#though also i liked last years pattern better so maybe i should wait and see what next year's is
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I was finally going to buy Misty a Christmas sweater from RedHound for Dogs this year (my fav whippet clothes brand). But they do a unique one each year and now I'm like... Maybe I should wait until next year so the pups can match....
#dont want to get the wrong size...#though the parents are about the same size as Misty's parents. weight wise#though also i liked last years pattern better so maybe i should wait and see what next year's is#but alsooo. misty stained one of her outfits from them and one is inexplicably smelly no matter how i wash it#so i kinda did want to buy a couple things anyways.....#indecisive today... need to decide soon on holiday sweater though. before they run out
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For your prompts (so excited, and congratulations btw!)- LU:
-Minish Four waking up in someone’s pocket?
-Anesthesia, but also the effects of coming out of it
-Ten year old Time who looks like he’s however old he is, keeping his true age a secret
It felt strangely stuffy.
Four wasn't entirely sure what had happened. He'd gone exploring after people had started settling in for lunch. The four hours of sleep last night hadn't really bothered him initially, but as he'd spoken to the Minish in this area, he'd felt himself start to nod off. He'd thought it was best to get back to camp as soon as he could - only a few people knew about his Minish magic, and he didn't need the group worrying because he'd gone wandering and hadn't returned.
But what had occurred since then? Four recalled the tiny river created from the trickling stream, how it attracted all sorts of creatures. He remembered a finch that had been hopping about excitedly in search for worms. He remembered deciding to settle on a rock and listen to the stream and the birds.
Had he... fallen asleep by accident? Oh, great. He was getting as bad as Sky.
But why did it feel so different now? If he'd fallen asleep, that would have been on the rock.
Something brushed against his face, or, really, had been brushing against his face since he'd awoken. Scrunching his eyes shut a moment, he slowly ran his hands down his face. It was strangely dark, though there was some vague light trying to pierce through his eyelids. But it should have been much brighter.
Oh no. How long had he been asleep?
This was when Four realized that his world was moving.
Four abruptly opened his eyes, finding that he was surrounded in what looked to be a giant blanket. At least that was what he assumed - it was cloth of some sort, but it was shifting rhythmically, and--
Four yelped as something bonked his head, and he looked up to see some strange outline pushing through the blanket. He tentatively pressed on it, and was absolutely bewildered by the hardness of it. What was that, why was the blanket moving, and--
Wait a second. He recognized the patterning on the blue fabric. It looked like what was on Twilight's sash that he wore under his belt.
Sunlight ripped into the sky all of a sudden, and Four looked up, disoriented, to see Twilight peeking at him from the corner.
Did... did he tuck Four into his sash?
"Oh, hey," Twilight said quietly, glancing around before looking back down at him. "I was wondering when you'd wake up."
"What in the--why didn't you just wake me up?" Four asked, simultaneously embarrassed and befuddled.
"Can't hear ya," Twilight replied. "You're too tiny."
"Rancher, I--"
"You were sleeping really peacefully, so I figured I'd just leave you be. But I said I'd look for you, so we're on our way back to the others."
"You'd better take me out, then, because I--"
"I figured I'd just say you were on your way and give you a bit more time to rest."
Four huffed, clawing his way up Twilight's tunic to try and climb out of his little cloth prison. Twilight laughed at him. Laughed.
"What are you doing?" the Ordonian asked, plucking Four easily by the back of his tunic.
Well, at least he was free. Four reversed the magic, feeling himself grow in size, and Twilight yelped.
Maybe he should've picked a better way to do this.
Four found himself gasping as Twilight fumbled to catch him. He was going to land just fine on his feet, but the elder hero thought he needed to still hold him, and now he was in his arms like a small child.
Four felt his face reddening. "I'm not a kid, Rancher!"
"Well, you could warn me," Twilight remarked mildly, plopping him on the ground easily. "I know you didn't sleep well last night, so I didn't want to interrupt. Sorry."
Four sighed. He was used to taking care of himself. Well. They all were used to that. Four was honestly the better team player of the group.
But he was his own team. So he still kind of took care of himself.
Anyway, the point was that... that...
That Twilight was trying to be helpful.
Four sighed yet again. "It's all right."
Twilight smiled easily, elbowing the smaller hero. "How about a ride back to the others, then?"
Four chuckled, taking the offer. "All right, that I can handle."
Twilight transformed easily, allowing Four to climb on his back, and the little hero felt his heart warm as the pair rode through the forest, the cool breeze blowing through his hair.
Four had to admit, he was quite fond of this new team he found himself in.
#writing#linked universe#linkeduniverse#lu four#lu twilight#you ask skye answers#lovely violet27writes#Thank you! :D
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17 for ScotSpa pls!
apologies to the anon who asked for engspa for the same prompt (which honestly made me laugh) but scotland got there first, and i can't be helped ;)
Families
“That was your mother on the phone,” Antonio says as Alasdair stares at him, wide-eyed and patient, from the sofa. He holds a hot drink in hand. He’s like a deer in headlights (the phone is a terrifying thing!).
“What’d she want?” Alasdair asks him while Antonio returns the phone to its receiver.
“Oh, nothing much,” the other responds with a light shrug. “Just wants to know what our plans are for Christmas… If we’re planning to come down, and if so when… Oh and also maybe our New Year plans, too, while she’s on the phone…”
“Oooh…”
“Yeah…”
“Sorry…”
“She’s got a point, though,” Antonio reminds him. He sits down next to Ali on the sofa, before he kicks up his legs and rests them across the other’s lap (Alasdair does not mind. The penguin-patterned socks alone almost make him chuckle). “We do need to think about what we’re doing. Christmas isn’t far away.”
To be honest, it isn’t the first time he’s made such a point, but Alasdiar would prefer it to be the last. He supposes that’s up to him, though.
Somewhat glumly (and perhaps in a vain attempt to delay the inevitable further), Alasdair says into his hot chocolate, pre-sip, “I thought we wanted to go away for the holidays,” to which Antonio replies:
“Then we have one hour to decide where we’re going and book a hotel, because she’s going to call back, and she expects an answer. It’s either a holiday for us, or three days minimum with your family,” he so declares. “Her rules, not mine!”
“Can’t we go and see your family?” suggests the other, a slight whine to his voice—a whine that rarely appears—that he’s quite possibly picked up from Antonio—that feels rather justified at this moment. “Your family is more normal than mine!”
“And yet, I married you anyway,” Antonio smiles, a radiant beam.
It is a smile to ease the oncoming headache that this conversation is causing. A headache not caused by the thought of spending the holidays with his family so much as… the pressure to do so. It’s not something Alasdair’s in the mood to think about right now, but…
“We could always then see my family for New Year’s,” Antonio promptly informs him, a sort of trade-off should they see the Kirklands for Christmas. “And as ‘normal’ as you think mine are, wait until you see my brother, his fiancé, and our dad after a few party drinks.”
He pulls a knowing face and makes a gesture with his hand, like a bottle tipping violently back, a clear indication to Alasdair that he’ll be in for a fair few laughs—assuming he isn’t going to be trollied with them!
Family—families—are funny things. They’re great things. They’re weird things, when they want to be. And Alasdair does love his family. He loves that Antonio is now part of his family, too, and that he has become part of Toni’s. A bigger family. A better family.
Still, there’s no doubt in his mind that, whatever shenanigans a New Year’s party could bring, his family is definitely weirder. There is simply no contest to be had, and he tells Antonio as much. Though, that all said, they’ve not warded off his partner yet. Antonio has a point. He’s stuck around, joined in the silliness, held his hand through headaches long gone. That’s a blessing he’s still counting and will be counting for a long time.
“Christmas with your family should be good fun,” his dear partner insists all the while (whose side is he on?!). “I’d look forward to it, personally. The cosy house, the big fire, the roast dinner, the— the hats we all wear from those cracking things!” His smile stands proud. Warm. “Besides, we can always go on holiday right after we see my family in January. A couple nights in Seville, or maybe somewhere a bit further south…”
His foot tickles at Alasdair’s side, a playful nudge, a wicked hint.
Suddenly, the living room feels a lot warmer than it was before, and that is certainly not thanks to the central heating!
“Sounds like a right good plan,” Alasdair responds, face red, freckles alight. “If— If that’s what you’d like to do for the holidays, ‘course.”
“I think it might just be,” Antonio grins.
His foot retreats. He moves, quite fast, across the sofa to huddle up next to his partner’s side. The gap between them has closed. For a moment, Alasdair wonders if it is getting too warm to keep his jumper on (and the rest of it!) but, just as Antonio leans in, millimetres away, lips nearly upon his skin, three delicate words leave his mouth:
“Call your mother.”
Alasdair has no intention of ignoring such a command. He puts his cup down, gets up, goes to the phone, and begins to dial her number right away.
So, a Christmas at home it is! A Christmas with his wild, weird, wonderful family it is! A Christmas spent surrounded by the people he cares about most in his life, and who he would do anything for, and who he loves in spite of all their quirks and charm… A perfect Christmas it is!
[ winter prompts here! ] [ ficlet collection on ao3! ]
#hetalia#hws scotland#hws spain#scotspa#helia writes#cw suggestive#those pesky penguin socks eh#ueu h love me some of these two raahhhh
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"Linhardt!"
Caspar catches up to his friend with bounding steps, brimming with extra enthusiasm. It's a special day, even if Linhardt himself doesn't usually pay it much mind. The precarious little tower of gifts bundled up in Caspar's arms are a testament to that.
"I got this little artifact from a guy saying it's from Zanado." He says, offering an explanation for the silky drawstring bag at the top of the gift tower. "But then I was like- wait, how do I know it's even real? So then I found a book from a scholar who studies all the stuff they find out in the ruins there."
With the rectangular base accounted for as well, all that remains is to explain the cloth-covered basket that wobbles in the middle. Caspar smiles. A smudge of flour scrunches up into the space between his cheek and his nose.
"You can definitely trust the guy who made the fruit tarts, though. He's got plenty of practice spotting his own mistakes and throwing 'em out, heheh."
Even if both the book and the relic turn out to be bogus, it can still be an interesting journey for Linhardt to uncover the truth-- that's what Caspar hopes, anyway. Journeys with Linhardt are never boring.
"Y'know...letting you sleep in was your first birthday present today, but maybe next year I should toss that one out and take you out to those old ruins in person instead." You can see the sights for yourself, and I'll protect you from any dangers. That part goes without saying. "Whaddaya say?"
upon waking up this morning, linhardt had forgotten what day it is. thursday, certainly. professor hanneman wants a literature review on monday, so that's four days from now, depending on how you count them. it takes an absurdly long amount of time (and an entire extra student wishing him well) for him to remember his own birthday. from that moment forward... linhardt expects something.
caspar can't leave well enough alone. they know this to be an immutable fact about their best friend, and past experience and pattern recognition dictates that soon enough he'll appear with his own attempt to wish linhardt a happy birthday today.
linhardt relishes that feeling - the familiarity of it, the fondness he holds for caspar, and the combination of the two being just for him. he is a selfish person, he knows, but this is the one day it's completely permissible. that means it's one more day for him to put off the introspection.
the expectation wears on them though. caspar could be around that corner, but when they round it, he isn't. what is he doing? what could be taking so long? that expectation builds. now, they might call it suspense. it could also be something else, though. part of them just wants to spend the time with their best friend.
linhardt has been enjoying garreg mach so far, but that has been a problem since day one. there's no long carriage ride to bergliez territory, or staying at the hevring estate in enbarr, or any other unbearable social event standing in between caspar and linhardt now, but there are still days that go by in which they don't see each other. today, that problem seems as obvious as it's ever been. they should do something about it. if linhardt's noticed it, then surely caspar has twice as many times.
he takes the long way back to his room. the last chance for caspar to drag him to dinner so that he can complain about caspar's eating habits, fondly, or surprise him with some absurd combination of gifts that...
linhardt doesn't have a chance to finish the though before it manifests before them: that is caspar carrying a pile of gifts, and they simply must be for linhardt.
there's no need for compunction between the two, so linhardt's hands reach for the top gift before caspar's explanation is even finished, even before they have an even better reason to see what's hidden inside.
a zanado relic, and a guidebook to verify its authenticity themself. caspar surely doesn't realize what a wonderful present that is on its own, or he wouldn't have gone through the trouble to put so much work into... is that blackberries linhardt smells? he's realizing he's skipped dinner, and his stomach is angry about it.
"you never disappoint, caspar," he says. he plucks the second package off the stack to lighten his friend's load - that, and the first chance linhardt gets alone he's digging right in to this mystery. if not for the unpleasant memories linhardt has surrounding that place, he's certain he would be begging to join some expedition the archaeologists go on.
zanado is the place where linhardt killed some one. step one to blocking out that horrible memory, that trauma, is to never return. he can run away from what he did there, and he doesn't have to remember or think about it ever again. he's long come to terms with zanado simply being untouchable since then. could he go with caspar? linhardt has trouble holding onto painful memories with his best friend around. he could do anything with him, probably. they could do anything together.
"i'll thank you for letting me sleep this morning, even if i admittedly didn't realize it," they say instead, pondering the offer still. "zanado is... i'd like to go there one day."
he says it as though he hasn't already been there. beside caspar, it will be new anyway. he could actually enjoy it, probably. caspar could tackle any demonic beast, and even triumph over linhardt's personal demons. "for a birthday gift, the chance to unravel an ancient secret and spend more time with my best friend at the same time would be hard to surpass. careful, you might ruin my expectations for every year afterwards."
their mouth curves into a playful smile, two of the three gifts held tight to their chest. even without giving either a proper glance, they've instantly become cherished treasures, just because of the day and the gifter and the thoughtfulness with which they were chosen. as pleased as they are, and even with the warm feeling in their chest, linhardt has the audacity to request a fourth gift.
"now, it wouldn't behoove me to overeat, so while i trust the cook was able to bake a basket of scrumptious treats, would you mind helping me eat them, too? i accidentally skipped dinner again. i'm in a good mood so i'll only complain about you talking with your mouth full a tiny bit. well, maybe a bit more than that, but..."
#berglietz#i'd like to take it easy ;; ic#simple logic ;; answers#unbreakable ;; caspar#i certainly don't mind this kind of attention ;; hbd linhardt!#THIS GOT WAY TOO OUT OF HAND I'M SORRY IT'S SO LONG#or maybe i'm not sorry i love them so so sososososososo much#thank you for the ask.......... caspar is so wonderful i love him#he just shows up and linhardt is like FOND! NOSTALGIA! WARM! YAY FRIEND
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Enter The Wild - Linked Universe
Tags: angst, hurt/comfort
Chapter 1
The band of Heroes find themselves in a Hyrule of ruins and relics and about one hundred years too late. Or maybe, they came just at the right time.
Yet another "gang meets Wild" fic
AO3
The shift had been fast and dramatic. One minute the group was walking through a market in Sky’s Hyrule, and the next they were standing in the middle of a big, empty field. Well, it wasn’t completely empty. There were strange large stones that were rather uniform in shape popping out of the long grass and the ruins of stone buildings standing derelict and sad. To top it off, they had gone from a bright, sunny day to a cold drizzling rain. The group all stared around then at each other.
“Ok, anyone going to pipe up and say they recognize this, or?” asked Warriors.
“Definitely not mine,” said Wind. “Twilight?”
“Nope, not mine either.”
“Then I think we’re about to find another Link,” said Time. “Alright, we know the drill now, find the nearest town, ask around for the Hero, and don’t be suspicious.”
The last was tacked on with a pointed look to Four and Wind.
“But first, we’re going to find some shelter and wait out this rain?” asked Sky hopefully.
There were sounds of agreement all around, and so the group set off. Their boots slipped and caught in the mud as they stepped across the field. At first, everything seemed fairly normal, but as the group continued Time couldn’t help feel more and more nervous about this Hyrule. There were animals in the tall grass that darted away from the group as they passed, but there were no other travellers to speak of. Hell, there was not even a sign of civilization aside from the ruins that shadowed them across the field. Time looked to the others and saw the growing discomfort on their faces as well. Legend was biting his lip as he surveyed a stone wall, taking in the crumbling stones at the base. No one made a sound as they walked, not even to laugh when Hyrule’s boot got stuck in the mud and was stuck hopping on one foot until he could free it.
Eventually their search for shelter was cancelled out by the downpour lessening and the clouds lightening overhead. The group could see farther now, and found themselves to be in a large valley basin. The rain was just easing off and the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds when they got their first sight of civilization. Smoke curled into the sky from a point out of sight behind a hill. They could also see two tall peaks stretching skyward and lost among the last of the rainclouds. The beauty of the landscape and the sign of living people lifted their hearts as the group set off with a new energy in their steps.
“Hey guys, I don’t think these are just stones. Come look at this!” called Wind as he scrambled up the side of one of the uniform rocks.
Indeed, as Time got closer and with the light of the sun he could make out swirling patterns carved into the rock and though it was half-buried there were four visible tendril like appendages sticking out of it. It looked like some kind of mechanical monster.
So of course Four had scurried ahead and was now trying to it out.
“Careful Four, we don’t want to accidentally wake it up,” said Time.
“I just want to see if its mechanical or magic!”
“Think you could get it running again?” asked Hyrule. “Wonder what they were all for?”
Time sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. These kids were going to be the death of him. He sincerely hoped that whoever this Hyrule’s Link was, he would be calm, patient, and practical. Even if they could wake up one of these creatures, there was nothing saying that it would be at all friendly. Better to learn about this world first before messing with potentially important or evil beings.
“We should get a move on. It may have stopped raining, but we should still find shelter for the night and start asking questions,” said Time. When Wind and Four started pouting he added: “We can ask about these things too. Someone around here must know something about them.”
“Yes!”
“Fine, but I’m taking this,” said Four, holding up a large, strange looking screw before pocketing it.
The group continued on, passing the strange mechanical creatures where they sat quietly in the dirt. As Time’s eyes spotted the top of a strange looking structure over the rise, Warriors spotted something else.
Planted in the ground were several long-rusted weapons. Just the right size for a Hylian and near to both one of the strange creatures and a ruined wall.
“Something happened in this Hyrule. Something bad,” said Warriors as he took another look around the field. “This was a battlefield, a long time ago if these weapons are to judge. Wherever the Hero is, he’s got one hell of a mess on his hands.”
He absently picked up one of the rusted swords and gave it an experimental swing. The blade snapped off and nearly hit Sky, who was yanked out of the way by Hyrule.
“Nice,” snarked Legend.
“Shut up,” said Warriors. “I’m just proving my point, these weapons are ancient.”
“Come on, we’re nearly there. Unless you want to replace your weapons with rusted out equivalents?” said Time.
Truth be told he was just as unsettled from the untouched battleground this Hyrule seemed to be. And he was doubly glad Four hadn’t found some way to turn the creatures on, as Time was starting to have the sneaking suspicion that they were responsible for the ruins and the abandoned weapons.
The thoughts of what could’ve happened in this world swirled around his head for the rest of their walk. He was so lost in thought it took Twilight gently shoving his shoulder to realize they had reached their destination.
It was not civilization.
At least, not in the sense that Time, or any of the others thought of it. Instead of a village or a collection of huts, they had come across one very large, very strange tent. It was shaped vaguely like a horse. He had the brief thought of Malon laughing her head off at the structure and it sent a burst of longing through his heart. Though the tent was strange, the people milling about near it were not. Hylians, and a few others of the various folk of Hyrule were going about their business in the area. Most noticeably a large rito man with blue feathers playing an accordion. Still, there were less than ten people by Time’s count. Not enough for a village. But a few waved at the group as they approached, and a friendly man called from behind a wood counter.
They quickly learned the friendly man’s name, Tasseren, and that he owned this particular stable. Out of how many he did not say, but he promised the beds here were softer than any of the rest. With the sun getting low in the sky the group pooled their rupees and settled in for the night. After their walk it was no surprise when Sky and Wind practically jumped into their beds and were softly snoring only minutes later. It was only a matter of time before the others crawled into their own beds, armour and weapons resting at the ready on the ground nearby.
Time let them get comfortable under their warm blankets before walking back out into the night. A few people were still up, mostly talking with each other over the cook fire nearby the actual stable part of the structure. Across the nearby river a blue structure glowed brightly, its light rippling across the moving water to touch the opposite bank. Time settled himself against the wall of the tent looking out over the field with the strange stone structures. This Hyrule was unsettling. Peaceful, but unsettling.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
Time would be lying if he said the question didn’t surprise him in the stillness of the night. He turned quickly, reaching for a sword that was left next to his bed inside when he found Twilight grinning down at him.
“You neither, Pup?”
“No. Something about this place makes me uneasy. The whole field smells, well, like death,” said Twilight as he sat down next to time. He leaned against Time’s arm as his eyes stared out across the shadowy field. In the dark Time couldn’t make out more than a few dark shapes in the grass, but he knew Twilight’s eyes were better than his.
“We’ll get some answers, Pup. And hopefully the Hero here has it all in hand. After all, the rest of us joined up after our adventuring days were done,” said Time, not without a touch of bitterness. None of them had asked to go on another adventure. The only upside was that this time none of them were alone on their journey.
“Ah, did I hear you mention a hero?” asked an unfamiliar voice. Both Time and Twilight looked up at the newcomer. It was the rito man with the accordion from their arrival. “I know a song about the Champion, if you’d like to hear it.”
Time and Twilight shared a look. Would information actually just fall into their laps? It couldn’t be that easy.
Kass misinterpreted their look. “Sorry for eavesdropping, but all of you young men remind me of a friend of mine. Same sort of looks, you all could be family.”
“It’s fine,” said Time. “And yes, we would like to hear your song.”
Time hoped that the rito’s friend was in fact, the hero they were looking for.
“Excellent! Ah, before I start, my name is Kass. I’m a bard from Rito Village.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Kass,” said Time.
Kass nodded, and took a deep breath before beginning an upbeat, yet sad tune. His voice followed the dance of the melody as he sang low and sweet.
“An ancient hero, a Calamity appears, Now resurrected after 10,00 years.
Her appointed knight gives his life, Shields her figure, and pays the price. The princess’ love for her fallen knight awakens her power, and within the castle the Calamity is forced to cower. But the knight survives! In the Shrine of Resurrection he sleeps, Until from his healing dream he leaps!
For Fierce and deadly trials await. To regain his strength. Fulfil his fate.
To become a hero once again! To wrest the princess from evil’s den.
The hero, the princess -hand in hand- Must bring the light back to this land.”
Kass let the final note trail off into the sounds of the night. For a moment the three of them sat entranced in the dark before Time and Twilight caught up with what the words of the song were telling them.
“Wait, so the hero of this land is in this Shrine of Resurrection?” asked Twilight.
Kass blinked down at them in surprise before his features gentled into a strange smile.
“It’s just a song. Everyone knows the Champion died protecting Princess Zelda one hundred years ago. The Shrine of Resurrection is real enough. I have a traveler friend who told me he visited it once, if you’re interested in seeing it.”
Time felt his heart sink. Why would Hylia bring them all to this Hyrule now, with their Link 100 years dead. Maybe they had to fix it all themselves now, was that it? On top of fighting the darkness they had to save this Hyrule?
“What’s this Calamity in the song?” asked Time, hoping it wasn’t too strange of a question to ask.
From the look he got, it was a very strange question.
“Are you boys trying to say you haven’t seen the castle in the last hundred years?” said Kass. “Have you been living in the clouds?”
Time’s heart raced as he tried to think of a convincing lie.
“Our parents were very protective. Its our first time out of the village,” offered Twilight when Time failed to think of anything suitable.
Kass was apparently still not convinced when the sound of hooves on the road captured all three of their attention. Coming down the road from the west was a pale white horse, its coat gleaming in the moonlight. On its back was a dark shadow of a rider.
“Ah, it’s my friend,” said Kass. “The one who has been to the Shrine of Resurrection.”
Unconvincing lies forgotten, Kass moved towards the road to greet his friend. Time stood to get a better look at the stranger and felt Twilight do the same beside him. They watched as the stranger rode up and dismounted smoothly in front of the stable. He gave his horse a quick pat before waving at Kass in greeting. The stranger’s face was mostly hidden by the dark cloak he wore and the shadows no matter how Time strained his eyes to work.
“Hello to you too, my friend. Are you well?”
The stranger shrugged and raised the hand not holding the reins of his horse. “I’ve been better. Blood moon a few nights ago, had to clear the roads again.”
Time was a bit taken aback to see the stranger signing. At least Kass understood, or seemed to.
“That’s too bad. Would hearing a song before you sleep cheer you up?”
The stranger nodded, and motioned to his horse.
“Yes, I’ll wait until you put him away.”
The stranger nodded again and disappeared out of sight for a few minutes before coming back to stand in front of Kass. Time watched as he stood expectantly, almost childlike in the way he held his hands together in front of himself. Again, Kass started singing a song, this time about Champions who fought Ganon 10,000 years ago and some “Divine Beasts”. Time didn’t really understand aside from that this world had, apparently, seen more than its fair share of battle.
All throughout the song the stranger stood and listened as if rooted to the spot, gently nodding his head in time. As Kass finished the stranger gave him some quiet applause. It was a nice moment, considering how strangely eerie this Hyrule was. Time relaxed a little, shifting his weight to lean against a support for the tent when the moment was ruined by a branch snapping under his foot.
The stranger reacted in an instant, a bow in his hands from seemingly nowhere and an arrow pointed straight at Time. Before Time could react to calm the situation, Twilight stepped in front of him with a growl.
“Shush, Pup,” said Time at the same time Kass said “It’s ok, they’re just travelers.”
Time put a hand on Twilight and gently but forcefully shoved him out of the way as he stepped forward into the torchlight at the front of the stable. The stranger had lowered his bow slightly, but still had the arrow nocked and ready.
“Sorry for startling you, my name’s Time, and that’s Twilight. We’re travellers,” said Time in a soft voice.
The stranger just stared, hands still gripping his weapon before Kass chuckled at him.
“They aren’t bokoblins, Link,” said Kass, “No need for the bow.”
Time’s ears pricked up at that. Maybe the Hero wasn’t quite as gone in this world as the story claimed. With a sigh, the stranger, Link, dismissed his bow in a glow of blue light to a small rectangle hanging on his hip. With one hand he reached up to pull down his dark hood and revealed a head of shoulder length blonde hair swept up in a ponytail and a face full of familiarities. He had Time’s blue eyes, Twilight’s proud nose, and the same stubborn cowlick Legend tried to keep hidden with his hat.
Then the similarities ended. The boy staring back at him has skin that told a sad story. Scars twisted up Link’s neck, clawing across his left cheek and disappearing into his hairline. All in all, the kid looked like he had been through hell.
“Sorry. Yiga are common here, can’t be too careful,” signed Link.
“At least you didn’t shoot us,” said Twilight. “Anyway, we hear you know where to find the Shrine of Resurrection. Call us pilgrims of a sort, we’d like to see it.”
Link’s face darkened and his shoulders hunched under his cloak. His eyes skittered away and he bit his lip.
“Why?”
“We’re related to the Hero and we’d like to pay our respects,” said Time. Talking to link was not unlike trying to soothe a spooked horse. All he had to do was speak calmly and evenly and keep his movements slow and telegraphed. “If you know the way, would you be able to show us?”
It did not escape his attention that Link’s eyes shot back to him the moment he said they were related to the Hero. It wasn’t a lie, they were all distantly related across time and space and by the Hero’s Spirit. Link’s stare was piercing, as if trying to see into Time’s soul for the truth. Whatever he was looking for, he found it as he relented with a sigh and his shoulders relaxed a bit.
“I can show you in the morning. Go sleep, we leave at dawn,” he signed at them.
He then turned and vanished into the tent. By the time Time and Twilight followed him inside they could only see a bed with the curtains drawn to mark where he had gone. In the other beds the various heroes slept on, all soon to be awoken to the fact Time and Twilight had found either this Hyrule’s Link or a lead to him.
Next Chapter
#linked universe#linked universe fic#this is 3 years old now wow#posting here just because#lu#lu fic#breath of the wild#botw#wild linked universe#twilight linked universe#time linked universe#the others are all here too#loz#Legend of Zelda
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Thoughts on Teen Wolf the Movie while watching it (SPOILERS) pt.1
Before I even start let me say that they should've just made it another 12 or 10 or hell even an 8 episode mini series
Should've opened with Isaac instead of Liam and Hikari in Japan smh. He was the last one to have the triskele box, how tf did Liam get it? (I do understand that Daniel Sharman couldn't be in the film but still...at least give me an explanation)
I don't care what they say, Hikari was supposed to be Kira and Hikari wasn't supposed to even exist. Liam and Hikari are clearly what Scott & Kira Should've been, minus the restaurant in Japan, if they'd done the right thing and brought Kira back in the last season. He said he'd wait for her😭. (Though I Stan the actress for not coming back when they were going to pay her white female castmates more than her. Honestly fuck them for that)
Why does Liam own a restaurant in Japan. How did we get here in our lives. Liam u supposed to be protecting Beacon Hills. Also idk what career I though Liam would get but it definitely wouldn't have been restaurant owner. I can see him as a coach maybe (at Devonford Prep in honor of Brett; huh maybe I did know what career I thought he'd have🤔)
Damn y'all really keeping Nogi with teas and spices. Ig hiding it in plain sight works idk 🤷♀️
Why Liam fall like that 😭
Damn Nogi really reminding me of the Witch from Narnia when she appeared in that ice wall thing in the second movie
also if Nogi can talk through that thing, why hasn't he manipulate someone into setting him free already
Though that Nogi was like a regular fly, not a firefly...
Scott being call "The Alpha" like they'll never know🤫 also like I thought Monroe went international w/ her hunting. Ain't no way Scott's just chillin all carefree enough to put his name on a business.
Yeah Scott save that doggie...oh and the little grl too. Also this would've been better plot wise if this was a flashback of Scott saving a little Hikari, it would explain how she's randomly apart of the pack now
Love how Scott's animal clinic looks like a mixture of Deaton's vet place and Derek's loft
Scott talking about having kids one day was how I knew they'd give him Eli at the end. Like wtf, he should be raised by his family, by other born wolves who know about the werewolf history that Derek did. Like hello we got great uncle Peter, auntie Cora, and hell even cousin Malia. Derek WOULD NOT want his SON raised by an ARGENT!
"I didn't see it. I took my eyes off the road for like two seconds to change the song on my ipod"
Wooo spooky 👻
I said ah oop jump scare Chris "I never use the front door" Argent
Poor Chris no parent ever deserves their child to die before them
Bardo! and who stayed up all night doing research about Bardo for you, huh, Mr. McTruealphaman. KIRA!
Yes papa Argent, say fuck
Well Jeff Davis said he wanted the timeline to work out so that Eli was born before Derek returned to Beacon Hills in an interview (idk where it is and I'm too lazy to find it) and after the series finale timeskip in the last season it was 2017, its now 2026 so technically it's been 11 years Scott my boy
Look at me out here fixing the timeline for everyone😁
"I got a feeling the real answers are in Beacon Hills" Yeah no shit Chris, everything's gotta do with Beacon Hills
Scott your the alpha. Be the alpha. Quit asking other people to to decisions for you, for the love of God
So Scott I understand why you left Beacon Hills but are we going to address what happend to Monroe and the internatipnal hunters Corp? No?...okay then
Chris why did you leave mama McCall. Jeff u really out here breaking everyone up. Should've got w/ Papa Stilinski so Scott and Stiles could be brothers fr "oh what could've been"
Why the pack break up? not gonna give me an explanation again...okay I'm sensing a pattern here
Yeassss!!! Business woman Lydia, we knew u could do it. And she looks very snazzy in that white outfit with her ponytail if I do say so myself. Funny how the banshee's business has to do with sound lmao it's perfect.
Lyd!😭 Thats Mrs. Martin-Stilinski to you! Shit at least call her Lyds so that you don't sound like your calling her a lid💀
Damn u think Lydia would've learned to look at stuff by now before handing it out. Nah but on a real note I feel like she should have a better understanding of her abilities by now, and have expanded on them, and had more control of them but that might be just me
I SAID ITS MRS. MARTIN-STILINSKI Ray or whatever ur name is!
Oooo the automatic writing again
Yayyy Eli Hale! In my head Eli is a nickname for Elijah, just like Derek is a nickname Frederick (if you known you know🤣)
Hale Auto?! Ain't no way. Derek ain't a mechanic. I refuse. Terrible career choice for the man. He's rich, he ain't even gotta work
Maybe Malia could be a mechanic but I doubt it, ooo a Park Ranger would be perfect.
Love how Eli just hotwired that jeep😂. Oh and just let me say this here and get it out of my system. Eli is similar to both Stiles and Scott when they were younger but he is NOT STILES. Yes he's sarcastic and a little delinquent but do you guys know how many teenagers are sarcastic little delinquents? Alot. It's a teen thing. I was the same way (minus the crimes😂) and still am sarcastic af. Love Eli as Eli, not a mini or replacement for Stiles. Love u guys to death but we went into this knowing there was no Stiles.
Jeff Davis: No Stiles.
Us: No Stiles?
Jeff Davis: No Stiles!
Boys gonna pop a damn wheelie in fucking Roscoe
Love how Parrish just calls Mason instead of tailing him
I'm fucking dead💀they was all too scared to tell Derek (me too thou bc sourwolf is scary😶)
Why is Mason a deputy? Feel like he should be working at Lydia's, like he's right under her is what I'd say he should be doing. I could see Corey, his husband, maybe being a deputy though. *gasp* or a cute little school teacher🥺
I stand by what I said earlier, Malia should be a park ranger and I add to that by saying that she should be the consultant and not Derek (though i understand they had to reintroduce his character) she spent a lot of time in those woods, and she's more intune with her animal side than anyone else
Derek still sexy af
serial arsonist...wolf pack also has a serial arsonist. I swear to God they should've just made it a spin off instead of its own thing
You definitely should call Stiles, he's head of his own supernatural devison in the FBI👍
Love how Derek was like a fugitive for most of the series and now he works w/ the police. Eli taking up that criminal mantel now😂
I mean...is it really grand theft auto if he took it from his own dads shop🤷♀️🤣
Derek's got ptsd from the jeep
Eli wanted to race that grl, I now headcanon that's how he flirts. Just like his daddy he's like haha look I'm better than you at something "you wanna see some real speed bitch" (flashbacks to when Derek flirted with Paige by being an ass with that basketball, like grl just wanted to play her cello in peace and quite)
Love how Derek just like slashed the tires. Really said "i don't think so. My names Derek hale. I go way back" (I'm so sorry to anyone reading this)
Part 1-5
#teen wolf#teen wolf the movie#scott mccall#alan deaton#liam dunbar#hikari zhang#isaac lahey#derek hale#eli hale#malia tate#mason hewitt#jordan parrish#sheriff stilinski#peter hale#cora hale#corey bryant
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This is NOT the way to Rekindle a Friendship
It's a wrap, I arrived at a third strike and didn't even realize it.
"If someone is going to be your friend, the things that are important to you are important to them. This isn't that! #fullstop #period" - The words I said to my nephew about the situation
Reticence, that was the feeling I got from him from the moment I DM'd him on LinkedIn. The phone call I had gotten months ago regarding being his emergency contact, had left me thinking about him and what he was up to, and if he was doing better than when we had last spoken probably fifteen years ago. My exploration of my archived files just gave me a reason to reach out again, and since his old landline was now an iPhone I could unobtrusively text him some of my findings.
Maybe there was some tentativeness on my end too, as I have gotten more worn in the world, I have noticed that friendships are harder to start and keep. My natural tendency is to curate already established relationships as opposed to cultivate new ones. I think a lot of it has to do with I am at a place in my life where I don't tolerate as much as I used to. I won't settle for mediocre when I should have the best. #period
It was five months ago and I still hadn't seen him in person, that should have been a clear sign there was something unsaid in the water. If you were truly excited to have someone in your life again, I am pretty sure it wouldn't take you nearly half a year to state that you want to hang out. Even though I went anti-grace a full year ago, I think my natural default is to give others grace, I will have to work harder on this.
The only outstanding debts from my position, were the fact that he owed me some money for the groceries we had purchased in Chelsea Market for some holiday celebration at Adam's house, and he never showed up and never reimbursed me for my expenditure. The real reason our friendship was put on hold was his mental health struggles, that were in jeopardy of putting my own mental health at risk. I had to put some distance between us until he was in a better place emotionally. I was waiting to see him in person to mention both of these issues, just so from my perspective the air was cleared of any lingering and unresolved problems. But we won't get there it seems.
May 20th, 2023 was my first text to him, and a pattern I quickly recognized was that I was initiating text to him more than he was doing the same. I was being held at a distance and I wasn't quite clear why. #🤔 My experience with most of my friendships even ones left abandoned I usually picked right up where we left off, this wasn't that and I wasn't sure where the underlying issues were...
I had postulated with him that he might be a little depressed, my assessment coming from the fact that I deal with dysthymia and also the pattern of most all of my friends having some level of depression or anxiety. I do truly think we attract what we are, but I think we find comfort in those who understand what we are going though. But there was emphatic disagreement with this according to his less than a year of therapy.
Anyway after a couple of months of texting I had decided to kick the wheels on this rekindled friendship and make a request. My nephew was struggling at the hospital he was working at and was looking to make a change. I thought this was a perfect thing to ask of him, having learned that the hospital he was at he had been with over a decade. Also being cognitive of the way folks find jobs nowadays was due in large part to nepotism not merits. I didn't think the request presumptuous or inconvenient.
He shut me down concisely, he didn't know anyone on that side of the hospital. I was seriously like what the fuck? That wasn't even an attempt, or a soft-answer of 'let me look into it', it was a total and complete shutdown! As attempting myself to use nepotism to get an internship in this film program I was immediately offended and put-off, because you can't work somewhere ten years and not know someone who knows someone.
"If someone is going to be your friend, the things that are important to you are important to them."
Helping my most able-bodied and well-skilled nephew finding a job was important to me, very important in fact, and albeit I have always been of the mind to find employment based on merit, I could acknowledge the world I had known had moved on. I didn't make a huge issue of it, but I did make a mental note, not realizing I had arrived at a first strike.
He had gotten the Rona, according to him for the second time, so we were discussing the fact that I had never had it. The only recent illness I had was a flu from a few weeks ago, that coincidentally my nephew had also with a slight variation on the symptoms. And no, we didn't give it to each other, it had been more than two weeks since we had last seen each other.
So we were discussing vaccination, he wanted to know if there was anything that would change my mind about getting vaccinated and I stated unequivocally that it would make little to no sense for me to get vaccinated, I don't work, I live alone and most importantly I don't leave the house. Where am I getting exposed to anything or exposing anyone to anything?
This is where we approached our second strike, because the dialog was going the same way as my arguments with Adam about another communicable disease where me and him differed in our approach and opinion. Most importantly this ones feelings were undermining my agency and my competence to make decisions regarding my health on my own. I didn't care if he worked at a hospital, he was a chef, not a doctor. And even if all of his facts were accurate, I was my own person and I had made my decision and wasn't open in the least to changing my position.
Most importantly he was letting his feelings on the matter trump respecting my own feelings about my own health. This is more than a decorum issue or a manners issue, it was a fundamental problem. If you let your emotions take priority over anyone else's position that is rude and disrespectful. #FuckYourEmotions
I did what any responsible adult would do, I said we should just change the topic, because I was just getting pissed off just like when my physician assistant was going a little too hard in pushing the clinic her hospital offered. I don't at all appreciate when folks act like they know better about my health than I do. Even if they are qualified to. I am fully grown adult and the repercussions of my decisions or lack thereof are mine and mine alone to deal with. Seriously, I took care of a nonagenarian for over two years having to make all kinds of daily decisions about her care, and she died comfortable at her home of over fifty years.
Reviewing the text he did assent to changing the topic, but then asked about another complicated relationship Adam. I shared with him how Adam betrayed me and how that ended the friendship. He was appropriately empathetic, but even remembering the interaction I had sworn he had continued talking about the issue, not realizing how heated and enraged I had gotten. This was a technical strike. Not being self-aware enough to sense this might be a sore topic and pull his aggression back.
But he has always had an issue with always wanting to be right, which is something I entertained because I knew ultimately he could be right all he wanted, and I would still do what I wanted to do.
I didn't want to broach these personal topics, but I need to make a point. I was giving him grace and empathy that he wasn't giving me. He had two triggering areas that even nearly two decades later I was aware of. One was the child he had twenty-one or so, the second was his brief incarceration and felony charge.
He shared with me in these last few months that his son had died at twenty-nine, and that the mother of the child hadn't told him. Now this is where I appreciated my reaction to this information, because I was very in my feelings about the entire situation, and I really wanted more information. Truthfully, I wanted to curse her ass out for not telling him herself. Because I was lead to believe he had actually NEVER met his twenty-nine year old son and didn't have any current photos of him. I was like what in the holy-fuck is that about?
I understood these were my feelings and I knew parenting a child so young, and being estranged from the child and the mother had to be very complicated. Albeit, I wanted to help and find photos of the son, I stepped back because I could have my feeling, but my feelings couldn't encroach on respecting the complexity of the situation and how emotionally raw he might be about the loss of his child and the loss of the relationship they were slowly working toward.
I don't feel I was given this same grace.
Same regarding his incarceration, when we last spoke he was still on parole dealing with the other-side of life being a felon and having to deal with a probation officer and all that entails. He was extremely depressed around this change of his fortunes and wasn't quite sure how to navigate all of it, but his degraded mental health was pulling me down with him and I had to put space between us.
In the last five months I never as much as mentioned his incarceration, he bought it up on his own and albeit I had questions I never poached one, feeling this was something more appropriate for an in-person conversation, that would never come.
And now the third strike:
"Good morning, I accidentally broke my microwave. I tried to pop some more kernels in this microwave popcorn and broke something. I feel bad because these appliances just end up in landfills.
It was ten years old, I was hoping maybe to get another five years out of. Now I need to contemplate what can I replace it with, not that I use it heavily, I mean hardly at all. Maybe I can be fine without. Or maybe a refurbished one... "
A broad question I sent to him and another friend who I knew was experienced in cooking and food preparation. Him being an executive chef I thought he'd be the perfect person to assist me in my dilemma. I would learn that his help wasn't help at all, and when it came down to it I was on my own.
To consolidate the situation we had a text barrage of figuring out which device was the best for my needs, then whittling it down to a specific product. He approved the induction cooker I liked, and I sent him a link to the same product listed on eBay. I thought I was done but he then said I needed "induction compatible" cookware. He might as well have been speaking conversational Japanese, because the gas hasn't even been on in my apartment since I moved here in nineteen ninety-seven.
He recommended searches that were coming back way too broad, and I just asked him to suggest an appropriate pan, he did sending me an Amazon link, which I attempted to translate to the eBay equivalent. And like the previous link I sent the link to him for final approval before I purchased it.
Just an aside, the process I used with him is the process I learned in working with clients back in the late nineties at an ad agency. Whatever final creative you developed you always sent a link to the client for final confirmation, because ultimately it's their brand and they will know best. Silly me assuming that he would take the care to review the product and make sure it was the same as the one on Amazon, I would only find out later in an aside that there were two pans on Amazon one "induction compatible" the other wasn't, this wasn't information he shared with me.
The wrong kind of pan arrived in the mail and this was his reaction:
E: 🤣
T: Well I am NOT AMUSED! Why is it so difficult to find something that works with the induction cooker?
E: It's not. You just use eBay is all
T: eBay isn't the issue here. This pan was totally your recommendation.
E: Don't go blaming me, the one think I said was to make sure it's induction read.
T: Now I have a forty dollar frying pan I don't need.
E: The one I showed you was. Return it. I'm sure they take returns.
Curiously when I spoke to the girlfriend I had texted the same question, in two seconds she said, stainless steel. Anything stainless steel should be induction compatible. Mind you I was on fire, because how am I speaking to an executive chef albeit one recovering from COVID but someone with literal muscle memory he's been doing this so long. And he has me Googling obscure phrases as opposed to just looking for "stainless steel pans". I was so done, but then he put a cherry on top. #🍒
T: The 'hot plate' came with no manuals, no box, and fingerprints and other marks on it.
E: I did I just think you’re being mellow dramatic. You hit the high button and heat your food… big deal
T: I don't think I am being anything. I am trying to figure out and learn a topic I have not the least bit of interest in, and went to someone I thought was more experienced and still got mediocre results.
E: Again blaming me for something that I had nothing to do with. Your very good at deflecting
T: Okay fine, you have no culpability whatsoever. Its all my fault for not looking for one word. I will note this in the future, to just do it my damn self.
"If someone is going to be your friend, the things that are important to you are important to them. This isn't that! #fullstop #period"
[Photo by Brown Estate]
#journal entry#gaslighting#friendship#walls#distance#disagreement#lack of respect#asshole behavior#being a dick#nepotism#respect boundaries#empathy#hurt
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WHY HINATA IS NOT A GOOD CHARACTER
INTRODUCTION
I wanted to take a deeper look at Hinata’s character, considering there are a lot of claims about her out there, that she’s strong, that she’s kind, that she’s complex and relatable, that she’s the perfect woman and that she’s at least better than Sakura. I don’t really think so, and I’ll explain why. I’ll be focusing on canon, so no fillers or novels will be included in this post. I’ll say this as a warning, if you’re a fan of her character this probably won’t be something you’ll like. This will be tagged with the anti tags and put under read more so please do not complain if tumblr somehow puts this in the normal tags, it is not intentional. Also Sakura stans please don’t write lengthy comments about Sakura under this, I’m not a fan of her either and I’ll write about her later. Make your own post instead.
”HINATA IS STRONG AND THE BEST KUNOICHI”
Hinata is generally really bad as a shinobi and I’m not sure where the claims that she is strong come from. Hinata's entire character revolves around her being weak. This could have been fine if she actually developed, or if she found some other area for herself, yet she's mediocre at best and a waste of panels at worst, because she never becomes good or strong at anything. She’s not only physically weak from start to finish, but she’s also the equivalent of a damsel in distress. Everytime Hinata attempts to do something, she ends up failing, getting beaten up and having to be saved. She lost to her sister who is five years younger than her, which is what marked her as a failure in her clan. She tried to fight Neji in the chunin exams and ended up coughing up blood and losing her consciousness, and Naruto had to beat Neji for her. After Kabuto heals her fully, she spends the rest of part 1 either sleeping or missing in action. Very underwhelming.
If this had been only the beginning, it would have maybe been fine, but it’s a reoccuring pattern with her character. She throws herself in front of Pain, managing to do nothing but get one-paneled and almost killed. Even at the start of the war she had to be saved by Naruto. She tried to run to Naruto and tripped over a rock. Actually, she’s so weak she got Neji killed, when he had to jump in front of her so she wouldn’t get impaled. Why is she even in the front lines when she can’t fight? Even in Naruto the Last movie she had to be saved multiple times. In Boruto the movie she is still useless and reckless, leaving her daughter’s side to help Naruto, ending up defeated and having to be healed by Sakura once again.
I can’t say she’s mentally strong either. She has the personality of someone who hates conflict and tries to avoid it as best as they can, to the point of agreeing with others on everything, as Neji pointed out. Even without him saying it out loud, most of Hinata’s moments that aren’t her thinking about Naruto are her doing exactly this. This is not the personality of someone who is strong mentally. It’s the personality of someone who is too weak to have their own mind, someone who will go with the flow and is easily led and convinced. It can be dangerous the more you think about it. Hinata is also the bystander who never stands up for Naruto despite liking and admiring him. If she’s a compassionate girl, why isn’t she showing this by reaching out to Naruto and befriending him? Why doesn’t she show he’s not alone? Why is she only drawing inspiration from him? I don’t normally watch fillers, but there was one filler scene unrelated to Hinata where this girl says if you only look at the loser and do nothing, you aren’t much better than the oppressors, which probably wasn’t meant to be a call out for Hinata, but ended up being so anyway. Another thing that’s annoying is how she is berating herself often, yet doing nothing, it comes off as self-pity. Even in the Last movie, she is talking about how she must be a bad sister for knitting a scarf when her sister is in danger. Then why are you doing it and not stopping? Of course everytime this happens Naruto must cheer her up because she just can’t stop moping around and doing something herself.
Aside from all this, from the very beginning Hinata’s honor needed to be defended by Naruto because she couldn’t stand up for herself. Of course, after Naruto’s words she did stood up for a moment, and that was good, but it should have been a wake up call which altered her course. Instead, she kept doing the same she always did. If we take the Last movie into consideration, she’s still not strong enough to do anything even about her crush on Naruto. She needs genjutsu and Sakura to do the work for her. So even when it comes to the only thing she cares about 90 % of the time, which is Naruto-kun, she can’t do anything about it. That’s really sad.
”HINATA IS KIND AND SELFLESS”
There’s one mistake I see people make often, and that’s assuming characters that are quiet and shy are automatically kind. I wouldn’t say Hinata is as kind as the fandom makes her out to be. She simply comes off that way because you don’t really see her have her own opinions or disagree with the other characters. Hinata’s shyness on the other hand is most of the time a fetishized quirk to appeal to certain subset of fans. Her shyness doesn’t stop her from taking exams or hanging around Shino and Kiba, or talking to characters other than Naruto. She also has enough attitude to rub Neji’s status as a house slave in his face during their match, but because she stutters Naruto-kun every five minutes she’s supposedly kind. Kindness is shown through actions, not through standing around and stuttering. For comparison, we see Ino befriend an unpopular kid like Sakura, and give her confidence. That’s an act of kindness. Did Hinata ever cared about helping the branch members in any way? No.
She's supposedly "kind" but like I mentioned before she never shows this kindness by standing up for Naruto, or reaching out to him. She simply stares at him behind a tree and draws inspiration from his suffering. The only time she can actually stand up is to selfishly confess her love and die. She even said she felt like being selfish, and like I said she knew there was nothing she could do, she was told she’d only be in the way. She came there only to confess and commit suicide. This actually reminds me of another anime where this female character, after being unable to receive a male character’s love killed herself in front of him and said ”now you’ll never forget me”.
In the end, she cares about nothing but her own hormonal urges. Hinata tried to help Naruto cheat to pass an exam at the risk of disqualifying her whole team. This is the first individual action we see her character take. Did she consider Shino and Kiba during that moment? No, she didn’t even have an inner conflict on whether she should do this, whether it’s right towards her teammates. Even Naruto considers he might get Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura all in trouble if he accepts Hinata’s offer, which is why he doesn’t do it. Then when Hinata wonders if she can cheer for Naruto during his and Kiba’s match, she thinks Kiba might get mad. It’s more about how Kiba views her rather than whether she should cheer for Kiba because they are in the same team and should support each other. During the Pain attack, she left an injured shinobi, who couldn’t move, to go to Naruto, even when said shinobi told her she would only be in Naruto’s way. She didn’t try to save people, she simply wanted to confess and act in front of Naruto. This is about a threat to the entire village, which includes her comrades and her sister and she’s thinking only about her romantic feelings towards a guy she had maybe two conversations with and who barely remembers she exists. How is she better than Sakura? War arc really was the icing on the cake that Hinata’s character is only about Naruto. We should not forget the infamous ”Naruto-kun’s hand is so big… so manly...” is that really the right time to be thirsty? When Neji just died? Shikamaru mentions that he could help out Naruto as a right-hand man and then Hinata thinks “I-I want to be by Naruto-kun’s side too.” Then there’s of course the scene where she starts running to Naruto, leaving her post and teammates, even when Naruto is a mile away and already in the hands of medical ninjas, and even that ends up her pathetically tripping over a rock. Kiba has to remind her to use her byakugan because she is too busy gushing about Naruto. Eventually her only last line is “Naruto-kun”, when everyone is put into IT. It’s like a parody by this point. She doesn’t have any concern for her sister, her father, her teammates, Kurenai or her baby. It’s just “Naruto-kun” like it always is. Even in the Last movie, she is knitting a scarf for Naruto during the mission where they’re supposed to save her sister. Who brings a scarf on a mission? Why is she thinking about her romantic gift to Naruto so much she has to take it with her on a mission which focus is saving her sister? She even looks more devastated when Toneri tores the scarf apart than she ever does for Hanabi’s sake. It’s just silly and selfish.
”HINATA IS A COMPLEX CHARACTER”
Is she complex though? Her development goes from standing behind a tree looking at her crush she never talks to, to committing suicide for feelings that could never be reciprocated, to… waiting that a genjutsu and Sakura guilt trip Naruto enough for him to be with her? Like I already mentioned her character revolves entirely around Naruto, she has no hobbies or interests we know of aside from him. She has no motivations aside from being by Naruto’s side. She once had an interesting goal and backstory, but that was never fully explored, and it turned into her wanting Naruto’s attention and thinking about him. Her clan plot was irrelevant, she showed no interest in wanting to be a leader or even wanting to make things better for the branch members. It’s funny because immediately after the ending, no one cared about the Hyuuga branch and how the storyline was dropped and had no resolution. It was only when Hinata was being attacked for not showing to care did her fans start to over-analyze all the panels looking for the tiniest little clue that might hint at some changes.
It’s possible to be both shy, anxious and quiet and also to be strong, motivated and have interests and dreams. Hinata is never strong for herself, she’s only strong to be with Naruto, to die for Naruto, to motivate Naruto, to have Naruto look at her even for a moment. All the while Naruto doesn’t pay much attention to her unless she’s literally dying in front of him or she slapped him. Even when a big climax is happening, what’s on her mind is always her romantic feelings and her crush. I saw someone say if she were a male character, and she pulled this pointless sacrifice and theatrical confession in the final fight of an arc, she would’ve been universally mocked. Actually, I think even if it was Sakura who did this instead of Hinata the former would have been mocked, because their stans are unable to see the same flaws in their own fave as they see in the other girl. Naruto is a battle manga, characters are supposed to contribute to the defeat of the villain in some material way. The only reason people praise Hinata for what she did in the Pain arc is because they either pity her or because they’re men who think women killing themselves for a man is great because it boosts their ego.
I also notice many Hinata fans don’t notice the vanity in their own fandom. They call Hinata “princess”, ”heiress”, ”Konoha’s first lady” and draw fanart glorifying these concepts and how it makes Hinata good, because they like the superficial status, what they don’t care is the titles are unearned. I thought Hinata’s appeal was that she’s the underdog and a loser? Or maybe her real appeal is the idea of getting everything you want without doing much in order to get it? Another claim is that Hinata is the perfect woman, which you might see from men. This is what I might dislike the most. Men judge Hinata’s worth and whether she’s a good character based on what kind of woman they want and think is the right kind of woman. Hinata has big breasts, she’s submissive, she has no other interests than the man she likes, and she’s the only girl in her class who didn’t go for the popular guy. Many men hate Sakura, Ino and Karin for being fangirls but praise Hinata for being a fangirl. Basically to them if a character is a fangirl of the wrong guy, she’s a stupid slut. If she fangirls their self insert, she’s wife material and the ideal woman. If Sakura has to be saved, she’s useless. If Hinata tries to kill herself for Naruto, she’s ”so kind”. Rin is a one-dimensional character, but Hinata saying Naruto-kun for the 50th time is depth. Hinata is also claimed to be better than the other girls because she had more kids and thus is more ”fertile”. It’s like feminism never happened and we are back to the 16th century. Why are we judging women’s worth on how many kids they have and how much they can please a man?
I could also talk about how Studio Pierrot turned Hinata into a hentai bait for otakus, which also plays a part in her popularity, but I don’t think it’s necessary, so I will just offer this picture which speaks for itself.
END NOTE
Hinata is simply just a sexist stereotype, a shadow of a real woman, with not much depth, and who is certainly not better than Sakura either. Both of them are fangirls whose characters revolve around men. It’s wild to me how there are women who genuinely act like one must be a misogynist if they reject Hinata’s superficial, one-dimensional and boy crazy character. Her character itself is misogynist for crying out loud. And honestly, what does it say when even the creator himself assumes that Hinata is someone’s favorite character because he must like big boobs?
#anti hinata#anti hinata hyuga#mp#I'm not sure if I'm satisfied with this#but there's just not much to talk about when it comes to her character#it would just become repetitive
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Tyki Mikk is a Clone and I can (almost) prove it
Tyki Mikk is undoubtedly a fan favorite and yet we don’t really know a lot about him. For a character that was created with the purpose of being handsome (cf. D.Gray-Man Manga Volume 5, page 150), he carries a lot of baggage and has a rather unclear past. A theory that has haunted me since I read chapter 198 and has only grown in strength with the most recent arc is that Tyki is in fact a clone of Nea. As far fetched as this seems at start, there is quite a bit of evidence supporting this theory.
1) Tyki’s visible similarity to Nea (and Mana)
One of the first things Wisely remarks on when he meets Tyki is his similarity to “a certain man” (Chapter 187).
This similarity is picked up twice more in the manga. When Allen meets Nea for the first time (cf. chapter 198), he mistakes him for Tyki at first.
And it is brought up a third time by Nea himself in chapter 225 when he says:
To which Tyki, or rather Joyd, has this wonderful reaction:
But more on that guy specifically later. Point being right here is that three different characters, or four if you want to count Road and Wisely separately, acknowledge that Tyki resembles Nea a lot, down to the man himself. How does that saying go again? Once An Accident, Twice A Coincidence, Three Times A Pattern? This is something that repeatedly gets brought up again. And this is without going into detail on how much Tyki resembles not only Nea, but said man’s identical twin as well. Just look at that dashing long hair!
And take this from chapter 158 as well
Pretty long haired boy Mana is nothing new as of chapter 218 and 219:
Another interesting point here is that Tyki is the exact same height as the Earl in human form! They’re both 188cm tall. Nea, on the other hand, is listed at being 177cm. This could just be that Nea unfortunately ended up as the shorter twin, or, we take into consideration what Mana tells Allen/Red in chapter 238:
He remembers being seventeen, which means that he and Nea probably weren’t done growing yet when the “Earl” corrupted Mana. (It also kind of makes everything about Nea more hilarious if you realize he’s just seventeen.) Tyki, however, is 26 when we first meet him and should be around 27 now. He is an actual adult and not bound to hit another growth spurt.
But to summarize the first argument: Tyki looks uncannily similar to Nea and Mana and the manga keeps pointing it out so we can assume this resemblance is important.
2) Cloning is possible in canon
Now the second point is just here to point out that we know cloning to be possible. Funnily, Tyki’s resemblance to Nea gets pointed out just before the Alma Arc, which very much deals with the concept of reincarnation – only there we have the brains of deceased Exorcists transplanted into youthful bodies.
However, it’s not as if something like DNA hasn’t been mentioned before. Specifically, it has been called “Helix of life” by no other than maybe-former-Bookman but definitely First-Nea-host Past!Allen in chapter 221:
So let’s assume that, in the aftermath of Nea’s “death”, PastA didn’t just wait around for Nea to wake again, but tried to find a vessel for him. Messing around with this helix, and whatever other dubious science and magic this world had to offer, and created a new body to host Nea. Except he failed, and the result is Tyki.
But if that is so, shouldn’t Tyki remember anything about that? Good question. Time for some more shady weird stuff about Tyki.
3) The Missing Years
In chapter 202, while the Earl is resting, Tyki talks to Road. I don’t speak Japanese, so I can’t verify which translation is more accurate, but I’ve found these two:
Now the official German one also goes with a similar translation as the second one here, implying that Tyki has been with the Earl for ten years. In any case, the fact that this decade at all gets mentioned is quite odd because it doesn’t match up with what we know of Mana travelling with Allen. Cross calls Allen a “ten-year-old brat” (chapter 208) when he looks after him. So between Mana travelling with Allen and current canon, only 6 years have passed – what are up with the other 4 that are supposedly within this decade? We don’t have a definite age for how old Allen was when he met Mana, but I’d say around 7 or older. That’s still not enough to fill out the decade they speak about here.
Now, presuming that it does in fact refer to Tyki staying with the Earl for that time, we’re either left with assuming that the Earl acted as a separate entity as we see in 218, or that Tyki’s memories are just flat out wrong.
4) Tyki Mikk’s Canon-Typical Ignorance AKA The Baby of The Family
The more often Tyki appears, the more we see how much he actually doesn’t know about the going-ons of the war, or even himself. This goes back as far as the Ark Arc in chapter 130 with the Earl pointing out that:
So this form is apparently something that all Noah of Pleasure can take on, a sort of second stage of awakening. Still, it feels significant that Tyki separates his life so much into “black” and “white”, “Noah” and “human”, going as far as suppressing a part of his Noah. It puts him in direct opposition to Skinn, who was more or less entirely consumed by his Noah memories. Though, perhaps this is also just a narrative ploy because a character with the ability to chose is, frankly speaking, fuck off overpowered and the only reason why Tyki isn’t constantly leveling battlefields is probably that he just doesn’t know how to apply himself.
Regardless, Tyki’s ignorance also becomes visible in chapter 187 again when he wonders about his Noah name:
Nobody else reacts like he does, even though the other Noah haven’t been awake as long as he has and also should have retained the same memory damage as Joyd after Nea’s murder spree. Yet Tyki feels a little like the baby of the family, still learning and growing while everyone else is already in the know, which can’t be too far from the truth if we look at chapter 225:
Wisely and Road definitely know that something went down and kept it from Tyki for so long for reasons. So besides Allen learning the truth sometime in the future, Tyki is also heading towards some kind of realization – and honestly, what better than the fact that the man who enjoys his freedom and roam so much, was artificially created?
Road could have manipulated his subconsciousness, his memories. It’s a miracle really that the Earl hadn’t had a breakdown around Tyki already given how much he looks like Nea. And if Tyki really awoke as a Noa a decade ago, then eh would have been right the age Nea was when he died. The Earl should have reacted in one way or another.
Other small details that don’t add up is a) the claim that Tyki and Sheril are actual brothers. They have different last names, which would imply that they are perhaps rather half siblings, sharing one parent, or maybe they just aren’t related at all in the first place. The other thing is that Nea recognizing Tyki’s face immediately after confronting Mana about his changed appearance just adds even more suspicion.
5) TLDR
Tyki is either a clone or something else messy went down because there’s no way that there’s a natural Nea and Mana copy running around who also just so happens to be a Noah. No way.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk I’m never writing meta again this was a nightmare to post.
#tyki mikk#dgm#d gray man#allen walker#nea d campbell#mana d campbell#mana waker#road kamelot#dgm meta#long post
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I turn and reach for you
Summary: Three months after Hankel, Spencer starts getting terrible nightmares that keep him up at night. He tries desperately to keep his secret until one day when it's all too much to bear anymore. Luckily, Derek Morgan is there to hold him together as he falls apart.
Tags: nightmares, hurt/comfort, ptsd, angst with a happy ending, fluff, literal sleeping together, getting together, post-revelations TW: past non-con drug use mentioned once in passing
Pairing: Derek Morgan x Spencer Reid
Word Count: 2.1k
Masterlist // Read on AO3 // Bad Things Happen Bingo
This feels the "Nightmares" square on my Bad Things Happen bingo card, and was written for this prompt by @i-write-whump. Title from a poem by Devon Strang.
After Spencer is kidnapped by Tobias Hankel, he stays with Derek. Nobody on the team wants him to be alone, and he’s always felt the most comfortable with him, so it makes sense. Besides, he’s got the space.
Spencer sometimes wonders whether the team pushed so hard for it because they genuinely believed that, logistically, Derek was the best option, or because they could also see the slow-burning romance simmering under the surface of their relationship. They’ve always had a special friendship, but Spencer can feel the growing tension: the deep and intense looks they share mid-case, the lingering touches on backs and arms, the affection leaking into each ‘pretty boy’ and every ‘Der’.
Perhaps if Hankel never came into the picture they’d already be together — it really had felt like they were on the precipice of something special — but it’s three months later and Spencer’s still sleeping in the spare room; there’s still just as much will they, won’t they lingering in the air between them.
He tries not to mind too much. After all, he’s never had so much free access to the man he’s pined after for years now, and they’re living in each other’s pockets. Almost every waking hour is spent in one another’s company: they cook together, eat together, watch films together, and neither of them are showing any sign of getting sick of it. But every time they’re cooking pasta and Derek says something ridiculous, Spencer wishes he was allowed to lean in and kiss the tip of his nose; every time they sit down to watch something together, he wishes he could burrow into his side and rest his head in the crook of his neck.
(Sometimes, Spencer wishes he could rewind to the weeks immediately after the Hankel incident when Derek would carry him around the flat to keep him off his broken feet; when he could press his face into his shoulder and inhale the scent of complete and utter safety.)
It’s almost torturous, being so close yet so far.
He isn’t quite sure why the nightmares start so late. The nights during the first couple of months are blissfully dreamless, so exhausted from the physical and emotional trauma that sleep was a tantalising escape, but once he’s back in the field, once normal life resumes, everything changes.
The first time he wakes up sweating and panting, heart pounding as he tries to convince himself that he’s no longer in Hankel’s clutches but is safe and sound in Derek’s apartment, he dismisses it as a one-off. He hasn’t had nightmares yet, so why should they start now? He doesn’t go back to sleep that night, too shaken to relax back into the comforting embrace of sleep, too afraid of deception: that he wouldn’t sleep dreamlessly but that the nightmare would be waiting for him once again.
The second time worries him. He gets up this time and gets a glass of water as quietly as possible, leaning with his back against the kitchen counter as he ponders what this could mean for him. The thing is, they’re so incredibly vivid. It really feels like he’s back at the mercy of a three-in-one torturer armed with drugs and belts and guns, genuinely unsure of whether he’ll ever see his family again. He doesn’t go back to sleep this time, either, instead pacing around the living room until Derek wakes up. He lies that he’s only been up for half an hour, and Derek believes him.
The third time solidifies for Spencer the fact that this is a problem. Three is a pattern, everybody knows that, and Spencer spends the rest of the night scouring the internet for studies conducted around delayed trauma responses and discovers the prevalence of delayed-onset PTSD. He’s tempted to contact a professor he met during his third PhD who specialised in the psychology of trauma, but he thinks better of it. Admitting these nightmares would be admitting defeat.
This is something he has to deal with alone.
(He ignores the truth that it’s more fear than anything else that keeps him from telling anyone: fear of being seen as weak, fear of nothing changing, fear of voicing his trauma out loud. It’s easier to pretend it’s about independent agency.)
It doesn’t affect him too much at first. Sure, he’s scared to go to sleep and he sweats so profusely that it soaks through his bedsheets almost every night, but he’s managing. He’s okay. He contributes just as much to their profiles and takes down unsubs without flinching. He dances around Derek like they have done for over a year, and he sits through Dr Who marathons with Penelope just fine. So what if he’s a bit tired? He’s stared down some of America’s Most Wanted and interviewed famous serial killers, he can cope with a little fatigue.
It doesn’t stay that easy for long.
Soon everybody’s asking about the bags under his eyes, his slower reaction times when they visit the gun range, his twitchiness around the team.
“Are you sleeping okay, Spencer?” Penelope asks him one day, brushing a curly lock of hair behind his ears as they sit side by side on the sofa next to a conked out Derek.
He can’t nod his head quick enough. “Yeah! Yes, uh. Yes, Penelope, I’m sleeping fine, I promise,” he says as convincingly as he can, flashing her a smile. He hates lying to her, but he can’t let anyone find out, he just can’t.
Slowly, he begins losing his grip on reality. He’s almost delusional from the sleep deprivation, and he starts seeing Hankel everywhere he goes. He’s stood behind the fridge door, in the foyer of the FBI Headquarters, in the toilets of a local police station, stood right behind the unsub they’re currently trying to talk down, goddamnit.
He’s beyond exhausted, but some nights he still refuses to sleep, too afraid of what awaits him in his dreams, too afraid of the fear he knows he’ll carry into the next day, too afraid of feeling weak again. Helpless. Completely and utterly without agency.
He sits up with his back against the headboard, the main light off but the lamp switched on, scrolling through as many scholarly articles as he can read in a night, drinking cup after cup of steaming black coffee. Most nights he makes it through till morning without sleeping a wink, but sometimes he can’t stop himself from drifting off The nightmares on those nights are the worst.
He isn’t okay and people are starting to notice. Everyone’s walking on eggshells around him right now, but he knows it won’t be long before Penelope organises an intervention that Hotch hosts and Derek directs. The worst part about it is that he feels like a trainwreck waiting to happen. He’s headed straight for complete and utter collapse, and the only possible way to stop the train in its tracks is to reach out and get help, the one thing he can’t get himself to do.
And he isn’t even really sure why.
It all comes to a head on a warm night in July. He’d fallen into bed that night deliberately, actually intending to sleep for once. The bone-deep tiredness had finally caught up to him and he didn’t even care that he was walking straight into the arms of Tobias Hankel, if it meant he got even an iota of refreshing sleep, then it would be worth it.
But he isn’t quite of the same mind when he wakes up at two in the morning like he does almost every night: soaked in sweat with his heart going a million beats per minute, with only one difference. Tonight, he’s crying.
Maybe it’s the emotional turmoil of the last few months catching up to him, or maybe it’s just the severity of this particular dream, but whatever it is, he can’t seem to stop even once he’s awake. Sobs wrack his shoulders as he cries miserably into the pillow, finally letting out the emotions he’s kept bottled up so tightly, and he’s almost wailing after a couple of minutes of anguish.
All he can think as he cries helplessly is how badly he wants Derek. He wants to be wrapped up in his strong and safe embrace, he wants to feel the movement of his soft goatee against his cheek, he wants to inhale the comforting scent of his sleep t-shirts, he wants the warmth and solace that only Derek Morgan can give him, and in that moment, emotionally distraught and so incredibly sleep-deprived, he decides to get it.
He stumbles out of his bedroom and down the hall, stopping once he reaches Derek’s door. He hesitates for only a second before he pushes it open slowly, allowing the light from the lamp they keep switched on in the hallway to gently illuminate the shadows of his bedroom.
“Spencer?” Derek asks groggily, immediately sitting up and wiping his eyes. “What’s wrong? Are you crying?”
At the acknowledgement of his tears, Spencer starts to cry harder, and as embarrassed as he feels, he can’t slow the steady stream of tears rolling down his face as he stands in the doorway like a child in their parents’ room.
“Spence,” Derek says again, gentle and sympathetic, “come here.” He lifts the duvet up and scooches over slightly as if to make room for him in his already spacious king-size bed.
He doesn’t need to be told twice, though, and he stumbles forward, collapsing into bed and wrapping himself around Derek instantly. His arms come up to circle Spencer’s waist, caressing him gently as he holds him close to his body, shushing him quietly.
“It’s okay, Spence,” he murmurs. “I’m here now, alright? We’re gonna fix whatever it is, I promise you. We’ll get through this. You’ll get through this.”
He lets himself cry and cry and cry until his tears are dried up and he’s hiccupping from the force of his sobs. He would feel terrible about the damp spot left on Derek’s t-shirt, but he simply doesn’t have the energy. Instead, he continues to lie there on Derek’s chest, listening to his softly spoken assurances and losing himself in the sensation of Derek’s fingertips caressing the skin of his waist.
After a couple of minutes of silence, interrupted only by the odd hiccup from Spencer’s tired lungs, Derek finally asks the question. “What was that all about, pretty boy?” he asks with a tenderness Spencer isn’t sure he’s ever heard before. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Been having nightmares,” Spencer whispers, keeping his eyes closed against Derek’s imploring gaze.
He feels Derek tense beneath him, his fingers briefly pausing before resuming their comforting patterns on his waist, and a heavy breath escapes his lips. “For how long?”
“Last couple of months,” he mumbles, and somehow another tear manages to escape Spencer’s screwed up eyes.
“Well,” Derek sighs, “I suppose that explains a lot. We’ve been so worried about you, Spencer. We had no idea what was going on but we could all see you withdrawing, and it wasn’t exactly a secret how exhausted you were.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Derek says sadly. “I should’ve pushed harder to figure out what was going on with you. I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with this all alone.”
“I didn’t know how to tell anyone,” Spencer says, suddenly desperate to explain as he shifts slightly to look Derek in the eye. “I was so scared and I didn’t want anyone to think that I was weak or I couldn’t do my job anymore, and I just didn’t know what to do.”
“I know, Spence,” Derek says soothingly, “but you’ve told me now, haven’t you? And I’m going to do everything I can to get you some help. We’ll fix this, baby. I promise you, I’m going to make sure you’re happy and healthy again if it’s the last thing I do, okay?”
Spencer sniffs a little, wiping tiredly at his eyes as he blinks up at the sincerity on Derek’s face. For the first time in far too long he manages a smile. “Okay.”
Derek runs a hand through his hair before dropping a kiss to the top of his head. “Do you want to sleep here tonight?”
Spencer’s smile widens and he buries his face in Derek’s chest again as his cheeks flush red. “Please.”
Months later, they’ll realise they never officially asked one another to be in an actual, exclusive relationship. Months later, they’ll know instinctively and with absolute certainty that this night was the night that changed everything for them, and exactly one year later, they’ll celebrate their first anniversary on that date.
Tonight, though, they sleep curled up next to one another in Derek’s bed, and although Spencer doesn’t fall into the same dreamless sleep he grew used to immediately after Hankel, for once he isn’t haunted by nightmares, but dreams inflected with hope for what the future holds for them, and he’ll take that over dreamlessness any day.
taglist: @criminalmindsvibez @lesbiantodds @suburban--gothic @strippersenseii @takeyourleap-of-faith @negativefouriq @makaylajadewrites @iamrenstark @livrere-blue @hotchseyebrows @enbyspencer @reidology @transhanniballecter @spencerspecifics @bau-gremlin @hotchedyke @tobias-hankel @ @marsjareau @garcias-bitch @oliverbrnch @im-autistic @anxious-enby @kuolonsyoja @reidreids @ropoto @thosecriminalminds (add yourself to my taglist)
#my writing#moreid#derek#spencer#derek morgan#criminal minds#spencer reid#moreid fic#moreid fanfic#moreid fanfiction#cm#criminal minds fanfiction#criminal minds fic#criminal minds fanfic#derek morgan/spencer reid#derek morgan x spencer reid#spencer reid/derek morgan#spencer reid x derek morgan#userpenemily
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I’ll hold you close in the quiet
Summary: Inspired by 9x03 bts/synopsis - After moving into their new home together, Jay and Hailey find themselves struggling when buried secrets come back to haunt them. They soon realize there’s only one thing that can make things feel better - each other.
*title taken from the song Watching You by Night Traveler
Read on AO3 or below
Hands entwined, strides in sync, Hailey and Jay climbed the steps to the front door of their new home. Their home. It still felt so strange to say. After getting engaged and realizing they were only wasting money still paying the lease on two separate apartments, they began the hunt for a place of their own. Hailey had been no stranger to house hunting. In fact, she’d been in and out of at least three places in the past few years, but she’d never found a place as perfect as that one. The commonality among each of her previous places was that none of them ever truly made her feel like she was at home. Not in the same way she felt standing there on that stoop.
She couldn’t quite explain it. She just knew that the feeling she had was one of certainty and peace, and she could tell Jay felt the same way. They never spoke the words, but they were each other’s home. No house or apartment would ever give them the same warm and comforting feeling they gave each other. So that’s why the shell before them, the empty structure waiting to be filled felt so much like home for them — because it was theirs together.
“Should I carry you over the threshold?” he asked her, holding out his arms.
She let out a nervous laugh.
“I’m pretty sure you do that after we’re married. Plus, you’re not carrying me anywhere.”
“Is that a challenge or a threat?”
“Neither,” she laughed, flashing him her best you’re an idiot smile. “I just don’t want-“
Her words were cut short with a screech as he picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder before carrying her through the doorway.
“Jay put me down!”
Their laughter was the first thing they filled the space with, and they only hoped that it augured well for their future there.
They spent the next few days settling into that home, starting a new chapter, a better chapter, in neutral ground they were working to make their own. It was the perfect blend of his things, her things, and new things, something that only reflected the very essence of their relationship.
Packing, moving, unpacking, it was all just the distraction Hailey needed from the Roy and Voight of it all. Putting all of her energy into the process kept her mind busy, something she was glad for considering how rampant her mind would run in the quiet.
Voight had told her to learn to be okay with not being okay. She couldn’t help but envy how capable he was of doing that. He was back to business as usual every day since that night in the warehouse. Though, she couldn’t seem to flip that switch so easily. Insomnia kept her up most nights, her appetite was almost non-existent, and she was beginning to forget what it felt like to not be on edge at all times. She had to put on a face — a face that told the world everything was fine when really, pain and guilt had been eating her alive every second of every day since she pulled that trigger.
The job that was once the one thing that made her feel safe now felt like her biggest threat. She couldn’t bring herself to look her sergeant in the eyes. His placid demeanor only filled her with a rage she feared she’d never come back from if she gave into. She also couldn’t bear to face Kim who was struggling in her own ways, hellbent on finding the man who shot her. The man Hailey knew was already in the ground. Work was no longer her safe space. So what she was left with was Jay and the sanctuary they were building together.
After long, anxiety-ridden days, operating on autopilot, jumping every time a stranger said her name, coming home to Jay was the only thing that could make her feel normal again. Anything as simple as his touch or the soft voice he only chartered with her was enough to cast away all of the bad and remind her that things were okay because she had him.
What she didn’t know was that no matter how hard she’d tried to hide the fact that she wasn’t okay from him, he knew her well enough to see through the facade. He’d been watching her. He knew something was wrong, but he didn’t pry. He’d pretend to sleep when her restlessness had her fleeing from the bed in the middle of the night, and he’d pick up her favorite foods when he noticed she’d gone the whole day without eating. He knew something was eating at her, but also knew whatever it was, she would tell him when she was ready.
So, they leaned into their new chapter together, pulling out the best moments and treasuring them amid the worst ones. Yet, as fate would have it, just as they’d reached a point of bliss with one another in their new home, old ghosts came back to haunt them. For Jay, those ghosts came in the form of an old army buddy, for Hailey, it was the FBI’s investigation into Roy’s whereabouts.
Each struggling in their own ways, they found themselves isolating from everyone and everything, including each other. They couldn’t be the usual anchors they were for one another because they were both working to conceal the secrets they wanted to protect the other from. At work, they rarely spoke unless it was about the case. They weren’t checking in on each other, they weren’t being the support they both needed, instead they were relying on the one thing they could give: the unexplainable comfort they got just from being in the presence of one another.
So that night, after dealing with their ghosts separately, they tucked into their shared bed in their shared home, sharing everything but the thoughts in their heads.
Late into the night, Jay woke to an empty bed. Hailey had already silently escaped hours prior. He had been so used to giving her that space, rolling back over when he realized she was gone to conceal the fact that he even knew she was. Not that night. After everything that day, that case, the ghosts he’d faced, he needed to be close to her. He needed the comfort of the other half of his heart beside him, in his arms, reminding him that everything was going to be okay. So he got up and found her in the living room. She had the corner lamp on, shining a dim glow over her head as her eyes followed the words of a small book in her hands. She wore that focused frown he’d come to love, and he smiled as he watched her unnoticed.
“You know, if you’re already sick of sleeping next to me, I don’t know how long this engagement thing is going to last,” he joked, his cheeky grin eliciting a low laugh out of her. It was the first time that day either of them felt anything even resembling joy.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she sang quietly, closing the book over her thumb to mark her position as she looked up at him. His mouth twitched up at the corners.
“What are you doing up?” his voice was tired and raspy. He tilted his head at her and slid his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants.
“What are you doing up?”
He smirked, moving the loose boxes from the coffee table so that he could sit on the edge across from her. They had unpacked the major things, but random boxes were still scattered about the house. It was just a reminder that things were still a work in progress.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
She smiled, knowing he knew the question was rhetorical. Knowing he knew exactly what her response was going to be.
“No, do you?”
He shook his head and took a deep breath, pushing on his knees to stand.
“Scoot over,” he instructed, waving a finger for her to make room for him. She put her book down at the edge of the couch and moved into the cushions, allowing space for him to join her. He settled down next to her, propping his arm up under her body as she tucked into him. He let out a breath of relief when she was in his arms. That feeling, that comfort of having her so close to him, it was like that first breath after coming up for air. It was like the weight of that day had sat so heavy on his chest that it had collapsed his lungs, and she was the air he needed to breathe again. What he didn’t know was that he made her feel the exact same way.
“Let’s not talk about it then,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against the top of her head.
Hailey’s right arm draped over him, pulling him closer as her left hand tapped light patterns against his chest. He reached over and grabbed her hand in his, playing with her fingers as silence fell upon them.
“I think maybe we should consider putting something on this finger,” he whispered, the motion of his breath moving the hair on the top of her head.
“Oh yeah? What were you thinking?” she asked, smiling as she allowed him to raise her hand in the air.
“I don’t know, something nice. Maybe a ring?”
“Hm, I like this idea,” she hummed, twisting her head so that she could place a kiss against his chest.
“We’ll get you a ring then,” he said certainly.
“How about a new last name too?” she added, a playful twitch in her voice.
“Hailey Halstead… I like the sound of that,” he murmured.
“Me too.”
She raised up to look at him and he leaned forward to kiss her. When they pulled away, her face fell back into his chest and he continued to trace her hands with his fingers.
“Hailey?” he muttered.
“Hm?”
“I do want to talk about it. Not tonight…but someday.”
“Same here, Jay.”
They laid like that for the next few hours, holding each other close in the quiet, surrounded by an overwhelming sense of comfort capable of hiding away all of the fears and sorrows stirred up that day. Whatever they went through, whatever weighed heavy enough on them to scare them and make them uncomfortable, they both knew all it would take was a moment like that to feel okay again. Even if it was just for the night. They were each other’s home, each other’s safe space, and they knew that as long as they were together, their actual home would always feel that way too.
#upstead#jay x hailey#hailey x jay#jay halstead#hailey upton#chicago pd#upstead fic#justmypartner fics#collection of Em’s fics
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peanut buttercup (matthew gray gubler/reader)
Title: Peanut Buttercup
Anon Requested: Hi so I been asking for this request for awhile but no one seems to do it. I was wondering if you could write a Matthew Gray Gubler x Fem! Reader. And they have a 5 year old kid. They both work together on Criminal minds and play each other’s love interest. One day their babysitter cancels and they have to bring their kid to set. They have a balance taking care of a kid and filming. And can you possibly add that Matthew is filming one of his unauthorize documentary and he includes his kid. I would really love to read this.
Couple: Dad!Matthew Gray Gubler/Fem!reader
Category: fluff
Content Warning: swearing, Dad!Mgg, mentions of being sick
Word Count: 5,076
Summary: When reader and Matthew’s babysitter cancels on them on a last minute notice, they’re forced to bring their 5-year-old daughter, Tallulah ‘Peanut’, to set. Matthew and Reader have to re-learn to balance filming, on set tomfoolery, and taking care of their daughter.
A/N: i literally love this request so much, it’s so cute and makes me feel so soft. I really needed to write some cute fluff after everything im writing, especially for a different type of high… so thank you for sending this in. i think we need more dad!mgg fluff too, we stan dad!mgg. So, meet tallulah jane ‘peanut’ gubler, and reader ‘buttercup’ gubler :))) im so soft right now. thanks for all the love and support! check out my masterlist!
{***}{***}{***}
It was… quiet. Quite possibly too quiet. Especially for a house that has 2 actors and a five-year-old daughter. I was getting the chance to sleep in a little later than normal, and there's no husband or little girl begging for breakfast. Maybe husband took her on a morning jaunt? No, that'd be too ambitious for him, and even for her. Or, maybe he put a movie on and she's actually watching. Or maybe- frick, nevermind. I clearly spoke too soon and had my hopes too high. The pitter-patter of little feet, followed by the louder footsteps of an adult man came running into the bedroom.
"Tallulah," Matthew's voice was soft, like he was whispering but knew it'd be useless. Because once she got up into the bed, I was starting to wake up more.
"Mommy, mommy! Wake up! Wake up!" A little girl's voice shouted as she jumped on the bed. I kept the blanket over my body and groaned as a small body jumped on top of mine.
"5 more minutes," I pretended to whine as I pulled my blanket over my head. I could hear Matthew's laughter as Tallulah jumped into my body. I groaned at the sudden weight on my still tired body. "Okay, okay I'm awake," I tiredly spoke as I sat up. Tallulah fell onto the bed beside me in a fit of laughter.
Matthew was already dressed and what seemed ready for the day. His glasses sitting on his nose, and his hair falling perfectly around his face. A bizarre patterned shirt, that I wouldn't be surprised if Tallulah picked it, hung off his frame, paired with a pair of jeans and his converse. How long had he been awake?
"I tried telling her you wanted 5 more minutes," Matthew laughed as he looked at me. I looked back at him and smiled, before looking down at our daughter, who was still laughing. Her beautiful brown and curly locks of hair, though somewhat a ratty mess, covered her face just enough to show her toothy smile and brown/hazel eyes. "She just wouldn't listen. She wanted to know what you wanted for breakfast," Matthew smiled as he sat beside me on the edge of the bed.
"Breakfast!?" I exclaimed as I looked down at Tallulah. She looked up at me and smiled before rolling around on her back. "I guess that’s up to you, Peanut," I smiled as I placed a hand on her stomach.
"Pancakes!" She sat up and looked at me. I looked over at Matthew and smiled. The amusement he wore on his face made me feel happy. Of course, no matter what his daughter did, he was amused or happy. I don’t blame him though, she’s basically the mini-me version of him.
"Pancakes!? That sounds like a great idea!" I brushed her hair away from her face, "how about you and daddy get started in those while I take a quick shower and get ready for the day?" I asked with a smile. I glanced back at Matthew, silently telling him to help me out with this. “Maybe make me some chocolate chip pancakes? Oh! Or a few apple cinnamon?” I smiled at him. Matthew laughed at my enthusiasm for pancakes.
"Sounds like a solid plan to me," Matthew stood up and placed his fists in his hips. Tallulah looked between Matthew and me before falling off the bed in a sensible style.
"Sounds like a plan," she copied Matthew's action and looked up at him with a smile. I smiled and watched as the pair marched out of the room.
I sighed deeply before lying back again for a minute. I knew the second I left my bed, mommy mode would have to be fully turned on for the morning. Although mommy mode was way more preferable than actor mode, I just get to be around my favorite little girl and it makes me happy.
Time, unfortunately, was not on my side. It was nearing the time Marianne (Tallulah’s nanny) would be here, and Matthew and I would have to leave for work. Which all meant I had about 15 minutes to shower, get dressed, and actually get ready for the day.
Once I was finished showering and getting dressed, I went to the kitchen where I knew I'd find Matthew and Tallulah. The sweet smell of apple cinnamon pancakes found its to my nose.
“Those pancakes smell amazing!” I spoke as I entered the kitchen. Matthew was standing beside Tallulah, gently brushing out her knotty hair. “I can't wait to have one,” I looked down at Tallulah, “did you help make them, Tj?”
“Yeeeah!” She exclaimed as she put her fork in her mouth.
“Did you also help make the mess?” I looked around the counter at the mess that suddenly appeared overnight. Matthew looked down at Tallulah, who was looking up at him with wide eyes. She was obviously whispering something to him, causing Matthew to laugh.
“That was, uh… That was Rumple Buttercup,” Matthew nodded as he looked back up at me. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. “He came up here just as you got into the shower and made the biggest mess? Isn’t that right, Peanut?” Matthew looked back down at her and wink.
“Yeah! It was Rumbellercup.” She looked at me with a cheesy smile.
“Right,” I faked an amused smile before nodding. I quietly grabbed a sponge and began wiping up the sticky flour mess on the countertop. “Well, next time, Rumple Buttercup should stick around and clean up,” I smiled as I looked over at the two.
“I’ll take care of it, don’t worry about the mess,” Matthew winked at me. I rolled my eyes before continuing my cleaning. Well, tried to continue before being stopped by my phone ringing.
“Phone!” Tallulah shouted as she pointed towards me and my phone. I looked up at her and smiled.
“Looks like it’s Marianne,” I looked at the screen, noticing her name, “Wonder why she isn’t here yet,” I spoke before answering.
“Hey, Marianne! We were just talking about you!” I smiled as I tossed the icky sponge into the sink.
“I’m really sorry, Mrs. Gubler,” her voice was low as she spoke. I furrowed my eyebrows and cocked my head, “I’m afraid I have to cancel. I can’t babysit Tallulah today?”
“What do you mean you have to cancel?” I asked, I honestly had my answer the second she sneezed, then coughed, then sneezed again. “You know something, it’s okay,” “I’m really sorry, Mrs. Gubler,” she spoke through a cough. I cringed as I looked over at my husband and five-year-old. I could sense that she was talking about something, and he was doing his best to keep up and understand whatever it was she was saying.
“It’s okay! It’s okay, really. I hope you feel much better. Take all the time you need,” I insisted as I rested my hand on the counter, “We’ll figure something out. I just hope you feel better,” I frowned as I kept my eyes on the two.
“Again, I’m so sorry,” Marianne whispered. I bit my lips back and shook my head.
“Get some rest. Call if you need anything,” I replied before hanging up. I placed my phone on the counter before going to grab things for lunch for Tallulah.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Matthew looked up at me as he brushed Tallulah’s hair into two pigtails. He had a certain look of worry on his face as he looked at me. I looked up at him as I made a ham and cheese sandwich. Hopefully, she enjoys a sandwich with all the fruit snacks a five-year-old could consume (which, unfortunately, was a lot), and some actual fruit. I'm sure when on our way home we'll stop somewhere for dinner or late lunch. That's hope it usually works when Tallulah comes to set with us.
“Marianne is sick. Can’t babysit today,” I frowned as I looked between him and Tallulah. Tallulah was too busy eating her pancakes and rambling about Alvin and The Chipmunks (specifically about how Theodore was her favorite, not Simon) to actually care about our conversation.
“Really,” Matthew looked at me and dropped his shoulders. He puffed his cheeks a little bit before frowning, “No one else?”
“I mean, I could call Aj and see if her babysitter can watch Little Miss, but that’d be a lot for one lady,” I paused as I looked down at our daughter, “Or we could bring her. You know how much everyone on set loves seeing her,” I shrugged as I looked up at him. Even though it was a lot of work bringing a five-year-old to set, we both loved it. The balance between working and taking care of her was a bit rough, but we always made it work.
“We could do that, we have a couple of scenes together, I’m sure we could get Kirsten or someone to be with her for that time,” he looked down at his daughter before adjusting her pigtails, “Maybe even convince the writers to give Spencer and Mollie a daughter,” he looked back at me and winked. I shook my head.
“You should finish getting her ready because we have to go soon,” I pointed out. Matthew looked down at Tallulah with a smile before shrugging.
“Alright, let’s go, Peanut!” Matthew spoke as he lifted Tallulah up and stood her up on the table. I looked at the two and smiled.
“You get to come to work with me and daddy today,” I walked over to them and readjusted her crocked pigtails, and carefully pinched her cheeks, “That means you get to see Auntie Kirsten, Auntie Aj, Auntie Pag, and everyone else,” I smiled and watched as Matthew lifted her up on to his hip.
“Yay!” Tallulah shouted once she was clinging to Matthew’s side. The two of them closely resembled a Koala. She grabbed Matthew’s face, a hand on either side, to get his attention, “Daddy’s work,” she whispered. I smiled, already looking forward to the shenanigans that was about to happen during our day. Whenever we bring Tallulah to set for a visit, almost everyone wants to spend time with her. And she sucks up all the attention. She’s got everyone wrapped around her tiny little finger.
“Go pick out some cool clothes with daddy while I finish making your lunch. Sounds good?” I looked at her. She smiled and nodded before looking at Matthew.
“Let’s go get out of your jammies,” Matthew spoke, tugging on her Elsa nightgown. The two walked away and towards her bedroom. I seriously hope he’ll help her pick out something nice to wear and not let her wear a princess dress. I love it, but not today. {***}{***}{***}
“You gotta be a good girl for mom and I, okay? You can watch us while we work, but you gotta be super quiet,” Matthew held a finger up to his lips, as if he was telling Tallulah to be quiet. She smiled before copying his action. “Can you do that?”
“I can do that,” she enthusiastically nodded once Matthew set her on the ground. I squatted beside her and gave her a few quiet toys and coloring books as Matthew went to talk to one of the assistants/interns nearby.
“Look, we packed your favorite coloring book,” I smiled as I placed the coloring book on the ground beside her. She grabbed the crayons from me and poured them out. I looked at her for a moment before standing upright.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t just have her in the trailer? It’d be safer for, well, everyone. And if we check on her every so often,” I looked at Matthew once he was back beside me. We walked side by side back towards wardrobe and makeup.
“Nah, it’s fine. One of the interns said they’d watch her. And then we can get one of the makeup artists to watch her. You know how much they love her,” Matthew smiled at me. I rolled my eyes and shook my head as I remembered the day we visited set after Tallulah was born. Other than Kirsten and AJ, the makeup artists were the ones to not leave our side because they loved her so much. I honestly didn’t blame them. “Don’t stress so much about this, Buttercup, this isn’t the first time she’s had to come to set with up. And you know for a fact it won’t be the last time,” he stopped right in front of the door to the makeup studio. “She’ll do a great job,” he smiled before hugging me.
“I know, I know. She’s just a lot older than she was the last time she came with us. And I know something will happen,” I sighed, pressing my face into his shoulder. Matthew laughed as he squeezed me tightly.
“And, if she does, we’ll take a break, bring to the trailer, and calm her down. C’mon, you know she’s a great kid,” he looked down at me as he rested his hands on my shoulders. I laughed as I looked up at him.
“That’s because she’s your kid,” I nodded before stepping away from and entering the makeup studio.
Of course, luck was not really on our side. We were a few hours left of filming, Tallulah had been doing a great job, staying quiet and playing with one of the make up artists. Until she bashed her head into a table, causing her to go into full hysterics.
“I got it, I’m done for the day anyways,” Aj looked at me from her space on the ground, away fro the raised set, “She’ll be okay. I can make all little girl boo-boos go away,” she smiled before stepping up to me. I looked at her before looking over at Matthew, who was already over soothing our daughter.
“I owe you big,” I walked up to her, “You know we have stuff in our trailer for her. I think it might be naptime,” I looked at her, feeling the worry in my brow.
“Got it, naptime,” Aj gave me a thumbs up before stepping off the set. I watched as she carefully approached Matthew and Tallulah. Tears were still fresh in her eyes, but she was laughing at whatever it was Matthew was telling her. I could feel a smile tugging on my lips as I watch Aj grasp Tallulah’s hand, leading her away from the studio.
“She’ll be fine,” Matthew smiled at me before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. I hummed before stepping away from him.
“Oh, I know that, I don’t doubt. I’m just tired, I suppose,” I rubbed the underside of my nose, “But, we’re almost done,” I nodded with a smile. I was just happy we were able to get back to work pretty quickly after the temper tantrum.
{***}{***}{***}
“I think we’ve got what we needed for today! That’s a wrap!” The director shouted to everyone on set. I allowed my shoulders to slump as a yawn worked its way through my mouth. Matthew laughed as he looked over at me.
“You definitely needed those extra five minutes,” he spoke as he shrugged off his ‘Spencer Reid’ blazer. I yawned, again, and nodded.
“Suppose that’s life with a 5-year-old,” I stepped off the set with him and walked beside him towards our trailer, “Do you want to go get that girl in question, or should I?” I raised an eyebrow once we were both in the privacy of our small trailer.
“You should. I want to do something real quick,” he pecked my lips real quick as he walked towards the backend of the trailer. I looked down at the few toys that were thrown around the floor, before grabbing Tallulah’s backpack and sweater.
“You want to do something? What would that be?” I asked, throwing the strap of the backpack over my shoulder. A moment later, Matthew stepped back towards me, wearing a Babygirl hat that Shemar got for him, and a purple scarf that he totally stole from me. “You look like a douchebag,” I scoffed as I turned towards the door, “You’re lucky I love you, and that we’re married,” I turned back and looked at him for a moment.
“I think you’re the lucky one, Buttercup,” Matthew spoke to me as I stepped off the trailer. I laughed and shook my head. “Not everyone can score this,” he spoke as he gestured towards his body. I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, are you going to let me go get our kid? Or are you going to pull me into whatever it is you have planned,” I asked with a sly smile on my lips.
“Should probably go get Tallulah,” he shrugged as he followed beside me. I looked at him and allowed him to kiss me softly. “Good luck,”
“I’ll need all the luck in the world,” I laughed before peeling away from him. I could hear him talking to someone as I walked away, and I could only imagine it was one of the cameramen.
Usually Aj took her out of the studio the second the tantrum started, bringing somewhere quiet. Usually, it was our trailer, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were there for a bit, but I knew after naps it was always snack time. So, I went towards the cafeteria.
“Mommy!” A little voice shouted from across the room. My eyes scanned around, looking for my little girl and friend. Aj was sitting at one of the tables with Tallulah on her lap. Tallulah was busy, eating chicken nuggets that Aj must’ve gotten for her. So much better than a ham and cheese sandwich.
“Hey, Peanut!” I exclaimed as I sat across from them at the table. I glanced at Aj and smiled, silently telling her thank you. “Did you have a fun time with Auntie Aj?” I looked back down at Tallulah.
“Yeah!” She exclaimed before shoving a whole chicken nugget in her mouth. I raised my eyebrows and laughed.
“We took a nap, colored, played with some dolls, and then we were hungry,” Aj looked up at me as she listed their activities during the last few hours. I nodded and leaned over the table.
“That sounds like a great time. I wish I could take a nap,” I sighed before stealing one of her nuggets. Tallulah glared at me as I munched on the food. “I wanna see your drawings!” I smiled at her. Tallulah turned and looked up Aj, asking her to show the drawings she made.
“Tada!” she beamed as she showed me her drawings. I looked down at the 4 sheets of paper with a multitude of colors. One of them was easily imaged as a family portrait and I could easily point out Matthew and me, and Tallulah. Another one was just a tornado of colors, with animal stickers placed around them. And the last two pictures were coloring pages we had printed off, a Disney princess and a picture of Alvin and the Chipmunks (again, it’s her favorite movie… And not because her dad is in it).
“These are awesome, Peanut!” I looked back up at her with an excited smile, “I’m sure you had such a great time with Auntie AJ! I can’t wait to hear about it all! What do you say to her?” I looked at Tallulah as I brushed hair away from her face.
“Thank you, Auntie AJ,” Tallulah looked up at Aj with a bright, cheesy smile. Aj returned the smile as she looked at my daughter.
“Of course! I had a wonderful time with you! You be good for mom and dad, okay?” Aj asked before offering a hug. Tallulah squealed before throwing her arms around Aj. I smiled, watching the pair interact.
“Should we go find daddy? I’m sure he’d love to see your drawings!” I asked stood up. Aj helped Tallulah to the ground before standing up herself. Aj handed me Tallulah’s stuffed animal and a few of her other things. “Thank you so much, Aj,” I smiled at her.
“Of course, you know I love watching her,” she returned the smile, “Seriously, if you need help with you, you know I’m always available, even on set,” she hugged me.
“Of course, again thank you so much,” I returned the hug before letting her leave. Tallulah watched as Aj walked away, before looking up at me with a smile, “Let’s find dad,” I smiled before offering her my hand. She grabbed it before walking beside me. I handed her stuffed animal back to her as we left the cafeteria.
“Are you going to show daddy your pictures?” I looked down at Tallulah. She was holding a small stack of papers in her hand as she skipped beside me. Her stuffed animal was now stuffed under her arm since her hands were too busy holding her drawings and she didn’t want me to hold it. “You did a good job with your family portrait,” I looked at the papers in her hand. She was looking down at that very picture with a big smile on her face.
“Yeah!” She looked up at me and gushed. I chuckled as she hugged her pictures close to her chest.
“Do you think he’ll like them?” I looked up and saw Matthew at a bit of a distance, someone standing beside him as he talked. He was moving around a lot, which told me he was up to something.
“Yeah!” Tallulah exclaimed as she added a little bit of a skip to her step. And that skip in her step told me that she was excited. Well, it was more than the skip in her step. It was also the sweet-tooth, cheek-achingly, adorable smile she wore on her precious little face.
“Do you think he’ll… Love it?” I looked down at her for a moment. She stopped walking for a second as she looked down at the picture she had drawn. Tallulah was definitely blessed with Matthew’s sense of style when it came to art (and clothing), which was lovely. She’ll be something of an artist when she grows up, I’m sure of it. Especially when her family portrait has three people and two of them have 2 heads and 4 arms, and the other one has a tail. But, that’s okay. Matthew will most definitely love her drawing. I know I do.
“Love it! Love it!” She looked up at me as she jumped. I laughed and shook my head. She looked down at the pictures again before holding them up to me. I raised an eyebrow before taking them from her to hold.
“Well, I know I love them,” I looked back down at her. As we continued walking, she kept talking about what she got to do with Kirsten and Aj. Her babble was still a little bit incoherent, but I knew what she was saying. God bless Kirsten though. “I’m kinda hungry, do you think daddy will let us get McDonald’s on the way home?” I looked back down at her as she grabbed my hand.
“McDonald’s?” She looked at me with wide eyes. Let me just put that into my child’s mind so she can ask Matthew. Because everyone knows it’s hard to say no to the Gubler child. No one knows better than Matthew.
Unfortunately, our conversations ended there. Because as we turned the corner, Matthew’s voice could be heard. I looked up and saw him standing beside our trailer. The second Tallulah would hear his voice, she would be off and glued to him, instead of me. What a little daddy’s girl.
“Who the fuck is that?” Matthew half-shouted to the cameraman beside him. Even though we were a good distance away from him, I could still hear the words he was saying. I was grateful that Tallulah couldn’t hear him. We both know she’d repeat any word she knows she’s not allowed to say. And since he was standing beside a cameraman, I knew he was filming one of his Unauthorized Documentaries. “Who the fuck is that,” he pulled the cameraman and pointed him towards Tallulah and I. This man and his swearing around his 5-year-old. I swear.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Tallulah shouted once grew closer to him. She let go of my hand before sprinting away from me and towards Matthew. When she was close enough to him, she jumped into the air and Matthew caught her. “Guess what, Daddy!” She shouted into his ear. Matthew laughed as he looked over at me.
“What, Peanut?” He asked, swinging her around so she was on his back. Sort of like a monkey with its baby. It was Tallulah’s favorite way to be carried. “You got to hang out with Kirsten and Aj while mommy and I worked, right?” He looked over his shoulder at his daughter. She laughed as she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah!” she looked over at me as I got closer to them. I shuffled the few pictures before flipping them around to show him. “Auntie Kirsten and Auntie Aj let me color!” Tallulah, again, shouted into his ear. Matthew looked at the pictures in my hands and smiled.
“Woah! Peanut, these are awesome! Are you going to be an artist like dad?” He looked over his shoulder and at Tallulah. I smiled as I shuffled the pictures to show more of them.
“Yeeeah,” she smiled before pressing her face into his shoulder, like she was hiding. I smiled before stepping up to him. Matthew smiled before pecking my lips.
“Little Miss and I are starving,” I grabbed his hand and swung it beside me.
“Starving?!” Matthew spoke loud so Tallulah could hear him. A little giggle came from her as she readjusted her position, “Well, we can’t have that! Where do you want to eat, Peanut?”
“McDonalds!”
“McDonalds?” Matthew looked over at me with a raised eyebrow. I smiled and looked down at the ground, “Let’s fucking go then!” Matthew half shouted as he jumped. Tallulah giggled as she hugged her arms tighter around his neck, almost nearly suffocating him.
“Matthew,” I looked at him with the signature mom glare I adopted from my own mother. He looked over at me as he placed a hand on his daughter’s arms. He knew exactly what the glare was meant for. Swearing in front of our 5-year-old. Of course, we both knew that wouldn’t be the first or last time he’d swear in front of her.
“Daddy said fuck!” Tallulah shouted before laughing. Matthew looked at me with an apologetic look in his eye before swinging Tallulah off his back and on to his hip. I cocked my head as I placed my hands on my hips. “Fuck!” She repeated, shouting the word at Matthew. And, again, this wouldn’t be the last time she repeated a swear word.
“Now, Tallulah, that is a mommy and daddy word. You know you shouldn’t say that. Just because mommy or daddy does, doesn’t mean you can,” he looked at her. She pouted before nodded. Thankfully, she actually understood when to not say swear words, she also understood what “mommy and daddy” words were. “Got it?” Matthew looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. She looked up at him and stuck up her thumb.
“Got it!” She smiled before throwing her arms around his neck. Matthew laughed before picking her back up.
“Now, let’s go get some happy meals,” Matthew spoke as he pointed towards the direction of our car. I sighed deeply, walking the opposite direction towards our trailer, knowing they’ll both know we need to stop by there before we leave.
{***}{***}{***}
“She asleep?” I asked, glancing away from my script as Matthew entered the room. He pulled his shirt off as he went towards his closet.
“She’s always insistent on Rumple Buttercup, but almost never makes it to the end,” he laughed as he put his pajamas on. I smiled as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Maybe it’s time you wrote a second one… Give Rumple Buttercup a brother or sister,” I laughed as I rubbed a hand on his back. He looked over his shoulder with a smile before getting comfortable in the bed beside me.
“You know… I’ve been thinking,” Matthew started as he moved closer to me. I looked up from my script and over at him with a raised eyebrow. Something was telling me he wasn’t going to continue talking about a second Rumple Buttercup book… “What if Tallulah had a little brother or sister,” he asked as he looked up at me with puppy dog eyes. I couldn’t help but burst out with laughter. I felt bad for my laughter, mostly because I knew he wanted a second child. But, we were running slim on time with that.
“She is too much of a daddy’s girl to share with anyone, including me, Matthew,” I closed my script as I looked up at him. He looked genuinely hurt with my laughter and comment. “Besides, I thought we were good with the one,” I gestured towards her room.
“But, what if we had another one,” he shrugged. I dropped my shoulders and sighed, but kept a smile on my lips nonetheless. “C’mon, two! That’s a perfect number!” “Two is a perfect number,” I swallowed roughly as I looked down at the bedding in front of me. I couldn’t help but allow the smile on my lips to grow. “And she wouldn’t be alone on family trips,” I mused as I glanced over at him. Matthew was looking at me with the excitement of a kid in a candy store. “You don’t think we should talk about this first? I mean, Matthew, you’re almost 40, I’m nearly 35...” I let out a small laugh.
“I think we just talked about it! And to me it sounds like we both want it,” he smiled before pressing his lips to mine. I hummed before moving away from him.
“Okay, okay, we can try. But not right now. I’m exhausted. Maybe once Marianne is better and we don’t have to take Tallulah to set. Because that was so exhausting,” I ran a hand through his hair and smiled, “Fair?”
“Fair,” he smiled before kissing me softly, “Love you,”
“I love you too,”
taglist: @itsmyblogandillreblogifiwantto, @thebluetint
#shadow writes stuff#masterlist#matthew gray gubler#spencer reid#criminal minds#mgg#spencer reid fanfiction#spencer reid imagine#spencer reid x reader#matthew gray gubler fanfiction#matthew gray gubler imagine#matthew gray gubler x reader#doctor spencer reid#doctor spencer reid imagine#doctor spencer reid fanfiction#doctor spence reid fanfiction#doctor spencer reid fan fiction#criminal minds fan fic#criminal minds one shot
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A Thin Line (Between Love and Hate)
Pairing: Sunwoo x Gn!Reader
Genre: enemies to lovers au, high school au, fluff
Word Count: 2.6k
Warnings: cursing, mentions of blood (nosebleed), kissing, childish behavior, cliche after cliche after cliche af-
Note: Happy birthday Sunwoo, I think we all know that I love you the most. I wrote this quite a while ago, so if it doesn’t match my current writing style, that’s why.
The shrill sound of the school bell pierced your ears, and you watched as students began to move up and down the stairs around you like you were a stone in a rushing river. Five minutes until class started, and none of the underclassmen wanted to be late. You stood up, bidding your friends farewell as you did so. Pulling your bag over your shoulder, you started up the stairs towards your first class.
As you walked into your chemistry classroom, you heard your teacher reminding you of today’s quiz in a monotone voice. You nodded absentmindedly in his direction, more concerned with the person currently sitting in your seat. He sat with his back to you, bent over laughing at something his friend had said from the back of the room.
Your friends looked up at you as you reached your table, their eyes full of apprehension. Dropping your stuff to the ground, you cuffed the intruder on the back of his head, prompting him to look back at you, startled.
“This is my seat,” you said, although you knew he didn’t need the reminder.
“Is it?” Sunwoo recovered quickly, his eyes steely. You had seen people tremble under that gaze, but you knew him better than that. You hadn’t spent a lifetime knowing him just to get scared off by one look.
“Yes. Now move.”
“Somebody’s cranky this morning,” he sneered.
“Somebody needs to shut up,” you snapped back. “Don’t you have a class to get to?”
“Mm,” he made a sound of agreement as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head lazily. “See you later,” he said as he walked past you to the door, his shoulder bumping yours violently enough that you knew it hadn’t been an accident.
“I hope not,” you said to his back as you sat down, but he ignored you.
You were surprised. Usually, Sunwoo just had to have the last word, no matter what lengths he had to go to get it. You shrugged it off, making up an excuse for his behavior in your head as you turned to greet your friends and prepare for the quiz.
—
You strolled along the running track on your way to the bus stop, taking your time as you were well aware that the bus wasn’t coming for at least another five minutes. Your headphones successfully drowned out the sounds of the world around you, including the soccer practice happening to your left. In fact, they were so successful that you didn’t hear the shouts of warning until it was too late. By the time you saw the soccer ball hurtling directly towards your face all you could do was close your eyes. The next thing you knew, your face was stinging, and your nose felt like it was on fire.
A familiar face came running towards you, followed by most of your school’s soccer team. “Are you okay?” Sunwoo called out as he reached you, his voice much too loud for your liking.
“I’m fine,” you answered as a crowd of sweaty teenage boys surrounded you like you were Cristiano Ronaldo.
“You’re bleeding.”
You reached up to touch your nose, and soon felt a warm trickle of blood that confirmed his words.
“Shit,” you muttered, bending forward to hold your nose.
“Give them some room boys!” you heard someone shout, and the crowd began to thin, leaving only you, Sunwoo, and the soccer coach standing on the track.
“Take them to the nurse Kim,” the coach said gruffly, gesturing towards the school building. “And be quick about it.”
“Yes sir,” Sunwoo nodded once before grabbing your free arm and towing you forward. You followed him, too focused on keeping any blood from getting on your clothes to pay attention to where you were going.
“Do you think it’s broken?” he asked as he looked at you, his hatred of blood making him cringe.
“I don’t know.”
“You should have been paying attention,” he griped as he led you down the hallway.
“Do I have you to blame for this?” you deflected expertly.
“No, you have yourself to blame for not paying attention.”
He seemed to be growing more agitated by the second. Luckily for you, agitating Sunwoo was your specialty.
“You know if it is broken, I could probably sue you.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wanna bet?”
The two of you came to a stop outside of the nurse’s office, staring each other down. Finally, Sunwoo rolled his eyes and reached for the door handle.
“I’m not arguing with an invalid,” he said as he held the door open for you.
“And people say chivalry is dead,” you said dryly as you made your way inside the room, Sunwoo close behind you. Before he could respond you had been swept up by the nurse, leaving him to wait on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs lined up against the wall.
Ten minutes later, you watched as the nurse called your parents to pick you up, even after you had insisted that you were fine to take the bus. Since you’d arrived Sunwoo had stood up and begun to pace back and forth over the old worn carpet. You made your way over to him, wondering why he hadn’t left yet. He turned to face you as you reached him, one of his hands reaching up to fix his hair.
He had pulled a mask up over his nose at some point, and his curls fell over his eyebrows so that the only thing you could see was his eyes. They looked at you, sparkling like there was a whole galaxy trapped inside of them. Your rational mind knew that it was only the fluorescent light’s reflection, but a part of you was sure that you could find the secrets of the universe in those eyes if only you looked long enough.
The sound of your name drew you from your trance and you started, blinking rapidly. Shit. What were you thinking? This was Kim Sunwoo you were looking at. The same boy who had spent a lifetime tormenting you, and you, him.
“Sorry,” you said as you scrambled to find an excuse for your zoning out. “Maybe I have a concussion,” you resolved, cringing internally as you said it. Sunwoo’s eyebrows twitched, and a look of concern flashed across his face just long enough for you to catch it.
“I doubt it; I hit you in the face, not the head. And even if you do, it’s probably not very bad.”
“I hope it is bad, that way I can blame you for it,” you retorted.
He scoffed, and you watched as his eyes hardened, returning to the usual cold glare that he reserved especially for you. “Whatever,” he muttered, finally turning to leave the nurse’s office.
You cursed at yourself as you watched the door close behind him. This was the first time in years that the two of you had managed to have a civil conversation, maybe even a friendly one, and you had ruined it. You hadn’t even thought about it, the words had just spilled out of you. The saying “old habits die hard” was proving to be true.
But then you remembered a more pressing problem: his eyes.
—
That night, your thoughts stole any chance you had of sleeping. While this was not an uncommon occurrence, tonight it felt different. No matter where your mind took you, it always ended up at Sunwoo.
One train of thought went camping, your cousins, soccer, Sunwoo. Another went from the outfit you were going to wear tomorrow, to the quiz you’d had in chemistry today, to Sunwoo. For what felt like hours your thoughts followed this pattern, until finally, you fell into a restless sleep, dreams full of the same boy who had been haunting your thoughts since that afternoon and throughout your whole life.
—
“What’s on your mind?” your mom asked on your way to school the next morning. She had insisted that you wouldn’t take the bus that day, even though the nurse had deemed you uninjured.
“Why?” you questioned.
“You just seem kind of out of it.”
“I guess I didn’t sleep very well.”
“Why not?”
You were tempted to blame it on yesterday’s accident, but you knew that this would just make her worry more, which wouldn’t be beneficial to either of you. You speculated some other excuses for a few seconds, before deciding on the truth.
“You remember Kim Sunwoo right?”
“How could I forget,” she responded wryly. You laughed a little as contemplated what exactly you wanted to say.
“I always thought you had a crush on him you know,” she said, interrupting your thoughts. You stared at her incredulously. Now it was her turn to laugh.
“You used to come home from school when you were younger and talk about nothing else but him,” she explained.
“Yeah, cause he was, and is, so annoying,” you said defensively.
“Sure,” she conceded. “But I also think that you’ve chosen to blow up all of his more annoying traits in favor of ignoring his more admirable ones.”
—
Your mom’s words played on repeat in your mind all day long, like the lyrics of a song that had gotten stuck in your head. As you made your way through your day, you tried your best to forget that anything had happened and just go back to the way things had been before yesterday afternoon. This method proved unsuccessful, however.
By the time the school’s bell rang to signal the end of the day, you were really, truly fed up with just the thought of Sunwoo. What right did he have to inhabit your thoughts like this? You had more important things to focus on, things that actually mattered, like your history final, or deciding what you were going to buy your friend for their birthday.
You slammed your locker shut as you rode this new wave of anger, only to see the boy you had just been cursing out in your mind walking towards you. Unfortunately, he had already seen you, and you watched as he detached himself from his group of friends and made his way in your direction.
“What do you want?” you snarled as he reached you, turning for the stairs before he had a chance to respond.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said, more tentatively than you had ever heard him be.
“Why do you care?”
“Oh c'mon, I’m not a complete monster, and it was my fault.”
“So you admit it,” you turned to face him. He had followed you up the stairs, and now you looked down at him with a fierce look in your eyes.
“Admit what? That I’m a monster, or that it was my fault?”
“Both.”
He sighed resignedly, walking up the stairs until you were face to face. “Yes, I admit it. But if we’re being honest, you’re not the nicest either.”
“Well, you-” you stopped. He was right, wasn’t he? He may have been the one to start this stupid struggle, but nowadays you tended to provoke him more than he did you. And besides, you had been six years old when all of this had started. Were you really holding a grudge against Sunwoo’s six-year-old self?
“Okay, yeah. I’ve been pretty horrible to you too, but well, you started it!”
He laughed, his eyes scrunching up and his lips parting to reveal that crooked tooth that you had always despised. But maybe you had mistaken love for hate.
“Why did you, you know, start it,” you asked quietly, so quietly that for a moment you weren’t sure he’d heard you. But then his smile disappeared, and you realized that you kind of missed it.
“I guess I didn’t know how else to…” he trailed off, his eyes roaming the stairway as if the answer to your question lay there.
“Didn’t know how else to what?”
“How else to…uh, show you…that…I liked you.”
He blurted out the last three words like they were forbidden. They hung in the air like smoke, slipping into your lungs and making breathing difficult.
“Since when do you like me?” you croaked out.
“Since forever.”
“Really?” you laughed a little as you said it, your mind reeling.
“Well, since first grade at least.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I, um,” he paused, his eyes avoiding yours.
“What,” you said. It was a statement, not a question, but it still prompted him to continue.
“I was scared, I guess,” he finished, his eyes full to the brim with vulnerability. It poured from him, in the way his breathing had quickened, and the way his fingers played with his hoodie strings erratically. This was a new color on him, one you never thought you’d have the opportunity to see.
“Of what?” you queried, intrigued by this, what was it, nervousness? It was so foreign on him that you had trouble putting a finger on it.
“That you’d laugh at me mostly,” he coughed in embarrassment.
“I probably would have.”
He opened his mouth to snap at you, but you stopped him with a hand on his arm. He stared down at your fingers like they were alien, continuing to look at them dazedly even as you spoke. “But I’m not now, so,” you gestured for him to continue.
“I always thought that hating me was close enough to liking me,” he started again. “So I’d, you know, metaphorically pull your braids or whatever. I thought that at least that way you’d pay attention to me.” You could feel the phantom pain as he said it, the weight heavy on your scalp. “And then it became so natural that I didn’t know how to make it right, to apologize.”
“So basically, you’re a horrible flirt.”
He let another laugh escape him, pushing your shoulder a little as he finally met your eyes. “Like you’re any better.”
“I’m a lot better than you, Kim Sunwoo.”
“Oh yeah? We’ll see about that.”
You stared each other down the same way you had your entire lives, but this time you realized how ridiculous all of this really was. Hating each other, not because you didn't like one another, but because you both thought the feeling was mutual. And yet here you were. The line between love and hate is very thin, after all.
Before you could think any further, you did the simplest and most terrifying thing you could imagine. You leaned forward and kissed him. It was rushed and a little messy, with teeth banging and noses bumping, but it fit Sunwoo perfectly.
When you pulled away, the first thing you noticed was how red his ears were. You giggled at the sight, prompting him to look at you questioningly. You reached out to touch them, causing the blush to spread down to his cheeks as well. He looked down abashedly, but you assured him that it was cute.
“Embarrassing you mean,” he mumbled.
“That too,” you laughed again.
He sobered, staring at you with the same look that used to infuriate you to no end. But now, instead of seeing only the stone-cold glare he used to intimidate those around him, you also saw the blush that lingered on his cheeks and the stars in his eyes. Now you could see the potential smile in the curve of his cheeks and the potential pout his lips were waiting to produce.
“Cute,” you murmured again, and his lips twitched exasperatedly.
“Whatever.”
#sunwoo#kim sunwoo#the boyz#tbz#the boyz sunwoo#sunwoo imagines#sunwoo x reader#sunwoo scenarios#sunwoo drabbles#sunwoo fluff#sunwoo angst#sunwoo reactions#kim sunwoo imagines#kim sunwoo scenarios#kim sunwoo angst#kim sunwoo reactions#kim sunwoo x reader#kim sunwoo drabbles#the boyz soft hours#the boyz angst#the boyz fluff#the boyz imagines#the boyz reactions#the boyz x reader#the boyz drabbles#the boyz scenarios#the boyz fanfic
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What Happens in Vegas...Doesn’t Always Stay There - Jacob Markstrom - Part 1
Word Count: 4,885
POV: Reader
Warnings: NSFW, Language, Smut, Drinking (all the good stuff)
Notes: Well here it is the new fic that’s been in my head. I tossed around a couple different guys for this, but some of you suggested Marky and well looks like it stuck. Trying to do this a little different and keep this in an all read POV, so we shall see how that works. I don’t see this being super long maybe between 5 or 6 parts. Hope you guys enjoy. As always feedback is welcome. Happy Reading!
They say that New York is the city that never sleeps but whoever 'they' is, well, they got it wrong. It has to be Vegas. Lights are always flashing whether you were indoors or out, the jangly sound of slot machines can be heard at all hours and the seven deadly sins seem to be on full display twenty-four hours a day. It's no wonder their tagline for years was 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' If only that were true.
You wish you could blame someone else but you can't. Vegas was all your idea. As maid of honor, it fell to you to plan your best friend's bachelorette party, and in your mind, there was only one spot, Vegas. Now, you were second-guessing your choice as your head was pounding like there were a thousand drummers who decided to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, only in your brain. There was only one thought that made it through the marching band playing in your head. What the hell happened last night?
Maybe you should start off small, like where were you first, considering that the little drummer boy was now doing backflips in your head. You were definitely in bed, which was evident as you could feel the mattress underneath you. You could also feel the duvet comforter covering your body, but there was something else. Something a bit heavier, almost as if a weighted blanket was covering your stomach and your breast, but it wasn't that. It was an arm slung across your midsection and a very large hand cupping your one boob. God, you hoped it was still attached to a body. You should really take a peek. It would be the only decent thing to do.
As you gradually lifted one eyelid open, the first thing you noticed was that you were not in your hotel room, as the wall looked completely different. No reason to panic, you told yourself. Everything would come back to you as soon as this god blessed pounding ceased. Peering the other eye open, you got back to business at seeing if there was a body attached to the arm currently trapping you to the bed. Carefully, you turned your head to the side to see a very large and very naked man firmly attached to the aforementioned arm. He was gorgeous as he lay there sleeping ever so peacefully. You drank in his features, kind of like you downed drink after drink last night. His brown hair had this golden hue to it that made your fingers want to reach out and touch it, though you refrained. Then there was the beard covering his face, not too much and not too little, and now that you were thinking about it; you definitely felt some of that beard burn on your thighs. If you could only remember last night. The only logical thing to do was to go back to the start of this, back to a time when you were sober.
It started months ago when your best friend Kennedy got engaged. You honestly didn't see it coming that fast. She'd only been dating Ryan for a little less than a year, but he asked and she said yes, and when she asked you to be her maid of honor you screamed and laughed and cried, and told her you couldn't wait to plan her bachelorette party. Everyone knew the bridal shower was only for boring stuffy old aunts so that they could buy her the latest air fryer or new dish pattern. The bachelorette party was where all the fun was, and what better place to have it than Las Vegas.
Of course, everyone agreed with you. The only wrench in the plan was that Kennedy decided to up her wedding date and make it a nine-month engagement. That barely left time to find a dress let alone plan the most outrageous bachelorette party of the century. You would've said decade but twenty-twenty was fastly approaching. Thankfully, you had connections. Night one was more sedate since you all were just arriving at the MGM hotel at different times; eleven of you in total when Ryan's sister decided to join at the last minute. You booked a private room at Lago in the Bellagio for all of you to enjoy.
It was the second night, that was the piece de resistance. A limo picked you all up and took you over to Excalibur to see the legendary Australian group, Thunder from Down Under. I mean what was Vegas without seeing a male stripper or two. The next day, a private bungalow was waiting for you at Wet Republic in the MGM Hotel. One would've thought the night watching men strip naked would've been your undoing but apparently, it all started poolside.
"I seriously can't believe he pulled you up on stage and proceeded to dry hump you up there," Kelsey rehashed.
"Really, Kels?" Kennedy said downing another mimosa. "How could you not see that happening? (Y/N) has known Nate for a couple years. I mean he did get us front row tickets." This was all true. Nate, the emcee for Thunder from Down Under and you were friends, had been since your firm had done their calendar shoot two years ago. He had generously given you prime seating to the show that night and also set you up with a few other perks for the trip. "The only thing I'm surprised at, is that this one," she bumped you with her hip, spilling both hers and your mimosas. "Didn't end up going home with him last night."
"Oh my god, Kenny you did not just say that." She may be the bride and your best friend but really, she was pushing the line.
"Come on, it's not like it hasn't happened before."
At least four pairs of eyes turned towards you, Ryan's sister Gretchen being one of them. "Ok, admittedly, I slept with him, once." Both Kennedy and Kelsey gave you that look. "Ok, maybe it was twice, but he has a girlfriend now, and we are just friends."
"I'll give you that," Jade spoke up in your defense and suddenly she was going to earn the title of new best friend, not that the lines weren't blurred in your little group as you were all sort of best friends. "But what about Edward, the one with the turtle tattoo on his hip."
"You were so looking at more than his hip." Eva teased while Jade simply hid behind her champagne glass. "But yeah (Y/N), he was totally hitting on you."
"He was not."
"Oh, he was," Kennedy added her two cents. "And as the bride I take offense, they should've been hitting on me."
"Wait, why would they hit on you?" Jade sputtered. "You're taken bitch." Of course, bitch was said in the most loving way.
"I'm not dead."
"No, but I'm sure my brother wouldn't appreciate it." Leave it to Gretchen to be the mood killer. "I think I'm going to go take a nap. I'll meet you at the pool later."
She headed out the door, and honestly, you were ecstatic about it, for she was too judgmental for your liking. "Wait, Gretch, that's not what I meant."
"Leave her go, maybe a nap would do her good." They were Jade's words but your sentiments. "Now back to why (Y/N) did not take that beautiful man up on his offer last night."
"There was no offer," you insisted.
"Come on (Y/N), there was an offer. There's always an offer. Remember when you were doing promo for that Batman flick." You tried to shut Kennedy up with a death glare, but she continued to prattle on. "We all know you ended up doing the nasty with Superman."
"WHAT?!?!" Yeah, that definitely came out of the other nine people's mouths in the room.
"Thanks, Ken. No one knew that but you."
"Oops, my bad." She had the grace to at least be embarrassed about the whole thing.
"You mean you slept with that guy, the British one, tall, all muscular, extremely good looking. Damn it what's his name." You could see Eva wracking her brain for his name and you just didn't want to go there.
"Hen…"
"Yes, him," you admitted, stopping Jade before she could finish his name. "Can we please change the subject?"
"Why, when we are all living vicariously through you," Kelsey added. "Especially poor Kennedy, who is now committed to spending the rest of her life with one man."
"Geez, you make it sound like a death sentence. I love Ryan and I'm perfectly fine spending the rest of my days with him."
You had to suppress an eye roll. Not because you didn't think that Ryan and Kennedy weren't in love. If you were being honest, you just thought they were rushing things a bit. The problem was telling your best friend that; you tried in the past and never succeeded. "We know you're in love Kenny." And then because you couldn't stop yourself, you added. "It's just are you sure you want to be tied down so young? We still have our whole life to live."
"Jesus, (Y/N). We all know you're not ready for marriage and what comes with it, but we can't all be you with your fancy job in LA, meeting celebrities all the time. Some of us have real lives and want to settle down and have a family."
"Kenny, that's not what I meant." The last thing you wanted to do was argue with her at her bachelorette party. "I only want you to be happy."
"You have a funny way of showing it." The air in the room took on a chill and not from the air conditioning. If you didn't do something soon this party was going to go downhill.
"Oh, would you look at the time," Jade chimed in. "We should probably be heading down to the pool." Everyone grabbed their stuff, Kennedy giving you the cold shoulder as you made your way out of the hotel suite. Jade came up and wrapped an arm around you. "She'll be fine. She's just on edge after the whole Gretchen thing. We'll give her a few shots and you two will be good as new."
"I hope so." Unfortunately, things weren't fine. Kennedy seemed to avoid you and your attempt to make things right, even after a few shots. That didn't stop you from taking a few more. You had a strict one drink to one water rule, that you threw out the door today. Downing shots like it was your job. It was probably an hour later when you were in one of the private pools, with a few of the girls that a large group of very attractive men walked in. They were definitely different from Nate and the guys from Thunder, and at first, you thought it was some fraternity get together with how young some of them looked, but at second glance there were some gentlemen that were your age or older.
"They've gotta be baseball players," Eva whispered over after they took up residence in the three bungalows next to you.
"Nah, none of them have a dad bod." Jade was right, they were too fit to be in the MLB. You'd been around enough major leaguers to know while some were incredibly in shape, some were not. That didn't seem to be the case with this group.
"I'm gonna rule out NFL as well," you told the girls. "None of these guys look like they're an offensive guard. Those guys are huge." You noticed a few of them staring at the six of you that were in the smaller pool reserved only for the bungalows. Grabbing another shot, this had to be your fourth in just sixty minutes, you downed the drink really starting to feel its effects.
"Looks like we may just find out here," Jade said, nodding to let you know some of the guys were headed your way.
"Ladies, care if we join you?" One of the men asked, you had to admit he was extremely handsome but also gave off an air that he had more than a few notches in his bedpost.
A couple of the girls nodded, but when no one said anything, you found yourself saying, "Come on in."
"So, what brings you to Vegas?" This from a different guy, who had quite a number of tattoos covering his arms, and you had to admit that the ink just made him more attractive, that and his height. He was well over six feet tall and you didn't mind looking up to see his face as he took the seat next to you.
"Bachelorette party," Jade blurted out and you saw a few eyebrows raise.
"Tell me you're not the bride?" His breath was warm or maybe it was the sun, either way, you definitely felt a warmth in your belly that wasn't there moments ago.
"I am definitely not the bride." Shit that sounded desperate. "Though I am the maid of honor, at least I hope I still am." You looked inside the bungalow to see Kennedy in deep conversation with Gretchen.
"Hmm, sounds like there's a story there. Care to tell me? I'm Jacob by the way, though the guys call me Marky."
He held out his hand, the one that didn't have a beer in it, and you took it. "(Y/N), and I'll tell you though it's rather dull, on one condition." He quirked a brow at you. "You tell me what sport you play."
He chuckled. "What makes you think I play a sport? Maybe I'm an investment banker."
"Well, first there's your accent, though I suppose you could pull off investment banker with that. Second, you are all…how shall I say this…physically fit. A quality most athletes have and considering the number of you; I doubt this is some kind of investment banker convention."
"Ok, I'll give you that, though we could be bodybuilders or…" the lights on the billboard on the strip changed to a Thunder From Down Under ad and you saw a light bulb in his head go off. "Or male strippers." Shit, you almost spit your drink out on that one. "What, too much a stretch? Maybe it's your lucky day." He started to sway his hips in the pool, one of his friends joining him while you and Jade tried to contain your laughter.
"Nah, it's already been (Y/N)'s lucky day with them. She knows them all rather intimately."
"Jade!" you yelled at your friend, or ex-friend, though you weren't in a position to be losing anymore at the moment.
"Oops." She at least had the decency to look embarrassed. Alcohol made everyone do some crazy things and Jade was no exception to the rule.
"Intimately huh?" Jacob asked as you splashed water on Jade causing her to shriek and hide behind Jacob's friend who you learned was someone named Erik. "Have I lost the competition before it even starts?"
"There's no competition."
"So, you're single then?"
"Yes, though you still haven't answered my question." As soon as Jacob heard you say yes, he slid a little closer to you.
"What was that question again?" He said with laughter in his eyes and before you could get annoyed with him, though you doubted that would happen, he added. "I remember, just giving you a hard time. Anyhow, we play hockey."
"Oh, nice. Like professional level? Or are there minors in that sport?" You really weren't one hundred percent sure. You'd taken in a game here and there but not really paid any particular attention to it.
"We're in the NHL, playing for Vancouver. Just came out to do a little team bonding before the season starts. So, are we going to talk about this intimate encounter or why you think your maid of honor duties are getting revoked?"
"I think I need another drink to talk about either of them."
Jacob flagged down one of the personal waitresses for the area, requesting a couple of shots and drinks for you both, and you had to admit you liked the way he worked. "Now that that's taken care of…"
You blew out a frustrated breath, more with yourself than anything else. "I said something stupid right before we came down here." He kept silent, his eyes totally focused on you and what you were saying. A refreshing change from some of the men you spoke to. "I just think she's rushing into things. They've only known each other a year and we are too young to get married. She's only twenty-five, we have our whole lives ahead of us. You know?" He simply nodded his agreement before you continued. "I want to see the world, go places, and do things before I'm strapped down to one man forever. Not to mention being tied down with kids. How can Kenny not want that too?"
"I totally agree. I've gotten to see a lot with hockey but there's no way I want to be tied down just yet."
"Exactly, you totally get me." Your drinks arrived then and Jacob took one shot and handed it to you before taking the other.
"Well, I say we toast to being young and free with no commitments."
"I'll drink to that." He clinked his glass to yours and the two of you downed the drinks. It seemed like the DJ noticed the change in your mood, as the music got louder and the energy seemed to kick up a notch. You got up and started to dance in the pool; the other girls joining in. It wasn't long before you felt Jacob behind you. His hips grinding into your backside, as his large hands encircled your waist.
Drinks flowed freely the entire day, and if you were being honest, you couldn't remember a time you'd been that drunk before the sun had even set. You were laughing and dancing, and quite literally having the time of your life; your maid of honor duties completely forgotten at this point. Gretchen came up to you at some point and told you that she, Kennedy, and Kelsey were heading up and would catch up with the rest of you later. Everyone else was having too much fun with the Canucks to want to leave.
A few more drinks and an hour later, the party was winding down. Most of your friends had headed up to their room to pass out, only a few stayed behind. Jacob had somehow maneuvered you into one of the bungalows that was empty. You shared a few kisses here and there out in the pool area, but now that you were out of view of prying eyes things were getting a bit more heated. Jacob's hands were on your ass, as his tongue was down your throat; not that yours wasn't doing the same thing to him. He moaned into your mouth, the sound going straight to your core. Your bikini bottom was no longer wet from the water of the pool, but the press of Jacob's cock against it.
You both stumbled back, landing down on the large daybed in the bungalow, though somehow Jacob's reflexes softened your fall. His hands went straight to your breasts, kneading the flesh there. He was just about to untie the string of your bikini top when someone walked in. "Jesus, Marky! Take it upstairs would you!" You squinted trying to make out who it was but at this point not remembering anyone's name besides the man that was on top of you.
"Oh, shit…thought I was in my room." It was funny, you thought the same thing. "Sorry, Jay."
"His name is Jay? Like the letter?" you mumbled as Jacob helped you off the couch. "What comes after J?" Fuck you were drunk and when you were drunk you tended to ramble. You once actually talked to a damn parking meter because you thought it was a person, and you were pretty sure you could talk to one now if there was one around.
"Doesn't matter, babe," Jacob said kissing your lips. "Wanna head up to my room?"
You had to go up on your tiptoes to loop your arms around his neck. "Yes, I do." He planted a kiss on your lips then cupped your ass cheeks causing you to jump a bit.
"Let's go," he finally said breaking the kiss. You had enough sense to grab your things and tell your friends not to worry that you'd catch up with them tomorrow. They all winked and nodded or at least that's what it looked like in your head because that's when things started to get hazy. You had vague recollections of making your way through the casino, stopping here and there. Part of you thought that the two of you even stopped to play roulette only so you could have another drink.
You did remember tumbling through the door of Jacob's suite. His lips were on yours and neither of you were paying attention as he unlocked it. Thankfully his quick reflexes caught you; apparently, even when drunk, goalies couldn't lose some of those natural instincts.
His hands, you remember them being everywhere on your body, and how incredible they made you feel. His calloused touch lit a fire inside you, that had nothing to do with the alcohol. He rid you of your white swim cover-up easily, flinging the garment across the room, and then his lips were all over your body. It was easy to recall the way he made you feel, as he softly bit down on your nipple through the fabric of your bikini. You'd craved this all afternoon. It had been a couple months since you'd been with a man and Jacob was everything you'd been waiting for.
You ripped off his shirt. Your hands immediately going to his chest and roaming down his tattooed arms. He was all muscle, hard and lean everywhere, but when you slid your hand down inside his swim trunks to his cock; oh, it was hard all right, but lean was not a word you'd used to describe it. You were barely able to wrap your fingers around his girth, and as you stroked him, you realized God had not only blessed him with height but length as well. The man was made to star in a porno, you thought as you shoved his trunks down.
Somehow, during that time Jacob had managed to get your bikini top off, though you supposed with its simple string ties it wasn't a hard feat to manage. You dropped to your knees, licking your lips before taking your tongue and swirling it around the head of Jacob's cock. "Det kanns sa bra min vackra prinsessa (that feels so good my beautiful princess)." Jacob's mumblings had you pulling back and looking up at him. "Don't stop, baby." This time you knew what he said as you slowly sucked him into your mouth. There was no way that you could take him all in, so you pumped the rest of him with your fist. You hollowed out your cheeks as you sucked him inside, using every trick in the book you knew. Jacob muttered more in Swedish to you, things you had no clue as to what they meant, but judging by his reaction they were things he was enjoying very much. He threaded his hands through your hair, pulling it back so you could look up at him with big doe eyes. "Jesus," he swore, his hips bucking into your mouth at the sight of you with his cock in it, looking like that. After a few more thrusts, he pulled out shouting," Tillrackligt, enough. I think you're trying to kill me, princess."
There was something about the way he called you princess. It wasn't anything you'd been called before and most times you'd preferred babe or baby, but the way the word rolled off his tongue did things to your insides.
Jacob helped you off the ground, his lips ghosting over yours before picking you up and tossing you onto the bed. His large form handled you easily, arranging your body just the way he wanted to before slipping off your bikini bottoms. His large hands worked their way from your ankles to your calves, all the way up to your thighs; spreading your legs as he went. "So beautiful." He traced his fingers lightly over your pussy lips and you quivered in anticipation of what was to come. One long finger slid between your folds all the way up to your clit, once, then twice, and then once again. "So wet, prinsessa, and all because of me."
"Mmm, yes, Jacob." He dipped that same finger inside you then. The digit slipping in easily and so he added another. Then his mouth was there. Tongue flicking over your clit in a way that made you squirm with pleasure. "Oh yes," you moaned, caught up in the pleasure that was coursing through your veins. "Just like that." Your hips lifted up on their own accord, seeking more of what this giant of a man was doing to you. Jacob never let up, making a come-hither motion with his fingers and you found yourself unraveling around him; legs shaking, breath panting as your orgasm overtook you.
“So pretty when you cum, prinsessa.” He pulled his fingers from your pussy then brought them to your lips. You opened without any thought, licking your juices off of them. Before you could get them clean, Jacob’s mouth joined yours, kissing you while you sucked on his index and middle fingers. Your tongues mingled together, as Jacob positioned himself between your thighs. The head of his cock nudged between your folds and you sighed into his mouth at just that first touch. Slowly, he filled your pussy, until he bottomed out. Only then did he release your lips. “Fuck you feel so good.”
Jacob loved the feel of you clenching around him. It felt like he was in heaven. Part of him didn’t even want to move that’s how good your body felt, but then you shifted your hips up just a hair bit and he had to suck in a breath at the pleasure that went straight to his groin for fear he would spend inside you right then and there. He willed his body under control and only then started to move.
With every snap of Jacob’s hips, a wave of pleasure crashed over you. Your nails raked down his back, probably leaving marks, but it seemed to only spur him on. “Yes, Prinsessa,” he moaned out, as you bent your knees allowing him to go deeper. You moaned as he hit that treasured spot that had you seeing stars. “You like that?” Another moan was his answer, as he continued to fuck you.
That peculiar feeling started to wash over you. Your pussy fluttering around Jacob’s cock as the orgasm finally broke. Back arching, legs trembling, you were moaning out his name as the climax seemed to continue, as Jacob drove wildly into you. As you came down off your high, Jacob found his. With a few erratic thrusts, he was spending deep inside you with a loud groan. He slumped forward, his sweety forehead resting on yours. “Det dar var otroligt.” You looked at him curiously, your brain not working at all but also knowing he was speaking something in Swedish to you. He smiled, a glorious one that you found yourself getting lost in and you found yourself returning it. “I said that was amazing.”
“Yes, it was,” you breathed out. Jacob rolled you both onto your sides, tucking you into his. It wasn’t long before both of you were passing out.
Now here you were, finally putting most of the pieces together from last night. You looked back over at the sleeping man, who had given you such pleasure even in your inebriated state. He really was gorgeous. You honestly wouldn’t mind going for round two, after a couple of Tylenol, of course. Speaking of which you needed to get up and see if you had any in your bag. If only you could move him without waking him. You carefully took your right arm and went to move his left which was slung across you, but then something caught your eye. There on his ring finger was a ring. Oh, it wasn’t just any ring, it was a wedding ring! You knew he didn’t have it on when you were in the pool. You were not the type of woman to go hitting on a married man, let alone sleep with him.
You pulled your other arm out from underneath him, fully intending to grab your stuff and get the hell out of there when you noticed a bright and shiny diamond on your ring finger. There was also a matching wedding band. Then like a tsunami hitting the beach of a small island a memory came flooding back to you of the two of you entering the hotel chapel. This man wasn’t married to just anyone, he was married to you!
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#jacob markstrom#jacob markstrom smut#jacob markstrom imagine#jacob markstrom imagines#nhl fanfic#nhl imagine#nhl imagines#hockey smut#nhl smut#hockey imagine#hockey imagines#hockey fanfic#what happens in Vegas series
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Better late than never?? Supposed to post on the day itself but of course I couldn’t. This is my rushed contribution to the prompt: domestic mixed with black knight&princess.
ShinRan Week Day 6
Prompt: Domestic (+ Black Knight&Princess)
Words: ~2.5k
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“Not just once, but twice! Who was it that saved my life again? Oh, unnamed knight with the black cloak, if you will grant me my wish… Please take off that dark mask and show me your true face!”
“If that is what, uh, the princess wishes, I shall show you my sorrow- sorrowful? - face under this moonlight. Oh wow this is cheesy.”
Ran leans on the arm of the couch, bound script covering her resigned face. If she had a hundred yen for every single complaint coming out of this detective’s mouth, she’d have enough to buy two entrance passes to Tropical Land for each day of the week, plus snacks and drinks.
“I went here because I thought you’d be a more immersive practice partner than ‘tou-san. You are worse.”
“I’m sorry, princess, if my mom being an actress ruined your expectations of me.”
“Oh, for sure. And otou-san doesn't destroy the scene by dropping nonsensical comments. And lie on the couch while reading the script. So he’s better by a lot.”
Shinichi props his body up, eyes rolling sarcastically before throwing a look at the lady on the edge. “To be fair, you came barging into my house so early on a Sunday. This is justified.”
“Shinichi, eleven in the morning isn’t early.”
With a stubborn grumble, the detective flops back into the cushions, script on his lap sliding to the floor. “ ’M tired Ran, long case last night, let me sleep.”
“Please, you’re my last option! School festival is in less than two weeks, and I can’t possibly ask Araide-sensei to spare time on a weekend outside of our rehearsal schedule when he’s busy working—”
The lightning speed Shinichi jolts upright causes Ran to cut herself short. “Araide-sensei is the cloaked knight?”
“Yes, didn’t I tell you?”
“You didn’t.”
“Really? I-” she pauses, delayed in taking in the curt iciness of his response when he was so apathetic five seconds ago. On anyone else it’s clear what that tone implies, but she’s never heard it on him.
“Do you have a beef with Araide-sensei?” she asks.
“A beef?”
Ran arches an eyebrow, skeptic. Shinichi meets her gaze, eyes slightly thinning before glancing away, cheeks crimson.
“I mean— Why Araide-sensei? Shouldn’t he be busy, I dunno, being a doctor, than being a fictional knight or something.”
“All the guys in our class were too shy and declined, so Sonoko asked Araide-sensei when he happened to come in for a checkup. He agreed so easily! Would you believe he’d taken a lot of lead roles in plays when he was a student?”
“And that was fifteen something years ago.”
“He’s also good at things like emphasizing lines and handling a woman!”
“Anyone can- What?!”
“Stop being a sourpuss Shinichi, especially when you’re the first to decline.”
He looks at her quizzically. “I did?”
“You don’t even remember?” Amidst the faint pink on her cheeks, disappointment etched on the way Ran’s lips curve to a small pout. “You were the first Sonoko asked... You were so quick to turn her down, she said.”
Astounded by the revelations docking in his brain all at once, Shinichi struggles to recall the conversations he had exchanged with Sonoko the past weeks. None stands out. If she had included Ran’s name in there, he would remember instantly. But Sonoko didn’t. Suddenly, the floodgates in his mind open.
If he finds out later on about the plot and the cast, he’ll definitely find a reason or two to sulk, if not object. Whether Ran is partnered with someone else or Araide-sensei doesn’t matter, for as long as it isn’t him. Him who she’s positive would outright reject her offer to act as a prince because why would he? In any case, god knows Sonoko omitted Ran’s name on purpose for this.
The sly woman has stirred something up, and she will proudly take the front row seat on his reaction she was so sure he’d make.
Not saying Sonoko’s predictions are right. This is just how she thinks. And he won’t react the way she expects he will. She is not right.
Not. Right.
Sonoko, yaro...
“Stand up, let’s do this.”
“Huh?”
“You want immersive? I’ll give you immersive.”
Left with little time to process as Shinichi pulls her by the hand, Ran drops her script on the floor. The sudden shift in character is unbelievable. How can someone so sleep-deprived turn into someone this enthused in a span of a breath?
“But first, let me…” He leaves the room, and Ran picks up her script, still quite lost. Whatever she said earlier must have triggered something, and she’s torn if she’ll ask once he returns but considers the possibility that he may break character. Not gonna risk that. He said he’ll give her an immersive practice, and it’s oddly unexpected, but she’ll take it. This is good. After all, she needs him as the knight.
Wants him as the knight.
“Sheesh, Ran, stop…” Shying away from her own maidenly thoughts, Ran flips to the designated page, scene, and line, rehearsing as she waits.
Some minutes later, Shinichi reappears, holding his script and something else. Of all things she would expect him to own, a blue fancy Columbina mask adorned with elegant silver and royal patterns wasn’t one of them.
“Mom has these things, okay,” he explains, putting it on. Ran isn’t sure if she wants to laugh or tease, but she does neither when she gets a glimpse of him with half of his face covered, and she catches her breath at the sight.
Standing against silk red curtains and brilliant glow of afternoon sunlight, he really does seem like a mysterious knight…
“Don’t laugh, idiot. After doing this for you. Wear this,” he says, and Ran zeroes in on the line of his lips because she has nowhere else to look at as he places a small barrette tiara on her hair. Doesn’t matter what he says, what they wear, even if they fail to match the daintiness of the mask and tiara. Shinichi with this on makes Shinichi as the knight much more vivid now. And Ran as the princess...
“Sorry!” She claps a hand on her warming cheek, pulls back a dumb smile she doesn’t notice she is wearing. “And I— I wasn’t laughing!”
“Still smiling creepily though.”
“I wasn’t being creepy! Geez. Anyway! Page-”
“Page 27, Scene 8, Line 10. Got it.”
After some short blocking instructions, they drop their scripts on the couch, and begin.
“Oh, unnamed knight with the black cloak, if you will grant me my wish… Please take off that dark mask and show me your true face!”
“If that is what the princess wishes, I shall show you my sorrowful face under this moonlight.”
Two steps forward and he removes the mask, and time slows down. She’s seen the same face a million times yet this time, her heart leaps like she’s laid eyes upon the most handsome face in the universe.
“Might—Might you be Spade?” She carries on, taking everything she can to maintain composure. “Long ago, you were banned from this land by my father… but now you’ve become the prince of Trump Kingdom...”
It’s nerve wracking, the way he’s strikingly still, eyes laden on her, either waiting for her next lines or admiring how beautiful she is with the tiara, she isn’t quite sure. The mask is gone, but he isn’t breaking character. Meanwhile, she’s trying her darned best to stay as Princess Heart of Bridge Kingdom.
“If you have… not forgotten about our childhood promise, then please…”
A nervous lump forms in her throat as she wraps her arms around his shoulders, and his hands find her waist, and she nearly gasps but holds it in because right now, she’s Princess Heart, not Mouri Ran asking this of Kudou Shinichi. “Please, show me on these lips.”
“As my princess so desires...”
It should be ‘the’, not ‘my.’ And there’s supposed to be another line after that, but nothing stops him as he leans in ahead of time and her eyelids flutter to the erratic beat of her heart. It’s better to be partnered with Araide-sensei in this after all. He will not mess up his lines, and she will not lose her mind the way she’s losing it now.
Two parted lips are a pucker away when the doorbell chimes, making both jolt.
Ran is first to snap out of character, as if she hasn’t had the urge to earlier.
“That—That must be Sonoko. I forgot to tell you... I invited her in.”
“Oh, great,” Shinichi says.
Forcing her limbs into working order, Ran disentangles slowly, drawing a distance. Shinichi glances at the mask in his hand, then at her, before tossing it to the couch and turning for the door. From the window, she watches him walk to the front gate, scratching the back of his head in an annoyed manner like she just woke him from sleep, but grumpier. She hasn’t seen him display much emotion on a Sunday noon the way she’s seeing him now.
Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered him, she sighs, her turn to slump onto the couch this time.
-
“As I was saying, the prod already scouted the finest material for the costumes, and I decided, pink suits Princess Heart— Hello? Are you listening?”
Ran nearly drops the knife she holds if not for her inhuman reflexes. “Of course! Princess Heart in pink! Yes.” Like nothing happened, she resumes slathering jam and butter on the toast she’s preparing for the three of them. She doesn’t need to look at her side to know Sonoko’s eyeing her from head to toe.
“What happened to her?” The woman turns to Shinichi who sits at the high stool by the kitchen island.
“Dunno,” he says, sounding as noncommittal as he probably appears. Her back is turned against him, but she can see his face, and god why is she blushing?
“I just helped her rehearse. For the play,” he adds.
“Oh?” Sonoko’s brow perks up her forehead, hair whipping as she turns between her and the boy across them. “Did you?”
“Yup. Page 27.”
The dramatic gasp that tears from their friend’s throat is exactly the kind of gasp they expected; even so, Ran still flinches as Shinichi’s stool rakes the floor. “You kissed and I didn’t see?!”
“Hah?!”
“No!”
The two yelp in unison.
“That’s sly! You have to do it again! I’ll judge.”
“Excuse you! It didn’t happen, what you’re thinking!”
“Sonokooo!”
“Oh, shush, Ran, this is good practice. Good practice.”
“But—”
“Relax, rehearsal is rehearsal! In the actual play, once it’s Araide-sensei, he’ll do a better job—”
“I’m going to the toilet,” Shinichi gets off the stool, jaw stiff, out of the kitchen.
“—with a hug than a kiss. Right?” Sonoko ends, once Shinichi is out of the room.
“What?” Ran’s expression is inscrutable as she faces Sonoko completely, the flush across her face befitting embarrassment or ire. “You’re losing me here!”
“Oh, you’re not going to kiss, Ran. The lights will dim before your lips touch.”
“Then why—” she puts down the bread and walks in haste to the island to flip through the script, “Wh— That’s not in here!”
“Sonoko-sama hereby deems the script revised now that we have Araide-sensei.”
“Eh...?!” Ran cannot explain the play of her reactions. On one hand, a cloud is cleared from her mind, having to worry no more about doing something she has no experience with in front of watchful eyes. On the other, bunch of half-formed thoughts whirl through her mind that goes, Shinichi and I almost kissed for nothing, for nothing we almost k-kissed, an almost kiss with Shinichi, almost—
“That won’t do! I mean— That’s so not you! T-To choose a hug over a...”
“Duh, Ran! Even if it’s just a play, I won’t enable a kiss scene between a student and a staff member. We can fake the kiss. That, or switch to hug. Or better yet, change the male lead.”
“Change the male lead? In two weeks? Who will agree?!”
“Easy.” Just in time, Shinichi returns, hands in pocket and long face worn all the way to the stool. “I know someone who will.”
-
‘Once it’s Araide-sensei, he’ll do a better job…’ What? Kissing Ran? Shinichi wants to puke. Sonoko needs to think things through. If this is part of her plan, it’s unacceptable, it sucks.
There’s no way, no way anyone can do a better job kissing Ran than…
“Aaaargh, what are you thinking!” He ruffles his hair in dismay, curses here and there. He only wanted to help Ran yet he almost went for it. Not as Spade but as himself. The audacity. It’s part of the script, sure, but—
If it is part of the script, then have Ran and Araide-sensei rehearsed it before?
“That’s it,” Shinichi huffs, storming out of the bathroom. If this is the kind of reaction Sonoko wants from him, she’s in for a show. Not just a show but a lifetime of curses and mental stabs. For her to go this far is unbelievable. Did Ran even agree to that? Will such a scene really happen in the play? No matter how despicable Sonoko’s methods are, he has faith she respects Ran’s preference as the female lead. No offense against Araide-sensei, but he cannot take Ran’s first kiss, whether as Spade or not.
That is not to say he knows Ran’s preference, especially when it comes to a first kiss, but… it’s not... Araide-sensei... is it?!
He cannot ascertain, not when Ran did nothing when they were about to kiss…
Okay, halt there, self. I said immersive. That’s immersive. She was acting.
All was but an act. She’s a great actress. I suck. No need to make this a big deal.
Shinichi is a pitiful mess once he’s back in the kitchen.
“My offer still stands, you know.” Sonoko sits beside him, munching a toast, while Ran is busy returning the jam in the cupboard, back against them.
“Your offer?”
Shinichi glances at Ran, then at Sonoko, with that feral grin on her lips and Shinichi does a bad job looking pissed, and it’s maddening because he is pissed, just not obvious with the blush forming across his cheek.
Reprimanding Sonoko is what he intends to do. For doing him dirty, him and Ran dirty, for dragging a staff to be the male lead, for imploring Ran to give her first kiss she’s probably saving in a different setting. All invalid reasons, when he cared less about the play before. He’s a full-time idiot, and Sonoko knows it clearly that’s why she’s offering the role again. He doesn’t want to fall into her trap, the same way he doesn’t want anyone else to be Spade when Princess Heart is Ran.
But Ran looks over her shoulder and they accidentally lock eyes, and pink blooms across her cheeks before she turns around, and suddenly the words that leave his mouth completely betray the thought process he underwent in the bathroom.
“If Ran agrees, yeah,” he says.
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#shinranweek2021#day 6#late entry#shinran#kudou shinichi#mouri ran#fanfic#oh my god this is all over the place AHAHA#i dont want to leave this in my draft forever tho so here ya go!!
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v3′s art is comically terrible for a professionally distributed game in a series: a compilation
in this not-essay I will list all of the mistakes and problems I have spotted in v3′s art. don’t worry, it’s entirely for fun and I’m doing this on a whim, so please feel free to not take this seriously but also it’s hilarious and embarrassing how ridiculous this is like what happened did they speedrun the whole production or what
see, there are some things you can take as meta like “they made it bad on purpose to allude to the downfall of tv shows that have been on air for much too long” but I have a very strong feeling this is not the case due to the nature of some of these errors
disclaimer, the more I study this art, the more I fear that the artists were underpaid and underslept, so if this is in fact the case, I am so sorry to all of them but also I’m going to make fun of the art anyway
anyway let’s get started!
if you study this image for longer than 5 seconds, you will see that kaede is the only one fully shaded and keebo is literally just his normal sprite pasted into the image. every other character is just an ordinary ref, hence most of them facing the exact same direction with neutral expressions on their faces. it looks like a bad edit, and is probably one of the worst pieces of art in the game. it kind of gets better from here on, but my roasting will not.
with that out of the way, here’s the problem that officially bothers me the most and clarifies my viewpoint of “this is not meta and an actual lack of company communication”
this freaking cg, which seems normal at a glance, but some wiseass was like “oh, kaede is a girl, so obviously she’s going to be shorter than the Male Protagonist™” ah, that’s funny. because if you look at the character bios, kaede is, in fact, one inch taller than shuichi and not like 6 inches shorter as she is shown here.
also shuichi’s shoulder is disproportionate and horrendous and he looks vaguely like a jojo character, but I wasn’t even thinking about that until right now.
thanks guys, 50% of the fandom who has never bothered to check these bios thinks that kaede is like 5′3 (did the developers really put so little thought into her to the point where drawing her correctly in the game didn’t even matter??)
also I would like to point out that, even though this isn’t related to the art itself, yes, a character kaede’s size being only 117 lbs is unfeasible, but this applies to literally every character in danganronpa ever and it’s not new news that it’s unrealistic
update: someone in the tags informed me that in versions of the game that use centimeters, like the japanese version, kaede is actually shorter than shuichi, which just adds another thing to the list of weird decisions the localization team made for no reason. that said, after confirming this, kaede is 167 cm in the original, while shuichi is 171 cm, which are approximately 5′6 and 5′7 respectively, but one inch is still nowhere near as drastic as it is depicted above. (in spite of this, I would rather depict kaede as slightly taller, so I’m probably going to keep doing that.)
the journey continues!
bro if you want kaede to have shoulder length hair then stick to it to begin with
you can pretend this is at an angle all you want but they definitely committed the shorter kaede sin a second time
wait a goddamn second.
DO YOU SEE THIS
no………… it wasn’t kaede who shrank. it was shuichi who got taller
speaking of which, can we talk about how shady the perspective is in this elevator pic? look at shuichi and kokichi in comparison to kaede. kokichi, who is canonically 7 inches (edit: or 5, if you’re loyal to the original) shorter than kaede, looks taller than kaede. he’s growing too. what steroids are these gays taking
running into the room, electric boogaloo: I don’t think tsumugi is supposed to be the same height as kokichi
gonta… gonta you’re lookin a bit like a jojo character there
I love how kaito’s head looks kind of like it was pasted onto his body. why is he the same size as shuichi? shouldn’t he be high school bully size or something? his torso is teensy
ah yes, white angie.
I love this cg but why is shuichi’s right hand so much bigger than his left hand
I also love how this cg looks like they literally took pictures of trees and pasted them into the background, especially on the left. the shadows are so weird, especially closer to the ceiling, it’s difficult for me to believe they didn’t do exactly that.
return of Enlarged shuichi
puberty update: kokichi is now taller than shuichi in spite of shuichi never missing leg day. what crimes will he commit
I have to mention it, guys. this has to be one of the worst danganronpa cgs. kokichi’s facial proportions look atrocious. look at the way his face sticks out like his jaw is in the wrong place. his scarf is a pasted texture. that’s it. this moment was so iconic but the cg just looks so… so… off. like something is terribly wrong, but you can’t put your finger on it.
you know what? let’s get into that ‘pasted texture’ thing.
let’s imagine you’re an artist working on a professional game. you’re assigned to draw cgs of kokichi ouma, who has a checkered scarf from hell. sure, it will be terrible to draw, but you only have to draw it once at a time! plus, perspective is pretty important, right? can you be bothered? nah, actually. let’s just copy paste a checkered pattern into the cg, because I’m sure nobody will notice. it’ll blend right in with the other cgs that someone actually put effort into drawing his scarf in, right?
no. the answer is no and I very much noticed. this genuinely looks terrible and I would understand taking a shortcut like that in fanart or even an indie game but this is a full price pc and console distributed game
(an addition: look at kokichi’s TINY HANDS in that last one)
meanwhile, they straight up forgot to color in kokichi’s scarf in this cg.
dude. I forgot about whatever the hell this cg was. anyway look at keebo please just look at him
lovin kaito’s baby arms
real talk, maybe you could argue that he’s missing muscle because he’s deathly sick, but most of his cgs don’t line up with this, and his arms just look disproportionate to his torso size (granted this is a consistent problem across all danganronpa games and a lot of characters have this weird problem, like hajime, but also kaito is bigger than hajime so I kind of have higher expectations of him) maybe it’s his stupid goatee and the way he reminds me of yasuhiro?? it creates this illusion that he’s older than he is and so I keep expecting him to look more like an adult
oh, also rantaro is missing some of his accessories in that video he made–you know the one–but I don’t wanna go back and screenshot it
also you may have noticed that I’m skipping all of the monokub cgs because I literally do not care about them and I’m not even bothering to check and see if they have artistic mistakes in them
JIMMY NEUTRON???
hey um uh kaito you seem to be missing your neck
hey guys do you like my pregame fanart
so, that done, the sprites are also pretty terrible at times. they’re not as interesting to go through, however, and downloading the full sprite sets for every character and studying every single one of them will drive me insane, so I’ll just sum some of the ones I noticed up. I made things for kaede and shuichi before deciding I wasn’t going to get into it, so here are these.
that said, other mistakes include kokichi missing his purple highlights in all of the sprites encompassing a specific pose, stray pixels all over the place on everyone, and everyone also has heavily inconsistent shading, but literally all I think about is how pregame shuichi is unshaded and two of kaede’s pregame sprites have glaring outfit change mistakes in them
anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my ridiculous ramble. in all seriousness, there’s this looming presence of some lack of communication in the development team, like with all the art and design inconsistencies, pieces and sprites that look rushed, stray pixels, and missing basic proportional stuff. these are the kinds of things that you supposedly have to pretty much have in the bag in order to get jobs in professional businesses, so it’s really weird to me that this game suffers from so many of these problems. it’s like they tried to make the art so much more crisp than the other games, but it fell on its face as they realized it was going to take longer to draw everything and they started to rush. it’s weird, because the coloring itself looks normal–it’s just sloppily drawn, and the proportions are a mess once put into the context of perspective. many of the cgs look like they were drawn by different people, and I’m still not over the fact that half of kokichi’s cgs have his scarf pasted in as a texture.
the moral of the story is that if you’re selling a game at full price that also happens to be in a series that has had 3 very good games in it already the stakes should probably be higher than this. v3 has been out for more than 3 years and it’s still $40 (did it cost more than that before? I sure hope not), and the overarching quality of the game is just not as high as the other games. I’m not saying that the other games don’t have any problems with their art at all, they’re just not as glaringly obvious and every artistic choice in those games feels intentional.
regardless, I had a blast roasting the art at 2am, so maybe you got a kick out of all this chaos.
#god I keep telling myself I'm gonna stop rambling about v3#v3 spoilers#drv3 spoilers#ndrv3#random stuff#but making this… it sounded so fun#danganronpa
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