#why yes I do have snippets where some of them meet for reasons

[karama9]

OC Lineup

For no good reason at all, a brief summary of my current OC Links. 

Under the cut!

Hero of Times (with an s, yes)

As seen in my old as hills story Hero. He’s a five year old who was tricked into fighting Ganon while absolutely not being ready, his soul was trapped in a bottle for 1500 years after he was brutally murdered several times (he had fairies), he was reborn (not reincarnated unlike all the previous times due to the whole trapped like a poe for centuries) in a dystopian Hyrule with no clear memory but a lot of crippling phobias. He finds out when he’s fifteen (in his new life) that he needs to fight Ganon but the poor thing has absolutely no resource other than a very hands on (and bossy) Zelda, who’s not a princess and is herself almost as resourceless. He’s also constantly terrified of everything, including monsters (even little keeses) and swords – which is a just a BIT impractical in his situation. The only thing that saves him is discovering the ability to send his spirit to visit his past lives (thus my calling him hero of times) and, as it turns out, borrow some stuff from them. He lives in a dystopia where long eared Hylians have been killed off, and everyone is very malnourished and overworked from dawn till dusk with no medical attention available ever, and the life expectancy is under 30. He looks almost normal in that context: short dark blond hair, blue eyes, extremely skinny and quite short even compared to most of his past lives, and one thing that sets him apart from his contemporaries, slightly pointed ears. 

'Old Link’

One of the past lives the hero of times visits. From that hero’s perspective, a particularly helpful and fatherly old man living a seemingly happy life after his own adventures are long over and who seems to know a much younger Princess well, enough to send her to fetch stuff, and who only seems to regret knowing Ganon is not gone for good. The story the hero of times doesn’t know hasn’t been written (yet) but it involves Zelink and royal politic shenanigans (with a Zelda that’s his own age, not the one the Hero of Times meets). 

‘Nice Link’ and ‘Angry Link’

Also appear in Hero, one just gives the Hero of Times a bunch of food thinking he’s a ghost trying to move on and eager to help, the other is in a dungeon and just generally not trusting of the ghost-looking hero of times and in a very bad mood. They’re not defined further.

 

The Last Hero

As seen in No More, Not One Single Time More. A radicalized teenager who looks a fair bit like the Hero of Time, part of a revolutionary group called Din’s Justice and dedicated to his life’s purpose of ending the monarchy with them. He lives in a very dark age and the royal bloodline is corrupted beyond anything ever seen before in Hyrule, has been for generations with no end in sight, and every time a revolution looks likely, they trigger the curse by summoning an army of unbeatable monsters which the hero has to defeat to save the population (or at least as much of it as they can) with the end game being the ‘Princess’ getting credit for the final victory. This stops revolutions not so much because the population falls for the Royal Family being to thank for the save but because they’re terrified to trigger the King into doing it again. This Link lashes out verbally a lot (expect a lot of f-bombs), he has zero impulse control, but he cares a lot for people who aren’t royalty or nobility.  

The Previous Eight

The previous eight heroes in No More(…). They all died fighting the Unnamed, which is the enemy the Last Hero also has to face in the end. At least one was a girl, but they’re not defined further than that. 

Link of Given

Main Character for my WIP All That Hurts Us. Third generation immigrant to Hyrule, he’s what Hylians call a ‘Sea Folk’ because they arrived in Hyrule by the sea. For all intents and purposes, they look like black people in our world. They have round ears, as well. Link lives in a time where Hyrule is very knowledgeable of their own history thanks to archeology and linguistics to decipher old texts. They know of the heroes, they know of the curse, and they have a method of finding the hero ahead of the time that person would be needed, which is how Link is identified. They do not, however, have any record of a non Hylian hero so Link is considered the first one with a notable portion of the population believing the id method failed and that he’s an accidental or willing imposter. He’s kind, selfless and dedicated, but he desperately wants the curse to only affect him so he’s very overprotective of everyone and bossy, pushing away any attempt at help of even support. He’s also paranoid due to still waiting for the curse to manifest after 11 years, trains endlessly and doesn’t deal well with whatever he deems a waste of time. He’s impatient, kind of jumpy and generally just always roaring to go. He’s dealt with racism enough that he’s grown into being overly polite and formal to strangers in an unconscious attempt to defuse potential aggression that most wouldn’t show anyway. It’s self torture: the formality and over politeness mean it takes longer to express anything when talking. Wears his hair in braids, they reach just below his shoulders. 

The Hidden Hero

Don’t have an actual name for her yet, only just starting to define her. She also lives in a dark age with a corrupted royal family, and also one where Hyrule is aware of the curse. In her case, the Spirit of the Hero opted for stealth: she is a cis girl, which in the mind of most, disqualifies her from potentially being the hero. She works with an imprisoned prince, a relative of the current ruling branch to save Hyrule when the King attempts to make a deal with demons. She’d probably be best buds with the Last Hero if they met but they live thousands and thousands of years apart. She is NOT one of the ‘previous eight’ mentioned above, she’s way before that, in one of the early dark ages. 

[nonbinarylocalcryptid]

Astyanax procrastinates a little that thing about going to save his baba in the same very way I'm procrastinating my thesis a little

Enjoy the snippet

Astyanax was afraid.

He was just a boy after all, so he postponed his departure from Troy a few hours. Enough time to eat something, gather his belongings and clear his head.

He cooked whatever fish he had left, sit at the beach, looking at where the city once stand, lost in thought.

"Would you be so kind to share some food with these old man?"

The boy jumped and coughed, as the bite he was chewing almost shock him.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Said the gray haired man.

"And somehow I believe you". Answered Astyanax. "Please sit with me and suit yourself, if not, it would go to waste."

"That would be tragic."

"Indeed."

The stranger took a site at the other side of the little fire, yet Astyanax didn't pay much mind, distracted as he was. That didn't mean he wasn't ready to run away at the very first sign of danger from the old man, but sharing a fish wasn't much of an effort.

The Trojan ruins stood tall in the distance, making Astyanax sad for something he couldn't quiet place. Can you be sad for something you don't remember? Is there such thing as homesickness for a place that was never home? And yet he had spent a week alone wandering in his homeland, and he had known peace there.

"Did you know that those walls were built by Poseidon and Apollo themselves?" The old man's voice brought him back.

"I can't say I have heard that story," replied Astyanax with amusement, "would you tell me more?"

"Would you accept it as payment for the meal?"

"The meal was given freely, but you can pay with your story if that's your wish." Assured the kid.

The old man had a soft expression when he looked at the walls, Astyanax dared to think that he saw something similar to pride in his eyes.

"For irrelevant reasons to this story", started the man, "the two gods were punished by Zeus to live as mortals for a year, and looked for work here, at Troy. The king at that moment wasn't a fair man, and ignorant to the fact he was treating with gods, he only hired the two of them to build the walls."

"That's definitely some shitty behaviour right there."

"Language."

"Right, sorry. Please keep going."

"The king gave them a year to complete the work, but they did not relent. Poseidon was skilled in the ways of the rock, and Apollo was a diligent work partner. Together, they make the walls grow more and more everyday. The year passed and there was only a thin gap in the wall that could have been done in an hour, but the king said the work wasn't completed in time so there was no payment. And the gods left."

"Let me guess," said Astyanax, with a mischievious smile, "because Zeus' sentence was over, they have regained their power, and make the king face the consequences of his actions."

"You're correct, more or less." The old man confirmed. "I remember when Troy was in its full glory, what a beautiful place it was."

"I don't know, maybe." Melancholy was back in Astyanax's face.

"What's wrong? You are young, but your eyes are old, my boy."

"I...I guess that's a good way to put it. I was born at the war", confessed Astyanax, "but I'm too young to remember Troy, or anything related."

"And yet, here you are."

"Not by choice." Muttered the kid to himself, the old man heard him, but didn't say anything. "Did Apollo came back to Troy?"

"He did," answered the old man, "he sided with the Trojans. The Acheans had disrespect him, and Zeus was telling him to do so." When he said that, Astyanax snorted. "What's so funny about it?

"It's just...the gods, they are gods, yes, but they are also... people, emotional people. I'm sure he even cursed the Achean Camp, just to because he could."

"Something like that."

"See? People."

"Maybe you're right."

"Talking about people, were you there? At the war?"

"I was," the answer was concise, "why?"

"Did you ever meet Hector of Troy?"

There was a silence.

"You could say that, why the question?"

"Could you tell me what was he like?"

"Wise," the answer came quickly, "he was wise, and honourable. He was trying to do the right thing in a time no one was listening." The old man stood up, having finished his food. "I'll leave you to it, thanks for the company, and the meal."

"Thanks you for the stories." Replied Astyanax.

Despite his own words, the old man made no move to leave.

"Your bow, did you make it?"

"Yes, I did, why?"

"It's a good bow, I'm sure every arrow you shoot with it will land right in its target."

"Thank you, that's so kind..." Astyanax stopped talking, because somehow, while he was looking at his bow, the old man had disappeared. " Of you."

He shook his head, trying to calm himself. He was sure he didn't imagine the encounter, the fishbones the stranger had taken out of his food were still there, in a little neat pile. Even the sand where he were was disrupted.

Whatever, he was no threat and meant no harm. Astyanax finished his meal and stood up to put out the fire.

He had spent enough time among ghosts, time to go looking for the living.

[cbk1000]

wip game -- veterinarian Merthur AU

Tagged by @thesongistheriver. This is from the sequel to the fic that actually has a proper title on ao3, but will forever be known to me simply as 'vet fic' because that's what it was called for like nine months in my Google Docs. I don't know how long this snippet is supposed to be, but I haven't been posting much writing lately, so I'll just dump a good chunk here.

As a sober man he would have been embarrassed at himself; but as a slightly pissed one, he put his chin in his hands and stared at Merlin not unlike the child was doing. They were both looking at him like dogs, full of stupid loyalty, and love; and Merlin, looking back at him, suddenly flashed the dimples unbearably, so that Arthur could see he had showed them in the same helpless feeling with which Arthur was receiving them. He was never very sure in his love, of where he stood in its estimation. For him it was a thing which he could never be sure of having, but which he could be sure of losing. But Merlin’s whole face was lit up with it across the table, with the small boy for witness. He was just unabashedly doing it, where anyone could see he was smitten.

Then someone else came round to ask Merlin why their cat went, “Bleugh” and the boy was taken off for his nap by his mother, and the look was turned away from him, though he kept it safe, and warm in his throat. 

“You’re slightly pissed, aren’t you?” Merlin asked when they were alone once more.

“No,” Arthur said, which for some reason prompted a laugh.

“Yes you are, you big numpty. Want to go for a walk and have a bit of a drunken snog? I’ll catch up to you real quick. What, did you have a whole entire glass by yourself?”

“Two whole entire glasses,” Arthur replied crisply.

Merlin shotgunned his own, and a bit of whiskey to be safe, since the blood of drinkers was in his veins; then he grabbed his jacket, Arthur, and a handful of cheese tarts which he ate with no consideration for Arthur, who possibly might not have fancied snogging a man whose breath was now more onion than oxygen. They were heading out, jacket, cheese tarts, and the alcohol which was driving the semi-public indecency to come, when Merlin’s phone went. He fumbled it out of his pocket as they were crossing the lawn to the garden, said, “Gaius” to Arthur, and into the phone, “How are the cats, before Arthur can start nagging me to ask?” He reached out his hand for Arthur’s, which Arthur was just slightly pissed enough to take, in public, for the second time in the same day. “Yeah, I kind of figured they wouldn’t die immediately under your care.”

Arthur rolled his eyes.

Then they stopped in the middle of the lawn, under a second shower just beginning to start up as the first slacked off, though it was not yet, to any Briton, let alone two who were regularly on the moors in the worst weather that a cow could contrive to bring them out in, something to shelter from. Merlin had caused the halt by getting caught up in something Gaius had said, and now was making his Thinking Face, which wrinkled up his brow and lips whenever he was confronted with a case that confounded him, and which Arthur privately thought was cute; very privately, almost secretively even to himself, in case Merlin got wind of the fact that he was not superiorly hideous. 

“Hmm. Ok, yeah, can you send me a couple of pictures? Yeah, no, it’s fine, Arthur and I were just about to go for a walk. Yeah, that was a euphemism, but I can pop out for a minute. I’ll still be in the mood for a walk in a few minutes.”

“Could you not,” Arthur said.

Merlin dimpled at him. Then he dropped Arthur’s hand, gave him the jacket to hold, as if it would have given him too respectable an air wandering round with it over his arm, and said, “Meet me in the garden? Gaius and I are going to chat about a weird abscess thingy for a minute.”

“‘Weird abscess thingy’? Is that the technical term?”

“Yes it is.”

Tagging @kirythestitchwith @the-pen-pot @garglyswoof (I don't know if you have a WIP, I just want to pressure you into writing something) and @aemelia (for the same reason). Also anyone else who wants to do this, consider yourselves tagged. I'm not sure who all has a WIP right now. (I assume most of you dumpster fires here on dumpsterfire.com have several you're frantically juggling with your personal life.)

[shadowlorddemon]

MLB: Animalverse

Meeting Barry the Brazilian Scorpion Snippets

First Meeting

(Adrien & Marinette walks toward the bakery after the school lets out)

Adrien: Sooo your parents hired some employees to help them around the bakery?

Marinette: Yeah. Don’t get my parents wrong, they like how they runs their business but sometimes they gets overwhelmed by the orders and they can’t afford to run the bakery and making the required sweets for the orders at same time. I help them out sometimes but I have school to focus on.

Adrien, opening the door and walking in: that’s nice. I’m sure that they would appreciate the extra help around… the bakery…

(Adrien spotted an arthropod running the front counter of the bakery. An arthropod is a pale yellow scorpion with their face and their pincers dark yellow brown. They also have a long bulbous tail that ends with a barb that curves over their head.)

Adrien: My lady…?

Marinette: Hmm? *spotting a pale yellow scorpion* Oh! I see Barry is starting to work today!

Adrien: Uh… That’s a scorpion.

Marinette: Yeah? And?

Adrien: I really don’t want to stereotyped them but aren’t they dangerous?

Marinette: I can see where you comes from but don’t worry, Barry have a clean record. He is not going to hurts anyone as long as they don’t aggravate him.

Adrien: as long as they don’t aggravate him?

Marinette: Adrien. You watched Rose accidentally hissing at Kim when he scares her. You watched Ivan growling at the bully when he poked at Mylene’s weight. You literally watched me and Chloe bite each other out of habit when we’re having our argument. Besides, out of everyone in our class; Ivan, Chloe and me are very dangerous. As well as Alya and Lila.

Adrien: W-why?

Marinette: …Because we’re naturally predators? Ivan has a really strong bite and he can break a bone with ease. Chloe has a stinger. She does bite as well as I do. While an insect’s bite isn’t bad, they can hurt like hell. Ayla and Lila have nasty bite as well. Well, not as bad as Ivan but still.

Adrien: …

Marinette: Don’t worry about Barry. I promise you that he’s very nice.

Adrien: …Okay.

Chat with Barry

Adrien: So… You work here in the bakery now?

Barry: Yeah. I do. Got to feed my kids somehow.

Adrien: Oh? You have kids?

Barry: Yup. Two sons and a daughter.

Adrien: Wow! What about your partner? Do she or he have a job like you?

Barry: *immediately crackling up*

Adrien: …What is so funny?

Marinette: *chuckling softly* Adrien, Brazilian scorpions reproduce by parthenogenesis.

Adrien: part-what?

Marinette: in a simple terms; asexual reproduction.

Adrien: …Huh?

Marinette: Barry isn’t married. He has these kids by himself.

Adrien: …Oh!

Barry: I need no special someone to give me a family I always want.

Marinette: At least he’s not an ant. Ant colonies are much more complicated.

Barry’s Sweet Tooth

Adrien: So, um. Marinette?

Marinette: Yeah?

Adrien: I really don’t want to come off as nosy or anything like that but is there any reason why Barry wants to work in a bakery?

Marinette: Oh. Well, I did have a small chat with him while he was there for interview. Turns out, like me, he grew up in a bakery.

Adrien: Oh? Really?

Marinette: Yeah! He really likes to bake breads and goodies. He also enjoys the taste of sweet things.

Adrien: …So he have a sweet tooth?

Marinette: From what I gathered from the conversation between us, he have a huge one.

Adrien: Hah, I don’t blame him.

Barry’s Children

Adrien: So, did he ever show you any pictures of his children?

Marinette: You’re getting little nosy, Kitty.

Adrien: Oh, Uh.

Marinette: *chuckles* I’m teasing you, kitty. He did. He really loves his children.

Adrien: Yeah?

Marinette: Yup, you did heard from him that he has two sons and daughter.

Adrien: Yes.

Marinette: Well, his first son, the oldest, is named Frodo. He is thirteen years old. His daughter, the second older, is named Kellva. She is ten years old. And lastly, his second son, the youngest one, is named Philly. He is three years old.

Adrien: Oooo.

Marinette: Yeah, and he did show me the pictures. They’re very nice. All Brazilian scorpions.

Brazilian or Not?

Adrien: Is Barry actually from Brazil?

Marinette: Ah, well. Even if he is a Brazilian scorpion, he’s actually from Scotland.

Adrien: Really?

Marinette: Yup! Surprised me too.

Adrien: If he’s really from Scotland, why didn’t he have an accent?

Marinette: Most of arthropods and Gastropods don’t have any accents because of the structural differences between their throats and mammals’ throats.

Adrien: …So it’s unlikely for you to have any accent?

Marinette: Nope.

[goldenblu]

i dont have emojis, so- hurricane, snowflake, raincloud, umbrella? or you can choose only one or two of them if you want

🌀 Post the fic summary for a fic you haven't written/published yet. It can be hypothetical or something you really plan on releasing...

5 times zoro didn’t know he was flirting with sanji and 1 time he knew

(i do plan on releasing this some day—i’ve got almost 3k written so far—but probably not anytime soon)

❄️ Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing.

from the fic above ^ :

Zoro thought the whole flower situation was over and done with, but apparently he was mistaken. The cook had presumably seen it when he returned to the ship or maybe when he retired to sleep yesterday night and hadn’t said anything to him about it, so Zoro had assumed that Sanji had accepted the gift junk and presented it to Nami or Robin or whoever. So imagine his surprise when he sees the flower again. With the cook. On the cook, actually. Tucked in his hair.

What.

Zoro’s brain takes a moment to reboot. He blinks, wondering if he’s hallucinating, but nope, it’s still there. Why. When. How. Why, again, for good measure.

Sanji catches him staring—of course he does, they’re literally two feet apart since Zoro had immediately come face-to-face with the cook after exiting the washroom. Because apparently the universe hates him. For some ungodly reason that Zoro can’t fathom, the tips of Sanji’s ears burn a bright red. “What?” he snaps.

Oh god. The cook actually sounds embarrassed.

“Nothing,” Zoro says, because if he says what he’s actually thinking, he’s going to be even more embarrassed than Sanji, if such a thing were possible. “Just wasn’t expecting that.”

🌧️ Share something angsty from your WIP.

ohoho there is so much to choose from

Sanji’s hand clenches in his shirt so hard that he shakes from the strain of it, and then he shoves Zoro against the wall, cabinets clattering open on impact. Zoro allows it to happen, keeping his hands loose and by his sides as Sanji’s forearm presses into his collarbone.

“I hate you so fucking much,” Sanji spits out. He lets go and starts pacing back and forth furiously, steps coming down so hard that Zoro’s surprised that the wood doesn’t splinter under the force of it. His hands fist in his hair. “I asked you for one thing. One fucking thing! I thought I could trust you to do it, but I guess I was wrong about that.”

“I can handle your hate.” If it means that Sanji is still himself, is still feeling and alive, Zoro can handle anything.

Sanji bites out a harsh laugh. “That’s goddamn perfect then.” He whips around, wild, resentful, burning a hole into Zoro’s flesh with the bitterness of his gaze alone. “Because you fucking have it.”

(yes this from hold your fire 😁)

☔ Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

the stealth black sanji au 👀 ive already talked about it at length though so i don’t have anything to add here lol

beyond that, i’ve always liked the hc that sanji attended a reverie as part of the germa delegation when he was young, so an au where vivi recognizes him when they first meet could be interesting. haven’t put too much thought into it though

[use-your-telescope]

When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 3: I'm Still Not Sure What I Stand For

Summary: Theo makes a decision. The Avengers meet a prospective new member.

Author's Notes: Hey look, it's the chapter that has the first snippet I posted back in like, February! This song is split between two chapters, otherwise it would be a 10k chapter... next chapter (again, already written!) will likely come on Saturday, 10/28.

If you enjoy, please reblog!! I'm a lil' blog (less than 100 followers, haha) and reblogs really help me out <3

Content Warnings: None!

Word Count: 3,957

Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist

Song: Some Nights - fun.

Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck Some nights, I call it a draw Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off But I still wake up, I still see your ghost Oh, Lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for, oh What do I stand for? What do I stand for? Most nights, I don't know anymore

If there was anything Theo could count on, it was that her cousin Max would inevitably disapprove of almost all of Theo’s life choices.

“Are you insane ?” The tenor of her cousin’s voice blared through the speaker, furious about the news she shared. “Seriously Leenie, you know you’re insane, right?”

“Sometimes, that’s all I have to give me comfort.” Theo drawled, cradling her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she packed her apartment up. “Max, don’t you get it? They’re alive - this is our chance!”

“No, no, no –” he retorted, “things are perfectly fine right now! There is no reason for us to go digging up the skeletons we buried -”

“Why are you so upset about this?” She said, rolling her eyes. “You literally have nothing to lose - if this works, we get our lives back. If this doesn’t work, we will stay here and nothing changes!”

“I have nothing–” A strangled groan came from the other side of the phone. “You are impossible, Leenie! What are the others going to think? What’s Mémère going to think? You’re putting all of us at risk–”

“Mémère has been pestering me to help with the shadow creature problem anyways,” Theo interrupted, “and might I remind you that between the two of us, I’m the one who has the authority to make this sort of decision.”

“I can’t – I can’t believe you,” Max sputtered; Theo could picture him walking around his house, flailing his arms in exasperation as she refused to back down on her plan. “After everything we sacrificed to get here, you’re going to risk ruining it for them?” 

“They’re my family, you asshole,” Theo snapped, “and until two nights ago, I thought they were dead. I thought I would never see them again, and I would never see my home again, but now there’s a possibility I can have my life back! So yes, I am willing to risk everything!” Staring at the half-filled boxes around her, Theo sighed; a pang of nostalgia surged through her chest at the thought of seeing the constellations that filled her childhood in something other than her dreams. “Max, they can put an end to all of this - don’t you want to go home?”

For years, Theo had dreams where she experienced the world through her sister’s perspective, but until she found out her sister was alive Theo assumed that was all they were: dreams. Her mind playing tricks on her, making her feel connected to people who hadn’t walked the earth in a long time. It wasn’t hard to rationalize - lots of people dreamt about loved ones after they passed. 

However, if it was true - if they were really alive… Maybe they weren’t just dreams. Maybe she was still connected with them and seeing what they saw. Maybe her sister was staring at the skies like they used to, remembering the tales she told Theo when they’d sneak out late at night to escape the times when it all felt like too much.

Even if Theo had seen the world through Rae’s eyes, she wondered what Rae looked like after all the time that had passed. Was she still as lean as Theo remembered, with sharp cheeks and piercing amethyst eyes that saw through everything? Was her nose still hooked ever-so-slightly? 

A shaky exhale came through the other end of the phone.

“This is our home now, Leens -” Max softened his tone, “I know you miss them, but even if it’s true that they are alive, how do you know they aren’t choosing to stay there? How do you know they would even want to help? Or that it would work?”

“Max, there’s no reason to believe they wouldn’t try to find me again - they’re my family ,” Theo protested, pinching the bridge of her nose with irritation at Max’s very blatant disapproval of her decision. “Look, I get it - after all this time it’s scary to think about the possibility that we gave up hope when they were still alive and we resigned ourselves to being refugees. But wouldn’t you rather know for sure than sit here wondering what if ?”

Theo continued haphazardly tossing items into boxes - she had to have everything ready for moving into the tower. Movers would be coming in a week, and she would have to say farewell to the brownstone she’d called home for so long.

The thought of leaving her little borough was tough to swallow - what would she do when she couldn’t stop into the bodega on her way home from work and tease Carlos about the girl who kept coming in to buy stuff just to talk to him? There was no way the Avengers ever went to bodegas when they needed something, much less talked to normal people. It seemed like they were locked up in their tower whenever they weren’t making appearances or going on flashy missions. They probably had cleaning staff and a chef that they interacted with, but beyond the staff it was difficult to imagine the Avengers living normal lives and running their own errands.

God, if Tony Stark was as obnoxious and boisterous as he seemed, being locked in a tower with him would absolutely result in Theo committing murder… 

Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to this. 

But if it meant she could be reunited with her family, if they could finally go home and rebuild… Maybe she could hold off on murdering the Avengers’ sugar daddy.

“I can’t stop you from doing this, can I?” 

Max’s voice snapped Theo back to the present.

“No, you can’t.” Theo shook her head, adjusting how she cradled the phone so she could tape a box closed. “I gave SHIELD my terms today and they accepted. Whether you like it or not, I’m going. You’re second in command while I’m gone - you know that, right?” 

“Fucking insane,” Max muttered, “This is fucking insane.”

“Yeah, I heard you the first thirty times.” Theo replied, rolling her eyes yet again.

“Fine, fine! I will try to keep Mémère in line and make sure shit doesn’t implode,” Max relented, “You have to tell the council though - I do not condone this whatsoever.”

Fuck, Theo forgot about the council.

“Chill out - I’m sure Mémère already told them.” 

Well, she was assuming, but they’d find out one way or another. After all, there was going to be a press conference to announce her new role upon completion of SHIELD’s onboarding process, so it wasn’t like it was going to be a secret.

Max’s frustration meant the conversation didn’t last much longer; then again, it wasn’t like there was much else for the two to discuss. If anything, she was a bit relieved to be done talking to him, even if he was family.

The moment Max was no longer on the phone, Theo let out an exhausted sigh.

Maybe Max was right - maybe she was getting caught up in this for nothing. Maybe she wouldn’t get to them in time. Maybe it was actually a lie after all. Maybe this would re-open old wounds. Maybe she would be killed before finding anything. Maybe…

Wings flapping brought Theo’s attention to her open window. A pair of black, beady eyes stared at her, iridescent feathers shimmering in the light from Theo’s apartment.

Not a crow - too big to be a crow. The beak wasn’t like a crow’s, and the feathers around it were far more pronounced. 

Definitely a raven.

Ravens weren’t common in urban areas, and seeing one on its own? 

Well, if that wasn’t a sign, she didn’t know what was. 

This is it, boys, this is warWhat are we waiting for?Why don't we break the rules already?I was never one to believe the hypeSave that for the black and whiteTry twice as hard, and I'm half as likedBut here they come again to jack my style

“Dr. Theolene Amaris,” Nick Fury’s voice rang out in the meeting room as a picture of a lithe woman appeared on screen. “ - also known as the Silver Shadow, the Celestial Phantom, and the Cursed Moon.”

It was only a few hours earlier that everyone was notified of the mandatory briefing, which was described as “urgent.” 

Moments before, Loki found himself pondering the nature of the briefing while everyone packed into a bright conference room. In front of each Avenger, a manila file folder sat prepared for them with information related to the subject in question.The faces of his team members shifted as they developed their first impressions on the subject of their briefing, her likeness blown up on the screen at the front of the room. 

Despite exceeding the capacity of the space, Loki managed to secure his usual seat in the back, conveniently located near the door for an easy escape. It was a habit that lingered from his earlier days in the tower, but having an easy escape from what were normally tedious meetings was still a benefit that Loki took advantage of more often than not. Even better, there was an empty seat next to him, lessening the otherwise inevitable sense of claustrophobia that would have eventually reared its ugly head.

She really didn’t look like much. The only noteworthy feature in her appearance was the thick mane of silver hair that tumbled down her back, stopping just above her waist. Otherwise, she appeared to be like any other Midgardian: clad in all-black, a beanie atop her head with black sunglasses obscuring her features as she walked down the street. If Loki passed her in real life, there was no way he’d offer her a second glance, or even a first.

With that in mind, it was safe to assume that in this first image, she was practicing urban camouflage – blending in with her surroundings by altering her appearance and attire to mimic those around her. The less attention she drew to herself, the easier it would be to slip in and out unnoticed; it also created an additional challenge if anyone sought to locate her. As someone who’d had plenty of experience with stealth, Loki already had an idea of what her skill sets may include.

Stark studied the first image of her, brow furrowed as he spoke up. “Hell of a name, but she doesn’t look like much. What’s her doctorate in? Bad poetry? Sad music? Scaring parents?”

“Emergency Medicine.” Fury glared at Stark while Agent Hill changed the display to a second photograph. “Assuming she isn’t a serious threat is both the first and last mistake you’ll make about her.”

The second image must have been captured in combat. She crouched down as though she just landed from a maneuver, the obsidian hood of a frayed cloak masking the top half of her face as she held a black longsword composed entirely of what appeared to be magic in one hand. Her other hand radiated with darkness as it touched the ground, ready to launch some kind of spell. Blood smeared across her jawline, a scowl across her lips as a pair of corpses lay in the background. Unlike the first photo, now he could see a scar that ran down past the bottom of her lip, almost giving her the appearance of a permanently split lip. A second scar cut through the outside edge of her eyebrow, angling out towards her temple.

One detail piqued his interest: of all the realms that Loki had visited, he did not recognize where she was. He had to give it to Fury – this picture certainly made her appear far more intimidating.

“She specializes in shadow magic—“

The room erupted as all the Avengers fired off questions at the director.

“Shadow magic? Wait, is she the one behind those shadow beast-things we’ve been fighting lately?”

“What does she want?”

“Is she working for Dr. Doom?”

“Did HYDRA give her those powers?”

“What kind of villain studies emergency medicine?”

“Maybe this will help explain things.” Agent Hill tapped a screen as the image before them went to a video.

Loki had seen this video before - it was nearly impossible to miss, having been plastered all across the news for weeks. A Midgardian woman single-handedly eliminated an entire swarm of the shadowy monsters that had plagued New York City recently, all while in a subway car. Somehow, no one knew who she was or the methods used to exterminate the pests. It was obvious from the video that it was magic of some kind, though it was different from any magic Loki had ever encountered in his life and it did not resemble anything he had ever studied. Though he hadn’t admitted it to anyone, he was curious to meet this Midgardian and learn her abilities for himself.

Of course, that was assuming she was Midgardian. There were many species who appeared to be Midgardian, though biologically they were different. Usually, it was easy for Loki to sense if someone was Aesir, Midgardian, or otherwise; however, no indication that she was anything extraterrestrial revealed itself to him.

No, this woman must have been Midgardian. 

“That’s her?” Romanoff inquired, arching a perfectly groomed brow at Hill. 

“Wait wait wait , I thought she was the bad guy, but she’s killing the shadowy monsters here…” Wilson said, gawking at the screen. “Unless she’s really crazy and likes killing her own, this doesn’t make sense.”

“I’m telling you, if she’s the big bad and studied Emergency Medicine, she’s definitely got a screw loose,” Barnes said, “and that’s coming from the guy with a vibranium arm.”

“This incident was weeks ago - how is it that we are just now learning of her identity?” Rhodes interjected.

“She is not our enemy,” Agent Hill finally explained, raising her voice over the incessant chatter. “She has agreed to help the Avengers find the root cause of the shadow creature problem and exterminate the beasts.”

Stunned silence permeated the room. The ticking of the clock above Fury’s perpetual scowl only emphasized the blaring lack of sound. 

Loki could count on one hand the number of times he had ever witnessed total silence from the group; to see the group go from so animated to so silent nearly gave him whiplash.

“She’s joining the Avengers?” Stark’s disbelief was painted all over his face. “Emo queen Rapunzel is joining the Avengers?”

“Not exactly,” Agent Carter said, “She is coming on board specifically to help with the shadow creatures.”

“If she’s so powerful, why isn’t she already a part of the Avengers?” Banner asked, leaning in as he met Fury’s glare.

“This is a temporary arrangement.” Fury crossed his arms. “We struck a deal with her.”

“So she comes in and helps with the shadow creatures, and then what - she just disappears?” Captain Rogers pressed, “Don’t you think someone with expertise in shadow magic should be kept under close watch?”

“You’d be a fool to think she hasn’t been on SHIELD’s radar for a long time.” Fury crossed his arms and glowered at the group. “She turned down past offers to join the Avengers. Your mission is to convince her to stay.”

“Convince her to stay?” Romanoff shot Fury a wary glance, while others regarded the director as though he grew another head. 

“Assuming all goes well, we want her to remain on the team after the shadow creatures are eliminated,” Agent Hill explained. “She is highly adept in both physical and magical combat, and she has expertise in stealth operations. She fills in some key areas of the team that have been lacking, while her versatility allows her to fit into a variety of smaller teams with ease. However, we need you to convince her to stay.”

“Dr. Amaris cut her teeth in a different realm,” Fury added. “She has trained with threats far more powerful than what we have encountered here on earth, and fought to survive in far worse scenarios. Her experiences and insight would be invaluable in our operations.”

“Okay, but if you had to strike a deal with her, that still raises some questions…” Banner hesitated, raising an eyebrow at Fury. “It makes it sound like she wasn’t exactly keen to help protect the world.”

“Her skills are far too valuable to not be utilized.” Fury glared at Banner. “What I was going to say before someone interrupted my briefing is that she is also an incredibly powerful healer.“

“How do we know we can trust her?” Wilson asked. “I’m no wizard, but shadow magic sounds like trouble at best.”

Barton agreed. “Besides, Nat has us covered in stealth.”

“You know how to make a woman feel appreciated.” Romanoff coyly winked at Barton. 

While Loki wasn’t one to regularly agree with Wilson, for once he made a good point: this was something Loki was unfamiliar with, and at the very least it sounded dubious. 

“Because if I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead.”

Every head in the room snapped towards the entrance, eyes wider than dinner plates as they gawked at the source of the voice.

Leaning against the closed conference room door was the subject of their briefing. In real life, Theolene Amaris was smaller than Loki expected - not short by any means, as she appeared to be slightly taller than Maximoff and Romanoff; she was probably the average height for a Midgardian woman. However, she was lanky, with elongated limbs and a slight figure. She carried her head high with relaxed posture, one leg crossed in front of the other as she leaned on the doorframe with hands loosely tucked in her pockets. She didn’t seem to be intimidated by the strong personalities in front of her, even as she crashed their briefing.

Dr. Amaris sauntered into the room, eyes scanning over each of the Avengers with a smirk on her face. When she reached Loki she paused, quirking her head to the side as the curl of her lips increased. “Looks like one of us might need to change.”

At first, Loki was perplexed by her remark. Upon a second glance, it became obvious. They both wore almost identical outfits: black button-up shirts with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, tucked into tailored black trousers that showed a bit of ankle, and black Oxford shoes. 

He couldn’t help the snort that escaped him, a smile creeping across his own features as he allowed his shoulders to relax. 

It was unusual for someone to make him laugh, especially on a first encounter. And to shock the Avengers in such a way? Well, he certainly was intrigued.

“It seems we have similar tastes in apparel,” Loki commented coolly, wondering about the nature of her remark. 

Just then, Theo pulled a hand out of her pocket and snapped her fingers, instantly changing her outfit into a pair of ripped black jeans, a faded gray shirt emblazoned with some sort of sigil and the word “Queen,” and a pair of black sneakers. 

Loki could feel the magic pouring off of her - while she was no god, it was apparent to him that Fury wasn’t kidding when he said she was much more powerful than she let on.

“There, that’s better.” She dropped into the seat beside Loki, leaning back and kicking her feet up onto the table before sticking out one hand. “You must be Loki?”

“Indeed, and you must be Dr. Amaris.” Loki offered a wry grin, shaking her hand with a firm grip. “A fellow sorcerer, I see.”

“You could say that,” She winked, returning the gesture with a firm grip. “Call me Theo. Dr. Amaris is what my residents call me.”

From the opposite side of Theo, Thor beamed at the sight of his brother being surprisingly friendly to the Avengers’ newest addition. 

It took every ounce of self-restraint for Loki to prevent himself from rolling his eyes at his older brother. “Pleasure to meet you, Theo.” 

“Don’t get any funny ideas with Rapunzel here, Reindeer Games.” Stark warned, apparently having already settled on a nickname for the newest team member. 

Loki’s attention diverted to Stark, sending invisible daggers at the man. Even though they had come a long way from the distrust present when Loki first joined the team, there were certainly still moments where Stark got on his nerves.

This time it was Theo’s turn to snort. 

“Rapunzel? That’s the best nickname you’ve got, Tin Man?” Theo cocked one eyebrow at the billionaire as she laughed, brushing a piece of hair over her shoulder. “I may have long hair, but good luck with trying to lock me up in this tower.” 

“Watch out, or I might invent something so I can–”

“-- Then again, you named your AI system FRIDAY, so I shouldn’t be surprised,” She continued, unfazed by Stark’s threat. “Seriously, what the hell kind of name is that?”

“Says the person named Theolene...” 

“First of all, I just told you - I go by Theo, not Theolene. Second, I can’t help it that my mother has terrible taste in names. Third, Loki’s helmet has horns, not reindeer antlers. For a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist , you should know the difference.” Theo turned to the other Avengers. “And while I’m correcting people, I don’t specialize in shadow magic. I specialize in celestial magic, of which shadow magic is a subset. Dr. Doom is a joke, HYDRA wishes they gave me these powers, and my refusal to become an Avenger has nothing to do with a lack of desire to protect people, it’s because I don’t want to spend my time playing superhero when I can be more useful as a doctor. Although whichever one of you suggested I had a screw loose - Bucky, I believe? - was probably right. At least, my cousin would agree with you. He’s pissed that I agreed to this.”

For the second time in mere minutes, the entirety of the Avengers were stunned into silence. If there were two words that best described the collective response, “utter bewilderment” would be Loki’s choice. 

“Wait a minute—“ Wilson blurted out, “How long have you been listening to our briefing? Have you been here this whole time?”

“Long enough to know you are just as skeptical of me as I am of you. It’s nothing personal, I know - I would be skeptical of me too! still, this has been enlightening.” Theo rose to her feet, gliding back to the entrance. She spun around, bowing with a dramatic flourish while flashing a cheshire grin at the crowd. “See you next Monday for your press conference!”

With a flick of her wrist, a series of black runes appeared all over her arms, flowing down her limbs like a stream of water. When they reached her fingertips, they rose into the air and evolved, surrounding her until she was obscured from view; in a flash of white, she disappeared, leaving nothing but a faint shimmer. The entire process took at most a few seconds, but the effect lingered far longer. 

It was a finale to the encounter that was almost as dramatic as her introduction.

If Loki’s instincts were correct, she was just getting started.

And that's alright (That's alright) I found a martyr in my bed tonight She stops my bones from wondering Just who I, who, I, who I am Oh, who am I? Mmm, mmm...

[vamp-ress]

Writer Questionnaire 12/30

Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Let's say first that I always struggle with dialogue - I find it sooo hard to write. I'd love to be one of those writers who can just churn out natural sounding dialogue that's also profound. But you can't have everything and I am not that writer.

That said, here is one bit of dialogue between Aragorn and Legolas I particularly like:

“And did you hope to keep secret from me what happened yesterday?”

“Yesterday?” Aragorn repeated, feverishly thinking what could have happened yesterday that Legolas meant to discuss with him.

“Yes, yesterday. In the council meeting,” Legolas prompted.

Aragorn could not remember a thing except for the fact that one of Faramir’s men from Emyn Arnen had bored them all to death with his monotonous voice.

“Your eyes strayed, Aragorn,” Legolas tried to help Aragorn’s memory along, but the man’s confusion only grew with the minute.

“They did?”

“They did,” confirmed the elf with a decisive nod.

“Wherever to?”

“You are asking me?” Legolas feigned surprise, but answered nonetheless. “To Faramir, of course. Did you believe I would not notice the way you look at him?”

Of course he had looked at Faramir, but he had not looked at him. There was a definite difference between the two and he was certain Legolas was well aware of that fact. Legolas was not prone to jealousy. Or, if Aragorn looked at it from his point of view, he had never given his lover any reason to be so. He had known the elf for nigh one hundred years, had loved him nearly just as long. There was no other in his heart or mind, never had been. There simply was no room for his eyes to stray.

Either Legolas had misunderstood or the elf was pursuing quite a different agenda. And Aragorn was determined to find out.

“I would never...” he humoured Legolas’ accusations to see where this discussion would take them.

“Be careful, Aragorn,” Legolas advised. “Never can be a long time, even for a human.”

From “Delicatessen”, because not everything has to be about angst. Sometimes they’re allowed to have some lighthearted fun. For some reason Delicatessen is my story with the most hits on AO3, even though it’s nothing more than a bit of plotless fun I wrote for a fic exchange many years ago. I’m not sure why it’s my most popular story.

I also love this one from “The Road Taken”, because what can be more beautiful than Legolas declaring his love.

“I would follow you anywhere, into the pits of Mordor if need be. How can you expect me not to follow you in this also?”

Estel fell silent, needing time to process what I had told him. In a quiet voice, he answered, “because this is not what we meant when we said we would stand by each other. You meant coming to Gondor with me if I ever took up the crown.”

“Estel, such promises are made exactly because we do not know where life will lead us. I did not make that promise because it would be such a hardship to come to Gondor with you. I made that promise for a situation like this, for a situation neither of us could have forseen. I made that promise, because I knew that if such a day ever came, you would need me.”

He looked at me, truly looked at me, and I could see naked longing in his eyes. “I need you, there will never be a day when I will not need you like air, like water, like sustenance. More, even.”

“Then have me.” I embraced him and felt goosebumps on his spine where my hand touched.

“Can it really be so easy?” Estel asked, obviously needing to give me one last chance out.

“It is. Now, shush. And kiss me to seal our pact.”

[writingpromptsworld]

Snippet #7

(Part-1)

“Soooooo…you need my help?” The villain questioned, smugness plastered on their face. The hero had come banging on their doors at 5 in the morning, disheveled. A number of thoughts had begun to form in their mind, at the sight of the hero but they had pressed them down, and let the hero in any way. Oh, how they had fallen for the other.

“Yes, you could say so, I guess.” The hero replied, glancing around from where they were sitting on the couch opposite the villain.

"Oh, and why would I help you? What's in it for me?" The villain asked, their eyes glinting with mischief one could almost miss, but the hero saw it more clearly than ever.

Originally, the hero hadn't intended to come to the villain and beg for help. But, when the superhero told them that 'there was nothing they could do except, go to the villain for help if they wanted to take down the supervillain',they were forced to show up at the other's doorstep. They sighed and then inhaled the coffee smell that was getting stronger with every passing second. They gazed at the villain's cup, brown liquid omitting hot air into the room.

"Well, there is less competition for you when -if- we defeat the supervillain. What else would you want?" The hero explained, steadily. They suppressed the urge to yawn, as the villain sipped their coffee calmly. Cursing internally to the superhero, they waited for the villain's answer.

"While you're quite right, that there would be less competition for me. There would, however, inevitably be more enemies as well. So, my point is, I want something that would promise me a satisfactory future." The villain grinned, finishing. They put down their cup and watched the hero with anticipating eyes. For a minute, the hero stayed silent. The silence felt immense while the birds sang outside in the trees.

"And, what is that?" The hero pronounced, hesitantly, an annoyed edge lacing through their words. The villain was testing their patience on this awful morning, and they were not up for it. They should have just told the superhero to meet the villain themself, they thought. But, then again, the superhero gave them the orders, not the other way around.

"I want you to make a deal with me, that in the future, you will protect me from my dear enemies, as well as share your little secretive missions that are beneficial to me." The villain declared, confident with what they just proposed. The hero deflated. This was not what they expected, they expected something like a million dollars or entry to the city's security system. But this, this was very unpredicted.

"I get the mission part, but why would you want my protection? I mean, come on, you're the biggest criminal in the city, no one would dare to take you in a fight." The hero wondered, a bit confused. The room was quite dark, with little to no light. They could barely make out the villain's silhouette.

"Well, speak for yourself, sweetheart. You're one of the biggest and the most famous heroes of the city, of course, you'd be able to protect me if you wanted to. Every villain knows how honored you are for your missions. Some would go as far as to say they admire you, but that's beside the p-,"

"Do you admire me?" The hero interrupted, sudden curiosity making its way to them.

"I-, what?" The villain frowned, dumbfounded.

"I said, do you admire me?" The hero repeated, tilting their head. Honestly, what was going on with them? Why did they want to know? They should be finishing this ASAP and getting to their fucking bed to get a wink of sleep, they haven't slept in the last 48 hours for god's sake. But, here they were, asking the villain ridiculous questions.

"I mean, sure. Yeah." The villain said, shrugging. They picked up their coffee and started taking little sips of it. For some reason, they had begun to feel hot. This was so unexpectant of the hero, for they were always so professional. This was anything but professional, from what they could tell. And, perhaps, it was true. They always did admire the hero, just like they admired their dad, who was the superhero.

[grxceful-ly]

Hello there! I hope you're doing good!

19, 21 and 29 for the Fanfic Writers Ask Game!

hii thank you so much for sending me an ask!! i hope you're doing really well yourself. you picked some good ones and this got kinda long, i'm sorry 🙇🏻‍♀️

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

i'm going to take this opportunity to say that something in me does not allow me to fulfill all the multichapter, long fics of my dreams so i mostly share oneshots. i wish i could be like "this is from my [insert title here] au from chapter 14!!" or something. but alas. anyway, this is from my wip sequel to the sabezra secret relationship i wrote a while back. it's almost done, i'm excited to share the full thing soon!

Maybe the Ezra Bridger who wasn’t in a relationship with Sabine wouldn’t have said that. Maybe he would’ve been a little giddy—like, wow! Sabine is actually touching me! And isn’t completely averse to it! Maybe he should have said something like that. Or just. . .smiled? Or hugged her back? Sabine still wasn’t letting go. His heart ached a little. He let his arms come around her loosely, his gaze stuck to the floor. “So. . .” he started. But nothing else came out. 

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

yes and no. i don't think i've ever had to delete an entire scene--usually i will spend a lot of time writing a scene or two and i hate it a little more than usual so i end up losing motivation for the entire project. this happens often. i don't like it.

however, sometimes i'll write a line i really like but in my heart i know it won't work for the overall goal of the paragraph or scene, so i have to delete it :( i mourn for like three minutes and then move on lol.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

goodness, the amount of star wars time travel fix-it fics i've written in my mind. that's kind of where they stay. but occasionally i jot down a scene that has a chokehold on me until it goes away. i was going to share an anakin one, but for some reason i can't find my doc with that in it :') so you get this scene from my vostress wip where asajj goes back in time. this is kind of a cheat bc i don't know if it'll NEVER be posted, but as of now too little of it is written to share much more than these snippets. also there's very little interest in a fic like this versus my usual stuff lol.

Her eyes softened. “It is more important to reject that power and preserve those things. Understand me, Vos. Truly. There is no power that can take away the pain you feel. No power that is worth it for a fleeting sense of victory.” She realized she'd put a hand to his chest, naturally drawn closer as she tried not to plead with him. This was it. If he should ever listen to her, let it be now.

and for a bonus, here's an 'asajj takes omega to meet quinlan' snippet that was just for fun and will never again see the light of day lol!

“Your jedi?” Omega asked, eyes lighting up, glancing from one of them to the other. Vos flashed a lopsided smile at Ventress. “I love when she calls me that,” he said in that smooth, unserious but oh-so-truthful voice of his. Ventress's eyes slid to him, then went up to the sky in feigned annoyance as her hand fell to her side and she swiveled to walk away. “Come on.” Unfortunately, Vos and Omega were making quick friends. He was the type to do so; always had been, and it seemed she, too, was eager to befriend anyone she set her sights on. A horrifying pair.

[chronicowboy]

wip wednesday

tagged by two absolutely beautiful human beings @alyxmastershipper and @jeeyuns (who i can't tag in things for some reason 😤 homophobia)

as many of you may know i am still firmly in (fanfic) writing jail until i can get a doctor's appointment for my wrist in october 🫠 buuuut i do still have a half-written fic i swear i will finish one day about buck meeting another best-friend-slash-legal-guardian-slash-parent-figure-etc. for which you can find a previous snippet here last time was mainly oc so have some jealous eddie and dad buck

"Who were you texting?" he asks as he steals one of the beers from Buck's hands. If the simple brush of their fingers didn't have hope rearing its gruesome head, Buck maybe wouldn't think that Eddie seems reluctantly curious like he's scared of whatever answer Buck might give. And Buck really doesn't know how to explain this situation with Dina without blurting out a love confession, so he panics.

"A friend." Shit. Eddie's eyes narrow like a bloodhound catching its scent. That was possibly the worst answer Buck could have given, faux nonchalance and deliberate ambiguity only increasing Eddie's suspicion. Not to mention the fact that Eddie knows basically all of Buck's friends because they're his friends too.

"Uh huh." Eddie nods slowly, dropping the two empty beer bottles from the living room into the recycling.

"Hey, did you finish my beer?" Buck frowns, hoping he can steer them away from this conversation with their usual banter.

"You were drinking it slow." Eddie shrugs.

"I was savouring it," Buck argues back with a sniff.

"Buck, you eat like a Victorian street urchin who doesn't know when they're getting their next meal. You've never savoured anything in your life." Eddie rolls his eyes, overtly fond in that way that never fails to make Buck's blood bubble like champagne. His expression turns hesitant as he screws the cap off his beer. "Chris said something about Charlotte's mom?" He raises his eyebrows slightly, takes an almost too casual sip of his beer.

"Not her mom," Buck denies and why the fuck would he say that? "Um, Dina. You know her? Mom's best friend?"

"Oh." Eddie blinks, pausing where he'd been picking at his label.

"N-not that there's anything there," Buck adds quickly. "We just got to talking whilst we were waiting for—" Buck cuts himself off before he can say our kids like that's his to decide, clearing his throat. "It was nothing."

"Chris didn't think it was nothing," Eddie mumbles in the exact same voice Chris had used when he'd told Buck not to date Dina. He doesn't know what that voice means. He hates not knowing.

"Well, even if it wasn't nothing—" he pales when Eddie's eyebrows twitch "—which it very much is... Nothing. But if it wasn't, Chris asked me not to date her, so that would make it nothing, you know?" Eddie's face softens then, that same expression he wears whenever Buck gets too close to tearing his heart out of his chest and handing it to Christopher.

"So, that wasn't her?" Eddie asks with a nod to his phone in his pocket. It buzzes as if in answer, and Buck wonders if the universe has gotten tired of screaming and is now resorting to undermining whispers.

"Yes, but..." Buck sighs. "Again, I really have to point out that it's nothing like that. For a lot of reasons." He ignores the questioning glint that creeps into Eddie's eyes, somewhat more dulled than it normally is when Buck is embarrassing himself. "But Chris is always number one, so..."

"Can I ask you something?" He's not sure if it's the tone of Eddie's voice, hesitant and ambiguously hopeful, or the fact that Eddie asks the question at all when they've never needed permission to pry since the lawsuit and everything that came with it, but Buck's heart stutters in his chest.

"Of course," he rasps carefully.

"Purely hypothetically," Eddie starts, keeping his attention on his beer bottle. "If you were to meet the love of your life," it's a struggle not to laugh in Eddie's face, "ask her to marry you, plan a whole wedding..." Eddie bites his lip and looks up at him with something burning in his eyes. "If Chris asked you not to marry her five minutes before you were set to walk down the aisle, what would you do?"

Buck frowns a little, wonders if that's even a question at all, but then remembers that Eddie doesn't know that Buck has already met the love of his life, has already been condemned to a lonely existence because of that.

"Well, I'd have a conversation with him about why he didn't want me to marry them," this he stresses, suddenly realising Eddie might not know that he's bi and hating the hope that rises in him, "but I'd be planning what I was going to say to them the moment he asked."

gonna tag my usual babes if you guys have anything to share <333 @danielsousa @shitouttabuck @folk-fae @butchdiaz @diazass

[faebriel]

Super Niki au my absolute beloved.. the more information I get the more crazy I get

(hi sorry this sat in the inbox for like two months anon for some reason i was hoping something more substantial would appear out of thin air. it didn't btw.) regardless of that! fuck yeah anon i'm with you on that

i think a superhero niki story would have to have a real focus on the mundane. like the nitty gritty details of "how do you conceal your identity from people in your superhero costume?" "how do you fit patrols into your week? you can't possibly do them every day." all that! again i think this comes back to me being really attached to the 'everyman' side of c!niki it makes me want to imbue that feeling into everything i write with her. in this au i think she does work at a bakery (good for her) but when the shit starts to hit the fan she disengages from her job, stops taking on the extra duties she usually does at work, stops caring, eventually stops showing up. etc. this is probably related to how she ends up crashing with fundy and hbomb after The Puffychu Divorce (superniki edition)

here are a few other miscellaneous thoughts i've been having:

i've been having more of a think about emerald duo in this au, and i think i know how i picture them being. so phil is wilbur's dad, techno is phil's friend, techno and wilbur define their relationship in vastly different ways, etc etc the standard. oh but they're both supervillains. not for any particular reason they kind of liked mucking around causing mayhem first and then came up with an ideology later. anyway phil's retired and techno Would Like to be retired but he's still looped into the job due to Shenanigans (blood god related mb?). wilbur is fully aware of this and goes to him to be like 🥺 help i need ideas when he decides to go supervillain mode

oh! and wilbur's alter ego name is chekhov ^-^

and so the syndicate in this au is......................... a book club. yes for real

okay look i was thinking about what to do with the syndicate and i didn't really want to have them end up as a Bad Ass Villain Posse because i think niki needs to retire or at least be a superperson part time after everything that happens. so instead, she ends up meeting phil and techno and they help her ease into super semi-retirement ^-^ and ofc phil and techno appreciate having another friend who Gets It around. they are literally just like a book club and a mild support group in this au in a very silly way and i like it

i've spoken a bit about fundy and hbomb in this au... yeah niki lives with them after breaking up with puffy. not 100% sure where jack fits in. maybe he's another low ish level vigilante running around and tries to ally with niki? i can't imagine any allegiances she makes in that mental state (without the history she and jack had as l'manbergians in canon) would last very long. maybe she sees a bit of herself in him. they both call each other out for being emotionally immature idiots and then go and do the exact same thing themself. hypocrites

oh and i think i've mentioned niki making her own costume before!! i imagine as a fire based superhero she buys PPE (like from a tradie joint) and modifies it to be 1. functional and 2. fashionable. this does in fact mean that hi-vis yellow + orange are her colours in this au....

and below the cut is a treat: a snippet i wrote of a scene where after a big fight, wilbur finds himself patching up his wounds in the same safety stash as this city's very own friendly neighbourhood superhero (who wants to beat his ass)......

“Why do you hate me?”

The stubborn rasp in his voice surprises even him. As for the woman on the other side of the room, her shoulders draw tight - like a wild animal arching its back, a show of anger. The question, then – should Wilbur interpret such a motion as defensiveness, or as a threat? “What makes you say that?” she asks. Her voice runs high with the question – a quiet sound, like a flute's soft alto, though it rasps slightly through the sound of a voice changer. Idly, Wilbur wonders whether it is worth asking where she got it. Or how she fashioned it, perhaps. God knows he needs one. Chekhov might manage perfectly fine in the midst of faceless reporters and supervillains – the proper kind – who haven't seen the light of city streets in years, but if Wilbur were to cross paths with someone he knew as himself (god forbid, someone like Tommy) his voice would give him away quick as anything.  (His heart aches, briefly, when he thinks of his brother.) Part of him tries to unpick what her voice would sound like without it. It’s difficult not to fixate on these small things – perhaps because the bigger things provide him with so little in comparison. Her voice is quiet, a little difficult to pick the sounds apart around the staticky rumble of the voice changer, but far from timid. There’s a stubborn timbre to it. (Something in it is familiar. But that thought is patently ridiculous, and Wilbur is impatient, and so it is dismissed.)

[scene continues]

"Am I," Wilbur pauses, wets his lips – it almost feels as if the fire is still flickering beneath his skin, energising and scorching all at once. "Am I that horrible? Is there something – do you see something so inherently terrible in me that you just have to strike it down? Is that it?" Her powder-keg silence sparks, ignites, her scowl a torn-open slash even beneath the planes of her mask, embroiled in sudden fury. "Don't flatter yourself - "  "Ah, and there it is!" To her credit, she doesn't stagger back as he lights up – if anything, her affect is unimpressed. "Show us the blaze, firebug! What – what drives you? What lights your fuse?" "Do you even know what you are?" she retorts. Oh, she's caught on the hook, now. "You know what you are?" What is Wilbur expecting? Proud, arrogant perhaps – delusional wouldn't be anything new, or any of the crueler words from that stock. Wouldn't be the first time he'd been called some variety of son of a bitch bastard, either. Who is he, to this spectre of flame? He's asking honestly, though he doubts she believes in his integrity. "You're a liar," she continues, words stubborn and fierce and almost unwieldy. "You – you are so selfish, and so cruel – you take, and you take and you take and you don't think for a second of the people you're taking from. You don't think anything of them. You're a liar," and when she repeats these words, they sound like smoke – "and you know what? I hate liars. I hate them." The words sink into him like stones. How does she know? he asks himself. How does she know? He doesn't ask her that. Knowing his patience, he'd be lucky for an answer, anyway - instead he just suggests, "you speak like you're familiar on the subject, then?" If it's even possible, her scowl drives itself deeper into her face - like tyre tracks driven into mud, an ugly slash of drawn brows and what he can only assume is teeth bared behind that voice changer of hers. She looks at him like he isn't worth a single thing on this earth. "Yeah, well," she spits. "I've had my fair share, with bastards like you."

[nanaosaki3940]

A Promise Long Forgotten [Tokyo Revengers]

(Almost follows the canon storyline of TR & is up-to-date with the manga.) 

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Angst.

Pairings: Izana Kurokawa X OC, Keisuke Baji X OC (mentioned), Manjiro Sano X OC (mentioned), Shinichiro Sano X OC.

Status: Completed.

Note: Some snippets from my original Tokyo Revengers fanfic "A Condition Called Love". I know this is an xOC fic but you can read it as self-insert if you want.

TR masterlist

Truth be told, little Nana couldn't exactly remember how long it was ago when she first met the half-Japanese-half-Filipino boy, but the one thing she could remember was that their first interaction was quite weird and awkward.

"Shin-chan, why are we here again? Are we visiting Ran and Rindo today?" little Nana asked the older teen Sano boy in confusion, her grip on his hand tightened a bit as they were making their way towards an institution after a long bike ride.

"No, Nana-chan. We'll be visiting someone new today." Shinichiro replied with a wide, soft grin before giving her hand a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure you're gonna love him."

"Him? You mean a boy?" Nana questioned again to which Shinichiro simply nodded his head in response.

"The boy we’re meeting today is Emma’s older brother. Izana Kurokawa." Shinichiro stated and this caused Nana's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Oh? Do you mean the one she sometimes talks about…?" Nana asked.

"Yes. And also, Izana is only three years older than you. So, he’s not too old." Shinichiro added.

"I see…" Nana trailed off, getting lost in her thoughts.

"Nana-chan, listen to me carefully…" Shinichiro spoke up again in a warm tone and in response, Nana looked back at him with curiosity. "The reason I brought you here today is that I wanted to introduce you to Izana so you can become friends with him."

"Become friends with this Izana person…? But why?" she asked again, getting more confused.

"Emma’s mom abandoned Izana when he was only 7 years old – just like how she abandoned Emma. Izana’s lonely and he doesn’t have that many good friends. That’s why I want you to become friends with him and fill up that void in his heart, Nana-chan." Shinichiro explained with a smile before placing a hand on top of her head, ruffling her raven locks.

"Okay… If you’re the one who’s asking this, then it’s fine. I’ll become friends with this Izana person." Nana smiled back sheepishly in response, her cheeks turning pink in color.

Her beloved Shinichiro asked for a favor and she would reject the request...? Yeah, as if that was ever going to happen in any lifetime.

Shinichiro and Nana walked in and immediately went to the backyard where they noticed some kids watching them curiously but Nana didn't give much attention to them and started to look for this Izana Kurokawa kid. Shinichiro then guided her under a big tree and told her that they had to wait there for Izana to appear.

It didn't take that long when Nana noticed a boy, older than her by some years, rushing over towards them with a giant smile adorning the younger boy's face. However, his smile fell immediately when he saw Nana standing closely beside Shinichiro before an annoyed expression started to take over his face now.

"Huh? Who are you? And why are you with my Shinichiro-Nii?" the boy asked in an accusing tone, a hint of jealousy dripping from his voice as the boy frowned down at Nana - He was a bit taller than her with hair silver in color while possessing these beautiful big, purple eyes and a light brown complexion.

"Hello. My name is Nana Osaki. I’m Shin-chan’s childhood friend and I live with him." Nana introduced herself in a calming tone as politely as possible.

"Childhood friend?!" Izana gasped out in surprise as he looked over at a sheepish-looking Shinichiro for a moment before glancing back at her. "So are you like a little sister to Shinichiro-Nii or something?"

What’s his deal? Why is he being so possessive towards Shin-chan like this…? Not to mention the jealousy… 

"No. You’re wrong. I’m not Shin-chan’s little sister." Nana responded, getting herself also a bit confused.

"Then what are you?" Izana asked again, gazing her down with narrowed eyes.

"I’m Shin-chan’s future bride." Nana replied nonchalantly yet in a serious tone, causing Izana's eyes to go wide open in surprise.

"Eh?! Nana-chan?!" Shinichiro, who was standing beside them this whole time, cried out in total embarrassment. "D-Don’t say things like this out loud!!"

"There's nothing to be shy about, Shin-chan. You know I love you." Nana giggled at the bashful older Sano boy in a teasing manner, causing his face to turn deep red in color.

"Shinichiro-Nii’s future bride? But isn’t he a lot older than you?" Izana asked in confusion, who now looked visibly relaxed after hearing her response, but still gave her a skeptical look.

"Shin-chan doesn’t look that old though. Besides, Waka-chan once told me that the 10-year age gap isn’t a big deal once you get older and become an adult…" Nana then pointed out to which Izana also agreed.

"Yeah. You’re right..." Izana replied before he questioned again. "But why his future bride?"

"Because that’s what I promised him… Shin-chan’s not that lucky when it comes to women, dating, relationships, and stuff like that…. so I promised him that I’ll be his future girlfriend and bride… Also, if I’m like a little sister to Shin-chan, then I won’t be able to marry him in the future. That relationship would become incestuous, you know." she explained in a calming voice.

“Nana-chan, please stop making fun of my love life. You’re breaking my poor little heart…” Shinichiro animatedly cried to her, a stream of tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Wow. For a little girl like you, that’s a difficult word you just said there." Izana pointed out in amazement.

"I love reading books, so my vocabulary is quite strong." Nana stated with a smug face, feeling proud of herself.

"Is that so…? That’s impressive I must say." Izana commented as his lips curled up into a small smile before Shinichiro decided to intervene.

Despite their bickering and bantering, to Shinichiro, it seemed like Nana and Izana were getting along quite well. Shinichiro knew the starting wasn’t that good and befriending Izana was quite a difficult task, but at the same time, he had his faith in Nana as well. He knew either way Nana would break through the shell and soften up Izana, eventually making the boy like her one way or another.

Besides, Izana wasn't like any other regular child. He was different in his way and Shinichiro was confident about the fact that Nana would have a huge influence on Izana's life in a good way possible.

Even though Nana was generally known to be quiet, shy, and introverted, she could also be warm and friendly towards the people around her if given the chance. Sometimes she might also get talkative and energetic and would showcase personality traits that an introverted person won’t show; traits she picked up from her childhood best friends, Keisuke Baji and Manjiro Sano, by being friends with them for years now.

Nana knew from the get-go that it won’t be easy to get along with someone like Izana. The half-Filipino boy was different from the other boys' Nana was familiar with. Izana wasn’t loud and friendly like Baji. He wasn’t mischievous yet understanding like Mikey. He wasn’t a big-hearted crybaby like Shinichiro or a teasing, lazy bastard like Wakasa. He wasn’t even an obsessively loyal dog like Haruchiyo either - Izana was just so different from everyone else.

"Okay. It looks like you kids are getting along quite well." Shinichiro chuckled out in amusement before he started to walk away from the scene, leaving the two kids behind alone. "You kids stay here and hang around for a while. I’ll be right back in a moment."

‘He’s probably going somewhere quiet to smoke a cigarette or something…’ Nana thought to herself, watching Shinichiro walk away.

As soon as Shinichiro left, Nana turned around and looked back at Izana with seriousness written all over her face.

"Shin-chan asked me to become your friend. So here I am. Let’s be pals from now on." she noted, sounding as if she was a woman on a mission.

"Huh? Why would I want you as my friend?" Izana scoffed in response and this confused Nana.

"You don’t like me? But you have been talking to me nicely all this time..." she asked with a frowning face and pouty lips.

"Yeah. But that doesn’t have to do anything with me liking you or not." Izana replied sassily.

"But Shin-chan asked me to… If you don’t let me become your friend, you’ll be going against Shin-chan’s request. You might even end up upsetting him as well. Do you want to upset Shin-chan now?" Nana asked before her lips curled up into a small mischievous smirk when she noticed a shocking look appearing on Izana's face.

"What?! Of course, not!!" he snapped at her. “I would never do things that might remotely upset Shinichiro-Nii!!”

"Then let’s become friends! For Shin-chan’s sake! Because that’s what he wants and wishes." Nana stated with an enthusiastic grin.

"Ah, you just manipulated me using Shinichiro-Nii. Are you always this stubborn and manipulative?" he asked and in response, Nana scoffed at him.

“No, not really. But as Shin-chan requested me to do something, I want to keep his words and fulfill my duties wholeheartedly. And don’t call me stubborn and manipulative with that voice tone. You’re making me sound as if I’m some sort of villain and criminal mastermind.” Nana responded, pursing her lips to which in response, Izana rolled his eyes at her yet again.

"So how long have you known Shinichiro-Nii?" Izana asked as he took a seat under the tree with Nana following his actions, sitting right beside him.

Despite blatantly admitting that he didn't want to talk to her, Izana still was making some effort to make some more new friends, at least for Shinichiro's sake.

"Actually my whole life. The Sano and the Osaki families are family friends for generations now, so I’ve known Shin-chan and Jiro-chan ever since my birth." Nana replied with a smile.

"Jiro-chan? You mean Manjiro Sano?" Izana asked with a distasteful expression, raising an eyebrow. "That’s the younger brother, right? I don’t like him though."

"Huh? But why…?" Nana asked in confusion, furrowing her eyebrows a bit. "Jiro-chan might be a precocious brat, but he’s nice."

Izana seemed hesitant at first to reveal the truth to a little girl who he just met today but he did it anyway. After his beloved big brother, Shinichiro wanted him to get along with this Osaki girl.

"I just don’t like the fact that he’s Shinichiro-Nii’s brother and that he lives with him. I want to be Shinichiro-Nii’s one and only brother." Izana revealed and his answer made Nana realize a few things about the boy.

'Ah, I see now... Izana is lonely. He never knew his father. His mother abandoned him out of nowhere. He got separated from his little sister Emma when he was only seven years old. Izana never had a happy family, unlike Manjiro... Shin-chan is the first family member to come and look for him. This touched Izana's heart and that's why he's clinging to Shin-chan with his dear life... And that's when his jealousy comes in when he sees someone else getting close to Shin-chan in a sibling-kinda way... No wonder he relaxed a bit when I said I don't see Shin-chan as my older brother but rather I see him as a man who I'm in love with...' Nana thought to herself before speaking up aloud in a soft, comforting tone. "I see… but unfortunately you can’t change the fact that Manjiro is Shin-chan’s brother and also your half-brother..."

"I just don’t like that… I don’t wanna talk about him anymore." Izana stated with pouty lips and that's when Nana decided to drop the topic, noticing the malice in his tone.

"Oh, okay… Then do you want me to talk about my other friends?" Nana asked with a small smile. "I have Kei-chan and Emma…"

"Who’s this Kei-chan now?" Izana asked with confusion and curiosity, raising an eyebrow at her.

"His real name is Keisuke Baji. Kei-chan’s our childhood best friend. We’ve known him ever since we were four years old. Kei-chan’s pretty much brainless like Shin-chan and has violent tendencies, but underneath that tough look, he’s really nice and cool to hang around with. The other day, Kei-chan met this guy named Kazutora at an arcade and later they both burned down a car to commemorate their newfound friendship." Nana stated with a giggle, recalling the crazy activities done by her ravenette best friend.

"That’s crazy!" Izana commented with a gasp of surprise.

"I know right!" Nana giggled even more.

"How about Emma? How is she doing?" Izana asked, this time his voice went low and soft and Nana immediately understood the reason.

"She’s doing great now. When she arrived at the Sano residence for the first time, she was miserable. She acted as if nothing affected her, but we all could tell she’s was really sad that her mom abandoned her. In reality behind the curtains, she used to cry quietly in secret when no one was around to see or look..." Nana recalled with a hint of sadness in her tone before her lips curled up into a small, graceful smile. "But she’s okay now… She also talked about you quite a few times and that’s how Shin-chan and I got to know about you."

"I see… so Emma still remembers me, huh? That’s nice to know…" Izana muttered out, smiling as well.

"Don’t you have any friends here, Izana?" Nana asked and Izana gave her a confused yet skeptical look. "I wanna meet them."

"Well, I do have one…" Izana responded in hesitation as he wasn't sure whether to introduce her to Kakucho or not.

But thinking back on what Shinichiro wanted him to do and why was Nana with him in the first place, Izana eventually decided to push his pride and insecurities away just for a moment and led the little Osaki girl to somewhere else where he could find his one and only friend.

Izana never had a happy family life. He didn't know the meaning of parental love or any kind of love in general. He didn't understand how to deal with certain emotions or how to behave around elders and superior ones or even how to treat people who are inferior to him. Nobody taught him well enough so he didn't know. No one taught him the moral ethics of life in general and because of that, he always ended up doing bad stuff.

Izana didn't know how to respond when someone showcased their love for him and because of that, he tended to get very possessive towards the people who loved and cared about him even for a tiny bit.

Kakucho was his best friend (more like his subordinate/follower; Izana liked to think in that way) and Shinichiro was his older brother; they both loved him and always cared about his wellbeing. Izana needed them in his life to survive like how he always needed oxygen to breathe. He knew these two were always going to be there for him no matter what and that's why Izana trusted them with his whole life.

But he couldn't say the same thing about Nana Osaki though. She just came out of nowhere and suddenly became a part of his life.

'Should I trust her...? But Shinichiro-Nii brought her here...' Izana thought to himself. 'Shinichiro-Nii wanted me to be friends with her... but she's so small and stubborn... Not to mention, she always keeps smiling like an idiot and talks as if she some kind of monk or philosopher... Just who the hell are you, Nana Osaki?'

Izana wasn't that surprised when the small ravenette boy named Kakucho (a year younger than Nana and four years younger than Izana) didn't shy away from hiding his happiness and enthusiasm upon meeting Nana. Izana knew that this little girl could pierce through the chest and win over anyone's heart and that included Kakochu as well. As Izana quietly observed Nana and Kakucho interact with one another ever so comfortably, he slowly started to understand Nana as a person more and more.

‘What a weird little girl…’ Izana thought to himself while staring at Nana’s ever-sweet smile.

Nana might be shy and quiet at the beginning when introduced but once getting familiar with a certain individual, she would become warm, kind, and welcoming like the sun itself - the source of light and life. She would smile and giggle at the smallest thing that happened around her, appreciating every moment of her life. She was mature, smart, and perceptive for her age and would notice every small detail around her.

Izana didn't have to tell her his sad backstory because he knew she knew and understood - that's the kind of person Nana Osaki was. She was kind, devoted, and protective but yet at the same time she wouldn't mind becoming a tigress and attacking someone to protect her loved and dear ones. Nana was everything and anything and this always made Izana confused and conflicted whenever he would try to figure out the little girl. They didn’t need words to describe their feelings; the silence they shared between themselves was enough for them to speak up on their own.

Izana didn't want Nana to get closer to him, but Nana being Nana, the stubborn girl she was known for, barged into his life without any announcement or permission. She started to change small things in his life leading him to become somewhat of a better human being. Because of her, he began to view the world from a different angle now. The world to him always seemed all black and white, but Nana made it all colorful and vibrant. And before Izana could even realize it himself, Nana became that person in his life who came in clutch and started to save him from his old dark self.

As time passed by, days became weeks, weeks became months, months became years and before anyone could realize anything, it had been almost four years then since Izana met Nana for the first time. The half-Filipino boy couldn’t realize how and when time flew by so quickly and fast. And with this passage of time, the little Osaki girl also became a constant figure in his life just like Shinichiro and Kakucho. Nana radiated positivity and Izana needed such positivity in his life.

Just like his younger adoptive brother Manjiro Sano, Izana needed Nana in his life.

Izana never knew who his father was; always assumed it probably would be Mr. Sano just like Emma and the Sano brothers. His so-called mother abandoned him, send him off to an orphanage, and never came back from him. Emma was taken away from him when both siblings were young. Unfortunately for him, he never had a perfect, healthy childhood. With no family member in the picture to take care of him and be concerned about his wellbeing, Izana became a depressed, lonely kid who was growing up with his past traumas, mental issues, and different other complications until the day he met his friend Kakucho.

And then later came Shinichiro and then Nana into his life. They were the ones he believed were the people who truly wanted to be there for him through thick and thin. For someone who always craved a happy family life, who always wanted to be validated by someone, who always wanted a place which he could call ‘home’, Kakucho, Shinichiro, and Nana did surely make him feel loved, made him feel wanted.

And because of the connection he had made with them over the years, he started to get possessive over them. To him, not only they were his precious ones in life, but they were also his possessions.

When Izana first met Nana, he assumed that she probably wanted to become his friend out of pity, but this perspective of his completely changed once he learned about her life – like how her parents died and she became an orphan, how her family rejected her and so the Sano family took her in because she had nowhere to go, how her life was indirectly affected by the actions of her two older cousins (the Haitani brothers) and like how her father’s traditional family deemed her as a problem child despite of her doing nothing wrong in life.

And after knowing her life, Izana realized that he and Nana were somehow similar and this became the reason for Izana to grow urges within him of wanting to protect and take care of Nana just like how he always felt and did for Kakucho as well. He wanted to be the sole one to give her the happiness she deserved and keep her protected at all costs. He wanted to be the prime and only reason for her smiles and laughter; not Mikey, not Shinichiro, not Baji; just him and only him. And before Izana could even realize it himself, this puppy love of his slowly started to become stronger as time went by.

“Snow!!” the three kids exclaimed out in sheer joy and excitement before they ran outside to the lawn to play with the frosty white.

“Not fair, Izana!” Kakucho cried out in frustration when Izana threw a snowball right into his face. “We agreed that it’s my area past that line!”

“Idiot! Promises are made to be broken!” Izana laughed while throwing more snowballs at the other boy.

“Aaahh!! The snowman I made!!” Kakucho shrieked when he noticed Izana sitting on top of his snowman, completely ruining his masterpiece.

“I was just trying to help, but it just fell apart!” Izana responded with a grinning face as he continued to playfully bully his friend.

“So mean, Izana! I’m gonna go play by myself!” Kakucho announced and just as he was about to walk away, Nana who was quietly building an igloo all by herself this whole time called out to those two boys.

“Now, now. Rather than doing that, come and look at the igloo I just made.” Nana called out with a kind, warm smile causing the other two to run over to her side.

“Wow, Nana-chan! That’s amazing!” Kakucho gasped out in joy with a wide grin on his face.

“It’s our country’s castle...” Izana commented with a smile.

“Our country?” Nana and Kakucho muttered out in unison, utterly confused.

“Yeah!” Izana grinned before he led the two inside the small frosty castle, sat on the frosty ground with legs crossed in a circle, and started to scribble away on a paper with a pencil, writing down notes and ideas. “See, this is our top secret plan! We’ll put this plan into action and make the strongest kingdom before we became adults! I’m the king, Nana-chan’s my queen, and you Kakucho, my servant, are…hmm… let’s see… I’ll give you your own squad!”

‘I’m Izana’s queen…?’ little Nana thought to herself as her heart started to pick up its beat, a small blush appearing on her cheeks, shocked by the fact how nonchalantly the Kurokawa boy called her ‘his queen’.

“A squad…?” Kakucho asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side as he stared down at the piece of paper Izana scribbled away.

“We fight for our country. We’ll make everyone who has no family our citizens and give them a place called ‘home’…” Izana replied with a dreamy look in his eyes.

‘Ah, I get it now… Unlike me who still has the Sano family as a support, Izana’s got none of that; no parents or family. The same goes for Kakucho as well ever since his parents passed away in a car accident. And that’s what I can see in Izana’s eyes now… the yearning… the desire of having a happy family with whom he can laugh and cry till his dying breath… the desire of wanting to find a place he can call home…’ Nana thought to herself, her softening at the sight of the two boys while Izana crawled out of the igloo and stood on the ground with head up high just like the king he loved thinking about himself.

“Citizens! Pay your taxes to me!” Izana called out, pretending to be some superior while pointing his finger in a random direction before looking back at us with a toothy grin. “Like that!”

“Hahaha! Nice! Very like you.” Kakucho commented, grinning back at his friend.

“That’s why we can’t ever lose from now on...” Izana added, gazing at the distance with a satisfied look on his face.

“Yeah! If that’s the case, then we can’t lose even once, huh!” Kakucho agreed with a closed-eyed smile and Izana then looked over at the small ravenette girl.

“You’re with us, right Nana-chan?” Izana asked, his eyes burning with desire and longing. “You won’t leave me, right? Promise me, Nana-chan… that you’ll stay by my side forever…”

And without thinking anything straight, Nana just blabbered out what came to her mind at that moment.

“Okay, Izana-kun. It’s a promise.” She replied with her signature kind, warm smile because the way Izana asked and was looking at her, there was no way she could ever reject such a desperate request. “Well if we’re making our own kingdom, what’s it gonna be called…?”

Izana, Kakucho, and Nana were now laying down with their backs on the frosty ground, staring straight up at the cloudy sky as the latter two waited for the former one to speak up again.

“Hmm… Let’s see…” Izana trailed off, his lips curling up into a small smile. “If I’m Tang Sanzang… then Kakucho is Sun Wukong, right?”

“Oh, you mean that Chinese novel called Journey to the West…?” I asked and Izana nodded his head in response.

“Our kingdom’s name is Tenjiku!” Izana added, his voice filled with full of enthusiasm.

“Tenjiku, huh…?” Kakucho muttered to himself, trailing off at the thought of the new name.

“Together the three of us will create a great era for sure!” Izana grinned before turning his head to the side to look over at Nana. “Right, Nana-chan? You’re with us, right…?”

And in response, Nana grinned back at him, promising to never leave his side, ever.

“Yep, I’m with you, Izana-kun! Always!” she replied, warming up Izana’s cold, little heart with her own love and warmth.

A promise which was meant to last forever…

A promise which later was long forgotten…

Izana had always wanted an older sibling, especially an older brother; someone who would teach him different things in life, someone who would guide him down a path and teach him the ways of living life. Then all of a sudden, it was that one day a guy came to visit him, saying his name was Shinichiro Sano and he was his older brother. Later after getting to know each other, Shinichiro taught the half-Filipino boy about motorcycles, taught him how to fight, taught him the ways of a delinquent, fashion, how to style his hair, and taught him how to smile and laugh from the bottom of his heart. Shinichiro taught him everything. He was his older brother whom he had all to himself.

“Shinichiro...” an older Izana greeted his big brother with a smile as he stood in front of the S.S Motors shop while Shinichiro who was working on a motorbike with a kid named Seishu Inui sitting by his side looked over to his shoulder and smiled at his younger brother.

“Hey! It's been a while, Izana!” Shinichiro greeted back with a smile as well, a lightened-up cigar placed between his lips.

“Hop on the back of my bike. Wanna ride?” Izana asked and Shinichiro’s smile grew even wider.

“Yeah sounds good…” Shinichiro responded while wiping his dirty hands with a piece of cloth, standing up from the ground. “Gimme a sec, okay?”

It wasn’t that long before the two brothers went out on a motorbike ride with Izana driving the two-wheeled vehicle down the streets of Shibuya and Shinichiro sitting in the back.

“To think the day would come when I would ride on the back of your bike, huh.” Shinichiro chuckled out in amusement.

“I've gotten good, huh?” Izana chuckled back as he kept his eyes straight ahead on the road.

“When did you get out of reform school?” Shinichiro asked with curiosity, but Izana chose to stay silent for a moment before deciding to change the subject.

“Shinichiro... Will you let me take over the next generation of Black Dragons?” Izana asked with a smile.

“Huh?” Shinichiro asked in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows a bit.

“Since it's important to you, I want to protect it!” Izana added with a clarification, now grinning widely at his brother.

Shinichiro didn’t know what to say to Izana at that moment while they continued to drive down the nearly busy streets. He went speechless for a few seconds; because after all the older Sano had left his precious gang, the Black Dragons, behind years ago so that it could be taken over and led by his other younger brother Manjiro Sano one day in the future. That was Shinichiro’s plan the entire time and it had always been that way. But now it seemed like things were going to be different from here on out, all because of Izana and his small wishes and requests.

Despite not being related by blood, there was no doubt that Shinichiro loved Izana dearly from the bottom of his heart, just like how he loved his own younger brother, Mikey. Both Mikey and Izana meant a lot to him. There was no way he would be able to turn down Izana’s humble request nor he could let go of his future plans for Mikey. So without giving much thought to it, he spoke up to Izana again.

“Sure... I've always thought that I would give it to you one day…” Shinichiro stated as his lips curled up into a small smile, his eyes softening up as well. “Izana, thank you. It was my dream to pass it down to my siblings. I want to leave the Black Dragons to you... and Manjiro...”

And hearing this, Izana immediately went stiff in his seat, and eventually, the smile fell off his face, his purple eyes widening as well.

Huh? Manjiro again…? But why? Just why?!

Since that day, a year or two passed by before one day Izana ran into someone he never thought he might see again – his mother (Emma’s biological mom), the one who abandoned him a long time ago without a second thought.

“Mom... Why did you abandon me?” Izana asked as he stood quietly behind the woman who was playing some gambling games with a cigarette in between her lips. “To do this?”

“Tch! So annoying.” The woman, who happened to be Emma’s mom, clicked her tongue in annoyance, her face looked cold and emotionless.

“Huh?” Izana asked in confusion, frowning as well.

“You're not my kid. You're the bastard son of my 1st husband and a Filipino bitch. He was a useless man. In the end, some thugs stabbed him and he died. You get it? You're someone else's kid and we aren't blood-related.” She explained and this revelation made Izana’s eyes go wide open in complete shock.

“Huh? W-What?” Izana stuttered out in disbelief. “Your first husband? But then, what about Emma...?”

“Emma isn't your actual blood-related sister because I had her with my 2nd husband, Makoto Sano... This means you're not related to either Emma or the Sano family...” the woman added with a scoff, leaving Izana devastated and heartbroken.

And this led Izana to confront Shinichiro the next day, in an alleyway under the shower of the afternoon rain, and when he did come face to face with his adoptive older brother, the first thing Izana did was throw a powerful punch right at his face.

“You knew, didn't you, Shinichiro?!!” Izana exploded, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Why didn't you tell me?!!”

“Yeah. I knew it from the very start.” Shinichiro groaned out in pain while standing up from the ground. “But, that doesn't matter, does it…?”

“It doesn't matter?! It's the most important thing, isn't it?!!” Izana yelled out again, feeling betrayed. “And don’t tell me Nana-chan knew about this too?!”

“Why Izana? Just because we are not related by blood doesn't mean something changes between us, right?” Shinichiro asked, furrowing his eyebrows again. “And yes, Nana knew about it as well. I’m the one who told her to keep this a secret…”

And this crushed Izana’s already broken heart, even more, his vision becoming warped as he struggled to comprehend the fact that Shinichiro wasn’t his actual brother and Nana hid the truth from him despite knowing everything.

Even Nana-chan knew about this…?!

And she kept this a secret because Shinichiro told her to?!

Does she not care about me?! Does she not care about my feelings at all?!

“Shut up!!” Izana screamed out again at Shinichiro through his gritted teeth while clenching his fists ever so tightly in complete fury and sadness, tears continued to roll down his cheeks before his voice cracked at the end. “Why did you even come to me?! If I was alone from the beginning, I would have been fine by myself. You get it, Shinichiro? The hell of one day thinking that you have happiness only for it to suddenly be taken away...”

Even Nana-chan betrayed me!! And I trusted her the most!!

Why did you do this to me, Nana-chan?! You too, Shinichiro!! Just why?!

Then a few years after that, Tetta Kisaki who just got kicked out of Toman recently back then, approached a depressed and drained-looking Izana at a random park, remarking on his sorry state before he asked if Izana was depressed because his brother Shinichiro died. And not long after this encounter, Izana decided to build Tenjiku with Kakucho and the former S-62 Generation gang. From a childhood friend to former gang members, Izana had everyone with him by his side except for one person and that was Nana Osaki who promised him her support and love for eternity.

Promises are made to be broken…

A promise that was long forgotten…

Read the entire fanfic on Quotev and Wattpad -

[legoprime]

31 Days of Dragon Age: Day 18

Favorite DA2 NPC

This might be a toss up between Meredith and the Arishok. What can I say, DA2 had some good villains.

The Arishok is a very intimidating figure, but if you don't bullshit with him he gains a level of respect for Hawke that leads to a fascinating relationship. Heck, it's pretty much the entire reason Hawke stays relevant in Act 2 rather than just becoming another noble in Hightown: the Arishok needs help with a situation and Hawke's the one he trusts to do it.

He's harsh but not unreasonable, and you can learn a lot about the Qun from him if you ask respectfully. Even once shit hits the fan he maintains a level of respect towards Hawke, and allows the entire fate of the city to be determined by a duel (depending on your choices). It's a very satisfying character arc.

Meredith is similar in some ways, in that neither of them are obvious villains from the start. Yes, you hear that she's a tightass templar who has more control over the city than she should, but until the end of Act 2 everything you know about her is from codexes and snippets of dialogue. In a game where Hawke's already been speaking with the Viscount and the Grand Cleric for a whole act, Meredith feels... far away.

Once you do meet her, she--like the Arishok--is put into a position right away where she and Hawke are working together. DA2 is really good at humanizing its villains. Twice it says, "Here's a person in a position of authority who you have a vested interest in not pissing off. Work with them, talk with them, learn more about who they are and why they're doing what they do. You don't have to like them, but you WILL see them as a person."

I think that's really my favorite thing about both of them. The game doesn't introduce them like "Here's your Big Bad", it just gives you these complicated characters that Hawke has a complicated relationship with up until Something Happens that forces Hawke to stand against them. Short of things being fundamentally different (Isabela not stealing the tome, Meredith not getting the idol) there's nothing you can do to change the outcome.

DA2 has great villains.

(31 Days of Dragon Age)

[jessicas-pi]

paint bombs, pixie cuts, and elopements........

hehehehe

This is my Sabezra Medieval AU! (it's the sequel to Matchmaking, Mad Science, And Accidental Child Acquisition, which is a TCW/JFO/SWR Medieval AU.) PBPCAE has gone through SO many variations and plans and ideas and four or five times I've thought I might actually have the story 100% figured out until I stumbled over a plot hole and got stuck, but I finally went back to the beginning and thought it out, and i've actually got an ACTUAL plan now, so I'll ramble about it instead of sharing a snippet!

So, the backstory of it is this: Sabine is Viscountess Wren, heiress to Clan Wren. Ezra is an orphan who was found, rescued, and eventually adopted by Kanan (aka Prince Caleb Dume of Jedha) and Hera! Ezra and Sabine meet as children (she's 7, he's 5) in book 1 and get along like a house on fire. After the events of book one, they keep in touch--I haven't decided for certain, but Sabine might actually live in Jedha for a while.

Fast forward in time to the beginning of PBPCAE. Sabine is a young woman, just old enough to marry, and Ursa is discussing potential political matches with her. Now, up until this point, sabine had never ever considered marrying ezra, but then her mom goes and says "Sabine, I may as well be clear from the start. You will not be permitted to marry that Jedhan boy you're constantly running around with."

Sabine's response?

After some confusion, embarrassment, hilarity, and a trip to Jedha, Sabine manages to convince Ezra that This Is A Great Idea Actually. But there's a problem.

Jedha and Mandalore both have very complicated marriage customs and requirements. And Sabine knows her mother will use any objection she can. So Act 1 of the story is Sabine and Ezra doing a deep dive into Jedhan and Mandalorian law (with the assistance of Cal Kestis, Resident Nerd) and kind of go on a bunch of quests to make sure there can be no nitpicky legal objections whatsoever (i.e. they have to convince kanan to adopt ezra the mandalorian way as well as the jedhan way so that ezra would be considered actual royalty and therefore a good political match), while also keeping it a total secret so Ursa can't step in and stop them. The secrecy leads to some comedy due to Sabine and Ezra both being very bad at making up excuses as to where they've been sneaking off to.

Finally, they've settled every objection, and are preparing ye olde powerpointe presentatione on "Why You Should Approve Of This" for Ursa when a visiting Mandalorian with a bit of a grudge against Sabine sets her up, resulting in an Incident that nearly ruins Sabine's reputation, and causes Ursa to summon her daughter back home.

War breaks out in Mandalore.

Sabine and Ezra don't see each other for two years.

Enter Act 2.

The war ends, and Ezra and his family (which includes young Jacen!) are invited to Mandalore's Winter Court as part of the celebrations. (I haven't decided what plot reason there is for them to be there lol.) Ezra is ecstatic to see Sabine again, though he's a little nervous that two years will make things awkward, especially with their secret marriage plans between them (and the fact that, during their time apart, he came to terms with the realization that he had feelings for her. His friends Luke and Han, who know about the secret, have been giving him (extremely bad) advice on How To Woo Your Future Wife.)

'Tis not to be.

The first news Ezra gets upon arrival is that Sabine is engaged.

To be specific, Sabine is engaged to Carthage, the philandering slimeball son of Gar Saxon---and the same guy who set her up and nearly ruined her two years before. She's not happy about it, but it was part of the conditions of the peace treaty, and so she can't call off the engagement without a mutual agreement.

(Ezra is, understandably, heartbroken. He can't even be happy for Sabine because her fiance is a lousy person!)

Then yet another Incident happens and suddenly the whole Winter Court is convinced that Sabine is carrying on with Ezra behind Carthage's back. Carthage is mad.

Wait a second, Sabine thinks. This could be my ticket out of here.

So, in an attempt to make Carthage upset enough that he willingly agrees to cancel the engagement, Sabine and Ezra play themselves up as a starcrossed romance between a noblewoman in an arranged marriage and the peasant boy who became a prince and who also happens to be her childhood friend---basically they use all the dramatic tropes they can. Half of the Winter Court is scandalized by their behavior, and the other half is like it's the romance of the century!!!!

And when even that doesn't work?

Well...

There's always elopement.

[ashtraythief]

Hello! How you doing?

In thé underneath verse, Jensen has a russian guy killed from a previous asignment, it got me thinking, what if some criminals recognize him from being arrested by him or something, do you think Jared will believe them? How would Jensen explain it ?

Ah. Well, I think it really depends on who recognizes Jensen and how good their info and reputation is. And whether Jensen would be able to sell a believable reason why the person is mistaken or just lying. So honestly it could go either way.

I have to admit I have thought about it in the past, but it never felt like it really fit into the story. Too much drama lol. However it went something like Jensen being there when Jared, Chad, and Mike meet up with a weapons dealer and the guy recognizes Jensen. So when he’s introduced to Jensen Campbell, he’s not… subtle.

Like, this guy, let’s call him Kyle, is not the smartest tool in the shed, so he just blurts out. “Hey, I know you!”

“Excuse me?” Jensen asks mildly, while his heart starts beating wildly in his chest. The guy does look familiar to him.

“Yeah yeah.” Kyle is ridiculously excited to know the big boss’s husband. “Like five or six years ago, I delivered weapons to this paramilitary compound and you were there.”

It takes only a second to click. Before Jared, before Miami, Jensen spent a couple of months in flyover country, infiltrating a right wing militia building up an arsenal for some sort of dumbass revolution against big government. They were nut jobs, but they were heavily armed nut jobs who’d disappeared an IRS investigator.

“A paramilitary compound?” Jensen repeats to buy time. “Are you high?”

He sneaks a look at Jared and the guys. Chad and Mike just look amused, but Jared’s brows are pinching in a way Jensen isn’t sure whether that spells trouble for Kyle or for Jensen. It’s been a long time since Jared was suspicious of Jensen’s identity, but a blatant accusation like this could change things.

“No no,” Kyle blabbers on, “they were like a bunch of conspiracy nazi types living in the woods.”

“Conspiracy nazi types?” Jared’s voice is partially amused, partially annoyed. It doesn’t seem like he’s buying it. “Living in the woods?”

“I think you’re confusing me with someone else,” Jensen says, trying not to sound strained. “Though I don’t really know how you can confuse this face with someone else’s.”

“No, no.” Kyle’s gesticulating now. “I mean, you were like bald and, well, I mean, you had a tattoo…” He falters a little as he points at Jensen’s decidedly untattooed neck before he rallies again, “but it was you!”

Chad and Mike break out in laughter.

“Bald?” Chad sputters.

“A tattoo?” Mike adds. “What, Jensen—Jensen—with a swastika? Did you miss the part where he’s very, very gay? Not exactly part of the whole nazi thing.”

Even Jared huffs out an incredulous laugh.

Jensen fervently thanks past him for committing so hard to his cover that he shaved his hair down to half an inch and got a makeup artist to give him semi permanent SS tattoos.

“No. I mean, yes.” Kyle is really struggling now. “But I swear, it was him.”

“I don’t know what’s more unbelievable, Jensen shaving his hair or Jensen living in the woods.” Jared shoots Jensen a grin. “No offense, sweetheart, you’re not exactly the camping type.”

“I’m also not the nazi type,” Jensen bites out.

“Yeah, well that goes without saying.”

Kyle is still staring at Jensen, mouth opening and closing. “Yeah, but—I saw you!”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Jared cuts in. “I don’t care what you think you saw, you’re not going to spout some weird conspiracy shit about Jensen.”

“But—” Kyle finally stops arguing, though he doesn’t really look like he doesn’t believe Jensen wasn’t, well, Jensen.

Sorry for the late answer, anon, I knew I had this snippet saved somewhere, but it took me a while to find lol.

But yeah, Jensen is never going to be one hundred percent safe. And he knows it too. He just choses to ignore it sometimes.

[forthedancingandthethriving]

Thinking about that fic snippet with Root and just.

This is Sig :). I've mentioned him a couple times before in my episode ideas I think. Sig really likes bugs and is tired all the time. He's also the reincarnation of half the soul of an extremely powerful, maybe-or-maybe-not evil demon whose other half was sealed hundreds of years ago, which is why he's so tired and has that massive red arm. The book that has his soul's other half is currently in the possession of his friend Klug, and that half is very determined to reunite with the half that's in Sig, and nobody knows what will happen to either of them if/when that happens, or what the resulting entity will do afterwards.

Canon Sig isn't aware of anything to do with his original self or the book.

SMG4 Sig very much is.

Also his arm and red eye only got like that a few months before he transferred to Primp Magic School, and in fact are the main reason he transferred. And he's still not fully comfortable with them, either in canon where he doesn't know why this is happening to him or in the AU where he knows all too well.

Anyway, I feel like they'd have some "terrified of where I came from and what I seem to be becoming" solidarity and hang out sometimes. They probably don't actually do much talking during their hangouts, or even doing much of anything. Probably just go out into the woods and watch some bugs doing their thing and quietly enjoy the company of somebody who Gets It.

AAAAA YES??? I love that so much,,, them probably meeting each other by chance and talking a bit, and then slowly opening up each other,, realizing there's someone who is like them and gets it, who understand that fear is probably so reliving for either of them. And them just,, enjoying each other's company? Ough,,, yes,,,,