#this scenario is much better than the initial or else I would not have thought of this bonus

[milkywaygalaxygurl]

The Go-Ahead - Art Donaldson

request: hiii could you do any plot/story/scenario where tashi knows art is interested/in love/infatuated or just attracted to reader so she gives him the green light as long as it’ll have him play tennis better … sorry if this doesn’t make sense or is weirdly specific i’m just a little obsessed with this scenario

i took some liberties with the personality of Y/N since it wasn’t specified, i made her shy and a little awkward because i could definitely see art falling for an adorably shy woman after being with tashi’s confident self for so long. i wrote this as the reader being female because gender wasn’t specified, but let me know if you’d like me to change it!! i personally really hate the way i wrote this and it’s definitely not my best, i honestly might rewrite it eventually because there’s kind of a lack of romance but i really hope y’all like it:’)

Pairing: Art Donaldson x Female!Reader

Warnings: thoughts of infidelity, probably swearing, suggestive words, idk if i missed anything else but yeah

Word Count: 2.2k

Description: Y/N caught Art’s eye the second she walked into the Stanford reunion Tashi had practically forced Art to attend. He couldn’t believe how breathtakingly beautiful she was or the fact that he was thinking this way about someone other than Tashi. Unbeknownst to Art, Tashi notices and forms a plan.

Art loved Tashi wholeheartedly, he always had and always would. Some part of him knew that Tashi would never love him as much as he did her, but he felt content knowing she chose him to spend her life with. Even if they fought about tennis and rarely spoke about anything else, Art never thought anybody could take his eyes off Tashi.

That is, until you walked into the venue the Stanford reunion was being held in. It’s almost as if his eyes were drawn to your presence entering the room, eyes immediately snapping towards you. His breath catches in his throat for a second, his eyes widening slightly. He lets out an awkward cough, nodding when Tashi asks if he’s okay.

He tries not to make it obvious when he glances back at you to catch another look, but Tashi notices and follows his line of sight. She has to force herself to hold back a scoff at first, but an idea quickly forms in her head. She studies you just like Art, noticing the way you give awkward smiles and how the flush in your cheeks never seems to lessen as you fidget awkwardly and stumble through small talk with former classmates.

You are beautiful, even Tashi can admit that, she doesn’t blame Art for allowing his eyes to wander (especially with the state of their relationship). As you move closer to the couple, Tashi suddenly realizes that she had a class with you all those years ago. You were kind to her after her knee injury, you weren’t the best of friends but you had taken notes for her while she missed class for physical therapy and always offered a helping hand when needed.

She glances at Art, noticing how his eyes are still trained on you. She chuckles slightly before making her mind up, looping her arm through Art’s and practically dragging him over to where you stand.

“Y/N! Hi, it’s so good to see you!” She plasters on a smile, chuckling slightly when you look at her wide eyed for a second. You were still the same shy girl you were back then, it had honestly always annoyed Tashi how unconfident you were.

“Tashi! Wow, you look amazing.” You smile at her after getting over your initial awkwardness, turning to look at Art for a second before looking back at her. Tashi clocks it immediately, but doesn’t let either of you know.

“Oh hush, look at you! I’m sure you remember Art, right?” She lays a hand on her husband’s arm, turning to look at him. He’s looking at you like a lovesick puppy and, in all honesty, it doesn’t bother her one bit.

“Yeah, of course! You guys were like the prodigies of our class, I think you guys are part of the very few of us who actually went on to make a name for themselves.” You chuckle, glancing at Art again.

It takes Art a minute to even speak, but his mouth finally starts to move as he holds a hand out to you. “It’s nice to meet you. Y/N, was it?”

You shake his hand softly, nodding your head. “I helped Tashi a little after her knee injury, I’m honestly surprised she even remembered me!” Chuckling awkwardly, you take your hand back and hope he didn’t notice how sweaty it was.

Tashi pretends to notice something across the room, apologizing profusely and saying she’ll be right back. When Art tries to follow her, she shoos him away and tells him to stay talking with you. He tries not to seem too excited at the idea, but the way he turns around quickly gives him away.

Art notices the way you fidget with the rings on your fingers and the way your eyes dart around awkwardly as if you’re looking for the nearest escape. He honestly thinks it’s adorable, but tries his best to help you feel less awkward by starting a new conversation.

“What was your major?” He asks, tilting his head to the side slightly. The question seems to ease the tension, your eyes lighting up as you smile.

“Originally it was Journalism but after I realized that I’d have to interview people, I very quickly switched to just having English as my major. I wrote a few books that didn’t get as much attention as I hoped they would, so I’m an editor for a magazine now.”

“It’s actually kind of crazy, the last thing I edited was a column about you.” You smile at him, trying to ignore the way your heart skips a beat when he smiles in return.

“All good things, I hope?” He asks, making you nod your head quickly as you jump to reassure him.

Tashi never returned to the conversation despite swearing she would and you talked with Art for what felt like hours. Before you knew it, you were laughing like old friends and the conversation was flowing nicely. You catch yourself wondering what it would be like if you had met him all those years ago, if maybe he’d have had a crush on you before he dated Tashi.

You knew it was wrong to think that way about a married man, but you rationalized it out by saying they were just thoughts. Truly, that’s all they were. You would never try meddling in a relationship that seemed as strong as theirs. You didn’t realize how long you’d been talking until you glanced down at your phone, your mouth falling open in shock.

“We’ve been talking for so long!” Turning your phone around to show Art the time, his own mouth falls open too before splitting into a grin.

“I really hate to say this, but I really have to go. I have to go into work early tomorrow and I really need to get a good night’s sleep beforehand.” You look up at him with puppy dog eyes and Art swears he felt his heart skip a beat.

“That’s alright, I really enjoyed talking to you. Let’s go find Tashi and we’ll walk you out, we should get going too.” He looks around for a second and almost immediately spots Tashi, pointing her out to you so you two can make your way over.

You say an awkward goodbye once you’re at your car and before you step in, Tashi is calling out to you for your number. “We should keep in touch! We can all go out for drinks sometime.”

You give it to her, honestly a little startled she wanted to keep in contact. You exchange another goodbye before driving off, hoping it wouldn’t be too long before you see Art again.

It took Tashi all of two seconds to turn to Art with a raised eyebrow. “You seemed to really like her.” Her voice is deadpan, her arms crossed.

“Wh- What do you mean?” He looks at her wide eyed, like a child who’s been caught. She chuckles, shaking her head.

“I saw the way you looked at her when she walked in and the whole time you guys were talking, I’m not stupid.” Art gaps at her, his mouth opening and shutting a few times.

“Art, I don’t give a fuck. Why do you think I asked for her number?” He’s still gaping at her, trying to find the right words.

“You’ve been playing like shit, you can’t deny it. She made you the most excited I’ve seen you in a while. If she’s what it takes for you to play good again, I don’t care if you fuck her. Hell, you could enter a full blown relationship with her and I wouldn’t care if it means you play better.”

Art tries to defend himself, tries to say he would never do that to Tashi, but part of him is excited at the prospect of her giving him the go-ahead. After lots of convincing and back and forth between them, Art decides to just go for it. You guys all hung out after that night a few times, but eventually Tashi was always “busy” and it turned into just you and Art going out for drinks or watching movies. It wasn’t until after a few months of these hang outs when Art decided to bring up the idea to you.

“I know this is a really strange offer, but I really just need you to hear me out before you say anything.” His words make you raise an eyebrow as you turn to look at him. You notice how nervous he seems, his thumb rubbing the ring on his finger.

“I find you attractive, I honestly really like you. I know I’m married to Tashi, but her and I have honestly been going downhill for months. All we ever talk about is tennis, she barely even wants to touch me anymore. I- I know it’s strange, but she gave me permission to pursue something with you. If you’re interested, that is.”

You stare at him for a second, your face void of any emotion. “Did she really give you the okay or is this just some manipulation tactic? Because you know how I feel about cheating.”

He nods his head quickly, “If you want, you can talk to her about it. We’ve been discussing this since the night I met you, that’s why these hang outs eventually turned into just you and I.”

You sigh, rubbing your forehead. You couldn’t lie and say that you didn’t want this, but you didn’t want to enter into something that would inevitably cause pain for all parties involved.

“So, what, I’m just supposed to fuck you and then let you go home to your family? I can’t do that to myself, Art.” In the months that you’d been hanging out with Art, your shyness slowly disappeared and he got to see the more confident side of you. He couldn’t deny that it made him like you all the more.

“I-I mean, if you really wanted to, we don’t have to just do that. We could be in a relationship, I could stay with you some nights and go home for Lilly other nights. I don’t want you to think I just want to use you, because I don’t want to. You’re amazing, Y/N. These past few months have been so nice, I love just getting to sit with you and not having to talk about tennis or training. You make me feel normal, like I’m not just a puppet.”

You rub your forehead again, closing your eyes to think. “We can do this, but all three of us need to sit down and discuss boundaries. We need to do this right.”

Art’s face breaks out into a bright grin, his hands reaching for your own. “That’s fine with me, thank you for giving this a chance.”

The next day, you found yourself having the awkward sit down with him and Tashi to discuss boundaries. It took nearly the whole day, but eventually things were settled. With the weight of that off your chest, you felt comfortable starting something with Art.

Months went by and your love for Art only grew deeper. He was so kind and attentive, always making sure you were still okay with the arrangement and that you felt cared for. You feared the dynamic would be weird, but you often saw Tashi and even met Lilly a few times. Things were going amazing and you couldn’t ask for anything more.

It was nearly six months into your relationship the first time Art told you he loved you. You were lying in bed, the TV casting a glow in the otherwise dark room. Art was cuddled into your side, his head resting on her chest and his arm wrapped tightly around you. As he listened to the sound of your heartbeat and felt your chest move with every breath you took, he realized just how glad he was to have met you that night. He had gotten better at playing, he felt more loved than he had honestly ever felt with Tashi, and he was truly and utterly content with his life.

“Y/N?” He whispers your name, propping his head up on your chest to look at you. You look down at him, running your fingers through his hair as you smile softly at him. You hum softly to let him know you’re listening, it was something you did often that made Art’s heart skip several beats.

“I love you, truly. I’m so glad I met you and I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.” His words make you smile, your cheeks heating up as you lean down to give him a million kisses.

“I love you too, my sweet boy.” Art grins at you, sitting up so he can kiss your face. You giggle at the feeling, grabbing his face to pull him in for a real kiss. You were truly so grateful for Art and your relationship, and you were grateful for Tashi allowing it. This was the happiest you’d been in years and you wouldn’t trade it for the world.

[the-fandom-is-now-my-life]

The funniest thing about the Creator having a child thing (to me anways) is that the Archons act like their poor dear deity was an innocent in the whole situation, when you just KNOW that all the potential fathers (with the exceptions of Abyss Prince Aether and maybe Childe) were the ones being seduced.

Kaeya is a flirt, but he's not the type to bed someone willy-nilly, much less a deity. Nev is the Hydro Sovereign, he would have too much respect to try anything uncouth towards the Maker of All without their express permission. Kaveh would have to be blitzed out of his mind to even THINK of flirting with the Creator, much less bedding them. Childe, well...honestly it's a 50-50 split on that imo, he might if he thought it would go well and/or get him power of some sort. Traveler Aether would be focused on finding his sister, he wouldn't allow himself to be distracted by things like that...and Xiao? Xiao would never try anything that could even be mistaken as rude towards the Creator. Heck, I think getting a kiss on the cheek would be enough to make the poor guy panic.

So uh, I guess what I'm asking is...how did the dad's initially react to learning the Creator wanted to do the horizontal tango with them?

Help you are actually so right, in most scenarios I can only picture the reader being either shameless or forthcoming enough to say it to their face that they find the boy attractive or anything close.

I know there are at least a handful who while they fantasize about it wouldn't even dreamm of telling you that .

Their grace is so forthcoming

WC 1,2k

Flirty banter gets misunderstood for real flirting but they exploit the bug

Childe

“Your grace, you are shivering a lot!” he exclaims loudly as he pulls his harbinger coat onto your shoulders. The tsaritsa held a kind of ‘greetings party' with her harbingers, even if the atmosphere was tense and the chatting short, each of your sides being taken by the tsaritsa and Pierro. Sooner than expected everyone left. When you notice you left an accessory behind and meet face to face with the redhead alone in the room.

“Hm, I guess I'm a bit cold”

And without missing a beat or looking up from the clasp he was trying to secure he chimes faster than he can think “cold? But you are so hot!” but after he noticed his eyes seem to lack more will to live.

“I'm inc-”

As he attempts to apologize, your hand pulls on his wrist, getting him closer, his blue eyes wide, “You yourself are quite nice on the eyes, don't you want to tell me anything else?”

His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows the spit that pooled behind his teeth, his little Freudian slip ended up better than he expected.

Kaeya

“Oh my, what are you doing alone here?” Kaeya sits down on the chair next to you, only a lonely drink with you

“Mhm, Venti got into a fight with Jose six fingers about who was a better bard” you sigh as you sip your drink, looking down a window at the two bards singing outside trying to get the crowd to decide who was better.

“To leave such an beautiful person alone in a bar, I wouldn't be surprised if a drunkard tried to sweep you off your feet” he sips his alcoholic drink, the burning on his tongue soon settling warmly in his stomach before letting out a roaring laugh from the bottom of his chest “I'm joking~ I doubt anyone would dare attempt”

You let out a simple ‘mhm?’ before leaning your head to the side to look at Kaeya with a mischievous grin “oh, such a shame, I would have allowed you to do something so bold and a bit more” and your hand falls on his thigh under the table and his soon follow.

Venti

Would NEVER, under No circumstances flirt first for reasons

Xiao

-holds too much respect to dar think about you like that-

“Aren't you sweet?” the small apple falls on your hand, Xiao had climbed a nearby tree after hearing your stomach rumble.

“I appreciate your kind words, even then I think I'm too jaded to be considered anything akin to that” He bows his head. It's been a while since he accepted that he would never be clean of the blood he spilled during the war, but that at least managed to make him want to protect Liyue so they will be able to live peacefully.

“You may say that but isn't selflessly protecting liyue sweet? I would say it's sweet how you care about little Qiqi, I saw how you carried her up a cliff to grab qingxin. Undoubtedly pure sugar”

“Your grace…” his eyes soften as he looks down where you are.

“You are almost like candy I could eat up!”

Traveler aether

-shy/ has other things in his mind-

“I have to say aether, your house is surprisingly comfortable” the words slip past your lips before you can think about it. Even if it isn't how you would have furnished it nobody could say he had bad taste. There are lots of fireplaces and cushions and the seats and beds are quite comfortable, an odd combination of styles that sustained the idea of him being a traveler and cherry picking the most comfortable parts of each nation.

“Paimon had a hand at it too! If it was up to aether this would only be cushions and blankets! Paimon had to push for these plants!”

“Well it wouldn't be strange for a traveler to seek mostly comfort rather than looks”

Later into the night he leads you to another room on the upper floor, just a few meters away from his “how strange, I would have guessed the guest's room would be on the lower floor”

Aether just sighs, his braid swaying softly “Paimon wanted her room to be close to the kitchen so it was this or having the game room up here”

A few hours pass, there is a noise like paws on the roof but you pay no mind, Aether already explained that nobody could enter unless he allowed them to and most likely they were one of the many animals he kept inside the teapot. Softly you walk towards his door and knock on it, not without looking down the railing only to see pain passed out surrounded by a few fruits.

“Could I sleep with you?” You stand before his door wearing your piyama, as you say those words you drink in his disheveled appearance, a t-shirt a few sizes too big hanging from his shoulders down the middle of his white thighs, long blond hair usually collected in a braid now loose, some bits tangled and another flowing as they please.

“Huh…? If you are afraid of noises the cranes sometimes go to the roof and you can hear them”

“It's not that… it's more like I want to be close to you, in the same bed” his cheeks, usually milky white bloom peony red, and the last bit of hanging sleep fell from his eyes. He nods vigorously.

He has principles and openly flirting with you almost seems disrespectful

Neuvillette

Melusines are the pride of Fontaine, with their joyful disposition and chubby cheeks even if chronologically they can be hundred if years old they can blend in with 5 year olds seamlessly. Be it their tiny huffing and puffing when things don't go their way, to their attraction to sweets and how clingy they can be with neuvillette. Especially when he misses the usual monthly visit.

“I have already apologized, work stacked up and-”

“You prefer our sisters who stay in the city! It's unfair” the melusine who took over his lap started kicking the air until Neuvillette combs her hair with his fingers.

“You know it isn't like that… could you as a group behave for their grace? they are arriving soon” he attempts to calm her down while looking at the drawing another is showing him and how two others are braiding his hair.

“Never took you for the fatherly type” as you walk inside the grotto some melusines jump on you, they only see you as mister Neuvillette's friend and someone with a gift which you soon give them, it's a small ball with glitter inside, soon the melusines focus on that and start running around chasing it “aren't they a joyful bunch?”

“They seemingly never run out of energy so they can be tiring at times. My apologies for such display, I expected them to be able to be calm by the time you arrived but as you can see…”

“I don't mind, it's adorable, attractive even” he doesn't look too taken aback by your comment other than his slit pupils being thinner and longer than usual.

Diluc

Thoma

Alhaitham

Would actually flirt, holds you in high regard but still sees you as a human

Dainsleif

Abyss aether

[ssahotchnerr]

I need a 'you came' - 'you called' moment with our beloved Aaron. Either if he shows up for the reader or the reader shows up for him.

aftershocks

cw; bau!reader, takes place after 4x1 mayhem, descriptions of violence

you couldn't sleep.

you've been tossing and turning for hours, frustrations growing inside you as the clock hit one, two, three am.

you had returned to quantico from new york yesterday, and the adrenaline that had been racing through you the past few days had still yet to lessen. as if your mind and body still believed something horrible was about to happen; you felt as if you were buzzing- with anticipation, uneasiness, fear.

every time you closed your eyes, it replayed. so vividly as if it were happening right before you again.

the franticness the city had fallen into, trying to get ahold of your team and failing, finding out that one of your government issued vehicles had exploded. aaron and kate's vehicle. aaron.

kate hadn't made it. but aaron had.

your mind kept coming back to the what ifs; the idea of sam waiting a few more seconds before initiating the explosion. if they had been any closer...

or, what if aaron and kate had entered the car? they would've been right above where the device had been planted. on the driver's side.

aaron always drove.

you currently choked back a sob at that one.

however, you had managed to keep it together through the case's entirety. how you did so, you still had no idea. and as much as you wished you could've been by aaron's side, at the scene of the explosion, you were selfishly grateful it had been derek, and not you. seeing aaron in that state, covered in blood in a scenario where he could've easily not made it, it would ruin you.

and now, in the comfort of your apartment, alone with your thoughts, it was too much. too much to handle alone.

and only one person could ease your mind. he may not know it, but he meant everything to you.

"hotchner."

just the sound of his sleep-filled voice through the phone brought you to tears. he's alive.

he's alive.

"hi, it's me." you held back another sob, hoping your voice maintained some normalcy.

it hadn't, and within less than a second aaron was wide awake. "what's wr-"

"i just needed to hear your voice." you interrupted, clutching onto your phone with a shaky hand. "i know it's late, i'm so sorry, but-"

"no, please don't apologize." he cut you off this time. his voice was soft- comforting. "what is it?"

"i just wanted to make sure you were okay." your voice cracked in the middle of your sentence, and you exhaled a breath in attempt to calm your nerves.

"i'm okay." he whispered softly, repeating again to give you the confirmation he knew you needed. "i'm okay."

"i was... am, so scared." you admitted, biting down onto your lip hard. "i'm so scared to lose you. in new york, you were so close, too close. you could've..." you couldn't finish your statement, as if it would your somehow change the outcome. make it real.

"i'm here." aaron insisted, his tone firm but exceedingly gentle. "i'm right here."

"i know. i just..."

"do you want me to come over?"

you immediately froze at his question. yes. "no, you don't have to. it's late, and you have jack. so it's fine. don't worry about m- it, please."

"but he's at-"

"i'll just see you at the bau. only in a few hours, right?" you forced a laugh, a single tear falling from your eye. "goodnight."

he started to say something else, but you had already hung up.

after hearing his voice, you felt somewhat better. your heart rate had slowed, but an empty feeling in your chest was still present- as if some unknown force was still going to take aaron from you unannounced. you simply stared at the ceiling, accepting your inevitable fate of doing so until the sun came up, until there was a soft knock on your door.

your heart did a leap as you pushed back your comforter, quickly heading to your front door. as it was nearly four in the morning, the most logical thing to do was check through the peephole to see who the culprit was.

but you didn't. you knew in your heart who it was.

you opened your door to reveal aaron. his hair was still disheveled from sleep, he was still in his pajamas. it was strange seeing him in such casual attire- flannel pants and a grey crewneck- rather that his usual suit, or even just a simple button-up or sweater. it was more personal, vulnerable even.

"you came?" your words left you in a breath as you looked at him in disbelief, your bottom lip already trembling.

there was something in aaron's eyes you couldn't quite place, and you could've sworn you've never heard his voice so gentle. "you called."

just as the other way around, he would do anything for you.

the sob you had been holding in for nearly two days finally broke through your chest, and aaron didn't hesitate to gather you into his arms.

"i'm here." he mumbled into your hair, cries shaking through you. "i'll always be here."

[xo-cod]

would you write something about casual intimacy with simon please??🥹🫠

i'm in love with casual intimacy :") hope you enjoy babe <33 i couldn't pick one so i did a bunch but lmk if you'd like a specific scenario 🤍

rushed/ooc as usual.

affection and attention had been something the masked soldier had struggled with for years. he naturally had been closed off and reserved at the start, he didn't care much for intimacy having never truly finding it in his life. but when you entered his life, it'd all changed him completely

simon riley who disliked being caught in hugs and being squeezed, who grew to become incredibly uncomfortable and awkward around hugs and physical touch now came home from a long and hard day of work to actively seek you out and just collapse onto you in a heap, cuddling you close to his chest falling asleep on you. feeling as safe as ever between your arms

simon riley who was an incredibly observant man, who was known on picking up on the small habits others around him did even if they weren't aware of it casually and silently handing you glasses of water or food throughout the day because he knows you might tend to forget or you didn't have a good habit of remembering when to do so.

simon riley who had an intelligent yet busy mind, filled to the brim of placements on how to take down the target as efficiently as possible and how better to inflict the worst torture on his enemy carried space to memorise your coffee/tea order, making sure it was just the right temperature for you to drink and the correct amount of sweetener (or none) so you didn't have to top up

simon riley who everytime you both spoke couldn't help but fidget slightly with you purely out of love. who noticed everytime a strand had been out of place and delicately brushing it back as you spoke to him, continuing to listen intently but making sure your hair remained as perfect as ever

simon riley who was a natural born leader and protector, who lead his team along with price through countless battles and ensuring every last of his men came back to safety now couldn't stop protecting you no matter what. holding your hand securely with his fingers toying with yours or a gentle hand on the small of your back guiding you through the crowd of the streets, keeping you safe and close by at all times

simon riley who didn't laugh much through his youth or a fair share of his adulthood, never being able to find that connection and keeping to himself now gently nudged your calf with his foot under the table everytime soap and gaz did something stupid knowing it was funny but wouldn't give them the ego boost so he kept it to you solely. or his linking his foot with yours from the opposite side even if it was unknowingly because his body craved your warmth, some part of him having to touch you no matter what

or simon riley who was incredibly strong and who scoffed at the sight of couples, who thought he didn't need someone else now enjoyed resting his head gently on your lap whenever he had the chance. his fingers laced with yours as he brought the back of your palm for a soft kiss, still not used to the fact that you were his and he was yours.

simon riley loved different than most, initially he had been too worried to even reciprocate any feelings because he was damaged. some parts of his past couldn't be healed and he swore up and down he could never do to uou what his father did to his mother. some days were easy and others were hard, some days he sought out your touch other days he needed to be alone for a while to decompress.

but even in those silent moments, there was love.

he learnt that perhaps love itself didn't have to be made of grand gestures or explosive displays. it didn't have to be chaotic and mind numbing, it didn't have to be so terrifying and confusing. you were the anchor keeping him steady and grounded

love was made up of the little things and simon was so full of them, he might've not been the most romantic person in the whole world but he was always there and he cared for you in ways that couldn't fully explain himself. it took months of him adjusting around you, it took time to fully trust and let you in, to break down the walls that guarded his heart so fiercely but your life had intertwined so deeply with his, his heart was yours simply all along.

he thanked his lucky stars everyday when it came to you because he didn't have to pretend or make a charade, this love came easy. your love came easy and it wasn't for a price it wasn't something you snatched and dangled in front of him only to watch him fall and break. you kept him steady and in return, he cherished you well.

you truly were the other half to his soul <3

[isabel-lillah]

may 1 - prompt: animagus - @jegulus-microfic - word count: 601

Regulus found the ring in James's stuff over a month ago, and he's kind of starting to panic over it.

It's not that he thinks James is seeing someone else, because no, he would never. What he worries about is the possibility that James wanted to propose, but then realised what a wreck Regulus is, and decided that it's just not worth it to get married to him.

Regulus has always been worried about that. He's always been scared that one day James would realise he's just not good enough for him.

And he gets it, really, but the not knowing if that's what is actually happening now is really stressing him out. So much so that James notices.

It's a Wednesday evening when James finally decides to ask what has been worrying his boyfriend recently. They're laying on the couch, Reg's back pressed to James's front. They're watching a movie on a muggle television, when a break comes on.

"Reg, I've been meaning to ask you. Is something bothering you? You've seemed kinda anxious recently," James asks, tracing random shapes on Reg's arm with his fingers.

Regulus tenses instantly.

"Love, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but you can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

At that, Regulus's last will to not say anything about the ring breaks down. He can't handle this anymore, and if he's going to get broken up with, he might as well just get it over with.

With a deep breath, he confesses: "I found the ring, James. More than a month ago."

It was James's turn to freeze, but before he could say anything, Reg continued: "And I understand if you thought better than proposing at the end, but I was just too scared I'd lose you completely if I asked, so I didn't."

As Regulus gets up to leave, James snaps out of his initial shock and quickly stands up too, catching Reg around his waist.

"Love, please look at me," he says, gently turning his boyfriend's face to his, only to find him with tears in his eyes.

"There's nothing that could make me decide not to propose to you. I just didn't want to do it until we were totally honest with each other, and there's something I've been holding back. I was trying to figure out how to tell you, and it took me a while," Regulus watched James take a breath before continuing: "So, I have permission of everyone to tell you. I've had for a while now, actually. So, Remus is a werewolf-"

Regulus choked. He didn't know what to expect when James started his speech, but it certainly wasn't this.

James rubbed his back as he continued: "And, naturally, me, Sirius and Peter want to be there for him. That's why we all disappear once a month, and that's why... I'm an animagus."

This bit actually got Regulus speechless for a minute.

"So, that's my one and only secret. I hope you understand why I didn't tell you earlier, I couldn't, it's not just my secret. We're all unregistered, even Remus is. On a less worrying tone, if you'll still have me, we can stop worrying about that proposal. It's going to happen. If you'll allow me?"

Regulus just laughed. This was the best scenario that could happen. "I will, only if you tell me what animagus you are. And you need to show me."

James chuckled and kissed him chastely, before grabbing his hand, and dragging him out of the house: "We need to get out for that, love."

[nina-ya]

Patching up Sanjis Wounds

Zoro Law Sanji Shanks Ace Luffy Sabo Doflamingo Pairing: Sanji x Reader CW: Blood mentions, light wound descriptions, Sanji being a little flirty shit as usual. WC: 756

The chances that the love cook would take a huge hit for you and leave you to be the one to patch him up are high, and unfortunately this exact scenario just unfolded. Sanji is currently sprawled out in front of you after taking a major hit for you, bleeding from every place imaginable. The bleeding from his nose is most likely from the fact that you’re currently compressing some of the cuts on his chest so they can clot and those lovesick eyes he is directing towards you is practically confirming your suspicions. “Why did you do that?! Do you know how reckless that was?!” You practically yell at him as you scramble to help him. “I always help a lady in need, especially you~” he slurs out. You can’t tell if he’s love drunk or has lost too much blood based on the way he’s speaking. You roll your eyes at his response and start unbuttoning his shirt to take a better look at his wounds. He seems to light up at your touch. “Mademoiselle, I didn’t think this would be how our first time would go. I imagined preparing a lovely dinner fir-“ You groan loudly. “Sanji! With all due respect, this is not what you think it is. Get your mind out of the gutter and tell me where it hurts.”

He pouts when you shoot his advances down. “It hurts right here,” he says, guiding your your hand over his heart. Before you scold him again for his flirtation at this inappropriate time, you see the deep red that has enveloped his chest and you gasp softly. Sanji's injury is much worse than you initially thought, and the sight of the deep red seeping from his chest was enough to fill you with concern. You hold back your frustration and focus on the task at hand. "Sanji, where else does it hurt?" He winces and lets out a heavy sigh, his usual confident demeanor momentarily fading as he admits, "Everywhere, honestly." You fight back the pang of frustration and set your focus on treating him. "Alright, let's get you patched up. But seriously, Sanji, no more of your romantic fantasies right now. We need to stop this bleeding." As you work to remove his blood-soaked shirt, Sanji can't help but show his appreciation, although his pain is clear. "You have the gentle touch of an angel, ma belle." You can't help but let out a half-laugh, half-sigh. "Sanji, I'm trying to save your life here, not audition for a romance play." He manages a weak smile amidst his discomfort. "Sorry, it's just hard not to admire your beauty, even in the midst of all this." You smile slightly and focus on cleaning his wounds, and begin to wrap up some of the deeper gashes. Sanji winces and grits his teeth, but he doesn't complain about the pain. He seems to understand the gravity of the situation, and it has sobered him up, for the most part. “You know this was stupid, right?” You mutter softly, your voice filled with care. “Nothing is stupid when it comes to you.” he retorts. You let out a sigh. “Sanji, this was very stupid. If you had gotten more hurt than this, if you had… if you had died, I…” you trail off, suddenly becoming emotional. Your lip quivers as you try to focus on holding back tears so you can help him. Sanji sees your distress and lightly grabs your hand. “I will not die, not any time soon at least. I need to at least get a kiss from you before I can say I have lived a satisfied life.” You sniffle, your emotions still raw, but you manage a small laugh in response. “Yeah, well, I don't think ill be satisfied with just a kiss.” Sanjis' blue eyes sparkle with longing and a grin spreads across his face. “Oh? Do tell what it is you had in mind.” He says cheekily. Your laughter fills the air and affection floods your voice. “Hey, lets get you to Chopper first, okay?” You say, finalizing the wrapping of the wounds. “But for now, I will leave you with this.” Leaning in, you press a kiss to his lips. Its a tender and affectionate kiss, conveying all the emotions you had been suppressing: relief, gratitude, and an undeniable connection between you two. Sanjis' Lips were warm and warm and welcoming, and for that moment, you can forget about the chaos of the world around you two.

[mothwingwritings]

Your Yujiro x reader has been on my mind recently, and an interesting idea came into my head - what would happen if the reader somehow stumbled upon Yuichiro? What would he think of the whole situation, particularly because he is of a *very* different temperament than his son? Would he develop some sort of feelings for (reader)? I'm pretty sure Yujiro would be pissed to see his father meddling in things 😭

You're one of my fav writers on here!! Keep it up ❤︎ and make sure to take care of yourself ☺️

… I can’t believe I didn’t think of writing anything for Yuichiro before this ask lol. How could I write so much about the Hanma family’s favorite girl (you) and never mention Yuichiro???  Shame on me tbh, let’s change that now!

(And thank you for your kind words!!! You are very sweet! <3)

WARNINGS: Mentions of sex, noncon, past abuse, and stepcest.

If by some miracle act Yuichiro was able to obtain a corporeal form and once more walk amongst the living, he would be very intrigued by how far his lineage had come and what the Hanma’s were able to accomplish. Being the start of it all, he had a vague idea of how things most likely have progressed. There is no doubt that his unruly son has grown massively strong, and he’s sure that strength has caused countless problems for people near and far.

He was aware that Yujiro had children at this point, taking quite an interest himself in Baki and Jack’s development. Children weren’t always guaranteed to take after their parents, so it was always a delight when at least one of your offspring was able to carry on the family line with the strength and power you and your ancestors worked so tirelessly to cultivate. When Yuichiro found out that of all the children Yujiro had fathered, not just one, but two showed such immense potential? He was as pleased as he was proud, even more so to discover Baki and Jack lacked the level of belligerent arrogance that made their father an unbearably volatile presence to be around.

While he was taking note of his family line he happened upon a surprising outlier- you. He was at first puzzled by the fact that the Ogre, with all his rampant testosterone, was even able to produce a daughter. When he dug a little deeper and realized you were adopted into the family, while that in and of itself made sense, it left him with even more questions. Why would someone like Yujiro go out of his way to adopt someone else’s child, let alone a female, when he barely cared about the children he himself had brought into this world? Based on the limited knowledge he had of you, you didn’t have any kind of superior strength or secret, hidden abilities that may have spurred his son to take you under his wing. So how exactly did you become awarded with the name of Hanma?

The mystery became too intriguing to ignore, thus he sought you out.

The moment he saw you, he instantly began to understand your appeal. He kept his distance at first, not wanting to overwhelm you with his presence as he made his initial observations. From what he could gather, you were a thoughtful girl, kind and affable to your friends and strangers alike. He noted that you seemed a little jumpy, on edge in scenarios you should feel more at ease, and he worried that maybe he wasn’t concealing himself enough and you were catching on to his surveillance. You may not have Hanma blood in your veins, but you’ve been around them enough to recognize the specific aura they exude. He would need to be more careful, maybe conducting his research on you was best done through other means.

Hence, he decided to look into your relationships with his son and grandsons, hoping to get a better picture of who you were as a person and unravel the secret of how you became intertwined in their lives.

However, what he ended up finding out was not anything he ever expected.

As soon as he learned the horrific truth of how his family had handled you, the revolting nature in which not just his son, but his grandchildren, showed their ‘affection’ for you, he was at a loss for words. Yuichiro was beyond disgusted by their actions, particularly due to the fact that their aggressions were against an innocent woman who had no means of defending herself against the brutes that were incessantly at her heels.

Your jittery nature made complete sense now. You weren’t constantly on edge because you were a naturally excitable person- you were on edge as a defense mechanism. You had to be cautious around everyone for your own self-preservation, frightened that you may unwittingly be subjugating yourself and the people around you to extreme danger by being in a public space. The man who was supposed to be your father figure had assaulted you, hurting and scarring you in irreparable ways. The brothers that you loved and looked to for protection ended up having the same perversions as the man who had created them, betraying your trust in their attempts to force themselves upon you.

Disgusted wasn’t a strong enough word for what he had felt upon learning these revelations. His disappointment in his kin was immeasurable.

When he finally introduces himself to you, it’s apprehension that greets him in return. He can see the fear reflected in your eyes as you were faced with the instant realization of his strength the absolute power he held over not just you, but anyone who may step to him. Yuichiro was a complete stranger to you, in fact you probably hadn’t even seen a picture of him to make any sort of connection. But he could tell that within moments of making your acquaintance, you understood who he was. He was a Hanma, and therefore, he was a threat.

Seeing you cower before him, your whole body vibrating in a state of alarm, eyes darting around the vicinity as you tried to map an escape route should this meeting go south… it broke his heart. It wasn’t that he was immune to your charms, Yuichiro could definitely see the appeal of wanting to be close to you in an intimate manner, but to take you by force? To treat you so horribly, handle you so violently? It took all his power not to make his rage over the injustices you had faced show on his features, lest he frighten you further.

It took a while for you to warm up to him, but the relationship that blossomed was well worth the effort. You were a lovely person all around, beautiful in every sense of the word. The more he got to know you, the more he saw your true personality shine through, and the longer he spent with you, the more his affection for you grew.

Yuichiro had made his decision. You would be safe with him-completely and undeniably cared for under his watchful eye. He would be the father Yujiro never could be, the protector your brothers failed to be. He would become your family, a true family, and insure that you will never have to spend another day living in fear ever again.

In short, Yuichiro’s arrival would probably be the ONLY thing that would ultimately protect you from Yujiro and the rest of the Hanma family. This is great for you because he’s a man of his word, the moment you come under his care Yujiro’s entire existence is like a distant nightmare, and that is something you are exceedingly grateful for. However, you feel the absence of Jack and Baki much more profoundly, as you considered them to be your true family and still love them very deeply. Even though you know ultimately this arrangement is for the best, and you feel much safer and happier in Yuichiro’s care than you have ever felt with anyone else in your life, you still find yourself missing Jack and Baki greatly. Even with their betrayal shattering the last of your innocence, causing you deep and lasting scars, life without them still hurt, and you don’t think you’ll ever heal enough to ignore the pain.

… All this being said, it wouldn’t be on brand for me to answer this without fucking it up a little bit, right?

After some time living with Yuichiro, growing dependent on him for basic care and protection, his fondness for you begins to manifest in ways that are… shocking, even to Yuichiro himself. 

Maybe it was the long absence of a lover that began to steer his desires, or perhaps it was the sweet and selfless nature in which you offered your love to him? Who knew it would warm his heart so much to see you standing in the kitchen, sweet little apron tied around your waist as you hummed a little tune, hard at work preparing a new recipe you had picked out specifically to please him? All the little things you did without a second thought made is body and soul ache for you.

You were always cute, but when exactly did you become so irresistible to him?

It caught him off guard to feel a flutter in his stomach when he saw your smile or heard your laugh. At his age he figured he was far past feelings like this, especially with someone so much younger than himself, especially with you.

He didn’t expect the blush that dusted your cheeks when he entered the bath you were currently occupying to excite him as much as it did. He took great pride in the control he had over his body, keeping his emotions and desire in check was one of his strong suits. But seeing you there, bare and bashful, trying desperately to cover yourself while your eyes refused to linger on any part of his exposed body for too long… you were definitely testing his limits here, sweetheart.

Did you know how effortlessly beautiful you were? Did you realize just how tantalizing even the most innocent of your actions were? Would it upset you if he told you how pretty he found your body, as his eyes drank in every inch of skin you were working so hard to hide? Would it scare you if he helped you to understand just how much sway you had over not just his heart, but all of his wants and desires?

He had chided and scorned his family for their mistreatment of you, the sick, twisted feelings they pummeled you with not only threatened your existence, but were also a stain on the illustrious Hanma name. Yuichiro wanted nothing more than your happiness and your security, both were things he took great honor in providing to you, and he found his own joy in knowing you felt contentment with him after so much suffering. But he was starting to get an itch that was growing harder and harder to scratch. An itch he felt his kin was all too familiar with.

Maybe he’s not so different from his son and grandsons after all?

[vendetta-if]

I’m a sucker for (consensual!!!) fake-out-make-out scenarios—especially pre-relationship with a lot of unanswered emotions, sighs, pining (angst?) fjwkjfkww.

Ofc MC & each RO are more than capable of handling a situation, but I’d like to imagine that in some cases of laying low, you gotta do what u gotta do 😳

I was wondering if you already had this ask answered? 🫣 Otherwise, how would each RO react to MC initiating this trope?

I imagine at this stage of crushing/yearning, everyone would hold back in fear but ultimately give in (indulge) a little “for the sake of it looking real”. Who would try to play it cool afterwards? Who would fold after finally being able to kiss MC?

*can be as long or spicy as you want! I can’t stop playing the demo. you have a way with words ❤️

Ah, one of the downside of giving MC and some of the ROs such powerful abilities is that I won’t be able to include a fake-out-make-out scene without it feeling forced 😔✊ I suppose the closest one is the kabedon scene with Ash in Chapter 3 🤭

Ash

You don’t understand why MC is dragging you away; you’re pretty sure you could take on the group of goons by yourself. But whatever MC plans, you believe in them fully, as always.

Shouldering past the people milling around, MC takes you into a pretty secluded nook and before you can ask what’s the plan, MC pulls you in close and… kiss you.

You immediately freeze and you fear that if you move, whatever spell that the two of you are in right now would break and this little piece of heaven you’ve got going right now will be taken away from you.

You close your eyes and let MC takes the lead, sighing softly into the deepening kiss. You’ve dreamt of this countless of times but somehow, MC manages to make this real one feels a hundred times better than the ones in your dreams.

After what feels like an eternity, MC pulls away and you’re yanked back to earth. You expect regret or disgust on their face, but they’re looking at you with half-lidded eyes that just sends heat down to your groin.

Are you probably in a dream right now? And you’ll about to wake up in your bed soon? You decide to pinch your arm and… you’re still here. This really just happened.

MC says something about pursuers, but it’s a bit drowned by the sound of your thundering heartbeat reverberating in your ears. You’re still dumbfounded and just nods as you let MC drags you somewhere else.

Your mind is still reeling and you’ve got the feeling that you’ll be spending the next month or so replaying the scene over and over again in your head as you try to process the fact that you just had your first kiss with MC.

Rin

Getting pursued by a bunch of goons is not something you’ve got planned for today, but it is an expected outcome of agreeing to help MC. It doesn’t take a genius to conclude that taking a fight where you’re outnumbered is not a good idea, so you just happily let MC drags you into a more crowded area, possibly to make it easier for the two of you to lose your tails.

MC pulls you into a more secluded nook and in that instant, you know what they are planning to do. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise to you when MC leans down and press their lips against yours.

You’ve seen scenes like this in movies and books, but never have you thought that this would happen to you in real life, much less that this is how your first kiss is going to be. But you’re not really complaining though, especially when it’s with MC, the only person you’re interested in for quite some time now.

Bringing your arms up, you encircle them around MC’s neck, pulling them even closer as you decide to take control and deepen the kiss. After all, the only thing you can do is to make the most of your first kiss now, right?

MC inhales sharply in surprise but soon melts into the kiss and lets you take the rein as they grab your waist. Ah, this does taste as sweet as you’ve pictured in your head.

After minutes that felt like forever, you break the kiss first, stepping back and getting out of MC’s hold as you straighten your clothes. You almost let out a laugh when you see MC still standing frozen in place with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.

“Alright, I think we’ve lost them,” you say, taking hold of their hand. “Let’s get out of here, yes?”

MC finally shakes out of their daze, although not completely it seems. “Uh, yeah… Let’s…” they answer breathlessly as they let you drag them away.

“Next time, if you want to kiss me, just ask,” you tease with a smirk. “No need to wait for us getting chased.”

Santana

It was supposed to be a simple stakeout mission with MC, but a little misstep leads you to where you are now with the two of you running away from a group of goons. You can hear the sounds of their thunderous footsteps behind you, but you’re not going to risk turning around to see how far behind they are.

Your heart lightens as you and MC gets into a more crowded area. MC takes your hand in theirs and you happily let them lead you to the side, into a secluded nook. You’re not sure what MC’s plan is since this position is not really well-hidden, but you’ll take the chance to catch your breath a bit.

But before you can properly do it, MC suddenly leans in and press their lips against yours, catching you by surprise. Despite your budding feelings for MC, you still feel hesitation and decide to just let MC take the lead.

Deep down, you know MC is probably doing this only to blend in and lose your pursuers, but one can dream. Closing your eyes, you let yourself get lost in the feeling. It feels like there’s only you and MC as your surrounding melts away.

MC deepen the kiss and your soft gasp gets devoured. You feel their arms on your back and you reciprocate the gesture by circling your own around their hips, bringing them closer.

You’re not even sure how much time has passed until MC finally pulls away first, breaking the kiss. For a moment, the two of you can only stare at each other with wide eyes and flushed cheeks, breaths mingling with each other. Your heart is still racing hard in your chest—no longer from the adrenaline of getting pursued, but from the high of the kiss.

There’s so many things you want to say, but instead, the only thing that comes out of your mouth is, “Are they gone?”

Why? Because you’re stupid and a coward.

MC blinks and seems to snap out of the daze as they glance behind you. “Yeah, I think we’re in the clear,” they say as they step back, retracting their hands and getting out of your hold.

You feel your heart fall a bit at the lost of the contact. But then, MC takes your hand in theirs. “Let’s get out of here,” they whisper and you nod, once again letting them take you somewhere else.

Skylar

Honestly, you could have probably taken on the group of goons singlehandedly, especially with MC’s help. But it seems MC is not really looking for a confrontation right now because they decide to run away instead, dragging you with them to a more crowded area.

Either way, you don’t really mind, especially once they take you to a pretty secluded nook that’s too small to fit the two of you together. There are only mere couple of inches separating the two of you and how you want to just close the gap altogether.

And it seems like your prayer has been answered because MC is the one who leans forward and suddenly presses their lips to yours. Not letting the good fortune go to waste, you instinctively wrap your arms around their back.

You bring them even closer until your chest and theirs are flush against each other as you deepen the kiss. MC inhales in surprise before slowly melting in your arms.

You’ve kissed quite a number of people before, but somehow, this first one with MC just has something… special in it that you can’t really describe. It gives you the same feeling whenever you fly, a feeling of walking on fluffy clouds.

You swear, if those goons come and interrupt you out of this state of bliss… But thankfully, they don’t and after a while, MC breaks away breathlessly, cheeks adorably flushed.

You grin lopsidedly, still cradling them in your embrace. “Remind me, what were we doing again before this?”

MC looks at you flabbergasted. “W—We were getting chased—”

“Oh, yeah,” you sigh exaggeratedly. “How about we get out of here, hm?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been waiting for,” they mumble.

They try to get out of your embrace but you tighten your hold instead and before they can complain, you take off with them in your arms.

[writerblue275]

I read Heartsteel!Sett becoming a dad and AUUUUUH MY HEART I LOVED IT 😭❤️😭❤️

and now I gotta predictably ask about Heartsteel!Kayn becoming a dad cuz I’m wEAK HFJFJFHHF

Mystic!! Hello!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed my Heartsteel!Sett dad headcanon! But ooooh Heartsteel’s resident bad boy becoming a dad? I love it. Let’s gooooooo! (Also listen I totally get it. I’m WEAK for Kayn too he's just such a menace to my sanity I swear to god.😭)

Heartsteel!Kayn becoming a dad

Previous members: Sett

Genre: Headcanon

Type: FLUFF (with slight frank discussion of unprotected sex and v slight suggestive undertones at one point.)

Gender: Not necessarily specified but mention of carrying a pregnancy and such (though sex does not equal gender as we all know).

TW: Swearing. Discussion of risks of unprotected sex. Discussion of pregnancy things and labor.

Extra context: In this instance we’re assuming a well-settled relationship. Like cohabitation and shit.

So the start of this really depends on on an important factor: Is the baby planned? Because while I think Kayn’s course of action and thoughts would eventually line up on the same path regardless if the baby is planned or not, his initial reaction I could see being SUPER different. In this scenario, let’s say the baby isn’t planned:

Now of course Kayn knew there was a risk. Both of you did. No matter how prepared and careful both of you were before/while/after having sex, nothing is truly 100% effective at preventing a pregnancy besides abstinence. And let’s be so for real, abstinence and Kayn are like oil and water. Also it’s not like you didn’t want him. You certainly enjoyed yourself as much as he did.

And sure he’d thought a little bit about an accidental baby.

But not MUCH. And he certainly didn’t expect it to actually happen.

So when you tell him the news and show him the positive pregnancy test, it’s almost like he’s hit by lighting.

Kayn freezes, his wide eyes glued to the positive pregnancy test in your hand. “P-pregnant? Holy shit, (Y/N), you’re pregnant?

You sigh and nod. “Y-yeah…and I-I don’t know what to do…I don’t know what you want to do. I kn-know this isn’t r-really part of our p-plans right n-now. I-I wasn’t positive that’s what was g-going on until I took the s-second test today...” your voice fades off and your bottom lip wobbles ever so slightly.

The change in your voice has him looking back at your face, and seeing the distress in your eyes, Kayn quickly, but gently, reaches out and pulls you to him, wrapping you in a tight hug. He realizes this is as much of a shock to you as it is to him.

As you burrow against his shoulder and let out a sniffle, he kisses the top of your head. “Hey…hey, it’s okay, angel,” he murmurs. “Please don’t cry…please don’t cry, baby…I’m just surprised, that’s all. Yes this isn’t what we planned for right now, but I guess when the hell does life ever go according to plan?”

“Y-you’re not upset? Or mad?” your voice trembles.

Kayn gently makes you look at him, pecking your lips softly. “Baby, why would I be upset or mad? It’s not like you’re at fault for anything. I was just as much involved in this. Besides, we talked about the possibility of having kids in the future. And while we didn’t expect this part of our future to come so soon, what I know is you’re the person I want to have my future with. I love you. You make me the best version of myself and I can’t see my future with anyone else but you. If you want to have this baby, then I’ll be right next to you the entire way, helping you kick pregnancy’s ass and we’ll raise the coolest and most badass kid anyone has ever met.”

You let out a little laugh at that and wipe your eyes.

He grins at your reaction. “So don’t worry about what I want. Because all I want is for you to be happy, (Y/N). Whatever you want to do, I love you and I’m with you all the way.” He emphasizes his point with a kiss to your forehead.

Kayn’s reaction was better than you could have ever imagined. And you know he means everything he said, so…you and him decide to become parents.

And while of course becoming a father meant some things had to change, it wasn’t as big of a behavior shift as one might think.

He’d already given up drinking/substances (sober!Kayn headcanon returns!) and he wasn’t as much of a party animal as he used to be before he met and fell in love with you. He wasn’t kidding when he said you bring out the best version of himself.

Can you imagine Kayn telling the rest of Heartsteel the news? (I think he’d tell them early on since he’d want to be able to go to your appointments and such.) Their mix of shock and glee.

Ezreal: *Nearly levitating in excitement* “No fucking way!!! Wait can I be the godfather??? I call dibs on being the godfather!!”

Everyone else: *Jaws dropped, eyes wide, and staring at Kayn. Yone’s second cold brew of the day is now splattered on the floor.* (😂)

Kayn: *frowns* “What?? Turns out the idea of being a dad actually sounds pretty cool...”

*Raucous cheering commences and Kayn becomes the bottom of a dog pile of happy band mates/friends*

And trust, he’s keeping all of Heartsteel updated on how you’re doing. They are now very used to Kayn rambling on and on about your last appointment, how the nursery is going, how big the baby is this week, etc…

You might not expect it, but he’s super involved in your appointments, asking your OBGYN all sorts of questions. He’s genuinely curious and he wants to make sure he learns and understands as much as possible.

He will take off as much time as necessary to take you to appointments and Lamaze classes. Thankfully the rest of Heartsteel understands and they are cool with it.

And when Kayn sees the tiny blob at your first ultrasound, you notice him discreetly clear his throat as he hugs you tightly.

You quickly realize this kid has their father already wrapped around their little finger…and their little finger isn’t even developed yet!

Surprisingly excellent at helping you through bouts of morning sickness. He’s happy to hold back your hair if need be, and he’ll always help you straighten/freshen up once you’re through a spell.

Wasn’t prepared for the hormonal mood swings at first, tbh. The first time you burst into tears over a cute little kitten video, Kayn was genuinely a little alarmed. But he quickly realized what was going on.

Your crazy cravings don’t phase him. He’s always down to run out and grab you whatever food you want.

And not just food either. He’s ready to run out and grab any kind of supplies for you (though he very jokingly complains about it. But he makes it very clear he’s just kidding and he doesn’t actually mind).

And despite all the physical changes to your body, Kayn makes it clear he still finds you attractive. He makes that VERY clear. 😉

Being with you already brought his soft side out. That just increases exponentially while you’re pregnant. Kayn absolutely loves to play the guitar for you and the baby. He’ll play lullabies while you two are unwinding from the day. (If you sing, sing along with him because oh my god it makes him so happy when you do. He’d love to pass on a love of music to this baby early.)

And when he’s not playing guitar, he’s reading through the absolute mountain of parenting books he bought/borrowed from the library.

He’s trying to be as prepared as humanly possible. But there’s also an underlying anxiety to his obsessive reading. The last thing he wants is to let you or the baby down. Be sure to reassure him you believe he’ll be a good dad.

(In the Heartsteel universe we’re not exactly told what Zed is to Heartsteel!Kayn, but considering his role and the relationship between the two in base Runeterra lore, I’m imagining Zed as Kayn’s adoptive father.)

He’s calling Zed often and asking him for advice. And Zed is ready to assist you if Kayn is busy with Heartsteel or out of town for something. Just text him.

Kayn’s super eager to find out the sex of the baby. One of the first questions he asked the OBGYN was “How long until we know whether it’s a boy or girl?”

He doesn’t have a preference one way or the other, he just wants to know. The baby will be so loved regardless.

So once the two of you are at the 20-week ultrasound appointment, he’s so excited to finally get an answer.

And when the OBGYN reveals the baby is a girl? Holy shit Kayn’s so thrilled. He’s so happy he starts crying and laughing as he hugs you. (Tough bad boy becoming the biggest girl dad oh my GODDDDDDD 😭.)

And now that he knows the sex of the baby, this man is going to go OFF when it comes to buying things for her.

He found a black onesie with a pink skull and crossbones (with a bow) that says “Punk Rock Girl.” He bought four.

And once it’s time for the baby to come? Kayn is incredible. There’s a small wave of panic at the beginning because “holy fuck oh my god it’s actually fucking happening.” But he quickly realizes that panicking won’t help shit in this scenario. So he takes you to the pre-packed car (that he did himself and triple checked), takes a deep breath, and gets you to the hospital.

Kayn is your biggest advocate in the hospital. He’s making sure you are being listened to when it comes to how you’re feeling and what you want.

He’s encouraging you the whole way. Leading you through your Lamaze techniques, telling you to squeeze his hand as hard as you need to, and encouraging you to swear as much as you need to.

And even when you start cursing him out from pain for being “a god damn sexy and charismatic jackass and doing this to me, putting me in this position,” he keeps his cool, instead apologizing to you and telling you he’s right here and that he loves you.

Once it’s time for you to push, Kayn is right next to you, wiping your forehead, making sure you’re taking deep breaths, and counting you into pushes.

“Look at me, (Y/N). Eyes on me.” Kayn’s voice is gentle but urgent as he gently puts his finger on your chin and turns your head towards him. “That’s it, beautiful. Holy shit, you’re doing so well. I love you so much and I’m so fucking proud of you. Like doc said, one more big push and she’ll be out. Deep breath. I’ll count down from three and when I say “push” you give it all you got, okay? Ready? Alright angel, let’s meet our little girl. Breathe in....and 3…..2…..1…..push!”

And you do it. You give one final push and out she comes, squalling loudly, covered in vernix (newborn goop).

And Kayn finally lets all his emotions go, hugging you tightly and nuzzling your neck as he starts to tear up.

His voice is muffled against your neck. “I’m so fucking proud of you, (Y/N). She’s here….our daughter is here.” He lets out a happy laugh and kisses your forehead, gently wiping away your tears. “You alright, Angel? Can I get you anything?”

You hug him tightly, exhausted but happy, shaking your head. "Not besides babygirl. How is she?”

He nods. "They’re getting her cleaned off. (Y/N), she is perfect. Absolutely perfect. Just like you.”

The L&D nurse walks over. “Dad? Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?”

Kayn’s face lights up and he smiles at you. “Hell yeah…”

The sight of your partner carefully cutting your daughter’s umbilical cord is extremely sweet. He's being so careful, almost as if he's afraid he'll accidentally hurt her.

And as he looks down at her tiny form, he swears to himself right then and there, he's not letting anyone or anything harm her.

And once they hand her to you and you gently tease him as his happy tears fall, he just looks up at you with a grin, not even trying to play his tears off as "dust in my eyes" like he sometimes does.

You can’t help but laugh as he comments on her lung capacity and how she’s already ready to be a singer.

"She's what, not even ten minutes old and she already beats Ezreal's lung capacity and his higher range! He's gonna be so fucking jealous!"

(A/N: Ok so I know I stopped with Sett’s at the hospital right after labor, but I have an extra tidbit for Kayn’s and I NEED to write it down.)

You know how when athletes/musicians have babies/little kids, the other parent might bring them to cheer on the famous parent but they cover their ears with really strong noise-cancelling headphones to protect their ears/hearing?

Imagine doing that for Kayn at Heartsteel shows!!! Dressing up baby girl in a small version of his paranoia jacket with custom Kayn-designed stitching on the back (courtesy of Sett).

And imagine if Kayn got custom ear protection for her. And on each earphone is a print of his Rhaast mask, matching the custom necklace he bought you early on in your relationship. “So everyone knows who's with me.”

Ah! That would be so fucking cool. And when he sees the two of you the first time you bring her, oh my god, his heart is ready to burst. Especially when you blow him a kiss and wave one of her little hands at him. Kayn can’t help but grin like an absolutely besotted idiot for a second. Honestly you two being at his shows to cheer him on is his favorite thing. It reminds him why he does what he does. For his little family.

Who knew this bad boy could turn into such a family man? 🥹

Ahhhh thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed my latest contribution to Dad!Heartsteel headcanons!! I was so excited to get this request!! 2/6 done. Let me know which Heartsteel member should become a dad next! 💙

[nkn0va]

Kokonoe,Bullet and Noel kissing headcanons. As in how do they prefer kissing, how offend would they kiss S/O, are they even good kisses at all? Stuff like that.

Finally a more normal request lmao...

...However you have to request it with one of the hardest characters to imagine in this department that I write for. Ho boy...

-To expect kisses on a regular basis from Kokonoe of all people is to put it quite simply, foolish. She is just so awful at anything intimacy related.

-You're getting pushed away if you try to initiate, at least in public. That will never change, but also in private at the beginning of the relationship before she's really opened up to you.

-When kisses do happen, they're short, straight, and to the point, like how she does everything else. Usually somewhere on your face, sometimes your lips if you're lucky. She's really bad at opening up, but she does have feel that need to make sure you're satisfied in the relationship, even if she can't do normal couple things.

-It takes a while before she's ready to initiate longer kisses and more often. Turns out she can be surprisingly passionate when she wants to be. She's spent so long repressing her needs for intimacy and being near terminally touch starved that when it finally does come out, it comes out all at once.

-Obviously, it only does so when she can assure no one else can possibly ever intrude. She has that impulsive need to make sure she's in control of the entire situation before she shows any sort of vulnerability whatsoever.

-Of course if she so happens to be in heat, that is a very different story, but that scenario shall be left up to the imagination...

-Similarly to Kokonoe, Bullet is not at all experienced with intimacy and you will be getting kisses on a regular basis to start. However unlike Kokonoe, she actually wants to do and tries.

-Poor girl is so awkward. She tries to be upfront and ask you about it, only to fluster herself and try to backpedal, however at that point it's too late. It's too hard for you to say no.

-She tries to be more open when it's the two of you alone wherever it may be. You can tell by the way she holds you and her kisses themselves she has no idea what the hell she's doing, but the fact she seems to be trying so hard more than makes up for it.

-She's a bit of a slow learner, but she does start getting the hang of it the more time you two spend together. Patience will be required but it will be worth it in the end.

-The more intimate you two get, the better she will start to become. Her straightforward attitude means she doesn't fuck around, she gets straight to making sure you're feeling satisfied.

-The poor thing.

-Noel's been in love with the idea of love as long as she can remember. She regularly writes poems about finding that special someone and the picturesque, perfect first kiss in any manner of scenarios she can imagine.

-However, now that she's confronted with the idea for real, she quickly collapses at the thought. She so badly wants to experience it with you, but she freezes up every time it crosses her mind when you're around.

-You're going to have to initiate any sort of kiss first. Don't do it out of the blue and surprise her, you're going to give her a heart attack. Make your intent clear, she won't say no despite all the stuttering and blushing.

-She's far from the greatest kisser out there objectively speaking, however she's so soft and gentle when doing so that it instantly warms your heart. She can be a bit more confident when going for your cheek or nose, though that's really not saying too much.

-And the look on her face after a kiss is so precious, it's a mix of being lovestruck and genuinely shocked that she actually has someone in her life who genuinely loves her this much. Maybe she should try to initiate intimacy more, at least if her confidence wasn't so low.

[lumiambrose]

Blue lock option matchup for @thecurrator

Matchup with Sae Itoshi

i’ve never matched anyone with sae before

no pressure, shit.

frankly i’m not one to judge comparability… BUT i see a lot of potential as you both have many similarities/habits that i think would compliment each other)

first and foremost, sae isn’t here for small talk and neither are you. you think small talk is a waste of time and sae frankly doesn’t care enough to engage in it, you two definitely bonded over that. 

quality time is the go to for you. despite sae’s busy schedule, he’ll always find time to spend with you. you might not be doing anything grand, but he’ll always make sure he doesn’t overpack his schedule so you two can go out or spend an evening together.

very common to find the two of you on the sofa together reading books or watching movies together. being in another's presence gives you both comfort that you can't find anywhere else. although if sae does have a busier day, just chill with him while he practises. you simply being there encourages him to give it his all.

(he’d totally make you lie under him while he does push ups so he can kiss you every time he sinks down.)

a relationship with sae is definitely complicated. it doesn’t really matter whether you’re introverted or extroverted with him, as long as he can connect with you. sae is pretty reserved and distant so he needs someone who can encourage him to open up. in general, it’s a staple for your partner to bring out the best in you in relationships.

but with sae you’re on extra hard mode… :’)

he wouldn’t date somebody without thoroughly knowing them, so the phase where you two were just friends was critical to his opinion of you.

his initial impression of you was neutral, leaning more towards good. he found you lukewarm at the beginning, like he would with everyone, but appreciated the fact you weren’t an eyesore or earsore. he respects people that can thrive on their own.

very awkward between the two of you for a while, neither really knew how to interact with the other. luckily you had plenty ~~annoying~~ lovely extroverts to save the day. if you befriended oliver or shidou, you can bet they’d drag you along to their outings, whether you like it or not. and of course, there’s no way they can’t bring japan's treasure along too.

you both would typically take a step back to just watch everyone's antics and that’s how the two of you spent the majority of your time together. it stayed like that until you let a thought slip past your tongue, thinking about the correlation of their off field antics and their play style, it wasn’t until then that you two had your first conversation.

sae, knowing the answers you sought, enlightened you and that was how it all started. on that day you two spent the outing following your extroverted friends around commenting on how their behaviour influences their play style, or similarities, even habits they may possess.

sae hasn’t talked that much in a very long time…

slow burn to the max. i wouldn’t be surprised if you were closed off, well surprise surprise, he is too. the adventure of getting to know each other and opening up to each other was complex. neither of you were really willing to open up at the beginning and it showed, but that didn’t stop you guys. 

instead of holding conversations about each other, you two got to know each other through conversations about others or scenarios surrounding you. delving into people in your day to day life or even simply strangers. you two could understand each other's thought process and think on the same wavelength without even getting to know each other.

you probably didn’t know basic shit for the longest time, like his favourite animal or colour, but despite that you knew him better than anyone out there.

once you open up to each other, yapper x listener all the way. “I love to talk to certain people and about things I find interesting, like my fixations or a fun hypothetical situation.” Sae would sit there listening to your thoughts all the way. it almost relaxes him when he hears your voice yapping about the most out of pocket shit.

keeps him on his toes you know, never knowing what you’re gonna say next.

if the topic actually interests him too (or he’s feeling chatty), he’ll entertain them. either he’ll give his own inputs or question the plausibility of whatever scenario you may have concocted in your head. he enjoys dissecting your thought process, seeing how logical you can keep whatever creative situation you may have cooked up.

i personally think you’d enjoy this. despite you saying you enjoy psychoanalysing people, being on the receiving end can also be extremely fun. cause it’s him i can see you enjoying the challenge and even giving him the same treatment when you two don’t particularly agree on something.

(you two could join fucking debate clubs after that :p)

frankly i doubt sae has social media himself. in general, he rarely uses his phone. he’ll only use his phone for two reasons, his work and you. he was definitely forced into creating social media for pr by his manager, but he personally prefers a much more quiet life. he values every aspect of privacy he can get.

he also avoids the paparazzi like the plague, has learnt all the ways to sneak past them and eventually teaches you once the relationship gets hard launched.

his phone is primarily filled with photos of you, beaches, meals he has cooked for you, gifts (for you) and date photos. he has literally zero games on his phone and the bare minimum contacts. to nobody's surprise, he rarely uses his phone.

though if you message him he somehow always replies in an instant… :p

personally i think your love languages match up almost perfectly. i think sae is very heavy on acts of service and quality time. i’ve hinted towards these earlier where you guys just spend most of your time in each others company, or sae cooking for you. i don’t think he’s very vulnerable with his words, so he prefers to show his love with actions.

on the other hand, he definitely appreciates acts of service himself. he’s a busy man with a busy schedule so he really appreciates whenever you help him out.

make him breakfast before work or pack him a lunch and he’ll melt. he will be in a good mood for the rest of the day and it will scare his teammates and manager.

he’s never really received many gifts before and the idea has never really crossed his mind. i absolutely cannot see him being into luxurious, expensive gifts. if he wants something like that he can simply buy it himself. handmade or personal gifts on the other hand, he has grown quite a liking to since getting together with you.

he was so unsure how to act when you first got him something. he’d give a confused thanks and probably just stare at it for an unreasonably long amount of time. he’d put it up somewhere where he could easily spot it all day and stare at it 24/7. after he got used to it, he definitely tries to be more affectionate. 

will hug you if you let him.

secretly has all your gifts stored somewhere for him to reminisce on if he gets lonely <3

[the--rebel--fae]

Heyy, I have a little one shot request for Sanji (if that's okay). So, basically how would he reacts when he finds out that the reader has some old (like 5+ years old) self harm scars? Like, the reader is doing okay now but I have a feeling that Sanji's heart would probably break for them. Could be a little NSFW if you want. Honestly, I have a feeling that in this type of scenario Sanji would be the one who needs the comforting lmao (but go with what feels right to you ofc)

A/n: Hi!!! Of course it's ok my dear! I love writing for our little love sick chef! I hope you don't mind that it came out a lot more sappy than I initially thought it would. It kinda got away from me a bit. Eheh. But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Tw: slight allusion to self harm and nsfw suggestiveness. But elsewise nothing but sappy fluff!

Love Can Heal

Fem! Reader x Sanji

“(Y/n), oh you are so beautiful mon ange.” Sanji groaned out as he placed hot, open-mouthed kisses from the corner of your mouth to your neck.

You let out a soft groan at his ministrations but then flinched slightly when he pulled the top and sleeve of your low boat neck shirt down. ‘Hopefully he doesn’t notice. Please don’t notice.’ You chanted in your head.

You hear Sanji let out a sharp gasp and you can’t help but cringe.

‘Dammit. He noticed.’

“My love, are these what I think they are?’” He murmured softly as he scootched closer to you on your shared bed.

Letting out a soft sigh, you look up into his beautiful eyes. “They are. But I can explain. More than five years ago, I was in a very dark place. So, I tended to do…that to try and relieve myself of my grief. But then, you guys found me and took me in as a Straw Hat, and that made everything better. Not right away, but you and everyone else fixed what I thought was long dead.” You grabbed Sanji’s hand and placed it in yours. “I’m alright now, Sanji.”

Sanji pulled his hands from yours and cupped your face. “That makes me happy that you are happy, my love. But what breaks my heart is that you felt you had to hide this.”

You glanced down at your lap and moved so you were snuggling into your boyfriend. “I was worried about what you would think of the scars.”

“(Y/n).”

Your head snapped up at hearing Sanji say your name so harshly. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Yes, I think all women are beautiful. But you outshine them all. You are my goddess. And the fact that you have come out the other side of this trial…alive, is a testament to how strong and amazing you are. And how lucky I am to be able to call you mine.”

Tears began to form in your eyes at Sanji’s beautiful words. You quickly pulled him into a passionate and sweet kiss. “Thank you, Sanji. That means the world to me. More than you’ll ever know. I love you so much, my handsome prince.” You whispered against his lips.

Sanji kissed you once more before gently bumping his forehead with yours and looking you in the eyes. “I love you, my beautiful princess. Forever and always.”

You let out a light giggle. “Yep. Forever and always.”

A/N: Well, I hope you liked the one shot! It was really sweet to write. I'm glad I got to write this! Feel free to request something again soon! And if anyone wants a personalized fan fiction story of their own from One Piece to Pokemon and more! I have many options! And I’d be happy to write y’all a story that you’d love! Just click this link below! And if you wanna keep up with what I’m doing with stories and updates on my shop, feel free to follow me here on Tumblr and on Instagram under Rebel Fae Productions

[kindlingkeen]

I think something that annoys me the most about quite a few Joker Dies/Jason Comes Home fics is that they think that as soon as the Joker is dead, Jason will stop killing. Like, doesn't matter if he's the one to kill the Joker or not, as long as the Clown dies, that's it, problem solved, Jason can go home with no issue because obviously he has no more reason to kill!

and it always has me ???????????????? the Joker is not the reason Jason kills? the Joker dying takes out a massive threat to the citizens of Gotham and I don't doubt it would make Jason personally feel better just in general, but there are still horrible, horrible people around and doing things that Jason believes means they don't deserve to keep living? Just because the Clown's dead doesn't mean all the other issues Jason deals with as the Red Hood are going to disappear wtf

Anon, I’m so sorry it too me forever to answer this ask!! Tumblr disappeared it from my inbox after I read it initially, and then it just reappeared this morning! I hope you’re still around to see this.

That narrative has me going ???????? right along with you. I don’t understand it. I’ve thought about it a lot and the best I can come up with is that sometimes authors are more interested in telling a story about Jason reintegrating with the family than they are in being true to Jason’s character. Because when you think about everything Jason’s been through, his motivations and perspective, the choices he’s made, it’s actually really hard to make him play happy house with the bats and keep his character authentic. If you’re out there in the void reading this and feel differently, reblog or leave a comment with your thoughts, I’d really like to hear them.

As I see it, here are two pieces to your ask: 1) Joker dying. 2) Jason killing.

First, Joker. Honestly, imo, focusing on the Joker dying completely misses the point. Canonically, if Jason really wanted Joker dead above all else, he could have killed him in Lost Days. He could have shot him in the face the first time he saw him in UtRH. It’s not about Joker. It’s about Bruce. Bruce’s choices, Bruce’s actions, Bruce’s feelings (or lack thereof). Taking it one step further, I actually think that deep down there’s a part of Jason that doesn’t want the Joker dead. Because once he is, that’s it. The possibility of Bruce making things right (right in Jason’s eyes, at least) is gone forever.

Second, Jason killing. I think Jason kills because, at his core, his priority is victims. He’s willing to take that final step because he sees it as necessary for existing victims and to prevent future victims in the making. I think it’s possible to put Jay in a scenario where he chooses not to kill for other reasons. But it’s not something he’s ever going to repent for, it’s not a ‘suddenly seeing the light’ sort of situation. I think these two panels from Detective Comics #975 are a good example of that. Although I take issue with the ‘I still have enough respect for this place’ line.

So, yeah, those are some of my thoughts on Jason, the Joker, and the Red Hood’s lethality. I’m still getting the hang of these meta rambles. Hopefully that was coherent enough, lol.

Thanks so much for the ask, anon! I really enjoyed thinking this through! 💙

[yanderecrazysie]

Can I request a yandere akaashi keiji with a darling who is as smart as he is but he didn't know that since she acts like she is dumb or something

The minute I saw this, I knew it’d be fun to write.

Also, I think it’s fascinating to think: what if a yandere fell in love with a personality you were faking and not the real you?

Title: Expectation

Pairings: Akaashi Keiji x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes,

Summary: To everyone, even Akaashi, you’re lazy and not the sharpest tool in the shed… but maybe that’s just what you want them to think.

expectation

/noun/

a belief that someone will or should achieve something.

Expectations are a fickle thing.

If you work too hard, achieve too much, you’ll end up being expected to do the same in every category for the rest of your life. You’d watched too many kid geniuses crumble under that very pressure in adulthood to say that was a good thing.

But you? You’d figured out the secret to it all.

Just play dumb.

If no one expected much out of you, then wasn’t that the best case scenario?

When you put forth the smallest amount of effort, everyone was surprised and impressed. When you failed? No one batted an eye.

Why put all that pressure on yourself when there was a better way?

At least, that’s how you saw it.

Akaashi walked alongside you, talking idly about the science competition going on between the different chemistry courses the university had. He didn’t go too far into detail, since he knew you wouldn’t understand. You weren’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, he’d learned that since day one of meeting you.

But that’s how he liked you.

Maybe a part of him enjoyed the superiority of being more intelligent than you. A sense of power surged through him every time you got that confused little look on your face. 

But there was always something more to those expressions. Like some deeper emotion lurked under the surface. It always bothered him that he couldn’t figure out what it was.

You smiled, “That sounds fun! Which one is chemistry again?”

There it was again. The way one side of your mouth quirked upwards as though you were enjoying a joke that he wasn’t a part of. The way your eyes slid a little to the left, as though you were trying to avoid making eye contact whenever you spoke.

The little details that made him wonder if you were lying to him.

To anyone else, to even him at first, you seemed so genuinely airheaded. Blissfully unaware was the term he once would have used to describe you. 

But lately, he wasn’t so sure.

You made him second guess everything he was feeling, in a way. In another way, it was enticing, like a secret the two of you almost shared.

There was a mystery behind your actions, he could sense it. And Akaashi loved a good mystery. He had always been good at solving them and he’d be damned if the best one walked out of his life.

His obsession with you had been overrun by an obsession with uncovering what was under that dumb smile you plastered on your pretty face. He felt like he was going insane, fixating on such a little aspect that might not even exist. It could be his imagination and yet he couldn’t let it go!

Who were you really? Akaashi thought he’d known you so well, even though you had just recently become friends. He had been convinced that he knew you better than you knew yourself.

Now? He wasn’t sure he knew the first thing about you.

What’s worse, he had no idea what you thought about him. You insisted silly little things like “I love everyone” and “You’re so nice, Akaashi”, but is that what you really believed? You seemed so guarded when you said things like that… he couldn’t tell anymore.

He wanted to rip his hair out in frustration. You were nothing like he’d initially thought and he couldn’t tell if he loved or hated that.

You weren’t nearly as dumb as everyone thought, but acting like you were was a useful tool. It attracted boys like Akaashi and wrapped them around your pinky finger. You’d tricked countless men into buying you things and doing what you wanted, all while thinking they were the ones to come up with the idea.

You’d thought Akaashi would be the same as them, but he really just gave you the creeps. While you pretended to sail past the red flags, you were actually very prepared. Every conversation recorded, every meeting place teeming with trusted friends, and every word scrutinized. 

He was clearly in love with you, so you decided to drive him away. There was no way you could reveal that you were actually fairly intelligent, not when you’d worked so hard to earn the reputation as an airhead. So you settled on giving him hints, until you could tell that he was ripping himself in two over it.

Strangely, he hadn’t been driven away quite yet. You assumed that, if his type was “dumb and pretty”, he’d be turned off by a smart chick, but so far you’d been unsuccessful.

Maybe you didn’t understand just how deep his love went.

Or maybe you’d find out when he resolved to make you as dumb as he wanted.

[pilots-and-protons]

Had a crazy idea the other day, when I was thinking about how Tom Paris is one of the only main crewmembers who didn't have some kind of Borg stuff happen to him (other than the Doctor, of course).

Obviously Seven is already borg, but Chakotay briefly experienced the mini-collective in "Unity", Neelix and Harry were both cured by Borg nanoprobes (plus Harry had started to be assimilated by the Borg children), and of course Janeway, Tuvok, and B'Elanna were briefly assimilated too.

But because I'm me, I started pondering about "Threshold" and the fascinating potential of Tom being everywhere in the universe simultaneously, but how it all "slipped away" when he tried to remember - to process it after the fact. Because surely, a human brain simply can't comprehend something of that magnitude.

But what if it all was still there - just inaccessible, in a way. I imagine it would be like trying to run a game on a computer that isn't powerful enough - the basic game can download (barely), but if you actually tried to play it, nothing would properly load or function. What if everything Tom experienced at Warp 10 was in there somewhere, but just too vast and incomprehensible for him to access?

And then what if a Borg drone tried to assimilate him?

I like to imagine a scenario where Tom gets caught on an away mission during some Borg fiasco - but when those tubules go into his neck, when the drone links into Tom's mind to bring him into the collective, that Borg gets the surprise of a lifetime. Suddenly it's not one human brain unable to access this vast expanse of experience and memories - it's millions of species, working like one giant super-processor, and suddenly that "inaccessible" part of Tom's mind comes flooding out.

It would be like sending a feedback-loop through a machine to short-circuit it. Suddenly every Borg on the ship (maybe even others close enough within the collective hivemind), are flooded with more information and memories than they can possibly process at one time, coming from a singular source. Every cybernetic implant in the drone who initiated the assimilation overloads, and it collapses in an unresponsive heap.

Of course, Tom would hardly be much better off. It's like his brain exploded, first forced to try and comprehend the expansive collective of the hivemind, then flooded by memories and experiences he thought were all lost. Everything he saw, everywhere he was - all mixed in with the terrified screams of thousands of voices being overwhelmed and dying. When the drone collapses, Tom follows suit - his poor human brain unable to comprehend it all and shutting down to save itself.

When the others find him, he's unconscious, blood oozing from his nose and the injection sites in his neck. He's pale and clammy, but not the ashen color of a freshly-made Borg. The drone is lying beside him, dead - yet signs of struggle are clearly minimal. No one is sure what actually happened.

Tuvok and whoever else are in the away team are all completely perplexed. One moment they were trying to fend off the Borg in other parts of the Cube, then they heard Tom's screams echo through the ship and suddenly one by one, every drone seemed to fritz out and collapse. B'Elanna and Harry try checking the Borg systems, but they can't understand what they're seeing. All they can tell is that it looks like something burnt out every system, spreading from the inside out - both in the ship and the drones themselves like some kind of cascade failure.

Taking their chance to escape, the away team beams back to Voyager, with Tom sent straight to sickbay. When the Doctor gets ahold of him, he's shocked to see that the assimilation process had been started - but something had halted it. Nanoprobes have to be removed from Tom's body, but the interlink node that should have connected him to the collective is completely burned out even before the Doctor removes it. After surgery to remove the Borg tech and to repair some damage done to Tom's brain, they have to wait for him to wake up.

In the meantime, the other senior staff share what they know and what knowledge they gained from the Borg cube. B'Elanna and Seven come to the conclusion that there was some kind of cascade failure, and that the interconnectedness of the Borg meant that when it hit one, it hit all the rest. Janeway is excited by the prospect - that the Borg's greatest strength, their hivemind, could become their downfall if they can only figure out how to recreate what happened. Seven takes what scans she can from the Cube's systems before they depart, but it will take time to reconstruct all the damaged and fragmented data.

Of course, when Tom wakes up in Sickbay, he's initially pretty disoriented. He doesn't remember exactly what happened, too confused by the voices from the collective, and once more unable to comprehend the Warp 10 experiences. He explains that he remembers feeling the injection tubules piercing his skin, feeling terror and disgust at the idea of losing himself as a Borg, but then it's like... static in his brain. Just a faint memory of pressure and pain that he can't understand. When the Doctor assures him that there's no longer anything physically wrong with him, Tuvok suggests that perhaps a mind-meld will be able to help them. Tom's memories may be fragmented due to his injuries and the trauma of the experience, but Tuvok may be able to parse out what happened with the Borg.

The Doctor is, as usual, skeptical of the dangers of such a thing - especially so soon after Tom's recovery. But when he hears what the others experienced and why Janeway wants to know what happened, Tom agrees to the meld anyways.

Meanwhile, I also like to think that this strange occurrence was felt by the Borg Queen. Due to the time it would likely take for information to reach the center of the collective, I imagine only the drones closest to the away team's Cube would have been destroyed or otherwise incapacitated. Because of this, the Queen would have some knowledge of what happened - gleaned from fragments of the dying drones' collective consciousnesses. Mostly, she just felt hundreds of drones inexplicably ceasing to function and knew that, at the heart of it, somehow the crew of Voyager were involved. So she sends out a sort of scouting party, to find the ruined cube and to gather more information. Whatever had created this unknown threat - it has to be eliminated.

Back on Voyager, the meld doesn't exactly go as planned. Tuvok had melded with Tom once before after the Banean incident - but this was entirely different. He sees, experiences the sensations, as Tom is captured and the tubules are injected. But then everything becomes... almost incomprehensible. There is pain, fear - and the voice of the collective, their multi-faceted mantra of "resistance is futile, prepare to be assimilated". But intercut with this is something else entirely - space, a shuttlecraft, a feeling of inexplicable freedom. Then Earth, Starfleet headquarters, and a Klingon battle cruiser - voices from the Romulan high counsel, and the inside of an abandoned Cardassian station. Even more flood his mind - some arguing Kazon, though it seems to be a sect unfamiliar to them, a planet unknown to Federation star charts, creatures and places and people that Tuvok has no point of reference for. The images and sensations keep overlapping and coming faster, more intense, until Tuvok can also feel the screams of the Borg, feels the pain pain pain - and he has to force himself to sever the link before his own mind is drawn asunder.

In Sickbay, he stumbles back, caught by Janeway and Chakotay. Tuvok is surprised by the toll such a meld had on him, and even more so at the blood dripping from his own nose. Janeway kindly brings him a tissue and asks if he is alright. The Doctor is hovering, going back and forth between scanning Tuvok and Tom - the latter of which is only just coming around. He eventually asks what happened, trying to sit up but being overcome by a wave of dizziness. The Doctor insists he lie down, and for once Tom doesn't argue. He does admit, however, that partway through the meld it was like his mind just hit a wall and he must have passed out. He doesn't really remember anything.

After much fussing and a few hyposprays, the Doctor tells them that both Tom and Tuvok will be alright - but that they both need to rest for at least the next twenty-four hours. Whatever happened put a great deal of strain on their bodies both physically and mentally, and he once more chides Vulcans on their "recklessness in playing with the humanoid brain". He also give Tom a mild sedative to ensure that he doesn't try to overexert himself.

While Tom sleeps, Tuvok takes the time to meditate and regain his bearings. Afterwards, Janeway brings him some tea in her ready room and asks if he can try to explain what he saw. Tuvok says that the experience was quite disturbing, but that after familiarizing himself with Tom's records, he has begun to come up with a plausible hypothesis. He says that many of the things he saw in Tom's memories shouldn't have been possible - such as the unfamiliar Kazon sect, and the various worlds and humanoids that they have no record of. When Janeway asks if this could have come from the Borg, Tuvok says that it is unlikely - each person's perception leaves a sort of imprint on their own memories, like an artist's signature or the codes used to denote a federation signal in a communique. While the thoughts of the collective were briefly present in Tom's mind, as soon as he became linked to it, these other memories exploded out. The only explanation Tuvok can offer forth is that Tom's brain retained some encoding of his experiences with transwarp flight, which were previously too vast for him to consciously comprehend. The capacity of the humanoid brain to process information must have expanded exponentially with the aid of the collective, and these experiences were once again accessible. However, the onslaught was too much for even the Borg to handle, which completely overloaded their inorganic systems.

He expresses that it seems, Tom unintentionally became a living, breathing Trojan Horse for the collective - without anyone being aware of it. The supposed "weapon" that Janeway was hoping for is, unfortunately Tom Paris himself.

[crystalelemental]

I've been hitting a mild rut with Pokemon, while simultaneously retreating into familiar comfort games that won't really challenge me much, but I'm also feeling kinda stagnant.  My initial thought was "I should pick up another Etrian Odyssey game!"  And then I didn't.  But while looking for options, I realized...while I'm doing better with the Switch, I really do not branch out at all.

For clarification: the entirety of both my DS and 3DS library of physical games?  Pokemon, Etrian Odyssey, and Fire Emblem.  That is literally all I own, barring like two games.  Even the GBA carts are all just Pokemon Gen 3 and Fire Emblem 7.  I barely owned Wii or WiiU games, with most of them just being Zelda.  I think I have maybe five WiiU games total.

The Switch catalogue has a lot more variety going for it, more than I've probably ever had in my life.  But I still find it hard, sometimes, to branch out.  Part of that is finance, I don't necessarily want to spend on new games.  There was one that the art caught my attention in the news, and when I went to check it out it was fucking $80.  I am not paying that for a game.  It also went on to talk about your male protagonist despite all the box art being female characters, so honestly just fuck that.

With Echoes of Wisdom, I do think I've kind of identified part of the problem as "not wanting to feel stuck."  One streamer I watch talked about how the mobile market and console games competing directly with them has led to a higher rate of instant gratification and people can't sit with discomfort and frustration anymore, and...there may be some truth to that.  Granted, I was never particularly good with it, but I can feel when I'm playing an unfamiliar game and encounter something I don't immediately understand, my instinct is to jump straight for the guide.  I did that around four times with EoW, but there was one situation where I didn't and figured out the puzzle and felt super clever.  It's more rewarding, but it's time consuming, and I am covetous of my time, even if I don't do the most with it.

And what this results in is an aversion to trying out something new.  That's potentially going to eat a lot of time and what if I don't like it?  I wasted my time then, didn't I?  Because that's never happened before.  I certainly didn't have a phase playing and reading stuff I knew I would hate just to get mad at it.  So what's the issue taking a chance on something that might be good?  It is the lack of assurance?  If I know I'll hate it, at least I went in knowing what to expect, I guess.

In another direction, part of the issue is not really knowing what I enjoy.  Genre in games is already hard to define, but it makes it incredibly challenging to know how to articulate what I like, and what might land well.

Like, okay, I like Pokemon.  Maybe other monster catching games are good?  Nexomon was a knockout success (though not entirely because of monster catching), but I didn't care much for Cassette Beasts, and every Digimon game has been a resounding miss for me.  Nexomon was just a fun story, and Pokemon is nostalgia so it succeeds in spite of its horrid flaws.

But hey, that streamer calls Pokemon an adventure game primarily.  Maybe what you need is more adventure games?  Maybe.  But that's Zelda, and modern Zelda I do not like at all.  The open-world approach isn't fun, and I don't actually like tricky or punishing combat systems I have to be good at in real time. I wouldn't know what else to look for, considering my dislike for active systems in most scenarios. Do not test my reaction speed, it is bad.

Well, what about Fire Emblem, then?  Maybe you really like tactics games?  Maybe.  But if it weren't for Unicorn Overlord, I'd say the entire genre outside of FE sucked.  Triangle Strategy was awful in pretty much every direction, and even Tactics Ogre, which I had on good authority is one of the Big Names for strategy, felt so slow and offputting that I put it down after maybe two hours.  I know the ongoing joke is that FE sucks and even its fans hate it, but I legitimately think they're the only tolerable strategy games to me.

So okay, what about Etrian Odyssey?  Maybe you like dungeon crawlers?  This...might actually be the dead ringer, depending on difficulty.  I haven't played many, but I really enjoy EO (games 3 onward, anyway), and the one attempt at another in Class of Heroes did land favorably for CoH2, at least, despite some chatter about how the games don't get tolerable until 3.  I dunno, I thought it had personality.  I'd play 2 again.  I think it's just a question of how difficult others would actually be, because consistently, I hear feedback of "The game is super hard and will kick your ass," and I am admittedly easily intimidated by the prospect of difficulty I can't adjust.

But there are other aspects.  What about the Atelier games, you loved them even if you fell off after Shallie.  Ryza is rare and expensive so I've had some trouble there, but we tried Rune Factory 5 and it was...fine?  More importantly, the structure of these games gets me so obsessed that I'm in an actively worse mood when I am working.  I can basically only play them during breaks, or I am Miserable.

What about Final Fantasy?  Maybe you need more story-centric RPGs?  ...actually, maybe I do need more story-centric RPGs, post cancelled, anyone have Switch recommendations?  Bonus points if it's a female lead.

I think I just.  Struggle.  Sometimes.  To find things that I feel like would be to my taste.  I want to branch out, but I think I am often intimidated out of trying.  I don't really know what I want.