot, but currently I am working on my Moonligh Lovers' OC's illus, so that will take some time.

Anyway, this will have another part, I wanna at least introduce Chrystal so you can see a cristal witch in action, hurray.

Ah, yeah, if there are facts from the game messed up, feel free to tell me, I am not biting. You can also use this idea for your ocs, I don't mind. Hugs<3

[epicspheal]

( this is gonna be long super sorry!!!) I have some Thoughts™ about Lusamine cause I'm conflicted. I love Lusamine as a character. And by that i mean I love to hate her. Rich white woman that's probably from Kalos( France) abuses her children, constantly gaslight them to make her the victim, and etc. It doesn't matter if she gone crazy, she's still an abuser.

The reason USUM boils my blood at times is because it goes the route of " oh yeah I wanted to save everyone" route which completely glosses over the fact that she abused and controlled her children for so long to the point of them both running away. And this one is purely headcanon in my part, cause I doubt Nintendo intended this, but she is, again, a rich white woman in comparison to the majority poc Alola. Is it infuriating how they welcomed her( well, at least on the front) after everything she's done? Yes. Is it a sad reality? Also yes. But it I'm still gonna complain. It also seems that Lillie and Gladion forgave her so easily? Of course, they have their own right to feel however they feel about their mother( especially if there was genuine good memories prior everything that happened), but like???? Idk it rubs me the wrong way.

But here's where I'm conflicted. Pokemon masters have shown a redeemed Lusamine. I understand masters is it's own thing, but also it's really interesting cause when you think about it, out of the Bad Parents Club, she's kinda the most likely to get that???( Other than Rose). Like by the end of SM, she finally acknowledge Lillie, and maybe going to Kanto will also mean getting therapy, which could lead to the Redeemed Lusamine we see in Masters( and what USUM were trying to sell). I personally feel like the other two, Giovanni and Ghetsis, are too far gone. So, like, Lusamine has a chance. But I hate her. I made an oc with the goal of at one point throwing hands with Lusamine for a REASON( other than parallels with her own life but that's different). Also when you take into account what lead her to this point, you kinda understand ( NOT JUSTIFY) her decent into madness. I guess what I'm trying to say is that they really should have portrayed her "redemption" better( putting quotations in redemption cause we don't know if she fully learned her lesson or not).

Okay that's all. Super sorry this got very long, I just have many Thoughts ™.

Hi there @ihopethisendswell! Oh boy Gen 7's story is not my favorite for multiple reasons and the shift between SM and USUM's handling of Lusamine was a big one. Like honestly if they truly wanted to redeem Lusamine USUM should've been a sequel rather than retelling because that way a few years would've passed, Lillie and Gladion could've healed on their own and Lusamine could've gotten some time to get herself together and maybe earn a redemption. But honestly I didn't want Lusamine to be redeemed. Let her rot in the "crappy parents" brigade with Giovanni and Ghetsis. I've said this before in a previous ask that I already didn't care for the Aether Family Plot to begin with but I at least enjoyed finally having the main villain be a woman and her being just absolutely a piece of crap too. I I don't like that they tried to redeem they chose her, and in such a haphazard way. Let the women be irredeemly evil. We need to see more of that in fiction. Unrestrained cruelty knows no gender.

But then again Lusamine's writing flops just fall in line with other issues Gamefreak has with writing female characters. Right in step with "Let's make Lillie, the one female child character whose been cursed with a crappy parent be the only helpless, passive one to the point of pretty much being the load while Silver, N and her own brother Gladion who also have shitty parents get to have more agency and fight to them. Because girls are the only ones who can be damsels and boys have to be tough."

Oh and I can't forget "Let's make Professor Burnet mostly irrelevant to the plots of SM despite her field of research being the most valuable concerning the whole research plot. Can't have a female researcher be useful" As you can see I have a lot of gripes with the gen 7 plot.

But your point about how Lusamine was handled in the majority POC region of Alola is probably my biggest issue with the Aether family. Because I really didn't care for the fact that the blonde family took up so much presence and importance in the story at the expense of the POC characters who were actually born and raised in the region. Like there was two whole plotlines of the Hau trying to live with the burden of being a Kahuna's grandson and Kukui trying to show pride in his home region by creating league while also not stepping on the traditions that make Alola's island challenge so sacred and special but we don't get to see it because it's the Aether Family show. Gamefreak has had a rather prevalent issue in writing when it comes to balancing story plotlines in general, but Gen 7's botched handling really stood out to me. The Alolans had really interesting stories that I wish had of gotten more prominence rather than being shoved off to the side like they were in canon. I hope whenever we get gen 7 remakes they add more depth to Hau, Kukui, Guzma, Acerola, and Hapu's stories because their stories as natives deserve as much attention as Lillie being able to find her confidence. Finally there should've definitely been a "press x to punch Lusamine's lights out" option in game. Like you I made alolan champion OC specifically just straight up give Lusamine a black eye. Yeah it meant aging her up to around 17 instead of the canon protags age of 11. so she could have more force behind that punch but it was worth it :D

[im-frickin-trying-okay]

Hey there, i have maybe an odd fic request for you, or just headcanon if it doesn't grab you that much.

Y/N is a witch/wiccan and offers too help shoto with his hand crusher curse, but after an intimate little ritual he thinks they/she accidentally cast a love spell on him or maybe the spell backfired. Turns out he just has a crush and is being a big dork about it.

Sorry this took so long! It might not be the most accurate, but hopefully it turned out okay. Also, I sorta mixed it with a coffee shop au but that's more as a tool than a plot point lol

Hand Crusher's Crush

I hope I did this justice :) I feel like I'm a bit better at descriptions than dialogue. Also, I did a bunch of research, but if anything's super inaccurate, please let me know!

A knock on your door caught your attention. You didn't tend to get visitors, as sometimes the world felt too 'peopley' for your taste. It's not like you weren't open to them, you just didn't have a lot of friends. Opening the door, you found yourself face-to-face with a striking young man. His hair fell slightly over his eyes, with red and white split down the middle.

"Um, hello," you said, not sure about this curious stranger. He cleared his throat quietly.

"Hello. I'm Shoto from UA," he said. He seemed quite serious, but it came across as a bit awkward. "Shoto Todoroki," he added. "I heard you have a special kind of healing quirk."

"Well, technically no, but I like to think I do," you reply simply. Your quirk is called Vibes. You can visualize, manipulate, and use certain energies. Once you got control of it, and did a little research on how to collect the intentions and energies, you changed your lifestyle. "Are you hurt or sick?"

"Well, no, it's not that I'm hurt. It's that I... I hurt people," he said, remorse bleeding into his voice. He glanced down at his hands, before looking back up at you. "I don't want to hurt people anymore."

For a split second, you wondered if there was some sort of killer at your doorstep, but instead of turning him away, you gave him the benefit of the doubt. "Hurt people, how?"

"Whenever I'm around, people hurt their hands," he said, completely serious, and a bit regretful. "It's like I'm the hand crusher or something." You blinked at him. Hand crusher? Well, at least he's not a serial killer. "I think I'm cursed, and I heard that maybe you could help with that."

"Ohh, a curse, huh? Well, I suppose I could try," you said, opening the door a bit wider.

He walked in, and was immediately hit with the scent of lemons. Looking around your living room, he noticed some things that he wasn't quite familiar with. He narrowly avoided the small black tourmaline towers on either side of the door, and felt his gaze land on the shadowy shelf on which there were three different jars of water. His eyes were drawn in all different directions by all the different things. Crystals on the shelves, tiny jars by the windows, and enough candles to set the house on fire.

"So," you said, gesturing around. "Uh, welcome, I guess. Come on over here." You gestured over to a small table with a few chairs around it. He sat down across from you, not seeming sure of what to do. "Let's start off easy. Who's hands have you been crushing?"

He sighed at the question. "A couple of my classmates', at least. I'm not sure if I've hurt anyone else." He took a bit to explain the situations, and how as far as he could tell, he was the only thing that tied the events together. It sounded a little bit like a coincidence, but then again, it was probably possible, right? And he would know better than you about what happened.

"Well, okay. I can probably help you," you said, still pondering over the stories he'd just told. "How good are you at cracking eggs?"

After an egg test, you found that he wasn't cursed per say, but there was definitely a lot of negativity surrounding him, and it was definitely weighing on him.

"Well... I'm not sure if it has to do with the crushing-of-hands, but there's some stuff I can help with," you said simply. He nodded, fully trusting.

You walked across the room and grabbed a few things. Selenite, rosemary... You counted off the things you needed in your head, before going back to your seat. You explained your plan to him. Cleanse and banish negative energy, and you'd be giving him a selenite crystal. It wasn't a problem, since you already had a lot.

"Will the crystal help stop me from hurting people?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"It's possible," you said simply. "If someone decided to punch a wall while you were in the room, their hand would be crushed, but it's not your fault."

"But wouldn't I have-?"

"Hey, hey, listen," you said gently, putting your hand over his. You could feel his doubt, but you wanted to reassure him. "It wouldn't be your fault. If it still feels that way, maybe try not to identify as The Hand-Crusher. That might be part of why these things occur so often." He frowned slightly, before nodding. He came to you for help, so it wouldn't be right of him to turn it down. "The crystal will basically just help keep your energy clear."

"My... Energy," he repeated, trying to remember if the first hand-crushing incident happened before or after Kaminari convinced him to try a Monster. "Is it bad?" he asked nervously.

"It's not bad, it's more of the things crowding around and onto it." After attempting to explain it, and getting a confirmation of his understanding, you began.

Rosemary smoke began to fill the room, but because of your quirk, it didn't look like smoke. Instead, a soft white light flowed through the space. Shoto watched in what seemed like awe as the room began to glow. Placing the rosemary bundle in a bowl, you continued on.

You clapped your hands, and golden sparks shimmered around them. Shooting your hands up, the sparks flew, before landing in a circle around you, like a dome of glitter. Shoto couldn't seem to pick where he wanted to look. The room seemed completely different now.

What would've normally been a smoky room and a bunch of stones turned into a beautiful light show, a light filled world with the two of you at its core. Something about the way his eyes sparkled made you feel a vague satisfaction. It made you glad to know that he wasn't bored or anything of that sort. He didn't seem to be a very smiley person, but he was clearly enjoying this.

Once all was said and done, and the lights began to fade, his eyes remained trained on you. "How was that?" You asked. "How're you feeling?"

He blinked out of his reverie. "Actually, much better," he said, seemingly surprised. "Thank you," he added.

"Happy to help," you replied, completely genuine.

"How could I repay you?" He asked, already reaching for whatever was in his pocket. It didn't take a genius to figure out he intended to use money, and really, you were financially comfortable. Your YouTube channel was decent, and considering that working at a coffee shop meant constantly being around coffee and tea, you didn't mind it. Besides, you didn't feel like you did as much as you probably did.

"Oh, no no," you said. "It's okay. You can repay me by trying to tune out negative people in your life," you said matter-of-factly. "It'll probably help delay any bad-vibes buildup." He hummed, nodding, but it wasn't hard to tell that he already had his mind on a specific someone.

"I know who I need to keep away from."

• • •

Over the next few weeks, Shoto was aware of the way that his mood had been lifted. He hadn't realized that he was feeling bad until he started feeling better. He was also vaguely aware that Midoriya hadn't broken his arms recently. It really worked! He felt glad that the curse was gone, as long as whatever else may have been wrong.

Then it began. He would occasionally think of you, think of what happened, and look back with a feeling of gratitude. When he held the selenite and felt his mood and thoughts balance out, he thought back to when you gave it to him. He couldn't help but think that you truly were magic.

After a while though, he noticed something changing. He'd look back on the same events, but instead of gratitude, he felt nothing but longing. He wanted to see the way the room lit up, he wanted to see your face, he wanted to hear your voice, he wanted you to hold his hand again... These new thoughts were more frequent, and you were always on his mind now! You were stuck in his head, and now he found himself missing this perfect stranger, always wishing to be in your presence. At first he couldn't identify these feelings, but then... Oh no.

You must've accidentally hit him with a love spell or something! He'd only seen you once, so that had to be the explanation, right? He'd have to go to you so you could fix it! Or was that the spell talking? Could it just be that he wanted to see you again? Maybe he just wanted to hear your explanations, to see the way you smiled if he said something that sounded like a joke but really wasn't, to see the way that your eyes lit up when you used your quirk, and oh, those eyes- No, bad Shoto, focus.

Things were complicated to say the least. It actually made him happy to think about you, and considering that the crystal didn't do anything to take away the feelings, he wasn't overly worried about the love spell's effects. However, over time, he realized how problematic it could be. Spacing out in the middle of an English lesson just to think of you was probably the most common reoccurrence. It wasn't like he didn't know the topic, but it was confusing to be asked a question and not even know what was being discussed.

He wasn't used to losing focus like this. Occasionally it would happen, but everyone's mind wanders. This felt different. You'd populate his mind, even narrate his thoughts, and he wasn't sure how to prevent it.

He had to put a stop to this. He tucked the selenite into his jacket pocket, and went to go get some tea. Yes, tea. Contrary to popular belief, he could still enjoy the stuff. Right now, he just wanted to pick some up before going to see you. Hopefully it would help get his thoughts in order, and calm him down. He walked into the shop and stared at the ceiling for a good thirty seconds before getting in line. He pondered if he should go talk to you directly about the love spell. Should he imply it? Did he want to fix it? It was hard to tell. He didn't dislike it, but the things that it caused weren't the best. He thought this over until he got to the front of the line.

"Hello, welcome to- Shoto?" came a familiar voice. His gaze snapped up to meet yours, and his heart jumped into his throat. The incessant fluttering in his stomach and chest made it hard to string words into a sentence. "Wow! Didn't expect to see you here," you said, pleasantly surprised.

"Hello," he blurted out, a mix of embarrassment and confusion swirling around in his head. He tried to come up with something more articulate, but was suddenly drawing a sudden blank. "Spell worked," he said, before immediately feeling like that was an understatement.

"Oh, well that's good," you said with a smile. You glanced up at the clock. "I'm off in like, 20 minutes if you wanna talk, but for now, how can I help you?" you asked. He blinked, before firing off the order he only remembered because he'd said several times before.

A bit later, he sat at his own table, a small one in the corner, and thought. He thought about how his mind was clouded with everything about you. He thought about how he finally got to see you after so long. He thought about how he'd only seen you once before. He thought about this love spell, and how he didn't exactly dislike it. He thought about how you might react when he told you. He thought about how it would be better to go into this slowly, and how- "Shoto!"

He popped his head up, before running over to grab his drink. He forced an awkward smile, which kinda looked like a grimace, before heading back to his seat, lost in thought once again. He didn't want to scare you off, of course, but did he even know you well enough to bring up this topic? He could say that he loved you right then and there, but he didn't even know your birthday! He barely noticed the time passing until you sat in the chair across from him.

"Hey," you said, smiling. "So, how've you been?" you asked. His mind went completely blank and he had no memory of what language it was that he spoke. His heart pounded in his ears. I can't do this, not yet- Idiot, that's what you're here for! Well, that and tea. Dammit- Say something! Once he wrangled his thoughts together, he tried his best to respond.

"I-I've been good. Well? Well. Grammar. Um, how about you?" he managed, the tips of his ears already bright red. He was embarrassed by the lack of his usual composure.

"I've been decent," you replied shrugging. "Thinking about you," you added. He choked on his drink, his face turning bright red.

"What?" he asked, trying not to seem flustered. This spell was getting troublesome.

"Y'know, just how you've been doing and stuff. So, you said that the stuff we did worked?" you asked. He nodded. "That's great!"

"Y-yeah," he said, frowning slightly. "Question. Er, is it possible for me to lo- No, is it possible to accidentally cast a love spell?" His heart was pounding.

"What? Not that I'm aware of, no. Why, did something happen?" you asked, slightly confused. Those things have to be intentional, don't they?

"Ah. Can they be a result of a spell backfiring?" Shoto asked, trying to think of what else could've caused it.

"I mean, I guess that would probably depend on the spell, but even then, I don't think so," you said, now a bit concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Me?" he asked incredulously. "Of course I'm alright," he said. If a spell didn't cause this, then what did? He tried to run through the possibilities. Should he tell?

"Hey, look at me," you said. He did as you said, meeting your eyes. "If you think something happened, you can tell me."

"Oh, no," he said, shaking his head. "I'm fine." The warm and fluttery feeling didn't give him time to think before he said his next words. "I just thought it might be a spell, since I'm falling in love as we speak."

About five seconds of complete silence followed. In those five seconds, a lot happened. Shoto could've sworn his heart stopped, but the blood rushing to his face proved otherwise. You seemed to be in a state of shock, not able to respond. Your heart thudded in a he's cute, yeah, but how did this even happen kind of way.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

"Are you for real?" you asked at the same time. Your head was spinning. What's happening right now?!

"What? I'm right in front of you," he said. When you laughed, he took a moment to reconsider. "Ah, right. Well, yes, I am, but I didn't mean to say it like that." The nervous buzzing in his head was one of the strongest emotions he'd felt in the past who-knows-how-long. "I thought it might be a spell or side-effect, since I don't know you all that well."

Holy shit, he's completely serious.

The situation would've been concerning if it weren't so funny. You found yourself laughing, and trying desperately not to in order to not hurt his feelings, but oh my gods, he really thought this was a spell?! He seemed bewildered, and that just made it funnier.

"I'm- I'm sorry," you said, gasping for air, "You thought I cast a love spell?"

"Unintentionally," he added, as if that made it better. "I don't think you would have done that without telling me first." His face was still red, but he seemed calmer.

"Well- You're- you're right about that part," you managed through the laughter. "I can confirm for you that I didn't cast a love spell," you said, just barely able to sound calm.

"I see," he said, not meeting your eyes. The second-hand embarrassment was a lot. He stayed quiet, not sure what to say.

"Shoto?" you called, once you managed to calm down.

"Hm?" came his wordless reply, his mind clearly somewhere else.

"That was adorable," you said, simply stating your thoughts out loud. He's so painfully genuine all the time that it's hard to not to think so.

"Wh-what?" he said, as light embers flew from his red hair. Or rather, the red part of his hair.

"I mean, it was!" you said, before suddenly backtracking. "Not in a weird way, it just is, y'know?"

After stumbling through awkward conversation for three minutes or so, Shoto asked a question. The question almost killed you.

"If I'm not under a love spell, then what is this?" he asked. You choked, really not understanding how you'd have to explain this.

"You... Is it possible that the, er, feelings developed naturally?" You asked, trying to phrase it as professionally as possible.

"Don't you have to know someone for a long time for that?" he asked in response.

"N-not necessarily," you said, trying to decipher if he was still being serious. "One interaction can be enough, and as of now, we've had two," you added. He seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Alright, then I suppose that makes sense," he said, nodding. After a beat of silence, you laughed.

"Well. Uh. If your concern was too few interactions, we could always just talk more, if you want," you offered, head still swirling with the awkwardness of all this.

"I'd like that," he replied, the blush never leaving.

• • •

It had been five months now, and Shoto could now say for absolute sure that there was no love spell involved. The two of you were much closer, and he liked getting to call himself your boyfriend. He enjoyed getting to know you, and was surprised at how much better he knew himself. He was still a dork, and still a bit fast to jump to conclusions, but that's just who he is. However, you did help him change, and it was in the best way possible. You showed him how to change his definition of love into something healthy, and he couldn't be more grateful.

From the day you met, you lit up his life in more ways than one.

Could anyone blame him for loving you?