#starved of Large OC content in this fandom

[grimicarus]

Stumbling onto cold stones, leaning heavily on Violet’s shoulders- tiny Violet, a foot shorter than you and half your weight, with weak still-developing muscles, forced to carry your weight as you trip over your own feet. There’s a trail of blood behind you, consistent dripping from the leaking hole in your belly that could be traced all the way back to the dorms.

“You can’t just give up on me know!” She hisses, and it’s music to your ears, even as your vision gets fuzzy around the edges and your hearing goes in and out inconsistently. Pretty Bird. Pretty Violet. Brilliant, beautiful, clever Violet. “Stop calling me that!”

“Jus’ the truth,” you slur, a crooked grin painting your cheeks as you spit a mouthful of iron onto the ground. These cobbles have seen worse.

She huffs in outrage, and adjusts her grip to support you better, which is helpful because you’re starting to lose feeling in your legs.

It takes an uncomfortably long time for you to notice the newcomers to your late-night party, and even longer to realize who Violet was bickering with. “Riorson?”

His gaze snaps to you, dark eyes taking in your hunched form. It’s an uncomfortable feeling to be so much shorter than him, and you try to straighten up, to match his height the way you usually did when you weren’t pouring buckets of your life on the ground. “Come ‘ere often?”

“What happened.” His tone is flat, no-nonsense, and he doesn’t respond to your flirty tone, even as another arm hooks itself on your other side, taking some of your weight off of pretty Violet, who’s seething like a spitting cat. Cute.

“Well,” you drawl, long and slow and strained as your vision spots out again. “I was havin’ a lovely dream ‘bout our pretty bird here.”

Your fucking accent. Gods-be-damned, you caught enough eyes on you for it when you kept it tightly under wraps, little hints of it seeping out every now and then, but now the thick drawl of an unfamiliar world is unmistakably and obviously foreign. And you might be leaking blood, but not so much that you don’t recognize the way Xaden’s eyes narrow, or the way the new arm around you tenses momentarily.

“‘N then I woke up, wet ‘n leakin’ all over the sheets.” The grin is painful and sharp and ugly as it stretches across your face, explicitly revolting and full of implication even as another cough wreaks your form, blood splattering on your front. Distantly you hear Violet calling you a “fucking idiot” but that’s neither here nor there.

Lolling your head to the side reveals Bodhi holding you up, and to the other reveals that Garrick had replaced Violet at some point and the pair had you sandwiched between them, dragging you towards the infirmary as Violet fretted and hovered with Xaden trying to pry information out of you.

“Look,” you interrupt, groaning as you stumble and aggravate your wound just a little bit further. “it ain’ so big a deal, jus’ gotta… gotta…”

You frown, furrowing your brow as the words slip away from you, and your head drops. And between one moment and the next, you go from the edge of the courtyard to the middle of a hallway, and Violet’s still spitting mad, she refuses to leave your side and abandon you to the upper years who had every reason to kill you (because of her, because she was a Sorrengail).

“Pretty bird,” you drawl, struggling on the inhale as you loll your head to the side to watch her over Bodhi’s shoulder. “Don’ do nothin’ stupid now, ain’ worth it, lovey.”

“They stabbed you in your sleep!” She hisses, and gods-be-good, you loved that voice. “It’s a violation of the Codex, you-“

“Lovey.” You cut her off, stumbling over your feet a little again as you try to get them under you. Had they been dragging you? “I’ll sort it, yeah? Don’ worry your pretty little head abou’ it.”

“As wingleader it’s my responsibility to-“ Xaden starts to explain, like you didn’t know it already from your pretty birds rambling, and you roll your eyes, huffing and glancing over at Garrick.

“You hearin’ tha’? Big man thinks he go’ any place in my bus- busin- busy- fuck.” You curse, dropping your head as the word trails away from you, darkness stealing you once more, and the next moment you’re in a different hall, closer to the infirmary.

“You’re gonna be okay.” She whispers, your pretty little Violet. Far more resilient than a flower, sturdier than any frail petal.

“Pretty bird?” You slur, mouth full of wet and iron that dribbles down your chin.

“I’m here.” She says, reaching for your hand over Bodhi’s shoulder. “You’re gonna be alright.”

“Big man?” You ask weakly, gaze flickering for Xaden who you couldn’t see anymore, but you don’t get a response before your vision fades again, for the final time that night.

[astra-ella]

𝐙𝐎𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

fandom: haikyuu ship: nishinoya yuu x oc/reader status: complete ao3 link

"I think you're really pretty. Will you go out with me?" That was the first thing he's ever said to her. And needless to say, Amari Chiyo was not impressed. So as promised, Nishinoya Yuu will get to know her better and confess again. And again. And again. And again. It'll take 6 years and 9 confessions, but he'll get there. Eventually.

⌦ content: fluff, light angst, love at first sight, friends to lover, slice of life, haikyuu manga spoilers

⌦ note: you are free to insert yourself into Chiyo, just keep in mind she has her own character/backstory. i know some people don't like that, so just a heads-up.

story masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

The seventh time he confessed was near the end of their second year — during their overnight school trip to Tokyo.

Nishinoya had already been to Tokyo once. Due to the Karasuno volleyball team somehow coming in first during the Spring Tournament preliminaries, securing their spot as representatives of the Miyagi prefecture. Alongside the rest of the school, Chiyo went to the final qualifiers match to cheer them on. She wanted to do the same when they headed off to Tokyo but had to stay back because of school. So the only thing she could do was watch the live broadcast at home, sending the occasional encouraging text message to Nishinoya right before a match.

They did surprisingly well, losing in the quarterfinals and ranking Top 8 in the country. Chiyo made sure to congratulate Nishinoya by making him a feast of his favorite foods once he got back to Miyagi. And as he sat at the table, telling stories upon stories of the rivals he faced at the large-scale national tournament, Chiyo could tell that Kaito was becoming more and more intrigued.

Maybe to some extent due to Nishinoya's influence, Kaito began to demonstrate great interest and talent in volleyball. He even joined a youth volleyball class at the local community center and became a star member after two years of playing. Perhaps one day, he would go on to play at a national tournament just like Nishinoya did. 

Regardless, spring was right around the corner. The current third-years would be graduating in three weeks while Chiyo and Nishinoya would be moving into their final year of high school. So before their students can get too wrapped up in another wave of examination hell, the school sent them off on their final school trip — the last chance to truly let loose before exam prep starts.

“Hey, Amari-san!” A girl from her activity group called out, waving as she descended the staircase to the subway platforms. “What’d you get for lunch?”

It was the second day of the school trip, and they were on their way to visit the Tokyo Skytree when the teachers decided to stop in the metro station to let everyone take a quick lunch break. 

“Just an onigiri from the convenient store,” she swung the little plastic bag in her hand. “I’m not that hungry.”

Her classmate peered into the plastic bag. “Really? I’m absolutely starving.”

“That’s because you skipped breakfast, Kikuchi-san,” Chiyo pointed out. She was about to say more when she heard a familiar voice call out.

“Oh, it’s Chiyo!”

She turned around to see Nishinoya standing at the top of the stairway, waving at her with one arm while carrying a large collection of snacks in the other. Chiyo smiled a little and waved back.

A train pulled into the station and the metal tracks let out an ear-piercing screech. Chiyo held a hand up to her hair, holding back the long red wisps that threatened to get caught up in the heated gush.

“Nishinoya-kun from Class 2-2, right?” Kikuchi said, just loud enough for Chiyo to hear over the ensemble of footsteps of white-collar workers making their way onto the platform and up the stairs. She eyed him from head to toe. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you, Amari-san. There’s a rumor going around that you two are dating. Is that true?”

“N-No!” Chiyo immediately shook her head. “We’re not! We are not dating!”

“Really?” Kikuchi hummed, eyes wandering back to Nishinoya. She watched as he did his best to weave his way against the flood of people heading upstairs. 

“Then, can I have him?”

Chiyo’s eyes widened.

“Have him?” She repeated under her breath. “What do you…?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Kikuchi met her gaze pointedly. “He’s good-looking, has a cute personality, and he’s part of a sports team which is totally up my alley. Unless… he secretly has a girlfriend?”

Chiyo looked down, her grip tightening on the convenience store bag. “N-Not that I know of…”

“Then that’s perfect!” Clasping her hands together, Kikuchi’s face brightened. “Hey, will you help me put in a good word with him? I wanna try getting some alone time during the school trip.”

Chiyo’s lips parted. Suddenly, all she could see were flashes of the rest of the trip. And whenever she looked in Nishinoya’s direction, Kikuchi was somewhere nearby. She sucked in a harsh breath.

“No,” the words came out harsher than she would’ve liked, but her tone was resolute. 

“Hm?”

“You can’t have him.”

“Wha-?” Kikuchi looked confused. “But you’re not even his girlfriend. He’s not yours to give-”

“He’s not anyone’s to give,” Chiyo cut her off, her free hand clutching onto the hem of her jacket sleeve. “But even so… To me, Yuu is… special. Which is why I won’t give him to you!”

Her words were simple, but it felt as if it took all her energy to speak them.

After what felt like forever, Kikuchi finally broke the silence with a hum. “So you do like him,” she mused and by the time Chiyo looked up she was met with a smug grin.

“I figured.”

Chiyo’s face flushed a bright red. “T-That’s not what I was trying to say!”

“You know, Amari-san, you shouldn’t patronize your romantic rival like this.”

“But-!”

Kikuchi held up a hand.  “A maiden with a broken heart doesn’t need your pity,” she said with a wink.

“Hey!” By that point, Nishinoya had finally made it past the crowd and stepped onto the platform. “You wouldn’t believe what I found,” as he approached, he shifted his backpack around and began rummaging through it. “There’s this little store just a few blocks outside the station, and they were selling Calpico! I know you love this stuff so I bought two. A regular one and a peach one-” As he plucked one of the two bottles out, his brown eyes darted between the two girls, finally picking up on the awkward tension that loomed between them.

“Did something happen?” He asked.

“Nah,” Kikuchi waved nonchalantly before gently patting Chiyo on the shoulder. “Nice to meet you, by the way. My name is Kikuchi Sora. I’m part of Amari-san’s activity group.”

“Nishinoya Yuu, Class 2-2,” Nishinoya returned her greeting with a cheerful one of his own as he secured his backpack over his shoulders once more. “Thanks for taking care of Chiyo.”

“Why are you the one saying that?” The redhead raised an eyebrow and Nishinoya gave her a thumbs-up.

“Because I can!”

A loud chime echoed underground, followed by a cool female voice telling passengers that the subway doors will soon close.

“Oh,” Nishinoya glanced up at the fluorescent lights. “Let’s get on. Don’t wanna be late,” he said as he readjusted his backpack and stepped into the subway cart.

“Wait, Yuu,” Chiyo reached out after him, subconsciously taking a few steps forward. “We’re supposed to meet the teachers on the platforms, not at-”

“Doors will now be closing.”

“Amari-san!”

“Huh?” Chiyo’s eyes widened at Kikuchi’s voice. She spun around just in time to see the subway doors shut behind her. She could see her classmate staring through the glass with panicked eyes. Quickly, she pulled out her phone and mouthed ‘text me’ as the vehicle began to move.

“I can’t believe you,” Chiyo grumbled as she and Nishinoya stood by a telephone pole on the bustling streets of Tokyo. “Were you even listening to the teachers before they let us out? We were supposed to meet on the platform! Not the skytree!”

“Honestly, no,” Nishinoya admitted bluntly as he took another sip of his energy drink. “I was so hungry I could barely think about anything besides food.”

“You-!” Chiyo tried to find the words to scold him but ultimately settled for a sigh of resignation. There was no use scolding someone for a genuine mistake or someone who’s already apologized a million times. “We’re just told to meet them at the Skytree for real this time,” she scrolled through Kikuchi’s messages with an awkward laugh. “Apparently, we’re in a lot of trouble.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Nishinoya hummed. “I’ll just tell them that you only came after me 'cause I was being stupid.”

“Won’t your punishment be worse if you do that?” Chiyo pointed out and he shrugged.

“It’s the truth anyways and we have Kikuchi to back you up,” he then glanced back with a reassuring smile. “Besides, you’ve never been to Tokyo before, right? I want you to enjoy your time while you’re here.”

“But-”

“I was literally just here,” Nishinoya cut her off with a cheeky grin. “And I’ll be back this fall and the spring after that,” he paused for a second to examine Chiyo’s troubled expression. “My point is, I’ll have plenty of time to explore this city. But you only have this trip until you’re swamped with exam prep. So let me try and take the blame for this, yeah?”

Chiyo’s brows furrowed, she was about to open her mouth to protest but held her tongue. “Alright, alright,” she relented, figuring that even if she were to resist, Nishinoya would still somehow find a way to direct the teachers’ indisputably harsh punishment towards himself. “Let’s try to find a way to get to Tokyo Skytree first.”

“Yeah,” remembering their current predicament, Nishinoya rubbed the back of his neck and looked around. “Uhh, I honestly have no idea where we are right now.”

“Really? I thought you were the expert on Tokyo, considering you’ve been here once already,” Chiyo teased with a small smile tugging at her lips.

“I’ve never been in this area before, that’s all,” he retorted with a laugh. He briefly skimmed the crowd. “Want me to ask around?”

Chiyo nodded. “You do that. I’ll try to look up some directions.”

“Alright, go team!” He gave a small cheer before hurrying off, quickly finding someone to ask for directions.

“Hey, excuse me! Do you know how we can get to the Tokyo Skytree?”

Chiyo narrowed her eyes at the options her phone presented. She was about to pick the route with the fastest travel time when a familiar voice stopped her short.

“Take the Ginza line towards Asakusa and get off at Ueno station. It’s a five minute walk from there.”

“I see. Thanks!”

Chiyo looked up, easily spotting Nishinoya’s bleached tuft of hair in the crowd. And sure enough, before him stood a very familiar woman. 

Chiyo felt her entire world stutter to a halt. She couldn’t move, nor could she think. All she could do was stare blankly as the woman pointed to various spots on Nishinoya’s phone.

Sure enough, the woman soon noticed her gaze and glanced up. Her bright blue eyes widened with recognition. 

“...Chiyo?”

The world began to move again and Chiyo suddenly became acutely aware of the sea of people that crossed the little distance that separated them. She soon found her voice again and the words came out in a choked squeak.

“Mom…”

“Here’s your Sprite,” a waitress set down a tall glass on the table before him.

Nishinoya didn’t know what to do. One minute he was asking some random stranger on the street for directions, and the next he was sitting in a cafe with said stranger and Chiyo, neither of whom said a single word since they’ve sat down.

He had no clue the woman who sat before them was Harada Yuuka, the mother of the Amari siblings. But upon closer inspection, the similarities became more apparent. She had the same brown hair as her children, and her brilliant blue eyes hidden behind her metal-rimmed glasses shone with intelligence. In terms of the way they carried themselves and their overall presence, Chiyo probably resembled her the most.

“You dyed your hair red,” her voice was even, perhaps a bit robotic.

“Yes,” Chiyo replied quietly as she poured some milk into her tea. “I did it last year.”

“You should get rid of it. Universities and businesses won’t accept a delinquent with colorful hair.”

Chiyo didn’t say anything. Instead, she picked up the small, provided spoon and began to stir.

“How have you been?” Yuuka glanced at her. “Everything alright?”

Chiyo nodded as she set the spoon down and took a sip. “Yeah.”

“And your siblings? How are they doing?”

Chiyo nodded again.

“That’s good then,” Yuuka took a sip of her coffee. “As long as you’re all doing well, that’s good.”

Nishinoya shuffled in his seat. He took a sip of his drink, trying to find something to do amongst the awkward tension.

“Chiyo,” Yuuka set her cup back down onto her saucer, effectively shattering the momentary silence with the light clink of porcelain meeting porcelain. “I’ve been meaning to contact you soon, but this is perfect timing,” she set her hands down on her black pencil skirt and looked her daughter dead in the eyes. “I’ll be leaving for Iceland soon. I want you to come with me.”

Nishinoya’s eyes widened.

“Huh?”

“I’ve built some pretty strong connections there through my company. A position opened up at the main branch and I accepted it,” her eyes were clear. “Iceland is ranked second in the world in terms of education. With your exceptional academic performance, I can secure you a better future than you’ll ever get rotting away here.”

“You ran back to your father once, but I trust you see now how that was a mistake. Taking the easy path and staying in Miyagi will do nothing to help your future-”

“Hold on now-!”

Nishinoya was about to interject but Chiyo held him back with an arm over his chest.

“I still don’t think you understand,” her voice was almost as sharp as her mother’s. “I didn’t go back to dad because I was scared of going to school in Tokyo.”

Yuuka remained silent, as if asking her daughter to elaborate.

“Mom, why didn’t you ever come back to visit Hotaru and Kaito?”

Yuuka blinked a few times. Her eyes then trailed out to the large cafe window, watching as a group of rowdy schoolchildren ran past.

“I figured if I came back to visit, I’d just disrupt their adjustment to living with a single parent.”

“Then why didn’t you at least take Hotaru or Kaito?” Chiyo’s voice cracked. “I would’ve been fine. Why out of the three of us, you chose to take me?”

“When your father and I separated, I realized I couldn’t advance my career while taking care of three children. I took you with me because I didn’t want to uproot Hotaru and Kaito’s lives while they were still so young. And besides,” Yuuka turned her attention back to her daughter. “I saw the most potential in you .”

Nishinoya felt a chill run down his spine. He briefly glanced at Chiyo, whose eyes only widened.

“Hotaru is too naive and Kaito is too blunt. Neither of them would survive well in a business setting,” she interlaced her fingers. “I wanted to be sure I was making an investment that would pay off. Besides, I figured you would use your success to support your siblings anyways. So I didn’t need to worry.”

Nishinoya took it back. Chiyo was nothing like her mother after all. Throughout the years he’s gotten to know Chiyo, no matter how much she’d scold either him or her siblings there was always an underlying sense of love that accompanied her harsh words. But when Yuuka spoke, there was no tone in her voice. There was no scolding, no love. Only a cold calculating chill. It was as if she were staring at pieces on a chessboard rather than her own flesh and blood.

He figured Chiyo must’ve come to the same conclusion because he saw her lips quiver as they pressed together. Under the table, he instinctively reached out, placing a hand over her trembling one. To his surprise, she immediately latched on like he was her lifeline.

“So take your future into account and-”

“No,” Chiyo said after taking a deep breath and Yuuka’s expression soured. “I’m not going with you, mom.”

The shock was only momentary however, as a tinge of annoyance soon reflected within Yuuka’s deep blue eyes.

“Be rational, Chiyo,” she tilted her head a little. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. An exceptional secondary education will get you into a good university. And graduating from a good university will secure you a good job that pays lots of money.”

Those words rang familiar in Nishinoya’s ears. Those were almost the exact same words Chiyo repeated to him every single time the topic of the future came up. Sometimes she said it with so little enthusiasm that Nishinoya even wondered if she truly meant what she said.

As if to confirm his longtime suspicions, Chiyo gently shook her head.

“But… What if that’s not a life I want to live?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Yuuka’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“What if that kind of life scares me, mom?” Chiyo replied, a little louder this time. “What if I don’t want to be trapped in an office for eight hours a day, working a job I don’t even care about?”

“What do you want to do then?”

“I-I don’t know,” Chiyo shrank a little under her mother’s sharp gaze. “Maybe I’ll travel or do something creative,” for the first time while talking about the future, Nishinoya saw a small smile playing on her lips. “Maybe I’ll open a small restaurant or bakery-”

“You do realize none of those options will make you happy, right?” Yuuka cut her off. “I’ve told you this before. Money makes the world go round. In order to be happy, you need to be successful and make money.”

“Who says?” At that point, Nishinoya had enough. He felt a light squeeze on his hand and soon he found the words tumbling out of his mouth without a second thought. “Who says you need to make money to be happy? My gramps and I aren’t loaded, but I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

“Doing well is very different from succeeding ,” though she looked a little annoyed at his interruption, Yuuka turned towards him with a pointed look. “Doing well is being able to put food on the table, meeting the bare minimum of a person’s needs. Happiness and success is to be able to live in the lap of luxury. Do you and your grandfather have the luxury to eat out at expensive restaurants? Can you buy name-brand clothes or bags? Can you buy whatever you want, whenever you want?”

“But that’s just your idea of happiness, isn’t it?” Nishinoya retorted. He could see Chiyo watching him from the side, but he didn’t want to break eye contact with the older woman. Now that he was looking straight into them, they came off as a little empty. In comparison to Chiyo’s which were filled with warmth.

“Each person has their own idea of what happiness looks like. Even if you’re Chiyo’s mom, hers can be completely different from yours,” he said, absent-mindedly tracing his thumb over Chiyo’s knuckles as if to soothe her. “I don’t think it’s right for you to force your ideals onto your daughter like they’re facts.”

Yuuka opened her mouth to say something, but Chiyo beat her to it.

“Mom,” she took a moment to study her mother’s neutral expression. “Our family… what we want in our lives isn’t success… or a perfectly planned out future,” her voice choked a little and Nishinoya held onto her hand even tighter as if to encourage her. “What we really needed… was a normal mother who would love and accept us for who we are.”

Yuuka’s eyes widened. They wandered to the side, as if she were in deep thought.

“I do love you though. All three of you,” she said in an even tone. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t care if you three were sweeping the bathroom or the streets.”

Nishinoya frowned, he glanced over at Chiyo who took a long stare at her mother before pressing her lips together.

“Let’s talk about this when I’m older,” she sounded defeated. “Thank you for the drinks, mom.”

Nishinoya watched the back of Chiyo’s head as she focused on her phone, trying to follow the directions they received from her mother towards the Tokyo Skytree. They had since parted ways with her, apparently she had a meeting to attend soon.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, not sparing him a glance.

Nishinoya didn’t sense a lie in her voice, nor did he hear it quivering. But for some reason, he was met with an intense desire to see her face. So he grabbed her wrist to stop her in her tracks. Chiyo spun around, her face reflecting a sense of exhaustion that squeezed at his heart.

“Are you okay?” He asked again.

“I’m fine, really,” Chiyo said. “That’s just how she operates.”

“For the record,” Nishinoya took a step forward and looked straight in her eyes. “I think your plans for the future are great.”

“Thanks,” she gave a half-hearted laugh.

“No, I’m serious,” his grip tightened on her wrist, as if to convey his sincerity. “You should do what you wanna do. Not what your parents or siblings, or whatever anyone else wants. Not even me.”

Chiyo’s eyes widened.

“Be it a restaurant or bakery, or hell, even a lemonade stand on the side of the street. Whatever makes you happy,” he gave her a warmest smile he could muster on that chilly, early spring afternoon. “And you know what? If you ever get lost and don’t know what to do, I’ll be there to support you.”

He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Because that’s the least I can do for the kind and capable girl I fell in love with.”

Chiyo’s cheeks were dusted bright pink as he made that final statement. She averted her eyes downwards, but the corners of her lips soon curled upwards. “Thanks, Yuu,” she murmured before meeting his gaze with a weary smile. “That means a lot to me.”

Nishinoya hummed. She didn’t look happier, per se. But it seemed like some of the worries she’s been carrying for years had finally been relieved from her shoulders.

“Now let’s go,” releasing his grip on her arm, he nudged his head as if telling her to keep up. “We’re already late.”

Chuckling a little, Chiyo nodded.

“Okay.”

story masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

[tokiwigiwi]

so ive been a fan of danganronpa for a while now, i think i got into it late 2018, and basically since i got up to chapter 2 of thh togami became my favourite character and he's been my fave ever since, and much of my time was spent largely thinking about it on my own. and due to that i was stuck in my own head with very little fandom content to supply my mind. so because of this there was a time where i had went through all of togami's main ships and when i realised i had exhausted all the content for that ship i would move on. during all my time i ended up at one point or another shipping togami with all the survivors, a couple characters from the main game, and even an oc, but not once have i ever shipped him with toko. and i think thats hilarious. like even i, who was starving for content, didn;t touch it with a 10 foot pole

[theshebinator]

✪ PARTNERS MUST BE 18 OR OVER ✪

✎ INTRO

Sheb | 27 | He/They | ENG

I'm pretty new to the rp scene. Started on a whim in 2022 and fell in love with it! I'm not a beginner writer though, and I have about 15 years of fiction, fanfiction, and comic scripting under my belt to prove it!

✎ 3rd person, semi-lit to lit. No pressure for timely responses. VERY open to novel-length rps and long, convoluted AUs and plot lines. Will happily keep going until one of us dies.

WILL DO - Adult content (must be over 21), angst, fluff, light gore (think slightly above PG-13), villains, OCxOC, AUs, crossovers

WILL NOT DO - incest/pedo/zoo, self harm, suicide, age regression, bodily waste, homophobia/transphobia/racism/sexism/bigotry of any kind (EVEN if its fictional! I just don't want to), drugs, non-con

ALL smut and romance rp will require clear consent and all parties may revoke consent at any time for any reason.

Exclusively on Discord, Tupperbox or similar preferred.

DM if interested! ૮ • ﻌ - ა

OCs and Fandoms under cut

✎ OCs

Sedgewick Wolke - Alien, 30s, He/Him. Nerd, out of touch, well-meaning, gay. Imprisoned for 8 years after accidentally destroying his kind (whoops!). Trying to make up for it all, needs everyone all day long to like him so much.

Sybil Wolke - Alien, 20s, She/Her. Cunning, dry wit, impulsive, will kill you, bisexual. Thrust into leadership after 90% of her kind was killed, bearer of the curse (chosen from birth to be a messiah. She's handling it really well.) Sedge's sister.

Rin - Wolf, Adult, She/Her. Tough, kind, used to looking our for herself. Bastard child with a strained relationship with her dad, but knows how to swing a staff.

Neska - Wolf, 20s, He/Him. Gooey center with a tough outer shell. Was born to breed new gods and die a horrible violent death by said gods. Mama's boy, large build but frail health.

Ha Forte - "Catgirl" (alien), 30s, She/Her. Rough and tumble, but very short with most of her weight in her tail. Pansexual. Researcher on earth, unfortunately landed in rural Michigan. Something of a tinkerer.

Sophia - Lesser Gryphon, 50s, She/Her. Lesbian. Ornery, crotchety, and desperately lonely. Doesn't like to talk about her past much and prefers to be left alone. Has a soft spot for kids, though.

Harley "Happiness" Stermann - Star Entity, 20s, He/They. Pansexual. Egomaniac, paranoid, flashy, has done things he's not proud of. Has a strained relationship with the truth.

Maxim "Mania" Stermann - Star Entity, 20s, He/They. Pansexual. Even worse than Harley, but doesn't feel any shame about it. Stereotypical villain, loves violence and bloodshed. Can be tamed, but not recommended. Harley's brother.

All my OCs are open to be shipped with yours if you want!

✎ FANDOMS

Wandersong - Miriam mainly, but will happily be Kiwi or Audrey, or any minor characters as needed. LOVE Mirikiwi, Audwi, RGB!! And AUs!

Adventure Time - Ice King / Simon Petrikov is my preferred role, but still flexible. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO WINTERKOV/SIMONCEST WITH ME!! Petricrazy and Wintergrof are also great!

Don't Starve (Together) - If you want Maxwell to berate you for thousands of words, I'm your man! I also like being Wes and Wilson. LOOOOVE Maxwil and Wilwes!!

Homestar Runner - Strong Bad main, yet flexible here too. More than willing to rp my OverloadAU as Homestar. STRONGSTAR NATION!!!

Send me an ask or DM me if you're interested! I might even doodle scenes from rps winkwonk

[dragonfire2lm]

Yes, this, all of this.

Rant incoming, please just read OP's post and ignore this if you do not want to read about my frustration.

I'm gonna bring in my perspective as a writer and someone who's been bouncing between fandoms for years now. As an Emperor fangirl, I am starving for content, for good positive content just enjoying the character (and seeing the various Tavs and OC's shipped with The Emperor), whilst drowning in negativity posts from people that strongly dislike the character.

Meanwhile, no one gives a shit if you like Gortash, the actual goddamn tyrant, Sold-Someone-To-A-Devil, Enver Gortash (Gortash fans, I like you guys, you're chill, just making a point), and while I know Astarion fans are split down the middle between Spawn vs Ascended (again no hate, just making a point), the amount of content for either Gortash or Astarion is just a goddamned ocean compared to the puddle that is Emperor/Tav fanfics or just Emperor specific content.

I've started writing my own fanfic for the Emperor/Tav ship, featuring my dragonborn OC Lilowyn, and while the romance isn't a large focus of the story (it's more of plot thread connected to the OC's main story of arc of Chronic Illness and how said illness impacts not only her day to day, and how others notice her illness first before taking note of who she actually is as a person), the Emperor/Tav ship is still there and I've had to set my expectations accordingly when it comes to who will even read my fanfic and the story I want to tell.

I will not get many people reading my story, no matter how interesting or different a tale I want to tell, no matter the theming or even my own skill as a writer, people will see that The Emperor is not only a major character in the story, but part of the main ship, and are just not interested.

The Emperor is such a disliked character that anything I've written including or focusing on him barely gets any attention, regardless of how much work I've put into the story or other factors beside including The Emperor. Meanwhile, the three chapter short fic I did that featured a nameless, featureless Tav being besties with Astarion, got quite popular compared to how things normally go for me.

Am I venting, yeah I'm venting, that three chapter fic people like is part of series, and the other two parts, the bits with more lore and worldbuilding and a fleshed-out Tav are basically ignored because part two is an Emperor focused one-shot, and part three has The Emperor as supporting character.

So I dropped that series, I lost motivation for it because people weren't interested. And when I started my current W.I.P with themes of chronic illness, I decided to just pick my favourite ship and go with it, knowing full well it would be dead on arrival.

That ship is The Emperor/Tav.

I not only think that The Emperor is an interesting character, but I'm the sort to find a sort of beauty, empathy, humanity in the monstrous. I know what it's like to feel othered and different because of appearance (born half-blind, was bullied for pretty much my entire childhood), for people to make assumptions and jump to conclusions about me without hearing my thoughts on something (I'm asexual, I'm visually impaired, I've got a small bundle of health problems, I'm different), so when I got that big reveal about the Dream Guardian being a mind flayer....The Emperor just looked like a new friend.

I took him at his word and basically picked all the friendly dialogues, his romance scene is my favourite one in the whole damn game. Something about him as character and how his romance scene plays out just clicked with me in a way the other romances really don't.

As for him enthrallnig Stelmane....that scene he "shows" the player is shown when choosing the more aggressive, hostile dialogue options, and one thing I've noticed is that The Emperor's responses are very reactive, emotional to a degree that other mind flayers (not counting the player or Karlach should you go that route) aren't.

I don't think he did enthrall Stelmane, some have suggested he did after Gortash sent him back to The Elder Brain, but I think that "memory" is an intimidation tactic, he's meeting the player's hostility and mistrust with a clear threat to get you fall back into line and get the job done. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that scene in the game labelled as the "truth" in the files somewhere? As in, him enthrallnig Stelmane is not the truth.

That's just my opinion.

It was difficult at first, to come to terms with the fact that I like a character so widely disliked by the BG3 community, my intial want to express my appreciation and fondness for the character was dampened when seeing hate post after hate post on reddit, and even some here on tumblr when just wanting to find pretty fanart or like-minded fans, but now I just want to see more positive fan content, more shipping content, for The Emperor.

And as someone who checks for new Emperor content almost daily, who wants to see more fics but there's...not much, I knew going in to write Silver Shell Upon the Shore that the thing would barely get any attention....all because of one character.

And this turned into a ramble, sorry about that, it's late as of writing, I'm tired and cranky, and the reminder that I am basically in a desert when it comes to Emperor content that isn't just hate posts and people being salty...I am just too tired to care about keeping my opinion to myself on this.

This is a fandom where several people want to romance Raphael, or people ship The Dark Urge with Gortash in the most amazing, fucked up ways, or the Kar'niss lovers giving the drider affection and therapy...but for some reason The Emperor is where people draw the line?

Ok, I'm tired, I'm tired and cranky and should not be posting this, but I am Emperor fan and I am tired.

Don't mind me, just venting some blorbo thoughts. Spoilers for the entirety of BG3, proceed with caution

It's a very mild take that I've been thinking how to articulate for a while, but whenever I browse the Emperor tag against my better judgement lol I get an impression that, for a character to be embraced by fandom, they can either look monstrous OR be morally dubious, but never both. If a character is conventionally attractive, their moral ambiguity will be taken apart, analysed, recognised as the thing that makes them interesting, and praised. But if a character looks monstrous, they better be an upstanding citizen, always nice, never do wrong, and be ready to sacrifice their life and safety for the heroes for good measure

(Listen, I love Omeluum too, but I take at least 1d6 psychic damage every time I see it brought up in conversations about the Emperor as an example of the "real good mind flayer". Yes, they're both renegade illithids, but their circumstances couldn't be more different. I think it could actually be fun to speculate about how they would've fared if their roles were reversed (someone should write that fic), or what would happen if you put them in a room together (someone should definitely write that fic), but reducing it all to "well, Omeluum is the good mind flayer, so the Emperor must be the bad one" is... well, reductive)

If a character is monstrous on the outside, any darkness inside them will be taken as proof that they are, in fact, an irredeemable, evil monster. And I think it’s fun how, in a sort of metatextual way, the Emperor is aware of that, that’s why it chooses to first appear to us in disguise. And no, I’m not saying that the Emperor did nothing wrong. I am saying that I keep seeing the same arguments over and over again that interpret its actions in the most bad faith ways possible and I’m tired:

“The Emperor killed Ansur!” In self-defence. No, it didn’t lie about that, Ansur confirms it: he couldn’t find a cure for ceremorphosis, decided that a mercy-killing is the second best option, the Emperor disagreed. If you think that it should’ve accepted death over life as a mind flayer, then we can agree to disagree. But I wish we could all at least agree on what actually happened in the text, rather than making up stuff like “The Emperor was becoming power-hungry and Ansur was trying to stop it!” or “It was actually the Emperor who killed Ansur in his sleep!”

“The Emperor wants to turn you into an illithid!” A half-illithid. It gives your character a significant power boost in exchange for a slight change in appearance (which, if I’m not mistaken, is reversed once the Brain and all the tadpoles are destroyed). Yes, the Emperor bringing it up over and over again can be annoying, but dismantling the Absolute is a difficult task and the Emperor wants you to succeed, because all of your lives depend on it. It’s nothing more than a means to an end, and yet people talk about it as if the Emperor is some evil schemer trying to recruit you for its own Grand Design or something. Also, the Emperor doesn’t force you to use the astral tadpole, the wisdom save is only necessary if your character has already indulged in tadpoling themself.

“The Emperor catfished me!” Because it thought you’d kill it otherwise. That’s it. Apologies for bringing real life parallels into my bitchy blorbo post, but really, you’d think people on the queer autistic website would be more sympathetic towards a character who feels like they have to keep some aspects of their identity hidden for their own safety. “But Omeluum…” has the support of the Society of Brilliance and its good friend Blurg. The Emperor has you. Its former best friend (and more) tried to murder it in its sleep for what it is. Is it really that unreasonable for it to have some serious trust issues?

Yes, it enthralled Stelmane, and that’s fucked up. It also threatens to do the same to your character if they’re being a dick to it, but what I find interesting is that it never actually tries to do that? Even when your character is about to do something incredibly risky that could jeopardise the whole mission and put all of their lives in danger (like going to the Githyanki crèche or the House of Hope), the most it ever does is strongly suggest that they maybe do not. And I’m not the biggest fan of how the whole Orpheus vs the Emperor setup is structured (it feels like a forced binary choice, if it was a tabletop campaign the players could’ve easily come up with several ways to resolve it without having to pick a side, just saying), but I think it’s curious that if you choose to free Orpheus, the Emperor doesn’t try to stop you, it just leaves and joins the Absolute. People have been pointing out that this makes no sense, that it’s out of character because the Emperor values freedom so why would it willingly go back to being enthralled after all this effort, but hey, let’s analyse that!

The Emperor believes that the moment Orpheus is free, his protection will be gone and you will all immediately get enthralled by the Netherbrain, turn into mind flayers, and join the Absolute. Or that Orpheus will turn hostile, you’ll be forced to kill him, and then you will all turn into mind flayers and join the Absolute. I don’t think it’s lying about this, its actions wouldn’t make sense if it didn’t genuinely believe that. We, as players, know that it doesn’t happen if you free Orpheus once the Emperor leaves, but the characters can’t be sure until that moment (and to be fair, it absolutely does happen if you kill the Emperor at the end of Act 2). And I guess we’ll never know what would happen if Orpheus was freed while the Emperor was still there (unless Larian makes some huge changes to the end of the game in the next patch, but I somehow doubt it), but while Orpheus will begrudgingly agree to work with a bunch of tadpoled-but-not-yet-transformed humanoids, we don’t know if the same could be said for a full illithid who’s been keeping him subdued and syphoning his powers for its own use. The Emperor is fully justified in thinking that this might go poorly.

So, the Emperor sees that the protagonist is about to fuck up its whole plan and get them all enthralled at best, killed at worst, so you’d expect that to be the perfect moment to make good on its threats and enthrall them to make them go with the plan, right? But no. Instead, it just leaves, and willingly joins the Netherbrain, probably in hopes of surviving until the next opportunity to free itself comes along. This character who, by its own admission, has always valued freedom above all else, chooses its own enslavement over forcing another into submission. Which I think is compelling to consider, even if it might be a bit of a reach.

I guess all that officially makes me an Emperor Apologist™. Maybe not in a “the Emperor did nothing wrong ever” way, but certainly in a “the Emperor is a complex and nuanced character, and it’s frustrating to see people throw all that nuance out the window and grossly misinterpret its actions to paint it as more evil than it actually is and justify their own discomfort with it, while they do the exact opposite with other morally ambiguous characters” sort of way. And to be clear, I’m not saying that you have to like the Emperor. If you find it annoying, if it gives you the heebie-jeebies, or if you just can’t look past some of the things it did, that’s totally fair. I guess I’m just saying that I’m tired of going into the Emperor tag to look at some nice fanart and instead seeing the same arguments rehashed over and over again, so many of which are either completely made up, or have about the same weight as “Gale ate my boots!” or “Lae’zel was mean to me!”, and yet they're treated as "undeniable proof that the Emperor is absolutely totally evil actually". And I’m especially tired of being told that me and my fellow squid enjoyers lack reading comprehension because we “fail to see the Emperor for the evil abuser it actually is” when

(To be clear, I think it’s perfectly fine to like a character who is an evil abuser, it’s all fiction and those kinds of characters can be fun too. But this whole post is about how I don’t think the Emperor is one.)

If you somehow managed to read this far, thank you so much and/or I’m so sorry <3 I have sufficiently emptied my brain of blorbo thoughts and I promise to shut up now

[bunnelbie]

Would you ever draw a person of color to represent reader at all? No offense but it gets very saddening to only see white girls shown to represent the reader when there’s so many black and brown members of fandom that are starved for representation and no one seems to care about it.

yes, i would (and have)! i am a person of color and my ocs by and large reference my own pictures.

but even if that wasn’t the case, i’m not a “content creator” and shouldn’t be viewed as such; i just make art for personal fun and for free. if you have any custom requests, that’s what my commissions are for. and this is neither here nor there, but i’d always encourage other poc (and non-poc) members of fandom to create the representation they wish to see! the barrier to entry is low and fandom and art is your playground.

[redheadedwhat]

See How We Shine Chapter 3

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC (can be reader insert)

No Rating (for now)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

The next morning Eddie awoke to something soft and warm pressed against his back. From the feel of the fluffy pillows under his head he was sure that he wasn’t in his own bed meaning he must have passed out in Minnie’s again. He always made a show of putting his things in the guest room, claiming that’s where he was going to spend the night only to fall asleep in Minnie’s bed every time.

He was about to fall back asleep, warm and content, when the light breathing next to him turned into a loud snore. Eddie turned over to investigate only to be greeted with a large paw hitting him in the face.

“Goddammit Kaebi.” he grumbled, forcing himself out of the warm bed. 

The dog, a large doberman named Kaebi, blinked up at him and then stretched out into the warm spot Eddie had just vacated and continued snoring. 

Eddie padded into the kitchen stretching his arms over his head as he let out a yawn. He headed straight to the fridge, lazily perusing through the breakfast options.

Minnie was seated at the kitchen table surrounded by books on various subjects and notebooks filled with hastily scrawled notes. The mess wasn’t much of a surprise, there were usually half-finished projects strewn about the house, sitting ready for whenever the inspiration hit and Minnie had the urge to finish them. What was surprising was finding her so busy at this hour. Usually weekend mornings were for relaxing, especially after sleepovers.

“It’s after 10,” Eddie snatched the orange juice out of the fridge and poured himself a glass before taking a seat at the table. “Shouldn’t you be painting along to Bob Ross?” 

“I’m taping it.” Minnie answered, not looking up from her book on Greek mythology. “Mrs. Kim dropped Kaebi off and I can’t really paint when I watch him. He always tries to drink the paint water.” 

“Yeah, I noticed he was here. Thanks for the heads up.” He grumbled. 

“You two were so cute.” Minnie grinned at the annoyance on his face. “I didn’t have the heart to wake you.” 

“Did you eat?” Eddie asked. He was starving and even though he had been in her house plenty of times it still made him a bit uncomfortable to cook himself food without permission. 

Minnie nodded and gestured to the blender on the kitchen island. “I had a smoothie.” She didn’t have to look up to know his face was probably set in a grimace. In Eddie's opinion breakfast was either for sweet things, or eggs and meat. Nothing healthy. “There’s some Eggo’s in the garage freezer if you want.” 

“Nice!” Eddie jumped from his seat and hurried down the stairs. The garage was attached to what used to be the basement. Her parents had remodeled years ago to make the basement into a suite of rooms so they could come in and out at all hours without disturbing their kids. It mostly sat empty now, but the extra fridge and freezer did come in handy. 

Eddie returned, Eggo’s in hand and a smile on his face. A few minutes later he rejoined Minnie at the table with a pile of fluffy waffles covered in butter and syrup on his plate. “So what’s with all the stuff?” he asked, gesturing to the books on the table and the cardboard boxes on the floor with his fork between bites. 

“Art project.” Minnie answered, closing one book and pulling a different one toward her. “We’re supposed to paint our interpretation of a Greek myth. I was going to do Medusa, obviously.” She turned the book to show Eddie a picture of the snake-haired woman. “She’s got snakes for hair and she can turn men into stone with a glance? That’s role model material right there.” 

“I would make a joke about making men rock hard, but I’m too hungry.” Eddie continued shoveling waffles into his mouth. 

“Your dick joke is noted and appreciated.” Minnie assured him. “But, I figure everyone is gonna want to paint Medusa so I decided on Cassandra. More of a challenge.” 

“Never heard of her.” He commented, mouth full of waffle. 

“Basically Apollo wanted to bang her so he gave her the gift of prophecy.” Minnie explained. “But, she didn’t want to bang him so he cursed her so that no one would ever believe her prophecies. I kinda relate to her. No one ever believes what I say either.” 

Eddie finished up his waffles and stood to make himself more. He always stuffed himself when he had the opportunity. “Mouse, brilliant, hilarious, beautiful Mouse. You know you’re my best friend, right?” 

Minnie looked at him skeptically and nodded.

“But,” he popped more Eggo’s into the toaster. “People don’t believe you because sometimes you talk like a crazy person.” 

She looked back down at her book as she took in his words. “That’s fair.” 

Eddie leaned against the kitchen island, fixing up the last of his waffles as he heard Kaebi coming down the hallway eventually settling in front of Minnie protectively. The doberman belonged to her neighbor, but Minnie had offered to look after him whenever the older woman needed her to, so Kaebi treated her like a second owner, always putting himself between her and anyone else. 

Minnie bent down to pat the dog absently. “Mrs. Kim will be gone most of the day, so Kaebi is hanging out for a while if you wanna stay.” 

Eddie finished his waffles and placed his plate in the sink. “What were your plans for the day?” he asked, “Gotta decide if it’s worth my while.” 

“Nothing definite.” Minnie shrugged. “Probably take him for a walk at some point.”

“The fun never ends with you, Mouse.” Eddie teased. 

“I also want to make a photo album,” she gestured to the cardboard box by the foot of the table. “It’s my brother Declan’s birthday next month.” 

“Now that I am sticking around for!” He dove for the box, pushing a few books about special effects make-up out of the way to spill some photos onto the table. “I’m not passing up a chance to look at embarrassing baby Mouse pictures.” 

Minnie shoved a bookmark into her current book and got up to sit next to Eddie, not wanting him to have full control of her family photos. 

“Look at this one!” He shoved a picture in her face excitedly. It showed a younger version of Minnie dressed in a leotard with a silver medal around her neck. Her parents were smiling proudly, but her brothers looked bored out of their minds. Tiny Minnie didn’t seem to notice, smiling widely. 

“That’s a keeper.” She grabbed the picture from him and put it aside, designating that to be the ‘keep’ pile. 

“I didn’t know you were a gymnast.” Eddie commented, sorting through a few more pictures from the same occasion. 

“I told you about it.” She protested. “Remember when we were forced to go to the pep rally last year?” 

“You did not!” He laughed. “They did some flips and shit and you said ‘That’s not hard, I can do that’. That does not count as telling me you did gymnastics.” 

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I had to stop when puberty gave me these.” she gestured to her generous chest. “A leotard can only hold so much.” 

Eddie’s gaze lingered on her chest for a bit longer than he’d intended. It wasn’t his fault. She’d brought it up! What’s a guy supposed to do? He shook himself out of his stupor and grabbed another picture from the pile. 

“How come you’re not in this one?” 

She glanced at the photo in question. It was more recent, from after they’d moved to Hawkins. It looked like some family event from her parents' place of work. They’d hated things like that. Her mother especially refused to talk about work when she was home. She said the two were separate and should remain separate. Minnie wondered what had convinced her mother to actually attend one of those events.

“Looks like a family picnic thing at the Lab.” She shrugged. “I must have been sick.” 

“Well, that’s boring.” Eddie declared, placing the photo on the ‘discard’ pile. “I’m trying to find blackmail-worthy pictures.”

“You act as if I’ve never seen your baby pictures.” Minnie countered.

He looked up from the pictures in front of him warily, “You can’t have possibly seen any baby pictures of me.” 

Minnie smiled, enjoying his discomfort. “You really think Wayne doesn’t have any pictures of you?” 

Eddies’ eyes searched her face, unsure if she was playing with him or not. 

“I have three favorites, actually.” She continued, getting up to put some distance between the two of them. “The picture of baby Eddie opening his Christmas presents, the one of you crying at a petting zoo, and-” 

Eddie shot up out of his seat, chasing after the girl who then began running around the kitchen island. “Mouse,” he said warningly. 

“There’s the one of you playing in the sprinkler.” Minnie ducked under his arm as he cornered her, “Big bad metalhead Eddie Munson running through the water-” 

He caught her around the middle, tickling her ribs to distract her from finishing what she was about to say. “Ok, I get it!” 

“Totally naked!” She forced out between laughs. “Your uncle told me that once it got too hot you refused to wear clothes as a kid!” 

Eddie groaned and rested his head against her shoulder in defeat. “He told you that?” 

“Oh yeah.” Minnie giggled. “In fact, he said you’re still like that. Told me to be sure to knock in the summer, in case I walk in on something I don’t want to see.” 

“Fucking Wayne.” Eddie groaned, pulling away from her and collapsing into his seat at the table. “Fine, I won’t share your blackmail and you don’t share mine. Deal?” 

“Deal.” She shook on it. 

“I’m surprised Kaebi didn’t pounce on me.” Eddie changed the subject. “He doesn’t usually like it when people get too close.” 

“He’s used to you.” She shrugged. “He won’t cuddle with just anyone, you know.” 

Eddie smiled at that. It might be silly, but it was kind of nice to get the dogs seal of approval. 

“There’s a long weekend next month.” He said after a few moments of going through pictures in silence. “Do you think we can have Hellfire here like we did last year?” 

“The freshman too?” She asked.

Eddie nodded the affirmative. 

“I thought I made them nervous?” 

“You do.” He grinned, “But I’ll give them the house rules and they won’t be weird. I promise.” 

“Sure.” she shrugged.

“Don’t you have to see if your dad will be home or not?” 

Oh yeah. She’d forgotten about that. This would be the perfect opportunity to tell him, but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She didn’t want him to be upset that she’d kept such a big secret from him for so long. Even if he wasn’t upset, she didn’t want to see the look in his eyes when he realized that she’d been left alone for two years. The look of pity and understanding. Eddie was no stranger to being left behind. 

“He won’t care either way.” She assured him, pushing those thoughts to the back of her head. “The one you have to worry about is Mrs. Kim. If she sees a bunch of boys at the house she’ll bring Kaebi over to scare everyone away.” 

Eddie laughed as he imagined the huge doberman that was currently laying on his back begging for belly rubs scaring the shit out of the newest Hellfire members. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

-----

I've been trying to keep descriptions of the OC vague so it could also be read as a reader insert, but I might just scrap that. This is gonna be a bit of a slow burn since I love unresolved sexual tension. This is un-beta'd so please let me know if there are any issues!

[sulkybbarnes]

I just saw your post about misinterpreting characters. It was tagged with Adam and Bucky (two of my favorite fictional characters) and though I feel like that when I sometimes read fanfics, I can never just put my finger on it and I'd love to read your take on it!

Oh lord where do I even start... alright, this might get long so apologies in advance, but I have nearly a decade’s worth of thoughts on this. The short answer is: both characters often get severely over simplified, stripped away from essential characteristics, and their understandable reaction to their respective trauma gets overlooked in order to make them more “palatable” and to favor other characters in fics. 

The long answer: 

Let’s start with Adam Parrish. We meet Adam when he’s only 17 years old and we learn that he is an abuse survivor who comes from severe poverty, and along the way we witness trauma that leads to Adam having a disability, and later on learnt hat Adam is bisexual. Adam’s character is very realistic to someone in his position, so that he’s flawed and has issues to work through as the series goes along. These issues are presented at the start of the series through two unreliable narrators: Gansey who is proud and often self-victimizing, and Adam himself who is very introspective and lives in fear of turning into his father. Thus the characteristics the text gives us is that Adam is “cold and calculating” which is courtesy of Gansey, and that Adam is lonesome and prone to anger/arguing with his friends which is Adam’s own worries and insecurities manifesting in his chapters. And yes sure Adam at the start is -understandably- angry with the world at large and feels as if he’s ten steps behind everyone and playing catch-up, but he’s also visibly self-aware and constantly trying to curb any anger and moderate his reactions (even when they’re justified). The book also shows us through actions that Adam is sweet and thoughtful from how he acts around Blue, and shows that he develops as the books go on to be more aware of his actions, more confident in his own goodness, and more willing to show love and allow himself to be loved in return. The later books (BLLB, TRK, Opal story, CDTH) all show an Adam who is kind (his interactions with Opal), thoughtful (his constant thinking about Ronan’s feelings and not wanting to act before he knows he’s as serious/sure about them as Ronan is), a good friend (I’m just gonna.. gesture at the whole Blue/Gansey thing and how gracefully Adam handled it when they didn’t even deign to give him the benefit of the doubt), and a very loving person (which we see in his every interaction with Ronan from TRK onwards). So that’s Adam Parrish, complex and flawed but inherently a good person and a good character. 

However, Fanon Adam Parrish is a different story all together because he is often stripped to whatever bare essentials would serve the fic he is in. SO, in fandom you see an Adam who is either cruel and cold, as to serve some infantilizing hurt angsty version of Ronan. You see an Adam who is angry and prone to lashing out, to serve posts about Gansey being an angel who’s faultless and constantly hurt by his friends. You see an Adam who is disrespectful and hurtful to serve posts about why it was okay for Blue and Gansey to behave the way they did to him. Or on the complete opposite end, you get an Adam who is demure, shy, and almost disgustingly helpless to serve in a fic where he needs saving or some misguided hurt/comfort thing. Adam also often gets stripped away in the latter fics from any rightful anger or sharpness that relates to his trauma. Said anger is treated as something that makes him an unlovable or annoying character (you can find these takes everywhere in trc fandom), and therefore people need to overlook it to make him more palatable to them. Adam’s anger, as we see in CDTH, is often turned inwards and is an on-going struggle for him because it still feels at times as him against the world. It’s one of the best things about his character if you ask me, because it is what he grows out of the most, and what he continues to face and develop against. This trait makes him human and shows his vulnerability. Adam in canon is touch starved and loves fiercely, but in fanon the anger he displays gets used to paint him as unfeeling or constantly angry. Even though Adam shows anger only as much as any other character in the series, and often in a way less explosive (Ronan) or hurtful (Gansey) or entitled (Blue) manner. And so the point is that fandom takes away the complexity that makes Adam Parrish who he is, and molds him into whatever is easiest to digest and shove into a box that works better for the other characters. Adam’s development and arc get completely overlooked most of the time. He is often misinterpreted as one shallow thing, when he is a beautiful mix of emotions that make him Adam Parrish, and make him endearingly and painfully human and real.

Bucky Barnes, my original fave guy, follows strongly along the same lines. All you have to do is change names and events from what I said before and you’ll get how fandom treats Bucky. What I adore about Buck’s character is that he was established instantly as fiercely loyal, loving, fun, a good friend, and someone who is so important to Steve that we see Steve take on a suicide mission to get to Bucky. The progression of the other movies deals with Buck’s trauma and shows all the new aspects to his character that stem from said trauma, while maintaining the undercurrent of goodness and humor that we saw from pre-war Bucky. But once again, the complexity of Bucky’s character and his storyline; the trauma, the PTSD, and the fact that m*rvel never lets him heal, all boils down to fandom only choosing what they find palatable about Bucky and leading with that. I have less to say about this only because I’ve been a fan for too long, and have learned to conduct myself so that I don’t run into upsetting posts anymore, and read fics with a tone and characterization that works for me, but there’s a lot of content out there that strips Buck of his characteristics so much that he might as well be an OC. I will say that you might get more leeway with content based on a movie, than you do with content based on a book (where everything is glaringly obvious in the text), but I still have to roll my eyes at most content I see for Bucky, where he’s either helpless and waiting for someone to save (did we watch the same movies??), innocent and naive in how he conducts himself (...did we watch the same movies?!), or he’s unflinchingly cool and cold and unfeeling (seriously, DID WE WATCH THE SAME MOVIES?!). So once again the endpoint is that Bucky’s misinterpretation comes from a shallow understanding of his character, or complete lack of care about how he’s portrayed so that only one trait -whatever is needed for a fic or a post- is central and amplified while everything else he is falls away. I’m not pretentious enough to say that people can’t just have fun with a character and write whatever they want about it, because they absolutely can.. I’m just saying that it’s not my cup of tea and I wouldn’t read it. In fact, I only made a couple of attempts years ago at writing Bucky myself and then decided that I would rather read well-written things about him, than try and get it right myself because I’d get all in my emotions about his character. 

Tl;dr The theme of having your autonomy taken away and fighting like hell to get it back, and remaining good along the way is what makes both Adam and Bucky so close to my heart. Their respective trauma and complexity is what makes me love them both a lot, and I wish fandom didn’t often strip them away of their complexity to make them easier for fandom to digest.

[dewitty1]

Love Always, Draco

Newshound 

Chapters: 60/60 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter Characters: Original Character Additional Tags: Angst, Drama, Romance, Explicit Language, Sexual Content, Spoilers Summary:

Even though it’s been four years since Harry and Draco parted ways, when Harry’s career takes a nosedive, he turns to his past for help. Harry and Draco join forces on a project both hope will reinvigorate their lives, and a journey into the secret world of Quidditch, becomes the path to renewed love.

Excerpt:

“I’ve got some leftover takeout,” he said, moving things around on the counters, searching for the containers he’d set aside earlier. “I’m starving, aren’t you?” He found three large boxes and dumped their contents out on two platters he pulled from the cupboards. “Let’s take these into the bedroom,” he said.

Draco couldn’t believe it. Harry had brought him here to eat Chinese takeout. So much for my worries about things getting out of hand, he thought.

Draco was almost afraid to follow Harry into his bedroom, but fortunately, it was nowhere near as untidy as the parlor. The bed was actually made up and no clothes were scattered about the floor. Probably because they’re all out in the parlor and dining room, he thought with a smirk.

Harry gently placed the platters on the bed and hopped on next to them. “Come on,” he urged Draco, patting the spot next to him. “Let’s take our robes off, it’s hot in here,” he said impulsively, casting off his robes and reaching for Draco’s. He placed both of them near the foot of the bed and returned to eating his egg roll with gusto.

“You have a bit of soy sauce, right there, by your mouth,” Draco said, tapping himself just beneath his lower lip to show Harry where he was talking about. Harry was looking at him like he’d just spoken a foreign language, and Draco could no longer resist the temptation to touch Harry, innocently or not. He leaned forward and with a gentle swipe of his tongue, removed the wayward sauce from beneath Harry’s mouth. He drew back, his heart pounding madly, his breath coming in ragged gasps, and the sudden rush of adrenalin producing complete clarity in his previously befuddled mind. Harry sat there, smiling dumbly at him, and Draco knew in that instant, if Harry had done anything else, he would have bolted from the room, terrified of where all this was headed.

So instead of running for the hills at the mere notion of falling head over heels in love with the man who presently sat in front of him, he jumped in with both feet and kissed Harry full on the mouth.

It was clumsy and sloppy and horribly awkward, and it was the most heavenly kiss Draco had ever received. Heavenly that was, until they lost their balance and fell into the platter of egg rolls, knocking over the soy sauce which spilled all over the bed. And just as they had at the party, they took one look at each other and dissolved into helpless giggles.

When they finally got themselves back under control, they cleaned off the bed and settled atop the covers, lying next to each other. Harry snuggled up next to Draco and whispered, “I don’t think I’m ready for anything more than a little snogging.” Draco pressed his lips gently against Harry’s and whispered back, “Me, neither.” In response, Harry’s eyes fluttered shut and he began to snore.

💗💗This is a long fic,coming in at just over 380k! It’s a long journey of  memories of the way Harry and Draco used to be, and the path they’re on now. It’s full of angst, and there’s sex with OC’s, but it all turns out lovely in the end, I promise you. I hope you’ll give it a chance! 💗💗

[kaguriakitsune]

The Wish

A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic Inspired by the Christmas Special of ML (c) ZAG Entertainment Characters are the property of Zag studios and are used only for fanfiction without any profit. Please do not re-post, copy, or re-use in any way without express permission from the artist (in this case writer). Summary: Cat Noir's loneliness Christmas adventure grabbed more than just the attention of his closest friends and distant father. A power as old as time also heard the painful cry from his lonely heart, little did anyone know that the wishes they made that day were about to become a reality. Note from the Author: This isn't my first fanfiction but it is my first of ML. I am also VERY new to the fandom, my son discovered the Christmas Special on Netflix and thus started us both down our journey to the fandom. There will be one or two characters that ARE NOT CANNON to the ML crew. In a way OC's but not in the way most create them. I enjoy feedback on constructive criticism so please comment both.  without further adue....   "Merry Christmas Mom." The moment was perfect and the voices of laughter and light echoed into the night making his heart lighter than it had been in forever. As Nathalie bid his guest farewell, his father bid him goodnight and returned to his study, and Adrian couldn't be happier in his spacious room. The snow falling outside the window was no longer a painful sight but he welcomed the pure calm that blanketed the city he loved. So much joy and love filled his heart it was all he could do not to run circles crying out his joy. He couldn't even find it in him to be irritated by his kwami's whining for smelly cheese. "Aaaaadrian!! I'm starving! Look at me I feel faint-ugh" The black cat kwami made a dramatic dive from his hiding place within the inner pocket of the boy's jacket to the padded bed cushion below them. "I-need-Camembert-A-adr-" "Alright Plagg, look under my pillow, I was saving it for your Christmas gift anyhow." Laughing as the small blob was suddenly well enough to zip right under the pillow and drag out a rather large container. "Oh holy Camembert! This stuff is like gold! So smelly, perfectly aged, and a hint of walnut! I take it back kid, you're a great partner!" The next moment was filled with the joyful sounds of Plagg stuffing as much cheese in his mouth as fast as possible. "Was there ever any doubt? Merry Christmas Plagg, you're a great partner too." A satisfying sigh of content told Adrian all the thanks he needed. Walking to view the city scape from his window he saw the Eiffel Tower alight in holiday cheer, stores still decorated in the finest silver and gold, and on the streets below families returning home for the rest of their evening. One in particular kept his gaze, the baker family that walked hand in hand into the glowing streets. Between a loving mother and caring father was his friend Marionette, her gift had chased away the lingering anger and resentment he first felt tonight. She reminded him he wasn't fully alone, and at least someone cared. Marionette, she really was an amazing girl, even her clumsy awkward demeanor was charming in her own way. If it weren't for his love of Ladybug then maybe... "No, don't even think about it. Ladybug is my lady, my love. No one could ever replace her...." looking to the stars above his heart fluttered thinking of his masked love and partner. A shooting star crossed his path and with all his heart he made a wish. "I hope I find out who she is someday, I want to tell her everything...Merry Christmas Ladybug, wherever you are." Walking home Marionette had an extra spring to her step. Dinner with Adrian was a dream come true, the food was amazing and sitting across from Adrian all night was the perfect Christmas gift, not even another Akuma attack could spoil her mood tonight. Shining with joy her gaze turned upward in time to see the shooting star across the sky, wishing with all her might she hoped that some day Adrian would see her for who she truly was and maybe even love her for it. "Marionette, come on hunni or you'll freeze out here!' Mrs. Dupen-chang called to her dazed daughter smiling as she ran to catch up to them. Yes despite the adventure of the night it was a very merry season indeed, but as the moon peaked in the sky a shadow passed over a small shop covered in Chinese decorations. The light inside was the low glow of a single candle, an old man enjoyed the glow with a hot cup of tea. Across from him a green light blinked slow and peaceful, a hum almost sang around the kwami as they enjoyed the solitude of the night. The shadow entered their company with no words, another cup of tea poured and three sat in the glow of a single Christmas candle. "So the time has come once again." The old man spoke matter of fact sparing no glance to his intrusive visitor. "It has been made, the heart wish of two chosen holders. I can only come when such has been done." "Then soon..." "Yes, the others will awaken and I fear there will be more to the story than even we know old friend." "Then it is fortunate that you are here, old friend." Snow fell soundlessly around the city of Paris, bells chimed the end of the holiday hour, and somewhere in a large mansion and simple bakery two hearts became closer tied in fate than they could ever imagine. Morning came, the sun bright through the sky illuminating a fresh world laid in white. Children began to wake with laughter and cheer of gift not yet aged for joy and with only a few days of freedom to enjoy it took no time for the streets to be filed with new sleds, ice skates, and toys of all shapes and colors. Adrian awoke in his usual manner sparing a chuckle of amusement at his lazy kwami still asleep on a half eaten wheel of cheese next to his head. The morning shower was somehow comforting and refreshing, breakfast was served, he ate alone, and thus his day began. First a quick public appearance with his father to clear up any gossip of his disappearance the night prior, then a short fencing lesson, and a photoshoot of the season's newest fashion line. "Finally free for the day!" Assuring Nathalie he had his phone, schedule, and gps active he was allowed to meet his friends in the park. But before that...he turned a sharp corner hiding in a narrow alley. "Plagg Claws out!" The rush of magic was still as exhilarating as his first time as his mask changed his emerald eyes to gleaming feline pupils that saw more in a moment than any humans, his hair free to move and flow with the wind with ears that could hear miles away for danger, his skin covered in comfortable protective leather making it light and strong, and finally the tail-like belt that helped with his acrobatic balance and dashing style. "Cat Noir ready to pounce into action!" With a strong leap he was airborne, landing gracefully on the nearest roof he made is way to Notre Dame where he and Ladybug were to over see the giving of gift to needy children from under the grand tree. The memory of almost destroying the tall monument of cheer with his cataclysm made his heart sink only slightly, he was grateful for the image of his mother that stopped him from making that mistake. Hopefully in some small way him being there could lessen his guilt as the children received their gifts from one of Paris's most famous heroes.   Ladybug was waiting under the massive tree that seemed to stand as tall as the towers of Notre Dame as the crowd began to gather. Still on cloud nine from her evening she almost felt like returning the silly comments of hr partner as he dropped in on his staff. "Mi'lady, you look puuurfectly amazing today." His usual bow and kiss of her hand earned a few giggles and calls from the crowd of fans and reporters on the sidelines. "Easy kitty, save it for the kids okay?" Ruffling his head she smiled as they turned to stand beside the mayor. "We would like to thank Ladybug and Cat Noir for joining us in helping the very community they protect give back in our own way to those who bravely go day to day without things most of Paris takes for granted." Mayor Bourgeois gave a few more words before turning things over to the the heroes. "Ladybug you're my favorite hero!" "Cat Noir you're awesome!" "Thank you for saving us all the time." "We love you so much!" Child after child expressed their adoration and love for them as the handed each a gift with a smile and a hug or handshake. It wasn't long before things wound down and they were allowed to excuse themselves. Together they volted to the sky running rooftops and jumping alleyways. A fair distance way both stopped to perch on a balcony looking out to the Eiffel Tower. "You were great today Mi'lady. I admit I'm a little worried, all those rivals were pretty adorable. Cat couldn't resist a chance to make her smile with his terrible humor. She didn't disappoint him, her laughter was sweet bells ringing in the sunshine. "Oh I don't know, you had a few kittens pawing over you Cat." Her heart couldn't be any fuller, a perfect night with the love of her life, a good deed done without any trouble, and now a beautiful view of snow covered Paris with her partner after a job well done. "Mi'lady have you finally accepted my witty humor and amazing charm?" Leaning closer it was no surprise he was immediately returned to his place by a dainty finger to his nose. "Haha, you slay my heart Bugaboo."  Suddenly a brilliant flash of light came from the top of the tower causing both concern.   "An Akuma?" Ladybug zipped through the air as he followed vaulting over rooftops to keep pace. "Who knows, I was beginning to think it was feeling too quiet today." With his usual catish grin he followed her quick movements toward the tower. "Hawk Moth can't even take a break for Christmas, why would the day after be any different?" As they approached the tower all senses were on alert. Taking in everything around the scene something felt off. "No destruction, mayhem, or panic anywhere. No evil villain causing trouble...something's definitely wrong." Ladybug wasn't sure what but she knew it could only mean bigger trouble. "Maybe it was just a short fuse? The tower is also like a lighthouse maybe the bulb blew." Though he agreed that is was unusual for an Akuma attack to be so calm even after the short time in took them to arrive. "I don't think so, look!" Pointing higher above them she could just see the outline of a glowing figure at the very top. "Maybe it's a new type of Akuma. Follow me and be careful." "Always my lady." With that he extended his stick offering her a hand up. "Your express elevator." Ignoring the scoff at his joke they began to climb the distance between them and the glowing akuma. "Ok you get their attention and I'll capture them with my yo-yo." As Cat Noir lept forward something inside her began grow warm and almost tingle. "What was that?" Bolting ahead with full faith in Ladybug's plan Cat prepared for a fight, taking a beam directly below the mysterious glow he felt his skin crawl with shivers. "What the-?" As he came face to face with the glowing akuma his ring began to flash quickly going from pad to pad. His transformation was fading faster than ever and he hadn't even used Cataclysm! A brilliant white light engulfed him making him shield his eyes, at the same time he could feel his disguise slip away as Plagg exited his ring. "Do not be afraid chosen, though you are bare non can see or hear you but I." The voice was warm and soft, not like an akumatized victim. Slowly he opened his eyes unaware of what to expect. "Wha!?" All around him were swirling light of green and black, as if he was caught between transforming and not. The rest was white as if he was caught between reality and a dream. Plagg floated just infront of him in a dazed state as he stared at a glowing presence just ahead. "Who are you!? What did you so to Plagg?" The glowing blur began to come into focus almost like a mirage becoming solid in a desert. As it took shape his breath caught, a woman glowing green with flowing silver hair floated off the ground almost as if she were sitting on an invisible cushion. Her robes where grand and breezy, every motion sent the fabric drifting to a direction as if wind itself danced around her being. Her eyes were ice blue like a distant sky over a crystal clear ocean, the fair skin of her face was almost luminescent marred only with kindly laugh lines at the corner of her eyes and mouth. "Be not afraid chosen one, I mean you no harm. As for who I am I many names but mostly I am called-" "Mother! It's so good to see you again!" Plagg seemed to suddenly become animated once more. Racing to the cheek of the woman Adrian saw a side to his kwami he didn't believe existed. There he was nuzzling and cuddling this woman's face like a kitten! "It's been so long! Have you been well? Well of course you have. I've missed you and-" In an instant the black cat composed himself and with a rather adorable blush bowed to the woman and cleared his throat. "Ahem, All Mother, it is an honor to be in your presence once more." "Mother!!? Plagg who is this woman exactly?" Adrian was more confused than before and if not for lack of furniture he'd has fallen into a chair. "Oh right, you don't know because you never asked. Adrian let me introduce you to the All Mother, the creator of all Kwamii." ~~~~Meanwhile~~~~ "Agh! What is this light?" Blocking her eyes with both arms Marionette was overcome with fear and confusion when her miraculous began to loose power without the use of her lucky charm or ladybug power. As the transformation released her Tikki was at her side buzzing with an anxiousness she'd never seen in the small Kwamii. "Marionette look! It's her! She has chosen now to appear." Tikki flew forward toward a faint red glow that slowly began to focus into what only looked like another miraculous holder. "Tikki wait, who are you talking abou-" "Fear not chosen one, I am a friend." The voice felt calming and peaceful as it took shape around her. Swirls of pink, red, and ladybugs danced in the white space surrounding her. It felt almost like she was transforming but still herself. "Am I-" "No you are not gone from the world Ladybug. You are in a way in between the magic of Kwamii transformational space and your world. This is in an essence the space between time and space." "Uh-ah..ok...who are you? Why did I transform back? Is Tikki ok?" After meeting the guardian it was no surprise if there were more people she had yet to meet from the world of the Kwamii. "Marionette, this is Okashimi. The mother of all Kwami like me." "Mother? She's, your mother?" "I see you have questions my dear let me share with you who I am then I will explain why I am here." Before both Adrian and Marionette's eyes a band of light began to show shadows of their past selves, all Ladybug and Cat Noir heroes in time and history. "Long before the time of man the world belonged to the Gods and creatures of their designs. As you know man began to enter this world to live among the creatures and creations as well as the gods. Some took to the humans favorably and taught humans many things, others despised the humans for their free will and potential for growth and greatness. The gods of that sort began to send darkness upon the humans, dangers they had no chance of conquering alone. It was then that the Gods of creation, destruction, influence, beauty, and others came to me. A simple goddess of kwami and forgery and asked me to create gifts for the humans to protect them from these unkind deities. So the miraculous and kwami came into existence. Each chose a human of kind heart, courage, empathy, and justice to serve as their Chosen Holders. The kwami to power and guide them, the miraculous to bond and protect them, and I the Okashimi to watch over them. Time passed, the gods fell to sleep or ruin and the darkness was defeated. But mankind had come to rely on the gifts from the gods for protection from not only creatures of darkness but the darkness possible in every human. Weak from ages of fighting lesser gods and their minions we allowed the miraculous to remain among the humans under the condition they never be used for evil or selfish intentions." "So Plagg and the other Kwami have been around since the dawn of man? Woah." Adrian looked at his partner with new eyes, what had he seen through countless ages and empires. How many Cat Noirs had he protected and guided through heroic deeds and battles. "So are you here because Hawk Moth is using his miraculous for evil?" "As much as it pains me to see one of my children in pain and used in such a way no. I am here because you called to me chosen one." "ME? But I didn't call for-Tikki?" Marionette looked at her Kwami as they sat looking at Okashimi. "Not just you Ladybug, you and Cat Noir made a wish with your truest hearts. That wish was the same and the desire behind it was so strong that I was able to awaken and come to now." "Wha!? Cat Noir did what? Wait I didn't make any wish with Cat Noir...Uh-uhm...oh no." Her brain was going a mile a minute as she tried to think when she and her partner made any kind of wish o desire together. "Ladybug...made the same wish as I did?" Adrian thought to his wish on the star, did Ladybug see it too and wish to know about him? "Woah-I...uh...awesome." Laughing at the innocent love between the lost pair Okashimi couldn't help the playful side of herself that all the kwami shared. With a clap of her hands both Adrian and Marionette were standing side by side in front of her. "Ah! What are you doing-?" Marionette began to look for a hiding place upon seeing Cat Noir standing next to her as herself and not Ladybug. "M--My lady it's not what you think! That is I-uh" Adrian stammered seeing the fear and shock on Ladybug's face as he stood next to her without a mask. "It is alright, you will see each other as you always have. Cat and Ladybug, mask and all. Do not be afraid. It is just less strain on my power to have you both together." The white area was now a blur of Paris almost as if a photo was taken out of focus, the swirls of colors still raced around them as they stood before the goddess. "I only appear once in a chosen cycle, and only when two or more chosen are so connected to desire the same wish. I may grant you one wish of your heart's truest desire. I have seen what your wish is but also the complexity that lies within it. I will grant you time and opportunity to make it true. Until then continue to protect and care for one another." Marionette looked to her side seeing the shine in her partner's eyes made her heart skip, he was so happy she feared he'd burst. She wasn't far off, Cat Noir couldn't help but stare at her with longing eyes of hope and promise. She had wished that night on the same star to know the real him! To see who he was beneath the mask, maybe she even felt the same. This day couldn't get any better. "I will see you both in due time. My children, keep your chosen safe for a pair such as these have yet been found in time." With that she evaporated as the world once more became real, they both stood side by side at the tower's peak. The wind whipped around their bodies as two confused heroes gazed into each other's eyes. One filled to the brim with unrivaled hope and the other uncertain fear.