#val's got a terrible humor sometimes

[savingsallow]

— looking for someone? 🔎

[val has successfully located the introverted friend]

this is the continuation of my previous post

"well, someone is lost in their own world again"

"no one should be alone on their birthday, you know... but hey, i made you a cake! erm well, technically, me and the house elves... it's not much, but i thought you were probably hungry by now, so..."

"congrats, chris! you have completed another revolution around the sun!"

"—and you're old.. older now"

————

chris belongs to the lovely human bean @diana-bluewolf ❤️‍🔥

shots by: @miss--soapy 🫶🏻✨

[lovelyirony]

Through flames and oceans (for the fic title)

u know. this was supposed to not go the direction it did. but it did. 

People say they will do a lot for love. They will walk through flames, cross an entire ocean for love.

Bruce tells himself that that’s the stupidest fucking thing people say. He, for one, will not do that. There is also the unspoken reason of that love really isn’t in the cards for him.

Currently, he’s running away from his ex-girlfriend’s dad, General Ross, because he may or may not have done some experimentation and turned into a rage monster, but also revealed some state secrets.

Come on, can you blame him? Cosmo said twenty-year-olds need to accomplish something before they hit thirty. And he’s quite sure he just made the list.

But as for love, he is thinking about it right now because his ex-girlfriend found a very nice girl named Valkyrie, and they’re kind of set to have an engagement party, and “would you please come to the United States to help us celebrate?”

Betty is a wonderful woman, really and truly. And Bruce is okay with how their relationship ended, because it’s not like Bruce could come to family dinner and expect anything besides murder or maybe cold potatoes. And Betty deserved someone far better than him, and from the picture that was sent, it looks like Valkyrie is an amazing catch.

But there is the small matter of making it to the States without getting caught. He is on quite a lot of “no-fly” and “travel restrictive” protocols. This sucks, by the way. He had frequent flier miles saved up and everything.

It sucks, at least, until he remembers Tony’s number and calls it.

(Tony had given him his number, but sometimes he forgets that four and nine are two distinctly different numbers.)

“Brucie, baby! What can I get for you? Don’t worry, the government hasn’t been able to tap my phone calls since I was seventeen and mostly joking about finding out where their secret weapons storage is.”

“Betty’s having her engagement party, and I’m invited. I kind of need a ride home.”

“Where are you located at, right now?”

“Buenos Aires.”

“You lucky son of a bitch, god I miss it there. You having a good time?”

“When I’m avoiding government agents, yes.”

“Hm, well i’m sending a new employee of mine to go and get you. Big guy, probably Swedish.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t presume if someone’s Swedish or not, Bruce. I’m a terrible person, but not that terrible.”

“I...I don’t follow your sense of humor.”

“No one does, that’s why celebrities call me avant garde and ahead of my time.”

“Good to know. What’s your new guy’s name?”

“Thor.”

“Are you...are you fucking with me?”

"Darling, you’d be having a much better time if I was.”

“I don’t like the energy we’re manifesting here,” Bruce deadpans.

Tony snorts. “Okay, hippie. He’ll be there by tomorrow morning. Just stay tight where you are, sugar.”

-

Thor is a gigantic man. He parts crowds like it’s what he was meant to do, and maybe it is. Bruce stares up at him.

“Hello Dr. Banner,” Thor says, smiling gently. “You are Dr. Ross’s friend, right?”

“Um...yeah. I am.”

“Excellent. I’m a friend of Valkyrie’s, is it okay if I go ahead and fly out to the airport nearest their house?”

“Uh, is Tony okay with that?”

“Of course. And we can stop at your house if you need anything.”

“Oh, I don’t have a house. Or an apartment. You would not believe how much the US government hates my credit score.”

Thor chuckles a little bit, leading him back to a nondescript car.

“Right this way.”

-

Thor is cool as a cucumber on the outside, as they’re driving. He’s mindlessly tapping on his phone as Bruce stares out the window.

Inside? Oh, Thor hates Val for this. So much.

so, you didn’t think to send me a picture of dr. banner? just the address?

lmaooooo called it. betty owes me something now. fuckin nerd. just ask him out.

no. we still have to bypass american security

which you are “old hat” at. or did i forget that you nearly almost charmed the pants off of one of the airline people?

we don’t speak of that.

relax. stark’s taking care of it anyway.

The airplane ride home is uneventful, thank god. One of Tony’s jets awaits, and the pilot is very surprised to see a man who ranks number four on America’s Most Wanted List to be there.

“You...you know Tony?”

“And you know what an NDA is,” Tony announces over the intercom. “Bruce, welcome. Mimosas are premade, in stock. Sit back and enjoy the ride! Thor, you do what you gotta do to make sure Bruce stays safe. Enjoy the bridal shower!”

The pilot is a bit apprehensive. But mostly okay. Bruce promises nothing’s going to happen, he’s just going to drink tea and catch up on news about the current state of things.

Bruce gets bored with finding out that things are still terrible, so he talks to Thor.

“So...are your parents just really into Norse mythology, or did they know you’d come out a huge guy who has the potential to probably stop Ragnarok?”

Thor chuckles, the laugh rumbling and deep.

(Okay, that’s hot.)

"My parents’ names were Odin and Frigga. You could say they were traditionalists when it came to my brother and I.”

“You mean...?”

“He embodies the name a bit too well for my taste, but yes.”

“Oh. Wow.”

“Yeah. Let me tell you about the time we accidentally crashed a fashion week thing...” 

Bruce laughs a lot about that story. Thor’s laugh is majestic, and they sit a little bit closer. 

-

By the time the plane lands, they’re great friends and Thor reaches over Bruce in the baggage area and wow that man has very defined muscles. 

Not that that’s important. No, that’s like. Not important at all. So what if Thor is very well-muscled and maybe this will play into Bruce’s intrusive thoughts/daydream thoughts at later intervals? Does not matter. At all. 

(Oh god the man smells like salty ocean air Bruce has got it so so bad. So Bad.) 

- 

Tony greets them at the landing pad with a wide grin, eyes lighting up. 

“Well, don’t you two make the happy couple,” he teases. Bruce turns red. This does not go unnoticed. 

“Bruce, honestly, you run away from government and my friendship, and this is what gets you--” 

“A bridal shower? To get me home? Yes,” Bruce says, cutting in not-at-all smoothly. “Now, where are Betty and her bride staying at?” 

“Oh, they’re staying at the cutest little bed and breakfast for their bridal shower. Rented out the whole thing--well Pepper did, it was our wedding gift to them, and of course I mean Pep’s wedding gift, because I have something else planned-” 

“Please tell me that you do not have a house bought for them,” Thor says. 

“Complete with a laboratory and gymnasium,” Tony says with a wink. “I’m kidding, they already have a house. I just kind of kicked them out for a week while I remodel their entire kitchen. Val gave me the colors, I was surprised that she has taste.” 

“If she hears you say that, she’ll kick your ass.” 

“Which is why she won’t,” Tony reminds Thor. “Now, let’s get to unpacking. Bruce, I’m getting you some good shampoo, holy shit your hair sucks.” 

“Thank you Tony, I love and value our friendship and our kindness towards each other as well,” Bruce deadpans. 

“Oh come on, you have to look good. It’s your ex’s wedding party!” 

“You make us sound so dramatic,” Bruce says with a snort. “We broke up. Big deal.” 

“You and Betty...?” Thor asks. 

“Yeah, but it’s fine. We were dating, and then I pissed off her dad, who happens to be a general. I mean, also the government. But mostly her dad.” 

“Wow.” 

Thor’s type shouldn’t be feral scientist. But it is. 

They’re led inside, and Tony bids them goodbye. 

“Duty calls,” Tony says airily, waving. “Make yourself at home, don’t put coffee grounds down the disposal or I will kick you out. Rogers is still nursing his wounds.” 

“Noted,” Bruce says. 

“I drink tea,” Thor answers. 

Bruce shares a look. 

“You too?” 

“Yeah, I prefer it over coffee most of the time.” 

Bruce smiles. 

“I think we’re going to get along.” 

- 

They have a couple of days until the wedding party, and Thor has never seen New York. Bruce is fairly sure that no one will even see him on the CCTV footage as long as he’s walking next to Thor, so he deems it good enough to go and get a bagel. 

Thor is a very gentle man. That’s a good quality. 

He smiles at a little girl, who is staring, open-mouthed. Even gives her a little wave. Bruce grins. 

“You like kids?” 

“I do. They mostly just want to have fun, want to see what the best of the world is. I think we all need that occasionally.” 

“I’ve never thought of that,” Bruce confesses. He takes a sip of his coffee.

“I love watching my cousins,” Thor continues. “The way they grow and figure it all out, it’s rewarding. What about your family?” 

Bruce freezes. 

“Um. I don’t exactly have a family.” 

“Then you’ll just have to meet some of my cousins,” Thor amends, smiling as he sips his drink. “You’d like them.” 

“I’d like that,” Bruce says, grinning. “What’s next on our New York agenda?” 

"I told Loki I’d visit some stores for him and pick up some items he’s been wanting.” 

-

Have you ever seen a sales associate from Chanel be terrified at your presence? No? It’s worth it. 

Bruce is kind of concerned. 

“I...are you...?” 

“My name is Robert, uncanny similarities,” Bruce responds. “We both were born in Ohio.” 

“Why is it always Ohio,” Thor mutters. “You reckon my brother would want this shoe or that?” 

“Ooh, definitely go with the heel. I think that’s good.”  

“Gotcha.” 

Next shop is Dior. 

This goes a bit out of hand. His whole line about being Robert with Incredible Similarity does not go as planned. 

He and Thor are on a subway, currently running away from some authority figures and calling Tony. 

“I was in the middle of learning drama about high society that I can use in my next romance novel, are you joking?” Tony hisses. 

“You write romance novels?” Thor asks. 

“Now is not the time to question that, I’m in the middle of making sure you get a car to your next stop. How well do you both know what a Chrysler is?” 

“The building, right?” 

“God, I hate you so much,” Tony groans. “No, um...it looks like the wing things that they give army people when they do something that I guess they think is cool.” 

“Oh. Okay. Get in that car?” 

“Yes. It’s gonna be red with silver detailing.”

“Tony, they’re gonna know it’s us.” 

“Believe me, they won’t. Trust me.” 

- 

So as it turns out, it’s not the most ostentatious vehicle. 

Because Tony pulls up in a lifted pick-up truck, painted a sparkling, neon green with bright orange wheels. 

It is the ugliest goddamn thing Bruce has ever seen. Also the most effective. 

Thor nearly shoves Bruce into the car, and they’re sitting too close, and Bruce probably shouldn’t be focusing on the fact that Thor’s hair is now artfully messy, but here he is. Doing that. 

“So, sorry that before the wedding shower we’re being hunted down by the government.” 

“Not the worst thing that I could be doing on a Friday,” Thor says with a shrug. “I think you’re just about the most interesting person I’ve met, Bruce.” 

He smiles at him. Bruce’s heart skips a beat. He can’t tell if it’s because of the eye contact or the fact that they’re in close proximity. Maybe both. 

“You wanna go on a date after all this?” Bruce blurts out. 

He does. And as soon as he says it, he kind of regrets it because they’re in a car with glittery silver interior seats and he’s also in pants that have seen better days, and his hair is a Mess. 

(Also self-esteem issues, but Bruce is used to that so he’s not counting it.) 

“Like, after we get home or when the government gives up on finding you?” 

“I don’t know. Whichever one comes first?” 

“Technically, I think I count as army jurisdiction, and military budget is a fountain of money.” 

“Ah. Then home it is. How do you feel about ordering in?” 

“Mm, sounds good,” Bruce says, grinning. “You’re the best.” 

“Well, I certainly try,” Thor says, grinning right back. “You wanna go to Betty and Val’s shower together?” 

“Yes. Do we have to amend our ‘how-we-met’ story?” 

“Not at all. Valkyrie used to run an underground fight ring. She knows the feeling.” 

“How has that not come up in conversation?” 

“We were kind of preoccupied trying to figure out what a Chrysler car looked like.” 

“Oh, true.” 

- 

At the wedding party, Bruce and Thor are very happy. Betty and Val roll their eyes and laugh as they talk. 

“Leave it to my dad to ruin everything,” Betty gripes. 

“Well he didn’t ruin this party or my meeting Thor,” Bruce defends. “Besides, you know what happens if he steps a foot near you.” 

Betty grins. 

“You serious?” 

“Can’t promise you’ll get your security deposit back, but yes.” 

Betty pulls him into a hug. 

“You’re too sweet to me.” 

“Yeah, tell me that after he steps on the limousine.” 

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry,” Thor says, grinning. “I think Tony has some sort of security feature worked in.” 

“Oh, he does,” Val says. “He’s threatened to pull some of the contracts for safety gear. Won’t go through with it, but Ross can’t touch the wedding. Best gift ever.” 

- 

When the party gets late, Thor and Bruce are sitting out on the porch. Clean-up is happening, and they’re taking a break. Thor thinks that Bruce has never looked more beautiful in a rumpled yellow shirt, soft lights making his face glow. 

“I’m glad I met you,” Thor murmurs, moving a stray curl. 

“Really?” Bruce asks, smiling softly. “I think I’m glad I met you too.” 

- 

Bruce grins behind his door when they make it home. Thor had kissed him on the cheek, and while that wasn’t too big of a deal, it was a big deal to him. 

“See you in the morning, dear,” Thor had told him. 

He was going to be up half the night with that line running through his head. 

- 

A lot of people do a lot of things for love. Bruce still wouldn’t walk through flames, or swim across an entire ocean, but he’s starting to understand. 

[traincat]

I’ve read Waid and Hickman’s FF runs and am currently reading Zdarsky’s 2 in One. I’m planning on eventually reading the Lee/Kirby run. Can I ask, what other runs would you recommend? Is Claremont’s good? Sorry for bothering.

I LOVE Waid and Hickman’s Fantastic Four runs, and Zdarsky’s Marvel Two-In-One was excellent to the point where one of my lingering disappointments is that Marvel brought the Fantastic Four back in a way that prematurely cut off Zdarksy’s 2n1. I know I said I wanted them back but wow did we all get monkey’s paw’d on that one. Zdarsky did really excellent stuff with both Ben and Johnny and the multiverse hopping was honestly fun and interesting. Lee/Kirby is also, in my opinion, just a really terrific run -- it lays the groundwork for not only the future of the Fantastic Four but a lot of big concepts for the Marvel Universe in general, and I think it holds up really well by modern day storytelling standards. Lee’s sense of humor works well with the retrofuturistic vibe and Kirby’s art is always wonderful. In particular I think it’s interesting to look back on The Galactus Trilogy (Fantastic Four #48-50) as the granddaddy of all event comics, for better or worse. 

Claremont -- okay, I love Claremont’s run, let me start off by saying that. Claremont’s run follows on what is in my opinion one of the worst periods of Fantastic Four canon, and I mean bad to the point where the literal canon at that point was that to get things back on track the Fantastic Four had to be put in a bubble universe. Claremont’s run kicks in one or two issues after their return to the main Marvel universe and it’s so fun. I think Fantastic Four is one of those series that kind of flourishes in adversity and Claremont’s run starts off with the Fantastic Four trying to regain their footing in a world that had assumed them dead, their Baxter Building gone, living in a warehouse property. Claremont, in my opinion, also has one of the best if not the best handle on characterization for a lot of key Fantastic Four figures, including Johnny, Reed, and Sue. His Ben is also very good, but I think Ben in particular tends to be an easier sell for a lot of comic book writers -- the outcast, the gruff man, the comic relief. He’s easier to identify with than Reed, the Smartest Man on Earth, or Johnny, defined by his youth and beauty and queercoded since the ‘60s, or Sue, by sheer factor of being a woman. So I think a lot of writers identify with Ben first and foremost and put the most love and care into his depiction, whereas the others are a little easier for them to leave by the wayside. Which isn’t a bad thing -- I love that one of the most beloved comic book characters is also one of Marvel’s few canonically Jewish characters, but there is a wealth of truly excellent Ben canon in comparison to the other three. Especially with Johnny, there’s no one else who has written for Fantastic Four who has put nearly as much thought and detail into Johnny’s relationship with his powers, both the positive and the negative, as Claremont has, even reworking the origin story from Lee and Kirby’s joyous scene of Johnny flaming on for the first time into a deeply traumatizing incident -- being sixteen and traumatized and bursting into uncontrollable flames. 

(Fantastic Four v3 #11) There’s also a lot of women in Claremont’s run! A valid criticism of Fantastic Four canon is that by its initial core team makeup it tends to be lacking in female characters compared to some other big Marvel staples, but Claremont brings in a ton, from Reed’s college friend and fellow genius Alyssa Moy (who has been done dirty by pretty much every other writer who’s ever touched her, including Waid and Hickman) to multiversal bounty hunter Bounty to the most platonic of Johnny’s gal pals Caledonia to Valeria Von Doom, a “time dancing” teenage incarnation of the baby Sue lost back in Byrne’s run, who sets up baby Val’s eventual return. Claremont is also king of Reed vs Doom setups -- if you haven’t read his Fantastic Four vs X-Men miniseries, I highly recommend it, and he brings a lot of the two sides of the same coin energy from that into his Fantastic Four run. 

The downside of Claremont’s run is that the plot is always there and always running and I could not explain half of it if you paid me. Things certainly happen! Like all the time! For seemingly no apparent reason! Stuff gets set up and then it’s not resolved and now we are in Latveria! I don’t think this is necessarily all that detrimental -- the run is still massively fun and the characterization is always fresh and interesting. It’s just that sometimes you have no idea what’s going on and you have to roll with it. And then sometimes you do know what’s going on but in the way where you know Claremont was just writing it because it’s his kink. Which is like, whatever. As authorial ids go, you can pretty consistently do worse than Claremont’s, I’ll give him that. So I do recommend on it the whole, as long as you’re not going into expecting the kind of plots either Hickman or Waid brought the book. Claremont’s is kind of like “stuff happens and it’s either weird or fun so just don’t pay too much attention to it.” 

Aside from Claremont, I feel like I generally like far more Fantastic Four runs than I dislike -- but also I don’t hate Millar’s run, which is honestly bad, so it’s possible I’m just very forgiving with the Fantastic Four. I really like Robinson’s run, which is the last run before the Great Fantastic Four Drought of 2015-2018. It’s short, self-contained, and devoted entirely to one story, so it’s pretty tightly written, with good characterization and some very shiny art by Leonard Kirk. Straczynski’s run is decent enough for the fact that it intersects with Civil War -- I think he does his best to get into the heads of the characters re: their actions in Civil War -- and it leads directly into Dwayne McDuffie’s run, another brief one where Black Panther and Storm take over for Reed and Sue. Very fun. Marvel Knights 4 is also a fairly recent run that’s got some strong moments in it, although I feel it’s a little inconsistent in its handling of the characters. It’s still fun, though. For an older, longer run, I like Simsonson’s -- the art is very dynamic, even if the storyline kind of gets too involved with itself. 

(FF #337)

I recommend Byrne’s run with the caveat that there’s plenty to dislike about it and plenty of reasons to avoid it, not the least of it being Byrne himself as a creator and a person. It’s heavily sexist in how it deals with Sue, it retcons a huge age gap into Sue and Reed’s relationship, and Byrne’s early departure sets up my all time least favorite Fantastic Four story. (Though that one is Roger Stern and later Tom DeFalco’s fault.) It is historic as Fantastic Four runs go, though, and there’s a lot in later runs that’s built over it or references it or borrows from it. So it’s a rec with a lot of caveats and I also understand why people might give it a skip -- I think it’s more important for an understanding of the greater body of Fantastic Four canon and the impact it had than for the actual run itself. I do think Byrne has some very interesting subtext with Johnny, although it never come to fruition, and while his Sue falls victim to a lot of sexism, I really like what he does with the character of Frankie Raye, who like poor Alyssa Moy I don’t think has ever gotten really good treatment ever since.

I have mixed feelings on both Millar and Fraction’s runs, not in the least because I think they end very similarly -- and that Millar did it better, which doesn’t say great things. Millar’s run is kind of like a trashy popcorn flick version of Fantastic Four; it’s not actually good, but I can’t say I don’t like the terrible eldritch monster in Scotland Christmas arc (Fantastic Four #564-565) and I’m sort of into future Sue. Fraction, on the other hand, takes a space road trip and makes it boring, which is the greatest Fantastic Four sin of all. He’s one of the rare writers who I think actually writes a bad Ben Grimm -- not the least because his run goes out of its way to try and label it Ben’s own fault that he was transformed into a monster. I do really like his FF (just the initials) though. 

The only Fantastic Four runs I can say I really truly dislike are Tom DeFalco’s and Dan Slott’s, which sort of unfortunate because DeFalco’s is both long influential (I have no idea why because it’s honestly terrible like in terms of storytelling) and because Slott’s is happening right now. DeFalco comes onto the book on Fantastic Four #356 and stays on until Fantastic Four #416, at which point Marvel hit a literal retcon button to get out of the mess he’d made. (This leads into Fantastic Four v2, which is largely skippable -- it’s basically a mid-90s retelling of a bunch of early Fantastic Four stories that leads back into the FF heading back to the main universe.) DeFalco’s responsible for the Skrull retcon in the JohnnyAlicia marriage and for dragging that out for over 50 issues, the entirety of which feel like he was writing without a plan or outline or literally anything, and I have never felt like a comic book was attempting to gaslight me through its own incompetence or refusal to commit to things it set up itself as badly as I do with DeFalco’s run. (I like other non-Fantastic Four Tom DeFalco runs. I just hate this one.) Dan Slott’s run is just 25 issues and counting of badly written emotionless unfunny pages blandly stapled together and I so badly want Marvel to kick him off the book for its own good.

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes pt17: Alone time

Eliza:I can’t believe your recklessness sometimes.

Valerie:I wasn’t going to actually fight her.

Eliza:You were seconds away from performing a suplex.

Valerie:Pfft, not like it would’ve worked.

Eliza:Not even disputing it huh? Need I remind you of your position in this school? Many students see you as a positive role model; especially the sports team. The upperclassmen included. You set an example for others so lead them well.

Valerie:I’m not as good or enjoy rubbing elbows with people as you. Semblance or not, it’s not like I’m the kind of person who starts a conversation.

Eliza:(Shooting your mouth off at someone is starting a conversation. Team speeches are-) Ugh, be that as it may, looking good by doing good is all I ask of you. It increases morale

Valerie:Oh yeah? Then why record the match yesterday?

Eliza turned her head and looked at Val. The athlete’s .eyes held a glimmer of agitation and anxiousness.

Eliza:Oh I see now, so that’s why you’re more aggressive than usual. Getting caught by Nicholas must be so irritating for the girl who’s supposed to be better than him; another check box on the list of ways he makes your life easier.

Valerie:Don’t talk like you know me.

Eliza:I know pride and jealousy when I see it. Or maybe, it’s something else entirely? If you’re letting my little comment from the other day bother you then I suggest you dismiss it. As for the video, originally I was going to use it to study the three of you for the tournament.

Valerie:WHAT!?

Eliza:It’s no different than a sports team watching the other team’s previous games. Then another thought occurred, this school would get a lot of traction if three sophomores took down such a complex piece of tech. It’s bound to spook some people who also plan on joining the tournament.

Valerie:You used us as a scare tactic? That’s...underhanded and yet, completely fair?

Eliza:Anything to ensure I remain in the top three. I will not spend time dealing with riff raff when my two biggest threats share the same bus as me. Consider that video an appreciation of all your skills, and a reminder of the eyes on you. Don’t slip up.

Valerie:I never do. It would be pretty interesting to see you beat Nick. I look forward to your challenge.

Eliza:You sound like Nick isn’t a threat.

Valerie:He isn’t. Granted his swordplay has gotten better and he has that new trick, but I haven’t been slacking off either. I’ve kicked his butt all my life and I’m sure I can do it again.

Her eyes told a different story. Eliza could tell that through all that confidence, the smallest glimmer of doubt had shown itself. She made sure to take note of it.

Eliza:Famous last words. The idea of Nick winning is a world that could exist; experience in loss is vaster than in victory.

Valerie:*grits teeth* Can we stop talking about Nick for onc-

“Val?” Called out the boy in question. The two girls turned around to see the boy walking over in their school’s simple white and gray P.E. uniform. He wasn’t sweaty like Valerie, but something seemed a little...off.

Eliza:Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Nick:Says the girl in pigtails. Might as well call them horns. Anyways hey Val, didn’t know you were at school today. Had me a little worried this morning.

Valerie:Yeah well...I slept a little late.

Nick:But...you’re in your P.E. clothes. Summer has the class as you so-

Valerie:I wasn’t terribly late. Just enough to miss homeroom.

Nick:Ah. Getting up was pretty rough for me this morning too. That Paladin took everything out of me! My body felt like lead. How are you holding up?

Valerie:I’m fine…

Nick:Really? That hit looked really-

Valerie:I said I’m fine, Nick! Stop worrying about me!

If the halls were crowded then that would’ve drawn a crowd. Instead her brash words echoed, making its own form of weird tension. Eliza took that as her queue to leave, while Nick stood there a bit spooked. Even Valerie was shocked at her tone.

Valerie:Sorry, I uh, yelling was an accident.

Nick:It’s, it’s okay. Hey you umm, are you mad at me by any chance? I only ask since Summer sorta did what you...just did; if I did something wrong-

Valerie:You didn’t. (Like usual) Can you give me a bit of space though? I’d like to have a bit more time to myself.

She hadn’t realized it, but Valerie just snitched on herself. Nick kept a neutral face, ‘overslept huh?’ The thought lingering a bit before giving a small smile. Suddenly he felt a little awkward, randomly swaying and folding his arms as if to shake off the feeling.

Nick:Alright, if that’s what you need. Still on to study tomorrow or…?

Valerie:I think I got it covered.

Nick:Cool, cool...see you around then I guess? Or not, I don’t know. I should head back now. Harriet must notice how long I’ve been taking by now, so, yeah… *stepping away*

Valerie:...Nick?

Nick:What’s up?

Valerie:Your face, it’s a bit pale. Get some rest okay? Seriously.

At least he knew she still cared. He gave her a thumbs up and started walking away again, but then whipped back around before she was out of sight.

Nick:Hey one more thing! I thought you should know Veronica is here so please, don’t beat each other up in the halls, rooms, or anywhere really. No touching at all would be nice.

Valerie:I already bumped into her.

Nick:Really? I don’t see bruises.

Valerie:Shut up, we didn’t fight. I could tell she was looking for one, or an excuse to let off steam.

Nick:What does that mean?

Valerie:She was looking much like herself. That annoyingly cocky attitude was a bit more...catty, for a lack of a better word. Atlas air must be disagreeing with her or something.

Nick:Yeah….or something…

xxxx

Veronica hadn’t moved. The young designer found herself still leaning up against the lockers, concentrating immensely. Her skull felt like it was under a jackhammer while her heartbeat sped up like a hummingbird. God she was so hungry, and the cafeteria scent…

‘In and out Veronica. Just keep your breathing in and out’ she told herself constantly. ‘You’re halfway through the day. You can do this…’

Bright side about this predicament was it seemed no one wanted to test her. She imagined that her entire attitude must seem pretty scary right about now. Good.

Her attempt to stay out of further trouble was unfortunately short lived when the scent of fresh sweat and body spray invaded her nostrils. That was a smell in any school, one that always ment the arrival of her least favorite kind of person.

Two sets of footsteps steadily got closer until they stopped right in front of her. Veronica looked up to see two boys in blue letterman jackets stand before her. One boy was tannish and had a well kept brown crew cut, his height towering over her but his build seemed similar to Nick. His eyes a shade of hazel that made the cocky grin on his face that was more punchable.

The other boy was taller, at least 6’3 and built like a wall. Veronica couldn’t fathom the amount of protein shrinks he might drink. He was pale compared to the first one and had orangey brown hair that was a crew cut that had less taken off on the sides and more grown out. His eyes were a dark green and though he didn’t look as cocky, his presence was enough for Veronica to know he thought that he was the big man on campus.

The first jacket said ‘Diabhalta’ while the second read.‘Winchester.’ That name was familiar from earlier. Nick had mentioned it when speaking to Eliza.

Whoever they were, Veronica wasn’t in the mood for this shit. It’s like she was a beacon for annoying jocks.

Veronica:May I help you, or are you just going to keep staring like a dead fish?

Diabhalta: Hey hey, take it easier there mittens. Just doing a little thinking, wondering if it would be a cat call if you gave me your number. That sort of thing.

Winchester:Laying it on a little thick there, Darren.

Darren:Oh I’m just trying to break the ice Maxie. A little humor to make that pretty face smile.

Veronica:If this is you breaking the ice then no wonder Atlas is so cold. Not interested, now scram.

Max:Sweetheart, curve the attitude. Obviously you’re new here but FYI, underclassmen show more respect.

Veronica:You’re not respecting my space.

Max:You’re not respecting our locker space.

Okay, this time she was in the jocks territory and not purposely seeked out. Maybe her luck was just bad? Veronica sidestepped out of the way and decided to leave. While Max opened his locker.

Veronica:My bad…

Max:Yeah it is.

Darren:Hey hey hey, hold on second here. “My bad” is a pretty half assed apology. Don’t you wanna try something a little more...hospitable? Maybe a cute little curtsy or something? No, well the view of you leaving is pretty nice so I shouldn’t complain.

Veronica: Fuck. Off.

Darren:Ooo kitten has claws.

He starts to follow behind her.

Max: ‘I swear he’s going to end up in prison’ Stop skirt chasing the literal puss and get your shit man.

Darren:I’m just trying to get to know the lady a little. Is that so bad?

Veronica:Darren was it? Listen to your friend and buzz off before you get actual claws, got it?

Darren:Ooo how scrappy. I don’t mind a little pain. That’s why I win medals for this place. Isn’t that right Maxie?

Max:If you need my help to get her attention then it’s probably a sign you’re trying too hard.

Veronica: ‘At least that one has a few brain cells”

Max:Besides, shouldn’t you aim for a girl that’s more… appealing?

That caught her attention. Turning around would’ve been reckless. There was no need to entertain these two, yet she couldn’t help herself.

Veronica: ‘Fuck this guy’ Was that a comment on my looks, or my features?

Max:Can’t say, all I know is what I see, and what I see is oh so not worth any time or effort. Why Darren is giving you the time of day,I’ll never understand.

Darren:Dude!

Veronica:Hmph, whatever. I should expect as much from you. At least you’re more charming than your father.

Max:Tsk, What did you-

Veronica:Goodbye. *walks away*

Darren:Hey! You can’t just disrespect him like that! Are you even listen- hey!

Veronica:Maybe if you learned to leave a girl alone then-

Her words got caught in her throat. Veronica thought they had gotten the message. That they wouldn’t bother her anymore and silently curse her names like others; the pain that ran through her tail said otherwise.

Veronica could start to feel her blood start to boil as she turned back around to see, to feel Darren gripping her tail with his disgusting hands. Max had closed his locker but didn’t look confrontational. No, he looked alarmed.

“Darren I think you overstepped.” He put his things down.

“I overstepped!? She’s the one running her mouth and mentioning your family like she knows anything.”

Veronica’s eyes matched that of a feline and her barely came out above a whisper. “You have three seconds to let go…”

Unfazed, he tightened his grip. “Or wha-”

Time was up. Darren couldn’t even finish the word before he felt the back of Veronica’s fist make a clean contact with the right side of his face, knocking spit and his body into the lockers.

“Darren!”

The boy was too dazed to respond or react to the feeling of the smaller girl tackling him to the ground as Veronica began to wail on him. Repeatedly throwing punch after punch in a fit of anger. Until Darren headbutted her off.

Now he was pissed. He got up and threw a punch that was quickly stopped by Max. “What the hell man!”

“That doesn’t end well for you!”

“It won’t for her either!”

Veronica ran back at him without thinking and was kicked right in the stomach, falling backwards for only a second before charging again.

Max tugged Darren behind him to act as a buffer and stiff armed Veronica. The guy really was a wall, but that meant nothing to Veronica. Her body slipped right through him and came out the other side to tackle the idiot who grabbed her tail.

This time they both hit the ground and started to exchange blows.

She was practically seeing red, blacking out from rage, adrenaline, pain, hunger; somewhere along the line she could taste a little iron in her mouth and pain across her face. Must’ve gotten hit, not like she cared, sound seemed distorted but she could still feel everything. Especially her knuckles that were getting tender, and the constant hands of Max trying to pull her off most likely.

She had tried to be patient. Tried to stay calm, tried to walk away, but she simply couldn’t. All she could do was keep swinging and kicking. Until….

“Get a grip Vee!”

The red stopped, her mind clearing enough to focus on control. Eventually coming to and seeing what had happened. Her arms had been secured in a tight bear hug. Darren was still in front of her with bruises that were already healing and a scowl on his that screamed “I’ll end you.”

To his right was Max who was also a bit hyped on adrenaline, his hair messed up and also thoroughly pissed. But something was off. Who was restraining-

A pit formed in Veronica's stomach as she looked to the ground to see gravity glyphs holding them all in place. She turned around to see messy familiar hair slicked back and shocked eyes. Nick had showed up, as well as a few other faculty from the sound of it.

The boy was out of breath and had a dark bruise around the bridge of his nose as he continued holding her.

“N...Nick?” Her voice trembled. “When did you-”

“We gotta move.” He said anxiously as he took her by the wrist and ran out towards the exit.

Darren wasn’t amused. “That son of-Nicholas! You think we’re done here!”

“Shut up man! We don’t need this kinda shit right now.” Max growled with an intense amount of bass. The glyphs vanished and he grabbed Darren as he ran off as well. Quickly pushing his friend out the door. “Go cool off and then come back. I’ll handle the adults”

“You can’t be seri-”

“Do you want to get beat up by three different people today!? Take a fucking walk”

Darren grit his teeth before spitting a mixture of spit and blood on the ground before listening to his friends instructions. Max let out an annoyed sigh before regaining his stoic expression and stood by the door as faculty and students started gathering.

xxxx

Veronica messes up, she messed up big time. It was one thing to make trouble for herself but it creating it for others wasn’t a thing she enjoyed. All she had to do was keep calm, walk away, and survive a day at school. Not be led through the back streets of Atlas by Nicholas of all people.

He hadn’t said a word to her but she hadn’t spoken either. The feeling of her blood rushing and the whirlpool of her instincts still washed over her like a sea of flames that did its best to simmer down. Nick must’ve been furious, he had a right to be. Veronica said she was fine when she wasn’t. Now this has happened. Veronica wanted nothing more than to scream at herself right now. How could she let this happen?

She continued to stare at the hand that held her wrist through an alley where Nick finally stopped and let go. Veronica wanted to say something but didn’t get the chance before Nick tossed a bag over his shoulder at her.

Veronica reacted just fast enough to catch it and was taken back by it. It was….jerky? Beef jerky at that. She looked to see him staring at her with concern. Veronica tried looking away but Nick tilted her back to stare into her animal like eyes. With her luck, he probably saw her fangs when she was screaming her head off earlier.

Nick: ‘So this is what I was supposed to look out for?’ You with me Vee?

Veronica:....

Nick:They sell those packs in the vending machines near the sports room. Taste isn’t that spectacular but I’m sure it’ll serve you better than me right now.

Veronica:....

Nick:Vee…?

Veronica:...Can you...turn around? I don’t want you to see me eat. Cover your ears too.

Nick:Uh, okay? *turns around* tap my shoulder when you're done I guess.

Veronica:Thanks…

Nick covered his ears and Veronica finally opened the extremely full bag. The aroma hit her like a truck and Veronica couldn’t help but let out a gulp the moment it did.

Nick clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, already feeling a little awkward after fifteen seconds. ‘Is she gonna eat all of that? The bag is a large size, people twice my size take a while to eat it.’ He was starting to regret making today's arm day in gym class. ‘Hopefully she just needs a few pieces of-’

The wind blew and the bag flew right by his head, completely empty and teared apart. The tap on his shoulder can immediately after. That...couldn’t have been the bag, no way. He turned around and couldn’t believe it, Veronica stood in front of him a little bit more composed than before. Her eyes were less intense, as well as her hair. Even Vee’s breathing was less erratic but she still wasn’t exactly calm either. The crumbs on her face didn’t help.

Nick caught himself staring a little too hard and tried to have a very even expression. Veronica was starting to look at him the way Summer looks at her scars. This was clearly a big deal to her. After all, this was all news to him.

Nick:Are you okay? Or you know...slightly better?

Veronica:Slightly better is a decent way of putting it, barely. My body hurts.

Nick:Well you probably have a few bruises, your lip and right hand is bleeding, and I might’ve tackled you a little hard once or twice whenever I arrived. I’ve seen explosive tempers but man.

Veronica:Did I...give you that bruise?

Nick:Consider it a team effort between the three of you. Serves me right for rushing in without thinking. Nothing a little aura can’t fix. Same goes for you I hope.

Veronica:I’ll be fine…

She walked towards him slowly and gently touched his nose. She did this to him. He might put blame on everybody but it was no doubt to spare her feelings. Veronica’s ears drooped down and she held back her tears. It was bad enough Nick saw her lose her cool, she wasn’t gonna let him see her tears.

Veronica:I’m sorry...really sorry. I’ve done nothing but lie, break promises, and caused you trouble. All on my first day too. Talk about pathetic. Now you’re hurt and going to be in trouble because of me.Frankly I...I don’t know why you aren’t yelling at right now. How can you tolerate me so much all the time? I wouldn’t be able to.

Nick:Well that’s easy, it’s not tolerating when you want to be around the person.

And just like that, Veronica was speechless.

Nick:Don’t get me wrong. Can’t say I’m okay with how today went or that I’m not disappointed that you couldn’t last the day; But you’ve always been a hothead. Today just explains why. Yang might’ve told me to keep an eye on you, out of love of course. So don’t be too upset with her okay? I wish I knew about this sooner. Pardon if I’m overstepping, but does this have anything to do with why you’re so reluctant to talk about Menagerie? Anytime I talk about visiting it’s always a no.

Veronica:It’s one of many reasons. Reasons I rather not get into, sorry.

Nick:That’s fair. It’s funny, we always talk about how we talk about everything but I guess something we can’t help but keep to ourselves. Did you think I’d hate you, or wouldn’t understand? Granted I’m definitely hazy on the specifics but I definitely don’t think any less of you. V-

Veronica:I like you…as in like, like you.

Blood rushed to both of their faces. Veronica didn’t make eye contact but she did take his hand and held it tight; it trembled ever so slightly.

Nick couldn’t tell if he was slightly under the weather like Valerie said or hearing the words aloud. Nick wasn’t dense like his father, but hearing a confession was still a crazy moment. Especially right now. A boy in his gym clothes and a roughed up school girl, standing in a snowy alleyway after running out of school. Maybe he should’ve slept in today.

Veronica:It’s not like it’s been some kind of secret. I was never good at subtlety. When you're around me...I try so hard for you to only see the best of me, though it rarely happens. So I kept quiet, from plenty of people. Unless you really know about faunus then how could you know what goes on under the surface? You’re the last person I wanted to tell. I thought you’d look at me differently.

Nick:Do I look that shallow?.

Veronica:I couldn’t take the chance. Not when you’re the one, the only who really sees me outside of my parents.

He wasn’t entirely sure Veronica meant by that. See her how? In what way was he different from someone like his sister or Valerie? Was it okay to ask that right now? He decided against it. Being pushed away earlier made him worried about it happening again.

So instead he told her a simple truth.

Nick:It’s not like you’re Shiva. I’ve stared in the eyes as she threatened my life and I still hug Summer without a care in the world. On a scale from one to ten, what happened at school was a two. If you ever need something then I’m here Vee. I care about you, a lot. Be who you are around me.

Veronica:....Anything Huh?

She leans forward slowly, her face crimson. Nick’s brain goes crazy. ‘Is she…!? Wait, no! I’ve never-’ Veronica’s head lands in the crook of his neck and her hands wrap around him weakly.

“Food…” she said half consciously. “Fattening food, meat. Please tell me Atlas has that?”

Nick:Okay! I know a spot that’s out of the way and serves anyone. So-

She shut her eyes and dozed off. Nick heard quiet purring from Vee and saw her injuries finally start to heal. A good sign, but Nick couldn’t travel like this! He’d have trouble even if he wasn’t sick; not to mention he totally forgot that he wasn’t in his regular clothes!

Nick:I did not think this through. No wallet or phone, a passed out girl, and parents that will murder us. Think Nick, who could I call right now that wouldn’t chew me out and still help? Oh! Duh…

xxxx

Penny:I called your parents.

Nick:Why!?

Penny:You’re minors...

Nick:At least they have time to calm down.

Penny:They’re sending Winter.

The boy nearly choked on his thermometer before Penny took it out. He currently sat on one of her medical beds while Veronica was sleeping in one next to him. A stack of meat lovers pizza by the bed was ready for her whenever she woke up.

Penny:Due to physical exhaustion from yesterday, insufficient rest, and slight dehydration, you’re running a slight fever Nicholas Schnee. Maybe even a cold if it gets worse. I’m ordering you to do nothing but rest and go to school. No training, or unneeded stress from extracurricular activities for two days.

Nick:But I have tournament-

Penny:Home and school! A council is not one person, they can get by without you. It would be a tragedy if you couldn’t even compete, then Summer would be disqualified from duos.

Nick:Sigh….yes ma’am. Sleep does sound nice.

Penny:48 hours will be up before you know it!

Nick:Maybe Val and Summer should’ve played hooky today too? Thanks for all this. I know you’re specifically in the medical field but…

Penny:I consider myself a jack of all PHDs.

Nick:How about an expert in faunus biology? Is Veronica-

Penny:She’s fine, but that’s all I can disclose without permission. I’m sure she’ll tell you more of her own free will when I leave the room. She is pretending to be asleep right now to avoid talking to me.

Nick:....WHAT!? *looks at her*

Veronica:.....

Penny:Oscar has tried convincing her to have at least one session with her as a request from her parents for some time now for reasons I’m not sure of. I doubt she wants to speak in my presence out of fear that I might tell Oscar something that he could use to understand her better. Question is, how long will she fake being unconscious until the smell of pizza is too much?

Veronica:*opens eyes* I’m begging you to leave.

Penny:Okay! I have work to complete anyways. Hopefully nothing burst into flames again. Don’t worry about your school belongings. Summer was told to get them.

Penny rubs Nick’s head and goes into a separate lab room. Veronica rises from the bed like a zombie and grabs a pizza box. Drool starts to form as she opens the box and grabs a slice. Meat lovers, it was beautiful. She almost inhaled the slice before looking up and turning red. Nick was staring at her calmly.

Veronica:Ummm….

Nick:Huh? Oh! *turns around* Sorry…

Veronica:It’s just really...I hate being seen when I eat like this. We can still talk though.

Nick:Hmm where to start?

Veronica:Those boys, how much trouble are they going to be for you?

Nick:Oh those knuckleheads won’t be a problem. I’m fortunate that you fought two people who. already hate me and plan on beating me senseless anyways.

Veronica:How is that a good thing exactly?

Nick:Because messing with you gives me an excuse to actively be cruel to them! The school will probably give all of us a slap on the wrist considering we’re in the tournament, duos in fact. They’re the runners up from last year. Both of them were pretty upset underclassmen took their gold.

Veronica:The big one, Max. He looks disturbingly a lot like his pops. Didn’t even know they lived here. Makes sense with the lack of equality around here still.

Nick:Don’t be too quick to judge. Max doesn’t hate faunus and my dad says Cardin is a pretty alright guy these days.

Veronica:Yet his son appears to be falling in similar pitfalls. Bastard said I wasn’t his type and gave me the strangest look.

Nick:Maybe he’s just not into blondes or something, I don’t know. As far as apples falling from trees go, my dad is pretty respectful and turns the other cheek quite a bit; that didn’t carry over haha.

Veronica:Yeah you’re petty and smug, like a gremlin or something. A cute one. You’re also very cheerful in a sarcastically optimistic way. Weird, you’re weird Nick.

Nick:It’s called charisma. Can I get a slice? This is a lot of pizza.

Veronica:Knock yourself out. You went a little overboard with ten boxes.

Nick:I don’t know how any of this works. Is there a certain ratio of meat or…

Veronica:Think of it as a kind of mental/physical diet. Meat sets of the animal instinct and keeps everything working okay. Too much and the instincts stay on. The eyes, hair, claws, teeth, and other more psychological things stick around. No meat eventually draws it out in a more aggressive nature and my body can’t operate well because of the messing the nutrients. Everything hurts.

Nick:So on one end you’re a peak apex predator, then the other is what, starved wildcat?

Veronica:I call it going feral but yeah that works. I don’t like either position. One is physically painful while the other….I just don’t like the “apex” me. It’s a lot to handle.

Nick:For you or other people?

Veronica:I’d like if we changed the subject please?

Nick:Sorry. Anything on your mind.

Veronica:...Your feelings for me.

He choked on a pepperoni, coughing and hacking it back up to catch his breath. Of course that’s on her mind! Nick had to keep his cool, this was important. He had answers but had no clue if they were good answers.

He turned around despite her earlier request. This had to be done face to face. Veronica must’ve known that because she wasn't eating anymore. Her hands rested on the box that most likely was empty by now and eyes focused on her normal looking nails.

Bright blush ran across her face again with her ears down. Her tail curled around her left arm. In a weird way he wished the world could see her right now. It was for this exact reason he always vouched for Vee. The overwhelmingly confident and rowdy island girl wasn’t all she was. Veronica could feel insecure or be meek.She never dismissed her faults but also had no shame pointing out others. Veronica saw everything she could in something and was honest about her feelings with it to the point all she ever did to avoid discussion was say she didn’t want to talk about it or be vague.

Nick:Uhh, what about the subject exactly?

Veronica:Can you get a little closer?

Nick stood up and sat on the edge of her bed. Veronica patted her hand and me closer. Then another pat made him get closer, then another, and another; until he was beside her. Vee’s hand grabbed his and she leaned, dangerously close. Nick started to feel his heart race again.

Veronica:Have you kissed a girl?

Nick:K..Kiss?! As in...no. H-Have you?

Veronica:Once, well a couple times by one person. It was pretty crappy honestly, for many reasons.

Nick:I’m sorry…

Veronica:It’s alright. I’m sure I’ll have better ones.

She could feel him shake a little. His heart sounded like firecrackers going off with how fast it was. Veronica leaned just a little closer and the boy shut his eyes. He made no advances, no tilt, or lean. Nick would’ve just let it happen. Veronica smiles before flicking his forehead to make him jump. She laughed and leaned back, but kept holding his hand.

Veronica:As much as I like you I won’t take anything you don’t want to give me. Your first kiss happens once. Do it on your terms. I hope Valerie accepts it.

Nick:I’m sorry.

Veronica:Don’t be. You’ve always looked her way. I can see why. I wish you thought I was as pretty and wonderful just like her. Maybe if I cracked more jokes or a bit nicer, then you would fall for-

Nick:You are so gorgeous Veronica Belladonna.

His words derailed her own. Nick smiled at the girl curiously with his blushing face that made her heart melt. This was unexpected. This face, those words, it was so...sincere.

Nick:You tell plenty of jokes, sure you need work on your attitude but Val is rowdier than you on occasion. There isn’t a thing about you that doesn’t make me…

Veronica:Nicholas…? Do you...feel something for me?

Nick:Of course I do you dunce.

Veronica:Then why-

Nick:Because Val has my heart. How could I date you knowing that? I’d feel really shitty being with someone that loves me so much and my heart is set on another girl. That’s not very chivalrous of someone who loves the idea of being a knight.

Veronica:So...I guess she really is the princess in your story?

Nick:Wrong. I’ve never thought of Val like that. She’s...my longest friend and companion. We’ve done so much together just to see if we could. Val to me is like another knight. Rival, friend, crush...she’s a lot. A princess isn’t one of them. If I’m being honest with myself, you’d be my princess.

Life was so unfair, he was unfair. Veronica’s mind was everywhere just like her blush. Was Nick letting her down easy or flirting!? How could he do both!? Veronica let go of his hand and put the covers over her head. Looking at his dumb face wasn’t helping the situation. She really was in love with this clown.

Veronica:You really are such a gremlin you know!? Now I like you more!

Nick:Oh...well..I don’t know what I was trying to do just now. I was explaining myself and sorta… I’m so fucking stupid. I’m gonna go wash up and give you some space now.

She gave him a thumbs up and heard his footsteps slowly grow distant until they stopped. Was he...looking back at her!? Was it with embarrassment or longingly!? It would be weird to peek out now! This cover was a bad idea. His footsteps started again and Veronica heard the doorknob open. Not yet, he couldn’t leave yet without her proper response.

Veronica:Nicholas?

Nick:Yeah?

Veronica:I hope, I hope things work out for you and Val. Regardless of my feelings I want you to be happy. That being said, don’t think I’m going to stop trying, because you...have my heart. And I need you to know that if for some reason Val doesn’t accept yours, or you get it back, I’ll accept it with open arms.

Nick:....

Veronica:....Too much?

Nick:No, it was just right. Thanks, Vee.

The door slowly creaked closed as he left. Just before it did however, the tiniest whisper slipped through. Was it on purpose, or did her hearing escape his thoughts. Either way Veronica pressed her pillow against her chest flustered.

“My princess” Damn those Schnees. They always know just what to say.

Part 16

[grapecaseschoices]

6,7,18,21

I’m going to do all four MCs because I’m greedy like that.

Thanks for the ask @shady-saint

Surina

6. What's their relationship to Bobby?

He’s a college friend. However, she’s moved past that. Or tries her best to do so. She tries not to let him get under her skin. It’s telling that she’s got nothing for him as Surina can usually find sympathy for most people. 

7. Who is their Love Interest and why?

Morgan. Because they somehow had the most points? Because Surina can give as good as she gets but with a smile. (I loved that Rina was just. So. Optimistic but still sassy. And Morgan is -- Morgan.So, there’s a back of forth in the flirting but with a sunshiney light. Plus Rina’s so much taller than her and that’s hilarious.) 

18. What do they think of Douglas?

Who? At first, she felt he was a waste of time and while it isn’t her job to chastie him / at the same time she still made him sweat a bit. Who the eff cares whose his dad is?  She saved him. She feels for him. She sympathizes that his family life is tough but thinks he could do better to focus. She finds their hero-worship / crush to be a little weird. But she also balances not to crush his spirit too much. If it gets him to focus at work, all the better? 

21. Their favourite/comfort food?

Was this an option? Clearly I need to replay. She has a huge sweet tooth, if remember right. I guess water with Pastry? 

Pierre

6. What's their relationship to Bobby?

Fuc. THAT. BITCH. Bobby pushes his buttons far more than he wishes he would. They were exes. Mistakes were made. Pierre regrets them.

7. Who is their Love Interest and why?

~~uwu~~ Felix~~~ Ahem. Because Felix gets under his skin in the best of ways. I wanted to do a tol vs smol. And thought it’d be funny to have someone more by the book, fumbling with F. Felix is the best thing since sliced bread in Pierre’s book. They balance each other yet are both naturally warm people who want the best for others. And each other. They are my sunshine, soft ship. It is so delightful to read. Especially, as Pierre is more -- he wants to take things slowly. Even though Felix is ready to GO. The care. The respect. The affection Felix gives him? Ugh. It’s just what someone whose ex was Bobby needs. It’s what Pierre deserves. And likewise Pierre is a warm, teasing, steady presence that I feel is good for Felix. BALANCE~~~@@!!!!

18. What do they think of Douglas?

What a little bitch He does not think of the young officer very much. He does wish he could focus more on his work. And will continue discipline him, take that phone away, in hopes that SOMETHING sticks.

Val

6. What's their relationship to Bobby?

They really don’t have much other than Val thinks he is scum. Val has a lot of Disaster, Trashbag traits themselves BUT there are lines Bobby crosses that makes them uncomfortable. They would totally look the other way as Bobby got mugged. Probably. (They wouldn’t.)

7. Who is their Love Interest and why?

Adam. THE CHAOS! No. Yes. I just was like why not~~~ And they butt heads so often, so beautifully, I had to do so. Adam and Val are on opposite ends of the spectrum of things. Adam’s organized, about the duty, by the book, the leader of a team. Val is a mess, did it for the lulz (and the money), HIGHLY (sometimes to a FAULT) stubborn and independent, and wants to be a lone wolf.They’re as stubborn as the other. And both terrible with people. They’re also both ridiculously practical (... pessimistic) about people and accepts that in the other, also generally - when it’s not all WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS - accepts the worst of the other. They have a strong sense of honor that one wouldn’t expect with either that I think also connects them. The contrasts and similarities make them delightful to me.

18. What do they think of Douglas? 

Leaf. Me. Lone. Kid. Is probably actual fax quote from Val. The hero-worship is creepy. And they think the kid needs a strong dose of reality. However, they don’t fully have it in them to crush his spirits, no matter how blunt they are about it. They totally encourage the ‘fuck my parent’ feels. 

Kai

6. What's their relationship to Bobby?

Who? Kai don’t give no fux about Bobby. He’s doing his job and Kai is doing his own. It’s when Bobby crosses those boundaries that he becomes displeased.

7. Who is their Love Interest and why?

Nat! Because I really wanted to do a tech saavy man who wears skirts and dresses to offset bookworm Nat with her stylish browns. (SHE REFUSES TO DRIVE A CAR!! Kai finds it endearing). He loves her intellect and her humor. She’s so soft and people saavy ... and he is not. ROFLMAO. But I think he respects her approach. And like wise. 

18. What do they think of Douglas?

Who?  Like Bobby. I think he finds Douglas annoying (but like less so? Or he’s less offensive). But also like Bobby he doesn’t let annoying people bother him.

21. Their favourite/comfort food?

He went with coffee and pastry. So, I guess pastry.

[mercurialmind]

What Did Happen at Herald’s Rest?

This is how the night of Wicked grace actually happened (at least in my head), and I want to share it with you :D

The text is part of a longer fic The Sword and The Quill, but can easily be read independently.

Pairings: Shae Lavellan/Dorian Pavus, Cassandra Pentaghast/Josephine Montilyet

Other characters: Iron Bull, Blackwall, Sera, Cole, Varric, Cullen, Leliana, The Chargers

Genre: Humor

Raiting: T

“I would find it most romantic if Shae took a sword in hand and defended his love for me”, Dorian told smirking and received an elbow, gently to his side. Shae smiled at him from the corner of his eye.

“I would swoon from the excitement”, Dorian continued, dramatically leaning his body over the Inquisitor’s arms, pursing his lips, ready for a kiss.

Shae pressed his lips together to an awkward smile as he held Dorian’s weight. “I am sorry to tell you... but you are too heavy”, he chuckled.

“How rude”, Dorian huffed, standing up and winking at Cassandra who shook her head.

“You are beyond hope”, she told him.

Although weeks had passed since the duel in Val Royeaux, it still remained on the tip of everyone’s tongue. But what else could she have expected? Sometimes, all the fuss about it was annoying, but Dorian’s joking did not bother her.

The Inner circle was enjoying a rare night at the Herald’s rest. There was no one else at the tavern that night. Iron Bull and Blackwall carried more ale to the table were Varric and Sera were sitting and laughing. Sera was already quite drunk compared to the others. Her loud chatter carried around the tavern.

“Bull, you remember the blonde with big ditties, right?”

Bull sat down in front of her, his drink sloshing over the border of his mug. “I’ve told this before, but they have names too, you know.”

“I knooow ”, Sera snickered, “but I can’t remember.”

“You should work on your memory”, Bull said. “Girls appreciate if you at least remember their name.”

“Yeah yeah. But you see, I…got some of that .”

Cassandra huffed. She did not wish to hear more of that discussion, thus she let it fade to the background as she looked around. Josephine was engaged in heated discussion with Cullen. The Inquisitor was currently talking with Leliana.

“I don’t remember having fun like this since... well, ages”, Dorian told, handing a glass of wine to her.

“That is entirely true”, Cassandra said smiling. “But only two days, and we will yet again be heading out to danger.” Emerald graves demanded their attention next. It would take again weeks to settle the problems in the area. There would be fighting, more demons, giants... She sighed and glanced at Josephine who was smiling, her hands gesturing excitedly as she talked. It would be the first time they were going to be apart since they had professed their love for each other.

“It must be difficult”, Dorian said, his face growing serious.

Cassandra came back from her thoughts to look at her friend.

“I cannot imagine how it would be like to leave Shae behind...or to stay at Skyhold while he is out on the field”, Dorian continued.

Cassandra sighed again and took a sip from her wine. “I do not wish to think about that now. It is too lovely night to dwell on such dark thoughts. Tonight we shall celebrate friendship and all the happy things we have”, she said, and a smile returned to her face.

Dorian raised his glass and smiled at her. “Truer words have not been spoken.”

They kept on chatting, drank more wine, and at some point, they joined in the discussion with Josephine and Cullen.

“Time for Wicked grace!” Varric’s voice carried over the chatter. “It’s the time we got some action.”

When the crowd began to move to the table, Dorian looked around. “Where is Sera?” he asked. “She was just there a moment ago.”

Cassandra looked around. “Perhaps she left to find the woman with…large breasts?”

Dorian laughed. “I think you might have had quite a few drinks tonight, Cassandra.”

They all gathered around a long table and pulled out their coin purses.

“Tsk tsk, you shall not sit next to each other”, Dorian pulled Cassandra up from her chair and sat her down at the end of the table, taking her place beside Josephine. “We don’t want any scheming. “

Cassandra frowned at him. Shae took a place on the other side of the table, opposite of Dorian. The others had already settled on their chairs.

“I hope I recall the rules”, Josephine smiled. “It’s been a while since we played a game of Wicked grace.”

“Are three drakes better than a pair of swords?”, Cassandra wondered. “I can never remember.”

“Seeker”, Varric said. “Just don’t show anyone your hand. That rule also includes announcing it to the table.”

“I would not…”, she told narrowing her eyes at him.

“There’s a crown on his head, but a sword too. His head didn’t want either”, that was Cole, under his oversized hat.

“Don’t talk to the face cards, kid”, Varric told smiling at the boy.

“I can’t stay long”, Cullen said, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I still have a thousand things to do tonight.”

“What would you have to do at this time of the night - after so much ale?” Leliana asked smirking. “A woman?”

“No”, Cullen looked at her, blushing, which received some chuckling around the table.

“A man, then?” Leliana continued, now smiling innocently.

Cullen rubbed at his neck and sighed. “Maker.”

Varric chuckled. “Curly, I am not an expert”, he said, “but isn’t that blasphemy? What do you think, Cassandra?”

Cassandra laughed. “Why would you ask me?” she said dryly. “Commander may do whomever he likes. I’ve had too many drinks tonight to care about such things.”

That received a chorus of laughter around the table, and Cullen buried his face deep into his hands.

“Curly, if any man in history needed a hobby, it’s you”, Varric laughed and patted him on the shoulder. Then he handed the deck of cards to Josephine. “Go ahead, deal us in.”

Josephine took the cards and leaned back on her chair. “Dealer starts. Ooh...I ...believe…”, she was hesitating. “I’ll start at...three coppers! Do you think that’s too daring? Maybe I’ll make it one...No! Boldness! Three it is!”

Iron Bull threw his coin on the table and leaned over. “Seriously?” He roughed. “Who starts at three coppers? Silver, or go home.”

Blackwall placed his coin on the table. “Sounds good, I’m in.”

“Bolder the better, right? I’m in”, that was Dorian.

“I am in as well”, Cassandra told.

“Me too”, Varric said, throwing a coin of silver on the table. “What about you, Freckles? Are you in?” he asked Shae.

Shae placed a silver on the table. “Please, remember, I’m still new to this game.”

“Don’t worry”, Varric smiled. “You’ll pick it up in no time.

When they all had placed their bets, the game could begin, and it was more fun than Cassandra had remembered. The best thing of all was the moment they all shared together.

While playing the game, they shared funny stories. The ale kept flowing, and the chatter grew louder as the night went on. Even Cullen ended up finally laughing.

“Alright, I have a story”, Shae told suddenly, gaining everyone’s attention. “I’m tipsy enough to finally, come clean about something.”

“Ooh, confessions!” Dorian chuckled.

“Even you don’t know about this”, Shae told mysteriously. “It happened before you joined. ”He cleared his throat and took another sip of his wine. “It was the very beginning of the Inquisition, my hand was burning, and I was alone in the chantry hallway. I thought cold would help, so I tried using magic to cool it.”

“I have a hunch where this is going”, Leliana said, leaning back on her chair.

“Well...”, Shae continued, looking at her apologetically, “the anchor was making my magic unstable, and I wasn’t used to it.”

“You did it!” Josephine pointed a finger at him.

“Yes I did”, Shae told. “I was the one who froze the entire corridor.”

Leliana and Josephine exchanged looks across the table. “And we tried everything to find out who was vandalous enough to do such a thing”, Leliana said.

“I remember hearing voices approaching behind the door and had just enough time to sneak… or better to say slide... to the room next to the war room, to hide”, Shae told chuckling. “I have to admit, it was not easy.”

“I can imagine”, Leliana laughed. “When I entered the hallway with three nobles who were ready for their meeting with the Ambassador, all of them slipped and fell on top of each other onto the frozen floor.”

“I heard screaming and opened my office door”, Josephine continued, giggling. “It was terrible...Three nobles on all fours, trying to crawl to reach something to help them stand.”

Now they were all laughing around the table.

“Excellent!” Dorian pointed. “I’m sure they all deserved it.”

“We spent two days defrosting the hallway”, Leliana said smirking. “But it was all worth it.”

“I must agree”, giggled Josephine. “But the Inquisition would be ruined if anyone found out it was you.”

***

“And the dealer takes everything!” Josephine stated at the end of another hand. “I win again.”

Cullen frowned at her and leaned closer, over the table. “Deal again”, he said. “I figured out your tells, Lady Ambassador.”

Josephine leaned closer as well, slightly tilting her head. “Commander! Everyone knows a lady has no tells.”

“Then let’s see if your good fortune lasts one more hand.”

Others chuckled when Cullen threw thunderous glances at Josephine across the table. Cassandra smiled too. Josephine was in her element, and Cassandra took all the joy watching her.

***

When nearly everyone had already folded their cards, Cullen and Josephine were staring at each other. Josephine had an innocent smile on her face as she glanced at her cards again.

“All in”, Josephine told, looking at the Commander.

“I bet my clothes for this one”, Cullen grinned. “Lady Ambassador, I know you are bluffing.”

“It’s not even your turn yet”, Iron Bull laughed.

“What about you Seeker?” Varric asked.

Cassandra glanced at her cards once more, not believing her eyes. She had the best hand anyone could have in the game, she was sure of that. “I am in”, she said finally and pushed all her coins to the center of the table, receiving a series of astonished gasps.

“This is getting interesting”, said Dorian and drank from his wine.

“I’ll pass”, Shae told and placed his cards on the table.

“So then?” Varric said, looking at Cullen.

“ All your clothes?” Cooed Josephine, not letting her eyes leave the Commander’s.

“ All of them”, Cullen said.

Josephine smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Very well then”, she said. “You all heard him.”

“Show the cards!” Iron Bull roared.

As they did, everyone could see that Josephine had absolutely nothing. Cullen laughed when he slammed his cards on the table. “Well this hand is mine!” he triumphed.

“Not so fast, Commander”, Cassandra told smiling as she laid her hand on the table. “I think it is mine.”

Everyone stretched their necks across the table to see her cards, and the laughter started gradually rise among the friends.

“I think we have a winner then”, Josephine smiled and turned to Cassandra who was still baffled by the result. “You won the whole pot!” she sang. “I knew you could do it, my love!” Then she tilted her head at Cullen. “I am afraid you were right after all.”

Cullen rubbed at his neck, looking at Cassandra’s cards, not believing his eyes.

“Still”, Josephine continued through the noise of laughter, staring at Cullen in the eyes, smiling smugly, “you have lost your garments.”

“Strip them off already!” Iron Bull shouted since Cullen just sat still.

Cullen looked around the table and rubbed at his face. “Maker”, he breathed and began to remove his coat.

“It comes off. I didn’t know it came off”, Cole said when Cullen was sitting bare naked on his chair.

“Don’t say a word, dwarf”, Cullen growled, side-eyeing Varric who was laughing hard.

“Here, Seeker!” Varric threw the Commander's furry coat to Cassandra. “It’s yours now.”

“And what am I supposed to do with it?”

“Put it on, of course”, Dorian said.

“I most certainly will not”, Cassandra protested.

“Oh do it, Cassandra!” Leliana chuckled.

“Do it! Do it! Do it!” Shouts began to carry around the table.

She must have been truly drunk that night, because she did. There was a slight smile on her face as she dressed up in the Commander’s uniform. The whole thing was quite amusing after all. As she caressed the fur around her neck, she looked at the others. “Happy now?” she huffed, and received yet again a series of laughs from the others.

Cullen looked uncomfortable. “May I borrow something to cover myself. I would very much like to retreat to my quarters.”

“No, you may not”, Leliana smirked. “Rules are rules.”

“Maker’s breath, I would appreciate if you all could at least look away so I can stand up from this chair.”

Everyone looked at each other and nodded. “I think we can do that”, Blackwall said.

“I do not wish to witness the Commander’s walk of shame back to the barracks”, Cassandra told.

“But we can’t promise for the people outside”, Josephine giggled.

So as they all looked away, Cullen took his leave and disappeared butt naked to the night. Cassandra saw Dorian take a peak just before Cullen was out of the door, and raised an eyebrow at him while he received the smiling Inquisitor’s elbow to his side. Dorian chuckled.

“Look who has been here the whole time”, Leliana laughed, pointing at a foot sticking out from under the table.

“Sera!”

Shae kneeled on the floor and poked his friend who was apparently, fast asleep. “She’s alright”, he said after examining her breathing.

They pulled her up, and as they did so, she woke up slightly, slurring something incoherent. Shae volunteered to walk her upstairs, to her room.

There was a sudden clang at the door, and loud noises as The Chargers burst in the tavern.

“Hey guys!” Bull retorted. “Glad you decided to stop by.”

“We wouldn’t miss a great party”, Krem told.

The Chargers had seemingly started the night with drinks already. Their happy chatter merged with the others, and music began to fill the air as they pulled out some instruments and began to play.

Iron Bull and Blackwall decided to arm wrestle, which drew Varric and Dorian along as well. Bull won Blackwall easily. They laughed and wrestled again as Dorian and Varric took a measure of each other. Dorian was a good opponent to Varric, but the countless times of firing a crossbow had made its work on Varric’s arms.

“Cassandra!” Varric’s voice carried over the music after their match, and she turned to look at him.

“We never got the best of each other, thanks to Freckles’ interference”, he laughed, referring to the spat they had had, after Hawke’s arrival to Skyhold. “Let’s do it now.”

“Varric, there’s no need to…”

“If you want to forfeit...”, Varric said and shrugged.

Cassandra took a step closer. “I will not.”

Varric smiled. “Well, then”, he said and placed his arm on the table, gesturing at Cassandra to join him.

Cassandra glanced at the others who had mostly stopped what they were doing and were now looking at them.

“Fine”, she huffed and sat on the other side of the table. Her elbow hit the wood, and she grabbed Varric’s hand in a firm grip. “Show me what you got then.”

Bull banged the table with his hand, and the others cheered as they began to wrestle. Cassandra gritted her teeth when Varric’s arm twisted hers, pushing it slightly closer to the table. She held tighter to Varric’s grip and pushed her limits.

Varric grunted, and looked at her, grinning. “I did not expect less”, he breathed between his teeth.

Cassandra did not answer, but applied all her strength to her arm that gradually, began to push down Varric’s, finally resulting to a sound of his knuckles hitting the wood. She pulled her sweaty hand away, raising up from her chair, a small smile on her lips.

Varric chuckled. “I think I’m happy Freckles got between us.”

After that match, she had to face Iron Bull as the last opponent, but that wrestle was quickly settled for Bull’s account. No one could best him. Had anyone seen the size of his arms?

The Chargers kept on playing music, and people danced. When Leliana and Josephine finished dancing together, Leliana picked up a lute and joined the players. Her voice was beautiful as always when she began to sing.

Cassandra danced with Josephine, Shae with Dorian, Krem with Dalish. And when the song switched to another, Blackwall came and bowed to Cassandra.

“Can I have this dance, my lady?”

And so Cassandra let go of Josephine’s hand and took his instead. She was carried across the tavern floor by strong warrior arms, and could not help but be pleased in the moment.

Josephine, on the other hand, grabbed Shae’s hand and robbed him from Dorian.

***

“I must admit, this fur coat suits you”, Josephine giggled. She was sitting on Cassandra’s legs, both of them resting after a long time of dancing. “But it does not smell very nice”, she added.

Cassandra laughed. She was still drunk, a slow tiredness taking over her body, beginning to make her sleepy. She buried her face into Josephine’s neck and placed a small kiss there. The sun was already rising, you could tell it from the pale light coming through the windows. The music had stopped; Bull, Blackwall, Stitches, Dalish and Skinner were talking, their voices low now; Dorian and Shae had disappeared somewhere upstairs; Rocky, Grim and Krem had fallen asleep at the table. Krem mumbled something they could not understand.

“I have a feeling you might have affected the outcome of the game”, Cassandra said and looked at Josephine with a small smile.

“I do not know what you are talking about”, Josephine told smirking, and tightened her arms around her.

Suddenly, Cole appeared at the table where the three men were snoring. “Her voice, beautiful and soothing. Her face, lovely like a morning sun. Spending my days watching, listening. Will she ever notice me?” Krem moved and mumbled again. Then Cole was gone as fast as he had appeared.

It was Leliana who approached them now, with a smirk on her face. “Look what I found”, she sang, holding up her hand. There was a piece of clothing hanging from her fingers, and they could quickly, be identified as the smallclothes Cullen had let fall to the ground at the end of Wicked grace.

“Leliana?” Josephine said, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Yes?”

“You are not planning on doing what I think, are you?”

“What will you do with them?” Cassandra asked curiously.

Leliana giggled. “You will see in the morning”, she said with a hushed voice and disappeared through the door to the courtyard.

[imagineteamfreewill]

Both Worlds

Title: Both Worlds

Pairing: Mermaid!Reader x Mermaid!Dean

Word Count: 5,338

Warnings: Angst, sea monsters, my interpretation of the mermaid world

Summary: Dean finally tells Y/N to leave, which leads to some major discoveries.

A/N: This is part six of the Back to the Start series. Please let me know what you think, and enjoy! Also, this contains another ship at the end, so I’ll put that in the tags instead of the warnings so it’s not spoiled.

x

Back to the Start Masterlist

Your name: submit What is this? document.getElementById("submit").addEventListener('click', function(){ walk(document.body, /\by\/n\b|\(y\/n\)/ig, document.getElementById("inputTxt").value); }); function walk(node, v, p){ var child, next; switch (node.nodeType){ case 1: // Element case 9: // Document case 11: // Document fragment child = node.firstChild; while (child){ next = child.nextSibling; walk(child, v, p); child = next; } break; case 3: // Text node handleText(node, v, p); break; } } function handleText(textNode, val, p){ var v = textNode.nodeValue; v = v.replace(val, p); textNode.nodeValue = v; }

_______________

Dean had been pacing his bedroom for the full hour that Y/N had been in the bathroom. He’d paced the whole time she was in the shower, the whole time she’d brushed her teeth and hair, and the whole time that she’d sang songs and danced around the tiny bathroom. The floor practically had a groove in it by the time she opened the door and stepped out, a smile on her face.

“Morning, Dean,” she said, pushing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Are you gonna shower now that I’m out? I can wait to go on my swim if you wanted to go down to the beach with me.”

He shook his head and gave her a tight smile. “I’ll probably shower tonight. I’m gonna work on the house today.”

“Oh, okay,” Y/N replied. Her smile faltered for a second before returning in full force. “Did you want to talk about last night? We can wait till later if you want, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Hesitant, Dean nodded. Putting this off wouldn’t do any good.

Y/N’s smile faded slightly when she realized he was dreading this conversation, but he didn’t blame her. After all, he was about to chase her off. He’d decided sometime between one in the morning and when she woke up that he couldn’t tell Y/N who he was. Not only would it make her angry that he’d lied to her, but then she’d expect him to go back home with her. He couldn’t go back—everything in her world would be a constant reminder of the family that he’d lost. Plus, the other mermaids would expect him to be some kind of strong, mythical leader, when in reality, he just wanted to be left alone. The only person he’d ever want to spend time with was Y/N, but surely she had responsibilities and friends of her own. It wouldn’t be fair to ask her to hole away with him for the rest of her life.

“What’s going on, Dean?” Y/N asked. She perched on the edge of his bed and looked up at him, her eyes wide with worry. “You’re not sick or something, are you? We’ve watched a lot of movies with sick people lately.”

“I’m not sick. Listen, Y/N,” Dean began, running a hand through his hair. “You can’t stay here with me anymore.”

She didn’t respond for a moment, but she stopped him when he opened his mouth to further explain. “Dean, you know that I love you, right?” she asked, a smile tugging at her lips. Dean nodded in response. “And I love you, which is why I’m telling you this: You have a terrible sense of humor.”

Sighing, Dean paced for a second, avoiding meeting Y/N’s eyes all the while. After a few moments, he stopped and faced her. “Y/N, I’m not kidding. You really can’t stay here. This isn’t some kind of joke. It’s just… It’s better if you leave.”

“Are you— Are you really kicking me out? You really don’t want me here? You just said you loved me! And you keep telling me I can stay however long I want and that you want me to stay!”

Dean cringed. He didn’t realize how poorly this was going to go until now. All the late-night thinking in the world couldn’t have prepared him for this.

“No, that’s not what I meant, Y/N. I—“

“You didn’t mean it when you said you loved me? You didn’t mean it when you asked me to stay?” she asked. Her voice cracked and when Dean looked down at her, Y/N’s eyes were filled with tears. “But I really thought that…”

He sighed and rubbed his face, trying to think of how he could get Y/N to leave without hurting her even more. He hated feeling like he was breaking her heart. He really did love her, which was exactly why he needed to let her go.

Slowly, Dean sat down on the edge of the bed, ignoring how Y/N scooted away from him so their legs wouldn’t touch. “I love you more than anything, Y/N. That’s why I need you to leave,” he explained.

“You want me to leave because you love me,” Y/N repeated. She looked shocked and confused, maybe even a little angry, and Dean swallowed thickly. There was no way that this conversation could get any worse. “Dean, that doesn’t even make sense. You’re not making any sense. Let’s go downstairs and get something to eat, okay? We can talk about this later when you’re feeling better. I just… I don’t think you’re thinking straight right now.”

Not bothering to acknowledge what she’d just said, Dean blurted out, “I’m leaving, Y/N.” It was a complete lie, of course, but in the moment, Dean couldn’t think of anything else that would convince her to leave. “I’m moving away from the ocean and I’m not coming back. It’s time for you to go back to your family and your friends.”

“I’ll go with you, Dean! I can’t imagine living without you, and we can figure out a way for me to live without the saltwater. I’m sure that if we pour a bunch of salt in the bathtub it’ll be similar. I can drink saltwater, too! Where are you moving to? When are you moving?”

“It doesn’t matter where or when I’m moving or how many ways you can get saltwater there, Y/N! You can’t go with me,” Dean growled, standing suddenly. “I’m not taking you away from the ocean and your life, and that’s the end of this discussion!”

Y/N flinched, fear written all over her face. He hadn’t meant to yell, but it had clearly done the trick. Still, Dean could’ve sworn that his heart had snapped in two when she’d wrenched away from him.

“Fine,” Y/N whispered. Her voice wobbled and Dean felt his heart break even more, if that was even possible. “If that’s how you really feel, then I’ll go. I’m sorry for whatever I did to upset you.” She stood quietly, then left the room without another word.

Dean stood motionless in the room for several minutes, trying to ignore his regret. He didn’t know what to do next, at least until the sound of the screen door slamming jolted him into action. He couldn’t let Y/N leave without warning her that the sea demon may be waiting for her. If Dean knew anything about the monster he’d faced years ago, it was that it would wait long and hard for its prey to come back. The least he could do was help her find another way around it, or maybe take her out to deeper waters in the rickety boat he’d had since he moved in.

Now filled with worry, Dean sprinted down the stairs and out the front door, stopping only for a split-second on the porch to look around for Y/N. She was already at the foot of the stairs that led to the beach, but when Dean opened his mouth to call after her, no sound came out. He was just about to try again when he saw a flash of black in the waters near the shore. His heart leapt into his throat and his stomach churned.

It’s out there. She can’t go. She’ll die trying to fight that off on her own, he thought.

“Y/N! Stop! Wait!”

Y/N didn’t turn around as she halted near the edge of the waves and peeled off her clothes, then waded into the water until her tail appeared and she could swim.

There was no other option. As he ran down the stairs and onto the beach, Dean pushed down the cold tendrils of fear that wrapped around his heart and filled his mind, telling him to stop and that Y/N would be even angrier with him for hiding this from her.

She won’t let you save her. She’ll be so angry she won’t even let you help her.

Shaking his head, Dean frantically shed his pajamas and dashed into the waves. The water splashed around his legs, soaking into his bare skin as he waded deeper and deeper.  Y/N had disappeared from sight, but as soon as he was deep enough and his tail formed, Dean ducked under the water and saw her only a few yards ahead of him.

He hadn’t been in the ocean for years, and the strong currents took him by surprise. His tail wasn’t strong enough either, and suddenly Dean found himself swimming in the opposite direction that he needed to go. Frustrated, he mumbled a curse and pumped his tail harder, frantically redirecting himself.

Up ahead, Y/N was swimming as hard as she could towards the drop-off. Dean could see the dark tentacles of the demon in the distance, but he knew that it could move quickly, quicker than any mermaid ever could. It was only a matter of time before Y/N was within its reach. So, he pushed harder. The only think he could think about was catching up with Y/N.

“Y/N! Y/N, wait!”

The sound of his voice coming to her so clearly through the water must have shocked her, because Y/N stopped and looked up at the water’s surface.

She’s searching for a boat, Dean thought. He grimaced when Y/N’s gaze finally fixated on him.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured, knowing well enough that she’d hear him just fine. She stayed motionless, barely even blinking as she stared at him from up ahead. Dean didn’t know what to think. “I know what you’re thinking, but—”

“Do you, Dean?” Y/N asked, tilting her head to the side. “Do you really? Because all this time I thought I knew exactly what you were thinking, but you just got through telling me that I was wrong about everything.”

Dean swallowed thickly and glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were still far enough away from the monster to be safe. “Y/N, I didn’t…” He trailed off, closing his eyes and taking a shuddery breath. “I hate being in the ocean. I hate being in open water like this. I never wanted you to find out about me because I didn’t want to come back here.”

“Why? Why do you hate it, Dean? Why didn’t you want to come back? Because clearly you were made to be here,” Y/N snapped.

When Dean opened his eyes, her arms were crossed over her chest. She was pissed, but he knew she had a good reason to be.

“Because my family died out here. They died because of that thing,” Dean nodded at the monster, “which is exactly why I came back. You can’t make it past that thing. You’ll die trying.”

Y/N had turned to look at the monster when Dean had indicated it was there, and she was still staring at it when Dean had finished talking. When she faced Dean again, her eyes were wide with fear. She was pale as a sheet, and he realized that she was remembering the last time she’d seen the demon.

“I’ve faced it too, Y/N. That’s what my family and I were up against when they…” He swallowed his next words, not wanting to even think them.

“You’re Dean Winchester,” Y/N murmured, her fearful expression now tinged with amazement. “All this time… You didn’t want to tell me this? Even though you knew I’d heard all the stories?”

“Of course I wanted to tell you, but it was better if you thought I was just a story,” Dean replied. “That way you wouldn’t try and convince me to come back. I thought it was safer that way, but when I realized what you’d been running from when you ended up on my beach, and then when I realized it was probably still out here… I couldn’t let you face it alone. I tried to chase you away because I didn’t know how you’d react if you found out I was lying, but I love you too much to keep up the lie.”

A small smile formed on Y/N’s lips. “So you do love me.”

Dean nodded, smiling a little himself. “I do.”

“Well, then let’s get rid of this thing and then you can go home. I’ll still go back home afterwards if you want me to, as long as you promise I can come visit you whenever,” Y/N added.

“Deal,” Dean answered, smiling wider when she reached out with her tail and flicked his fins. “You have a beautiful tail, by the way.”

Y/N blushed. “As do you, Dean,” she grinned. “And the golden armbands are a nice touch. I always just thought that you had a thing for those gold rings you always wore, but now I get it.”

Dean was about to reply and tell her that he’d often thought about getting rid of the rings—he hadn’t wanted anything to do with his privileged status as a mermaid, let alone as a human—but he was cut off when he realized that the sea demon had grown closer ever since he and Y/N had begun talking. His heart was pounding in his chest as he floated closer to her, pushing her behind him in an act of protectiveness he was sure to regret.

“Y/N, have you ever fought a sea demon?” he questioned, not taking his eyes off the monster.

“No. Have you?”

“Briefly. It didn’t end well for me the first time, but maybe we’ll have more luck today. I think it still holds a grudge from when I stabbed it in the eye, though,” Dean whispered.

The demon was slinking closer, its one good eye fixated on Dean. The other was completely black, as were the tentacles that helped it slither across the sand. From where he stood, Dean heard the demon let out a low growl. It almost sounded as if it were speaking another language, rather than growling, and Dean bared his teeth at it.

“You killed my family,” he spat. “And now I’m gonna kill you.”

Another growl came from the monster as it reached out one long tentacle. The limb moved faster than Dean expected, but he was able to push Y/N out of the way and then duck so it wouldn’t hit him. After righting himself, Dean glanced around, hoping to find something that he could use as a weapon. He had no such luck.

“Dean!”

Dean turned to see why Y/N was calling his name, only to be hit in the face by another thick tentacle. He groaned and fell backwards, landing with his tail curled underneath him at an awkward angle.

Y/N was at his side in moments, helping him up as she shot a fierce look at the demon, who was still encroaching on them. “You can’t do this by yourself, you idiot,” she told him. “I’m gonna help you.”

“Y/N, you don’t know anything about this thing! I followed my dad around for years searching for this demon and training to fight it!”

“Don’t act as if I’m useless. You’re the one who hasn’t been down here in years,” she said, ignoring when his jaw clenched in frustration. “Now come on, we have to get this thing away from shore before anyone sees it.”

That, Dean decided, was the smartest idea he’d heard all day. He nodded in agreement and swam off after Y/N, consequently leading the demon towards a set of dark caves that were just off the mainland.

“Why are we going this way?” Dean asked after a few minutes of swimming. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the demon was still following them. It was.

“Before I washed up on your beach, I found something here you might find useful,” she called over her shoulder.

Another quick glance told him that the monster was gaining speed as they swam into deeper waters, and Dean felt an adrenaline rush as he recognized the caves. Smiling, Dean tucked his arms against himself and dove into the deepest one. It was too dark to see anything, so he held his hands out and groped until he felt the cold, smooth metal he’d been searching for. Once he got a good grip on it, he found its mate, then felt his way out of the cave and swam back up to Y/N.

She was watching the monster with a worried look on her face when he finally emerged.

“I could kiss you!” Dean shouted, holding up his old sword for her to see. It was still polished to a shine, as if only a day had passed since he’d last used it.

She turned to face him, then grinned in response. “Maybe after, Winchester. You get something for me?”

Dean nodded and tossed his short, golden knife her way.

Y/N caught it with ease, weighing it in her hands. “I’ve never fought with one of these, but it’s better than nothing,” she told him, still smiling. “You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, sweetheart,” Dean replied.

With that, he charged the demon with Y/N at his side.

It’s good to be back, he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips when he saw a flicker of fear in the monster’s eye as he came it with the sword. No doubt it remembered the golden glow of the blade, and Dean couldn’t help but grin as he took his first swipe.

The demon would regret ever hurting Y/N and his family.

_______________

“Who is he?”

“Is that…”

“It’s just a story, that can’t really be him.”

“Dean? Dean, wake up.”

He knew that voice, the last one.

“Dean, sweetheart, wake up. Open your eyes, please.”

Y/N. That’s Y/N.

Slowly, Dean opened his eyes, ignoring the gritty feeling of sand stuck in his eyelashes. His entire body hurt, but he smiled when he saw Y/N above him.

Relief flooded her eyes as she cupped his cheek in her hand. “Hey, baby. Remember me?” she asked.

“How could I not?” Dean replied, closing his eyes for a brief moment. His voice was gravelly and his throat hurt. Clearly, he hadn’t spoken in a while. “I’d kiss you, but it hurts to breathe.”

Y/N frowned and gently touched his gills, then carefully brushed the sand off them.

“You should sit up. That will help,” she said, sliding a hand into the sand under his back so she could help him up into a sitting position. Before he could even reply, Y/N was pushing him and Dean had no choice but to follow her silent instructions.

Once he was sitting up, Dean took a deep breath, relaxing when he realized that he could, in fact, breathe better now. It wasn’t until then that he realized the small crowd circled around him and Y/N.

Quietly, he asked her, “What’s going on? Where are we?”

Y/N swallowed and glanced up at the other merfolk. “Dean, this is my pod. My family.”

Dean stayed silent for a minute before forcing a tired smile. “Meeting the folks so soon?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood. Nobody laughed and his shoulders sagged.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured, her eyes sad as she gently touched his cheek. He flinched, feeling the still-tender bruise on his cheekbone.

“Sorry for what?”

“I know you’d rather go home, but after you finished off the demon… I don’t know. You just… passed out from exhaustion. I dragged you all the way here.”

“And where exactly is here?” Dean asked, looking around. Past the people, he could see a stone wall dotted with caves, each of them glowing from the inside.

Y/N turned and followed his gaze, then replied, “The Caves of Silvermerrow. It’s my home, just like it’ll be yours, if you want.”

The other mermaids and mermen murmured amongst each other and Dean glanced up at them, frowning.

An older merman moved forward from the crowd and approached the two of them, his tail swishing anxiously as he asked, “Y/N, who is this? Many of us have seen him on shore when we venture close, but now he’s like one of us. What have you done?”

“He’s always been one of us,” Y/N replied, swimming up from the sand so she was level with the elder. “This is Dean Winchester, son of Mary and John Winchester, brother of Sam Winchester.”

A gasp came from the gathered crowd, followed by a wave of murmuring. They began to move in closer and Dean swam up to Y/N, grabbing her arm.

“Y/N, is there someplace we can go that’s away from all these people?” he hissed, his tail brushing against hers as he tried to get as far away from the other merfolk as possible.

Glancing at him, Y/N nodded. “Elder Carver, I promise I will return and explain everything, but right now I need to find someplace Dean can rest. He fought long and hard to save us.”

The elder dipped his head in acknowledgement, then turned and bowed slightly deeper towards Dean. “You are most welcome here, Dean. If you choose to stay, I promise to help you find your place among us, be it in leadership or in service,” he said, his voice deep and warm.

Dean relaxed slightly, bowing in respect. “Thank you, Elder. I don’t expect to stay long. I hate the sea, but I thank you for your generosity.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Y/N was tugging Dean away from the crowd and towards the caves. She led him to a cave with a deep golden glow. Neither she nor Dean spoke the entire way there.

“We can stay here,” Y/N finally told him as she pulled a woven curtain over the cave’s entrance. It was woven of seaweed, and Dean noticed that Y/N quickly fixed a stray piece before she turned back to him.

“Is this where you live?” he asked, looking around. She nodded in response and settled down on a low, flat rock. “It’s pretty bare.”

“I don’t spend much time here. It’s lonely,” she replied.

Dean glanced over at her. “Lonely?”

Y/N nodded. “I spend most of my time with my family or my friends, but I’ve been on my own for a while. That’s why I was so eager to be with you, Dean. You were the first person I’d ever wanted to share my home with. I love you.”

“I love you too.” The words came instinctively, almost like breathing, and he felt a little lighter when she smiled. Dean sat beside her, not bothering to move his tail when it rested against hers. She didn’t move either, he noticed.

Much different than this morning when she moved away…

“You’re still welcome to come back and visit me,” Dean said after a moment, breaking the short silence.

She smiled over at him, then reached over and took his hand. “I would like that, but it’s a far swim. I can’t live two different lives, Dean. I can’t live in both worlds,” she murmured.

Chewing on his lip, Dean looked down at their tails. The flowing, thin parts of their fins moved with the drafty currents moving from one end of the cave to the other, and he smiled a little at the sight. Being underwater again had been strange at first, but now that he’d been down for a while, Dean felt as if he’d never left. And, as reluctant as he was to admit it, he was meant to be underwater.

“You okay?” Y/N asked, her voice soft.

Dean nodded. “Yeah. I’m alright, sweetheart. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About how I’d been expecting to feel like a fish out of water down here,” Y/N chuckled at that, “but I don’t. Being here feels natural. Being here with you feels natural,” Dean added.

Y/N blushed and squeezed his hand, then swam away from the bench. She moved over to a crevice in the stone wall and pulled out both Dean’s sword and the knife he’d loaned her.

“I can’t believe those were still there,” Dean chuckled, swimming over and taking them from her. “It’s been years since I’ve seen them.”

“And it shows. You could use some practice, old man,” Y/N teased. Dean raised an eyebrows at her, causing her to grin wider. “I’ll show you where the other men practice tomorrow, how’s that?”

He nodded and kissed her cheek. When he pulled away, he saw that she was blushing. Pride welled up inside of him; he could still make Y/N blush even though things had changed significantly between them ever since he’d revealed his identity.

“Can I ask you a question?” Dean nodded and leaned against the wall, watching her expectantly. “Will you stay here for awhile? With me?”

Dean didn’t think he could’ve smiled any wider if he’d wanted to. “Can you promise that I won’t have to deal with ton of people all the time?” he asked.

“Do you consider me a lot of people?” Dean shook his head. “Then yes, I can promise that.”

“Then you’ve got a deal, Y/N. Now come on, show me where I can sleep.”

Smiling, Y/N took his hand and led him to the back of the cave, where a comfortable bed of underwater plants was half-hidden by large, golden crystals coming out of the floor. The two of them settled down together, their noses only inches away from each other, then decided it would be more comfortable for Y/N to nestle in his arms.

Sleeping with a tail again would be difficult, Dean knew, but he had a good feeling that the familiar weight of Y/N laying against him would help. He smiled as he closed his eyes, finally feeling at home.

“Dean?” Y/N asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Dean, are you awake?”

He hummed in response, keeping his eyes closed as he pressed his nose against the bare skin of her neck.

“Thank you for staying. I would’ve missed you.”

Without a word, Dean pulled Y/N tighter against himself, then searched for her hand. Once he found it, he laced their fingers together and pressed another kiss against her neck. Y/N sighed and settled down once more, happy and safe in his arms.

_______________

Word travelled fast in Silvermerrow. Within hours of Y/N dragging Dean to the edge of the pod’s territory, everyone within a quick swim’s distance had heard of his arrival. The whole pod was buzzing with excitement and wonder. After all, it wasn’t every day that a myth was found out to be true.

One person, however, was more excited than the rest of the mermaids and mermen in the pod.

“Wesson? Are you home?”

Wesson pushed away from the shelves of ancient sea scrolls he’d been looking through, smiling when he saw his petite wife floating in the doorway of their home.

“Of course I’m here, Meg. Where else would I be?” he asked.

She shrugged, then smiled from ear to ear. Excitement filled her eyes and he could help but laugh as she darted across the room to grab his hands. She was pulling him towards the door before he could stop her.

“Whoa, whoa! Wait a second!” he laughed, gently prying his hands from her iron grip. “What’s got you so excited?”

“Haven’t you heard? It’s all true, Wesson! And if this one’s true, then who knows how many more could be!” Meg cried, reaching for his hands again.

Wesson, ever the cautious one in their relationship, moved his hands out of her reach. “Meg, explain! What exactly is true?”

“The myth about the Winchesters!”

Wesson froze, his tail going still as he watched Meg’s excited expression fall.

“Wesson? Why aren’t you excited? Dean Winchester is here! That’s the most exciting thing that’s ever happened in this place! Plus, you like stories, and I figured if we found where he was, you could ask him questions!” Meg grinned. “Maybe he could help me brush up on my fighting skills, too! In the story he’s supposed to be this great warrior, which means he probably has lots of dirty tricks he can teach me. What do you think?”

Shaking his head, Wesson turned and swam back into the little cave that he and Meg shared. She followed close behind.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Do you not want me to train with him or something?” Her mood was beginning to turn sour, Wesson could tell, and he quickly racked his brain for an excuse for his unusual behavior.

“No, that’s not it, Meg. I just have a lot of work to do. You training with him isn’t a problem. In fact, why don’t you go find him and invite him over to have a meal here in our cave? It would give him a chance to meet us without everyone else around,” he suggested.

Meg nodded excitedly and swam off, leaving Wesson alone once more. Once he was sure she wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon, he pushed a heavy rock in front of the cave’s entrance and swam to the bedroom tucked away in the back of their cave.

It was easy to find where he’d hidden the golden armbands he’d worn as a child, and as soon as he slipped them on, they grew to accommodate the large, hard-earned muscles on his arms. The feeling of the metal against his skin was odd; he hadn’t so much as touched the bands ever since his parents died, and he can’t imagine having to wear them every day like he had when he was younger. Of course, maybe he would have kept wearing them if he’d known that Dean was alive, too.

“He didn’t even come looking for me,” Wesson murmured.

After a long moment, he pulled the bands off and jammed them back into the box made of carved shell. He locked it and shoved it back in its place under his and Meg’s bed, then rose and went over to the mirror. Reluctantly, Wesson let his eyes travel down his long, multi-colored tail, all the way down to his fin. Though he typically avoided all memories of the attack, Wesson couldn’t help but cringe when he remembered the pain of his fin ripping in two.

You’re lucky that your tail wasn’t damaged, Wesson scolded himself, shaking his head as he watched the thin, shredded portion of his fin float in a thousand different directions. After all, Dean might have been hurt worse than you. Mom and Dad definitely were.

Hot, angry tears filled Wesson’s eyes at the thought of his parents’ deaths, and he wiped them away before he could see them in the mirror. Now wasn’t the time to cry. Now was the time to figure out what to do next. He could run, leaving Meg and the pod he called his home, or he could face Dean and hope that his brother wouldn’t be angry for not searching for him. Then again, Dean hadn’t looked for him either. They were both to blame.

Taking a deep breath, Wesson headed back out into the main room, then pushed the rock away from the entrance. Meg would be back before nightfall, as always, so he had until then to come up with an explanation. She’d surely want one as soon as she learned that Wesson had been hiding his true identity from her from the moment they’d met. Would she still want to be with him? Or would she only want Wesson, the quiet, common merman she’d eagerly married over three years before?

Either way, Wesson had a lot of explaining to do.

_______________

Want to be tagged? Add yourself to my Forever, Dean, or series-specific tag lists HERE!

Forever Tags: @deathtonormalcy56 @feelmyroarrrr @shadowgirl077 @mogaruke @jayankles @amaranthinecastiel @jpadjackles @d-s-winchester @kickasscas67 @mrswhozeewhatsis @therebel1967 @supernatural-harrypotter7 @allinhishands @ultimatecin73 @crystallstaircase @a-screaming-ghost @huffleypuffelycas @procrastinating-fallen-angel @kittycat-cas @dracsgirl @deansleather @queenindecisive @wildfirekhaleesi @fuckyeahfeysand @sandlee44 @plaidstiel-wormstache @spontaneousam @kristaparadowski @adaliamalfoy @winchesterforever12 @fangirl1802 @supernaturalyobessed @mamaredd123 @findingfitnessforme @weepingrebelhottub @notesfromalabprincess @dustycelt @becaamm @riversong-sam @you-know-whodoesthat-crazypeople @therewillbeblood @fangirlwithasweettooth @ohgodjensen @notmoose45 @yvngkinggchristyy @becs-bunker @wingsanddarkness @docharleythegeekqueen @xthefuckerysquaredx @megasimpleplan4ever @tiffanycaruso @sup3r-pott3r-lock3d @lynnebla @crushing83 @4401lnc @essie1876 @lostnliterature @apeshit7x @emoryhemsworth @illbewendyyoubepeter @l4life @beatlesobsessionlove @goldenolaf25 @shellbraa @sammiesamness @tattooedmomster13 @carryonmyswansong @fangirlextraordinaire @brooke-supernatural16 @owlluver @supermoonpanda @holywinchesterness @pureawesomeness001 @crispychrissy @heyitscam99 @samanddeanmyheroes @infinity1321

Dean Tags: @lipstickandwhiskey @itsemmyb @ezauraemmaline @beriala @charliesbackbitches @crzcorgi @ellen-reincarnated1967 @gryffindorable713 @walkingencyclopediaoffandom @growleytria @thegleegeneration @samtomydeanwinchester @treble-maker95 @sis-tafics @fandommaniacx @meganwinchester1999 @samanddeanwinchester67 @ferferelli @iridianuniverse @the-morning-star-falls @ackleslaugh @fangirling-instead-of-working @hellbentcrowley @eyes-of-a-disney-princess @torn-and-frayed @spnsimpleman @faith-in-dean @mamaimpala @winchesterfiesta @pada-ackles-reads @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @gadreelsforbiddenfruit @curliesallovertheplace @jencharlan @thebunkerismyhome @beachy2014 @fandom-book-nerd @shipping-people-writing-things @tia58 @sams-little-toy @sunriserose1023 @dr-dean @saving-things-hunting-family @winchesterswoonathon @a-closet-full-of-skeletons @ruprecht0420 @thegoodhunterrr5 @jotink78 @lucifer-in-leather @i-dont-know-how-to-write @deantbh @babypieandwhiskey @waywardjoy @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @spn-fan-girl-173 @samsgoddess @thegreatficmaster @megansescape @faegal04 @everyday-supernatural-af @wevegotworktodo @deerlululucy @sleep-silent-angel @trenchcoats-and-bees @not-so-natural-spn @shelovesallthethings @memariana91 @chelsea-winchester @revwinchester @supernaturalyobessed @matteson-crazed @allonsy-yesiwlill @akshi8278 @donnaintx @iwrotemyownending @quiddy-writes @lavieenlex @winchesterseeker @crazysocklovingfangirl @love-me-some-pie21 @naturegirl70 @its-not-a-tulpa  @iwrotemyownending @plaidshirtsandmetalarms @deangirl8757 @pheonyxstorm @shamelesslydean  @bebravekeeponfighting @fangirlandnerd @woodworthti666 @super--dale @mayasmedberg @fangirl-209

Back to the Start Series Tags: @troubletrumble @msdooos @deansgirl215 @multifandom-slytherin @levilou19 @thedeanwinchesterx @yuki-arashi

[autumn-in-phandom]

“Did Dan get TOO TAN?”

(Sept 19th 2017 Dan liveshow timestamps)  

0:03 After an awkward pause and salute: “Hello cyber friends” (instant regret and reflection)

0:29 (Dear god, don’t grab your laptop by the screen like that Dan.)

0:44 Grimace #1

1:06 No Dan, you do not look *atol* different. That tweet, title and pic are all just clickbait.

1:10 (Bronze my ass.)

1:19 Hitting us with that meme.

1:25 (Didn’t need to be in your face thanks. Teasing angles?)

1:36 “Never say Trumpy ever again, in any circumstance.”

1:45 Lovely pores and freckles.

2:00 Obviously everyone subscribes to YouTubers for their freckle content.

2:30 Livestreams are “a mistake” because of the chat clinging on to one thing and spamming it.

2:40 No probing or questioning at airport, big grin.

3:01 “The broadband is terrible but the 4G is great.” Okay…

3:17 “The toasty Dan experience”, orangish filter.

3:26 Double rhyme: “I guess that’s a rhyme, yeah that’s fine” (okay it’s a slant rhyme)

3:47 “Buttered crumpet Daniel.”

4:02 “Went to an island in the Mediterranean.” (This is exactly the answer I expected and quite frankly the only one he should give.)

4:09 “Literally did nothing for about six days, it was great.”

4:15 ‘I am Pilgrim’ book recommended by his mum.

4:30 Tricked into reading 900 page book.

5:00 Holiday was incredibly relaxing.

5:10 “Ordeal” getting there, delayed flight, three hours “traumatizing”

5:22 “Haha long boye” “literally, shins driving into my chest, bleeding” alright hyperbolic humor Dan. “Tough.”

5:38 “Violated” on flight by guy’s elbows, “no respect for personal space”, “fully leaning into me”, “didn’t even care”, “honestly an icon for all of us.” (Was it Phil?)

6:03 3 am, old driver, mini bus, cliff roads, did pre-ritual preparing for death.

7:00 “So much yogurt”, doesn’t know why.

7:05 “Assaggetti” tweet, we can shame him, “has the worst sense of humor in the world”, check it out and unsubscribe, doesn’t remember the language (Italian), apologizes, “constantly problematic”.

7:55 “Got that D from the S up above” (vitamin D, or Phil…)

8:16 Phil came on the holiday in case anyone didn’t know.

8:18 “He went from like glass to pale ivory, which is good”, “Phil is someome who erupts in freckles whenever he goes outside, so it’s hard to tell if he tans or if your eyes are just kinda like drawing the dots between the space all the freckles are, if you know what I’m saying.” (Wow, I… I’d like to think you mean what I know, but I’m not sure. Wow.)

8:37 Someone in the chat: “Nice Ursa Major on that cheek boy”. Turn, pose, laugh.

8:41 “The Bigger Dipper of my self esteem.”

8:53 Good day: watched Bake Off and answered emails, “thrilling”.

9:13 Tumblr likes, fan art, “beautiful to celebrate the great people.”

9:43 “The internet is not here”, laughs, sighs, apologizes.

9:55 Some peer pressure advice.

10:25 Had to check what his video title is.

10:35 I don’t know why he bothers to ask if we watched either.

10:55 Accept that he does things by his British calendar.

11:11 Why he didn’t he talk about uni stories when it was happening. Ashamed? Yeah, processing turmoil at the time.

11:55 Now shares traumatizing, terrifying, shameful, embarrassing stories straight away.

12:15 Rowing club guy AU… (not what I was thinking)

12:46 Laundry story: Phil was nice, Dan didn’t ask, *literally* ordered a cab, turned up with suitcase, Phil assumed he dropped out and was moving in, “I’ve had a day and I’m going to wash my socks in your washing machine.”

13:13 “If you struggle to function as a person-” (I really wish he had finished this sentence)

13:15 Asda sponsor for crying in the cheese aisle?

13:23 Pasta burn shaming (were you just never in the kitchen with your mum Dan?)

13:36 Dropping laptop so much recently.

14:00 Never taught cooking, laundry, accounting.

14:18 “No one told me shit!” (in Dan’s face again).

14:33 “What happens when I’m 23?! How do I do a tax?!”

14:54 It was ravioli (pretty sure the instructions mentioned water Dan…)

15:15 Thick as in stupid, not thicc fat booty.

15:30 “Look Fatima, we all have different life experiences, okay?” (lol)

15:36 “Ravioli ravioli, give me the death I deserveioli.” Relates.

15:45 Rihanna livestream, forehead fetishist? Wouldn’t mind if anyone leaves for that.  

16:08 Not up on BTS, DNA.

16:33 Shames Eden for “let me see that pastussy” comment, “leave.”

16:45 “Love on the Brain”. He really loves Rihanna, amazing, blessing, doesn’t give a shit, casual, informal, etc. “Bitch Better Have My Money.”

17:25 Is sure BTS video with be “pure and beautiful”, expects “softly applied eyeshadow and very fluffy hair”, he’s sure he’ll enjoy.

17:38 Maybe new gaming video/livestream tomorrow.

17:45 Overcooked, ironic kitchen fire, foreshadowing.

18:08 Wasn’t sure if he should get into Chinese guy story again, but he has to.

18:13 Deep breath: “It was 4 am, I’d been you know, well hydrated that evening, but I decided I needed another drink” go into the kitchen, everyone else was asleep, guy had a whole chicken, with neck and feet, fine but surprising, tiniest pair of white y-fronts, hacked head off and made eye contact, just couldn’t, usually would awaken some kink in him…

19:39 Pool pic, shout out to friend, no consent, relaxing, absorbing sun like a lizard, *basking*, fell asleep, lucky it was a pool and he didn’t drift out to sea, sun stroke vid reference, “the bad tan”.

21:08 People saying “trying to be cute”, the double chins (really?!)

21:21 The least Dan-like photo.

21:33 Thought it would ruin his Instagram aesthetic.

22:10 Lack of other content: relaxing, reading,

22:24 Took a couple other photos, sunset selfie, “no one’s going to take a photo of me” (what the hell happened to your personal photographer?) but then people came (please post, please!)

23:40 Bake off is his life, “Noel Feilding is a national treasure”, caramel was torture while hungry, faves are Liam and not!Val (what did he whisper about Liam? Really wanted him to be…?)

24:30 *Maybe* Halloween Baking, they don’t think that far ahead about anything.

24:48 Phil’s role in Dan’s video, mugging scene took nine takes, afraid to punch him. Outtakes please!

26:03 (grimace #2) “Hello Grandma, my name is Daniel, I’m a wholesome person, that’s a very great influence”

26:16 Wachowski films

26:23 Dan floating in donut plushies would be very challenging.

26:33 Dan flips a bit at the idea that’s it’s weird to like people who don’t know who you are. Uses Ed Sheeran as example.

26:55 Scrolls past person who said they feel better when they have a dream about Dan and Phil.

27:17 Cared more about YouTube than university socializing and class, Pom Bear Massacre reference, made Tumblr account.

29:09 Chapped lips, season changed the moment he stepped off the plane.

29:42 “Okay Universe, I know I can be a bit of a downer, sometimes.”

29:51 Haley Barry Storm powers

30:08 Yes the furry blanket comes out, polyester, sad pimp, Marks & Spencer.

31:06 Ready for everything seasonal, autumnal Yankee Candle range, not haute, but fun themes.

31:31 Frisbee laptop across the room on to the bed, missed.

31:46 Candle haul, yes it is content we need right now!

32:26 Furry invasion on Splatoon, scaley, yiffing proposition, “this is a family game”, not shaming just concerned for kids, though it is hentai-esque…

33:27 Sonic: 2010 reminiscing, formatting of boxes.

34:04 Was stupid side kick, Phil being good, Dan trying to be helpful, actual just a cheerleader, Phil was disgusting, doesn’t know if Phil even knew what he was saying (of course he did).

34:38 Didn’t know uni vid was trending

34:52 Reflection (I think that’s the piano nook)

35:00 Weird because of swearing, someone at YT didn’t watch the vid, “Ah, keep doing that, don’t watch my videos, just know that I’m a good person…”

35:25 “I make great friendly content.” (grimace #3)

35:30 Explains why trending isn’t automatic. Yes, think of the children.

36:05 “But hey, I’m not bad, everything’s fine”.

36:45 “People of all genders do and don’t wear makeup”.

37:10 (I’m pretty sure that the no candles with birds is because of the fumes.)

37:25 What is with the nose touching when confirming Spooky Week? “Next video (nose touch) soon, don’t worry”…?

38:28 “Fans of everything are annoying, that’s just what happens when people are enthusiastic about stuff.”

39:19 Dan doesn’t get annoyed by different fandoms. Says more about the people being annoyed, part of their own insecurity, their lack of community, togetherness, celebration, shared experiences, jealous or sad, or maybe everyone just everyone’s annoying.

39:56 Dream Daddy: so dangerous saying Dilddy. Dan likes Damien, great taste, immaculate presentation, probably not Dilddy’s romantic soulmate.

40:31 Dan is in like ten fandoms (makes a face).

40:45 Chat: “Will Phil become a furry, what’s your fursona?” Dan: “Is it time to go?”

40:55 Has never thought about it, promises he’ll get on it soon, he knows what the internet wants from him.

41:31 Chat full of fursona suggestions. He’s going to start crying.

41:52 “A llama fucking hell.” “Look at the time.”

42:01 Going to go into a (not disturbing) hole later looking into axoltl fur suits.

42:24 Elf on a shelf meme, was going to post a Dan one, “old meme!” (Still don’t need to be up in your face Daniel.)

43:27 Really wants to go see IT, needs to see Mother.

44:04 Shut up! American Horror Story, makes him happy. Loves Sarah Paulson (is his life), feels represented by a lesbian with anxiety. Evan Peters is great, looks gross, or great depending.

45:25 His fursona should be a big bear, I agree. What a reaction.

45:46 Left comb on holiday, looks like a bush.

46:13 (grimace #4 at group chat names.)

46:20 “What is wrong with all of you?”

46:22 Glosses over diet ask. Indeed.

46:26 “Don’t call me Uncle Dan when we’re talking about fursonas.”

46:36 “If you live in Australia vote for marriage equality, we don’t need to have this conversation.” “Come on, come on Australia, sort your shit out.”

47:03 Going to “innocently Google things that are fine”.

47:22 “Me and Phil would love to come to Russia”.

47:27 Limitations of TATINOF.

47:44 Watch uni vid: “Don’t take it too seriously. Remember that most of the time I’m just trying to be funny, and if you ever want like my real feelings or opinions, just think about whatever the opposite of what I’m saying is, and that’s usually how to get to the sincere heart of whatever Dan’s talking about.”

48:13 “Stay calm, ask some senpais for some life advice and think carefully about what your fursona should be.”

[frenchy-and-the-sea]

also what are Val's favourite and least favourite things about each of the people she's been hanging out with lately? 0:)

God, you gotta make this hard, don’t you? XD This got a little long so I’m gonna put it under a cut.

Sarula

It’s odd to say since it’s sort of part of her profession, but Val’s favorite thing about Sarula is her faith. Like, she’s a cleric, right? They’re SUPPOSED to have a working relationship with their god, that’s what they DO. That Sarula has a strong connection with Milil should not be particularly surprising, but it’s also not something Val has ever experienced before? And the fact that it is faith and force of will alone that allows Sarula to do things like literally close wounds is something that Val finds particularly admirable. She likes passion in people, and Sarula has a lot.

She doesn’t love that Sarula tends to get flustered so easily, but that’s so minor of a thing that I don’t even see it really bothering her all that terribly much. I don’t think it happens quite enough to be a real annoyance, lmao.

Ianry

Val really loves that Ianry tries so, so, so hard to be a good person, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard. I don’t think I’ve ever really hashed it out in my brain before, but I’ll bet Val sees a little of her own struggle to maintain herself in the face of frustration in Ianry, and probably sympathizes when he has a hard time of it. I imagine she considers the effort that he puts in to just wanting to help people to be worth a hell of a lot.

But if he could curb his ‘end justifies the means’ mentality a little, especially in regards to the safety of his party when he starts flinging fireballs, it would put Val MUCH MORE at ease, lmao.

Amon

Let’s be honest, there is a LOT about Amon that Val loves. Maybe some of it is that homegrown kinship thing that happens around tieflings that actually get along, but her favorite thing, bar none, is that Amon actually really gives a shit. Like yeah, he can be a little chaotic and he suggested cutting that dude’s tongue out once, but he’s also the one who, have knowing Ianry for approximately a day total, told the things attacking him to ‘get the fuck away from his friends’. He coaxed both twins out of their stupors in the astral plane by way of being genuinely concerned about them, he made it a point to pull Val aside and ask if she was cool after the fight on the beach, he constantly checks in with the party. That sort of emotional maintenance is hard to do, but he does it almost without thinking and Val admires that more than I think she’d find herself able to put into words.

The caveat to that is that Amon is also reckless and brash and full of bravado, and while his recklessness tends to fall only within the purview of him, it still gives Val fits to know that he’s just gonna put himself into danger without waiting for back up. Especially when SHE’S the back up. (She knows he can take care of himself, she knows this, but protection is what she does and it frustrates her to no end that she just can’t sometimes.)

Tara

Val likes that Tara maintains a sense of humor, and a chill that the group desperately relies on. Usually, sailors and soldiers get one like oil and water, but Tara has done nothing but prove herself willing to go into a fight with the rest of them and share the load. I’m sure this’ll expand some the longer they’re in a group together, lmao.

I dunno if Val has known her long enough to have anything she truly dislikes, but I think her being dodgy about certain subjects regarding her past makes Val a little uneasy. I don’t think it’s enough to keep her from liking Tara, cause everyone’s got secrets, but….it is becoming more and more imperative that any threat to the group be known so we can prepare for it, and I wonder if that won’t start to bother Val a little bit.

Rona

The big one is that Rona has an enthusiasm for life that Val finds incredibly attractive. Not necessarily in the romantic sense, (although that could definitely be argued) but in the sense of ‘this person loves to be alive, and wants to experience the world as much as possible and I find that to be an incredibly endearing trait.’ Enthusiasm for being a force of good or safety or happiness in the world will literally ALWAYS win Val’s affection.

The only thing I can see being an issue with them, though, is that Rona’s enthusiasm for, say, a potent dislike of someone, would probably wear Val out. Especially if she were caught in the middle. Like don’t get me wrong, Val is 100% an emotional person too. But I think her less than stellar self image means she tends to forgive people and situations more quickly than she probably should? And Rona seems like she’d hang up on that, and it’d probably end up with them having an argument about it. (An argument born of concern, of course, which means it’d clear up fairly easily.

[cerealmonster15]

ddadds kids....

i like thinking about them as one big extended cul-de-sac family... [headcanons and stuff!]

imagine all the families spending the holidays together! i’m sure some celebrate things that the rest dont but theyd probs have one big generic get together during The Holiday Season

all of the kids are crammed together on one big “kid’s table” even tho like half of them are teenagers and there are more offspring than parents

someone always ends up starting a food fight,, usually ernest and lucien, or the twins [either pair. both pairs?? christie and christian vs hazel and briar??]

this was referenced in game once so amanda probs ends up babysitting a lot when she’s home from college for breaks+ during that short time shes still around before she leaves! she’d be  a cool fun babysitter, but tough enough to keep some of the more rambunctious kids in check ;p

[ernest voice] dad i dont NEED a babysitter!!! [hugo voice] son i want to know that i can be away for the weekend and come home to a house that isn’t on fire

ernest is probs really snarky to amanda when she babysits like “youre not the boss of me” and going out of his way to cause trouble, but amanda is Cool and probs gives him a run for his money with snark and idk shenanigans ensue and he probs secretly admires her and thinks she’s awesome but would rather die than let anyone ever find out

lucien looks like he might be fairly close to amanda’s age? they probs dont have all that much in common, but damien’s date revealed that lucien listens to mcr, and amanda made her dad listen to black parade, so I bet they could bond over some music tastes here and there

LET LUCIEN GIVE AMANDA A COOL GOTH MAKEOVER

amanda: pleeeeeaaaaassseeeeeee ;D??? lucien: no way. the goth lifestyle isnt for posers i think with enough pestering she’d get him to cave. he’d take great time and care while painting her nails to make sure he does it Right

amanda probs comments on how careful and skilled he does it like “wow you really take this stuff seriously” “uh obviously??”

once he finishes, amanda takes a pic, and then all the other neighbors see her and are bothering lucien to make them look cool too. he pretends to hate it but actually has a lot of fun and is secretly really happy that they think he’s good at what he does

amanda convinces lucien to do like, cool goth makeup videos and put them on youtube/instagram. she helps him with filming and doing photography of final looks and together they get a lot of followers. sometimes she’ll guest star in his videos if he needs a face model other than his own

amanda’s kinda freaked out by christie and christian at first but over time gets used to and sees past their “creepy twin shtick” and, much like her dad [in the joseph brownie date] learns to use it to mess with them and possibly other people

at first chris probably doesnt talk to amanda a lot and keeps to himself when she’s over, but maybe over time she’d adapt to him and learn a few things hes interested in and express gentle interest in those things to kind of help him open up to her more

chris gets quietly attached to her like shes an older sister

everyone in the cul de sac does. they love amanda

AND EACH OTHER

i want daisy to be involved with the carmensita and amanda girl band thing mentioned briefly during one of mat’s dates. that’d be adorable

you know what else would be adorable? allllll the cul de sac kids coming to briar and hazel’s softball games to support them. 

the kids going to each others’ anything to support them!! when theyre in clubs and activities that put on shows or performances or other sports games, as many of the neighbors that can make it are there

when they get older, they try to be more and more obnoxious to embarrass their neighbors in front of everyone, like making huge support signs and banners with glitter with a stupid yet supportive pun that one of their dads helped come up with, or printing their neighbor’s face on a tshirt or a giant cutout on a popsicle stick, shouting as loud as possible 

they def went to amanda’s actual graduation and PROBABLY ALL CRIED

a lot of this has amanda centric bc i Love Her, but also,,

maybe hugo and craig start going to wrestling matches together [+dadsona] so ernest sees a lot of the cahn kids. if amanda’s in town, she’s with them and in charge. if not, ernest is technically in charge, but secretly [not so secretly probably] the dads are counting on briar and hazel [briar, mostly] to keep things from falling to disaster for the few hours theyre out

they all like to take turns riding on the Giant Dog that ernest got in damien’s route [duchess something i think?] [a good component that should be canon in all universes]

“lets put river on him” “no she’ll fall off” “wheres the duct tape” “n o”

if enough disaster happens leaving these kids alone together, they probably get dropped off at another dad’s house to be looked after for a while. joseph volunteers to look after them but since he and mary are already looking after 4 and KEEP LOSING CRISH, they tend to try and ask literally anyone else

[not that theyre bad parents lmao but it’d be easier for all the other parents that just have One Kid]

i bet christian and christie love robert’s wild spooky stories. he probably makes up so much bullshit to fuck with any kid that’s listening

they’d carpool if they could fit enough kids in one car. it’s probably a 2-3 car carpool depending on who’s driving what size car and who needs to go where at what time

there are probably so many inside jokes[CUL DE SAC MEMES......] that are born at every cul de sac gathering. 

when amanda’s home from college, all the kids wanna be the first to tell her all about the SHENANIGANS she’s missed out on

river and crish are bffs once theyre old enough for human interaction. they Have To Be.

pranking each other in the school hallways plz, or just all around chaos. god help the teachers that somehow end up with 2+ of the cul de sac kids in the same class

ernest definitely sends his dog to poop on damien’s lawn outside lucien’s bedroom window / probably does the flaming bag of dog poop ding dong ditch when he knows lucien’s home alone and will be the one to answer the door

christie and chris like when briar and hazel pretend to be each other, so they get their hands on a pair of scissors and chris gives christie a terrible haircut. possibly briar and hazel try and help with the scheme and things just get Worse and joseph has to take his daughter to a Professional [or maybe one of the dads is really good with hair/has had their child do the same thing and is good with fixing a bad haircut ;p]

carmensita goes through a goth phase after she goes over to lucien’s to be babysat one day. mat does not know how to Deal bc this isnt the type of music hes used to playing but he loves and supports his daughter regardless and likes to hear her singing all kinds of music to broaden her horizons and strengthen her talent

G R O U P  T E X T between all the kids old enough to have phones

there are lots of memes. lots. of memes.

they take candid shitty photos of each other all the time and send them in the chat, and particularly amusing ones end up reused as reaction photos

lucien: [sends photo of ernest having just spilled cereal on himself with duchess in the background making off with a piece of pizza] ernest: fuck u carmensita: mood daisy: why are you having pizza and cereal for breakfast? ernest: dont tell me how to live my life amanda: lol tag urself i’m duchess

this is just something i like to do w/ my friends but they’d probs also stealthily take pictures  of each other when theyre out and about and send them to each other in secret like amanda’s out with her dad at the grocery store and spots lucien and damien in the dairy isle and is like FUCK,, she hides behind a stand of donuts or w/e and takes a pic of them and sends it to lucien w/ no context or like “lol hey” 

it becomes a war of sending pics of each other to each other/the group without getting caught. lucien and ernest probably act like they think it’s stupid but get so competitive about it

they all keep score and it probably also would extend to taking stealthy pics of cul de sac dads too Just Because

the dads find out about the competition somehow and like,,, secretly are so into who’s winning. especially brian and dadsona. sometimes they’ll try and serve as a distraction for their child to get a sneaky pic so they can win, but usually the kids prefer the solo missions

val comes and visits sometimes with cool stories. sometimes she brings her girlfriend, and amanda especially looks up to them like two cool older sisters [i dont remember if it was jacket pins or photography that val said her gf is into, but whatever it is i’m sure amanda would geek out about it with her]

christie and christian eventually grow out of their “creepy twin” thing but still have a more unique brand of humor/personality. the cul de sac kids are used to them by then, and will THROW DOWN with anyone that bullies them/ calls them freaks or anything like that, or anyone that picks on chis [and eventually crish] by association or for any other reason

THESE KIDS MAY ARGUE AND FIGHT AND STUFF SOMETIMES BUT THEY’LL STICK UP FOR EACH OTHER IF ANYONE OUTSIDE THE CUL DE SAC TRIES TO START SOMETHING W/ ONE OF THEIR OWN

i could go on forever making up headcanons or scenarios for these kids bc i love them and constantly crave more content about them but imma stop here bc it’s been over an hour and this is Long but anyway plz talk to me about these kids + the cul de sac as a whole. share ur headcanons,,,,, i l o v e the m ,,

[sabakunoo]

New year thingy late af as usual

SO. I KNOW IM LATE. NEW YEAR WAS 3 DAYS AGO. but you’ll forgive me because you all love me ( right ?? ) anyway!! I’ve been in this fandom (on tumblr) for approximately 4 months and while I’ve got ups and downs getting into that whole tumblr business, you all have been incredible! Both my followers and my roleplay partners and anyone who ever interacted with me! I would do a follow forever list but it would be hypocritical of me since I have a toc that makes me unfollow people who are inactive after 2+ weeks (unless my biased little ass waits a month because they’re a doflamingo or another muse I REALLY enjoy) so, instead of lying and pretending I’ll never unfollow anyone, I’m gonna make a small thingy for the people I’ve met and who (bless their ass) have made my days so incredible since I joined!

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER , MY FAM, THE REAL MVPS UNDER THE CUT BECAUSE LONG ASS POST.

@thesealovesme​ / @shukkou​ / @that one law blog I don’t remember the url of : I wish we interacted more mang. I love how you write your Luffy so much and the dynamic between him and Crocodile cracks me up! I also adored our interactions between Maverick and Noya :’) All in all you’re a great roleplayer and you brightened up my day so many times I can’t even count them anymore. <3

@despairforme​ / @autotoxins​ / @hisashtrayheart​ : T O B Y I love you. Your characterization ( for ALL of your muses ) is incredibly spot on and I love them all to bits. You even made me consider joining the Bleach fandom (but I’m a shy nugget and haven’t watched/ read it in years) because I love interacting with you so much. Even if we don’t do the crossover thing (because I have no idea how an encounter between Nnoi and Croc would end up in something else than a fight) I still love reading your threads on Nnoi and am on the edge of my seat waiting on your Roci and lil clown <3 I love you a lot, thanks for interacting with me <3

@ask-earlobes​ / @burger-face​ / @notarealflamingo​ / @idiothandle​ : Frankyyyyyyy I wish you had more time online but I understand rl is a bitch and we can’t just roleplay every hours of the day. Because trust me I would interact with you every hour of any day any time. You are amazing, I love your muses and your crack stuff. Enel is hilarious and so is your portrayal of Doflamingo, interacting with you is always a delight because of how humorous and lighthearted it is. Thank you and I wish you the best for 2017 <3

@nobedsidemanners​ : I know we’ve just started to interact but ever since I started following evils-champion, I’ve been reading your threads with them and I just --- can I just say that your portrayal of Law is scarily accurate? To be completely honest, Law isn’t even a character I enjoy that much in the One Piece universe, I felt like I was let down post-war and my tiny gay heart still wishes he tampered with Luffy’s body and reveal himself a villain later on ---- but that’s just me. In any case, any time I read you on my dash, my mind is blown with how in character you are. All your threads are amazing and even the one we have started I really love! If anything, you might have rekindled my interest in his character because of how great you are ( I see your Law as even better than the canon one, if that makes sense ). The insights you give about your muse are so detailed and heartfelt I cannot possibly not like your portrayal. I know we didn’t talk ooc but as far as I’m concerned, someone who writes such a « real » muse cannot be anything but awesome. Bless you, I hope you have a great year <3

@magnetiicus​ / @sadiestic​ : I miss youuuuuuuuuuuuu I could write forever about how much I love your Sadie-chan but the first things that comes to mind is a loud, heavy moan because I fucking miss you on my dash. I hope life is treating you well and I can’t wait for us to interact again <3

@ask-sir-crocodile​ and all your other blogs I’m following, which I won’t list here because heavy nsfw. (okay I lied, yall should follow @jiryoku​ and @shichibukkake​ for Crocodile naked goodness. 18+ only) : Laura! I know we haven’t interacted a lot (well IC we never-) but every time we talked I was always on the edge of my seat because you are the FIRST Sir Crocodile I really enjoy (outside of mine because I’m a biased asshole) Your many blogs about him are the highlights of my days all too often and I just want to thank you for all the amazing content you provide to this fandom. Talking about theories with you is a blast and just like some others of my followers who I discuss theories with, you sometimes made me reconsider / tweak my stuff and it’s just so great? In any case, you might not be a rp blog but you totally deserve a spot on my bias list because you’re just really amazing, both IC and OOC. I look up to you a lot and I’m always MIND BLOWN with how handsome you draw that shitty character who took over my life 16 years ago. Bless you and I wish you nothing but the best. Like at least a million dollars and all the love for next year. <3

@evils-champion​ : First of all, How dare you. Your portrayal is just incredible and any time I see you replied to me I’m literally blushing like a DORK and squealing like a god damn schoolgirl who’s crush just told her she had nice braces. YOU ARE SO AMAZING hahahasdlfkjasd;lkfj. Doflamingo is my second favorite character in the serie and you characterize him so well I’m always holding my breath when I read you and then I fangirl for like 2-3 minutes before WALLS OF TEXTS appear in my mind. I always try to tone it down because I could literally write you 4 pages worth of replies with how much I love your Doflamingo.  Thank you for roleplaying with me, thank you for going with my headcanons, thank you for ??? just anything tbh. I love you so dang much okay? I hope you have nothing but the best in 2017. <3

@gravitou​ / @boneavant​ / @hellstrings​ : You have an amazing way around words and I just love to see your writing on my dash. I think you have a real talent with all of your muses too, which adds even more to your appeal as a roleplayer :) I wish we interacted more but I really enjoy seeing you on my dash and reading your stuff, on any of your blogs. Hope you have a great year <3

@shiapolux​ : I know we don’t interact a lot but I find Shia and your art to be absolutely adorable. Croc also thinks that much ;D You’re a gem in this fandom and I’m glad we talk here and there and roleplay as well. I wish you all of what you want in 2017 and then some <3

@scarlethaki​ : IM BIASED FOR UUUUUUUU. I LOVE AKANE SO MUUUUUUUUCH. That sassy piece of shiiiiiit I can’t believe how -- I mean Croc likes her????? even if he pretends not to? I told you many times, I’m not fan of characters who are related to canon but in Akane’s case I just??? completely forget about it lmao. Because her personality is so rich, so flavorful I cannot  do anything but express my love for her. Your OC is, in my opinion, one of the realest , most heartfelt original character in this fandom. Sorry, I don’t mean to depreciate anyone but I just really really really really love Akane. I love a LOT of other OCS but the dynamic between Akane and my muses is just too good for me to ignore. Even with Noya jfc. She’s the kind of character that can pretty much interact with anyone, she would be a very canon One Piece character too, in my opinion. I hope no one feels left out because I said that, my love for your muses is strong and Akane just has a special place in my heart <3

@beastyhound​ :  V A L. Val, I feel you and I are way similar in roleplays. We both have an undying love for darker themes and we both are as masochistic as sadistic with our muses. You are me, I swear. I just love to interact with you both on Croc and Noya, and I’ll probably enjoy it too when I finally get my Blackbeard blog’s going. You are an amazing writer, oh so self-indulgent but tbh there’s nothing I dislike about that. We’re both greedy for what we love and we reap what we sow and I just?? Really love you. Michi is an amazing muse and I want to applaud you for keeping him consistent. I’ve seen many « crazy » ocs in my time who were just crazy for the sake of being crazy but your portrayal is always consistent. God knows how hard it is to have a volatile muse and keep it for long but you do it with such ease ( or so it appears ! ) in your roleplays that I am literally awestruck when I read your replies. I love you so much, I hope you spend 2017 doing all the things you like <3

@missprissyperona / @ask-perona / @peronasnegativehollow​ / @sableofmany​ : PAULA im a terrible friend and I know it. I love your Perona, I love you so much but I have a hard time coming up with replies between Croc and Perona in our threads lately. Croc is just snobbing them and I hate it but I don’t want to give you half assed replies so they’re just sitting in my drafts :C Either way!!!! YOU ARE STILL, TO THIS DAY, THE MOST WELCOMING PERSON IN THIS COMMUNITY. You made me open up to the rest of everyone here because of how social and positively persistent you were in communicating with me. ( for lack of better word, persistent, because I’m terrible at keeping in touch with people but you always come talk to me, which I REALLY appreciate ) I love you a whole damn lot as well as your many blogs and muses <3

@tenaxmiles​ : I don’t have a lot to say here because we only have one thread but I really love Katey on my dash :’) Especially her interactions with Michi and Loni. Rip. Sorry Katey, you’re good angst fodder. 

@worldsmostdangerous​ : - Careless whisper plays in the distance - Ayy gurl ;D . Ah, Helena. I could ramble about how much I love your Dragon for hours. I love the way you portray this obscure character so much. There’s little about him known in canon but I’ll be really disappointed in Oda if he doesn’t base his portrayal on yours.  You gave him life and made me love him and get even more interested in the revolutionary army than I already was because of my headcanons. Bless you and I hope you get everything you want in 2017 and then some <3

@7hits​ / @salamandcr​ : SQUINTS LOUDLY AT U. Gimme the Salamandcr I love her so much. Giant girls who antagonize Crocodile are a+ in my books. LOVE ME. ( I love you ). Wish you an amazing new year <3

@chillin-at-partys-bar​ : I miss Shanks and I miss you! I hope life is treating you well and I hope we get to interact again <3 Our exchanges are either hilarious or angsty af and I love the dichotomy between the two and how the dynamic is evolving. Bless you and I wish you nothing but the best in 2017! <3

@menagerie-rp​ : May I just reiterate my love for your Rocinante? He was a character I didn’t love all that much and didn’t care for, to be honest, but your portrayal made me love him. I love the interactions we had and hope we can rp again in the near future! I know I don’t talk much OOC but just like you I’m a bit of a shy nugget. Either way, I just want to tell you that you are always welcome to interact with me and I will keep sending you memes when I see you pop on my dash because I really love your characterization and you in general <3

@alabasti​ : TRUST ME. BEST VIVI. I’ve been roleplaying Croc for over 11 years and you wouldn’t believe the number of terribly ooc vivi I’ve met in that time. ( Going to celebrate 12 years in february, with Croc as a muse ! ) ANYWAY. I’ve always been turned off to rp with Vivi in general because of all those self-inserting mary sues I’ve met and I was reluctant at first to interact with you because of that but you BRING HER TO LIFE instead of bringing your life into her, which I cannot thank you enough for. I’ve never met such a dedicated roleplayer for Vivi that aimed for something else than getting herself captured and f*cked by Croc :’) And though we have a rp that is similar to that theme, Vivi is still in character and I really, really, really appreciate that. I am interacting with a VIVI, finally, after nearly 12 years. It’s so good I want to sob. Thank you so much and I hope we can have a lot more roleplays in the future. I wish you an amazing new year <3

AND TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS ON HERE OR @aquasphyxia, I LOVE YOU ALL! THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME AND ENDORSING MY PORTRAYAL OF CROCODILE. I HOPE WE HAVE A BLAST INTERACTING IN 2017!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[shannaraisles]

Set In Darkness

Chapter: 21 Author name: ShannaraIsles Rating: M (for language) Warnings: None Summary: She’s a Modern Girl in Thedas, but it isn’t what she wanted. There’s a scary dose of reality as soon as she arrives. It isn’t her story. People get hurt here; people die here, and there’s no option to reload if you make a bad decision. So what’s stopping her from plunging head first into the Void at the drop of a hat?

Dusk and Dawn

Riding, Rory had discovered, was not nearly as easy as it looked.

For all that Master Dennet would soon refer to these horses as old nags, however, the placid mare she'd been given to ride didn't need much in the way of interference from her ride. Which was just as well, really - Rory was a city girl, born and raised, and had never been closer than twenty feet away from a horse before she'd been dropped unceremoniously in Thedas. Thankfully, she wasn't the only member of the Inquisition party heading to Val Royeaux who had never ridden before. It apparently wasn't as common a skill as she'd thought it would be. And while, yes, it meant that her days on horseback were spent with Helene, her Cullen-chosen escort, riding close beside her in case of accidents, it also meant she wasn't the only one taking her meals standing upright to spare the ache of her backside and hips.

"You know, cupcake, for someone who's traveled all over Ferelden, you're a pretty poor horsewoman," Varric teased her on the fourth night, from where he was lounging comfortably by the fire.

"That's why I have feet," she countered, unashamedly rubbing her sore rear end. "They're more reliable than a horse and don't leave me aching in uncomfortable places."

"I thought all humans knew how to ride," the dwarf pointed out with a chuckle.

"And now you know better," Rory informed him, not really in the best of moods to be teased. She groaned, stretching out her back. "No, I'm going for a walk. I'll be stiff as a board in the morning if I don't get my muscles moving."

"I'll come with you," Kaaras volunteered, rising from his seat at the fire. He waved Helene back down to her own seat. "I'll look after her - we won't go far."

Rory raised her brows, surprised by the Qunari's insistence on accompanying her alone until she remembered that he still hadn't had that talk with her yet. This was certainly one way to wangle a little privacy, which almost certainly meant he didn't want anyone to overhear what he wanted to say. Hooking his cloak over his shoulders, Kaaras drew her away from the main camp, her feet leaving three prints in the snow to every one of his. He didn't immediately speak, however, leaving Rory to break the silence.

"I hear we're expected to reach the capital in another four days," she offered into the gathering darkness. "Nervous?"

"Can you think of a reason why I shouldn't be?" he asked in turn, reflexively rubbing the mark on his palm through his glove. "They've probably never even seen someone like me before. There's no way they'll look past the horns."

"You shouldn't be nervous because you're responding to an invitation in good faith," Rory reminded him, although she knew his visit was not going to be the polite give and take they were hoping for. "Um ... because it gives you an opportunity to make contact with the templars?"

"That is true enough," Kaaras agreed mildly. "I'm inclined to agree with Cullen - the templars would be the better ally for dealing with the Breach, and besides that, they're the largest, best disciplined military force outside Par Vollen. The mages can't even control their own people."

Rory forced herself to button her lip on that. She wasn't supposed to know what he was talking about. But she found herself annoyed that he could so easily dismiss the mages from the equation. Would he willingly turn his back on them when he knew everything, she wondered. He was, after all, a mercenary at heart, raised by parents who were raised with an irrational terror of magic and mages.

"Sorry," he apologized in the face of her silence. "I'm not supposed to talk about it outside the council. I just assumed that you'd ... well, because of Cullen ... Never mind. Anyway, I'm still nervous about meeting the Chantry."

Despite her annoyance, she couldn't help smiling a little at his assumption that Cullen would tell her everything that went on in the war room. Reading a little much into a few kisses. But she could also spot the opening he was hoping she'd make for him in this conversation, happy to oblige. "I shouldn't worry," she assured him. "Cassandra will protect you."

"Cassandra could take on the world and win." Kaaras sighed hopefully, his voice filled with admiration for the Seeker even as he came to a halt beneath the trees. "Rory ... how do I know if someone likes me? As a friend, I mean."

"They let themselves be alone with you in the dark?" she suggested, referencing the situation they were in at that moment with flippant good humor.

The Qunari let out a low laugh. "I don't mean you," he clarified with a faint grin. "I know you're my friend. This is ... someone else."

"Well, it's a little hard to tell without knowing who you're talking about," Rory pointed out helpfully. "The way Solas shows friendship is very different from the way Josephine does, for example."

He frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose you're right," he conceded. "I'm usually good at reading people, but this one ... She confuses me."

"It's a she, is it?" Rory asked with a gentle smile. Of course it's a she; he's got the hots for Cassandra! "Are you sure this is about friendship, Kaaras? Or are you hoping for more?"

The big horned head shook sadly. "She'd never look at me like that," he said, his tone resigned. "We're too different."

"I wouldn't rule it out entirely," she encouraged him in a confident voice. "Sometimes it's the differences that bring people together."

"Nothing I do seems to impress her," he confessed mournfully. "She won't even smile at my jokes."

"That's because most of your jokes are terrible," Rory told him, snorting with laughter at the feigned outrage on his boyish face. "She's got a pretty serious outlook on the world. Just be yourself - I'm sure she's not indifferent to your charms."

Kaaras eyed her with vague suspicion. "You know who I'm talking about?"

"Kaaras, there's only one woman you've spent a significant amount of time with," she reminded him in amusement. "Honestly, just treat her normally. Compliment her; flirt, if you've got the balls to. She won't be easy to reach, but I really do think you have a real chance with her."

"So you think she does like me?" he asked hopefully.

"I think, if she didn't, she probably would have hurt you by now," she laughed reassuringly. "You did drop her in a freezing lake and live to tell the tale. She's a passionate woman - everything she feels, she feels deeply. But she might be scared of letting herself feel anything for you, not because of who you are, but because of what you represent."

"This damned mark, you mean." He scowled down at his left hand.

"In part," Rory agreed, watching him for a long moment. "Look, the more you relax around her, the more she'll see you, not the bloody Herald of Andraste. And you're a very charming man-child with deadly skills. You'd be surprised what women like."

"Man-child?" he objected with a low laugh of his own.

"Yes," she said, standing by her assessment of him. "You have the potential to be adorable."

Kaaras' laughter burst from him at that. "Thank you," he guffawed, his laughter fading to let him fix her with a mock-serious look. "But don't ever repeat that."

"My lips are sealed," she promised. "Shall we go back? They'll worry if you're out of sight too long."

"You don't think she'll think that we're ...?" He trailed off as they turned back to camp, his hand gesturing vaguely between them.

Rory snorted, shaking her head. "No, I think she knows I'm not that kind of woman," she assured her friend.

"Really?" Fade-touched eyes surveyed her from his height. "What kind of woman are you?"

"The faithful kind," she said softly. "I'm not saying any more."

The Qunari grinned down at her. "You don't have to."

Grateful that he didn't try to pry into her own tentative relationship, Rory was yawning by the time they reached the camp, giving out her good nights to crawl appreciatively into the tent where her bedroll was laid out among three others. Riding might be quicker, but it was no less exhausting than walking all day.

And yet, despite her weariness, she still woke long before dawn, forcing herself to lie still and listen to the even breaths of her sleeping tent-mates. She missed Cullen. They'd only shared blankets three times, but in Haven, she was guaranteed to at least see him every day. It had been four days since she'd laid eyes on her golden Adonis of a commander, and she was feeling his absence like a persistent ache that would not ease, missing the tender secrecy of his hidden smiles across the training ground. Had he even noticed she was gone? Was he remembering to look after himself without her there to bully him into it? Would this absence make him fonder, or remind him that she wasn't really necessary to his health and happiness? What if - and this made her heart clench painfully - what if he noticed Evy and canon preferences took over?

She couldn't stand listening to her own thoughts in the darkness. After an hour of upsetting herself with what ifs that were more a disservice to Cullen than anything, Rory rose from her blankets, rolling them neatly into a bundle, and picked her way carefully out of the tent and into the pre-dawn gloom. The camp was quiet, hardly anyone up yet, and she took the opportunity to stretch out her aching legs and back without an audience for once. The ache was beginning to ease, but she wasn't sure horses were ever going to be her favorite mode of transportation. A side-trip to the cooking fire saw her furnished with a hot cup of ginger tea to try and wake up with, which she took off to one side of the camp, finding a small boulder to sit on and watch the slow creep of the dawn as it made menacing shadows of the mountains they had left the day before.

The camp was only just beginning to stir when she felt someone sit down beside her, glancing away from the looming shadows to find Casandra at her side, sleep-tousled and bearing a steaming cup of her own. The two women sat in silence for several long minutes, neither one feeling the need to fill the air with unnecessary words in the sleepy pre-light.

"You do not sleep well away from him," the Seeker said eventually. "I imagine it is the same with him."

Rory didn't need her to elaborate to understand what she was saying. "He doesn't sleep well, anyway," she pointed out quietly.

"Perhaps not," Cassandra agreed, sipping from her cup. "But there is a peace in him now that was missing when we first met. I believe you are responsible."

"That's a lovely thought, Cassandra," Rory murmured in answer. She wasn't sure why, but she wasn't happy to take the credit for Cullen's improvement. "It could just as easily be caused by his acceptance of his role in the Inquisition."

"I do not believe that," Cassandra told her gently. "He is a strong man, but even the strongest need someone they can be weak with. How many ever find a heart that does not judge them for their choices? I envy you both that you have found such safety in one another. It is a rare thing."

For the first time, Rory found she didn't want to deny what might be blossoming in her life. "I just hope I don't mess it up," she sighed, looking down at the dregs in her cup. "He's been hurt enough."

"Then a healer is exactly what he needs," the Seeker said in a soft voice. "He is a good man - troubled, but noble at heart. Sometimes he forgets that."

"I'll try to keep him reminded." Rory lifted her head, looking over at the Seeker in the dim dawning light, seeing the envy the woman had spoken of hidden in her face. "There's someone out there for everyone, you know," she said as gently as she could. "Sometimes it's the last person you'd expect."

She couldn't swear to it, but for just a moment, Cassandra almost seemed to blush. "A lovely thought," she answered, echoing Rory's own evasion as voices behind them signaled another day beginning. "Come. There is still a long road between here and Val Royeaux."

Smiling a wry smile, Rory got to her feet, turning her back to the dawn. It was a lovely thought, that someone who so wanted romance in her life could get it if she only let herself relax into it. And if the game was at all accurate, it would become reality within the year. Now that was worth smiling about.