#though of course he could be older than that

[ellecdc]

Hey Elle! I was wondering if I could request any of the marauders in the hockey au interacting with a young hockey fan? It could just be little sweet encounter after a hockey game that makes the reader love them even more, y’know? Please pass over this if you’re not comfortable writing this for whatever reason, thank you and I love your work!

hi babes! thanks so much for this really cute prompt; it felt sort of perfect for who I imagine hockey!remus to be in my mind <3

hockey player!Remus Lupin x team medic!reader who sees a young fan [733 words]

CW: quick mention of 'baby fever'

Most hockey players were notoriously bad at press. 

They gave dry responses, they kept their cards close to their chest, they appeared aloof and indifferent, sometimes even impassive. And they hardly ever smiled.

Of course, there were always exceptions to the rules. 

Isak Grönvall, in his thick Swedish accent and what the rest of the team called Swedeisms, always managed to talk circles around fans and the press without ever really touching on the question at all. 

Sirius Black, notorious flirt and tiktok heart throb, could convince any reporter that he’d given them a very good interview with nothing more than a quick wink.

And James Potter had a smile on his face almost always; whether he was throwing punches on the ice, blocking slapshots from the net by means of his body, or waving at fans, that man was always smiling. 

But generally, hockey players were notoriously closed off.

And Remus was no different. 

He never made eye contact with reporters. His responses were quick, dry, and if he could get away with giving a one word response, he would do so. He spoke in generalities only, and was often halfway down the hall before the reporters would actually release him. And when he was on the ice, he was usually all business.

Which is why you were stunned when you stepped up onto the bench during the pregame warm up ahead of that night’s match to find Remus bending at the waist to interact with a young fan and his father through the thick glass. 

The kid had to be no older than four or five, sitting on his fathers lap and was wearing a Lupin 10 jersey, which saw Remus rearing his head back theatrically as if he simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing, grabbing at his shoulder as if he was trying to read the name on the back of his own jersey causing him to skate in circles like a dog chasing his tail. You couldn’t hear the kid from where you were, but you were certain he was squealing in delight. Remus mouthed something dramatically to the dad who nodded at him before Remus was carefully trying to toss his stick over the boards and banging on the glass to ensure that the people who caught it gave it to the kid.

“Nadeau.” You interrupted as he went to skate by, holding out a few pucks and a gold sharpie. “Bring this to Loops, please?” 

Nadeau simply smiled over at the sight before accepting the items from you. “I was starting to think he only ever smiled at you, doc.” 

You ignored the fire roaring beneath the skin on your cheeks as Nadeau skated away, waving at the young fan and showing him the puck before handing it to Remus to sign and throw over the glass. 

Remus posed for a selfie through the glass, flashing a smile that nearly rivalled James’, before waving goodbye and skating over towards the bench. 

“How’s that for baby fever, eh?” Sirius commented casually from where he was stretching on the ice, causing both you and Remus to nearly choke (you on air, he on the swig of gatorade he was in the middle of drinking).

“What?” Sirius asked innocently as he stood, which left you feeling like he was decidedly not innocent in the slightest. “It was a cute kid.”

The two of you found yourselves very busy with watching Sirius skate away instead of making eye contact with one another.

“That was a pretty wide smile you had on your face there, Lupin.” You teased quietly then, eyes still focused on the warm up though you could feel Remus smirk up at you from where he was leaning on his elbows against the boards.

“What? Were you jealous, doc?” He murmured quietly, earning him a derisive scoff in response. 

“Nadeau did suggest you’ve only ever smiled like that for me before.” You countered instead throttling him (or taking him right here on the ice in front of the crowd). 

Remus hummed in acknowledgement as he kept his gaze glued on you, though you stubbornly refused to return it. 

“I was thinking of you…” He admitted quietly. “Perhaps that smile was for you after all.” 

And you watched as he skated towards the centre of the ice to line up for the shot warmup without sparing you a second glance.

[rafesangelita]

what do you think would be in each !reader's bags?! <3

₊˚⊹♡ bambi!reader:

the queen of trinkets!! she carries a little sylvanian families’ figurine that reminds her of rafe, two little vials that contain the flowers rafe first picked for her, vanilla lipbalm, her favorite book, a jar full of buttons she swears up and down will come in handy one day (she’s always using them to replace the buttons on rafe’s shirts), change she’s found on the ground, necklace pendant that she lost the chain to, strawberry coin pouch that she ironically doesn’t put to use, earbuds, a little note rafe gave her from when they first started dating, hairbrush, brown floral hair pins, and perfume

₊˚⊹♡ pogue!sweetheart!reader:

lover of all things pink, she carries a pink compact mirror and pressed powder, a small notebook so she could write down orders for anyone who might ask, mini pink hair brush, strawberry shortcake flavored lip gloss (rafe’s personal fave), cardholder that rafe gifted her, cable lock to her camper (rafe is getting the actual lock on her door replaced soon), chocolate macaroon coin pouch she bought from the thrift, pink hairclips, sparkly nail polish, individually wrapped cookies that she gives out (despite rafe eating most of them), silver locket with a picture of her and rafe together <3, a rosary even though she’s not religious she keeps it bc the church she donated baked goods to gave it to her, a dollar folded in the shape of a heart that rafe made for her, vanilla perfume, and her favorite blush

₊˚⊹♡ kook!sweetheart!reader:

our chanel girly <3 she carries a digital camera that rafe can never escape from (he loves it), rhode lip treatment is a must have, small notebook so she could journal wherever she is (and repeatedly write rafe’s name in cursive with a heart at the end), black chanel headband that rafe randomly surprised her with, small makeup bag with all of her essentials, cuticle oil and hand cream so her mani’s always look fresh, polaroid of rafe bc she loves him soooo much, reading glasses, dior keychain (rafe got ‘sweetheart’ engraved on the back), bobby pins because she NEVER has a hair out of place, diy queen has a little altoids box wallet, mascara of course, and a hair bow!

₊˚⊹♡ farmer’s!daughter!reader:

this firecracker carries a pack of marlboro reds (they belong to rafe), her and rafe’s love letters when they had to hide their relationship from her daddy, heart shaped sunglasses of course, a vintage camera that she has no idea how the thing still works, her signature red lipstick, her red apple mascara that she swears by, peppermints because she’s an old soul at heart, a little mixtape that both her and rafe made together so they have something to listen to when they go on their evening drives, red nail polish, bottle caps from her and rafe’s first date, a multi-purpose pocket knife (she can never be too prepared), a wallet that’s older than her, cherry cola lipgloss, a pocket watch her dad gave to her, red gingham hair bow, her fav lana del rey cd (rafe also knows the lyrics word for word), and a box of matches.

₊˚⊹♡ latina!kook!reader:

our sweet angelita carries body glitter (which always ends up rubbing off on rafe), tropical scented perfume, floral hair clips, ALWAYS keeps a pair of sandals to change into when her heels become insufferable, a gifted dior wallet from rafe <3, a seashell that rafe picked up for her, fruity lipgloss, shimmery tanning oil and sunscreen (for rafe mainly lol), traditional fan, pink dior sunglasses, dior highlighter palette, various jewelry, SOMETIMES she’ll pack fruit for her and rafe to snack on when they on an impromptu beach date..

₊˚⊹♡ bitchy!kook!reader:

kildare’s very own regina george carries a powder puff, her signature eyeshadow palette, victoria’s secret card (rafe keeps it loaded at all times), vivienne westwood lighter (for when her and rafe have their little smoke sessions), poison dior perfume that rafe goes absolutely crazy for, dior lip oil, her lucky vintage chanel charm bracelet, touchland hand sanitizer, hair clips, black compact mirror, and a mini makeup bag.

₊˚⊹♡ bitchy!pogue!reader:

this mcbling queen carries her childhood ipod with all of the early 2000’s hits downloaded on it, some earbuds, a flip phone that she uses as her ‘work cell’ (rafe helped her bedazzle it), a hello kitty mirror so she could make sure her makeup is always looking fresh, hello kitty credit card (courtesy of rafe, of course), a stack of her own cash, fluffy tiara she keeps forgetting to take out of her purse, rhinestones she uses as body stickers, pink digital camera (rafe takes all of her insta pics with it), sunglasses she found at the thrift, a vape (she’s just a girl), sparkly lipgloss, and her favorite lashes.

₊˚⊹♡ sheep!reader:

the gentlest thing on kildare island carries a crochet case that she made by herself (she crochets on the golf cart while rafe and topper play on the course), a precious moments figurine, a small tub of cookies for the kids, lemon scented hand cream, patches that she still needs to sew on a pair of jeans, an envelope with rafe’s recent love letter (he writes them everyday and sends them through the mail to be ‘extra’ romantic), a calico critter that was gifted to you from one of the kids at the daycare center you volunteered at once, your fav pink teddy bear, homemade hair bow, a sun hat, and a strip of pictures rafe took at the mall.

[local-lamppost]

Initial thoughts cause it's 4am

Spoilers

First off, wow... it's really good. I've been saying that if season 2 is as good as season 1 Arcane would be my new favorite show and we are on track. Anyway, just gonna list stuff until I can process/rewatch a billion times

Mel lived! I was so certain that they would just kill her off, make that Ambessa's motive (give Jayce a reason to keep fighting the Undercity) but it's much more interesting keeping her involved in the narrative. Love her trying to bother understand and undermine her mother. Those Black Rose guys best not have hurt a hair on her perfect head.

Speaking of. What in the Utena are these Black Rose magic people? I love the look of their magic. I wonder how they can corrupt people. Is it a spell? Do they slip them something?

Love how the divide of Jayce and Viktor was done. Jayce betrayed Viktor's wishes of destroying the Hexcore. Last season, Viktor wanted to forget about using the core to save himself after Sky and begged Jayce to destroy it when the core wouldn't allow Viktor himself to do it. In Jayce's mind though, the core is the solution to Viktor's problems. He didn't know it killed Sky or that it can influence Viktor, but all Viktor can comprehend is that Jayce didn't trust him. Didn't keep his promise. And this is fresh off of Jayce's season 1 antics against the Undercity, so Viktor's faith in his partner was already shaken. Viktor's also comfortable in his mortality/death, even though he wants to prolong it like every other human, but Jayce can't fathom loosing Viktor-the man who saved his life and made his dreams reality.

(Side note: Am I a JayVik shipper? I never considered myself one, but after writing this...)

JINX HAS A KID! I love this choice. Give Jinx a kid so she is able to learn what Silco and Vi had to go through with her, that no matter how big or dangerous a scheme to take this child into account. The confrontation in ep 3 really showed what Jinx will have to consider now that this kid's decided to adopt her as an older sister or something. Especially nice detail of how Vi-who has always had to consider the kids in her life-immediately stops fighting and starts looking for ways to keep the kid safe.

I was wondering how Jinx would loose a finger and Caitlyn shooting it off to save Vi is just- The fact that the only way these two can show they care about Vi when it comes to each other is by hurting the other.

Sevika's new arm is fantastic. It's a peace offering from Jinx, but also a way for Jinx to feel better (it was something she could fix). The mechanics of it are really fun. It reminds me of Kite's weapon from HxH with how it didn't always work/give her what she wanted in the fight. I especially love the victory rockets and built in theme song.

Ambessa is so interesting. Between her character song to the introduction of just what she is fighting against, I am very intrigued. She reminds me of Cersei Lannister, except she loves her kids as more than just extensions of herself (as of what we've seen, but I think that'll stick). Her using Salo to establish herself-which also keeps Mel safe by distancing her-but also dropping him in order to prop up Cait at her first opportunity is such a clever move. She truly is the fox and the wolf, but she is above all a mama bear.

Not much to say about Heimerdinger or Ekko yet, but I am definitely curious to see what they do about the wild runes with Jayce. The three of them have a fun dynamic, what with Heimerdinger still being peeved about magic/being ousted, Ekko hating topside and having a new reason to do so with them poisoning his tree, and Jayce being recently seperated and divorced from both his partners.

Vi is an enforcer. I didn't know how they were gonna handle this, but they did it so well. Of course she wants to fix things for the people her sister hurt. She feels responsible. She can say she doesn't blame herself, but how true is that? Why else would she be wearing a badge if not for her guilt? She is desperate to do something right and being an enforcer seemed to be a way to make Cait happy, get her gauntlets (what she believes is necessary to make any kind of change), and be first in line in the hunt for Jinx. She says that her sister is dead, that Jinx is a desecration to Powder's memory, that they are not sisters but isn't it supposed to be 'nothing is going to change that'? How much of all this is just something Vi is telling herself to keep going? Cait is her motive right now, but after ep 3 I definitely see why she starts spiraling.

(2 Side note: Her new best friend/drinking buddy is such a real one. They have a bender in the gutter together and now he's following her into and out of the enforcers. I wonder if he knew Vander? In any case, he is a delight.)

Cait and Vi kissed... CAIT AND VI KISSED! Then NOTHING HAPPENED AFTER! NOTHING! No immediate break up, nope.

So Cait. I love Cait and I am hyped for her arc this season. I am ready to fight tooth and nail for her. I am a Caitlyn defender. So what she's being manipulated into leading a military state due to her grief/unresolved anger/guilt/Ambessa being better at this than her, she looks amazing in her cape. It balances.

Seriously though, the writing for Cait especially is so solid. She is desperate to hold herself and her family together, to protect her city. She still wants to protect the innocent, to heal the Undercity, but her anger at a select few of those she wants to help is clouding the greater image for her. Vi seems to be acting as her better half, the side that cares for the innocent-the protector. Ambessa is the agressor, encouraging Cait to take drastic military action against the Undercity as a whole. Vi's disillusionment with Cait is due to the fact that Cait desire to heal, not harm, is what caused her to fall for Cait to begin with. To see more than some privileged topside enforcer, but a woman who genuinely cared and was willing to abandon her peaceful naivety to learn for the greater good of strangers.

I'll also point out that they separate when Cait starts blaming Vi for them loosing Jinx. Before, everyone but Cait put responsibility on Vi, she was supposed to be the one to help lighten the load and absolve some of the guilt. Now Cait is becoming another one of those who slam the blame on Vi. She changed. Why does everyone around VI change?

Can't wait for the next batch of episodes.

[whomstsnek]

Another addition to my Krew early childhood headcanons, featuring Gricko Grimgrin himself!! Ecstatic to introduce you all to Gertrude Grimgrin and, of course, the infamous Uncle Glorbo :)

As per my usual disclaimer, I'm still only half way through canon and I'm sure there's a lot of canon backstory stuff that I'm missing. Also, I don't know ANYTHING about goblins, in Avantris or in DND in general, so uh. Please keep that in mind <3

I envision that Gricko grew up in a pretty secluded goblin camp nestled deep in the swamp. I think that it was a pretty closed society, but the people definitely had a "it takes a village" mentality; goblins, especially in this particular village, are quite good and banding together and helping each other in times of need.

Gricko was raised almost exclusively by his mother for the beginning of his life after his father walked out on them when Gricko was still young. It really took a toll on his mother, and even though she loved him a lot, it took her some time to separate her son from his father. Changing their names back to her maiden name, Grimgrin, definitely helped.

Glorbo entered the picture when Gricko was around 5-6, deciding to come home from traveling abroad after catching wind of Gertrude's situation. He's actually Gricko Sr.'s older brother, rather than Gertrude's, but he felt compelled to step up to help his nephew and sister-in-law where his brother wouldn't.

Gertrude, personality-wise, was always a "tough love" kind of woman, partially due to her own upbringing and partially due to the heartbreak she'd suffered. She had pretty strong opinions about how she wanted to raise her son, hoping that she would be able to give him a great life regardless of their struggles. She's constantly stressed and worried, wondering how to provide for her family and how the future will shape out for them.

Glorbo, on the other hand, is a carefree spirit. He's a lot like the Gricko we know in canon, eccentric and excitable. He's a sort of foil to Gertrude, valuing freedom and self expression, not worrying about the future under the belief that the future would sort itself out. He focused on the present, making sure the people around him were happy in the 'now'. He encouraged Gricko (and Gertrude) to let loose and explore the world around them instead of worrying so much about what's to come.

Naturally, Gertrude and Glorbo butted heads frequently, especially as Gricko got older and took on more and more of Glorbo's traits; in fact, the only thing they could ever really agree on was wanting the best for Gricko, no matter what exactly that entailed.

[neithoftheveil]

Ko-Fi donation ficlet #8:

Mu Qing is finally showing.

Together in bed, Feng Xin strokes the bare, taut curve of his lower belly while Mu Qing reads a trashy novel; it’s a secret pastime of his, which Feng Xin discovered when their rivalry turned to friendship and their friendship to something more. Mu Qing has a whole stash of these novels hidden away in his palace. Collects them from every realm. Sordid love stories. Adventure tales. Concubine dramas. Even tall tales of Feng Xin’s exploits, ridiculous and smutty. Those stories have only recently started centering Mu Qing, his husband of three decades.

We have ninety-seven children in this one, Mu Qing told him last week with an amused smirk, then touched his stomach. If there are ninety-seven children in here, we’re never having sex again.

At the memory, Feng Xin chuckles.

“Hm?” Mu Qing hums.

“Nothing.” He kisses Mu Qing’s belly—so many emotions coursing through him: the excitement of the last few weeks, joy now that there’s actual visible proof his child is in here, but also… He lays his head on Mu Qing’s stomach. “Do any of your books say if I’m gonna be a good father?”

“My books think your dick stretches to your ankle. I wouldn’t trust anything they say.”

“Do you think I’ll be a good father?”

Feng Xin imagines it: not being a parent, but this nameless, faceless child of his—a child with a heart and fingers and some mix of both their features—imagines him or her being torn from Mu Qing’s body, murdered, Feng Xin oblivious, useless. It’s his track record.

“We wouldn’t be having a child if I didn’t think you’d be a good parent.”

“But—”

That novel swats him in the head. “You don’t get to have cold feet. You don’t get to change your mind on me—”

“I’m not! I’m not! I swear I’m not,” Feng Xin says, and pushes the book out of the way. There’s color high on Mu Qing’s cheekbones. “Just… Aren’t you worried at all? That you might be bad at this? Or that something could happen?”

“That’s not what I spend my time thinking about.”

“Oh? Then what do you spend your time thinking about?”

Mu Qing’s gaze drifts away, and his blush deepens. “…W-Walking into the room to you cradling our daughter. You humming off-key. When she’s older: her on your shoulders, all the time, everywhere, spoiled. You two at the drill ground with two wooden swords. You trying to convince her a bow is better than a saber.”

“She’d be proficient in both.”

“Better at the saber, though.” Mu Qing’s gaze slides back. His dark eyes are scared but resolute. “This wasn’t an accident. I chose her. I chose you.”

Feng Xin stares at him, then kisses the gentle curve of his belly—their child. “I chose the both of you, too.” He kisses Mu Qing’s belly again and again. “You’re right. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Make it up to me.”

“How?”

“Let me choose her milk name.” Before Feng Xin can speak, Mu Qing says, “Nan Feng.”

“You’re going to choose the most pretentious name in all Three Realms,” Feng Xin grouses.

“I will not—”

“If you choose her milk name, then I’m naming her.”

“The hell you are!”

[sheerfreesia007]

Take Another Lap

Pairing: Jeongin x Reader

Word count: 1,744

Content warnings: Fluff, cursing, suggestive

Summary: While home on break from college your next door neighbor and childhood friend Jeongin keeps waking you up with his motorbike practice. What happens when you’ve finally had enough of his loud roaring bike and confront him about practicing so early?

The loud rumbling of a motorbike violently pulls you from your sleep and you groan loudly as you squeeze your eyes shut trying to keep the last wisps of slumber around you. But there’s another loud roar of the motorbike and you’re now fully awake. Rolling onto your back you stare up at your childhood bedroom’s ceiling and sigh long and loud in a dramatic fashion. 

You’ve been home from college for the past three days and every morning you’re rudely woken by the loud roar of Jeongin’s motorbike as he races it around the dirt track in his backyard. Ever since you were little you had lived next to the Yang family and while you were closer in age to Jeongin’s older brother you weren’t that much older than Jeongin that the two of you weren’t friends. In fact you were close to all three of the Yang boys, each one having a special place in your heart. But right now you were about ready to commit murder on the middle Yang boy.

Another loud roar of the motorbike filled the air and you rolled until your face was buried in your pillow allowing you to scream loudly into it. All you had wanted to do when you arrived home from college was to sleep. College had been kicking your ass with all the coursework and extracurriculars that you had joined in hopes of boosting your college degree and resume once you graduated. Your life had turned into late nights staying up to study or prep for events that you would help host. You had hoped that by coming home during the break that you would be able to catch up on some sleep.

But unfortunately Jeongin was hell bent on not allowing you to do that. You could hear him racing around the dirt track in the back and by the sound of his engine you could pinpoint exactly where he was on the track. You had spent so many years as a preteen and teen watching and helping Jeongin with his racing in the hopes that he’d be able to achieve his dream of going pro. And when you had gotten the call from him while you were in the middle of your first year college telling you that he had been signed on with a popular race team you had been ecstatic and so proud of him. All of his hard work and practice had paid off.

And while you had been so proud and happy for him there was a little bit of bittersweet mixed in. Because after all those years of helping Jeongin with his racing you had grown fond of the young man he had grown up to be. You hated to admit it but you had developed a crush on the young man while you weren’t paying attention and even though you had been attending college for two years now every time you came back home and saw him those feelings would smack you right in the face once more. You had even begun to suspect that those feelings had started to grow into something so much more than you were willing to explore or entertain right now.

Just as you heard the engine rev up on the straight away of the track you growled before gritting your teeth when you heard him obnoxiously rev the engine more than he actually needed to for the stretch of track. Flinging your covers off your body you felt anger course through you and grip at your very soul, you had had enough! He was going to stop with this madness and let you sleep in for once if you had to go out there and rip him off his damn bike yourself!

With that thought in mind you marched out of your bedroom and down the stairs to your back door. You stood in the doorway before flinging the door open and with a dark scowl on your face you rushed across your backyard to the fence and cleanly vaulted over it as your anger propelled you faster towards him. He was racing around the further side of the track and you stomped your way over the track until you came to the middle of it where he would catch sight of you easily. 

His helmeted head turned and locked on you as he rode the set of humps easily before he revved the engine and came barreling towards you while leaning over the bike intently. You stood there in the middle of the track having full trust in him to be able to stop himself before colliding with you. Your arms came up to cross over your chest as you glowered at him angrily and your hip popped out in defiance.

Just as he was about to make contact with you he effortlessly circled around you a few times dragging dirt up in an almost cyclone around the two of you while he stared at you from under his tinted helmet. You knew he was solely staring at you as you continued to circle you before coming to a stop right at your side. He turned the engine off and slowly lifted his helmet off his head before shaking his shaggy hair out of his eyes and face. When his hair fell around his face in a mess he grinned widely at you causing his eyes to nearly close in slits on his face.

”Morning Sleeping Beauty! Was wondering when you were going to wake up.” He greeted you happily and you glared at him before you shoved him with both of your hands in his chest. He didn’t move an inch and it felt as if your hands were pressed to hard contoured stone which caused you to stutter in your movement as your eyes fell to his racer suit as if you would be able to see through it to his now strong muscled chest. “Sleeping Beauty?” He asked with a teasingly lilt to his voice and you scowled at his chest before your angry eyes darted up to his mischievous ones.

”Ya know if you let me sleep in for once I’d actually be Sleeping Beauty!” You snapped at him angrily and he grinned wickedly down at you before he leaned towards you as his eyes raced up and down your body appreciatively.

”You look like a beauty to me.” He flirted ruthlessly and you scowled darkly at him before huffing tiredly at him and flung your hands up into the air.

”Just once! I’d like to catch up on some sleep! Just once, Innie!” You snapped at him using his childhood nickname. He looked at you curiously for a moment before tilting his head to the side. “C’mon Innie, I’m home for break just let me sleep in.” You pleaded with him softly as you grabbed onto his handlebars and leaned into his face causing him to lean back before his eyes darted down to your mouth before darting back up to your eyes.

”I need to practice.” He blurted out lamely and you rolled your eyes at his excuse.

”Early in the morning?!” You asked incredulously as you leaned closer into his space trying to make your point that you needed to sleep.

”It’s already nine.” He countered and you growled angrily causing his eyes to widen comically.

”Fine! I’ll give you whatever you want or owe you a favor without any questions, just hold off your practice until at least ten thirty. Please?” You tried to bargain with him and he twisted his lips into a slightly pout as he thought over your offer.

”Go out on a date with me tonight. And I’ll hold off practicing until eleven.” He countered and you blinked up at him surprised at his offer.

”You wanna go on a date with me?” You asked shocked and he grinned wickedly at you as he leaned over his handlebars into your space as his eyes danced around your shocked face.

”Been trying to get you out on a date with me for years, Sleeping Beauty.” He confessed quietly and you stared at him with widening eyes as all the memories of him flirting with you outrageously ran through your head. 

“I thought you were just joking and being a tease.” You said. softly and he shook his head quickly at your words.

”Been in love with you since high school Beauty.” He confessed and you sucked in a harsh breath. Your eyes darted up to his and you watched as understanding filtered into his pretty brown eyes before he smirked knowingly. “You too huh?” He asked teasingly and you scoffed softly at him before you began to pull back away from him. But Jeongin didn’t let you get far as his hand came up quickly to cup the back of your head as his mouth descended on yours hungrily. You yelped softly against his mouth as your hands tightened on his handlebars and your lips pressed against his eagerly. When he pulled back from your mouth he pressed his forehead to yours and grinned wildly at you as his eyes connected with yours. “I’ve been dying to do that for way too long.” He husked out to you as he swiped his tongue along his bottom lip as he stared into your eyes lustfully. 

“Let me take you out for brunch to make up for waking you up.” He suggested and you nodded your head quickly in agreement and he smirked softly at you before pressing another kiss to your lips. “Go get dressed, Beauty. As much I love pajamas I don’t want anyone else seeing you in them besides me.” He husked out and you flushed hotly as you realized that you hadn’t gotten dressed before storming out of your house to confront him. You were dressed in a skintight tank top and a pair of skimpy pj shorts.

Jeongin let you go and he sat back on his bike watching you with hungry eyes as you quickly rushed off his track back to your house as a wicked smirk slipped over his lips. You looked back over your shoulders to him and nearly felt your blush consume you as you saw his dark heated eyes following you eagerly. Ducking back into your house you smiled softly to yourself suddenly happy that he had woken you up earlier than you had wanted to be awake.

SKZ Taglist: @intartaruginha, @kayleefriedchicken, @babigriin, @simpforleeknaur, @inlovewithstraykids

[thelunarfairy]

TYSM FOR ANSWERING MY LAST QUESTION EEEEEEEE

Sorry to be back so soon- but I had another question I was curious about. Again, if this one happens to be stupid you don't have to answer it heh.

But anyways, my question revolves around Hanako's names and how he's referred to. Like, I guess it's hard to consolidate into one specific question, but I've always wondered why Hanako lets Tsukasa call him Amane, and why Tsukasa calls him that. Well, then again, Tsukasa does whatever the hell he wants, but Hanako doesnt correct him either.

Similarly, Tsuchigomori only calls him Number 7, despite knowing his real name. Doesn't even call him Hanako. And that struck me as odd because since he cares so much about him, why keep it so professional? Is he just trying to distance himself? Or did Hanako get angry in the past and pull rank or something, telling Tsuchigomori to refer to him that way?

Nene is a whole nother story. She knows Hanako's name is Amane. You'd think she'd bring it up or call him that, right? Even once? And on top of that, in the fictional world, Hanako used his real name. Like he KNEW Yashiro already knew it too. He had to have known, because otherwise I don't think he'd use his real name if Yashiro didn't know it. Especially since he doesn't want to share his past with her. And to avoid confusing her further in the pp world, bc he wanted her to know it was him- well, alive version of him. Since the whole point he stayed was to see what it was like to be alive with her.

I wonder, if anyone else tried to call him Amane, how would he react? (Outside the pp world of course) Would he get flustered if Nene did it? Would it piss him off or make him uncomfortable? And what would happen if Tsuchigomori referred to him as Yugi again? Ugh so many questions I don't have answers to.

I'm probably reading way too much into this. I know it's likely that Tsukasa refers to him as Hanako because he knew him as Amane, and Tsuchigomori refers to him as Number Seven to be respectful. And Nene calls him Hanako-kun still because, well, "Toilet Bound Hanako-kun". But idk, thought it could be interesting to think about!!

Thanks again for answering my other question btw!! I loved your take on it

hahahahaha yeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!!! happy to see you happy!!!!! XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.

Don't worry, don't worry 😉

So, in JSHK we have a meaning for names, not just the literal meaning of the thing, but the sentimental meaning.

If you notice, Hanako is the only one who calls Nene "Yashiro", and she said so herself.

In addition to including the fact that she likes the way he calls her. There is a sentimental meaning here, only he calls her that.

In Hanako's case, Tsukasa never called him that way because Amane is his brother and he always calls him that, maybe because he doesn't see the point in calling him by any other name than his real one or because he doesn't agree with hiding the truth.

Tsukasa has always been very truthful about everything, including about their past. And Tsukasa was willing to tell Nene the whole truth about Amane, so it simply doesn't make sense for him to call his older brother Hanako.

Tsuchigomori apparently made a deal with Amane that he wouldn't talk about absolutely anything about his past to anyone, including his real name.

Tsuchi used to call him Yugi, as a sign of respect, he followed Hanako's wishes, not calling him by his false name, but by the title he now has, leader of the seven.

Hanako wasn't surprised to see that Nene knew his name because Tsukasa called Hanako "Amane" in front of her, so he probably deduced that Nene knew his name because Tsukasa mentioned it several times.

So, he did know that she knew his real name.

He wanted to show Nene his "true" side in the PP arc, even though Nene called him Amane-kun a few times, it's like she doesn't associate that name with the boy she knows.

She wants Hanako, that fun and "happy" Hanako that she lived with for so long, Amane is like a version of him that died, that refers to sadness, that refers to something that she doesn't recognize as the person she likes.

Nene associated the name with the past, she discovered his name when she saw that he was suffering in the past. She was the one who was curious about him, and the first thing she discovered was his name and the short story of how he gave up on his own life.

So, the name Amane has this weight for her.

No matter what reality she is in, or what version of Amane she meets, she will call him Hanako.

I still imagine that this will change at some point, her calling him Amane would be like a symbolic way of saying that she has accepted him completely, that Hanako is Amane, that they are the same person and that she has to understand that there is not only the "happy Hanako" but also the "sad and lonely Amane".

They are both the same person, but ever since she found out about Amane's existence she seems to want to run away from it, so I imagine that's why she always calls him Hanako.

About how he would react if someone else called him that, he would probably try to understand how they found out, but only if it was someone important. He doesn't seem to care much about that.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 Thank you!!!!! I'm glad you liked it!!!

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Helo there! What do you think about Harry's and Neville's friendship? And the aspect of both of them possibily being the chosen one?

I like Neville and his dynamic with Harry, even if I don't think they're that close.

Like, Harry is more of a mentor for Neville with the DA rather than a friend who's a peer.

in fact, he barely spoke during D.A. meetings anymore, but worked relentlessly on every new jinx and countercurse Harry taught them, his plump face screwed up in concentration, apparently indifferent to injuries or accidents, working harder than anyone else in the room. He was improving so fast it was quite unnerving and when Harry taught them the Shield Charm, a means of deflecting minor jinxes so that they rebounded upon the attacker, only Hermione mastered the charm faster than Neville.

(OotP)

And I think Neville keeps looking up to him as a symbol and a leader less than as a person.

Nevertheless, his battered visage shone with happiness as he let go of Hermione and said again, “I knew you’d come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!”

(DH)

Neville kinda idolizes Harry in a way.

That's why I don't think they are particularly close, but they do care about each other. Harry feels a bit sorry for Neville and a little protective over him:

A hatred such as he had never known before was coursing through Harry like poison. He could see Black laughing at him through the darkness, as though somebody had pasted the picture from the album over his eyes. He watched, as though somebody was playing him a piece of film, Sirius Black blasting Peter Pettigrew (who resembled Neville Longbottom) into a thousand pieces.

(PoA)

“Doesn’t matter. They don’t want to spill too much pure blood, so they’ll torture us a bit if we’re mouthy but they won’t actually kill us.” Harry did not know what was worse, the things that Neville was saying or the matter-of-fact tone in which he said them.

(DH)

And he does trust Neville a lot. Both Harry and Neville have full faith in each other which I really like:

Dumbledore had died knowing that three people still knew about the Horcruxes; now Neville will take Harry’s place. There would still be three in the secret. “Just in case they’re—busy—and you get the chance—” “Kill the snake?” “Kill the snake,” Harry repeated. “All right, Harry, You’re okay, are you?” “I’m fine. Thanks, Neville.” But Neville seized his wrist as Harry made to move on. “We’re all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?” “Yeah, I—” The suffocating feeling extinguished the end of the sentence; he could not go on. Neville did not seem to find it strange. He patted Harry on the shoulder, released him, and walked away to look for more bodies.

(DH)

They have a sort of quiet understanding and while their friendship isn't super close, they do care about each other and like each other. They could've probably been good friends if they were given the chance to interact more. (That's another reason why I love DADA professor Harry with Herbology professor Neville to give them that chance)

Their dynamic, if they were to get closer, kinda reminds me of an older brother & a younger brother due to how much Neville looks up to Harry and how Harry is protective over Neville.

As for both of them being the Chosen One, well, they aren't both the Chosen One. Only Harry was Chosen at the end of the day. But, I think that by the end, Neville is a truer Gryffindor than Harry.

In book 7 Harry failed to retrieve the Sword of Gryffindor:

When Ron offered the sword, however, Harry shook his head. “No, you should do it.” “Me?” said Ron, looking shocked. “Why?” “Because you got the sword out of the pool. I think it’s supposed to be you.” He was not being kind or generous. As certainly as he had known that the doe was benign, he knew that Ron had to be the one to wield the sword. Dumbledore had at least taught Harry something about certain kinds of magic, of the incalculable power of certain acts

(DH)

The sword that only appears to a Gryffindor in need:

What was it, Harry asked himself (walking again), that Dumbledore had told him the last time he had retrieved the sword? Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat. And what were the qualities that defined a Gryffindor? A small voice inside Harry’s head answered him: Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart.

(DH)

rejected Harry, but embraced Neville:

In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle—

(DH)

Add to that Harry's use of Unforgivables in book 7, and I feel like Harry was supposed to embrace his Slytherin characteristics in this book as a theme of the narrative, you know? Like the rejection from the sword and Harry needing to be more cunning than ever should've been this sort of closure. Of Harry's understanding, not all Slytherins are evil and he himself is a bit of a Slytherin and embracing it. It would've worked so well with Snape's story and the themes of the book, truly a missed opportunity to not make this idea of Harry finally saying "yes Slytherin" instead of "not Slytherin", and embracing the fact he is a bit of a Slytherin while Neville, who was terrified to be in Gryffindor, who asked the hat to place him someplace else, embraced being a Gryffindor fully. They have kind of small parallel barley-there arcs in a way that I found interesting in my current reread of Deathly Hallows. Like, I feel there was an intention there, as Harry does feel he is less of a Gryffindor throughout this book, even though he still is, I'm talking about his feelings on the matter.

I think this idea is there, just not as explored as I would've liked it. It is just interesting that the Sword of Gryffindor chose Neville as the true Gryffindor but rejected Harry who is the Chosen One because he was chosen by the Heir of Slytherin. Idk, I feel like there is something there.

[bonesofapoet]

(Prompt/Request) Anything with Lucanis really.

healing touch author's note: gods youre so real for this. rook seeks out lucanis, yet isn't sure how to tell him why prompt: in tuto esse: in a safe place word count: 1496

Night had fallen slow and steady like molasses, with warm honey golds giving way to deep indigo dusk and, eventually, melting into the embrace of a velvety midnight nightfall. Silence has nestled in like an old lover, an even older friend. Firelight shone luminous, shadows blanketing the negative space between flames in an age old dance of graceful balance, this domesticated sort of starlight.

It was hard not to notice it, this balance, when that seemed to be what brought you here, lingering just outside the threshold of Lucanis’s room.

The door wasn’t closed, but instead it nestled close to the threshold, kissing itself shut but not enough to latch. A curled fist hovered in the midair, poised to knock a soft melody over the wood worn with the never ending passage of time. Hesitation kept you rooted in your place, stillness settling into your bones. It held you back from knocking, from feeling the sting of wood on bare skin, from calling through the door to ask for entry.

And yet – you chose this specific moment on purpose – this liminal space shaking itself awake once everyone else had gone to sleep. Except for you, of course. And Lucanis, because you remember him saying once how he never sleeps anyway. This wasn’t the first time you had passed these quiet hours together, after all.

And still, you stood silent, unmoving, breath held in the face of anticipation – cowardice, if we’re being honest – because, well. This time feels different.

A sharp inhale catches on your teeth when your name is called from inside the room. It’s soothing, his voice. Gentle. Coaxing. There’s question in it, that one thing in this whole entire mess that belongs to you, and you alone. Names are special things. Precious. And gods, you love how yours sounds falling through his lips.

It’s routine by this point, your mind scarcely aware of how so much tension melts back into the shadows, muscles freed from this bondage they did not want, never want. How breath flows easier, flows deeper to mimic the thrum of your heartbeat slowing at the muscle memory, the familiar feeling of comfort that stirs itself awake simply by being in the presence of Lucanis Dellamorte.

“Are you going to stand there all night, or do you want to come in?”

His voice carries through the door once more, louder in his offering and closer than it had been a moment ago. A shuffle follows, giving away his next steps forward as they echo enough to slip through the cracks. This was, of course, for you, this noise – you knew from experience how the Crow could remain unknown for as long as he chose.

The question haunts your mind, yet your limbs seem to melt from the paralysis that wove its way into your heart upon your arrival. It melted completely, hopelessly, miraculously at the sound of his voice, the lilt of Antiva dispelling any enchantment of the mind. The comfort of it twines with your bones, lungs, heart, blood – though it happens a little quicker than usual, when you he calls to you a third time.

This is something you’ll allow for yourself, you think, if only for a night. Feet carry you the last step forward with a curled palm falling open to bring the wood creaking onward under your touch. You enter, steps soft but sure. He’s already on his feet, remnants of his evening gathered in one hand instead of two. It’s something small that registers, by the way he meets you halfway into the room when he sees your face upon turning the corner.

While you see a beautiful man setting down his distractions, silhouette glowing ethereal in flickering candlelight, Lucanis sees the weight of the world still clinging to your shadow like the ghost of a memory unwanted, a dream dying and tainted and fraying at the edges. He reads anxiety in the tilt of your shoulders, and worry as it pulls down your mouth, imprisoning the magnetic smile that makes him forget his own name. He sees the weight of it all, and how, at least tonight, you want nothing more than to carry it together rather than bear all of this alone.

Lucanis Dellamorte may not be able to give you everything you want, but he’ll always be able to give you this.

“Talk to me,” he says. The tone he chooses is the one that always inspires you to tell him anything and everything, everything and nothing at all. You see through his trick, but this is exactly why you’re here, after all. And you do, eventually, talk to him – when you remember your voice is a living thing inside you, something to be used. In the seconds that follow, the moments you spend watching him after he speaks, however – everything is lost. It’s a shock, almost, to hear such kindness, see the webs of something new glimmer like morning dew in those gorgeous amber eyes. They always did seem to make you forget how to breathe.

While you gather yourself, you miss the veiled urgency slipping into his movements, the way he’s quick to discard the remaining blade in hand to reach for you-

Except he stops mid-step, mid-reach, hoping that he hasn’t misread you, even though he knows he hasn’t.

“I -” you pause. Breathe. Dart eyes to a far corner of the room. A ragged sigh tears through the cage of your throat. “I don’t think I want to be alone tonight, and I – well. You said you’re shit at sleeping. So.”

The smile flashed in his direction makes his chest ache, brows falling together at the way its dimmed considerably, in the hours since he last had been graced at dinner. High voltage dwindled down to a barely glowing ember. He can’t help but reach for you once more, distance closing breath by breath, beat by beat of his heart no longer steady because -

Suddenly, you’re reaching for one another at the same time, each a moth fluttering closer, closer, closer to a flame that would ignite, burn, resurrect, or maybe even all of the above. This is something new.

It’s a welcome thing though, the way his hand curls around your arm solid and steady, while the other gently guides your chin to look at him, candle flames dancing among the concern settling heavily in the corners of his eyes, the downward tilt of his mouth. When you look at him after a moment of settling in to the feel of his touch – grounding, as it always is – a wisp of a smile plays softly upon his lips, a soft rumble rolls through his chest a moment later. The warmth of fingers feathered, still, along your jaw flutter to trail down your other arm.

It’s impossible, not to stare. But you have to do something, because getting lost in the touch, in the nearness of Lucanis was not in the stars this night. They were not aligned for such a thing. Not yet.

It’s impossible still, not to smile, as infectious as they are – those flashes of contentment he seems to feel around you.

“No,” he denies. Corrects. “I believe I said I didn’t sleep. Not that I was shit at it.”

“Oh, mhm,” you hum a laugh of your own, weak as it is. It shines through shadows curling around your shoulders, dissipating them little by little. “So you did. My apologies, Master Crow.”

Lucanis allows you this jest, if only because of the turn the night has taken, but that does not stop the roll of his eyes or the groan that is so quick to answer your halfhearted laughter. He knows you well enough, now, to play along until you’re loose enough to lay down the burdens of your heart – though perhaps tonight it may be done with a little help.

“Come now,” he drawls, low and smooth and dripping a honeyed sweetness. The fingers cascading down your arm slow to a stop upon reaching your wrist, and curl gently around it with a squeeze. “You and I both know that’s a lie, and it’s never wise to lie to a Crow.”

This time, the laugh spilling through your lips comes easier, echoing through the room with a reticent warmth, coaxed forth by this very pointed truth. Framing this sound is a smile, wider and real and radiant, as diminutive as it is. It lingers, even still, the knot in your stomach loosening if only a little, and a glimmer grows in your eyes with appreciation. Lucanis reads this – as you know he will – and, in turn, his own eyes soften just enough for you to convey message received.

“Come,” he says again, guiding you back towards the door. A steady hand falls to caress the small of your back, the smile painting your lips growing a little wider as it does. “Let’s get you something warm to drink.”

[loganwritesprobably]

My bad

Tags/Warnings: Peter/GN!Reader, getting together, fluff, redeemed!Peter, set post Peter's resurrection, not spell checked/beta read

Now that he was back and sane again, it was easy to forget that Peter had ever been the insane Alpha killing people throughout Beacon Hills. Of course, you'd thought he was hot before but then you'd at least felt guilty about it, now that he was back and seemingly whole and done with murder sprees you were struggling to feel that same guilt.

Scott, of course, did not believe that Peter was done with his killing. Most pack members didn't, and truly you didn't blame him. It didn't matter how much you encouraged Scott to use his enhanced hearing to listen to Peter's heartbeat or use his enhanced smell to check Peter's scent - he was resolute. Peter is evil and always will be.

When you asked Stiles to use his dad's computer to check Peter's details, to find his registered age and his birth certificate, he hesitated for a moment on his judgement. Peter was barely older than Derek - just seven years. That made him twenty eight years old. Sure he was absolutely a grown adult but nowhere near as old as they were expecting him to be - and a solid six of those years were spent in a coma. You could smell Stiles' guilt mixing with confusion and frustration, and you assured him that guilt had no role to play as long as everyone was more gentle in future.

At first, Peter was suspicious of you, and you couldn't blame him. You'd approached Derek when he returned because you'd gone to school together and wanted to reconnect after so much time apart - you'd become a werewolf in that time and revealed that reflecting on your time as acquaintances as classmates led you to guess what had truly happened to the Hales. You assured him you'd been looking after the territory as best as you could, but you alone were no match for a rogue Alpha. Your pack was your human parents. You'd helped ultimately kill him, and now you were acting as if he'd been a friend just as much as anyone else.

Though, with werewolf senses and above average intelligence, it took very little time for Peter to realise what exactly promoted you to act so kindly - your attraction to him. He spent time sitting on the information and watched you, and the way you navigated the world, the way you interacted with pack members and how you spoke about him when you weren't aware he was listening. You were his most staunch defender, not defending his actions but the reasoning behind them, and advocating for him having a second chance. He appeared to have changed, and they didn't want him feral again - that last point had been what had gotten him closer to pack members.

Derek was struggling with his new pack mates, and Peter's help was invaluable. As you left the loft one day, you leaned into Derek's ear and softly whispered "you're welcome," and had never followed up on it after that.

Peter had watched the interaction happen, and that was what had told him that he needed to pursue you. He couldn't stand how it felt to see you so close to someone that wasn't him - someone you had history with and was your own age, no less.

You reached the parking garage beneath the loft, and before you could so much as fish your keys from your pocket to unlock your car, you were pushed against a wall. For a moment you were unsure what was happening, until you processed the feeling of a warm, hard body against your own. Bulking muscles pressed against you, electric blue eyes boring into yours, and claws tentatively pressed against your hips to hold you in place without destroying your clothes.

"Peter?" You asked in a whisper, a shiver travelling down your spine as heat gathered in your stomach.

"Mine." He growled in response, and despite his complete lack of niceties or courting or even asking a question, you nodded. You nodded enthusiastically. Then, his lips were on yours, kissing you enthusiastically. His tongue pushed into your mouth to claim it, hands roaming your body to feel you and leave his scent behind. You doubted Scott would notice, but you happily gave into Peter's instincts, your own whining with submission.

You doubted the others would be happy, but that was their business really, not yours.

Tag list: @claryeverlarkf @uselessboots @cainnoable @fanaticsnail @frillsinadress @categoryace

If you'd like to tip me and get exclusive ficlets, Kofi

[ateez-himari]

MASTERS OF; PERFORMANCE

The senior idols finally walk to the stage after being on the sidelines for 7 episodes

November 9, 2024 (11:14PM)

MNet's 'Road to Kingdom : Ace of Ace' has finally come to an end with the announcement of Cravity being the winning team, while The New Six and Tempest unfortunately did not make it to the final round despite undoubtedly impressing the audience at every turn. The round prior to this decisive one had the masters of ceremony mentoring the remaining groups and it was time for them to show why they had been given such an important role in the first place - opening the finale with a live performance of the song 'Criminal' from the first album produced by Himari.

Inkigayo in Tokyo had already set high standards for this stage as it will go down in the industry's history and the artists unsurprisingly reached those heights with ease, though this time using a slightly more sensual concept rather than playing on emotions. The new choreography created in large part by the idols had kept some of the original moves but was adjusted to challenge their very impressive bodily control, combining mesmerizing fluidity and sharpness akin to a knife - which their juniors could not stop praising in interviews.

The closing stage saw the masters of ceremony performing once more, though individually this time with the older idol choosing to sing 'Advice' while his protégée surprised viewers by using a slightly shortened version of the track 'Outlaw' from ATEEZ's album 'The World Ep.2 : Outlaw'. The choreography was of course modified by the dance crew BB TRIPPIN in order to accommodate a singular person but remained just as impressive, though what inarguably shocked fans the most was that the vocalist managed to clear both rappers' verses with ease, following them up with angelic high notes.

Netizens expressed feeling uncertainty when hearing the first notes due to the group's power coming from how they move together yet reportedly sat slack jawed in front of their screens when the maknae managed to emulate the energy of nine members alone. Slight tone changes were used to mimic each member while keeping the artist's originality throughout her stage and counting heavily on the 'Demon' persona designated by fans, leaving a lingering feeling of admiration in the participating idols - many of who expressed now understanding that reaching this level was near impossible.

Although the young woman is not old enough to be regarded as an industry senior on the same level as her mentor, it seems that her impressive ever growing achievements are rapidly building a seat alongside some of the most regarded figures in K-Pop. Taemin on the other hand has been highly praised ever since SHINee's early days and showed newer generation fans unaware of his group why one of the many nicknames he was given over the years is "Idol of Idols".

During lives held following the episode airing some participants explained that despite being strict in what they taught, the senior artists cared for the members deeply and offered comforting encouragement to every group prior to them taking the stage. With this being such an impressive debut as master of ceremony for the producer it was not only the fanbase that wishes there to be more opportunities but the participating groups as well as they have spoken several times on her kindness and support throughout the show.

Remember to vote for ATEEZ for the Fans' Choice 2nd Vote and Visa Fans' Choice of The Year as well as support their upcoming comeback 'Golden Hour : Part.2' which is releasing on November 15 at 2PM KST.

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[yacinthemorning]

Bamboozled by the Bird

Chapter 1

[next]

Summary: Tango is the muscle for the Tuff Guys, a gang that deals primarily in money lending. How he got here he can't remember anymore, and his only moments of respite from his awful job is hanging out with Scarland's accident-prone mascot. His life gets infinitely more complicated though, after he's assigned to put the pressure on a new client who seems to know way too much about him. The situation quickly escalates from there in ways Tango could have never imagined.

Ships: Jimmy/Tango (romantic(?)), Bdubs & Etho & Skizz & Tango (frienemies), Jimmy & Lizzie (familial)

Warnings: Mild harm to animals, Attempted animal killing, Organized crime, Violence, Extortion, Threats, Hidden identity

[AO3 Link]

The trash can slammed into the wall, contents scattering across the floor. The punk crawled onto his knees, coughing and clenching at his stomach. No time to catch his breath. He shrieked as claw-like nails dug into his scalp, yanking him up by the hair until Tango could see his face reflected in the man's sunglasses. Tango tilted his head, then plucked the glasses off his nose. Tears filled the dumb kid's eyes, a bruise swelling one half shut. He hissed in sympathy. "That ain't gonna look good tomorrow."

The comment sparked some last glimmer of fight in him, his face twisting into a beaten snarl, "Fuck you-!"

Tango's knee connected with his groin, the punk devolving into a wheeze as he curled in on himself. "Watch your language, there's kids around here." The blond chastised. On cue there was a chorus of delighted screams echoed through the alley. Behind the tall fence down the way the Scarland's infamous Bamboozle Coaster rushed past on its old fashioned wooden tracks.

His target did not seem to care. He sobbed, unable to speak any further. Tango finally dropped him, slipping the sunglasses over the bridge of his own nose. "We're increasing your interest by forty percent."

"For- You gotta be kidding me!" The kid's voice broke as he cried. "How am I supposed to pay that? You old fogies-"

"Hey, this old fogey went easy on you since you’re just a little boy." Tango drawled, playing with his new glasses. He'd had to make some adjustments, but the colour was just his style. "You got one week, and it ain't gonna be me dealing with you if you don't have the money by then. Now get outta here!"

Despite his backtalk the kid didn't need to be told twice to bolt. The alley was left empty, only the mess left behind.

Tango sighed. The audacity of some young folks always shocked him. At least their older customers knew it was their own fault for turning to the Tuff for money. They didn't accept their fate any more gracefully but at least they didn't usually run their mouth.

Ever since Skizz retired, though, it was Tango's problem to deal with the brats he'd accumulated that treated their business like a silly little piggy bank they could borrow from willy-nilly. It was a financial mess and now it fell on Tango to have to clean up. He passed a shop whose front was more mirror than window, forced to get a good look at himself and the several inches most the crowd behind him had on him. There were wrinkles in his bright shirt, something he never quite got out of them. Not exactly the most intimidating of their guys on the case. Then again, they used to think that guy was Skizz.

Well, he supposed Skizz reaped what he sowed. Tango wasn't making the same mistake. He wouldn't give their boss an excuse to stab him in the back. Again.

"Man, I need to find a new job." He grumbled to himself, drowned out by the screams of the roller coaster goers on the other side of the fence. A joke, of course. Like his life. This was a lifelong career sorta gig, unfortunately for him.

An odd commotion broke Tango out of his self-loathing. There was a large double gate open in the fence. One of the staff entrances to Scarland, clearly meant for food trucks to get inside. That was not who occupied it currently. Instead it was a group of college students, led by one Karen-in-training, it would seem, screaming at- a bird. A very large, very blue bird. Solidarity, one of the mascots for the Bamboozler Coaster, if Tango recalled the posters right. Its cheery face bobbled while his arms flailed about, trying desperately to close the gates together if not for the students standing in the way.

"P-Please, I can't!" cried the poor actor, trying to close the gate once and for all. Baby Karen outright put her hand on the gate, then on the mascot.

"You owe us this for kicking us out! We did nothing wrong!" Her voice slurred, and one look at the group's blotchy faces told Tango all he needed to know. At a family park even instead of just going to a bar- though given the fact that it wasn't even noon most weren't open yet. Real classy.

"Please, ma'am."

"At least refund our tickets!"

"I'm not authorized to do that. Please just leave quietly."

Something went flying over them. A backpack. It beamed the poor mascot right in the head, sending him tumbling backwards onto his butt. The group laughed. Alright, now they'd really gone too far.

"Hey! What do you think yer doing?" Tango snapped and began marching over. At first only one of the students turned their head. As soon as they saw Tango their eyes went wide and they quickly nudged their companions. By the time Tango reached where they had been they'd scattered completely, leaving Tango alone with Solidarity.

The guy was adjusting his enormous mask when Tango held out a hand. It took both his wings to get a good enough grip for Tango to pull him back onto his feet. "Thank you. Gosh that scared the life out of me."

"I didn't know being a mascot was such a perilous career path." Tango quipped, eyebrow raised. The actor within muffled a laugh, while his wings brushed the worst of the dirt away.

"It's my fault, I should have called security... I thought I could lead them out quietly." He paused, then hissed. "I broke my tail!"

The bird jerked, spinning to reveal his tail. Indeed, it was bent and torn from the fall, in serious need of a professional. Tango reached out, tugging at one of the massive felt feathers. Solidarity jumped and yelped as if it were his own tail. Wings flew up to cover the break. "Oh, this is going to come out of my pay-cheque!"

"That's fuckin' lame." Tango hissed in... Solidarity.

The mascot jumped again, a pointer feather wagging in front of his beak before jabbing towards Tango, "Language! There's children around here!"

What was Tango supposed to do but burst out laughing? Arguing was off the table when he'd said the same thing not ten minutes ago. And the way the actor shimmied around in the suit was nothing short of ridiculous. Tango could believe he was a real life cartoon character if not for the fact that the costume's expression never changed. So, Tango laughed.

Even if his face was hidden. Solidarity's whole body slumped, wings rocking at his side before they went up to cover his face. "Oooh! Quit it!" He shrieked, shaking like an ice cube was shoved down his shirt. It only made Tango double over. Another whine that sounded far too much like an actual bird escaped the mascot.

"You're a riot, birdie!" Tango finally managed to pull himself together, wiping a tear from his eye.

"And you're something else! I just got attacked and here you are, laughing at me!"

"Well it's not every day you run into a canary getting shaken down."

"Canary! A canary!" Solidarity flailed, as if he would take to the skies any moment. "I'm a parrot, thank you very much! A canary, he says!"

Tango had to admit, he was taken aback by the outrage in Solidarity's voice. It was practically a different man standing before him now than the one who could barely say no to a college kid a few minutes ago. All over a little light teasing about his costume. Talk about mixed up priorities.

"Well, Mister Parrot," He drawls, trying to compose himself. Act casual. "As funny as you are I got business elsewhere. So, unless you got another group of drunk students hiding somewhere I think I ought to get going."

"Oh, um. Okay." The costumed man shuffled awkwardly, as if looking for something. Whatever it was he gave up with a huff and awkwardly bowed. "Thank you, again. I, um, I don't have anything right now but-"

"I don't need nothin', yelling at a bunch of brats after my week was gift enough." Tango assured. When Solidarity slumped in his feathers he spun on his heels, waving goodbye. "See y'round!"

There was a long silence as Tango walked away, before he heard hurried shuffling and a heavily muffled, "S-see you!"

It was, on a grand scale, such a minor interaction. Just a couple minutes at most. Yet Tango couldn't keep it off his mind for the rest of the weekend. The baffling becostumed man was, perhaps, the only small ray of sunshine Tango had gotten in a long time since Skizz was retired.

And how pathetic was that? Getting yelled at for mis-speciesing a bird outfit after scaring a bunch of teenagers. Most people would likely consider it the low note of their week. How bad was his life becoming, really, if that was his highlight. Etho was right, he really ought to start speaking to a therapist or something. Then again, he had no desire to dance around his career with a professional and potentially put them at risk of his bosses' wraths. He'd just live his miserable life and cope on his own, clinging to pathetically tiny moments of joy, like getting yelled at by a mascot.

It helped, a little. Thinking about it while on missions like his current one. Standing outside a sad little trailer that would have been condemned if half the park didn't look exactly like it. Chipped panelling, a cracked window, weeds consuming what ground wasn't tainted by urine from feral animals and grease. There were signs, though. Plastic pots of strawberries that were sad but still blooming. A hosed down litter mat hanging from a fence next to a laundry line of shirts with the pale marks of removed stains. A bike hidden in the weeds from thieves. Whoever lived here hadn't given up, was at least trying.

Shame that trying involved taking an exorbitant loan from the Tuff Guys.

If Tango stopped to mourn every innocent target, though, he'd never get his job done. Then it would be him on the chopping block.

So, tango waited. His target had just headed to the mailboxes and was meandering back, flipping through spam. A tall broad-shouldered man who could have been a celebrity if he ate better and worked out. Instead he was scrawny and pale, with bags under his eyes and his blond hair the only thing that looked healthy and groomed. The poverty wasn't a lifelong situation for him, Tango guessed, but a more recent development.

Not that it was his business. The best it could tell Tango was that the guy might have more vivid delusions that he could ever hope to pay off what he owed. The amount was frankly embarrassing, especially if these were the results. All gone into debts, poor guy.

Tango waited for the man to reach the step up to his door before he went in. There was the click of the lock, then a muffled squeak, shoulders going stiff under Tango's arm- only slightly made awkward by the height difference. "Jimmy, buddy, how's it going!" He drawled, bumping his head against the other's. "Been waiting for you, how you doing?" A small act, something vaguely resembling a natural interaction. Not that the people around there weren't familiar with a shake down.

A shudder had already formed in the man, brown eyes wide. It was lucky he'd already unlocked the door, there was no way he'd be able to get the key in otherwise. He wouldn't last long. A tight smile stretched across his face, some sad attempt at playing along. "H-hey. I- um- I'm..." Tango didn't know humans could even get that high pitched. No, he wouldn't last long at all.

"Well?" He gave the man a small mercy in taking the lead. "Don't be a stranger, invite me in!"

"Righ- Yeah. Right." He nudged the door, the hinges barely moving. So, Tango gave it a kick, and quickly dragged him inside. With one practised motion he threw Jimmy away from the doorway and slammed it closed before leaning against it. No escape.

Jimmy braced against the pantry. The whole camper shook with his weight as he was only kept upright by the tight quarters. Not the worst Tango had seen. It was mostly clean, in that the pile of dishes were properly washed, the papers on the table were in dollar store folders, and the plastic surfaces were mostly stained with aging yellow rather than anything unknown. It still had someone's entire life crammed into a glorified hallway. Only a few pictures graced the walls, most being his target with either a pink haired woman or a brunet man, or both.

There was a smell, a mix of citrus soap, febreeze, pasta sauce, and the slightest hint of litter. From the bedroom a cat meowed. Jimmy only took his eyes off Tango long enough to shush the cat, muttering under his breath, "Go back to sleep, Norman." As if the little creature could understand.

"So, two hundred sixty-k, huh?" Tango said as he continued to examine the home for anything. Any valuables, any luxuries, any vaults. Signs of the money in question. There wouldn't be, in all likelihood. Tango could already tell, whatever this guy needed the money for was earnest. To pay off a different debt, or maybe medical bills. "What's a guy like you need that kinda cash for, anyways?"

"I still have two weeks before my next payment." Jimmy stuttered, pressing himself back against his bedroom door. The cat on the other side pawed under it, but he seemed determined to keep it safe more than even himself.

"Yeah, but y'see," Tango rolled his head to the side and pulled his switchblade from his pocket. A few flicks even a kid could safely do was enough to scare a guy like this. "We've been in this business quite a while, Jimbo, and we're pretty good at feeling out our clients. And you?" He pointed the tip towards the shaking man. "You were nearly late with your last deadline. So, the boss sent me here to check up on you. Make sure you're alright."

"It was just bad timing with my pay-cheque. I'll have the money on time this month."

Tango sighed. Pushing off the door, he wandered up to Jimmy, still playing with the blade as loud as he could make it. Metal scraped metal as the blade slipped into its sheath and sprung back out while Tango put himself mere inches from his target's face. It was a miracle the tears glossing the edge of Jimmy’s eyelids hadn't spilled over yet. "And I'm sure you will." He muttered. "But hey, I'm a nice guy, and don't let my good looks fool ya, I'm pretty good with numbers too. So, maybe..." black painted claws dragged up Jimmy's jacket until they reached his collar. Tango fiddled with the denim for a moment, fraying it more than he fixed it, before he pulled it into a tight fist. "I could help teach you how to budget a bit."

Jimmy shrieked as he was flung across the room, crashing into the linoleum floor. In the same motion Tango tore open the bedroom door and reached down. Maybe in a larger space where the bed wasn't also drawers the cat could have hid, but in the half a foot of space it'd squished itself into between the bed and door it had nowhere to run before Tango latched onto its scruff and yanked it up.

It screeched, but he was surprised to find it didn't lash out. Maybe that startled Tango more than the scratches and bites he expected, but it paused his blade long enough that the sad thing's wide eyes locked with his own. A beast as pathetic as its owner.

It was enough time for Jimmy to clamber onto his knees and shout, "Wait, please!"

Tango glanced over to him. The tears had finally started running down his face. The depth of the terror in his eyes was normally something Tango only saw when he had a weapon against his target's own head, not a damn cat. "Please don't hurt him. Please. I'll have your money, I swear. He doesn't even understand, he’s just a cat. Don't do this, please."

The thing was, Tango knew how to kill. He wouldn't have ended up in this line of work if he didn't. And animals? They were an easy way to get the point across. The difference in expenses wouldn't mean jack, but it got the point across. But Tango also wasn't heartless. More of a dog person than cats, but big beady eyes were big beady eyes, so he'd always done it quick. When the anger of whatever nip they gave was fresh and before he could think.

But what was he supposed to do now, with the tan little creature hanging like a rag, curled up on itself with its tail hugged to its belly and a nervous purr in its throat?

He had a job to do, though. A point to make, money to ensure.

Tango growled, as frustrated with himself as the situation, wondering if he was really doing this even as he unzipped the top of his jacket and shoved the cat down in it. Jimmy was stuck between sobbing and being stunned too much to stop him. Tango kicked him back down to the ground, out of the way of the door.

He gave the man one last glance. "Fifteen in two weeks. Don't give me reason to come back."

There was no time for Jimmy to respond, no time for him to point out it was higher than he was supposed to pay this time. Tango slammed the door shut once more and didn't look back.

The bundle in his jacket struggled and cried, but Tango didn't open it up again until he was sat in his car, doors locked. He deflated against his seat, letting the cat leap into the back seat. "What the hell have I done to myself?" He hissed. No one responded, except for a pitiful little mewl.

[antianakin]

This encapsulates why I think it should've actually been Jacen Syndulla in Sabine's place if they REALLY needed to give Ahsoka a "Padawan" character to play with.

Jacen being very young would hit at her feelings about having been assigned early as a Padawan, especially if he is with her because he ran away from his guardians (whether that's Hera or whether he was staying with Sabine on Lothal at the time maybe, it doesn't really matter), so he has that same sort of impetuous recklessness that she and Anakin both had that gets him into trouble.

Jacen's youth and the fact that he'll never know his father would provide a really good explanation for him doing something as stupid as going along with Baylan just to get Ezra back. Maybe he just wants to connect to the person who everyone talks about like he's Jacen's brother. Maybe he wants to save Ezra because they CAN'T save Kanan and this is the closest he feels he'll ever get to getting his dad back. Maybe he just wants to prove himself to his family because they keep wanting to protect him and keep him safe and won't take him anywhere even remotely dangerous and he gets why, he does, they lost both Kanan and Ezra already, but if he can get Ezra back then maybe they'll finally let him DO things! Maybe he wants to get Ezra back because even though Ahsoka and Luke are theoretically there as options, he's insistent that it has to be Ezra.

Jacen's a blank slate character, we know who his parents are and he has a name, but other than that, he doesn't have a personality already which means he's basically just as good as an original character in this scenario. He needs to be fleshed out in a way Sabine simply does not, and so giving him a fatal flaw to overcome can only ADD to his character rather than taking AWAY from his character the way it did with Sabine.

And of course, Jacen being Kanan's child provides an obvious reason for his Force sensitivity. Even if you went with the idea that he WASN'T Force sensitive, or wasn't SHOWING Force sensitivity, there's more reason for Jacen to either believe that he COULD be Force sensitive or to just be really invested in becoming a Jedi no matter what. It might even be more compelling if he genuinely isn't Force sensitive at all, but he feels like that's the only connection he has to Kanan, the only way he can remember and honor his father he never met, and his arc over the course of the season is to learn to let go of that. He doesn't have to live up to Kanan and Ezra, he doesn't have to BE Kanan and Ezra, he can just be himself, and he doesn't need to be Force sensitive OR a Jedi in order to be worthwhile.

But if you need Ahsoka to have a Force sensitive child, it makes way more sense for Jacen to BE Force sensitive since there's an obvious connection there, and Jacen being a blank slate character means that there's absolutely no proof that he ISN'T Force sensitive in prior media that would make that choice really confusing (unlike Sabine where she's so clearly established as someone who isn't Force sensitive throughout Rebels and so they had to work REALLY REALLY HARD to explain why Ahsoka would ever take her as an apprentice and why Sabine would think this was a reasonable choice to make).

Sabine might not be his actual mother or his primary guardian, but she's somewhere in the realm of being his aunt/older sister and the connection there would clearly be very strong anyway, especially if Hera had dropped Jacen off on Lothal and Sabine was supposed to be looking after him for a while as Hera dealt with some other things on Coruscant or whatever and it's HER that Jacen ends up running away from.

It's not even like we haven't seen a variation of this done really well already with the Kenobi show where Leia is ALSO quite young in comparison to her titular character Jedi master counterpart. So Jacen being young doesn't have to be a reason for why he COULDN'T have fulfilled with this role in the Ahsoka show just fine if they needed a pre-established character with an easily explained connection to Ezra who would be willing to give up everything to save him and who could become Ahsoka's new padawan.

The only reason it had to be Sabine is because Rebels set up that Ahsoka and Sabine were going to go look for Ezra in their epilogue and that story got combined with whatever the original Ahsoka show narrative was going to be, which likely involved some sort of padawan character for Ahsoka to help parallel her relationship with Anakin. So in order for Sabine to remain a main player in the narrative and fit in with the already pre-established set-up from the Rebels epilogue, Sabine got slotted into that role. That was clearly supposed to be Sabine's story and putting someone else into the role of Ahsoka's padawan sidelines Sabine from the story quite a lot.

So even if you do put in Jacen or some other new character in the role of Ahsoka's padawan, you either run into the issue of sidelining Sabine in her own story, or you exacerbate the issue that already existed of there being too many main characters within one narrative which muddied so many things about the show since it was impossible to tell what the story was actually ABOUT or whose story we were meant to be following. The stupid show was a mess and it couldn't have been fixed by just tweaking one or two things. It needed to be wholesale ripped apart into at MINIMUM two separate shows if not three or even four separate shows (Hera's whole prequel to the Sequels narrative about the New Republic didn't belong in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka's narrative, or the Search for Ezra storyline; and if the Mandoverse needed an "Empire Strikes Back"-esque middle part, it should have been its own thing rather than co-opting Ahsoka and Sabine's completely unrelated stories).

The Search for Ezra as a story, and especially the idea of continuing the Rebels story through Sabine rather than through Ezra and shining a spotlight on her in a way that didn't happen very often in Rebels, is a GREAT concept. Whether it was exploring the edges of their known galaxy or going into a whole new galaxy, it opened up a lot of ways to be really creative while telling what could've been a really great parallel story between Ezra's survival and Sabine's search.

Ahsoka dealing with her past and her feelings about Anakin's betrayal was a necessary next step to her story that needed to be told and I was genuinely really intrigued to see how that got handled and how Ahsoka slowly learned to let go of all of her fears and pain and learned to embrace being a Jedi again after so many years. I REALLY wanted to see Ahsoka find her way back to reclaiming that identity after she had given it up and then had it ripped away from her. I wanted to see how Ahsoka taking back her own story was integrated with Ahsoka dealing with her feelings about Anakin's betrayal.

Both of these stories are GREAT on their own and really provide a way to highlight some of the best female characters Star Wars has ever had.

It's too bad what we got ended up being the most Frankenstein'd hackjob I have possibly ever seen that butchered two of the best female characters Star Wars has ever had.

Yknow, a lot of the Sabine characterization problems in ahsoka (having act like an impulsive teenager when she's almost thirty and was never like that even when she was a teenager and had grown out of her negative teenager traits by the end of Rebels) could have been solved if "Sabine" was a different character

And this "not sabine" could have still been connected to Sabine

How

Adopted daughter

Have the role of Sabine in Ahsoka be taken by an adopted child of hers, someone young and impulsive, has heard stories of Ezra Bridger and how much her mother and her adopted family that is the Ghost crew misses him and wants nothing more than to bring him back to make her family complete again, to the point of making several dangerous mistakes

And it also would have fixed the bullshit "sabine has the force now" nonsense

[edwinisms]

we all know the cat king is probably at least esther’s age (probably roughly 165-175 based on oregon/washington’s history), but have we ever stopped to think about monty? like yeah as a human boy he was literally only days old, but as an entity in general? who knows when esther conjured him, but it probably wasn’t any time close to the present. so monty is technically, probably older than at least charles, and quite possibly edwin as well. who knows how many decades this corvid has seen

[britneyshakespeare]

Man is saying weird things to me again

[kittlyns]

One day I am gonna start journaling again and then I won't post all this sad shit on here but until then! *posts another sad post*