#been a little hard to settle on something for a bit in terms of specific details

[jeankirsteinsgrlfrnd]

Yeah that's totally fine sorry for not being more specific. Can I have jean, eren armin mikasa and bertholdt saving the reader from like a titan or something thanks. ( you can cut mikasa and/or eren if that's to many people for you)

a/n: i’m so so sorry this took so long. this has been in my inbox forever & i hope you’re still around, anon.

jean saves you

it was a warm night, tonight. you and jean had decided to take a late night stroll, enjoying the cool breeze and each others company. you were both oblivious to the gaping hole in wall maria.

you were laughing and joking with jean about something eren had said earlier. jean didn’t think it was all that funny but tolerated it for the sake of being in your company.

“you’re just a little hotheaded,” you laughed, pinching your thumb and pointer finger close enough to touch.

“did you hear that?” jean asked, his voice falling to a whisper.

“that’s not funny, jean.” you said sternly.

“seriously, Y/N. shut up for a second.” he hissed. he throws his right arm out in front of your chest, preventing you from taking one step further.

as your eyes adjusted to the darkness, you saw it. the unmistakable foot of a titan.

your legs frozen in fear, you looked over at jean. a blank expression was on his face which was all drained of color.

it was quiet to the point where you could hear it’s breath. you could feel the warm humidity settle on your face.

in a fleeting moment of bravery, his hand wrapped around your wrist. and jean ran like hell, dragging you with him. your legs could barely keep up with his.

eventually, you reached the dorms where jean practically threw you inside. he alerted his comrades and they all begin to get their gear in a hurry to slay however many titans might be lurking within the walls.

he stopped you halfway through buckling your straps up. “no,” he said, “it’s too dark. i’ll be damned if i let you out there.”

jean wouldn’t hear another word from you as he ran through the door and into the darkness.

eren saves you

eren, now in possession of the attack and founding titan, waged a war in marley. through the chaos of it all, his goal seemed to be taking the war hammer titan’s power. you were stationed on the ground in marley, thanks to the call of the commander. it was a stupid plan but a sacrifice you were willing to make if it meant the safe return of eren.

levi and hange knew it was risky, sending you down there alone but you were the only one willing to die. you accepted long ago you’d die out on a mission and in terms of them, this seemed like a good one to go out on.

with your feet on the ground, you knew you had to act now. you needed to get the war hammers or the jaw’s attention so eren could proceed with his goal. you settled on the jaw, having a bit more familiarity with the titan because of ymir.

getting its attention was easy. running was the hard part. in the midst of everything, it went right over your head that the jaw would be near impossible to escape.

your odm gear could only carry you so fast. sweat dripped down your face in fear. you were so ready to die, weren’t you? why were you fighting it now?

a final attempt. you spin around, facing the titan and its’ teeth. flashy white teeth that would send you to your death. this is what you became a scout for.

you drew your blades, prepared to fight.

but you didn’t have to.

eren’s titan let out a roar that shook the earth. with a quick swoop, he grabbed the jaw in mid air as it leaped towards you. the attack titan held your gaze as you thanked eren over and over in your head. you hoped he could hear you.

armin saves you

in paradis, there were humans and there were titans. everything else was irrelevant. of humans, there were civilians and there were scouts. you, following your friends into the survey corps, were a scout. a terrified little girl but a scout, nonetheless.

the day you were pursuing the female titan, you had fallen out of rank. a few abnormals had pushed you further and further away from your comrades. but you had no choice, if you wanted to live, you had to abandon them.

your horse was fast enough to allude them until in a moment of fear, it bucked you off. your steed fled quickly, leaving you to your legs as a means of transportation.

what’s worse is you were in an open field, no trees to grapple onto. you would have to use the titan as an anchor if you were going to slay it.

zipping up, you launched a hook into it’s neck. sending you, it smacks you down. you had quick reflexes, hooking down into the ground and zipping back down instead of tumbling down.

how were you supposed to reach the nape of an abnormal?

a faint galloping sound reaches your ears, alerting you of a comrades presence. armin arlert.

armin showed up with his own horse and a spare. leaping up from his own horse, he flies by the titan, cutting the muscles in the back of the knees. the titan drops down giving you time to pull yourself up onto the mare.

riding back, you yell over at him, “you came back for me?”

“of course!”

bertholdt saves you

“shit,” bertholdt murmured from a branch as he saw you coming up over the horizon.

bertholdt and reiner had just taken ymir and eren. and you were damned if you weren’t going to do anything about it. your commanders told you to leave it alone but you just couldn’t. eren and ymir were your friends, dammit, and you were going to get them back.

you didn’t know you were riding into a death trap until it was too late.

titans gnawed and clawed at the tree the warriors were holed up on. you saw the cluster of them just as they had heard your horse’s hooves hitting the ground.

quickly losing interest in the people above them, the titans turned towards you. and eren and ymir wouldn’t be any help, knowing the condition they’re in.

could you turn back? you’d risk luring a group of ten, maybe fifteen, titans back to your squad. they’d handle it, right? you didn’t want to find out, instead, you charged forward relying on the trees to give you some relief.

“shit!” bertholdt repeated more urgently once he saw you continue heading forward. with the knowledge that the titans were learning to climb, he forgot he was a warrior.

“bert, don’t!” reiner threatened.

in this moment, he was a solider coming down to save you. he didn’t care about the details, he’d figure that out later. as long as you were safe, that’s all he cared about.

and he did save you. he used the titans as landmarks to grapple his way to you, lift you off the horse and back up into the tree tops.

you were safe, but at what cost?

mikasa saves you

it’s always been said that mikasa was an army of soldiers shoved into a teenage girl and while you never doubted it, you witnessed something that would make even the most sexist man bow down to her. with the fury of all her ancestors, she saved you from a death you had thought was inevitable.

stupidly, you had gotten yourself pinned against a tree. worse, you had gotten yourself pinned against a tree with empty gas canisters. your odm gear was useless and there were no low hanging branches to try to climb up.

three large titans loomed above you, nearly salivating at the thought of their next meal. their teeth were giant and captivating. it was all you could look at as they started to close in, and you could picture yourself stuck between their two front teeth. you would forever be a remnant of their latest snack until their greedy tongues would finish you off and swallow what’s left.

your back was pressed even more firmly against the wood. it hurt. could you run for it? were you able to run fast enough that you could dart between their legs without one of them grabbing you?

it didn’t matter anyway. fast enough or not, your legs refused to move. frozen in fear, you picked neither flight or fight.

a scream of feminine rage stopped the giants and pulled their attention away from you. you could have used the distraction to make a quick get away but still, your feet were glued to the ground.

she was quick, mikasa. she was fast enough to where the only thing you saw were silver blades reflecting the sun, zooming through the air. and as she moved further, each of the three titans dropped one after another. they fell like giant columns and the sound when they hit the ground was loud. the earth shook with their death.

it was no sweat to her. the look in her eyes told you she’d do this over and over again until she couldn’t no more. she was a cold blooded killer and she saved your life that day.

#attack on titan #attack on titan fanfiction #aot headcanons #aot smut #aot fanfiction #attack on titan headcanons #snk headcanons #aot fluff #aot x reader #aot fanfic #attack on titan fluff #attack on titan imagines #mikasa x reader #mikasa ackerman #mikasa ackerman x reader #jean kirstein #jean x reader #jean kirstein x reader #bertholdt hoover #bertholdt x reader #armin arlert #armin x reader #armin arlert x reader #eren jaeger #eren yeager #eren x reader #eren jaeger x reader #eren yeager x reader #eren fanfiction #mikasa ackerman headcanons

[ficmashup]

Feral

A/N: I'm feeling silly, so why not post an almost 3k little fic of TF141? I have literally no thoughts other than 'hey, why not' so no clue if I'll continue this or not. Just fooling around! This is my first time posting anything like this by me, so don't come for me if I got the terms wrong. Also, I'm a first-person girly, so forgive me.

Warnings: I'm pretty vague, but for full disclosure, possible SA mention? (Nothing explicit or even mentioned, but more a general vibe, sorry that's not more specific) shooting, guns, very minor character deaths, f!reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Read part two here.

Masterlist

I’m absolutely feral and determined to make sure everyone knows it.

Being in a male-dominated field hasn’t been easy and I’ve tried a lot of avenues before settling on this one. Something about being a female medic just really seems to set off everyone’s internal misogyny and nothing shuts them up faster than the little female medic literally punching their teeth in. I get into three fights my first month after being assigned to the 141.

The first fight I get into, I nearly bite a man’s finger off. (He was pointing it in my face and I warned him before going for it, so—deserved.) The second, I punch a man so hard while he’s talking that he bites off the tip of his tongue. (If he wanted to keep it intact, then he should have stopped wagging it.) During the third, I come away holding a chunk of a soldier’s hair. (He touched mine without permission and gave it a little tug. Enough said.)

After that, people seem to get the message. There are still a few smartasses that press their luck, but usually those situations are diffused without physical means. My relationship with my team however…that’s a bit more complicated.

I meet each of them when I arrive, the hulking soldiers lined up like pallbearers waiting for the coffin. I shook their hands, exchanged names, then didn’t say another word. None seemed to know exactly how to react to me and I wasn’t sure how to act around them. We’re supposed to trust each other with our lives, but I wouldn’t trust a single one to pour me a cup of tea. They struggle too, but for different reasons. They’re clearly close and know each other well, that’s why they’re such a deadly team, and I’m an outsider. A suspicious and cautious outsider, although I try to temper my attitude into passive indifference while I try to figure them out.

Naturally, Soap tries to break the ice first.

“You’ve got a thousand-yard stare that could rival Ghost’s, lass.” He comments one day in a charming Scottish accent as he risks sitting next to me in the mess hall. “You can bend my ear, if the fancy strikes ya.”

“I doubt that it will.” My voice is cool, indifferent, and I can’t keep myself from leaning away from him a bit. Too many times did I let myself trust another service member only for the friendship to quickly turn into something else. Something I did not want.

Soap quirks a brow and takes the cold shoulder in his stride. “But if it does. Don’t hesitate to find me.” He pats my shoulder before walking off and I feel the stirrings of something in my stomach as I watch him go. Loneliness, longing, the desire to be part of…something. I shake my head and throw away the rest of my food as I leave the mess hall, trying to ignore that little ember flickering in my gut.

*     *     *

Gaz tries next, but it’s a bit more subtle. Be it by luck or some other divine intervention, none of the team were ever present when I got into the fights. But they definitely heard about them afterward. There’s no judgement in their gazes, I’m sure they heard why I got into those fights, but there is curiosity. Gaz shifts a touch closer after a briefing about an upcoming mission and I clock the movement instantly, my eyes cutting to his. Gaz’s eyebrows pop up and the corner of his mouth lifts warmly. “Heard you were in a hell of a fight recently.” He starts, an elbow propped up on the arm of the chair he’s relaxed back into.

“Her last.” Price says with a pointed glance towards me and I nod, but we both know I didn’t start any of the fights. I simply ended them.

“The boys telling the tale were practically shaking in their boots.” Gaz presses on and I can’t help feeling a brief bit of pleasure at that. Price distracts himself with maps and papers on the other side of the table, but I’m not foolish enough to think that he isn’t listening. Soap perks up, turning to me as well while Ghost lurks near the door.

“Glad to hear the message got across.” I keep my voice low with little inflection. Usually I’m up and out the door after a meeting, but since everyone else is lingering, I figure I can give it a chance.

There’s a quiet hum from behind me that has my back straightening. “Trying to scare off the whole base?” Ghost asks and it’s the first time he’s asked me anything directly.

My head turns so that I can see his silhouette behind me. “Not all of us strike an imposing figure and wear a scary mask. Sometimes people have to see the blood on your teeth to know that you mean what you say.” I keep my voice soft to avoid the appearance of a threat, but let the words have an impact. Gaz and Soap glance at one another while Price’s hands stall over his papers across the table. A beat passes, then Ghost huffs what could almost be considered a laugh. The sound gives me a strange sense of relief as the tension over the room breaks.

“Can’t wait to see you sink your teeth into the enemy then, sergeant.” The corner of my mouth lifts and I nod, glad to have the opportunity to prove myself. I turn a bit more in my seat to see Ghost’s piercing eyes and don’t flinch away.

“I’ll save a blood-stained smile just for you, Lieutenant.” I promise and I think I hear Gaz swallow while Soap blinks. Ghost responds with a simple nod and I swear I see the fabric of his mask shift as he smirks before he slips out of the room.

*     *     *

The first real test comes when we’re sent out on our first mission together.

A month after I’m stationed with them, we’re sent out and it’s a bit jarring for all of us. They’ve been on their own for a while and introducing a new person into that dynamic…it’s enough to make everyone a bit off-center. But I’m used to sliding into places that I’m not wanted and I’m not about to be an idiot and risk everyone’s lives by being difficult, so I tuck myself into the small gaps left by the men. It’s not like they don’t want me here anyway, they’re just…apprehensive. Same as me.

We spend the first day trekking up a mountain through snow and I push myself hard, wanting to prove myself and leave no room for anyone to call me lazy or unfit. The entire day, I’m on Price’s heels as he leads us and I soak in his nod of approval despite myself as we file into an empty cabin for the night. I’m utterly exhausted, but I force myself to look through the house to memorize the layout before returning to the living room. Soap is eagerly setting up the hot plate for us to have a hot meal, even if it is an MRE, while the others are laying out their sleeping bags. They lay them in a row and I watch with trepidation as I put my bag down in a corner of the room, then sit alongside it as I rest for just a minute.

My eyes shut before I realize and I only become aware of it when I hear boots stop in front of me and they snap open. I look up instantly to see Price standing over me and I shove myself up onto my feet, teetering just slightly as I focus on his face. “Sir?”

“At ease.” He soothes and my shoulders lax just a touch at the command. “It’ll get below freezing tonight, so we’re huddling together. I’ve put you between Soap and I, but you can settle where you want.” Price chooses his words carefully with his clear eyes looking over my face for a reaction, but it’s clear that this isn’t optional.

“…yes, sir.” I respond, glancing over at the spot left bare for my sleeping bag. Anxiety gathers in my stomach and my hands clench at my sides. “Permission to take first watch?”

He considers me a moment, fingers smoothing over his facial hair. “Granted.” I glide away to the other side of the house and perch on a window sill as I look over the snowy landscape. Soap is kind enough to bring me my MRE and stalls next to me for a few moments.

“Feel free to snuggle close tonight. Or kick me if I start to snore.” He winks at me and my lips barely twitch at his effort to relieve the tension I know is clear throughout my body. After that, no one bothers me as night falls. The cold seeps into the house and I keep myself curled into a ball to conserve body heat even as I shiver. My anxiety about the impending sleeping arrangements keeps me awake and alert easily enough, but I can’t keep watch all night.

“Oi.” Ghost’s deep whisper disturbs the near silence and my head whips to my left, seeing him standing a few feet away. He moved quietly. Impressive for a man of his size. “I’m taking over. Get some sleep and get warm.” He flicks his chin back towards the others. I swallow and reluctantly leave my perch, brushing past him before I feel his gloved hand catch my bicep. My hand clenches into a fist automatically as I turn back to him to find his gaze locked on mine, his eyes dark and considering.

“I don’t know your story. Price has kept your file under wraps and we trust him enough to accept that. But whatever you’ve been through, don’t assume that you’re going to go through the same thing with us.” I’m pinned in place by his gaze and his words, my eyes widening slightly. I hadn’t known Price was keeping my file to himself, but the show of consideration and loyalty surprises me. It also hits me deep.

“I hear you.” I whisper back and he lets me pull my arm from his light grip. “But I’m not about to trust anyone blindly.”

He nods once. “Fine. But don’t rule it out either.” He quirks a brow at me pointedly before pulling away and settling in my place in the window, effectively ending the brief conversation. His words swirl around in my head while I head over to the others and gather my sleeping bag in my arms as I squeeze it. I kneel on the floor and roll it out between Price and Soap while my heart thunders in my chest. I’m still shivering as I do my best to be quiet while unzipping my sleeping bag, then slip down into it. My shoulders bump against Soap and Price before I shrink, curving my shoulders inward to try not to touch anyone despite that very much not being the point of sleeping like this.

Price shifts and turns towards me while I freeze, still shivering in place while I hold my breath until I see that his eyes are still closed. I release a small sigh of relief before choking on it as his eyes flash open. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as an apology perches on my tongue, but he says nothing. Instead, he shifts a bit closer without taking his eyes off mine, then lays an arm next to me before holding his other up a bit. An invitation.

I swallow and blink a few times as I take in the offer. Out of everyone, Price is the easiest for me to be around. He treats me like anyone else, he keeps his distance, and while he doesn’t hesitate to wield his authority, he wears it lightly. “Make a choice, soldier.” He murmurs with a voice gruff and deep from sleep. My jaw locks as a violent shiver wracks me before I force myself to shimmy closer to Price. I’m not about to freeze my ass off because of idiocy or stubbornness. He takes that as my answer and reaches out, hands wrapping around me and gathering me to him. The only noise I make is a small squeak as he pulls me against his hard body and I melt almost instantly into his warmth.

He cradles my face against the warm crook of his neck with his cheek resting against the top of my head. His other arm wraps around my waist and his hips shift slightly so his legs drape over mine while still in our respective sleeping bags. Like a heavy blanket. My heart is still beating fast as a hummingbird’s wings while my body fights my mind, but luckily, I’m so cold and tired that instinct wins out. My eyes shut and I feel my cheeks heat as his hand falls to the back of my neck, his gloved fingers gently kneading the skin. “Thanks.” I breathe and his grip tightens around me for a moment before he releases a long breath, draping me in the scent of his cigars. I don’t hear Price make another sound because I’ve fallen asleep before he takes another breath.

*     *     *

Price wakes early the next morning and I feel it the instant that he moves. I pull away without hesitation and his arms fall from around me while I avoid his gaze, my cheeks hot. I’m quick to roll up my sleeping bag and check over my pack while I cool down a bit. The morning passes and no one says a thing about our sleeping arrangements despite every soldier having to pass by Price and I while they took watch. Their eyes linger between us a bit, but I’ll take that over any smart comments.

We move out and the mission goes smoothly enough. Gaz and I perch on a cliffside while the others clear a town below. He’s my spotter while I keep a steady eye on the areas they’re heading into through my scope. Being a medic means I have steady hands, which makes me a hell of a sniper.

“So…did you know the Captain before being stationed here?” Gaz says quietly, the first words not mission related that he’s said to me today.

I scoff softly and keep my eye glued to my scope. “No. And if this is a way to get me to talk about the position Price and I were in this morning, it’s a poor segway. It was cold. We were all pressed together like sardines. That’s the end of it.”

“Right, right, sure.” He agrees and silence falls over us again. For a moment. “Ghost and I spoon all the time. Soap too. Like three little peas in a pod.”

I snort, unable to keep the corner of my mouth from lifting. “And leave Price out? Criminal.”

Gaz chuckles and the sound is warm, especially in this cold landscape. “Oh we invite him. He just doesn’t usually show much interest.”

“Hm. He is the captain. Maybe he has higher snuggle standards.”

“You saying the rest of us aren’t snuggle material?”

“Your words, not mine.”

“Ouch, newbie. You strike for the heart.”

“I’m a sniper and a medic. It’s kind of my job.”

Gaz chuckles again and I realize that I’m actually…having fun? At least a little bit, anyway. “I’ll get a laugh out of you eventually, newbie.” My mouth opens to reply before I see a flash of movement in the town below.

Two figures pass by a second-floor window and I spot a hatch on the roof. I focus and take a breath as I aim at the hatch, waiting. I take a second to flick on my coms. “Two tangos on the northeast roof. Hold position.” The hatch begins to open while I remain steady, all my attention on that roof and my gun.

“Copy.” Price’s voice comes over the coms before there’s silence. The hatch opens and I wait for them both to get out, making sure it’s closed behind them before shooting. My breath funnels out of my chest and I make the shots without blinking, the action practically reflexive after so long in service. Both fall without getting to fire off a shot. I’m pretty sure I hear Gaz curse quietly beside me.

“Tangos down. You’re clear to move forward.” I report, heaving a relieved sigh as I see them move through the last stretch of town without incident.

“Copy, move out. Nicely done.” Price responds and I finally get to move out of my horizontal position. I stretch just a bit, wincing as my muscles pinch from being in the same position for so long, before I pack my gun and turn to Gaz who is shaking his head slightly.

“You took out those guys like a damn surgeon.”

The corner of my mouth lifts again as we head out. “Sniper and medic, remember? Let’s get out of here. Your comrades are missing their third pea in their pod.” I comment dryly and he grins, following me down the path where we agreed to meet the others.

“Did you just make a joke?”

“Absolutely not.”

“You did. I’m flattered to be the first one to hear it. Was starting to worry you didn’t have a sense of humor at all.” I roll my eyes and we keep arguing playfully as we go. Gaz reports my shots to the team, talking me up while I shake my head, but from then on, he calls me Surgeon. It catches on and the others follow suit, but more often than not, they just call me G.

#cod #cod mw2 #call of duty #fluff #angst #mw3 #possibly #tf 141 x reader #? #price x reader #captain price #price snuggles #he just looks cozy #price fluff

[clatoera]

Picket Fence is Sharp as Knives Chapter 7: They Got No Idea About Me And You

Heyyyy Besties. Long time no see. March was rough. It's been rough. But tell a friend to tell a friend she's baaack.

Title from t swift Dress. I almost used a chappell roan lyric but I have committed so hard to the t swift bit I couldnt do it.

ao3

masterpost

It is the long awaited cashbaria chapter, featuring a scene of them during the 74th games and then a post war follow up of them! I specifically need to mention and notice my friends @bodyelectric77my go to cashbaria queen and @kentwells who has had MANY many conversations about these things with me. They write the Cashbaria that I read so please check them both out!!! I don't think @ohhowwehavefallen even uses tumblr anymore but at this point she gets tagged in any post I make ever so..hello bestie.

I am not a cashbaria writer and I hope I did them justice in this fic. It was a LOT of fun. I had wanted to get it up earlier this week for Sapphic Visibility day along with @bodyelectric77 because it's funny they have similar vibes of sapphics being blatantly visible but the people closest to them being absolutely oblivious. Thank you my friend, you're incredible, your writing inspires me.

Alright. Lets rock this bitch.

“Mmm…think they’ve noticed yet?”  

As the voice comes from behind her, Enobaria can’t help the coy smile that etches it’s way on to her face. She doesn’t even need to turn to face the source, as she is hit with the combined smell of vanilla and honey and something floral that is just uniquely Cashmere. If the scent alone weren’t enough, the flurry of blonde curls that leak over her upper arm as a familiar face rests on her shoulder, with lithe hands wrapping around her waist would be the dead giveaway that it is her girlfriend. 

Well, her girlfriend, or someone with a very creative death wish.

“Noticed what? That they’re trying to fit four people on a couch made to fit two?” Enobaria muses, bringing her hand up to rest her fingertips along Cashmere’s cheek bone. “I know Cato thinks he needs to live inside of Clove, but it’s a little nauseating to watch.”

It isn’t even Enobaria’s style, this blatant display of hands-on skin and kisses on cheeks, but it wasn’t like she was ashamed of such. It was dangerous, to give the president any further leverage to dangle above either of them. It wasn’t public and it wasn’t secret, but a third undefinable thing. The kind of thing that was open to their safest friends—Brutus, Gloss, Finnick, Johanna and such—and on a need-to-know basis with all the others.  That group of safest friends would of course include Cato and Clove, if they ever figured it out that is.

Still. They are mostly alone, doing what District Two called “mentor mentoring” but what Enobaria and Brutus so affectionately call babysitting. It was just the right time of day, when the action died down, and victors were either slipping off to self soothe (medicate) or prepare for whatever the evening presented in terms of sponsors and clientele. 

And honestly, if anyone needed babysitting to ensure they actually learned how to mentor, it was Cato and Clove.

“They’re just excited to be together!” Cashmere assured, settling into the space between Enobaria and the bar, wrapping her other arm around her to pull her fully into a hug from behind her. “They’re kids, they’re just having fun. You knowwhat I’m talking about them noticing, ‘Baria. Have they noticed this.” To emphasize, she kisses along her jawline, but keeps her eyeline trained on the four young victors loudly taunting each other on the couch. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought they were just normal teenagers, up too late and laughing loud enough that their parents would be down to yell at them at any minute. 

Unfortunately, they were not normal kids, and they were barely raised by their parents at all. They were raised by combinations of victors, trainers, and violence in various combinations. 

The four of them, practically on top of each other, mocking other teenagers as they screamed on television, was somehow as close to normal as they were ever going to be. 

Enobaria lets out a little sigh as she leans into Cashmere’s affection, before she gives a little shake of her head. “I mean it. It’s like they don’t notice anyone but each other. They probably don’t even realize they aren’t alone on the couch.”

“And they were going to go into the games together? That would have been a real PR disaster for District Two, you know.” Cashmere teases, before she slips around from behind Enobaria to the side of her, before slipping one of her legs on top of the other woman’s knees and nearly sitting right in her lap. 

“You’re telling me. It would have been an absolute nightmare. We used to think they were this perfect pair, they just understood each other so well. Yeah, it could have been hard when it came down to the final two but nothing they couldn’t handle. But then…you know, they thought they were so good at sneaking around, but they’re fucking idiots. They didn’t talk to anyone else. One was always missing from their bed. They were great together, apparently a little too great. It was a liability to send them in together. I know I was afraid of what we would pull out of that arena in whichever won.” Enobaria took the opportunity to be the one holding Cashmere now, resting her head against the blonde’s. “Sometimes I wish we had done it, though. He’s fucking infuriating. It’s gross to watch them.”

“Oh, you don’t mean that, Enobaria. They’re cute together. They’re happy, and they get to be openly happy. Unlike the rest of us. I’d kill for that. So would Finnick…and Glimmer too.”

“They don’t even know how lucky they are.” It does not need to be said what luck Enobaria was referring to. By some miracle there was never any demand for the two of them, no clients to be at the beck and call of. It was probably becauseof each other, and for that, Enobaria really was thankful for their mutual survival. 

That was not something she was prepared to explain to Clove quite yet. 

“You busy tonight?” Enobaria slides in, intentionally sliding in vague phrasing due to the risk of ever listening walls.

She feels Cashmere physically sag in her arms, practically collapsing the lines of her body to press flush against her. “The usual. The gamemakers get bored at this point in the games until things spice up.”

Enobaria tenses at the phrasing. It was clear what (and more importantly, who) was going to be spicing things up for the gamemakers tonight. She gently scratches her nails over the pale forearms she holds in her hands, drawing little swirling patterns with the very tip of her index finger. “Gloss and Glimmer too?”

“Gloss is with Finnick. Glimmer’s got the fullest schedule of all of us tonight.” Cashmere feels the coolness in her voice at the statement, and if someone didn’t know her, they may even mistake it for jealousy over her little sister’s popularity. Little did they know the layer of self-loathing that overtook Cashmere and Gloss both, anytime the schedule of Glimmer’s nightly roster of abusers was sent over.

“What’s going on with your sister and Marbles up there?” Enobaria took the opportunity to ask, cocking her head just slightly as she watches the two victors opposite Cato and Clove, and from where she’s standing, Glimmer may as well be curled up in the lap of her own fellow District One victor. “It’s like career victor inbreeding these days.  Cato and Clove…Shimmer and Sparkles up there…Finnick and crazy Cresta…”

“I’m not sure. She never told us something was happening with them. They’ve been friends for a long time. He’s sweet to her. She hasn’t told me anything specific, though, and I’m sure she would if they were together.” Cash sticks her hand out blindly to the side, grabbing the glass off the bar that Enobaria had been drinking before Cashmere slid into her arms. It’s always easier, to deal with those bored clients, with a little bit of a sedative in her system. She doesn’t even get more than a sip before she shutters, harshly reminded that District Two does not believe in mixers. Instead, she taunts Enobaria gently, “Would we be part of Victor inbreeding then, Baria?” 

“Absolutely not. We can’t actually accidentally breed. Besides. We’re not from the same district, we’re adding diversity to the Victor gene pool.” Enobaria teases in response but raises a playful eyebrow. “You think Glimmer would just...tell you? Remind me again how she found out about us?”

“Oh, Enobaria that’s not important- “

“No, I like to hear it.”

Cashmere’s eyeroll was nearly audible as she let out an annoyed sigh. “She noticed I changed my nail shape for the first time in ten years.”

“And why did you change your nails?”

Enobaria grins, watching the flush actually flood Cashmere’s neck and trail up to her face. “You know why, you aren’t being funny!”

“I know. I just like how you get all flustered about it.” Enobaria squeezes her arm playfully, before she leans up to kiss right under her ear. “And I appreciate the consideration.”

“Enobaria!” Cashmere huffs, twisting in her arms before crossing her own over her chest. “So, they didn’t notice youdon’t have your little razor nails?”

“Baby, I don’t think Clove knows you can even paint nails, let alone notices the shape.”

“You practically raised her. I remember you coming to the Capitol that one weekend when we were young and asking me how to teach her how to throw, oh it was so cute, Baria. She knows you so well, she has to notice something!” At the mention of them, nearly ten years ago, she wriggles back into Enobaria’s embrace warmly. “That’s how I knew there was some love in that scary District Two Victor shell, the notorious Enobaria asking how to teach a little girl the proper technique. Not just a little girl at training, but one you actually cared about!”

“Exactly. I spent the most time with her. You’ve been part of my life almost as long as she’d be able to remember. I’ve always been just like this.” Enobaria sighs, before she brings her hand up to run through the very end of Cash’s curls. “I actually don’t think she’s ever once considered I may actually like…yeah. I don’t think that’s crossed her mind.” 

“Mmhmm, were you kissing pretty blonde girls in your lap back in District Two?” Cash teases, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, beyond testing the limits of how far she could go before any of those damn kids noticed. “Cato seems like he knew his way around the girls his age, you mean he never even made a comment about it?”

“Cash, you are literally on top of me, and he hasn’t noticed. He isn’t the most observant career boy you’ll ever meet. He actually was so obsessed with Clove, he wasn’t that hard to keep off other girls. I just wanted to keep him off of— and out of—Clove. Besides. I don’t think he knows that girls...can be with girls. That might break his fragile little brain.”

Cashmere throws her head back in a genuine laugh that should have pulled the attention of the whole room. Somehow, the four of them are so in their own little word they don’t even bat an eye. 

Thank God all four of them weren’t in the games together. They’d never pay enough attention to their surroundings for any single one of them to come out a winner.

“What do you mean? He doesn’t know girls can like girls?” 

“His only two modes are kill and Clove. We’re lucky he remembers to breathe. Or unlucky, depending on the day.”

“Are you going to tell them then?” Cash teases. It’s evident that Enobaria isn’t hiding anything from Clove. They are truly just not observant enough to notice anything but themselves.

As if to emphasize they are truly paying no attention to the girls in the back of the room, Clove can be heard making some snide remark as she gets off of Cato’s lap, reaching down into the fruit bowl on the glass coffee table in front of them. At the same time, they watch as Glimmer shifts to the side so Marvel climbs out from under her. He walks to one end of the room before Clove takes her hand full of something they cannot yet identify to the other. 

Enobaria and Cashmere watching in a shared sense of amusement and confusion as Clove quite literally starts throwing, with unyielding precision, something small directly into Marvel’s mouth. 

“Are those...?” Cashmere muses, tilting her head in bemusement, an inquisitive expression on her face. 

“I think they’re grapes?” Enobaria confirms.

Enobaria laughs, actually openly laughs, when Marvel lets out a sharp yelp as he gets absolutely drilled in the eye by a little green fruit. 

“Clove! What the hell, I thought you don’t miss!” Marvel whines, bringing his hand to cover his stinging left eye. 

“I don’t.” Clove reminds with a smug smirk on her face.  

Cashmere audibly sighs, burying her face in the lengths of Enobaria’s hair at her neck. “…you know what, on second thought, maybe they should figure it out themselves.” 

______________________________________________________________________

There are approximately fifty steps between Clove’s front door and Enobaria’s. Forty-four if you walked fast, sixty if you took your time. It’s not a hard path to cross, even in a District Two blizzard.

It is a miserable trek, however, when someone else’s child is screaming at you the entire walk.

“I know, I know, you miss your mother that we just saw fifteen seconds ago.” Enobaria mumbles, practically slamming her front door shut behind her the second she is fully inside. The heartbroken mumbles of ‘mama’ coming from the one-year-old, with his teary blue eyes staring at the door like his mother would walk in and rescue him at any moment, give Enobaria a sense of Déjà vu she wishes all too well she didn’t know how to place.  For all he looked like his father—and by god Cato may as well have cloned himself— there evidently was some of his mother in him, too. “I’m not going to steal you forever kid, trust me. I know you’d live inside her if you could, but unfortunately for you so would your dad.”

She kicks her shoes off, fully intending to lay on the couch for the next few hours, hoping to lull the boy to sleep until Clove would be back to collect him after…wherever the hell they were going. 

She had tried to pay attention to Clove’s plans for the night. It isn’t her fault that Clove made such a clingy little thing that cried any time he was out of her arms.

“Alright, buddy, lets just stop with the sad eyes, if you go to sleep, she’ll be back when you wake up—” When she makes that promise of a returning mother, she is at least sure a liar will not be made of her this time.

As soon as Enobaria goes to sit with him, she hears some sort of chatter elsewhere in the house. The sound of a hairdryer pairs with the voices, and immediately she knows Cash must be singing to herself or something as she does her hair.

“Oh, Aunt Cash will be so excited to see you.” She is drawn to the sound she shifts him from her shoulder to lower on her hip, his endless babbles of mama nearly blending into the background now. 

As soon as she reaches the top of her stairs, she hooks the right to the bedroom, as the sound of the dryer gets louder and louder. Smiling to herself, she nudges the door open with her foot. “Hey baby, I didn’t know you were coming home yet, I brought—”

Enobaria is stunned to silence as she is greeted by not one, not two, but three blonde girls sitting on the bathroom floor looking up at her. The baby, too, even stops his incessant babbling to stare at Cashmere and the girls.

Cash sits, with her back to the bathtub, hair dryer in her hand, and a little blonde toddler sitting cross legged on each of her knees. She flicks the dryer off with a wide smile on her face, looking up at Enobaria. 

One of the twins steals the first greeting, big green eyes blinking up at her and the sweetest little smile on her face when she sees her. She pushes off of Cashmere’s knee, to close the distance between herself and her other aunt. “Hiiiiii Aun-ie Baria! We’re visit-in your house!!” 

Enobaria softens, leaning down to scoop up the little girl with her free arm. It had become surprisingly easy to tell the twins apart once they got a little bigger, and from personality alone she knew who she was talking to at any time.

 “Hello Miss Stella,” It was always a little shocking, claiming Cashmere’s nieces as her own, and it was almost unsettling at times how much they looked like they could be Cashmere’s girls. Still, they’re sweet kids and they’re cute as hell. It is shockingly easy to love them. “How did you end up here in our other house! It’s a long way from your house…”

“Uh you told me that we were babysitting today, Enobaria.” Cashmere reminds her as if it is obvious. She shifts Aurelia to sit between her legs as she reaches over and grabs a curling iron off the tile floor beside her. 

“Yeah, Cash, I was watching him.” Enobaria nods her head towards the little blond boy, who’s resolved to resting his head on her shoulder. At least he had finally stopped crying—

and hey, she gets it, she likes to look at Cash too. “You just... brought the girls on the train and didn’t think to like... mention that?” 

“Oh, it’s not a big deal! They were excited to come see our other house, huh sunshine?” Cash waves off, before she brushes through her niece’s long baby soft hair with her fingers one time before she takes the curling iron to a small section. Aurelia sits so uncharacteristically still for a two and a half year old, clearly well trained on how to have her hair done. 

“How did you even end up with them today?” Enobaria decides her best course of action is to just join Cashmere on the floor, and kicks the door shut behind her. She presses against the wood with her back, sliding down while still holding both the toddlers in her arms without missing a beat. “aren’t they kind of little for your to be heating up their hair like that?”

“It’s the second Wednesday of the month!” She explains as if that means anything, carefully placing the hot iron out of reach before reaching for a handful of pink ribbon which she ties around the little half ponytail she makes on her niece’s head. “Don’t be silly honey, I used heat protectant on it! They like to feel pretty!”

“Does that mean something to me that it’s second Wednesday?” 

“It’s nail day, Enobaria. Second and Fourth Wednesdays are nail days. Stella, show Auntie Baria your nails!” Cashmere instructs, and Stella does stick out her little hand towards Enobaria’s face. Enobaria, to her credit, does give an appreciative glance at the incredibly tiny pink nails. “I think they’re all doing something together, Glim said she’ll be in Two anyway to pick them up tonight. Like I said, I thought we were already babysitting them, and Glimmer didn’t correct me so...”

Aurelia is the one who pushes off of Cash next, little blonde curls bouncing as she half runs across the room. She settles herself between the two children Enobaria already holds, reaching out her own little pink nails to grab the baby’s hand. “Hiiii baby.”

“Look at you, covered in career babies.” Cash teases, her hand over her heart playfully. “Come here Stells, it’s your turn.” She cocks her head as Stella does as she’s asked, and Aurelia shifts to take her place with Enobaria. “How old is he? Is he one yet?”

“Yeah, well, remember when I called it Career Victor inbreeding? This is what I meant.” Enobaria teases playfully, glancing down at the baby who was finally, somehow, done with his crying. Now, he just stared at the twins with wide blue eyes, fascinated by the shimmering gold ribbons on the middle of their dresses. “Mmm… he’ll be one I think next month. It’s soon.”

“He’s just so freaking big. He’s like... twin sized and they’re nearly three.” She mumbles, taking a few moments just to hold Stella in her lap rather than go straight for her hair.  “Oh, come on, Enobaria, at least they’re cute! They’re so worth it. And we get to give them back at the end of the day, that’s the best part.”

“Of course he’s huge, his dad is a mammoth.” Enobaria reminds, gently prying his hands off of Aurelia’s tulle skirt that he had managed to lean forward to grab. “They are pretty cute kids; I’ll give them that. Even if this one looks like his dad.”

“Poor Clove, he’s practically bigger than her. That had to hurt...” Cashmere mumbles, going back to her task of brushing through Stella’s soft hair. 

“….Cash?”

“Yeah, baby?” She replies absently, spritzing Stella’s hair before going in with the curling iron. 

“…we are watching all the kids. All their parents are alone right now.”

“Yeah, and? I think they were doing something tonight?”

“Yeah, probably each other!” Enobaria nearly hisses.

“Oh, relax Enobaria! They aren’t doing that! Aren’t they all together?”

Enobaria half whispers, glancing between the two little blond kids she held and the one in Cashmere’s lap. “They won’t be together all night. We are not watching a fourth one, Cash. I draw the line at a fourth. How did we end up watching three children who do not belong to us?” 

Cashmere tries to stifle her giggle, failing miserably as she reminds her, “we didn’t pay enough attention when babysitting their parents.”

#arwbfb tag #the hunger games #arwbfb au #pfsk tag #picket fence is sharp as knives tag #always remember we're burned for better tag #cashbaria #enobaria x cashmere #cashbaria tag #enoabria thg #cashmere thg #clato thg #glimmer and marvel tag #clato tag #hunger games fanfic

[tuefortunate]

first ask lets goo!! (atleast i thinnk) how bout merc cuddling headcanons?

You sure are! I’m more than happy to supply :) Due to this being both the first ask and general enough of one, I’m going to go ahead and just do all the mercs in one post under a read more. If it gets too terribly long I’ll make separate posts, since normally I’d prefer only doing 3-4 in a go, but it can't hurt to try!

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Mercenary cuddling headcanons

Scout

CLINGY. This boy will cling to you like a little koala and while it’s cute, you better hope you don’t have anything important to do. Scout is nearly the DEFINITION of touch starved and like hell will you be going anywhere without some serious persuading.

Will absolutely talk your ear off while he has your full attention. In his defense, he feels he rarely has someone’s undivided attention, so of course he’d want to take advantage of that when he’s able.

That’s not to say he won’t let you talk, just don’t be surprised if you have to listen to him boast a bit about how well he did in fights that day. 

Talking aside, he’s also probably a bit touchy. It’s almost awkward in the very beginning though he means no harm, he just loves physical affection more than he would let on. 

He’s very likely to want to lounge around in bed with you just enjoying each other’s company. He’s a very active guy, sure, but once you have him settled down enough sometimes it’s hard to actually get him back up until he’s ready.

Soldier

Soldier is a very… interesting case. It’s hard to get him to settle down enough to cuddle with you, though it’s never anything against you so much as it just being how he is as a person.

Often up SUPER early in the morning and sleeping relatively early to compensate for that, but if you catch him at the right time he won’t mind the company.

Surprisingly not very talkative (at least, not at night - he’s very focused with his routine for the most part), but in the morning if you wake up along with him you’re probably getting a rather intense pep talk whether you want it or not.

Back to actual cuddling though - like, 7/10 times he’s going to want to be the big spoon. Sometimes he actually enjoys being the focus of affection, but a lot of the time he has a pretty protective instinct about him. Would rather have his back to the door and the like. 

Not actually that bad to cuddle with as long as you don’t mind his rather strict routine. Uses his strength in a more comforting way surprisingly, holding you close with just enough pressure to feel secure.

Pyro 

Like Soldier, they actually have a pretty strict routine as well. Not like his strict, but in terms that they need to go to bed and wake up at pretty specific times. More for their comfort than anything like Soldier’s, however.

If you’re willing to join them in their routine, they are more than happy for the company. Assuming they sleep without all of that gear on, they probably prefer to have your back to them while cuddling. It’s not that they’re uncomfortable or distrust you with seeing them - again, it’s just a comfort thing for them. If you really insist on facing them once in a while, that’s okay as long as you ask first.

Obviously not all too talkative, more of a sign language or muffled talker than someone who likes to speak clearly. That’s not to say there’d be silence however. They’d probably hum a little tune if anything while rubbing at your arm or side.

A bit touchy, but in a soothing way more than anything else. They like the physical reminder that someone is there with them, considering how uncommon that probably has been for them.

If you can’t wake up when they do, that’s alright! They won’t force you, though they will at least wake you to make you aware that they’re leaving once they’re all geared up and ready to go. You’ll be free to doze back off after that.

Demoman

Considering how he’s something of an emotional drunk, I could honestly see him being a bit of a cuddly one too under the right circumstances.

Whether he’s drunk or not, sometimes he just finds himself wanting that kind of physical affection. 

Definitely one of the most likely to stay in bed late with you, I could see him being a tad bit clingy in the right situation. Surprisingly pretty gentle, too.

DEFINITELY going to either be cracking jokes while cuddling or complaining about the day if it was bad enough to warrant it, but odds are it would come back around to joking.

Will probably doze off before you though, and don’t be too surprised if there’s no getting up after that. He WILL cling in his sleep and once he has you in his arms you won’t be going anywhere for a while even if he were to wake up.

Heavy

Space heater. This man is 100% a space heater. Very comfortable to cuddle with actually, 10/10.

Joking aside, it would probably surprise you the first time you settled in together just how comfortable he was to be cuddling with. Not only is he just in general careful with you, he does what he needs to make the positioning comfortable for you as well.

Odds are, you’re probably much smaller than him, so he prefers to lay on his back and have you curled up in his arm and curled against his chest. It feels safest for you in his mind and it’s also a bit more comfortable as well.

Very quiet, especially when settling in for the night. He probably likes to read before bed on some nights, so if you ask he may read to you to help you sleep. Sure, you probably won’t understand it unless you know Russian, but it’s still nice to listen to him.

Will probably have to rouse you awake if he has to get up before you do in the morning, but won’t make you leave his quarters if that’s where you are. He’d honestly just feel a little guilty if he were to just up and leave.

Engineer

Look. Engie is polite. Engie is soft spoken and often rather sweet. Engie is still a killer. You know what else he has though? A teddy bear cosmetic. You absolutely cannot tell me this man is NOT a cuddler when given the opportunity, sorry.

He’s 50/50 on how talkative he might be. He typically prefers to listen to you if you have something to say, but sometimes he may have something of his own, whether it’s involving work or even something as simple as how he missed you.

He’s in the habit of laying on his left side so that he can drape his right arm over you - less likely that you end up laying uncomfortably on or against his prosthetic that way.

If you’re cuddling before bed, he prefers to wait to doze off until after you have. As long as he’s not too worn down from a job, he usually is perfectly capable of outlasting you. A man with that many PHDs does NOT get away without training themselves to stay awake.

Likewise, you’ll probably wake up to find him already awake nine times out of ten. He doesn’t mind waiting for you to wake up so long as he isn’t immediately needed, and you’ll probably wake up to him soothingly rubbing your back.

Medic

Admittedly, it’s rather difficult to pull Medic away from his work long enough to get him to cuddle with you.

That’s not to say he never will, of course! More just he’ll need a lot of persuading if he’s not ready to settle in just yet. 

Don’t be surprised if he talks a bit while cuddling, even if it’s topics that usually aren’t exactly cuddling topics. He likes to talk about his work and any new revelations he’s made, please humor the guy.

The more tired he gets though, the more relaxing he is to listen to surprisingly. Sometimes he slips a bit into his native tongue, murmuring words you may not quite understand (depending), but the tone itself is enough to be soothing.

Usually likes to sleep chest to chest, and he’s actually overly warm, so great to cuddle with on colder nights.

Sniper

Sniper takes the longest of the men to actually allow you close enough to cuddle with him.

It’s not necessarily an aversion to touch, more just an instinct he had driven into him due to his job. Stay away, keep a close eye, and don’t let anyone catch you vulnerable or you end up dead.

Needless to say it’s something of an achievement once he finally gives you the proximity you want, and it’s probably a bonus that he has his own little space in his camper. Not a lot, sure, but still easier for him to be vulnerable in than among the other mercs.

Prefers to keep quiet himself, but doesn’t mind if you idly chat.

He will always find himself being the big spoon though, preferably with your back to his chest. If you ever really want to be looking at him he’ll let you, he just never really likes anyone at his own back. Instinct, y’know.

Spy

We already KNOW this man is a romantic, so if cuddling is what you want? That’s what you’ll get.

He’s the type to probably like cuddling the most either before bed or just after waking up when everything is at its most quiet.

Though he doesn’t always like to ruin the peace and quiet with too much talking, he’ll often murmur quietly to you if the mood feels right for it. Little compliments or praises mostly, even if it comes off a bit sudden.

Also very touchy, in his own way. You’ll often feel light touches of his fingers over your arm or a gentle caressing of your back.It isn’t very often he finds himself having the opportunity to really feel at ease, so he takes what he can get.

Please don’t be surprised if he’s often gone in the morning when you wake up if you have a tendency to sleep in. Unless there’s a ceasefire and he can afford to lay in for a bit, he prefers to stay punctual. At the very least he’ll probably leave you a little note to apologize in his own way.

#tf2 x reader #tf2 reader insert #scout x reader #soldier x reader #pyro x reader #demoman x reader #heavy x reader #engineer x reader #medic x reader #sniper x reader #spy x reader

[defiant-wallflower]

Betraying Smile

Word Count: ~6k

Pairing: Loki x Reader 

Warnings: nothing too specific, mentions of less-than-ideal family situation, manipulative parent

This is my first real fic I've written and posted, I’ve been inspired as of late and wanted to give it a go :) I’ve been writing for a while but never had the guts to post anything until now! 

***********************************************************************

You remember it vividly, the moment your stupid band teacher from middle school told you becoming a famous singer wasn’t an achievable career. That you needed to ‘pick something realistic.’ It had all but shattered your worldview, that moment. Apparently dancing, your runner-up, wasn’t a suitable career either. Ah. You were pissed, and he was too, after you’d made a remark about how you felt that ‘settling for teacher’ was not a decision you’d be interested in making. 

Regardless, you weren’t surprised that you spent the rest of the period in the principal’s office, left to ponder whether or not you wanted to consider a different occupation. Ultimately, you decided you should, and thus began the search for a profession that would be tolerable, but also easily achievable. 

You’d realized as you advanced through high school that those two requirements were a far cry from synonymous, and the topics that piqued your interest would require hard work and grit to make a career out of. Inevitably, your determination to make an enjoyable life for yourself surpassed your commitment issues, and teenage desire to procrastinate.  You decided you would focus on physics and astronomy. 

Despite the inconvenience of having to give something your all, as you progressed through the early stages of adulthood, you grew more and more thankful you’d made the choice to commit to something you truly wanted. Not only was it rewarding, achieving a long term goal, but you landed what you eventually concluded was your dream job.Your stupid band teacher changed your life. Taking a deep breath, you admired where the hell you managed to end up with a smile. It was downright amusing that you’d acquired a job as a lab assistant to Bruce Banner. 

Now, how you’d ended up living in the tower, too, was beyond you. Your father lived out of state, but in pursuit of your career, you’d moved in with your mom not too long before you’d been hired. Her being herself, though, she’d had unrealistic expectations of you and was not particularly fond of your attempts to set boundaries with her over them.

Her favorite tactic was to do everything in her power to tear apart the person she was arguing with by claiming she knew their intentions and beliefs better than they did, and would argue their integrity as a person. It always got under your skin but as you grew older you learned how to reason, at least a little bit, with an unreasonable woman, although not without its side effects. For one, you despised anyone trying to get a read on you. You took it personally, especially if they were wrong. 

Another thing that only proved to worsen your relationship with your mother was that nervous habit you had; smiling when accused of something. The look on your face would always be pure guilt, regardless of if you were actually guilty or not. Your mother seemed to use this against you, as proof that she was right in questioning your character. 

The way she’d use these things to tear you down every single time you’d get into a fight hindered your overall communication skills, especially when it came to disagreements. In some attempt to avoid issues with others, you’d put up a facade for all the people you weren’t close with. At the current stage of your life, though, that list happened to contain everyone. 

After having moved back in with your mother and relentlessly trying to reason and set boundaries with her, there’d been a few weeks of a useless power struggle because she refused to compromise or ‘lose’. In order to finally gain the upper hand she’d all but kicked you out, expecting you to not have any other options and just do whatever she wanted. 

That next day, Banner had noticed you were distracted and you’d tried to brush it off, as it wasn’t his burden to deal with, and the last thing you needed was to jump into the politics of your mother. He seemed insistent that he help if he could, though, and in an attempt to veer the conversation elsewhere, you’d asked about the current housing market. 

After a long conversation with Banner and him trying everything he could to convince you it was okay, and no, you were not intruding, it would actually be more convenient for him if you did, you found yourself moving into the tower within the week. Your mother was not happy about that, but you were at your wits end and couldn’t find it in you to care. And now, here you were, in the kitchen at two in the morning, drinking hot cocoa and enjoying how still the world felt at this hour.

Somewhere in your train of thought, you snapped back to the present moment. The warmth of the mug in your hands bringing you a sense of calm, the soft glow of the light in the kitchen adding to the peaceful atmosphere. It was quiet, save for the gentle buzz of electricity emanating from the light fixtures. Tonight was one of those nights where you couldn't quite sleep, mind still restless despite the fact bedtime was ages ago. 

You knew distress wasn’t your source of insomnia, thank goodness, but you chose to seize the moment and bask in the tranquility of this late hour.  It wasn’t exactly healthy, you knew, but there was a nostalgic feeling in your chest from the lack of sleep. Letting yourself stay up so late into the night gave you a sense of control over your time, which wasn’t a feeling you were graced with very often. Additionally, your body’s physical exhaustion hadn’t caught up just yet, making the bout of insomnia all the more easy to enjoy. 

Soon enough, you began considering the pros and cons of pulling an all-nighter, but your thoughts were interrupted by a quiet grunt, then, “What, pray tell, has got you sleepless at this hour?” Snapping out of your thoughts, and registering the fact you’d been found, you turned to face the source of the question with a slight blush dusting your cheeks. You had to fight a smile, seeing the dark-haired god that stood before you. He was wearing a thin cotton t-shirt, pajama pants, and you’d never seen him so informally dressed. It was endearing.

“Nothing in particular. Seems to just be one of those nights.” You wished you were better at eye contact, but the best you had in you was to look down at the drink in your mug and bite your cheek. You were awful with small talk, which was only worsened in the moment with how nervous you got around Loki. You weren’t entirely able to place why, but one reason definitely being that you always felt he could see right through you, and it was unnerving. You hated being underneath any kind of scrutinizing gaze, especially not from the God of Lies himself.

“Ah. Well, enlightening me on your worries is hardly any trouble for me, should you choose to.” Loki sidestepped you to make himself a drink; tea, it looked like. You’d quietly stated that there were no worries to enlighten him on. He didn’t push, and left as quickly as he’d appeared, albeit pausing in the doorway. Turning his head, he added, “I refuse to endure later complaints of tiredness, so do try to avoid that outcome and rest.” 

You smiled slightly at that, but you’d done nothing more than a quiet hum in response and watched as he disappeared down a hall. Taking a moment to wonder about his lack of jests this evening, the argument that he simply did not have the motivation to be anything other than affable right now quickly resolved your pondering about the subject. You’d clearly not had the energy to be talkative, either. You supposed nighttime just had its way of doing that. 

You and Loki had a bit of a cordial friendship, but you weren’t really sure how to deepen it. It’s not like you had many run-ins, seeing as you kept to your room or the lab, and he the library or his room. You supposed that’s why it took you so long to meet him. 

It had been your first game night with the team, which, to be honest, was weird to say. You hadn’t expected your taking residence to be anything of interest, but Bruce had invited you and you felt it couldn’t hurt to formally meet everyone. You weren’t one to really start little chats, so the few times you’d be in the same place at the same time of another avenger, you never progressed further in conversation than a small ‘hello’, followed by a quick exit.

It was relieving that everyone seemed to take kindly to your barging in on their game night. You’d been stumped as to how you’d manage to break the ice with the group, but the card game you were playing resulted in a lot of laughter and talk seemed to flow easier, after getting to know the more vulgar sides of The Avengers’ humor that Cards Against Humanity had brought out. You were astounded they even played it regularly, to be completely honest. 

What caught your eye about Loki, though, was how exceedingly unimpressed he looked to be with the game. He refused to actually play, choosing instead to people watch and read. From the few bits of attempted persuasion you had heard from Thor, Loki’s presence tonight didn’t appear to be his own decision.

His attitude made you bristle, and in that moment your had been reminded of the way your mother used to ridicule you for being negative in such a way, especially about ‘spending time with your loved ones’. At the same time though, you related to how Loki seemed to be feeling. It was conflicting and you weren’t particularly fond of it.

After the game had wrapped up and the group had begun to file out of the common room, you found yourself caught walking beside Loki, who was grumbling about how his night had been wasted. Already on edge, you blurted without thinking, “Maybe it wouldn’t have been a waste if you actually bothered to appreciate it.” The incredulous look he gave you somehow got you on the defensive, and without any forethought, you kept rambling, “if you go into these things determined to be a pissy toddler, you’re not going to get anything productive out of it by the time it’s over. So, yes, your night was wasted, but that’s on you.” 

Loki opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it and walked past you, refusing to dignify your comment with a response, but you heard him mutter “the nerve,” under his breath as he walked away. You’d felt a little guilty, but he didn’t seem hurt by it, so you let it go. Wonderful first impression.

After that, though, you observed that he seemed to make a point to be snarky with you anytime the opportunity presented itself. He was never outright mean, but he was witty and had a sharp tongue. The fact that it didn’t deter you at all, though, had slowly resulted in him loosening up. 

You were relatively unphased by the God, seeing as you had bigger issues in your life and he wasn’t presenting himself to be anything more than vexing on occasion. Well, relatively unphased by him except for how you increasingly became more timid around him, reasons unbeknownst to you. 

Over the next few weeks, him loosening up made way for the two of you to fall into a more comfortable routine, but even so, you weren’t sure how to break your friendship past the surface level, seeing as your best wit, the kind that the two of you got along best over, the kind you’d given him the day you had met, was always impulsive and accidental. It didn’t leave much room for segues or lighthearted conversation. 

At some point, though, It seemed he’d caught on to how you’d be more prone to such quips whenever you felt tense and defensive, and after one particular snide comment from you he’d responded by simply chuckling and calling you ‘little spitfire.’ You weren’t opposed to the nickname by any means, but you didn’t exactly appreciate how much it had made you blush, or how Loki noticed it made you blush. Suddenly, you were hearing it far more often.

The following morning, or, well, a few hours after your run-in with Loki in the kitchen, you awoke feeling groggy as ever. Seems those few hours of sleep weren’t enough. How you were going to manage to stifle your irritability today, you weren’t sure. Thank goodness it was the weekend, at least. You couldn’t fathom going to work in the lab in this state. Trading your pajamas with a thin white t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants, you quickly made your way into the kitchen. 

This time around, coffee was your drink of choice. As it was brewing, you ran your hands through your hair and back down to rub your face. You weren’t really sure what you wanted to do today, seeing as you didn’t have much mental capacity for anything that required brainpower, but after flipping through a few different options to waste the day with in your head, you settled on reading. 

You’d swung back by your room to grab the first book from a series you loved as a young teen, and made your way to the library to settle into the couch and read it, stretching your legs across the cushions and laying on your back.

It was some fantasy romance novel, and the main character was incredibly stupid. You couldn’t help but lovingly tear apart the poor logic she’d had. If you discovered this book series for the first time today, you’d likely find yourself disliking it; the writing was poor and the Chosen One plotline wasn’t your cup of tea. But what was one to do? Twelve year old you was enamored with the series and it, unfortunately, became a piece of you. 

As you let yourself zone in to the worldbuilding and awkward remarks the main character would make, you felt the world around you slowly haze into nothing, as the words on the page began to feel less like words and you felt more like you were in the novel itself. 

You rarely allowed yourself to read like this, completely engrossed in the novel and completely oblivious to your outside surroundings. Which, you suppose, is why you didn’t hear the muffled sound of an airhorn going off somewhere down the hall. And also why you hadn’t realized Loki had stormed into the Library only moments later. Additionally why you’d been oblivious to his aggressive body language, the way he leaned against the doorway in contemplation, eyes locked on you.

Honestly, you’d been particularly distracted by the current scene unfolding in your book. The love interest held the main character in his arms bridal style, while they were trying to figure out a puzzle of sorts. She’d needed to be held that way because the riddle they were working with had mentioned something about her ‘needing to be in between the ground and the sky’. 

While in his arms, she’d gotten distracted looking at him, and found herself smiling lopsidedly. Or, rather, he found her smiling at him. He’d asked her what she was thinking about that had her smiling in that way, and she refused to enlighten him. ‘Need I remind you, you are in prime tickling position, and there’s no escape. Tell me.’ was what he’d quipped back. That part got you to squirm every time.

Still engrossed in the book, you shifted your posture, pressing yourself a little further into the couch, and bit your lip, a blush spreading across your cheeks. Loki had unfortunately seen this, and had then made his decision to approach you, practically stomping across the floor to where you lay on the couch. Grabbing the book from your hands and lifting it above his head, you yelped in surprise and covered your mouth with one hand while your blush deepened, only just noticing his presence in the room.

You knit your brows together, looking up at him as you lowered your hand and opened your mouth to ask what was that for? The look on his face in which he was peering down at you with, though, that off-putting smile and the mischievous glint in his eyes, had led you to ask a different question. “...why are you looking at me like that?” 

“You truly believe attempting such a weak prank, on The God of Mischief, no less, was an intelligent play?” 

“Loki? I hate to tell you this, since you seem to have hung your hopes and dreams on the notion that I do, but unfortunately, bud, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I thoroughly doubt that, spitfire. But, no mind. It seems I’ve happened upon something far more intriguing that requires my immediate attention.” Confusion etched onto your face, you watched curiously as he lowered his arm, the one that contained your book in it’s hand, only for the realization to hit you like a truck. He’d seen you blush only moments earlier.

No.

Hell no.

He’s about to read that page, isn’t he? 

Dread began to settle into your chest, and without any true thought going into it, you leaped up to try and wrangle the book from his hands, throw him off balance, make him lose the page, something, but he seemed unfazed as he pushed you back onto the couch in the same spot you’d been in before.

Seemingly deciding one hand wouldn’t be enough to keep you in place where you lay, he settled for sitting on your upper legs to get the job done. You’d sat up as well as you could, and a small smile adorned his face as he bore witness to your struggle attempting to prevent his next actions. Simply playing your little game and letting you attempt to wrestle with the one free hand he had, he extended his arm over his head once again fought to contain his chuckle at the high-pitched grunt of frustration that had left your lips.

“My, you feisty thing. What might you be trying to prevent me from discovering here?” He was going to try to incapacitate you further, but quickly, he’d realized that simple nickname had all but done it for him. You squeaked loudly and immediately stopped struggling, practically collapsing into the couch behind you and opting instead to hide your face in your hands, peeking your eyes out to look at him between your fingers as a few strained giggles bubbled from your mouth. Loki could only imagine the blush had gotten worse since it first appeared on your cheeks.

Impulsively, he’d let out a laugh and lowered himself closer to your face, leaning on his free hand, which was now beside your head. Voice barely above a whisper, he uttered, “You are in trouble.”

You giggled again, and he sat upright, straightening his posture.  He brought his arm that was holding the book down once more, now at reading level. You instantly lunged for it again, only for him to glare at you and use his free hand to push against your shoulder, successfully getting you lying on the couch flat on your back yet again. After threatening to use his magic if you refused to just sit still for a minute, you’d finally half-accepted your fate and stopped trying to fight him, instead crossing your arms and trying to talk him out of it.

“Put it down Loki! Please.”  He glanced over once, otherwise pretending not to hear you as his eyes flitted over the page, trying to unravel where exactly you had wound up so flustered. 

Despite it being a poorly written novel, and wracked with an excessive amount of cliche, he hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary, unless you got flustered at even the idea of physical contact. Which, looking over at you now, he supposed wouldn’t really be too far off. He’d never seen you red like this, but no. You wouldn’t be practically fighting for your life over the fact a girl was being held in someone’s arms.

As he read a bit farther, he caught it, and a small smile graced his face once again. It was the boy’s threat. His threat to tickle her. Somehow, tickling being something that flustered you felt fitting to him, and he was more than prepared to use it against you, as payback for that little stunt that sent him careening into the library in the first place. 

He tossed the book onto the floor, and your heart was racing. You were screwed. The devious smile on his face told you everything.

“Well, it appears I’ve found you out, haven’t I?” You shook your head rapidly, quietly managing to ask if he’d please get off you now, to which he’d responded, “Oh, darling, I have hardly begun with you. Now, allow me to ask again; You truly believe attempting such a weak prank, on The God of Mischief, was an intelligent play?”

“Is that what this whole ordeal is about?! I didn’t even do anything!” you yelled and partially sat up, bringing your hands behind you and leaning on them for support. You felt incredibly nervous, and were partially trying to make your point, partially trying to keep the conversation going as to avoid the inevitable. But, he gave you an accusatory look, and gods, you knew your face was betraying you. You could feel that stupid guilty smile creeping onto your face again. That smile had lost you so many arguments. 

“Wrong. That little look on your face is quite telling. You have guilty written all over you.” You groaned in frustration.

“It’s not something I can control, Loki! My smile is irrelevant to my innocence!”

You didn’t know what prank he was talking about, but it seems as though if you didn’t figure it out fast, Loki would unleash his wrath on you. While you were stuck. Of course this is somehow the life you’d gotten yourself into, being trapped underneath a god who was deadset on pinning something on you that you had nothing to do with. Loki grasped both your wrists in his hands, tugging them towards his chest, and glared at you.

“What, exactly, led you to believe you’d get away with it? That I wouldn’t come seeking you out, finding leverage to exact my revenge with?” Your smile grew wider, to your dismay. You kicked against the couch cushions, still trying to throw him off, but said nothing in an attempt to keep him monologuing.

“Or, maybe, you were expecting that. Perhaps you eagerly hoped I would come after you? Something as blatant as what you did will not go without discipline, little spitfire, surely you knew that.” You being unable to hide your face through this ordeal made it worse, and you were pretty sure Loki was flustering the life out of you on purpose. He could see the flame that engulfed your cheeks, there was no way he couldn’t.

“Loki. I don’t know what you think I’m trying to get away with. I don’t even know what happened.” You breathed out desperately, trying to plead your case, and tugging at your wrists with all your strength. 

Unfortunately for you, your ‘strength’ barely held a candle to his. The gravity of the situation began to set in, and nervous excitement bloomed in your chest. This was borderline mortifying, but you reasoned that despite that, you’d live.

You knew Loki wasn’t judging you, and playfulness like this wasn’t something you had growing up. You weren’t entirely too eager to dismiss it so quickly, now that it’d found it’s way into your lap for what felt like the first time. Accepting your fate, you stopped sitting up and let yourself fall back into the couch with a grunt.

“Playing this ignorant isn’t assisting you, my dear. Your feeble attempts to hide the truth is precisely what is giving you away. You should know better than to lie to the God of Lies himself.” 

He placed both of your wrists in his right hand and tugged them above your head, effectively pinning you. Okay, so maybe you’d accepted your fate, but your self preservation kicked in anyway. You fought with new vigor, trying to squirm away, throw him off you, or anything that would get him to not fluster the ever living hell out of you like you knew he was about to, but all to no avail.

In the mess of it all, you’d made a comment that was more of a question about how he would know what the truth looks like if he’s such a God at lying, but it was one of your weaker retorts and it fell on deaf ears as the poised his free hand over the middle of your stomach and lowered it, his fingertips gently resting there. Giggling already, you tried to suck in your stomach, but it was proving to be a futile attempt at avoidance. His smile only grew.

“You’re going to be incredibly sorry, once I’ve tickled you to pieces. Ah, how had your book-boy worded it? That’s right. You, little minx, are in prime tickling position, and there is no escape.” He winked. Your face burned hotter, somehow. Then, his hands on your stomach sprung into action, clawing at the sensitive skin he found there, and you immediately squealed, slamming the back of your head against the couch and falling into high pitched giggles as he used feather light touches to torment you. 

“Oho, this is undoubtedly going to get worse for you, if you’re already giggling this much. I’m hardly even touching you.” He tutted and added, “You poor, ticklish little thing.” 

“shuhut UHUP!” Your giggles had gone up an octave after his commentary, and Loki decided to change tactics, switching to pinching and squeezing at your sides, moving his hands up and down the length of your torso. 

Your giggle fit had noticeably decreased, but he happened to dig into a spot just above your hip, and seeing you violently jerk, chose to keep his hand there. Squeezing rapidly and digging into the sensitive skin, he relished in the squeals and loud laughter it extracted from you. You tried fruitlessly to tug your arms down and protect yourself from his ticklish onslaught, but it was a fruitless endeavor. As you began to run out of breath he rested his hand for a moment, letting you breathe.

“Lohohoki!” You whined, a few residual giggles spilling out.

“Yes?” he traded his hands, the one previously holding your wrists now stilled at your hip, ready to jump into action on your other side, and the old tickling hand now keeping your wrists in place.

“This is freaking stupid.” You mumbled bashfully, avoiding eye contact. You hated that you were enjoying his little game, and even moreso, you hated that he knew you were. 

“Hm, agreed. It was quite reckless and, to use your own words, ‘stupid’ of you to allow me such dangerous information.” You glared at him and tugged on your wrists for emphasis.

“As you can see here, good sir, I didn’t allow shit!” You sucked in a breath at the gleam in his eye resulting from your comment. 

“That’s pretty bold language for someone so…devastatingly ticklish. And in such a helpless position at that.” Without warning, his hand that lay at your other hip began squeezing at a rapid speed, and you burst into laughter once more, thrashing against his hold. That reaction didn’t seem sufficient for him, though, and he released your wrists in favor of using both hands to now drill his thumbs into your hips. 

You shrieked, and your laughter became louder and more frantic, but Loki was keenly aware of your choice to hide your face instead of fight off his hands, seeing as your first move was to grab a nearby throw pillow and wrap your arms around it, crushing it to your face. You weren’t even trying to stop him. He chuckled. 

“Don’t believe I’ve failed to notice your lack of resistance to me. Silly girl, leaving yourself vulnerable like this.” 

Testing just how much you’d allow him to get away with, he left your hips alone, making both of his hands into little claws and ever so gently trailing his fingertips along your torso. Dragging up the length your sides and nearing your ribcage elicited a squeak, and he took note of how your breathy giggles seemed to increase in volume the higher up he got.

“Lohoki, we are in a frEHEAKING librahary!!” You squealed when he reached your underarms, and began lightly scratching at the sensitive skin, giggles now pouring out uninterruptedly. “Yohou’re supposed to behe quiet in libraries!!” Your words were heavily muffled by the pillow, but he seemed to hear you fine.

“Darling, the severity of your laughter is not my responsibility. You have a pillow to reduce the noise, do you not?” He continued his attack in that same spot, gently wiggling his fingers into the hollows, but in an attempt to get more laughter from you, he began to drill into the spot just above your highest ribs. Your giggles grew to soft laughter, and your grip around the pillow tightened as you pressed it harder into your face.

He paused, his hands wandering downwards once more, as he was trying to give you another breather. He lightly traced circles along your ribcage, attempting to pinpoint where you seemed most sensitive. The light touches sent ticklish shocks through your body, and it was nearly unbearable, how gentle he was being. You began to stomp your feet against the couch cushions behind him, but had yet to make any move to stop him, despite unsuccessfully twisting and turning in your place beneath him.

Observing how your giggles got louder the higher up your ribs his fingertips went, he settled his hands into little claws on the front middle of your upper ribs. shit. You tensed, but before you could make a move, he quickly began drilling into the spot. Gods, it was awful. You had no idea just how bad that spot was, how sensitive your ribs were, until that split-second of a moment where he dug in.

If the deafening screech that escaped your lips afterward wasn’t what caught him off guard, it was certainly when you flung yourself upwards and slammed the pillow into his face at full force despite having been completely docile moments before. It hadn’t moved him from where he sat, but he did pause for a moment, chuckling.

He stilled his fingers, but kept them poised at the spot, smiling down at you after you sheepishly brought the pillow down and apologized for the outburst, looking down and avoiding eye contact.

“Now, what ever could have brought on a reaction such as that, little thing?”

With a giggle, you answered, “you knohow what.”

“Well, I’m most certainly going to be doing that again,” he mused.

You dared a peek at him, smiling, and meekly asked, “Can you pause for a second, though?” Loki wasn’t entirely able to piece together why you’d asked, seeing as you seemed to be enjoying yourself, but he decided to play it safe and retract his fingers, crossing his arms across his chest. 

Still, though, he’d made a point not to get up from his spot, as to allude to the fact that we’re not done here. He found it rather cute, how you seemed perfectly fine with that notion. He raised an eyebrow at you, willing you to say what was on your mind.

“What exactly was the prank?” Loki bore an incredulous look on his face. He sighed, but took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“I can’t decipher exactly how many tricks you have up your sleeve if you’re unable to recall mine, but the one that started this whole mess was the airhorn duct-taped to the office chair in my bedroom. You clever thing.” laughter tumbled out of your mouth, and he took that as an admission to guilt. Continuing, he added, “I was distracted reading and didn’t notice it. I sat in my chair, and after that wretched noise went off I came seeking the revenge I so dearly deserved.”

“I am soho sorry,” you started, and Loki tilted his head slightly. Apologizing for it so easily? “Buhut I am not the one that did that. One, I have never even attempted a prank on anyone in this tower, two, I am not sneaky enough to pull a stunt like that off, and 3, even if I was, there’s no way I’d actually believe you’d fall for one that obvious, that’s just stuhupid!”

As Loki stared at you, he realized you made a good point, but now you were laughing at him. You’d called his brief lack of attention stupid. He simply would not let that go.

“You’re getting awfully cheeky there, considering how easily I’m able to do this.” he slammed the pillow back into your face, using it as leverage to shove you back down against the couch, and immediately attacked that spot on your ribs that had previously made you shriek.

And shriek you did. Laughter exploded from your chest, and you tried using the pillow to whack his face, but after a moment he flung it across the room and continued his attack. Not actually pushing him away but feeling the need to retaliate somehow, you had a death grip on his wrists as your feet were once again stomping behind him.

He was relentless, harshly working his fingertips into every crevice. When he hit that one specific rib, and attacked the same spot on your other side simultaneously, your laughter fell silent, and you let the ticklish feeling overtake you as you went limp. After a few more moments, he finally let up, letting you breathe and standing up. Reaching a hand out to help you stand, you took it, but picked your book up off the floor on your way up.

Looking at the cover of the book, he asked, “What exactly is the appeal of such a cliche-ridden novel?”

“I will have you know my twelve year old self was in love with the main love interests’ brother. I was a hopeless romantic..” quickly getting yourself into a long-winded conversation about the stupid things about the book your younger self enjoyed, you’d slowly evolved into rambling about the character you used to have such a big crush on.

Halfway through, some part of your brain clicked and you’d realized a large chunk of your ramblings were also traits Loki shared with this fictional character...which explained a lot. Your newfound timidness around him began to make a lot more sense. Once you’d caught onto that little fact, though, you abruptly stopped talking about it. 

“Seems you might have a type, spitfire,” he winked at you, and you realized with a blush that he’d caught on as well. You...were definitely not going to be addressing this any time soon.

“Um.” You quickly averted your gaze, refusing to look at him, and settled yourself into a seated position onto the couch and opened your book back to that godforsaken scene that had all but gotten you into this whole mess. “I’m gonna finish my book now.” 

“Mind if I join you?” Willing yourself to look at him, you saw that he had conjured a book of his own in his hands. You gestured to the seat next to you, and smiled lightly to yourself as he settled in too. Feeling a bit confident, you turned yourself to face away from him, leaning your back against his arm and pulled your knees up to lay the book on.

It was a comfortable silence that fell between the two of you as you both read the rest of the afternoon away. You eventually finished your book and set it down, but not yet wanting to get up, you let yourself take a nap leaning against the god and resting your head on the back of the couch.

The two of you spending your day reading together was definitely something that needed to happen more often.

#lokixreader #ticklefluff #ticklish!reader #marvel tickle

[the-pjo-analyst]

Chapter 21 - I Settle My Tab

Theme of the day: Family

Kind of the perfect theme for this chapter, because there’s so many layers and different versions of family that appears (I can already tell this will be a long post lol). There’s the gods’ version of family, found family between the trio, Sally and Percy, and the Jackson household as a whole. Since it was very brief, I’ll start with the trio and how close-knit the three became. Percy says a line about how hard it was to send them away to CHB after all they had gone through together and it makes me so soft,,,, they’ve been through so much in those ten days, arguments, monster battles, traumatic experiences, but they ALWAYS had each other’s backs. They formed an unbreakable bond that carries over this series and beyond 🥺

The gods are a bit strange to analyze in terms of family, because it’s such a loose concept for them, but they also understand it in different ways than mortals. Like Zeus and Hera are siblings but they’re married. Kronos ate his children so they wouldn’t usurp him. Hades is exiled from Olympus just bc he got the short end of the stick. Gods and demigods call each other cousin and uncle and such but it’s really just a title. It’s strictly blood relations and obligations and not really about bonds between two people. Zeus says “for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live” like ok Zeus. You just accused a child of stealing your stuff, sent him on a dangerous quest to get it back, and then you say you did me a favor ig so I’ll let you live 🙄For the sake of peace in the family. The definition of someone who cares less about family and more about appearances.

I think the only god who truly has a holistic sense of family is Hestia, and interestingly the hearth is mentioned a few times in the chapter. There’s a huge hearth in the gods’ throne room and Percy talks about how he can hear the fire crackle and feel the warmth from it. I could probably go on a whole rant about Hestia and her representing the concept of home and her leaving the Olympians but that’s a talk for another book lol. In this instance, I’d like to think that Hestia is quietly supporting Percy here, and not out of some sense of duty or obligation as a “family” member, but because she actually cares.

It’s interesting how Percy knows exactly how to handle Zeus and Poseidon. He respectfully walks up to Poseidon and greets him first, and remains silent for most of the scene unless he’s addressed. When Zeus grumbles about not being greeted first, Percy doesn’t react, likely as a learned trait from all the strict adults and bullies he’s dealt with all his life. Percy specifically says he kept his head down and waited. He knows that this is either Zeus egging him on or just him complaining to complain. Reacting would make the situation worse. Like Poseidon said, obedience doesn’t come naturally to him, so this would be something Percy has learned, but part of it is probably also self preservation lmao. It’s a little sad that Percy knows what he should do in this situation, and it’s also a little jarring considering how much attitude he’s shown other gods.

Now onto Poseidon and Percy. There’s a moment when they meet where they size each other up, not knowing what to think of the other, bc although they’re father and son they don’t actually know each other. Poseidon has been watching Percy all his life, but Percy also represents a broken pact for Poseidon, something unforgivable. He calls Percy is wrongdoing and a mistake. Well he doesn’t specifically call Percy that, just the very act of the affair with Sally, but it still insinuates how Percy shouldn’t have been born. Not a great thing to hear whether you’re a child or not. I get the sense that Poseidon doesn’t regret the affair, but feels bad for the consequences it caused, i.e. Percy being the demigod of the Great Prophecy and what that entails for both Percy and Olympus. And for Percy, Poseidon is his non-present father, someone he thought had died up until a month ago, only to learn that he chose not to be part of his life. But Poseidon also helped Percy on his quest when he asked for it. His very voice stirred warm memories in Percy he associated with his father. And in the end Percy is also glad to have a frank father who doesn’t give empty apologies or promises, Poseidon doesn’t pretend if he cares about Percy or not. Which in the long run is so much better for their relationship, because it gives a more solid base for them to become acquainted with one another. In a sense, it’s kind of a clean slate; they’re not letting their past, indirect experiences form their opinions.

I think children of Zeus and Poseidon especially have it rough in terms of parental..... guidance and interaction. With other gods, they are much more free with their gifts and visits. Being the two gods with joint rulership over the cosmos, they tend to be more aloof and distant, maybe bc they need to be. Idk how to properly convey this, but being the top two gods, there’s bad implications with showing favoritism? And their domains are so large that it’s hard to always keep tabs with their children? I think this is also addressed in later books so maybe I’ll hold off on this. Hades doesn’t really have this problem since he rules over a realm separate from humanity and he’s also separate from Olympus itself, so he’s also a bit more free to have a greater presence in his children’s lives. It seems like Poseidon wants to this too but can’t, otherwise he wouldn’t have looked sad when Percy almost asked him to see Sally with him.

Circling bad to Poseidon’s comments on his “wrongdoing,” I can’t help but think about how this really wrenches a knife into Percy’s insecurities. Percy already struggles with feeling wanted and being good enough, and then in his first interaction with his father, he’s told how he shouldn’t have been born because of the potential trouble he’ll cause. BUT Poseidon also reiterates that he’s proud of him and claims him as his own. We don’t get Percy’s immediate reaction to this, but I think it’s due to him having mixed feelings, just like after he was claimed at camp. He’s bitter from Poseidon’s words of remorse, but also can’t help but feel happy from being acknowledged.

Lord I’ve written so much and I haven’t even gotten to Sally and Gabe sdfjdhdf. Tbh I don’t need to talk about Sally and Percy since I’ve already talked extensively on that, but their reunion!!! It makes my heart clench. In every sense, Sally and Percy are a family. Gabe is just a sorry excuse for a human being who’s only role was to help Percy hide from monsters. Percy’s interview with the media will never be not funny bc not only do the journalists eat up his sob story, he also managed to get a jab at Gabe with offering everything free appliances 😂 It’s really sad how many journalists don’t really care about the truth and more about what will sell. They love drama, which is why they easily accepted Gabe’s story of Percy being a delinquent, and also Percy’s seemingly heartfelt story. But the fantasy Jacksons the media ate up and regurgitated is far from the real Jackson household. I honestly forgot that it was confirmed that Gabe physically abused Sally. I think by the way Percy reacted, Sally managed to protect him from that, although you could still infer it. But this is also Percy we’re talking about lmao, he’d never mention it. I want to think that Sally would’ve drawn the line, like you can hurt me but stay the fuck away from my child. Sally and Percy are really two of a kind huh. What a fucking bastard though, for making Sally go to work to “makeup a month’s worth of rent” right after she returned and treating her like his housemaid, among other much worse things. He really deserved getting his head chopped off by Riptide. But it really shows how much Percy has grown as a person when he hesitates sending Gabe to an early grave. He thinks about how it would fit into a hero’s story, how it always ends in tragedy, and how he’d seen the terrors of the Underworld and how he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. And yet, he would still do it for his mom. Because he’s incredibly loyal to a fault and would do anything for her.

I love how Sally has this conversation with Percy as an equal. She doesn’t treat him like a child and tell him “I’m the parent I can’t let you take care of me,” she gives him the same answer she told Poseidon when he basically offered her the world: you can’t solve all my problems for me, I have to do that for myself and find my own strength. Sally gives a life lesson to Percy here, how one can’t rely on the gods for everything and blame them for everything. It’s dangerous to believe one can solve every problem with a wave of their hand because they have the power to. And this is the very reason why Percy is never tempted to join Kronos, because unlike Luke, he doesn’t form a resentment towards the gods have and haven’t done and leaves it at that. Percy looks at a problem and think how do I fix this for the better, in a way that looks at the long term and not the immediate satisfaction. It’s from Sally’s influence and especially this talk that Percy doesn’t form a superiority complex; in the end he recognizes that Sally is strong enough to take care of herself, in the same way he recognizes other people’s strengths and validates them both in this book, and future books. It’s part of why he makes such a great leader, why he could give Luke the knife in book 5, why he’s a good foil for Annabeth as her friend and partner.

Small things:

Percy being like oh that kid is cool to fictional media Percy ahaha

I wonder if Percy’s fear of flying is specifically bc of Zeus or bc he just naturally is freaked out by it. Maybe it’s a child of Poseidon thing, like they’re hardwired to hate flying.

Percy’s interaction with the Empire State desk clerk 😂 Like yes I think Zeus will want to see me immediately *shows off Zeus’ weapon*

Also Zeus is so fucking pretentious, “I have to remove the human taint from my weapon.” Ok Zeus. whatever.

Someday I would love to make a full post on the symbolism of Sally using Medusa’s head to break free from an abusive relationship

Previous: Chapter 20 - I Battle My Jerk Relative

Next: Chapter 22 - The Prophecy Comes True

#eyyy for having a free weekend #i want to get these chapter posts done so i can make a book summary before the show premieres #percy jackson #sally jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #zeus #poseidon #hades #kronos #luke castellan #gabe ugliano #pjo #percy jackson and the olympians #the lightning thief #tlt analysis #pjo analysis #pjo meta

[loopy777]

How do you think Mai would handle being The Bachelorette? Her bachelors are Zuko, Kei Lo, Ruon Jian, and Sokka. Who would get her final rose? 

To begin with, let's note that I have never see an episode of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette and I have no idea what the competition involves. Dating-like activities, I guess? But do they all go as a group while the men try to discreetly (or discretely) murder each other, or does the Bachelorette just run through the same date multiple times and the last guy on the list really needs to being his A-game to keep her from getting bored? At least with Mai, every guy will have to work hard to keep her from getting bored, so that's a bit more fair.

But before we get too deep into the game itself, I think we have to take a moment and explore something critical. Why is Mai picking a husband on a reality show? That makes so little sense there has to be an agenda at work.

Is she being put up to it by her parents? Is it some kind of ironic comedic performance on her part? Is Azula torturing her? Did she swap bodies with Ty Lee in a zany magical adventure again?

The explanation we pick is going to heavily affect who she chooses as her Reality TV Husband, so we have to be responsible about it. We can't just come up with an explanation that will allow Sokka to win, even though that's the objectively correct choice. Mai's clearly not in it to actually find a long-term romantic partner. You don't have to be as cynical as Mai to know that these Reality TV Romances don't last a week beyond the airing of the final episode, if that. And a quick search on my part turned up that The Bachelorette does not award prize money to the winning couple, so it can't be that she needs the cash.

In the end, I think we should stick with the classics- the most common reason for going on Reality TV.

Mai wants the attention, for some reason. And since most of the contestants are from the Fire Nation, it's specifically that nation's attention which she wants.

The fandom can't seem to settle on what the Fire Nation thinks of Mai, and sadly the comics have not really elaborated on the situation. Sometimes it's convenient to make her reviled, either for betraying the Fire Nation or for sticking her tongue in Zuko's mouth or not sticking her tongue in Zuko's mouth or not being Ty Lee or her strange lack of affinity for just-bear-bears. Other times, she's popular for her support of Zuko and/or being the coolest girl in the cast with the knives and the dour sarcasm and whatever is going on with her hair. Her reception amongst the Evil Factions isn't any more consistent, what with her complicated relationship with her father and her father's complicated relationship with being a villain. Even her temporary terrorist boyfriend couldn't decide which side he was on, thanks to her.

So I would personally avoid the question of whether Mai is loved or reviled. Instead, let's once again go on the most well-trod road of the Reality TV Star: she just wants everyone to know her name so she can get a better job later. This mandates that Mai does not start as a famous figure, despite how notable her life has been. But then, Upper Class Fire Nation Teenagers one island over from the capital didn't recognize Zuko's face, arguably the most famous face in the entire world, so obviously if you're not a Reality TV Star, the Fire Nation doesn't care about you.

All right, so we know why Mai is doing this. She wants to be famous. Now, what do the guys want?

The most simple of them is Zuko; he just wants Mai. Even the comics agree on this point.

Kei Lo also wants Mai. We know he doesn't have any other friends, and he seems to really like her, so I can see him being willing to debase himself on Reality TV just so that the girl he likes will consider pretending to date him until a week after the finale airs.

Ruon Jian, from what little we saw of him, seems to be honesty interested in Mai, perhaps even fully attracted to her. She helped wreck and burn down his best friend's beach house, but perhaps he found that amusing. Perhaps he likes dangerous girls. Perhaps he was always looking for the same kind of excitement as she was, and before he met her, he could never really admit it. So he's on the show to give wooing her a go, sure, but also to discover his best, true life.

Sokka is here as part of a scam. Disappointing, I know, but he's too much like Mai -- too perfect as a potential romantic partner -- for him to take Reality TV seriously, either. I can see him annoying Katara, who loves both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, by insisting that these things are scripted. So he has to have ulterior motives. Perhaps Mai is even in on it with him, helping him out while she's pursuing her own agenda. She probably thinks it's funny.

So with that established, how does the elimination go?

Kei Lo goes out first. I have nothing against the guy, but when he's not being a terrorist, there's nothing interesting about him. The most amount of spice he can bring is offering to pick a lock, and let's face it, he's no charismatic criminal gentleman. In contrast, Zuko lights things on fire and struts around like he owns the place (never mind all that delicious backstory on him), and Sokka is a strange foreign hero who even other foreigners think is compellingly odd. And Ruon Jian calls everyone else a loser while preening for the camera, so he's a natural Reality TV star and will probably be recruited for Survivor next season.

In the next episode, sadly, Sokka is out. He managed to use one of the dates as a cover to sneak his way into Ruon Jian's rooms and find evidence of Lord Ruon (Ruon Jian's father, of course) defrauding his international trading partners. Mai smirks, tells Sokka to hit the road, and he happily does so after giving her a peck on the cheek and asking how much prize money he gets for lasting two episodes. He walks away in a slump when he's informed the only prize is Mai.

In the final episode, it's down to Zuko and Ruon Jian. There's tension in the air on every activity. The boys spend more time insulting each other, sometimes even brawling, than paying attention to Mai. Despite this, neither one is stopped by any of the pitfalls prepared by the show's producers. Neither notices Ty Lee trying to seduce them. They sabotage Azula's attempt to assassinate Mai without even realizing she's there. When they get trapped together in the Spirit World, they manage to work together long enough to defeat the Reality TV Spirit (it's a giant glowing gross bug, formed from the tortured energies of all the gross bugs people have eaten on Reality TV for attention) and get back home. They even manage not to burn the mansion down (I think this franchise takes place in a mansion?) when doing the baking challenge, although Sokka proclaims neither one's bean pastries are sweet enough. (Oh yeah, the producers bring Sokka back for the finale as a surprise guest because he's so popular with audiences. He enjoys judging the baking competition but doesn't understand why the producers insist he not wear a shirt.) At last we come to the final scene, where Mai has to award her rose.

Mai tells Zuko that she's loved him since the day she met him, since before she even knew what love is, and that no one will ever be more suited for her.

Mai tells Ruon Jian that he's kind of good-looking when the lights are low and not quite as boring as most other people, even though she can't remember his name.

Then she gives Ruon Jian her rose.

There's scandal in the Fire Nation! No one can believe Mai picked this random dude over the Fire Lord! Everyone is talking about it. Zuko's fangirls are torn between being relieved and being offended on his behalf. Mai becomes a celebrity world-wide for her individualism and standing up to the weird culture of the Fire Nation that has people compete on Reality TV for love, instead of competing on Reality TV for money and singing contracts like normal people.

Mai becomes the most famous woman in the Fire Nation. Everyone wants her at their parties, even if they hate her. She cuts celebrity endorsement deals and appears at every big social event. She even gets to host the Tonys, which suits her fine because no one watches the Tonys. Mai becomes rich and everyone does what she says. Mission accomplished, she and her family never have to work a day in their lives again!

She also breaks up with Ruon Jian a week after the finale airs, without ever having gone on a real date with him.

She's seen going out with Zuko a month later, but by then everyone is more concerned with how Sokka has managed to get through eight episodes of his The Bachelor season without eliminating a single girl. It's a happy ending for everyone, except maybe Kei Lo but that's okay because he ends up on Celebrity Big Brother a few years later and wins when no one notices that he's been living there the whole time.

That's reality for you.

#anonymous #atla mai #zumai #satire #it's been a while since i've had a silly question #i love silly questions

[britishserpent]

Loki Fanfiction - Master List

Stumbled upon my Tumblr and not sure where to start? All of my work is listed below with a short summary.

Please note although most of my work contains explicit sexual content, it is consensual between the characters and they are of legal age. Posts of this nature are clearly marked 18+ Please do not engage if it's not your thing / you are under age.

Longer Work

Insubordination - 18+ Explicit Content (Loki x Female, Currently Chapter 11) Wattpad / AO3 only.

This was the first Loki fic I wrote and is currently on hiatus while I re-work it. It will be updated, it's just quite a bit to get through!

The Palace Baths - 18+ Explicit Content (Prince Loki x Female Servant, Ongoing)

Originally a One Shot. I couldn't help but continue this one. Prince Loki has never paid a female servant any mind, or so she thought. He unexpectedly extends an invitation to one of his exclusive gatherings late at night, hosted in the Palace Baths.

The Palace Baths, Part 1

The Palace Baths, Part 2

The Palace Baths, Part 3

The Palace Baths, Part 4

One Shots - 18+ Explicit Content (Loki x Reader)

These are all posted as collections on Wattpad & AO3 if you prefer to read on those platforms.

Happy Birthday, Mr President (President Loki x Female)

During a televised Birthday performance, President Loki teases his pet, leaving her squirming during the Birthday meal that follows.

A Prayer Answered (Loki x Female)

Hard day at work? Unable to settle, the readers mind drifts to thoughts of Loki, only to find the God himself stood at the foot of her bad after hearing her call.

Occupied (Loki x Female Rival - Request)

Tired of the crowds of swooning maidens Prince Thor attracts to the training grounds, a female warrior finds somewhere a little quieter to train. Only she's not left in peace for long when Prince Loki disturbs her.

The King of Jotunheim (Jotunn Loki x Female)

The King of Jotunheim, Part 2 (Jotunn Loki x Female)

Loki never left Jotunheim. Following the death of his father, he inherits the throne and quickly improves the realm for its inhabitants. Alfheim has been carefully watching from afar and arranges a visit to form a treaty. Rader has been selected to protect the dignitaries during their trip, only they have other plans for her…

Nervous? (Lady Loki x Female)

Set on Asgard, the reader spots a mysterious, enchanting woman walking through the halls of the palace. Lady Loki is quick to spot the reader's gawping and follows them into the library.

Saviour (Female Warrior x Prince Loki)

When a serpentine beast wages an attack on Asgard, the warriors are quick to defend the realm with Prince Thor and Prince Loki by their side. Only things don't go to plan.

Breakfast (Female Chef at Avengers Tower x Loki)

Tony Stark has hosted yet another grand party at the Avenger's Tower. Reader refuses her invitation, instead offering to cover the breakfast shift so her colleagues can have a good time.

Undeniable (Female x Loki)

Set before Thor arrives in Thor: Ragnarok, the realm comes to terms with the death of Prince Loki. Loki's plan of appearing as Odin is going perfectly well… until an old acquaintance uncovers his secret.

Shorter Works

Protective / Comforting Loki (Loki x Anxious Reader) - 643 Words Loki comforts reader following a panic attack. Based on my own personal experience with anxiety.

What If… Loki Episode 1 (Loki x Sigyn) - 566 Words Just a shorter piece about how that would have happened if Sigyn had been waiting for Loki in the Gobi Desert.

Bite-Sized Smut - 18+ Explicit Content

#1 - Loki is questioned on his abilities in the bedroom and takes the opportunity to prove his talent to his sceptical volunteer. (Loki x Female, 190 Words)

Requests

I am open to requests, whether it's a line prompt or something more specific. I love hearing what you would like to read, so please let me know!

Just a few things to note:

Please do not request non-con, I am not comfortable writing this.

I always have multiple stories that I'm working on, so there may be a delay in my answer while I complete any current work.

All requests are appreciated, and I carefully contemplate each one, thinking up a plot that would work. Please do not be offended if I do not complete your request, I find it impossible to do my best work if it's not something I 100% connect with.

Dividers from @firefly-graphics post which can be found here.

#loki masterlist #masterlist #master list #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki fandom #loki laufeyson #loki odinson #mcu loki #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #loki smut #loki x reader #loki series

[scorchrend]

if u would like to share ur marx thoughts…… and make us all feel physically ill alongside u…….. this random anon is very much interested in hearing 👀👀👀

thats the problem istart feeling physically ill because i cant verbalize what i'm thinking it;s that bad. but since you asked this might be the push i need. UHHHHH marx thoughts. what are my marx thoughts it's like rummaging through my junk clearbook where everything is just placed anywhere and everything gets lost i do answer better and more coherently with specific questions.. btw.... hehe. Love Questions okay. random thoughts go

marx is a really attention seeking guy. thrives out of getting a rise from other people. pre super star though, i don't think he has any real friends despite being a common sight due to his tricksterisms and funny things. i don't think he's done this in canon really, but personally i like to make it so that marx used to work under dedede. you know. big castle, you think it has cool stuff, should give pretty good benefits to staff right? but then kirby's dream land happens and hes like Bro this Sucks and skedaddles. so yeah no meaningful relationships

i like the idea that marx is friendly with kirby pre kirby super star, but i don't think it's a relationship that can really be described as "friends" more than "staying on good terms and excitedly saying hi whenever you see each other, have a little small talk, and go separate ways." i mean, to kirby, they're friends. i don't think marx knows this when he asks kirby for help in milky way wishes, he's relying on kirby's helpful nature the trust is just kind of a bonus. as for why marx soul is like that i dont fucking know man these are random ass thoughts

thing is i think marx genuinely thinks kirby's a cool stand up dude especially after kirby's dream land but i think he just got Sooo Fucking Pissed thats why mww happens or whatever but i'm not sure either since i'm just spitting words. whatever his reasons are they always change in my head, marx is an enigma to me Even as a local marx enjoyer

as for his relationship with magolor it's the average They meet after Marx Blows Up and magolor is in the area and like Damn well i'm not gonna leave that guy out there am i. then bla bla friends (menaces) and puts the idea of nabbing that crown from landia. less of an intentional thing you know, but even if marx blew up he still kinda had something to show for it you knoe. the wings and the nova power. i can't say why they'd part ways (i don't know either) but basically before that they enjoyed some weird shit like pranking randos maybe Way Too Hard

anyways, after they part ways, marx probably goes planet hopping for a bit but eventually settles back on popstar. guys got the wanderer bones in him but i really think he thinks life on popstar is swell. he wanted to rule it for a reason i guess?? also the nearby planets he can fly to are Pretty Empty. I think.i actually genuinely don;t inow what im saying though im making a lot of this on the spot

reason for thinking marx has been hiding out on planet popstar: he's readily available in kirby star allies from the first dream palace. i know the dream rod summons them but like for my purposes i think it's just kinda like YOU. COME HERE.

okay but you know who else is in wave 1 that's right rick kine coo and gooey. i think they become friends. i think they're marx's first real friends (if you count them becoming friends while marx is disguised? they keep it up even after they find out. trying to be the kirby they want to see in the world or something.) like i got a little idea where its kinda like Damn i kinda wanna Fuck Up Everything but then he experiences laughing With people and not just Laughing at or Being laughed at and is like Fuuuckkk this is kindasick actually. UGH plans POSTPONED!! he is still 100% a shithead though these improvements dont really happen until marx drops his disguise after he meets magolor again (between rtdl and dream collection)

as for marx and magolor's reconciliation i feel like it's really smooth at first while magolor recovers from an arduous warp or whatever but when magolor starts showing discomfort at the ... hobbies marx has there starts to be tension because marx starts feeling like magolor is ignoring him and doesn't want to associate (even if magolor does want to keep being friends). however they deal with that is still up in the air but it required a lot of arguing, magolor apology to the dream team, marx blowing his "presumed dead" cover just to cover for magolor on something, etc. stuff that shows both parties really value their friendship even after they've changed and paths diverged quite a bit. fyi their arguments are so fucking bombastic because they WERE so SIMILAR that any insults they toss at the other is a double edged sword, and evidences some kind of self loathing

for marx's relationship with kirby i honestly think they're chill. but ofc marx exasperates kirby at times.

also marx has to get hisinfo from somewhere so i think he does in fact read stuff. only stuff interesting to him but he does read and when he does he Reads reads. thats how the Loser hatched his plan regarding nova anyways. somehow taranza finds outabout this and hes like Oh my god someone who understands media. Marx vehemently denies this (but cannot resist screaming at other people who have shit takeaways from x book he likes) (Marx has opinions on notoriously polarizing character Eon based on historical figure Aeon Hero) (not anything i consider important just something funny)

i could go on forever but for now i think my brain is all worded out. not even sure if any of this makes sense. here you go anon. enjoy.

#text #ask #marx #marx kirby #friendship fallout arc #<- relevant #my thoughts really only affect my versions of the characters exclusively though tehe

[almost-a-class-act]

I am obsessed with your givenson headcanons but esp Tim's mom?? like do you have more about them specifically bc I am so interested in this idea of her being alive & them on good terms? has she met Rachel or Art? I feel like she would at least know Rachel (bc she's obvs Tim's best friend)? But omg the possibility of her meeting Raylan?? I will be thinking about this for the rest of the week!

From this rambling headcanon.

I'm so glad you asked because this spawned yet another conversation with @cenyiere that made me stare into the abyss for a while!

CW for a domestic violence mention below the cut.

Tim doesn't go home very often, because he hates that tiny-ass town where everyone knows your business. It's probably two years into this thing with Raylan before they go for Thanksgiving or something, and Tim acts like this ain't no thing but I suspect he hasn’t brought anyone home to the folks before, if only because he plays personal shit close to the vest, even with family.

You didn't ask, but I’ve assigned him a sister as well, because I don’t think you acquire Tim’s knack for delightful clever back-and-forth quite as easily without a sibling.

His mom has been through enough that she is beyond taking anyone's shit. She's a little hard with everyone except her kids, and accordingly makes Raylan work for it. (At least part of it is trying to figure out whether he has a temper, because she knows how Tim can push buttons and she doesn’t want to have to murder a Marshal.) Luckily for everyone involved, Raylan’s response ranges from a bemused smile to a quality one-liner, because damned if he isn’t a little charmed by it – which is unsurprisingly pretty similar to how he reacts when Tim gives him shit.

Hi, you didn't think we could come this far and not detour into Tim’s shitty childhood, did you?

The Gutterson household was the type where everyone walked on eggshells around dad. Eventually Tim got old enough and savvy enough to know when an explosion was imminent and accordingly turned up the brattiness so that the one bearing the brunt of the explosion was him, and not his mom or sister. It was sort of a "we already hate each other, it might as well be me he loses it on", and especially as a teenager he got a few swings of his own in.

Accordingly, his family are pretty protective of him as an adult. He already had that one formative abusive relationship in his life that he couldn’t walk away from, and his reaction was to get reckless and mean, to challenge and taunt and say ‘do your worst’ rather than getting out of the way. So it’s less that he can’t look after himself, and more that they don’t always trust him to.

The sister ends up chatting with just Raylan at some point and she's like, "Tim really settled down after the army. He's not as angry as he was." And Raylan, who walks around with a big wad of repressed anger himself and recognizes it in Tim, doesn't say anything.

(Sidebar: Tim’s mom and sister look alike, and neither of them look much like Tim. It wouldn’t be a cosmic joke if you didn’t favour the parent that sucks, after all!)

(Still, picture two sets of unfamiliar eyes fixed on Raylan and then Tim’s mother and sister slide a look to each other that is so exactly Tim that yeah, Raylan knows he’s among Tim’s people.)

Afterward, Rachel congratulates him on not letting himself be run off, which is how Raylan knows that everyone but him was apparently fully aware that Mrs. Gutterson is a little bit of a battle-axe [affectionate].

#tim gutterson #givenson #justified #asks

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: Never Felt So Alone (20x05)

Man, Nick sucks so much as a character I cannot believe.

Cons:

I'm going to be a broken record about Jo and Link, but wow, I don't care about their relationship. This pregnancy scare is a cheap way to introduce a shot of lightly-comedic drama into their honeymoon period and I'm bored to tears by all of it. It's a shame, because I actually think both actors are really charming and funny, and yet when they're playing off of each other in a scene, I feel absolutely nothing. The idea of going through a Jo/Link marriage and babies story just fills me with a sense of defeat and ennui. Alex Karev I miss you so much.

I feel like the takeaway from this episode is supposed to be that Meredith is being unreasonable about the Nick situation, but... nah. Nick is a boring lump of coal and Meredith has a lot of trauma around the death of loved ones, and Nick should have called sooner. I just wish that Meredith had been settled off-screen with a less annoying endgame love interest. It feels like we've lost our chance for Meredith to find a new forever person on screen, because Ellen Pompeo isn't interested in doing that anymore, and fair enough, but Nick? God, he sucks so hard.

Usually I get really moved and emotional about the "very special episodes" that this show pulls off, about all manner of serious subjects. I have to say, I felt a little alienated from this one, though. There were things I liked about it, but the core of it, the med student Eddie standing on the ledge, with Simone and Kwan talking to him, just felt very... generic, maybe? It was a lot of standard talking points about suicidal ideation, without the magic of making every guest character come alive, the way Grey's usually pulls off. I don't know. I don't feel like it was terribly done, it just didn't quite grip me.

Pros:

I really liked Owen and Amelia spending the day working together. Their romantic relationship was always such a clusterfuck but I think they have the kind of friendship that really stands the test of time. They do a risky and complicated surgery to give a med student a chance to be able to walk again, and seeing them triumph and feel that thrill of surgery again together was really quite lovely! Also, when Teddy and Owen don't have hella drama going on between them, their relationship is perfectly tolerable. I liked the ending little bit where Teddy gets cleared to go back to surgery, and she and Owen are talking over logistics for picking up the kids, etcetera. Their energy together does work for me; I remember shipping them way back in the before-times.

Bailey and Ben are really the best long-term relationship on this show. I'm almost anxious about Station 19 ending, because if Ben hops back over to be more of a main character on Grey's, they might give them relationship tension and I don't want that! Ben calming Bailey down, the two of them talking about mental health and being there to support each other... this was the part of the suicide prevention plot thread that worked the best for me. Just these two married people having a frank conversation about being there to support one another.

Despite hating everything about Nick, I did like some of Meredith's stuff in this episode. Her being able to talk through her fear with Richard was really touching. Of course she has baggage and fears around specifically this outcome! Something totally survivable happening to someone in her family, but the potential of the hospital fucking it up? I like that now that Meredith has moved to Boston and she's only a part-time character, she really does feel like more of a mom. Not to be cheesy, but it's such a fitting way to wrap up the overall arc of Meredith Grey, given where we started with her, and all her own issues with her mother. I wish Nick wasn't the person she was having the conversation with, but I also liked her being willing to process her messy emotions and admit the harm she did to others because of it. Real growth for our Mer!

As I keep saying, I really do love these new intern characters a lot. Let's go through some of these stories really fast.

Jules and Winston! Jules is growing on me more and more. I love that she stood up to Winston, and that he admitted he'd been a grump lately. Her compassion and care for the people around her is so lovely, and she manages to seem like a really strong, pragmatic person all while having empathy off the charts. We love to see it.

Yasuda gets stuck with the unpleasant job of babysitting a bunch of drunk med students with minor injuries, and things take a turn for the worse when she learns from Schmitt that Helm kept her from an interesting surgery, and made her stay in the pit. We don't know the outcome of this little betrayal yet, but I'm interested to see their relationship get more of a spotlight, even if it is to work through a difficult moment! I loved Jules comforting Yasuda at the end using a technique her mother taught her. Their friendship is so lovely.

We get some insight into Kwan's relationship to his own mental health; I loved how he stepped in and talked to Eddie after letting Simone take the lead for so long. I think it's telling that in an episode themed all around connection and reaching out to people, Kwan didn't actually open up to Simone after that experience. He didn't go to Jules, or to anybody else, to talk through what had happened. We'll have to see if he's able to form those important bonds moving forward.

And as mad as I've been at Lucas for being such a dickhead recently, I did find the scene at the end with him and Simone quite lovely. It's not a fix to everything broken between them, but it's this moment where they're able to come together to comfort and hold each other. Simone definitely needed that after the day she'd had, and I like that Lucas was willing to put aside everything else and do that.

So that's all for this one. It looks like from the promo for next week that Richard is going to have some sort of freak-out or incident at work, and I'm... kind of already tired of seeing this story again. But we'll see!

7/10

#review #grey's anatomy #grey's anatomy review #greys anatomy #greys anatomy review #grey's abc #greys abc

[londonhalcyon]

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays @tojiriki! I was your Secret Santa for this year’s @hphmsecretsanta.

For your gift, I wrote a fic involving Talbott and your MC Nancy. Thank you for answering my anon ask to help me to get to know Nancy a bit. I hope I wasn’t too far off!

Here’s the first part of the fic. The rest is available on AO3 here. Hope you’re enjoying the holidays!

“Flawed Phials”

Toward the deep black water

beneath the arches,

the swan floats slowly.

Into the dark of the arch the swan floats

and into the black depth of my sorrow

it bears a white rose of flame.

- F. S. Flint

Talbott reread the last stanzas of the poem aloud, just under his breath, quieter than Madam Pince’s superhuman hearing could catch. Imagism—simplicity, clarity of expression, and precision, without excess of verbiage. Feelings and meaning through concrete, detailed images. He could feel the narrator’s somberness—perhaps an admiration for beauty and light in darkness, perhaps some mourning for their loss. It was an excellent way to deliver a message, he thought.

But what if he should take a different approach? There were centuries of poetic movements and scores of groups within those movements and hundreds of styles within those groups. So many ways to tell someone something. So many ways to convey admiration. He could write a Shakespearean sonnet, or a series of haiku, or abandon structure altogether. 

He stared at the blank piece of parchment before him, quill motionless in his hand, and then shifted his gaze back to the castle of books he’d inadvertently built around the desk. He suppressed a groan. It was no use. He had gone through every poetry collection in the Hogwarts library, from the works of scholars from ancient Greece and distant Chinese dynasties to the stanzas of French revolutionaries and English journalists, and he had yet to find the inspiration he sought. 

Why was this so hard? He wrote poetry all the time. He’d never had this much trouble before. 

He’d never written a poem like this one, either.

Half-heartedly, he turned another page in his book. He hadn’t gone through many of the more contemporary poems yet. Maybe he could search for inspiration there next. 

“Hi, Talbott! What’s that you’re working on?”

Startled, Talbott swiftly dragged the book over the parchment. The blank parchment. That he hadn’t written anything on yet. 

Brilliant move, Winger. You’re not acting suspicious at all. 

Nancy had appeared next to him with a quizzical smile. “I didn’t forget an assignment, did I?” she asked, a little worriedly. “I thought the term was over.”

“It is,” he said. “I’m just, er, writing a letter for… Yeah, just writing a letter.”

“Oh.” Her smile quirked even more. “Then what are all the books for?”

“Reading,” he said, which was the daftest answer he could have given. Of course books were for reading; that hadn’t been her question. No one checked out a whole fortress of books for a bit of light reading—not even a Ravenclaw. But he didn’t elaborate, and she didn’t press, to his relief. 

“Well, er, I always enjoy a good book,” she said. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. She adjusted her glasses—took her time before she settled on the right words. “I came to ask you—Dumbledore needs volunteers to put up the last of the Christmas decorations. Not many people are here over the holidays, and Hagrid and Flitwick already have so much work to do. I’m on my way to the Great Hall to help out. Would you like to join?”

“You’re staying for Christmas again?” he asked. He wasn’t entirely used to the concept of people who had families choosing to stay away from home during the most family time of the year. He wasn’t complaining; he understood—in Nancy’s case, probably more than she knew. It was just…he wasn’t used to it.  

“I am,” she said. “I think it’ll be fun. It’s almost better, in some ways, to spend Christmas with friends, don’t you think?”

“I…suppose.” That was something else he wasn’t used to. The friends part, specifically. 

“I’ll still write to my family, anyway.” She fidgeted with the ends of her hair. In the soft light of the library, her dark locks were a rich brown-black. “Sooo how about it? Want to decorate with me?”

“I can’t,” he said, too quickly and with too little thought. “I need to finish my, er, letter.” Which he did, sort of. He’d been working for hours with nothing to show. Belatedly, he added, “Sorry,” because he often forgot to say sorry (not that he didn’t mean it; he simply forgot to communicate it), and people didn’t like that. And he didn’t want Nancy to not like him.

Her face fell, a sign he had messed up anyway. “Oh,” she said, her cheeks flushing pink. “That’s okay. Maybe later, then.”

She trudged away. The candlelight fell across her retreating form, granting her dark hair a gentle glow where it tumbled past her shoulders. Talbott looked away. His gaze fell to the book of Flint poems, open overtop of his blank parchment. 

But as the moon creeps slowly

over the tree-tops

among the stars,

I think of her

and the glow her passing

sheds on the men.

Talbott slammed the book shut, heart pounding unexpectedly. Madam Pince hissed at him from some dark corner of the library. On second thought, maybe Imagism was too direct. There were other ways to convey a message.

Quickly, he shoved all the books on a return cart, gathered up his quill and parchment, and bolted from the library, ignoring another furious hiss from Madam Pince. In the corridor, he saw green-trimmed robes about to round the corner. 

“Nancy, wait!” he called, walking as fast as he could without breaking into a full sprint. The Slytherin politely waited for him to catch up. “I changed my mind. A break would be good, I think.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Library was a bit…stuffy.”

Her lips pulled into a broad grin. She clapped her hands together. “Great! This will be so much fun! I mean, decorating’s already fun, but it’ll be extra fun with you.”

“I don’t know if I’m any good at it. It’s been a while since…” 

A white feather necklace draped around his neck. Red-petaled flowers crowding a chipped table. Peppermint on his mum’s hands. Paper snowflakes stuck to a pale blue wall. Music from a crackly wireless. His dad’s foot tapping in time. 

Since my last proper Christmas.

“Don’t worry! You can’t get it wrong, not if you’re having fun.” She did a little spin so that she was walking backwards in front of him, hands behind her back. “You know, if you’ve been in the library all day, we could work outside. Hagrid set up a huge Christmas tree in the training grounds, and he hasn’t had the time to make it pretty. We could do it, just the two of us…if you want.”

He looked down at her (he had to; she was shorter than him) and looked at her grin, and he didn’t think he could say no if he wanted to, because his heart kept pounding. Outside would be good. Compared to the Great Hall, almost no one would be outside, so he wouldn’t be crowded. It would just be…just the two of them.

“Sure, let’s do it,” he said, before he could lose courage. “I prefer being outdoors.”

“Great! It’ll be cold out. Want to meet at the entrance hall in fifteen minutes?”

“Sure.”

“Perfect. See you then!” She dashed off towards the dungeons, robes fluttering behind her. Talbott watched her go, feeling the sudden urge to take off into the winter mountain air and fly until his heart calmed down. He restrained himself, though, and instead walked to Ravenclaw Tower to retrieve his cold weather clothes.

London, my beautiful,

I will climb

into the branches

to the moonlit tree-tops,

that my blood may be cooled

by the wind.

That was it. No more Flint poems for him.

[Link to the full fic on AO3]

#hphmss22 #hphm #hogwarts mystery #talbott winger #talbott x mc

[reaperkiller]

🤥👊🌙🍃⚾️🪤🎭🎁 for caleb hehe <3

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

answered here [:

👊 PUNCH - are they quick to violence?

definitely depends on the situation and who is involved but for the sake of not being Complicated?? yes. quick to violence but also he's very methodical about it. never goes Too far - considering most of the time it's about focusing on getting information from people, and theyre no use to him dead. so he has to be very specific and purposeful in what he does and how. very fun to watch though [:

🌙 MOON - what is your oc's greatest wish? how far are they willing to go for it?

he's well in his 40s now, so all he really wants is to just. settle down. he's been on his own for so long now and its starting to get to him a little bit. a lot actually. he's having a horrible time!!! he just wants to love someone and be loved. he wants a family. he wants to see his own family again. he's not gonna be particularly drastic about it. it'll happen when it happens. but he is gonna be very sad about it the whole time.

🍃 FALLING LEAF - do they enjoy being in nature? what is their favourite outdoor activity?

he LOVES being outside. he's an artist so on his days off he will just go out somewhere that looks nice and do so many sketches of everything he sees. it helps him relax, and keeps his brain from screaming at him for a bit. one of the few things that kept him sane back at the corps.

⚾ BASEBALL - can they play sports? what is their best position if they play a team sport? what's their strong suit (speed, power etc.)?

he's not a sports guy entirely because he does NOT!!! work well with other people. in terms of his strengths with that though. he is very fast, agile. powerhouse of a man. Slippery. is the best way i can describe it honestly

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

that was his whole job basically. so the paycheck NWHAJSGDJFJGJG and thats still the case now on account of being a merc. but if it was something outside of work,, then a loved one being in danger would make him insane 1000% and he would do Whatever it takes to get them out of it no matter what. no questions asked. he does not care even a little bit about putting himself in danger like that. he's kind of grown numb to it i guess ):

🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

OH OF COURSE. ive said this in another ask before but he is actually super nice and caring and gentle, when he lets people get to know him. anyone he works with only ever gets to see his coldness + hard focus on the job at hand and nothing else. they all assume he doesnt care about people, only the money at the end of the job. and while that is kind of true, he also cares SO much about the people he's protecting, whether he's getting paid or not. unless it's rich people/corpo assholes in which case. well he'll still do the job but he wont be happy about it.

🎁 PRESENT - what types of presents would they be most happy to receive? are they good at gift giving?

honestly just give him some food and he will grow on you like moss. food is good. he will eat literally anything. it's been years since he's gotten gifts for anyone so he will kind of cry about it a little bit. maybe.

but get him art supplies??? a sketchbook??? a nice warm sweater??? well now he would die for you.

as for gift giving,,, he hasnt done that in SO many years so he's. a little rusty. but thats what adds to his charm i think. because no matter what he gets you, you can see just how much thought he put into it. and that is so. So important to me

#oc caleb #THANK YOU FOR ALL THESEBQGDJFJFJ FEEL FREE TO SEND MORE #I LOVE TALKING ABOUT CALEB SAUR MUCH

[kendrixtermina]

The „passions“ as specific experiences

I hadn’t put these on tumblr & it occurred to me that I probably should

After consuming a lot of books, videos, first-hand accounts etc, I’ve come to the conclusions that the „passions“ are in fact rather specific combinations of thoughts & emotions than in theory anyone could experience, but which the types for whom it’s the main issue experience quite powerfully & get chased about the landscape by.

Perhaps it’s better let’s use the term „lower emotional habits“ to get away from judgy religion sin talk. nowadays a lot of therapists like to use labels like "counterproductive" or "unhelpful" to avoid ppl internalizing anything in a judgy way.

Now I love a good cardinal vices gimmick & we could have a nice long interesting talk about how the trope has been taken up in Japanese media & there interacting with the cultural background of buddhism, but I think in this case Ichazo’s desire to fit his list of observed „chief features“ (which he derives from simply sorting ppl by what annoys them the most; it will surprise no one to learn that he was an 8...) trying to fit it into the gimmick created a bit of confusion potential like you always gotta explain that „oh, its meant in the old english or latin sense of the term“.

Plus my inner pedantic art critic is a bit salty that they didn’t think to use Despair (the 8th deadly sin in orthodox christianity) for the 6 to complete the set of slightly confusing terms.

So I’m thinking, let’s get some specificity in here & try to compile what it actually, concretely is based on experience reports, just for specificity’s sake & to perhaps help ppl with their self-observation.

1 – frustration with things not being how they should or could be. Some are actually pretty conscious about how this motivates them to work hard & always do better, but it can also turn to stress & resentment or being aggrieved that reality isnt utopic

2 – that hit of gratification when someone says „Wow, I couldn’t have done it without you.“ Not that unlike with the 3, this isn’t just about good regard in general, but about having special significance to particular ppl. being tempted by the idea of being "indispensable"

3 – ppl report rather strong gratification when they’re admired/ praised, but also that they can be too focussed on what they „should“ be feeling/performing in such a situation that little attention is left over for their actual feelings or preferences.

4 – negative comparison. But not just or not necessarily of the self with others, but also general ‚if only…‘ scenarios, wishing things had gone differently, lamenting past losses, imagining better alternate scenarios, or even just against ones own idea of how one should be.

5 – the kneejerk refusal. That sometimes quite hostile ‚eugh, no!‘ kinda feeling when you’re suddenly talked at, asked to participate in something or even contemplating a task that you „have“ to do. Sometimes there’s a spike of dread, like ‚oh no what will I have to do now?!‘ or ‚It‘s too much, I can’t.‘

6 – that thing where as soon as you get settled on an idea, or encounter the slightest sugestion of another possibility, you immediately go ‚...but what if I‘m mistaken??‘ or ‚...what if it all goes wrong?‘ and the building anxious charge that sometimes comes with it.

7 – It’s a thought pattern where you just *must* have or do this one additional thing & feel like if you did have it then you’d finally be happy – but often you may just start craving the next thing. The LaHue guy has a very evocative video on this where he describes it as almost like the world curving and all paths twisting towards whatever Must Be Had. Implicit here is some anxious assumption that if you didnt get it that would be really bad.

8 – A tendency to amp up the intensity when encountering obstacles or opposition to one’s pursuit of pleasure and goals, be it interpersonal conflict or just „conquerring“ the stains on the floor. The difference to the 7 thing is that the 7 would be content if the nice things just fell in their mouth whereas for the 8 there’s some ‚thrill of the chase‘, anxiety or anger or even pain gets registered as positive excitement, so it has almost a little bit of a self-destructive component. What is being craved is not just gratification, but a sense of triumphing over obstacles.

9 – this is one of the harder ones to grasp, cause it’s less ‚active‘ in a sense. It’s when you’re thinking of doing something for your own development, like going after a goal, stating an opinion, drawing attention etc. and at the first serious obstacle you’re like, ‚ah, screw it, it‘s not really worth it’. Not worth the effort or the ruffled feathers or the discomfort in thinking about it, or whatever it is.

Yeah it’s not being lazy and it’s not „avoiding instrospection“ either – though it might be avoiding thinking about particular things that are to do with your goals, impulses and wishes and have discomfort associated.

What I find really interesting is how some types are built around chasing highs whereas others are rather structured around reacting to something unpleasant.

Note also that for the impulse types its a response to an obstacle to your will, for the feeling types its to do with self-evaluation, and for the mental types there’s a quality of tension to it, of fearing a bad consequence.

Like, for example, the 9 one - Of the common analogies inertia is probably the best, like a little rock rolling back into the valley if it wasnt pushed with enough force to overcome the hill.

The 1 will just stubbornly keep rolling gravity be damned and will argue that the stupid hill shouldn’t be there, the 8 will push the rock extra hard on the second attempt and send it flying…. Seeing the structure yet? Its really cool… even if it a map of what’s ruining our lives.

You can derive the triadic characteristics from this, 9 gives up but also tries to be ok with its current situation, 8 goes boom! But pursues what it wants…

Or with the heart types – 2 is chasing a feeling of positive self-evaluation (& trying to get it from others), 3 is proactively assuming a particular way of being evaluated that works for the situation, 4 is reacting to a negative self-evaluaton.

My latest attempt to get control of my life consists of mentally labelling the voice that says „No, no, I dont wanna, fuck you“ as my Inner Goblin and as the one that’s like „I can’t! I can’t! It’s too much!“ as the Inner Victorian Maiden in an attempt to maybe take them less seriously or remind myself inerrogate the soundness of their claims. They’re very persuasive sometimes tho, it can feel like a survival threat, this is all pretty deep-rooted automatic shit.

If it was wholly illusory, it would be too easy – sometimes I really don’t wanna or really can’t, so the trick is in distinguishing rather than kneejerk defaulting.

Same goes for the others, probably – enjoying being praised, for example, isn’t always bad. If you got it fairly & didn’t twist yourself into no painful contortions to get it, why shouldn’t you enjoy it?

So there’s the complicatedness.

#enneagram #typology

[mrsbsmooth]

Scripts - S7 - Episode 2 (Part 2 of 2)

Chat with LI on daybed

You and {0} settle down on the daybeds.

{0}_HAPPY: Have to say, I’m loving being in Casa Amor right now.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s a nice departure from the main villa.

PLAYER_IDLE: What are you enjoying most over here?

{0}_FLIRTY: A lot of beautiful women. One specifically that’s catching my eye.

Flirt with {0}

PLAYER_FLIRTY: And who specifically would that be?

{0}’s eyes catch your own.

{0}_FLIRTY: That’d be giving too much away. I don’t like making it easy.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I guess we have that in common. I like making it hard too.

{0}_FLIRTY: Two peas in a pod.

{0}_FLIRTY: On the outside I don’t usually have problems getting girls.

PLAYER_IDLE: Bit of a player?

{0}_FLIRTY: I was a bit, yeah. Won’t try and deny it.

{0}_IDLE: But that’s why I’m here. To find my forever person.

Keep it friendly

PLAYER_HAPPY: Well, whoever she is, she’s a lucky girl.

PLAYER_IDLE: You seem like a lot of fun.

{0}_IDLE: Yeah, I think I am a lot of fun. If that doesn’t sound really cocky.

{0}_IDLE: I’ve spent the last few years having fun on my own though.

{0}_FLIRTY: But, I guess I’m here to find that person I can have fun with.

{0}_FLIRTY: On a long term basis. My forever person.

Play hard to get

PLAYER_IDLE: Poor girl. I hope you don’t start trying to flirt with her.

{0}_SURPRISED: What does that mean?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Your game seems a bit try-hard. That’s all I’ll say.

{0}_HAPPY: I do try hard, so there’s some truth to that maybe.

{0}_FLIRTY: But the numbers don’t lie.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: So, you’re a bit of a player on the outside?

{0}_IDLE: I was. But I’ve come here to find something more.

{0}_FLIRTY: My forever person, maybe.

{0}_HAPPY: That’s why I’m enjoying being in Casa Amor.

{0}_IDLE: Feel like I’m one step closer to finding that person.

ALEX_HAPPY: Just wanted to grab you for a chat.

ALEX_HAPPY: Let you know that I’m loving getting to know you.

ALEX_HAPPY: And I’m really excited about exploring this connection.

Flirt with Alex

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m excited to explore what we have as well.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Especially when we get back to the main villa together.

ALEX_SURPRISED: You’re confident that I’m twisting with you?

ALEX_FLIRTY: We’ve only just met.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m confident that you know a good thing when you see it.

ALEX_FLIRTY: That is true. You’ve definitely caught my eye. I won’t deny it.

ALEX_FLIRTY: But as for whether I’m gonna twist with you...

ALEX_FLIRTY: We’ll have to wait and see.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You can play your cards close to your chest all you want.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: But I know your hand.

Keep it friendly

PLAYER_IDLE: That’s really sweet. I’m loving our time together too.

PLAYER_IDLE: It’s nice to get away from everyone and chat just us.

ALEX_HAPPY: Tell me about it.

ALEX_SERIOUS: This last day has been a whirlwind.

ALEX_FLIRTY: Sitting with you now feels like the first time I’ve relaxed all day.

ALEX_HAPPY: I feel really comfortable around you.

Play hard to get

PLAYER_IDLE: That makes one of us.

ALEX_SURPRISED: You aren’t feeling the same way?

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m feeling that you need to put in more work.

PLAYER_IDLE: You can’t win me over in one day with one chat.

ALEX_SERIOUS: I get that.

ALEX_IDLE: I came here to find someone I could be myself around.

ALEX_IDLE: And sitting with you feels like I’m one step closer to that.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Just wanted to grab you for a chat.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Let you know that I’m loving getting to know you.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: It’s great having you around. You seem really fun.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Even if I am a little more closed off than the others.

Flirt with Rafael

PLAYER_FLIRTY: That’s a shame because I was really enjoying getting to know you.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Could see us getting up to a lot of mischief together.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Let me know if you ever change your mind.

Keep it friendly

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m not here to try and convince you one way or the other.

PLAYER_IDLE: I think you should follow your heart and if we end up just being friends.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Then, that’s fine.

Question him

PLAYER_IDLE: What you two have must be really strong.

RAFAEL_IDLE: I think we get along quite well.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Quite well?

PLAYER_IDLE: You’re gonna close yourself off because you and Daphne are going ‘quite well’?

RAFAEL_SERIOUS: Well, maybe closed off is the wrong word.

RAFAEL_IDLE: I could be open to something. If it was really special.

He glances at your lips for an intense moment before leaning back into the seat.

PLAYER_IDLE: So what did you want to talk about?

{0}_IDLE: Firstly, I just wanted to clear something up.

{0}_IDLE: When you saw me and Summer on the terrace earlier.

{0}_IDLE: Thought you might want an explanation?

Tell me what happened

PLAYER_IDLE: Yeah, I’d like to know what was going on.

{0}_IDLE: It was nothing really.

{0}_SERIOUS: She came up to me and asked if we could go have a chat.

{0}_IDLE: And when we got to the terrace she was being flirty and cheeky.

PLAYER_IDLE: And what about you?

{0}_IDLE: I felt like I was turning her down in all honesty.

{0}_SERIOUS: I never said that outright, but I’m not feeling it with her.

{0}_IDLE: I know it looked suss with us being on the terrace, but nothing was said.

{0}_SERIOUS: No moves were made. Honestly.

I believe you

PLAYER_HAPPY: I believe you, {0}. No sweat.

I don’t believe you

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t believe you.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I heard a little bit of the conversation before Bonnie walked out.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: And it felt like the flirting was back and forth, not just one way.

{0}_SERIOUS: I admit I wasn’t shutting the door on her.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: But also…

It’s all good

PLAYER_IDLE: No, it’s fine.

{0}_HAPPY: I will say one thing.

{0}_HAPPY: I was actually happy when you guys interrupted us.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: It was all getting a bit awkward.

{0}_HAPPY: Don’t get me wrong, I think Summer is great.

{0}_SERIOUS: But she turns it straight up to 11.

{0}_HAPPY: It was a little much for me.

{0}_HAPPY: Especially as our first proper chat together.

PLAYER_IDLE: You like someone to take it a bit slower?

{0}_IDLE: I don’t know. It just felt a bit intense.

{0}_HAPPY: She skipped the how do you like your eggs in the morning? questions.

{0}_HAPPY: And went straight to the, your bed or mine? questions.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Yikes.

{0}_HAPPY: I actually wanted to ask you a few questions.

PLAYER_HAPPY: How do I like my eggs in the morning?

{0}_HAPPY: That kind of stuff, yeah.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Ask away.

{0}_HAPPY: I wanna close my eyes and be able to picture the kind of person you are.

{0}_HAPPY: So, what kind of life do you live back home?

Parties and late nights

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I live a pretty lively life back home.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: If I don’t spend a night out dancing and having fun with my friends, it was a wasted evening.

{0}_HAPPY: Wow, I kind of got that impression.

{0}_HAPPY: You look like you know how to have a good time.

ALEX_IDLE: I’m less into that stuff nowadays, focusing on my work and my weight lifting more.

ALEX_HAPPY: But a few years ago you couldn’t keep me out of those Warrington clubs.

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Well, there was this big club in Warrington everyone went to.

ALEX_HAPPY: But that meant <i>everyone</i> was there.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s something we have in common.

PLAYER_IDLE: You’re a bit of a party animal too, are you?

{0}_HAPPY: Always have been.

BRYSON_SERIOUS: When my influencer career kicked off I got this agent.

BRYSON_HAPPY: And he wanted to know which brands I liked to get sponsorship deals with.

BRYSON_HAPPY: So I just told him all my favourite clubs.

BRYSON_HAPPY: One of them agreed so I’m always in there. Jump the queue. Free drinks all night.

BRYSON_HAPPY: I literally get paid to party.

JOYO_HAPPY: The Cornwall club scene is so underrated if you know where to look.

JOYO_HAPPY: But the problem is they get super busy in peak season.

JOYO_HAPPY: So we normally get some battery lights, a big speaker.

JOYO_FLIRTY: And take the party down to the beach.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: When I was at Uni I went clubbing literally every night.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: But I think I kind of overdid it.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Now you’re more likely to find me in a pub.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: It’s my favourite thing about British culture.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Fish and chips and a nice pint while you catch up with mates.

I love my job

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m really work focused. My career is super important to me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m pretty ambitious and want to achieve good things.

{0}_HAPPY: I think that’s such an attractive trait in someone.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Being an influencer people think I just get paid to party and go on my phone.

BRYSON_HAPPY: Which is true to a degree.

BRYSON_SERIOUS: But I work at it. Started from one follower to build up my brand.

BRYSON_SERIOUS: I guess we have that drive in common.

JOYO_SERIOUS: I only properly started working towards my career the last few years.

JOYO_SERIOUS: Knew I wanted to do something near the water but it took me a while to find my calling.

JOYO_SERIOUS: Wish I’d had your mindset earlier on in life. It’s great.

ALEX_HAPPY: I’m looking to move up and get more experience. More ambitious projects.

ALEX_HAPPY: Keep developing my skill set, that kind of thing.

ALEX_HAPPY: My Grandad was an architect but I don’t know if my maths is good enough for that.

ALEX_HAPPY: But right now I’m really happy doing what I do.

ALEX_HAPPY: Being around people who prioritise their career like you.

ALEX_FLIRTY: They’re the kind of people I wanna be around.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: I only got out of Uni last year so I’m finding my feet.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Managed to land a great job in tech so I’m happy there for now.

RAFAEL_SERIOUS: But I don’t want to pigeon hole myself in my career.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Always applying for new jobs, trying to find the next best thing.

Gym bunny

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m a massive gym bunny.

PLAYER_HAPPY: If I’m not at home, and not at work, check the gym. I’ll be there

PLAYER_HAPPY: Whether I’ve had a good day or a bad day, gym is the answer.

{0}_HAPPY: I know that feeling.

ALEX_HAPPY: I never used to go to the gym if you can believe it.

ALEX_IDLE: But now with my weightlifting it’s like a second home.

ALEX_HAPPY: I’m lifting wood all day at work, and then to relax I go lift iron.

ALEX_HAPPY: Whatever wakes you up in the morning, I guess.

BRYSON_HAPPY: I’ve always been a massive gym head too.

BRYSON_HAPPY: I just switch off in there and enter the zone. Like meditation.

BRYSON_HAPPY: And I do a bit of health and fitness on my social.

BRYSON_IDLE: So I’m always in there now, filming or just working out.

BRYSON_HAPPY: It’s literally my second home.

JOYO_HAPPY: I’ve been a gym stan since ever.

JOYO_HAPPY: My dad was super healthy so I think I always grew up wanting to be like him.

JOYO_HAPPY: Now the gym is literally like a second home for me. It’s my me time.

JOYO_HAPPY: Helps having that strength when you do scuba as a full time job too.

JOYO_IDLE: Those tanks ain’t light and someone has to carry them off the boat everyday.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: I only found the gym a few months ago if you can believe it.

RAFAEL_IDLE: Up until then I just used to do cardio.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: But I really love it now. Helped clear my head at uni.

{0}_HAPPY: Maybe we can go to the gym together some time?

Take each day as it comes

PLAYER_HAPPY: I like to take each day of my life as it comes.

PLAYER_HAPPY: If my friends message and they wanna party, I’ll be there in 10.

PLAYER_HAPPY: If I wake up and feel like a beach, I’m on the next plane to Greece.

{0}_HAPPY: You’re kidding. Your life sounds like a dream.

{0}_HAPPY: I think more people should live like that, it’s so cool.

JOYO_HAPPY: Next time you wake up feeling like a beach, just come to mine though.

JOYO_HAPPY: It’s all day beach vibes.

JOYO_IDLE: I’d love to live like you, but my job is a bit less flexible.

JOYO_IDLE: I have to wake up at 5am most days to go on scuba tours.

JOYO_HAPPY: But on the plus side, I get back at midday.

JOYO_HAPPY: So I have basically all day to myself after that.

JOYO_HAPPY: I try to plan what to do and just see where the day takes me.

ALEX_IDLE: My life is probably a bit more structured.

ALEX_IDLE: But I’m trying to be more spontaneous when I can.

ALEX_IDLE: Went on a very random holiday to Ireland last month that I loved.

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Rained the whole time but it was such a laugh.

RAFAEL_IDLE: After University I took a few months out before getting work.

RAFAEL_IDLE: Went travelling and tried to do like you said.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Take each day as it comes.

RAFAEL_IDLE: I had such a good time, I didn't want to come back.

BRYSON_HAPPY: One of the perks of being an influencer is that I don’t work 9-5.

BRYSON_IDLE: It’s more like 8-10 and then 2-4 and so on.

BRYSON_HAPPY: So I’m really grateful my life is flexible like that.

BRYSON_HAPPY: I can go work in a new city one week and then be home to see friends.

BRYSON_HAPPY: I think it’s the best way to live.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: But this was supposed to be me asking about you.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Well, what else do you want to ask me?

{0}_HAPPY: I was actually wondering what you’re like in a relationship?

My love language is touch

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Let’s just say my love language is touch.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I like having that physical connection with someone.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You know, being kissed and hugged and all that stuff.

{0}_FLIRTY: You deserve nothing less.

I’m one deep chat after another

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m one deep chat after another in a relationship.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: For me, being intimate is all about communication.

PLAYER_IDLE: So I like talking about our days and our problems.

{0}_HAPPY: I think that’s great.

I like being my partner’s best friend

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I like just being there for my partner, and vice versa.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I want us to feel like friends first.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m glad you’ve said that. That’s really important to me too.

{0}_IDLE: I think people can overlook how important that is.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I know I certainly have at times.

{0}_SERIOUS: But the older I get the more I think I know what I want in my relationships.

{0}_HAPPY: So, since you asked about icks, I want to know yours. Do you have any?

Bad hygiene

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I have to say poor hygiene.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Smelly breath or strong B.O.

PLAYER_IDLE: If you can’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of a girl like me.

{0} cups his mouth and pretends to smell his breath.

{0}_HAPPY: I think I’m in the clear then.

Always on their phone

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Anyone that goes on their phone all the time is a no no for me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I find it rude and it just winds me up.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m gonna put my phone on aeroplane mode whenever we’re together.

Left on read

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t like it when guys take ages to reply on text.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I get an hour or two. We’re all busy sometimes but when it’s days…

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s just rude.

{0}_HAPPY: Well, if I’m ever lucky enough to get your number.

{0}_HAPPY: I’ll keep that in mind.

Snore in their sleep

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Guys that snore is a bit of a turn off for me.

PLAYER_IDLE: Don’t mind a bit of heavy breathing at night.

PLAYER_IDLE: But if it’s like sleeping next to a reversing truck, it’s a deal breaker.

{0}_SERIOUS: I have it on good authority that I don’t snore.

I don’t have an ick

PLAYER_HAPPY: I don’t think I have an ick.

{0}_HAPPY: That’s very sweet of you to say.

{0}_HAPPY: But I suspect you just haven’t found out what it is yet.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Maybe I’ll find out in the villa.

{0}_HAPPY: You never know.

PLAYER_IDLE: Tell me about your partner back in the main villa then.

PLAYER_IDLE: How are things going?

RAFAEL_HAPPY: Me and Daphne are going well, as far as I can tell.

RAFAEL_IDLE: I’ve really enjoyed getting to know her.

RAFAEL_IDLE: She’s ticking quite a few boxes for me.

RAFAEL_HAPPY: I think I’m pretty happy.

PLAYER_IDLE: Pretty happy? Not <i>really</i> happy?

RAFAEL_EMBARRASSED: Well, it’s early on for us.

RAFAEL_SERIOUS: And Casa Amor is a test for any couple.

BRYSON_IDLE: Me and Willow hit a bit of a wall if I’m being honest.

BRYSON_SERIOUS: Felt like the chat stopped flowing right before we left for Casa.

BRYSON_FLIRTY: Which is either terrible, or brilliant timing.

BRYSON_FLIRTY: I’m not quite sure yet.

JOYO_IDLE: Me and Geri hit a bit of a wall if I’m being honest.

JOYO_SERIOUS: Felt like the chat stopped flowing right before we left for Casa.

JOYO_FLIRTY: Which is either terrible, or brilliant timing.

JOYO_FLIRTY: I’m not quite sure yet.

ALEX_EMBARRASSED: Me and Estelle… yeah, I dunno.

ALEX_IDLE: There was maybe something there early on.

ALEX_IDLE: But I feel like my heart isn’t quite with her.

ALEX_SERIOUS: I hope she feels the same, otherwise I’d feel awful.

ALEX_SERIOUS: But yeah, I think more of a friendship was how we left it.

PLAYER_IDLE: So, are you open to getting to know the Casa girls?

PLAYER_IDLE: With the intention of twisting? Or are you closed off?

{0} looks at you with his piercing eyes.

{0}_IDLE: What do you think I should do?

Be open to getting to know us

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I think you should be open to getting to know us.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You’re on Love Island and you're sticking with the first girl you’ve met?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Live a little. Have some fun.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: What’s the worst that could happen?

{0} is taken back by your response. He grins at you.

{0}_HAPPY: When you put it like that.

Follow your heart

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I think you should follow your heart.

PLAYER_IDLE: Maybe you should play it safe and stick.

PLAYER_IDLE: But maybe if you get to know us, you’ll find something more.

PLAYER_IDLE: Something that you’re missing back in the main villa.

{0} nods in agreement.

{0}_HAPPY: When you put it like that.

Stay loyal to your partner

PLAYER_SERIOUS: If you have a connection with your main villa girl.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: You don’t have to twist if you have the real thing back in the villa, right?

PLAYER_HAPPY: You can get to know everyone but if it doesn’t compare then stay with your girl.

{0}_FLIRTY: True. A bit of me does think where’s the fun in that?

{0}_SERIOUS: But maybe you’re right.

{0}_SERIOUS: I guess I just need to see how it goes.

{0}_FLIRTY: If I feel a spark, I feel a spark.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Plus, things got pretty messy before we left for Casa.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Let’s just say the drama hit the villa fan.

{0}_SERIOUS: Do you wanna know the deets, {1}?

*Tell me everything!

Nah, not my business

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m good. Villa business is villa business.

{0}_SERIOUS: I get that.

{0}_FLIRTY: If you know what went down you might have the upper hand…

{0}_FLIRTY: Plus it’s an entertaining story.

*Spill the deets then!

Nope, it’s in the past now

PLAYER_IDLE: Nope. I don’t need the upper hand.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Plus, it’s in the past. Why get into it now?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: We’re here to enjoy Casa Amor.

{0}_FLIRTY: True! We should focus on our time here.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m having a great time already.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Tell me everything! I need to know the drama.

{0}_HAPPY: I thought so! It started at the first coupling actually.

{0}_ANGRY: Joyo just ruined the whole vibe.

{0}_ANGRY: I was first and picked Geri. We vibed straight away.

{0}_SERIOUS: Then he comes in and takes her!

It’s the name of the game

PLAYER_IDLE: Isn’t that the point of the game though?

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’ve gotta get the person you want.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I guess, yeah. But it was so suss of him.

{0}_SERIOUS: It was like he did it on purpose.

{0}_SERIOUS: We’ve kinda been butting heads ever since.

That is kinda bad of him

PLAYER_IDLE: Yikes, that is kinda bad.

{0}_SURPRISED: Right?! It was like he did it to rub it in my face.

{0}_SERIOUS: We’ve kinda been butting heads ever since.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: That guy doesn’t know bro code for sure.

{0}_ANGRY: Bryson was such a child. It was ridiculous.

{0}_SERIOUS: I came in last and saw that Geri was my type. She was already coupled with Bryson.

{0}_SERIOUS: But she had this flirty banter I liked so I chose her.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Oooh drama!

{0}_EMBARRASSED: It was so cringe when he got annoyed.

You did make a steal though

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: You did sort of make a steal though, Joyo.

PLAYER_IDLE: Wouldn’t it bother you?

{0}_SERIOUS: Maybe… but I wouldn’t tell everyone about it.

{0}_IDLE: It’s part of villa life!

He defo overreacted

PLAYER_IDLE: Sounds like he defo overreacted.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Bet that was uncomfortable to watch.

{0}_HAPPY: Oh, it was for sure.

{0}_FLIRTY: Never showed it though.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Always cool as a cucumber, huh?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I tried to keep it classy.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: He kept saying I didn’t know what bro code was.

{0}_SERIOUS: Are we five?!

{0}_EMBARRASSED: It was going really well and then the Joyo & Bryson drama started.

{0}_IDLE: Joyo came in and stole Geri.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Yikes. That must have been awkward.

{0}_IDLE: Bryson was trying to be cool but it was obvious he wasn’t happy.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Wow. That’s a first day shocker.

{0}_HAPPY: It got worse.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Spill it.

{0}_IDLE: Well then Raf got a bit nervy with his choice of Daphne.

PLAYER_IDLE: Why was he nervy?

{0}_IDLE: He said she’s not his usual type.

{0}_IDLE: And didn’t want to lead her on if they didn’t vibe.

{0}_IDLE: Alex had to give him some big bro advice.

{0}_HAPPY: He was defo overthinking it.

{0}_IDLE: Still not sure he made the right choice though…

{0}_IDLE: But that’s not my business I guess…

{0}_HAPPY: Then Raf got a bit nervy with his choice of Daphne.

{0}_HAPPY: But after a chat he settled down. I told him to be confident in his choice.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Are you confident in your choices?

{0}_FLIRTY: If they involve you I am.

{0}_HAPPY: But he was defo overthinking.

PLAYER_IDLE: What was he overthinking?

{0}_IDLE: He said she’s not his usual type and didn’t want to lead her on if they didn’t vibe.

PLAYER_HAPPY: But they did?

{0}_IDLE: You know, I’m not so sure they do but not my business.

{0}_IDLE: It was my turn for a bit of drama then.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Oh really?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Yeah, I had to have a chat with Alex.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I felt I might’ve made the wrong choice coupling with Daphne.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: She’s not my usual type.

{0}_IDLE: I didn’t want to lead her on if we didn’t vibe.

I get that

PLAYER_IDLE: It’s nice that you thought about it.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Shows you don’t want to play games.

{0}_HAPPY: Not at all!

{0}_FLIRTY: But you are my type so I’m not worried about this.

He motions to you and him.

It was day one, why stress?

PLAYER_IDLE: It was day one! You didn’t marry her.

{0}_HAPPY: I know, I know. I didn’t want to mess her about.

{0}_HAPPY: I didn’t want her to think I was playing games.

PLAYER_IDLE: But did you vibe?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: We did…

{0}_FLIRTY: But maybe I was trying too hard to make sure we did.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sounds like it was full on.

{0}_HAPPY: Yeah, then we had a Meet and Greet party to get to know each other.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Let me guess. More drama?

{0}_IDLE: No actually. It was really chill.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

{0}_HAPPY: No. There was so much more drama.

{0}_SERIOUS: Estelle and Alex were <i>so</i> awkward with each other.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: That was a hard watch.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Estelle was so on it. Flirting and bantering him but he just didn’t seem to be feeling it.

{0}_IDLE: It was super obvious that they didn’t really have anything in common.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Are they vibing now?

{0}_HAPPY: Who knows. Alex keeps things to himself mostly.

{0}_HAPPY: But I don’t think they’re meant for each other.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: It was my turn for the drama.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Yeah me and Estelle weren’t vibing at all.

{0}_IDLE: I was trying to get to know everyone and she wanted to keep pulling me for chats.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: It got super awkward when I said no.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Felt kind of bad afterwards.

You should have had a chat with her

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Yeah, you should have gone for a chat.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Even a short one.

PLAYER_IDLE: She was probably excited to be in a couple with you.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: You’re right. It just didn’t feel natural to me.

{0}_FLIRTY: Not like this does.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You’re a charmer.

{0}_HAPPY: Just honest.

You shouldn’t feel bad

PLAYER_IDLE: If you didn’t want to chat then she should have respected that.

PLAYER_HAPPY: No need to feel bad about it.

{0}_HAPPY: True.

{0}_FLIRTY: Plus, it didn’t feel natural.

{0}_FLIRTY: Not like this.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Maybe we're better suited as friends?

{0}_HAPPY: I thought it was going to chill out from then.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It didn’t?

{0}_HAPPY: Bryson decided it was his time to get Geri back.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Oh no!

{0}_HAPPY: He was proper dancing with her. They looked good together. I won't lie.

{0}_IDLE: Joyo was trying to act cool but you could see he didn’t like it.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Joyo pulled him for a chat and they had words.

{0}_IDLE: They bicker and dig each other out whenever they can now.

{0}_IDLE: Bryson thought he could flirt with Geri right in front of me so I had to pull him for a chat.

{0}_ANGRY: He made it this big thing and got all dramatic.

{0}_ANGRY: The others were watching. The guy has no filter.

{0}_IDLE: It was a party so I obvs started dancing.

{0}_FLIRTY: Geri was dancing too and Joyo got all uptight about it.

{0}_HAPPY: I love dancing and I naturally just got closer to Geri. It was harmless.

{0}_FLIRTY: Well, I was trying to wind him up a little.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’re terrible.

{0}_HAPPY: Nah, I just love a good time.

{0}_ANGRY: Anyway, Joyo pulls me for a chat and goes on about the dancing.

{0}_ANGRY: Like he can say anything when he stole her.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Sounds intense.

{0}_HAPPY: We decided to go to bed. Fresh for the first full day.

{0}_HAPPY: Daphne and Raf were getting closer. Kissing and cuddling. It was sweet.

{0}_IDLE: Bit soon. But sweet.

{0}_HAPPY: I was feeling better about picking Daphne so we had a cuddle.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Only a cuddle?

{0}_HAPPY: Yeah. We cooled it down quickly.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Any bedroom deets?

{0}_HAPPY: Oh, yeah. The girls weren’t happy.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Why?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Bryson was non stop flirting with Geri.

{0}_IDLE: Like all his focus was on her.

{0}_IDLE: His partner, Willow, was kinda hurt. The girls pulled him up on it.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Nice!

{0}_IDLE: He needed to chill out.

{0}_IDLE: The girls were saying I was flirting too much with Geri and that it was annoying Willow.

{0}_SERIOUS: Willow had already said I wasn’t her type.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Maybe because it was in front of her?

{0}_IDLE: Yeah I guess.

{0}_IDLE: I stopped and had a chat with Willow after. It was nice.

PLAYER_IDLE: Did the drama stop the next day?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Kinda.

{0}_IDLE: Alex and Estelle were a bit off with each other.

{0}_SERIOUS: She said he was a bit distant all night.

{0}_IDLE: Only gave her a hug and slept with his back turned.

{0}_IDLE: No spooning or anything.

That's cold

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Oh, that is cold.

PLAYER_HAPPY: She prob could feel he wasn’t into her.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Everyone could feel it.

PLAYER_IDLE: She probably just took offence.

Fair, it’s night one

PLAYER_IDLE: I get it though. It was night one.

PLAYER_IDLE: He was probably tired and she took offence.

{0}_SERIOUS: She defo didn’t like it.

{0}_IDLE: It was awkward between them the whole day.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Estelle was a bit off with me in the morning.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

{0}_SERIOUS: Yeah. She wouldn’t speak to me and refused the tea I made her.

{0}_SERIOUS: She was making it awkward for everyone so I had to pull her for a talk.

{0}_IDLE: She said I was cold during the night.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Like cold feet?

{0}_HAPPY: Nah!

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I gave her a hug goodnight and then I apparently turned my back on her all night.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Ouch.

{0}_IDLE: It was too soon for anything else. Plus, we weren't even flirting that much.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I missed a big day then, huh?

{0}_IDLE: You did.

{0}_HAPPY: But that feels forever ago now!

{0}_HAPPY: Feels like we’ve been here longer, right?

Uma interrupts your conversation and flops down on the daybeds between you and {0}.

UMA_EMBARRASSED: Well, that was a waste of time.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Rubbish chat?

UMA_EMBARRASSED: Bor-ing! Where’s the sauce?

{0}_HAPPY: Ah, give him a chance, Uma.

{0}_HAPPY: Bryson is a right charmer when he gets going.

{0}_HAPPY: Alex moves slow but he’s a great guy.

UMA_HAPPY: Nah, that wasn’t working at all!

UMA_HAPPY: So I’ve decided to be brave and go after something that might work.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Oh yeah?

{0}_SURPRISED: This sounds like trouble.

UMA_FLIRTY: Maybe…

Uma leans into {0}. Really turning up the flirt.

UMA_FLIRTY: Do you like trouble, {0}?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Errr… not sure.

UMA_FLIRTY: I have to shoot my shot now or I’ll regret it.

UMA_EMBARRASSED: And I wanted to do this in front of you, {0}, so it’s not shady.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: What do you mean?

UMA_EMBARRASSED: This is awkward, but go hard or go home, right?

UMA_FLIRTY: {0}, I think we should share a bed tonight.

{0} locks eyes with you. Shocked.

{0}_SURPRISED: Me?!

NARRATOR: Well isn’t Uma rocking the proverbial boat…

NARRATOR: I haven’t seen a boat rocked like this since I tried to play darts on an inflatable dingy.

NARRATOR: I lost. I was so deflated… And wet.

NARRATOR: But is Uma’s bold move going to go down with a hiss?

NARRATOR: Find out next time on Love Island!

[ohpleaselarry]

Annual Writing Self-Evaluation 2022

Thank you @greenblueish and @brightgolden for the tag! I did this last year but I couldn’t find it haha, so if I have repeating answers, oh well! Here we go :)

1. Number of stories posted to AO3 this year: 7 (though it’d technically be more as the a-z series are separate fics)

2. Word count posted for the year: 314,557!

3. Fandoms I wrote for: one direction

4. Pairings: Larry

5. Story with the most:

Kudos: dont know its lost til you find it

Bookmarks: dont know its lost til you find it

Comments: Louis&Harry: A-Z

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): 

a-z for sure. It has, and continues to, push me like crazy to not only write an unfamiliar prompt, but also to write quicker than I usually do. (I say as I haven’t updated it in 6 months lmao)

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why):

honestly, this is something I never thought I’d say, but I’m rather proud of everything I’ve done this year. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so even if I’m happy enough to upload, ill always find something that could’ve been changed, but despite that I feel like I grow more and more every year.

8. Share or describe a favourite review you received:

this is my least favourite question because I love each and every comment I get. I don’t have a specific one to shout-out, but I do have many users I look forward to seeing the comments of. Any comments that mention specific parts or quotes of the fic that they loved are always really lovely to read and make me smile so much.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard:

the last two months have been the hardest this year, which is probably clear by the lack of uploads. I started a new antidepressant in October and it’s taken a toll on me quite heavily physically, and therefore also on the creative side of myself. I’m settling into my dose, though, and have started to write consistently again these last few weeks! Not to mention my mental health is steadily increasing for the first time since I was 12 years old, so I definitely think this’ll be a great positive change for my writing.

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you:

The alpha drop, probably. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be good, seeing as I couldn’t find anything on any omegaverse forums about alpha drops even being a thing, so I was sort of flying blind. Luckily, it seems to be taken well and in the end I rather liked it.

11. A favourite excerpt of your writing:

This is a hard question, especially since I don’t enjoy rereading my fics, as I tend to only find mistakes, but I’m trying to get better at being proud of myself, so I’m going to cheat a little and say the whole introduction up to the boys meeting in night song is my favourite. Writing an au that isn’t my own makes it even harder to be proud of, especially when the source is something as incredibly well done as studio ghibli, but I truly tried my best to not only capture the essence of the original film, but also make it my own, and I’m quite proud of the fic as a whole.

12. How did you grow as a writer this year:

Reckon I could look back and find a thousand different answers to this question, as I feel like I grow as a writer every few months, haha, but probably the biggest growth has been letting go of word count expectations. I used to be quite hard on myself about it, and would have a silly “minimum of 20k or nothing” rule for myself. Though I know I still have a ways to go in terms of writing self-love, allowing myself to write until it feels good, rather than when I’ve reached the “minimum” acceptable word count, has been an incredible weight off my shoulders. Writing shouldn’t be stressing me out, and it took me a long time to realise that, but I’m glad I have.

13. How do you hope to grow next year:

I hope to learn new writing patterns. I feel like there are a handful of parallels in all of my fics, and I’d like to move onto more varying ways of writing.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

Unsure if this counts, and I’m 90% sure this was my answer last year as well, but it’ll definitely have to be music, usually classical or instrumentals. I listen to it every single time I write, and it is my biggest motivator.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

I’ll be home tonight, definitely. I feel like there’s a bit of me in every fic I write, but that one was the most this year.

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Don’t give up a scene even if you think it’s shit. Finish it out, and move on to the next one. You can always go back and fix it later. Keeping the flow of non-block is much more important.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: 

I’m really hoping to finish a-z before 2023 is up, especially because I have another long series planned that I refuse to start before a-z is finished, as I’d hate to lose motivation for it.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

I feel like everyone’s done this already, so I tag anyone who’s read this and wants to do it :)

#mutual games #annual writing self evaluation