#so many fun things in this arc!

[angeart]

Everything I wanna ask is stuff you're prolly gonna say 'wait for the rambles' xD I wanna know how they met, I wanna know more about the Vex colony in general... basically I wanna sit in front of you and Link and be like tell me everything.

I did see the word mate used in those rp snippets tho. 👀 Are Kane and Nico mates? Or am I misreading that?

And what do they think of Scar being with an avian?

-🎀

weeeeell maybe, but you can shoot your shot! :D

i'm going tell you... that they met before the vex arc :3c

vex commune is a great place! a little village with a wall partially around it, full of vexes who work together to survive. they have little farms, one single old goat, and they go out to hunt. and they are very against the hunters. they actively fight any that breach their area.

they're also rough. sharp-edged. they solve arguments through fighting. (their vex form can heal them so it's not like they're putting each other out of commission) they don't shy away from violence, and they like to live unapologetically. and... they do more than just survive. they make drinks and have little parties and celebrations, they dance and spar, they have communal events and train together. they go on patrols and have each others' backs. they're very protective of their own! a vex pack!

there's one more vex oc that will be in this arc, nadia. she's more of a calmer, guiding presence. she's older, and she's lost her mate, and... just like scar and grian, she isn't originally from this world :3c

yes, kane and nico are mates, you got that right! <3

grian being an avian is definitely tricky. (they're honestly just surprised he's even alive, with feathers like that—)

as for him being scar's mate, they definitely think he can't possibly give scar what scar (as a vex) needs. this becomes obvious when they ask grian about their mating marks, and why only grian is marked. (they don't know about avians and feathers.) they think surely this is unfair for grian's partner!

cue grian stressing himself out that they might be right and he's a bad mate to scar.

while the others learn to accept grian and realise they might've been wrong, grian also learns about vexes! for example, that they also like their wings touched, and it can be intimate and soothing for them! (just another failure on his part.)

of course scar is fiercely protective of his partner and madly in love though, so they're gonna be okay <333 and the others will eventually come to understand, too. it might just take a while, because it's all so very new to them.

(in the rp bit, you can see that it's even noted that there was a shift over time, right in this sentence: Despite claiming victory during their previous dispute over insensitivity, Kane clearly cares to get this right.)

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji Goes To Lotus Pier AU: Part 5: Flip Slip.

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 4.5)

[aroaceleovaldez]

underappreciated Nico detail that I like - he seems to be an angry crier! very frequently he's angry when he cries and he cries when he's extremely angry. very AuDHD of him. emotional regulation sucks my guy and he's just going through it.

[fandomunsexyman]

SVSSS is a novel with a fandom.

[ID: A Scum Villain edit of the "missing the point" meme. A bullet arcs from velinxi art of child Shen Jiu kneeling while furiously glaring. The bullet says, "People are not entirely one thing or the other and holding them to these extremes ignores the complexities that come with their humanity." It arcs over the head of a person across from it, who ignores the bullet and exclaims: "Wow!! Shen Jiu's only crime was being mean and was wrongly hated!" End ID]

[dizzybevvie]

No bc Warrior Cats genuinely couldve done something with Starclan and generational trauma and romanticising "old times" and the warrior code because Starclan arent deities theyre just dead people but instead we get another 6 books of Will They/Wont They with a TigerStar clone

[royalarchivist]

Quackity: Oh, it's gonna be so cool to see how this develops. I'm excited, I'm gonna try my best. I'm not the greatest at Minecraft whatsoever, I did nerf Green Team a little bit by accident on the second day. My bad! But, you know, I'm so ready to just grind out and see what we can do, and I just–

I wish everyone saw it with the same amount of, like, kind of enthusiasm. I think all of this and all the development and all the potential arcs, that's going to fcking allow for something absolutely incredible.

And if anyone ends up clipping any of this, something I do want to say is I implore people to view everything with a lot of enthusiasm. No stress, no anxiety, just a lot of enthusiasm. Because, again, this is going to allow for a lot of cool things in the server. Not just now, but in the future, too.

[mamawasatesttube]

kon is not really a leader (though he's also not an idiot actually and i will die on this hill) but he's such a good right hand man. very loyal. mom friend. powerhouse. this is Also why timkon are so spirk coded (but this time it's flipped) and in this essay i will

[bleue-flora]

[sallymew4]

kids when they hear that their dad is back in town VS. kids when theyre hanging out with a conman that accidentally stole their wallet once

im not even joking btw

bonus heres me being crazy about them in dms ^^^

[hulloitsdani]

@moe-broey THANK YOU!!! AND IM GLAD THE RUFFLES ARE APPRECIATED!!!🎉🎉🎉

But seriously this is the highest compliment, because this is actively what I’m trying to do when it comes to how I draw Kiran! I really want to convey how unabashedly charming this silly little tactician is. It helps explain how they keep the order intact on a social level and also why this keeps happening:

In retrospect, Alfonse never really stood a chance, did he?

Anyway I won’t lie, I did all this for the Loki bit. Please imagine that she’s just off screen for all these outfits hitting that exact pose.

[artfulacrostic]

memes for The Bad Batch 3x08, "Bad Territory"

*spoilers*

[sforzesco]

‘Is there a point to any of this or do you just want to see how much more I can take?’ snaps Crassus. ‘Oh, I knew there was still some bite left in you,’ says Cethegus, thrilled. Cethegus teaches Crassus the art of politics and the ways of business. Sulla is not a fan.

Sulla: the Last Republican, Arthur Keaveney

Crassus, Catilina, and the Vestal Virgins, Ronald Syme

Sulla: the Last Republican, Arthur Keaveney

[suffarustuffaru]

i need to share my very horrible idea to combine the reinhard/julius/otto/subaru boy drama into one julius-centric fic

ok so a little while ago ive made all kinds of ottojuli and reinjuli posts and while i havent finished all my major julisuba posts Yet i am quite fond of julisuba also and i think itd be incredibly funny if you just dumped all of these ships into one story. just go ALL IN on that boy drama!!!! go big or go home amirite!!!! the worlds WORST love trapezoid youve ever seen!!!!

this post is just me rambling fic ideas bc i sadly dont have time for Every Fic Idea and also i just. i just think itd be funny putting multiple ships with the same person in them into one fic. on a serious level its like mimicking real life relationships where sometimes people come and go and you have different dynamics with each person!! on another level i just think this is also very funny so!! here we go. under the cut:

anyway so my idea for this is that you know, julius of course meets reinhard when hes ten and reinhard is eight and then it alters julius's brain chemistry. at first he's in complete awe of reinhard. and then over time the shame starts setting in. that julius isnt as strong as reinhard. and the jealousy sets in a bit too, so julius's got this chip in his shoulder trying to carry his family's legacy and trying to carry the weight of knighthood to be as perfect as possible. to be as close to reinhard as he can. they meet again in their teens and julius shows reinhard the ropes of like basic knight stuff bc reinhard just joined the knights. and of course reinjuli become friends but julius has spent his whole life quietly watching reinhard from afar and now julius still has that distance with reinhard even as theyre supposedly friends now. reinhard is a God, you know? his powers and his leash from the kingdom and his family keep him distant and the two of them are ignoring that. classic homoerotic "do i want him or want to be him" friendship where both of you are too scared to get any closer for various reasons with a Twist (reinhard's very real monster complex that keeps getting validated bc Everyone Around Him thinks hes a monster).

anyway but then julius remembers that you know, shit between reinhard and him wont work out for many reasons, like reinhards family deciding to torment julius at various points in his life (heinkel, whos julius's boss, and reid, who went from julius's childhood idol to. you know.), and also reinhard needs to have kids because hes the sword saint, and also homophobia exists in rezero. and also even if those werent all obstacles julius still has his Complexes connected to reinhard and they got that distance between them so. no go. (repression gets in the way of relationships :((( )

also quick side note is that ex 4 happens and julius reinhard ferris go to vollachia and julius interrupts a meeting with vincent vollachia himself to go "I UNDERSTOOD THAT LITERARY REFERENCE YOU JUST MADE. THATS A REALLY GOOD REFERENCE I LIKED IT A LOT" bc hes a massive nerd and ig this is slightly-more-of-a-disaster-gay julius au so julius is like ............................. vincent was kinda cool for that.

AND THEN SUBARU CRASHES INTO JULIUS'S LIFE and julius is like seeing this guy who's also got a chip in his shoulder and then he insults the knights and says the knights are all depending on their dads (nepotism) and julius is like .......the chip in my shoulder was bad enough and also youre kinda like me fr. and you are clearly a fucking misguided kid so now i have to save your ass. i cant NOT save your ass. and reinhards like "julius and subaru nooo you dont have to do this :((((" and julius cant admit atm that hes also doing this to save subarus life so julius is just like "he disrespected the knights >:(((("

but yes we all know what happened there. julius saves subarus life. julius has to slice subarus throat in that one failed loop. they become friends across several timelines. they also homoerotically share souls, you know, typical bromance things, rivals to lovers except subarus the one going YOURE MY RIVAL and julius is like he is SUCH an upstart. hes really grown on me like a fungus but thats the appeal. and julius i think sees subaru as like a kindred spirit (or at least thats how i interpret julisuba) except subaru is like way more freer than julius is. same desire to prove yourself but subarus not restraining himself constantly like julius. its sometimes to the point of recklessness and general stupidity and what have you, but his boldness and bravery and determination and heart really is admirable.........................

yeah so anyway julius falls for ANOTHER guy again, you know how it is sometimes. the heart wants what it wants and julius is cursed to always have the worst meetings with his closest friends. and of course julius gets heartbroken bc wtf i have to kill my new friend :((( noo!!!! but in the finished loop its like. oh subaru...... hes really improved himself. hes grown so much already. hes kind of. inspirational really. idk how he does it. except subarus you know got that Mystery to him the same way reinhard does (theyre traumatized and Cant Take About It Normally so they just randomly lore drop what they can) and also subarus SUPER into emilia. and julius is like .................... well. subarus taken. haha. and reinhards. taken. fuck me. fuck. and like somethings going on with subaru and rem and emilia right. fuck. and subarus got his whole toxic masculinity / gender crisis..... and he doesnt know hes Bisexual yet...... man. what a loss for julius amirite haha.

and also subarus busy after arc 3........... and julius has no idea whats happening there but that seems Real serious :(( and julius's got other things to attend to so he hopes subaru reaches out to him eventually..... or that they cross paths again since subarus in the emilia camp and julius is in ana camp (and of course reinhard is in felt camp and like that was a whole debacle bc wtf. reinhard, u do know thatd be a big deal to our mutual friend felix?). so. julius pines from afar ONCE AGAIN HAHA.

(also of course subarus still attracted to reinhard here. its um. well julisuba can bond now over pining over reinhard but thats for later also!!)

anyway of course during arc 3 julius briefly runs into some gray haired merchant twink thats being dragged around by subaru bc ana camp rescued this guy from a cave somewhere??? and this new guy and subaru made a deal or whatever so he was just helping out in the background of the fight against sloth??

and whaddya know................ julius goes to drink at a bar bc you know he probably tastes wine for fun in his free time (hes definitely Fond of wine anyway iirc) and now hes Sad over the Ones That Got Away so. bar it is. and gray haired merchant twink is there!! no way. they start talking a bit casually while drinking you know and julius's taste is Unfortunately either the graceful ones (anastasia, because julius has great taste in women) or the cringe fail ones (all the twinks - except for felix - that julius keeps having the wildest first meetings with, because julius has slightly shit taste in men) so julius is like huh this otto guys kinda funny lol. endearing in a weird way!! and -

oops they both end up being a little. they make a little bit of a move on each other. bc they were drinking and got a Bit tipsy. ottos Also not over the one that got away (subaru) (again) and hey. the finest knight truly is. Fine. objectively fine. totally. so you know. things get a little out of hand, maybe they do a bit of cringe fail flirting hidden underneath five million layers of repression and the Horrors of Being Known but ultimately they both embarrass themselves somehow (read: how far they went with each other while under the influence is up to you) and agree to Never Speak of This Again bc oopsies they were both technically each other's first time being Straightforwardly Not Straight with another man. oops. anyway julius has to go back to his camp and otto fucking bolts but he bolts right into subaru and gets his ass dragged into sanctuary drama.

julius is totally not a little bit envious about that.................... about otto getting to accompany subaru to sanctuary... but dont worry julius!! youll get to make up for it later!! bc eventually arc 5 stuff happens. and julius is Glad to see reinhard and subaru again. even with all the Baggage. and subaru is of course Weird about julius but eventually subaru reassures julius after they both confide in each other about the astrea drama (theyre honorary astreas via being dragged into the astrea family mess). and subarus reassuring to julius in a whole new way okay. subaru, whos unrestrained and incapable of being on the down low about anything, and julius, whos always holding himself back with a gazillion layers of repression, starts learning to let go a bit...

but also juliotto meet again. its terribly awkward and they both agreed to never speak of their awkward encounters again. subaru is going ??? and reinhard is clueless. otto then also goes to save reinhard and felt from heinkel trying to take felt hostage, which was also terribly awkward but reinhard and felt are grateful about it (but lbr if reinhard and otto knew each other deeper reinhard would maybe be a little. Apprehensive. around otto while otto would be sympathetic with reinhard bc hes like male emilia). but then while otto manages not to get erased by gluttony....... julius gets erased. of course. which you know results in being forgotten by reinhard in julius's THIRD first meeting ever with reinhard. and subarus the only one who remembers him of course.

then arc 6 happens :,))))) and julius of course has to confront his ideas of knighthood, his identity, his self esteem, and who he is outside of His Name. and also julius gets his ass beat by reid. his childhood idol. who reinhard KNEW was a shitty person but never ever told julius (whether this is because reinhard wanted to spare julius's hero worship or because reinhard never got the chance to tell julius is hard to say lajdsf). but julius does get to triumphantly win in the end!! grow as a person!!! learn to undo a bit of that repression and not hold himself to impossible standards all the time!! hes growing still!!! hes finally solidified his friendships with people like subaru and emilia!! hes remaking his relationship with anastasia!! hes asserted himself, hes planning on going to meet reinhard again one day and duel him!! things are looking up even if its still bittersweet that he doesnt have his name back yet!! does this mean?? perhaps?? a HAPPY ENDING?? julius can have the two men (reinhard and subaru) he admires the most in his life?????? as friends???? or as boyfriends?????? slowburn mutual pining????????????????????????????????????????

and then comes. arc 8 otto. that piece of shit.

julius is very much someone who has to grapple with the weight of the expectations that people throw at him. and also reinhard is someone who May envy julius a bit, but there's also you know, joshua and subaru with the Explicit Envy and (past) resentment because theyre placing heavy expectations on julius!! theyre pointing blame at julius!! julius is trying to find himself outside of stuff like that, especially after arc 6, but he's still got stuff to work on you know? he still has duties to fulfill!! loyalty that he has to act on bc hes gotta help subaru and co in arc 8!! and then in comes otto.

otto is also someone with expectation placed on him, but its Different. ottos mostly a nobody and when hes Not a nobody, his reputation tends to be Derogatory. hes a menace. hes a bad luck charm. hes grappling with the fact that he has to keep being left behind - post-arc 5 bc he was injured, but also repeatedly during arcs 7 and 8 because hes too physically weak to be on the same playing field as emilia or garfiel or subaru on the battlefield. he feels Useless after placing his identity on the expectation that hes Dependable and Useful.

julius is a bit more on even ground with otto now that julius is. also mostly a nobody bc his name is still gone. and also julius had to deal with having that part of his identity crushed. julius tried to be useful over and over in arc 6 only to get his ass repeatedly curb stomped by reid in the beginning. he was a nobody. he wasnt dependable anymore. and also otto is that one guy he had a Passing Fling with over having The Ones Who Got Away and julius was still vaguely hopeful about maybe being pals at least but ottos brushed him off a bit since arc 5. theyre like each others secrets you know? and now otto doesnt know that shit - julius is the only one who Knows - and otto also hates julius's fucking guts now. over SUBARU. and julius has been through this whole rodeo clown circus with arc 3 subaru so this is an absolutely terrible ride through memory lane.

and this is julius's THIRD twink that hates him for terribly unfair reasons. julius is very tired and a bit heartbroken in this au trying to pretend it doesnt bother him. on one level it doesnt. bc ottos pathetic and clearly Overcompensating for Something. on another level it kinda does bc julius had a Thing going with otto. and otto is the complete opposite of julius. like hes different from the other guys julius has liked.

julisuba is about complimentary opposites - they appear Extremely Different at first glance but theyre very similar. theyre people who try to look and act bigger than they are, people who keep reaching to be The Best, to be Perfect, because theyre overcompensating. theyre worried their entire identity is only built off of trying to be bigger than the shadow that other people in their lives (like their families) cast. but they cant reach perfection. and julius is like subaru but if subaru tried to really make himself "refined" - if he tried to stop putting his heart on his sleeve all the time. reinsuba are very similar too. theyre very refined knights who try to keep themselves in check at all times while the weight of the world is on their shoulders. they cant have a hair out of place. except julius is like the "smaller" version of reinhard. julius is less powerful. its like comparing a human and a "god" - reinhard, whos untouchable. but its a double edged sword, because julius gets to be a normal person, because half the expectation placed on him is also purely from himself, while reinhard isnt. reinhard isnt Free. hes on a leash by the kingdom and his family. julius even gets his kind of "celebrity" status stolen from him via the loss of his name. hes truly kind of Normal now - julius is like if reinhard didnt have his crazy abilities and had a little more of a chance to be free.

otto? yeah otto is. very very far from all of that. hes so obviously imperfect that most of his reputation, when its brought up, is just him being known as a mess who's caused various forms of chaos everywhere he goes. either that or hes just. There. Invisible. very very average. and otto is someone who wants a nice comfortable life, someone who wants to fit in - julius and subaru arent Exactly like that, and while reinhard also wants to be normal, ottos the one who has more of an opportunity. but he doesnt. because otto Dooms Himself by being recklessly cutthroat. otto is like if subaru was just. More of an asshole, so ottojuli would just be a rather Extreme Challenge for julius to have to deal with HAH. and normally otto is someone who repays how people treat him - a very "you treat me like this, i'll treat you the same way in turn" kind of deal, except ottos developed a vendetta against julius and its basically like if subaru never let go of his arc 3 julius vendetta.

yes so anyway. etc etc stuff probably happens but i ran out of ideas lajdlfjasdf i just think combining ALL the boy drama and recontextualizing + adding to canon would be. batshit crazy. and terribly entertaining. im so sorry julius but i want to see you crack a bit under the pressure. reinjuli as a ship is like tragic gay yearning that never goes anywhere past being friends with quiet homoerotic tension, then julisuba is. you know. extreme rivals to lovers, starts out Rough but then ends up being super super sweet and theyre Trying their best underneath the self esteem issues. and then ottojuli is. toxic yaoi at its finest (pun intended). you get Every flavor of mlm possible!!

ok so you may be asking "ok what would you even name this fic then" and to that i say that this would be called To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

anyway i really wanna write this idea someday ill inform you guys (if youre reading this and are Interested) if it ever happens :< so. in conclusion this is just julius the entire time throughout all of these events:

[millionsghosts]

thinking about the comparisons of Sam to John and the revenge shit is what really gets me because like. John raised his kids as hunters because he lost himself in his grief over Mary dying and obsession with revenge. Sam almost lost himself to it too at the end of season 1 (he would have if he shot John), but he stops himself because his alive family is more important to him than revenge for Jessica (the big difference between him and john!).

In contrast, when Dean dies in season 3 Sam doesn't have anything left but the revenge. His brother is dead and there's nothing he can do. That's when he loses himself and lets the want to kill Lilith take over. The powerlessness he felt when Dean was going to hell and confirmation that he could do nothing was what Ruby needed to get him hooked on that demon blood, too. This is similar to how John became hooked on hunting Azazel, but is also a more literal addiction (demon blood addiction as a metaphor for Sam's revenge quest, anyone?). Just like in season 1, Sam is paralleling his father here.

However! I believe it's at least a little bit of an unfair comparison to make. Sam's circumstances were a lot worse than John's with Ruby spurring him on (and the actual addiction to the blood). Plus, he didn't have a responsibility to his family like John did until after Dean got back. When that happened he did continue what he was doing, but at that point he was already hooked on demon blood/in too deep with Ruby anyways. He was also convinced he was already unclean! At most he thought he could use it to kill Lilith, right?

Also, Sam's obsession was much further along than John's when the opportunity came to put revenge over family (since Dean had once again. Been dead.). I'm not saying he didn't fuck it up, he 100% did! He betrayed Dean's trust and made a HUGE error in judgement, no matter how sympathetic I am towards him

(Not denying this is a Sam defense post! But I also have enough media literacy to understand that even when I love and am defending a character, that doesn't mean they did nothing wrong. I'm saying Sam is a better person than John was, not that)

Anyways, this betrayal still isn't comparable to John, who started out with two very young children to take care of from the beginning! He doesn't have the excuse of his obsession developing or getting in too deep while his family wasn't around like Sam does. Also, for all the shit Sam's addiction causes, he at least doesn't force Dean into it. This is as opposed to John, who raised his kids to be hunters too!

Anyways Sam, when in his right mind (not an addict being manipulated!), knows to choose his family over the revenge. When he doesn't, it's because he's a victim of severe, completely different circumstances. John Winchester left his normal life for the sake of revenge while he had two kids in the backseat. For all the similarities between John and Sam, despite the many many parallels and connections of their stories, that's the big, important difference between them. That's what matters

[problemswithbooks]

BNHA Ch. 429

So, I guess Toga is dead, and people are losing it.

I get why people liked her--she was actually queer, being pan/bisexual. She was representation for them and that's rare in shonen manga. But here's the thing--she was bad representation at best and insulting at worst. Nor do I think she was made queer because Hori really wanted to represent a queer girl. Himiko was always the author's poorly hidden fetish--she just was. She liked girls as much as boys because Hori wanted to draw a girl touching sexually on another girl. You can see this in how he draws her and Ochako in solo pics together.

I mean, people seem to understand this when it comes to Momo and her outfit being overly sexual or that both Himiko and Hagakure's Quirks either leave them naked or they have to be naked to use them. These are excuses to draw girls in a sexual manner. Himiko being into other girls is the same thing and that's the kindest interpretation.

Given how Himiko acts and her Quirk being heavily coded sexual desire, and therefore her use of it against someone unwilling being sexual assault, it could just being playing into harmful stereotypes of predatory gays.

As a queer person myself I just found Toga insulting. She was designed to be overly sexual and give the male author a female character that he could draw being suggestive with his other female characters. When he did flesh out her character, her backstory was eventually the trope/fear of straight people, that gay people will be so overcome with their lust that they end up sexually assaulting them.

In the end Ochako accepts this part of Toga and says she'll giver her blood forever, but as much as a lot of readers took that that as some deep lesbian confession, for me it really fell flat. Hori never really gave any of the main kids time to actually learn about their villain or show how that changed their minds toward them. Shoto only works because Touya is his brother (even though he admits he barely remembers him). But Ochako goes from not thinking of Toga at all pre-first war, to one thought about her during her speech, to suddenly caring about her so much she--given how Toga's quirk is coded, is willing to essentially fulfill Toga's kink for the rest of their lives.

It's weird and it comes out of nowhere. It's made even stranger because Toga doesn't actually change or show remorse for anything she did, which included personally hunting and murdering people before she joined the LOV. None of the death and destruction she is also partially responsible for is brought up either, something that Ochako was rightfully upset about during the first war when less people and property had been destroyed. Ochako just accepts everything about her suddenly and her past serious crimes are forgotten so they can cuddle and cry.

Am I shocked Toga died--a little. I didn't think Hori would have the guts to kill off a young girl character, especially one that he clearly got a lot of joy drawing in sexy poses. But at the same time, once he killed off Shigaraki and ended Touya's story with his slow death, I'm not surprised he went the same route with Toga.

This isn't Naruto--Hori isn't really kind to characters that do something wrong, especially if they don't try and change. Enji, Bakugo, Hawks, and Aoyama all sort of got punished for what they did. Enji is the worst off, being permanently crippled, missing an arm and burned everywhere. Bakugo's hand is damaged, his heart weaker, plus he feels bad that Izuku lost his Quirk so they can't compete the same way he wanted them to. Aoyama, despite doing way less wrong and even helping his class during the forest raid, still leaves school because he doesn't feel he earned being there yet. Hawks lost his Quirk and even though him running the HPSC could be seen as good for him, Hawks always wanted a break, but now he has one of the most time consuming and stressful jobs out there.

So, if this is what characters who actively did good things and even changed and fought to be better get, what would characters who never changed and never did anything positive for anyone but their friends/themselves get?

Before the last Arc started, when so many people said the LoV were 100% going to be redeemed I had doubts and always thought it wouldn't make sense with how the story presented redemption or treated other non-LoV villains in the past. That if the main LoV did get some happy ending where they were bffs with the main cast it would clash with how other characters had been treated.

That doesn't mean that I think how Shigaraki, Toga, and Touya ended up in the manga was well done. I think their endings fit far better then a last minute redemption would have, but at the same time you can feel how rushed everything has been since the end of the first war arc. Hori was done with this story months if not years ago, yet he was contractually obligated to finish it. Because of that I think he left out as much as possible. As much as I think he's written some pretty obsessive stuff, particularly towards women, I can't really fully blame him cutting corners or the story being shit at the end.

We know Manga authors, particularly those that work with Jump are treated like shit. That they suffer incredibly long hours at times not even getting to go home for days. We've gotten messages for Hori saying he's sick quite a few times. On top of that, weekly story telling is not a great way to tell a cohesive narrative. Ideas probably change week to week or at least month to month and you can't go back and change the last chapter no matter how much you need or want to. Then you remember he also gave a lot of ideas to the people who made the movies, which would also change his plans for how he wanted the main story to go.

The story is bad--it has been for a while, but I think a lot of people put their hopes on their favorite characters getting a happy ending, even when there were signs that probably wasn't going to be the case. I know how much it sucks when a character you love gets a shitty ending (Stain was my fav, but he got an absolute dogshit ending) but at least, knowing what I know about the industry I can't really blame Hori the way I see some other people doing. Criticize it, sure, but saying Hori hates his readers or is horrible writer isn't true. BNHA was popular for a reason--he's great with characters and the beginning of the story had some great pacing. We'll never know, but I wouldn't be surprised if BNHA could have been amazing if Hori had been treated better and the story hadn't needed a chapter every week.

If anything BNHA has taught me how much a story suffers when authors/artists are treated like crap and forced to work past burnout.

[angeart]

hhau vex art part I bonus: a night for living: a pink ribbon [RP]

[6,8k words]

this is a part of my and link's very self-indulgent discord rp. just a chunk of that whole night for living rp that relates to kane being gifted his own ribbon.

the night is in full swing. everyone is tipsy. mr beak gets handed to scar for safekeeping. kane and grian are going to race each other through an obstacle course.

because there's multiple characters here, i tried to keep track of which ones are involved in which replies for you. as per usual, grian bits are me, scar's bits are link, and kane and nico are sort of everywhere.

rp below the cut <3

--

GRIAN/KANE

it's undeniable that grian's getting excited now. the sky is clear overhead, stars shining. the bonfire crackles, sending sparks up as vexes sing songs that grian doesn't know. the atmosphere gets under his skin, his hands now free, alcohol lending him reckless buzz of warmth as he eyes the course. 

"it's a lap or?"

"oh, there's a finish," kane reassures. "you'll know when you reach it." and, without waiting, he starts.

"hey!" grian yelps, scrambling to move and catch up. "i thought you said no cheating!"

"never said that," kane throws him a grin, the look back enough to destabilise him with how tipsy he is. he topples into a barrel, allowing grian to catch up. "anything goes." 

"anything but flying," grian remarks, wings flapping as he leaps over the barrel on his side, much cleaner than whatever kane did.

it seems to click then, for kane, that this is a competition. and he loves those. the fierceness lends him strength, clearing some of the fog as he grins sharply and plunges onwards through the obstacles. "yeah."

--

SCAR/NICO

Scar loves watching Grian sprint about eagerly, wings on display and even being utilized. It warms his heart, seeing Grian in his element like this— competitive and nimble, nothing holding him back.

“I’m also rooting for Grian, but that’s because I love him,” Scar says, not bothering to hide the love dazed tone in his voice.

“Gross.” Nico sticks out his tongue, but then they both laugh, knowing he’s full of it.

--

GRIAN

the race is surprisingly long, all kinds of things put in their way. it's a bit of a blur as grian gets into it, frantic to be fast, laughing high and manic as he gets ahead of kane, tumbling over obstacles. some of it is bound to leave bruises, but he doesn't care, wings flapping and heart drumming a wild rhythm against his ribs, none of which has anything to do with fear.

he feels alive, as he vaults over things and dips under barriers. flinging himself at climbling walls, scrambling across a roof that was somehow included. his head buzzes, electric and delighted, liking the high spot before he glides off of it, definitely not cheating as his wings flap to carry him further.

kane stands no chance as grian sinks furthter into it, squealing and chirping and happy, skidding through turns until he sees the finish line: a mass of blankets and pillows dragged out, to create a sort of literal line.

grian dives into it, giggling, brain haywire on endorphins thinking nest.

--

SCAR

It’s about right before the rooftop that Scar gives up on waiting patiently and starts jogging along the sidelines of the race, avoiding all the obstacles and cutting through a line of vex so he can meet Grian at the end. 

And oh is he glad he does.

Grian’s laughter carries, catching on the wind like his wings do, soaring toward finish line. Scar leaps up, clapping his hands together as best he can with a bottle and chicken in hand. He didn’t howl before, but now he does, loud and unbidden, a bright glow emanating from his throat as he cheers. 

It feels like an old Boatem party. Like carelessness and hilarity. Like specially crafted games that all go so delightfully wrong. 

(For once something truly feels akin to home.)

--

GRIAN/KANE

grian hears scar's howl, recognising his voice instantly. warmth runs down his spine as he realises scar is watching and cheering him, that he's giddy for grian's success. in response, he chirps, high-pitched and overjoyed, even as he keeps himself burrowed in the blankets and pillows, wings flared out, flapping occasionally as he nudges himself further into the perceived nest, high on victory. he's laughing into the soft things, the sound now muffled, free and unbound.

kane glides down, not bothering to run the last bit, knowing he's lost. he's breathing heavily, steps slightly clumsy, the run not doing good things to the alcohol distribution through his body. he pauses at the edge of the blankets, watching grian, all his quips and remarks dying on his tongue.

he's never really seen grian like this.

--

SCAR

Scar howls again, goofier and with several instances of ow owwws for flare. He rushes over to Grian, fully intending on diving into the blankets with him, but he catches Kane’s gaze first, and he pauses instead. 

The two of them lock eyes and Scar smiles brightly, honestly glad that someone else gets to see this— the side of Grian that has Scar absolutely weak in the knees, head over heels, crazy in love. 

Scar falls backward, right next to Grian while minding his large wingspan, using his own wings to flap and soften the landing. “You did it!!” Scar cheers, rolling over so he can admire his mate, stars practically visible in his eyes.

--

GRIAN

grian chirps wildly as he registers scar joining him, and he pounces on him, giddy and giggling. his wings flap, heedless and excited. he's so happy to have his mate here, in the victory nest.

"your sabotage didn't work," he remarks goofily, pressing a kiss to scar's cheek and then holding his lips there as he laughs.

--

SCAR

“I don’t think anything could have stopped you from winning that! You were a natural! Top notch!” Scar laughs, too, a delighted giggle, loud and squeaky and utterly overjoyed. 

And maybe he shouldn’t— not here, not so breathless and without careful thought, but Scar can’t help it. He thinks of that single flap of Grian’s wings and his heart soars just as high. 

“My beautiful night sky,” Scar whispers, voice honey-coated and absolutely drunk on love. “…complete with a rare glimpse of his gorgeous northern lights.”

--

GRIAN

grian squeals in protest at the sappy words, biting lightly at scar's jaw in a hollow threat, but he's laughing into it. "stop, stoop." his wings flap again, a gust of wind rushing across them, a feeble attempt to try and dissuade scar's lovesick speech. 

still giggling, he rolls off, away from scar, onto his back. staring lightheadedly at the branches above, as he tries to catch his breath.

the awareness of where he is and what he's doing with his wings continues to evade him completely, warmth and life buzzing underneath his skin. 

"that was fun," he says, out of the blue, still gazing up. his voice is a bit tamer, soft, deeply appreciative.

he glances at scar. 

"give me mr beak," he requests as his hands reach out to grab.

--

SCAR

Scar laughs again, then exhales loudly, relaxed and happy, so glad that his gushing was well-received. (Yes, getting bitten on the jaw is being well-received.)

“Fine, fine,” Scar sighs goofily. He hands the plushie over when it’s requested, handed off with care and a goofy gobbling sound that suits a turkey and not a chicken. “Here you go!”

--

GRIAN

grian snatches at the bird, instantly wrapping his arms around it and tucking it into his chest. there's still something haywire in him, maybe because of the leftover adrenaline from the race, the excitement carrying other things with it and leaving them behind. grian's instincts are tingling, thinking nest and bird, mate and flock, and—

he peeks up, catching kane's gaze.

he has an insane urge to tug him into the pile of blankets.

he stays still for now, but he chirps at him, watching expectantly, wings flapping a little bit. there's plenty of space for him. 

--

SCAR/KANE

Kane blinks, still stunned into silence, and he looks to Scar for guidance here. 

He doesn’t know what a chirp like that means. He sees the way Grian flaps his wings and his own twitch in response, but he hesitates. 

He doesn’t know. He—

Scar grins and nods toward Grian, urging Kane to take the space that is so clearly being offered to him. “Hey, Kane, buddy, I don’t think you crossed the finish line yet!” 

It’s a blatant invitation, with absolutely no room for his intoxicated mind to doubt that fact. 

Kane smiles, timidly at first, before it grows, infected by both of their overly apparent joy. “Make room!” he calls, diving face first into the blankets adjacent to Grian, learning from Scar to carefully dodge the spread out avian wings. 

Scar raises his bottle (which has definitely spilled over several times now) victoriously, howling again before taking a huge swig, surprisingly ecstatic to share this moment, not a hint of possessiveness or paranoia in his veins. 

Kane joins in, and there’s even an attempt to keep his volume down, to match the level of that eager chirp instead of the typical vex holler. 

He’s never been happier to lose a race. 

Second place never felt so good.

--

GRIAN

grian's delighted when kane dives in, his presence in the nest making everything so much better, instantly putting some deep-rooted instinct in grian at ease. he giggles in cheer, trying to welcome him, giddy at the joyful vex sounds that come from his nest-mates. 

his wings spread, holding over both of them, hovering like a blanket without fully descending on them. his wingspan is wide, feathers unabashedly violet, only slightly unkempt. 

he chirps again, pleased, eyes bright as he watches them. his skin feels warm, from the race and the slow spread of alcohol, making everything so much looser and easier. it's a moment of freedom; he doesn't think about where he is. he just is.

--

SCAR/KANE

Kane knows not to touch, but he’s never been presented with the possibility of being touched by Grian’s wings, and again he looks to Scar for some kind of guidance, but he gets none.

Scar is rolling over into Grian’s space, clothes brushing against his feathers, but he draws no attention to it, instead leaning in to press a sloppy kiss below Grian’s ear. 

Kane thinks maybe he understands. 

Scar coos, and it’s fractured and awkward, and more than a little slurred, but it’s sweet. So sickeningly sweet.

Kane untenses, slipping right back into his teasing nature by making a gagging sound, to which Scar growls at him, entirely harmless, teeth bared in a way that immediately melts into a smile.

--

GRIAN

grian squeals, quietly and happily, at the kiss and scar's closeness. he nuzzles his nose against him, appreciative, humming quietly at the coo, when kane makes the offending sound.

with a scowl, he chirps at him and smacks him lightly with his wing.

it's brief. it's barely anything. but the contact was there, before grian's wing flits away, slotting just slightly out of reach, seemingly nothing more than grian being sulky. 

there's a chicken in his arms though, and scar at his side, and he lets it distract him easily. he turns to press a kiss to the corner of scar's mouth, cooing against the skin in a purr-like way. "i won." 

it doesn't seem entirely important now, but a part of him is still overjoyed at his accomplishment. 

--

SCAR/KANE

“You did!” Scar wraps a lazy arm around Grian, proud as hell, and steals a quick kiss before Kane can gag again.

Kane does no such thing, left frozen mid-laugh when he got whacked by a brightly colored wing. It’s something he’s done so freely before, but never Grian. He’s only ever seen Grian emote so openly with his wings around Scar, usually privately, when they think no one is looking— no one is perceiving. 

Kane actively swallows down the knee-jerk comment he had about Grian’s wings feeling soft. “You won,” he concedes instead, finding himself shockingly pleased by that reality. Not that he’s ever truly been a sore loser— it’s all for show, for fun, for humor— but he’s never been so genuinely happy to have lost.

Grian deserves a win.

(They’ve both lost enough.)

--

GRIAN

grian coos and perks up at kane's acknowledgement, catching something soft in his tone that makes everything feel that much sweeter. he rolls over, getting closer to him, supporting himself on his elbows. his eyes are dark and bright, his wings still outstretched. (there's a faint ache there, muscles unused to this, but it feels good in a way very few things have felt lately.) (he stretches them a bit more, tipping his head back and closing his eyes as the tension between his shoulder blades unknots.)

"you're drunk," he accuses kane, then pushes the chicken toy into his chest. "hold this." 

without any explanation, he shifts himself back into scar's orbit, kissing at his jaw and making tiny bird sounds. "share," he prompts, hand reaching to paw at his bottle.

--

SCAR/KANE

“I’m not— oh.” Kane takes the ugly toy, enamored by it in a way he certainly wasn’t when it was first handed to him by a fellow vex. 

Scar is loving watching Kane so much that the request takes him by surprise, and he giggles at the cute little sounds Grian is making. He’d let Grian take the whole bottle if he asks like that. “Here ya go.” Scar hands the bottle off with no fuss, then looks back over at Kane. “Take good care of Mr. Beak. That’s an honor.”

“Mister beak? Kane asks, incredulous, but with a similar tone that Scar had asked initially as well. “That’s— …ok, honestly, that’s pretty cute.”

“Hah! He has a heart!” Scar claps his hands together now that they’re both free. He never actually doubted that Kane was a softie at heart— he’s seen how sweet he is on Nico— but it’s refreshing to see him expand the list of people he’s willing to be like that around.

--

GRIAN

Grian's happy to have gotten the bottle, and he pulls himself up, relishing in this new triumph and barely paying attention to the conversation around him. He sits on his heels and drinks, letting the alcohol warm its path down his throat.

Once he's had sufficiently enough, he lowers the bottle, glancing at Kane. "Mr Beak is a perfectly acceptable name," he defends, belatedly.

But now that he's no longer lying down burrowed in blankets, his surroundings trickle in. They're not in a nest. They're on the ground, in the middle of a village, amidst drunk vex celebrations.

His wings are flared out, and they are grabbing attention, the violet hue like fire against the night. He thinks he hears someone make a comment about them. He doesn't recognise the voice. The words blur into the chatter, but more people are turning.

Unease crawls down his spine and with a quiet, unsteady chirp, his wings slowly draw back as he stays sitting, frozen to the spot under the unwelcome attention.

--

SCAR/KANE

Scar registers the shift immediately, and he sits himself up as well, slotting a wing behind Grian without directly touching, just shielding him from view to a certain degree. Scar’s method of protectiveness is quiet, like the soft purr that escapes him as he presses his shoulder against Grian’s, gentle and encouraging without needing to say a word.

Kane’s method, however, is much louder.

He springs to his feet when he catches the way Grian’s wings curl inward toward his spine, infuriated by this injustice and taking it out on all the other wandering eyes. 

“Oi!” Kane stomps in front of Grian, flaring out his wings in more of a show of power than an actual effective shield. “Mind your business, move along! Start of the race is back there, fellas!” 

He’s pointing accusingly, puffing his chest out in offense, though all of this downplayed by him holding the adorable chicken plushie in his other hand, tucking it close while he barks out commands.

And maybe it’s not the style of defense Scar would choose, always preferring subtlety and a level of deniability for Grian as to whether there was ever a  problem to begin with, but… this is so very Kane. 

It’s incredibly genuine. It’s surprisingly sweet. 

Scar wants to drag Kane right back down into this not-nest and hug him tightly until he inevitably gets kicked.

--

GRIAN

the night is dim around them, and yet grian feels like there's a blinding spotlight shining directly at him. his breath stutters in his chest, an urge to hide crawling over his skin in the most unpleasant, anxious way. 

he tenses up, swallowing down another chirp, but then scar's lightly pressing against him and everything in grian swivels helplessly towards the grounding of his presence. he pushes back, leaning into scar, hunching a little as he tries to make himself smaller. his wings and earwings alike are pressed flat down against him now, and he's vaguely aware of scar's wing hovering behind his back like a safety blanket—or a privacy curtain—shielding the violet from the world.

grian flinches a little as kane scrambles to stand in front of him, voice loud. but he quickly realises what the vex is doing, wings flared out and teeth bared at anyone who would dare to approach. (nobody is approaching.) (grian's overreacting.) (he's safe here.)

his heart swells at the protectiveness kane is displaying, the unquestionable way it was provided without hesitation. even if he's succeeding in drawing more attention, confused glances taking the three of them in. the crowds brush it off. someone laughs. but mostly, they turn and go. 

grian sits very still, shoulder pressed against scar and eyes glued to kane's back, trying to calm down the overreacting rapidness of his pulse as the two of them act as a buffer between him and the world.

but then someone does approach. 

"hey, kane, you lost," they remark, amused and friendly and unbothered. "no need to take it out on us for watching it happen." they're holding a bottle, a pink scraggly ribbon tied to it. "for the winner, if you'd let me through." they flick the ribbon with their free hand, chuckling on a joke that's meant to be shared. "thought the colour might fit. cherry flavoured, this one. isn't it just perfect?" they sound slightly drunk, rambling about things too close to grian's wing colour, wanting to deliver the congratulation and the prize themselves, partially mostly just to tease kane over his loss. 

--

SCAR/KANE

Clearly even Scar had begun to forget his surroundings, because the presence of another vex sets him off, as if he didn’t expect another person’s voice to dare enter their space. His purr shifts into a low growl and his other wing flares out to its full length. (It’s the more broken one, so it’s hardly impressive, but the impact is still there.) Now acutely aware of where they are, every bit of Scar wants to react in such a vex manner, spurred on by Kane’s outburst as well, but with a huff of blue magic, Scar resists.

He needs to react in a Scar manner.

“Oh, I think Kane ought to be the one to present the prize, don’t you?” Scar jeers, acting as though it’s to aid in embarrassing Kane. “He’s getting so good at this second place thing.” Scar smiles at the approaching vex, but his eyes are narrowed dangerously, making it clear that there is no room for disagreement here.

Kane spins around, hands on his hips in offense as he sputters, but one look at Scar makes it clear to him that he’s on the defense here. He wants to shout back at Scar, but there’s some kind of silent plea here, something that stifles the fire inside of him just enough to get an almost calm answer.

“Yeah, give me that, punk,” Kane says, contradicting the idea of him needing to be humbled here, but that’s unimportant. He yanks the bottle from the other vex’s hand and begins to shove at them with his wings. “Now scram, this is a private affair. I’ll kick your ass.”

--

GRIAN

grian remains pressed against scar, his wings twitching at the mention of the colours. he can't help the helpless feeling that sinks its claws into him, unbidden and wrong. he can't push it down enough to make his heart stop racing, feeling frustration well up in him. he doesn't want to be this weak. he doesn't want to feel like this.

the alcohol, even in the smaller quantity that he's drunk so far, doesn't help him get a hold on his emotions. doesn't help him stop feeling like he's ruining everything. like he's clearly overreacting and messing up a fun event. 

but scar and kane don't complain, chastise, or belittle him for it. they're not telling him there's no reason to feel the way he does. they're there for him, protecting him, standing up for him. 

grian's fingers curl into the blanket underneath him, holding tightly in an attempt to make the tremble go away. if the other vex approaches, he'll be okay. he'll be fine, it's alright, it's alright.

(attention on his wings. bright violet and hungry eyes. inquisitive, curious, wanting.) (awe and greed. a tidally rising interest.) (moths to a flame. except grian's the moth, and they're the flames, surrounding him, crowding him, threatening to burn him alive.) 

he manages a shaky breath, trying to tune in and listen to what's actually happening. kane is grabbing the bottle and shoving the vex away. scar is still right next to grian, his stable rock, his safe dock, his unfailing shield.

grian tries, desperately, to play along. to get over himself and get on with this. "oh, is that my prize?" he asks, going for teasing and falling completely flat. his voice is unsteady and it's so painfully audible, he instantly shuts up, jaw tensing. 

--

SCAR/KANE

Scar smiles at Kane, grateful for his restraint and willingness to play along. His expression loses some of its tension, relaxing further when Grian tries to speak as well, even if it’s an obvious struggle. The tip of his wing tilts forward and drapes itself over Grian’s shoulder, only making contact there, offering an ounce more of comfort.

“Yes, and Kane is going to deliver it to you personally!” Scar claims, still glaring over at the other vex until he’s certain they are leaving. 

“Uh huh,” Kane says, strained, fumbling with the humility now that he no longer needs to lash out. 

He kneels down, sighing softly (with a hint of blue, which is uncommon for him to do). His eyes are downcast as he recalibrates, but when he looks up he’s got a crooked smile on his face again, smacking Scar gently with his wing. 

“For you, who definitely didn’t cheat, tooootally, not at all.” Kane is mocking the sort of sing song tone Scar would use, and it makes Scar choke on a bark of laughter, not expecting it. Kane sticks out his tongue, then hands Grian the bottle, nodding at Scar to take his own back. 

Kane also holds out the chicken toy. 

“…Mr. Beak liked it when you showed off your wings,” Kane mumbles, face suddenly very hot. His ears droop low when he flushes, suddenly struggling to speak. “H-he says… um.”

All aggression leaves Scar in an instant, thrilled at this development. “He says that Kane took good care of him! And that Kane promised he’d bite anyone that so much as looks at you wrong,” Scar finishes with a goofy grin. It turns soft and genuine almost immediately, however, as he looks at Kane with newfound appreciation.

--

GRIAN

grian feels a sliver of stability as scar's wing touches his shoulder and he watches the other vex scurry away. he takes a breath, not quite realising how much he needed to do that, a deep and proper one, tasting tentative, tricky relief.

then his gaze jumps to kane, who's now kneeling down.

grian wishes this really was a nest. he wishes this interruption did not happen. he wishes he could've kept them all happy and goofy and—

and maybe that's a silly thought, because kane's grinning and he lets out a quip, and grian really should stop catastrophising about all of this. 

still a bit stunned, he reaches for the bottle, the ribbon on it a washed out pink. he tries not to look at it too closely, not to think about it too much, not to sink into what the other vex said about its colour. his earwings flick, nervous but so clearly looser, now that they're moving instead of remaining pinned tight. 

he places the bottle at his knees, leaning it slightly against himself to keep it upright, as kane offers the plushie next and keeps talking.

grian's reach is much more needy this time, grabbing at the toy, instantly bringing it to his chest in a tight hold, craving the comfort it provides. but his eyes stay on kane, watching the blush on his face, and almost wincing at the mention of the wings, but— oh. 

kane being this flustered is oddly endearing, and grian finds himself appreciative of all of his efforts. the words slink gently around him, that suggestion that it was good that grian showed off his wings, that kane (well, mr beak, he says, but grian sees right through it) liked it. 

with a small coo, grian unfurls his wings just the littlest bit. feathers rustle, still safely shielded by scar's wing, something in him wrangling and contemplating this. 

but they're still out in the open, in an area far from private, blankets pooled around them without being a nest at all. grian keeps himself on the other side of the line now, safe in its familiarity, unwilling to draw the barely dispersed attention back in this moment.

but it felt good.

it felt good to spread his wings. to use them, even if only a little bit. to be free with them.

he swallows thickly. "... i liked it too," he admits, unsteadily. the words feel like trapdoors ready to open underneath his feet and let him plunge. it feels dangerous to say this. wrong, even. but he finishes it off with a nervous smile, a grateful little thing that wants to be playful as well, to make this all feel lighter than it is. "i'll take you up on that offer. you might have a lot of biting to do," he warns. 

he dips his arms with the plushie, lets it sit in his lap.

and maybe it's the alcohol. maybe it's him being sappy in this moment, after what's just happened. maybe he's just sentimental. but he reaches for the bottle and untangles the pink ribbon from it, hesitating only briefly at the insanely impulsive idea.

he takes a breath and lets himself succumb; he reaches for kane's hand, without any explanation, even if his touch is questioning and shy, nonverbally asking for permission to grab him and tug his arm closer.

--

SCAR/KANE

Scar hums at Grian’s meek agreement, happy to take it. “We can split the biting between us, don’t worry,” he assures, and Kane snorts, but doesn’t complain.

“Yeah, tonight’s about lettin’ loose and stuff, so— whuh?” Kane meets Grian partway, scooting in a little closer to offer up his hand to the avian freely. He’s not sure what he’s doing here, but he feels like the moth now, drawn to Grian and his brightly colored feathers that dare to peek out from behind him once more— drawn to that sharp bout of laughter and sweet little chirp as Grian welcomed him into some private, intimate thing that Kane can’t quite put a name to. 

(Scar knows. It’s flock.)

--

GRIAN

Grian hums, something focused as Kane relents and offers his hand freely. Grian's hold on him is careful, so very harmless and safe. 

And then he wraps the ribbon around Kane's wrist.

He feels his cheeks warm as he's aware of just what this gesture means. His gaze flits up, meeting Kane's only in the very briefest way, shy as it instantly flicks away. His hands squeeze a little, thumbs brushing the fabric, before he lets go.

"You match us now." 

Grian looks over at Scar, eyes meeting the flash of violet that hangs from his ear, that spot of colour that ties him to Grian. And the ribbon around Kane's wrist is a tamer shade, a pink thing, but it still feels like it counts.

Grian's gaze anchors on Scar, and he chirps in the quietest way, seeking affirmation that this is okay. That his reckless, impulsive action is approved by his mate.

--

SCAR/KANE

Scar’s eyes crease joyfully as he purrs softly in response to Grian, keeping their exchange nonverbal as he awaits Kane’s reaction to the gift. He knows Kane’s much less of a sucker for sentiment than he is, but surely even the frostiest of hearts would melt at the gesture, if not just for the care in which it was offered. 

Scar reaches his hand to slide over Grian’s as it returns, thumb brushing over his sleeve to touch at the fabric that still rests there as well.

(He approves. He very much approves.)

Kane stares at his own wrist, turning it up and around several times as if it would then reveal its secrets to him. 

It’s a ribbon. Why a ribbon? Why is Grian so timid to offer up something so utterly silly?

Kane feels like he ought to understand, but all he knows is that this is something, but what exactly? Why does he feel so honored to have a scraggly piece of plasticy fabric tied to his hand right now?

“I… match?” he asks, looking up at Grian with confused, round eyes. He looks to Scar as well, drawn to the earring like Grian was, trying to see what he saw. Kane’s eyebrows furrow, trying to solve this puzzle that’s been tied around his wrist. “You… have you always had that?” Kane asks suddenly, pointing at the ribbon on Grian’s wrist as Scar exposes it. 

--

GRIAN

Scar's purr and fingers sneaking to expose and touch the ribbon settle Grian immensely. He leans his shoulder against him, his free hand loosely curling around Mr Beak in his lap, feeling content.

He jolts a little at Kane's question, attention drawn to a possession that's incredibly precious to Grian, his tether and his lifeline. His eyes widen and earwings flap as he straightens up, cheeks smeared with pink under the scattering of freckles. 

"... Yeah." He looks down at his own ribbon, then back up, searching Kane's expression. The puzzled frown he sees there sets him at unease, worried that maybe his gesture translated wrong. "It was a gift," he adds, a little bit meekly, about the ribbon around his own wrist.

--

SCAR/KANE

Kane manages to connect some of the dots from there. It’s a gift from Scar, surely, considering the way he’s running his fingers over it so tenderly. (Sap.) And considering what little the two of them must have had to actually offer in the way of gifts for so long… maybe a ribbon isn’t so silly.

“I love it,” Kane states abruptly, clasping his other hand over the ribbon like someone would possibly threaten to take it. 

--

GRIAN

Grian blinks, so visibly perking up it's almost comical. A chirp slips past his self control, wings flaring out slightly (finding Scar and his wing to press against, but not minding the confines of the safety he provides in the slightest). 

"You do?" He's so obviously relieved and happy about it. He beams, looks at Scar to share the little triumph. "He likes it!"

The bird part of Grian is giddy, running on affirmation that this action was good and accepted. 

Grian can't change the colour of his wings, but Scar displays it proudly as he wears the earring, and now Kane has a similar colour tied to his wrist, and he likes it, and Grian feels a helpless, warm fuzz settle over him. 

Maybe the violet isn't so bad, if it's a colour that connects them.

--

SCAR/KANE/NICO

Kane recoils a bit, mostly out of pure fluster, not used to seeing Grian so openly giddy like this. It’s throwing him off his rhythm here with how painfully adorable it is. And now Scar is grinning at him, too, and—

“You guys are a bunch of saps!” Kane protests, but he still holds onto the ribbon tightly, pulling the hand with it toward his chest, cradling it like a sentimental fool.

“Yep,” Scar agrees easily, popping his lips on the end of the word as he smiles, wide and toothy. He squeezes at Grian’s hand. “You love it.”

It’s a purposeful twist of Kane’s words, that he loves them by loving the gift. It’s not inaccurate at all. 

“I— you—“ Kane’s eyes flick between the two of them, trapped by their eager expressions and intimate rituals. Desperately, he latches onto a pair of brown eyes approaching from behind, pleading pathetically. “Nico, helpppppp! They’re tormenting me!”

Nico snorts as he fumbles over, three bottles in hand: his own, Grian’s, and Kane’s. Kane hardly looks like he actually requires any assistance, so he smiles smugly instead of offering any. “Am I interrupting something here?” Nico asks, tilting his head curiously at the three winged fools sitting in a bed of blankets.

--

GRIAN/NICO

Grian giggles at the development, not protesting being called a sap and happily letting Scar deal with that remark—only eliciting more laughter out of him. There's no sign of the previous anxiety, the worries forgotten with Scar's wing still hovering over Grian's back.

When Kane yells for Nico, Grian's earwings twitch and he looks over, following his line of sight. He sees Nico approach, unhurried despite Kane's desperate plea, arms full.

Grian grins toothily. "I won."

Nico chuckles. "Figured."

Grian's grin grows, impossibly proud and triumphant, ignoring Kane's sputters at the insinuation that his mate was not expecting him to win.

"We're busy bonding," Grian adds cheekily in lieu of explanation of their lateness, and as a reply to Nico's inquiry.

Nico gasps. "Without me?" And he wants to grasp at his chest dramatically. Which he obviously can't do with an armful of bottles. They all almost fall out of his grasp and he scrambles to catch them and readjust his hold. "And I've been so good guarding your drinks and all!" he whines, ears flicking downwards, but he doesn't seem to entirely mind. It's rare to see them so relaxed, and he doesn't think he's ever seen Grian beaming this much.

Nico's gaze flicks to Scar. "I do think we ought to get your mate drunk more often," he chuckles, warm and lighthearted with his tease. 

--

SCAR/KANE

“Psh,” Scar disagrees, trying to match the easygoing attitude instead of getting defensive like he did before. “We’re hardly drunk. If anything we ought to get your mate drunk more often!” When Kane growls out some pointless protest, Scar continues, “He’s actually out here enjoying second place.”

“Am not!” Kane rejects, puffing out his chest and wings alike. He reaches out his hand for his bottle, which Nico gladly hands off to him, laughing. 

“Really? Because you sure seemed to like your prize,” Scar teases, regarding him with such a kind, genuine smile that even Kane can’t seem to form a coherent argument to. 

Scar then presents Grian with that same expression, quietly checking in with how he’s faring after that open and vulnerable display.

--

GRIAN/NICO

Grian's enjoying the banter—and yet, in a way, it feels strange. It feels normal but normalcy doesn't feel normal anymore, so it instead feels like something askew he was not meant to get his hands on anymore.

And maybe he'd follow that thread until everything would unravel around him, but... Not now. Not with the warmth in his veins and Scar by his side and a pink ribbon around Kane's wrist.

Grian catches Scar's smile and offers one in return, his wing pressing lightly against Scar's side, for once not shying away from contact. 

Today is a wild night, it seems. 

"Oh, you got a prize?" Nico blinks at Kane, confused. "For second place?"

--

SCAR/KANE/NICO

Kane feels so weirdly defensive about this ribbon, almost resisting pulling his hand away from his chest, but it’s Nico, so of course he gives in. “From Grian!” Kane announces, holding out his hand palm up to show it off.

Nico squats down, looking over the scrap of twisty fabric curiously. Unlike Kane, he has noticed Grian’s ribbon before, though he’s never inquired about it. “…it’s very pink,” he says, grinning when Kane pinches his fingers together to flick at Nico’s cheek. “It suits you! It’s cute!”

“It’s not cute!” Kane protests, and he brings the hand back to his chest with a huff. “It’s— it… it’s special!” 

Nico laughs again, and so does Scar, because that’s hardly any less embarrassing to say, but gosh if he doesn’t love Kane regarding it in such a valuable manner. Scar leans his head onto Grian’s shoulder, letting the feathered earring brush over his cheek as he rests it there. 

It is special. Gifts from Grian are of the highest caliber.

--

GRIAN/KANE/NICO

grian's watching the whole exchange with rapt attention, slightly tense, waiting to see the reception. he coos under his breath, surprised and pleased when kane defends the ribbon and calls it special—a sound that gets completely drowned out by nico's and scar's laughter. a tangle of messy instincts keeps tripping him up, but at least right now, it's in a good way. it makes him feel warm and settled. 

scar leans in and grian startles a little, too focused on the ribbon around kane's wrist, but he welcomes the closeness immediately, nuzzling lightly against scar in appreciation. 

nico, in the meanwhile, laughs out an "aw", but then he follows it up with an attempt at a pout. "and i don't get anything? you guys ditched me and exchanged gifts and i get nothing?"

there's a slight pause that grian was meant to fill—it was his victory ribbon he gave to kane, after all. he was the one giving gifts. but he fails entirely to come up with an answer, feeling a vague sense of guilt for excluding nico, a complicated onslaught of confused instincts that don't really know where to go from here.

kane flicks his gaze to grian, then back at nico, taking over. "hey! it's only for second place winners! you didn't win second place!"

nico chuckles. "didn't know second place has winners."

kane puffs out his chest. "well, it does! the reward has a limited stock!" he taps his wrist. "you can't have it. i earned it."

"by losing," nico laughs brightly, enjoying teasing his mate, but then he presses, amused. "so you're saying if i end up in second place next time, i can earn it?"

kane rolls his eyes. "it's not just that." he doesn't exactly understand, and he can't talk for grian, but he knows the answer isn't that simple. 

nico's relentless. tipsy and intrigued. "what else?" 

grian speaks up, all of a sudden: "threatening to bite people."

nico's eyes light up. "oooh, are we biting people?"

--

SCAR/NICO

Scar chips in eagerly, “Yes! Biting people that look at Grian funny. We can use all the help we can get.”

Nico is quick with his retort, smiling wryly at Scar and Grian. “By that logic, I ought to bite you, Scar.”

Scar purrs against Grian’s shoulder, lower and possessive this time. “Try it. See what happens,” he warns, but he’s still smiling, teasing lightly and nuzzling into Grian all the same.

--

GRIAN

grian laughs a little, immensely comforted by scar's closeness, letting it ground him. he lifts his hand up, brushing it over scar's ear in a small loving gesture. "no biting the pink gang," he chastises. 

but nico is not in the pink gang. not by the made-up rules, anyway.

so grian takes a breath and squirms a little, trying to look at scar. "scar, can we— do you want to do the couples race?"

--

SCAR/KANE/NICO

“Sure, sure!” Scar cheers, giggling softly at the touch to his ear. It’s a good feeling, being among friends and being so openly gushy toward one another. Scar’s always loved the idea of flustering his partner to no end with his public displays of affection, and it’s about time he gets to do so. 

Scar leans in and kisses below Grian’s ear, then blows a little air over the spot just to be obnoxious. 

“Lead the way, boys!” Scar says, snickering now, as he holds up a hand, expecting to be helped up.

Nico obliges him with a chuckle, even as Kane stumbles to his feet in an attempt to help as well. Nico’s grip is probably much more reliable than Kane’s right about now.

----------

fun bonus screenshots of things we said in between rp replies: