#some heros wear hard hats

[st0rmyskies]

What Your Favorite Link Says About You

A.k.a. The Links as tarot cards/your rising sign/your blood type.

Time

You're likely an older Zelda fan. Ibuprofen has become a food group for you. Anyone who thinks OoT isn't the greatest Zelda game has you clutching your pearls and tutting. Kids these days don't know how good they have it.

You are a person to whom young people come for advice, either in your career or in life in general. You're happy to give it, especially because you love to help, but on the inside you're silently screaming, What?? Why me???

You may have trouble sleeping through the night. Even if it's not every night, there are some where you just can't turn your brain off and worries or worst-case scenarios just keep playing and replaying ad nauseaum.

You enjoy time in solitude to appreciate the beauty of nature. I bet you know how to braid a mean daisy crown.

“The flow of time is always cruel...” - Some event in your life took your innocence from you, perhaps much too early. You grew up quickly because of it.

Legend

Either you had a crush on the emo kid in high school or you were the emo kid in high school.

You might be jaded by the world, but you still have a solid work ethic and a soft heart despite it all. Even if you hide it all beneath a healthy layer of sass.

You possess a multitude of skills, not all of which are related. Anytime a friend needs a piece of clothing mended or a picture frame hung on the wall or a leak in a faucet addressed, you have the tools and the willingness to help.

Either you have a history of moving frequently when you were young, or you have a restless spirit. You may never quite feel 'at home' in any given place.

"But, verily, it be the nature of dreams to end." - You’ve suffered a meaningful loss in your life and you have a hard time opening up again because of it. 

Hyrule

You root for the underdog, or perhaps you are the underdog. Any of those "against all odds" stories just hit you square in the chest.

Somewhat quiet by nature, you do vital work behind the scenes but you aren't the type to seek out a leadership position. Leave the limelight to somebody else, please.

You might sell yourself short when it comes to your skills and abilities, but you should believe in yourself, man! You can do it!!

You have a capricious streak in you that rears its head now and again. That smile can look sharp and devilish in the right light.

"It's dangerous to go alone!" - You either already have or are destined to find 'that one person' with whom you can open up and truly be yourself. 

Twilight

I'm willing to put money on the fact that Twilight Princess was your first Zelda game.

You have a strong sense of justice and get really bent out of shape when you encounter unfairness or flaw in the system, whatever that may be. You might be considered an outsider in some way because of this.

You're the friend who scoops spiders up in a cup and sets them outside. Live and let live.

You were the 'wolf kid' in middle school. Come on, those amazing tie dye shirts? Wolf Woman? Julie of the Wolves?? Even if you kept it inside, it was there in some way.

"Your current power would disgrace the proud green of the hero's tunic you wear." - You put a lot of stock in the opinions of others and hold yourself to a higher standard because of it. Sometimes that standard isn't achievable, though, so try to be kind to yourself. 

Sky

You, my friend, have a soft heart. You're generally a happy-go-lucky sort of person. You're likely to make excuses for those who've been mean to you in the past and come out as friends on the other side.

You're crafty, or at the very least good with your hands. You're the type to give someone a handmade gift rather than go buy something for them for their birthday, a holiday, etc.

You have a strong affinity for your friends. If anything bad were to happen to them, you'd turn violent at the drop of a hat.

You may have some level of chronic illness that affects you. Although you might do things in a different way or at your own pace, though, you still come out on top.

"You fight like no man or demon I have ever known." - You have the capability for great things. World-changing sorts of things. Don't give up!

Wild

You're some flavor of neurodivergent, if I had to guess I'd say ADHD. You have 42 tabs open in your brain at any given time and you have no idea which one the music is coming from.

You're an incredibly creative person, although you might have trouble finishing tasks/works-in-progress. Doesn't mean you didn't learn something along the way!

Rigid guidelines or deadlines stress you out. You'd rather be given a goal and decide for yourself when and how to get there. When you do have a deadline, you're a bit of a procrastinator.

Sometimes you don’t get the 'right' way to do things, but you carve your own path--although sometimes it's unorthodox--and get there in your own time.

"Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten." - In spite of how your life changes you, for better or for worse, you have a driving inspiration or ethic or vocation that moves you forward at all costs.

Warriors

Those who don't know you well tend to boil you down to one or two trite traits. In reality, you contain multitudes. Most people couldn't handle all of you, not that they deserve to know even part of you.

You tend to lay it on thick--be that your charm, attitude, or whatever else your social shield might be--because you're hiding some deeper secret or insecurity at your core.

You're the mom friend or the planner in your group, or perhaps you're the oldest child. You’ll pass on an authority role if and when you can, but likely you’re still involved in some supervisory capacity in a given situation. 

You kill spiders with fire. Show NO mercy.

"You dare raise the blade of evil's bane to me? So be it. Hyrule's blood will be on your hands." - You have strong convictions and you aren't afraid to take risks, major risks, to do what you know to be right.

Four

Babe, if you ain't short, you've got short person energy. You scare me a little bit tbh.

You were praised for not being a problem child growing up, or for being very responsible at a young age.

You have a vivid imagination! You may have had an imaginary friend as a child or lived in your own little world altogether. I bet your notebook pages were strewn with little doodles in school.

You're a lover of information. If you could choose between an afternoon at the library or a movie matinee, it would be the former.

"Hanging around with you fools is dangerous for my health." - You're the snark friend, aren't you.  

Wind

You are extroverted to a fault. You need the company of others to recharge that social battery. The quintessential golden retriever friend.

You had active involvement in the music and theatre department. I'd be surprised if you weren't in at least one show in high school.

Having adventures is where it's at! You're a big fan of travel, either cross-country road trips or international flights. You could happily live out of a suitcase.

You tend to make friends easily wherever you go. If everyone in this classroom/workplace/bar doesn't know your name already, they will pretty quick.

"I have been waiting for you, boy... Do not betray my expectations.” - Against all odds, you've proven yourself to be worthy of great things. Screw what fate has in store! You're the type to take your own destiny by the 'nads.

[blackbullet99]

Kataang is Objectively NOT One-Sided

Get Ready For A Long One!

Contrary to what some people might believe Kataang (the relationship between Katara and Aang) is NOT one-sided, and not to sound a pretentious egomaniac, but this is a literally indisputable fact.

For starters, Aang and Katara, always had a strong connection and were literally each others best friends. It’s not exactly like they immediately started fawning over each other, but, to quote @thethiefandtheairbender

“In the first two days she knows him, aang is cheerful and receptive katara's friendship, is the first other bender she's ever met and volunteers to personally fly her to the north pole, partakes in customs of her people (penguin sledding is clearly common), is respectful to her elders and is fantastic with the younger kids, isn't deterred by sokka's surliness, takes the blame for going on the ship, refuses to come between katara and her family and leaves of his own accord, comes back to save her village and faces the fire nation head on, then gives himself up to keep her people safe, all while also literally sweeping her off her feet at one point, and some people think the tiniest hint of a crush didn't start that day?”

It was made abundantly clear that Aang had a crush on Katara, starting explicitly from “The Fortuneteller”. Aang constantly tries to get her attention, after hearing she’ll marry a powerful bender, but to no avail. However Aang ultimately realizes that desperately seeking attention through aloofness and other crazy schemes is meaningless, and without full realizing, it’s through the simple yet heroic act of saving a village that Katara comes to realize, maybe Aang could be that powerful bender she marries.

I like how in later episodes, even though Aang still has a crush on Katara it’s rarely the central focus, and whenever their feelings are the focus, it’s more tailored to the primary conflict of the ongoing war. Additionally (to quote @katarathinker on Twitter) “Aang's crush on Katara was never a hindrance to their friendship.

They cared about each other, they communicated with one another, they cheered each other on, they helped each other with their shared element, they protected & defended one another”. Even if you don’t ship Kataang, you cannot deny that the two have deep bond unlike any other.

Anyhow, we all know about Aang’s feelings for Katara, I’m not gonna discuss how Aang would literally support Katara all the way, how he not only loves her, but truly respects her as a waterbender, a hero and a friend, or how his love for Katara is as strong as the love for the nation he lost. Let’s look at Katara’s feelings for Aang.

Some say we never see Katara’s POV, and while it isn’t as obvious or blatantly said out loud exactly like Aang’s POV, it’s undeniably that Katara truly loves Aang deeply if you actually seen the show.

Katara clearly has strong feelings about Aang and doesn’t want to lose him, not for the sake of the world, but because of herself.

We see Katara, had feelings for Jet because he was a strong, kind-hearted, heroic leader who fought for what was right. In Jet’s debut Katara believes Aang emobies at least some of these traits as she vouches he be the leader of their group, and Aang does have and grow to embody many of the traits. Not to mention when  both Jet and Aang are accused (Aang in “The Storm”) Katara immediately steps in to defend them, Katara has no problem making fun of others, but she will not let you badmouth anyone she has feelings for, those two guys in “The Blind Bandit” learned that the hard way. Not to mention, Aang is literally wearing the hat Katara made for Jet. 

Katara is overjoyed when Aang finds her necklace, seeing as it belonged to her mother, it clearly meant a lot and Aang knew this. She also kisses him.

Katara outright says in “The Avatar State”, “for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary”. She basically was taking about herself and her feelings for Aang.

“The Cave of Two Lovers”, need I say more, Katara clearly wanted an excuse to kiss Aang, she was extremely indignant when Aang suggested otherwise, and she was blushing thinking about it, even when they were out of the cave.

When Aang enters The Avatar State in “The Desert”, she without any hesitation goes towards Aang to comfort him, with no fear, she spends the next episode deeply concerned for his wellbeing, and literally cries tears of joy and embraces Aang after he opens up to her saying “Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it's reminded me how I feel about Appa ... and how I feel about you”.

She literally looks ecstatic when Aang calls her beautiful in “City of Walls and Secrets”.

When she’s in tears over Jet’s death, the simple act of Aang comforting her, is enough to make her smile.

She completely dismisses Sokka’s idea of finding The Earth King and only agrees to the idea once Aang vouches for Sokka’s idea.

When Aang was about to confess his feelings to Katara, she’s annoyed when Sokka interrupts and kisses Aang before he departs.

When Aang saves her in “The Crossroads of Destiny” she runs into his arms, completely having faith in him. When Aang dies she’s completely heartbroken and when she revives him she smiles like she’s seen The Sun for the first time.

All throughout “The Awakening” she’s concerned about Aang. She’s overjoyed when he wakes up, in tears when he departs, and runs straight to him and embraces him when she finds him.

“The Headband”, again do I need to say it. The Dance! Everything about it. 

Not to mention Katara was mad jealous when Aang was dancing with another girl, and again she kisses him.

Katara appreciates Aang calling her a secret hero in “The Painted Lady” and then they commit eco-terrorism like the power-couple they are.

In “The Invasion” both are struggling to find the right things to say. Katara mentions how she’s proud of how much Aang has matured. When Aang kisses her she fully leans in, she’s obviously concerned given how Aang is leaving to face The Fire Lord, but looks on even after Aang glides away.

When Zuko wants to join the team, Aang ask Katara if she’s okay with it, she don’t want Zuko there, but trusts Aang’s judgement, but straight up threatens Zuko’s life should he harm him.

Aang empathizes with Katara’s situation in “The Southern Raiders”, even though Katara is dead-set on finding the man who killed her mother, Aang accepts this and Katara even thanks Aang for understanding before she leaves.

Everyone brings up “The Ember Island Players” as “proof” that Kataang is either toxic or one-sided. But let’s go over what happens, Aang at this point believes he and Katara have mutual feelings, he has some pretty valid reason to believe that, he asks Katara how she feels, he doesn’t demand she returns his feelings he just wants to know. Katara makes it clear she doesn’t view him as a brother like the play suggests, but doesn’t want to pursue a relationship with Aang at the moment because of the war, it’s a heavy situation, Katara’s concerned she might lose Aang like she did before, Aang wants to let everything out in the open before the final battle, should something happen. He kisses Katara on a whim, it was wrong, it was stupid, but Katara knows this and rightly leave the situation and Aang clearly reprimands himself for this, admittedly it would’ve been nice to see Aang apologize to Katara, but he never does anything like this again.

While Aang and Katara don’t interact a lot in the finale, when the war is over and peace is restored, Katara goes to Aang wanting to be by his side, the two mutually embrace as the lifelong friends they’ve always been, Katara is the one to initiate the kiss, the two are both ready to enter a mutual romantic relationship now the the fighting’s over. Harmony’s restored and life goes on. 

This was a lot longer than I expected. But the point is both Aang and Katara started as strong friends and they grew to develop deep romantic bonds with each other. It was never one-sided, and if anyone watches the show, they would see the strong bond these two share.

[sonofthesaiyans]

Hats off to Jean Kirstein, the Scouts' unlikeliest hero.

Honor dictates that I say a few words to honor the birthday of one of the 104th's strongest and most naturally gifted soldiers.

Jean Kirstein is a character who, at one point, I would have said had one of the most impressive arcs of any individual character in Attack on Titan. Once content to keep himself to the sidelines in service of the royal government, Jean has really come a long way from when we first met him in the early days of season one.

Jean has always been abrasive and cynical, holding on to no fantasies about the miserable world he and his friends have long been trapped in. But in spite of all he's gone through, he's shown a keen sense of judgement and natural leadership that has allowed him to survive again and again in a situation he at one point would have been all to happy to look the other way, and never turn back. In a world where insanity dominates between the Titans and humanity, Jean always seems to know what to do even when he's at an utter loss of what the outcome could be, and he's so often been a voice of reason when faced with the panic of his comrades or the zeal of his friendly rival turned mortal enemy, Eren.

His old pal Marco recognized this potential in Jean, and it seems Marco's words have resonated strongly with Jean long after his own demise. Understanding what was at stake, he took a hard look at what he signed himself on to and charged at it head on. Through and through, he's proven a dependable ally to those serving by his side and ultimately, under his own command. One of Jean's greatest assets, and perhaps in his own mind his greatest curse, is his nobility. Whatever his faults and failings, Jean has always sided with the greater good, and is one of the most incorruptible characters on Paradis. He's been pushed to his limits every bit as much as the rest of his circle......And through it all still stands tall.

By no means flawless, and I actually have some far stronger opinions about Jean in spite of the fact that I rarely ever comment on him around here.......And that's a discussion for another day.

For tonight though, gotta acknowledge the impressive track record of a guy who probably never should have been a Scout in the first place.......And somehow has lived to speak of the experience after going through Hell and back time and time again.

Seriously, Jean Kirstein would have been a worthy contender to become Commander of the Scout Regiment, or second-in-command under Hange and/or Levi. Whatever the case, he's certainly been an asset to the greater cause of freedom, and perhaps understood the meaning of what that was far better than Eren himself EVER did.

Keep moving forward as you always have, Commander Jean.

Happy Birthday to a man worthy of wearing the Wings of Freedom.

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

Oh, and one last thing; If you really do truly love Jean, then for the love of all that is good and just.........

Do NOT even think about it with the lame as hell Horseface jokes. I think the fact that I acknowledged not just Jeanmarco, but also "Jeankasa" up here is being pretty generous as it is. So please, don't push it, alright?

Besides, I can name five other characters who look more like horses than him.....

[pamela-lntt]

More Redraws = More Progress Comparisons !!

The 2024 designs are my idea of what they look like post-canon before the epilogue (aka while they're still in high school) :D

also some face shapes are different because i based them on some redraws i made in 2023 TT

You can see the Hermie comparison and design explanation here !

Like my art? Consider buying me a coffee (kofi) !

Design explanations under the cut (it's a little long, be warned!)

Link:

To me, his representative color is Green just like the Wilson Family (yes I have colors for each family, if I redraw the s1 dads i'll talk about it :]) so that shows up a lot. It's much more desaturated than in the beginning due to, well, everything that happened and his changed outlook on life. I also gave him a Teen High Bomber Jacket because in my head he manages to get on the soccer team! I am a big fan of assigning specific colors to different characters and using that as symbolism, so since we know from the Epilogue that at some point Link and Scary became a thing, I implemented each other's colors on each of their designs (although subtle since in these designs they're only crushing on each other i think).

Scary:

Her representative color is pink, but she also has hints of purple due to that being the Stampler Family color. I imagine she still dresses pretty goth, but started re-embracing her love for sports, which is translated in her wearing a sporty jacket. Her outfit doesn't change much beside that, but I do have a lot more to say, but for that to be possible I would need to show ALL the Scary clothes variants I made (for s2 I went crazy when designing the main gang and have a character sheet for each arc / event... idk how I found the time). All I'll say, for now, is that her clothes are looser and pink-er since she feels more free to be herself.

Taylor:

His representative color is Red, but more on the pink side (Close-Foster Family color is also Red, but more of a pure red). His clothes don't change much, just become brighter and show his weeb side more. He also embraces his main-character energy with the cropped jacket and got another pork pie hat to replace the one he lost. He doesn't hide his neck scar from his beheading since he thinks it's cool too, jajaja. In terms of color, his mom is mainly represented by the color pink (a purpley pink), and since he is really close with his mom he favors his reds to be pinker. In one of my arc designs, his red is closer to the Close-Foster Family red since he decides to start embracing his dad's side, but after the finally I think he fully embraces his mom's colors while not forgetting his demonic heritage.

Normal:

This one's just sad...

His representative color is a light blue, the same as the school's, which fits with the Oak Family representative color (blue and/or aqua). Just like Link, his outfit becomes more desaturated with time due to... everything... and his main color isn't even the forefront anymore, instead hiding behind a gray shirt. I think he still doesn't truly know who he is? Hence, the whole hiding his representative color, but it still peaks through because it's part of who he is. His clothes are baggier and cover him almost completely because, unlike Taylor and even Scary, he is not the happiest about his burn scars and prefers hiding them, but tight clothing makes them ache so he decides to go loose to avoid that. He wears tennis shoes that were passed down to him by Hero and fit him snugly enough to not need shoelaces to wear them (he avoids wearing sandals as a way to lightly detach himself from Sparrow, who wears Birkenstocks like Henry). Just like in Link and Scary's designs, Normal has one extra color that represents someone else: Hermie (specifically Hermie 1.0)... it's a hard thing to get over, even though he is technically still here.

And that's it !!

I think my designs are really simple, but for that reason I try to put a lot of thought behind what I decide to include. Hopefully this was interesting... if you have any other interpretations, feel free to share !! I love knowing what other people think :D

[holyfruitsnax]

Us Cowpokes, We Take It As It Comes

A/N: So this all started based on a little tidbit I saw today about a silly little southern rule that sparked my interest RIGHT away. Wear the hat, Ride the cowboy. (May do a ghoulish version of something like this as well) Anyways, I'm terrible but we're all here so...Enjoy....

Pairing: PreWar!Cooper Howard x Actress!Reader

Warnings: Ummmm smut! PnV, Foul language obviously, sexual themes, minor DNI!!!, 18+ Darlin', Workplace relations, Cooper Howard bro.

Dark worn boots beat a steady path against hard oak floors, every head in the saloon turning from the armed gunman to lay eyes on their hometown hero. "Cooper!" My voice cried out, throwing an outstretched arm towards the cowboy. The gunman laughed balling my hair tighter behind my head making me hiss "Cooper Howard in the flesh!" his voice rang through the silent bar. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of meeting you?...Couldn't be this little thing here could it? Hmm?" A dark brow raising as Cooper took in the bearded man. "No, no Mr. Palo...Y'see I've been after you since Amarillo....and as for the girl?" Cooper's hand stealthily moved to his hip to draw his pistol. Palo's eyes snapped to his holster, his hands releasing my head to grab his own gun. A piercing shot rang through the wooden building as people shouted and hid while Palo's body fell behind my form with a thud, a race he'd never have won.

"She's spoken for." Cooper took easy strides towards me, brows furrowed in concern as his gloved hand met my forearm to tug my body against his side. "They'll...They'll come after you next, mark my words Howard!" Palo coughed, his hand moved for his gun in his final breaths making Cooper's trigger finger pull one last time. My eyes squinted shut, arms pulling myself closer to Cooper's body with a gasp only opening again as the bar music began to play. "Is- is it over Mr. Howard?" I gazed up at Cooper with wide eyes, his own relaxed gaze staring back at me as he pulled me out of the saloon. "No darlin' I'm afraid not..." His voice low as he spoke to me, left hand pulling his glove off the other. "So he's honest when he says more of his men will come!" I breathed watching Cooper's fingers catch in his mouth, a loud whistle calling his horse, Sugarfoot. "Maybe so, I say let them come." His confidence radiating through his stark smile, turning to ready his horse for our long ride.

"Um...Mr. Howard?..." I coyly grinned tugging on the back of his blue button down. "Why yes? Miss Carlisle?" Cooper turned to meet my ask, my hand moving up to remove his hat bringing him closer. "I could've sworn, I heard you say I was spoken for in there." For once the cowboy faltered as we met face to face, his adams apple bobbed with a swallow. The humble cowboy nodded, "I guess I did." hazel eyes finding the ground for a moment. My head tilted ever so slight to close the distance between our lips, a nervous hand found the space between my shoulder blades while the other cupped my cheek. Cooper pulled away keeping me close, "Let's get a move on darlin'." His show stopping grin catching the lens once again.

"CUT! Beautiful work everybody!" The director clapped along with some of the camera crew. Cooper's head ducked in a modest bow, hand moving up to wave off the praise while I gleamed a smile placing his cowboy hat atop my head. "Thank you- oh ah thank you!" His voice carried around set as everyone mingled. "You know Cooper, I am so glad you decided to take up my offer on revamping an old project...I know everything's been a little downhill since the uh- Divorce- but, I really think this is going to be good for your career!" Our director insisted, shaking Cooper's hand. "Yeah, I'm just glad to be back at it! It's easier having a job in the city so I can stop in and see Janey after work...and ah-" Cooper's eyes drifted over to my face, a laugh rattling out of me as I spoke to one of our costume directors, cowboy hat still on my head. "Hey can I uh, can we chat later?" though it was an ask Cooper began to walk away from our rambling director after noticing me make my way towards the dressing rooms.

"And where do you think you're going?" Cooper called after me with a sly grin, fingers pointed up like a gun. I turned towards the older man, his gesture pulling a soft laugh from me "Oh, I'm sorry sheriff, I was just gonna mosey on along to my dressing room if that's alright with you?" I teased with a heavy southern accent as Cooper came closer. "Why no, It's not. See, you seem to have something of mine." His lips closed into a smug smirk giving the cowboy hat a flick. "Oh! So sorry Mr. Howard, I swear I wasn't stealing." I joked going to remove the old hat from my head, yet hands placed themselves over mine. "Now normally, I'd shoot you where you're standing." Cooper started again, finger gun pressed to my breasts, "But, for you I may have to make an exception." His body bent ever so slight, eyes boring into my own. "Mmmm and why is that?" My heart raced beneath his middle and pointer finger. "Cause it does look good on you...and I can't fault you that." Cooper winked, straightening his posture back out, fingers moving away from my chest to find my back.

"I don't suppose anyone's ever mentioned the cowboy hat rule to you? Hmm darlin'?" A dark brow lifted over Cooper's eyes while he guided me down the hall. "There's a rule for hats?" I asked with a tilt of my head making Cooper chuckle. "Mmmmhmmm. Wear the hat. Ride the cowboy." He teased, the sentence fell from his lips with a click behind his teeth. My eyes blew wide, brows knitting together as I collected his words, a hand placing itself against the door to none other than Cooper Howards dressing room. "Oh I seeeee." My lip pulled between my teeth, I turned to face Cooper again with my hands raised in surrender seeing his 'gun' back up with a mischievous grin. "Oh please Mr. Howard! It was an honest mistake really, I could make it up to you...If you had any suggestions?" I closed my eyes in feigned fear, sliding one open to watch Cooper look back and forth before capturing my raised wrists in on hand, his firm body pushing me flush against the door.

"The only thing I can think of darlin'...Is that rules are rules...and as a sheriff it'd be wrong if I went around breaking them. How would that look?" Cooper's brows lifted in innocence as the handle popped open for he and I to back inside of the secluded room. "Oh, well we wouldn't want that." I nodded watching him nudge the door shut, and in a moment he was on me again with a needy kiss. Thick fingers tugged at the buttons of my costume pulling the white blouse I wore open so his lips could ghost across the soft skin of my chest. "I'd really like it." Cooper's lips planted a trail as he spoke "If you took all this off for me." He gestured over my side with one hand, my shirt falling to the floor.

So I did just that, stripping the old western get up off my body, leaving me naked before the older man. Cooper's face dipped low to nip and suck at my skin as clothing fell from it his hands pressing on either side of my chest to push my flesh together, releasing to watch the soft bounce of my tits as he let out a satisfied groan. "Is there, anything else you'd like?" My voice soft and breathy, one hand combing back dark hair while the other palmed him through pinstriped slacks as Cooper explored. Hazel eyes eclipsed by dark blown pupils as I met Cooper's gaze again, his warmth retreating with fluid steps towards his couch removing his belt in one swift movement letting the leather fall with a thud, wide dominant thighs spread as fingers coaxed me closer. Cooper's hands gripped my hips placing a kiss to my sternum "I just want you." his head falling against the back of the velvet sofa to grin up at me.

My knees hit the floor beneath me finding my place between Cooper's thighs with a nod "How bad exactly?" my fingers tugging open his zipper to tug his dick free, hand stroking him slowly. "I- oh so bad darlin' been needing you allll day." He gulped watching my lips ghost over the tip of his dick, tongue smoothing over him before dipping low to take his length into my mouth. A breathy moan left Cooper while I worked him with my mouth, delicately massaging his balls. "Ahh that's, that's it." He praised finding the back of my head to guide my movements as I bobbed and sucked, plush bottom lip pulled harsh between white teeth. "There's- whoo baby hol' on." Cooper's tongue darted out to soothe his lip, accent thick as he pulled me off his cock. "Remember what you started now." Cooper tugged my hips over his own forcing my legs to straddle him. I let my hands run along the damp skin of his firm chest, hips rolling to grind my wet core against Cooper's dick making us both sigh.

"I want you to ride me- Think you can handle that cowpoke?" Cooper's lips traced my jaw, rough fingers circling my clit pulling a moan from my chest. Lips finding their place together as I eased myself down onto Cooper, his jaw going slack once our bodies pushed flush against one another. Mumbles of perfection and disbelief fell from Cooper like a waterfall, his hands gripping at my thighs. The stars chest heaved as I began to bounced and roll my hips against him, my lips leaving hot kisses along the sensitive skin of his throat with a moan. A hiss pushed between Cooper's teeth, his hips bucking to meet my own slower movements making me grin.

"What are you...playing at baby." Cooper cocked his head, drawing out a moan as he spoke, arm looping around my waist to pull me closer. "You said you wanted me to ride you- that's what I'm gonna do." My words came out in a deep whine while my movements grew bold forcing Cooper's hips to still, a hand gripping at the loose fabric of his unbuttoned shirt. I began to grind my hips down against him, tongue sliding past Cooper's lips with a groan. The sound of wet skin and heavy breaths filled the dressing room as I rode Cooper. Before long he was panting and twitching beneath me, something snapping within the man as he opened his eyes and watched my body bounce against his.

In a flash my body was bent over the arm of the couch, legs pushed wide so Cooper could slot himself back into my cunt from behind. The loud moan I gave brought back Cooper's smile as he fucked into me, hands digging at my sides, hips and ass "Hold on baby I'm- I'm almost there." He moaned watching his dick disappear inside of me with each thrust. "Cooper I'm gonna-" I whined pushing my hips back to meet his thrusts causing him to growl. "Go head darlin', come on give me what you got." Cooper licked his lips, groaning as I came around him, walls quivering and clenching. His hips continued rolling my orgasm through me until I felt warm thick ropes fill me and run down my inner thigh.

Cooper fell heavy against my back with a satisfied hum, hands massaging my skin as he peppered kisses along my spine. Pulling out of me he'd wandered away for a moment to find something to clean me up with. When he returned I laid across the smooth velvet catching my breath. "Now that's a sight." He chuckled kneeling between my legs to clean his mess, cowboy hat long forgotten on the floor next to us along with the scuff marks the couch legs had left. "Well, you know us cowpokes." I shrugged making Cooper glance up at me with a raised brow. "We take it as it comes." I giggled letting my head fall back while Cooper shook his head tossing his towel aside with a smile.

[onmyyan]

Save a horse, ride a cowboy.

A/N: here comes the boy NOT EDITED

TW'S: FEM READER, YANDERE, STALKING, MANIPULATION, MURDER, MENTION OF PIGS EATING CORPSES NOT GRAPHIC 👁️👄👁️, READER GETS CALLED PRETTY GIRL

Ashley Hunt HC's

The idealized western cowboy in a modern man's body.

6'6 and wide as a barn, Ashley is an old-fashioned type of beautiful, looks like someone straight out of an Old Western.

His sandy hair has a habit of falling in his eyes when he's working so he often wears a brown leather hat he'd gotten from his Father to prevent this.

He has this habit when he's thinking where he plays with his lips, it's very distracting.

Smells and looks like he's just come running from somewhere- never unpleasant though, it's a mix of sweat and the country air.

Always has that saccharine smile on his handsome face.

Has a loud, goofy laugh, his eyes light up when he does it and his nose scrunches in the cutest way.

He's polite to everyone he meets but he is far from a pushover.

Hates bullies of any kind. Takes on the hero role whenever he's confronted with injustice.

If he sees something wrong he can't just sit by and not do something.

Which isn't hard considering this big mf hauls farm equipment around for a living, he's had to wrestle rowdy bulls into their pens before, he can take another person down easily.

Holds the door open for you every time. Don't even think about touching that handle.

His go-to look is a pair of denim Levi jeans (man's got serious cake when he's working all the strong muscles in his thighs bulge), a white tank that sits on his flesh like a second skin, if it isn't too hot he'll throw on a flannel.

Got a BAMF belt buckle as a gag gift one year but he unironically loves it.

Does this thing where he stands at his full height, stares down at you, his hat casting a dark shadow over his heated stare, both of his big, strong hands rested comfortably on the buckle, it made your knees weak every time.

Knows you have a thing for his voice so he likes to come up from behind and gently kiss just below your ear,

"Hey there Sugar Bear."

All his clothes look well-loved and worn, he don't care much for how he looks, which is ironic since the whole town calls him a pretty boy.

Looks like someone pulled him straight out of one of those sexy country man calendars.

He's a pretty confident guy, except when it comes to you, of course, then he turns into a bumbling teenager trying to talk to his crush without fumbling over his words.

Gets all red and blushy when you call him pretty. Literally has to fan himself with his hat.

You like to randomly shower him with compliments and he gets so flustered he has to stop what he's doing to kiss you.

"Good lord woman yer gonna' put me in an early grave."

For a while, you had to avoid the friendly farmer because the mere sight of him hauling hundred-pound stacks of hay like they weighed nothing had you feeling some not-so-platonic things.

Has you sweating like a sinner in church just from one well-timed boyish smile.

His wavy locks are a few different shades of dirty blonde, he's almost always wearing his hat in an effort to keep his bangs outta his eyes,

The times he took the damn thing off were your favorite cuz the way his hair fell around his face, framing it beautifully, you could really see all of his marble-carved features.

Takes his hat off inside, of course, his mama raised him right.

Works on his family's farm, he grew up working the fields with his Pa so hard work is in his blood.

When he starts something he finishes it. No matter what.

That includes pursuing you as his one and only.

Sun-kissed skin from being outside all day.

He can play the acoustic guitar and loves to sing to himself during his free time.

Voice is deep and warm.

Really good at puzzles.

Loves the idea of a big family but at the same time is so possessive of you and your attention that he battles with the idea.

Likes to draw for fun, mostly sketches and stuff is really good at it.

He likes to sketch you most of all.

Has dozens upon dozens of journals filled with your visage, he doesn't think he can ever truly capture your beauty.

Really self-sufficient if something breaks down in your house and you don't wanna spend a fortune calling some company, you called Ashley Hunt, and he never asked for anything in return either.

Whenever he goes to town people always stop him for something, be it for his help or to give him some goods as thanks, he never leaves empty-handed.

The whole town just adores him, so much so that if you ever tried to run from him, try to use the townsfolk to hide, they'd lure you into a false sense of security, convincing you they'd drive you outta town, only to hand deliver you back to Ash.

He's a protective/possessive/worshiper kinda Yandere.

The first time you meet you're just moving into your Gran's old farmhouse, he knows your Grandma well as she's the closest neighbor to his Farm, he'd been regularly helping her out with household chores or busy work whenever she asked.

The day he sees you hop out of her pick-up, he swore his heart skipped seven different beats.

Your delicious-looking form was clad in these little shorts, no doubt trying to combat that county heat. The black t-shirt you had on was rolled up at the sleeves showing off your arms, he watched them flex as you hauled a box over your shoulder like it was nothing.

His throat goes dry, sweat begins beading at his temple, and it's not the 90-degree weather, you helped your grandmother out of the car with a graceful smile and a certain kind of sweetness, the sight had a swarm of butterflies going wild in his belly.

He saw the remaining boxes stacked in the back of the truck and knew he'd found his ticket in.

You'd come back outside to the towering man at the edge of the yard, hat in hand, he'd shoot you that star-studded smile, voice sounding like melted butter.

"Hello there Miss, my name's Ashley Hunt, I'm your next-door neighbor, I just came on by to check if y'all needed a hand." He gestured towards the truck with his hat.

Then you had the nerve to shoot him that damned smile, so bright and full of life it nearly knocked him out of his socks.

He spends the rest of the day helping you move in, the conversation flowing so easily by the time you two stopped talking it was well past midnight.

He learned so much about you, just from this one convo he knows everything he needs to about you.

And you're perfect.

"I sure am sorry for keeping you up so late sweetheart." Running his hands through his hair he couldn't keep his eyes off you.

He watched you visibly light up at the pet name and couldn't fight the smirk pulling at his lips.

"Don't worry about it! I was having so much fun- again thank you so much for all your help today." You looked so sweet standing there next to him, he was a good head or so taller than you, you looked up at him with those beautiful (e/c) eyes and he had to fight the strong urge to hold you against his chest.

Knows from that night alone you're his Darling.

It's inevitable you spend time with him, as he was your closest neighbor.

He finds any and all excuses to come over in the beginning.

"This floorboard feels a little loose, I'll come by later n' fix her up."

"That window feels a bit drafty hun, why don't I get a handle on that."

Eventually, he runs out of stuff to repair and builds the courage to just ask you out for a romantic dinner at his place. He doesn't cook anything fancy, but it does taste good a real homemade meal.

He thinks long and hard about how to show you he's the one and comes up with a teeth-rottingly cute idea.

Leads you by a gentle hand out to his field where he'd prepared a soft blanket and several throw pillows, fairy lights were strung up on the fence nearest, casting a warm glow on the scene.

After you spend hours talking and giggling, you lay back against the soft blanket and stare up at the clear sky.

Well, you were busy with the stars, he was busy staring at you.

"Ain't you a pretty picture."

That night after he walks you home, just before you turn to say goodnight, cups your face in one hand, "Can I kiss you pretty girl?" And when you breathlessly nod yes, he brings his other hand to the back of your neck and softly pulls you the rest of the way in.

He kisses you the same way soldiers kiss their wives before war, takes the breath outta you both.

Loves when you do anything domestic if you cook at his place or oh my god for him? He's whipping out the ring before the plates are clear.

Or when you stay the night for the first time, he's immediately addicted to the way you feel in his arms, and literally cannot sleep without you by his side look what you've done.

His morning voice is to die for.

"G'mornin' pumpkin." He has the biggest grin on his face when he wakes up, likes to trace his fingers on your bare skin.

You put his hat on once as a goof but he freezes in place, his face is beet red and his breath gets all heavy.

"Don't move a muscle Darlin'- lemme get a good look at ya'."

"Mm mm mm- now that's a sight a man could get used to."

Sleeps naked, if you're uncomfortable with it he'd throw on some boxers but that's it.

Runs too hot for much else.

Sleeps on his stomach and likes to stare at you when he does it.

Hold his hand and he will giggle like a little kid.

He's a lot smarter than he looks so his Yandere tendencies are easy to hide.

"C'mere sweetheart, don't think we're leaving the bed yet."

He's slowly getting you used to the idea of being his housewife, just wants to take care of you.

Like I said before he's beloved by the entire town so if anyone ever tried something with you he didn't approve of (smile at you a little too hard, make you laugh, get too close for his liking) all he's gotta do is give em' that look and if they're smart enough they back right on off.

However if their self-preservation doesn't kick in at that murderous glare, he gives em' one and only one warning to stay away from what was his. It's only polite.

If they did, Ashley would be all smiles and buddy-buddy. You'd never even know something was wrong.

If they don't back down though, well that's what he keeps pigs for.

Did you know pigs can eat a whole body in like three hours? Cuz Ashley knows.

[hanjisungslag]

haiii >_< what type of fantasy characters/stererotypes would aot characters be?

- any characters you want but def reiner pls＾ ty baby

🧝‍♀️ aot characters & fantasy

characters included: eren, armin, mikasa, sasha, connie, jean, annie, reiner, bertolt, levi, erwin & hange!!

notes: this was so fun to do omg

✧ eren jaeger - hero gone villain

okay i know this is a bit basic to do… but c’mon!! he’s literally the epitome of ‘i’ve become what i sought out to destroy’ and i just can’t think of him as anything else. he fits the stereotype too well😭.

✧ armin arlert - mage

he is soooo side kick mage, no? tell me you can’t imagine armin (specifically with the mushroom hair) wearing a wizard gown, hat and holding a magical old stick. he doesn’t like to leave his tower often but is usually forced to when something goes amiss - i can imagine him sighing deeply while reluctantly grabbing his magical old stick.

✧ mikasa ackerman - sidekick

bad ass sidekick who lives in the woods & is probably on the run. i’m thinking… arcana muriel vibes for this but less stoic and quiet (and less cursed) but, she definitely learnt to fight in the woods when she was 3 OR taken in by an old, rugged guy whose family died tragically. either way, everyone’s terrified of her but she steals bread for orphans or some heroic shit like that.

✧ jean kirsten - prince

himbo prince😭 i mean this in the BEST way possibly mkay! he’s not really a himbo however… he just gives prince who accidentally got entangled in a weird adventure and he doesn’t know how to live without servants. he’s be like “erm, i am not crossing that muddy river.” BUT THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT WOULD BE INSANE by the end, he’d like finally understand how bad the government is or how poor the townspeople are and give them money.

✧ connie springer - the fool

sigh… the fool, the court jester, etc etc. he would be himbo prince jean’s court jester 100% and they’re like actually pretty good friends, they’ve known each other since they were kids. he also gets dragged along with jean on a weird adventure and he would be the comedic relief. (also a shoulder for jean to cry on when he gets mud on his fancy royal shoes).

✧ sasha braus - henchman

hunter/henchman hellooo…? literally expert at using a bow and arrow? grew up in the woods?? she would EAT so hard being a henchman and to make it even better, when someone hires her they don’t know she’s a girl and whenever someone finds out, they’ll be so shocked!! feminism!

✧ reiner braun - the beast

dare i say… some sort of big beast? like a big, fluffy beast but make it sexy, beauty and the beast vibes perhaps. imagine fighting this big and surprisingly attractive who lives under a bridge. IM SORRY THAT WOULD BE SO FUN… i’m thinking like diane from sds vibes too!!

✧ bertolt hoover - squire

young, little boy training to be a knight aka a squire. tell me you cant see this little cutie patootie dressed to the nines in armour, learning how to swing a sword?! maybe him and annie trained together or dare i say, he looks up to her.

✧ annie leonhart - knight

sworn shield to a princess that she falls in love with. imma need someone to write a fanfic about this RIGHT NOW!! we all know annie knows how to whop some ass so, of course she was chosen by the king and queen to protect their precious daughter but what happens when… she falls in love! GAH!! of course, she could never speak of her feelings - maybe one day.

✧ levi ackerman - assassin

leader of some sort of renegade, like a special group of assassins. no matter what universe this man is in, his crown will never fall! his title carries on throughout all possible realties m’kay. same backstory though 100%, raised in the poor ditches but learnt how to fight and now he’s a leader of a renegade! you have to pay big buck to get levi to assassinate someone, he’s the best of the best after all.

✧ erwin smith - commander

i’m sorry to be basic and boring but a commander of an army. HE HAS TO BEEE 😭it’s too perfect, i’m sorry. except imagine the army is all medieval and dripped out in chainmail!

✧ hange zoë - pirate

a pirate. LIKE CMONNN especially s4 hange with the eye patch?! i can totally imagine hange running a ship and sailing the seven seas. they’re literally a commander too? it was written in the stars, they’re perfect for the role! i can totally see them playing devious pranks and tricks on other pirates trying to secure the same treasure.

[radiance1]

Hc where Vlad genuinely loves Christmas.

Like, it's not even to drive Danny up the walls for his hatred of it, bro just genuinely loves Christmas. It's how that even someone like Vlad could stand by and not break the Christmas truce despite his personality.

The one day a year where Danny gets left alone before Vlad somehow, someway, got redeemed and became an ok-ish guy.

Danny, genuinely, thought it was because Vlad being the careful fruitloop he is, doesn't want to get dogpiled like Ghost Writer did when he, himself, broke the Christmas Truce.

But no, biggest reason is that he genuinely loves Christmas.

Unfortunately, Vlad has no one to celebrate with.

So, he celebrates with himself, using his many duplicates of course!

Danny finds out when he encounters one of his many duplicates trying to buy gifts for himself, Danny sees it as very sad honestly when he found out, but was he going to do anything about it?

No.

Vlad can go bugger off to his mansion for the holiday and leave Danny alone for one day a year. Fudge, the guy even seemed to be aware of it by saying that he wouldn't want to oppose when invited by the Fentons, even though he's literally obsessed with his mother.

When Vlad somehow became redeemed, and stopped being a creep towards his mom and trying to force him into being his son he... sorta grew a conscious. I.e, going over to Vlad's mansion and dragging the man out to join his family in celebration.

Apparently, he still never got the hint that he's invited, like, at all. So Danny has to drag him over, every. Single. Year.

At the very least, the man made great non-living treats.

This, has gone on for years, Danny still looks 14, Vlad for some reason stopped aging at 45 and everyone else in the Fenton family knows that they're half ghost and has no problem with it (Jack and Maddie don't anymore after realizing everything they knew and thought were wrong) and celebrated Christmas just as hard as before, if not more so.

Even Dani stopped travelling the world to come back and join in.

It eventually turned into a tradition at that point, and after their family lived and died at a rip age (they never became ghosts) it sorta put a damper on the mood.

Then Vlad left, suddenly thinking he isn't invited anymore since Danny hates Christmas.

Danny, come next year, proved him wrong by showing up out of nowhere, as Phantom, wearing a Santa hat and star cape in the shape of a tree that Vlad stitched himself, with Dani also in ghost form also wearing one with a Christmas themed gas mask on her face.

Danny then just floated down towards him, took him by the back of his Christmas themed cape (Yes, Vlad is also in ghost form), looked at both the heroes, and villains who decided to fight on Vlad's personal property since he was probably funding one of either, or even both sides.

Then said they were taking him, his treats (Dani picked them up because she missed them) and excused themselves.

Vlad won't lie, he's incredibly touched by this event. But he was also a bit sad because he spent so long carefully manipulating both sides for one final, climatic, giant crash that he could sit back and watch while enjoying his cup of hot cocoa and enjoying his goods on one of the best days of the year.

[adabird]

Hi! I was wondering if u can do mirio (from mha) dating a fem!reader who’s in class 1a who’s quirk is like zatannas and has the personality of mitsuki from demon slayer? (But readers like a year younger than he is dw) I’m sorry if this doesn’t make that much sense u can ignore this if u want 🫶

absolutely!!! I love love this idea

this passage may contain PROGRESSIVE or NSFW moments!

I believe you wanted this in headcannon form? I apologize if I am wrong! But I will try my best!

I think you meant Mitsuri? and not bakugo’s mom? correct me if i’m wrong!

Zantanna (A character from DC comics, her power can allow her to recite spells and can “invoke” anything her imagination wills!)

ALSO! sorry for the late response, I keep forgetting to where the request thing is if you know what I mean. Anywho!

Characters aged up! Y/N one year younger then Mirio and is in class 2-A

MIRIO TOGATA X SPELL QUIRK READER HEADCANNONS

-Mirio is known to be bubbly and very cheerful, however after the war he became a little more muted.. That was until he met you! After seeing you in action, defeating a 8ft tall demon, he realized how strong you were. As you were apart of class 2-A, everyone knows you as a protective and bubbly person..You’re also a lot like Mina, with the ways you cheer on and cheer up people when need be!

-You had met Mirio previously, but that was when you had first started training so you were really quiet, and tried really hard to keep yourself on the down low.. But you soon broke out of your shell!

-You were also the charmer, much like Denki, you had a flirty personality.. So even when you weren’t trying to flirt, you would end up accidentally doing so.. However! this is what started yours and Mirio’s bond together.

-After you had mastered your quirk, people were a little iffy-about you.. Some even going to the extent on calling you a monster or a villain, becuase of your dark demeanor. But that did change after you became more popular and open with social media, and fans!

-You had formally met Mirio when you were having trouble studying.. Now, you were a very set person when it can to your studies, but you did get overwhelmed really easily.. And with hero training, skipping lunch, and have 18 pages of homework needing to get done.. Forgetting how to set up a math equation you started to cry.. But not becuase you were upset, but becuase you were overwhelmed and overworked.. And that’s when Mirio phased through the wall to help you out..

-Mirio had ended up being a big person in your life. He influenced you to try new foods, to add onto your hero costume, and also helped you create your ‘signature’ smile..

- He’s surprisingly good at math. And he feels comfortable crying around you too whenever he gets into his deep thoughts..He also definitely wears reading glasses, like ones that frame his face perfectly and sit opon his nose smoothly..

-You guys are like the power duo when it comes to training.. People either want to train with you two or watch the two of you train.. it’s as if you both have chemistry on and off the field.. You are very fierce and competitive, and that’s what gets him turned up!!

-When you meet his friends, they immediately like you.. And the more you hang out with tamaki the more he becomes open.. You’re like a goth Mirio, and that’s always an interesting sight

-You get people telling you your pretty, and hot constantly.. And Mirio isn’t the jealous type, however if it someone from his grade or someone that knows your dating he’ll go crazy..But in a low-key sereat way.. you feel me..

-He loves admiring you and watching you as you openly choose his only black, and dark blue hoodies.. He also likes to mess around with your signature top-hat, that’s used in your hero costume outfits.. He acts like he’s a magician constantly..

-At one point you end up surpassing him when it comes to strength..As well as mussel mass.. Because of your quirk you can also change the mass of your body weight, making yourself almost impossible to lift up.. Which makes him work even longer while building and working on his mussle mass..

-You’re really good with Eri, you take her under your wing and make sure she’s loved.. It also helps that your best friends with Shinso, so she was more comfortable with you from the start.. But I definitely think having Y/N being good with kids is a turn on for Mirio..(like makes him want to give you his kids-in case that sounded wrong)..

-Alaways hypes you up and lets you know, you’re the apple of his eye.. He loves it whenever you play with his hair, while lovingly babble on about your day.. And the two of you can’t be away form each other for very long, or else the two of you will start acting up..

Y/N, come get your man 🎀

I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to request any kind of headcannon or preferences that you would like for an MHA character! No judgment!

you can message, comment, or request! the ideas are needed 🙏

#Onie out!

[manias-wordcount]

I hope you are doing good! And if requests are open might i request some hc of dabi, bakugo, and spike spiegel (its first boyfriend requester again sorry ;w;) reacting to reader who dresses up like them for halloween (or for spike reader dresses like cowboy andy hahaha)

Dressing Up Like Him HCs (Katsuki Bakugo, Dabi, Spike Spiegel)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼!

𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲���𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁: @dogsandrocketsocks @pittbull-enthusiast @asuperconfusedgirl @rendartgrimson

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

Dabi/Touya Todoroki

He’s gonna think you’re sooo cute lmaoo

He’ll tell you that too but only once or twice - he doesn't want it to get to your head

Chances are you’re probably wearing his clothes and string bean here long as fuck so it’s likely too big for you in certain ways

But he really likes the look of you in one of his shirts and his jackets (You look ridiculous in his pants because of just how ill-fitted they are on you but that’s beside the point)

The only thing that really throws him off is seeing the staples and skin graft scars on you

It’s a crude emulation of his actual skin grafts made from makeup and face paint, but it served as a weird and startling reminder of just how fragile you compared to him

The pain he suffered as a result of his own flames was hard enough but the idea of going through the same pain and process as him? No thanks 

So in the end, he’s gonna think you look cute and will definitely let you borrow one of his jackets anytime you ask because he likes how you look in them

But don’t show him what you’d look like when you’re hurt okay? 

Because who knows what he’d do if he saw you hurt like that for real

Katsuki Bakugo

Even since his debut, Halloween costumes of his hero costume have been pretty hard to come by

So you were pretty lucky to be able to snag a more feminine-looking costume a couple of years after his debut

It wasn’t the greatest material and there were definitely some details that they just didn’t get right (And you know he’d have something to say about the costume creators once he finds out later)

But seeing his face when you showed him the costume was more than enough for you to be satisfied

So naturally, he’s going to be super cocky and like grinning ear to ear like a complete dumbass

Like seeing his SO dress up exactly like him in a cuter version of his costume is really gonna make him happy because that ego is still a little unchecked

But he’s also gonna feel extremely proud

He knew of the existence of the halloween costumes and he knew he had fans

But something about seeing the person he loves most dressing up like him in a show of admiration and affection is probably gonna make him feel all soft and squishy and sweet on the inside

Not that he’d ever admit that though

Spike Spiegel

At first, he’s gonna be mad because the outfit absolutely reminds him of Andy

But then you hit in with the

“I’m a cowboy Spike! I’m just like you!”

And he’s gonna fucking melt

Suddenly all negative feelings he has about cowboys are being washed away by the image of you looking like you walked fresh off the set of Big Shots

Because he’s him, he gonna mess around with your hat and make you pose and say certain things from old western movies with a drawl

He might even sneak a couple of photos here and there (or he’s gonna be completely shameless about it and take candid photos of you looking cute right in front of your face)

And eventually, he’ll probably hit you with his signature snark and tell you that he doesn’t dress anything like that

But he won’t be quick to ruin your fun though - he’s got a lot more compliments to shower you with

Especially since you dress up like all for him

[observerkaine]

Atlas mentioned Kraken once on stream so I ended up doodling fanart because angst. @rhapsoddity your au is really good and awesome.

Oh, what’s this? A secret drabble related to the art below the read more?

Boots stomp roughly against the asphalt as the two sprinted through the city. The skies above were overcast tonight, already having rained once. Sheriff’s breath came out in rough puffs as he pushed through the cold, eyes locked on the villain who continued to call back to him.

“Hurry along, little Cowboy! Where’s all the arrogance you normally have? You’d usually land a hit on me by now!”

“Arrogance? You’re mistaking me for Stratos, pal.”

He bites his lip as he pulls his hat down more onto his head, wind whipping around them threateningly. He can already feel his throat itching from the weather, no doubt a cold or some sort of ailment for wearing drenched clothes.

He roughly had to pull himself out of his own thoughts when Kraken suddenly drops down, swinging his knee up and ramming the vigilante hard in the chest before pulling hard on his lasso and swinging him forward once more for a second hit. Before the Sheriff can catch a second wind, he feels his body suddenly shift as the puddles around surge up and wrap around him, throwing him a few feet off the street and onto the docks.

He struggles to stand up, only for the water still around him to slam him back down, head colliding roughly with the wood.

“You know how rude it is to ignore someone when you’re in the middle of an encounter, dear Sheriff! If I didn’t know any better, I’d have assumed you’d been purposely ignoring me.”

He snarls, opening his mouth to argue-

Before his vision is swarmed with shifting shades of blue in the dark night, the water effortlessly forming completely around his form rather than just around his arms. He chokes as he feels it threaten to flood his throat, his lungs. For a moment, a spike of fear creeps into his chest as he tries to writhe free. He’s trapped, and he can’t see, can’t breathe, can’t do anything-!

He can only hear the water, footsteps… and muffled shouting?

He can feel himself shifted around as the shouting gets louder before suddenly going quieter, before a gloved hand roughly grabs his bandana and jerks him out of the water that flows around the pirate who seems to smile at him as much as is visibly possible with that mask over his mouth.

“Good news! Your involuntary assistance of acting as bait helped me catch that slippery little pest that’s been trailing me all week!”

Sheriff coughs and spits up water before slowly blinking his eye a bit more open. His fear only deepens as his focus is directed to the figure suspended over the larger mass of water.

Pyrolisk’s legs flail and twitch uselessly as he tries to kick at the villain, arms and head restrained and slowly drowning the fire based hero. His mouth moves, but any shouts are muddled out by the intense bubbling caused from his repeatedly doused flames. Any chance he manages to get his hands free, more water waiting below quickly surge up and secure him once more.

“S-Stop! Please! Leave him alone!”

Kraken doesn’t take his eyes off the hero, hand slowly closing more and compressing the water firmer around the hero’s head.

“Let him go! I- I’ll go with you if you leave him alone!”

The water stops and Kraken’s cold eyes slowly shift to him, eyebrow raised in silent question.

“The… the last time we fought, you said you’d wanted me, right? A-And Pyro intervened! So just let him go, I’ll go willingly!”

Kraken fully turns to him now, other hand still prepared to close fully.

“And what’s stopping me from just offing this hero and taking you regardless?”

Sheriff winces before slumping his head down.

“If… If you kill him, then you can’t hold this victory over him. You can’t brag to him or the other heroes that you’re the most dangerous threat around, and he’ll be proof that he’s only alive because you let him live…”

It’s agonizing how long the silence afterwards follows, especially when Pyrolisk’s movements start to slow down. The water is obscuring his face in shadows, no longer sizzling or boiling as his hands start to go slack. Then the water jerks forward and Pyro chokes a gasp as he’s slammed against the concrete, body trembling as it focuses on coughing up the water in his system.

“Normally I’d have let him die, let him sink. But, you do speak a point.”

Sheriff yelps as he’s slammed roughly to the floor, Kraken’s hand now outstretched to him. There’s a flash of pain before a sudden tightness in his nerves and veins, muscles flexing and throat dries as his body slowly rises up. The villain easily steps over the hero, only stopping to kick his back and rest his heel over his spine.

“Let this be a reminder to mind your damn business next time, okay?”

He looks up to Sheriff, a cruel glint in his eyes as he motions with his finger to follow along.

“It’s time to go, pretty boy~ This isn’t a request.”

Pyro weakly watches, with dots of darkness forming in his vision, as the Sheriff follows almost mechanically after the villain, gaze refusing to meet the hero’s. He slowly reaches out, hand trembling.

“D..on…t…”

His vision blurs before his eyes shut, hand dropping as unconscious settles in finally.

[shirohige-pirates]

Magic Trick

Marco x afab!reader

Word count: 3,902

CW: fingering, oral (receiving), rough sex

Summary: You've had a crush on Marco for a while, and you decide to take the plunge and shoot your shot.

Blame @zoros-sheath for inspiring this one-shot. And honestly, you can probably blame @cyborg-franky @standfucker for even causing me to look over at this blorbo for long enough that I got thoroughly caught up in him.

18+ only

You tested the size and balance of Ace’s hat medallion a few times, working it through your fingers and slowly working up the speed needed to make it disappear. Your hands were barely big enough to manage it but after a few minutes you were twirling it around easily.

“If I’m working with something like this, I’d make sure I was wearing something baggy.” You admit as Ace eats next to you.

“You made it disappear a few times. I admit, you’re good at it.” Ace says, shoveling another large bite of food into his mouth. “You should do a trick like that with Marco.”

You grunt, but don’t say anything else.

“Trouble in paradise?”

“Paradise doesn’t exist, that’s the problem.” You sigh, tossing his hat medallion at him. Ace nearly drops his plate to catch it, but manages to get a hold of both.

“There’s no way he dislikes you.” His voice is full of disbelief. “I’ve caught him staring.”

“Maybe I’m being too subtle.” You admit, laying your head on the railing of the ship, looking over at Ace. “Or maybe his non-answer is the answer.”

“You’re being awfully soft with this.” Ace jabs you in the side with the handle end of his fork. “You’re usually only subtle when you’re scouting. Why’re you playing this so cautious?”

“Because I -!” You straighten up but stop talking, realizing you were starting to shout. “I don’t want him to turn me down.” You admit quietly. “I really like him.”

Ace’s eyes go wide for a moment, and then he beams. “Do one of your magic tricks then.” He says.

“Pulling a quarter from his ear isn’t going to tell him anything.” You grumble.

Ace shrugs. “Can you pull a condom or some underwear out from behind his ear?”

You smack your forehead and groan. “Yes, Ace, that’s certainly not subtle.” You sigh.

“You’re just going to chicken out then, huh?”

“What?” You bite the word off in a snarl, eyes sharp.

The devilish grin on Ace’s face is enough to make you realize you waltzed right into the trap. “If you’re not, then do it. The celebration’s tomorrow, right? Pull something out from behind Marco’s ear tomorrow that doesn’t leave him any wiggle room.”

“… Live or die in front of the entire crew, huh?”

Ace shrugs. “If you get rejected, there’ll be plenty of booze around to soothe you.”

You cross your arms, pouting. “There’s not enough booze on this ship to soothe me, Tinderbox.”

“I’mma let dat go,” Ace grumbles through a half-full mouth of food. “You’re taking this pretty hard.”

You put your hands over your face and muffle an aggravated scream. “What kind of moron falls for their division commander?!” You growl. “If I say anything and he rejects me I won’t be able to avoid him.”

“If you don’t say anything you’re going to explode in the middle of a battle or something.” Ace teases.

“Worse,” you huff. “Teach caught me grumbling and offered to soothe my aching heart.”

Ace laughs. “Poor Teach. He’s a hundred years too late.”

You snort, leaning against the rail, staring out over the sea. “Better to regret the choices we make, than the moments we let go by, right?”

You sigh, letting the day slip into night. You don’t rest well that night, but you get some sleep. Nerves, of all things, keep you awake. You hadn’t been nervous for years – a side effect of being a pirate. You’d been doing reconnaissance and theft for the Whitebeard pirates for the last six years.

Repayment really, for having robbed half the crew blind when they were on your island. Once you realized who you had stolen from you were pretty sure that you were just going to be executed. The Whitebeard pirates were as close as the Grandline got to heroes for some people, but they were still pirates.

In the end, you were offered a spot on the crew, under the First Commander no less.

You’d only gotten better at your craft, you’d be taught about haki, and you’d become a formidable member of a well-respected crew. It was hard to say when Marco started to catch your eye. When he went from pirate to commander to brother to crush.

In the end, the details didn’t matter. You were where you were, and you felt what you felt, and it was going to be easier to move on if you were rejected than it would be to just sit on the feelings and dwell.

Once the festivities started the next day, you let yourself enjoy them. Food, song, dance – it was a celebration for every crew mate with a birthday that month, one big feast was easier than several smaller ones, and it was always good fun.

The food and chatter gives way to music and dancing, and pockets of crew members enjoying booze as the sun sinks lower and lower. By the light of the dying sun you wander over to where Marco is, sitting with Thatch who is enjoying a late dessert, and Izou, who’s enjoying a bottle of wine. It’s impressive how Izou can make drinking straight from the bottle look so graceful.

You had agreed with Ace that subtle was going to need to be thrown out the proverbial window and so you make a little bit of a show of things as you draw nearer, sighing heavily and looking completely disparaged.

“What has you so down?” Marco asks, setting his mug of ale down and leaning back.

“I’m having a hard time finding something.” You admit, giving him a cheeky grin. You can tell he knows you’re baiting him into something, but you’re not sure he’s aware exactly what it will be.

You may be a little notorious for doing random magic tricks for the crew, but you’re usually light on the theatrics.

“Oh? Something important?” He muses, giving you an easy smile. You struggle not to just bite your lip and tackle him, that easy smile is killing you.

“In a way.” You admit, stepping closer. Even with Marco seated and you standing, there wasn’t much height difference. He wasn’t nearly the tallest on the crew, but at six foot nine inches he wasn’t anywhere near the shortest either. “Want to help me out?”

Marco’s grin doesn’t change. “Of course, yoi.” He says, leaning forward, and staying seated as you draw even closer. “Where do you think-?”

He stops as you reach past his face, fingers brushing against his ear.

“I’ve looked just about everywhere.” You say, shifting your gaze down to catch the bright blue eyes looking back up at you. Marco looked amused more than anything else, but it was hard to get emotions other than calm and neutral to break across his face.

You pull a black lacy thong from behind Marco’s ear, eyes on his, sure grin on your face. “Oh, there they are.” You say, running your tongue over your lip a little. “Seems they prefer to be wrapped around your neck than around my thighs.”

Marco’s eyes are as wide as you’ve ever seen them, blush creeping into his fair face. You hear a clatter, looking over for a second to see that Thatch has dropped his plate, and is completely agog. The usually suave cook is beet red and looks to have been caught completely off guard.

You lean closer when Marco doesn’t say or do anything more, and whisper into his ear. “Perhaps you’d rather my thighs around your neck instead.” You offer, suppressing the urge to leave a soft kiss against his neck before leaning back.

Marco swallows thickly, pulling a few berries from his pocket and handing them over to Izou without a word. Izou smiles politely at you, tucking the bills away and returning to his drink.

When you look back at Marco he’s composed himself, enough that he at least looks relaxed, even if his ears are still a little red. The easy smile he gives you makes your heart thump in your chest, and after a second he stands up.

“It seems me and my neck have a prior engagement.” Marco says evenly, taking a step or two away before stopping to be sure you were following after him. “Izou, you’ll see to Thatch, aye?”

“Ace and I will at least make sure he doesn’t sleep in that position.” Izou answers with a chuckle.

Marco continues on, away from the celebration, and you follow after. A small knot twists in your stomach – Marco is a nice guy, genuinely nice, especially toward the crew. He could very easily just be leading you away to help you save face in front of everyone else. You hold onto that feeling as you two head toward his room, padding yourself against possible rejection just in case.

He puts his hand on the door handle, pausing for a second. He starts to say something, thinks better of it, and opens the door, stepping back and giving you space to enter.

It’s nearly impossible to read Marco at the best of times, but your own senses are a little frayed right now, and you have no idea what’s going through his mind. You wanted clarification before you walked into his room, because if he was just going to let you down easy you’d prefer to just go to your own room now.

But you didn’t want to ask. You didn’t want to form the risk into words and bring it into the air. You manage a sure smile and start toward the door when Marco finally speaks.

“I can’t promise,” he says thickly, his gaze heavy against you even if you aren’t looking back at him. “That I’ll be any sort of gentleman, once you go in there, yoi.”

A sweet shiver slips down your spine and a small smile tugs at the corners of your mouth. “As long as you don’t mean to use me and then lose me.” You say lightheartedly, stepping into the room.

Marco steps in behind you, smile on his face. “I gave you a few months to come to your senses,” he teases, an easy smile in his voice in the dark room as he closes the door, plunging you both into near total darkness.

“And here you are.”

You turn toward him, words dying on your lips as you see the blue flames flickering off of him. They’re small and brief, illuminating the room like sparks. The dance of light over his face gave the illusion of a fire within his eyes, and the heated look he was giving you had more weight and passion than you had been expecting.

He was always so relaxed and laid back. Seemingly completely unbothered by the world around him. If not for his interactions with the crew you almost would’ve thought him detached. But the man who stood before you now was literally burning in his desire.

“Last chance.” He says, but the tone in his voice is sharp. He doesn’t want you to leave. Somewhere in the back of your mind you’re aware that that desire isn’t just about right now. The warning isn’t just about tonight.

You can almost see the talons closing in around your entire body.

“I didn’t flirt for the last six months to chicken out now.” You mean to sound sure, but there’s a shiver in your voice. Uncertainty, maybe. Concern that you’ve stepped into something deeper than you meant to.

You never feared Marco, and even now that wasn’t the right word for whatever was beating against your bones.

He reaches out, fingers brushing gently against your face. You nuzzle into the action, and you can hear a soft sigh escape him. His fingers shift enough to tilt your chin up as he leans down toward you. His eyes find yours, the sparks are fewer, but there’s enough light to catch one another’s gaze.

The first kiss is almost chaste. The soft brush of his lips against yours. A fleeting warmth that passes between you, and the nearly inaudible intake of breath as that first connection was finally made.

The simple act was like the snapping of a seal. Marco pulled off his shirt as you pulled his face closer, kissing him deeper as he tossed the useless piece of clothing aside. The kiss broke for a second, long enough for you to pull your shirt off and toss it away.

His hand was behind your head, warm and taut and the next kiss stole your breath just from the intensity behind it. You opened your mouth and let him in before he could even ask for permission, and he wasted no time in accepting. Out on the deck you may have had some manner of control, but in the privacy of this room Marco was devouring you.

You shifted easily through the room, and the clatter of objects falling to the floor was the only warning you had before large hands grabbed you and lifted you up onto his desk. Something in the back of your mind marveled that the organized and neat doctor would cause such a mess.

Your fingers trail over him, following his arms, tracing lines along the curve of muscle and tender skin. By the nature of his devil fruit, he bore no scars, no jagged lines for your fingers to remember. You had your share of scars. Marks from learning, marks from work, small lines and stories and near misses etched into the weave of your skin.

Marco’s fingers seemed to pay them no mind, strong hands pulling your shoes away and lifting your hips as he pulled your pants down past the curve of your ass. You pulled the sash around his waist free, wrapping your legs around his hips and pulling yourself closer to him.

A soft grunt from him disappears into your continued kisses and his hand nearly slams into the desk as he leans you back enough to break the kiss. He swears softly as you shift your hips against his.

“(Y/N).” His voice shivers and you can feel his body tremble.

“No regrets,” You breathe the words, looking up at him, pulling him back down toward you. “The only issue right now is that you still have your pants on, Marco.”

He grins. “You still have your small clothes on.” He retorts, leaning you back further until you’re laying on the desk and he’s over you, leaning down and kissing you again.

His kisses shift away from your lips, trailing along your jaw and down to your neck. The shivering gasp that escapes you spurs him on, hands grabbing you and roughly pulling the last of your clothes away.

Passion burns in the kisses that press into your skin, sinking into your muscles and sending jolts through your body. Blue flames licked along his back, trailing behind the lines your fingernails were already digging into him. His hands held you still as your body squirmed from the pleasure of his kisses, impossibly smooth and firm and hot against you.

Your fingers move from his back to his shoulders as his kisses burn into your stomach. Pleased moans rattle in your chest as your hips shift, Marco’s lips kissing against your sides as his hands grip your knees and spread your legs wide. Your back arches at the rush of cool air between your thighs, but you barely have a second before his tongue is deep inside you even faster than earlier.

Your hands are on his head as his hands are holding your legs wide, your body jolting from the pleasure even as he holds you in place. You suck in a breath and bite your lip to keep the loud cry from escaping you. You can see a flicker of flames cross Marco’s shoulders and you’re aware he’s irritated, but he’s not stopping.

His tongue and lips suck and swirl against your clit like he was born to please you, and with a little shift you a finger slip into your wet pussy.

“Y-y-you’re guh-gonne mm-maaah, shit! - make me sc-scream, Marc-Marco!” You gasp, wiggling as a second finger is pushed inside.

You look down and see two blue eyes, unnaturally bright in the dark room, looking back at you from between your thighs.

“Indeed,” he says it almost flatly and you realize where his irritation was coming from.

You whimper a little. “The whole ship’ll hear…” You murmur defeatedly.

He hums, eyes still burning into you, tongue slipping up the inside of your thigh. “I warned you, yoi.”

Oh shit.

“You did,” you admit, swallowing thickly, a little concerned about your current position suddenly. “I’m… at your mercy then.”

You can see the grin that slips along his lips, an expression that cuts through your bones and sends a shiver through your body. The First Commander was renowned for his even manner and relaxed countenance, but you had a feeling you were about to see everything that was tucked behind that.

Unlike the flames of his Zoan, this particular flame was for your eyes only.

“Don’t hold out on me, yoi.” He says softly, three long fingers pushing into your tight, wet, needy hole. You suck in a deep breath, grabbing onto the edges of the desk as his fingers curl, causing your body to make a similar motion as pleasure rushes through you.

His breath is hot against your clit as he pulls one of your hands free from the desk, and places it against his head. “Hold onto me, not the desk.” He commands, and your other hand releases its grip on the desk to hold onto him as his tongue goes back to work.

Too much, it’s too much. It’s such a rush of pleasure, you didn’t even know your body could be so sensitive. His free hand kept sending little lines of electricity through you as his fingers moved over your hips and up along your stomach. You could only apologize inside your head as your hands tightened in his hair, your body clenching like iron at the first flood of pleasure.

Little more than a broken swear managed to get past your lips as the orgasm ripped through you. He showed you a small mercy, and didn’t force you to ride out the entire thing, but as he moved you wondered if it was truly mercy that had been given. You were coming down slowly, every twitch and tingle danced along your skin and sunk into your bones.

You could hear the fabric of his pants as you were sure they had been discarded, but in the dark of the room, in the hazy blur that was your muddled vision, you couldn’t see.

But for every sense that was addled right now, your sense of touch was all the more keen.

Hot. It was hot. Marco didn’t run hot normally, not like how Ace did with his fiery body, but Marco was always shades of blue. Calm, cool, collected. But the rigid tip of his cock, pressed against your soaked and trembling lips was hot. Hot, and impossibly stiff. More akin to metal than flesh as far as you were concerned.

“Marco…” You reach for him and he takes your hand in his, kissing your fingers softly before he grips your wrists and pins them against the desk. “More, please.” You nearly whisper the words, moaning softly at the lips that tease your neck while his cock shifts teasingly against you.

“Look at me, (Y/N).” He says, and you focus as best you can on his eyes. “Keep looking at me.” His voice is demanding, low, and husky as he begins to push into you. “I want to see your face as you give yourself to me, yoi.”

The stretch is delightful. It’s been so long since you’ve enjoyed the pleasure of another, but even so, the feel of it as he pushes in is satisfying. It’s your body that gives way, not his, but he fits so well. Your fingers flex, and he adjusts his hands, fingers tangling into yours, holding your hands to the desk instead of your wrists.

“Marco.” His name is gospel on your lips, a soft prayer to a fiery blue demon in the skin of an angel. “Kiss me.”

“As you command.” He almost growls the words, as though he’s struggling to hold something back, and leans down. His lips are against yours, the pressure and pleasure barely registering as his hips met flush with yours.

His hips shift as his tongue pushes into your mouth. He devours the sweet moans that bubble up from your chest, even as the snap of his hips fills the room with the wet sounds of your pleasure and need. You’re caged completely, an odd reversal if you had enough mind to think on it.

“M-more!” You gasp as the kiss breaks.

“Aye.” Marco agrees, letting go of your hands to hook your knees over his arms, stretching your legs back and letting him push a little deeper.

Fire trails along his back as your fingers claw into his perfect skin again. Your gasps and moans come out in thrusts of air as he slams into you, the desk creaking and shifting under the rough pace.

He shifts enough to tease you, his pace slowing only a little. His thumb rolls against your clit, and his lips tease your nipple as his other hand tries to steady you both against the creaking desk. The lessened pace gives you more breath, and the added sensations pull moans and cries of pleasure from you. You don’t want to let go of him, so you can’t cover your mouth. He’s moved away from you so you can’t kiss him to stifle your sounds.

“Sing for me,” he demands, breath hot against your skin before he nips at your nipple sending a zing of pain through with the pleasure.

“Ca-can’t – can’t – Marco! Ma-Marco I’m gonna—hnnngh!” You tense and coil as the pleasure builds and when you move a hand away to cover your mouth he grabs it and pins it down on the desk, picking his pace up again.

“Don’t deny me again.” He warns, teeth nipping at your neck. “Let it out. I want to hear, all the sweet sounds that you can make for me.”

Whimpered tatters of need fall from your lips as the pleasure builds. The more it builds the less you can hold back, and any time you try to hold back Marco pushes more fire and desire into you.

The pleasure crests, and you scream – his name, though the sound breaks as it passes your tensed throat, and then is devoured as his lips cover yours. You moan into the kiss as he continues to thrust into you, his rhythm stuttering only a little as he fills you up, the sensation and the soft grunt from him almost pulling you into a third orgasm, your body tensing and twitching a little.

He gives you both a second to catch your breath, though he’s barely breathing heavy. He leans back down, leaving soft kisses against your lips as he pulls out of you.

“The bed,” he says softly, kissing your cheek. “Should be softer and quieter.” You can feel his dick twitching against your thigh already stiff again. “But you won’t be, will you?”

[professorsta]

I'm watching a Overly Sarcastic Productions video about secret identities and one part that caught my interest was the relation to secret identities and superheroes in a time before technology, (zorro for example) where all the over power would need to do is burn their house down to stop them if they knew who they were (indirect quote from the video)

That being said

Anti hero/secret identity merlin au.

From the beginning he wears a mask and dark clothing so no one can tie back his crimes to the princes manservant. He doesn't go by Emrys or any name, which infuriates Uther and intrigues Arthur. Id say even uses his ability to shape shift to thwart the knights and go in as a spy either in camelot or other scenarios. Arthur has met merlin multiple times doing this, once as a noblewoman at a masquerade ball wearing a black lace fabric hat covered only their eyes. It didn't register until later for him who that might have been the poor idiot

Arthur certainly knows (and alot at that) about the "folk hero" going about his lands, hatefully from his father thats for sure. (Arthur doesn't know he's met the "hero" many times, every morning. Some days he makes it hard for said hero not to turn beat red from how much he laments about him throughout the day to the man himself, flattering as it is)

Scenario where uther has sent arthur to track the man down after he's been sighted, and once meeting for the "first time", they connect immediately in such a way that it gives arthur whiplash and makes him think of anther encounter where it felt as is he had already known the person

Just - merlin who is a magic vigilante who hides his identity and swoons the prince? Fuck yes

[shady-tavern]

Perfect Nemesis Part Two

Part One Here.

***

You woke in the hero hospital, feeling like you had gotten run over. Aches and pains seemed to fill your entire body. You peeled your eyes open to see Peony across from you, asleep and bandaged, with some stitches along one temple. He wasn’t wearing his mask and you saw his face for the first time since you met him.

Your brows furrowed briefly as you groped for the button that called the nurse. Was it the first time you saw his face? Your head hurt and felt stuffed with cotton.

The nurse working for the Society appeared a second after you sloppily pressed the button, only for your eyes to fall closed halfway through her explanation of the severe overextension of your abilities and how that had translated to damage on your joints and tissue. How you would have killed yourself had you used more of your powers.

When you woke a second time you were just barely more coherent and it was the middle of the night. A dimmed light across from you let you see that Peony was awake, speaking softly with Endless, who sat in the open window, also without his mask.

They both paused and looked over when you made some kind of low sound. Your mouth felt dust dry and your limbs heavy. Everything hurt, but in a bone-deep bruised way and you instinctively knew right away you’d do some serious damage to yourself should you try to use your powers again anytime soon.

"How are you feeling?" Peony asked hesitantly and cautiously, voice quiet but clearly audible in the silent room. You blinked at him, weakly and sluggishly patting around to call the nurse again. You were barely capable of stringing a single thought together.

It was only when your hand bumped the button that you realized you weren’t wearing your ring. You weren’t wearing it and you felt…fine. You felt like you were whole and very much not cursed.

You blinked at them. "Huh," you croaked and passed out again just as they straightened, attention firmly fixed upon you.

When you woke a third time, your mind clear enough that you could actually cling to consciousness, it was to your mentor sitting in a chair beside you.

"Thank fuck," she said the moment you blinked your eyes open and focused on her. Her relief was strong in her voice and openly visible on her face. "You were out for nearly a week. What did you do, kid?"

"Not a kid," you mumbled, but that only made her smile a little. She’d never drop that stupid nickname. Instead of answering, you made yourself move your heavy arm until you could look down at your hand.

Your mentor sobered immediately and you let her take your hand, looking at the spot where a dinged up iron ring had sat for years. You hadn’t taken it off once, not for training, not for bathing and especially not for your last boyfriend who had hated the damn thing. Not that you had liked it, but you had needed it. It had been vital for so long.

"What happened?" your mentor asked quietly. "Did they manage to break the curse?" You shifted your head slightly to peer past her, only to see Peony’s bed empty. "Ah, your buddy is getting a check-up and then he’ll be released later today." 

Your mentor leaned forward a little, turning serious. With more emphasis she said, "Kid."

You had never once been able to hold back when she used that tone of voice. The story spilled forth just as every other story had back when you had been a sidekick and later a fledgling new hero. But you were safe, here and now. 

Your mentor was one of the safest people you knew, she’d go to bat for you at the drop of a hat. You had grown into the hero you were today under her protection and guidance after all.

She was silent for a long moment after you were done and you found it hard to keep your eyes open. 

"I’ll go talk with Peony," she said, giving your hand a parting pat. "Sleep, kid. You really fucked yourself up this time. It’s going to take a while for you to recover."

You mumbled something that was some kind of vague agreement, your eyes falling closed.

*.*.*

Peony was gone when you woke again and you continued to sleep more than you were awake. Sometimes you had visitors, sometimes not, sometimes you woke to people having left gifts at your bedside table.

The time you fell asleep to your superior berating you for destroying 'six and a half fucking buildings you goddamn unbelievable idiot' you were glad to get out of the harsh reprimand. You hadn’t cared about the damage when you had been without empathy, but that hardly mattered. Not when you had caused nearly five million in property damage.

You were very relieved that no one had died. That the people who had gotten caught in the crossfire had been rescued by Peony and, to everyone’s surprise, Endless.

You hadn’t seen your colleague or the villain who had been so eager to be your nemesis since that night in the hospital. You had no idea what to feel when it came to them, but every time you found yourself thinking about them, you touched the spot where the ring had been.

The curse was gone entirely.

The magical expert the Society sent to examine you confirmed that as well, clapping you on the shoulder and congratulating you on getting rid of that horrible thing. You got questioned extensively, but you found yourself skirting over details, citing that you didn’t remember much. 

Your mentor had spoken with Peony once and had said that he would explain himself when and if you were ready to see him again. She had given you a card with his private phone number on it.

"And that Endless fellow will be there too for the conversation, if you want him to be," she had added. Then she had paused, looking at you. "You made quite the impression on him. He had nothing but praise for you."

You had looked away, shrinking bit into yourself. You had too many questions to not want answers, even if everything was kind of a mess. You had no idea if you still wanted to be Peony’s friend or…whatever Endless and you had had previously. 

But they had gotten rid of your curse, even if things had become a bit ugly after they had taken off the ring. Still, that moment of intense betrayal kept hounding you, your ignored pleas, how you had been tied to the ground, utterly helpless.

You found yourself touching your hand over and over, startled alarm finding you for a split second when you didn’t feel the ring, before you remembered that it wasn’t necessary anymore. It was both the greatest relief of your life and something you still had to wrap your head around.

It took some time to adjust to living without a curse after so many years with one.

When you were released from the hero hospital at last with strict orders to take it easy for another month before you could be allowed back to active duty, you were glad to go back home.

You unpacked the bag your mentor had brought you for your stay in the hospital. She was puttered around your home, opening windows to let in fresh air. Your mentor at last opened your fridge and immediately closed it again.

"I’ll go shopping," she said and left briskly with a little wriggle of her fingers.

You tentatively opened your fridge, only to immediately close it again yourself. Well. Taking a deep breath, you rummaged around beneath your sink to get gloves and cleaning products and you got to work, removing food that had had plenty of time to go and rot and mold.

You were just finished with that very disgusting task when your mentor returned and she shooed you away, grumbling that you had to take it easy.

You did take it easy the rest of the day, barely getting up from the couch. Your mentor made sure you had food and left some meals you just had to heat up in your fridge.

"Call me if you need anything," she said after dinner. "I’ll stay in a nearby hotel for another night before returning to work."

Even then you knew she’d drop everything in a heartbeat if you said you needed her help. You resolved to find a good gift for her, to thank her for all her care and her sometimes no-nonsense encouragement during your recovery.

You hadn’t known that overextending your powers could result in a month of bedrest. Then again, apparently you had badly damaged your body in the process and there had been quite a bit that had needed healing.

Empathyless-you was an asshole in all regards.

As you sat alone on your couch you found yourself fiddling with the card Peony had given your mentor. You wanted answers, but you had no idea if you wanted to see him or Endless again.

Maybe a part of you was afraid of what those answers were. Of finding out that the friendship and flirting and banter and easy companionship had only existed so they could trick you.

But, in the end, you wanted to know why they had tricked you more than you were afraid. Why they hadn’t just told you about their plans to remove the curse. You would have let them. You had no idea how much you still trusted them now, if at all, but you had trusted them that much before they forcibly removed your ring.

You leaned back with a sigh and fiddled with the card a moment longer, before you drew up the sort of courage that let you step into costume on a bad day, that made you face villains that sometimes, secretly, frightened you.

The sort of courage that let you keep your head held high the two times you hadn’t been able to save civilians, carrying their limb bodies.

Peony picked up near immediately, his voice tentatively hopeful. "Imagination?"

"Yeah." You were glad that your voice sounded steady even if your heart was beating faster nervously. "You said you were willing to explain?"

"Over the phone or in person?" he asked, voice going a bit softer in a way that made your throat tighten a little. "Whatever you’re more comfortable with. I’ll make sure to get assigned to another city too if you want. I have the paperwork ready to be submitted."

You closed your eyes for a moment. That was all a bit much at once. "Just…why?" It came out more hurt than you had intended.

Peony was quiet for just a second. "I’ll answer, but it would be best if Endless were here," he suggested, voice going a bit tentative again.

"Aright. Sure. Call me back when he’s there." You ended the call before he could say anything else, rubbing a hand restlessly over your face. Your emotions were kind of messy, but at least you had those feelings. You were rid of your curse and that…that meant so fucking much.

It was in all honesty the only reason you were willing to hear them out.

Peony called back quicker than you had expected and from the slight change in audio quality you could tell that he had put you on speaker.

"Hello," Endless said, voice soft and hesitant in a way you had never heard or expected to hear from the confident villain. "I hope you’re doing well?"

"No smalltalk," you found yourself croaking out, your voice cracking a little despite your best efforts. You grimaced and took a breath before you continued. "Just tell me why."

"Why the deception and trickery and why we used your trust against you?" Endless asked and you swallowed past your dry mouth. "It was the only way to lift the curse."

Thankfully, he continued before you had to ask him to elaborate. "The villain who hurt you once met up with my old mentor, ranting and raving. I overheard a lot that day and in all fairness, I had mostly forgotten that day until I met you." His voice turned a little softer. "It took me a bit to remember that you were the hurt sidekick in that public trial."

"What do you know about the curse?" you found yourself asking, worrying the hem of your sleeve between the fingers of your free hand.

Endless made a low, dark noise. "It’s one of the vilest things I’ve ever encountered and that says a lot. The curse isn’t particularly complex, but it’s removal is. For one, it cannot be removed if you want it removed by the person in front of you. As long as you let someone try to take it away, it would not work."

Which was why none of the Society heroes or independent vigilante with magical abilities had been able to do anything.

"We could not tell you about what we had planned," Peony said quietly, regret thick in his voice. "I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but just one mention about it would have made you expect the removal sooner or later. We would have had to wait years to make you actively forget about it for it to work."

"I’m so very sorry as well," Endless said softly. "I wouldn’t have done anything if you hadn’t minded your curse, but it was clear you hated it for both of us. If you never want to see me again, you won’t."

You closed your eyes as the two men fell silent, giving you a moment to work through everything. You ended the call, rubbing your hands over your chin before pressing your face into your palms to just breathe.

Your emotions were all over the place and you had no idea what to think or feel for the longest moment. In the end you texted Peony 'give me some time' and shoved your phone under your couch cushions.

You did not sleep that night, staying awake until the first hint of dawn, staring out across a city you had been protecting for years with Peony at your side. Your friend, your companion, your partner.

And then Endless had shown up. The exciting villain who had shaken your world up in the best of ways for months. Who had made you stop worrying about that damn ring on your finger.

A ring that was no longer needed because of them. You had no idea where that ring was now, but you didn’t want it back either. You never wanted to see the damn thing ever again.

In the end you called your mentor and, as so many other times, laid your troubled heart at her feet.

"That’s a right mess, kid," she said with sympathy and you couldn’t help but snort before, at long last, you found yourself crying. Pent up stress and relief and confusion all poured out in a mess of tears. "There, there, let it all out." And quieter, so you barely heard her, "Maybe I should go rogue and kill that asshole in jail after all."

And then you were laugh-crying and when you calmed down again, you did feel better.

"I’d say let them grovel a while," your mentor said. "If you think you can ever trust them again."

Could you? You wanted to, you realized as you ended the call and sat curled up on your couch, watching as the city came alive the more the sun rose. You wanted to trust them, because…because they made your life better, both of them. Meeting them had brought so much good into your life.

But you couldn’t forget the betrayal and being pinned to the floor. The panic as your ring got stripped away, your pleas ignored. 

You understood why they had done it, considering the nature of the curse. But the mind and the heart were two different beasts and you were in the very fortunate position that neither of them seemed to be able to come to a proper decision.

So you puttered around for a few days, mulling things over until you realized you were just turning in circles. So you called Peony again after staring at your dirty dishes for a long moment, mind far away. He picked up and from the voice in the background that immediately became easily audible when you were put on speaker, Endless was with him.

Despite all the things you wanted to ask and say, somehow the first thing out of your mouth was, "How do you two know each other?" 

Peony huffed softly, "We’re childhood friends, actually. I always knew he was Endless and he always knew I was Peony. I, uh, I was the reason he switched cities in the first place. I had some trouble that he helped me with. Civilian trouble," he added quickly and you felt an unexpected, fresh stab of hurt fade again.

It was Society policy to not share your private lives with each other when you hadn’t been told each others identities. You had always made sure to respect that, never prying and not commenting on slip-ups from Peony or yourself.

"After helping my friend out I didn’t want to go back to Imperia," Endless added. "It was easier to establish myself here than go through the hassle of clearing my old territory from the rabble. And, well, Imperia didn’t have you either."

You had no idea what to say, so you changed the subject. "Why were we in the same hospital room, Peony?"

"You don’t remember? My mask got eaten by the void," he said and it took you a moment to recall, that, oh, yeah, he was right. Your memory was a little blurry, especially with how fast it had all happened. "Along with half my outfit. Any longer in there and I probably would have lost some pieces of me too."

Endless was audibly grimacing when he added, "I tried to negate the damage as much as I could, but the void really, really doesn’t like anything that’s not me."

That didn’t surprise you. Every brush of the void during fights had told you as much, even though you had trusted that Endless wouldn’t use it against you.

"Was my mask still in place?" you asked, because the nurses would not have unmasked you without your permission, no matter if your partner had shown you his face or not. Both men made a low, unhappy sound.

"The glue we used apparently couldn’t withstand the amount of power you put out in order to make that dragon," Peony explained. You blinked in surprise, you hadn’t even noticed that. "Which, by the way, what the fuck? I didn’t know you could do that."

"Neither could I," you admitted after a moment. "Having no empathy meant I didn’t care about you or myself."

Peony’s mirth noticeably fell away. "I can’t tell you how sorry I am. About ambushing you and making you think we betrayed you. We tried to come up with so many different ways to get that ring without you catching on, but you always guarded it like your life depended on it. Which, knowing what we know now, it actually did."

His words gave you pause. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, you didn’t notice?" Peony sounded surprised. "My frie- I mean, I stole your gloves on multiple occasions, but you always had backups. I tried to 'stumble' into you a couple of times if they got damaged in fights too when Endless was nearby to try and yank the ring off. Endless tried to tug them off too."

"I also tried to remove them with my powers, but that was too finicky while we fought," Endless admitted. "I’m not really good at that delicate stuff when it comes to my powers. It takes so much concentration that I usually just get a headache."

You stared at the opposite wall and the framed artwork on the wall, baffled and unsure what to say. All this time you had thought that you had just forgotten your gloves, especially since they always turned back up. You had thought Peony had just been tired or injured whenever he had tripped and you had adjusted to catch him.

"I couldn’t invite you out to drinks either or I would have gotten you wasted enough to let me pull the ring off," Peony added after a moment. "Which would still have been a major asshole move, I know that, believe me. You were always very firm on not telling each other who we were, so that plan would have never worked."

"And I didn’t want to ask you out knowing I was going to do…that," Endless said, voice lowered and laced with a quiet sort of ache. "Doesn’t matter that I have no chances now, I never wanted to taint whatever we had that way."

You struggled with finding your voice for a couple of seconds, Peony and Endless waiting patiently for you to speak again.

"Why didn’t you trick me sooner?" you asked and they were silent for a long moment.

"I like you, you know," Peony said at last, his voice heavy. "As does Endless."

"More than that, really," Endless added so quietly you almost hadn’t heard him. You suspected he actually hadn’t meant to be heard by you at all.

Peony continued, "We care about you and the more we did, the more we hesitated. It became harder to go through with it the longer we waited."

You slumped back against your couch, feeling conflicted all over again. 

"I’m truly so very sorry," Endless said softly. "If you are willing to let me I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

"As will I," Peony said firmly. "But if you never want to see us again, one word is enough and we’ll vanish from your life."

"We’d still see each other during seminars and Society meetings," you found yourself pointing out and Peony hesitated in a way that made you frown and sit up. "What?"

"I would leave the Society," Peony said. "I’ve wanted to go independent for a while now, so I plan on going somewhere else to open my own office. Just, uh, just so you know, you’d be welcome as my partner. If you want."

Independent hero offices existed everywhere, they worked together with the Society and the government as well as companies. They could be quite successful if done well and you didn’t doubt that Peony was quite capable. He’d make it work.

Peony hesitantly added, "In all honesty, I think I’ll go independent regardless. I’ve been a bit unhappy with working for the Society for a while now."

The Society wasn’t perfect, that was true, and you could admit that the idea of being your own boss was an unexpectedly interesting and, well, rather tempting. You would have said yes, you realized, before this entire mess with the ring.

A part of you still wanted to say yes.

As you tipped your head back to stare up at the ceiling, you came to a decision. You had no idea if you would regret it, but it felt like you’d regret it more if you just…gave up. Ran away. You shifted your fingers to press your thumb of the same hand against the spot where the ring used to sit.

"No more secrets," you said at last. A high demand in your field of work. Secrecy was a big part of the business, both for villains and heroes.

"Anything you want to know, I’ll tell you," Endless said without an ounce of hesitation.

"Aren’t you scared I’m going to use that against you?" You couldn’t help but ask, pushing just a little, because if he told you everything you wanted to know you could easily sell him out to the Society.

"You are a truly good person," Endless answered, voice firm and once again without a hint of hesitation. "And should you decide to betray me in the end in answer for my transgressions, I will only bow my head and call it fair."

He sounded like he meant it. 

"Why don’t I start," Peony said and you heard the careful hope in his voice, could imagine the little smile that curled in the corner of his mouth. Like a small flower yearning to bloom. "Hello Imagination, you know me as Peony, but my real name is Florent Quill and I visit hospitals and nursery homes in my free time to leave bouquets for the people there."

That was so very Peony. Florent. You turned the name over in your mind and found it fitting.

"And my name is Ashton Bach," Endless answered, a smile audible in his voice. "At your service. I’m not nearly as nice as Flori, but I do enjoy making share holders and PR teams panic over stocks on the weekends. But I think you already knew that. Oh, I have a cat, Powder, she’s very sweet."

You found yourself smiling a little at his description and the way his voice grew fond and warm.

"Also, I’m deathly allergic to peanuts," Ashton added. "And I cry every single time I watch Pride and Prejudice."

"I can attest to that," Florent answered dryly and Ashton barked out a brief laugh, raspy and brightly amused.

You curled up against your couch, hiding a smile against your knees. You were still quite upset, deep down, but something about this conversation eased your heart a little. Took away some of the ache and that unsure uneasiness that you felt around them.

"Anything else you want to know?" Ashton asked.

"Not now," you said and hesitated. "But maybe we can talk again later?"

"Anytime you want," Florent promised. "We’ll be here."

You said your goodbyes and hung up and slumped sideways into the pillows. You felt better and even hesitantly hopeful. You fiddled with your phone and wondered if rebuilding trust was that easy. 

*.*.*

It was not that easy, not at all, but slowly, with every conversation you felt less hurt, less backstabbed, less unsure. You knew that they had only wanted to help, but sometimes you woke up from a nightmare where you got the ring ripped away, frantically searching for it. It always took you a moment to remember that you didn’t need it anymore.

Sometimes you dreamed of tearing them apart and it didn’t matter. Not even in the nightmares where you died too along with them. A lack of empathy meant a lack of…anything, really. Anything that mattered, that made you human and kind and stupid and passionate and lazy and all the things that made up this existence on earth.

You had hard conversations with them and it helped that they never shied away from you when you allowed some of the hurt to bubble to the surface. You still hadn’t seen either of them, but bit by bit you allowed your closed off heart to open up again.

And before you knew it, you were ready to return to active duty.

"Don’t worry, I’m taking time off," Florent had reassured you. "You won’t have to see me until you’re ready."

It felt weird to return to work alone and changed. To no longer need the intently protected gloves and to walk the streets with only some occasional fights against a handful villains who wanted to test their mettle against you.

You used your powers faster than before, imagination leaping to your fingertips, eager and hardier and bigger than before. You created things quicker than ever and every creature was just a tad more dangerous than before.

Florent and Ashton did stay away like they had promised. And as one week turned to two, then three, you noticed their absence more and more. The break room remained empty, no friend and colleague there to greet you with smiles and flowers. No powerful and genuinely fun to fight villain seeking you out and handing over the off-switch for the world for a little while at the same time.

No warm hugs and friendly nudges, no promisingly lowered voices and excited grins, no flower crowns on your head and no murmured words that were promise and flattery all at once. 

You ended up calling your therapist and you had a long, tough session. When you left, your eyes were swollen from crying, but you felt like you could breathe properly for the first time in far too long. Your mind and heart felt blown clear at long last and you knew what you wanted.

"Hey," you said when you called Florent, the call getting picked up nearly immediately. Ashton was present too today, he wasn’t always, but often enough that calling Florent first was just easier. "Let’s meet."

*.*.*

Seeing Florent and Ashton again, entirely out of costume, was a little strange, but you were glad to see their faces. They smiled at you and Ashton’s faintly glowing eyes were soft and hopeful, never once straying from you.

A small flower bouquet laid on the table of the café, all your favorites rolled up in pretty paper.

"Hey," Florent said, the faintest of nervous undertones to his voice. "It’s good to see you."

You sat down across from them and realized that seeing them out of costume helped. You were still rather more nervous than you had expected, but the hurt was only a quiet ache now, no longer the fresh, bleeding stab that it had been previously.

"I still want to say sorry again," Florent admitted with an apologetic smile. You had told him to stop apologizing after the sixth time and you pinned him with a look.

"I heard you," you said. "I just…needed some time."

"You are entitled to that and more," Ashton agreed easily and waved over a waitress. "Order whatever you like, it’s on me."

"On you or the businesses you like to rob?" you couldn’t help but ask and his grin got delighted, his eyes going a bit sharper, a bit more intense like they did when you fought.

For a brief moment you wondered what battling him felt like now with your powers having grown fiercer. You wondered how far you could push, how little you’d have to hold back with Ashton. If you’d have to worry about actually hurting him at all when you fought him or if he’d meet you every step of the way.

Florent just sighed in fond amusement. "Don’t get him started," he said in a conspiratorial tone, though he didn’t bother to lower his voice. "He is quite passionate about that topic."

"They are just so stupid," Ashton said as though he couldn’t help himself. "And quite awful, really. Besides, I don’t touch the businesses that are actually good to their employees, you know."

You did know. You knew more about both Ashton and Florent than ever before now. The waitress arrived and you ordered and she left with a smile and brisk steps.

There was a beat of silence, before Ashton leaned forward and asked, "Have you seen the newest announcement for Janet’s books?"

You couldn’t help but light up, as did Florent and before you knew it, you were deeply in a discussion about your favorite book series. A book series Ashton and Florent were big fans off as well. And now those books were supposed to become a TV show and it was rather exciting.

Your conversation moved naturally without much issue at all, rolling from topic to topic as you ate and drank. You laughed and smiled and before you knew it, Florent excused himself.

"I’ll be meeting up with my mum in ten minutes," he said regretfully. "I’ll see you soon?"

"Yeah." You found yourself smiling up at him, then hesitated and you bumped your shoe lightly against his. "Come back to work, alright?"

His face lit up, relief and something warm and bright making him look as happy as you had ever seen him. "I will. And just so you know, the offer of partnering up still stands if that’s something you can see yourself doing." He glanced at his phone when it pinged and winced. "Shit, she said she arrived early. Please excuse me."

He briefly touched Ashton’s shoulder as he got up, sent you another smile and hurried out of the café.

"Want to go for a walk?" Ashton offered, gesturing at the good, if a bit cold weather outside. "We could talk more privately if you want."

You considered the offer, then nodded. Ashton paid and left a generous tip, before you got up. You made sure to take the flowers along and you soon found yourself walking through the nearby park with your former nemesis. Or maybe still nemesis? You weren’t quite sure what the two of you were now.

"You know, I still want to apologize too," Ashton said, looking ahead, his hands buried in the pockets of his jacket. "I know it sounds like I’m feeling sorry for myself, but I just can’t forget the way you looked at me."

Your light mood turned serious and you looked ahead yourself, watching some teenagers jostle each other, laughing at whatever one was showing the other on her phone.

"I wish you would have done it sooner," you found yourself saying at last. "Before I got so attached. Maybe then it would have been easier."

He winced. "Yeah, you’re probably right. I just…" He hesitated, then sighed and his shoulders slumped a little. He smiled a little as though he couldn’t help himself and it was the softest smile you had ever seen. "I think you don’t know how amazing it is to fight you. How you light up when you get to cut loose a little or how little you are afraid of my powers. You never were. Most people run away the second they get close to the void."

He huffed a soft noise, amused and so warm it made the slight chill of the early autumn air disappear. "And then I got you to talk to me, to banter with me. You’re so quick on your feet and you are so damn funny." His small smile faded. "But you are right. In my desire to hold on to those moments for just a little bit longer I ended up hurting you worse."

He tipped his head to look at you, those faintly glowing eyes serious. "I’m usually a pretty selfish person and petty as fuck too, but I messed up here. I shouldn’t have let my feelings get in the way." 

He looked ahead, a wry twist to his mouth. "When I realized what you meant to me, I knew I’d never get to be close to you again if I went through with our plan. That I’d never get to talk with you like that again."

You fiddled with your phone in your pocket, shifting your other hand to once again press your thumb against the spot where the ring used to be.

"I don’t want you to stop," you found yourself saying quietly. Ashton beside you jolted, his surprised gaze meeting yours. Hope made his eyes a little brighter, even as he visibly tried to reign himself in.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly. "I will respect your choices, no matter what." His expression turned hard as he looked away, his shoulders tensing and hunching a little, making him appear smaller. "I will never again ignore what you say."

You looked ahead and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"If this is going to work, we’re going to couples therapy," you said and you heard the sharp breath he took. This time his hope was almost painful to look at.

"Of course," he said. "I’ve been seeing my therapist about this mess myself. Do you have a couple’s therapist in mind? Or should we go to one of ours?"

You mulled that over. "Let’s try ours first, if they agree," you said. "If that doesn’t work, we’ll look for someone specialized."

Ashton nodded with an open, still so very hopeful smile. You noticed the way he pulled his hand out of his pocket, as though he was about to reach out, when he immediately pulled back again. Without much thought, you offered your own hand, not looking at him.

His skin was warm and his palm and fingers calloused when he took your hand as though it was the most precious thing in the world. It made your chest both feel tight and too full.

"Can I still flirt?" he asked after a moment of silence and you found yourself laughing briefly, softly.

"Don’t you dare not to."

"Nicknames?" Ashton asked, that excited, wild-edged smile appearing on his face as he shuffled a step closer to you, still holding your hand so very gently.

"Let’s hear it," you said, unable to stop yourself from smiling back.

He lit up as though he had waited for this moment for ages. "Darling Treasure, brilliant Menace, amazing Foe, my lovely Nemesis -"

You couldn’t help but laugh and duck your head at the same time, flattered and flustered. "Those are just compliments."

He leaned forward a bit to meet your gaze, that wild smile looking downright, well, downright goddamn besotted. "Maybe," he said. "But they’re all true to me."

You had no idea what to say, but whatever expression was on your face, he seemed quite happy about it.

"So, darling Nemesis," he said, that wild-edged smile still on his face even as his voice turned soft and low, the way it used to during your most exciting fights when he’d murmur right by your ear. "Will you let me take you out to dinner?"

You looked up at him and your smile took on a teasing note. "Should I?"

His smile grew into a grin, eyes glowing just a little brighter. "I’d say so. I could take you somewhere cozy and private or fancy and expensive. I do have company money to spend." His grin got a little toothy at those words. "Or I can go and cook you something, set up my little backyard with fairy lights and flowers and in the end we’ll still eat on the couch because Powder will trap one of us the second we dare to sit down inside."

You felt yourself softening. "I haven’t had a good home cooked meal in forever," you said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. His hand shifted, his fingers interlacing with yours. 

For once you didn’t need a reminder that the ring was gone and no longer needed, not when his skin pressed warm against yours, his hold secure. There was no space for dinged, cold iron.

"Then I better do my best," he said softly. "Maybe I’ll even get you to fall in love with me one of these days."

You didn’t tell him that you were halfway in love with him already. That you had been for months and that, once you had worked through a large part of the emotions of the ring incident, those feelings had slowly, gently, bubbled to the surface again.

"Maybe it won’t take as much effort as you think to get there," you said and when you glanced at him, his expression was so open it almost hurt to look at.

"Darling Nemesis," he said, quiet and reverent and so very lovingly. "You are truly the brightest, most amazing person I ever met." He reached up with his free hand and you realized you had stopped walking. His fingertips brushed your cheek, leaving streaks of warmth behind.

"My perfect nemesis," he whispered. "If only you knew how brightly you shine in my eyes."

And when you tugged him a little closer, shifting up to meet him, he pressed a warm, smiling kiss against your cheek. Maybe not everything was perfect, you certainly had some shit to work through together, but you knew you could do it.

His hand was gentle, his touch loving, his fingers elegant and strong between yours and you smiled at the lack of rings you felt, the warmth that was there instead.

Yeah, things were going to be just fine.

*

Taglist:

@permanentlydepressedpigeon @thesaltofcarthage @those-damn-snippets

[muchmossymess]

GUYS okay hear me out majoras mask boat boys au

I love legend of zelda I love boat boys this is like the ultimate combination of my interests you cannot understand the brainrot. Idk what to call it yet tho... majoras minecraft? Anyway prepare for an essay

OKAY so we have the Hero of Time, Etho, who stopped ganons plans before they started, and would be stuck in a child's body if not for the fact I think that'd be a lil weird for the more shippy aspects of this au that all the running through time aged his soul and his body followed suit (he's still got a young appearance, and the mask doesn't make him look older like he thinks). Same reason he has the scar over his eye (from the ganon fight); no matter how much the body may heal or rewind the mind will not forget.

Then navi (maybe bdubs?) left him, and he went with epona (maybe bdubs instead? (eponas a horse iydk)) and he sets out on a journey aka the beginning of mm:

Wandering through the woods on epona, gets jumped by skull kid. For those unaware, there is skull kid, a lonely lil sweetheart, and he wears the mask, an entity on its own. He also has two fairies, siblings tael and tatl.

So I was a little unsure about this for a while, but I think I've decided on grian for the skull kid and Jimmy for tael, grian bc watchers and Jimmy bc skull kid is not very nice to tael (bc of the mask) and like a listeners reference or smth blah blah blah

TATL. that's who's interesting. At the beginning she gets separated from her friends and becomes your companion. So naturally for this au she is our favourite joel smallishbeans. It works so well. Tatl is mean but cares, and that's joels dynamic with the bad boys and with etho, guys it's literally perfect idc what you say

I think it doesn't change much throughout like the story of the game, but just taking dialogue tatl says to link and its so perfect for a sassy joel to a "can't believe I'm dealing with this shit again" etho. Uh one thing different though; in hylian form etho doesn't have an ocarina but instead a mini marimba. Just because. I think it's cool, and for potential things later on.

Now, fairies in this au are just tiny glowing people shaped things with wings. The glow around them is their magic, and depending on emotions/energy the brightness changes (thats why they look like flying balls of light). Some fairies have the ability to make projections of themselves, more hylian sized in nature. This can be intimidation or distraction or w/e, but they cant do it for long periods of time bc its exhausting. These forms aren't physical. Just sized up light projections of their actual bodies.

So for a lot of their journey, joel is just a cute pocket sized ball of rage and sarcasm, who helps with ethos aim for fighting. Bc that's a game mechanic and also ethos like half blind. But like when joel calms down imagine him crawling into ethos hat and just dozing off. He can fit in the palm of your hand like guys it's so cute. But he is also capable of being worse than a mozzie

Oh probably a good point to put in what I imagine etho looks like. So it's typical link green (maybe a bit dampened?), weird pointy hat, short hair (white ofc), his shirt is more of a jacket with a fluffy cold weather collar, it's a bit too big for him but he knows he'll grow into it, he's all knobbly and thin (underfed a lil, boy was never taught how to care for himself beyond basic survival). His injured eye is red bc of ganon, and often gives him phantom pains. It can't be healed.

Anyway, at some point in their journey together, etho and joel learn a song that let's fairies have a larger physical form, no wings, sorta like the great fairies (who they learnt it from prolly). It isn't permanent, slowly draining ethos magic meter, the spell ends when you run out of magic. This is because I want them to actually be able to stand side by side or maybe hug, and also bc its hard to block a blow with your body when ur tennis ball sized.

Aaaaand, this ties back in with with marimba. What if ethos injured, or unconscious, and he obviously can't defend himself, so joel panics and plays the marimba in what he hopes is the right order to give himself a body. I imagine that being that small, you could not play an ocarina. And hey maybe joel carries etho away after that, and when the spell ends he has barely any light emitting from himself because he spent nearly all his magic (what he is made of) saving etho.

But this song isn't used much, because of its draining nature, and you can't really do any other magic things while it's going. So it's mostly just in the final fight (over and over) or tough moments or maybe joel wants to experience something like hoe hylians do. It's obviously inferior to how he experiences things as a fairy, of course, he's just curious thats all. He totally doesn't want etho to do it more.

Okay I think ill sorta stop here, I am NOT done, I will probably post some art I've done for this later lol, and I want help with who everyone else is (mumbo is the moon. You cannot stop me nor change my mind) with mcyts to npcs

[rwby-encrusted-blog]

You know, because it's hard to give a massive amount of character in one post, I'm gonna list stuff about alternate rusted knights here

Repentant Thief: Emerald Sustrai, desperate for company used her semblance to hallucinate her friends/allies. Over time as her memory of them began failing, the illusions became flatter, more generic in their kindness and support, and at some points she truly believes that's what RWBY and Co. were like, while at others she can't stand the sight of them, the inaccuracies making her sick to her stomach.

She waits for her Heroes. The ones that saved her before.

She wears leather armor with a Leather helm that covers the lower portion of her face, with a large cloak and hood over all of it. her pants are very similar to previoupairs, simply plainer and sturdier. She has traded heels in for full hiking boots.

~~~~~

Fathomless Angler: Clover Ebi, now an old man, has grown tired, very, very tired. So tired he no longer cares to find a way out, and lets time slip by - He never read The Girl that fell Through the World, his knowledge of it's tale being minimal. He figures this is some twisted afterlife, that he'd done wrong fighting Qrow and has to let himself be punished for fighting his friend.

He Waits, as catching a fish is mostly waiting for it to take the bait. He's still trying to figure out his fish.

Clover wears a faded, dusty Atlesian coat, meant to have water and snow slide right off, with a large scarf and slick bucket hat. due to lack of care, his beard has grown long and scraggly, a veritable bush of salt and pepper. He wears Waders in place of his old Military boots.

~~~~~

The Cobalt Knight (Oxidized Cobalt): Alyx, upon deciding to amend her mistakes in the Ever After was assaulted by The Curious Cat. Jaune Arc, the Rusted Knight, still sick from the poison rushed to her aid. In the end, Alyx was saved, and the cat slinked away to lick it's wounds.

Jaune's didn't make it, and was swallowed by the tree.

Alyx, unable to heal him, to fix this mistake took up his weapons and trained. She was smart - out maneuvering and outsmarting the cat for years until she was able to fight it directly. Then they stayed apart, the Cat not wanting to risk themself, and Alyx not wanting to her own life in revenge.

Alyx waits for the same reasons Jaune did - Guilt, anger, self-loathing, and a need to help RWBY, with all the same weapons he fought with; Mind, Sword, and Shield.

She wears armor like Jaune's only simpler, and lighter, and in FAR better condition - only a little dirty and scuffed.

~~~~~

The Frosted Empress (Lonely): Weiss Schnee, Knowing all she had to do was wait, did just that. She waited. and Waited. And waited. She did her best to stay stable, she practiced arts, she kept up her training, she began to speak to herself in off moments, she never got along with people too much liker herself so Alyx was a handful to deal with.

She oscillates between a very sweet, matronly figure, and an Icy, bitchy Vol-1-esque personality, with moments of lucidity being not too uncommon.

This Weiss wears very simply constructed outfits - basic chain mail and dresses, with immense ornamentation, and a veil, like one would wear at a funeral. She has many different trinkets - leaves, feathers, jewelry and what not.

~~~~~

The Wilted Rose: Ruby Rose fell into the Ever After, and Suffered. She fought as much as she always had, but with no support, no clear goal and the weight of her failings crushing her, Alyx and Lewis were the Straws that broke the Camel's back.

She Ascended into the one person she knew could do anything.

Summer rose.

As motherly and sweet as ever, this rose has thorns only for The Curious Cat - even if she can't remember why.

She looks like an older Summer. With like, very graying hair. It's just Summer Rose.